Micheál Martin
Cork South-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“At the beginning of April, the Government approved the establishment of the Cork city futures group to guide development of Cork city for the future.”
“We have to have a budget that reflects the need to sustain that level of work in our economy so that people will have access to jobs. The AI issue is causing a lot of concern. I take heart from the investment announced by Intel this week, which will be AI-propelled, actually.”
“Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity, in line with the timelines laid out in the roadmap; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; and accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre throug…”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 30, inclusive, together. This will be a long answer because there is one task group and one futures group.”
“I think Deputy Hayes was being a bit petty, if that is the word I am looking for, in what he said about Spain. Well, using the word "petty" might be a bit uncharitable today. It is more a Spain is more vociferous than us kind of thing. We have worked very well together on the Middle East. It is a very serious issue.”
“A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city’s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference.”
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“The social media companies as well, absolutely. Deputy Heneghan referred to the living city initiative. This initiative, in the context of the changes that have been made to it, is a game-changer. The old living city initiative seemed to be something that civil servants in a certain Department created to make sure that it would not have any impact. They succeeded, because it did not have an impact. In the most recent budget, we dramatically enhanced what is available to people living in city centres. We have extended the initiative to Drogheda, Athlone and elsewhere. I am told there will be significant progress arising out of what we did in the budget last year. I pushed very hard for it. I do not understand the conservatism that has existed in officialdom for far too long on this matter.”
“They already suffered the most traumatic of shocks in their lives when they lost their daughter, but then to have very callous people post online about them in the way they have done is beyond human comprehension. What is wrong with people? What is wrong with our society that individuals can do that to a family that has suffered and endured so much? This is something we need to reflect on as a society more generally.”
“I do not like gardaí being investigated on the basis of their pursuing someone in the line of duty. There can be issues arising from that, but they should not suffer in their civilian lives subsequently. Do not get me wrong, there are issues around pursuit. It is not the only answer, particularly as it creates its own dangers down the line. Pursuit can lead to death and injury, so we have to be careful of the health and safety of gardaí as well as that of the general public when pursuit operations happen. I will convene a meeting with relevant Ministers on this next week in order to focus on the issue the Deputy has raised. I fully support what Deputy Ó Murchú said about inter-agency action. Such action is absolutely essential. I also met Siobhán and Martin Lynch. I was appalled by what they have had to endure online.”
“TII took a big decision in terms of land required for the metro but additional land that will facilitate the construction of the metro and that will ultimately be part of a wider refurbishment and rejuvenation of O'Connell Street. I take Deputy Shane Moynihan's point about e-scooters. The Deputy stated that he has an open mind regarding between regulation and an outright ban. There is a real issue in respect of how the use of these scooters has evolved and how there was no regulatory framework in place when they arrived some years ago. People did not anticipate the uses that they are now being put to by drug gangs and for other criminal activity. The latter is proving very problematic for An Garda Síochána, as the Garda Commissioner has told the Deputy. There will be legislation to support An Garda Síochána.”
“Deputy Whitmore has now left the Chamber. I understand she probably has another committee to go to. I take her point on antisocial behaviour on buses, particularly Dublin Bus. That is a serious issue. We do not want situations where people are afraid to go on a bus, or are discouraged from doing so, because of antisocial behaviour. I will talk to the Minister for Transport in respect of where we are in terms of security on our buses and the proposals for that. Deputy Tóibín raised Lonely Planet and O'Connell Street. I think I have dealt with that. I also mentioned the Moore Street situation. We do not talk about any potential purchases and so on in advance, even if we were considering it, because these are commercially sensitive issues.”
“We need to concentrate on that and get it right. We are also working on Moore Street. A lot of work is under way by the OPW, particularly as it is designated under the National Monuments Act.”
“Security and a visible police presence is vital to that. The transformation of O'Connell Street is key to all of this. The purchase of the Hammerson site will unlock a lot, not just for the metro but the wider possibilities in terms of the redevelopment of O'Connell Street, which is a fantastic boulevard. As Deputy Tóibín said, Lonely Planet described it as such. It has never reached its potential as a major street. Because of the task force, we are on the cusp of doing something significant now, particularly in terms of the GPO. Deputy Mark Ward raised the issue of the GPO. The Government was always going to do a public consultation. I think that public consultation will be accessible to everyone. It is important because the GPO site is a huge site. It is not just the front building and so on.”
