Naoise Ó Muirí
Dublin Bay North · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I will segue a little into Deputy Tóibín's contribution in relation to an Ghaeilge. I was reared in Cois Fharraige, Connemara, in the Gaeltacht. The change in attitude towards the Irish language in Cois Fharraige and the Gaeltacht is nothing less than transformational. When I went to school, an Ghaeilge was not cool.”
“Tiocfaidh mé ar ais go SÍOL ar feadh nóiméid. I welcome SÍOL. As the Minister has said, síol is the Irish word for seed. It is very positive. It can make a huge difference, if funded properly, to those communities the Minister mentioned in terms of disadvantage. I understand it provides capital and project funding?”
“This register should provide confidence and reassurance, not create uncertainty where the relevant convictions may have disappeared from view after a relatively short period. I have some concerns regarding the extent to which publication rests on the discretion of the trial judge.”
“Without clear guidance, there is a risk of inconsistency between cases and between courts, undermining confidence in the very law we seek to implement.”
“While this legislation focuses on protecting potential future victims, we must also address some of the factors upstream that contribute to abusive behaviour in the first place. Violent pornography is definitely part of that. We cannot avoid it. We have to square up with it to deal with it for current and future generations.”
“A concerning anomaly is that an offender who has received a custodial sentence may apply for removal three years after their release, potentially becoming eligible for removal earlier than someone who has received a non-custodial sentence.”
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“As the PR6 strategy paper outlines, by 2030 millions of devices, including heat pumps, EVs, battery-storage renewables and smart meters will all be coming onto the electricity distribution grid network, in line with the climate action plan. There is an immense opportunity here but it requires investment. The ESB and EirGrid will need to work together to ensure the network can be built, can accommodate all these devices and can manage renewable power, with all its spikes, and all the different complex flows of electricity that arise across the system. Communities are looking for certainty in the years ahead and we must provide that certainty in whatever way we can.”
“I welcome the Bill. The Minister of State will be familiar with the impact of Storm Éowyn and how it hit the west of Ireland in particular. Any investment in ESB Networks that helps to build resilience for the future is to be welcomed. I am fully supportive of it. Over the coming years, the ESB's investment plan will see the delivery of more than 500 capital projects - a huge number - including 181 km of new overhead lines, underground cabling, upgraded substations, new substations and 50,000 new poles. It is really important that this investment is made. We do not want to be dealing with another Storm Éowyn in the future without having the necessary resilience in the network.”
“That is why the implementation of the men's health action plan, as outlined in the programme for Government, is an important step in raising public awareness of men's physical, mental and emotional health and the importance of adopting healthier lifestyles and behaviours. The previous speaker mentioned the men's sheds, which are a really positive and practical movement. Many of these in my own constituency are funded by central government. They bring men together and give them an outlet. Ireland was the first country in the world to publish a national men's health policy in 2009. We led the way then and we can do so again by making sure that men's health gets the attention, support and priority it deserves.”
“Those unprecedented times may make for great history books but were potentially catastrophic for the health and well-being of our communities. Unfortunately, many men are still reluctant to seek care or treatment, or even speak about mental health challenges. This reluctance is often rooted in stigma and old societal norms that are still with us. This is especially problematic in deprived areas where men's life expectancy is five years lower than those living in affluent areas. Increasing awareness and access to mental health resources is important if we want to make progress.”
“Thankfully, the issue of men's health has received a lot more attention in recent years, as the statistics are pretty stark. According to the Movember report, 42% of all male deaths in 2022 were premature, with the male death rate higher across all five leading causes of death. These are members of our families dying prematurely and leaving behind an irreplaceable hole in their communities. The impact of Covid should not be underestimated. The pandemic was a perfect storm for many who suffered from or were susceptible to poor mental health. We all know the people who suffered during Covid. Active communities were suddenly isolated and the essential links that people had to one another were severed. Thankfully, we are all in a much better place now but we cannot ignore what happened in Covid and the lasting impact it has had on so many.”
“If somebody breaks into your house and takes a €500 television or something worth €300, you would be very quick to report it but punters do not report online fraud because they are ashamed and embarrassed. We just need to start talking about it and airing it as an issue.”
