Noel Grealish
Galway West · Independent · Ireland
“In this regard, the FAI has strongly represented the views of its membership that Israel should be excluded from international football competitions, including bringing a motion to UEFA to this effect last year.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. I will outline to the Dáil the current position on investments in school infrastructure in County Waterford. Waterford county is broken down into five school planning areas.”
“We will also continue to use our influence to persuade the international community to take appropriate action and stop this conflict. However, we should not reduce this issue to one or two football games or events.”
“Should the first fixture take place in Dublin, which again is ultimately a matter for the FAI and UEFA, I am fully confident that An Garda Síochána has the expertise and resources to police the game properly.”
“Of the total €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that approximately €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the large-scale, additional accommodation, modular and annual September accommodation needs programmes.”
“Ireland had taken a strong stance in respect of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including recognising the State of Palestine, and the Government stands ready to play our part in working towards a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, through the realisation of the two-state solution.”
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“Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities, the Department of housing provides funding under a number of stock improvement programmes, namely, planned maintenance, voids and energy efficiency retrofit programmes and disabled persons grants. If the Senator passes on the details to me or the Minister, I will make sure he gets a response. I thank him for his contribution.”
“In particular, there continues to be ongoing engagement with Dublin City Council on the regeneration of inner city flat complexes. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and the carrying out of retrospective repairs are matters for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authority officials and elected members have an important role to play in this regard by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and ongoing maintenance, utilising the significant housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.”
“I thank the Senator for his contribution. As I said, I am only taking this Commencement matter for the Minister of State, so I am not very familiar with the issues the Senator raised. However, if he wants to send on to me any concerns he has about the area he mentioned, I will pass them on to the Minister and ensure the Minister gets back to him with a response. As I said earlier, the Department of housing is committed to ensuring tenants in social housing are provided with adequate housing that meets the standards laid down in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. The Department engages with all relevant local authorities on a regular basis regarding the progression of funding applications across all available funding streams for the regeneration of ageing complexes.”
“Due to the shortage of social housing across the country, the Department is not in a position to support proposals that would result in a significant loss of homes. Dublin City Council has informed the Department that it has instructed the design team to review the design strategy and examine all possibilities to ensure the maximum number of homes are available post refurbishment. Dublin City Council continues to investigate all design opportunities and liaise with the Department in order to progress the submission of a revised funding application.”
“Teresa's Gardens, redevelopment as a mixed tenure community has been funded through SHIP and cost rental has been funded by the Land Development Agency. In Dorset Street, redevelopment has been funded through SHIP. In Dolphin House, phase 1 of 100 units has been completed and additional phases are in design. On Constitution Hill, a mix of deep refurbishment and redevelopment has been funded through regeneration. In relation to Pearse House, which was mentioned by the Senator in his contribution, Dublin City Council has advised that it is further developing proposals to advance the regeneration of this flat complex. Having first received capital appraisal approval in April 2021, the subsequent pre-planning proposal by Dublin City Council for the regeneration of blocks L, M, N and P was to reduce the number of homes from 78 to 44.”
“The Department continues to work with Dublin City Council to further advance flat regeneration schemes and, to date, funding approval has been provided for a number of these projects. I will outline a number of projects that funding has been approved for. In Charlemont, 94 social homes have been delivered and funded through SHIP. In Dominick Street East, 72 social homes have been delivered and funded through SHIP. In St. Mary’s Mansions, 80 social homes have been delivered and funded through CALF. In O’Devaney Gardens, redevelopment as a mixed tenure community has been funded through SHIP, the AHF and CREL. In Emmet Road, formerly St. Michael’s Estate, redevelopment as a mixed tenure community has been funded through SHIP and AHF. In St.”
