Joe O'Reilly
Labour Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“As the Minister said, the Commission is coming up with proposals, and this exercise by us, and please God we will finish it before the summer, will make a difference in leading the European effort. We are winning support for suspension of trade.”
“At the outset, I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her leadership in this area and commitment in her opening remarks to go on pushing at European level to get a consensus on real action on the trade agreement and individual sanctions.”
“We recognise the State of Palestine. We have been consistent in our public criticism of the genocide in Gaza, we took a strong position at the UN, we were a co-sponsor of the ICJ, and latterly, we have given leadership at EU level.”
“To turn to the issue of today, the illegal settlements, in international law they are clearly illegal and are expanding. They cause access to land resources for Palestinians to be restricted, there is settler violence, and Palestinian families continue to face displacement and growing insecurity.”
“It will enhance our moral authority in Europe and give leadership to other European countries. It is, at its most fundamental level, coupled with our previous action on recognising Palestine, joining the ICJ case and strong public statements, another act of solidarity with the victims of these illegal settlements.”
“If the opposite were merited, we would be saying it equally loudly. The Minister of State made a point that was echoed by my colleagues, Senators Boyhan and Casey, about the importance of the necessary transition from fossil fuels. I would like to hear the Minister of State respond at the end of the debate.”
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“That engages a lot of discussion but it is important to note that there is a greater demand for staff now in IT. There is the cybersecurity issue, risk management, legal and compliance. The financial institutions including the credit unions are competing with the private sector for a certain pool of people. While the money looks extraordinary to lay people, in that world that kind of money is the norm. It is important also for people to know that in real terms, the State has recovered €2 billion more from the Bank of Ireland than taxpayers were liable for, so there has been a €2 billion win for taxpayers. The money has been retrieved. In essence, the Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act and the eligible liabilities guarantee schemes, the inherent regulations there, are redundant now.”
“It is important to reassure viewers, taxpayers, depositors and all the people of our country that the credit institutions are required to comply with the prudential reporting requirements set out under the EU regulation. That EU regulation, implemented domestically, includes a template for mandatory reporting, which still exists, with resultant transparency obligations which are all codified. I agree with Senator Crowe that they go further than the original regulation. This regulation has been implemented by the Government and of course there is the supervision of the EU regulation. We have the Government's implementation thereof and the Central Bank regulation. As part of the 2022 banking review, pay restructuring was approved. That allowed a variation of €20,000 in individual pay packets and lifted the ceiling on senior executive pay.”
“Anyone watching online or on Oireachtas TV needs to be reassured - it should be read into the record - that retail deposits are still guaranteed to a maximum of €100,000 and joint deposits are guaranteed to a maximum of €200,000. There is effectively a guarantee there yet. The guarantee schemes had conditions at the time. They included restructuring of the boards, board representation, commercial conduct and remuneration and reporting. Those restrictions were naturally built into the financial guarantees. These obligations have become redundant as there is no longer any guaranteed liability under the scheme. There is no financial liability and therefore they become redundant. I will be addressing the way they are replaced. In 2022, the Minister entered into deeds of partial release with the credit institutions.”
“It guaranteed all deposit liabilities, including retail, commercial and institutional liabilities; all covered bonds; senior debt; and subordinated debt. In simple terms, at a critical stage and at a time of great peril, it guaranteed the savings of individuals across the country. That was crucial along with the rest of the things I referred to. It was followed by the eligible liabilities scheme in December 2009, with less extensive cover. In 2013, the Minister announced that the eligible liabilities guarantee would end for new liabilities, so it was being weaned away, as it were. It is important to note that the majority of deposits continue to be guaranteed. This is a critical point.”
“I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. At very different times - he would want that emphasised - we attended the one educational institution and played fairly similar roles there. There is, however, a very big gap in time. In case he interrupts proceedings, I put that on the record. The Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act 2008 enabled the then Minister for Finance to enact the bank guarantee scheme. The EU Commission approved the bank guarantee scheme as being necessary to remedy the serious economic distress in Ireland. After approval by the Houses of the Oireachtas, it was introduced by way of SI 411 of 2008, the Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Scheme 2008, which set out the terms and conditions and had a life of two years.”