“My question is about a growing but unseen issue in our communities, which is online fraud. I will give one example from a constituent this morning. The lady went on booking.com looking to book a holiday apartment. She responded to an ad and entered her contact details. She got a phone call back from somebody with an Irish accent who directed her to another site. She put in her details and got scammed out of €4,300. She has absolutely no recourse and booking.com is not interested because she went off its platform so there is no recourse. It is really difficult. The issue of online fraud is under-reported. It is not talked about, mainly because people get embarrassed about the fact they have been had.”
“It is a bit frustrating. We are all fully committed to this project and are waiting for officials to make what should be a no-brainer of a decision, given where the project is, what the community is at and where we need to go. I urge the Minister of State to keep pressure on departmental officials and get the decision made quickly so we can get through this gate and the community can move on and start planning for a fine new building that is so badly needed.”
“We all understand little issues can knock things out of time. Based on my discussions with the Minister and on her visit, the project is a high priority for the Department. I urge the Minister of State to work with us and the Minister on getting the process completed and the project out to tender so the school can move on and prepare.”
“I echo Deputy O'Callaghan's comments. The five Dublin Bay North Deputies are here together. The Minister of State has worked with us before on Belmayne Educate Together. This underlines the importance of the issue for the community. There is a very committed community of students, parents and teachers who have been waiting for 25 years for that building. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, visited earlier this year and witnessed first-hand the commitment of the teachers, students and parents to education in the difficult facilities they have to work in. At the time, the officials and the Minister spoke about end of quarter 3, which is the end of September, for going to tender and breaking ground hopefully at the end of quarter 1 or the start of quarter 2 next year, depending on the tendering process.”
“It is really hard to do and I do not think it is workable. Cuirim fáilte, ar deireadh, roimh an infheistíocht agus an maoiniú breise do TG4. Chas muid le hionadaithe ó TG4. Déanann TG4 an-chuid oibre ó thaobh an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus caighdeán na gcláracha a chuireann sé ar fáil. Tá seans ag TG4 anois seirbhís nuachta neamhspleách, láidir, mhaith a chur ar fáil don tír, don dream ar fad a bhéas sásta éisteacht agus breathnú ar an tseirbhís sin trí Ghaeilge. Fáiltím roimh an infheistíocht seo. Fáiltím freisin roimh an maoiniú breise don earnáil oideachais agus don Ghaeltacht go ginearálta, ach tá níos mó oibre le déanamh againn ansin.”
“The VAT change should help increase the viability of those apartments. To be fair to the Minister, he made very clear that he cannot prove that will be the case but the Government is trying to do everything it can to close the viability gap to make sure those apartments can be built. In relation to VAT, we should look at construction materials and other inputs in future budgets. If we can have a zero or reduced VAT rate on construction materials, that would feed into trying to close the viability gap. I take issue with my colleague, Deputy Ward, on the 9% VAT rate. Trying to target VAT is very hard to do. You may be able to target across sectors but it is very hard to take a sector and try to find ways to target VAT changes, for example, at small, medium or large restaurants and cafés.”
“The increase in education capitation is a huge plus for schools and for primary schools in particular. The more primary schools I visit as a TD, the more they raise the issue of energy bills and other bills and having to rely on parents and fundraising activities to close the gap. The capitation changes are very welcome and I look forward to future increases as well. Housing supply has got a lot of attention in the Chamber in the last few days. The measures introduced by the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, are a clear signal of intent to start working on supply-side measures for housing. I welcome that. I recently read an academic piece by a learned housing academic and of the five measures advocated, none were supply-side measures. There are 98,000 apartments with planning permission but no start date yet, with 42,000 of those in Dublin.”
“I had just been elected and I had national school principals from Coolock on to me straight away about DEIS Plus, and fair play to them. They were determined to make sure DEIS Plus got off the ground and got funding and support. I was more than happy to raise it in the parliamentary party and directly with the Minister, to work with like-minded colleagues to make sure those working-class areas, with great communities but deprivation, would get a shot at DEIS Plus. I am delighted to see €48 million allocated to the programme. Our Lady Immaculate Senior National School, in Darndale, St. Francis Senior National School in Priorswood and St. Joseph's National School in Coolock are three schools that would really benefit from being in the DEIS Plus pilot. Their principals and staff stand ready to get involved, so I just wanted to call them out.”