“In order to support local authorities in progressing such regeneration plans, the Department of housing is making a number of funding channels available to local authorities and approved housing bodies for such regeneration, including for the redevelopment of flat complexes. These include the social housing investment programme, SHIP, the affordable housing fund, AHF, the capital advance leasing facility, CALF, the cost rental equity loan, CREL, and the regeneration programme for remedial works. For flat complexes that are proposed for refurbishment or a mix of refurbishment and redevelopment, the Department of housing is making funding available through its estate regeneration funding channel.”
“I have been asked by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to take this matter as he is unavailable. I thank Senator Andrews for raising this important issue. I am not familiar with many of the issues he raised, but it sounds as though work needs to be done. I will deliver the speech that was handed to me. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage fully supports many flat regeneration projects, which ensures that complexes with historical disadvantages are placed at the forefront of regeneration. The project plans for the regeneration of estates and flat complexes are a matter for the local authority concerned.”
“There are 14,000 tonnes of timber being exported to China and a lot of that timber was damaged by Storm Éowyn. It is amazing. He told us there is this special smoke thing that is put into the container that is lit before you seal it. When it gets to the far side it kills all the bugs that could be on the timber. We are, therefore, progressing and making great inroads. The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, has responsibility for fisheries, as Senators know. He is going to another EU meeting soon. Fisheries is tough, but the SPS agreement with the United Kingdom is crucially important for our trade with the UK. It is our biggest trading country in all aspects, not just farming. It is important we have that SPS agreement because it cuts out an awful lot of the paperwork. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.”
“It is a good news story. It employs 160,000 to 170,000 people. There are 2,000 fishing vessels. I am not sure, but I think there 133,000 farmers in the country. I am delighted to come in here, and I thank Senators most sincerely for the invitation. I am not sure whether I covered what everybody said. With Mercosur, it is in the programme for Government. We do not agree with it as it is and it is an issue we are going to continue to work on. The Minister is working with his colleagues across Europe on this. The Minister is doing a lot of work on the CAP. We had a lot of meetings within the Department. Another good news story came from the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, whom I was talking to yesterday. We are now exporting timber to China, which is hard to believe. It is going into containers.”
“Agriculture is in every single town and village in this country. It has some sort of impact on every town and village from the money that is raised on farms. There was a little company in a small rural town in Galway that employs 15 people. If that was in the middle of Dublin, it would be 300 or 400 people. Fifteen people in a small rural town is a lot. That is what we need to work on more. The BIA Innovator Campus in Athenry is a huge success. At Moorepark in Cork the big companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are in there doing their research in these facilities. They use Ireland. That has a lot to do with the investment put in by all previous governments. It is about what they have done, what they have seen and the vision they have for agriculture. As the Secretary General said, let us make and keep agriculture a good news story.”
“I will soon finish up. The Minister had a good trade mission, which is important. The Secretary of Agriculture in the United States has very strong Galway connections and I was delighted to see the Minister present a Galway jersey to her when he met her in Washington. I am hoping she will make a visit to Ireland fairly soon. The Minister was in Japan and Seoul. That was a very successful trip. It was tough going. The mission was arranged when he was in the role I am in so it was important he went and headed it up. To go abroad to try to sell Irish produce is not hard and a lot of that is down to the farmers, the processors and to the Department, its officials and the excellent work they have done. I compliment Bord Bia. I was very impressed when I was at Bloom to see the amount of small companies there.”
“This guy has more than 600 off-licences and turns over $2 billion Canadian a year in drink sales. With the tariffs going on between Canada and the United States, he said a lot of the American drink, like bourbon, is gone from the shelves. He says he sees a huge opportunity for Irish companies to go in and sell there. We are working with him through Bord Bia and I am nearly certain there is a major trade mission being organised to go to Canada by the end of this year to work on that. I have been asked to go to Mexico in the next number of months and that is being worked on. Talking of trade missions, the Minister was in the United States. It was a successful mission. Is my time up?”
