Peter Roche
Galway East · Fine Gael · Ireland
“As the Minister of State mentioned, there are instances where students and families have benefited from school transport tickets. There are also many instances where they are not utilised. If there was a formula or mechanism to make sure that only those who need them apply, it would help the situation.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. I get the whole cost of providing transport, but access to education begins with access to transport. For any parent who finds themselves in receipt of a refusal for a bus ticket for next year, it is the most compelling and difficult thing they have to deal with.”
“Like the Minister, I want to wish our gallant Galway hurlers everything that is good on Sunday, but that is not why I stood up to speak. I am anxious, given the spate of correspondence coming into my office, about the school transport scheme and how some families find themselves ineligible or refused transport for the next year.”
“I want to put the spotlight on the primary medical certificate and the very rigid rules there are with regard to eligibility. It is fine if a person has a very physical disability; they will qualify. Those who lose eyesight, for example, would not be eligible. The appeals process is also quite complex.”
“As the Tánaiste is aware, this is Men's Health Week. Government policy acknowledges or recognises that improving men's health has clear benefits for families, partners and children right across society. A key part of that is the experience of early parenthood. I refer to paternity leave in particular in this regard.”
“The Courts Service owns a building in the heart of Tuam that has been derelict for the past 15 years. As part of the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, reference was made to the possibility of it being refurbished at the end of that period. We are in the middle of 2026 and there is no sign of that.”
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“You cannot walk down the street without seeing a discarded single-use vape. These products contain plastics, electronics and lithium batteries and do not belong in our environment. This Bill takes an important step towards removing harmful and wasteful products from our streets. The public health concern is even more pressing. Despite age restrictions these products are finding their way into the hands of young people, often in brightly packaged, fruit-flavoured forms clearly designed to appeal to them. Ireland has worked hard over the decades to reduce smoking and nicotine use but sleek devices, sweet flavours, aggressive marketing and a presence in popular media are now undoing much of that great progress.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of this Bill. At its core this legislation is about clear principles in protecting public health, especially the health of our young people, while tackling a growing environmental problem in our community. On that basis, I fully support the intent of the Bill. In my constituency, it is impossible to ignore the extent of the issue. Almost every town and village has at least one vape shop. Never before has nicotine been so accessible in our society and with that accessibility comes serious societal and environmental consequences. In Galway East communities take enormous pride in initiatives like Tidy Towns and in keeping our towns and villages clean, yet disposable vapes are now a common sight on our streets, in hedgerows, near our schools and in our playgrounds.”
“I want to focus again on education and school facilities. Right across east Galway, a number of schools are particularly challenged in terms of wanting to improve their situations. These include Dunmore National School, Trinity Primary School in Tuam, Carrabane national school, St. Ita’s National School in Loughrea, Coláiste an Eachréidh in Athenry, and Gort Community School, just to mention a few. How will schools fall into the Government’s plan to reform infrastructure delivery? I will be engaging more in this regard with the Minister, Hildegarde Naughton, but most schools are anxious to understand the timelines. While I have the floor, I want to wish the Minister well. Speeding up the delivery of infrastructure would be welcome because of the schools in this category that are anxiously waiting.”
“I honestly believe that in the case of the filling station in Headford, which saw an increase from €8,900 to €52,000, some consideration should be given to the fact that the business was forced to do things by the local authority in terms of car parking and has paid a big penalty for doing that.”
“I would be the first to acknowledge Government supports for businesses such as those we have spoken about. I have suggested for quite some time that our local authority, Galway County Council, is chronically underfunded. As a consequence, our poor councillors have had to make that ultimate bad decision. The consequences of that have been felt because businesspeople do not want to condemn, criticise or complain. They are in the business of making money, if they can, employing staff and ensuring that they are doing things in a prudent rather than a greedy way.”
“Some businesses use a premises for storage but there is no value in storage. What is required is to examine those businesses that are trading and have reason to believe they would be liable for commercial rates. The ones I just mentioned are just a snapshot. There are many more like that. I am trying to have a conversation on how that can be managed going forward.”
