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.”
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“The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within the European Union regulatory regime, wherein those markets are commercial, liberalised and competitive. Operating within this framework of responsibility for the regulation of electricity and gas markets is solely a matter for the CRU. It ended its regulation of retail prices in the electricity market in 2011 and in the gas market in 2014. Price setting by suppliers, including standing chargers or waivers, is, therefore, a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned. I will refer the Senator to the area of the network repair guarantee, which may be a more appropriate model that could be considered, enhanced or improved to deal with the sort of issues he has so clearly laid out in the Chamber.”
“Customers are free to switch between suppliers and competition between suppliers allows customers to make significant savings, and we always encourage competition in the market. Where outages do occur, ESB Networks operates a network repair guarantee. It aims to restore supply within four hours after any interruption. If a customer is without power for 24 hours after ESB Networks is notified of a fault, domestic customers can claim €65 and business customers can claim €130. Customers can claim an extra €35 for every additional 12 hours they are without power. ESB Networks is not able to offer this guarantee in exceptional cases such as storms or extensive disruption to electricity supplies. However, I am sure the Senator will agree with me that ESB Networks responds to storms in an exemplary way.”
“This investment will deliver the resilience our energy system needs to withstand extreme weather events. The Senator spoke extremely eloquently in this Chamber and elsewhere on the impact of Storm Éowyn and other storms, in particular those affecting his home community of Roscommon. These regulated network charges are billed from the grid companies to electricity suppliers rather than end customers. Electricity customers pay their supplier a tariff to cover the cost to the supplier of buying electricity from a generator and paying network charges to the grid companies. As mentioned, how the supplier splits its prices between a per unit tariff and a standing charge is a commercial choice for the supplier.”
“I extend my gratitude and many seasonal happy returns for Christmas to Senator Scahill, his family and everyone in the Chamber this morning, in particular the amazing officials in the Houses of the Oireachtas who, when we think it is great to have an amazing late night emergency debate, are the ones who ultimately have to respond very quickly. Every five years, CRU approves the spending plans of EirGrid and ESB Networks, which are the companies charged with designing, operating, building and maintaining the electricity grid. These companies can then recover these allowed costs from their customers in accordance with tariffs that are approved and monitored by CRU. The Senator will have seen the announcement earlier this week by CRU of price review 6, which covers spending by the grid companies for 2026 to 2030.”
“As I said, there are in total 19,591 people in receipt of day services and 2,132 in rehabilitative training. I will make sure the Minister forwards further details to the Senator in a timely manner.”
“I thank the Senator again for raising this issue and for her clear questions. Before I get into the detail, and thankfully I have some of those numbers to hand, I will state that the ambition of this Government is to bring about a real step change in services for people with a disability in Ireland. It is committed to the expansion and reform of the disability service in order to maximise people's independence and help to support them. This is reflected in the significant investment made in specialist disability services in recent years, with a record investment of €3.8 billion in 2026 alone. This includes funding for a new cohort of 1,400 school leavers and 53 day service places for non-school leavers. Some €44.3 million was secured in budget 2026 for day services. These services are provided in 1,091 locations by 97 different providers.”
“The aim of the trials is to test the monitoring approach in a range of adult day service locations, continuing consultation with stakeholders throughout, including having people with a disability as part of the assessment team carrying out the monitoring visits. In regard to the Senator's more pertinent final question on laying out a hard timeline, there is extreme difficulty in this because the priority for the Minister is to make sure this is done right, is fit for purpose and reflects the true needs. Placing an arbitrary hard timeline is probably not the appropriate thing to do at this stage. However, I agree that this could perhaps move at a faster pace.”
“In preparation for a formal monitoring structure, all day service locations are required, as the Senator alluded to, to self-evaluate under the evaluation action service improvement process for continuous quality improvement, which features as part of their service agreements with HSE. The consultation on the proposed outcomes-focused monitoring framework for adult day services concluded in the third quarter of 2024 and included 1,800 family responses, separate consultations with 80 service users and 96 direct support staff, and nine focus groups with standard leads across all community health organisations. A series of trial monitoring visits has taken place in 2025 and these visits are due to continue into 2026.”
“The first phase of the implementation plan for standards focused on developing a process of continuous quality improvement for day services in line with these standards, while the second phase is the development of a monitoring system that will provide a mechanism for assurance quality and safety update services. The HSE, working in partnership with the National Disability Authority, persons using adult day services and the disability umbrella bodies, is developing an outcomes-focused monitoring system for adult day services in support of implementing standards.”
