Paul Lawless
Mayo · Aontú · Ireland
“Confidence in our education system depends on quality resources but parents remain seriously concerned about inappropriate material that is being promoted in our schools, libraries, etc. Concerns have been raised in relation to the book What's the T?”
“They would make up a higher proportion of the membership of the Dáil than is the case at Westminster. Aontú's leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, during his time on the Oireachtas enterprise committee, completed the first Oireachtas report on the all-island economy.”
“Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace — respect for diversity. Aontú believes fundamentally in a united Ireland.”
“It is important that those who oppose a united Ireland - who are now a minority on this island, and increasingly so - are treated as equals and with the respect they deserve in the discussions relating to a united Ireland. I have good friends from the Protestant tradition to whom I speak on a near daily basis.”
“The Tánaiste once said that he wanted to make Ireland the best country in the world in which to raise a child. He is failing in that regard. We have a situation where we have record homelessness among children, spinal surgery waiting lists and children with special needs or disabilities who are waiting for supports.”
“Rather than celebrating and respecting our differences and our right to be different politically or religiously, they wish to make us all the same. They want to make us all apolitical atheists who never speak on or campaign in respect of the issues.”
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“The programme for Government clearly states that the Government will build 300,000 houses over a five-year period. The truth is that Uisce Éireann cannot produce 50,000 connections in a year. If we consider the funding allocation, Uisce Éireann has €10 billion for the next ten years, but €5 billion of that will go into meeting EU regulations and €3 billion will go into the Shannon pipeline. That means that only €2 billion, or 20%, is committed to the roll-out of new connections. In a housing crisis, I am concerned about the funding allocation. This should be prioritised. The targets for housing in the programme for Government should be built in conjunction with what the State utilities can actually provide. The other point I wish to make relates to the funding of Uisce Éireann.”
“There are extensive infrastructural deficits in housing and transport, including there being no western rail corridor in County Mayo. We should be developing a road network and the western rail corridor across the west. We should also invest in renewable energy. County Mayo, for example, could be the hub of offshore renewable energy and solar panels in this country. I invite the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, to a debate on the topic on Midwest Radio or Castlebar Community Radio, for example, to discuss the importance of the tariff war to the economy of County Mayo and ensure we get the right balance. We could discuss all these issues. It is unfortunate that the Minister of State hides from debate in local media and, indeed, did so in pre-election debates too.”
“He released a statement today suggesting we were criticising FDI as something liable to move. I mean talk about burying one's head in the sand. This is an existential crisis. It is time the Government stepped up to the plate and undertook proactive negotiations in connection with what is happening. In reality, the Aontú perspective - we have spoken about this at length - is that this Government has rolled out the red carpet for FDI. This is what we also want to do for the companies in the indigenous SME sector, which are the backbone of the Irish economy. Right across County Mayo, businesses in town centres are closing. It is a major issue. It is critically important that we invest in and support the SME sector right across the country. It is also important that we develop our infrastructure.”
“I wish to address another issue and some untruths spoken here today in the Chamber and circulated to the media in County Mayo. Aontú supports FDI. It is a good thing and should be nurtured and attracted. It is an integral part of the Irish economy. Without question, however, the Irish economy is incredibly reliant on the FDI sector. For example, corporation tax revenues accounted for 27% of our budget receipts last year. Of that corporate tax total, 40% was collected from ten companies. In a sense, then, ten chief financial officers are responsible for a huge proportion of the tax take in Ireland. There is no question but that the Irish economy is unbalanced. This is the truth. The comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, in response to our motion are, frankly, untrue. He can bury his head in the sand.”
“This Government has a track record of outsourcing important issues to the European Union. We have seen politicians right across the Government who talk like bystanders on this matter. The European Union has a track record of ensuring that the big economies are looked after first. During the banking bailout, for example, Ireland paid 42% of the costs of the European banking crisis. Ireland had the highest per capita cost, at €9,000 per person, despite accounting for 1% of the population of Europe. The Mercosur deal is another example. The interests of German car manufacturers are being put ahead of the interests of Irish farmers, which will decimate the Irish economy in the west in particular. This will be the case in County Mayo and right across the western seaboard.”