“I would ask everyone in the House to support it on the grounds that it deals with economic whirlwinds and is a prudent response to the international difficulties that we face around the tariffs and geopolitical conflict. It is a prudent response, is socially progressive and is a very important response to the housing crisis through putting the infrastructure in place. It is also a response to the issues of climate change and agriculture. It attempts to keep the stimulus in all sectors of the economy. The Finance Bill, in giving effect to the taxation measures in the budget, is an important piece of legislation. I hope that we will have a good debate, that it will go through Second Stage and that we have a good discussion on Committee Stage, where we will discuss the recommendations. I will leave it at that.”
“In the region I come from, everything is based on agriculture and food processing. The measure for young farmers is important in the context of succession planning in farming. The young trained farmer stamp duty relief is being maintained and extended, the farm consolidation relief is being extended and the farm restructuring relief is being extended. In the climate area, the extension of the VRT relief on electric vehicles is important, as is the extension of the €400 tax disregard for people selling electricity into the grid. The purpose of tonight's Second Stage is that we broadly approve the Finance Bill and, in so doing, I commend the Finance Bill to the House.”
“I must acknowledge that it was my constituency colleague, who has been in the news a lot lately, Heather Humphreys, who piloted that through initially. It is a significant social reform, irrespective of the politics of it. The extension of the rent tax credit is important in the housing context, as is the VAT reduction on apartments. I have heard anecdotal evidence, and we have colleagues here from Dublin city, and seen from walking around that there would seem to be a lot of activity on the apartment complex front, which would suggest this is working. I mentioned the €9.4 billion infrastructural fund in the context of building in resilience, but it is also important in the context of housing. Agriculture is our core industry, and it gives rise to food processing and so on.”
“The income disregard for carers is up by €375 for a single person and by €750 for a couple. The fuel allowance, which is important in the context of fuel poverty, has seen a €5 increase from €33 to €38. There has been a flat rate increase of €10 in social welfare payments in general. We wish it was more than that, but in the budgetary context, with the other measures in the budget, such as the increase in the fuel allowance and so on, it is not inconsiderable. However, we would aspire to more in the future. Importantly, the budget makes provision for auto-enrolment, which is effectively a retirement savings scheme. The State will invest €154 million in that next year as a contribution for 2026. It is a hugely important initiative, one of the most important initiatives in a long time.”
“We will have a budget surplus of €5.1 billion, which is a very healthy situation. We have an improving debt-to-GDP ratio. We are at 61% now and we will be going down to 58%, which is significant. We will have an annual growth rate into the future of 2.19%. That is an encouraging situation as we deal with the whirlwinds that are out there, which we cannot fully anticipate the impact of. As I said, the Finance Bill creates and enhances a progressive and caring Ireland, which is important. There is a big attack on child poverty in the Bill. There is an increase in the weekly rate for a child over 12 of €16, to €78, and an increase of €8 for a child under 12. The issue of carers is very important. Both in cold, clinical economic terms and in human terms, it is important that carers are supported in their homes.”
“They have been set at 15%, which is not as bad as anticipated but is still a significant increase compared to the status quo . Today, we have a lot of trade wars and geopolitical conflict. They are the challenges and the backdrop to the Bill. We have to build resilience into our economy to deal with those challenges. We are doing that very effectively in the budget. In next year's budget, there will be a Vote of €19.1 billion for infrastructure across the board, including water, roads, transport, energy, the grid and all of that. That is an important bit of resilience and economic activity for the country. Over the coming five years, we will be devoting 5% of GDP to infrastructure development. We have put €4.5 billion this year into the Future Ireland Fund, which will cope with ageing, climate change and digital transition.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, who has a lot of professional and personal expertise in this sphere. He is a very apt person to be with us for the debate. It merits saying that the object of the Finance Bill is to give legislative effect to the budget, primarily the taxation changes, etc. The budget is set in the context of a strong economy. We have 2.8 million people in employment. We have had a 19% increase in employment since lockdown. Some 63,500 new jobs will be added in 2026. We have high living standards, long life expectancy and excellent educational outcomes. We have a good progressive social protection system. It is in that context that the budget and Finance Bill are set. In the overall context, we are not without challenges. The major challenge, of course, is tariffs.”