“Will the Tánaiste ask the Department and SEAI to examine this issue and see whether there are shallower retrofit measures that we can identify, roll out and support in order that the houses in question can gain some benefit from retrofitting?”
“I appreciate that. I am just not going to let the comment go unchallenged. I welcome the additional money allocated to the SEAI this year. It has a huge part to play in getting our housing stock retrofitted from a climate perspective, but there is something of an issue with heat pumps. Heat pumps appear to be the nirvana when it comes to retrofitting. For older citizens in particular, they are expensive, so it is really difficult for them to change to them. It is easy when it comes to new stock; 99% of new houses built this year have heat pumps installed, and that is fine. For retired people in their later years who live in older houses, however, the cost of a heat pump is prohibitive, grant or no grant.”
“The Minister put it really well herself when she said that women are the best narrators of their own lived experience and their own pain. As long as she can keep that in the centre of all of the work that will be done around endometriosis, she will make progress and she will have the support of this House.”
“The other issue relates to the two big specialist centres and the regional centres that have been set up in support of more moderate cases. What is the ideal pathway into those centres when all of this work is done and we have, hopefully, a well-running system? What is the pathway for a woman to get in there as quickly as possible?”
“I thank the Minister for the update. Just to add to what my colleague Deputy Boland said, the patient voice forum is a really good step forward. It is incredible that it has not happened before now. Well done to the Minister for putting it in place. It is a model that should work in many different areas of the health service and I really welcome it. I want to mention the area of diagnosis. As has been said, it is estimated that one in seven women has the condition, although it could be a lot higher. We owe it to women to put the systems in place so that we can get a real estimate. I know that will take time and I imagine it is a long-term initiative but how does the Minister see that happening? I presume it will be done through the GP network but that network has to be upskilled. GPs have a huge role to play in this.”
“This is a totally different angle. We have many schools working away, but they do not have access to funding channels to renew facilities. Manor House has an AstroTurf pitch, which has been there for a long time but it is not really usable now and they do not have access to a source of funding to upgrade it. Schools should be considered to be part of this system in due course. In terms of municipal facilities, we have clubs like Mid Sutton AC and Marino AC, which are both junior clubs looking for access to athletics facilities. The local authorities have a hugely positive role to play in providing facilities and co-ordinating construction, with the support of the Government. The projects of local authorities should be prioritised in partnership with the Department. The Government should give them very strong support.”
“Sport is essential to Irish life. It would be hard to find a household that was not tuned in to watch Tipperary lash Cork in the all-Ireland or to see Shane Lowry make that final hole last weekend. That spirit and such huge excitement and interest brings a real sense of belonging and identity to communities. It is so important. The previous Government recognised that with its funding paths in terms of previous rounds. The Minister of State kindly visited Raheny Shamrocks this year. It was a very positive visit. It is a typical example of a club that needs access to funding to develop an important facility. We hope it will be a regional facility in that location. It is very important that we can continue to provide funding channels. This is one of those channels, which is important. Manor House is a school in my area.”
“I support the lifting of the passenger cap for Dublin Airport. The expansion of that airport is critical, not just for jobs and growth, but for Ireland's standing as a global hub. It strengthens our economy and deepens the existing bonds we have fostered with international partners. I live in Drumcondra and we get overflights every now and then - it does not bother me and I do not think they make their way to Phibsborough - but I would call on the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, and the Government to engage with affected communities because there will be an intensification of flight activities if the cap goes. There are noise schemes already in place, but local residents sometimes find themselves just outside those schemes and just off noise contour maps, and the support goes off a cliff edge for them in terms of schemes.”
“I thank the Minister. I think we still have a way to go here in terms of making progress. I welcome the ongoing review of the subsidy itself and the entry points and levels. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland, just over 30% of people with disabilities here are in employment. The EU average is around 50%, so we need to focus on building skills. I also suggest we need to promote the scheme. I think one element of the feedback from a year or two ago was that employers were basically unaware of the scheme and what it could do for them. Promotion of the scheme, therefore, is very important. Nationwide, we can use the local authorities and the various groups to promote the scheme and to get more people participating in the scheme.”
