Neale Richmond
Dublin Rathdown · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I am grateful to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this once again. I welcome the comments by his party leader this week when she declared that this is a great State and a great place to live in. It makes a welcome change from most other days of the week.”
“Another thing that must be looked at when discussing a united Ireland is that a lot of work has to be done to show example from political representatives on the base level of sectarianism that at least two other colleagues on these benches and I put up with every day.”
“They could not decide among themselves in the "Yes" campaign whether they would have a new form of sterling or a currency pegged to sterling or adopt the euro. That is not an issue for us. We join the European Union and we join the euro. It is simple as.”
“I will make a few concluding remarks to follow on from some of the points made by the Taoiseach in his opening iteration because in his 20 minutes he did not cover them all.”
“Over the coming months, we will act impartially serving as an honest broker among our fellow member states to progress many files in areas that were raised here today. Our work will respond to the overall interests and needs of the union, its member states and citizens across Europe.”
“More pertinently to the Deputy's questions, very real charges have been placed in The Irish Times and by other investigative journalists stating that the amounts of alumina being produced from Aughinish are going indirectly to the Russian war machine. If that is the case, it is completely unacceptable.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,081 lines we hold for Neale Richmond, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 22.
“The members of the group, which include Government stakeholders, ComReg and industry, have agreed an initial work plan to include the development of measures to improve the physical and power resilience of networks, co-ordinate and communicate more effectively during emergencies, and prioritise key infrastructure to provide minimum levels of connectivity during emergencies. The focus of the group’s initial efforts is to improve the resilience of telecommunications sites, particularly mobile, as well as communication and co-ordination between response stakeholders. These broad, impactful and achievable measures will restore connectivity more quickly to all customers during emergencies, particularly those who rely on using health monitoring and pendant alarms.”
“Operators have independently assessed their preparedness and committed to a variety of network-specific measures, including reviewing the power requirements of sites, acquiring additional backup battery and generator capacity, preventative network maintenance, enhancing redundancy with backup routes to their core networks, and accelerating the use of satellites to provide additional resilience. The Department has formed the telecommunications response and resilience group, the purpose of which is to promote resilience and high availability of Ireland’s telecommunications infrastructure and to provide a co-ordinated sectoral emergency response capability.”
“The impact of power loss on the sector during the storm, and delays to repair of overhead lines in some areas afterwards, had significant effects on citizens, particularly in rural areas of the north and west. The Government and the telecommunications industry recognise the challenges faced by those whose telecommunications connectivity was impacted during the storm, in particular vulnerable individuals who rely on the functioning of this technology for health monitoring and pendant alarms. Since the storm, the Department has undertaken significant engagement with a variety of stakeholders to address gaps in sectoral preparedness and response.”
“With regard to the broader issue of connectivity losses during emergencies and the work ongoing in the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport in relation to this issue, the Deputies should be aware that the provision of electronic communication services such as mobile phone and broadband services is a matter for telecommunications operators, which operate in a liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. ComReg is independent in the exercise of its functions in accordance with section 11 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002. Storm Éowyn had an unprecedented impact on telecommunications networks.”
“Participants are provided with the device for free as well as free monitoring for the first year. I am informed by the Minister, Deputy Calleary’s officials that the Department is currently reviewing all aspects of the seniors alert scheme, including the technology and services available, and plans to launch a new iteration of the scheme in 2026. The new scheme will take account of the learnings from recent weather events and will also have regard to modern technology advancements to ensure that the most reliable, robust devices currently available are procured.”
“I thank both Deputies for raising this important Topical Issue. I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on this important matter on behalf of the Minister. This Government takes the safety of vulnerable individuals in our society extremely seriously and recognises the effect of Storm Éowyn and the impact it had on power, water and telecommunications services for those individuals. The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is responsible for the seniors alert scheme, which provides older people with personal monitored alarms. These personal alarms operate over available telecoms networks to connect users to the monitoring services, allowing users to call for assistance. Since the scheme was launched in 2015, 159,090 participants have been approved, including more than 17,700 in 2025 alone.”
