Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Dublin Mid-West · Independent · Ireland
“As I have mentioned in the House before, if a border poll passes by 52% to 48%, the legal threshold of the Good Friday Agreement is met but the social consensus is not and moving 800,000 citizens into a new state against their explicit, democratic will does risk causing civil unrest.”
“We also have other gaps that are much smaller, like a ten-year phased transition, reducing the net annual cost to between €2.5 billion and €3 billion. We then had the middle figure of about €11 billion. We actually do not know how much it is going to cost but we do know it is going to cost something.”
“For example, adopting a single currency, getting rid of the exchange rate volatility and the transaction costs for cross-Border businesses are all advantages.”
“I would be loath to call a border poll right now because of the risks associated with that, but if a border poll did occur, the State would have to be prepared for the huge structural disruptions that would follow, so we have to start working now - that is why this debate is welcome - without arrogantly presuming it is going to become a r…”
“I have been listening to this debate in my office since Deputy Currie started her contribution. I always follow these debates on Irish unity with interest as someone who wants to see a united Ireland by consent.”
“Some have been mentioned in this House, such as a devolved regional assembly in Stormont to preserve local governance for the unionist community, a shared bill of rights protecting the dual Irish-British citizenship, and re-evaluating our relationship with the Commonwealth.”
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“The centre has not been able to get access to someone who will tell the centre how to get the various channels together to provide the funds for the centre. Is the Minister of State in a position to identify credible channels of funding today?”
“There would be a large early years facility, dedicated rooms, including parent and baby, child and parent, and teenager rooms, therapy rooms, family-staff consultation rooms, family spaces and child cooking facilities and communal areas where families with young children can meet and connect with others. There would be stuff like CoderDojo, an academy space, a staff training room, a parent outdoor space and an outdoor playground. The centre has written to various Departments looking for funding. That is why I originally put this question to the Department of the Taoiseach. I believe channels of funding may be available through various Departments, but there is no one-size-fits-all scenario.”
“It is a fantastic resource on which to locate such a centre. The centre has been designed to accommodate needs well into the future. At 500 sq m, it would be three times the size of the existing premises and would provide an excellent amount of space to facilitate the delivery of supports and enhance the supports already provided. It would get rid of the need for families and staff to travel to and from other venues. In some cases, these families do not have cars and the bus service is not reliable. It is a long walk. The centre would have additional supports for early years care, family support, staff rooms and a multipurpose recreation and family-focused space. It is a fantastic plan for a one-stop shop of supports.”
“A greater number of parents have benefited year on year from the centre because of the excellent levels of care it offers and the education, counselling and support that are available for children. The key challenge now is that it has insufficient physical space to accommodate the increased number of families going to the centre, in a single location. It has had to spread out and that involves long walks so it urgently needs adequate premises to extend service provision. Although it does a good job, the service is fragmented. The centre put in place a plan to enable it to maintain a consistent level of support and increased on-site service provision going forward. South Dublin County Council has provided land for a new centre in the St. Cuthbert's Park area. The park has been separately upgraded by South Dublin County Council.”
“The centre focuses on targeted responses at an early stage and is doing a good job. Families can access a range of services and supports alongside the early childhood care and education programme, which caters for children, including those with special educational needs. There are parenting programmes, child therapeutic interventions and a range of wraparound supports which ensure that families receive appropriate supports to help to improve outcomes. The centre is not just totting up figures; it is doing something of value and adding value to the community. It has grown substantially over a 20-year period. It is a victim of its own success in one sense. It has consistently adapted its response to the increasing socioeconomic challenges.”
“Deansrath Family Centre has been serving children and families in Clondalkin and beyond for more than 20 years. It is located in an area of ongoing socioeconomic disadvantage, characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty, a lot of single-parent households and lower than average levels of education. The centre has evolved over time to cater for these needs and has expanded from solely providing childcare to delivering a range of services under the general headings of prevention and early intervention. It has built up a lot of experience in identifying needs in families early and providing co-ordinated support before problems become more complex. It is the living epitome of the research done in the Highscope/Perry Preschool Project, which showed that for every €1 invested there is a €7 return.”
“You raise an issue with the Minister for Transport, who says it is an operational matter for the NTA, but if you are trying to have political input and do not want political patronage, you need an input and an NTA that listens to the elected representatives who are representing the people on the ground and makes changes. However, it is not making the changes and it is not listening. There is an arrogance there.”