“He does not want to be going home bringing back product and then bringing it somewhere else when it is two or three days out of the ground. He has developed an app and now, two or three days before he goes to the farm market, he gets the order, gets it ready the morning of the market and then he goes in. It is pure fresh product that has come out of the ground that day and that is the way it is going to go forward. I was very impressed with it. He told me his clients are extremely happy because they know the product was freshly picked that morning for them. It is great. Senator Daly spoke about Kilbeggan whiskey. I met representatives of one of the biggest drinks industry chains in Canada a number of weeks ago. It was arranged by the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, who was in Canada for the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.”
“The farmers have played a huge role in climate action. I am on the Cabinet subcommittee on water quality and it is improving. It is slow but it is improving. There is a lot done and more to do, but the farmers are working. Some farmers have a lot more to do than others, but they are willing to play their part and that has to be acknowledged. I was impressed when I saw the graph up on the wall from the EPA. Its representatives at the meeting acknowledged there is massive improvement and a lot of it is within the agricultural areas. I was very interested in what Senator Cosgrove said about the farm markets. I was talking to an individual recently who told me he loves going in and selling a fresh product.”
“The work they are doing is in conjunction with Bord Bia, which I will touch on shortly, and with the Kerry Group, to get Irish farm produce there. They told me the best thing about selling into these countries is the quality of the product we are producing. That goes back to the other role I have in the Department with the research and development element. I was in Moorepark in Cork recently and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and I gave an investment of €8.6 million. I was very impressed, when I walked the land with the staff, by the different types of grass they are trying to produce. Senator Noonan will acknowledge that. It is to do with the methane of the animal. A cow goes onto a different field with a different type of grass and then it eventually goes through a machine where they can check the methane that comes out of it.”
“In my role as Minister of State with responsibility for new markets and food promotion I was asked to consider going to Vietnam and Cambodia, which I did. I met the minister for agriculture there and it was interesting. I recently made a trip to County Kerry where I called in to see Kerrygold, which is now Ornua. It was explained to me how it started back in a small caravan in a field, and it has now built up to a multibillion euro company. I also met representatives of Tirlán in Vietnam. They were interested to hear how Ireland got from the seventies up to now. They are technically where we were in the seventies and eighties. They were interested in the co-op movement. We have to acknowledge the tremendous work the co-ops have done here. Tirlán has a huge team in Vietnam and very senior management there.”
“There was a time the farmers were not getting the prices they should have been getting. There was the person in between who was making the money. Now, I am delighted to see that the farmer is beginning to benefit from the hard work they have done, and it is important we keep that and do not let the prices slip again. Senators are right that the price of buying a young calf to replace the animal being sold will probably increase, but we have to ensure there is a profit margin for the farmer. It is crucially important we diversify farming and look for new markets. I was in Cambodia recently. It was my first role abroad as Minister of State and it was for the St. Patrick's Day celebration. The reason Vietnam and Cambodia were picked was because we want to open up a new market there.”
“He has had a long and distinguished career in the Civil Service and rose to the top in the Department of agriculture. He has played a huge role in that during the previous Presidency. He played a major role in that, and it is important we acknowledge the tremendous work we do. For Ireland to export 90% of what it produces in the agriculture sector is something I do not think is achieved anywhere else in the world. It shows the commitment of the farmers and how they have worked all the way along with various Departments. There were tough times for them. They had to change a lot. The most important thing when we sell our produce abroad is that we want to sell a top quality product. We would not have that product only for the co-operation of the farmers. There are a lot of people involved in getting it from field to fork.”
“I thank Senators Daly, Boyhan, Brady, Collins, Noonan and Lynch for their contributions. It is great to hear everybody speak positively about agriculture. I will be honest. When I came into the Department in January this year, I did not know a hell of a lot about the export of Irish produce. I grew up on a farm in the seventies. At that time the only export was live animals. Looking back at the seventies, a short 50 years ago, and where we are at now, that would not have happened without the co-operation of the farmers. I came into the Department and met with the Secretary General, Brendan Gleeson, in January. The first thing he said to me was that farming is a good news story. It is a good news story, and it is important we get that story out there. I take this opportunity to wish Brendan Gleeson well. He is retiring on 1 October.”