“The New Directions policy is implemented using a continuous quality improvement approach under the guidance of the New Directions implementation group and in line with New Directions standards published in 2025, which were referred to as interim standards at the time. These interim standards, or standards, continue to underpin the delivery of New Directions day services. They require service providers and key stakeholders to involve people with disabilities in the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the services and supports provided. The implementation plan for these standards was developed in conjunction with the disability sector and in consultation with HIQA.”
“This policy is underpinned by the values of person-centredness, community inclusion, active citizenship and equality. Each person should have access to flexible and outcome-driven supports to enable them to live a life of their choosing that meets their own wishes, aspirations and needs. In 2025, the HSE projects it will provide day services to 20,600 individuals with a disability, up from just over 19,500 in 2024, together with a further 2,000 or more in rehabilitative training services. These services are provided at almost 1,300 locations around the country by 97 service provider agencies. Adult day services and rehabilitative training programmes are delivered by a combination of the HSE section 38 and section 39 organisations, as well as private providers.”
“I am grateful to Senator Costello for raising this important issue and offering me an opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, who, as per Senator Tully, finds herself in the Dáil answering oral questions. As a heads-up to Senator Scahill, the next Minister due in will also be in the Dáil in about ten minutes' time. I am sorry to say I have been entrusted with responding on behalf of both of them. Day services, as the Senator laid out, are part of a suite of support services that enable people with specialist disability services needs to live within the community. As outlined by the Senator, the New Directions policy, published in 2013, lays out the manner in which adults with disabilities receive disability day services.”
“This is the key issue and it is mirrored in relation to additional places in our third level institutions. We need more staff. The more staff we have, the more people will get their assessments and therapies. We are working on a concrete plan to make sure that is rolled out in a timely manner.”
“It is important to recognise that, while those two specific cases were very clearly brought to this Chamber, I know they are representative of a much wider cohort, not just in Cavan, but around the country. The Senator is right to ask what the workforce plan is and what the solution is to make sure that those children do not just get assessed in time but get that one-on-one contact with the therapists they need. Budget 2026 has provided €20 million for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments to the targeted waiting list and a further €8 million has been secured in the budget to allow for the funding of 150 additional posts to the children and disability network teams. Over the last five years, the disabilities workforce in the HSE and section 38 providers has grown by over 21%.”
“The Minister does reaffirm, however, that the Government, the HSE and its funded agencies remain committed to the delivery of appropriate services for children with disabilities and their families and to continue advancing services that meet their needs. I provide this reply not in any sort of political or combative way but to try to say that the Senator outlines very real and stark concerns about the upper-end waiting times that these poor children, whose cases the Senator has raised in the Chamber, may be facing into. I wanted to provide the real context and say we were aware of that and were acknowledging it. We are committed to, and are, putting the resources in, which we hope will reduce those waiting lists and, more importantly, make sure those children are seen a heck of a lot sooner than is perhaps thought at the moment.”
“To tackle these challenges, waiting list supports and initiatives have been put in place in CDNT services in Cavan, such as: diagnostic assessments, cognitive assessments and discipline-specific assessments outsourced to private providers; use of therapy assistant posts to support clinicians in service provision; and the use of recruitment agencies to source staff where Enable Ireland’s normal recruitment pathways have been unsuccessful. The HSE has also advised that staffing levels have improved in the last 12 months, and the local team is systematically working through the longest waiters on the waiting list. The Senator acknowledged that in relation to staffing.”
“There is an overall national increase of 8% in staffing in the CDNT workforce compared to the workforce as of the last survey in October 2024. This means there is an overall reduction in unfilled posts from 29% in October 2023 to 18% in April 2025, and an overall growth in the workforce of 415 whole-time equivalent staff since October 2023. The Government has continued to make funding available in 2025 for children’s services. Speaking on Cavan specifically, the HSE has advised that the total number of children receiving services in a CDNT at the end of November stood at 380. The number of children on the waiting list at the end of November stood at 194 children, with 172 of those waiting over 12 months.”