“One thing of particular focus is the fact that when we are creating 100 new jobs per week, these are new jobs and that they are generally tailored with the educational abilities of the next generation of Irish workers coming out at whether at second level or third level. Certainly, any trend that is slightly above normal requires investigation. The Government is committed to looking at that on an ongoing basis. If Sinn Féin wants to contribute to that research or have its own research, we are more than happy to work in tandem in the national interest.”
“They are consistently working with stakeholders from civic society, the labour movement, industry and representative groups as well as those academics who look into this research, whether from the ESRI, the Nevin Institute or any other bodies of a similar nature. That is something constantly looked at by the Government as well as why there is a constant evolution of our enterprise strategy and why we say we need to create 300,000 extra jobs in the programme for Government. That is not simply to stand still or offset anything. It is just to move forward, which is so important. We look at the general economic trends across the European Union and in the United Kingdom. There is a serious worry there but Ireland, thankfully, has not been caught up in that. However, there are serious headwinds.”
“Where we are in agreement is that the trend is the concern. Youth unemployment being ahead of general unemployment is something we can accept happens but the rate at the moment is a worry. I share that with the Deputy and it is important we clarify that. That is why the Government continues to monitor labour market conditions and the youth unemployment rate and several of our recent initiatives will be central to supporting the broader economy, not least our ambitious investment plans and the action plan on competitiveness and productivity the Department published last year. An interesting thing when I was in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment was the work of the labour market activation committee, which brings together that Department and the Department of Social Protection to see where those gaps are.”
“There is a great opportunity to emigrate and move abroad but when we look at the category of people who came back to Ireland last year, we see over 30,000 Irish people returning after an experience abroad. We talk about housing and destinations such as Canada and Australia. The biggest issues there are the affordability and availability of housing with average prices in rental terms in cities such as Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney all ahead of Dublin. It is important that we play fair. This is an issue. I am not denying it is an issue. It is an issue being experienced by other European partners. We have a strategy in place and we are more than happy to work with the Opposition to make sure that it is fit for purpose and that we listen to those canaries in the coalmine the Deputy alluded to.”
“The Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Social Protection to implement revised Pathways to Work actions and to develop the successor strategy, which will support jobseekers to find and maintain quality employment. The Deputy alluded to the anecdotal experiences of many families at Christmas, which I do not dispute. In my new role as Minister of State with responsibility for diaspora, I have spent the past seven months extensively engaging with the Irish abroad. Some have been abroad for generations and some only recently. There is this notion that people are fleeing Ireland because there are no jobs, which was certainly the case when I left university when we were in the grips of the financial crash. We need to knock that on the head.”
“It does not need to be party political. As she will be aware, in May 2024, the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, and the Minister, Deputy Burke, launched the updated Pathways to Work Strategy, which included a number of initiatives to reduce youth unemployment and the employment and youth engagement charter, an initiative to support and inspire young jobseekers and other marginalised groups to build their knowledge, skills and experience to enhance their employability. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and its agencies will continue promoting employer awareness and encourage uptake of supports such as the expanded JobsPlus subsidy scheme and the work placement experience programme.”
“As the Deputy rightly points out, the youth unemployment rate reached 14% in December at 50,700 persons, which is below the EU average of 15.2% and euro area average of 14.8%. As everyone would accept, I think it is not unusual for youth unemployment rates to be higher than those of older cohorts, due to a lack of relevant work experience among younger workers, skills mismatches or difficulties experienced moving between education and employment, with clear seasonal and demographic patterns. This is nothing new in that regard. However, many of these factors are temporary in nature. As young people widen their professional networks and gain broader work and life experience, their employment prospects improve. The Deputy raised an action plan. It is a valid point and anybody in this Chamber can work on these things.”
“This reflects the resilience of the economy and the success of Government policies supporting job creation, fostering innovation and providing opportunities across sectors. Skills and talent are in high demand with near full employment and continued growth in ICT, pharmaceuticals, medtech, financial services and agrifood driven by both indigenous firms and foreign direct investment providing opportunities for young people to begin exciting careers. All the research in the past week from three or four different bodies showed that the Irish workforce and population is now either the fourth or second most educated workforce in the world. While unemployment edged up to 5% in December, it remains broadly consistent with full employment.”
