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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“Due to its enrolment numbers it has had its funding allocation cut for one teacher, potentially causing serious difficulty in the school. Depending on how the management of that school distributes staff, which I appreciate is a management decision, we could end up with a situation where there are 35 pupils to one teacher in that school. The Minister of State will understand that would be a very challenging situation for the school and for the management. I am raising it in the hope the Minister of State will raise it with the Minister, so it is looked at.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome his comments and appreciate the investment he has outlined in general terms into school facilities. On the challenge with emergency works, I will give Manor House School in Raheny as an example. It is a very popular girls' school. It has a large AstroTurf pitch beside the school which belongs to it. The surface is really poor. It is an enormous job. I doubt it will qualify for any emergency works scheme because the scale of it is too large, but there is a huge opportunity there for the community in terms of partnership and for the school itself in the long term if we can find ways to partner on that. I also want to raise the situation that has come up very recently in relation to Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf.”
“There is no mechanism for that at the moment. Will the Government consider in the medium term putting a scheme together, similar to the summer works programme, in which schools can apply for funding for sports facilities and renewal of sports facilities? I am not talking about capital in the sense of acquiring land, but there are many schools in the country that have had facilities for a long time that require renewal. Asking parents and schools to do fundraising without, at the very least, matching funding from the Government is really difficult.”
“I raise the issue of funding for school facilities, particularly sports facilities such as playing facilities, AstroTurf pitches, renewal of grass surfaces and changing room facilities for voluntary schools. There are some great programmes in the summer works scheme and other newer schemes to do with climate action and preparing buildings for climate change, which are welcome. There is a gaping hole in the funding profile for schools when it comes to outdoor facilities. A key requirement for our schools is to provide non-classroom environments for students to keep them engaged and give them other experiences outdoors. For girls, in particular, it is very difficult to keep them involved in sport as they get older. A key way to do this is through the school system. To do that, a school needs good playing facilities, particularly outdoors.”
“I have been grappling with why that recent "RTÉ Investigates" documentary bothered me, like others, so much. I think it is because those nursing homes failed to protect and uphold the dignity of some of our older and more vulnerable citizens. Each one of those people was somebody's mam or dad, aunt or uncle or brother or sister. It could be the Tánaiste's parents; it could be my parents. I say to those who are running those particular nursing homes that thanks to "RTÉ Investigates" we have seen what they are doing. We have seen it and it has been noted. There has been a fundamental failing in providing care. HIQA has been caught on the back foot in this situation. It should be on its toes. Does the Tánaiste agree HIQA has serious questions to answer here?”
“Just for my own information, how does it work in terms of capital funding? Does that come through the NDP? If the Minister of State does not have the answer now, perhaps he could come back to me later. I am interested in understanding how that funding channel works.”
“Clontarf, in my own area, has been exposed for a long time. There are efforts afoot, and have been for a long time, to put a defence in place there. The report signposts some very good priority actions. What is the mechanism by which they will be implemented? The Minister of State mentioned the new adaptation framework which is welcome. What is the mechanism by which they are turned into action and what is the budgeting process involved? There will be a fair bit of capital required for these projects.”
“I read the EPA report. It is a little unexciting - that may be the way to put it. There are four really good priority risks identified well in the report. These include the risk of disruption and damage to energy transmission and distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind, which is exactly what happened during Storm Éowyn. There is a similar risk to communications, which is also what happened with Storm Éowyn. To be fair, the ESB was a lot faster than the telecommunications providers in their response and that is something that must be looked at. There is also risk of disruption, damage and loss of transport infrastructure due to sea level rises and coastal flooding, as well as risk of damage and loss of buildings due to sea level rise, coastal erosion and coastal flooding. The latter is a problem in Dublin.”
“HBFI has a huge opportunity to provide development finance to a whole coterie of medium-sized builders but the rates have to be competitive. AIB and Bank of Ireland are just not lending. People cannot get development finance. It is 20% upfront and then these guys building have to provide the rest themselves at a very high rate. I urge that the HBFI be looked at seriously to scale it up as a lending institution with competitive rates somewhere near the HFA rates to local authorities. There is so much demand that the risk is really limited for HBFI.”