“Under the roadmap, children’s disability network teams continue to deliver supports for almost 45,000 children with complex needs, and despite increasing demand for services, the total number of children awaiting services has continued to fall nationally. Since the implementation of the roadmap was approved, this national CDNT waiting list has reduced from circa 16,500 to closer to 10,000 children at the end of September of this year. Children’s disability network team staffing remains a key priority. The most recent CDNT workforce survey conducted outlines 2,009 posts filled in CDNTs and 445 posts vacant as of April. This survey outlines continued growth in staffing in all regions and a corresponding reduction in vacancy rates.”
“I extend my gratitude to the Senator for raising these pertinent issues and, in particular, bringing light to the cases of James, Méabh and their families. As the Senator will know, the relevant Ministers are currently in the Dáil answering oral parliamentary questions, which is why I am here. The Government fully recognises the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities in Ireland, including those living in Cavan. In early 2023, the specialist disability function transferred from the Department of Health to its current Department. This ensured appropriate focus was given to the challenges being faced by people with disabilities. Under the programme for Government, the Government is committed to ensuring children and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access that support in a timely way.”
“I know there is more to discuss and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I look forward to doing so with Deputies on Committee Stage. I commend the Bill to the House.”
“These values are the foundations on which the Government has built a stable economic environment, an environment that is driven by policies that facilitate, liberalise and protect. This economic model has created hundreds of thousands of jobs for our people over the decades, and has raised our quality of life. It is clear that this economic model is worth protecting and nourishing, and it certainly stands up to any of the alternatives proposed. Fully ratifying CETA, and similar international agreements, is quite rightly a priority for the Government. In order to ratify these agreements this amendment to the Arbitration Act is necessary. Trade works. Free, fair and open trade is to the benefit of this jurisdiction and all people who reside therein. Passing this legislation, moving it to the Final Stage, is a vital ingredient in that.”
“Investment dispute resolution is important to ensure that Irish companies investing abroad have access to an effective international remedy if investment protection provisions are not complied with in a third country and, naturally, companies investing in Ireland want similar reassurances. The protections provided to investors under international agreements containing investment protection provisions include the principles of non-discrimination, fair and equitable treatment, and compensation in cases of expropriation. These principles form part of the global rules-based trading system. Let us not forget that our partners share our values, which are rooted in a shared heritage with strong diasporic linkages.”
“Nor can we take for granted the range of progressive free trade agreements we benefit from every day, agreements that are negotiated on our behalf by the European Union as a bloc of 27 countries and 440 million citizens. It is the world's largest economic bloc. The new generation trade and investment agreements are some of the most far-reaching deals ever concluded. The EU's new investment protection chapters provide a robust legal framework that have been examined, verified, and agreed by member states, in the Council and by the Parliament. The investment protection provisions liberalise market access, facilitate dispute settlement and simplify administrative procedures to encourage reciprocal investment.”
“These flows of investment have been promoted by Ireland and embedded with OECD standards to create an environment that is attractive, resilient, and competitive for both domestic and foreign investment. These investment flows are aligned with sustainable development goals and are not done at the expense of fundamental freedoms or our democratic and cultural values. In the world we are in at the moment, it is very clear that Ireland stands on its values and is noted as such. Our strong adherence to the rule of law, our integration into the European Union, and our commitment to international obligations and standards has made Ireland a trusted partner overseas and a reliable location for foreign direct investment. That said, Ireland cannot take this trust in our country for granted.”
“Since joining the European Economic Community in 1973, Ireland has emerged as one of the biggest investors and recipients of foreign direct investment worldwide. The flow of inward and outward investment has been transformational and a critical source of capital for developing new industries and innovative technologies at home and abroad. As Deputy Barry Ward referred to it, people love to talk about the bogeyman. I welcome multinationals. I also welcome the fact that in Leopardstown in my constituency, Microsoft employs over 3,700 people from 72 different countries. It is a good employer and it is boosting the economy, not just of my constituency but in the country as a whole, but it is an easy person to kick when it suits.”
“Indeed, I question when Deputy Boyd Barrett has ever been pro-trade, despite his assertions. I welcome Deputy Gogarty’s thoughtful support for the Bill and his rightful citing of both the issues in Belgium and Germany at a regional level, all of which were addressed. Crucially, as I stated, enactment of this Bill will enable Ireland’s ratification of CETA, the EU-Chile agreement as well as other EU-third country agreements with similar models of investor state decisions, such as those with Vietnam, Singapore and Mexico. Free and open trade has been at the heart of the Irish economy for decades. When Ireland shifted its trade policy from protectionism towards an outward-looking, international, free-trade approach, it lifted millions of Irish people out of poverty by supporting jobs, growth and investment in our country.”
