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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“Because Denmark did a lot of work rescuing Danish Jews during the Second World War, they have a certain relationship with Israel which they do not want to damage. I said that friends have to tell the truth to their friends. The same thing happens with the US. My question for the Minister and Cabinet colleagues is why it is now taking so long when earlier indications were that there were a few tweaks to go into Senator Black's Bill. Senator Black herself was reasonably optimistic and was taking on board some of the arguments and points that were being made, and wanted to move on. When I raised this after the summer recess, my impression from previous Government statements was that a lot of work would have been done over the summer and that we were ready to have the legislation passed through the Houses before Christmas.”
“I am not talking about financial contributions because that could actually do them more harm than good. There are a lot of decent, peace-minded people living in Israel who need our support. Most of all, they need access to unbiased information about what is happening because they are not getting it in their own country. It comes back to Israelis living in this country who think we are an antisemitic country. We do not have a proud history. We had a very mealy-mouthed attitude to dealing with Jewish refugees after the Second World War. That is to our shame. As a member of the EU, we have a huge impact on other member states. I referred before to a meeting with the Danish ambassador.”
“This is something Ireland gets a lot of criticism for. An Israeli constituent of mine contacted me recently. They are a little bit behind the curve but they saw one of my speeches and said they would never vote for me again because I described what Israel is doing in Gaza as genocide. Well, I am sorry but the facts are the facts. To give credit to the Government, it has participated in the South Africa ICJ case along with Belgium and Spain. Some European countries have shown leadership. Ireland is to be commended on that. I hope the final judgment in legal terms will be in our favour to put additional pressure on the Israeli state. Any objective analyst has described what is happening in Gaza as genocide. We have a body of work to do to assist.”
“If you did a search of the contributions I have made in this Chamber since my re-election in November of last year, you would find that Gaza, the West Bank and Palestine in general will come up top. That is a sadness for me. The relentless genocide in Gaza is continuing, as is the ongoing occupation of the West Bank, including settlers murdering innocent people in the past week. It is ongoing. It is a systematic tearing apart of the West Bank. I mentioned in previous contributions that the Israeli state - either directly, or by letting the settlers get on with it - is dividing the West Bank in such a way as to make it totally unviable as a territory. It is a deliberate policy, just like the systematic starvation and indiscriminate murder of Palestinian women, children and male civilians was also part of a policy.”
“We cannot wait until after the pool is completed. We need this information now because it is a huge waste of public money that we need to investigate. I ask that the State would use its own resources to try and get such an inquiry going.”
“Three years later, we have seen a massive increase in costs. The original pool was approximately €10 million. It was €13 million at the commencement and now it has gone up to €20 million. We have had an increase in costs that goes way above Covid and supply chain increases. We have had a time delay that goes way above what it would have taken to get rid of the contractor and act on clauses at a much earlier stage. There has been a massive clamour for proper transparency - as there has been none - from members of the public in Lucan who have been looking for this pool for years. The council has consistently refused to give any sort of information now that the contract is complete from the McLoughlins side on why it held on as long as it did. What were the factors? There could be valid factors. I would like to see them in the public domain.”
“Now that the Minister of State has given the response, I can go into a little more of the nitty-gritty. The Minister of State mentioned the Covid issues and the restrictions on working practices, etc. The council was aware of this from an early stage but it took the word of the contractor. I have had stories told to me about electricians walking off site because they were not getting paid commensurate to the increases in costs. As they are obviously the ones who have to certify the work, this would have caused delays. What we were told by the council which could not be put into the public domain was that while that contract was live, it had to adopt a softly-softly approach because if the council had to re-tender the contract, it would massively increase costs and delay construction of the pool.”
“When I was a councillor, I submitted many questions asking when the pool was going to be completed. We were told that it would happen in December 2022, in April 2023, and so on. A new architect was appointed to oversee the project a year and a half ago. That individual deserves a medal because they have been chasing a lost cause. They were trying to keep their finger on the pulse of what was happening with the contractor. The contractor was not allowing any proper oversight until recently. The contract was then terminated. The council said it cannot do a review until the project is finished but I believe a review up to the point of the contractor's termination is absolutely necessary.”