“I am grateful to Deputy O'Reilly for raising this important issue. While I am taking it on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, it is one I have a personal interest in. We spent many a day on this topic in the previous Dáil. As the Deputy will know, the programme for government sets out a strong enterprise and fiscal framework prioritising economic and employment growth, with a target of creating 300,000 extra jobs by 2030. I am pleased to report that Ireland's labour market continues to perform strongly with record employment of over 2.8 million people last year, rising participation and sustained growth. For clarity there are more people at work today in Ireland than the population of Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s.”
“It gives us a great opportunity to discuss events that have occupied the public mind over the past number of days and weeks, and indeed have haunted the minds of many people who use social media or, more pertinently, have children who use social media. It also gives an opportunity to talk about the wider strategy. I look forward to engaging thoughtfully and earnestly with all Deputies from across the aisle and the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, looks forward to responding at the end of the debate.”
“As Ireland prepares to take the wheel for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, it is a huge opportunity for Ireland to shape and drive forward work in the areas we believe are of the greatest relevance for the European Union and, crucially, its citizens. Next October Ireland will host an Al and digital summit in Dublin. This will be a flagship event bringing together over 1,000 participants to include thought leaders, businesses, governments and innovators. The Department is looking forward to showcasing lreland’s leadership in Al and digital innovation, fostering collaboration across EU member states, and exploring opportunities for ethical, sustainable, and inclusive technology development. This debate comes at a particular moment but it is a timely one regardless.”
“The Department will continue to develop an environment where funding for entrepreneurs is accessible, and ambition is backed so that transformative ideas that create jobs and drive progress can be realised and scaled right here in Ireland. The Government shortly plans to publish an updated national digital and Al strategy, which will set out a clear roadmap for lreland’s digital and Al adoption and development in the years ahead. The strategy will take a whole-of-government approach. Alongside commitments to Al adoption across sectors and company sizes, it will address the wider critical enablers for a successful digital economy, building on Ireland’s strengths in digital skills to infrastructure and the way we deliver our public services.”
“Under this plan, €1.33 billion has been allocated for enterprise innovation and commercialisation, including €190 million in funding for technology centres, €196 million for the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, €170 million for European Space Agency programmes and €120 million for Important Projects of Common European Interest. Innovation is what drives our competitiveness. By investing in disruptive technologies, research collaborations and digital transformation, the Government is positioning Ireland as a global leader in advanced manufacturing, Al and space technologies. The Department also allocated €250 million to the seed and venture capital programme and €100 million to a new scaling fund for Irish SMEs.”
“This fund awards funding to collaborations between SMEs, multinational corporations and research performing organisations and Al is increasingly at the centre of these projects. The number of DTIF projects placing Al at the core of their solutions has grown rapidly. To date, €183 million has been invested by Government in the 51 DTIF projects that place Al at the core of their solutions. The Department is determined to accelerate this progress even further so that Ireland remains well positioned as new technologies continue to evolve. Our recently announced sectoral capital plan reflects that ambition. It will strengthen Irish SMEs and attract world-class foreign investment.”
“The Department is building on this momentum and recently announced a further €23 million in additional funding for lreland’s four European digital innovation hubs to support SMEs in their uptake of Al and other cutting edge digital technologies. These hubs in Cork, Dublin, Mullingar and Sligo are delivering real and practical supports that help SMEs understand, test and adopt advanced digital technologies with confidence. Ireland already has a strong reputation as a choice location to research, test, develop and scale the latest cutting-edge technologies. This has not happened by chance. It is the result of sustained investment in our talent, creativity and capacity to innovate. The impact of this investment can be clearly seen in initiatives like the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund.”