“Ireland is facing its biggest existential threat since the last economic recession. Ireland is the most exposed country in the European Union in terms of these tariffs. There is doubt that these will disproportionately impact Ireland. Without question, Ireland is in real danger here, yet the Government is suffering from inertia. It is incredible to think that Simon Harris is meeting Howard Lutnick today while the tariffs are in place. Surely this should have happened in advance. It is incredible that this is the first debate we have had on this issue. Aontú was the first party to bring a motion in this regard before the Dáil today. Despite this huge threat facing us, there are still no Oireachtas committees - no finance or trade committees - and despite it being four months after the general election.”
“Will the project manager responsible meet with the committee on a quarterly basis to outline the schedule of events and the progress on this? It is crucial that the town gets the wastewater treatment plant it deserves.”
“Newport is a beautiful town on the west coast of Mayo that is nestled in the stunning Clew Bay. Newport has no wastewater treatment plant and, as a result, raw sewage is being pumped into Clew Bay. This is affecting fish stocks and the ecosystem, with a foul odour in the town. Indeed, it is robbing the town of its potential in terms of economic development, housing development, tourism and recreational activities for the community. This facility has been promised for decades, but it keeps getting pushed back and back. The people of Newport and its committee deserve transparency and progress updates on this. We cannot arrive in 2030 to realise that it has been pushed back another decade. Will the Taoiseach agree to engage with Uisce Éireann to provide regular updates? Who is responsible for this wastewater treatment plant?”
“The idea that we will hit back with tariffs on the USA higher than those it is imposing on us is, to me, the worst possible decision. Does the Minister of State not fear it will simply result in Trump going higher on his tariffs? The actions of the EU will result in escalation rather than de-escalation. We need to take an active role in these negotiations in conjunction with the EU. We can no longer be a bystander. It is very interesting listening to Ministers because we appear like bystanders in these negotiations. We need to ensure we play a crucial and important part in these negotiations.”
“Our voice in the EU needs to be heard loudly and clearly. We need to be centre stage in these negotiations. Ireland is a small country but we have considerable clout in the EU and the USA. My colleague Deputy O'Donoghue spoke about the sheer size of the Irish-American population. We also know that US politicians regularly rely on the Irish vote to get them elected. We need to remind them of that. Ireland occupies a unique space in the political system in the United States and it is very important that we highlight this to the US Administration. In terms of the EU, obviously this country has a seat on the Commission. Michael McGrath should come before the House to outline the efforts he is undertaking in the teeth of this crisis. We in Aontú are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of retaliation.”
“Whenever a budget surplus would come, I always remember Deputy Peadar Tóibín highlighting the over-reliance on FDI. Whenever Government politicians danced with joy, Aontú was drilling into the detail and highlighting how over-reliant we were on corporation taxes. The people of the west of Ireland where I come from are deeply concerned about what is happening at present with regard to tariffs. The medtech sector employs 15,000 people in Galway in companies such as Boston Scientific and Medtronic. In Mayo, 2,500 people are employed by medtech companies such as Baxter healthcare in Castlebar. If you are a factory worker, it is not nice waking up to the realisation there is such uncertainty about your future. This crisis needs to be taken seriously by the Government, similar to how we dealt with Covid and the Brexit negotiations.”
“As I rise to speak on this motion today, I want to thank the Aontú team behind the scenes, who put so much work into this motion, our leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, and Senator Sarah O'Reilly. It is an historic day, in that we have moved our first Private Members' motion in the Dáil this morning. The issue of tariffs is one of the number one concerns to the public at the moment. The actions of the US Administration are unprecedented and could have huge ramifications for the global economy but particularly for Ireland. Given our unique economy, we have the tendency by Fine Gael governments to rely too heavily on foreign direct investment, to the neglect of our own indigenous industry here. In fairness to my leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, and before I was ever elected to the Dáil, he was warning about this day for many years.”
