Louis O'Hara
Galway East · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“There are significant concerns about the reform that is being proposed to have CAP sit alongside a range of other policy areas. In particular under the Commission's proposal, CAP funding for Ireland would be cut by over 20%.”
“Absolutely, and that is why it is critical we get a fair allocation. In particular, the future of CAP will have a significant influence on how EU member states can support young farmers. Last year, the Department of agriculture published a report from the commission on generational renewal in farming.”
“No parent should have to worry about what will happen to their child when they can no longer provide care for them, yet years of underfunding and a failure to plan has left our residential support system in crisis and families are left carrying the responsibility even as parents themselves age into their 70s, 80s and beyond.”
“Adults with intellectual disabilities have the same right as every other citizen to live with dignity, safety and independence and the Government has a legal and moral obligation to provide these services. There are so many basic things we are not getting right.”
“I raise the case of a constituent in County Galway who has experienced lifelong difficulties and trauma as a result of historical abuse at the hands of a member of the Christian Brothers who was his primary school teacher. The individual who carried out the abuse has since been convicted.”
“They cannot just be uprooted into an emergency placement down the line. The parents need to be there for the transition to ensure that it works properly and does not cause challenges for that person or, indeed, those who will be caring for them.”
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“Budget 2026 was a clear example of how the Government had failed to support families during this cost-of-living crisis. In that budget, the Government decided to withdraw cost-of-living supports and to continue to increase the carbon tax on petrol and diesel. The Government has failed to hold insurance companies accountable for their rip-off prices and to implement Sinn Féin's proposals to tackle them. These decisions are a slap in the face to households that are already struggling to make ends meet. As someone who comes from a rural constituency, the reality for my constituents is that they literally have no other option but to drive. It is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity. The Government is often out of touch with the reality of life in rural Ireland.”
“Drivers are being ripped off across the board when it comes to the cost of motoring. From sky-high fuel costs, car insurance costs and now a fresh round of toll hikes come January, workers and families are seeing no let-up in the cost-of-living crisis. Ireland is one of the most expensive places to run a car, with recent analysis showing that we have the third highest motor fuel costs in the EU. Couple this with rip-off car insurance costs and it is clear that Irish motorists are paying far more to commute to work, drive their kids to school or go about their day when compared with European drivers. This is not acceptable. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael might want to wash their hands of this issue, but these rip-off costs are the direct result of their policies.”
“This means the status quo will continue for a number of years where cancer patients will not be able to access critical medical imaging in UHG. This is simply not good enough. I am asking the Tánaiste to intervene to expedite the delivery of this critical infrastructure for the west and to ensure there is equality of care for cancer patients across the State.”
“There is a postcode lottery when it comes to cancer care in this State. Cancer patients in the west face the longest wait times between diagnosis and commencement of treatment. I draw the Tánaiste’s attention to the fact that no PET scanner is operating in the public system in Galway or in the wider western region. This imaging technology is vital for cancer diagnosis and monitoring. Patients are currently being forced to travel long distances to access these scans or are being referred to private operators at a significant cost to the State. When I raised this with the Minister for Health and subsequently the HSE, I was informed it would be 2033 before a PET scanner and additional CT scanners would be provided for University Hospital Galway.”
“Sinn Féin believes in a system that is robust, efficient, ends private profiteering and crucially, ensures decisions are enforced.”
“This abuse has ranged from private IPAS operators charging the State VAT when IPAS accommodation is VAT exempt right through to other operators being paid by the State for beds that do not even exist. There are clears examples of private companies and individuals profiteering from the IPAS system and it is no wonder there is such distrust of the system. In my own constituency, I have seen abysmal communication between the Department and local communities when there are proposals to establish new IPAS centres. Legitimate concerns of local residents have not been addressed and there has been no real plan for resourcing local communities that host international protection applicants. This is a system that fails both communities and asylum seekers alike. Significant work needs to be done to improve our system.”
“Let us take the number of deportations over the past four years. During this period, over 6,600 deportation orders were issued, yet only 667 deportations were confirmed. That is about a 10% completion rate. How can the Government stand over that? For a system to work and to have public confidence, the rules must be followed and enforced. To make matters worse, the Government has now made the decision to hand over our migration powers to the EU by signing up to the migration pact. That hands away our sovereignty. It will impede our ability to make decisions for ourselves about migration and international protection. On the delivery of IPAS accommodation, we have seen large scale abuse of taxpayer's money.”
