Roderic O'Gorman
Dublin West · Green Party · Ireland
“These are men and women who served their working lives within the British civil service system but who, following unification, would be drawing their pensions in a united Ireland. The question of the funding of that will be extremely significant in any talks following a "Yes" vote on both parts of the island.”
“Some 100 extra staff have been hired to the public domain team to tackle waste and dumping and our councillors will continue to fight for a cleaner and greener Dublin.”
“These challenges are magnified by the continued failure of the current political institutions in Northern Ireland to operate for the best interests of the people rather than achieving best political advantage for the parties.”
“In the Dublin Central area, an average of 50 tonnes per month of illegally dumped waste is being removed by the council. It is a huge amount of waste, and this is more than is collected in an entire year from whole counties elsewhere in the country. Our current model of waste management is a direct contributor to this.”
“This means that in many areas, bags are the notional solution but these cause issues with seagulls or foxes or are intermingled with illegally dumped bags. The net result is our footpaths are strewn with waste. Dublin City Council recently rolled out a system of waste compactors in the core areas of the city centre.”
“The solution is to rationalise the current system, put local authorities back at the centre of waste management processes and use this to get a better handle on pricing and illegal dumping through contracts that are right for each specific area, instead of the one-size-fits-all model we have at the moment that is not actually working anyw…”
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“This is on the Department. The Department has not met its timelines in terms of the responses it has given to the school management team. The state of the roof in Coolmine is known to the Department and to the Minister, Deputy McEntee. The Minister visited the school in February of this year. She contacted me earlier. I know she cannot be here to address this matter directly, and I appreciate her contacting me. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, has some good news for the students in Coolmine, the teachers, the other staff and the parents. I do not want to hear about lengthy assessments. I do not want to hear that the school has a load of follow-ups to bring through. I do not want to hear about the school having to go back to a previous contractor.”
“Each of the corridors has five, six or seven buckets laid across it just to collect the water. The school's management team, the principal and deputy principals, has been proactive and submitted an emergency works application for the roof in November. That is application No. 3484. They got a visit from the Department's emergency works team in March. The Department thought about it and then asked the school for a full survey. That full survey is in and now the school is waiting to hear back from the Department in terms of the outcome. The roof is still leaking. Leaving certificate examinations are taking place today, but someone is probably putting out buckets in Coolmine right now. The school has complied with all the Department's requests for documentation and has followed all the procedures for emergency works applications.”
“On the second occasion, it was raining and I saw a teacher trying to divert a rivulet of water coming in through a classroom ceiling away from the electrics for the white screen in that classroom. That is thousands of euro worth of damage risked in just one classroom, and the same thing is happening all across the school. Beyond the health and safety concerns to which these conditions give rise, there is the disruption to education whereby teachers are distracted by having to manage the inflow of water, and, in particular, the disruption to the normal, everyday activities of the school. Almost 1,000 students walk the corridors of the school every 40 minutes, and they literally have to navigate an obstacle course between all the buckets on the floors. TDs come in here and overstate matters. I am not overstating this.”
“It is a rainy day, and on rainy days staff in Coolmine Community School in my constituency, Dublin West, have to set out between 40 and 50 plastic buckets across the school to deal with water flowing into corridors, classrooms, toilets and offices. That water flows from over 100 leaks in the roof of the school. Coolmine is a big school, with almost a thousand pupils, and has provided top-class education for students across Dublin 15 for decades. It is, however, an old school. The building is now over 50 years old and is literally falling apart. I have known this school well over many years and have had the opportunity to visit it twice in the past six months.”
“The Tánaiste has committed to bringing his version of an occupied territories Bill to the foreign affairs committee in June. Is it going to happen? We have only two sitting weeks left in June. That would mean, in order to meet his own timetable, the Tánaiste would have to bring the heads of the Bill to the Cabinet next Tuesday or the following Tuesday. Does the Tánaiste believe the heads of the Bill will be ready to meet his timeline? Linked to that, the Tánaiste recently asked the Attorney General to give his advice on the Government's decision to omit services from the current Bill. Does the Tánaiste believe he will have that advice within that timeline to inform his own contribution to the pre-legislative scrutiny process?”
