Shane Moynihan
Dublin Mid-West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Hopefully, we will not need to extend the planning. That is the intention of all. Similarly for Lucan Community College, we need to get the planning right now for phases two and three.”
“Similarly, for Lucan Community College, that is being delivered under phase one through a modular framework and there is now an intention to secure planning for the remaining phase, so that does not delay the delivery of phases two and three of Lucan. I also wish to draw attention to Devine Mercy junior and senior national schools.”
“Thomas's and Scoil Aíne junior and senior national schools in Lucan, they are immediately adjacent to Adamstown, which is one of the rapidly growing areas in the country right now. They are in the same building they were in when the school was opened. That needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. For St.”
“I thank the Minister for her very comprehensive answer. I see first hand the progress that is being made with school buildings across the constituency but there are also buildings that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Minister mentioned Scoil Chrónáin.”
“The schools I intend to address are St. Thomas Junior National School and Scoil Aíne Naofa in Lucan and Divine Mercy junior and senior national schools and St. Kevin's Community College. What is the current status of the Lucan Community College project and Scoil Chrónáin? I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.”
“Whatever course of action the Government takes, and I have views on either a total ban or a registration and licensing system, it is clear to me that gardaí will need training in the enforcement and tactical interventions that they will need to undertake to enforce whatever ban or system being put in place, as in taking someone from a sco…”
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Every one of 500 lines we hold for Shane Moynihan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 10.
“Before the summer, I raised with the Taoiseach the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan, the fact that over 150,000 people have been killed and almost 14 million people have been displaced. Ironically, of all the conflicts in the world at the moment, the conflict in Sudan seems to be the one that has the most unanimity among European Union members.”
“For those companies that we want to scale up and keep in Ireland can the Government make it easier for employee-share options to be made available in those companies to ensure everybody has bought into the success of those companies and that they are allowed to scale up? We need to scale up our indigenous industry and I encourage the Taoiseach to consider that too.”
“Cuirim failte roimh an dul chun cinn atá á dhéanamh i leith saorthrádáil timpeall an domhain. Key to any free trade and any strong trading relationships is a strong, export-led economy driven by our indigenous firms. While the budget made some moves in increasing the attractiveness of entrepreneurship and developing an entrepreneurial economy, could other issues be considered such as setting up a number of metrics around how we measure the number of employees employed by indigenous SMEs and the proportion of corporation tax those companies pay? Can some funding be allocated or thought given to schemes designed to mentor new entrepreneurs from existing proven entrepreneurs who have been successful in this field?”
“I welcome the targeted social protection measures, particularly the focus on child poverty, which goes far beyond any measures introduced in recent years. There is an opportunity to look in the coming three to four years at how we encourage and incentivise houses without earners, through provision of childcare, training and support, to go into work.”
“I dtaobh chúrsaí Gaeilge, cuirim an-fháilte roimh an €5 milliún atá á thabhairt do TG4, ag tabhairt aitheantais don chraoltóireacht ardchaighdeáin atá á cur ar fáil ag TG4 agus é sin aitheanta ag an Rialtas leis an dáileadh breise sin. In éineacht leis sin, tá maoiniú breise á chur ar fáil do scéimeanna agus do thograí i leith na Gaeltachta, ar nós pleanáil teanga, tacaíocht don teanga agus tacaíocht don Ghaeltacht. I look forward to the opening of the community sports facilities scheme next year. It provides crucial capital funding for sports facilities up and down the country. On the movement being made on childcare, it is important to note that 35,000 additional places will be funded and the extension of the building blocks grant scheme will put provide 2,300 physical places in buildings across the country.”
“I and colleagues in the House advocated before the general election and since then for a focus on areas of very difficult disadvantage and to ensure schools, often centrepieces of communities in areas like that, are supported and focused on. With regard to mental health, I welcome the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in bringing forward the talking therapies fund, which will streamline the provision of community therapy services across the country. I recently joined the board of Beacon of Light Counselling Centre in Clondalkin, which provides this exact community therapy service. It is a world-class example and is a vital service in the community. The fund will be pivotal to ensuring those services continue.”
