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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“I appreciate the Minister of State's comments. I welcome the news that temporary emergency generation capacity has got to four power stations, two in Dublin and two down the country. I also welcome the IEA’s study of our electricity security with regard to energy transition. The one point I want to repeat concerns the European experience. We were very happy to welcome, and it was great to see, crews coming in from France, Germany, Austria and the UK during Storm Éowyn as a response to that incident and the clean-up and restoration work that was required. We need to do something similar in reverse given what has happened in Spain and Portugal. We need to find a way to learn, if there is anything to learn from what has happened there. I do not know what that mechanism is, how we share that information or what level of co-operation there is.”
“I believe that, because it was an international impact, Spain has to give a detail report to the Commission within three months, setting out what happened, the impact and what steps Spain will take to ensure it does not happen again. We need to plug into that and see what changes we need to make, if any, on the Irish side to minimise the risk of this happening to us. We will have to do this again and again to build resilience into the network.”
“We saw what happened with Storm Éowyn, particularly in the west of Ireland, and the challenges getting power back. Communities were left off air for two weeks-plus as the ESB worked hard to get them back on stream. Researchers in the University of Galway warned recently that though Storm Éowyn caused significant damage, we were lucky. It could have been even worse. I do not think any event in recent years has highlighted the vulnerability we have, particularly in power, like Storm Éowyn, and it could have been much worse. The Commission is saying there are lessons to be learned by the European Union from the blackout.”
“The blackout yesterday in Spain and Portugal was a jarring but very real reminder of the vulnerability of our energy systems. In five seconds, the Iberian power network lost 15 GW. That is about 60% of normal consumer demand there. By way of comparison, the peak that has been recorded in Ireland is 6 GW, so two and a half times the full consumption of Ireland went off that grid in five seconds. It is incredible that that happened. Rail and metro services stopped, traffic systems stopped, lights were not working and many other things went. Some 60 million people on that peninsula were impacted, directly or indirectly. Power is back, more or less, but many questions remain, fundamental questions as to what caused the outage and whether it could happen here. We are not immune to extreme events.”
“Would we consider a long-term sustainable career path for childcare staff with market-rate pay as a policy, some sort of a pay scale and ongoing training and career development in particular? That is quite important when it comes to retaining these people, especially graduates.”
“We heard earlier that 30% of childcare managers are struggling to find new staff. Would she consider adding childcare to the critical skills list, which would make it easier for that sector to attract skilled and qualified personnel, especially, of course, from countries outside the European Economic Area such as New Zealand, Brazil and Australia? Skilled people from these countries, obviously with the appropriate qualifications, would then qualify. The Minister mentioned staff turnover of 24.5% with a third of those going to other jobs within the sector. That means two thirds are going elsewhere. While the Government is not an employer, it is the policymaker in this area.”
“It is vital that we support Uisce Éireann in whatever way we can to get those two projects delivered and done, to get water supplied to the Dublin region and to get wastewater treated.”
“The other project is the greater Dublin drainage project, which is also vital for treating wastewater sewage in the Dublin region. It is meant to be based in my area of Clonshaugh but it seems to have been tied up in objections, challenges and court issues. We seem to struggle with wastewater projects. I have spoken to my colleagues from the west of Ireland, including Galway, and other areas. They are all struggling with treatment capacity for wastewater in particular. As I understand it, the project is still under review in the planning process. We do not seem to be any further forward. There seems to have been an element of European challenge to it, which is fine as long as it is ruled on and dealt with. We cannot go back to the start again for greater Dublin drainage.”
“The water supply project from Shannon is vital for sustaining economic growth not just for Dublin but for many other counties between here and the River Shannon. Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow all need additional water. The importance of the scheme cannot be overstated. The chair of the board of Uisce Éireann said recently that the supply for Dublin is "very tight" over the next few years because of delay with the Shannon project. As long as I was a member of Dublin City Council, before I was elected to the Dáil, that project was talked about. We need to get on with it, get our statutory permission lined up, get the funding to Irish Water and get it done and dusted for this region. Otherwise, we will be in trouble.”
“I will talk about two vital Irish Water projects for the Dublin region. The first is the Shannon to Dublin water supply project. In the greater Dublin region, just one source, namely, the River Liffey, supplies 85% of our water. The dependence on the River Liffey and the two big treatment plants in Ballymore Eustace and Leixlip means the greater Dublin region is exposed to risks such as prolonged drought, contamination or both. Population growth, the demand for housing and the impact of climate change mean we will need 34% more water by 2044 than is available today. This combination of a growing water supply gap and lack of supply resilience is not sustainable. We need to fix this.”