“I ask him to look at his budget for this. This campaign would be to let the people know the difference. I meet any number of people in shops, hairdressing salons and everywhere who talk to me with the best of human intent but with complete ignorance of the situation of the distinction with economic migrants. Could we have a public education campaign on this issue, more than is being done? I also welcome the movement to the use of State lands and State housing because we need our hotels back open. Will the Minister of State elaborate on where we are at with that and how he projects that will go on into the future. On that basis I will leave it.”
“They are here as temporary protection holders. They have and will bring a lot to our country. Many will go back. Those who stay will contribute immensely. The scheme is one that nobody would question. International protection applicants are very small in number. There are many misnomers in this regard. We had 13,643 in 2022, we had 13,271 in 2023, we had 18,554 in 2024 and, interestingly and as a consequence of several initiatives, we have had 9,580 in 2025. Therefore, let us be realistic. The number is very minuscule in the overall context of migration to our shores. Let us not be crazy in our analysis of this. People need to know what I am saying. Deportation order numbers rose from 857 in 2023 to 2,403 in 2024. I would like the Minister of State to consider a better education campaign in the media.”
“We have 12,500 economic migrants, or people who have come here to work, working in the health system in 2025. Fifty-four percent of our nurses trained abroad. There are 6,000 migrants in IT and 3,500 in agriculture. There are 83,000 in the hospitality sector. There are no accurate figures for engineering and construction but the numbers are very high. We need these economic migrants and our demographic structures in Ireland will make them increasingly necessary. That is a backdrop that needs to be kept in context. Nobody sane or reasonably mentally well would question the correctness of bringing in Ukrainians under the temporary protection scheme. To date, my colleague Senator Ahearn, who has a personal interest and expertise in Ukraine, tells me that about 120,000 have come in. Currently, there are about 80,000 here.”
“I welcome the Minister and thank him for the great work he is doing here and the humane approach and wisdom he brings to it. I welcome to the Gallery a wonderful exemplar of the best of immigration and the wonder of diversity in our country, namely, Councillor Yemi Adenuga. She is a guest of my colleague Senator Linda Nelson Murray. I utterly condemn the recent racial attacks, particularly those that were notably against members of the Indian community. No matter who they are against, they must be condemned unequivocally. It merits saying again that from the end of the 18th century right through the 19th century, accelerated by the Famine, Irish people sought international protection all over the world and received it. We should be aware of that as we address this question. One in five migrants to the country is an economic migrant.”
“They may engage in a little bit of tokenistic charity now and again, but Billy went that whole stage further to lift everybody with him. I was walking up the stairs with Senator McDowell to come to the Chamber and I said we often have had to make speeches and might have had to do a fair bit thinking about what to say. In this case it is a question of editing what you want to say. There is a well-hackneyed phrase that I will finish with but in this case, it fits so well. His likes will never be seen again. Ní fheicfear a leithéid arís.”
“As Senator Michael McDowell said in his beautiful words, we want to convey to Anne and family and make them aware of what we thought of Billy, what he meant to us and what he achieved. I have written just a few words. He was a true gentleman in all that means, in every sphere of his life. He was a very warm and friendly individual. He drew people towards him and he was empathetic. That is clear from his work with the undocumented and everyone else. He cared and he was charismatic. He had a very clear charisma about him, which drew people towards him. That feature would have helped his business success and would have helped all of his successes and make him effective as a lobbyist in America. He had unique human qualities and used them for good. Many people succeed in business in a material sense and are very happy to leave it at that.”
“He won the presidential distinguished service award - another achievement – and received an honorary doctorate from, I assume, the University of Galway. He was recognised officially in academia and, if you like, in the political world. His business successes were enormous. He was a high achiever across the board, but one who wanted to lift others up with him. He cared about and wanted to do good for others. He was also the president of the Irish Vintners' Association at one stage. He gained recognition both in this country and in America. He was recognised throughout. I might turn lastly and briefly to Billy the individual, which is really what we want to try to capture and celebrate today.”