“In the bigger picture, the NTA is not fit for purpose. We have heard about route 26 turning into the route 80 disaster that is affecting Palmerstown and especially Chapelizod. This may be reviewed, but I did a survey of 2,700 bus users who were all wary of it from day 1. I had a meeting with the chief executive but nothing was done at the time. The C2 bus spent so long down a temporary route that all the new houses were built alongside it and a new route is needed that incorporates the L25. The abolition of route 13 in Clondalkin is causing major concerns for certain estates, especially for school kids. It goes on and on but the big picture is the NTA has absolutely no accountability.”
“I may be talking about the elephant in the room but in the UK, some nationalities were found to be convicted or arrested for sexual offences 30 times more than English citizens. Some of that may be racial profiling, but you cannot hide the fact there are different cultural norms. We need an education system so that if people do not follow our cultural norms, they are not welcome in this country. That is a fair comment. Let us have that conversation.”
“We do not have the capacity right now to provide housing, so we have to look at where our industrial policy goes, where people should be working and what kinds of job are needed. We certainly need a lot of immigrants for jobs. I may have mentioned previously that when I was mayor, a Nigerian evangelical church celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Its members sang the national anthem in Irish and English and spoke about how proud they were to be Irish citizens. They are 100% Irish. They will always have Nigerian heritage and are proud of that as well. Newcomers make a hugely positive contribution to our country. That does not mean we cannot have a proper, respectful conversation, as others mentioned. We need to. What constitutes Irish cultural norms?”
“Equally, as the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, said, if we are trying to get decisions made within six months, including appeals, that is a good thing because, right now, 80% of applications for asylum are turned down and only a third are granted on leave to appeal. A lot of economic migrants, all of whom are decent people, are abusing the asylum process and should not be permitted to do so. Meanwhile, we have people fleeing persecution who need to get accommodation. As others said, we should not conflate inaction on constructing housing with the immigration situation. It is also fair to say that at least 30,000 people are coming from within the EU and another 30,000 are coming into Ireland legally every year.”
“I said it to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste and will say it to the Minister of State: it is about time we had a citizens' convention on immigration and asylum policy that would include a lot of people who are now Irish citizens who came from elsewhere for a better life. We need to have this because the debate is not a zero-sum game in terms of extreme left to right ideology. It is about trying to see what best practice for us in Ireland is and for people who are coming to this country fleeing persecution. It is absolutely insane to decide, if someone is here after five years, that they do not have leave to remain and should leave this country after building up links. It is cruel and unjust. There should be an amnesty for people in that situation.”
“I agree with the previous speaker, Deputy Tóibín, in trying to encourage people to go to the pubs and socialise there. That is also about providing refurbishment grants to pubs. Obviously, there are people coming for the tradition and the music but there are types of pubs where people want to go out and play different games, such as pool, table tennis, cards and different things like that. Pubs have become more multi-use spaces and if they need to re-assess their area for usage, grants available or rates rebates should be available in that regard.”
“If we want to get people sitting outside, it is one thing allowing for seating – and I welcome the legislation to allow people to sit outside restaurants and bars on public streets to socialise – but when a heavy shower comes along, it drives people indoors very quickly. There are a lot of places. To provide an example in Ireland, there is a small, covered area in Castlebar, but I refer to something three or four times that size. For example, Strokestown was a designed town and it has a large square area which could be used for a market or seating area to revitalise the town. In our city and town centres, such as those in Cork, Killarney and Dublin, there is scope to cover major streets and encourage an outdoor night-time culture, not so much café culture, although we need more night-time cafés as well.”
“Once again, we have the delays with the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025. Obviously, I welcome the temporary legislation. We spoke about it last May. I wish to focus on a couple of slightly left-of-centre things we could do alongside that legislation. In Rjukan, Norway, a mirror was put on the mountains because no sun shone on the town in the winter as a result of the mountains. Through innovation, there is now sunlight in the town square. There are a lot of towns and villages in this country that have some form of a square or street and we should be giving grants to ensure that these streets can be covered to protect them from both sunlight in the summer as well as rainfall, which happens often in this country.”
“Let the industry manage these. Let there be an income for the communities. Let there be an income and jobs for the people working in the greyhound industry. We have to move with the times. There is no point looking to the past for a dying industry that cannot survive without subsidies. Let us get real.”
