Robert Troy
Longford-Westmeath · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Only last weekend, I had the honour of representing the Taoiseach at the commemoration of those who had lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme. The presence of the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland was a very positive development. I understand that it was the first time she was present in Dublin for that commemoration.”
“People deserve to know and understand not just the aspiration but the implication for their livelihoods, public services and future. Transparency is something I have tried to foster during my term as Minister of State in the Department of Finance. People expect it and are savvy enough to find it themselves.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this debate on the financial implications of Irish unity. It is fair to say that it is an important discussion and one that deserves to be approached with seriousness, honesty and respect.”
“If we are serious about unity - I believe we all are - we must be equally serious about preparation. That includes asking the difficult but necessary questions, including about the role of the UK in supporting any transition, whether financial contributions over a defined period would form part of any agreement and how the EU could be inv…”
“While many will view these as barriers so as to delay and misinform, we need to realise that our island has overcome its fair share of barriers in the past and we have the capacity to overcome any barriers in the future. What we should be looking at are the opportunities that a united Ireland presents.”
“It can be secured through reassurance, actions and compromise. Deputy Lahart indicated some of the compromises that may need to be considered. From a financial perspective, we need to look for clarity. Some fundamental questions need to be addressed. What would happen to public services? How would taxation be structured?”
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“We, as a Government, across all our Departments, need to be much clearer when we commission a report on the timeframe for when that report will be published and, more importantly, the implementation of recommendations. We need to be much more efficient as a Government in doing that. I will take on board what the Senator said today and relay it back, in the first instance, to the two Departments that are working on this, namely, Department of enterprise and tourism and the Department of local government.”
“I thank Senator Fitzpatrick very much. While it is fair that we acknowledge that the Government's funding to local authorities has increased considerably over the last number of years, it is also important to recognise that local authorities need the power and autonomy to be able to raise their own money to invest in the provision of services and to build out and develop the offering that each local authority has. The Senator makes very valid points. There is agreement in terms of the line of direction we are going in this area. The only uncertainty is maybe the timeframe.”
“Work on the proposal is being progressed by both Departments in conjunction with the oversight board that is in place to oversee delivery of the roadmap for Dublin city.”
“The task force specifically considered if local authorities should be able to introduce a charge on overnight stays in their areas, noting the Government’s previous agreement to same. In June 2025, the Government noted the report of the interdepartmental group on the Dublin city centre task force and approved the overall approach set out in that proposed roadmap for delivery of the Dublin city task force report. The interdepartmental group recommends that a detailed proposal for an accommodation tax at a national level, applicable to all local authorities on an opt-in basis, be developed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.”
“The task force was specifically asked to consider ways for local authorities to increase fiscal autonomy through the number of own resources by reviewing existing revenue-raising and debt management options and new or alternative revenue-raising powers. The task force examined ways in which local authorities can better leverage existing sources of income, local authority borrowing, decision-making with regard to local property tax and potential new sources of income for local authorities. The task force has submitted its report to the Ministers in the Department, who are considering the range of recommendations and intend to bring it to the Government for consideration along with a high-level implementation plan shortly.”
“This locally raised income is crucial as it funds the operation of local authorities and their core service provision. A fundamental prerequisite for effective local democracy is that elected councils have a strong measure of financial power and discretion and corresponding responsibility. In line with commitments in the programme for Government, a local democracy task force was established with the local government sector to finalise a programme for the reform and strengthening of local government. The terms of reference for the task force, agreed by the Government, set out an ambitious and detailed work programme relating to structure, finance, functions and the governance and accountability of all local authorities.”
“I thank the Senator. We get visitors in Mullingar and Athlone as well. When she was going through all the regional towns, she forgot to mention some of mine. I thank her for once again giving me the opportunity to update the House today on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on local authorities’ powers to raise revenues annually. I know this is an issue on which the Senator has been extremely active and vocal. The system of funding local government in Ireland is a complex one, as local authorities derive their income from a range of local sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services provided and local property tax as well as grants from various Government Departments and State agencies. On average, in 2024, nearly 50% of local authorities’ revenue income was generated locally.”