“Cliff Taylor had a good piece on this issue in The Irish Times. However, that falsehood is out there now. It all seems to be about negotiation. This is a time of huge challenges for the EU 27. We have a serious security challenge to the east with Russia, and then a very aggressive trade war originating and breaking out on the western side of Europe. Is am cinniúnach é don Eoraip, but I still think the time of challenge for Europe is now and our best way to resolve this is clearly in negotiation and in partnership with the EU 27 bloc, to work as one and hopefully negotiate a way through this over the next while.”
“It is incredible that no one in the entire US Washington Administration is challenging these tariffs. It is incredible that the Republican Party, the party which produced Ronald Regan who, for all his faults, understood the benefits and value of free trade, is moving away from this and clearly wrapping itself in the cloak of protectionism. It is incredible that has happened. It is frankly incredible that the US Administration thinks it can rebuild its industrial base purely based on protectionism. I do not know what planet it is living on. It is incredible the US Administration has put out the falsehood that there are tariffs of 39% between the European Union and the USA, meaning the EU imposes average tariffs of 39% on US goods and services. That is patently not the case. Even a little research shows that the figure is between 3% and 5%.”
“The only way we could do a particular project at the time seemed to be through the sports capital programme - which, by the way, is very welcome and it is vital that we keep those sports capital grant calls coming - or an active travel programme and this did not fit into the active travel model. It was not active travel; it was a place in the community we wanted to renew. Those community facilities are really practical and important; we just need capital and money to build them upfront rather than at the end. The LDA is getting involved in the north fringe in Clongriffin and again, I am hoping to meet agency officials, as I am sure others will. It is so important the LDA, as a State agency, is building and planning those community facilities upfront for the north fringe, Clongriffin and all those areas.”
“The first is that there is a lot of social housing, AHB, development happening at present but as I understand it, they are exempt from section 48 development levies. The very tool a local authority like the city council or others would use to fund the installation of community facilities upfront is not available to them. The Government needs to try to fix that. Equally, I recall visiting a couple of projects a few years ago in our area and URDF funding where Dublin communities were effectively locked out of this funding. It was not available to Dublin communities.”
“I want to raise youth facilities. Deputy Currie mentioned all the important facilities we need to make available, including youth cafes, youth clubs, skate parks, music clubs and astro pitches. These are the best ways to divert younger people, get them engaged and keep them involved in the community. In our area, there was a fabulous plan 20 years ago to build many community facilities into the north fringe but then the crash came along and all the building activity stopped. It has recently started up again but there is absolutely no plan, with the exception of a small element to be done by the city council, to comprehensively build community facilities there before it is too late and the population density gets too large and all those children get older. I have a couple of issues to mention.”
“I thank the Minister of State. It is indicated further on in the written response circulated to Members that there has been engagement with the school. There was a meeting with the school authorities on 25 March. I welcome that and the fact that additional engagement is planned. The concern which Deputy Brabazon set out relates to the long term, and that those students will be there in the long term. Will the Minister of State give a commitment regarding a timeframe for when the additional site will be identified locally in order that parents can have some certainty?”
“I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter this morning. This is about a badly-needed special school in our area so that those with additional needs can get the education they deserve. It is also about the needs of Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School. The school has very a committed principal and staff who are trying to achieve the very best for their students. Our time is short and I do not want to pit one school against another. That is not what this is about. This is about finding a compromise solution so that the special school gets under way as soon as possible and the secondary school can plan for its facilities as its enrolment numbers continue to grow.”
“Blianta ó shín, is é an jab a bhí ag an údarás ná fostaíocht a chruthú. Bhí neart tithíochta ach ní raibh aon fhostaíocht ar fáil. Tá sé sin iompaithe bun os cionn anois. Tá jab maith déanta ag an údarás ó thaobh fostaíochta de ach tá géarchéim tithíochta anois i gConamara agus i nGaeltachtaí eile. Fáiltím roimh an mBille seo ó thaobh an daonlathais de ach tá mé ag súil le Bille eile ag teacht.”