“Women who stay at home are without question penalised during their caregiving years but also in terms of their pensions. I have some suggestions for the Minister of State and I would be grateful if she could consider them. It is time we introduced a scheme for caregiving years for women who take time out of their working lives to care for children. Those contributions should be made by the Department of Social Protection. It is also important that we have more flexibility around pension schemes. We should allow carers the opportunity to contribute in a voluntary capacity when they are able and when they are back in employment. The catch-up opportunities currently are far too narrow. We need to broaden them and provide those tax incentives and tax reliefs for women.”
“While we are talking about pensions, I would like to mention another crucial aspect of pensions in the State. I refer to women's pensions, particularly women who stay at home and care for children or for elderly parents. The data suggests that when women retire, they receive on average 35% less than their male counterparts due to pay, career duration, career breaks, childcare and so on. Aontú believes women should not be penalised for doing wonderful work in the home, caring for the next generation of Irish citizens. The Royal London Ireland research centre suggests that the value of caring in the home and running the home is in the region of €57,000 a year. Yet the State does not recognise the contribution in the way it should.”
“It is the most common case in the WRC under age grounds. We certainly welcome the Bill. In regard to the outline of the Bill, I fully acknowledge that it provides a degree of flexibility to the employee where the employee is able to stay on, and that is a good thing. We have a skills shortage in many different areas. The case of school bus drivers mentioned by Deputy Stanley is just one instance. There is a huge shortage across County Mayo as well. I welcome the opportunity for people to be able to stay in employment. It is very welcome indeed. I have a few questions about the implications of this. Will the individual will be able to continue to make pension contributions? Will the employer make the contributions as normal up to the age of 66? Will it affect the death in service payment?”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I welcome the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025, which essentially proposes to allow flexibility to employees regarding the ability to work on until they reach the State pension age. Aontú has raised this important issue on a number of occasions. Currently, as the Minister of State rightly recognises, the system is deeply flawed. It essentially forces people into an income gap from the age of 65 until they can receive their State pension at the age of 66. It is demoralising for people who have worked all their lives until the age of 65 to be told to join the dole queue. I am pleased that this situation will be addressed in this legislation. Age Action Ireland estimates that 4,000 people each year throughout the State find themselves in this situation.”
“I know of some cases where farm equipment was stolen to pay for such debt. We need tougher sentencing on a whole raft of issues, but especially concerning the drug issue. Most especially, we need them for drug dealers and adults who use children as pawns to do their dirty work. It is happening on an organised basis. We all know it and we need to get to grips with it. What is the future for these young people we see in gangs around shopfronts doing dirty work acting as runners for drug dealers? What is their life expectancy? If we do not tackle this issue, we will create another generation of young people, young adults, who will be forever in the criminal justice system.”
“It is unthinkable that the Government brought in legislation last year to reduce the sentencing for adults who entice young people into drugs and criminality. On the topic of drugs, there is a major problem right across this country, including in my constituency of Mayo, in relation to the drug dealers harassing young people for drug debts. Any of those young people cannot pay the drug debts. Many emigrate or leave their areas. Drug dealers then harass their parents and grandparents. I know of a family in County Mayo where an aunt and uncle have been harassed by drug dealers. We need to get to grips with this issue. We need tougher sentencing for drug dealers who seek to recoup debts from the families of the children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews involved. It is shocking that many families are living in fear.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this very important subject. We have a major problem with youth crime and especially with child exploitation. There is a major issue with children being enticed into criminal activity by adults, especially in the drugs scene. Drug dealers are providing drugs to young people. Often, these are free in the first instance. Those young people and children then get hooked on drugs. They have no ability to pay for those drugs, so then they become drug runners doing the dirty work on the ground for drug dealers. This is a major issue and it constitutes child trafficking. We know that children in State care, in particular, are extremely vulnerable due to their own family situations and, of course, the shortcomings in State agencies.”