“In terms of the congestion of the city, big improvements have been made, in particular in the city centre. A lot of traffic bypasses it. Historically, because of the link road system, we were far ahead of other cities. We have to do a northern area distributor road, a northern ring road and so on. If BusConnects and Cork Luas happen, that will be radical and impactful in terms of the congestion question. Deputy Brabazon raised the Dublin city task force. He articulated what a lot of people are saying to me that some time ago, people looked forward to shop in the city centre. He said there was a menacing feel about the place. I accept we have to deal with antisocial behaviour on the streets. Open drug taking should not be accepted. It should not be something that is normalised. We need to clean up areas within the city centre.”
“The NTA, in particular, should have a presence in Cork with TII and others. Working from the same office would make a lot of sense and a lot of complementarity would be developed in terms of the relationship between BusConnects and Cork Luas and so on. Deputy Tóibín raised issues in terms of Cork. I would point out that the Cork Luas project is not in planning. It has been in public consultation. There are a lot of issues around that. This is communicating with the public. Sports clubs have articulated real concerns about the proposed route. We have to get the route right first and we have to get it agreed. That public consultation has ended but issues have arisen arising from that consultation. It will be some time before it gets into planning but we are committed to it because it is an important project.”
“That is the eastern gateway bridge project, in particular. An increased contingency allowance has also been included. We need strategic co-ordination. I would be slightly worried if we set up a new office to run it all. I do not think that is what Deputy McGrath is proposing. We could be there for another couple of years. To be fair, there has been a fair degree of co-ordination in Cork city in the docklands. The LDA and Cork City Council are working well together in terms of housing and residential developments in the city and in the docklands, in particular. I take Deputy McGrath's point about Cork Airport. There is a need to factor Cork Airport more into some of the proposals in terms of access and egress. There are a lot of queues near the Kinsale roundabout. Different voluntary groups had been formed. We have been asking.”
“Deputy Séamus McGrath raised the issue of the need for a strategic integration transport office in Cork. There are multi-billion euro projects on the go at the moment. The biggest one is the docklands. On 23 June, the Government approved a preliminary business case for the Cork city docklands enabling an infrastructure investment programme. That was reviewed by the major projects advisory group in KPMG, as well as the approving authority, which is the Department of housing. Construction cost estimates, when URDF funding was originally approved in 2021, was about €595 million. The programme now has a total estimated cost of €1 billion plus. It is a combination of tender price inflation and development of the design of some individual subprojects, that is, when you get down to designing these projects.”
“An increased contingency allowance has also been included in the new estimate and another key driver of the increase. The costs associated with the progression of the programme will be carefully monitored by the approving authority directly as well as through strengthened governance arrangements, such as the addition of additional key stakeholders to the steering group for the project. There will be regular reports to Government on developments in both Dublin city and Cork city initiatives.”
“On 23 June, Government approved the preliminary business case, PBC, for the Cork city docklands enabling infrastructure investment programme. The PBC was reviewed by the major projects advisory group and KPMG, as well as the approving authority, which is the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as required under the relevant external assurance process. When URDF funding for the project was originally approved in 2021, a construction cost estimate of €595 million was provided. The programme now has a total estimated cost of €1.063 billion. The price increase in the meantime has been generated by a combination of tender price inflation and the development of the design of some individual sub-projects, in particular the eastern gateway bridge project.”
“At the beginning of April, the Government approved the establishment of the Cork city futures group to guide development of Cork city for the future. The following terms of reference were approved: review the Cork City Centre Development and Operations Action Plan 2025-2030 and report back to Government on progress, barriers to progress, and to identify what needs to be done at local or national level to ensure action plan delivery; make recommendations to Government on how Cork city can fully realise its potential for sustained foreign direct investment, domestic business development and innovation, and serve as a regional hub aligning educational and intellectual property assets with local and international enterprise; to maximise Cork city’s potential as a university city given the strength of UCC and MTU; assess how the city can bolster the wider economic and social development of the hinterland, the region and nationally; consideration of how Cork city’s arts and culture offering could be strengthened as part of the national offering.”
