Peter Burke
Longford-Westmeath · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank Deputy Ó Broin for raising this important matter. I cannot imagine the trauma many families are going through right now as a result of the conclusion of An Coimisiún Pleanála on this file. This was a dark time in our past.”
“I thank Deputy Nash for his question on this very important issue. I will say clearly and unambiguously that I share his concerns in relation to ensuring that no product produced in Ireland ends up in the Russian military complex. We are very firm in that belief.”
“I have heard suggestions in some outlets that the Irish Government was in that company's corner at key European forums. That is not true. The European Commission has brought forward 20 sanctions packages and Ireland has supported them all 100%. It is very important to put that on the record.”
“I thank Deputy Wall for his very important intervention. I heard part of the interview this morning, which was exceptional and very courageous, showing leadership in an area which affects so many people in our society. I know the Minister for Health is supportive of the Deputy's initiative and remains so.”
“We have enacted the Family Courts Bill, establishing a dedicated family court to look at very sensitive items for victims. We have introduced an offence for non-fatal strangulation, reflecting the seriousness of the abuse and the stress and harm it causes.”
“I thank Deputy Murphy for being proactive and bringing forward a solution to try to operationalise a group of the Oireachtas and showing leadership to do that for Tipperary. I will absolutely bring that to the attention of the Minister for justice, particularly considering the cross-party aspect.”
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“I thank Deputy Cian O'Callaghan for his very important question. I fully share the concern he has raised. That is why we have set about conducting an investigation in the Department of enterprise to impartially ascertain the evidence, working with the European Commission and the Swedish authorities, which came forward with additional evidence in the past ten days. We are also working with Aughinish Alumina to try to ascertain the truth. We will get to the bottom of the supply chain. We will need assurances that it is a concealed supply chain. Ireland has supported every sanctions package in a European context against Russia, which is the aggressor in this case. That is a total of 21 packages we have fully supported.”
“We will continue to do that through the national affordability task force, which is looking at energy affordability, protecting consumers and energy policy.”
“We are acting right now at a record level in the economy, supporting people at the fuel pumps and through reductions in electricity VAT rates. We are supporting people right across the economy to ensure they are not cut off. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has met with all the energy companies and given the Government an assurance that anyone who works with energy companies in relation to their bill will be supported. The Deputy has brought forward a number of measures he said he costed at €100 million a month, to be brought forward at the start of this energy crisis. The Government is doing much more than that. Sinn Féin says the Government is doing nothing this side of the Border, but on the other side of the Border Sinn Féin is doing nothing. We are acting at a record level to support families.”
“The fuel allowance has increased significantly to €152 per month to support families in a targeted measure. There are now about 460,000 homes right across the economy, which are being supported by it. We extended it this year to people on the working families payment, thereby bringing 50,000 more families into that support and linking it to work as well, to support people who are working right across the economy.”
“As Deputies have seen in previous budgets, we were agile. We reacted before the calendar turned and supported families right across the economy and supported the most vulnerable, which is key, through our targeted measures in the current budget, which are still being utilised and are supporting families as we speak. It is key we ensure we continue to support families. We will be doing that through evidence-based initiatives, through our national affordability task force and through supporting customers who are in arrears. I would also say to people who are in trouble that they should reach out to our Department of Social Protection, which has a range of supports, including the additional needs payment, and works with families to ensure no one gets cut off.”
“We stood up the national affordability task force to look at affordability right across the economy to the household and particularly to the most vulnerable. That report will be published in advance of consideration for the budget. We will be looking, through that report, at energy prices in the first instance and second at addressing energy poverty and consumer protections - which are very important - as well as energy affordability. I ask people who are struggling to first of all engage with their supplier. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has been very clear in meeting all the energy companies and working with them to ensure people are not cut off, people who engage with them, and to support people. We will obviously be coming forward as a Government, collectively, with other measures in the context of the next budget.”