“If this issue is not rectified, this building will fall into further decay and crumble. Will the Minister intervene in relation to this? We need more subsidiarity. We need to work with the local councillors, politicians, planners, and the developer to make sure this building is viable and that we can rehouse more people in the centre of the town.”
“We need more subsidiarity in relation to this. It is totally wrong that the Office of the Planning Regulator in Dublin can dictate what is happening in Claremorris. Local politicians and local TDs know what is best for the town. This area of the town has been blighted with dereliction. It is a corner and a building that needs to be redeveloped and yet the protected status is actually making this development economically unviable. It is like trying to drive with the handbrake on. We need to ensure that this development can get off the ground. The town needs it. We need more accommodation in the town. This comes at a time when this Government, and the last Government, de-zoned a significant amount of land around the town. Now we are making it more difficult to develop the town centre as well.”
“Mayo has a huge issue with dereliction and vacancy. Mayo has the highest level of dereliction in the country at 14%. Its vacancy rate is 12%, the second highest in the country. I want to raise the issue of dereliction, particularly around the protected structures and listed buildings. Consider the old Bank Corner on James Street in Claremorris, for example. The owners tried to redevelop this corner. Could I have the Minister's attention? Unfortunately, the developer tried to redevelop this area but the fact the building was listed effectively made the proposition for the project economically unviable. The irony is that we are going to preserve these buildings until they fall apart. It is critically important in town centres where we have protected buildings that the local authorities work with the developers.”
“The scheme should be extended to cover business supports. The Minister's colleague mentioned there would be supports for businesses. That has been lacking, especially for farmers. Regarding long-term prevention, we have made very little progress with the removal of trees on the line. We need to get that done quickly before the next storm. I know the Minister will be reviewing the matter of generators in the weeks and months ahead. The targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, for farmers provides for generators but those grants specifically state they have to be for farm sheds and so on. It is important to address this, especially for houses without chimneys and so on that need support and grants.”
“For example, a constituent of mine who is in his 80s was without power for two weeks and got a rejection letter. The letter stated that outages of under two days are not covered, when his power was out for two weeks. Another couple in their 80s are now on their third appeal. I will raise that with the Minister afterwards, if that is okay, and it is to be hoped we can rectify those issues. I welcome that the scheme appears to have been extended. I raised this with the Taoiseach last week and I understand the scheme has been extended. It would be great to know what the deadline actually is so that we can engage with and advise our constituents. There is significant work to be done and I hope we can reform the scheme, particularly its deadlines, communication about the scheme and indeed reforming it for the next event that will happen.”
“I acknowledge the progress that has been made on the scheme. I am glad we are making progress on the humanitarian scheme. It has been quite disappointing in many regards. There have been major difficulties with it for many of my constituents. It has been quite chaotic and haphazard. Many constituents of mine have got €200, others have got €10, and others have got nothing at all. In fairness to the Minister and Department, we have appealed a number of those and those appeals have overturned the decision. It has surely added a significant amount of bureaucracy for the Department, which I am sure is far from ideal. It seems the guidelines could have been administered much better. From our perspective, I would love to know what the guidelines were, so we can advise constituents.”
“We need to focus on small- and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurship within the country and support that sector. In my constituency, the centres of so many towns in Mayo have been left derelict as a result of businesses closing. We need to support businesses and ensure they can survive. There are significant costs involved in running a small business. Rates are very high and businesses get nothing in return for them. There are also insurance costs and many other costs.”
“What influence do we have and what have we done outside of the recent ten-minute meeting in the Oval Office? What have we done with our European counterparts to mitigate and alleviate some of the economic headwinds that are coming our way? The truth is that the European Union will do what is best for Germany, Italy and France in relation to this. The Minister can shake his head, but the bourbon tariff was a good example of that. We need to play a key and active role in terms of influencing what decisions are made in this regard. FDI is a good thing. It has been really positive for this country, but successive Governments have placed all our eggs in one FDI basket. We have forgotten about small indigenous businesses throughout the country.”