“I know there are jobs involved which is why we should follow the lead of organisations like Dogs Trust Ireland and the ISPCA that have called for a phased closure, citing unnecessary and preventable deaths. A phased ban would work. It should be wound down slowly over three or four years. We should focus on animal welfare, economic transition and supporting communities in creating jobs. For example, we could have stricter enforcement of welfare standards while winding it down; increased money for rehoming programmes and adopting dogs; and restrictions on breeding. If the greyhound stadiums around the country were repurposed, it could unlock huge community benefits for sport, culture and social connections. Tracks could be converted into pitches, indoor fitness centres and youth training academies in partnership with local clubs.”
“Greyhounds are often exported to countries with even weaker animal protection laws. Let us be clear; it is all about the gambling. There are no health benefits for people participating in the sector and no benefit for the dogs themselves. The sport's purpose these days has shifted from local community meets where no one turns up any more to generating betting products for international markets rather than community entertainment which was a weak argument back in the day but an argument, nonetheless. As others have said, the money is going towards prizes but even after the Indecon report, there has been little or no progress. It needs to end imminently.”
“It is an industry, not a sport and one that has been subject of multiple scandals involving cruelty and mistreatment of animals. It has very little public support any more even rural areas and stadiums are hardly ever full to capacity. Deputy Whitmore mentioned that they are 75% to 90% empty, showing that there is little appetite among the Irish public. The industry would not survive without taxpayer funding and it is not volunteer driven like many sports. Greyhounds have short lives in this cruel business. There are high injury and death rates. I will not go into the death rates which were mentioned earlier. The dogs are killed when the injuries are too serious or when they are no longer economically viable. We have also had many reports of neglect and abandonment.”
“It used part of our heritage that if a woman opened her mouth, men were able to dunk her in the river. Thousands of jobs were created in rural areas because of Magdalen laundries. Do people want to keep that going? No, it is old school. We have learned our lesson. Greyhound racing is old school as well. I am opposing this motion on the basis that horse racing has serious issues and greyhound racing cannot be redeemed. I support the amendment not because I think it is strong enough but because passing it would be progress, however incremental. I said previously that greyhound racing should banned outright. It is happening elsewhere, as others have mentioned. We risk being left behind in terms of calling ourselves a progressive country.”
“I do not know if the reforms proposed will move Ireland from a culture of bureaucratic omertà to one of accountability overnight but they are worthy of scrutiny and are not to be dismissed out of hand, as they have been. I support the proposals. I hope the Government will reflect on what has been said today and examine every angle closely, either when further Private Members' legislation comes forward or possibly through the Government tabling amendments, as has been suggested, to the existing legislation.”
“I am not totally sold on the suggestion of a whistleblower reward scheme. I note it has worked to an extent in the United States, albeit under a different system and mindset from our own. We should certainly look at best practice and, in this context, I do not have a problem with a pilot and neither should the Government. We need to make investigations mandatory, punish obstruction and publish it, protect jobs for conscientious employees and provide real support. This will better help the decent people who shine a light on wrongdoing and ensure whistleblowers are treated as friends of the public interest and not, as is all too often the case, as enemies of the State. If we are serious about integrity in public life, we must be serious about protecting whistleblowers.”
“I welcome the proposal's provision for independent oversight and a review after three years of whether the reforms are working, which is why I cannot understand how the Government could not them take on board and integrate them with existing legislation.”
“I take on board what the Minister of State said about section 15 of the existing Act but coercion and intimidation are currently very difficult to prove and no whistleblower should be silenced against their will for pursuing the common good, whether it is by tangible actions, threats, ghosting or anything more subtle. Public bodies should, therefore, have to certify every year that they have not used prohibitive non-disclosure and that no staff have inferred or implied the same. We also need accountability, which is why publishing the quarterly data showing which bodies failed to meet deadlines make sense, along with sanctions for repeated failures where escalative action is not taken.”
“I support proposals for reinstatement, full compensation and exemplary damages, including a more detailed analysis and appreciation of what constitutes constructive dismissal. It might not always be possible but striving to make it the norm is laudable. Tied in with this is the need for a legal aid and support fund so whistleblowers, and sometimes their families, can get representation, counselling and assistance. Speaking up should not mean financial ruin or personal collapse, as it has in the past. We have to have checks and balances but the motion should be tested with supporting additional legislation. Gagging clauses and non-disclosure agreements should be banned or hugely restricted.”