“At this point we have 258,000 homes that have been through energy improvements. We have fully-funded 32,700 under the warmer homes scheme. That is 32,700 families across the country who have had that support. We have brought forward 18,000 heat pumps, again to support people - and using money raised by the State. We have about €558 million of the €640 million through those schemes through the SEA to target the most vulnerable in society. I note when Deputy Doherty brought forward his party's proposals earlier this year in a motion he left out the fuel allowance, meaning no recompense to support the most vulnerable people in a targeted way, which is key and absolutely needed. The Government's position is very clear.”
“We are supporting families with the cost of fuel, which is very significant for those who are commuting to work, families who are working and families who are trying to heat their homes, by reducing excise duties across all components with a €16 reduction in petrol per fill and a €19 reduction in diesel. Also, looking at the logistics and how food is produced to reduce the cost of groceries on the shelves for consumers, we have done a huge package for agriculture in terms of production and in haulage, with a 60% increase in the diesel rebate scheme, again underwriting the cost to the housewife, the homemaker and the person in the home to ensure they get that key support. There are a few areas I also want to comment on in relation to how we get energy independence and reduce the cost to the family.”
“I thank Deputy Doherty for his question on an area which is very close to the concern of the Government, which is energy affordability in our country and the ability of households to pay. Something the Government keeps a very close track of is those who are in arrears for 90 days. It is a critical component that shows stress over a period of time. I want to outline what the Government is doing to really reduce costs at the kitchen table, as the Deputy put it. First of all, we came forward with a record level in an EU context per capita of intervention to support families across the country.”
“I pointed out earlier the number of jobs in the tourism sector, at 228,000. I want to continue to grow the North-South link, which we will work on through our shared island programme. Deputies will have seen Fermanagh come into Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, the work on Narrow Water bridge, Carlingford Lough and all the other areas that can be expanded. We also have the causeway coastal route linking with the Wild Atlantic Way. There is a huge opportunity ahead. We will do our best to ensure we chart this sector through an uncertain geopolitical landscape. I am well aware that there is an opportunity for Ireland because what we have to offer has never been greater.”
“That is why I want to drive digitalisation and supports into many of the businesses so that they get picked up in those searches, as well as supporting them with regard to viability and utility bills, which are challenging. Much work will be going on with businesses over the course of this year, with our new capital programmes and looking at our attractions. As Deputy Kelly pointed out, the spine of the country is critical. Much work has been done with the Wild Atlantic Way and coastal areas, but the spine of the country and our less mature markets need a lot of attention. Our tourism plan will be looking at how we can develop the centre of the country, from north to south, to ensure that all communities around the country get to experience the opportunity and value that tourism brings, and what it brings to our rural communities.”
“When we get boots on the ground, we market it and drive the opportunity through to ensure we are capturing people coming into the country through those new routes. That will be critical. Later this year, Fáilte Ireland will bring forward a number of capital programmes that will look at how we are developing the 46,000 businesses in our country to capture the opportunity for tourism. People coming into our country do the vast majority of their research on the web. They use the Internet to research their bookings, to book and to look at what attractions are on offer. About 30% of people use generative AI to plan their itineraries. If there are attractions and a large numbers of events in communities which cannot be captured by those search engines, we have a real problem.”
“As a member of a rural community, I know very well what is needed. Critically, with our accommodation strategy, we have reduced the number of hotels contracted out to the State very significantly. Some 13% of hotel accommodation was under State control. That has gone down to under 6%. We want to continue that progress so that those hotels come back into community use and are available for visitors and tourists alike. They can then use them and bring life back into the night-time economy, which is critical. I am committed to doing that as part of our tourism strategy. I should also mention our strategic air access fund. It supports new routes. We have about 23 routes to North America.”
“We extended the registration period to the end of December, so people can regularise and the gun will not be to their head immediately. There will be a clear pathway for areas with populations of less than 20,000 to ensure that sector can continue. The last thing I want is to see communities where we need that accommodation miss out on that tourism opportunity. Equally, we have to be clear that, given the huge need for long-term rental accommodation and the huge challenge with homeless people in our society, the Government cannot stand idly by and allow a sector grow incrementally each year. When we see that in the cities accommodation is only utilised for three or four days a month, we have a real concern. That is why the needs of society and rural communities need to be balanced.”