“It should be a priority for the Government to remove any barriers that still stand in their way. Are there any plans to implement the other recommendations in the review or how does the Minister see them being progressed?”
“The programme for Government recognised that people with a disability face significant additional costs in their daily lives and seeks to improve supports and ensure the welfare system is progressive and empowers people to live full and independent lives. It is welcome to see that the stakeholder review was taken on board by the Department. As the Minister mentioned, the cost of €889,000 associated with this change is relatively minor but it has a major impact. It means that 257 people with a disability or health condition who were not covered previously have benefited from the many social, economic and health benefits that come with sustainable and meaningful employment. We really need to continue to support them. They have valuable skills and strengths to contribute to the workplace and they may want the opportunity to do so.”
“My question concerns supporting people with a disability to find substantial, sustainable and meaningful employment and implementing the recommendations of the review of the wage subsidy scheme. I would like to know the cost of reducing the minimum required hours under the wage subsidy scheme from 21 to 15 hours in April 2024 and if the Minister will make a statement on the matter.”
“I can understand that in terms of where we are now, but it is important that we at least address this in some way so that punters will understand what they will see coming out once they put money in.”
“That is how it would run. I imagine it will be quite standardised. With regard to the size of the fund, it will get very big because, over time, there will be a huge amount of savings invested and tied up in the scheme, and rightly so. That is the way it should be, but there could be temptations for those in the future to try to access it and use it as a rainy day fund. It is very important that we legislate so that the fund cannot be used for anything else but that it belongs to the punters who put the money in and, thankfully, the State that would have contributed. My final point goes back to the point of savings. There is not a whole lot of detail on the benefit side.”
“It is all quite flat in terms of profile and it is conservative. That is fair enough at one level for pensions, but for a 25-year-old construction worker who is contributing to a scheme like this for the first time and has a risk appetite, we really should be incentivising some level of investment performance rather than just leaving the money in place somewhere and having such low expectations for how the money would perform. There are a couple of things about the scheme. I think it should be put online. Make it a big, centralised, standardised scheme with standard processes, standard interfaces for people putting information into the scheme about themselves and employers, and standard reports coming out. Standardise everything, have minimum manpower running the scheme, and have it computerised and as efficient as possible.”
“I do not think we should do that. We have an opportunity here. The Government has the opportunity to set this out for the future. A modest weekly flat fee is like the old charge on the meter for the ESB. It goes on forever and it builds in inefficiency. We should not do that. An investment management charge based on percentage of participant saving is a fee based on what is in the savings account. We should be encouraging fees based on performance. Whoever is managing the money, if they are making money for citizens of the State, we should be encouraging them based on those fees. The site also reads: "The State is taking a number of steps to ensure that the money invested on your behalf stays as safe as possible". It sets out a kind of profile of low-risk investment and supervision.”
“Go raibh maith agat a Cheann Comhairle and Minister. I welcome auto-enrolment. It has been a long time in the making but it is great to see that it is finally going on the blocks. I agree with Deputy Gogarty that it is really a saving scheme at this stage rather than a pension scheme. This is mainly because the pensions bit has probably not been worked out yet but the thrust is to get people contributing to the future, which is fair enough. Regarding fees, I read the note the Department has on its site, which reads: Charges will be set and fully explained nearer the launch date of 30th September 2025, but it is expected they will comprise - • A modest weekly flat fee to cover the running of NAERSA’s administrative costs, and • An investment management charge based on a percentage of participants’ savings ...”
“Ireland cannot allow itself to be in a position where large parts of the country are left without energy for weeks on end because of either an incident or, more worrying, malicious acts of other entities. Failing to deliver the floating storage unit is a risk that is neither acceptable nor appropriate for the Government to take. We must follow through on commitments outlined in the programme for Government, building the capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging threats to our daily lives in co-operation with our European partners. It is an essential investment in the future safety and security of generations.”