“I was absolutely astonished when those figures came to me because I did not think that, regardless of how the old system was, there could be that much of an incremental increase. While I do not like to hear it, I hear from the owners of smaller businesses such as hair salons that they will not continue and they will instead operate in their own homes. That is what makes me sit up. We are all pleading for better support for businesses, and we need to support our businesses because that is what makes Ireland, in particular rural Ireland, tick. I am not sure what measures the Government can introduce. We are not a basket case in Galway East but commercial rates are a major issue for many small businesses. I am shining a spotlight on this today. We need to focus on how the valuation is done. Is it done based on ground space or turnover?”
“All Members hold constituency meetings with constituents and issues that affect them are presented to us. In the case of Galway East, one issue that has repeatedly come to the attention of my office is the re-evaluation of commercial rates. I refer to two small businesses, one a nail manicure outlet and another a hair salon, that had commercial rates heretofore of €600. That has risen to €1,448, which is a 200% increase. One of the liveliest and busy but well run filling stations in Headford, County Galway provides better access and all the stuff that goes with having the best possible business from a safety point of view. Some of these measures were forced on the owners by the council and their commercial rates went from €8,900 to €52,000, which is a 484% increase.”
“I pick up from where Deputy Dolan left off regarding the wind energy development planned for east Galway. I have mentioned here previously that we are being bombarded with plans for developments right around the constituency, including in Killimordaly, Shancloon, Cooloo, Barnaderg and lots more places. What really concerns me, apart from the negative impact they will have if they get the go-ahead, is the enormous stress this is bringing currently to the people living in those communities. From a cost perspective, it is costing some of the community groups €30,000 to prepare a comprehensive submission, which is required to hold off these developments. They have to concentrate on all aspects, including environmental, archaeology, hydrology, heritage and the impact on the community.”
“The Minister's response has been reassuring. Like many others, I feel responsible in many ways if there is any guessing or dispute around how moneys are spent. I really welcome that. I am reassured by the Minister's responses.”
“I thank the Minister for the comprehensive response. It is fair to say that now more than ever, the public expects transparency and accountability in how public funds are spent. People want to know not just where their money is going, but how decisions are made and whether they deliver value for money. We are very fortunate to be in a position where we can invest in infrastructure, services and innovation, but with that comes a responsibility to ensure that every euro is spent wisely. Clear and consistent budgeting practices across Departments are essential to maintaining public trust and delivering outcomes that benefit communities across the country. I hope that these forthcoming guidelines will strengthen that trust and provide clarity for both Departments and the general public.”
“The Government has made repeated commitments to improve transparency and tighten controls around how Departments manage their spending or budgeting. This is essential to maintaining public trust in our ability to deliver value for money when using taxpayers' funds. We understand that the updated regulations are to be introduced to guide how funding needs to be allocated or spent. Will the Minister clarify when these updated guidelines will be issued and whether they will be publicly available?”
“What steps are the Department taking to address the growing financial anomalies, difficulties or pressures facing many schools, particularly in relation to the rising costs of heating, electricity, and day-to-day operational expenses that any school would incur? Will increased funding will be made available in those circumstances for schools that want to continue to function effectively and safely through the winter months?”
“I wish to raise an issue with regards to the lack of funding coming from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for rehabilitation works on our national routes, particularly in east Galway and works such as overlays, drainage and pavement improvements. Funding over the last couple of years has been drastically reduced. Any time representations are made to the local area engineer, the cry from TII is that there is no funding available for such works. In this instance I want to reference a particularly challenging issue where floodwaters are constantly challenging a private home on the N63, just outside the village of Abbeyknockmoy, where emergency drainage works are required. That poor widow has to ring family when there is any forecast of heavy rain. It is not fair or right. A small investment would rectify that for her benefit.”
“They may be very quick to say that they are and then they are on the first steps to recovery. I cannot say that often enough or loudly enough. It is a fact. For those people sitting at home today listening to all the contributions and hearing all the statistics, I believe that is what we should be aiming towards. I urge the Minister of State to continue the good work and let us have more conversation on this.”