“We will provide a mechanism through the work we are doing and which we are finalising. It is important that people who are in that cohort continue to offer the operation they have. I am also working on areas that are part of the curtilage or premises, or, to put it quite simply, are not suitable for the long-term market. A bit of common sense is needed to ensure they can continue to operate in that regard. I have met representatives of all the short-term letting agencies. I have been very accessible. They were in Leinster House and I brought them to my Department. I met eight or nine representatives. I met a number of them in many different counties. We had a by-election recently in Galway, where I met many of them in Galway West. That is why I am clear that I want a balanced approach.”
“It is clear to me, as tourism Minister, that a number of counties rely on short-term lets to capture the opportunity that tourism presents and bring life into many local communities. There are far too many counties in the midlands, on the west coast and south coast and in parts of the east coast where it is essential to have a viable short-term letting proposition to bring tourists in. I am focused on ensuring that, in our big cities, where there are acute shortages of accommodation in our long-term rental market, we bring that accommodation back into the long-term market, and that where we have areas with a population of less than 20,000, which we set as a reasonable metric in the most recent census, we can continue with strong short-term letting accommodation.”
“It will be important that we look at other ways in which the State can help to grow our accommodation, particularly the delivery of hotels. We know that in many towns and villages hotels are a focal point for many of he milestones in life. People share so many of their milestones in the setting of a family hotel. I am focused on working with the hotel sector to try to grow it and ensure we get more high-quality hotels in the country. A number of Deputies raised the matter of short-term lets. The Government is clear about the direction we are taking here. First of all, we know the sector has grown by about 10% per annum over the last number of years. It is very difficult to have a sector grow at that scale when there is no regulation underpinning it.”
“I note from some of the research coming through in markets in which we are under significant pressure, particularly European markets, that many have a very different view of the food offering in Ireland until they come here, taste it and see the huge offering and authenticity of the produce, and the exceptional, sustainable way we have of producing our food. People are so impressed. I want to draw that together with our distilleries, put together a solid package this year and develop a strategy to grow that sector. We will also come forward with an accommodation strategy. I note there are many counties in which viability is a significant question in trying to construct hotels and high-quality accommodation. We have the strategy open for public consultation right now.”
“I took a view when we were drafting A New Era for Irish Tourism that if you cannot measure something, you cannot manage it. That is why we now have key performance indicators over our 71 objectives in our new tourism plan. This is to ensure we are managing the actions of our State agency, Fáilte Ireland, and the work it does, and that we can measure that and see the output from the capital spend. That will be important. I will take a number of important actions this year. We will have a new culinary strategy. It is important that we bring together our distilleries, artisan food producers and the exceptional offering we have for food in this country.”
“We have seen since the start of the year that we have grown visitor numbers and spend, which is so important. Through the sectoral plan, we have amassed about €400 million to support the growth of the sector, realising the ambition that many businesses have and working with sector representatives across the economy. Month after month, I hope we can work together to secure the ambition in A New Era for Irish Tourism, which is significant with regard to the growth we are planning and obviously have to realise, with a 7% target for less mature markets, and 6% and 7% targets, respectively, for overseas and domestic visitors, and try to grow our jobs from 228,000 to 250,000, which would be a significant ambition and challenge.”
“That is why I really welcome the fact that tourism is now at the very heart of the Department of enterprise, reflecting the huge amount it brings to our economy, indigenous sector, employment and, indeed, careers, which will be a very important part of my new strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, which looks at growing career pathways in the tourism sector, particularly with our tertiary education partners. It will be important over the years ahead. I note from this year, 2026, that we have seen a significant uptick in visitor numbers. About 564,000 visitors completed a trip to Ireland in April 2026. That is up by about 7% on 2025 and 3% on 2024, which was a significant year for Irish tourism. I believe we are back in a growth phase.”