“Sa chlár Rialtais, tá aidhm faoi leith ann go mbeidh ról níos lárnaí ag an údarás ó thaobh tithíocht, dídean, a chur ar fáil i gceantair Ghaeltachta agus seirbhísí pobail, a mbeadh baint acu leo sin, a chur ar fáil. Tá seans é sin a dhéanamh leis an údarás. Níl sé sin sa Bhille seo ach ba mhaith liom cloisteáil ón Aire faoi seo. B’fhéidir go mbeadh Bille eile ag teacht. Tá seans ag an Rialtas Bille eile a chur i bhfeidhm sna blianta atá romhainn ó thaobh na Dála seo de leis sin a dhéanamh. Ní bheidh sé éasca. Tá sé deacair oibriú amach go díreach cén chumhacht agus acmhainní ar cheart go mbeadh ag an údarás mar tá na comhairlí contae - Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe agus na comhairlí contae eile - in intinn chomh maith. Is fiú é a dhéanamh, áfach, agus an ról sin a thabhairt don údarás.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an díospóireacht seo a bheith againn anseo anocht. Cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille seo. Tá sé go maith go mbeidh cuid den bhord sin tofa arís, mar a bhí blianta ó shín. Caithfidh muid a bheith cúramach ó thaobh na n-uimhreacha ar an mbord, gan iad a bheith rómhór mar tá sé tábhachtach go mbeidh an bord in ann oibriú go maith le chéile agus straitéis an údaráis a chur chun cinn sna blianta atá romhainn. Mar a dúirt mé níos luaithe, tá athruithe beaga sa Bhille ó thaobh tithíochta de agus ó thaobh na n-acmhainní agus an róil a bheidh ag an údarás i leith tithíochta agus talamh a dhíol nó a chur ar fáil do na approved housing bodies, AHBs.”
“An aontaíonn an Taoiseach liom go mbeidh Acht nó Bille eile ag teastáil chun an aidhm seo a chur i gcrích? B'fhéidir go bhféadfadh sé iarraidh ar an Aire nó ar an Roinn amchlár a leagan amach don Bhille seo más rud é go n-aontaíonn sé.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle, and commend her for keeping the car between the ditches yesterday, which was a difficult workday for her. Cuirim fáilte roimh Bille um Údarás na Gaeltachta (Leasú), 2024 agus na hathruithe atá i gceist ó thaobh bord an údaráis a thoghadh. Tá athruithe beaga sa Bhille ó thaobh an t-údarás a bheith in ann talamh a dhíol le AHBs nó le húdaráis tithíochta, chun dídean a chur ar fáil i gceantar Gaeltachta. Tá aidhm ar leith i gclár an Rialtais go n-oibreodh an Rialtas le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta chun cinntiú go bhfuil a dhóthain tithíochta agus seirbhísí poiblí ar fáil i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Creidim féin gur féidir leis an údarás ról lárnach agus deimhneach a bheith aige, má chuirtear na hacmhainní cearta ar fáil dó.”
“Does the Taoiseach have any updates on an EU-wide consideration of the temporary protection directive and where we will be going with that in 2026 and beyond?”
“I again wish to raise the issue of the accommodation recognition payment, ARP. In the midst of the awful ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, it is vital that we try to give some certainty to our Ukrainian guests here in Ireland who are still here having fled their homeland and to those households around this country who generously took in those people in an act of humanity and social solidarity. Families need to be able to plan for their future, even in the short term. Can the Taoiseach outline when he expects the final decision will be made in relation to extending the ARP scheme? I ask this because it comes to an end in its current form at the end of March. Can the Taoiseach give us any insight into the scheme being reconfigured or streamlined in any way?”
“Tá na múinteoirí ag obair go crua agus tá na daltaí ag imirt spóirt an t-am ar fad, ag staidéar agus ag fáil torthaí maithe sna scrúduithe. Tá an scoil fós in prefabs tar éis 24 bliain. Tá sé an-tábhachtach an fhadhb seo a réiteach chun go mbeidh foirgneamh ar fáil don Ghaelcholáiste sin i mo cheantar.”
“Ó thaobh Údarás na Gaeltachta de, aontaím leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach gur cheart go mbeadh ról níos lárnaí ag an údarás ó thaobh tithíocht sna ceantair Ghaeltachta agus na planning guidelines sin. Blianta ó shin, ba í an fhadhb a bhí ag na Gaeltachtaí ná go raibh tithíocht ar fáil ach nach raibh poist dá laghad ar fáil. Tá sé sin athraithe anois agus tá an fhadhb an bealach eile. Tá an-chuid oibre ar fáil ach níl tithíocht ar fáil sa Ghaeltacht don dream ón nGaeltacht. Caithfear an fhadhb sin a réiteach. Níl sé difriúil. Tá an fhadhb chéanna i mBaile Átha Cliath ach tá fadhb ar leith i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Mar gheall ar an teanga, ba chóir dul i ngleic leis sin. Tá Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, i mo Dháilcheantar féin, in prefabs le 24 bliain. Tá an-spiorad sa scoil agus tá ard-chaighdeán oideachais ar fáil ann.”