“Billy moved to Chicago in the nineties and became a champion of the undocumented and the weaker. While he was a very successful person himself, he was a champion of those who had less opportunity than him. For that work, he received the honour of the freedom of Galway and became a freeman of Galway, which is the greatest honour the city could have conferred on him. In 2016, he was appointed to the Seanad, which again was a huge honour and recognition of his work by the then Taoiseach, who himself had a particular interest in America, Irish-American relationships, etc. That was a very particular recognition. As was stated earlier, he was a distinguished oarsman and sportsperson. He built a successful chain of pubs and restaurants with Anne in Chicago. On its own, that would have been a huge achievement.”
“At the outset, I join in the welcome to Anne and Amy here from Chicago. I welcome Billy's two sisters, Mary and Helen, his brother-in-law, Kieran, his family and friends, Maura Óg and Karl, as well as his former PA, Tracy Young. Indeed, I welcome Professor Niamh Brennan and former Senator Ian Marshall, whom I had the privilege of serving with and came to admire greatly. I also welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Ivana Bacik, and Deputy John Connolly. I welcome all of them to the Gallery. The array of people who have come to the Gallery speaks for itself. In my few words, I propose to look first at Billy's extraordinary achievements, which are beyond anything average, and then I will talk a little about Billy the person and individual.”
“One final point that came up today was the mental health of farmers and their well-being. That is very important. One of my own sons has done study in this area. The well-being of farmers is a really important sphere. Of its nature, farming can be a lonely profession.”
“In general, the succession issue is important and every strategy should be put in place to deal with it. I ask the Leader that we have a debate on succession and the strategies to achieve it. There are many well-being issues and income issues. There is the cost of succession and the fear of the various costs associated with it. There is one thing I thought of that could be in the mix for our discussion. It is no longer in vogue but when there was a financial incentive in the past for farmers by the way of a pension, an income or an honorarium, to give up the farm to the next generation, that helped. However, there are a number of tax incentives there. I hope we can have a debate at some point on the question of succession in agriculture, on the need for the nitrates derogation in Ireland and on agriculture in general.”
“The Commissioner will be in Ireland on a listening mission this Friday and I hope she will realise what is at issue here - first, that water quality in Ireland is improving and very serious steps have been taken under the leadership of Teagasc and, second, that it is crucial to farm incomes that we have the nitrates derogation in this country. That neatly links to the second issue, because if you do not have income, viability and sustainability, you cannot have succession, or it is not of interest to have succession. The question of succession arose today. One very heartening thing to hear is that women are entering agriculture in the same way as men, as should be the case, and that any taboo, inhibition or traditional reluctance on the part of women to become farmers and takeover family farms has diminished considerably. That is good.”
“I want to convey my sympathy to the family of Jim Finucane, who has passed away. I knew him for many years. Jim was a councillor in Kerry. Indeed, the Cathaoirleach would have known him well. I campaigned with Jim in Dublin many years ago and I knew him very well over the years. I wanted to say that but there will be further occasions for this. I will turn to the issue of an excellent Teagasc briefing in Buswells Hotel which the Leader attended with me this morning. It is a great tribute to Teagasc that it holds an annual briefing to let Oireachtas Members see what it is doing. Two very important issues arose today. One was the whole question of water quality and the nitrates derogation. The nitrates derogation is crucial to farmers.”
“The budget is strategically well structured. It is based on sound principles of giving the economy productive capacity and, at the same time, achieving social fairness and working towards a fairer society. There are a lot more elements of the budget than I can address in an eight-minute speech. I will leave it there for now. We will come back to it on other occasions.”
“Ireland is fundamentally an agricultural society. It has transformed over the years, but it is at the base. I had a wonderful morning at an open day in Lakeland Dairies at Bailieborough, County Cavan this morning where huge work is being done creating exports and jobs. We need a farming hinterland to keep that food production industry going. It is important we achieve succession in farming. For that reason, the various schemes and tax initiatives that allow succession planning in farming are being kept in place until 2029 by this budget. Critically, there is an additional €85 million for TB eradication in this budget. That is important. We have €33 million for the broadband scheme. The broadband plan is one of the great successes of contemporary Ireland, facilitating home working, digital hubs and so on.”