“Ireland is the most exposed country in the European Union to the US tariff war. Ireland exports more than any other country in Europe to America. Last year, Ireland exported €72 billion worth of goods to the US. Some €58 billion worth of those were pharmaceutical products. President Trump has explicitly stated that he wants to see the pharma industry back in the US. It is very unclear what influence this Government has in terms of negotiating through the European Union in this regard. A prime example of that is the retaliatory tariffs the EU has imposed on bourbon. This effectively put the Irish whiskey industry directly in the firing line. The latter is a growing industry. Some 40% of the whiskey exported from this country goes to the US.”
“The Government introduced a planning circumvention to allow wealthy accommodation providers to bypass the planning laws entirely for IPAS centres. This totally disregards local communities where no engagement effectively happens whatsoever. I spoke to the owner of the Belmont Hotel recently who told me he was developing a four-star hotel. That was before a leaked document showed the local authority had plans to develop accommodation for asylum seekers. The same is happening throughout the country. It is totally unfair that young couples have to wait years on An Bord Pleanála and planning delays to build their own home but wealthy accommodation providers can bypass the planning laws entirely without any engagement with local authorities. Will the Government end this planning circumvention and apply the laws of the land to every citizen?”
“In the absence of the Government's schemes, because they are not working, will the Minister please address the issue of costs and construction costs for young couples? The Government is taking the lion's share and it can do something, and must do something, to address this.”
“In recent months I have spoken to many builders who have told me they are pricing jobs but families, couples and young people cannot afford to build. They go to builders, they get planning permission, they have tender documents and they cannot afford it. In recent years the price of timber increased by 70% between 2021 and 2022. The price of concrete increased by almost 50% between 2021 and 2024. The price of cement increased almost 60% during this time. What has the Government done to address this? It has done absolutely nothing. It took in more than €3 billion in VAT last year. It has taken in carbon tax, excise, customs and the defective concrete block levy. All of these are preventing young people in Mayo and throughout the country from building their own homes.”
“The help to buy scheme is not happening in the west, largely due to the fact it only applies to new builds and there is so little new building happening in Mayo. Yet another scheme that is failing. There is no serviced sites scheme either. There are multiple schemes for which the Government is responsible and yet when we look at the detail there is so little delivery in them. One scheme which is working okay is the vacant property scheme. More than 8,000 applications have been approved but only 1,100 applicants have been successful. Just over 10% of applicants who have been approved on the scheme have been successful. In the absence of any real scheme for the people of Mayo, will the Minister consider reducing the cost of construction?”
“It is unacceptable. Changes to the scheme need to happen and we need to have clarity on it very quickly. The scheme is working and I would urge the Minister to ensure it continues into the future. This brings me to a broader point, which is that this Government has lots of schemes. They may sound good in media interviews and so on but the detail of many of the schemes is lacking. The tenant in situ scheme has been paused now for more than a year. The affordable housing scheme has yet to deliver a house in Mayo, under this or the previous Government, over the past five to ten years. There has been no affordable housing under the scheme. We were promised ten but those units have been promised for many years and have not happened yet. The first home scheme is also not happening in the west in particular.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion and thank Sinn Féin for tabling it. The tenant in situ scheme was actually working quite well in Mayo until recently, but over the past year it has been paused entirely. A number of my constituents have actually agreed terms and agreed a sale deal with Mayo County Council over a year ago but are still waiting in line. They are still waiting to find out what is happening but there has been no update or correspondence and very little communication overall. Meanwhile, an eviction notice is about to be served because the landlord does not know what is happening and is now returning to the private sale option. We need clarity and we need to move on this quickly. It is more than a year now for many of my constituents who have agreed a deal and yet there is no information from Government.”