“Trust and effective regulation give us a strong foundation. Equally important to our future success is to fast-track widespread adoption of digital and Al technologies across the Department’s enterprise sector. The Department has seen first hand the impact that Al can have on boosting productivity and enhancing competitiveness in firms of all sizes. The Department’s key focus is to empower more businesses, particularly SMEs, to do exactly that. The Department is working with the local enterprise offices, European digital innovation hubs and enterprise agencies to ensure that every SME is aware of the benefits of Al use and the State supports available to them. These range from targeted funding programmes, expert guidance and consultancy to research and development grants.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, has been vocal at meetings with ministerial colleagues across the EU that Ireland believes the digital simplification package should take a dynamic, ambitious and risk-based approach, focused on removing regulatory overlaps, reducing administrative burdens and yet supporting compliance. However, the Department wants to be clear that simplification does not mean deregulation. The proposed simplification measures have been arrived at through significant stakeholder consultation by the Commission. They maintain the same high standards for safety and fundamental rights protection while ensuring more effective implementation of the Al Act. The Department is confident we can create a future where innovation and integrity go hand in hand with a more simplified and straightforward approach to deregulation.”
“They are also aligned with a wider European effort to ensure regulation is effective and proportionate. In October, the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, sent a letter to her colleague, Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice president for technological sovereignty, security and democracy. This letter called for an ambitious digital simplification package that supports the EU’s strategic positioning as the location of choice for trustworthy digital innovation. The European Commission’s digital simplification omnibus package, published last November, is an important development because it includes proposals to simplify rules on data, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. These proposals are a very welcome first step to improving competitiveness at an EU level.”
“The office will act as Ireland’s central authority for implementing the EU Al Act. It will also promote research and adoption. All businesses should begin assessing their Al use and compliance. The Department has already put resources in place to help businesses do that, through CeADAR, Ireland’s national centre for applied Al, the Department’s website and the EU Al Act service desk’s compliance checker. The Department also needs a place where businesses can safely test, learn and innovate. An important function of the office will be to ensure the establishment of a national Al regulatory sandbox. This sandbox will support Irish businesses, particularly SMEs and start-ups, to navigate the Al Act requirements while driving innovation. Together, these measures strengthen our national framework for trustworthy Al.”
“The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is firmly committed to implementing the EU Al Act, which is a forward-looking framework that balances innovation with proportionate safeguards. The Department is making very good progress. It has adopted a distributed model implementation allowing businesses to work with regulators who understand their sectors, making compliance more practical and effective. This past Tuesday, the Government approved priority drafting of legislation to give full effect in Ireland to the EU Al Act. Looking to the months ahead, the Al office of Ireland is set to be established by August 2026, supported by €1.5 million in start-up funding. Work is well under way on the general scheme of the regulation of artificial intelligence, which will create the office as an independent statutory body.”
“The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will continue to couple bold innovation with strong, trusted governance. Citizens and businesses need confidence that Al systems are safe, fair, trustworthy and accountable. The Grok Al scandal and the misuse of Al to generate appalling deepfake images is a prime example of why governance is so important. This leads me to one of my, and the Government's, key ambitions in the broader Al agenda, namely, cementing Ireland’s position as a centre of regulatory excellence and as a strong voice in Europe advocating for well-designed digital regulation that is fit for purpose to protect individuals' safety and fundamental rights while enabling innovation.”
“Building public trust in Al is at the heart of Ireland’s Al strategy. Our Government has prioritised putting in place the appropriate governance mechanisms and guardrails to ensure Al is used responsibly in Ireland. The opportunity Al offers is immense, but so too is the Department’s responsibility to get this right and to use Al for our greater good in business, the economy and wider society. That is why the Department has been actively working to build public understanding of Al through trusted independent voices, including the enterprise digital advisory forum and the Al advisory council; implementing the EU Al Act; rolling out standards and certification for Al; establishing a new Al office of Ireland; and making Ireland's voice heard in international Al governance forums.”
“This is the largest ever investment in our enterprise and innovation ecosystem. It is a long-term commitment to jobs, competitiveness and building the infrastructure that the world’s most advanced enterprises demand. Crucially, more than €1.3 billion of this plan is dedicated to enterprise, innovation and commercialisation. That means sustained investment in disruptive technologies, technology centres, research partnerships and major European projects. Through these investments, we are clearly signalling our ambition to position Ireland as a global leader in advanced manufacturing, Al and space technologies. As the Department pursues this ambition, we must also acknowledge that rapid technological progress brings real societal challenges, particularly around safety, privacy and the protection of fundamental rights.”