“We have been made aware in the House of a number of challenges facing primary schools with regard to funding and this capitation increase is a huge step forward in addressing those funding challenges. I look forward to further progress on reducing class sizes, as promised in the programme for Government. I welcome the similar increase in capitation for post-primary schools, the announcement of over 1,700 SNAs to support students in schools across the education system and 1,000 additional teachers, 800 of whom will be specifically focused on special educational needs. An initiative I was pleased to see announced, and funding provided for, was DEIS Plus.”
“The role of the Revenue Commissioners will be pivotal to ensuring that is effective in dealing with dereliction in our towns and cities and bringing properties back into use, as well as the extension of the living city initiative. I also welcome the increase in the research and development tax credit. It is an important signal to send to the global community and entrepreneurial community that Ireland is open for business, welcomes research, celebrates innovation and positions itself centrally as a knowledge-based economy that wants to be at the forefront of knowledge and innovation revolutions. Turning to cúrsaí oideachais, one of the things I most welcome is the increase of €50 in capitation for primary students.”
“Some things that stand out to me for their importance to the broader economy are the roll-out of DART+ West and DART+ South West, and the BusConnects programme in Dublin and across the country. One important thing which has not had attention drawn to it this week is the increase in the public service obligation, PSO, funding to almost €1 billion. That 35% increase will ensure increased connectivity for towns and cities up and down the country, not just in Dublin. It is important to call that out, as well as the significant once-in-a-generation investment in the MetroLink project. With regard to the tax changes announced, it is important to highlight and support those regarding dereliction.”
“Tapaím an deis seo labhairt ar son na cáinaisnéise agus na sonraí atá leagtha síos mar chuid di. Ar an mórchuid, ceann de na teachtaireachtaí is mó a thugann an cháinaisnéis seo ná go bhfuil infheistíocht láidir á déanamh againn inár seirbhísí poiblí, ag cur le daonra atá ag fás ach ag déileáil le go leor de na gnéithe agus na fadhbanna sóisialta atá le feiceáil i sochaí an lae inniu. I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this week's budget announced by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers. I want to speak first about allocations to the transport sector, given my role as Fianna Fáil spokesperson on transport. Almost €5 billion has been allocated to the sector in its entirety.”
“There should also be clear guidance from ComReg in particular with regard to telecoms providers. In many services, as the Tánaiste states, there is a consumer demand. There are also many services, which are essential for older people. Especially in an older population where we know loneliness is a real issue, communications is an important service they rely on. There needs to be proactive guidance from ComReg on that, and on ensuring that where available, face to face and human phone-based supports can remain essential access routes.”
“I welcome the Tánaiste's utterance that it will be a digital first as opposed to a digital only approach. It is important to acknowledge that for many older people, these barriers they perceive to entering a digital world can be ones they do not feel comfortable expressing. That is why any services we design to embrace those people and bring them in should be designed to be proactive and offer that help in a way that feels respectful, discreet and empowering. I encourage the reframing of the strategy with the Minister, Deputy Burke, and the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, on which I would welcome engagement, around the option of maintaining the option of paper billing for those who might not have access to a computer or who may not have the digital skills they need to access the online services.”
“In the absence of the skills that they need to engage with those services, companies in the private sector and the public sector should show compassion in dealing with those older people and ensure there is support for them so that they are able to access the services that they need and, in many cases, the services that they rely on.”
“The prevalence of basic digital literacy skills among over-65s in Ireland is at 19%, below the EU average of 25%. In Ireland, six out of ten adults over 60 are ones who do not consider themselves to ordinarily use the Internet or have basic digital skills. I am sure the Tánaiste would agree that technology should open doors, not necessarily close them, but we need to combine digital innovation with inclusive, respectful support. By backing initiatives like Age Action's getting started, or ALONE's digital champion workshops, we can make sure that these are available in every community, and also ensure that we put a safety net in place for those older citizens who may not necessarily feel comfortable with an increasingly online world.”
“Others contact us frequently to say they are waiting for long times on phone chats or phone lines with chat bots without necessarily getting the support and understanding that they need. Even with things like housing adaptation grant applications, there are complex forms with very little understanding or insight about how to complete them properly. This is not about saying that the digital advance must be slowed or that we should not be looking to improve digital skills among older people, but it is about independence, securing dignity and fairness for all our citizens. Many older people are proud of their independence and might not necessarily want to ask for help, but when services only go online, they face an immediate barrier. We know that we face challenges with the prevalence of digital skills among older people.”
