Malcolm Byrne
Wicklow-Wexford · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I appreciate the Minister of State is responding on behalf of the Minister but the response provides nothing new. It is almost a carbon copy of the response I received when I raised this issue in January last.”
“Free and fair trade right throughout history is the greatest example of providing people with employment opportunities and lifting people out of poverty. One of the best examples of this is our being able to trade with Canada.”
“I am sure the Ceann Comhairle will remember being approached by the then principal, staff and others. Pressure has been applied. When capital decisions were being made by the Department of education I asked why this school was not included and what criteria were used.”
“To say that the school, and indeed, the wider area are deeply frustrated by the lack of progress is an understatement. This is an excellent school, but when it comes to its physical infrastructure, the school is in dire straits.”
“As we are moving towards the recess, I thank the Ceann Comhairle, and indeed, the officials in her office and all of the staff across the House for all of their work during the year that has made this place run so smoothly. I wish to raise the question of Bunclody Community College. I have had to do it on a number of occasions.”
“I am conscious the Minister of State referred to additional capital investment in 2027. I fully expect and will continue to campaign to ensure this school is included in the 2027 capital list because it deserved to be addressed before now.”
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“As the Minister of State knows, I am fortunate to represent the constituency of Wicklow-Wexford, which I would argue has some of the finest beaches in the country running from Brittas Bay through Arklow south beach to Clogga, Clone, Ballymoney, where I spent much of my own childhood and which has a beautiful beach, to Courtown harbour, which is in need of renourishment at the moment, to Cahore, Old Bawn, Morriscastle and many others in between. We need a strategy to ensure that we have sustainable beach tourism in Ireland. I was very struck by the University of Galway's report today about the impact of climate change on our coastal communities. We have to protect homes and infrastructure but it is also important that we protect our beaches. They are a critical part of the local tourism infrastructure.”
“This is particularly important debate. It is a critical industry for our entire country. To start with, I want to praise the work of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland in terms of what they do to promote tourism in this country, build infrastructure and, indeed, build relationships. Specifically, to the Minister of State's own brief, given that people are increasingly going to be using AI platforms to plan their holidays, we need to look at a strategy around how we can ensure Ireland is well-positioned to be able to avail of those opportunities.”
“I appreciate the Taoiseach cannot get involved in every scheme or issue but the level of communication from Uisce Éireann to elected members is not acceptable.”
“Are there plans to ensure that Uisce Éireann becomes more accountable to this House? The level of response and the slow rate of response to queries from Members of the Oireachtas is not acceptable. I would like the Taoiseach to commit to raising this with the chief executive of Uisce Éireann. The problem is that we are forced to table questions in this House and they are then disallowed, but we cannot get any answers from Uisce Éireann. I have specifically raised on a number of occasions plans for the development of the Ferns and Camolin wastewater treatment plant in County Wexford and Aughrim wastewater treatment plant in County Wicklow. We have seen water out yet again in Gorey in the past number of days.”
“I am familiar, for instance, with Youthreach in Gorey. The Gorey and Courtown local training initiatives, LTI, offered through Gorey Youth Needs Group do incredible, good work on the ground. Many young people have been able to avail of training and have gone on to pursue incredible careers. However, there remains a differential in the pay structures between staff who operate on Youthreach programmes and staff who operate on LTI programmes. Those inequities need to be addressed. The people providing young people with real opportunities need equity and I ask the Minister of State to prioritise that matter.”
“The World Economic Forum reckons that in the next five years, while 92 millions jobs will be displaced globally, 170 million new jobs will be created in new areas, in exciting areas like healthcare and so on. I commend the Minister, Deputy Lawless, on the aiready.ie initiative and the proactive approach being taken by many universities and training agencies to upskill and reskill all our citizens. However, it will require a whole of society approach and we need to be ambitious because this will have an impact on every area. How are we embedding the use of AI skills - the value that can be added by their use - into every area of work from agriculture to transport? I will briefly mention another critical issue. We all know about the great work done by Youthreach and local training initiative programmes.”