“That might be the person's wife, daughter or next-door neighbour and then, more importantly, for that trusted friend to know exactly how to respond - not to judge them, not to add to their woes, but to be prepared to offer support, help, direction and guidance. That is all any of us can do. If I had a euro for every time I had that conversation with people who felt that maybe I would understand, I would be able to go and have a good drink for myself. They think and feel that it is perfectly okay to speak to someone who has a knowledge perhaps of what it is like to be devastated as a consequence of an early death, be that suicide or otherwise. This is the big plea I am making today. Let us do more and let us not be afraid to ask somebody if they are in trouble emotionally.”
“I welcome this discussion. I commend the Minister of State on bringing this to the House. It is astonishing when you read that males represented 72% of premature deaths, which is most stark. In 2022, 79% of all deaths by suicide were among males and young men suffering from depression are diagnosed at half the rate of women, which is another stark figure. It is fair to say that men's health is a national issue and demands a co-ordinated, compassionate and courageous response. One of the things I have often said is that we can have all the conversations we like here today about men's health, remaining positive and all the things that go with it. For those people who are harbouring thoughts of isolation, depression or suicidal ideation or all of these things, though, I encourage them to seek help by telling a trusted friend.”
“I can certainly attest to the fact that any moneys that Galway County Council get will be spent very wisely and very prudently. It has quite a comprehensive list of infrastructure that it wishes to develop under these schemes. One of the things I ask about passionately is that the Department continues to invest in these schemes, particularly in outdoor recreation. It is a game-changer for many communities. Certainly, in east Galway, in my neck of the woods, I would welcome any investment in that regard.”
“There are people who are building their first home in little laneways who apply for those scheme and it is a really great saviour when they can have that.”
“I thank the Minister. First, I am a great advocate, as I am sure many others are, for investment in the infrastructure developments he mentioned such as walkways, greenways and cycleways. We are living in an area where the population, thankfully, is increasing. I am also mindful that people are craving those kind of recreational opportunities, particularly people who want to seek outdoor recreational exposure for childhood obesity, mindfulness or people who are struggling with mental health issues. I am sure anything the Minister can do in promoting and supporting that is a really welcome departure. Right across every county the LIS has proved to be a very essential component or element.”
“I welcome both Ministers to the House for this worthwhile debate that we are having. Will the Minister for Rural and Community Development and Gaeltacht provide an update on his Department's plans to streamline and accelerate the approval process for local improvement schemes and outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme applications, particularly in areas such as east Galway where some shovel-ready projects with local match funding are awaiting sanction? Will he make a statement on the matter?”
“I welcome that. The more remote or rural the training courses are, the easier it is, at times, to find accommodation. We almost always hear that in urban settings, accommodation is nigh impossible to secure. In instances where courses could be rolled out in more rural or satellite towns, out of the cities and bigger towns, accommodation is sometimes that bit more accessible. I am interested in the Minister of State's responses on this matter. I appreciate that she is mindful of it and that it is something we can look forward to seeing progressed.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response. We all need to promote and support apprenticeships and to encourage apprentices to follow through to qualification, because there is a much-needed requirement and demand, particularly to service industry. If we think about construction, that is the core heart of people we will need in the future. We need them now, but the more encouragement we can give them to follow through with their apprenticeships and training, the better it will be for this island.”
“I welcome the debate here this morning. I ask the Minister to set out the steps being taken to expand apprenticeship and skills training opportunities right across areas such as County Galway, where access to approved training centres remains limited in some instances; if consideration will be given to establishing mobile or satellite training hubs in partnership with ETBs to reduce travel and dropout rates among rural apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter.”
“Sometimes we might look back and say it was avoidable. In this instance, all we can do is look forward to a stronger and better system.”
