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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“We need to be clear-eyed about it. On agriculture, the nitrates issue is very significant for Irish farmers. It has knock-on effects in terms of land and the price of land if people have to expand. It will affect the tillage sector. It is not just about the dairy sector; it affects all sectors. We want to get a workable solution. Negotiations are ongoing with the Commission but we are still not there. We are continuing our negotiations but the multi-annual financial framework will be vital in protecting the Common Agricultural Policy and the financial basis for agriculture in this country. There are ongoing discussions on the Mercosur deal. For me, nitrates are the key priority.”
“Let us not politicise that aspect of it. Obviously, there is a political domain and people are entitled to advocate for a united Ireland, although I would say that reconciliation between people is the key. We have not achieved that yet. It is one part of the Good Friday Agreement that has not happened to the degree that it should have - reconciliation between people and people getting on easily together. The previous Government did not have an agreed position on reform of the Seanad. We are a coalition government. That is something we have to explore based on the Manning report. It is not simple. It would be very complex to put to the people. We need to go through the outworkings of the Manning report in terms of the vocational panels and so on. Just think about if that was to go to the people to vote on.”
“We have unionists and loyalist communities involved in the shared island initiative. It is working and should be allowed to work on all fronts. We now have an all-island musical archive, with loyalist musicians and nationalist musicians coming together to assemble the archive. One loyalist musician said to us at a presentation that communities refine music but we all draw from the same well. That is what the shared island initiative is trying to do. We have an all-island climate biodiversity group, which is what we want. Quite frankly, we want them talking about biodiversity. We bought the Coillte Geopark through shared island funding. We want to develop greenways, walkways and so on. We want to do more on biodiversity on the island and let people who are involved in that sphere come together and engage. That is the whole agenda.”
“Research and development into technology to protect our economic infrastructure is particularly important in terms of early alerts, understanding if something is happening with cables and so forth. Senator Tully spoke about the shared island initiative. I remember Notre Dame researchers and others said we should change it to a reunification fund. Sinn Féin is saying something similar. That would wreck it. It would destroy its cross-community appeal. It has reached into every community in Northern Ireland. People accept our bona fides that is not a Trojan horse for anything but, rather, a genuine desire to work out how we can share this island together. If we were to politicise it in terms of the constitutional preferences that we have - I share the desire to unify the people of Ireland - it would kill it.”
“That institute was set up by de Valera in 1940, which was probably one of the more far-seeing things he did in physics and so on. In the course of a casual conversation, they said that, through their research and work on seismology, they are now beginning to see how to develop a technology to protect cables. The protection of critical subsea infrastructure is not all about ships; it can be very much about technology. That is why I am saying we have to co-operate. In my speech, I made the point that I do not think we have assessed, understand or have a proper awareness of what Russia is doing in threatening subsea cables across Europe or what it is doing across the world. There is a kind of an attitude here that it is no problem for us. It is a problem for us and that needs to be understood, unfortunately.”
“There is a degree of paralysis in the delivery of programmes on infrastructure in modern society. There is no point in saying otherwise. We need to make up our mind as to how we want to do it. Senator O'Loughlin's profiling of significant Kildare people never ceases. Between St. Brigid and Shackleton, Kildare has a very bright future ahead of it. I take her point on Shackleton. It is fantastic story and journey for him and his teams. Research and development was identified and it is key. New products and new ideas are key to climate, to the economy and to enterprise. They are key to security technology. How do we protect subsea cables? Yesterday I had a fascinating discussion with people who are experts in seismology at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.”
“That is an important point and a big issue facing us as a country. The delivery of infrastructure is an issue. Funding is being put in place and the investment is there. We have now moved from the planning processes dealing with infrastructure to the courts dealing with infrastructure on all fronts. The courts were never meant to be the habitual norm in determining planning, which is an issue for us. We have resourced An Coimisiún Pleanála and we need to resource planning on a continual basis so that the decisions are informed and better arrived at in order to reduce the likelihood of them being overturned in courts. Judicial review is an issue in Ireland; we are an outlier in terms of the number of judicial reviews taking place. It is not just on projects any more, but on legislation and regulatory frameworks.”