“Storm Éowyn left almost 1 million people without power and water, many for more than two weeks. In response, the Government introduced a humanitarian assistance scheme. The scheme was designed to meet the need for food, clothing and personal items but I have received hundreds of emails and calls to my constituency office from constituents who have received rejection letters. These letters clearly state that the scheme does not cover food, clothing or personal items, the very items that it was explicitly stated would be covered by it. The goalposts keep moving and the most recent moving of the goalposts is the deadline. It appears that the deadline has passed and the scheme has ended, despite the fact that people had no idea this was happening. Can the Taoiseach provide clarity on this?”
“That is unfair and it predominantly affects women in this country. I ask the Minister to please remove the means test for carers, address the issues in endometriosis and ensure that we have a national framework for sufferers.”
“I urge the Minister of State to ensure that the framework happens and that it happens in a speedy fashion because it is unacceptable that women have to wait until they are well into their thirties in some cases before they realise and are diagnosed with this disease. I also raise the issue of the means test. By and large, it is the women of Ireland who do the bulk of caring - caring for children who may have disabilities, for elderly parents, etc. - and it is incredibly unfair on these women who have to give up their work, oftentimes their social lives as well, that they do not receive a cent from the State for doing amazing work for their families and great work for our community, work that has a huge economic benefit as well. These women are means tested off the strength of their husband's salaries.”
“It is unacceptable that women in their thirties have to wait so long for a proper diagnosis. It is unfair and wrong. A total of 44% of women undergoing IVF are actually silent sufferers of endometriosis. We must address this. We need to ensure that the national framework happens. The Endometriosis Association of Ireland is doing great work, but right now there is no pathway and it is causing major difficulties. We need to ensure that we have a national framework. The framework should address issues regarding education, awareness, a pathway referral system for GPs and specialists who are trained in dealing with this. Many women are actually going abroad to access treatment because we do not have any significant facilities in this country.”
“In some cases, the pill is prescribed, and that has a positive impact around the women's symptoms, but the consequence and flipside of this is that is actually has a masking effect. As a result of this masking effect, oftentimes women in this country only realise they have endometriosis later in life in their thirties when they wish to start families, etc. This delayed diagnosis has a significant impact on fertility for many women. It is unacceptable. Deputies, please. If I could finish.”
“It is International Women's Day. It is also endometriosis awareness month. Endometriosis is a hugely debilitating disease. Women who experience this disease often have crippling pain, fatigue, loss of body confidence and the inability to work, play sport or participate in hobbies for many days at various different times of the month. In fact, this disease affects one in ten women. There are more women who suffer from this disease than there are sufferers of diabetes. Despite this huge level of people and women who suffer, many suffer in silence. They suffer in silence because there is a huge lack of information, and we have no national framework to deal with this disease. As a result of this vacuum of information, GPs often do not have the tools and the referral pathways to effectively treat their patients.”
“If the Government had bothered to listen to him, it would realise what is happening. Perhaps we would not need TikTok videos and the waste of time with gardaí dancing and prancing around. Let us address the actual issues. That is what is happening. No amount of TikTok and spin will address the issues. Gardaí are talking. They are telling young recruits and other young people, including their sons, daughters and cousins, that it is not a job for the future. It is getting worse. I am pleading with the Minister of State to listen to gardaí, find out why 98% have no confidence in the Commissioner and address the issues with increased bureaucracy and pay and conditions. Then, perhaps, we will reach the programme for Government target that states we will have 1,000 extra gardaí every year. However, at the moment it is not going to happen.”
“That is what is happening. Many years ago, gardaí would be on the street and would know what was happening before it even happened. That is no longer the case. We need to return to proactive community policing. In 2023, the Garda Representative Association voted no confidence in the Commissioner. A total of 98% voted no confidence. I recently met the Commissioner at Mayo County Council. I asked him what has happened in management of An Garda Síochána to address the issues. Nothing has happened since that vote of no confidence. Is it any wonder we have a recruitment and retention crisis when we will not listen to gardaí? A garda in my constituency retired recently after decades of service and it was not even acknowledged by senior management. He had no exit interview.”
“That has now been eroded because the Garda Commissioner and successive senior managers would rather have gardaí tied up behind screens doing paperwork. That is the truth.”