“A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city’s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference. The group is comprised of members representing academia, business, An Garda Síochána, the arts and culture sector, tourism, transport and the community and voluntary sector. Mr. Brendan Tuohy, who is a former secretary general, has been appointed as the independent chair. They have met at least four times and are due to publish an interim report shortly. Additional information not given on the floor of the House The programme for Government commits to applying the Dublin city task force model to other cities, towns and regions in need of revitalisation, starting with Cork city.”
“Changes to the living city initiative announced as part of budget 2026 will also support regeneration and efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction in cities: Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford, and from 8 April 2026, also in the following towns: Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny, and Sligo.”
“Its ownership will transfer to the Office of Public Works from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The OPW will prepare design proposals, which will be subject to Government approval. Before that happens, a wide-ranging public consultation process will begin later this year to seek the views of all stakeholders. The Department of the Taoiseach will chair a steering group which will guide and oversee the non-statutory public consultation and engagement process. Concurrently, as part of the consultation and engagement process, a temporary meanwhile use proposal will also be developed.”
“An oversight board, comprising all of the relevant Departments and agencies, has been established to oversee and provide strategic direction for delivery of the roadmap. It is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. The board has been meeting regularly since its establishment in July. The Government recently agreed to the assignment of Mr. Robert Watt as CEO-designate of the SPV being established by Dublin City Council to drive implementation of the roadmap. The newly appointed interim advisory board to the SPV met on 15 June. In line with the roadmap, Dublin City Council has recruited staff for an interim programme management unit, which will drive delivery while work is advancing to set up the SPV. The Government agreed the process to redevelop Dublin's iconic General Post Office complex last month.”
“Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity, in line with the timelines laid out in the roadmap; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; and accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre through additional funding in the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, under the national development plan, NDP, review; and redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious and historic flagship project, which will be managed by the OPW. The roadmap for delivery of the Dublin city task force also creates an enabling environment designed to build confidence with business, landowners and investors to get involved in achieving a new vision for Dublin city centre and to drive private sector investment.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 30, inclusive, together. This will be a long answer because there is one task group and one futures group. In May 2024, the Government appointed a task force to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south, making it a more thriving, attractive, and safe cityscape, and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit. Following the task force's report and recommendations, as agreed by Government, the Department of the Taoiseach convened an interdepartmental group to develop the recommendations. The group produced a report with a ten-year roadmap for delivery and comprehensive implementation plan. Central to this will be: a special purpose vehicle to drive delivery and to support the specific capital developments relevant to the project.”
“The economic impact of this is not huge but at least it sends a signal in terms of European member states being very annoyed, frustrated and angry at what is going on in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank.”
“He has raised it with great consistency. I have raised it with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who keeps telling me the Department is on the case. There are some issues in respect of making sure of safety and so on in houses. I will check that with Bord Gáis. The Deputy was saying it was misleading. I do not think Bord Gáis would deliberate mislead but I will point out the point he has made to it. On Deputy Ó Murchú's question on the Middle East, I think I dealt with this earlier. It is difficult to get unanimity. It is difficult to get agreement even in qualified majority voting, QMV, on this, but we are working on the occupied territories. We would like to see, at Foreign Affairs Council level, an agreement, or a majority at least, to vote in favour of banning trade with the occupied territories as a significant signal to Israel.”
“We do know the Spanish authorities are resilient. I have no doubt the Spanish Government will take a fair and honourable approach to the case the Deputy has raised. I am not familiar with the background to it, if I am honest, so therefore I cannot comment in any great detail on it. Deputy Heneghan referred to plug-in solar. He is plugged in himself on that issue; there is no doubt about that.”
“Deputy Malcolm Byrne was at one with Deputy Whitmore. He said we can enjoy the weather here but it is in Ireland now. The levels of heat we are experiencing are unprecedented. We are breaking heat records in Ireland. We had a terrible fire in Crosshaven in my own constituency on Monday evening. We have to be very vigilant. We need to invest more in adaptation because climate change is here. It is happening. It is having real-life impacts as we speak, and we do have to deal with that. Deputy Byrne illustrated this when he related how his sister leaves Seville in the summer to get out of the heat. It is extremely difficult. We are not retreating from it in terms of the European Presidency. It will be top of the agenda. In response to Deputy Paul Murphy, I am not familiar with the specific case of Fergie Chambers.”
