Ruairí Ó Murchú
Louth · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It was hardly a shock to me and many others that he decided that the simplicity that was asked for by Sinn Féin last week, such that we would consider preparations for Irish unity, was not acceptable. Most people would see this as a possibility, even those who do not necessarily like the idea.”
“I welcome that. I have spoken previously to the Minister about the necessity of providing Mr. Delaney's report on the incident to Natasha and the wider family.”
“We will all be very interested to see what the new circular is. The Minister of State said it will be announced in September. A needs-based system is what we need. I would like to think the young boy I talked about would be able to avail of this. I will use him as an example. The correct assessments were carried out.”
“We just need to make sure that the circular is fit for purpose and that the young primary school child to whom I refer will be given the supports he requires. I will just finish reading from the communication to which I referred earlier.”
“We need to ensure that the engagement with Lebanon is ongoing. Are we happy with the interaction with the UN? There had been some issues relating to the coroner's court. Everyone needs to do everything that can be done to ensure truth and justice for the family of Private Seán Rooney.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for all the flexibility she allows in this Chamber, and hopefully that will continue as we speak. I welcome an awful lot of what Deputy Devlin said.”
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“I obviously will be absolutely delighted when we finally get to a place where it is a single jurisdiction, and I have no doubt that-----”
“We can get an all-round solution that will work across the board. I have no doubt that the Minister will absolutely support the ongoing work as regards DkIT, which obviously did not become a technical university, TU, but has a memorandum of understanding. Between itself and Maynooth, there are a number of synergies and a coming together. It is the idea of a team that can become better than the sum of all its individual parts. We need to ensure that that happens. When the Minister and I attended BIPA, a number of speakers mentioned the need for a piece of work probably done, North and South, on ensuring that students, even with the difficulties that exist at the moment, which we need to deal with, are aware of the various courses that they can go to in the opposite jurisdiction. Now, do not get me wrong.”
“Anyone who is aware of these issues will realise that they are working on term time, with all the issues that causes with social protection. They do vital work in engaging with those who require added supports to stay in third level education. That is a piece of work that absolutely needs to be done. The Minister, like previous Ministers, has visited my constituency a number of times. A huge level of work has been done by LMETB, but the regional skills centre is one thing that is not up to spec at the moment. The general idea from the Department is that the best-case scenario and what should be looked at in Dundalk is the idea of a college of the future. That is absolutely necessary. Then proper decisions could be made on planning for some of the ETB schools that are connected with the likes of O'Fiaich and whatever else.”
“While we are dealing with this issue, he will not be shocked to hear me say that there is a need, when we look at the overall and when we talk about tertiary education, for us to deal with the issue of disabilities and the issue of the personal assistants, who do vital work in the further education colleges. He met with me and a number of them. The Minister has assured me - and I imagine my parliamentary question about this will be answered at some point today and I will see this in writing - on the fact that there is a review under way of disability services across third level. That will play a vital part in relation to the WRC from the point of view of ensuring that personal assistants get a proper all-year-round contract.”
“We have the North-South ministerial bodies and all those cross-Border bodies and even east-west bodies. There are a number of issues that have persisted cross-Border for a number of years and they need to be addressed now. Some of that stuff falls completely within the Minister's bailiwick. The Tánaiste and others spoke about a possible hub or clearing house to action and deal with these issues. That is a necessity. We will also have to deal with the fact that we have an underfunding issue in universities. Plenty has already been said about the cost-of-living crisis and the fact that many are not impressed that they have to pay more for student fees. I know the argument the Minister will make back, but at this point we need to address those issues. I do not think the budget did anywhere near what could have been done, but so be it.”
“We spoke earlier about the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence in Dundalk. We have all seen what has been done there from the point of view of engagement from industry and the point of view of what can be delivered. We are talking about courses that suit not only the employee but also the employer and we are making sure we provide those necessary skills. I will also follow up on some of the cross-Border scenarios. The Minister and I engaged earlier in the week. There is a need to look not only at the entry points to apprenticeships or third level, but also at something more streamlined in relation to UCAS and CAO. Then we have to look at certification, particularly for apprenticeships and the difficulties that exist there. We have known about an awful lot of these issues for a long time.”