“As a result, Bank of Ireland and AIB will not lend so development finance is a struggle. Deputy O'Connell mentioned, and I welcome, enacting key provisions of the planning Bill urgently as a priority, even if it means getting through the inevitable court challenge from some quarters. We have to put our shoulder to the wheel and get it done to shorten those timeframes. Bank of Ireland and AIB are not lending because of these risks. The HFA will lend to local authorities. It has very good rates for social housing building - 1.75% for ten years and 2.25% for new lending at 25 years. The margin of Home Building Finance Ireland on the other hand can range from 4.75% to 7.5% over EURIBOR, one of its pricing rates. There is an inherent unfairness to those rates.”
“I wish to raise two issues in this debate, which I welcome. The first is planning certainty. If you talk to any home builder of a medium scale, 20 or more units, they will tell you planning uncertainty is a huge challenge when it comes to being able to build new homes. This includes the additional information processes in local authorities, adding uncertainty to their timelines, and unclear decision timelines in An Bord Pleanála appeals process which adds months of uncertainty to their projects. Judicial reviews add months if not years of uncertainty. A local home builder told me recently that planning uncertainty means he has to plan for three to four years in total from start to finish even for a small scheme delivering a small number of units. It is really challenging for them.”
“I thank the Minister of State. Decarbonisation is vital. Data centres are with us for the long term. Let us distribute them; they have economic value. It is a good way to distribute economic value to other regions in the country. Those regions may have better access to renewable energy than the Dublin region or Leinster. In the long term, the Government can take a lead on this. I know the Minister of State has personal know-how in this area. I welcome the Government's work on this. Green jobs, as Deputy Byrne said, are the future. Technology is interlocked with that, whether we like it or not. Some people do not like it but it is a fact of life. Private wire is part of that, as Deputy Heneghan said. Whether we like it or not, we have to move with this.”
“There is a long-term opportunity to distribute data centres around the west of Ireland in particular where there are renewable energy opportunities in the form of offshore, which is not that well developed but it will get there. It distributes economy activity.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I have a couple of comments. I welcome the fact that the project seems to have worked well. We hear a lot about public sector projects and about the ones that do not work well but this one seems to have come in on time and on budget. It is very positive that the data will be located in Ireland. It is very important that the State has control of its own data because this is an issue for international data centres and jurisdictions. With regard to policy, I support data centres. We all use our phones every day and they run off services based in data centres. The Government can take a good lead here with respect to renewable energy. That is number one. It should lead out on data centres transitioning to long-term sustainable sources of renewable energy. The CRU's view is that Dublin is constrained.”
“I am aware of the advocacy work being done by groups, such as Sage Advocacy, on behalf of survivors. I have had very positive feedback from some of my former council colleagues and Dublin City Council regarding the passion of these groups and the efforts they make, particularly on housing advocacy because housing is an issue for survivors, with local authorities on behalf of survivors. I ask and encourage survivors to continue to come forward so they can be supported. It is the least we can do for them after all the trauma they have endured.”
“As a first-time Deputy, I welcome the Bill. The supports it provides are very much necessary. The original residential institutions redress scheme was very transactional and survivors had a really hard time applying for redress. As Deputy Heneghan mentioned, the Artane industrial school was in our constituency. I am acutely aware of the trauma endured by those who attended the school, both while in the school and for many years afterwards. That hurt and the impact of the school are still very much felt in the area. I hope the country has acknowledged and learned from previous redress schemes such as Magdalen institutions and mother and baby homes scheme. While there are questions about exactly how the net is cast, they are not as adversarial and applicants are less likely to have to relive their awful trauma and hurt.”
“I hope we will finally be able to make a decision and give that school the priority it needs so those buildings are built and we can get on with it. Go raibh maith agat.”
“I encourage the Minister and the Minister of State to consider that over time we could work together to develop a long-term strategy for where that home for MIE would be so it will be possible for that fantastic institute to continue to turn out those great teachers who educate our young. The last item I am going to raise is Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. It is located between Stapolin and St. Joseph's National School where we were this morning. It is a fantastic Gaelscoil delivering great education to students as Gaeilge. It has been seeking and waiting for year upon year - some 25 years plus now - for the buildings it really needs and deserves. I know it is a priority because we have discussed it several times. When the time comes, I ask again that the Minister of State will come out and visit the school.”
“There are great families and communities there. I ask that we look at piloting the DEIS plus scheme for those four or five schools that work together in Coolock and Darndale to see if we can make a real difference in the long term for them. I also wish to mention Marino Institute of Education, MIE, down the other end of the constituency. It is a fantastic institution that has been turning out world-class teachers for a long time. They are teaching not just in Ireland but abroad as well. It is a bit of a hidden and quiet success story in the Irish education system because the institution does not toot its own trumpet the whole time. It just gets on with the job and does its work. MIE needs a long-term home within the Higher Education Authority.”
