Paula Butterly
Louth · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank the Minister for the updates. It is important to note that there is going to be more extensive engagement with students. I recently met a group of students from County Louth. We had a lively, truthful and open conversation, particularly with the boys who are attending all-boys schools.”
“I, too, welcome the scoping exercise in relation to the allegations of sexual abuse made against Michael Shine. Like the Tánaiste, I was struck by the words of the victims and survivors in noting that finally, they had been heard. I was also struck by their saying that finally, they had been believed.”
“I thank the Minister for that information and join her in congratulating the Lourdes hospital for getting on top of the issue of waiting lists and for the good work all the staff are doing, led by the new general manager.”
“Our Lady of Lourdes serves about 360,000 people in its catchment area at the moment and I believe that is growing rapidly. Going back to the idea that it is effectively a model 4 hospital while being classed as model 3, there is a case for looking at and expanding the services in Our Lady of Lourdes and making it a model 4 hospital.”
“The Minister is exactly right. We have food and drink of the highest quality produced at a local level by great producers in County Louth. The core element to producing this food and drink is our farmers. Our farmers are struggling at the moment, particularly those in the tillage sector.”
“It is great that 34% of tourism funding is directed towards food and drink, but that also highlights the scope we have to develop it even further. As a result, I welcome this strategy. However, a strategy is only as good as its implementation.”
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“I, too, welcome the scoping exercise in relation to the allegations of sexual abuse made against Michael Shine. Like the Tánaiste, I was struck by the words of the victims and survivors in noting that finally, they had been heard. I was also struck by their saying that finally, they had been believed. Imagine, after 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years, coming out with words like "I now finally have been believed". That is quite incredible. I thank Dignity4Patients and praise the courage of the victims and survivors. They have never given in and have refused to lie down and allow their history and allow their abuses to be washed away. This is really important but the next steps are equally important if not more important,. Will there be any barriers to cost or funding?”
“I thank the Minister for the updates. It is important to note that there is going to be more extensive engagement with students. I recently met a group of students from County Louth. We had a lively, truthful and open conversation, particularly with the boys who are attending all-boys schools. They were honest about the fact that they are very much in the dark about what consent means and how they are supposed to behave. Peer pressure also plays a large role in this. They need guidance, and they were very much calling out for guidance from a school perspective. I would ask the Minister to consider bringing these updates into the junior cycle. As we know, children can live in family situations where there is domestic violence from a very early age. Crimes, including sexual crimes, are happening younger and younger.”
“Our Lady of Lourdes serves about 360,000 people in its catchment area at the moment and I believe that is growing rapidly. Going back to the idea that it is effectively a model 4 hospital while being classed as model 3, there is a case for looking at and expanding the services in Our Lady of Lourdes and making it a model 4 hospital. Looking at a map of where model 4 hospitals are in the country, we have them in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, and Kilkenny for some services. There is a gap in the north east, considering the catchment of 360,000 people and growing. We are in a position to expand on those services. Staff and management are proving they are up to the task. Will the Minister consider this?”
“I thank the Minister for that information and join her in congratulating the Lourdes hospital for getting on top of the issue of waiting lists and for the good work all the staff are doing, led by the new general manager. It goes to show that when there is good management, will and the ability to reduce waiting lists, we can make progress. As the Minister pointed out, they are doing nearly 20% more elective surgeries than last year but the level of staffing is the same. While this is a great success story, I wonder if it is sustainable in the long term. It shows two things clearly. First, they are very efficient but, second, the need in the region is significantly higher than the current model accounts for. Lourdes hospital is a model 3, yet it is performing as if it were a model 4 hospital.”
“The Minister is exactly right. We have food and drink of the highest quality produced at a local level by great producers in County Louth. The core element to producing this food and drink is our farmers. Our farmers are struggling at the moment, particularly those in the tillage sector. I call on the Minister to co-ordinate and co-operate with the Minister for agriculture to ensure that from beginning to end, the chain is able to sustain a long-term food tourism strategy in County Louth and across the country. Without a good, strong agricultural sector, we will not be in a position to continue to produce the high-quality food and drink that we can offer tourists in Ireland. They then go home to America, France, Italy, Japan or South Africa and talk about the wonders of Irish food and drink. As a result, we have a strong export sector.”
