Sharon Keogan
Industrial and Commercial Panel · Independent · Ireland
“The future of European border security is being decided right row at the European Commission. It is currently drafting the renewed mandate of Frontex, the EU border police force. As Ireland holds the rotating EU Presidency, the Minister for justice cannot simply pose as a disinterested broker while our European borders are compromised.”
“Holding the EU Presidency gives this Government massive agenda-setting leverage at the Council of Ministers. The Minister must use this chairing power to strip out counterproductive rights promotion provisions. Under the guise of good intentions, these provisions and their enforcers have defanged and undermined Frontex.”
“I thank the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I appreciate that he will engage with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on this. We live in the land of technology.”
“The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is welcome to the House. I rise to focus the attention of the House on a vital public service that sits at the very heart of social inclusion on this island, the free travel scheme.”
“Sitting down with Stormont to deliver a single unified rule book for free travel means we lift everyone to the same high standards of dignity and mobility, ensuring that a person's vulnerability is not penalised simply because of the jurisdiction they happen to live in.”
“It will point to the senior pass scheme, where a resident here can apply for a separate concessionary card to travel into the North. Let us be completely honest with ourselves.”
The complete record
Every one of 772 lines we hold for Sharon Keogan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 16 of 16.
“I wish to bring up the issue of housing and its impact on young people as well as our ongoing emigration crisis. Many people are already aware that the housing crisis is making life impossible for young Irish people, especially those just leaving college, yet, as always, we need to be reminded of this issue. For example, a recent article in District Magazine found that many young people are having their ability to form romantic relationships sabotaged by the crisis. Many cannot progress or even begin relationships since they live with their parents. This is the case for over 40% of working Irish people between the ages of 25 and 34, according to an EU study. In other cases, many young couples are forced to move in together far too early in their relationship just so they can have somewhere to stay.”
“That is fine but we simply must have a plan in the first place. This style of slap-dash improvisation is unacceptable and not worthy of Government, whether in the reinforcement of An Garda Síochána, the creation of the new security legislation or the construction of a new prison facility. I actually believe the Minister will do really good things in this Department. I really have faith in him. I look forward to working with him over the coming years.”
“Just today, the Irish Independent reported that more than 300 prisoners are without beds, with some commentators believing that more than 500 are sleeping on mattresses on floors. The issue has been so bad for so long that, as far back as May of last year, the Irish Prison Service was going into talks with the Defence Forces to reopen the old military prison at the Curragh. I ask the Minister for Justice, who is with us today, to give us a timeline for the construction of the new prison at Thornton Hall and to let us know how much of this site his Department is willing to hand over to his colleagues at the Department of children and integration. Is he taking it back? How does he intend to co-ordinate the construction project alongside the processing centre? Times change and plans change.”
“Knowing the scale of the migration and asylum crisis, it is highly unlikely that these 30 acres would be enough. I understand that a contract was signed with the Prison Service for the use of this land for two years. A contract was also signed by the Department of children and integration in May 2024 with the provider of on-site services and facilities for these international protection applicants. I have no doubt that this contract is still in place despite plans for this site getting side-tracked. Will the Minister look into that waste of money as well? In addition, we are facing a crisis of overcrowding in our prisons. Sadly, it looks like the new prison will need every acre we can get.”
“While wasted time would be one thing, we know well enough that the further the deadline recedes the higher the final bill will be. Sadly, we are already beginning to see that in this case. A report in The Irish Times earlier this year showed that more than €114,000 had already been spent over the last three years on an effectively empty site. This included €27,000 to repair boundary and perimeter security and €4,832 in water charges. The final aggravation associated with this issue is that the Government is not only failing to tell us its plans to get things done, but is also now failing to tell us what it plans to do with the site in the first place. Last year, the Department of Justice told us that 30 acres of this site were to be earmarked to create a processing centre for asylum applicants.”
“The Minister could also make immediate improvements in the exact same area by ordering the chief executives of the local authorities to be the data controllers of their local CCTV systems. Unfortunately, many CEOs are unwilling to take up that burden. The Minister can and must step in to force the CEOs to step up. While speaking of aimless and confused projects, I will also take the opportunity to raise the issue of the future of Thornton Hall. Following the fiasco of numerous Government developments such as the Dublin children's hospital, many Irish taxpayers are justified in fearing that we will face yet another end-of-the-rainbow scenario. In other words, the closer we get to the theoretical deadline for Thornton Hall, the further away it will get.”