“I thank the Tánaiste. The programme for Government was mentioned earlier. It rightly highlights the need to strengthen national security to protect Irish citizens, maintain public order and ensure the safety of communities in Ireland. We all hear about and are aware of reports of foreign actors probing underseas communications, energy infrastructure and other installations. While we hope our preparations are never tested, we cannot afford to be caught on the back foot when it comes to the national security of critical facilities and infrastructure like that in question. This is why the State-led strategic gas reserve, for example, is so important. That must also be dealt with on a secure basis and put on a secure footing.”
“This sort of co-operation is a core strength of the European Union. Sharing information, conducting joint risk assessments and participating in advisory missions will be central to safeguarding critical infrastructure in Europe. The Tánaiste might just comment in a little more detail on steps 2 and 3 in terms of the transposition.”
“It is good to hear that Ireland is leading out when it comes to the transposition of the regulations. Disruptive incidents, whether caused by national hazards or malicious actors, have the potential to inflict immense damage on Ireland. We saw what happened with Storm Éowyn and the damage it did to communities across Ireland, but we also saw the real value of EU solidarity. The EU civil protection mechanism kicked in, with 13 power generators from the Commission’s reserve and four generators from Denmark, to help to provide electricity on the ground. Then Copernicus was activated, supplying analytical support to our national authorities. Of course, there was also good co-operation between the energy companies internationally, providing boots on the ground in the form of crews.”
“My question concerns an issue with which the Tánaiste will be familiar with, that is, the urgent need to build resilience in our national systems in line with EU regulations. I am asking for an update on the development of a national strategy for the resilience of critical entities.”
“Marino Institute of Education, MIE, based in my constituency, is a teacher training college funded by the Department of education. It produces world class educators who work in Ireland and abroad. I think the Tánaiste visited there in times past. However, MIE has two courses that do not qualify under the free fees initiative - the bachelor of science in education studies and the bachelor of science in early childhood education. This is fundamentally unfair and puts MIE at a financial disadvantage. The issue seems to relate to the fact MIE is funded by the Department of education and not the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, that is, the HEA process. As a former Minister for higher education, the Tánaiste has a bit of direct know-how here and skin in the game.”
“We can look at electric and battery-operated locomotives, which is already planned between here and Drogheda. Rail has a huge part to play in that. There are fairly significant costs associated with this and an investment of €32 billion is the price tag being put on the table. In the long term, from a decarbonisation perspective alone, it is a price worth paying if we can get the economic development done. The Minister of State is very familiar with rail issues in his own region. It is so important all around the country. I am fully supportive of this and really look forward to Government supporting it and running with it in the context of the NDP and all the projects to come.”
“We heard recently that the population of the island of Ireland has gone above 7 million for the first time. It is really a great time to be looking at an all-island rail strategy. What is not to like about this strategy? I commend the Minister of State but I also want to commend Eamon Ryan who initiated this strategy a few years ago. It is great that it was done. Rail is a great way to distribute economic growth and bring economic development to different regions. What is not to like about that? Rail is a great way to do transport-led planning, so we can plan residential areas and build-ups around rail and public transport, not around the private car. Rail is a key part of this island's plan to do decarbonisation. We can get away from the car and from diesel engines.”
“As I understand it, it is a 1% charge which is collected through employer's PRSI. I was looking at employer's PRSI and could not find it anywhere so I presume it is just buried within the employer's rate. Will the Minister give us a sense of this? It is going up year on year, with buoyancy in employment it should be going up more. Roughly how much does it go up by year on year? That sets out the scope of operation in terms of what can be done.”
“That is the point I was making. It looks like the data indicate mature students who get the SUSI support do better in the long run than those who do not. It is a matter of closing the loop over the research and considering it in the long term to understand what happens when levers are pulled. When the Minister pulls levers, it is a case of asking whether he is just bringing more people into the system who will ultimately leave without success or targeting the resources at particular groups of students. It would be useful at the right time to get more information on that.”
“With the Minister's maths hat on and his interest in data, what I am really interested in - perhaps his officials could deliver in due course - is as he makes changes to these schemes, how can he see the impact the year after or can he track back and link back making the changes to some level of outcome afterwards?”