“Perhaps because of what I, others and support organisations have done over the years in offering advice, support and help - I commend all the people who did that because they have provided remarkable service - as the Minister of State mentioned, there has a welcome reduction in the number of people losing their lives by suicide. We have a lot more to do in that regard, but I am heartened and pleased that we have looked at the best pathway forward. I want to continue to support the Minister of State in respect of this matter. I thank her for taking these statements today. Many of us have lived experience. Sometimes the story is told with a very heavy heart, but it is important that we allow people to understand the heartbreak, torment and loss that goes with losing a child or a number of people in a community.”
“On this World Mental Health Day, I call again - and I know my call will be heard - on the Minister and the HSE to establish a dedicated national crisis response pathway for mental health with trained staff, designated spaces and seamless referral to psychiatric care. When a person reaches out for help, that moment is sacred. It may be the first, but it may also be the last attempt to live. We have a duty as legislators and leaders to follow human beings and make sure the hand they reach out to is there to hold them, not to make them wait. Like the Minister of State, I come to the table with lived experience. Tragically, we lost our son and close friends of our son, in what was felt by me to be a crisis year. It was 2010. The figures at the time were escalating to somewhere around 500 people per year.”
“Behind every statistic is a family holding its breath, a parent who does not sleep, friends who blame themselves, a child wondering why help did not come. As someone who has walked alongside families in my constituency of Galway East, I have seen the human cost of delay, disconnection and neglect. Mental healthcare is not an optional add-on to our health services. It is a moral obligation. The men and women who present, in distress, at accident and emergency departments are not numbers on a page. They are our neighbours, colleagues, children and parents. They deserve to be met, not with confusion or queries but with understanding, expertise and hope.”
“No child should ever believe that their family would be better off without them. That is why accessible, early and compassionate intervention must be at the core of every form of delivery. Most recently, the heartbreaking loss of Adam Loughnane, a 34 year old man from County Galway who tragically died by suicide after presenting himself at University College Hospital Galway, reminds us all that behind every policy delay a real human life exists. In Adam's case, he was described as a gentle soul, a man who sought help, who did what we tell people to do, to reach out, go to your hospital, ask for support. His death has rightly prompted a hospital review. However, it must also prompt national reflection and reform. No person should ever walk into an Irish hospital seeking help and leave feeling unseen, unheard or unsupported.”
“However, they are somewhat fragmented, inconsistent and in many cases inaccessible. We need a national standard, a standard integrated crisis pathway that ensures no one in mental distress is left behind in a waiting room. When we talk about crisis, we must also talk about our children. Pieta House recently shared a heartbreaking reminder that one in three people, which is a high statistic, under the age of 18 who turns to it for help is only in primary school. A case like Orla, who was just 11 years old, told her therapist she did not want to be here anymore. These are not isolated cases. They are cries for help from children who feel unseen, unheard, or burdensome. They are children who need understanding, not silence. No parent should ever have to hear those words from their child.”
“As was mentioned, we would never ask a heart attack patient to sit in the waiting room of a hospital while their condition worsens, yet we do that every day to people in the throes of a mental health crisis. This is not compassion, this is not care and it is not sustainable. It is time we created a separate, direct and dignified pathway for individuals presenting in mental health crisis, one that allows immediate referral to access the psychiatric and psychological team, bypassing the standard accident and emergency route. This is not a luxury but an urgent reform rooted in basic humanity and common sense. We already have strong models within our healthcare system, including liaison psychiatric teams, crisis cafés, 24-7 helplines and community response hubs.”
“When a person in acute psychological distress reaches the point of seeking help and the first and often the only option is to present to accident and emergency, they arrive there not with a broken bone or a visible wound, as was mentioned earlier, but with unbearable emotional pain. What they need and want is a system that is designed to receive them. They sometimes sit for hours, sometimes overnight in crowded waiting rooms. They are triaged, assessed and left to wait again, often in surroundings with noise, distress and lack of privacy in many instances. Some leave before being seen. Some do not make it back. Every time this happens it suggests our system has failed a family, another community and another future.”