“Lamp lighter, town crier, water carrier, horse-drawn cart driver, washerwoman - these were all careers highlighted in the 1926 census, which was published recently. I am sure many here looked at the national archives and saw those roles. They were all skilled roles. What happened was that technology came along and replaced them over time. It is critical for any society when technology comes along that people do not stand like Luddites, as we heard some colleagues speak previously, but embrace the technology, avail of the opportunities and, most important, ensure citizens are upskilled to avail of the new opportunities. AI is without doubt the most transformative technology we have seen in quite some time.”
“I am sure the Taoiseach will join with me in wishing the tens of thousands who are going to sitting State exams next week well. As we come towards the end of the school year, we must express our gratitude to school communities for all the work they do. School caretakers and secretaries are an essential part of those school communities. In September of last year, that they were forced to take to the picket lines. None of them wanted to be there. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach could provide an update regarding progress on resolving the dispute with school caretakers and secretaries and to convey our thanks to them for the work they do within our schools.”
“The Minister of State knows how important main street shops and businesses are. This is an unfair cost on them. It is not that they are opposed to contributing but why are they put at a disadvantage when it comes to an online space? I could operate a multi-million euro businesses just from my phone and I would not need any floor space but if someone operates in our communities, providing vital services in many cases, it is ridiculous that the tax they have to pay is based on floor space. That was fine 200 years ago; it is certainly not in the case of a modern economy.”
“The response provided by the Department sets out the process by which it is carried out. I have no question about the professionalism of the public servants who carry it out but it is the principle. The Minister of State made the point about similarly sized businesses with regard to floor space. A bookshop in Gorey, Arklow, Wexford or Sligo is likely to be assessed in broadly the same way but the problem is their competition is the likes of Amazon and online sellers which are not subject to commercial rates. If we want to protect our main street business, which we all do, we have to have a level playing field. When it comes to infrastructure, for example, telecoms towers, rates are often based on turnover of the companies. I ask the Minister of State to take it back to the Minister. I feel passionately about this.”
“In order to support our main street businesses that we all enjoy and to make it a level playing field with the online world, can we move to a situation where we either access local taxation based on turnover or find a more appropriate way of funding local government? It is bizarre that a system that is nearly 200 years old stills underpins the funding system we use. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. In order to give businesses a break, I urge the Minister of State to move away from the current commercial rates system.”
“Many forms of taxation work on the basis of income levels or turnover. I know the Minister has looked for a review around the functioning of local government more generally but this issue relates specifically to how we fund local government. I totally accept this is a political hot potato but in the modern world in which we live, we continue to decide a sizeable junk of local government funding on the basis of the floor size of a particular premise. We should also bear in mind that constituencies offices of TDs are exempt from commercial rates. From talking to businesses, I know they view this as exceptionally unfair. During Covid, we rightly took the decision to help businesses by suspending the payment of commercial rates.”
“The Minister of State knows how enterprise has transformed in that time, particularly with new technology. For example, in my home town of Gorey, there is an Eason and a Bookstation shop, which are both good book shops. They pay commercial rates to Wexford County Council but they compete against the likes of Amazon, the world’s biggest book seller, which does not pay any commercial rates because it does not have a main street presence. Those same main street retailers - it applies to every other sector as well - are also expected to contribute to our communities and sponsor local events, which they all do. Similarly, cafés and restaurants in the hospitality sector rely on large amounts of floor space. The bigger the restaurant, however, the higher the commercial rates. It is not based on turnover.”
“In 1826, 200 years ago, King George IV decided to sign into the law the government valuation of Ireland Act. That set in train the process of commercial rates. This was the way in which local government was funded. A decision was taken to levy rates on all properties. Those rates were determined based on the floor space of properties. In 1979, commercial rates were removed from domestic properties and, following a court challenge in 1984, they were also removed from agricultural properties. We are still in a situation whereby one of the main ways in which local government in Ireland is funded, to the tune of some €1.5 billion per year, is through commercial rates. This is a system that has existed for 200 years, in spite of all the changes that have happened in business since.”