“As he said himself, you cannot beat boots on the ground and going out and seeing what is happening rather than necessarily being in here. This is certainly applicable from my perspective. We visited three schools. I could make those three but I missed the fourth. It was great to have the Minister of State out with us. We touched on DEIS plus in one school. St. Joseph's National School in Bonnybrook in Coolock is one where the teachers work extremely hard with students and parents in what are sometimes very challenging circumstances. DEIS plus is a real opportunity for change and for upping the dial for those schools. It is in the programme for Government and I am delighted to see it there. It will likely have to be piloted. Coolock has had a lot of bad press recently and has featured in the media a lot. Coolock is a great location.”
“I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for being in the House today. I am hugely proud of the education system in Ireland, partly due to the fact that there are a lot of educators in my extended family and there is a lot of experience with the educational system. I welcome that there seems to be a move in the education system away from a pure focus on class sizes towards investing in specialist resources, therapies and teams and concentrating these resources on those students and pupils who need them most. This is greatly welcome from my perspective. I wish to touch on a few points. The first is DEIS plus. It was good to see the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, out on the northside today. He was very welcome.”
“In this Chamber on Tuesday night, I asked the Minister for agriculture a question and he confirmed that farmers cannot put excess solar energy back onto the grid. These are the farmers who access the solar capital investment scheme. The Tánaiste or I can put panels on our roofs and we can feed excess energy back into the grid. Farmers cannot do that. It is fundamentally unfair. There are 130,000-plus farms in the country. Many of those buildings can take solar panels. Why can we not encourage farmers to do that and put energy back onto the national grid? I understand from the Minister that it is a question of EU state aid, which sound ludicrous to me. I do not even see the angle for state aid. I ask the Tánaiste to use his good offices in trade and foreign affairs to progress that at European level.”
“There is no-mow May, pollinator-friendly areas and community groups like Raheny Tidy Village group launching its own Raheny biodiversity action plan only a few weeks ago. I do not know much about the National Biodiversity Data Centre. I understand that the Minister of State’s predecessor Senator Noonan was very involved in putting it on a solid footing. I was just looking at the data it has and it is fantastic. Long may the centre continue because the more data we can collect accurately, the better the policy decisions we can make. I only know the ground-level stuff. I have a lot to learn about what can be done through the national frameworks to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity. I look forward to learning all that in the term of this Dáil.”
“During Covid people’s awareness and appreciation of biodiversity also went up a lot, especially as they were spending a lot of time outside. The National Biodiversity Data Centre reported a 60% increase in voluntary records being submitted compared with the same period in previous years as people got more involved during the lockdown. I chaired the environment SPC on the council and one of the policy actions we took was to move the city council away from the general use of glyphosate, also known as Roundup. This did not receive universal acclaim from residents but it was definitely the right thing to do. We have seen more and more ground-up initiatives take hold that are helping with biodiversity. They are coming up from the community, which is great to see.”
“In 1981 UNESCO recognised the importance of the bay by designating North Bull Island as a biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development UNESCO’s concept of a biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but areas proximate to those areas and the communities that live and work within those areas. There have since been additional international and national designations covering a lot of Dublin Bay, parts of St. Anne’s Park and other areas to ensure the protection of the bay’s water quality and biodiversity. I was a member of Dublin City Council for 20 years. The Dublin City Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2025 highlights the importance of biodiversity as a key indicator within the city’s ecosystem.”
“I understand the Minister of State, who has special responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity, has particular interests and b'fhéidir grá, even, for biodiversity. As Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy I really hope we can work together to ensure our habitats can be protected and the tools and mechanisms that delivered those protections for them can be strengthened. This week provides us with a unique opportunity to appreciate all aspects of nature around our areas. I am aware of a few events taking place in Dublin Bay North this week, including a tree walk and talk through St. Anne’s Park in Clontarf and an ecological field trip to Bull Island.”