“I thank all the Members for their contributions and you can see by the varied nature and degree of contributions how important the tourism sector is for the Irish economy. It is our largest indigenous sector, with 228,000 people employed in it, which is about 300,000 people on an all-island basis. Some 46,000 businesses right across our country really offer that authentic céad míle fáilte and are central to delivering that product for an indigenous sector.”
“Tourism is a corner-stone of our economy and a key driver of growth across Ireland. The sector is performing strongly, supported by clear policy, targeted investment and effective delivery. We remain focused on sustaining that growth, addressing challenges and ensuring that tourism continues to deliver for communities across the country. I am confident that through the delivery of A New Era for Irish Tourism and the broad range of measures I have outlined, we can continue to realise our ambitions and ensure that tourism continues to grow and thrive in every region of Ireland.”
“The introduction of a national register for short-term letting from December 2026 will bring greater transparency to the sector and support a more balanced approach to its future development. Fáilte Ireland will have responsibility for implementing and managing this register in line with the relevant legislative framework and EU requirements. Work is progressing on a new tourist accommodation strategy and I was encouraged by the strong engagement in the recent public consultation process, reflecting the importance of this issue for communities and businesses across the country. As committed to in A New Era for Irish Tourism, the resulting strategy will complement existing legislative and regulatory frameworks and align with wider national policies supporting the continued development of sustainable tourism across all counties.”
“At the same time, targeted workforce initiatives, including student placements and employer supports, are helping to build a stronger talent pipeline. Alongside investing in people, we must also ensure that the wider conditions supporting sustainable growth are in place. We know that access to accommodation can be a factor for those considering employment in the sector, particularly in areas of strong tourism demand. More broadly, it highlights the importance of a balanced and co-ordinated approach across Government policy, ensuring that tourism development sits alongside wider housing and community needs. The introduction of regulatory controls for the short-term letting sector is intended to ensure that tourism develops in a way that recognises and complements the wider needs of local communities, both economically and socially.”
“Earlier analysis by the expert group on future skills needs identified the importance of addressing skills needs in the hospitality sector, a priority that continues to be reflected in more recent workforce and training initiatives. Through continued collaboration between Government, industry, agencies and education partners, we must ensure that the workforce of the future is equipped with the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly innovative, digital and competitive tourism sector. Fáilte Ireland is investing in the people at the heart of the sector through a strong focus on workforce and skills. The employer excellence programme supports businesses to strengthen HR capability, leadership and staff retention, while a national online learning platform provides accessible training across key business areas.”
“This is a practical step to strengthen competitiveness, protect jobs and ensure that as the sector continues to grow it can deliver sustainable benefits for communities across every region of the country. We need to protect local employment. Tourism offers rewarding and diverse careers across hospitality, culinary arts, outdoor recreation, transport, events, visitor attractions and destination management. As the sector continues to evolve, so too will the skills required to succeed within it. The future success of tourism greatly depends on our ability to attract, retain and develop talent particularly in these businesses.”
“From local producers to world-class chefs, distilleries and local artisans, our food offering is a powerful driver of visitor experience and regional development and we are committed to ensuring it plays a central role in how Ireland is positioned internationally. The culinary delivery stream under my tourism policy oversight group will ensure there is a coherent approach to how we continue to deliver on what will be an exciting and prosperous opportunity for tourism. Looking across the broader tourism sector, we are supporting businesses on the ground. I am very conscious of the cost pressures facing businesses across the tourism and hospitality sector. As part of our response, the Government has taken targeted action to support the sector, including through reducing the VAT rate for hospitality to 9%, which will take effect next month.”
“Administered by Fáilte Ireland, this fund will support approximately 250 festivals nationwide. In addition, a further €310,000 has been made available to local authorities specifically to support food festivals, strengthening Ireland's growing culinary tourism offering. These campaigns and investments are fully aligned with A New Era for Irish Tourism and support the development of a stronger year-round tourism offering and, simultaneously, a more strategic approach to our food and drink sector. Work is under way in Fáilte Ireland on progressing our new culinary tourism strategy, which will showcase the strength of Ireland's food heritage and create new opportunities for regional and year-round tourism.”