“Critically, Senator Casey said that Fianna Fáil advocated for this. My party colleagues and I know this; I am a strong advocate, as are all the colleagues behind me in the parliamentary party. In fact we want ultimately the removal of the means test because it is efficacious to keep people in their homes for every reason, if that is where they want to be. There is an economic imperative to do it, a social imperative and a whole lot of reasons. There is no need to insult an intelligent audience by going through those. Suffice to say, this budget will allow single people who earn up to €1,000 per week to get the carer's allowance and a couple or family of any description who earn up to €2,000 per week. That is crucial. The expansion of access to the carer's allowance is an important social reform.”
“They are a great vehicle to achieve equality in society, an equal chance and a fairer society. There is an important fund to boost infrastructure, creating productive capacity across all areas. This budget achieves that. Turning to the area of fairness, social cohesion and building an egalitarian society, as a member of the labour panel and a representative nominated by ICTU, I am happy there will be a 65 cent increase in the minimum wage, bringing it up to €14.15, at the top of Europe. As was explained by Senator Casey, the requisite taxation measures have been taken to ensure that has an effect and that it is a real increase. Also in the area of social cohesion and fairness and creating a proper equal society, there will be a €10 across the board increase in welfare payments.”
“This budget provides for 555 new beds across hospital and community services, an additional 3,400 medical staff, 1.7 million additional home support hours, €8.9 million for a national cancer programme and 500 additional nursing home places, reforming the health services. An additional €6.8 million in this budget will be spent on disability services, which is an extra 20%. There is a crying need for that. The cry has been well orchestrated by many, including me, over the years. That is important. There will be a €64 million increase for the national childcare scheme, which is important for early childhood education and support for childcare in general. There will be 1,770 more SNAs in our schools next year. What an advance that is. There will be 860 additional special needs teachers.”
“This will involve a €205 million new housing activation fund to support the housing activation office and €2.5 billion for water services, which is crucial. A great example known to my colleague, Senator Tully, and me is that in Virginia, County Cavan - one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland, which is crying out for housing - the absence of a satisfactory wastewater treatment plant has literally stopped any housing being developed for the past five years. That is thankfully in production. This is why the €2.5 billion for water services is crucial. The VAT reduction for apartment building is similarly important to get the necessary apartments built, which often constitute starter homes for young people. If housing is a glaring current need, demographic change and social pressure make capital and current spending in health crucial.”
“This is building on our success in restoring the economy after the property crash, maintaining employment in the face of the savage pandemic and cushioning our people in the face of the inflationary spiral caused by the illegal invasion of Ukraine. I will first address capital spending in this budget, which boosts productive capacity in the economy, which is crucial. The greatest challenge confronting our people at the moment is housing. Apart from its obvious impact on young people and their dreams, it has implications for inward investment, maintaining employment and social cohesion. This budget allocates total capital funding for housing of €5.2 billion. This will be used to develop 25,000 new homes through public housing and starter home initiatives.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Troy, go dtí an díospóireacht tábhachtach seo ar an mbúiséad agus ar an todhchaí. The measure of a good budget must surely be the degree to which it is strategically sound for the medium- and long-term future and the degree to which it works to achieve a fair, cohesive society, prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable. This budget goes a long way to achieving those objectives. Budget 2026 is worth €9.4 billion, of which €8.1 billion is in spending and €1.3 billion is in tax measures. It increases spending by 7% while maintaining a surplus as outlined by the Minister of State.”
“I have great regard for the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, who is doing great work in this area. With the ageing demographic, I want to bring to the Minister of State's attention the need for more retirement villages in this country. I invite him to look at one that is a classically good one in Mullagh, County Cavan. We need these enclaves of purpose-built housing near services and medical services for older people. We have a good former Minister here in the Chamber who was responsible for the disability sector while in this Department, particularly responsible for people with special needs and disabled people, and they need more of this purpose-built housing around the country. Those are the things I wanted to cite. I did not casually or lightly list off those projects at home. They are critical to a lot of people.”