“I did not realise there were five more. In response to Deputy Whitmore, there will be no retreating or withdrawal from climate change during our Presidency. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is very committed to this. He will be taking a leadership role in respect of Europe's presentation at COP. There have been different perspectives across the European Union. People in some member states want to reform and revise the EU ETS, for example. However, the evidence is overwhelming, as the Deputy very articulately narrated, in terms of what is happening in Spain. It is quite shocking in terms of the number of people dying because of excess heat, the forest fires, the hectares of land burned - all of which, by the way, is having a compounding effect on climate. These are not without consequence in terms of climate.”
“Europe has a lot of ambitions and different member states have a lot of ambitions, but you have to have a budget to realise those ambitions. A lot of people have spoken favourably about the Common Agricultural Policy being a key part of our security architecture in terms of food security for Europe. That came across strongly from quite a number of member states. We have to factor in food security. It was very interesting in the early stages of the Ukraine war, with the whole issue about grain and the Black Sea grain initiative, there was a real fear that would have repercussions across Africa - sub-Saharan Africa in particular - and could cause famine in those locations.”
“Even though we are net contributors we are not looking for a cut in the overall budget because we believe Europe has to be ambitious in terms of making sure we can grow our economy, making sure we can avail of the digital transformation of AI and making sure we can do the decarbonisation of European economy and society. That will cost. That will need investment. Some countries want to cut the overall budget. Some want to increase. Some want to reduce the competitiveness funds and try to get more for CAP and cohesion. A lot of people support CAP and cohesion. The challenge at the moment is there is more demand for a limited budget. Our view is that, overall, the European Union budget is about 1% of European GDP. It is not a huge sum in the overall context of output within the European Union.”
“In our discussions we are the honest broker now, but in all those meetings I have had I would say there is a preponderance of view wanting retention and strengthening of CAP, and also cohesion. A lot of the countries on the eastern flank in particular are strong on cohesion, but they also want defence now in, or protection of the eastern flank because they feel their situation is existential in respect of Russia. In the Baltics, in particular, and Poland and also obviously some of the Nordics, they genuinely believe Russia is coming for them next. The problem will be to try to get agreement on a budget. It is like endeavouring to reconcile the irreconcilable.”
“We will continue to work with Spain on the Middle East in particular, particularly now in Lebanon when it looks like UNIFIL will expire and that will create serious issues for south Lebanon. We will not be in a position to replenish that unless there are changes to the triple lock. We will not be in a position to send any troops, any CSDP mission from the European Union, for example, which could be used to support the Lebanese armed forces in terms of training and so on, or to keep a monitoring role in south Lebanon. There are discussions under way by other member states in respect of that at the moment. Regarding Deputy Brendan Smith's question, absolutely there are issues.”
“Exactly, but we can always learn. I am always open to learning. Every day is a new day. On the electricity charge, the issue there was the preponderance of renewables in Spain and on the Iberian Peninsula which they did during the Covid crisis because they felt gas was completely distorting their price, given the fact that they were overwhelmingly renewable. They got a carve-out from gas being the determinant price-maker in their situation. They have had challenges with renewables in terms of the grid overall. The Deputy will recall the major outage recently, or some time back, for which there was never a full explanation, but it is important to bear it in mind.”
“I think Deputy Hayes was being a bit petty, if that is the word I am looking for, in what he said about Spain. Well, using the word "petty" might be a bit uncharitable today. It is more a Spain is more vociferous than us kind of thing. We have worked very well together on the Middle East. It is a very serious issue. I have worked well with Pedro Sánchez. He is a very constructive leader and he is a strong leader at the European Union table as well. He does not pull back from advancing his views across the board. Spain has military bases that the US has used; not in this war but the one prior to it. We have to bear that in mind. Spain is a member of NATO. We are not members of NATO, and I do not think anyone is asking that we would follow Spain or learn lessons from Spain in that regard. I do not think that is what Deputy Hayes meant.”