“Along with other councillors, including Liona O'Toole, Guss O'Connell and Francis Timmons, I decided to support their massive campaign to bring it back into the eyesight of the then county manager. After a number of trials and tribulations, we got it into the county development plan and the rolling three-year programme and the council committed €6.2 million towards a pool. This is where it becomes a matter of State interest because €3.8 million of that initial investment came from national sources. The pool design was passed in 2018 and we were told that construction would commence the following year and it would be completed in 2020-21. Covid hit, obviously, there were supply chain issues and prices went up. At some stage in the period between 2020 and 2022, the council took its eye off the ball.”
“He was told during his term as mayor that he would be turning the sod for Lucan swimming pool. This was in 2007. Unfortunately, he died tragically of a brain tumour in 2008. His replacement, Councillor Dorothy Corrigan, in due course asked about the pool. The council stated that there were no plans for a pool at the time. Having given a commitment, they reneged on it after two people involved in the project died under tragic circumstances. It is no surprise that, in 2014, when I came onto South Dublin County Council again, my first speech in the chamber was about the Lucan swimming pool. This time there were a number of a community individuals, including Helen Farrell and Sandra Whelan, who were interested in doing a campaign on the pool.”
“The council made a hames of it for the first time at that time. Along with my colleague and friend, the late Councillor Fintan McCarthy, I was involved in the swimlucan.com campaign in 2005. We collected over 1,000 postcard petitions and an equal number of emails were sent into South Dublin County Council. Fintan was able to get a commitment from the council that it would add the Lucan swimming pool to its own programme. The response was that while the council was committed to building a pool out of its own funds, it would be remiss not to seek funding elsewhere as well. That was the story. Unfortunately, in 2006, my late friend and colleague died tragically in an accident in China. His vacant seat was taken over by my late father, Billy Gogarty, who subsequently became mayor.”
“We need a full public inquiry into Lucan swimming pool, at least to the point of the termination of the contract of the most recent contractor, McLoughlin. The history of this pool is an absolute mess. In the 1980s, Lucan Community Council collected moneys for a leisure centre. People paid towards this and were promised a pool in phase 2. Unfortunately, the project went into debt with a bank loan to AIB and had to be bailed out by the council and Lucan leisure centre became owned by South Dublin County Council. People were still asking whether they could have a pool. In 2002, the council said it was sorry but the swimming pool programme was closed and we could not apply. I was a TD at the time. I put in a number of parliamentary questions and was told that we could have still applied.”
“However, we have a special duty to support Ukraine in different ways as an EU member state given our military neutrality. That said, we need to upgrade our own defences, for example by investing in cheaper drone technology and other weaponry to defend our sea border and monitor ongoing Russian incursions into our economic zone. We are not immune to Russian aggression, whether in the form of submarines or the so-called shadow fleet, cyberwarfare or troll farms. Until that regime changes, we have to do what we can to protect ourselves, support our fellow EU member states, support Ukraine and realise we are all in this together as Europeans.”
“We in Ireland must maintain our non-lethal military support. We must continue to assist Ukrainian refugees and offer protection and opportunities as a free nation. There are debates, of course, about the levels of support on an individual basis, some of which are valid and some are dog-whistling. However, we must always remember that we have Ukrainian guests with much to offer us, especially at a time when we cannot fill many types of jobs. We must build on the work that has been done to further integrate Ukrainians into the Irish way of life. We must provide supports but also incentives for them to work and improve their language skills further. We should educate them about our culture and our society. The same applies to any group that is genuinely fleeing persecution and war.”
“We need to continue showing solidarity with Ukraine in the face of this unjust war. The systematic targeting by Russia of civilians, medical facilities, maternity hospitals, and schools, along with the mass abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, shows all the hallmarks of genocide. Ukraine is still facing an ongoing existential threat but is bravely fighting back against a much bigger aggressor. Almost four years on from the Russian invasion, we need to continue standing with Ukraine. In this context, like others, I welcome President Zelenskyy's impending visit next month. Hopefully, he will be able to make it over. On 26 October, the European Council reaffirmed its continued unwavering support for Ukraine's independent sovereignty and territorial integrity. This needs to continue in a tangible way.”
“Let us show the spirit of the Ireland team on Sunday when we said we will just have to put three up front and try to make a real difference." The Government has the opportunity to get rid of the Civil Service inertia and make real progress on housing, make us energy self-sufficient and improve our transport system but, as of now, all of the pundits are saying the Government does not have a hope in hell. If I was in the shoes of mo chairde go léir, I would say go for it. The Government has four years and may not be in government for another ten years after that so it should make the tough decisions. The Deputies should not be afraid of losing their seats because maybe they will have to lose them to do what is required. That is the way Government happens.”