“That is how we make sure disclosures are not ignored. It is not rocket science. Implementing it may require massive changes in culture and will face institutional resistance but this has to be overcome. Then there is the measure seeking personal responsibility. If an official obstructs an investigation, destroys evidence or lies, he or she should face additional criminal charges, which should help stop cover-ups. I especially like the proposal to give whistleblowers the right to go more easily to the High Court to force an investigation so the court can compel action not coming from elsewhere. This needs to be in turn protected from abuse and spurious claims but if done right, it is a safety valve when the system fails otherwise. Whistleblowers often suffer retaliation and it can be very subtle.”
“We all personally know or locally are aware of whistleblowers. I know some myself. They are vital to protecting the public interest. These individuals call out corruption, waste, incompetence, bullying and abuse, including our distinguished guests in the Public Gallery. All too often, they pay a price for their transparency and honesty. The proposals before us are about changing that, going beyond the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and ensuring any legislation has teeth. They are about making sure whistleblowers are protected, supported and respected within every sector. My colleagues' first proposal is that every public body must investigate whistleblower reports quickly and fairly - no delays, no excuses. If they fail, a new Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner would have the power to sanction them.”
“All we know is we have promised legislation and also legislation not promised, such as on the issue of therapy or counselling notes, as Deputy Coppinger referenced, and a commitment to have "a review of the current strategy's implementation to inform the development of the fourth national domestic sexual and gender based violence policy strategy 2027 to 2030." We have the third one right now so is it not time we focused less on strategy and review and more on actual implementation? As I said, this Bill, like others, is welcome and needed but I hope we can ensure legislation has teeth. All victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence deserve this, especially women and girls, including the campaigners here in the Gallery who have all been let down far too much and for far too long.”
“In an Irish context we need to look holistically at proper collaboration between Government Departments, statutory bodies and agencies and obviously society as a whole because we have been poor at bringing things together. We have heard this about the housing crisis, public transport, energy self-sufficiency and also this hugely important issue. Can we bring the protections we are talking about together? Can we train the professionals properly? Where is the evidence each area will be followed up so lives will be saved and people protected? We need more than prosecution after the event. We need more than refuges even though we need a lot more refuges. There is only a short time left for action until we get to the next strategy.”
“Furthermore, 68% of younger women aged 18 to 24 have reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime, which is absolutely shocking. The Minister said it is an international problem and it is, but we are legislators in Ireland and it is an embarrassment to us as a country. The development of the corporate plan is welcome too but let us see what the outcomes are because the initial report says it is being guided by a legislative framework. I am sick of hearing about "the four key pillars set out in the Zero Tolerance strategy which are grounded in the Istanbul Convention: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Policy Coordination". We have heard it a lot. If I had €10 for every time I heard about the Istanbul Convention I would be a millionaire. They are all laudable and worthy but they have been talked about to death.”
“He said that if that many women suffered due to a faulty kettle or faulty TV there would be a major recall investigation. He said the injuries and threats of violence are nuts. He said if women carried out that many attacks the country would close down and we would be in a lockdown. He asked if there is a rage now in society and whether it is it okay now that it has been normalised. He asked me to please share with the Minister that we need to sort this and said there should be no blaming anything other than men. This ties in with the Cuan Corporate Plan 2025–2027 which points out 40% of adults have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, with 52% of these being women, who are disproportionately affected by sexual violence compared with 28% of men.”
“I wish this would be the last debate but we all know there is a body of work to do, from the legal barriers to the lack of resources for supports and ingrained misogyny that goes all the way down from fully-grown men to what I have previously described – and I hate giving that piece of excrement any publicity – as the Andrew Tate-ification of our boys as early as primary school. The damage on social media is all-pervading, it is breeding the next generation of violent offenders and we need to do something about it. I hope the Minister will look at proposals I and others have made on mirroring the Australian model of a ban on social media for under-16s. Just tonight I had a constituent who is a former school principal contact me. He said violence against women is out of control.”
“I suggest the Bill before the House granting a civil protection order will act as a further deterrent, so I hope the Government adopts this Bill. I note the Minister said he was not opposing its passage to the next Stage but suggested it was in some way superfluous, so at the very least I hope it is integrated into planned legislation. This obviously raises questions about when precisely this unopposed Bill or the Bill the Minister put forward earlier in the year will be enacted and how they are going to be resourced because it is not the first time we have had discussions about the societal problem of violence, and in particular sexual violence, against women.”