“It is about looking at how we can share more data to alleviate the pressures on self-employed people so they can feel the benefits of data sharing equally to the PAYE worker. I will bring back the message raised forcibly today to the Minister.”
“SUSI processes more than 100,000 grants annually. Some 110,000 students applied for support in this academic year with the Government investing €350 million to support students. A significant number of people are availing of Government support. I think we all agree that the Minister, Deputy Lawless, is engaged with the student unions, the bodies, students and their families, and is continuously looking at ways to challenge the costs of college. He is conscious of that, and we will see positive changes in the upcoming academic year. I will bring the specific points to the Minister because I know he is determined to improve the efficiency and experience for students applying for the SUSI grant. We have already seen data sharing between Revenue and social protection.”
“In addition to strengthening the student grant scheme, the student contribution fee has been permanently reduced by €500. This means that eligible undergraduate students from households earning up to €120,000 will pay no more than €2,000 towards the student contribution charge from 2026-27.”
“It has consistently met and exceeded the key performance indicators within the management framework agreement with the Department of further and higher education. For example, in the academic year 2025-26, the mean period of time for the initial assessment of an application was just over two weeks, and just over one week for the assessment of returned documentation. It is important to also outline the significant enhancements to the student grant scheme the Department has made in recent years. For example, all income thresholds increased by 15% this academic year, bringing the overall threshold up to €115,000. For the upcoming academic year, the grant threshold has been widened further to €120,000 and the non-adjacent maintenance rates have been increased by between €200 and €430.”
“That is why SUSI, in collaboration with the Department, is constantly looking at ways to make the process more efficient for the applicant, be it through additional data-sharing agreements or examining internal processes. The SUSI support team also works closely with all applicants to support them. In addition to the current supports in place to help applicants, City of Dublin Education and Training Board is currently undertaking a significant ICT and business transformation project relating to the modernisation of the student grant application scheme. This aligns with Government policy on providing digital services to our citizens. SUSI is continuously improving in processing applications.”
“However, it is worth noting that SUSI has a number of significant data-sharing agreements with public bodies in place already that reduce the documentation burden on applicants. Examples of these include information feeds from the Department of Social Protection, the Revenue Commissioners and the CAO. Through these feeds, SUSI can receive the relevant information on income or social welfare payments directly from source. This reduces the need for an applicant to submit documentation with their application and improves efficiency for SUSI. It is acknowledged that for self-employed households there may be more documentation required during the application process.”
“I thank Senator Crowe for raising this important issue. It is a matter that has been brought to the attention of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on a number of occasions over the past few years, but Senator Crowe makes valid points in his contribution. The main financial support available to students is the student grant scheme. The scheme is administered by Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, on behalf of the Department. In order to qualify for a grant, all applicants must fulfil eligibility criteria which include income, residency, nationality and progression. This process will often involve documentation being submitted in support of an application. Under Article 36 of the grant scheme, an applicant must submit the required information upon request from SUSI.”
“I will relay the strong points that the Deputies have made this evening to my colleague the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to reinforce the message that this school has a priority to be included in 2026-27. Even for those that are not included in that, the Department is looking at ways to ensure that enabling works can be done so that when a further tranche of money becomes available in 2028, further schools will be added at that stage. The Department has been as flexible as it can be to ensure the maximum amount of construction work happens in 2026, 2027 and on into 2028. The Deputies have made compelling cases this evening for St. Aidan's and I undertake to bring that back to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, on foot of their representations here in the House.”
“I thank the three Deputies again for giving me an opportunity to update the House regarding the accommodation at St Aidan's CBS Whitehall. The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project under the school building programme is subject to due diligence required under the Government's infrastructure guidelines. The Deputies made a very strong case for the school this evening. Deputy McAuliffe has confirmed what was said at the committee today. It is possible for additional schools to be included in 2626 and 2027. I assure Deputy Ellis that it is no less relevant that I am taking the debate this evening.”
“Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.”