“I join with colleagues in condemning the despicable attacks in Drogheda. I hope those responsible are brought to justice and face very serious consequences for their actions. This island has a storied history of migration. We have seen many generations forced to emigrate due to famine and economic necessity. Today, famine and war still remain in the world along with conflict and people who are in need of international protection. Ireland must continue to play our part in providing international protection. However, this role must be managed, fair and robust. The current international protection system has been completely mismanaged. Decisions are taking far too long. Appeals are taking too long and the rules are not being enforced. This has been ongoing for years under the watch of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.”
“They should not be excluded from this group when they are the ones most affected by this flooding. Will this be facilitated? Can the Save our Shannon Organisation be included in that group?”
“I appreciate the Minister of State's response and commitment to this. Obviously, the issue is that this problem is continuing to get worse and my constituents who are speaking to me do not feel that enough is being done to maintain the river to address those pinch points to get water levels under control. I know that the Minister of State is meeting with the Save our Shannon Organisation, which represents local people affected by this, in the coming days or weeks. These people know the river better than anyone, having lived and worked alongside it for years. They have an important stake and voice in this and, crucially, they want to be at the table where decisions are being made. They need to be included in the Shannon flood risk agency co-ordination group, which is chaired by the Minister of State.”
“In particular, there has been a lack of investment between Meelick and Athlone to take out the pinch points and a lack of ongoing river maintenance to get the situation under control. A reduction in the water levels of the lakes along the Shannon, such as Lough Allen, Lough Derg and Lough Ree, should be looked at, especially at times when we can expect a lot of rain. Will the Minister of State outline any specific plans in this regard?”
“As the Minister of State knows, the ongoing flooding on the Shannon Callows is causing huge issues for farmers and landowners. It is a problem that is getting worse and worse each year as time goes by. It is having a severe impact on the livelihoods of the people affected. There are hundreds of families affected by this and it has caused devastation. For example, in 2023, farmers lost everything as land was flooded through the summer. In recent weeks, there has been severe flooding again, impacting on land and livestock. People in the local area feel that this problem is now almost out of control. They are frustrated as they do not believe strong enough efforts have been taken to tackle this situation.”
“Will the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Browne, or the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, from the Department commit to meeting them before the end of the year? I would be more than happy to facilitate it.”
“It is regrettable to see how divisive it becomes in the local community when people are pressured into signing up to something like this. The Minister of State said no formal request for ministerial consent has been received. Can he clarify whether a formal request must be made? Were a request to be received, would it be considered and, in the Minister of State's view, granted? If clarity cannot be provided on these issues, I ask that at the very least, the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Browne, or the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, from the Department would meet the families affected and hear first-hand about the impact it is having on them. They are very reasonable people who work hard and want to get on with their lives in peace and quiet.”
“From the response, I do not think the Minister of State appreciates the distress and tension this situation is causing in the local community. He outlined the compensation schemes available but the reality is there are 40 families in the area who are well aware of the schemes but have not entered the schemes and will not enter them. They have been allowed to cut turf on these bogs for many years. Now they are being left without the fuel they rely on to heat their homes. I have outlined that many of the people affected are elderly. It is a deeply unfair situation. They have been kept in the dark about the process of designating the bogs as SACs and the ongoing works by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS. They feel they are being bullied and coerced into signing up to a scheme they do not wish to sign up to.”
“Under the habitats directive, if SCIs are intended to be made special areas of conservation this must be done within six years of them being designated SCIs. In this case, the three bogs were not officially designated as SACs until the years between 2021 and 2023. This is in direct conflict with the timelines mandated under the habitats directive but we have had no real explanation yet for this. I ask the Minister of State to provide that this evening. There are questions around the process but the big question the local people want answered is whether the Minister will sign an ARC order to allow turf to be cut in these bogs again.”
“I also raise the fact that the NPWS is beginning works to wet the bogs of those who have signed up to the scheme. This includes the installation of dam blocks to block drains with the aim of raising the water table in the bog. There are significant concerns surrounding the risk of flooding on neighbouring land, the risk posed by holes left behind and who would be held libel in the case of any injuries caused by these holes. There has been a complete lack of consultation. The NPWS is not responsive at all and does not seem to be accountable to anybody. I also want to raise concerns with the process around the SACs designations. These three bogs were designated to be sites of community importance, SCIs, by 2002.”
“Many have declined it - as is their right - because many want to continue to heat their homes with turf. It is the only realistic option for them. Other forms of heating are far too expensive to install. This injunction was taken out and it seems that these families are being coerced and forced into this scheme. They do not want to take part in it because they will be left worse off if they do and will not be able to cut turf again. I understand that under the legislation the families could be allowed to harvest turf if the Minister, Deputy Browne, signs an activity requiring consent, ARC, order. Their main ask is that the Minister signs this order to allow them to return to their bogs. I ask the Minister of State to outline if this will be facilitated.”