“It is not always about the short-term solution; it is about how we can provide a sustainable peace whereby the peoples who live within that region can work co-operatively. I commend the Minister's approach and believe that co-operating at European level is also essential.”
“I thank the Minister for her response and I think it is the correct approach. We need to start to think about what the ultimate goal is regarding what we are achieving. We all want to achieve peace. There is no disagreement in this House about achieving peace and getting away from the horrors we are facing right now. I was really struck when I listened to some of the interviews with Bishop Shomali where he said it is going to be about bringing the people together including, as the Minister said, many of the people within Israel who object to what the Netanyahu Government is doing. Given our own experience on this island, we can provide very valuable lessons. It is about where we want to see west Asia in the next five years. What is the goal we want to achieve?”
“I agree with the Minister that the more action we can take at a European level collectively, the more impact it will have.”
“I thank the Minister. I appreciate her comprehensive answer in this regard. I believe that she reflects the views of everybody in this House when she expresses the concerns of Irish people over what has been happening in the West Bank. I was struck when listening this week to the Catholic Bishop William Shomali, who I understand the Minister met with. He spoke on it and referred to "really nasty" actions on the part of some of the settlers. Their behaviour is, frankly, appalling. He asked where we need to go beyond this. Ultimately it is about how we can secure a lasting peace in Gaza but also in the West Bank, and what we need to do. He spoke very clearly about our peace process here. For individuals like that we must continue to engage with him and support him.”
“I ask the Minister to report on the political agreement at the recent meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council to move forward with targeted sanctions vis-à-vis extremist settlers and entities supporting settlements in the West Bank.”
“I genuinely believe there needs to be a programme of education for Members of these Houses about the potential threats that we individually face.”
“I welcome the co-operation between ourselves and our European partners but the Minister of State will be aware that during the Danish Presidency in the second half of last year, we saw a number of efforts by drones to interfere in and disrupt an EU Council meeting. I have no doubt we will see that again by malign actors during our Presidency. I would also ask - I am really serious about this - about efforts by malign states to influence Oireachtas Members, which will in various ways and through various inducements try to persuade Members of these Houses of the merits or demerits of particular policy proposals. When we talk about neutrality and security, we do not sufficiently engage in issues around what is happening with regard to cyber threats and hybrid threats.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. We frequently underestimate the extent to which as a country we face hybrid threats and cyber threats. There are two areas I want to focus on. One is during our EU Presidency, when we hold events here in Ireland but also when we hold meetings of the European political community. There are also challenges and responsibilities for us, as TDs and Senators. We are at risk of hybrid attacks during the EU Presidency. We have heard at the AI committee the extent to which we are ready. I question whether we are ready for AI-enabled drone attacks during that period. Because of hybrid warfare, there are going to be efforts by malign actors to influence TDs and Senators and it is crucial that we are also aware of efforts to destabilise our political institutions and to influence political opinion.”
“We can use it to gather all of the ecological data that can be gathered, make assessments and use it to inform what measurable action should be taken in the community, for example, the use of drones, the intelligence gathered from that and using big data and AI to be able to inform it. I know some research is being carried out by some of our universities and I know Research Ireland has funded a lot of this but the role of AI in sustainable development is underestimated and I would encourage the Minister of State and the Department to explore it further.”
“Like the Minister of State, I am fortunate enough to represent a coastal constituency with many of the finest beaches in the country - in the case of my constituency, beaches stretching from Brittas Bay down to Morris Castle - but we have huge problems with coastal erosion, which obviously has an impact on people's homes and where they reside. There is also a really serious problem concerning the impact of that on habitats and in our discussion around biodiversity, we should not forget about issues relating to coastal erosion. The importance of the role and potential of artificial intelligence in biodiversity should not be underestimated.”
“We have a lot of people and habitats there, farmers are very committed and it is a special area of conservation but looking to move it to a national park would be very much welcomed by the community and would be a fitting legacy of the Minister of State's time as Minister of State. I certainly agree that it is important that we work with nature. In the Wicklow-Wexford constituency, floods were caused by a number of different factors, including heavy rainfall. It is critical that we work with nature to try to ensure that those issues are resolved and again, it is important that the Government works with community groups in places like Bunclody, Aughrim and Shillelagh to be able to address that.”