“I have spoken to Keir Starmer and it can take 11 years in the UK to get offshore renewable energy delivered, and it could be as long here. I established a clearing house to see if we could get through the barriers faster and in a more accelerated and informed way. I am not suggesting riding roughshod over things but there is a balance here. The planet is in deep trouble and offshore wind will help enormously in Ireland's case. We have a huge dependence on imported fossil fuels but everybody will want all of the regulatory frameworks still intact. Solar is being objected to across the country. In the Dáil recently, a Deputy said to me that in their community they were very concerned about a gas generating plant, a solar farm and an onshore wind farm - all three. That begs the question as to how we will provide energy to people.”
“I am fully committed to addressing climate change and fully committed to the green economy. I am also very conscious that we have to bring people with us. I feel that some in our society believe it is possible to litigate everything. That would be problematic. For example, we want wind energy, including offshore wind. The biggest challenge is the challenge Senator McDowell outlined. The biggest challenge to offshore wind will be delivery mechanisms. The biggest problem will be an over-regulatory approach. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot say the Government is not pushing to address climate change. The most fundamental thing we can do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and get more renewables, but what is the biggest barrier to renewables in the country? It is planning. It is regulatory frameworks. It goes on and on.”
“I thank all Members of the Seanad for their comments and queries. Aontaím leis an Seanadóir Kyne go bhfuil an domhan trína chéile faoi láthair. Tá guth láidir agus guth neamhspleách ag an tír seo maidir le cúrsaí móra an domhain, agus beidh go deo. Mar a dúirt an Seanadóir, bhí coimhlint sa tír seo agus tá taithí againn ar conas coimhlint a réiteach agus próiseas síochána a chur i bhfeidhm. I might look at this thematically as opposed to going through the individual contributions. On climate, at no stage did I say that we should mitigate or row back. However, I did say that we cannot litigate our way to address climate change. I said that because there is a growing movement to litigate everything. What that will do is create an opposition to a consensus on the need to address climate change.”
“I look forward to that spirit of wise co-operation in advancing the legislative changes that need to be made. I always value my interactions with Members of this House. I look forward to our interaction today. I am confident that we will continue to work together in a spirit of co-operation as we seek to provide a secure and prosperous future for all. I thank the Chair for his indulgence. I may have gone over time; I do not know because I did not look at the clock.”
“Ireland is not immune to this. We have to share knowledge and expertise with other EU member states and the UK, significantly increase our own defence capability and resilience and ensure that in the context of peacekeeping, we have maximum interoperability with other member states participating with us. The war in Ukraine must end. I acknowledge the important contribution by the Members of this House to constructive discussion and the development of public policy and legislation. The Government recently published an ambitious legislative programme for the autumn session to deliver meaningful and necessary legislative reform across a wide range of areas. This House is renowned for its tradition of informed and contemplative debate, untroubled by the daily cut and thrust, the rí-rá agus ruaille buaille, of other places.”
“We need to have a sensible and mature discussion about what those areas are and what closer collaboration might look like, including, I hope, in this House. On cybersecurity, subsea cables and gas connectors, we simply have to work with other EU member states, the UK, the US and others to protect vital undersea infrastructure, which is of existential importance to our economic and societal well-being. Russia has become more aggressive beyond Ukraine, with – as I have said – drone violations of airspace in multiple EU states, hybrid attacks, disinformation campaigns, monitoring of undersea infrastructure and an expanded shadow fleet with multiple purposes that also pose massive environmental risks and threats. Over recent months, a pattern has emerged that represents a new phase of Russian activity against EU member states and the UK.”