“The upgrade and maintenance of regional and local roads in Cavan has suffered hugely in terms of money. There has been historic underinvestment in them. We now have that historic underinvestment aggravated by inflation, extra costs, wages etc. but inflation in general. It is a particular issue for rural communities but it is very real for people trying to live in rural communities. I know the very idyllic place the Minister of State lives in herself from my travels as a Senator. I know she has an appreciation of beyond that, and where rural people want to access their house, the local improvement schemes, LIS, in rural areas are crucially important. We need extra investment there and Cavan specifically has a huge waiting list that goes back approximately five or six years. We need that dealt with.”
“He told me that when his Dad was a young man, he was refused planning permission to expand his retail outlet in Virginia on the grounds it would interfere with the route of the Virginia bypass. That was approximately 60 years ago, so it is timely we give that legs at the moment and keep it going. The next project I will mention is the wastewater treatment plant in Virginia, which is critical. House building in the most beautiful town in Ireland has ceased in the absence of this wastewater plant. We must make sure that finishes. The east-west link, the Dundalk to Sligo road, is an important connection. The Rathkenny bend realignment is expensive but it needs funding and needs to go on. Progress on the N55 needs to continue along with the Cavan north west greenway. These are crucial projects.”
“At the outset, I join in the welcome to Councillor Paddy Meade, who has just temporarily left us, and the member of the Carter family, who are a very distinguished family in terms of public service in this country. I welcome my good friend the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, to the House. She certainly does not let the grass grow under her feet and will act on these recommendations, please God. I will start by listing out some critical projects in my own area and I am anxious these are dealt with and brought to the relevant places. The bypass of Virginia is in progress and I want a running commitment to that. I will quickly tell a light-hearted story. There is a young man who is a distinguished public representative in Cavan, Councillor T.P. O'Reilly, who celebrated his 50th birthday a little while ago - a couple of years ago.”
“I appreciate the line that the Government has progressively increased the rate of collective bargaining. To truly do that properly, we just need that three things that I set out: the legislation to support it; stronger protection for workers' representatives - it is very important that people are not disadvantaged in this sphere for seeking to represent their colleagues; and a clear right of access for workers to the bargaining process and their trade unions. Those are the objectives. I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister, Deputy Burke, the importance of incorporating those basic, simple principles.”
“I would like to hear how he sees the action plan developing and that he sees it as protecting workers who seek to have unionisation and represent their colleagues, and that he sees it as allowing the right of access and the right to collective bargaining, and that it will all be done within the machinery that exists.”
“There should be no exceptional treatment for them but they should not be disadvantaged. There should also be a clear right of access for workers to engage with their trade unions in the workplace without obstruction. They should have the opportunity to do that. It would be in their own time but they should have the ability to do it. It must recognise that collective bargaining is not a threat, it is a tool. It reduces inequality, boosts consumer demand and provides certainty for both workers and employers. When collective bargaining takes place, the machinery of Government, the Labour Court is there. In other words, if there is not agreement - and there will not always be - it will go to proper due process and this has worked very well in the past. I am very grateful that the Minister of State is here.”
“Legislation to support collective bargaining must be in line with European Union requirements. That is the first thing I would like to see in the action plan. Does the Minister envisage the action plan referring to legislation to put collective bargaining on a statutory footing? The action plan must also contain stronger protection for workplace representatives. It is very important that those who stick their heads above the parapet, who are usually very good people on a number of fronts in terms of being creative and interesting and being leaders, are not put in an exposed or damaged position. There should be protections for these people, similar to other sets of rights. They should have the right to do this and not be sacked, sidelined or denied promotion because of it.”
“It also gives workers advice on the major changes ahead, from digitalisation to the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is very good for compliant and good employers. It means that other employers cannot engage in practices outside the law that would put the good, compliant employers in an adverse or uncompetitive position in the context of tendering and so on. It is important for proper employers that collective bargaining exists. From a moderate trade union point of view, the action plan needs to do a few things. First, it must build on genuine social dialogue with unions, employers and independent experts around the table as part of the normal bargaining process. Second, it must contain a real bargaining roadmap, not just aspirational language.”