“How can we take the Government's commitment to this legislation seriously when it was only after pressure in the Dáil that the Tánaiste agreed to seek the Attorney General's advice on the issue of services, which is the central legal and political issue about this legislation?”
“The question of the exclusion of services from the Government's occupied territories Bill lite has been a central issue of debate in this House and in public since it was announced in the programme for Government. In response to questions from me and others, the Taoiseach regularly cited legal advice that he had received for the exclusion of services. In a recent response to questions in the House, the Tánaiste confirmed that he is only now seeking the advice of the Attorney General on the question of excluding services. The Government asks the Opposition to set aside Senator Frances Black's Bill, a Bill that is so close to completion, and get behind its own draft, which would take months to pass.”
“However, I believe this situation requires careful consideration of Ireland's obligations under international humanitarian law, and particularly under the Genocide Convention. This motion calls for the Government to urgently assert Ireland's obligations under the Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law, to direct the Central Bank accordingly and, if necessary, to introduce legislation to ensure full compliance with these obligations. The Green Party has consistently advocated for humanitarian access, a sustained ceasefire, the release of hostages and an end to the genocidal actions of the Israeli Government. This motion is not about politics. It is about upholding the standards we set for ourselves as a state and the values of peace, justice and the rule of law.”
“In January 2024, the International Court of Justice found there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, a determination that, under the Genocide Convention, creates legal obligations for all states to act to prevent genocide and ensure they do not support or enable it in any way. In July 2024, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful and found its discriminatory policies violated international law, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination's ban on segregation and apartheid. The Central Bank has acknowledged that the bond prospectus refers clearly to the war in Gaza and to the intended use of these funds but stated it must operate within existing legal constraints.”
“I thank the Chair, and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion today. The Green Party is pleased to co-sign this motion, which seeks to end the Central Bank's facilitation of the sale of Israeli bonds. We are deeply concerned that these bonds have, since October 2023, been marketed explicitly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza, with statements from the Israeli Government describing them as supporting its military efforts. This situation is taking place in the shadow of dire findings from international legal bodies regarding Israel's actions in Gaza.”
“I thank the Minister for his honesty about the risk of some of those projects not delivering within the 2030 timeline. Would it be the Minister's belief then that if those renewable projects are not going to deliver in that timeline, we must look at the timeline within which new data centres are brought on? There are 40 in various stages. Some have been granted full planning permission. If they are all brought on to the system between now and 2030, that will be a further 7% growth in the overall total of our energy system being used by data centres. If our renewables are not coming online at the speed we and the Minister would like, do we also have to take a similar approach to delaying the connection of further data centres to our system? Will the plan about which the Minister spoke be cognisant of that?”
“How will we bridge that gap and, at the same time, decarbonise the huge parts of our economy that still rely on fossil fuels and need to be decarbonised?”
“The Minister used the words "disingenuous" and "red herring". I am referring to a warning raised by the Secretary General of the Minister's own Department. It is a warning and an issue. She spoke about a balance between AI, particularly the highly intensive data centres required for new AI developments, and housing. If there is a red herring, it was not I who raised it originally. I made the point in an earlier question about 21% use of energy by data centres here in Ireland right now. The next nearest country is Singapore at 7.5%. That is the difference. It will grow to 28% if all of those 40 data centres about which I spoke earlier are granted planning permission. The Minister already set out how some of the big offshore wind projects have been delayed because of An Bord Pleanála's decisions.”
“Many jurisdictions over the past decade have been dealing with the dramatic rise in energy consumption driven by the growth in data centres. We are no different here. Our challenge is probably even greater. I believe, and it is witnessed by what has been said by the Minister, the Taoiseach and others, that there is a clear preference for increased data centres and their use. Will the Minister outline how that will be balanced with other elements of the economy?”
“Our digital economy is well supported and any additional growth cannot be at the expense of the nine housing connections, nor can it be done by increased fossil fuel dependency. The Minister mentioned the plan earlier. When will that plan be ready and can he commit that it will entail no increased use of electricity generated from gas?”