“I raise the situation in Ardgraigue, Barroughter and Clonmoylan bogs in south-east Galway. The local turf cutting contractor was served with a High Court injunction to cease cutting turf earlier this year. As a result, local people have been left without a supply of fuel this winter. There are over 40 families affected. It is important to say that these are bogs where local people have cut turf for many years. This is causing significant distress to the people affected. Many are elderly, have dwindling supplies or do not have an alternative supply of turf. They now face into the cold winter months without fuel. The bogs have been designated as special areas of conservation, SACs. People have been offered a once-off payment from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, to walk away from the bog and to allow rewetting.”
“Many households lost power in all three of these storms for long periods of time. As we enter the winter storm season this year, there is real fear among many households about the potential for serious outages. With any increase in investment, there needs to be a serious focus on grid resilience. At this crucial time when we must invest in our grid, Government must ensure that this investment prioritises the public good. This is an opportunity to address issues such as energy affordability, grid availability and grid resilience. To do this, however, there must be appropriate transparency and accountability that public money and public investments are used effectively. There is a clear lack of transparency and accountability in the current form of this Bill.”
“This highlights the lived reality of many households, who face significant difficulties in paying their bills and continue to see energy prices rise. Despite knowing this reality and knowing the positive impact electricity credits have had in previous years, the Government decided not to include energy credits in the recent budget. This is a clear slap in the face to households struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the many people who simply cannot pay their bills. Storms over the past year have shown the fragile nature of our electricity grid infrastructure. In the last year alone, over 300,000 customers lost power after Storm Darragh, 700,000 customers lost power after Storm Éowyn, and just last month nearly 50,000 customers lost power after Storm Amy.”
“This Bill provides an opportunity to deliver clear oversight into how billions of euro are directed into our electricity grid and yet Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have decided not to engage with our amendments. We have proposed amendments that would ensure that this investment is geared towards the public good rather than serving corporate greed. We will continue to insist that this public investment prioritises transparency, accountability, fairness and affordability. This investment comes at a time when almost 300,000 households are in arrears on their electricity bills. This week we saw the first analysis from the Government's energy affordability task force. The task force report illustrates the depth of Ireland's energy price crisis and outlined that more than 60% of electricity arrears are now long term.”
“Investment in our electricity grid is essential for Ireland's future. For many years, successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have failed to invest in adequate grid infrastructure, which has resulted in constrained housing development, major outages during storms and high electricity prices. Without a grid built for the 21st century, we will continue to see housing targets being missed. We will continue to see major outages during storms and rip-off electricity prices will not be addressed. While Sinn Féin supports the intent of the Bill, ramming it through without the necessary safeguards in place will not undo decades of under-resourcing and lack of delivery.”
“I ask the Tánaiste and the Government to look into this, to engage with all the different parties involved, to offer any supports they can to prevent this service from being lost and to ensure adequate childcare provision in the local area.”
“Last week, the Happily Ever After childcare service in Tuam, County Galway, informed parents that it will be forced to close its doors at the end of this month. The building does not meet fire safety requirements. The landlord has reneged on previous commitments to carry out the necessary works on the building to make it safe and has said these works would be too costly. This has left the operators, their 19 staff members and the parents of the 97 children the service cares for in a very difficult position. Their livelihoods are at risk. There is a lack of childcare spaces in Tuam, and the reality for many of these parents is that they will now be forced to leave their jobs to care for their children. This is a really serious situation. Time is of the essence.”
“There are serious concerns about CAP. It seems the onus is now going to fall on the Government to ensure there is a sufficient budget to maintain the work that local development companies do. Will the Minister outline the Government’s plan for the future of the programme and give assurances that the budget will be protected and increased?”
“I understand it is a complicated formula but there is clearly a discrepancy between our area and other parts of the State. Will the Minister take a look at it and engage with the local development company on it? We feel very hard done by in Galway. We are not just missing out on the LEADER allocation. Our local authority is very underfunded and is not receiving the same funding per capita as other counties. The Government as a whole needs to take a look at this. I also want to ask about the plan for LEADER in the longer term. The Minister's predecessor, Heather Humphreys, slashed the budget for this programme, something that will be remembered by a lot of people next week when they go to the polls.”
“We are not a wealthy part of the State by any means and I ask the Minister to revisit this to ensure a more equitable split in the allocation, based on the appropriate socioeconomic data, in future rounds of LEADER and in any interim Exchequer-funded programme.”