“The Attorney General has also been asked to advise on other mechanisms within the legal framework to protect people from digital harms like these. To move on, the Department would like to share its key priorities and long-term vision for Ireland’s approach to artificial intelligence. Our country has long been recognised as a dynamic and forward-looking digital hub, but maintaining this position demands continuous effort and ambition. To secure the country’s place at the forefront of technological change, it is essential to embrace the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across the economy and wider society. Last week’s announcement of the €4.7 billion sectoral capital plan marks a decisive moment in our ambition to lead in innovation and advanced technologies.”
“Under the online safety framework, there is an obligation on platforms to act on reports of illegal content, so the public can report illegal content to the online platform, which must react on that report, and to Coimisiún na Meán. A failure by the platform to protect against illegal or harmful content being shown can lead to significant financial sanctions and, under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management. Under the Digital Services Act, the European Commission has powers with respect to the proliferation of illegal content online on platforms, including X, and the protection of fundamental rights, including protection for minors. Coimisiún na Meán is engaging with the European Commission in this context in relation to Grok.”
“It is a great pleasure to address the House on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, who will join us momentarily. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment asked me to begin by addressing the serious concerns that all of us have in relation to the abuse of Al capabilities, more specifically regarding Grok’s ability to "nudify" individuals without their consent. To be absolutely clear, the sharing of non-consensual intimate images is illegal and the generation of child sexual abuse material is illegal. Coimisiún na Meán, as Ireland's new online safety and media regulator, is at the heart of Ireland’s online safety framework, including the regulation of social media.”
“Irish farmers operate to some of the highest standards in the world, and it is neither fair nor sustainable to expose them to increased competition from imports produced under different conditions without adequate safeguards. That is why, in line with the programme for Government commitment, Ireland voted against the signature of the EU-Mercosur agreement. That vote reflects a consistent, credible and principled position. It supports open and fair trade. It values Ireland's membership of the European Union. It recognises that the agreement will undoubtedly benefit other sectors of the economy but it refuses to accept a deal where the risks to agriculture and rural Ireland have not been adequately addressed.”
“The EU-Mercosur agreement is viewed by many member states and by the Commission as a strategic instrument in a changing and uncertain global trade environment. Ireland understands that context and has engaged with it seriously and responsibly. However, strategic considerations cannot override the lived reality of Irish farming families or the structure of the Irish rural economy. Indeed that message was delivered loud and clear by the large numbers of farmers and farming families who attended the rally in Athlone over the weekend and countless other meetings and engagement with every single member of the Government parties. The Government recognises that agriculture in Ireland is not just an economic sector; it is a social and regional foundation.”
“The Sinn Féin motion tonight, in line with its motion in 2019, proposes we would remove ourselves from any negotiations, simply accept what is presented and just put in our vote but that is not how the EU or qualified majority voting works. If the Deputies opposite do not know it, they should know. The conclusion made by the Irish Government was reached following detailed examination, consultation with stakeholders and engagement with like-minded member states. It was not predetermined and it was not ideological. The Sinn Féin motion fails to acknowledge that reality, that governing requires ongoing analysis, engagement with a variety of stakeholders and careful, balanced decision-making.”
“Ireland has been absolutely clear that CAP must remain a central pillar of the European Union and must be adequately resourced to reflect the cumulative pressures facing farmers, from market volatility to climate obligations to regulatory change. The Government welcomes these additional commitments and acknowledges that they represent a genuine response to concerns raised by Ireland and others but welcoming progress does not require us to suspend judgment or to ignore remaining risks. On balance, the Government concluded that the package of measures did not sufficiently mitigate the risks to Irish agriculture or to the rural economy but we consistently worked to try to achieve a package of measures.”
“They were the direct consequence of member states insisting that agriculture could not simply be treated as collateral damage in a broader trade deal. Those measures included a safeguard mechanism to protect against surges in import volumes or significant price falls in the EU market; an enhanced financial safety net for farmers; strengthened sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, controls, including a commitment to increase audits and checks by 50%; and commitments on the alignment of production and SPS standards, particularly in relation to pesticides and animal welfare. The Commission also proposed additional flexibility within the EU budget and enhanced availability of Common Agricultural Policy funding for farmers and rural communities in the context of the next multi-annual financial framework.”