“The Taoiseach and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, rejected the warnings raised by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's Secretary General that Ireland would be forced to choose between housing and AI data centres. I believe they and the Minister are far too quick to dismiss concerns by the most senior civil servant in the latter's Department. There has been positive growth in energy generated by renewables in recent years but we are also seeing this being eaten up by the increased demand of data centres. We need to be honest, in that there are some choices ahead of us. The Government needs to set out how those choices will be balanced. Currently, 21% of all energy produced in this country is consumed by data centres.”
“Will it prioritise housing over data centres when it comes to connections or will it step up LNG-fuelled electricity production to make up the difference and, as such, annihilate our climate targets?”
“It is important to outline that Ireland is at the most extreme end of vulnerability because of the growth of data centre demand. We host approximately 120 data centres. Today, they consume 21% of all energy we produce. Forty centres are in planning and development right now. No other country reports a higher share of domestic energy consumption by data centres than Ireland. We understand the importance of the digitalisation of our economy but this can only be done in a way that serves the environment and people best. This is what was correctly alluded to by the Minister's own Secretary General recently. AI-supporting data centres consume much more energy than the typical data centre. How will the Government strike this balance?”
“In government, the Green Party introduced the croí cónaithe vacant property refurbishment grant of up to €70,000 to restore empty homes. We supported the town centre first policy, which boosted compact growth and prioritised urban generation, and we successfully opposed the efforts to delay the land hoarding tax, a tax that this year has already brought in €40 million to the Exchequer. The Government cannot afford to let another year slip by while homes lie idle, and this housing crisis worsens. There are solutions on the table. The Green Party's Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill is one of these. Let us stop managing this crisis and start fixing it.”
“It replaces a weak levy with a 7% annual tax on the property's market value and it introduces a new town centre first planning path to bring vacant properties back into use. This Bill is practical, targeted and overdue, but despite the rising levels of homelessness and that untapped stock of housing, the Government proceeded with a timed amendment delaying this Bill's progress by up to a year. This is deeply disappointing. With thousands of people still without secure housing we need delivery and not deferral. Day after day the Taoiseach stands up and says that on the matter of housing the Government is open to all Opposition proposals and solutions. However, the reality is that time and again when the Opposition comes with reasonable solutions they are voted down and delayed.”
“We are facing a housing crisis of unprecedented scale. More than 15,500 people, including more than 4,700 children are living in emergency accommodation. This is not just a statistic; it is a national failure, and one that demands urgent action. At the same time there are an estimated 80,000 vacant or derelict properties across Ireland. These are properties that could and should be homes. This is not just inefficiency; it is injustice. That is why the Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025, recently proposed in the Seanad by my Green Party colleague, Senator Noonan, is welcome. It offers real and workable solutions. It expands the legal definition of dereliction. It strengthens enforcement powers.”
“There is a real risk this fund could be raided to ramp up spending for defence. Do we want that money in the hands of arms companies or should we distribute it fairly to farmers so they can help to restore nature? The Europe I want to see has more bees and fewer bombs. This National Biodiversity Week, let us remind ourselves that nature is not just in remote wilderness areas but also in our city streets, our parks and even in our back gardens. It needs the new Government to continue the momentum and it needs the new Government to continue the funding to secure it for future generations.”
“Last summer I had the opportunity to visit Eamon Sheehan’s derogation dairy farm in Kilkenny. That farm has abundant ponds, dense hedgerows, dung beetles recycling nutrients and a wide variety of bird and insect life. If we can provide space for nature on a busy dairy farm, we can do it everywhere. We can have productive agriculture, biodiversity and clean water as well. With the passage of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law we face a real opportunity to restore nature at scale across our island, but that plan needs funding. The Green Party called for a dedicated climate and nature fund. Where is that money? When will it be spent? At EU level, the multiannual financial framework has earmarked €1.2 billion for climate and biodiversity. However, the soundings from Brussels are not good.”