“I turn, with the indulgence of the House, towards a topic that has been raised by me as a constituency TD but also as someone who is a public representative. That is the need to ensure that no people are left behind as we move towards digital first service delivery. This is especially with regard to our older citizens and those who face barriers to accessing online services. Over the past two months alone, in my constituency office, we have seen real examples of exclusion. A major telecom provider now insists on charging €5.50 a month for paper bills for pensioners, which is a financial penalty for simply not being online. One constituent struggled for weeks to cancel a TV service because the support channels were not open and available to them. They had to contact my office to get assistance in cancelling that TV service.”
“I am conscious of the discussion we have just had. I want to put on the record of the House my support, the same as the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste today, for the fact that there was an attempted focus on humanitarian aid that is necessary for Gaza, and thank the Tánaiste and his officials for all the work they are doing in delivering consular assistance for Irish citizens and for drawing broader international attention to what is happening in those waters at present. As well as that, I put on the record of the House my condemnation of the absolute horror that has unfolded in the Manchester synagogue this morning and the loss of life there. As has been said, if antisemitism is the motive behind this attack, that should be roundly condemned.”
“We really need to stamp that out now in order to ensure that vapes are seen as a controlled product, that there is a public health aspect to their sale, that they are not the same as sweets and that this should be reflected in our planning code. As we look towards a new set of development plans for our cities and counties, I encourage Members on the Government benches to take this into account in how we deal with it. Vapes are not supposed to be a stand-alone nicotine product. That should be reflected in every aspect of legislation designed to deal with them. I welcome the Minister's efforts in this regard.”
“I will not repeat the points that have been made already about the prevalence of flavours being used to market these vapes to children so that they are attractive and have the gateway effect that leads to the unintended consequences I referred to earlier. It has already been mentioned that the use of vapes has led to littering in villages, towns and cities around the country. I think there is a role for looking at our planning laws in this context. Just as we seek to prevent an overconcentration of off-licences in our towns and cities, we need to take the same approach to vape shops. There are many areas in my constituency where there is an overconcentration of vape shops.”
“They referred not just to the single-use vapes that were littering their playgrounds but also to the fact that many of their peers were being attracted to vapes because they were seen as an attractive pastime without any consideration for the public health and health implications that come with it. As part of that work, the students developed an awareness campaign designed for their peers to show the negative physical, emotional and mental effects of vaping. That was quite an effective piece of work because it came from the ground up in terms of educating people about the dangers of vapes.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an ábhar seo a thabhairt faoi bhráid na Dála. As Deputy Daly said, vapes have inadvertently turned from a gateway out of nicotine to a gateway into nicotine. We need to see a step change in how we regulate and address this market to ensure that whatever consequences this leads to are not unintended. At this point, I will recall my work with the junior safety forum in South Dublin County Council, which was an initiative of the joint policing committee. When we asked fifth and sixth class students to identify the burning issues in their communities, one of the top issues they chose was the prevalence of vapes.”
“I encourage the putting in place of such a measure in order to make the scheme a sustainable and affordable option for people in the future and to ensure that their contributions to such a scheme are well registered and received and that fees are kept as low and competitive as possible. Ultimately, it is about making sure people keep the most amount of money they can as they enter into retirement. That must be reflected in the fees that are payable.”
“Currently, it is stated that the total cap will be 0.5%. While that sounds very small to many of us, if someone were to take 0.5% of the value of a person’s house over his or her lifetime, it would amount to a large amount of money. I encourage the Minister to look at models like the National Employment Savings Trust in the UK, which has a mandated pension fund fee of 0.3% in order to ensure that the burden we are asking of lower paid workers and employers is not necessarily made to allow for investment fund managers to make a lot of money on the back of the costs that we are asking those workers and the businesses to bear. That that should be taken into account.”
“For small businesses and lower paid workers, the introduction of an auto-enrolment scheme like this, with the incentives that exist, such as State and employer support, shows that we are aware of and alive to many of the burdens that are being placed on small and medium businesses. It is important to recognise that while this is a worthwhile policy, we are making an ask of smaller businesses and lower paid workers to make sure it succeeds and provides them with financial security. While the overall design of the scheme is something I am very much in favour of - it is put together very well - I encourage the Minister to ensure that he keeps an eye on the management fee structure relating to it. A decision will be made on the overall level of the management fees involved in the next seven to ten days.”