“I had to face down noisy protests and was accused of hatching secret plans to join NATO before a single word was uttered at the forum. The extent of our dependence on critical undersea infrastructure in terms of connectivity, data security, economic resilience, energy and the vulnerability of that infrastructure is not understood to the extent that it should be. As a Government, we are taking unprecedented steps at home to equip our Defence Forces to operate more effectively in this new environment. We will also continue to co-operate closely with our EU partners in what is an increasingly important area of activity for the Union. Like other EU member states, we remain responsible for our own defence policies. However, there are areas where like-minded partners can and should do more together.”
“We live in a world where threats, including cyber and hybrid, are increasingly complex and increasingly frequent. Ireland is not immune to these threats, as we have already seen. Unfortunately, I do not believe that the volume or quality of discussion and debate in this country is equal to the threats that we face. I worked to kickstart a more serious approach to the issue with the forum on international security and defence policy when I was Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence. That was a very useful exercise, with good-quality, informed people presenting, but it was intended as a starting point for discussion, not the final word. It was also an illustrative example of the point I have just made about the quality of debate around these issues.”
“The Ukrainian people continue to bravely defend their country after more than three and a half years of brutal war. The Russian Government shows no interest in peace and, as winter approaches once again, Russia continues to target civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy plants, in Ukraine. As we have done from the outset of this illegal war, Ireland will continue to stand with Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes, and I look forward to welcoming President Zelenskyy to Ireland in the near future. He has indicated he is going to come. Of course, Russia’s aggression extends well beyond Ukraine. We have recently seen the airspace of our EU partners, including Denmark, Poland, Estonia and Romania, violated by drones and planes.”
“I have also been clear in my view that only a two-state solution can deliver that outcome and Ireland stands ready to work with others, in good faith, to bring it about. We are, of course, at a very early stage and there will be many, many challenges ahead, but there is now a real opportunity for a just peace and I urge all parties to seize it. In particular, we urge all involved in Israel in particular to restrain the aggressive and violent settlers in the West Bank, to stop the suffocation of the Palestinian Authority in terms of revenue flows into the PA, and to reassert the primacy of the United Nations in terms of the distribution of humanitarian aid and vital life supplies into Gaza. That is extremely important. By contrast, any settlement for the war in Ukraine remains elusive.”
“I am sure the House will join with me in welcoming developments in the Middle East. After two brutal years of conflict and slaughter, we have at long last seen a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of remaining hostages and humanitarian aid beginning to arrive at scale across the border. I pay warm tribute to all those who have worked so hard to put last week’s agreement in place, regional partners including Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, and global partners, especially President Trump and his team. The world does owe a debt of gratitude to those who have been trying to get a peace for quite some time. However, it has happened too late and the collective punishment of a people is unacceptable at any time. There is an opportunity now to change the narrative and to put in place a process that can lead to a just and lasting peace.”
“Next year, Government resourcing will also enable a new Dublin-Derry air link, construction to start on a new teaching building at Ulster University in Derry, and the continuation of the transformative hourly Dublin to Belfast rail service. New all-island investment programmes on enterprise, tourism, the bio-economy and higher education research collaboration will also intensify in 2026. This has been a very significant and, in my view, major programme. It is somewhat under the radar but is really creating connectivity, pragmatic co-operation and engagement on all aspects of life on the island. It is respectful of people's different constitutional preferences. It is really looking at how we can share this island in a pragmatic and sensible way into the future.”
“The programme for Government affirms our strong commitment to building a shared, reconciled future with all communities and on this island, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. The relationship with the UK Government is a strong one - it is transformed, to be frank - and we are more or less back to where we were in terms of both Governments anchoring the Good Friday Agreement. That is important. Under the Government’s €2 billion shared island fund - we have added a further €1 billion to the earlier €1 billion up to 2035 - we are seeking to drive strategic all-island investment co-operation that benefits people both North and South. We are building on successes so far, with the iconic Narrow Water Bridge now under construction and the Ulster Canal restoration project now well on the way to full delivery.”