“Utopia. I am going to agree with Deputies McGettigan and Conway-Walsh - I do not think there will be any shock about that - and we reserve the right to make a determination around this. That answer will be determined by what the Minister intends to use the unlocked moneys for. If there is any detail that could be provided on that in the follow-up statements, it would be an absolute necessity. I will also follow up on what Deputy Conway-Walsh said about the Government needing to make sure that there has been supreme engagement with the employers, those who represent the workers and all those educational stakeholders who would also be involved in this conversation. We also want something that is reactive to the needs not only of industry but also of employers.”
“It is just a check-up that basically everything is happening and that we do not end up at the end of the year with imní ar pháistí, ar na múinteoirí agus ar gach aon duine eile maidir leis.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as sin. Tharla na cúrsaí seo. Sin an rud is tábhachtaí. Sílim go bhfuil siad ag caint lena chéile agus leis an dá Roinn faoin am seo. Caithfimid a bheith cinnte nach mbeidh an fhadhb ann ag deireadh na bliana nó a leithéid. As regards this problem that arose, I get it in relation to governance and so on. I do not think the courses had a particular issue with those running them around whatever level of governance. It was just that somebody suddenly asked if any of those inspections had happened. It became an over-and-back and then nobody wanted to take responsibility. As I said, it was sorted. I will send the Minister more detail in relation to it.”
“However, it was a case of something that probably had not been done, and then there was a question mark as to why it had not been. Unfortunately, it was going to impact students and those running the courses but, obviously, the students are the people I was most worried about.”
“I appreciate the Minister's answer. I heard about this particular issue from a number of schools throughout Dundalk and then from those who organise some of the courses. My father always had a connection with Coláiste Bhríde in Rann na Feirste, which has had a huge Dundalk connection since an tAthair Ó Muirí set it up many years ago. There was a fear that there had been a misunderstanding between the Department of the Gaeltacht and the Department of education. I was sending correspondence and being bounced from one Department to another. Luckily, the walls did not fall in and the courses went ahead, but I want to make sure we do not have that problem again. I think there was a technicality in relation to a review process, which is absolutely necessary. We all need due diligence and so on done.”
“Tá muid ag caint faoi chúrsaí Gaeltachta. Bhí fadhb ann roimhe seo idir an Roinn oideachais agus Roinn na Gaeltachta. Bhí imní ar na príomhoidí, na múinteoirí agus na páistí nach mbeadh siad in ann freastal ar chúrsaí sna Gaeltachtaí. Déantar é seo le blianta anuas i gColáiste Bhríde i Rann na Feirste. Téann páistí ó scoileanna i nDún Dealgan ann. Bhí fadhb ann. Is dócha nach bhfuil an fhadhb ann fós, ach táim ag iarraidh é sin a fháil amach agus a chinntiú go bhfuil an t-airgead ansin chun é seo a dhéanamh.”
“I agree that this is about delivery of what has already been applied for but it is also about ensuring that communities have the facilities. The community recognition fund filled a necessary hole. There was a need for it. We need to make sure that these community facilities will still have the option in the future. If the Minister could come back with detailed written information, I would be grateful.”
“I would agree. The preference has to be to put in place infrastructure that can be used in the future. I think we would all agree on that. At the same time, there may have been some projects that were beneficial from a community point of view that had made applications, and I would make an argument about their long-term continuity. I know the St. Patrick’s Day parade had looked for what was probably a small enough offering, with the idea of getting materials that would have been used over multiple years. Again, we are talking about something that had huge engagement and support from all the other stakeholders within the community sector and all the agencies. The project I spoke about specifically was the community gardens in Muirhevnamore. This needs to be looked at. I ask the Minister to provide details in this regard.”
“These are very good projects that are operated by people who are putting in a huge level of volunteerism and engaging with the local authority and others on delivery.”
“The emphasis has to be on the delivery of projects because there is not much point in having very good applications but not seeing the outworkings. The Minister visited a number of the play parks and pieces of work that have been done, which were well enough steered by Louth County Council. It is great to see that level of improvement. We are talking about parks that have been incredibly well done. The community recognition fund was a very good vehicle, and it filled a gap that was necessary to fill from the point of view of the enhancement of community facilities. However, we need to ensure there will be funding streams, for example, with regard to the community gardens at Muirhevnamore and other projects. They need to have the facility to apply and they need to have a good chance of getting the necessary funding.”