“At least the Government is a little more imaginative and original with its impossible ideas as to how to reduce crime without paying police a decent wage and pension. If the Minister wishes to make concrete improvements to security surveillance in this country, I am happy to suggest improvements that could be made today. For example, we could improve surveillance by having data controllers permit the usage of number plate recognition in the CCTV systems currently available in many towns and cities nationwide instead of using number plate recognition software solely to dole out speeding tickets on motorways and to take money off people in high-end car parks.”
“Instead, the Government is trying to somehow close the gap by bandying about proposals for facial recognition laws. Ultimately, the Government appears to be intent on straying into very dangerous and even totalitarian waters, violating our citizens' right to privacy. At the same time, it does not seem intent on paying for the police force it intends to uphold this project. In this regard, it is unbelievable that I have to credit the Government for at least being somewhat more realistic than certain members of the Opposition who have been proposing that we put special anonymous knife surrender bins at the disposal of would-be stabbers. This approach has failed totally in England since its introduction more than 20 years ago.”
“Last week, we were told it is expected that 1,640 gardaí will be eligible to retire in the coming five years. Meanwhile, in the past two years, only 1,304 entered the college at Templemore with only a little over 800 being sworn in. This is not considering the 500 who left the force last year alone. Who can blame them for wanting to go? As force numbers dwindle and crime rates soar, the working life of those gardaí who choose to stay on becomes even more miserable and toxic. They are overworked and undersupported and we are now stuck in a vicious circle where each garda who leaves creates more incentive for the rest to go. What is the Government going to do to address this question? Is it talking about seriously improving the pay packets of our police force's members to better compensate them for their hard work? No.”
“At the same time, we are also having to deal with a new generation of cartelised drug gangs that are increasingly operating with ease across porous borders using Ireland as a drugs import hub for Europe. I take this opportunity to praise the Trojan work being undertaken by Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland and his team in stepping up seizures and combating organised crime in our country. However, it is worrying that the scale and number of seizures and arrests only ever seem to increase. Unfortunately, like many gardaí, Detective Chief Superintendent Boland is fighting an uphill battle. Year in and year out, the successive governments of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have seemed to think it acceptable to throw open the borders and to then sit on their hands while our police force haemorrhages numbers.”
“We also need to be realistic and truthful with the public in how we record crime according to nationality. For too long, our Government has been obfuscating any links between crime and the origins of the criminals. In 2022, plans to consider recording nationality were announced. What became of these considerations? Across Europe, many other national police forces have been allowed to record this data and have subsequently studied these questions in depth. This has allowed raw data to inform the conversations and decision-making of other EU nations. The data would suggest allowing unvetted potential criminals to come and go as they please, as the current Government does, is not conducive to community safety.”
“I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I thank him for joining us today to talk about community safety. We are here to talk about one of the most underacknowledged crises in the nation: the crisis of law and order. Many Irish people across the country feel that policing is virtually non-existent, criminality is allowed to run free and justice for victims is a distant ideal for regular people. At the core of this issue is the critical understaffing of An Garda Síochána. Many communities across Ireland find themselves with virtually no Garda presence, particularly in smaller rural communities. Even in Dublin, the force is stretched thin as it tries to deal with the rising levels of offences, with many stories of gardaí taking over an hour to respond to instances of violent assault.”
“Meanwhile, the director of the theatre, Mr. Mark O’Brien, publicly shared his meeting with a Palestinian theatre group on social media. Considering the Abbey Theatre receives up to 80% of its funding from the Government, how does the Minister plan to guarantee that such venues remain true spaces for free expressions and artistic creativity? I ask this House to reflect on the fact that the Abbey Theatre was once a venue that braved through the street riots during the premiere of Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World , which is now a celebrated part of our national artistic heritage. What future awaits our art scene if this is the current state of affairs?”