“I wish the Minister of State the very best of luck with his new role. For the first time in the history of the State, nature was prioritised at government level thanks to the leadership of the Green Party during our time in government. We restructured and significantly increased funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, developed a new national biodiversity action plan as a roadmap to reverse nature loss by 2030, created two new national parks at Dowth in County Meath and Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara in County Kerry, worked with the Department of agriculture to reward farmers who are improving their biodiversity and funded reintroduction programmes for corncrakes, the natterjack toad and curlews. These policies are having a major difference.”
“There was a 23-page letter going into great detail about the issues the Attorney General had with the Bill but there was not one reference to the need to make a distinction between goods and services. Let us remember the obligation the ICJ says member states have regarding the occupied territories: to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the occupied territories. The International Court of Justice has made no distinction between goods and services. Ten months ago, the Attorney General made no distinction between goods and services. On what basis is that distinction being made now?”
“As we all grapple with the images of deliberate starvation that we see in Gaza, each one of us thinks about what meaningful actions we can take in the face of such obvious war crimes. Ten months ago, the then Tánaiste, Taoiseach and I all received the same legal advice, namely that passing the occupied territories Bill was legally possible with some amendments, following the opinion of the International Court of Justice. The Government has since told us that it plans to introduce its own legislation, which will ban only goods produced in the occupied territories but not services. The Government has never told us why. It has said it received legal advice. What is it? In the letter the Attorney General sent us last year, there was no mention of the need to make a distinction between goods and services.”
“We have good HPV vaccination rates in the country but they have been dropping since 2019. It is estimated that about 16,000 kids do not get it each year now. That is why we need this programme. Is it going to run again?”
“Has the Government abandoned its commitment to run a catch-up HPV vaccination programme just when we need it most? The programme for Government pledges to extend the Laura Brennan HPV catch-up vaccination programme to anyone under the age of 25 who missed the original vaccination. I have been in touch with both the Department of Health and the HSE to find out when the new programme will run. No one has been able to give me a straight answer. They tell me how important the HPV vaccine is. I agree. They tell me they are going to run a distinct programme for minority groups. That is brilliant. However, no one can tell me when the Laura Brennan programme will run again. I am worried that they have decided not to do it and more importantly, the Irish Cancer Society is concerned that this scheme is not going to run again.”
“I appreciate the Minister's comments but we are still left with the words of the line Minister for forestry. It is worth quoting what he told the Seanad: "That is why I and my officials in the Department will look at planting more peatland." Is the Minister of State being allowed to indulge in a bit of Trump-lite, be anti-science and anti-climate, while at the same time purport to speak for the people? Instead of "Drill, baby, drill", it is "Dig, drain and destroy." Who is actually in charge of the policy here? If the Minister is not able to set that out, can she ask her colleague, the senior Minister for agriculture, and indeed the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, himself, to come before this House and explain if Government policy has changed and if it is now the policy to allow the destruction of our upland bogs?”
“Has the Minister of State instructed his officials to begin implementing a new forestry plan to include planting on peatlands? If not, why is he going around telling people that this is what he has done?”
“Aside from it being in breach of EU law and indeed of Irish policy, it would destroy an extremely delicate and complex habitat that can provide a large and effective part of Ireland's capacity to store carbon - all of this is in order to develop cheap, quickly grown timber. UCD client scientist and lecturer, Florence Renou-Wilson, said planting on peat is , "just not a viable option for climate, for nature restoration, for anything." She continued, "Peat is a huge carbon store – a much, much better permanent carbon store than temporary forestry. [Peatlands] need to be wet to keep this carbon in." Will the Minister please confirm whether it is the policy of the new Government to ignore science, to abandon our legal obligations and to destroy some of our best chances to capture carbon while preserving unique habitats?”
“I am afraid that this is just one of these things on which we cannot always agree. This was not a throwaway remark. The Minister of State came back to the topic again and reiterated the point. It is clear that he strongly believes that we must only encourage afforestation for export, that land not in service of agriculture can be directed towards this and that somehow this would be better for the environment. It is also clear that he is leading officials in his Department to develop a new policy that implements this view. To be crystal clear for the record, a policy of planting on peatlands, which we have spent years trying to restore and preserve, would be environmental madness.”
