John Connolly
Galway West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The decision of the Government to purchase the Hammerson site on O'Connell Street - the site of the old Carlton Cinema - clearly shows the intent and determination of the Government to progress and complete the MetroLink project.”
“I mention one such community organisation in my constituency, Connemara Care, which provides home care and support for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with dementia.”
“I had been aware that the deceased man had been diagnosed with dementia some years earlier. When I expressed my condolences to my friend, his response really struck me. He said that this was the second time they had lost their father.”
“If we can look at training more people in this area and promoting this as a profession, it might help. A concern has been brought to my attention but I do not want to imply wrongdoing on anyone's behalf. A family asked me to get clarity. They were provided with home care hours to be provided by a private company.”
“Families want to support that wish for their own loved ones and I know that across the House, Government and Opposition want to support this. Our health service should be structured to support that. However, in the correspondence that we have received, concerns have emerged regarding the availability of HSE home support services.”
“Cuirfidh mé tús le m'óráid leis an méid ar chríochnaigh an Teachta Aird leis. Molaim an tAire Stáit go bhfuil sé anseo le linn na díospóireachta ar fad. Tá sé anseo ag fanacht. Ní dheachaigh sé amach as an Seomra.”
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Every one of 425 lines we hold for John Connolly, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 9.
“As other Members have said, I am anxious about the time it may take to see the impact, and I am anxious about the measures having the effect we desire to see as a Government because, like many, I note the large numbers of children currently waiting. There are 217 children waiting beyond the timeline in County Galway alone. I welcome the first steps in developing a system where there are no wrong doors for parents. That is crucial. Parents who have concerns about their children or professionals who refer children to therapists for assessment or therapy need to know they are going to receive a welcome. Too often, we hear of parents being advised by a service provider that the needs of their child are not appropriate to the intervention to which they have been referred.”
“Interestingly, that objective did not include legislative change, but it is welcome that we had the flexibility to recognise where a system was not working and change legislation to make sure we could enhance it to try to bring about that change. Today marks a step in meeting the objective of the programme for Government. I share the sentiment of some of our colleagues, in that it is a cautious welcome I give this. In doing that, I fully recognise the Minister of State's commitment and the commitment of the Minister, Deputy Foley, who has discussed this with us in depth at our parliamentary party meeting. She has given this a lot of time and a lot of thought. I compliment both the Minister and the Minister of State on that. I hope the changes they are making will bring about the measures we need and that they will have success.”
“The Minister of State will be aware, as all Government TDs are, that one of the most significant promises we made at the outset of the formation of the Government was to enhance services for children with disabilities. I recall the Taoiseach defining what we needed as a step change in how we provide these services. The programme for Government is explicit in its objective to: Ensure children and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access that support in a timely way by increasing staffing, training more therapists, and prioritising children’s disability teams to deliver supports and services.”
“If the local authority housing section gets moving building social and affordable housing, it will be rewarded with additional moneys for social amenity facilities. I welcome that. I have gone over my time slightly.”
“One of the things we have already done that is particularly welcome is we have reduced the funding of social housing and how local authorities obtain that funding from a four-step process to a single-step process. That should be more seamless and should get rid of extreme bureaucracy and make it easier and quicker for local authorities to develop housing. One measure in this plan that is really positive, which I have not heard many speak of is, we will reward local authorities. Local authorities that are ambitious and will develop more housing will be rewarded with additional funding for social development, be that sporting or community facilities. That is great. Many members of local authorities talk to me about the lack of funding for those facilities. Here is their option.”
“We reckon there are 15,000 supports a year between first home, help to buy, starter home purchase and the vacant property grant. I would like to see the role of the local authorities clearly outlined in developing affordable houses and selling them to people in their local electoral areas. Is maith an rud é chomh maith go bhfuil Údarás na Gaeltachta luaite sa phlean seo. Chuala mé daoine ag rá níos luaithe nach raibh an t-údarás luaite sa phlean. Tá sé. Tá siad ann. Tá sé ráite sa phlean go mbeidh ról ag an údarás chun oibriú leis an Roinn tithíochta agus Roinn na Gaeltachta chun tithíocht a chur ar fáil do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Is mór an rud é sin agus is maith an rud é.”