“I want to outline the current situation with regard to LEADER funding. East Galway is receiving €37 per person which compares very unfavourably with all of our neighbours. Roscommon receives €97 per person, Offaly gets €76 per person while in Mayo, the figure is €64. This really restricts what our local development company can do because it has such a limited amount of funding. It means that our communities miss out on investment and new facilities. We all know of the fantastic impact that LEADER has had in all of our communities and how they have benefitted from it. We are not asking for special treatment here but there certainly should be equal treatment for east Galway.”
“Will the Minister consider increasing the LEADER allocation for County Galway? As he might be aware, there are concerns about the allocation for east Galway in particular, relative to other areas. Galway Rural Development is the local development company. I ask the Minister to outline whether this is something he is considering.”
“The Minister has committed to abolishing the means test for carers but the investment in this budget has not been sufficient. It will take the Government over a decade to abolish the means test if it continues at this pace. This also needs to be reconsidered. Big promises were made to carers during the general election; they need to be treated with respect and the Government needs to live up to them.”
“They raised issues such as the cost and frequency of applying for disabled parking permits, the cost of repeated essential blood tests that are not covered by their medical cards and the cost of essential and accessible transport, to name but a few. All of these items add up. They are not optional for people with disabilities and they are left with having to decide which essential items are prioritised. Budget 2026 was an opportunity to ease cost pressures on people with disabilities but the Minister has decided to abandon them and saying there might be a better package down the line is out of touch. People need support now. Supporting people with disabilities is one of the most fundamental things we must do as a society. The Government must act now to provide adequate financial support.”
“The Government has to recognise the fact that living with a disability comes with increased costs and people need supports that reflect that. The Minister said he does recognise this and he wants to introduce a cost of disability payment in future, but that is no comfort to people with disabilities in the here and now who will struggle to pay their bills this winter. I hosted the Brothers of Charity Galway advocacy council in Leinster House recently. Their representatives gave a presentation in the audiovisual room where they spoke about the increased costs they face to maintain a decent quality of life.”
“Budget 2026 was an insult to people with disabilities. Cost-of-living measures have been pulled and a miserable €10 per week increase in the disability allowance payment was all the Minister could offer. The Disability Federation of Ireland estimates this amounts to a €1,400 drop in income for people with disabilities; a group who are already at increased risk of poverty. The federation's research shows that households with a disabled member require, on average, 50% extra disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as a similar household with no disabled members. The Minister knew all of this but he made a political choice to abandon people with disabilities in this budget and to push even more people into poverty.”
“Given the level of mismanagement revealed, does the Department intend to review all IPAS accommodation contracts to ensure there is no further abuse of taxpayers' money?”
“The Minister of State has thrown around a lot of blame instead of accepting that he and his Department are responsible for this waste of taxpayers' money. Where is the oversight on the part of the Department? I fear the report has revealed only a fraction of what has been happening. The Minister of State needs to get to grips with the issue and put an end to the squandering of public money. The Minister of State stated that contracts are reviewed when they have concluded. Why is there no review during the lifetime of the contracts, especially when the Minister of State has been provided with this kind of evidence? It should be obvious that where there is evidence of mismanagement of taxpayers' money, contracts should be ended.”
“Does the Minister of State take responsibility for this blatant abuse of taxpayers' money? What actions has he taken to ensure that this money is returned to the State? Will there be a review of all IPAS accommodation contracts?”
“This review is a damning indictment of the Government's failure to address profiteering and cost overruns within the IPAS system. The report outlines evidence of private operators overcharging for the provision of accommodation, including companies charging for beds that were not provided and charging VAT in circumstances where accommodation is exempt from VAT, signed contracts and proof of ownership going missing and no copies of leases. There seem to have been no records kept whatsoever in many cases. One operator overcharged the State to the tune of €7.4 million in respect of VAT, yet still has a Government contract. The report outlined that in this case the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has stated recovery of the remaining VAT overcharged is under review.”
“Will the Minister of State outline actions he is going to take in relation to profiteering in the international protection accommodation sector, especially in the aftermath of significant concerns raised in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report about the spending of public money?”
“It has refused to tackle this rip-off. Budget 2026 is a missed opportunity to support ordinary households but this does not come as a surprise. That has not been the priority of this Government.”