“At present, 35% of workers have access to private sector pensions. That represents something of a demographic time bomb for us and for the financial security of those people in the future. Auto-enrolment, while allowing participants to opt out, is a large step towards ensuring their financial security. The design of the scheme has much to recommend it, including its flexibility and the fact it travels with the worker, avoiding the need to switch or open new pension schemes if workers move to different jobs throughout their careers, which we know they do, especially in the private sector. The tenure for which people hold jobs is a lot shorter than was the case 20 or 30 years ago. It is important that there is portability and flexibility in the design of any pension product.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis seo labhairt ar cheist na bpinsean agus an phleanáil fhadtéarmach atá taobh thiar de pholasaí dá leithéid seo le cinntiú go mbeidh slándáil agus cinnteacht airgeadais do dhaoine amach anseo nuair a éiríonn siad as obair. At the outset, I pay tribute to the Minister for prioritising the introduction of My Future Fund as a landmark policy in terms of how we, as a country, prepare our citizens and population for achieving and ensuring security in retirement. When he took office, it was clear that he prioritised this. He made it clear and gave certainty to both businesses and workers that the introduction of PRSI from 1 January 2026 was a priority for him. I am happy that it is going to be implemented. The context in which this scheme is being designed shows a need for it.”
“In that context, it is important for the Government to consider how we incentivise and encourage elite performance at juvenile level in the lesser recognised sports. I encourage the Minister to take up the matter with the Minister for sport.”
“I am speaking today on behalf of the Wade family in my constituency. They had great success in the European kickboxing championships in Italy last year. The three Wade siblings, three unique young people, are Abbie, who is 13 years old and won two bronze medals; Ryan, who is 16 years old and won one bronze medal; and Amy, who won two gold medals and was named as the fighter of the tournament. They represented their country with pride and distinction against other national teams from across Europe and around the world. However, unlike those other national teams, the Wades and others like them representing Ireland in martial arts championships did not receive any support from the State even as they donned the green jersey on behalf of the country and represented it in a sport they love. Teams from other countries receive that support.”
“I wish to ask about the current situation in Sudan. A civil war, which started over two years ago, has resulted in the death of over 500,000 children and the displacement of 14 million people. It has left 25 million people facing insecurity. Ireland's record has been strong in this regard. We were the country that initiated the discussion on sanctions and spoke on behalf of the EU at the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council summit. I would like to hear from the Taoiseach about what efforts are ongoing at an EU level to co-ordinate with our fellow European member states with regard to a more proactive response to the conflict in Sudan. What actions are being taken to interact with the African Union in respect of its role in this conflict and bringing it towards a resolution? We need to consider the safety of human life in that regard.”
“Will it be resourced and set up in the same way as the forward planning unit in the Department of education? Will it work proactively with local authorities in the context of the formation of the county development plans to identify sites for future childcare facilities, building on the commitment the State has demonstrated in the NDP through the building blocks fund for the provision of this very crucial piece of social infrastructure for families right across the country?”
“As a former Minister for Education and Science and someone who pioneered in the areas of early years education, the Taoiseach, like me, would agree that childcare is an important piece of social infrastructure. Coming from a constituency like mine where we have rapidly growing communities and 75% of demand for childcare is for the age range of between one and three, it is very clear that planning guidelines around leaving spaces for childcare have not worked. In the South Dublin County Council area over the last ten years, of the last 22 permissions that had a crèche granted as a condition of planning, only three had delivered operational childcare. I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government that a forward planning unit is being established in the Department of children.”
“We must make sure that we continue to prioritise ongoing research and monitoring to stay ahead of this evolving threat so that we can evaluate how extensive it is and, indeed, how successful our efforts to address and to deal with it are. Let us continue to act not just to regulate but to educate, and not just to respond but to build resilience in our democracy because the truth is worth protecting. Facts do matter because, ultimately, they underpin the conversations that sustain the open free speech of our democracy.”