“I thank everybody for their warm welcome. It is my first time in this House officially representing the Department in the role I have. I have been here doing Commencement matters and a few debates for other Ministers. I thank Minister Daly-----”
“I have asked my officials to work on a programme of impactful trade events and trade missions for me for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026 and I look forward to updating the House on the outcomes at a future date.”
“My meeting with my counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture in Vietnam assisted in moving our beef application along in the process and I am hopeful that we will be able to announce the opening of that market later on this year. We have had a detailed discussion in the Department on how best to support our grape sector given current global uncertainty. I have engaged in depth with the dairy, meat, drinks and pre-prepared consumer food sectors since taking up my role as Minister of State with responsibility for food promotion and new markets. l am here to support them to develop, consolidate and diversify their footprint across export markets.”
“Ministerial-led trade missions play a key role in negotiating access to markets and in promoting Ireland’s high-quality and sustainably produced food and drink produce around the world, thereby supporting the agrifood sector’s ambition to develop, consolidate and diversify its footprint in international markets. I have seen at first hand the importance of maintaining the government-to-government engagement afforded by trade missions. During my St. Patrick’s Day mission to Vietnam and Cambodia, I was able to support market access for beef in Vietnam and support our international development agenda in both countries.”
“Having certainty and stability with the UK as a key trading partner will be welcome assurance to all those in the agrifood and marine sectors. For those involved in fisheries, the commitment to extend the reciprocal access for EU and UK vessels to fish in each other’s waters until June 2038 with no change to existing quota shares provides certainty in order to make sustainable, long-term decisions for their businesses. The commitment towards the negotiation of a sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, agreement between the EU and the UK is also very welcome in terms of its potential to greatly reduce the administrative burden on agrifood businesses exporting to the UK. We will closely follow progress on these SPS negotiations in the hope that they will conclude successfully and in as short a period of time as possible.”
“This is why Ireland's consistent position has been that we need a substantive, calm, measured and comprehensive dialogue with the US. We fully support the EU in seeking negotiated solutions with the goal of achieving frictionless and mutually beneficial trade. At the same time, we understand the need for the EU to undertake further internal preparations in case negotiations are unsuccessful. This is a sensible and measured approach. The current uncertainty and unpredictability surrounding the global trading landscape makes outcomes such as agreements reached at the recent EU-UK summit particularly important and welcome. The agreements reached between the EU and the UK promise a fair and stable future relationship that will benefit the agrifood and fisheries sectors in Ireland and the UK.”
“The Minister visited the US in April and had the opportunity to highlight this mutually beneficial relationship with the new US Administration, key political contacts and a number of Irish and US companies. The US Secretary of Agriculture has strong Galway connections. It is important that we build on that. The current pause in US tariffs and EU counter measures is to be welcomed as it allows for the time and space required for negotiations to take place. Nonetheless Irish agrifood exports are subject to an additional 10% tariff, which is having a real impact on their competitiveness. Our view on tariffs is very clear. We know they are economically counterproductive. They drive inflation and will ultimately hurt consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“Its activities include participation at food exhibitions and trade shows, digital campaigns, retail and restaurant promotions and other trade promotions and events. All this work is vital in supporting the agrifood sector, particularly given the current uncertainty regarding the political and trading environment. I acknowledge that our agrifood sector has justified concerns about the political and trading environment. The US is a key export market for agrifood, particularly for dairy products and spirits. However, Ireland and the US have a significant and mutually beneficial economic relationship. The economic benefits flow both ways creating prosperity and jobs for large numbers of people on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“Together with my officials and in collaboration with Bord Bia, we are working to promote high-quality Irish food and drinks and to assist companies in maximising opportunities to export their products. The Department has a team of agricultural counsellors and attachés based in the following overseas locations: Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Abu Dhabi, Geneva, London, Mexico, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Seoul and Washington DC. The overseas team works with colleagues at the various Irish embassies overseas to promote trade development and support market access for high-quality Irish produce in their regions. Bord Bia has 14 overseas offices with 63 staff based overseas. Bord Bia's team at home and overseas work to promote Ireland's outstanding food, drink and horticultural produce around the world.”