“Delivered through a mix of advertising, digital engagement and partnerships, the campaign highlights the breadth and diversity of experiences available across Ireland. It places a strong emphasis on encouraging short breaks and regional travel, promoting off-season tourism and showcasing well-being and experiential offerings. Another strong driver of both international and domestic demand are initiatives like festivals. Festivals are known to play a vital role in driving tourism across our regions. From large-scale international events to smaller local festivals, they bring visitors into communities, support local businesses and contribute to the vibrancy of our towns and villages. During 2026, over €600,000 is being provided to 31 local authorities through the regional festivals fund.”
“It supports businesses, sustains employment and ensures that tourism activity is distributed across the country, particularly in less mature destinations where tourism acts as a vital driver of local economic development. Fáilte Ireland is central to turning our policy ambitions into action through the development of visitor experiences, support for businesses, strategic investment and regional tourism development. On the domestic marketing front, we are taking clear and targeted action. In March 2026, Fáilte Ireland launched a national campaign, Find Yourself on a Short Break, which is designed to stimulate that domestic demand and encourage more frequent short breaks across the country.”
“As the sector evolves in response to these global challenges, A New Era for Irish Tourism is guiding our approach by strengthening existing markets while creating new opportunities for growth. Through targeted investment, market diversification and strategic supports, we are helping to create the flexibility the tourism sector needs to respond quickly to changing circumstances and to seize new opportunities as they emerge. Domestic tourism underpins the sector and continues to play a critical role in driving sustainable year-round growth across all regions. Strengthening this domestic base remains a key priority, particularly in the context of global uncertainty.”
“Earlier this year, we announced a new direct flight from Dublin to Shanghai with the now active strategic air access fund matching direct flights with resources and boots on the ground to market this new connectivity. Ireland is well-positioned as a welcoming, stable and high-quality destination, but we cannot be complacent. I am conscious that the global environment remains uncertain. Geopolitical developments, particularly in the Middle East, are impacting global aviation markets with rising fuel costs and capacity adjustments creating volatility. l am monitoring these developments closely and will continue to prioritise connectivity, ensuring that Ireland, as a destination, remains accessible and competitive to international markets. The strength of our policy approach is that it recognises this as a reality.”
“Its 2026 programme spans over 15 key markets and focuses on attracting visitors with both the intent and means to travel. Its strategy includes sustaining strong demand in the United States and Great Britain, while growing tourism from mainland Europe and investing in high-potential markets such as Canada. It also includes building long-term partnerships in emerging markets such as India and China. Campaigns such as Ireland Goes Beyond and Ireland Unrushed showcase the depth and quality of Ireland’s tourism offering and encourage visitors to explore more of the country. These campaigns are supported by strong partnerships with airlines and travel operators, ensuring effective reach and impact.”
“In budget 2026, €7.5 million was secured to support market diversification initiatives and expand opportunities in both established and emerging markets. This complements other measures, including the strategic air access fund, which plays an important role in supporting connectivity and helping Ireland compete effectively for international visitors. Strong connectivity continues to underpin tourism performance. Winter 2025-26 saw significant growth in inbound capacity, with air seat capacity increasing by 15% year on year. Sea access also strengthened, with ferry capacity growing significantly. Looking ahead to summer 2026, capacity is expected to remain positive, with overall air access projected to increase by approximately 3%. Tourism Ireland continues to promote the island intensively in overseas markets.”
“Great Britain remained our strongest local source market by visitor numbers, while continental Europe and North America continue to make a substantial contribution to tourism expenditure. This diversity is one of the sector’s key strengths. It helps reduce exposure to economic or geopolitical shocks in any single market and supports a more resilient tourism sector overall. That is why market diversification is a central element of my Department’s policy. Through the market diversification plan, Tourism Ireland and other key stakeholders are working to broaden Ireland's reach, strengthen our presence across a range of priority markets and ensure we remain well-positioned in an increasingly competitive international environment. This strategic approach is being backed by targeted investment.”