“It is really pathetic the way the justice system stands right now, whether it is before or after the often-inadequate sentencing. This Bill is complementary to the Minister’s equally welcome criminal law (sexual offences, domestic violence and international instruments) Bill which, when finally enacted, will incorporate Jennie’s law, which is something I and others have called for over a period of time. It will create the new publicly-accessible domestic violence register of judgments managed by the Courts Service, strengthen the law on sexual consent and replace the term "child pornography" with the more apt "child sexual abuse material", and include other measures for those convicted of domestic violence against their partner or former partner being publicly named on this register.”
“I welcome the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025, which as others have said, aims to ensure a person subjected to sexual violence can be granted a civil protection order where an offence has been found to have been committed under criminal or common law. It is one step, as Deputy Carthy said, but it is an important step in adding to the legal protections available. It is separate to the existing civil restraining orders or section 28 orders we have and ties in with measures to stop someone convicted from harassing, threatening, or violent behaviour against another person rather than the burden of proof being placed on the person assaulted, including, as was mentioned earlier, the woman Deputy Carthy referred to who was recommended to seek a barring order.”
“I know the Minister would be kept up to date on the reports of the subgroups and as she mentioned there have been 16 of them so far and there will be a few more before we get the final report. Can she focus in some way on getting to monitor the specialists? Is there any scope to bring in experts from Northern Ireland, Scotland or England as part of one of the subgroups or is this already happening? This area is not a very well covered nationally but it is hugely important. Hearing loss is a major issue in Ireland and there is a certain stigma associated with it, which is why the WHO made recommendations about having an holistic policy in the first place. I welcome the Minister's response and hopefully we will get to the consultation stage soon.”
“The Minister mentioned things like workforce planning and obviously there are other issues like paediatric screening, adult rehabilitation pathways and integration with primary care. Can the Minister give any timeline for the public consultation? Will it definitely be in quarter 1 of next year? This arose back in August of last year when the then Minister, Stephen Donnelly, was basically implementing WHO recommendations on providing an holistic package of hearing services. I take the Minister's point and I welcome the fact that the scope has broadened to look at different things. However, has there been discussion of the regulation of the audiology profession? If that has been done, does it include the stakeholders on it? Has best practice abroad been looked at? If not, we are asking people to talk about their own industry.”
“There have been at least 16 meetings of the hearing care plan working group and meetings of subgroups but a report still has not been issued and has now been delayed by over six months into a projected timeline of quarter 1 of next year. Will the Minister outline why the scope has expanded so much beyond initial expectations? Will she confirm a commencement date and a timeline for the related public consultation?”
“I want to talk about some of the demands made by the children with scoliosis and spina bifida and their parents: children who have aged out of services must be included; there should be a transition pathway for scoliosis and spina bifida; the consequences of neglect by CHI should be addressed; children who have passed away must be included; there should be power to compel persons to provide evidence and provide documents; and healthcare reforms must be implemented while the inquiry is ongoing. I hope these can be dealt with.”
“It is good that we have the opportunity to make some statements, particularly after the announcement that a tribunal of inquiry is to be set up. It is welcome news, but I will be very interested in the terms of reference when they are on paper and when we have sign-up involving all the families and children involved. We may have made some progress in reducing numbers, but more children are joining the lists and at a faster rate. There have been questions about why children were bumped off the list before. They have not been answered and there is no accountability. In my previous contribution, I mentioned parents who have had legal action threatened against them for trying to advocate for their children. Unless these issues are dealt with concurrently with the tribunal, we are going to have problems.”
“I would still see that we are not putting in the long-term investment in our own infrastructure. In that regard, I would like the Minister of State to focus on that sector, in particular the decarbonisation of Europe. There have been threats to the environmental aspect in other parts of European affairs. Does he believe the commitment to decarbonisation is continuing?”
“Collectively, the countries that have shown a little bravery such as Ireland, Norway, Belgium and Spain will have to do more in a co-ordinated way on this issue. On defence and security, I will head to a meeting of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs shortly. I want to know how the roadmap for defence readiness 2030 ties in with our military neutrality. I will read the Minister of State's speech later. Obviously, we have to develop our defensive capabilities, especially with regard to Russian threats off our coast. We should be able to report that we are increasing spending on our defences without it being part of a collective EU pact. I also want to get further information on the energy self-sufficiency angle that Europe is pursuing.”