“The Department-led energy and condition survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities. Based on this ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account also of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond.”
“The Department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender.”
“The stage 2B report was submitted to the Department in January of this year and is currently undergoing a comprehensive technical and cost review. All projects, including this one, are subject to the full due diligence requirements set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines. Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP sectoral plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out.”
“I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. I know that Deputy McAuliffe has engaged directly with the Taoiseach on this but it is very positive to see such cross-party support on an issue. The school was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme, ASA. The project will provide 15 general classrooms, five special education tuition rooms, a two-classroom special educational needs base, one music room, one multimedia room, one art room, one construction studies room, one technology prep room, two project stores, two science labs, one prep area, one design-computer graphics room, and ancillary services. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. This project is currently at stage 2B.”
“I will bring the Deputy's message back to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, loud and clear that the consultation needs to continue but also needs to conclude in a timely fashion to enable that modular unit to be delivered, increasing capacity for the children with special educational needs. Ultimately, that is what we need to do. We need to ensure that children who have special needs have the opportunity to attend school in their own locality rather than being transferred for miles, because that is not in anybody's interests either.”
“That is fine. I reiterate that it was very welcome and helpful that he arranged a visit by the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, to the school, where he saw first hand the challenges that are there. The challenge is to ensure the additional demand is met with additional capacity in a timely way as well. The one point I will have taken from the original reply is that there is ongoing engagement between the education and training board and the Department to ensure we can meet that demand, while at the same time not compromising the facilities that are currently there.”
“Budget 2026 has secured funding for 3,000 new specialist places and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is currently examining where these places are best located for the 2026-27 academic year.”
“Between 2020 and 2025, the Department of Education and Youth has provided €174.6 million in capital funding for Wexford schools. Over this period, a total of 58 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently seven school projects in Wexford under construction. One school project will go to tender or construction in 2026-27, and this summer, eight schools are approved to undergo works as part of the summer works scheme. In addition, since 2020, a total of 80 special classes have been opened in Wexford, ten of which were sanctioned for September next.”
“The site at Gorey provides a good location for expanding capacity with a permanent modular extension for the school. The Department of Education and Youth regards the current repurposed school building as the permanent location for Gorey Hill School. It is intended that the permanent capacity at the school will be expanded through the provision of the proposed modular accommodation project. This detail is currently being worked through and the Department is engaging with Waterford and Wexford ETB during this process. The modular accommodation framework is a key part of the Department’s strategy for the provision of good quality functional accommodation to meet the permanent accommodation requirements for prioritised individual schools.”
“The programme involves the use of project management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects. This is a collaborative process between the project manager, school authority and the Department of Education and Youth. The property provides an opportunity to facilitate a co-location arrangement with other schools, which is consistent with the Department’s approach of maximising existing capacity and enabling local unmet needs for special school places to be met. The school is now at capacity and additional accommodation is required to facilitate further enrolments.”
“The staffing comprises an administrative principal, administrative deputy principal, seven class teachers and 18 special needs assistants, together with ten post primary co-operation hours per week. The school is based in a Department-owned school property in Gorey. Surplus capacity in the building was repurposed to make it suitable for special school purposes and to facilitate the opening of the new school. The repurposing project was delivered under the Department’s special educational needs reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme, which facilitated the school opening as quickly as possible.”
“I am taking this matter on behalf of Deputy Michael Moynihan, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, who sends his apologies because he cannot be here today. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and giving me the opportunity to outline the Department of Education and Youth’s plans to address the accommodation needs for Gorey Hill School. Gorey Hill School is one of four special schools established for the 2024-25 school year. The school operates under the patronage of Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, ETB. The school currently supports 37 young people aged between four and 18 who have a diagnosis of autism and-or complex learning needs, with a professional recommendation requiring the support of a special school setting.”
“To me, that indicates a Department that is willing to work with the school authorities to ensure that any additional works that can be done in 2026 and 2027 will be done, which is welcome. There is also an acknowledgement that, at a time of resource constraints, it may be possible to do enabling works so that shovels are ready to hit the ground in 2028. The Deputy has made a case on behalf of the school in question. I undertake to relay what he has said to the Minister, Deputy Naughton.”