“It is great that 34% of tourism funding is directed towards food and drink, but that also highlights the scope we have to develop it even further. As a result, I welcome this strategy. However, a strategy is only as good as its implementation. As the Minister saw last Monday when he came to launch the Louth tourism strategy, we in County Louth have so much to offer. People can have oysters in Carlingford. They can go to The Glyde Inn in Annagassan and have all the fish delicacies we have to offer in County Louth. The best fish and chips are up in Clogherhead, while the best steak is over at the Monasterboice Inn, formerly known as Donegan's. We have all of that. We need to build the food strategy, along with the culture and heritage of the county, as do many towns and villages across the country at a regional level.”
“Necessity and probative values are important but most importantly, no judge should issue a disclosure order unless he or she believes that there is a real risk of an unfair trial without disclosure. I am rushing, if not galloping, through this because I am very conscious of time. I would like the Minister to take amendment No. 20 in its entirety. It also talks about a timeline after the book of evidence so that these applications happen at the beginning of the process, not nearly towards the end or a day or two before a trial begins. I would like the Minister to look at that. I would also like him to include the District Court when considering the courts that can have the applications.”
“Let us have amendments brought to the Seanad where we will have an expressed presumption of non-disclosure. We cannot continue to put women through this again and again. The standard or bar must be very high. If we do not have this, we are just going to go around in circles again and again and we will be arguing, like lawyers do, on the head of a pin. We will find ways, if it is not express, clear and unambiguous, to work around this so it has to have an express presumption of non-disclosure. If not, all we have is a flood of applications coming into the courts which will clog the system and be costly to the system and ultimately, it will have no regard for the alleged victims. I would also like the Minister to consider what we consider to be the relevant tests for this.”
“Like everybody else in this House, I would have had loved to have plenty of time to speak to my amendment, which is No. 20. Out of respect to Deputy Gannon, who I presume is going to want to speak on this, I am going to be quite brief and to try to contain myself to two minutes. Amendment No. 20 very much reflects Deputy Kelly's amendment, which was also reflective of my thoughts on counselling notes right from the very outset. It also reflects the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. It essentially is looking for a halfway house on what the Minister has proposed and what we would like to see. We have accepted that a total ban on counselling notes is not possible. We are asking, urging and pleading with the Minister to please reconsider. Let us have a look at it again.”
“In conclusion, we must recognise that in extreme cases the question is not what the parent is entitled to but what the child needs in order to heal, feel safe and move forward. Sometimes that means recognising that no access at all is the most favourable outcome in these scenarios. I again thank the Minister. I also again acknowledge the French family for all their efforts. It is quite extraordinary. I reiterate the point that the child's interests has to always be at the centre of argument we make.”
“The child's welfare must always come first, ahead of any entitlement the parent may claim. In many cases of domestic homicide, maintaining contact simply will not meet that standard. There is nothing to argue that access should never be allowed, there may be rare, exceptional circumstances where carefully managed contact is appropriate but the key point is that access should never be assumed or automatic. Instead, it must be carefully assessed, strictly controlled and only permitted where it clearly benefits the child. Valerie's Law reflects this shift in thinking. It moves us away from a system that prioritises parental status and towards one that centres the child's safety, dignity and emotional well-being.”
“It is not just a crime against an individual but it is a violation that directly affects the child's sense of safety and stability. In many ways, a person who has committed such an act compromises their role as a caregiver. Third, there is an issue of power and control. Even limited access can allow a perpetrator to continue exerting influence over a child or even over the wider family. In cases of domestic violence, control does not always end with the criminal act. It can continue through legal processes and claims of parental involvement. The law must be careful not to become a tool that extends that control. Fourth, we must prioritise the best interests of the child as the overriding principle. While this is the fourth point, it is the most fundamental and important one. This is not a moral claim: it is a legal standard.”
“In situations of domestic homicide, it is simply not acceptable to assume that a perpetrator should always have access to their child. First, we must consider the psychological reality for the child. A child who has lost one parent at the hands of the other is not just grieving, they are dealing with a profound trauma. Forcing or even allowing contact in all cases risks reopening that trauma, creating fear, confusion and emotional harm that will be felt not just today or tomorrow but well into the future. Access in these circumstances is not always a benefit. It can be a source of significant psychological damage. Second, we must look at the nature of the crime itself. The act of killing the child's other parent represents a fundamental breach of trust, responsibility and care.”