“I want to draw the Minister's attention to comments made in the past fortnight by the Minister of State with responsibility for forestry, farm safety and horticulture, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. It is really one of the first opportunities we have had to get an insight into this Government's thinking on climate and nature. The Minister of State told the Seanad during statements on forestry on 29 April: I and my officials in the Department will look at planting more peatland. Farmers want to plant peatland. Farmers do not want to plant their green ground because they have worked so hard to get the bit they have. They broke their backs and bones to make the land green and they do not want to plant trees on it but instead use it for grazing. We want to use green ground for grazing but plant trees on rough ground and peaty ground.”
“I do not see any difference in the value they provide to our economy. I do not see why we should continue to treat them in a different way.”
“I am glad the Minister of State is indicating the review will come soon. As regards the ability to support a family, we are talking about people in full-time, stable employment at a salary level that is set by the State. This population already contributes significantly - millions of euro - to the Exchequer every year in tax. There is clear evidence of their ability to support themselves. That will be enhanced if a second family member arrives and the law has been changed to put them in a position where they can take up work and continue to better support their family. The current system treats critical skills permit holders such as engineers and software developers better than general skills employment permit holders such as people working in care homes and nursing homes, chefs and drivers.”
“Will the Minister of State give us an indication as to when he believes this review will be published, and will it contain recommendations for change?”
“This review has been going on for a very long time, and people need clarity and need to see a sensible evolution of the Department's policy. We should remind ourselves that these are hard-working people caring for our elderly and sick, driving our buses and building our homes. At the end of a hard day, they cannot come home to their husband or wife or kids in the same way the Minister of State and I can. For years their lives end up being on hold. As well as being unfair, I would argue that this policy is short-sighted. If we allowed rapid family reunification for workers, we would be more likely to gain additional workers in some of these critical areas, we would give them the best chance of living independently with two incomes and we would not be imposing that painful, unending divide between family.”
“Today is International Day of Families. On this day last year, migrant workers - women and men contributing to our economy and our society - protested outside the Minister's Department. They did so because, under the current law, certain categories of migrant workers require both a 12-month wait and an onerous income threshold in order for their family members to come join them here in Ireland. Will this unfair and short-sighted policy change?”
“However, the scale of the impact of the cuts mandated on USAID is so severe that we cannot just wait until next year's budgetary allocation. It is not that Ireland can make up that difference of $8 billion. We cannot do that. However, we can, working with the European Union, look to start a fund to try to bridge some of that gap. We need to look at those projects that are most essential. We must look at the diseases that are going to spiral out of control because the teams that are currently funded by USAID have had to withdraw. I urge the Minister of State to work with the European Union and like-minded countries to bring together the necessary funding so we can go some way towards bridging the gap. Let us lead by example by putting additional money on the table and do what we can to protect the most vulnerable on our planet.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I am pleased he was able to bring his own experience within the Department and his passion for this issue to his answer. Around the world, people are deeply disturbed by the callous actions of the US Administration in cutting support for the most vulnerable. Bill Gates today accused Elon Musk of killing the world's poorest children by leading this set of actions. There are knock-on consequences. We see others emboldened by this. We have seen the disappointing decision of the UK Labour Party Government to retreat on its own aid commitments. We know it is not a matter of filling in the money that has been lost. Ireland has a structured ODA system. We support particular countries and types of projects. I am not proposing we interfere with that in any way.”
“We must urgently signal that we are prepared to increase our overseas development aid, ODA, budget significantly to try to offset some of the impact. We know that hundreds of thousands of lives are being put at risk. We must work closely with our EU neighbours to try to scale up an emergency fund that can have a truly global reach and ensure the impact of the US retreat from supporting the most vulnerable on our planet is lessened.”