“Unfortunately, we have no Troy Parrott or Katie McCabe in our team who will take us to the next level, moving forward. A year ago, at the start of this Government, I said it was kind of a Chappell Roan moment - good luck, babes - because in five years' time, I was going to say I hate to say it but I told you so. We are one year through that now. If there is not going to be another Fine Gael Taoiseach for a long time to come, after Simon Harris, the Government should grab the bull by the horns and say, "We are going to go out but let us go out with a bang.”
“Comhghairdeas leis an t-iarAire, an Teachta Donohoe, as a phost nua sa Bhanc Domhanda. I also congratulate the newly appointed Ministers. I may not have agreed with his team's style of play but there is no doubt that as part of the collective, the former Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has been an outstanding leader in finance and especially during the tough times. I would say he is the veritable Séamus Coleman of his team. However, in terms of this team, he looked and said, "We are not going to make the playoffs", so he took a different job.”
“I hope the Government will consider passing it now, or that at least in 12 months' time it will live up to its word and get it moving to a referendum as soon as possible.”
“When a process is being brought in and, I hope, a referendum is being held on bringing the national voting age down to 16, a lot of people in society, as they did with the question about the age of 35 in the Presidency, will bring in a lot of red herrings and ask some valid questions and those questions need to be answered. We need to have the checks and balances, when the debate comes, to say this is not a problem, that it has happened in other countries, why it will be good in Ireland, that we take on board what is being said and what we will do to ensure that when the voting age is reduced, people with fears will be placated. In my last few seconds, I again thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this Bill. They have my wholehearted support.”
“I have three teenage kids. I have worked with a lot of transition year students. I have been involved in local GAA clubs and I was involved in youth groups in the past. I have found that, as social media has developed, the tendency for people to be taken in by it has begun to diminish, especially among younger cohorts and those who are more likely to be duped and take stuff at face value are older people. At the same time, when most of the news for young people comes through social media and other online platforms, we need to mix in the political filter that is education. I am not talking down to young people saying they need to be educated. We all need to be educated.”
“Politics and society should be a compulsory subject for everyone and we should give time to critical thinking and analysing what is in the media, where it comes from, why the likes of RTÉ sometimes seem to be a day or two behind on stories. It is because it is afraid of being sued. It wants to have the facts right and it cannot report on something that is hearsay and allegation. My background is in journalism. I am all too aware of what can and cannot be said. Meanwhile, we have so-called dog-kicking citizen journalists who were in far-right parties bringing young people up hills to try to indoctrinate them. They go around asking "Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that?" with no moral compass and no fact-checking whatsoever. This is what is on TikTok, YouTube and Discord. It is all over the place and we need fact-checking filters.”
“In another, it is about trying to preserve the best of the past and being a little afraid to move forward. Young people are not afraid to ask the new questions and put in the new challenges and the time has come for their voices. However, I caution to some degree, with the amount of misinformation that is going out, what I describe as the Andrew Tate-ification and misogyny that reaches into our primary schools. There is a need, alongside, for the general population, but also for our young people, given they are the subject of this discussion and cannot even contribute to the debate but that is another story.”
“Obviously, we need a proper and open debate on immigration and I have called for a citizen's forum on that but in the Brexit discussion, the people who were most afraid of immigrants were from areas with an older population that had no immigrants. It was older people who were stuck in their ways. There is a lot of value among our older voting cohort. They have been through a lot and have seen the way our society has developed over the years. There is a lot of wisdom there, but equally, there is wisdom among our youth and we have to hear their voices more and get more of them engaging. It has been shown time and again in society that social movement comes through young people. Everyone else tends to go towards the status quo . In one sense it is human nature.”
“Young people see through the waffle that political parties and candidates often try to spin to get votes in elections. They ask the pertinent and hard questions, albeit not everyone. Sometimes I have gone into a school and faced a wall of silence. That is often a confidence issue. People do not feel they should ask a particular question so the first thing I say is, “Say whatever you want, however stupid you think it is and be as impolite as you'd like”. Usually that gets the juices flowing. Younger people have a greater social conscience. When we look at the Fridays for Future school protests, for example, and the Gaza protests as was mentioned, we see that young people are fearless. This is also about having a stake in society. Rates of voting are higher among the older generation. Let us take the example of Brexit in the UK.”