“First, I thank the Minister for the work he has done on this Bill. I acknowledge the relentless work and advocacy of David French and his family in regard to the work behind the Bill. When we talk about laws like Valerie's Law, we are ultimately asking a difficult but essential question. What does justice mean for a child whose parent has committed the most serious harm imaginable, killing the other parent? There is often an instinct in law to preserve parental rights wherever possible. This is right because the Constitution recognises the importance of family. The bond between parent and child is one that should never be lightly broken but we must be clear about one thing: parental rights are not absolute. They exist alongside and must sometimes give way to the rights and well-being of the child.”
“If we continue to have this gap of knowledge and experience, who is going to pass that down to the new recruits? Who is going to be there? I thank the Minister of State for his answer, but it is just not good enough.”
“This is people's work. This is their dignity. The gap is four years. Four years of having to rely on social welfare is not enough. It is not the right answer to give to people who go out there day in and day out to fight on our behalf. When there is a flood, who do we call? When there is a fire, who do we call? This is not "Ghostbusters". These are valuable members of our community. We cannot just sit back and say "No" to somebody because of their age. I could go further and say that we could consider this to be age discrimination. Why is it 62? If you are medically fit and want to work, we should not be putting those barriers up. Think of the loss of knowledge and experience. We are constantly trying to employ and attract new talent into the fire services.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his answer, but it does not go to the heart of the issue, which is that these retained firefighters have to retire at 62. I am going to repeat much of what I said in my four minutes. These people have bills to pay and families to support. They are fighting fit and able to work. They want to work, and there is dignity in the fact that they want to work. They want to be of service to their communities, so the very fact that we have over 300 retained firefighters who are going to have to retire within the next year, a large portion of whom are in my constituency of County Louth, and are saying that they do not want to do so means that we cannot just shut the door and say that we reviewed this matter two years ago and, therefore, we are going to stop there and wait another few years. These are people's lives.”
“It is about recognising that imposing forced retirement at 62 on retained firefighters - many of whom cannot afford to retire and remain fit to serve - creates real human and financial costs. I believe we owe it to these workers to at least examine whether a better, more proportionate approach is possible both in the short term and for the future.”
“Look at times of flooding. These are the people we rely on. For that reason, I believe we should examine the possibility of an interim or shortterm measure to retain these firefighters while any permanent legislative solution is being developed. This could include a temporary administrative or regulatory mechanism allowing service beyond 62 on a yeartoyear basis, strict conditional extensions subject to enhanced medical and fitness assessments, and a clearly defined timeframe to act as a bridge to legislative reform, not a substitute for it. Such an interim approach would allow us to hold onto valuable, experienced personnel, avoid unnecessary reliance on social welfare, and ensure continuity of fire cover, particularly in areas already under pressure. Above all, it is about fairness and dignity.”
“Firefighting is a physically demanding role and that must always be respected but we already acknowledge this reality through ongoing fitness, medical and capability assessments. Fitness and competence and not age alone are what determine safe service. I am, therefore, asking whether we should allow retained firefighters to continue working up to 65 years of age on a voluntary basis subject to strict and ongoing medical and occupational fitness criteria. Importantly, I also want to raise the issue of timing. Even if there is agreement in principle, legislation takes time but these retirements are happening now. Without action, we stand to lose hundreds of trained, experienced retained firefighters in the coming months - people our communities depend on. Summertime is coming and, in Waterford, they will be out fighting all the wildfires.”
“When they leave the service, many fall into a gap where they are too young to access the State pension at 66 yet are no longer allowed to work in the role they are trained, willing and medically fit to perform. The outcome is deeply problematic. Experienced firefighters are effectively pushed onto social welfare for up to four years, not because they are incapable of work but because policy gives them no other option. That is difficult to justify socially, financially or ethically. These are people who have served their communities for decades, who have responded to emergencies at all hours and who continue to meet medical and fitness requirements, yet the system tells them "No". The system tells them that they must stop working at 62, with the State carrying the cost. This discussion is not about lowering standards or overlooking safety.”