“I commend Deputy Ward on forensically going through the clear legal actualities in this case. Deputies Smith and Boyd Barrett cited issues with the name of this legislation. I am not too sure what else we could call it; it is pretty clear. Deputy Kenny said that this is somehow being rushed but I remember making my first statement in these Houses on CETA in October 2016 as a Senator when we had our first legislative debate. Deputy Ó Murchú referred to the European affairs committee in the previous mandate and noted Government opposition, although those Members are no longer Members of these Houses. Indeed, that was prior to the legal challenge and the resolution presented. Deputy Murphy’s insistence on using terms like “dystopian” undermines legitimate aspects of his argument.”
“Deputies have raised a number of cases decided already under the long-standing system of investor state dispute settlement, common to older investor protection agreements, and they have pointed to these cases as, somehow, evidence of a problem with the new investor court system that is included in agreements such as CETA. Many have referred to failed cases. Others have talked about cases used under different systems. As mentioned in the Minister’s opening statement, no cases have been decided under ICS as none of the trade agreements containing this new dispute resolution system have entered into force. It focuses on pending cases. Indeed, Deputies Quaide and Ó Murchú referred specifically to countries leaving the Energy Charter Treaty. This, again, is under the ISDS model rather than the new ICS model.”
“As noted in the Minister’s opening statement, the investment dispute resolution provisions in this new generation of EU trade agreements differ significantly, rather than cosmetically as some have accused, from the long-standing ISDS. One of the key reforms is the inclusion of provisions which clarify that the parties to the agreements fully preserve their right to regulate for public policy purposes, such as the protection of public health, the environment and consumer protection. The right to regulate provisions are specifically designed to avoid any danger of so-called regulatory chill.”
“The Government has carefully considered the judgments delivered by the Supreme Court. The purpose of this Bill is, therefore, to fully address the findings of the majority of the Supreme Court in order to ensure that Irish law may enable Ireland’s ratification of these EU trade and investment agreements. As the Minister, Deputy McEntee, set out in her opening statement, the Bill will introduce a new procedure in Irish law for the enforcement of awards made by tribunals established under CETA and similar international agreements. It will also specify applicable safeguards. Second, some Deputies have raised the issue of regulatory chill. Many of them used the exact same term. They have cited cases under the long-standing investor state dispute settlement system.”
“Let us not forget that the full ratification and implementation of CETA was in the election manifestos on which I, Deputy Butterly and the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, ran and received a mandate and they subsequently entered into the programme for Government. This is something we put before the people. Returning to the Bill, I will address a number of points raised by the Deputies during the debate. First, the approach of the Government in bringing forward this legislation as an enabling step towards ratification has been questioned. As Deputies are aware, in the Costello case, the majority in the Supreme Court not only identified concerns which prevented the ratification of CETA as Irish law now stands, but also a legislative path to address the very concerns that had been identified.”
“Countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Vietnam and Singapore, are among the fastest growing in the world and we have yet to be able to meet our international commitments to them, including finalising agreements with them which they entered into in good faith. As the Minister, Deputy McEntee, outlined in her opening statement, at a time when free trade and the benefits it has brought to the Irish economy are under increasing pressure and, indeed, attack, it is an important signal that Ireland is seeking to ratify these trade agreements, which will provide our companies and exporters with new opportunities to expand and grow trade overseas.”
“EU trade deals have given us not just access to the Single Market but also the world through it. The EU currently has agreements in place with countries across the globe. They are as diverse as Japan and New Zealand to the east and Canada and Chile to our west. As the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Butterly, said, our trade and investment relationship with Canada is deep and growing, with over €10 billion in trade in 2023 and direct employment in each other’s economy of around 20,000 people. There is no constituency in this country that does not benefit massively from this. However, while our trade with Chile is perhaps more modest, it is growing and I am convinced a fully ratified agreement will support more trade and jobs in both Ireland and Chile.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to close this debate. I thank Deputies for their contributions and consideration of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill. I look forward to the opportunity to respond in this period to some of the issues raised. Crucially, I remind Deputies of the ultimate reason the Government is introducing this legislation, that is, to put Ireland, as a country that so greatly benefits from international trade, in a position where it is able to fully ratify the EU trade and investment agreements that we benefit massively from as an EU member state. Let us put this in context. Trade works and EU trade deals work. Before Ireland joined the then EEC in 1973, 55% of our exports went to one destination, Great Britain. Today, that is less than 10%. Trade works.”