“Where we have the data, it shows that it works. There are arguments that suggest that younger people are not as mature as others, as has been mentioned in this Chamber. We know, for example, in the context of motor insurance that those under 24 are more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents than older cohorts. Sometimes it is suggested that this is because the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed, leading to greater impulsivity and so on. My wife suggests that men in particular probably do not mature until the age of 50 or older. I will not comment on that. All I can comment on is the genius of young people in mock elections, fifth and six years who consistently elected me in mock elections. I was just being facetious for a second, but I do take young people’s voices very seriously.”
“They said that in many instances, the opposite was the case and that enfranchised 16- and 17-year-olds were usually more interested in politics, more likely to vote and demonstrated pro-civic attitudes such as institutional trust, which is hugely important these days. People have lost trust in politicians and religious institutions because of systemic abuse over the years, in the legal profession and more and more in the so-called mainstream media, wrongly as it may be in some instances. Young people who were able to vote from the age of 16 onwards were found - not just in the first year but over their voting lives - to be more likely to be engaged. This was found in Austria, Scotland and Latin American countries. While there were different experiences, at the very least this interest in voting was partially retained.”
“We had it for municipal elections in Germany and Scotland came a year or two after Austria. A study entitled "Lowering the Voting Age to 16 in Practice: Processes and Outcomes Compared" by Jan Eichorn from the School of Social and Political Science/Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh and Johannes Bergh from the Institute for Social Research in Oslo, Norway made specific reference to Austria and Scotland. In all of the countries for which data is available researchers could not find any negative effects of lowering the voting age on young people's engagement or their civic attitudes.”
“Some individuals and parties would like to go for the full leap and I can see the merits in that as well. If it was parked for a year and we got all of this research and it came back again, where would we be? We would probably have to spend another year getting to the point where we would have to hold a referendum. At that stage, we would have the debate all over again. It is better, if we are being honest with ourselves and if this Bill is passed - and I will support it - to facilitate having a proper debate and working towards a decent referendum where we can have an open and honest discussion about the pros and some of the cons. I will turn to Austria first. Various countries have been mentioned but Austria was the first country, to my knowledge, that actually brought this in for full elections.”
“I thought I was sharing time with Deputy Lawless. If he comes in, I will try to finish up quickly. Otherwise, I would like the opportunity to spend some time on this very important issue. I thank Deputy Farrelly for tabling the Bill, which is hugely important. We have had others in the past push towards it. Maybe society has changed and maybe we are getting to the point where we are ready to make this leap. It is a momentous leap, if we make it and it is a very important motion. First, I will address the Government's suggestion about coming back to this in a year. If we take that at face value rather than as a political stunt, as Deputy Paul Murphy suggested, there is an argument in support of taking time to discuss it. Deputy O'Gorman mentioned the local and European elections as a first step.”
“We could be a leader in artificial intelligence and definitely in the field of renewable technology, especially as we have seen some movement in offshore wind. We need to investigate wave energy as well, along with all other types of climate technology. We must also consider pharmaceuticals and particularly the making of new inventions from scratch.”
“Science Week is a welcome event but it needs to be more wide-ranging. We possibly need a Science Month for starters and then progress to sustained year-round engagement through curriculum reform, teacher training and appropriate industry partnerships. Science should not just be subject to a once-a-year celebration. So, what can be done? We need to increase the funding for STEM education, as I have said, expand the mentorship and outreach programmes that connect girls with female scientists and engineers and integrate science and critical thinking into the national curriculum. There are proposals to increase public research and development investment, which are welcome, and I have a few ideas in this regard that I would like considered.”
“We have to do more to challenge all these norms and create a new norm – a new inclusive pathway for STEM for girls. One issue I am looking at now is that of same-sex schools, which I believe are now outdated. While there is a model for parental preferences, it should be like Australia, where you have to go to a private school if you want to go to a same-sex school. All schools in the country should be co-educational. We have a historic issue, in that the religious were the instigators of the education system in this country. Boards of management are autonomous but every single same-sex boys' or girls' school in the country should consider merging with another. Science is one angle, but so too is access to playing pitches and other facilities. There is a huge imbalance and it is very unfair on our girls.”