“I raise this matter on behalf of retained firefighters of County Louth and all the regions of Ireland, particularly those who are approaching mandatory retirement at the age of 62 and who are not in a financial position to retire. Retained firefighters make up around two thirds of Ireland’s fire services and are particularly critical in rural areas like County Louth and regional communities. For many retained firefighters, this is not an abstract policy issue. It is a very real and immediate financial one. These are people with mortgages still to pay, families to support and limited pension provision reflecting the parttime and oncall nature of retained service. As it stands, approximately 300 retained firefighters are due to retire at 62 over the next year.”
“That is why taking preventative actions, getting the message out and educating people who come into our areas to enjoy the landscape so they are very well aware of the damage they may cause, whether accidentally or intentionally.”
“I thank the Minister. The irony is not lost on me that the rain is bucketing down outside yet we are talking about fire notices but it is an important conversation to have. We have to be summer ready, as he rightly said. This is about protecting our farmers, our communities and our landscape. It is about ensuring those who act responsibly are not left to carry the consequences of those who do not. In Louth, even a small number of fires can have a disproportionate impact. We have a landscape that is very close to our communities and our communities are very close to their landscape and their nature. It is actively farmed and widely used for recreation.”
“That sense of injustice is deeply felt and landowners are doing their very best, as the Minister knows, day in, day out. We clearly need a more balanced approach.”
“Too often they are not accidental but started deliberately and it is the landowner who tends to have to bear the burden of the financial cost. Very often when these fires are started, whether accidentally or intentionally, we have issues where people come on to land and set fire to bales of hay during the year and then disappear. If the fire brigade is called out its staff do their job and I recognise the services of the Louth fire brigade, which is absolutely exceptional in dealing with these fires. However, then the bill comes to the landowner and they are pursued by the fire services to pay a bill for something they were not responsible for in the first place. There is a perception in Louth that the financial and emotional burden can be unfair on landowners even when they have no role in causing the fire.”
“We are always asking responsible landowners to act as custodians of the land and to act responsibly by following the regulations as set out by the Minister in regard to burning and taking those preventative steps. However, at the same time they are also exposed to the risks created by the actions of others with limited protection or recourse. In places like the Cooley Mountains we can see how quickly fires can take hold. There have been incidents where multiple gorse fires have broken out in a matter of hours. They have stretched the local fire services and threatened homes, farmland and forestry. These are not isolated risks. It is something the communities in north Louth have experienced directly. That is especially concerning and it is why I wanted to highlight there is a pattern in some of these fires.”
“In County Louth, we have the good fortune of also having Dundalk Courthouse, which is an amazing facility that is potentially underused at times. Many of my former colleagues tell me the courthouses at a regional level across the country are in dire need of repair. Will the Minister outline the programme of repair and maintenance at a national level and how quickly those works can be facilitated?”
“I thank the Minister for that update. I was aware that courtroom 1 had opened. As the Minister noted, Drogheda Courthouse is a modern building that opened in 2017 as part of a €9 million investment designed to serve the growing and busy county of Louth. Yet, in the space of 12 months, we have seen repeated problems, most recently with courtroom 1 as a result of burst pipes in the roof. However, that is not the only issue. Anyone going into Drogheda Courthouse today or tomorrow will still see buckets around the place and on the stairs. For this to be happening in such a modern building, the question must be asked whether we are investing in and building these structures properly. The investment in our courts is really important. How can we avoid having buckets lying around a modern facility?”
“I apologise for the confusion I caused earlier. Will the Minister outline the current status of funding allocated for essential repairs and remedial works at Drogheda Courthouse following the flooding that resulted in the transfer of District Court sittings to Dundalk Courthouse in January 2025? Will he also indicate the timeframe for the completion of those works, as well as the total amount of capital funding allocated for courthouse repair, maintenance and works nationally in 2025?”
“If we get the balance wrong, there will be consequences for the person before the courts and the hard-fought outcome hoped for may not materialise. We also risk discouraging solicitors from taking on legal aid work and creating gaps in access representation.”
“I repeat that all of us recognise the inefficiencies that do exist and that there is scope there for reform. However, let me guide the Minister toward a practical example. In County Louth, my constituency, we have the drug treatment court, which has proved to be a very effective and successful operation for those people appearing before the judges. It involves statutory and non-statutory stakeholders, and the model of flat fee-only appearances could have a detrimental effect on the drug treatment court because it is very complex. It is about reforming and giving a person another opportunity to live a very successful life, and the flat fee-only appearance rule would possibly jeopardise the situation.”