“We will hold the British Government to its word to faithfully follow up its responsibilities in that regard. However, if this is to be successful and we are to build a united Ireland and fulfil the dream of generations of bringing our nation together under one state, we have to make sure that unity is not only towards a united Ireland but a better Ireland and a shared Ireland. I am more than happy, as Senator Blaney said, to work with every single politician, from all parties and none, and every member of civil society and beyond to achieve that aim, regardless of the position I hold.”
“Think of people from Senator Kelleher’s constituency of Cork North-West or Senator Conway’s constituency of Waterford, bearing in mind that Senators’ constituents are the whole island. Of the people from their localities, how many actually travel to Belfast or Derry? How many people from Belfast come down to spend time in Dublin for sport, culture or heritage? We are not doing enough to break down that barrier. We need to get more people to view this as a single destination and crucially, from a political and governmental point of view, we need to make sure the agreement’s institutions work and deliver for people in meaningful ways that they can feel in their day-to-day lives. After far too long, we are finally starting to address the legacy of the past.”
“On the citizens’ assembly, I have had the debate many times: do we have it before the decision is made that a border poll is required or afterwards? Will we really get buy-in if it is just an aspirational thing? I think it merits deeper thought and discussion. That is not to dismiss it but it is not the catch-all or win-all. Maybe it is like the “Field of Dreams” and if you build it, they will come. I remain very much open-minded on that. Therefore the Government has no issue supporting this motion. The key point remains. The most important thing we can do at the moment is to promote reconciliation - real reconciliation between affected communities but also breaking down the real but invisible barriers that all of us surely recognise.”
“However, in purely practical terms, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland must call a referendum if it appears likely to him or her that there is a majority in favour of a united Ireland. However, the Secretary of State has stated unambiguously that there is no evidence that the necessary conditions have been met. If there is a future referendum within the consent provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, we will make all necessary preparations in accordance with the terms of the Constitution and the principles and procedures of the agreement. There were two points raised in the motion that refer to an all-party Oireachtas committee. A great deal was done by the committee in the previous Dáil and I welcome that being brought up again in this Oireachtas but that is a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas rather than the Government.”
“The Government and, I trust, every Member of this House are committed to supporting inclusive dialogue with all communities and traditions alike. I want to address one point Senator Nicole Ryan raised in relation to pregnancy loss. This is something that touches every household and family and does not recognise any border. The points the Senator made were very well put. It is a little bit far from my remit but I am more than happy to bring it up with the relevant Minister and I hope we can get a resolution on that long before this House is dissolved, if not before. I want to reassure the House that the Government is not blind to the growing debate on our constitutional future - some of us have even joined it. The opposite is true: we follow it very closely; we participate in it.”
“I really hope the sort of abuse that my late parents would have grown up with in Dublin, or lived with in Dublin, at the height of the Troubles for being part of the minority community and being othered or seen as lesser citizens because of our religious background should be gone. It is a brutal form of prejudice. We see it more widely in society and we rightly condemn racism, homophobia and hatred that, unfortunately, is unleashed online but I do not think we have been loud enough in our very clear and unequivocal condemnation. We must continue that and look at it again.”
“It reminded me of growing up in the late 1980s and 1990s, going to visit family in Ballynahinch or Banbridge with red, white and blue bunting everywhere and being really worried about where we would bring our southern registration car. I definitely could not wear my “Jack the lad” t-shirt and tricolour shorts. Without being glib, that has been released and we are starting to see it creep back in with a level of acceptance. I welcome Senator Murphy’s comments in particular on the need for reconciliation but I would invite all Members of this Chamber to vehemently condemn that level of returning sectarian abuse. We cannot have that come back into our Republic. We are better than that.”
“We must also be ready for challenging conversations to create a more reconciled society. It is no great mystery - I come from the minority religious tradition. I am the grandson of an Orangeman. The Cathaoirleach and I have visited unionist and loyalist communities together as proud republicans who are united Irelanders. I must say, in the presidential election campaign, a level of vile sectarianism was unleashed that I thought had died off. Heather Humpreys is a friend of mine. Regardless of any politics or electoral things, what she was subjected to and what her husband was subjected to online and in person was so disgusting.”