“I commend and thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for all she has done in this regard. I thank her for her constant support and engagement with me in my role as the Fine Gael spokesperson on mental health. I welcome our visitors to the Public Gallery. As we mark World Mental Health Day 2025, the message could not be clearer. It is access saves lives. This year's global theme is access to services. Mental health in catastrophes and emergencies carries particular weight here and indeed in Galway because for too many people in Ireland the catastrophe is never too far away and it is happening every day in the corridors of our emergency departments. I have raised the issue in the Chamber previously.”
“The issue that I want to shine a light on here today is in relation to wind and solar energy in east Galway. I know that it is outside of the Minister's area of responsibility. In east Galway, particularly in the Tuam-Athenry area, we are being bombarded with proposed developments for wind turbines towering 185 m high, a solar farm that is planning to take up 800 acres and a gas plant in Athenry causing untold annoyance and distress. I am trying to understand why east Galway is being unfairly targeted for a vast number of these energy developments and when we can anticipate that the planning guidelines pertaining to the 185 m wind turbines will be revisited. Right now, they are the most visually intrusive developments anywhere in the country.”
“I fully accept that cases have to be assessed and the criteria are strict. The cases that I mentioned, as I said, involve only a small of people who have come to my constituency office who would fall into that category where they are full time. In fact, in order to come to the constituency office, they would sometimes have to get somebody to stand in and do the caring while they were absent from the house. That will tell the Minister the level of necessity there is and the requirement there would be for the Department and the Minister to be more compassionate in terms of the way we would deal with cases like that.”
“There is a perception, somehow or other, that if you have land and-or a small number of stock, the calculation is that you are doing all right and that you are outside of your means, but there needs to be greater flexibility with those instances that I am referencing.”
“I think all of us would have specific cases. Obviously, it would not be an avalanche by any manner of means, but we have people come to our constituency offices with those circumstances where they would be engaged full time in caring and their farm would be more of a financial burden than financially rewarding. They are doing the State a great service by providing care for their loved one. The calculation, based on the number of acres and the numbers of livestock, sometimes prohibits them from gaining carer's allowance for their loved one. When I mentioned "rigid", that is what I am referencing.”
“Will the Minister consider reviewing the assessment criteria for social protection payments, especially in cases where applicants, including part-time farmers, are not in paid employment outside of the home but are providing unpaid care within the household? Could there be more flexibility in recognising minimal or subsistence-level farming activity, given the concerns that the current rigid rules are leaving some families without the supports they badly need?”
“One of my staff members happened to be having a coffee in a busy Galway city establishment not too many weeks ago, and they witnessed a group of young people - much younger than one would expect to be using vapes - asking an older group of people to go to the vape shop for them and they successfully got them. It will be very difficult to police, in any case. When we talk about Galway city in the context of accessibility to vapes, it is interesting to note that according to my information, there are approximately 12 vape shops in the city, which in itself is a real issue.”
“We all know the consequences of cigarettes and anything pertaining to vapes because of those people who have respiratory issues such of bronchitis and asthma. There will be consequences of continuing to use vapes, further down the road, and that is where the real issues will start to arise. There is also the litter issue. When one walks around the streets of my own city of Galway, one sees plenty of empty, or void, canisters which makes this a greater problem. With the greatest will in the world, we are bringing forward legislation - we all welcome that - but the focus must be on policing and enforcing that legislation. The same can be said for any other legislation; it is about who will be responsible for policing it.”
“I thank the Minister of State for bringing this debate to the Chamber. It is a very significant and important topic that we need to be honest about. If I remember the Minister of State's remarks, she mentioned vaping was both "lethal" and "addictive". Regrettably, many users of vaping products have no concept of those two words. I think they see it as cool and trendy to be using these very colourful vapes. Vapes come in all colours and all flavours which makes them a little more attractive. It is fair to say that when people are under the influence of alcohol, there is an even greater reliance on the use of vapes. That is pretty prevalent in clubs and pubs, etc. As previous contributors have said, the intent at the outset was that vapes would replace cigarettes but it has been counterproductive.”