“We have strategies laid out in it but we need to see how these strategies will be implemented on a minute level. One of these I refer to specifically is the affordable housing programme. In my time in the local authority, going back some years, there was a very clear and obvious way that the affordable housing programme worked. There was a clear and obvious way that people could access the affordable housing programme. People went on an affordable housing list. As the local authority developed a suite of affordable houses in conjunction with social houses, they were sold to those people on the list. That is not as clear to me any more. I recognise that we have many options in terms of how we aim to deliver affordable housing. The ambition is clear with over 300,000 new, affordable homes by 2030. We have a starter homes programme.”
“In the sphere of policies and strategies that the Government has announced today and possibly will over the term of the Government, I think this is one of the most important if not the most important. Together with the announcement today of how we are going to accelerate infrastructural development over the coming years also, the combination of these really will determine, I believe, how this Government will fare. However, that is not the most important thing. It will determine the well-being and welfare of our citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, into the future. I can concur with much of what has been said. I even concur with my colleague from Galway-Roscommon, Deputy Fitzmaurice, that the devil will be in the detail and the detail is important. We have a lovely plan with significant figures in it.”
“Earlier this year I received an email from the NTA advising me that discussions were ongoing. This was three years later. I am very doubtful about the NTA's seriousness about addressing Galway's transport issues. The bodies operate in silos. Public transport and transport bodies seem to act differently and I am concerned.”
“In October 2022 I received, as a member of Galway City Council, a presentation from the NTA Galway park and ride office. Even though it is called the Galway park and ride office, it is based in Dublin. As a general point, there was limited comment in last week's sectoral transport plan regarding park and ride. On that occasion the office advised us it was pursuing three sites for the development of park and ride facilities in Galway. It told us it was in discussions with landowners on agreements and that submissions for planning applications would be targeted for mid-2023. Very disappointingly, none of this has happened. There is some land in the ownership of Galway City Council that will be pursued for a park and ride facility but there is no update on the ownership of the sites on the N6 and the N83.”
“Anecdotally we might hear that many of our nursing graduates go abroad because conditions are better. We need to examine this carefully, particularly if we have situations where in our own communities, in facilities that are State run and State led, we cannot have the complete suite of beds open. There is a bigger issue here but I thank the Minister of State and I welcome the fact he will meet local officials. I hope that we can see resolution of the issue soon.”
“Aontaím le mo chomhghleacaí. Cuirim fáilte roimh an gealltanas go bhfuil an tAire Stáit chun casadh leis na hoifigigh áitiúla ansin. Tá sé geallta aige go bhfuil sé ag iarraidh an fhadhb a réiteach chomh luath agus is féidir chun na leapacha sin a oscailt. Is dócha go bhfuil ábhar níos leithne anseo. There is a wider issue certainly. One of the things I noted is that in 2024, of the 17,168 critical skills employment permits given out in the country, more than 5,000 of them were for nursing staff. We have to examine something here. We have to examine whether we are training a sufficient number of nurses in our third level sector. Are we giving them the conditions and the work settings that make it possible for them to pursue their careers at home?”
“However, there is no point in telling us 49 additional beds are coming on stream if we cannot be guaranteed we can recruit the staff to make sure they can be open for the patients who need them. In a general sense, we have to review and look at the recruitment and retention of nursing staff in the country. I understand there is a process in train to staff these beds but it has been difficult to complete.”
“However, we have to ponder why there are nine beds empty in the facility on an ongoing basis. Last month, I asked the Department of Health if it could outline the increased number of community nursing beds planned for County Galway. The answer I got was that a business plan was being submitted from older person's services to address the provision of additional beds in a number of community nursing units. This response referred to an additional nine beds for Merlin Park, an additional 12 beds for Clifden District Hospital, an additional five beds for the community nursing unit in Tuam, eight beds for St. Brendan's Community Nursing Unit in Loughrea, six beds for Ballinasloe Community Nursing Unit and an additional nine beds for Áras Mhic Dara.”