“Sadly, in the past calendar year, there have been many events, particularly extreme weather events, that have recognised no artificial Border on this island and it behoves us all to have the level of co-operation that, at times of great peril, have brought out the best in our communities. Now, from a political and leadership point of view, we must make sure they are practical and resourced because these practical examples of co-operation can only serve to enhance the lives of all of us who are lucky enough to live on this island. As I said earlier, the Good Friday Agreement further states that an essential aspect of the reconciliation process is the promotion of a culture of tolerance at every level of society. These practical initiatives I have just highlighted are an important part of building our shared future, but more is required.”
“We made some commitments on a ministerial level that have borne fruit, such as joint trade missions to Singapore and greater co-operation between Invest Northern Ireland, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. We must maintain that level of commitment, and I hope the Senator keeps watch on his successors in office to make sure they do because it is important. At the most recent plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council on 17 October last, among the issues discussed was co-operation on emergency planning and preparedness between the two jurisdictions. Supported by the shared island initiative, fire and emergency services from both sides of the Border are deepening their co-operation to enhance capacity and training on management of flooding events and on technical search and rescue operations.”
“On 18 November last, the Cabinet approved ten new shared island fund allocations of up to €56 million, including €2 million for the introduction of a Dublin-Derry public service obligation, PSO, air route; €5.9 million for cross-Border emergency-management capacity building; and €6 million for the new shared home place programme, to mention but a few. We continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive through the North-South Ministerial Council, one of the cornerstones of cross-Border political co-operation. I remember fondly that when he was the economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive and I was a Minister of State in the Department of enterprise, one of my first meetings was with Senator Conor Murphy.”
“This will be the first bridge connecting North and South since partition and, when complete, it will be a boon to tourism in the Carlingford Lough area and a symbol of peace and connection in the locality and on this island. That kind of symbolic and practical connectivity is hugely significant in terms of reconciliation and how we can better and more productively share this island. The shared island initiative it is not limited to large infrastructure projects, however. It also supports media, the arts, emergency planning, the environment, entrepreneurship and many other sectors.”
“Senator Blaney referenced quite eloquently the real obstacles to prosperity and reconciliation that have come from political quarters in the past decade or two. We must acknowledge that and ensure those obstacles are not allowed to crop up again in the debate. At the heart of our role is as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement; our shared responsibility for peace and reconciliation across these islands. The Government, through the shared island initiative, is putting a sustained focus on building a shared, reconciled future for all communities on the island. It has supported large infrastructure projects such as the upgrading of the Dublin-Belfast rail link to an hourly service and the construction of the Narrow Water bridge. Senator Conor Murphy will have been able to take advantage of at least one of those.”
“We are quite clear we have an ambitious agenda that is delivering tangible results for the people of this island and we will continue with it. We continue to capitalise on the window of opportunity offered to us by the reset in Ireland-UK relations. In fact, the British-Irish Council, which is meeting this week, is focusing on creative industries, which are important to our cultural and economic lives. This biannual meeting established by the Good Friday Agreement continues to bring together the Governments and Administrations of these islands to explore how we can continue to build prosperity for our people. The UK-Ireland joint statement agreed in March at the UK-Ireland summit makes clear that the reset in our relations will only be meaningful if it includes and delivers for the people of Northern Ireland.”
“We are committed to the unity of the Irish people, and we believe that we will only achieve that through a sustained focus on, and investment in, reconciliation. That is financial as well as emotional investment. We are committed to enhancing co-operation, connections and engagement with all communities and traditions to build a shared future. We are hard at work preparing for this shared future, whatever shape it takes, as well as building a better Ireland today. The Ireland Senator Andrews described is unrecognisable to me and different from the Ireland I lived and grew up in. The progress that has been made since the foundation of the Irish Free State has been monumental and we should recognise that advancement and the role society as a whole has played in much of that economic and social advancement.”
“All of us in government, and I know in this Chamber, are committed to enduring peace on this island and to the unity of its people. However, despite the monumental progress that has been made, it is important we recognise that challenges still exist. Communities remain further apart than we envisaged and hoped when the agreement was signed. This is not to say a perfectly reconciled society or island is a precondition to constitutional change. Such perfection is beyond us, but we can, and will aim to, do better. That work requires leadership from every part of society, including politicians, educators and civic and church leaders. It requires generosity of spirit in dealing with those from backgrounds different from ours. The programme for Government states our position clearly.”