“In response to Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil, the joint action plan will be comprehensive, covering all aspects of our bilateral relations, including trade, energy, cultural and people-to-people relationships. We have an extraordinary historic relationship with Spain, particularly because back in earlier centuries we were Catholic countries and Spain came to our assistance when our neighbours invaded and put their governments in charge, etc. When I was there last, I was struck by the tip of the iceberg that we can explore in terms of that cultural and historic relationship. There is a lot more we can mine in respect of that, and particularly archives and so on that we could access and enable people in Ireland to access more generally. The action plan will be very comprehensive and similar to ones that we have with other countries.”
“Ultimately, given the very strong penetration of renewables in Spain, it makes sense that we would have a connection there. It will cost a lot and there is a lot of work to be done in teasing it out. Part of our European Presidency is to get approval for the European grids package that has been approved by the Commission. Interconnection across the European Union is absolutely key in reducing dependency on fossil fuels and avoiding the kinds of crises that we have repeatedly seen if there is a war in a given part of the world which then leads to massive inflationary pressures as well as security-of-supply issues. This is something we are taking seriously and we want to progress with Spain. The Deputy is correct that the economic relationship is very strong and Spain is growing economically as well.”
“I thank all the Deputies for their comments. At the outset, I congratulate Spain on an emphatic win last evening against France, our nearest neighbour in the European Union. I attended the French Embassy last evening and wished them the best. Thankfully there was not a Spanish function afterwards but they did spectacularly well and we eagerly look forward to the final. Deputy Daly raised the issue of the memorandum of understanding on the electricity interconnector. In my discussions with Prime Minister Sánchez, we discussed this. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, earlier had discussions with his counterpart. The first interconnector between France and Ireland should land next year and that will be a significant factor in helping our energy situation.”
“For our part, we have been clear that we will do our utmost to advance the Union’s agenda between now and the end of the year.”
“We discussed how we could work together to further strengthen these links, including in areas such as trade, investment, energy, education, research and culture. Additional information not given on the floor of the House We agreed to develop a joint action plan in this regard. As Deputies will be aware, our Presidency began on 1 July, with a ceremony in Dublin Castle that day marking the occasion, attended by Presidents Costa and Zelenskyy. On 2 and 3 July, members of the Government met with their counterparts from the European Commission in Cork where we exchanged notes on the important issues we will work on together. On 7 July I presented Ireland’s Presidency priorities to the European Parliament. In our engagements to date, it is clear that colleagues have placed their trust in the Irish Presidency and want to see it succeed.”
“Prime Minister Sánchez and I discussed the dire situation in Gaza and, indeed, the West Bank, including the urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and prospects for a meaningful political process that could deliver peace to both the people of Palestine and of Israel. We agreed to continue our work together at European Union level on the issue. Support for Ukraine is a central focus of our Presidency. Prime Minister Sánchez and I agreed that work to achieve a just and lasting peace should continue, including through the work of the coalition of the willing. This aims to ensure that when peace comes, there are robust security guarantees in place to protect Ukraine in the future. We reflected on the strong bilateral relationship between Ireland and Spain, built on strong historical links as well as a close cultural affinity.”
“Advancing negotiations on the multi-annual framework, MFF, budget will be an important task for us in our Presidency and we will work closely with the President of the European Council, António Costa, with a view to securing agreement by the end of the year, if at all possible. Prime Minister Sánchez and I also agreed the need to make headway on enlargement. We also discussed global issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine. Spain and Ireland are very like-minded on the Middle East, including in our support for a two-state solution. We both recognised the Palestinian state together in May 2024 and we have worked together in support of suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in light of egregious breaches of human rights in the Palestinian territories.”