“Ar nós mo chomhghleacaí, cuirim fáilte roimh an deis an t-ábhar seo a ardú agus ceist na leapacha in Áras Mhic Dara a phlé anseo anocht. Má fhaigheann sé deis, molaim don Aire Stáit an tuairisc is déanaí ó HIQA ar Áras Mhic Dara a léamh. Taispeánann sé cé chomh hard is atá an caighdeán cúraim san ionad. Is aoibhinn an rud é sin d'éinne a bhfuil duine dá chlann san ionad seo. Táimid ag brath ar an bhfoireann ansin agus ar na daoine ar fad atá ag obair ann. If the Minister of State gets the opportunity, he should read the most recent HIQA report on Áras Mhic Dara. It highlights the good management and the care the residents are getting there. Anybody who has a loved one in the centre can rest assured that he or she is getting a very high quality of care.”
“I was in the Chamber earlier in the summer when the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, gave a response to Deputy McAuliffe with a date that An Coimisiún Pleanála had prescribed for the Luas extension to Finglas. The people of Galway deserve similar certainty. We deserve to know when this decision will be made. There is another impact because the NTA will not devise our new transport strategy until we get the decision. I know we cannot engage in planning decisions, but can we get certainty on when the decision will be made?”
“It is opportune that the Minister is in the seat. Successive Governments have committed to building the Galway city ring road. In October 2023, which is over two years ago now, the Galway roads project office resubmitted the planning application to An Bord Pleanála. That followed a three-and-a-half year assessment process by An Bord Pleanála, which unfortunately failed in the judicial review process. There has been over six years of an assessment process for a piece of infrastructure that is badly needed while in Galway there is traffic chaos on a daily basis. I know the Minister is aware of it but the concern is that there is no certainty over when we might get a decision on this.”
“In comparison to rates for the population in Ireland as a whole, indications are the rate of probable suicide among members of the Travelling community is ten times higher - eight times higher for Traveller men and 15 times higher for Traveller women. We need to examine that to do whatever we can within our health service to provide dedicated mental health treatment for members of the Travelling community.”
“Last week Exchange House Ireland, the national Traveller service, presented to the joint Oireachtas committee on issues affecting the Travelling community, particularly regarding health issues. It spoke about the complexity of issues which determine the poor health outcomes for members of the Travelling community. I acknowledge there is complexity in resolving those issues but immediate improvements need to be made in the area of treatment for members of the Travelling community who suffer from mental health issues. There is an awareness this disproportionately affects the Traveller community but the data provided by Exchange House Ireland was stark and requires a response.”
“I want to ask about the facilities for mental health treatment within University Hospital Galway. The acute mental health facility within the hospital has 50 beds but they are consistently full. That raises concerns about the ability to admit new patients to the ward. Increasingly and anecdotally, I am coming across stories of people attending the accident and emergency unit who are unable to access an inpatient bed. To compound matters, the Mental Health Commission found that the accident and emergency unit at University Hospital Galway was one of eight hospitals in the country - my understanding is it was the only tier 4 hospital - without a dedicated space for mental health assessment. The Sharing the Vision implementation plan advised that letters have been sent to all these hospitals, including Galway. I am seeking an update on that.”
“Another issue that is prevalent among young men who suffer addiction is the necessity to rely on emergency accommodation, so they are possibly suffering disproportionately in terms of housing as well. We need to look at the whole area of addiction. We need to ask whether we can resource the services better and bring more of them into the sphere of the HSE.”
“The Coolmine centre also provided the data that men are twice as likely as women to use drugs. There is, therefore, an issue that is clearly affecting men disproportionately. I have a particular concern. The whole area of addiction treatment is another aspect of our healthcare provision where we rely a lot on agencies and bodies other than the HSE to provide primary care and secondary care. It is something we need to look at. In my constituency office recently, I met two people who were waiting to get into the addiction treatment centre at Cuan Mhuire, Coolarne. I can only imagine the mental trauma it would cause for somebody, when seeking help to try to deal with an addiction, to be told there is a waiting list. I contacted Cuan Mhuire and the staff there were very helpful.”