“Ireland continues to face challenges in gender equality in STEM areas, which I focused on a lot when I was mayor of South Dublin County Council back in 2017–2018. While we have initiatives like Smart Futures and STEM Passport for Inclusion to try to close the gender gap, girls in Ireland are still less likely to pursue science subjects at leaving certificate level than peers in countries like Finland or Estonia, and especially the likes of South Korea, which I have referred to. The uptake of physics and computer science among Irish girls lags behind the EU average and female representation in engineering and technology courses is still very much disproportionately low. It is not just about numbers; it is about the system, cultural issues, stereotypes, the lack of visible female role models and the lack of career guidance.”
“I will not go too much into this subject but it is certainly an issue as part of the overall investment deficit, as are the pay and conditions of academic staff, particularly researchers and PhD students, who need better allowances and stipends. Let us consider schools. While funding for Science Week has increased, it still represents a small fraction of the broader science budget, which itself, as I referred to in terms of research and development, could do with an increase, based on the figures in other developed countries. Long-term investment in science education at primary and secondary levels needs to be increased because it remains inconsistent. Many schools still lack access to modern laboratory facilities or dedicated STEM educators, especially but not exclusively in rural areas.”
“In this regard, compare investment levels with those of other countries. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett, mentioned an average rate of 3% across the EU. Ireland invests less than 1.5%, or maybe 1.7%, of GDP on research and development, depending on the year. This is below the EU average and it is significantly lower than the rates of countries like South Korea, Israel, Germany and the US, whose rates are 4.8%, 5.4%, 3.1% and 3.5%, respectively. Even though the US is regressing owing to its anti-science agenda, it is still investing over twice as much as we are in research and development. Other speakers have mentioned various areas where we are falling down. An example is our outdated equipment.”
“With regard to subject-specific excellence, we are second globally for agricultural sciences, fourth in immunology and neuroscience behaviour, sixth in microbiology and seventh in pharmacology and toxicology. Of course, we have also been successful in securing EU funding, such as the €1 billion from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme. Like others, I welcomed the news earlier this year that Ireland had officially joined the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, as an associate member. I was honoured to be able to pair with the relevant Minister, Deputy James Lawless, so he could attend the launch. It is very important to be an associate member. We have a lot done but we do have more to do because, despite the successes we have had, there are many areas where policy commitments and financial commitments fall short.”
“Beyond Science Week, Ireland has invested in research and infrastructure through innovation hubs, public engagement initiatives for funding calls and strong partnerships with academic institutions. These efforts align with current national goals to position Ireland as a global leader. The question remains as to whether Ireland is a global leader in research and development. The answer is mixed. We have shown leadership in some ways. According to the UK Science and Innovation Network country summary, we are first in the world for knowledge diffusion, third for knowledge impact, sixth for university–industry research and development collaboration and 15th for overall scientific research quality.”
“It is also very important at a time of misinformation and disinformation where science is not just questioned but blatantly ignored, manipulated by opportunistic charlatans for self-promotion and financial gain, politicised and often used as a tool, as I have said in previous speeches, by bad actors and rogue states to threaten our way of life. You have only to look at Facebook to see the stuff that is spouted, along with the so-called YouTube experts. Deputy Hayes mentioned the climate change deniers, those totally against vaccines without looking at and balancing up the research, and the chemtrail conspiracists – you name it. People go down the rabbit hole one way or another and then they jump into other echo chambers. I welcome the input of successive Governments in the development of Science Week.”
“It looks like a very interesting feature and I would encourage anyone to pop across and have a look. It is going to be more interesting when it is dark. There are so many other interesting events around the country. Science Week is more than just a series of events, however. It is supposed to be a strategic tool for public engagement, especially with our young people. Through exhibitions, school visits and community initiatives, it brings science into everyday life. It is supposed to demystify research and showcase our innovation, and it encourages young people to imagine themselves as the scientists, engineers and inventors of the future.”
“It is good to see that in 2025, the Government has allocated almost €850,000 to support 36 projects in 14 regional festivals, engaging communities across the country. The theme of Science Week - "Then. Today. Tomorrow" - invites everyone to reflect on past achievements, current challenges and future possibilities. Just opposite the gates of this institution, the Houses of the Oireachtas, we have one of the Science Week exhibitions, the Museum of the Moon exhibition, by the artist Luke Jerram. It is taking place in Merrion Square from today, 13 November, until 15 November. It entails an internally lit 7 m diameter sphere featuring a 120 dpi NASA map of the moon's surface. The scale is approximately 1:500,000, meaning each centimetre represents 5 km of the moon's terrain.”