“Report after report shows that employers and, more broadly, society are looking for people who have critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to solve problems on their own and to differentiate what might be real or false. It is important that we as a society and the Government not only say that these are things employers look for. In order to build well-rounded citizens and people who can actively engage in a democracy, we must ensure critical thinking skills are central to this. I welcome the funding of the various programmes for broadcasters and media organisations from Coimisiún na Meán. I encourage the mainstreaming of that because it is something we will have to be vigilant about and keep an eye on. That is the core point.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. It is important to say at the outset that the proliferation of new technologies like artificial intelligence and the generation and communication tools associated with that are a massive opportunity in terms of connecting society and making information more plentiful, but also presents a number of challenges. I am a firm believer that innovation should always be promoted and welcomed, but should also be accompanied with safety and very clear expectations and parameters about how to guarantee the safe use of new technologies. All of the reports generated about employment, labour and the sort of skills we need for the future have correctly identified things like green skills, digital skills and the ability to understand AI skills.”
“We must also continue to support and fund verified fact-checked journalism, which is often the first casualty of disinformation and the last line of defence against it. This is all pivotal to defending our democracy.”
“Coimisiún na Meán has started leading with the implementation of binding safety rules for social media platforms targeting harmful content and requiring platforms to enforce age checks, parental controls and media literacy tools. However, I fear we have arrived at a point where legislation alone and nor is enforcement of community guidelines alone. It is about empowering the public, young and old, with the skills to critically evaluate the information they consume. Media literacy is no longer optional. It is now a democratic necessity. We need to embed media literacy into our education systems making it a mandatory part of both primary and secondary curriculums. We need to fund lifelong digital skills programmes and prioritise vulnerable groups often excluded form digital education. A resilient society like this is an informed one.”
“Some 35% of people surveyed for that report believe a small, secret group controls world politics but this number is a lot higher for those who rely on online media where 58% of those people believe in this theory compared with 23% of people who use traditional media. The Government has taken steps. The introduction of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 establishing Coimisiún na Meán as our new online safety regulator is a welcome step in that it brings into force parts of the EU Digital Services Act. The launch of the national counter disinformation strategy in 2025, built on five core principles, has also been extremely important in doing that.”
“The Digital News Report Ireland 2024 found that 64% or almost two in three people worry about distinguishing real content from fake online content. This is higher than the European average of 50%. During the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions, almost half of Irish citizens encountered misleading information about the virus in just one week. Ireland did rank fifth in the media literacy index in 2022 but we have seen a 5% drop in the basic information and data literacy skills since 2023. This is a dangerous decline, especially for people who rely on messaging apps and social media platforms for their news. Research shows they are significantly more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. This is brought to life by the recent report by the Electoral Commission on the permeation of conspiracy theories.”
“Shockingly just ten of those accounts were responsible for 14% of that content. The drivers of that content were typically far-right groups and individuals pushing narratives on Covid-19 denial, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, misogyny and electoral distrust and distrust in democratic institutions. Another study from DCU found that there are examples of social media platforms rapidly amplifying this harmful content. Male-identified accounts created as part of this experiment were fed misogynistic and white-supremacist material within just 23 minutes of use. Once they were exposed, the algorithms in the cases of some platforms continued to recommend similar content. It is not just a concern shared by policymakers: it is one also shared by the public.”
“I wish to raise what I think everyone recognises as a growing threat to society, namely online disinformation and, more importantly, the urgent needs around how we promote and resource media literacy initiatives to counter it. We are all aware of the alarming rise in the weaponisation of false information online. It is no longer just a nuisance. It is being used to distort truth, polarise communities and threaten our public safety. We have seen it play out in real time, most recently in light of the Dublin riots that devastated part of the city. Many of these events were fuelled by online ecosystems suggesting and spreading falsehoods. A 2023 study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue revealed that between 2020 and 2023, over 13 million disinformation posts were detected across 1,600 accounts in Ireland alone.”
“Many colleagues referred to the fact that we need a cultural check on this. Misogyny, as it permeates the online world and other spheres of life, cannot be left unchecked. We need to think about public transport, open spaces, walkways and workplaces to make sure they are safe spaces for all women. A number of years ago I was rightly called out when I said that as a dad of three boys, it was incumbent on me to raise my boys to have respect for women. Rights like this should not rely on the goodwill of men; they should be intrinsic to human beings and our laws should honour them as a matter of course. That is why this matter needs to be addressed and at the centre of the Government's focus.”
“I am encouraged by the commitment to deliver additional refuge spaces to bring us up to meet the standards that should be there under the Istanbul Convention on domestic violence. We have work to do in that space and I welcome the Minister's accelerated focus on this during his time in the role. One of the things that brought this into focus is that it is not just a justice-led response but a whole-of-State response. One initiative I am very proud of in South Dublin County Council is that we provided domestic violence training for members of the council staff who deal with victims of domestic, gender-based and sexual violence. This training should be adopted by every public-facing State body, including judges and An Garda Síochána who have made strides in this area, but as recent surveys show, there is room to improve.”