“I appreciate that it will take time, but the sooner we can see the legislation coming through the Dáil to establish the force, the better. People will have confidence once they see those measures coming through. The Dublin city task force also made it clear that the visibility of policing and security in the city centre is so important in order to have confidence in Dublin city. Public transport - buses, DART and Luas services - coming in and out of the city safely and securely at all times is a big part of that. I thank the Minister of State for his response. I look forward to hearing from him about the personnel deployed by the operators on the northside. As he says in his response, it is a matter for the operators, but there is a question mark as to why the southside's services are manned but the northside's services are not.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the update. I welcome in particular the public transport safety working group because all the important players are around the table with the aim of ensuring the safety of passengers. The NTA does its own public transport passenger security reports. I understand that it surveys users. Although the general day-to-day experience is very good, almost half of public transport users in 2024 claimed they felt unsafe at least once on public transport. It is just not good enough that 42% of bus users and 44% of DART users feel unsafe in the evening. Those statistics will not put us in a position whereby we can encourage people to change their mode of transport and use public transport. The Minister of State mentioned the commitment in the programme for Government, which is very welcome.”
“Safety on public transport must be treated as a basic right, not a privilege. We have written to the NTA on this issue seeking an update but to date there appears to be little or no tangible progress. Meanwhile, security personnel were deployed on some southside routes last year. Why the delay on the northside of the city? When will we see a proper security presence on the ground, on buses and on trains in our communities? The travelling public deserve more than assurances. They need real action on safety.”
“It is an issue of growing concern, particularly in areas such as Raheny, Donaghmede, Belmayne and Clongriffin, but the progress on the issue seems to be very slow. Let us be clear: this is not an hypothetical issue. We have had a steady stream of incidents, including violent attacks at both Raheny and Clongriffin DART stations within the past year. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a pattern of escalating anti-social behaviour that, if we do not address it, will erode public confidence in the safety of our transport system. This affects everyone but particularly women, older people and those travelling alone in the evening time. How can we encourage women to switch to or even use public transport if they do not feel safe? It is a public service and a safety issue.”
“I echo the supports for BusConnects. It is a very important project for Dublin in particular. It cannot come soon enough. I wish to speak about the urgent need for security personnel on public transport services in north Dublin, in particular during evening hours. I thank my local colleague Councillor Supriya Singh, who has raised this matter at many local forums, including Dublin City Council's own north-central area committee. I commend Councillor Singh on her ongoing strong advocacy for our local communities. Her motion passed unanimously at the north-central area committee. It called for the deployment of An Garda Síochána or security personnel on DART and bus services as part of the community safety programme.”
“I was reading about the scheme. There is just one little wrinkle, which is that there does not seem to be support for microgeneration. A farmer cannot put panels on the roof and put excess power back into the grid. It seems a little unfair, given that you can in a residence. If there are panels on the roof of a home, excess power can be put back into the grid. That feels like a missed opportunity. Maybe it could be looked at in future.”
“Is the Minister happy that the SCIS is set up and funded sufficiently to get that mass of farmers that will be needed to come across?”
“I wish the Aire the very best with his brief. It is an important and challenging one. The way that window was opened in responding to a storm was very welcome. Storm Éowyn showed how vulnerable rural communities in particular are in the face of extreme weather events. The Minister mentioned the grants to redo roofs. It would be a good time to look at the solar capital investment scheme, SCIS, which is very welcome. It allows farmers to build resilience into energy supply. They can meet their daily energy needs and improve their ability to withstand future storms. I had a reply to a parliamentary question today that showed just over 3,200 applications were received for that scheme and 2,300 approvals were issued.”
“The number of vehicles seized also increased in a similar way. The need for reform of the RSA system in Dublin Bay North, like everywhere else, is confirmed by the high number of applicants who fail their driver test. As I mentioned, the percentage in Raheny is 45% and in Killester it is 55%. All of these candidates who fail go back into the system, reapply and put more pressure on an already significant backlog. RSA reform in this area is urgent and long overdue.”
“When it comes to driver testing wait times, the story in Dublin Bay North is no different from anywhere else. In February 2025, Raheny had a wait time of 33 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. The pass rate in Raheny is 55.1%. The number of tests done in Raheny in April 2025 was 468, which was down from 642 in April 2024. This is a reduction of almost 30%. There is a similar story in Killester, with a wait time of 28 weeks. The RSA target, as colleagues mentioned, is ten weeks. The pass rate in Killester was 45.5% in April this year and the number of driver tests done was 316, which was down 35%. On the other side, statistics from An Garda Síochána for Dublin metropolitan region north show the number of learner drivers caught driving unaccompanied was up from 200 in quarter 2 of 2023 to 324 in quarter 2 of 2024.”