“Deputy O'Donoghue will appreciate that I am answering on behalf of my colleague. He has made a strong and compelling case for additional works at this school in the very near future. We were all disappointed when the announcement was made some months ago if schools that we articulate on behalf of in our respective constituencies were excluded. The amount of resources is always finite, so there has to be prioritisation. From my perspective, and even from the Deputy’s perspective, I am happy to see in this reply that the Department is not cutting out the possible inclusion of other schools depending on the need in 2026 and 2027. It is helpful that it allows for the opportunity for enabling works to be done that would allow it to go to construction in 2028.”
“Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and approach for addressing same.”
“The Department-led energy and condition survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities. Based on the ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need, and taking account of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond.”
“The Department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years by continuing to roll out projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 in order to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender.”
“All projects, including this one, are subject to the full due diligence requirements set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines. Although this project is not within the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP sectoral plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to the project roll-out.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the school building project for St. Mary's Oldtown, County Dublin. This project was approved to enter the Department of Education and Youth’s pipeline under the additional school accommodation scheme and is devolved for delivery to the school authority. The project will provide three mainstream classrooms, one special education tuition room and a two-classroom special educational needs base. The project is currently at stage 2a, detailed design, of the architectural design process. The stage 2a report has been submitted to the Department and is currently under review from both a technical and cost perspective.”
“The truth is that nobody on that side of the House and nobody on this side of the House can say with certainty what is going to happen with the war in the Middle East and when we will see a return to the normal production and supply of oil in a global sense. That is why we have to ensure we remain agile and responsive to the needs of the people we are honoured to represent in this House.”
“It is fair to say that the measures taken by the Government are to support the sectors most adversely affected and those at risk of fuel poverty. Public funds are not infinite, nor should they be spent on uncosted general measures as Sinn Féin has suggested in its motion. I will not go through the list of supports that the Government has announced, between the initial announcement over three weeks ago and the most recent announcement voted on in the past hour. The overall cost of the Government-supported packages is in the region of €750 million. As I said already, it is per capita the biggest and most comprehensive intervention of any country in the euro. These supports are timely and necessary. Just as we said when we made the initial announcement, these supports will be monitored and kept under review.”
“We must underline and understand that what we are seeing at the moment is a large increase in the wholesale market price of oil as a result of the supply shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East. This is compounding the supply issues we faced at the beginning of the war in Ukraine. That is what is driving the increase in fuel costs. Sinn Féin’s motion on fuel prices fails to mention that fact. This is an enormous challenge, not just for Ireland, but for every country around the world facing into the energy crisis. It is the Government’s job to strike an appropriate balance between keeping our economy moving and our public services funded while shielding the most vulnerable from the worst impacts of the energy shock.”
“For those who suggest that the Government introduce a piece a price cap on fuels, I ask those very same Deputies to provide a list of the public services they suggest cutting to pay for this.”
“In some cases, this could be absorbed by a reduction in profitability, but in most cases this would result in losses for the retailer. Given the very large increases in fuel prices, imposing price controls on fuel retailers would render most unviable and they would exit the market. This would result in the State having to subsidise fossil fuel consumption directly at an enormous cost to the taxpayer. Introducing a price cap on fuel to the level some Opposition Deputies have been suggesting could cost billions of euro. That money is being spent on essential services such as health, education and housing, all things that various members of the Opposition seek further expenditure on.”
“While VAT operates as an ad valorem tax and, therefore, VAT receipts do increase as the price of a commodity increases, the figures that have been quoted in the Dáil and in the media by certain members of the Opposition have been disingenuous and off the mark. This was done in a calculated way to instil fear, sow division and exploit the legitimate fears and concerns of members of our community. The Government does not seek or want high fuel prices. Higher energy prices create higher business input costs. This creates higher prices for goods and services, which impacts everybody. Previously, we had calls from Opposition benches for things like price caps. That would be an extremely expensive and untargeted measure. Price controls below the market price for any goods or services would impose costs on retailers.”