“I explained our particular focus on competitiveness and we agreed the need to take further action to simplify regulation, deepen the Single Market, embrace the green and digital transitions, widen our trade relations and make energy more affordable for our citizens and enterprises. We also agreed that Europe needed to do more to ensure its future security, including in the context of new cyber and hybrid threats. We agreed that to achieve its goals, the European Union needed a budget that both protected existing successful policy areas while also providing for new areas of focus, including security and innovation.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 14, inclusive, together. I had a bilateral meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, on 10 March at which we discussed plans and priorities for Ireland's EU Presidency, international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, and bilateral relations, which are excellent. My visit to Madrid was the first in a series of visits to European capitals to meet my counterparts as part of preparations for our EU Presidency. I also visited colleagues in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Finland and Greece. In my meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez, we discussed areas where Ireland would work to make progress during our term.”
“I will engage with the Minister for children on this and ask her to talk to the Deputy in respect of the points he made. Our aim is to try to get the fees down and we have made a lot of progress in the last number of years in doing that. I hope that people are not exiting in certain areas because they feel they can get better prices on the market as opposed to the constraints that the core funding scheme puts on people.”
“I will talk to the Minister. I did not get the final point the Deputy made. The issue is that about 93% of all eligible providers have signed up to the current core funding scheme. Some are leaving in certain areas, as was articulated yesterday-----”
“I thank Deputy Murphy for raising the issue. He raised a number of important points. I will seek to convene a meeting with the CEO of Uisce Éireann and the Deputies for the area. I will also examine the Deputy's issue around Oireachtas committee structures and things like that. That is a fair issue. I am not suggesting that every semi-State body should be subject to parliamentary questions because with artificial intelligence, AI, now we are seeing a huge generation of parliamentary questions. In other words, we want people sorting out the water problems instead of being consumed by responding. There is a balance here to be struck. Uisce Éireann needs to get focused on the issues and get it sorted.”
“I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue. It is an important issue. This year has seen very high levels of applications for this scheme, extending well beyond the €10 million per year allocation. It is €50 million from 2023 to 2027. All possible options are now being examined by the Department in respect of the high numbers that have applied. Decisions will be made shortly to allow farmers to plan accordingly. Farmers will be notified as soon as possible by the Department of agriculture about the details of the scheme for 2026. I am aware of the issue and will pursue it as well on behalf of the Deputy.”
“First of all, I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this issue. He has been a consistently strong advocate for the Galway city ring road. I accept his point that there has to be a similar intensity in terms of getting this project under way as there is in terms of the metro because this is choking Galway. It is extremely difficult for people living in the Galway area to get from A to B. It also has potentially significant negative impacts on industry in the Galway region, particularly for people and families more generally. I have said to the Minister for Transport that I believe very strong engagement should take place. It is not for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, but the councils and so on, but the Deputy's idea of an early settlement strategy is one I would put to the Minister and it is one that should be embarked upon.”
“The Minister and the Department have engaged with the Law Society. I am concerned because I think people should not be withdrawing their services. I ask those who are doing so to rethink and reflect, and to do what in my view is their obligation, which is to represent people in court. What was going on in many cases was not acceptable either in terms of multiple adjournments and so on.”
“May I first of all say that these are reforms that the Minister for justice has brought in? He sought Government approval for these reforms. I do not know what the Deputy's position is on the reforms per se but it is without question that the system needed reform. I hope the Deputy accepts that. Perhaps he could articulate that at some stage.”
“First of all, the Government wants to secure a pay deal with the public sector workers and their representatives. That has been very clear in recent meetings and engagements. In my view, we reached an agreement, which has now expired. What normally happens is that engagement takes place, there are informal soundings and so on, and formal talks then begin. My sense is that there was never an expectation that these talks would happen before September in real terms. I expect talks to develop apace in September.”
“I thank Deputy McGrath. I acknowledge and accept that there are very serious issues across south Tipperary in respect of water outages and boil water notices. I will raise the issue with Uisce Éireann. We have allocated very substantial equity and investment to Uisce Éireann, particularly in the context of the national development plan. I will get an update for the Deputy.”
“We are providing enormous funding for the summer education programme and so on. There have to be limits to Government expenditure. Local authorities have been supporting summer camps on a local basis. I think that, in Cork city, it has been going on for 40-odd years that we have allocated funding to local summer camps organised by community associations and so on. There are limits to what the State can do in all of these scenarios. We have prioritised education, and special education in particular. Under that programme, there are also supports for particular communities in which there may be high levels of disadvantage.”