“As a result of sustained pressure from Ireland and others, further negotiations took place. In December 2024, the EU and Mercosur agreed an additional legal instrument on trade and sustainability commitments. That represented progress but the Government was clear that progress alone would not be enough. What mattered was whether the final package, taken as a whole, adequately addressed Ireland's core concerns, particularly those of Irish farmers and rural communities. In October 2025, following continued advocacy by Ireland and other concerned member states, the European Commission presented a set of flanking measures aimed at addressing agricultural concerns. These measures were not incidental.”
“That balance between opportunity and protection and between competitiveness and sustainability has been at the heart of the Government's approach to the EU-Mercosur agreement. Ireland's concerns about the EU-Mercosur agreement are long-standing and well documented. Following the initial political agreement reached in 2019, the then Government, alongside other EU governments, expressed strong objections and insisted that the EU and Mercosur return to the negotiating table. Those objections were grounded in substance, not ideology. They reflected concerns about the impact on sensitive agricultural sectors, about the enforceability of sustainability commitments and about the fairness of exposing EU farmers to increased competition from producers operating under different regulatory and environmental regimes.”
“It got a bit woolly on it during the Brexit years when it thought it might be able to back it but its true colours are showing and it is trying to catch up with people who have been criticising it for its lack of consistency on the European front. However, openness is very clear; it has never meant naivety. The Government has always been clear that trade policy must be balanced. Supporting open, rules-based trade does not mean supporting every trade agreement in any form, regardless of its distributional impact or its consequences for vulnerable sectors. The Irish Government has consistently shown this. We have backed the trade deals that have been beneficial to Ireland and we have worked on trade deals to improve them and make them even more beneficial to crucial sectors.”
“Through the EU, Ireland has benefited from a network of free trade agreements that have opened markets, supported exports and reinforced high standards in areas such as food safety, animal and plant health, environmental protection, labour rights and sustainability. For a country that exports approximately 90% of the food and drink we produce, trade is indispensable. Deputy Carthy gave the game away. Sinn Féin has opposed every single EU trade deal and has voted and campaigned against every single European treaty since the referendum in 1972 on Ireland joining the then EEC. Sinn Féin is a Eurosceptic party. It always has been.”
“Our prosperity has not been built on natural resources or protectionism but on the talent of our people, on innovation, on high-quality agricultural production and on our ability to compete in global markets. Deputy Farrell was right when she said that Irish beef is world-known. It is known because of the consistent effort to go on trade missions to get access to markets such as the reopening of the Chinese market to Irish beef this week. Our membership of the European Union is fundamental to that success. It amplifies our influence and allows us to shape trade agreements that reflect EU values and standards.”
“It represents the kind of diplomacy that a small, influential member state must practice if it is to defend its interests effectively within the European Union. That is something this Government and Irish Governments of every fold can look back throughout our membership of the European Union and point to real actual wins over time. That effort matters and it is entirely ignored in the Sinn Féin motion. The lack of real assessment and objective analysis of the work that goes in at EU level sticks in my craw. It is also essential to situate this debate in the wider context of Ireland's approach to trade. Trade is not an abstract concept for this country. It is central to our economic model, to our employment base and to the living standards of our people in urban and in rural communities. Ireland is an open, outward-facing economy.”
“Our objective throughout was to stand up for Irish farmers, to protect the rural economy and to ensure that Ireland's voice was heard clearly and credibly at EU level. Government Ministers engaged extensively with EU counterparts. That engagement was sustained over time and took place across multiple forums: European Council meetings, sectoral Council meetings, bilateral engagements and direct dialogue with the European Commission, including during a focused visit by trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, in October last year. The purpose of that broad-based engagement was twofold - first, to attempt to build a blocking minority of member states and second, to seek substantive changes and safeguards that would meaningfully address Ireland's concerns. That work was done seriously and persistently.”