“It is very interesting if you look at the data, particularly for mature students. This is over a period of time. I do not think it is for that particular year but for mature honours degree students aged 23 and over, 71% of SUSI grant recipients completed their degree compared with 65% of those who did not get SUSI support. It seems that mature students get through at a better rate if they have more support. It is the same for mature general degree students who receive SUSI support, with 70% of them getting their degree compared to 59% of those without SUSI support. For mature students, it seems to have a particularly good impact. I have seen the statistics for the various counties and the number of students getting support. They are very substantial, with more than 80,000 in total.”
“I appreciate that Scoil Mhuire, the Howth national school, was not raised at the time of the submission of the Topical Issue, but it is probably in a similar situation. Hopefully we can find a solution.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate his acknowledgement that Belgrove has been through an appeals process. I understand it is an independent process. I welcome the statistics on the improvement of class sizes in primary schools. In this instance, however, Belgrove will go backwards for a period because of this aberration in teacher numbers. I think it is a unique case because the school's numbers are clearly going up again this year. They are actually already up but, with the way the system works, the calculation is behind. I encourage the Department to see whether we can find some temporary solution, such as some sort of allocation. The school stands ready to help. As Deputy Heneghan said, the parents are willing, ready and able to help to see whether we can find a solution to this.”
“This issue comes down to teacher allocation numbers. It is a matter of great concern to parents that Belgrove infant girls' school, which had an intake of 216 in the 2023-24 school year and qualified for nine teachers, is now down to eight teachers based on the 2024-25 intake. The projected number for September is 219, which is above the number at which it qualified for nine teachers previously. This looks like a temporary aberration and the key is to look at a temporary resource allocation so the school can get over this little hump. There is a similar issue in Howth primary school, in the constituency I share with Deputy Heneghan. A class there will go from a pupil-teacher ratio of 18:1 to 35:1 on account of the loss of a teacher, which is also of great concern to parents. I will share the rest of my time with Deputy Heneghan.”
“This week's report from Women's Aid on domestic violence and abuse is very concerning. Women's Aid front-line teams heard over 46,000 disclosures of incidents of domestic abuse and violence. That is up 17% on last year. There were increased reports of all forms of abuse against women, with sexual abuse reports up 30%. One third of those women in contact with Women's Aid were being subjected to domestic abuse from their ex-partner confirming their lived experience that while they may have ended the relationship, the abuse continues. The programme for Government commits to increased funding to sexual assault treatment units across the country. I understand that there are still only six units across the country, which seems inadequate. Is there a commitment to expand those units as part of our zero tolerance of abuse strategy 2026-2030?”
“I support that, given that there are different models clinicians will want to work under. As the Minister said, not all of them will want to take the risk of setting up a GP practice with everything it entails. The Minister mentioned the chronic disease management programme. That is a classic example of where GPs have helped to make a big difference and it is clear from the HSE's assessment that they have been key in all the outcomes the Minister mentioned earlier. Will the Minister comment on the issue of GPs leaving and whether it is a factor? She may not have that information today. It would be useful if she could share it at some stage so that we can deal with the issue that GPs seem to be leaving. I do not believe it because I know many of them and they are still here.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. There is an assertion out there that GPs are being trained and are then leaving the country. My colleague, Deputy Colm Burke, tells me that is not the case. The turnover of GPs is typically 5% to 6%, which is very low. The Minister has laid out the potential GPs entering the system through the various channels which is really positive. Perhaps the Minister could deal with the assertion they leave as fast as they come in and that they go abroad the minute they qualify. My own Dáilcheantar, Dublin Bay North, is quite mature. We have a particularly difficult issue, in that I am contacted a lot by constituents looking to register with a GP, in particular younger people moving into the area and looking to register with a GP practice but who cannot do so.”
“I am looking at this programme and it seems to be a quiet success story for the HSE. We hear very little about it. The Minister mentioned statistics regarding fewer presentations at emergency departments. That is a very good measure of success. The Minister mentioned some additional conditions that will be brought into it. I think she mentioned hypertension. It would be useful to have that list. I see from the HSE's report that the overall uptake is pretty good but it is probably behind for younger sufferers, mainly because it has not been open to them for as long. Are there plans to promote it or make those patients aware they have this option? It is a very good option for those patients.”