“The community recognition fund has been used by Louth County Council and many others for very worthwhile projects, including in relation to the return of old council land to parkland. I know a number of projects did not get through the gap, and I would like to think they will have an opportunity in the future.”
“We are dealing with a sector that provides a huge amount of employment but I do not think that the work has been done in relation to this. The Government promised €50 million in the budget for the tillage sector, but the expectation would be for a lot more. That amount is the same as was given last year. We know the tillage sector was looking for a package of €92 million over five years, which would give a payment of €350 per hectare. We need to offer something substantial in order to deliver.”
“The Government previously stated its intention to increase that percentage, but we have not seen the follow-through from a budgetary point of view. Farmers would say they have not seen the colour of the Government's money in that regard. As many of my colleagues have said, 3,000 tonnes of grain are used in the drinks industry annually. While that is growing, year on year, it is not a requirement that Irish whiskey and spirits use Irish grain in order to be classed as Irish whiskey or spirits. Many people would not believe you if you told them that. Many things need to be addressed in that regard. We grow approximately 4,200 ha to 4,500 ha of field vegetables annually. That is valued somewhere between €73 million and €76 million. We are only about 60% self-sufficient. We can all work out the mathematics. Approximately 40% are imported.”
“That will have an impact not only on farmers but also on the wider community. They all spoke of other things that need to be done, including streamlining and the resources that are required, but that would be beyond the remit and I could not possibly talk about it at the moment. We are here to talk about the tillage sector. As has been said by many previously, it has not been an easy time. While some circumstances have improved in some of the other sectors, we are dealing with a move away from tillage farming. There has been a 42% reduction in tillage since 1980, including a 15% reduction in the past decade. The majority of Irish tillage produce goes towards livestock feed, but we still import approximately 3.5 million tonnes of animal feed every year. We are only 36% self-sufficient in respect of animal feed.”
“The Minister spoke earlier about what needs to be done to protect family farms. We have all spoken about that issue many times. We know the dangers that are oncoming for farmers. Many of my colleagues have already spoken about fears over the loss of the nitrates derogation. There is also absolute fear around Mercosur. We require the Government to step up to the mark on these dangers and the possible changes we are looking at in CAP funding. I have just come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on EU Affairs. Last week, the committee met representatives of the Council of the Regions and we met this afternoon with representatives of the regional assemblies. One of the issues they brought up was the issue of CAP funding and cohesion funding becoming one and the same, and a cut to that funding.”
“Deputy Paul Murphy - To discuss repeated fires at Ticknock, and resulting air pollution. Deputy Eoin Hayes - To discuss capital investment and resourcing of schools in south Dublin. Deputy Michael Collins - To discuss flooding in the Bantry, Ballinascarthy and Ballylickey areas. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss special school transport in Cork. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - to discuss the increased number of notices to quit received by tenants in recent months. The matters raised by Deputies Eamon Scanlon, Michael Murphy, Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin, Eoin Hayes and Danny Healy-Rae have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss water quality issues in north Louth. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss a shingles vaccination programme for people over 65 and-or immunocompromised. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher - To discuss the overfishing and setting of unilateral quotas on mackerel. Deputy Conor D McGuinness - To discuss the provision of home care supports in Waterford. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss ongoing difficulties in making contact with the Wexford patient transport service. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the imminent closure of a creche in Tuam, County Galway. Deputy David Cullinane - To discuss investment in Waterford port to unlock offshore renewable energy potential. Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the new school building project for a school in Dublin 7.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the need for an additional teacher at a school. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the school building project at Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - To discuss special education classes in Wicklow. Deputy Eamon Scanlon - To discuss the inadequate public transport options available along the N17 corridor. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the progression of the Sutton to Sandycove, S2S, cycle way. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin - To discuss the development of an area-based payment scheme for farmers.”
“This has been brought to my attention and it needs to be dealt with. I will provide the information to the Minister later. It needs to be dealt with.”