“According to the Health Research Board, men are more likely to use illicit drugs, binge drink and engage in high-risk gambling behaviours than women. Alcohol remains the most common substance for which people seek help, and the majority of those presenting for treatment are men. The annual report of the Coolmine addiction centre in 2025 stated that in Dublin, cocaine accounted for 36% of all treatment presentations in the first half of 2025, with alcohol at 30%. This trend is particularly strong among young men aged 25 to 34, who are also more likely to engage in polysubstance abuse. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has stated that problem gambling is far more prevalent among young men, especially those aged 25 to 34, and men are also more likely to gamble online and suffer financial harm.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. To echo some of the sentiments of Deputy Lahart, there is a sense that men do not look after their own physical health and, possibly, mental health as well as they should. Opportunities like this to highlight the need to make sure people are aware of the supports that are available, and that it is important to look after their health, are appropriate. This is particularly the case because, as I understand it, November is a month where there is an organised campaign to promote awareness of men's health. I will speak about one health issue that affects men disproportionately, as the data has shown us, and that is the issue of addiction and substance abuse.”
“This additional investment will go some way towards that. One thing that I think has been significant is how this is funded. It is social partnership. It is funded by the employers of the country and is an investment in the future of their businesses and their industry. We will see this being fulfilled through the change in legislation today that allows for the increased areas to spend this money. As we all know, a well-resourced further and higher education and training sector is essential not only to develop talent for our economy but also to support local communities, and employers benefit from better local communities. I think we will see more people coming to the third level institutions in the areas where we see increased investment, which will only make our towns and cities better places in the future.”
“Hopefully, the funding and ongoing current investment the Minister will provide here will help to make sure the universities can continue to offer as broad and wide a spectrum of choice as possible to people in their communities, while at the same time making sure it is manageable for those who work there to administer and manage those courses well. The great thing about the NTF is the array and vast breadth of educational pathways that it provides, including third level institutions, Springboard, Springboard+, Skillnet, SOLAS and other lifelong learning initiatives. That shows that this portfolio, higher and further education, has and wants to make sure that everybody has a position or a pathway to further their personal development and professional development, and increase the skill net of the community and society in general.”
“Of course, the third level sector is at the cutting face of developing those new industries and giving young people the skills to work in those industries. Research is so important to that. I know the Minister is fully aware of that. I also recognise his work in the budget in increasing the tax credit available to companies in terms of research. It is a very progressive development, and it should be complimented. We see here further funding for research and PhDs. One of the important issues we are hearing from some third level institutions is that they are coming under pressure to try to make sure they strike a suitable balance between the numbers in each class and the opportunity they want to provide for more people to attend.”
“However, the college of further education and the plans GRETB has for that campus will be a further option and will really complement the other two third level institutions we have in the city at the moment. It is important to note that GRETB does have other similar colleges in regional towns across counties Galway and Roscommon. As a headquarters and a location for new learning, however, this will be very significant. I also want to compliment Minister's commitment to research and development and, again, we see it here. Part of this funding will go specifically towards that. As a primary school teacher, we always used to say that we have to teach the children for skills that are not yet known and industries that have not yet been developed.”
“Some of these educational projects will hopefully benefit from the new accelerating infrastructure task force and that new structure, and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. As I said already and as the Minister rightly said, these have an economic impact. The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation should be looking at them and trying to move them on as quickly as possible. That new campus in Galway city could be revolutionary for third level education in the city. We are lucky in Galway in that we have two other third level institutions, the University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University, ATU.”
“I very much welcome the direct economic impact this will have in terms of where the €600 million will be spent, the employment that will create and the development of skills in those new campuses, which will see future employment brought to the regions. I would be hopeful that some of that €600 million investment will be for the new college of further education in Galway that the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, GRETB, is to develop. It is an exciting project. We are watching it going through the stages of development through the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation guidelines. I ask that today's announcement of €600 million will mean that those projects will move quicker.”