“This week one year ago, we had a gorse fire on Tara Hill, which obviously caused a lot of problems for people who live there but also damaged much of the ecosystem there. The Tara Hill Community Development Association has been doing enormous work to try to restore the uplands there so that flora and fauna can thrive again. Support for small groups like that makes a huge difference in terms of protecting the very important ecology in the area. I know the Minister of State visited the Blackstairs Mountains. He mentioned the importance of the national parks. We would love to see a Blackstairs Mountains national park on the Wexford-Carlow border. The Minister will be aware that Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy in Bunclody has been a champion of this.”
“The threat to the bee population should not be underestimated and I would encourage the Minister of State to visit Ireland's wild bee sanctuary, which was set up by Paul Handrick and Clare-Louise Donelan on the Wicklow-Wexford border where they set aside 20 acres deliberately with the purpose of trying to protect the world bee population. They would argue that if we can convert and incentivise lands to be used as meadows, that will do a lot for biodiversity. It has always been my view that farmers are our front-line workers in the battle against climate change and the biodiversity crisis and the more we can equip farmers and ensure that farmland is used effectively for that purpose, the better.”
“I very much welcome this debate. It is quite apt that this month is the centenary of the birth of David Attenborough and the founding of Fianna Fáil. In many ways, the Minister of State encapsulates the best of both in his approach to this office. He has been very committed to this work and his advocacy is something that deserves to be commended. I echo Deputy Ahern's remarks with regard to Our Lady's Island and commend Wexford County Council on the work being done there. That multi-agency approach is certainly something that does work. As part of National Biodiversity Week, tomorrow is World Bee Day. We need to move very quickly towards protecting the native Irish honey bee and legislation in that regard should be expedited.”
“We know that Ireland will face around eight climate events every year that will have an impact on different parts of the country. The Taoiseach will recall that after Storm Chandra he was with me in Aughrim in County Wicklow. One of the requests made by the local authority, and it has been submitted, is for funding to repair many of the roads washed away as a result of that event. This is still a priority for Wexford County Council and Wicklow County Council. Can the Taoiseach give any indication, given the damage caused by Storm Chandra, of when funding to repair the roads that were damaged will be made available to those local authorities?”
“We had been told by several Ministers that it was priority for the Department. It is not viewed as suitable. The case made by the Minister of State about a modern fit-for-purpose premises. There was no consultation with the local Coast Guard. Does the Minister of State really believe that a parochial house under licence represents a suitable building for a modern fit-for-purpose Coast Guard? I do not accept this is the case. As a matter of urgency will the Minister of State ask the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, to meet with the local Coast Guard to talk to them about their needs as volunteers in the community? That is so we finally see the commitment that has been given by several Ministers, including the identification of a preferred site, to see a proper Coast Guard facility provided in Courtown.”
“I thank the Minister of State but it is very clear the Department has not been listening or engaging with the local Coast Guard unit. The Minister of State said it himself. It is operating under licence, not even under a lease, in a local parochial house. By the way, in order for the vehicles to come out of that parochial house they have to go through the churchyard. When there is a wedding or a funeral or, at this time of the year, a confirmation or communion, you can imagine the difficulty. I cannot believe the Minister of State is saying to the House that it is suitable. He referenced the facility built in Westport and he is very familiar with it. Why are people in Courtown and across the coast of south Wicklow and north Wexford being denied a proper facility that was promised?”
“Come 14 April of this year, in a written response, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, reassured me the provision of a new station for the unit remains a priority for the Department, and he pointed out a further market trawl had been carried out in Courtown. We have known for a long time it has been a priority. We went from six sites to five sites to heads of terms to a further market trawl. A temporary solution has been found which is not acceptable. There has been no consultation with the local Coast Guard. Will the Minister of State tell us when the new Coast Guard facility will be constructed in Courtown?”