“I know the cold, long winter nights are only around the corner and it scares me to think about it [...] I am not looking to be a millionaire. I am looking for security, home, heat, food, family and not to fight for every basic thing. In the short period I have left, I am also going to ask the Minister to look at the wage subsidy scheme. He announced a €1.20 increase to it. We know, though, that when employers employed a greater number, they used to get paid on the basis of a percentage increase. The Minister, however, has put it in as a lump sum. Rather than an increase of €1.20, in certain cases, in the case of enterprises with three to six employees, we are talking about only a 57 cent increase, while for enterprises with 12 to 16 employees, it is only a 21 cent increase.”
“We really need to look at a lump-sum payment for those with disabilities. We also need to look at a cost-of-disability payment and an increase of at least €20 to disability-related social welfare payments. That is just a start. I turn now to the statements: We are more reliant than ever on our families and our independence is being eroded more and more. This is not because of our disability. This is because we need to address the cost of living and the cost of living with a disability [...] I am receiving a disability payment and the household benefit package. The money received from both these payments is inadequate. I have to attend a food bank weekly, and apart from it being demoralising, it is a necessity to survive. Simply, the word saving does not apply to me, as I simply have nothing left over.”
“We have all spoken to people and we know the anecdotal stories. I can speak about a man in my constituency. He speaks about how he can get on in life fine, but he requires orthopedic footwear. I would not even like to call out the figure he has to pay for that, with no element of support whatsoever. I thank the Disability Federation of Ireland. I will go through a couple of short statements it compiled, because this is the reality for these people. Sinn Féin has put forward a very straightforward proposal. I would like to think that the Government will not only not oppose this motion but will support it and will see the wrong done to those with a disability, who have a huge level of costs and huge difficulties we cannot even imagine. I would like to think we would look at meeting them halfway.”
“I am really disappointed that we are here dealing with this issue today. The Government recently published the national human rights strategy for disabled people. It spoke about a human rights ethos and the fact that disabled people should have certain things as a right. In fairness, a number of the advocacy organisations, including Rehab, DFI, the IWA and all the constituent parts of the Disability Federation of Ireland, will have representatives here. The one thing they said was that at least last year, even if it was one-off payments, there was a recognition of the cost of disability. We have had multiple reports. We can all go back to the Indecon report of 2021. On average, the cost of disability was found to be between €9,482 and €11,734. We have seen reports that this number has vastly increased on those figures.”
“Those are the worst of circumstances. We also understand the world we live in, the issue of drugs and how there is sometimes an overlap with mental health services. We are constantly told about people who cannot access services when they are in psychosis because of underlying addictions. We need to find a means to deal with these sets of circumstances. The Minister of State has dealt with issues such as ensuring the likes of SOSAD has funding. She met Maxi's Law campaign, which is about ensuring we can offer equality in mental health services. We have issues in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda regarding access to services.”
“I was very taken by what Deputy Roche said in the context of it all being about pathways. The problem is with systems we set up in this State in many cases. We sometimes talk about integrated systems and there being no wrong door, but we constantly build silos, circumstances and imperfect access pathways. Whether we are talking about CAMHS, community services or departments of psychiatry such as that in Crosslanes, Drogheda, it is all imperfect. We have all had many people come to us who cannot access services and some who come to talk about family members who do not want to access services. The latter do not realise the anguish they are causing. Deputy Martin Kenny spoke about a brutal case, and we have to look into cases like that from a point of view of making sure we do everything possible to mitigate or avoid the impact.”
“I am glad to have this opportunity to speak on World Mental Health Day. Like previous speakers, I thank and commend all those who work in mental health services, for both the State or the organisations that do absolutely necessary work. I was very taken by what Deputy Roche said. It obviously came from the heart. Unfortunately, it is the worst aspect of the detrimental impact mental health difficulties can have on lives and families and the real anguish involved. We all may have dealt with some of this in our families, but, fortunately, not in quite the same way as Deputy Roche and his family. My heart goes out to all those involved. While we will never have a perfect system. We will have arguments about resources and particular cases. We need to find a better framework.”
“It is an absolute failure by the Government to deliver on what was an opportunity. It is a continued shame in how we deal with those with disabilities.”