“I am watching what is going on in other countries and there is a moment in Ireland where that, too, could become a tipping point. We need to stand up and protect what has been very good for the country over the last number of decades. In regard to the shared island, after some difficult years we have seen a welcome renewal in the British-Irish relationship. Last March, Prime Minister Starmer and I agreed an extensive and ambitious programme of practical co-operation up to 2030. I am keen to see our co-operation lead to tangible benefits, most immediately on infrastructure delivery, the protection of subsea infrastructure, emergency planning and cultural partnerships.”
“It is important to remember that Ireland’s overall immigration policy is based on rules and is fair to those who come here to work, to study and to seek refuge. The upcoming new international protection Bill will lead to the most significant reform of our asylum laws in the history of the State in line with the EU’s migration and asylum pact. I think it is extremely important that we have a broader debate on migration, on ethnicity and on the need to maintain our proactive approach to multiculturalism not just to make people feel welcome, but to be welcomed. I am very concerned about the rhetoric and the language being used and the aggression out there in society. Those of us who stand up for the fundamental values of the dignity of every human being, irrespective of colour, creed or ethnicity, must stand up and take this on.”
“We remain fully committed to implementing the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy, which aims to ensure there is zero tolerance for the kinds of attitude and behaviour that enable such violence. Significant legislative reforms are being advanced to strengthen protections for victims and the budget allocates €80 million to support Cuan, our new agency, and other services supporting victims and survivors. As a nation, we will always stand ready to assist those fleeing war and persecution. Like many other countries in Europe, we have seen an increase in recent years in people seeking international protection. However, this year has seen over 9,300 international protection applications received, representing a significant decrease compared to the same period last year.”
“Value for money is now important. Productivity is important. There will be increases in terms of acute and community bed capacity, home support hours, staffing, nursing home places, enhanced community care and the expansion of mental health services. Ensuring that we have safe communities and putting more gardaí on our streets are key priorities for the Government. We are speeding up recruitment, including an increase in the Garda trainee allowance. We are going to fund up to 1,000 new gardaí in this budget, 200 more Garda staff and a doubling of the Garda Reserve. All of that is needed to create safe communities in our cities and in our country.”
“That means greater demand and pressure on our health and social care services, so we have to continue with the programme of health reforms and recovery to transform how we deliver healthcare in Ireland. I think it is arguable, and I have argued it within Government and with Departments, that we have never properly factored in the exponential growth in the Irish population over the last two decades. It has been very significant. We are now at historic highs. Going back to pre-Famine times, we are just about getting back to the pre-Famine population on the island. That has implications for public services, public finances and how we meet those challenges. The health budget reflects that. There is now about €27.4 billion allocated to health. That is double what it was in 2016. We have to use that budget effectively.”
“We are making a lot of progress on the education front. We have a lot more to do in terms of section 38 and 39 organisations and in terms of healthcare supports. That is an issue I am focusing on and prioritising. We have provided over 1,100 new college places for key health and social care professions to meet the workforce needs of the health, disability and education sectors. I have established a new disability unit in my Department to prioritise disability issues and to make sure we can troubleshoot across Departments and get every Department involved, with no hiding place for any Department in respect of these issues. A whole-of-government approach is key. This is just year 1 of what will be a five-year programme. Our population is growing and ageing at a rapid rate.”
“We want to step change the level and scale of support for people with disabilities and their families. The budget begins that in terms of this Government's term of office. There is about €3.8 billion allocated to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. That is a 20% increase in funding over and above last year. It provides for substantial increases in income disregards for carers, increases in the disability allowance and expansion of the wage subsidy scheme. We have allocated about €3 billion for special education, which will provide for significant improvements in how we support children with additional needs in education and in how we plan for the future. We want to get to a position where children will know well in advance that they have a place the following September.”