“Tarraingeoidh mé cúpla pointe amach ón taighde sin. Is é an chéad rud ná an díolúine ó thaobh oideachais, múinteoireachta agus staidéar ag an dara leibhéal. Phléigh muid an cheist seo ag Ard-Fheis Fhine Gael bliain ó shin i nGaillimh. Gan dabht, tá na huimhreacha ag dul sa treo mícheart ó thaobh na ndíolúintí agus na daltaí nach bhfuil ag tabhairt faoin scrúdú ardteistiméireachta sa Ghaeilge. Caithfimid dul i ngleic leis sin agus an fhadhb sin a réiteach. Ó thaobh an chóras oideachais de, mar a deir an conradh, caithfear polasaí cuimsitheach nua a fhorbairt don Ghaeilge ó na naíonraí ar aghaidh go dtí an tríú leibhéal. Níl sé sin againn faoi láthair.”
“Tá sé iontach an Ghaeilge a chloisteáil á labhairt i dTeach Laighean an tseachtain seo. Ach an oiread leis an Teachta a labhair romham, tacaím leis an dátheangachas. Tá sé iontach an dream atá ar bheagán focal nó a gceapann nach bhfuil cumas cuimsitheach acu a chloisteáil ag déanamh iarracht an Ghaeilge a labhairt. Cuirim an-fháilte roimhe sin. Bíonn fáilte roimhe sin i gcónaí. Níor cheart go mbeadh éinne neirbhíseach ná go mbeadh drogall ar éinne triail a bhaint as an nGaeilge agus í a labhairt. Tá fáilte roimhe sin i gcónaí. Tacaím leis an infheistíocht i mBaile Átha Cliath a fógraíodh aréir. Tá baint ag an gclár Gaeilge365 leis na húdaráis áitiúla thart ar Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá an-fháilte roimh an €4 milliún seo. Tá taighde cuimsitheach déanta ag Conradh na Gaeilge ó thaobh fhorbairt na Gaeilge.”
“Will the Government consider a community garda allowance, or some sort of allowance, that will allow An Garda Síochána to rebalance that perception? It would give an indication that the service is valued and rewarded. That is a very important element. I mentioned previously the proposed Dublin metropolitan region headquarters at Northern Cross. I take the opportunity to raise that matter again. It is a new divisional headquarters for An Garda Síochána that will go into Northern Cross. Nothing is better in policing than boots on the ground. That headquarters will make a huge difference to safety and the perception of communities in Clongriffin, Belmayne and other areas. I encourage and ask the Government to continue to prioritise the delivery of that station.”
“The second item in the report is Big Move 4, which recommends an additional 1,000 gardaí for the city, as my colleague mentioned. They will be very important for the city centre. I look forward to hearing about early progress and a timeline for recruitment, numbers and when boots will be put on the ground. On a related point, from my experience in politics, community gardaí are often undervalued. Sometimes, that section seems to be seen as something of a backwater in the context of the various units of An Garda Síochána, but community gardaí do a huge service for their communities. They establish great rapport over many years in local communities and have very good relations with them. They are vital to the effective functioning of An Garda Síochána in our communities.”
“I thank the Minister of State for attending this debate. I will raise a couple of matters. I welcome the Government's commitment to the Dublin city task force and the implementation of its report. It is very important for the city centre and restoring confidence in the city. I will call out two items in the report. The first is "Big Move 5 - Deliver more targeted and better located services for vulnerable populations in [the] city ...". That is not easy to do. For example, there is a huge concentration of emergency accommodation on Gardiner Street. If we are to deal with the issue of safety, we will have to start redistributing those facilities. It will not be popular in other jurisdictions and locations throughout the country, but it is very important that everybody takes their fair share of those services.”
“We are either in a housing emergency or we are not. If the Government has to take the risk on those rates to make sure finance is flowing to builders, then it should do it. We are in an emergency. Those rates need to close. I ask that we look at that. The HBFI is a great idea and it has huge potential, but it needs to lend its money at reasonable rates for builders to work with.”