“We have seen some of the projects that are included, particularly in terms of new healthcare and increasing veterinary education capacity and bringing new institutions and disciplines to locations and areas where there would not have been a tradition of providing a third level education previously. Of course, I particularly welcome the new development of the veterinary school in County Galway. I can see that being something that will develop further into the future and, indeed, give young people there an increased opportunity to develop a particular skill and trade that is associated with rural communities.”
“I welcome today's debate. It is a significant day for third level education in the State. It indicates the commitment of this Government and that of the Minister to the development of the sector and, as he has rightly said time and again, the crucial nature it has in terms of the provision of skills. As the Minister, Deputy Lawless, has always said, this portfolio has an economic impact, and today we are seeing that it has a direct economic impact as well as a long-term economic impact. Today, we will indicate that over the coming years, there will be a €600 million capital investment in our third level sector; that is very significant.”
“That is all very progressive and I hope we continue in that vein, but there is something worth examining in the household income threshold for me in comparison with somebody who does not live as near to a third level institution.”
“I welcome that. Again, it contributes to the impression I have of the Minister in terms of innovation and what he is bringing to this Department to make sure more people can access third level education and that no opportunity is denied. To reiterate, there is some inequity in that household income is assessed irrespective of a student's adjacency or proximity to the third level institution. That is something we can look at it. We must recognise it is going to cost some people more . I acknowledge that we recognise that in the provision of the grant, and I fully welcome what the Minister has outlined about increasing the income threshold and the grant this year.”
“However, for somebody who might live beyond the 30 km radius in Connemara, on the Aran Islands or in some part of west Mayo or the midlands, the cost of attending education for that family and the child is more significant than it is for my children, yet my household income is assessed in the same way as the household income of that family. We should look at income thresholds in that respect.”
“I welcome the fact the Minister has outlined a method that prioritises being fair, whereby we give every option to ensure the detail is clear for the family about having that non-adjacent categorisation. There is one thing we should examine, namely, the household income threshold. This should reflect in some way the institution the student wishes to attend. If we take my own example, I am fortunate to live in Galway city and my children have a wide range of options to attend third level education on our doorstep through University of Galway and HEU.”
“I compliment the recent changes made by the Minister in the budget to increase the income thresholds for the SUSI support and to put more families in a position to get the SUSI grant. Will the Minister's Department review the method used to calculate commuting distances for the SUSI adjacency grant eligibility?”
“I would like us to look at this in a broader context than just those who wish to study Irish. We should be looking at people who want to study medicine, engineering, commerce or whatever. We should be offering them the opportunity to complete that through Irish.”
“We should look at that Welsh model. It is a state framework for the promotion of courses through the Welsh language across their third level institutions. It has doubled since 2011 the number of students completing their third level education through Welsh. It offers additional grants to the institutions to offer courses through Welsh and scholarships to students. Those people from Conradh na Gaeilge who attended the Irish language committee recently spoke about the real impact it is having on the Welsh language and the young people's spirit in trying to make sure they go on to live their lives through use of the Welsh language as their first and primary language. I stress that we are reducing the option for people for whom Irish is their daily language to study at third level.”
“Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to attend a workshop that happened in the University of Galway during the summer, but I have spoken to people who were at it. The issue was the role of minority languages in third level institutions. It was also attended by people from Scotland and Wales who spoke about their experiences. The Welsh example is one we should look at.”
“Molaim iarrachtaí an Aire an cheist a fhreagairt i nGaeilge. Tá mé fíorbhuíoch dó as sin. To put things in numerical perspective, 8% of children can attend primary school through Irish, and 3.8% of those proceed to attend secondary school in Irish. However, titeann sé sin go dtí níos lú ná 1% sna hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal. That falls to less than 1% of students who complete their tertiary education through Irish. Ar bhealach, in a way, it is a matter of rights. D'aon pháiste nó d'aon duine óg, for any young person who comes from the Gaeltacht and who wants to continue their education through Irish, the options are very limited. We need to look at this in terms of the rights of the student.”