“The general election happened and I ended up in this House. On 15 May 2025 I raised a Topical Issue debate taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Troy. He told me the OPW had identified a preferred site that was now awaiting approval of funding but the draft heads of terms, including the price, had been agreed on the new site. On 20 November 2025, in a written response, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, told me a potential site had been identified after the 2024 appraisal process but the Department had requested there would be a further market trawl. He assured me it was still a priority for the Department.”
“On 10 October 2023, in a Commencement debate taken by the then Minister of State, Senator Rabbitte, I was told that Courtown was one of the key priorities for the OPW. On 24 April 2024 when I raised it as a Commencement matter with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, he told me he could see it was matter I had been raising for quite a significant period. He said that new accommodation for the Courtown Coast Guard unit was included in the Coast Guard building programme. He said it was worth repeating that it was one of the key priorities of the delivery programme. He said a preferred site had been identified, the OPW was in discussions, that it would then move to appointing a project team and, following this, planned and detailed design. This was in April 2024. I thought that was great and that we would see progress.”
“When I was in the Seanad on 24 February 2022 I had a Commencement debate with the then Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, during which she informed us that six sites for a new Coast Guard facility had been identified by the OPW and that Courtown was on the priority list. On 23 November 2022, the Minister, Deputy Harris, came to the Seanad for a Commencement debate and told me Courtown was one of the key priorities for the OPW and that the OPW officials were giving the project every priority possible at the time. In the summer of 2023, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, met Wexford County Council and the Coast Guard in Courtown so there would be no issue with any potential site and it was resolved.”
“I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. I have no doubt the response from the Department will outline the rich history of the old rocket house station and the importance of the Coast Card to our coastal communities in north Wexford and south Wicklow. As the Minister of State comes from a coastal county, he is very appreciative of the work of the Coast Guard. I will not go into the rich history of the Coast Guard but I will speak about the recent history. For over a decade there has been a demand for a much-needed coastal facility.”
“This morning at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, we heard from witnesses from the University of Limerick’s Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems about the concerns regarding AI-enabled drones and how drone warfare is impacting the battlefields in Ukraine after Russia’s illegal invasion. Given that the Taoiseach will have seen drone attacks at the European Council meeting in Copenhagen last year, and we have seen them here in Ireland as well, will he assure the House that the technology will be in place to repel any potential drone attack during our Presidency of EU Council meetings?”
“I hope that the families who are affected in Bunclody and Ballyboy outside Ferns can now have some level of security as a result of this and that every support will be made available to them by the Department and the relevant agencies.”
“They were not at fault. There is still the case of those who sold the defective blocks. In whatever way we can, we need to take action against them, but hardworking and decent families deserve protection and that applies across the country. I welcome the extension. It has been discovered that these houses have been affected, but I hope the Minister will continue to allow a situation where, if problems are found at some stage in the future as a result of defective blocks in other houses in Wexford or other parts of the country, the scheme can be similarly extended. I thank the Minister for bringing forward this motion.”
“I welcome this motion, and particularly the extension of the provisions to two designated areas in County Wexford. I thank the Minister for ensuring this happened and commend the work of the Housing Agency and Wexford County Council that allowed this to happen. The two areas concerned are, as the Minister indicated, in Bunclody and Ballyboy at Ferns. I was in a house in Ballyboy at Ferns. It was a family home of a hardworking and decent family. This is where they wanted to spend their lives. They invested their lives in this home and I could see the cracks in the walls and how the difficulties they faced caused unbelievable anguish to this family. I am conscious this is replicated across the country. These are hardworking, decent people who have contributed to their community, as others have to their communities all over Ireland.”
“I want to raise the question of dereliction and the inconsistency of approach between local authorities. The Taoiseach is aware of the impact of the scourge of dereliction on our towns and communities. In Gorey, Wexford County Council has taken a very active approach to deal with the problem of derelict buildings. In Arklow, however, Wicklow County Council has not taken an active approach and, as a result, there is a serious problem with dereliction, particularly in the centre of the town. I will frame my question in terms of the data. Wexford is much more active in tackling dereliction than Wicklow. Obviously, I want dereliction in Arklow in particular to be targeted. How can we ensure a consistency of approach between local authorities?”