“The latest figures for 2026 from the Central Statistics Office show encouraging signs that Ireland's tourism sector continues to perform strongly, with growth across all key indicators - visitor numbers, expenditure and length of stay. This is a clear reflection of both the strength of our offering and the effectiveness of our strategy. In April 2026, overseas visitors spent €431 million in Ireland, while visitor expenditure in the first four months of the year exceeded €1.3 billion. Visitors also spent almost 3.9 million nights in the country during April. Those figures highlight the significant contribution tourism continues to make to businesses, communities and local economies across our country. The data also points to the value of maintaining a diverse visitor base.”
“They demonstrate that tourism can support economic diversification while also contributing to wider environmental and climate objectives. We are now progressing a new capital investment plan through Fáilte Ireland, in which I will set out a clear direction for future funding and ensure that investment is aligned with objectives set out in A New Era for Irish Tourism. This will ensure that as the sector evolves our tourism offering continues to improve, supporting regional growth, strengthening competitiveness and delivering for communities across the country. I have a laser focus on balanced development, ensuring that less mature tourism markets in places like the midlands get the support and investment they need. We are already seeing encouraging evidence that a targeted approach is working.”
“This flagship funding, provided by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Galway City Council, contributes to a broader project value of €19.3 million. Upon completion, the redevelopment is expected to attract an additional 820,000 domestic and overseas visitors over a ten-year period and generate an estimated €47.3 million in direct visitor spending for local and regional tourism economies. Investment is also helping communities in regions undergoing economic transition. Through the EU Just Transition Fund, Fáilte Ireland is delivering a number of transformative tourism projects across the midlands. These projects are supporting regeneration of communities previously reliant on peat extraction, creating new visitor experiences, strengthening local economies and helping to position the region as a destination for sustainable tourism.”
“The purpose of these structures is to ensure alignment, consistency of approach and effective collaboration across Government agencies, local authorities, industry and other stakeholders that have a role to play in the future development of Irish tourism. Supporting tourism growth requires sustained and targeted investment. Earlier this year, Government committed €400 million for tourism development and promotion through my Department’s sectoral capital plan. My Department is working through Fáilte Ireland, and continuing to invest in the infrastructure, attractions and visitor experiences that underpin the sector and drive demand across all regions. This investment is delivering tangible results. A key example is the €12.6 million redevelopment of Galway City Museum.”
“It requires effective implementation, strong collaboration and a sustained focus on outcomes. That is why I am establishing a robust governance framework to oversee the delivery of A New Era for Irish Tourism. I will chair the tourism policy oversight group, which will meet for the first time next month. This group will bring together Government agencies, local authorities and key industry stakeholders to maintain a clear focus on implementation and progress. Supporting this work will be a number of targeted delivery streams focused on key priorities, including culinary tourism, sustainability, market development, robust data and insights, and unlocking the potential of key State assets.”
“A key focus of the policy is extending tourism beyond the traditional peak season, supporting more year-round activity and more sustainable employment in local communities. We want tourism to thrive, not just in our cities or traditional hot spots, but in every county, town and community. I want to grow total tourism revenue to €14.8 billion. That means boosting overseas revenue by 50% to €9 billion by 2031 and domestic revenue to €5.8 billion, increasing visitor numbers by at least 7% annually in less mature regions, shifting growth towards the off-peak season and providing employment for at least 250,000 people in quality sustainable jobs. These are ambitious goals, but I am confident they will be achievable through strong partnership and co-ordinated delivery. Delivering on these ambitions requires more than a clear vision.”