“I will ask about e-scooter speeds. E-scooters are a welcome part of any mobility strategy but those who speed on them are a danger to themselves and everybody else, including pedestrians and cyclists on the road. There is a 20 km/h speed limit but it is difficult to enforce in reality. I understand it from An Garda Síochána that it is a statutory limit. Will the Taoiseach consider giving An Garda Síochána the power and technology to seize e-scooters, to test them to make sure limiters are on and operational and, if not, to confiscate them?”
“That is probably the best setting. It is best to do it in a community or distributed setting. The capital plan will require funding for beds. Does the Minister of State envisage that happening in the short term or will that be a three- to five-year part of the capital plan?”
“I thank the Minister of State for the update. As she said, it is a complex area. The disease has been misunderstood for years. It affects girls and young women, in particular, in difficult circumstances. We regularly get the opportunity to attend briefings. I attended the Cared Ireland briefing, which was really powerful. It included testimonies from people who have suffered from eating disorders in the past, ongoing sufferers and family members. Everybody here probably has a family member or friend who is suffering or has suffered from an eating disorder. The statistics the Minister of State set out, the 562 people receiving treatment, speak for themselves. That is the volume of cases. The Minister of State said she hopes to receive a report on the phase 1 review by the end of June.”
“I thank Deputy Heneghan, who is a former teacher, for raising this matter. This club has really deep roots in Raheny and Clontarf and further afield. It is well known throughout the country for its excellence but at its core, it has very strong community roots and really deserves our support. We look forward to seeing the Minister of State visit it. I hope we can work together to progress the club's case.”
“We should be looking to do both. We have a report to be implemented which needs new sources of revenue. A tourism tax and other options should all be on the table because it is important for the city.”
“On the tourism tax, I understand the Minister's point which, as he said, is moot but from my perspective, if I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to a European capital, the fact that I am paying a tourism tax in that city to help with its infrastructure does not deter me.”
“On regional tourism, my area of Dublin Bay North has Howth, Bull Island, Dollymount, St. Anne's Park, the Casino in Marino and Fairview Park. It has lots of good, local attractions but the city of Dublin's tourism is very much events-based in the city centre. It would be useful to look at supporting suburban tourism around Dublin, not just around the country but in parts of Dublin and to develop strategies in that regard.”
“We also need to see better collaboration between the CSO and Revenue Commissioners which already collects data from tourism businesses. The Minister mentioned Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, both of which have a role to play there. Tourism is almost like an export business because it involves people from abroad, in the main, coming in and it is very important to reach into the regional economies in Ireland. The second item is the tourist tax, a matter of quite a bit of debate at the moment as the Minister knows. A tourist or bed tax is becoming more and more common across the world. We have a report from the capital city taskforce which has to be funded and implemented and the tourist tax could play an important role in that regard. It is a common tool used across Europe in particular.”
“Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire. Ní raibh seans agam comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis as a phost nua sa Rialtas. I wish to raise a number of items, the first of which is the quality of tourism statistics. Good quality data is really important for tourism policy planning and for making progress in determining where Government resources should go in tourism. There has been an issue, as highlighted in the media recently, in this regard. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, does good work in this area but there is a bit of a dispute as to what is the right data in terms of tourism. The Government has a responsibility to try to resolve this. We should explore ways to enhance the quality of our tourism statistics. We need to get good quality data that we can act on.”
“I ask the Minister the ways in which his Department will work with officials throughout Government ensure that the vital tourism industry is supported across all regions and if he will make a statement on the matter.”
“I am delighted to hear that. It is a welcome commitment in the programme for Government. Those who are living with a disability, as the Minister rightly says, have many additional challenges, including healthcare, transport costs and other challenges. The least we can do is to look to support them where we can. Those living with a disability and their representative organisations will be happy with progress in this area. I look forward to hearing of further progress in due course on negotiations about the annual budget. I am more than happy to support the Minister in any way I can.”
“I ask the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that his Department will be the lead for the introduction of a permanent annual cost of disability support payment and if he will make a statement on the matter.”
“I ask for an update on the national roll-out of standardised labelling of alcohol products. I understand that in 2023 the then Minister for Health signed the regulations into law and that the labelling is due to come into effect a year from now, in May 2026. Could the Tánaiste confirm that we are on target for the labels to be on all drinks one year from now and whether there are any implementation issues remaining to be resolved?”
“Perhaps it is down to encouraging EirGrid to look internationally and to contact the commission. I again thank the Minister of State for taking this item. It is an issue that will get more and more important in the years to come.”