“These are very good rates for money to be available to the AHBs and to the local authorities. Home Building Finance Ireland, HBFI, which lends to the construction sector, had about €2.7 billion in loan approvals by the end of 2024 but is lending money at rates of 4.75% to 7.5% to the construction sector. That is at an average rate of 6.45%. That is not right or fair. Why is the Government lending money to State bodies locally and to AHBs at such great rates and then is lending money to the construction sector at much higher rates? That is not right. The construction sector will then have to put margin on top of that and everything gets really expensive. I ask the Government to give serious consideration to getting the HBFI rates aligned with the Housing Finance Agency. There is no reason not to.”
“I thank the Ministers for being in the Chamber and for taking this debate. This is a good report and I encourage or ask the Government to give it good consideration. Section 3 deals with recommendations on sustainable housing supply. I want to speak about recommendations 18 and 19, which are about money and finance, the State supplying finance, getting involved and providing essential finance, which is a key component for construction. The State is already involved in that sector because the Housing Finance Agency - former councillors like Deputy Willie Aird who served on local authorities will know this - lends money to local authorities and to AHBs. As of the end of 2023, the agency had lent €7.4 billion out and it is lending new money now to those entities at rates of 1.75% to 2.75%.”
“To support people living longer, three key projects, namely, the new emergency department, the 100-bed tower and the new intensive care unit, are all vital for the northside, for all those specialties and the people who come from around the country to use Beaumont Hospital. I hope the Government will allocate that capital and that we can work with Beaumont Hospital and the Government-----”
“I welcome the commitment to it in the programme for Government. It is a roll-out of activity for older people and people with chronic illnesses by the HSE with sports partnerships with bodies such as Dublin City Council, which is a good local partnership with a lot of reach into the community. That has huge potential to partner with social enterprises, such as ExWell Medical, that have expertise. The last thing I will mention is Beaumont Hospital, which covers a huge northside catchment area with mature communities and it is also a national centre for a whole range of specialties. It has been underinvested in for as long as I have been in politics, more than 20 years, in terms of capital, but a huge amount of work is done there.”
“He is a man in his late 50s or early 60s. He lives in a three-bedroom council house and he is looking to downsize to a one-bedroom council accommodation, ideally an apartment. It is not directly related to health, but it is indirectly related in that if we can facilitate such an individual, it is better for his physical and mental health. It is the same for people in private housing in Dublin Bay North. During the general election, a lot of people such as parents whose children are gone, have flown the nest, were in large houses and looking for ways to go. I see Deputy O'Donnell nodding his head. It is an important issue in Dublin Bay North and I look forward to the Government making progress on that as a key element of housing. The other area I will mention is the Go for Life programme.”
“I thank the Minister for being here this evening for this debate. Dublin Bay North is the area that I represent and it has a very mature population, so this topic is directly relevant to us on the northside in that constituency. During the election campaign, we campaigned on this issue in terms of positive ageing and it got good traction with those mature communities. People in Ireland are proactive. Our older citizens are very proactive and they really want to be positive and take an active role in making their own decisions in terms of health living, living longer and those lifestyle choices. This is a really good area to be involved in. I want to mention two examples. Right-sizing accommodation for older people has been mentioned earlier on the floor of the House. I spoke yesterday to a constituent in Kilbarrack.”
“As other speakers mentioned, more than 100,000 of those who fled Ukraine came to Ireland. Many have been hosted by families who receive the accommodation recognition payment. Like others, I encourage the Government to make a clear statement soon on the extension of the accommodation recognition payment so that both our international guests and those hosting them have the clarity they need to plan for the future. I would like to understand and hear from the Government in due course about where things are going with the TPD. It will be a matter for discussion at European level and I would like the Irish Government to take a strong lead in those discussions.”
“Comhghairdeas leis an Naoise eile on his maiden address sa Dáil. Much of the debate today has been around the military side, but like others, I will mention the EU humanitarian response to this war. The invasion began on 24 February 2022 and the European Union activated the temporary protection directive, TPD, in March 2022. That was pretty quick. Some 6.8 million people had to seek refuge from this conflict, mostly in the European Union and its immediate neighbours. This was the first ever use of the TPD. It enables residency, employment, access to social welfare,education and medical care, all of which are important. There is no doubt that , some wanted and hoped for the European Union to be overwhelmed and flooded by these numbers, but it has coped very well at a humanitarian level.”