“We need to set out clearly that we will meet the targets in 2031 or 2032 and indicate how far along the line we are to meeting our targets for 2040 as well.”
“I welcome the establishment of the clearing house. We need to develop our offshore energy generation capability as quickly as possible. The only offshore turbines we have are in the territorial waters off the coast of my constituency. They were producing more energy 20 years ago than they are today. They are currently producing none. We know we will not reach our 2030 target, and I am worried about our level of commitment to building energy infrastructure. I was stunned two weeks ago during oral questions when I asked about the date for the completion of the Celtic interconnector. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle was in the Chair and the Minister of State could not tell me the date the interconnector will be finished. We need to be realistic.”
“In terms of the Taoiseach's discussions, how are we in Ireland preparing to best be able to avail of the opportunities that AI presents and those 170 million new jobs that may be created?”
“We should put on the record that the Collison brothers have made an enormous contribution to this country in terms of job creation, and allowing their views to be heard is quite important in the debate on the future of technology. Further to my colleague Deputy Ó Cearúil raising the role of artificial intelligence and the recognition there is a paradigm shift happening with regard to technology and work, the World Economic Forum estimates that while 92 million jobs may be displaced over the next five years as a result of artificial intelligence, there is the potential for the creation of 170 million new jobs. I welcome very much the launch of aiready.ie by the Minister, Deputy Lawless, last week and the Government's AI and digitalisation strategy.”
“I would also say that in any of the process around this discussion, and I know the Minister of State is very committed to it, it is always important to engage with young people themselves, and to talk to Comhairle na nÓg, the National Youth Council and the Irish Second-Level Students' Union. The Minister of State and I know that every single young persons' organisation and youth group engaged with this project wants to see this legislation brought in as quickly as possible and wants it to be tough. I will be supporting it but I would ask the Minister of State, on Committee Stage, to try to strengthen some of those provisions.”
“What I would like the Minister of State is to consider doing is that on Committee Stage, particularly where repeat offenders are convicted, we would see a stronger requirement of prison, quite frankly, and further, that we move to a situation where we can provide for the forced closure of these premises. It strikes me as bizarre that you can close a pub, yet you cannot close one of these shops for pushing these really dangerous products on young people. We do not know yet, other than some of the early evidence from listening to consultants working in the area, the impact it is having on young people's chests, lungs and hearts. A lot of that is going to manifest itself down the line.”
“In all other cases where we talk about something to help somebody come off an addiction or whatever, we will make things available on prescription. It is still far too easy for young people to access what is incredibly dangerous. I welcome this Bill. I know the Minister of State has worked really hard on it. I know I have been critical about the pace at which this has been moving but I know she is determined to introduce it. However, the evidence is there that there are still people who are avoiding the law in this regard and I do not think the consequences are strong enough within this legislation.”
“I would like the criminal enforcement within this Bill to be a lot stronger. It should not be a case of a fine or imprisonment where we see repeat offences. We should be moving towards guaranteeing that somebody who sells on a regular basis should face a custodial sentence. However, we need to go further. It is about hitting these premises in their pockets. The authority should be there to force the closure of some of these premises that breach the rules, whether it is selling to under-18s, or if they breach any of these marketing rules, which we welcome. I do not doubt that for some of those who are smoking, as a device to help with the cessation of smoking, it is helpful. That raises the question: why not make it available on prescription?”
“Even though the sale to under-18s was banned, the Department’s own inspections in the first two years after the ban found that 20% of retail outlets were still found to be selling to those under the age of 18. We know there are still retailers who will try at every opportunity to get around this to be able to sell this product to young people. With other harmful products that are sold to young people, we take much stronger action. If a bar had a reputation for selling alcohol to young people, the Garda could object to its licence, and it potentially faced closure. If we are in a situation where a restaurant or somewhere that is preparing food does not take food safety particularly seriously, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland inspectors go in, it could face closure.”