“Regardless of the outcome of legal challenges, even if the executive order is overturned and the exemptions for lifesaving programmes are carved out, with a Republican Congress in power for the next two years, it is fair to say that these cuts are here to stay. The impact is being felt here, too. GOAL received €103 million annually from USAID, which was its largest donor. It has had to lay off 930 people, which is 30% of its global workforce. Concern received €53 million annually. It has had to make 400 staff redundant. Trócaire received €1.3 million each year and Self Help Africa received €300,000 per year. We are faced with this appalling and utterly unnecessary impact. In light of that, the Irish Government must step up.”
“The charity has said that will put those children in mortal danger. In Senegal, the biggest anti-malaria project has closed. It distributed bed nets and medication to tens of thousands of people. In Yemen, 220,000 displaced people will lose access to critical maternal healthcare, protection from violence, rape treatment and other lifesaving care, according to the United Nations Population Fund. There are thousands of similar USAID programmes that have been paused indefinitely and the impact for the world's poorest communities cannot be overstated. USAID has effectively shut down and 80% of its operations are suspended indefinitely. Some €8.2 billion in funds remain frozen and are likely to remain so.”
“I spoke at that event in the US embassy and, of course, it was in no way similar to what Ms Leavitt described. Political theatrics aside, there are the most serious life and death consequences to what is happening. We in Ireland and the European Union should not be standing by impassively. The effective shutting down of USAID and the freezing of its significant aid and development budget has put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk, including the lives of many children. To give a few examples, the freeze in humanitarian assistance in Sudan has led to the shuttering of over 1,100 communal kitchens that were set up to help those who have been left destitute by the civil war in that country. In Congo, the aid group Action Against Hunger will stop treating tens of thousands of malnourished children from May.”
“I want to raise an issue that is of significant concern to me, the Green Party and many Irish people, namely, the impact of the highly politicised attack on overseas aid by the US Government. All of us in this House will be aware of the extreme and really quite extraordinary steps taken by the US Administration, in particular the almost slapstick efforts by Elon Musk to shut down wholesale entire federal agencies or strip away funding from what is deemed to be ideologically opposite to the Administration's agenda. We saw how fabricated the whole casus belli was when we heard Karoline Leavitt single out a programme here in Ireland, supposedly funded by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, as a "DEI musical", as if it funded actors to sing on stage about equality themes.”
“This week, both the Tánaiste and Taoiseach have spoken powerfully against Israel's plans for the Gaza Strip, but their powerful words are not matched by their actions. The Government said it will write again to the European Commission regarding the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Is there anything to be said for another letter? In a few weeks, it is going to give us a timeline regarding when it will draft its watered-down occupied territories Bill. The Government's approach does not speak to the urgency of the situation we are seeing day by day, hour by hour in Gaza. Israel has placed the entire world on notice that it intends to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip. Strong words simply are not good enough any longer. Ireland can take clear action here at home that will resonate internationally.”
“An account-based system is good but we also need a system that is flexible for tourists and people who are here on business who just want to use public transport on a once-off basis.”
“I understand that a scheme of this scale and complexity will take time but, when you are working with a private sector company, if you do not give it a clear deadline, it will take all the time it can. It is very important that we get that timeline. I am glad to see the Minister is taking such a hands-on approach and has been engaging with his officials on this. He can rest assured that I will be asking him about the issue regularly because it is very important. Will the Minister talk a bit more about this idea of an account-based system, what that actually means and how it will put us ahead of the approach adopted in the UK? Will people who do not have accounts such as tourists or people who are here on business be able to use this system or will people have to register an account before tagging on and off?”
“That puts us far behind other European countries. I ask that the Minister go back to the NTA to get more clarity on the timeline for roll-out.”
“Notwithstanding the complexity of the problem, I am disappointed that we do not have more clarity as to when we will see the actual roll-out. I know it will take some time but this contract was signed a year ago and I would have hoped that, after a year of preparatory work, the company, the NTA and the Minister would have been able to give us clarity as to when we will actually see roll-out. This is a big project costing €100 million. It is a lot of State investment. After a year, I believe we are within our rights to expect more clarity as to when we will actually see this. We are a long way behind other European countries. The Leap card is great. I use it every single day. However, if you leave it behind or if you are a tourist or in Dublin on business, not being able to tag on and off with a phone or card is a real disadvantage.”