“Employees in certain circumstances say that they would prefer extra take-home pay now over pension contributions, and they cite tight weekly budgets. I thank the Minister because, overall, I think that people will have time to adapt and inform themselves. I welcome the concept in principle and I welcome the scheme.”
“I know the Department has pointed to the phased introduction of the contributions, with a ten-year lead-in period, as evidence that businesses will have time to adapt. That is broadly welcome but from what I am hearing on the ground, the message is not really landing. The communication campaign, the buses, the adverts, and the online content are simply not reaching the many shopkeepers in rural Ireland and those micro business owners who are already juggling a dozen other responsibilities. What is needed is direct and targeted outreach to SMEs so they can be mindful of the unintended consequences that may emerge. Unless this is implemented with sensitivity to the realities facing both employers and employees, it risks breeding resentment rather than reassurance.”
“They are family-run or community-run operations where the same person is managing stock, dealing with suppliers and, of course, serving customers. For them, the additional administrative burden of auto-enrolment feels a little bit daunting. Many tell me that they have little or no communication about what exactly is required of them. Beyond the administration, the financial concern is even greater. As mentioned by other Deputies, many of them are operating on very tight margins and even a modest additional cost can tip the balance. Employers are asking if this new obligation will mean they have to cut back on hours, delay taking on new staff or reduce other forms of support for employees. They worry that what looks like a small percentage increase on paper could in reality be the straw that breaks the camel's back.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Like others, I welcome the scheme, which is going to give greater security to people entering into retirement. It is an important and necessary ambition. Too many people, particularly those in the private sector, risk reaching retirement age with only the State pension to rely on. In principle, I think the concept is good. However, in my engagement with businesses right across east Galway, they have raised concerns. I have met many of business owners, including those running shops, cafés, garages and SMEs. While they are not opposed to the idea of pensions for their employees, they are deeply worried about how the scheme might impact on them financially. These are businesses that do not have the luxury of dedicated HR departments.”
“If we are down to refusing one child on a route like, it really calls this into question, so I am looking for more flexibility and more availability.”
“We need to look at continued reform and investment and accountability. This must include revisiting the age guidelines. I would add my voice to that. Older drivers can drive around Europe yet they are forbidden to drive for Bus Éireann. We need to look at the routes in every constituency. I am parochial. I represent Galway East. In situations where schools are over capacity, students who would normally choose that school are being pushed to go to other locations that are not within that catchment and therein lies another anomaly. A child may have to move to a new location thus pressurising him or her into finding a new bus route. A young lady from my parish applied for a bus ticket for a different school and was refused notwithstanding the fact that they had a ticket already.”
“We have heard from families in our constituencies who have a Bus Éireann stop near them but because it falls outside the catchment, they are forced to drive to a different point in another town. This is not their system. It is just the system that is designed and this system is failing them. In light of the fact these issues affect children and young families, a prompt and co-ordinated response is required - I know this is something the Minister promised - from the Government and the tender services. As legislators, we need to ensure school transport is fair, safe and sustainable. The current system needs overhaul. I and others acknowledge that there has been a change in demographics, which adds its own pressures because it is very difficult to predict what is coming down the tracks year on year with certainty.”
“I, too, have been listening to this debate for a number of hours. I will acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, have only been in office since last January. From engaging with both of them on these issues, I know of the gallant efforts being made to resolve them. As I said, I listened to the debate. Like most others, the problems are repeated in every constituency. My real concern is people being denied tickets sometimes without a clear explanation. Some children are forced to walk over 4 km per day to reach a pick-up point even where a safer closer collection point is available. In some cases, students with disabilities are not allocated buses with proper accessibility, which is a real concern, leaving families in impossible situations.”
“As a legislator but also as a father and a neighbour to families in my east Galway constituency, I urge the House to fully embrace and follow through with this new action plan. We cannot afford another five years of delay. The next five years should be the years when rights are promised and lived. What is key in all of this is implementation of the strategy. I commend the Minister on bringing it to us. I certainly look forward, as do many parents, to vast improvements in this regard.”