“One in five people unable to work due to disability live in consistent poverty. For them, this Budget means less support and less security. The Government has chosen to highlight big numbers on services while quietly removing the once-off payments that made last year's Budget bearable for disabled people. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Dara Calleary, spoke about the strategic focus network, task force or call it what you will, but we need to look at the means by which we look after the cost of disability. We must also make sure the wage subsidy scheme and other schemes are actually fit for purpose to deliver disabled people into employment. We have a long journey to go. As everyone has said at every budget, it is a missed opportunity. For disabled people, however, there is no truer term than that.”
“This is not to take away from the promises that are being made here. I know we do not have clarity on services and I accept that there are huge levels of service required, from respite to residential services. I would like to know and get some clarity on how people will be better off in the context of assessments and therapies on the basis of what is in here and what is in the national human rights strategy for disabled people, and what the follow-up with the action plan will be. I cannot at this point say that it is clear. The major failing is that we are talking about a number of people. I will use the words of the DFI chief executive officer, Elaine Teague: While increased funding for disability services is welcome and long overdue, it will reach only a fraction of over one million disabled people living in Ireland.”
“The staff have told me that Turlough has additional needs, and they have learned from him and he has learned from them. He got his junior certificate results and we are absolutely delighted. That is all very positive. Turlough as an individual will be fine and is in a very secure scenario but that cannot be said about everybody, particularly as people go through their lives. We have heard what the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, and others have said in relation to disability in the budget and the failure to deliver a cost-of-disability payment. It was done last year as a one-off, when people said it was the first time that they had felt seen and that there had been a recognition of the added cost of disability. It was given with one hand, but a year later, it has been taken away altogether.”
“Many of my colleagues have already spoken about the cost-of-living crisis, in case anyone needed it pointed out to them, that exists out there. Whether we are talking about energy costs, rent and other housing costs, or insurance, we know all the issues. That is even before anybody goes to a till when he or she tries to do the shopping on a Friday, Saturday or whatever day he or she chooses. This is what workers and families are dealing with. There are no major supports being delivered in relation to the people who fall into that bracket. It is an abject failing. I just want to mention what I would say is good news in our house. I have mentioned my son Turlough a number of times before. Turlough is at Ó Fiaich College, which provides great supports.”
“It is vital that the community pharmacy agreement was introduced, but it is just a starting point. We are literally building the foundations. We need to ensure we empower pharmacists to the greatest degree possible to deliver for those out there. If healthcare can be taken away from hospitals and from GPs who are under pressure, and if those preventative pieces can be advanced, it will improve everything across the board for these people and for society in general.”
“When you speak to your family and your wider circle, you become aware of people who caught things early. Regardless of whether serious medical attention was needed or it was something pretty small, it was definitely a lot less than it could have been. We have all seen the horror cases of those who did not have screening done or did not have checks done, or did not have them done in time, and had to suffer. When we are talking about anything right through from cancer care to cardiac care, we must emphasise that anything that can be done from the point of view of improving circumstances is good. Deputy Ó Snodaigh spoke about the idea of waste in relation to blister packs, etc. There are many means by which this whole thing can be streamlined, but it is straightforward. This is a very good thing to do.”
“Such practices do not improve the situation but they definitely put services under more pressure. Obviously, everything that can be advanced needs to be advanced in relation to community pharmacists to take that pressure off. If we are talking about common conditions, minor illnesses and ailments, that is one thing, but when we are talking about chronic disease management and medicines management, there is definitely a greater role for community pharmacists in delivery. It is like what I said previously in relation to cardiac care, but it probably has a much wider application in this instance. We have to get into the idea of preventative healthcare. I am talking about screening, blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol checks, and making sure we do this in a proper way.”
“While trying to provide community pharmacies with greater power to deliver for all the citizens, the fact is that hospitals can be overrun, particularly at this time of year. We all know the issues there have been. With regard to UHL, not a week goes by without a significant number of cases. Even when it comes to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, people rarely say anything bad about staff but they talk about staff who are under severe pressure due to the number and nature of complaints. There are a lot of people who end up going to the accident and emergency department because they cannot get a GP appointment. Even though we have all called for this not to happen, we have even seen cases in which people unfortunately believed that because of these difficulties, their best bet was to ring an ambulance.”
“We all know people who have been incredibly lucky to get in hospital at the right time when they had such a check - others have not been - whether it related to anything from a small procedure right through to quadruple bypasses. However, we could increase the number of people detected before we are dealing with a disaster scenario if we could have those sort of checks done in community pharmacies, which could be very simple, cheap and a lot cheaper for the State in the long run, not to mention much better it would be for society and for that person and their wider family. There is nobody who will not talk about the high cost of medicines, which is something that needs to be addressed.”