“I suggested last night that there is no long-term tangible commitment that would replace the wavering US support. Ukraine is in a very tenuous position. A lot of platitudes have been given to it from an EU perspective. Aside from some of the Baltic states and the other states on the border, we are not seeing the commitments that are required, although I welcome France's recent announcement. In the Middle East, to use the Hebrew phrase, yada yada , it is the same old story. The EU, for historic reasons within various member states, is not willing to collectively call out the Israeli genocide. There were meaningful, worthy references to the peace process and to EU missions, and a call for Israel to release withheld revenues, but nothing that is going to force Israel to do anything meaningful.”
“I was not able to listen to the Minister of State's earlier contribution so I am not sure what was said. However, I did read through the points that were made in relation to the meeting, and I have taken some notes. The key focuses were on Ukraine, the so-called Middle East peace process, defence readiness, competitiveness, the energy transition, digital sovereignty, migration and the ongoing enlargement process. I have a couple of comments to make on those. On the Ukraine issue, it is heartening that member states again gave support, both from a military and a humanitarian assistance perspective. I welcome that an exchange of views took place with President Zelenskyy. As I said last night, he is very welcome and we are looking forward to his visit in December.”
“I note that at the last EU nitrates committee meeting member states voted to approve the use of processed manure above excess nitrogen limits. We should be showing leadership. We can be sustainable, profitable and show leadership.”
“It is not really possible to talk about economic sustainability without environmental sustainability because the true cost of doing that business is not being taken into consideration. It is also about the impact on our tourism offering and jobs for people in rural areas and our viability as an industrial location in terms of our water quality. Many other factors are involved. Our healthcare system is also affected and the cost of our healthcare system is affected when our rivers are not at optimal quality. The Government can wheel in as many senior officials from the European Commission as it likes to witness first hand our outdoor grass-based system but in reality the system is not working. We are just kicking the can down the road. Are we hanging on a bit like climate change to see whether Europe will water things down?”
“Our whole environment is interconnected. It is not possible to put excrement on land at a certain quantity without it having an impact on the quality of the lives of all our citizens, especially young children who are most affected by nitrates. The expansion of dairy farming is linked to the nutrient surpluses. If our dairy industry is not sustainable, we need to focus on lower intensity, organic quality produce for export. We are now the only EU country still seeking a derogation. Denmark, for example, has an intensive agricultural system but does not have a derogation. Therefore, we need to continue to reduce our nitrates or we will lose any flexibility we had and face tougher EU sanctions. We have the nitrates action programme but it is not enough. The consultation period ends on 1 December.”
“These regions that are most affected by the nitrates derogation allow certain farms to exceed the standard limit of 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare. Under EU rules, the derogation farms in these sensitive catchments must now reduce their stocking rates from 250 kg to 220 kg, which is a recognition by the EU that we have to come down because we were not making any progress. The report stresses that 44,000 sq. km of land has been identified as requiring additional measures to meet the EU water quality standards. The European Commission has also expanded its criteria for Ireland's derogation renewal, demanding not only progress on water quality but also conservation of designated habitats and species, which underscores how the nitrates directive and other environmental obligations such as the habitats directive are interconnected.”
“I like a bit of banter. The EPA's 2025 water quality report highlights that agricultural pressures, particularly from nitrogen and phosphorous - I will focus on nitrogen - from livestock manure, fertilisers, etc., remain the dominant threat to our rivers, lakes and especially our estuaries. The nitrates directive has been talked about for many years and Ireland's derogation is central to the findings in this and previous reports because stricter limits are now absolutely required to protect our water quality. This 2025 report shows that while some improvements have been made in specific areas, the excess nutrients continue to degrade our water quality. These elevated nitrogen levels are particularly evident in the south and south east. That is no surprise as it is where the most intensive dairy farming is concentrated.”
“We are nowhere near that stage. Has the United States Government, in any way, shape or form, verbally or in writing, put pressure on the Irish Government not to proceed with this Bill? If any such threats have been made, they need to be put into the public domain. The reason the Irish people are so pro-Palestine is that we have empathy and compassion for a people who have been oppressed, because of our own history of oppression. Work has been done and I will give the Minister of State credit for that but we have a moral imperative to bring this legislation as far as it will go. If the Minister says it is unworkable, let us test it to see if that is the case. Otherwise, we are just hiding in plain sight. We have to do better than this.”