“Cuirim ceist ar an Aire faoi na hiarrachtaí ar siúl ag an Roinn chun cur le líon agus raon na gcúrsaí trí mheán na Gaeilge atá ar fáil do mhic léinn sa chóras ardoideachais. Is léir nach bhfuil mórán acu ann. Níl faoi láthair ach 1,779 mac léinn i mbun staidéir i nGaeilge amháin, agus tá formhór na mac léinn sin ag déanamh staidéar ar Ghaeilge mar ábhar é féin. Is beag deis atá ag mic léinn staidéar a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge sna hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal.”
“They would not do anything to harm the stock of salmon or the natural environment of the Corrib. I ask that IFI engage with local anglers on the issue.”
“However, I am not sure about that. I have been made aware by people who frequent the Corrib that Cong hatchery brood stocks are indigenous Corrib salmon. This suggests that the evidence IFI is putting forward regarding the risk to wild stocks is limited. I am not sure whether it stands up. I am not sure there is interbreeding with different species of wild salmon. The hatchery produces indigenous Corrib salmon. Correspondence from IFI states that the stock levels meet its objectives, but that is not the sentiment among anglers. They have been angling on the Corrib for generations. Stocks are declining. The hatchery was one conservation measure that maintained the stock. It seems this decision was made by IFI without consultation with local anglers. Those anglers take great pride in their pursuit and in the natural facility of the Corrib.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. There is an independence to the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland. I recognise that the Minister of State is being prudent in not interfering in its decision-making processes. I do not have the scientific background required to challenge some of the content of the response. Nevertheless, there are a number of things I note. This hatchery has been in place since before 2016, and possibly before that. I am not sure of the foundation date. It is not recently that the Corrib has become a special area of conservation. It has been one for some time. I imagine that consideration was previously given to whether this would have an impact on that SAC and whether the activities of the hatchery would have been a negative in terms of the conservation of the salmon population in Lough Corrib.”
“I ask the Minister of State to engage with IFI on the issue, to prevent the closure of the hatchery, and to plead for the local anglers and others who come to Galway to enjoy the Corrib for fishing pursuits.”
“I understand that the Cong hatchery is the only IFI facility that produces salmon smolts. In 2016, IFI decided that not only was it not going to close the hatchery at Cong but also that it saw it as something that would be an upgraded facility for research. That is part of the issue here because, disappointingly, IFI is now alleging that it is no longer required as a research facility, while also ignoring its use for social activities and the tourism industry. The hatchery helps to ensure there is an adequate level of salmon in the Corrib for locals and tourists alike. The decision to close the hatchery will undoubtedly make things worse. It will undoubtedly reduce the numbers. There is no evidence whatsoever to say that closing the hatchery will enhance the Corrib salmon.”
“Galway and the Corrib have been famous for the quantity of salmon available to be fished by locals and tourists alike. The Minister of State will be familiar with the salmon weir in Galway; I think most people are. People have fished it for generations, but the concern now is that the stocks are at a low level. Anglers advise me that this has been a particularly bad year, unfortunately. The decision of IFI to close the hatchery at Cong will exacerbate this and will hasten the end of their pursuit. It is of great concern. There has been a notable decline in salmon stocks on Lough Corrib over the past 50 years. The causes of this decline, of course, are complex. It is difficult to pin it on one particular issue. The decision to close the hatchery is not something that will ameliorate this; in fact, it will make it worse.”
“I want to bring to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, my concern about the proposal by Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, to close the Cong salmon hatchery at Cong on Lough Corrib. I cannot get clarity as to whether a decision has been made, or is due or pending. This concern has been brought to me by angling groups, in particular, but also by groups that advocate for the conservation of salmon on the Corrib and by tourism stakeholders. Many of the anglers who have visited my constituency office recently have fished at the salmon weir in Galway for many years. Generations of Galwegians have fished at the weir for years. It is a tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. They have told me they are concerned about the future of what has been a traditional pursuit for many people.”
“I encourage local authorities in those places where the FAI intends to develop academies to work with local soccer clubs to develop the types of facilities needed to progress the game locally. The additional money for the GPA and the large-scale sporting infrastructure fund is also very welcome. The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, has advised us that the sports capital programme will be open for clubs to apply to for funding in the new year. That is a much sought after programme. These resources develop facilities that every community needs. I look forward to that expenditure and to helping clubs try to avail of that funding.”