“It is fair to say that over the last decade in particular, Ireland has made some commendable efforts to foster a culture of scientific creativity and collaboration within the academic institutions and industry, and also in terms of policy development. You have to give credit where it is due. Obviously, it could be said that Science Week lies at the heart of this movement because it is a flagship initiative that predated the foundation of Science Foundation Ireland and its merger with the Irish Research Council to form Research Ireland. From these humble beginnings, Science Week has grown into a national celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As the Minister of State mentioned, this year marks its 30th anniversary.”
“In my constituency, there is a rat run down through Lucan and across the Liffey because of the toll heading towards Blanchardstown. On the carbon tax debate, the Government is not doing enough and some Opposition parties are using it as a populist tool. To be clear, it is not about the carbon tax in itself but about how you use it. If it is applied fairly, it incentivises good environmental behaviour. We are facing massive fines down the road.”
“You should not be let on the road in the first place if you continue with that. Many people have no choice but to drive, which costs them a lot of money, because we do not have the investment we need in public transport. That is clear in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West. It is clear around the country. One solution to reduce costs is to give more incentives to purchase and use electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the grants are not enough. You can get them quite cheaply second hand. I have driven one for nearly ten years now and it saves an absolute fortune. However, there are people in new estates who cannot get proper parking and who are not allowed to charge using cheap home rates. That needs to be looked at. M50 tolls need to be scrapped in areas where there is high congestion.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, however briefly. I agree with colleagues that the motor insurance rip-off has to end. I was calling for action on this issue 25 years ago and it is still going on. We have to increase competition. That is something we can do from an EU perspective. We also need measures to encourage better behaviour because, whether we like it or not, most accidents do involve younger drivers, especially male drivers. We need carrots and sticks. We need incentives. There was an interesting radio debate about Gen Z being influenced by incentives. We need incentives. If you do extra driving courses, you should get a reduction. If you are a fraudster or repeat offender of any age, you should have to pay, as other Deputies have said.”
“I am not going to go into it now due to time constraints but there were areas where we could have supported those facing poverty or those who are more vulnerable within the existing tranche of funding and have had a more equitable budget, but we did not grasp that opportunity.”
“One of the ways of getting the money, especially for the likes of people with disabilities, as other Deputies have mentioned, is not to be giving little cuts to USC. I know this is controversial but we need a wider tax base and so should not take away little bits and bobs, preventing us from then being able to gain revenue down the line or requiring us to bring stuff back in again, which will have an even greater impact on society. We should be careful about taking away ways of getting revenue when we still have vulnerable people who are not getting enough. I have mentioned the €250 million housing measure, which I do not believe will work.”
“As I have said before, budget 2026 overall did not include sufficient measures for the poorest and most vulnerable. I take on board what the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said on the need to be mindful of windfall revenues but, to go back to the previous budget, in many ways, it was excessively generous compared with this one. If we had a more balanced structure, we would be in a better position. The €12 rise in core welfare rates does not offset inflation, leaving recipients with under a quarter of the average weekly earnings. Social Justice Ireland has said that a €25 increase was needed to meet the Government's benchmark. I am looking for money while saying we need to be fiscally responsible, but there are ways of getting that money.”
“If you are in any way a taxpayer, you should be able to contribute to the scheme. I have raised issues before regarding the guarantees that are in place to copper-fasten the contributions, especially the Government element because, during the downturn, the Government did claw back what were thought to be sacrosanct moneys reserved for people. We could see that happen again. A lovely flashy ad started in the summer about the cherry on the top but there is a reason this is called a savings scheme rather than a true pension scheme. It should be geared more towards being a pension scheme than a savings scheme to guarantee the State and employer contributions and to ensure that we will not see it being taken away in the future because of some unforeseen circumstances.”
“We have had several discussions on this and related legislation associated with the budget. In some ways, we have tended to go around in circles. We are repeating the same things time and again because there have been no efforts to make any efforts to do what Opposition Deputies have suggested. On the one hand, I am not surprised but, at the same time, I am disappointed. I will look at the auto-enrolment section first. I agree with what colleagues have said about auto-enrolment and lower earners. Sometimes those who cannot work because of family care issues or healthcare issues work part-time. They are able to work 20 hours a week or less. They make a contribution and pay tax at a certain level. For such people not to be able to get into this scheme is patently unfair. As other people have mentioned, the same applies to low-paid workers.”