“Our role is to create the conditions for tourism to succeed by supporting competitiveness, enabling investment and working with industry, communities and our tourism agencies to ensure the sector continues to deliver economic growth, regional prosperity and community well-being into the future. My approach to the sector is set out in A New Era for Irish Tourism, launched in December 2025 as a key commitment under the programme for Government. The policy sets a clear, forward-looking framework for the development of the sector to 2031. It reflects tourism’s role as a key economic driver of growth, job creation and balanced regional development. Through A New Era for Irish Tourism, I have set a clear ambition to grow visitors and revenue and create sustainable careers.”
“Ireland remains an attractive destination for international visitors while domestic tourism continues to play an important role. This success is built on the strong foundations of a high-quality tourism offering, resilient and innovative businesses, the work of our tourism agencies and the contribution of communities who welcome visitors to every part of Ireland. Government has an important role to play. The strength of Ireland’s tourism sector is no accident. It is underpinned by strong policy direction, strategic investment and a co-ordinated approach across the public and private sectors.”
“Tourism is one of Ireland's most important economic sectors. It supports 229,000 jobs, helps sustain 46,000 businesses and generates significant economic activity in every county. Few sectors have such a broad regional footprint with an estimated seven out of every ten jobs located outside of Dublin. Tourism supports employment and enterprise in our cities and towns along the Wild Atlantic Way, throughout Ireland's Ancient East, in our coastal communities and increasingly across the Hidden Heartlands and other emerging destinations. Tourism is therefore not only an important economic sector in its own right, but also a key driver of regional development, supporting local businesses, creating employment opportunities and helping communities to thrive. The sector continues to perform strongly.”
“I commend the Bill to the House and look forward to engaging with Deputies on the matters to which it relates on the floor of the House today and on Committee and Report Stages. I have a medical appointment in about half an hour, so I may have to leave early. I just wanted to make people are aware of that. I will be listening to everything that is raised during the debate.”
“Section 10 provides that in the transposition of EU legislation on detergents, the Minister is not considered to be in default of obligations under EU law due to the penalties being insufficient. Section 5 of the Chemicals Act 2008 is amended to facilitate the making of regulations for the purpose of giving effect to obligations arising under the treaties governing the European Communities or under Acts adopted by institutions of the European Communities. In addition, section 29 of the 2008 Act is amended in relation to offences. Section 11 amends Schedule 3, Part 1, of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 to ensure that Enterprise Ireland’s disclosure obligations under the Freedom of Information Act are not overridden by the statutory confidentiality obligations contained in the Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) Act 1998.”
“The proposed amendment will allow the agencies to engage with and support enterprises in the defence, security and resilience sphere in the same way as with enterprises in other sectors, subject to compliance with all existing controls and legal obligations governing the sector. Section 9 provides for bringing the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 up to date with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies published in 2016, which recommends that board appointments be for a period of three to five years. Currently, appointments to the board of the Health and Safety Authority are for a period of three years in line with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.”
“The purpose of this amendment is to extend the scope of the requirements under the Act for anyone storing certain quantities of petroleum or other flammable liquids to hold a licence issued by the Minister or an appropriate local or harbour authority. This amendment also enables the summary prosecution by local or harbour authorities of a person who, in contravention of the provisions of section 21 of the Act, has in their possession or control fuel under the meaning of the Act without having a licence to do so issued by the appropriate local or harbour authority. Section 8 provides for the deletion of section 8(5) of the Science and Technology Act 1987, which requires the enterprise development agencies to secure formal Government approval before they engage in, or promote, any activity of a primarily military relevance.”
“Section 6 amends the wording of Section 7C of the Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) Act 1998 to clarify that grants given by IDA Ireland under section 21A and 21B of the 1986 Act are not to be counted towards Enterprise lreland’s aggregate threshold in section 7C. This is the threshold which applies before specific Government approval must be sought. Part 3, the final Part of the Bill, includes a number of miscellaneous amendments. Section 7 removes the definition of "petroleum-spirit" and consequential references to the latter from the Dangerous Substances Act 1972 and replaces this definition and references to petroleum-spirit with a definition of "fuel" that includes flammable liquid, as outlined in the EU classification, labelling and packaging regulation.”