“Education is critical in supporting children living at risk of poverty and transforming the opportunities they have to thrive. There is about €48 million to support pupils and students with the highest risk of educational disadvantage, including the introduction of a new DEIS plus programme as part of a new DEIS plan. That will mean more targeted and focused measures on those schools that need it the most within the DEIS framework. We also have enhanced capitation for funding for urban band 1 DEIS primary schools. That will be critical to give children a decent opportunity and start in life, so children are not growing up defined by poverty, but instead are defined by their potential. Likewise we have prioritised disability in the programme for Government and in the budget.”
“That includes include the largest ever increase in the child support payment, a €60 increase in the weekly income thresholds for the working family payment, the extension of the increased fuel allowance to those receiving the working family payment, and the expansion of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to include children aged two and three. These increases will benefit 330,000 children whose parents are in receipt of a social welfare payment. These are mainstream improvements to the social protection package for low income families but particularly children, emanating from the unit within my Department that is focusing on child poverty issues. Parallel with other Departments, there are further measures tackling educational disadvantage.”
“The strength and resilience of our economy allows us to continue to invest in social progress. Last month, the Government published a new child poverty target which seeks to ensure that by 2030 no more than 3% of children should be living in consistent poverty. The measures announced in the budget represent the first year of our multi-year plan to meet this target. We have prioritised targeted and focused investment to support the children and families who need our help most. It is a package of about €320 million in income supports for children living in families at risk of poverty.”
“The budget puts about €7 billion in capital funding specifically for housing, that is apart from the current, and then with a range of tax measures to incentivise the provision of new residential units and accelerate the delivery of affordable homes into the housing market. Building on the housing measures already taken, we are finalising a new housing plan for the next five years and beyond. Narrowing the viability gap is key in terms of apartment building and that is what we have done with a series of reforms plus the tax measures in the budget. It is fundamentally about getting more homes built, particularly on the private sector side. The public sector is enormous in terms of the contribution we are making. To get to 50,000 or 60,000 houses you need a balance of public and private.”
“What that is about, really, is delivering thousands of new-build social homes, major water infrastructure projects and flood relief schemes, building sustainability and resilience in our electricity grid and boosting our electricity supply, and delivering on major projects across the transport, health, education, justice, arts and sport sectors. Fundamentally, it is utilities. It is water, grid, public transport and roads that will require very sustained investment to enable us to have a sustainable society as well as an economy. We have reserve funds in place to protect the country in times of economic challenge, the Future Ireland Fund and the climate and nature fund. By the end of 2026 they will comprise €24 billion, and by 2030, maintaining the same trajectory, we will have about €47 billion put aside to protect the country.”
“It is a very important point. I think in the Oireachtas we have had an interesting and, from my perspective, odd approach to trade. Trade puts bread and butter on our tables yet we always look very negatively at trade deals and we look to see the problem as opposed to the opportunity. That is a point that is worth wider debate in the Oireachtas in the time ahead. Ireland depends on free trade, fundamentally, as a small, open economy. We are very focused on the need to invest in our future and about €19 billion has been allocated for capital investment in the budget. That is an increase of €2 billion on 2025.”
“The shift from global co-operation and trade is not of Ireland’s choosing but it is a challenge that we must face and act upon. Through the hard work of the Irish people and careful planning by successive Governments, Ireland’s economy remains resilient and our public finances are robust. What is interesting is that, notwithstanding the tariffs and so on, about 70% of world trade is still under WTO rules. It is important we do not lose a sense of perspective in relation to the trade turbulence across the world. Through budget 2026, we are fully committed to maintaining a strong and stable economy, to protect jobs and support businesses to grow and expand. A key foundation of our economic success is free trade, and the Government continues to support European efforts to forge new trade deals, including with India and Indonesia.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Gabhaim buíochas freisin leis an Seanad as ucht an gcuireadh chun labhairt libh inniu. A Sheanadóirí, táim an-sásta an t-eolas is déanaí a thabhairt daoibh ar roinnt obair an Rialtais agus, go deimhin, éisteacht le do thuairimí agus na ceisteanna a bheidh agaibh. Ar dtús báire, ba maith liom a rá gur príomh-aidhm an Rialtais ná an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn i gcónaí, tacaíocht agus níos mó áiseanna a thabhairt don Ghaeilge agus do na Gaeltachtaí mar aon leis sin. Tá plean agus jab an-mhór le déanamh againn ina dtaobh. It is a great privilege to be back in the Seanad and to speak to you as Taoiseach. We are living in a time of great disruption and conflict in the world. Of central concern to Government is the extent to which this impacts our economic security.”