“On the community pharmacy agreement, there is nobody who, if they were asked a number of years ago, would not want it to be the case where they did not necessarily have to go to the GP for X, Y and Z and they could make a journey to the pharmacy to deal with small ailments, particularly colds and flus and on behalf of young children and the multiple issues they deal with. While I welcome many of the changes with the introduction of the CPA, like my two colleagues, this should only be the start of putting a full framework in place and that we can deal with all the services that communities pharmacies should be able to employ. That relates to everything, including emergency medicines or cardiac checks.”
“Before I get to my contribution, I would like to outline my solidarity with those who have been illegally kidnapped from the Global Sumud Flotilla by the Israelis. I ask the Government to fulfil its obligations to ensue safe passage. There were promises made earlier. We think of Senator Chris Andrews and I believe Barry Heneghan may be taken in the next number of days. We need to make sure we do absolutely everything we can from our point of view to protect the Irish citizens and those who are not.”
“I ask the Minister to tell us whether he has had contact with LMETB and the FAI in relation to the absolutely frightening story that the youth training programme in Oriel Park is to cease at the end of the month. I do not think it is the first one. A significant amount of the funding is meant to come from the ETB. It is just a matter of finding this information out. One SIPTU official said that he saw this as pulling up the supports for grassroots football. Will the Minister ensure that engagement happens in order to find out exactly what the story is in this regard and whether it can be rectified in any way?”
“I am in complete agreement with the Minister. I do not think there is anyone out there who would not say that there is a need for a huge level of reform and that there is more to do in relation to the FAI, particularly in regard to governance. That goes without saying. In terms of the League of Ireland and grassroots football, we need to ensure the necessary supports are there. I ask the Minister to confirm that the commitment is still there in relation to the academies and the need for significant funding. We also need to see more funding for the LSSIF. Deputy Byrne spoke yesterday about the success of Drogheda United, Louth GAA and many others. The fund needs to be open to the likes of Oriel Park for the changes that are absolutely needed there.”
“Deputy Joanna Byrne has spoken about the fact that we would all like to see the Irish team doing much better. At this moment in time, the League of Ireland is flying but also has some issues in relation to funding. Has the Minister had contact with LMETB or the FAI in relation to the fact that the youth training programme which is run out of Oriel Park is to cease at the end of the month? There is obviously a lot of worry in relation to that. Indeed, SIPTU and many others have commented on it.”
“I accept that we are not going to get an outline of what will be in the budget but I seek reassurance that there is still a commitment there. In fairness, the Department played a major role in the Global Findings Report being conducted. That report found there is an absolute necessity to provide significant funding for academies. We know the scenario in relation to professional football, the possibilities that exist and the need to make sure we have the necessary throughput of players. It is all about contact and professionalism but that can only happen if we have the funding. I ask the Minister to outline as much as he can in relation to that commitment. I am not taking away from the financial commitment that has already been given in relation to the FAI.”
“I ask the Minister to set out the level of funding allocated to League of Ireland clubs for academies and to state whether such funding will be increased in the budget. Sinn Féin very much supports the Global Findings Report recommendations produced by Double Pass as part of its audit of the League of Ireland academy system. We urge the Government to commit significant funding to same, as promised in the programme for Government. Separately, has the Minister had any communication with the FAI or the LMETB in relation to the youth training programme being run out of Oriel Park which is to cease at the end of the month? I do not think this is the-----”
“If I did not mention it I do not know if I would get out of my seat. This needs to happen. The League of Ireland needs support. While we are happy Dundalk FC seems to be going in the right direction in going back to the premiership, Oriel Park will need major LSSIF funding in the future. Everybody welcomes the huge interest but if we are serious about the League of Ireland and the great opportunities it offers, academies are needed. There are opportunities in the changes post Brexit for younger players. It is about ensuring they get the contact play and that it is run as a professional business. It is about stadiums but also making sure players are looked after. We have many other sports. There is significant work to do. I ask that the LSSIF be opened more regularly to ensure continuity of funding in sports capital.”