“Prepared consumer foods are value-added food and beverage products which sell to retail and food services and food companies, with Irish produce serving 140 export markets. Meat preparations accounted for 30% of exports in 2024, followed by other food preparations at 11% and chocolate-based products also at 11%. Of total agrifood exports, food and beverages account for approximately €17 billion, with the food and drink sector accounting for 40% of all export sales by Irish-owned companies. Non-edible exports, including animal feed and forestry products, and other items, such as by-products, animal hides and raw plant materials, account for €2 billion of annual exports. I am proud to serve as a Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the oldest Department in the State.”
“In 2024, dairy exports exceeded €6.5 billion, an increase of 2.4% on 2023, largely attributed to butter and cheese. Beef is our second largest export category by value, exceeding €3.1 billion and accounting for 16% of exports in 2024. The export value of beef increased by 4.6% in 2023, with the increase in value largely accounted for by fresh and chilled boneless beef. Our third largest export category is beverages, at €2.3 billion, which accounted for 12% of agrifood exports. The export value of beverages was up €296 million, or 15%, compared with 2023, largely driven by a jump in the value of vodka exports as well as Irish whiskey exports. Prepared consumer food exports were valued at almost €3.6 billion in 2024, an increase of 7.6%.”
“We remember how agrifood was a beacon of economic stability during the most recent downturn. The sector is embedded in local communities, from farm to fork, playing a key role in having greater multiplier effects in the wider rural and local economy. The agrifood trade figures for 2024 from the CSO agrifood exports totalled €19.15 billion, with our top five export destinations being the United Kingdom, which accounted for 38% of exports by value, the United States, which accounted for 10% and the Netherlands, France and Germany, at 9%, 6% and 5%, respectively. In total, EU countries accounted for 34% of all exports while non-EU countries excluding the UK accounted for 28% of exports. Dairy remains our largest export category, accounting for 34% of exports by value.”
“In 2024, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, Irish agrifood exports reached a record value of €19.15 billion, an increase of 6% in value on the €18.1 billion achieved in 2023 and an increase of 1% on the previous peak levels achieved in 2022. In total, Irish agrifood exports accounted for 8.6% of the record €223.8 billion in goods exports achieved in 2024. To put the record agrifood exports of €19.15 billion of 2024 into context, it represents a significant 65% increase in value from €11.6 billion in the decade since 2014 and more than doubling from €8.9 billion in 2010. While the exports of multinationals continue to be crucially important to the economy, agrifood will continue to be the bedrock of our exports from indigenous companies.”
“Agrifood is Ireland's oldest and largest indigenous exporting sector, employing over 6% of our total workforce and accounting for 6% of modified gross national income, GNI. Our agrifood produce has a globally renowned reputation for excellence and exceptional quality. Irish agrifood exports reach more than 180 countries. Approximately 90% of our beef, sheep meat and dairy products are destined for international markets. The sector produces food and ingredients with a global reputation for quality and safety, with the livestock sector built on an enviable grass-based production system. Global demand for high-quality food is increasing with population growth, urbanisation and affluence. The Irish agrifood sector is well placed to play a role in meeting this demand.”
“I am pleased to have been asked to address the Seanad on aspects of my portfolio relating to food promotion and new markets. I was delighted to be appointed to this role in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine last January. I welcome the opportunity to set out the ongoing work of my Department on food promotion and developing new markets for high-quality Irish produce. It is important to put this work in context so I will first elaborate on the vital importance of agrifood to the Irish economy. Our vibrant agrifood sector, which includes primary production in farming, fishing and forestry, and the processing and manufacture of food, beverages and wood products, drives economic growth throughout Ireland. It is particularly important to rural and coastal communities.”