“I wish the Minister of State well. There is a massive amount of work to be done. There is a significant drug problem in our communities. I recently spoke to several gardaí who told me they do not have the manpower or time to deal with drugs. Those drug issues include underage kids taking drugs, which is a major issue. Theft, violence and antisocial behaviour are all on the rise. We all know we need more gardaí and that we need to reopen our rural Garda stations. That cannot be done, however, because of issues with recruitment and retention. Being a garda used to be a job a father would pass to a son, but that link has broken because we have reduced morale and pay and conditions in the Garda. There has been a radical change to policing. This country used to have a proactive community policing model.”
“This is happening in various different parts across the country and it must be addressed and we need to accelerate wastewater treatment in Newport. On the delays with Uisce Éireann around new connections, a constituent of mine has been waiting several months for a connection although the house is actually finished. There are practical things we can do. It is time now that we hurry on and I wish the Minister the best of luck in his Ministry but I urge him to please consider those practical solutions.”
“A number of years ago we pursued a policy of dezoning land, and there was a critical issue around zoning of land. We need to give local authorities and local councillors more control over the zoning of land. There is not enough. We have zoned land where farmers have no interest in building so it was never going to become available to the building sector and we dezoned lands where farmers were willing to sell. It makes no sense. We need a little bit more common sense and local authorities should be equipped. There is no point in zoning land for farmers who do not want their land to be zoned. That needs to be looked at and addressed. Also, infrastructure is critically important. There is no wastewater treatment plant in Newport, County Mayo. The wastewater is being pumped into Clew Bay. As a result, development is being stifled.”
“At this time is it any wonder we have major difficulties around manpower to supply construction sites with people? It is really important we address those issues and end the delays in this area. Planning is a major issue and it is really important we address the issues. We need more planners. An Bord Pleanála consistently has delays and is not obeying its own statutory timelines. If you, I or any citizen of this country failed around our motor tax or insurance we would have to pay a sanction but there seems to be no accountability around planning. We need more planners and it must be resourced. It is time now, in the midst of the housing crisis, that we get on and solve that issue. Land zoning is another big concern. A number of years ago the Government pursued a policy of dezoning land. Minister, this point is really important.”
“There are thousands of Irish people working on construction sites in Australia, Canada and all over the world and we need to bring them home. We need to bring them home by incentivising them with tax breaks and financial incentives. It is really important we launch a financial campaign with a package to build those workers home to build houses in this country. There has been a snobbery around apprenticeships in Ireland over many years and that attitude needs to change. For example, if a young person wants to become a teacher, garda, nurse, doctor, etc., there is a set number of years for that to happen. If you want to be a block layer, apprentice, electrician etc., you have no idea how long it will take. There are significant delays.”
“I also raise the issues of construction costs and the viability of building in this country. Last year in a response to a parliamentary question submitted by Aontú we found out that in 2024 alone this Government took in €3 billion from VAT on construction products, the highest ever in the history of this State. On average, it is well over €50,000 per unit. Will the Minister consider reducing the cost of VAT on construction materials? We have a lot of schemes in this country but, unfortunately, many of those schemes are not happening on the ground. This would be a very tangible, practical way of reducing the cost of construction in this country. I also wish to raise the point that manpower is one of the biggest pinch points in the construction of houses.”
“I welcome that the Minister is in the Chamber for this discussion. I welcome the comments made by the Minister of State about the modular developments. It is a positive, practical solution and something that should have happened a very long time ago. I ask the Minister to expedite that. At the moment, according to the Minister's comments 40 sq. m is the maximum size but I think sizes of 60 sq. m, 70 sq. m or 80 sq. m should be considered, where it is suitable to do so and where sites allow. There are great companies across the country such as BRB Homes - Donal Byrne's company in Mayo - for example, delivering fantastic quality homes. This will have a very practical and positive impact for many families so I ask the Minister to hurry on with that and ensure it happens swiftly.”