“I come from a constituency where many people have no choice but to commute by car and they will see an increase in the cost of commuting. Despite all the spin, there is a considerable drop in the level of retrofitting ambition in this budget. The 2026 capital allocation of €558 million for retrofitting programmes is actually a cut from the €641 million that was originally pledged in the 2022 national retrofit plan. This comes at a time when we are way behind on national targets and there are significant waiting times for our retrofitting schemes. It appears that the Minister has given up on the targets to which the Government has committed. I have had many people come into my office telling me they simply cannot afford to pay their bills. There has been a refusal by the Government to include energy credits or to tackle energy suppliers.”
“Despite this growing trend of rising energy costs, rising energy arrears and rising energy poverty, the Government has refused to include energy credits or a cost-of-living package in the budget. How can that be justified? This is a political choice about whose needs are prioritised and who is protected. Clearly, ordinary families and workers are not being prioritised and are being left to deal with rip-off costs. On transport, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, outlined that the PSO funding had increased to €940 million. However, there is no breakdown of how much of this increased funding will be eaten up in providing existing services and no outline of how much will be assigned to providing additional routes. At the same time, the Minister for Finance has announced increases in carbon taxes, which will drive up the cost of petrol and diesel.”
“This is a budget that completely abandons workers and families to look after those at the top. This budget could have been an opportunity to stand squarely on the side of families and support them through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have decided to throw households under the bus and have not provided any cost-of-living package whatsoever. This can be seen clearly through the cost of energy and the cost of commuting, the areas of responsibility of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Regarding energy prices, Ireland's energy bills are among the highest in Europe and are due to rise further in the coming weeks as energy suppliers jack up their tariffs. We are also seeing the level of energy arrears rise, with over 300,000 households in arrears on their energy bills.”
“I ask the Minister of State to consider this request and to take into account the funding issues experienced by local authorities like Galway County Council when he is designing the next round of this scheme. The people of Loughrea and surrounding areas cannot miss out on a facility like this because of Galway County Council's underfunding. They are entitled to the same level of facilities as people elsewhere. I also ask the Minister of State to ensure that funding is provided for League of Ireland academies in next week's budget. This is vital to protect the game in this country and to realise its full potential.”
“The challenge will be to get this project shovel-ready and in a position to access capital funding. Significant funding is needed for the initial stages of project development because, as it stands, the LSSIF requires a huge contribution from the local authority and does not assist with project development, the purchase of a site and so on. As I have raised with the Minister of State previously, that is a particular challenge in County Galway because our local authority has serious funding issues. Galway County Council has made a specific request to the Government for €3 million to assist it in developing proposals for swimming pools.”
“I have raised with the Minister of State previously the need for a publicly owned swimming pool in Loughrea, County Galway. As he will be aware, this is something the community in Loughrea has been seeking for a very long time, more than 30 years at this stage. There is a new committee to work on this in place in Loughrea and I am pleased to be part of it. It is making great efforts to progress this. There is work ongoing to get a feasibility study completed and to move things along so that a funding application can be made down the line. There is a huge need for this in Loughrea. It is a growing town with a population of over 6,000 people and a large rural hinterland. Of course, a project like this would bring huge benefits to everybody in the community, particularly children, older people and people with a disability.”
“The Government must make the necessary investments to support maternity care in Portiuncula and ensure we have a top-class maternity service there. That should be the Government's approach rather than seeking to downgrade services at this hospital. The Minister needs to answer questions about this issue as soon as possible.”
“Everybody understands that safety is paramount here and that we need to ensure the well-being of mothers and children, but forcing women in high-risk pregnancies to travel long distances is not appropriate. In the Minister of State's view, is that safe? Why would women not be given the choice as to where they can access maternity care? This will place further pressure on other maternity services and it is a downgrading of the maternity services at Portiuncula. The view among people locally, and I agree with them, is that there is an agenda here to remove services from the hospital by stealth and to centralise services. If previous recommendations had been implemented in full and proper resourcing, staffing and oversight put in place, we would not be in this position.”
“It is not the Minister of State's Department but I wish to ask if this decision will be revisited and if the Department will commit to a roadmap for restoration of full maternity services at Portiuncula.”
“The review highlighted a number of issues and many of those issues were the same as those highlighted in the 2018 Walker report. HSE management, however, has insisted those recommendations were implemented in full, while Bernard Gloster has said they were not. I wanted to ask the Minister to outline her position on this but she is not here. The bottom line is the hospital should have the resources, staffing and infrastructure to be in a position to provide top-class maternity services and mothers in the local community should expect no less than that. The staff at the hospital are fantastic and do their very best but they need the support from the Government and the HSE to address the issues. When something goes wrong, the answer should not be to downgrade the service but to make the necessary improvements.”