“That is an important point when motions of no confidence are indicated. My Government is responding with a vote of confidence. Fundamentally we have to focus on the provision of services. I get that fully, but I respectfully suggest the tabling of motions of no confidence in themselves is not going to do that. We need a very clear focus on resources and on how we structurally change the delivery of health services, particularly for children and those who need spinal services at the right time in their journey, recovery and what is clinically indicated as being the right time. The Tánaiste and I, and the entire Government including the Minister for Health, are very committed to doing that. I commend the motion of confidence to the House.”
“We are committed to eradicating child poverty. We are building the country's financial strength to withstand further economic headwinds. We are doing all of these things and more based on a strong mandate, a relationship of trust and respect and an ambitious programme for Government. It is worth pointing out that we went to the country less than a year ago. The Government is about nine months old. The Irish people made their judgment in that election on the performance of the previous Government. I respectfully suggest it was at variance with Deputy Tóibín's approach. This led to the re-election of the Fianna Fáil Party and the Fine Gael Party, along with Independent Deputies, into government to deal with very unsettled times. We got a very clear mandate from the people only less than a year ago.”
“Together we have provided unparalleled leadership in Europe in response to the war in Gaza, we have been strong in our support for the people of Ukraine following Russia's invasion and we are steering our country through the perils of ever-changing US trade policy. We are improving our health service for the better. We are making the investment necessary to build the houses the country needs and to deliver the core energy, water and transport infrastructure that will be the bedrock of our country's success for generations to come. We are investing in our Garda and Defence Forces to keep our people safe. We are tackling inequality and ensuring our young people are among the best educated in the world. We understand the fundamentals that underpin our economic success and we are committed to protecting and promoting them.”
“We are determined to deliver a transformative programme of work across the full range of issues that affect people in their daily lives, such as education, employment, income supports and active participation in society through culture, housing and sport. We are backing those commitments with record levels of investment as part of the updated national development plan, and the budget represents a further step in this direction. In all of this and much more, the Tánaiste has been an active and steadfast partner. He has been a diligent and very dedicated and effective Minister for foreign affairs and Defence in an uncertain and increasingly fraught geopolitical world. He has articulated Ireland's commitment to human rights and the rules-based international order eloquently and without fear or favour.”
“As a Government, we are committed to doing more and doing better when it comes to disability. That means a step change in how services are provided and in how disabled people and their families are supported to live their lives to the fullest extent possible. The primacy of the family and the interaction of services with the family is something that has to be dramatically transformed and enhanced. It is not good enough at the moment. There are many people working extremely hard and with the best of good will in our services and we will continue to increase funding and resources to meet the challenges ahead. The new national human rights strategy for disabled people is a significant step forward and represents a commitment that all disabled people should be able to live the lives of their choosing without barriers.”
“A new orthopaedic spinal surgeon has started with CHI since 11 August and is already having a significant impact on waiting lists. The paediatric spinal services management unit is now ensuring that patients are prioritised correctly for surgery and works to reduce waiting times, and has now dedicated pathways for GPs to refer a patient to CHI, which ensures that urgent cases will be prioritised. Spinal services remain a priority under the waiting list action plan in 2025 and every effort is being made to reduce the time children and families are waiting for spinal procedures. For many children and young people, successful surgery can significantly enhance their lives and can really improve prospects and so forth, but for many, it is the beginning of a long journey living with disability.”