“The workforce requirements are limited enough but of high value once the infrastructure is in place and there is power. Power is the key. While there would be data centres on this side of the country importing power from the UK and farther afield, there could be data centres the other side of the country working off renewables. Moving wind-generated power from one side of the country to the other, from west to east, is expensive and requires a lot of infrastructure, so why do we not use the data centres needed for AI to rebalance development in favour of the western region? It is an opportunity and we should really look into it a lot more.”
“Down the years, there has been great difficulty in having industrial development on that side of the country. As Lord Mayor, I did dog and pony shows with companies coming into the Dublin region. They wanted to invest only in Dublin. It was not a case of investing in Donegal or Dublin; it was Dublin or nowhere. We should now be considering an industrial development strategy to put the data centres on the west coast, not in Dublin. The grid in Dublin is at capacity. The generation of power is at capacity and it is difficult to do more in the Dublin region. However, the west coast and western region, from Mayo all the way up to Donegal, is ripe for development because of wind energy. For data, you need good links or connections. All the transatlantic cables come ashore in the region.”
“There has been a lot of hype and hot air over AI in general in recent years. Often, this has to do with consultants, sectors and groups trying to hype it up for commercial reasons. Many hope to make lots of money rolling out AI, implementing it and dealing with queries. If, like me, you buy into AI – it is a fact of life we are going to have to deal and work with – you will realise that, in reality, it just involves the analysis of a whole lot of data, requiring a lot more computing power. That is where computing power comes in. It presents an opportunity for regional development in a way we have not had before. Deputy McAuliffe just mentioned energy. Onshore wind energy along the west coast is in surplus, and I hope this will eventually be the case for offshore wind energy. It will get better and better.”
“These parents are worried about it, and it is a concern for them, as she will understand, that they get access to a service and to those checks again.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her response. I agree with Deputy Gogarty that something needs to be done around Dublin. The numbers are pretty stark. The health service capacity review of 2018 envisaged a big increase in the service by 2021. Baseline capacity was meant to be 2,000 public health nurses nationally by 2026. We are at just over 1,500, which is almost 500 short in terms of where the service is meant to be by now. I acknowledge there are challenges in recruitment and in keeping public health nurses, but it is a serious issue now and has to be dealt with straight away, whether through the NTPF or some other mechanism. I again urge the Minister of State that we try to prioritise it and get some capacity back into the Dublin region.”
“There is a need to have new nurses recruited and appointed in order that checks can start again. This is a really important front-line community service for young folks in particular. I urge the Minister of State and the Department to work with the HSE. I also urge that what we are discussing should become a priority for Government.”
“It is concerning to hear from constituents that checks are not being done locally. A family in Killester contacted me. They were sent to Millmount in Drumcondra for their first check and then were told that neither Millmount nor Killester could send a nurse to them for the second check. A local development company in Coolock had a similar experience. It is getting feedback in Coolock and nearby areas that the checks are not happening. Those areas are marked by economic and social disadvantage. The last thing we need is to load issues relating to health checks and developmental issues onto the backs of hard-pressed families who live in the areas in question. I congratulate the Minister of State on her new post. It is vital that the HSE gets recruitment done as soon as possible in order to rebuild these teams.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion. I remember these development checks being carried out in respect of my children not so long ago. They are vital for good early childhood development. The checks include, as Deputy Gogarty mentioned, visits to the clinic and public health nurses coming to people's homes. They make sure that children are healthy and developing normally. If the checks reveal issues, it is really the first time for making early interventions and bringing in other services and other professionals to support a child's development. I always found that public health nurses were really good at their job. They are experienced, are grounded, build good rapport with children and parents and set people's minds at ease.”
“The programme for Government contains a solid and welcome commitment to active travel in the form of cycling and walking. How does this square with the disappointing 2025 active travel funding allocation for the city of Dublin, which the NTA has cut, from an initial allocation of €48 million in 2024 to €39.9 million in 2025? There is a 340 km active travel network coming for Dublin, with 35 km built so far and 80 km in design. Now is not the time to pull back on active travel investment if we want to continue to decarbonise transport and meet emission targets. I ask the Tánaiste to engage with the NTA with a view to restoring that funding so that the programme can continue to deliver for Dubliners.”
“I ask that the Government works with the Department of Justice, the OPW and An Garda Síochána to land this particular project and to make this new station a reality for northsiders.”