“Some are straightforward and can be resolved quickly, while others are complex, sensitive and require significant preparation, repeated engagements and time in court. Treating those different cases as though they are identical does not create efficiency but an imbalance.”
“I welcome the Minister’s comments. I want to frame this as an opportunity to get reform right, to strengthen our justice system and to ensure, as the Minister said, that it works fairly for everybody. Nobody disagrees that change is needed and we all recognise that there are inefficiencies in the current system. Reform, though, must be done carefully and in a way that protects the core principles of justice. I know the Minister agrees with this point. The move towards a flat fee model in the District Court may appear at first glance to be a practical and streamlined solution. It does promise efficiency and simplicity. If we look at it a little closer, though, we begin to see the risks that come with oversimplifying something as complex as criminal justice. Not all cases are the same.”
“The matters raised by Deputies Ellis and McAuliffe, O'Meara, Healy-Rae, Quinlivan and Lahart have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Keira Keogh - To discuss the transparency of the CODA process for Ladies Gaelic Football Association clubs and players. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the loss of medical card access due to age-based insurance restrictions on general practitioners. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss provision of an additional special needs class in Ballyduff. Deputy John Lahart - To discuss the proposed move of the An Post sorting office in Edmondstown to Lucan. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the promised review of the voids return programme. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan - To discuss patient safety concerns raised by the University Hospital Limerick medical board. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss breaches of the working time directive for Defence Forces staff.”
“Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss measures to avert a proposed strike action within the ambulance services. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher - To discuss access to approved treatments for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Deputy Ryan O'Meara - To discuss investment in the Limerick to Ballybrophy rail line. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss the establishment of a national radiation therapy equipment replacement programme. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - To discuss the delay in opening the Killarney Community Hospital. Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the disruption to DART services in north Dublin. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss actions to address growing road safety risks associated with horse-drawn vehicles on public roads. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss supports for those with frontotemporal dementia.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputies Dessie Ellis and Paul McAuliffe - To discuss the new school building for Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin, Bóthar Ghlas Naíon, Finglas East, Dublin 11. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss supports for children and students with dyslexia. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the planned new Courtown Coast Guard building. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the recruitment process for the Defence Forces. Deputy Paula Butterly - To discuss increasing the mandatory retirement age for firefighters from 62 to 65. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss support mechanisms for families when their childcare centre pulls out of the core funding model.”
“I am encouraged by the Tánaiste's words and by the fact that the Ministers are taking this very seriously. Time passes very quickly and the older you get, it passes even quicker. For a lot of these pensioners, what they are looking for is very modest but it will make a great difference in their daily lives. Time, for them, is really of the essence. I take the Tánaiste's point about communication. Fundamentally, that is the point here. They were promised that they would see it at Christmas but that probably was unrealistic. We have to be better at that. We always talk about the fact that we want to reward people who work hard. We should never forget and we must reward the people who have worked hard. They are essential. They are the reason the Tánaiste, I, the Opposition and everybody else are here today. They should be taken care of.”
“However, there are pensioners struggling with rising costs for energy, food and healthcare for whom this is urgently needed. It is also important to state clearly that this increase applies to those who retired up to the end of 2022, people who have already given their working lives to public service. My ask is quite simple. I ask the Tánaiste to call on the Ministers to expedite all remaining approvals, progress the statutory instrument as a matter of urgency, and ensure that retired CIÉ pensioners finally receive the increase they have been promised and have waited too long for.”
“It was only after Christmas that they were made aware of the additional requirements that might be familiar to the Tánaiste and me, but mean nothing to the ordinary man and woman on the street. These requirements were a business case from CIÉ, sign-off across three Government Departments, approval from NewERA and input from the Attorney General before the Minister could even put the draft statutory instrument in place. The expectation of a payment before Christmas did not arise. A delay like this may seem bureaucratic but it undermines the credibility of those who make the promise and, as time flies, time for pensioners is truly precious. The increase involved is modest. For most people, it amounts to between €500 and €1,000 a year.”
“I want to raise the ongoing and deeply frustrating situation facing retired CIÉ pensioners in County Louth and across the country, many of whom have not received any pension increase since 2008. These are men and women who have worked for decades in public transport and who often kept the wheels turning in both good times and bad. Last May, after 17 years, CIÉ and the trade unions finally reached agreement on proposals that would allow for a long-overdue pension increase of up to 5%. Employees voted on these proposals in August and both pension schemes accepted the changes. On foot of these ballots, pensioners were told that the increase would be implemented before Christmas. Imagine their shock that instead of having something nice in their stockings, all there was was a lump of coal. Payments did not come through.”