“This is why I am pleased to present this legislation today. It will ensure that those who rely on cash can continue to do so. It will also establish a framework to ensure that cash infrastructure in Ireland can respond to changing demand in the future. I thank the House and its Senators for their contribution to this debate. This legislation was an important objective and I look forward to further discussion. I once again thank the Senators for their support. I also thank the officials for the tremendous work they have done in putting this Bill together.”
“The Department of Finance’s consumer sentiment banking survey, published in September 2024, found that in-person branch visits are the preferred preference among those aged 65 years or older, who are also more likely to spend a higher proportion each week using cash. The same survey also found that almost one in four people prefer cash as a payment method, a figure which rises to 50% of those aged 65 years or older. Age is not the only factor, however. Research published by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK last year found that digital exclusion and income levels have the largest effect on how likely someone is to rely on cash. This Bill ensures that cash remains a sustainable and accessible option for Irish society as a whole and, in doing so, it protects people’s ability to participate in society.”
“In November 2024, the Secretary General of the Department of Finance wrote to all other Secretaries General notifying them of this recommendation. Future outcome 3.3 sets out that there will be a comprehensive overview of the national cash cycle environment that will inform policy thinking and formation in relation to cash and payments. In conclusion, people prefer or rely on cash for a variety of reasons. Budgeting, privacy and security are still key benefits of cash despite trends towards electronic payments. ATMs still dominate how consumers access cash, with three out of four people, 74%, using ATMs most often for withdrawals. Older people have reported feeling a push towards online banking despite a preference for cash.”
“The EU proposal also sets similar requirements with regard to cash acceptance. Ireland has contributed to the discussions on the EU legal tender proposal at Council working party meetings since its publication. I anticipate the discussions will result in sufficient progress by the end of the Polish Presidency in June 2025. In respect of the acceptance of cash, the national payments strategy, published in October 2024, set out a roadmap for the future evolution of the entire payments system. The strategy took account of developments in digital payments, the use of cheques and other issues and to guide how future changes should be made to the entire payments system. Future outcome 3.1 of the strategy set out that all Departments and bodies under their aegis will accept electronic and cash payments, or facilitate cash payments.”
“Similarly, in late 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission granted interim authorisation to the Australian Banking Association, its member banks and other relevant industrial participants to develop arrangements for maintaining the physical distribution of cash throughout Australia. This legislation also dovetails with progress at European level. The European Commission shared a proposal for a regulation on legal tender in June 2023 to address access to and acceptance of cash across EU member states. The proposal places an obligation on member states to ensure sufficient and effective access to cash, to monitor and evaluate access to cash and to report to both the European Commission and the European Central Bank. This Bill aligns with the EU legal tender proposal and achieves its goal of ensuring cash is acceptable.”
“The access to cash criteria will be reviewed by the Central Bank following updated census figures, if cash demand drops by 15% year on year or if the Minister for Finance requests a review. The Central Bank may also conduct a review on its own initiative at any time. These reviews will ensure the criteria can be adjusted in response to changes in the demand for cash in the State and that the access to cash framework will continue to provide sufficient and effective access to cash in the future. Ireland is not alone in introducing legislation of this nature. A collaborative access to cash solution from industry is the norm in several countries. For example, LINK is a nationwide cash machine network in the UK. Geldmaat is a similar entity in the Netherlands and Bankomat is jointly owned by the five largest banks in Sweden.”
“The assessment considered whether the legislation is suitable to achieve the desired end, necessary to achieve the desired end and does not impose a burden on the individual that is excessive in relation to the objective. The opinion of the Office of the Attorney General was that the objectives of the legislation were consistent with the Constitution with regard to the common good. The legislation has been carefully drafted to avoid imposing an excessive burden on those concerned while still achieving its goals. The Bill was also drafted in such a manner that the process of identifying the designated entities as fair and transparent and there is scope for review in the event of a change to the Irish banking market.”