“Ireland's opposition to the EU-Mercosur agreement has been consistent and focused on ensuring the best outcome for our most vulnerable sectors, both in our efforts to achieve a blocking minority and in our work to seek out supports and protections for our farmers in the event the agreement would ultimately be adopted. Crucially, Ireland did not stand alone and shout from the sidelines. The Sinn Féin Deputy who criticised Government and Opposition Members' absence is himself absent having made that assertion. One has to worry about when to take people seriously in this Chamber. Every effort was undertaken by the Government to work with like-minded member states which shared our concerns about the agreement. Who else voted against this? France, Austria, Poland and Hungary. The Belgians abstained.”
“It sets out clearly the actions taken by the Government, the evolution in the agreement in terms of trade and sustainability commitments, the significant concessions obtained from the European Union to address the concerns of the agricultural sector and the basis on which Ireland reached its decision. It is that position I wish to place fully and clearly on the record of Dáil Éireann this evening. On 9 January, EU member states voted on the signature of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. That vote was carried by a qualified majority. Ireland voted against the adoption of the agreement. That vote was entirely consistent with the programme for Government and with the position articulated by this Government repeatedly and unambiguously over a sustained period. It is important to emphasise that this decision was not a symbolic gesture.”
“The Government rejects entirely the arguments and positions put forward in the Sinn Féin motion before the Dáil and, indeed, the contributions from the Sinn Féin Deputies heretofore. The motion does not reflect the reality of what the Government has done, nor does it acknowledge the sustained, serious and good-faith efforts undertaken by Government Ministers, officials and diplomats at the European Union level, and with like-minded EU member states, to oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement and to defend the interests of Irish farmers and rural communities. I am utterly aghast at some of the revisionism coming from Deputies so far. The Government countermotion replaces assertion with fact.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes the vote of the European Union (EU) member states on 9th January, which accepted by a qualified majority the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and recognises that: — every effort was undertaken by the Government to work with like-minded EU member states who shared concerns with the Mercosur agreement to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the Mercosur Trade Agreement; and — Government Ministers, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence have worked extensively with fellow EU ministers to make changes to the Mercosur Trade Agreement, but the improvements made unfortunately were not acceptable to the Government; further recognises that: — following the initial Mercosur Trade Agreement, which was agreed in 2019, the then Government and other EU governments expressed strong objections to the agreement, and required the EU and Mercosur to return to the negotiation table; — in 2024, the EU and Mercosur agreed an additional legal instrument on trade and sustainability commitments; — in October 2025, the European Commission (EC) responded to the demands of Ireland and other concerned member states by presenting a number of flanking measures to address the concerns of the agriculture sector; — these additional measures included: — a 'safeguards' measure to protect against a surge in import volumes, or price falls in the EU; — a financial safety net for farmers; — strengthened sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls along with a 50 per cent increase in audits and checks; and — commitments on the alignment of production and SPS standards, notably on pesticides and animal welfare; — the EC has also proposed additional flexibility in the EU budget and to enhance the availability of Common Agricultural Policy funding for farmers and rural communities; and notes that while the additional commitments are welcome, on balance, the Government considered they are not sufficient to satisfy the concerns of Irish farmers and citizens; and welcomes, in line with the firm commitment in the Programme for Government that the Government voted against the adoption of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement." I want to be absolutely clear.”
“This is not a nice thing to have or a luxury for a lot of people; it is the means to be able to buy food at the end of the week. When people lose power, that affects their businesses and farms because there are additional costs in respect of batteries, torches or whatever else. I am very grateful to the Senator for raising this issue.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this issue. There were outages in my constituency on Tuesday night, which affected residents in Kilternan, Stepaside and Carrickmines. People wondered what would happen afterwards and what recourse they had, in particular in respect of standing charges which are under price review 6. A lot needs to happen to our infrastructure in this country, in particular energy infrastructure. The Senator is correct. The review on tree lines and everything else is key. I have no doubt that, in the coming weeks and months and probably before the House returns after the festive break, we will deal with constituents who have unfortunately faced outages due to weather events that happen at this time of year. The guarantee scheme offers an opportunity to such people.”