“By doing this, we would provide community and services. To walk down to their GP would be a wonderful thing for many older people. We often hear from our constituents that they are living in houses that have outgrown them. They are tottering about in the houses, they are there on their own and they would like to move but do not want to move out of their communities. We must address that policy in tandem with our rural housing policy. It is not just about the young families who will support their families; it is also about ensuring people live in their homes longer, stay healthier and live better. We must also address that policy.”
“We must have a policy that is proactive, progressive and very fast. Our population is ageing and we will very shortly - within ten to 15 years - have an ageing population whose housing needs are not being met. We have rural towns and villages and have provided a series of grants to regenerate these towns and villages but we also have to think about reviving our town centres and bringing people to live there - not just young people but also older people. Would it not be wonderful to go into the village of Dunleer or into Ardee or Castlebellingham and, because of the way we have changed the policy and facilitated it through incentives and central planning, older people could walk out their front door, get the paper and meet the people in their community? Isolation is a fear many older people have.”
“It is not just about creating a community that will continue and thrive into the future; it is also about keeping that community connected and united. They are the people who service the clubs, offer their time and volunteer. They are also the people who take care of their families. As we know, many families have to row in where we have not been able to provide the supports. There are families providing care to their parents and siblings seven days a week. There is never a Saturday or a Sunday off. They are providing those services where we have not been able to provide them yet. These people are essential to our communities and have a right to build a house in the community in which they have lived. We must re-address that balance. We must also address how we deal with housing for older people.”
“That means the villages of Clogherhead, Dunleer, and Ardee cannot connect with each other except by car. Surely in this day and age, the county which is the second most densely populated in the country should have rural transport which links from east to west. We have also spoken about housing. I concur with most of my colleagues on rural housing. We have been restrictive about facilitating families, in many cases, to live in the communities where they were born and reared. This is not limited to farming families. I, as the daughter of a farmer, was lucky. I got a site and built my bungalow but many of my friends in the community were refused. They have the same rights as I have. They grew up and wanted to continue to live in Togher parish but were denied by restrictive policies in regard to rural housing. We must re-address that.”
“Let us look at the sports capital grants, the rural regeneration and development fund, and at the roll-out of broadband that has really brought remote working to rural towns and rural areas and takes the stress off many families from their daily commutes which now maybe only exist for one or two days. That does not point to a failure in rural Ireland. That points to success. I refute completely what the Opposition said about our policy and our commitment to rural Ireland, but there is always room for improvement. I look at County Louth and, where it comes to transport, I agree with Deputy Wall. There seems to be a slowdown in the process and roll-out of rural transport. County Louth still does not have any links from east to west of the county.”
“I welcome the Our Rural Future policy consultation process. It is a further step to re-addressing and rebalancing the regional balance, which is so vital for all of us in this country. It is essential if we are to provide better services and better infrastructure for not just our rural areas but also for our rural villages and towns. I have listened to comments from the Opposition over the last ten or 15 minutes. They have spoken about how we have failed rural Ireland and let it down, yet Deputy O'Meara pointed to a number of grants that have been available. I can also point to a number of grants and policies that we have established over the last ten years that have ensured that rural Ireland is not dying, is not dead and that we will always have rural Ireland's back.”
“How Europe chooses to approach this crisis will say much about our values, our position in the world order and how we will deal with future international issues. Unchecked power leads not to peace but only to further crisis, moral decay and tyranny. Let us choose unity, let us choose diplomacy, and let us choose to help rebuild a future where the people of the region can live not in fear but in hope.”
“Crucially, it means recognising that lasting peace requires political solutions and not merely the absence of violence. Europe must be ready to facilitate dialogue, support inclusive political processes and help to create conditions in which grievances can be addressed without resorting to arms. Europe must be ready to lead. The Middle East has endured too many cycles of destruction followed by fragile calm. If we are serious about breaking this pattern then our actions today must be guided by clarity, compassion and collective resolve. Europe cannot control every outcome but we can choose to be a force for stability, for humanitarian protection and for a peace that endures. Europe can say "enough is enough".”