“The combination of access to the cash criteria, the local deficiency framework, service standards and regulatory reporting will provide certainty for members of the public regarding the availability and accessibility of cash across the country. No doubt, this is a certainty that many will welcome. In drafting this legislation, the Department of Finance sought legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General at all stages of the process. The Office of the Attorney General assessed, among other matters, whether the proposed legislation met the principles of proportionality, objectivity and being in the interest of the common good.”
“The Bill also provides for the sharing of information between the Central Bank and the Private Security Authority, PSA, ensuring a clear overview of the cash system. The Central Bank will make regulations requiring ATM operators to notify it of proposed changes to their businesses or to notify it of closures of any ATM in circumstances beyond their control. Requirements for ATM operators to ensure appropriate service standards will also be set in regulations. These service standards will include hours of availability, maximum withdrawal limits, stocking of different denominations and signage and communication requirements.”
“Other kinds of uncertainty demonstrate the need for a consistent and reliable way to make a payment. This Bill will help to ensure cash is available both when people want it and when they need it. The framework the Bill will put in place has a number of important features in this regard including a mechanism to address local deficiencies countrywide, information gathering and sharing between relevant bodies, and the setting of service standards for ATMs. To elaborate, where a person considers there may be a local deficiency in their area, he or she may notify the Central Bank of Ireland. The Central Bank will develop a process for assessing these notifications and addressing the deficiencies, taking account of the factors set out in the Bill. The Central Bank will also monitor and publish information relating to the cash infrastructure.”
“Cash is important to people in all walks of life and it is also a necessity in different contexts such as cyberattacks, payment network issues, power outages and extreme weather events. We saw recently in Ireland with Storm Éowyn, particularly in the west of Ireland, where we were out of power for nearly a week in some cases and where there was no access to cash in some places. People could not use card machines so it was important that people had cash. People helped one another out and that is an important issue. We also saw the recent power outages in Spain. It is important people have a small amount of cash. I am not telling people to have huge amounts of cash in their houses but it is important we have access to cash, particularly when it comes to situations such as that.”
“I thank Senators for their warm welcome. I was in the House yesterday and am here again today so I hope it will be my last time today to come in. I am covering for the Department of Finance. I thank the Senators for their constructive engagement and support of this important legislation. As I set out in my opening remarks, the purpose of this Bill is to put in place a framework in order that the future evolution of the cash infrastructure will be managed in a fair, orderly, transparent and equitable manner and to require ATM operators and cash-in-transit providers, CITs, to be authorised and supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland. This will ultimately ensure that significant and effective access to cash will be available in the State in the future.”
“The Central Bank will report regularly on the access to cash infrastructure in the State and the review by the Central Bank is provided for under conditions in section 5. The legislation comes at an inflection point in the use of cash and alternative payment options as well as changes to the global economy. It will put in place a framework that ensures access to cash is sufficient and effective, while responding to evolving demand in the future. I commend this Bill to the House.”
“After consideration and analysis, a specified distance of not less than 5 km and not more than 10 km, minimum ATM numbers per 100,000 people and the local deficiency framework were deemed the optimal approach to maintain access to cash levels in the State. Regarding Irish language requirements, ATM services are available in a number of languages and the consequences of placing such an obligation on privately owned ATMs, particularly older machines in lower traffic areas, are unclear. This would have cost and service provision implications for reprogramming machines and an associated risk is that ATMs would be withdrawn to comply with requirements. The provisions of the Bill were carefully drafted to balance any imposition of costs and administrative burden with the policy goal of ensuring access to cash.”
“It also sets out the sanctions for failing to comply with the requirements of the legislation, and the powers of Central Bank authorised officers when undertaking an investigation. Part 5 provides for amendments to the Central Bank Act 1942 and the Companies Act 2014 to take account of and give effect to this Bill. Part 6 provides for the Central Bank to carry out and publish a cost-benefit analysis of any regulations it proposes to make. This change is based on another recommendation of the 2022 retail banking review. Previous discussions on this Bill have addressed the required distance to ATMs, Irish language provision and reporting and review.”