“This shows there is an epidemic we need to address. That is why laws such as Valerie’s law and Jennie’s law are vital in ensuring the protection of women, men and children throughout the country and need to continue to be enforced and immediately addressed. They are vital in ensuring that victims and their families are not retraumatised by a system that allows offenders to, for example, retain guardianship rights over children. I welcome the Minister's commitment to ensuring that the compulsory disclosure of counselling notes in such cases that come before the courts is abolished to ensure we do not retraumatise survivors in the place they are supposed to seek justice, hope and support.”
“We also know that despite the zero-tolerance strategies being put in place, these numbers are rising. Part of that may be that women now feel they can come forward and disclose these incidents of abuse, but we also know of many instances from constituency clinics and from speaking to women who have been through the trauma of physical violence in the home, that in many cases they do not feel supported when coming forward and that needs to be the focus of how we address this in the future. In 2024, the number of instances of physical abuse rose by 22%, sexual abuse by 30% and emotional abuse by 15%. One of the darkest statistics is that five women were killed in violent circumstances in 2024 and more than half of the women killed since 1996 were killed by a current or former intimate partner.”
“It became very apparent to us in the chamber, including the senior Garda officers with us, that there was a domestic violence pandemic that had been brought into very sharp focus by the fact that in many cases, women were locked in homes and other places with persons who would threaten their life and physical safety. In many cases it brought into focus the fact that the statistics on domestic, gender-based and sexual violence against women are often just the tip of the iceberg because too many of these incidents go unreported and undisclosed. We have seen that incidence of disclosures of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is rising at the moment. We heard the references of 32,000 calls to Women’s Aid and 61,000 calls to An Garda Síochána.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach as ucht an deis labhairt ar an ábhar fíorthábhachtach seo. I commend the Minister on the interest he has taken in the matter since taking office. I also commend the Minister, Deputy McEntee on the correct focus she placed on the importance of us as a society dealing with the legacy and trauma inflicted by domestic, gender-based and sexual violence. This was brought into focus as an issue for me when I chaired a meeting of the south Dublin joint policing committee some years ago, when we saw the first set of statistics of crimes after COVID restrictions had started to lift.”
“The Taoiseach and I have discussed the importance of ensuring there is adequate sporting facilities for multiple codes and multiple sports a number of times, especially across the greater Dublin area, particularly in constituencies like my own where rapidly growing communities are being established. That is why I would love to hear from the Taoiseach about progress being made with the pitches and playing facilities fund that is in the programme for Government to enable the provision of multi-use pitches across the Dublin area but to also give our volunteer clubs a steady basis and foundation from which to develop. I would also love to hear about the associated social infrastructure, like childcare facilities, schools and so on.”
“I am encouraged to hear the importance of focusing on our public transport and water infrastructure, which I know the Taoiseach believes in, and the laser focus the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will have over the lifetime of this Government. As I have often mentioned on the floor of this House, public transport is extremely important in my own constituency of Dublin Mid-West where projects like DART+ South West, the Luas Lucan and additional capacity on the red line are all game changers not only to enable development, but also to underpin sustainable communities. It is in that vein of underpinning sustainable communities that the importance of infrastructure is particularly acute, with regard to the availability of a social infrastructure such as playing and sports facilities.”
“I encourage the Minister to consider issuing guidance to local authorities in terms of thinking of the amount and quantum of EE land available in their counties to support employment in the large housing developments that are going to happen, to encourage compact growth and to be complementary to the transport-led planning, which we require as well. In the context of a vacancy that has been identified by Ministers in this House, there is not sufficient space for companies and SMEs in particular that want to scale up. We need to support their growth as the backbone of our economy in these uncertain global times.”
“One of the reasons I am raising this is the shortage of land. If we want to promote compact growth, or initiatives like 15-minute cities, it is important with large-scale housing developments we have adequate amounts of industrial and commercial land there as well. While I fully take the point that planning authorities do set their own development plans, we are also familiar with instances where either the Office of the Planning Regulator or a ministerial order has been put in place to vary or alter a development plan, as happened in my own county.”