“I wish to state unequivocally that the spikes in the price of fuels are not, as the Opposition would lead you to believe, solely and exclusively due to taxation. The price of fuel is determined by a number of factors, most of which are outside of the Government's control, including the wholesale market price, international market dynamics, international exchange rate impacts, distributional costs, and retail pricing policy. Excise duty is calculated on a volumetric basis, meaning that the cash value of the tax collected remains the same regardless of the price on the forecourt. In the context of excise reductions, this means that the State will collect significantly less excise for every litre of fuel sold.”
“This is not a half measure as asserted in the Sinn Féin motion. When we combine the two packages, this is the most comprehensive package of any country in the EU. It is important to state that, as a Government, we do not have the luxury of coming forward with uncosted proposals. We have the responsibility not only to respond in the short term but also to manage the long-term economic stability of this country. If it were not for the proper and prudent management of the economy over the last number of years, we would not be in a position to make the interventions at the rate we have been able to do over the last weeks. I note that Sinn Féin's motion is quick to state that the prices of fuels are high, but it fails to state the reason the prices of fuels are high.”
“That is not a true reflection of what happened everywhere and we need to acknowledge that also. The Deputy is right that the Government won the confidence vote in the Dáil. As I said in my contribution on the confidence motion, we would be extremely foolhardy and wrong as a Government if we did not acknowledge the anxiety, fear and frustration out there of the people we represent. Sinn Féin does not have a monopoly on representation of people. Nobody does. Each one of us has received our own democratic mandate to be here for a period of five years. We may disagree in terms of how we address certain issues but this Government is acutely aware of the current fuel crisis faced by all sectors of our society. That is why we have responded with the second sizable package in the space of a number of weeks to alleviate some of those pressures.”
“I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I will keep my voice at a reasonable level. I do not feel that just by shouting it makes a point any more valid. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Sinn Féin Private Members' motion on fuel this evening. I will start off by saying that, as a Government Minister of State, I engaged with the people who were protesting. I went out and met the people on the M4 in Mullingar. I recognise that those people were decent, honourable and hard-working people who did not wish to be there. They conducted the protest in Mullingar in a very responsible manner, which facilitated the free movement of people. They engaged respectfully with the Garda to ensure that people could move freely. That, however, is not a true reflection of what happened everywhere.”
“Earlier, we heard a list of what the Opposition would do but no mention of the cost of that or how that list would be funded. The root problem is there is a war in Iran and a reduction in the production and supply of oil, which has left us dealing with the most severe energy crisis of modern times. No government can alleviate all of the impacts of this but what this Government must do is trust the people, keep them informed and always work with their best interests in mind.”
“I do not believe the people want to see us playing Punch and Judy politics here this evening. The Government will secure a majority in the vote when the vote is taken but it would be both foolhardy and wrong for us not to acknowledge the level of fear, anxiety and frustration felt by many of the people we represent. Like many of my colleagues, I am in continuous engagement with the people whom we represent, despite what some in the Opposition might like to portray. The Government has acted. We now have a cumulative package of €750 million, one of the most comprehensive in Europe. The reason we have been able to go as far as we have, further than any other EU country, is because of the strength of our economy. The Opposition has the luxury of coming forward with uncosted proposals that have the potential to damage our economic model.”
“I hope this shows the Government's clear commitment to implementing actions that respond to the priority needs of survivors and the legacy of Ireland’s institutional past.”
“A dedicated phone line provides information for callers on the subject access request process, and information on this is also regularly communicated to survivors and former residents via quarterly updates on the action plan. Further legislation to provide for the preservation of privately held records related to Ireland’s institutional past came into force in 2024. This was introduced in response to calls from survivors and affected persons, their families and advocates, who want to ensure that records, which support understanding of their identity and the institutional systems which shaped their life experiences in such significant ways, are preserved. While the legislation does not provide for access to privately held records, by mandating preservation, it ensures that future access to the records is not rendered impossible.”