“We need that too and we need to introduce it in a balanced and constructive way. The action plan is about that and is not something threatening. Right now fewer than one in three Irish workers is covered by a collective agreement. This is one of the lowest rates in Europe. Under the EU directive, as I said, Ireland is obliged to take active steps to expand collective bargaining. This is not just about compliance. It is about fairness in the workplace, stability in industrial relations, which is important to employers as well as to everyone else, and building a more resilient economy. It is good for everyone. This is not something that is threatening or specific. We know from international evidence that collective bargaining helps to deliver better pay equality, stronger productivity and more stable workplaces.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in to represent the Minister, Deputy Burke, and I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important matter. The Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, said earlier that the last matter raised was timely and he was correct. I hope this matter is similarly timely and appropriate. The Government is in the process of preparing an action plan on collective bargaining. This is mandated under the European directive on adequate minimum wages but the Minister has been very forthcoming and said that he will publish it at the end of October, which is to be welcomed. This action plan provides a pivotal opportunity to bring Ireland closer to European norms. As the Minister of State will be aware, Ireland is an outlier in this area in that the rest of Europe has collective bargaining as a legal right.”
“I ask the Leader to bring this to the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to see if we could have some debate or discussion on this in the autumn to examine whether the panel can be developed. We need to improve income for carers and also further improve income limits. We need to improve the supply of carers. We also should put home care on a statutory footing, like the fair deal scheme, so people are assured under the law they can get home care and have the option to be cared for at home. With the demographic structure of our country now, this whole debate and area is all the more pertinent now. If you take humanity, well-being and wellness out of it, from a purely cold economic perspective, in terms of money, it is the logical thing to do. It is the cheapest option, if also the preferred option. I thank the Cathaoirleach.”
“This generation now take that for granted and assume it was always that way. It was not always so. Like everything else it is not flawless but a great initiative recently was raising the income limit by €200 whereby people can have carers. That is a huge reform and we have to move to a situation where carers are provided irrespective of income. My understanding is that it is contained in our programme for Government and we should work towards that. The second thing we must look at is the provision of an adequate panel of carers in each county. When the hours are allocated throughout the country there is a shortage of actual personnel to do them and that means some reforms of the salary, contracts and basis on which carers work. That will need to be radically looked at.”
“Cavan will be back shortly. We nearly did it this year. I wish all colleagues in the House a wonderful summer and great recess after a year of multiple elections and frenetic levels of activity. I wish our wonderful staff of the House a great summer also. Our ushers and all of the staff of Leinster House do a great job and provide such wonderful support. One cannot help but remember with fondness today the great Martin Groves who has now been very brilliantly replaced by Bridget, but we do miss Martin. He was a great man and we hope he continues to enjoy a good retirement. Those of us of a certain vintage remember many great social revolutions, changes and advances over the years. Among the many I have seen and that were great was the introduction of carers to the homes of older people and people who are sick.”
“Whatever about pricing, we certainly need to increase staffing and stop the contraband cigarettes from every perspective. We should be supporting our retailers. The whole community depends on them.”
“There is a shortage and they would pay for themselves, if you like. There could be possible redeployment. The increase in the number of illicit products seized is not due to increased resources as there was minimal allocation of resources here. There has been a 25% increase in passenger arrivals into Irish airports and a 14.6% decrease in Revenue's staff from 630 people to 540 people. That is not to be welcomed. I want the Deputy Leader to bring to the Government the fact we need to have more people policing this and finding the contraband. A total of 37% of all cigarettes coming into the country are illegal cigarettes. That is how bad it is. We need to up the staffing. We are possibly at a level where we do not need to increase the price of cigarettes any more from a health perspective. It has reached a very high pinnacle.”
“Retailers are the lifeblood of all our communities, sponsoring virtually everything and creating local jobs, particularly for students during the summer holidays, etc. We should support our small retailers in every way possible. One of the biggest threats to them is smuggling of illicit goods and selling them outside the normal retail chain. The biggest example of this is in the tobacco sector. Separate to the retailers and their losses, approximately €540 million is lost to the Exchequer every year from contraband cigarettes being sold. In 2024, the total seizure of related goods was worth €128 million, which is to be welcomed. This was double the value of the total value of illegal cigarettes seized in 2023. The Revenue officers and the cross-Border agency task force work on this constantly, but there is a need for more staffing here.”