“The HSE CEO has also established the CHI improvement steering group to co-ordinate oversight of the range of matters of focus in CHI, including the implementation of recommendations from completed reviews, upcoming reports, spinal services and the commissioning of the new children's hospital. It will continue to strongly invest in services and in tackling waiting lists, particularly for spinal procedures, by increasing capacity and substantial resources, and several initiatives are under way to improve access to those services, including a ring-fenced theatre, additional outpatient clinics and national and international outsourcing to maximise capacity. There are additional procedures every year, but not enough and we need to do much more.”
“In addition, the Minister for Health recently announced her intention to fully integrate CHI into the HSE, given that the National Children's Hospital Ireland will be the central hub for paediatric care. I strongly support the Minister in this decision. Indeed, the Minister and the Tánaiste have been engaged with families and advocates in respect of the structure and need for an inquiry into the overall issues pertaining to CHI. This step, bringing CHI under the aegis of the HSE, will bring coherence of governance across paediatric services and support smoother pathways of care for children, delivering lasting benefits for families across the country, and it will be an important step in the continued reform of the provision of health services for children and young people.”
“This latter point is important because, quite apart from the quality of care provided to children, the level and quality of communication between clinicians and parents in many cases has been far short of what should reasonably be expected. We know this through a succession of existing and pending reports about the corporate and clinical governance concerns at Children's Health Ireland, CHI. Most recently, in response to this, governance and oversight structures have been strengthened at CHI with the appointment of Dr. Yvonne Traynor as chairperson of the board and two additional board members, Fergus Finlay and Suzanne Garvey. This builds on four previous appointments earlier this year. I thank those involved for their contribution.”
“I respect Deputy Tóibín's good faith and acknowledge his genuine concern, as I do with all Deputies in this House. My only frustration with the course of action that the Deputy had indicated he was going to take is that motions of confidence or, indeed, of no confidence do not in and of themselves provide services or address the challenges that we are all concerned about. I want to assure the House and the families listening to this debate that as a Government we are steadfast and determined in our efforts to address these challenges. These efforts include strengthening governance and oversight, driving down waiting times and ensuring increased engagement and timely communications with families of patients with a view to building a better and responsive service.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann has confidence in the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris T.D. I am conscious that at the centre of all of this is real human anguish. There is the grief of Harvey Morrison Sherratt's parents, Gillian and Stephen, and his wider family circle and there is the anguish of too many children and young people and their families who are in the process of trying to access services or who have struggled to access services in the past. I want to begin my contribution by offering my personal condolences again to Harvey's family on their terrible loss and by acknowledging that as a country we need to do much better when it comes to healthcare services, and in particular spinal services for our children.”
“As the Deputy knows, there was a comprehensive national application process in August 2025. The Minister, Deputy Foley, announced that five new FRCs will open in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth and Monaghan. The national application and assessment process was led by Tusla and independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. Longford FRC steering group was an applicant in the most recent application process. Those applicants remain under active consideration for further expansion of the FRC programme. The good news is that budget 2026 honours the programme for Government commitment to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of family resource centres. The funding secured for a further ten resource centres will bring the overall network to 136.”
“I appreciate the importance of this issue and the impact it is having on the population and the community in Kinsale. The fact that it was put off may suggest a fairly significant examination of this in all its aspects. I will keep in touch with the Deputy on it and with the authorities and the Department as well.”
“There is a substantial increase in the budget for 2026 in respect of housing adaptation grants. I do not have the specifics in respect of Kilkenny, but I will ask the Minister for housing to examine that matter and, if there is a halt, see if he can get that moving again, particularly for those who need adaptations to their homes for clear reasons in order that there would be an acceleration. I will check that out. Additional money was allocated in the budget for next year. Hopefully, we can get it moving again.”
“The Minister of Finance has been clear in respect of that. I understand that the finance Bill will be coming before the House next Tuesday. It has cleared Government. I am sure Deputies will engage with the Minister in respect of that and with the Government more broadly.”