“Following the revelation, the publication sought clarification from An Garda Síochána regarding whether this instrument has been employed to investigate other publications, a query to which the Garda did not provide a response. Should the Garda decline to answer, I urge the Minister to come before us and provide that information. The second issue involves the Abbey Theatre’s refusal to host a play that addresses the experiences of the victims and survivors of the 7 October massacre in Israel, which debuted in New York last year. After several weeks of being denied the opportunity to privately rent the theatre space on the grounds of prior bookings, the playwrights, Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, were subsequently informed that their work was deemed incompatible with the remit of the theatre’s programming aims and ambitions.”
“I formally request the presence of the Minister for arts, media and communication, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, before this Chamber to address a number of profoundly concerning developments that have transpired within his Department. I am not referring in this instance to the inherited €7 million IT controversy or the oversized scanner. The first matter pertains to the recent disclosure, only last week, that An Garda Síochána has been authorised to survey the private communications of the Irish publication Gript . This authorisation was granted by a District Court judge utilising a legal mechanism designed primarily for the investigation of drug trafficking, money laundering and the financing of terrorist organisations. The Minister must clarify whether his Department views this as an inappropriate application of this legal instrument.”
“Millions of euro in grants are going elsewhere because local authorities do not have dedicated staff sourcing and applying for these grants for communities. That leads me also to call for the introduction of a European affairs strategy policy committee to be financed by our new Minister. It is vitally important that those within local government know what directives, regulations and decisions are coming out of Europe. I call on the Leader to request the new Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, to come into this House to discuss his vision and that of the programme for Government and to listen to the voices within this House as well. If the Cathaoirleach has any pull at all and can make an executive order, can we please get rid of the plastic straws?”
“I am delighted to see the Leader back in the Chair this term. With the increase in the Dáil numbers from 160 to 174, in recognition of our growing population, it would be wise to revisit our numbers within local government. In the 2014 local government reforms we reduced our local representation from 1,627 to 949. Our population in 2014 was 4.6 million and today we have a population of 5.5 million. The CSO expert group has projected our population to grow to 7 million by 2050. That would mean every councillor would be responsible for 7,500 citizens. We also need to look at the introduction of an European affairs office within all local authorities. Few counties have these but this needs direction from our new Minister.”
“Storm Éowyn really sent home that message. We need to look at regional government in this country for the first time ever. That is something this House can do. I look forward to working with each and every Senator in the coming years. I wish the Cathaoirleach the very best for the term ahead.”
“I extend my sympathies to the family of our dear friend, Councillor Anthony Waldron, from Ballintubber, County Roscommon, who will be buried on Thursday. His remains will be brought to the church tomorrow evening. Many councillors knew Anthony through the Suck Valley Way conferences he held in Roscommon in recent years. He was a fantastic local representative. He was about all things Roscommon. He had a great love for the promotion of tourism in his area. He will be greatly missed by many of his colleagues throughout Roscommon and throughout the country. The power in these Houses must be decentralised. We need more power to be given to the regions. We always talk about the powers of these Houses but there is so much that happens throughout the country which we do not empower our local government and local representatives to address.”
“I have always championed issues like children in State care and those seeking aftercare from the State. I speak out about gender care for minors and the need for non-medicalised intervention for children under 18. I speak out about human trafficking and how we can stop it in this country. I speak out about mental health supports for our young people. This time around, I want to champion children and young adults with eating disorders. That issue is not supported in this country. I also want to look at some family-friendly taxation policies for young families. Senator Cathal Byrne spoke about childcare. We must look at how we can support families in this country through better taxation policies.”
“As many of the newly elected Senators will know, I send an email every night and keep the councillors informed. That is really important. As far as I am concerned, democracy starts on the ground. Grassroots politics is so important but it is underfunded and undersupported in this country. We need to reform it. We have seen the erosion of powers that happened under Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party in the past five years. I want to believe colleagues from the Government parties when they say they want to reform local government and give those powers back to councillors. I want to see them actively live out those words in the next five years. I champion many issues in the House. Sometimes I am a lone voice. I am a controversial voice. It is not easy being that voice here.”
“I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his election. My commiserations to Senators Wilson and Fitzpatrick, who also contested the position. It is not easy to put one's name forward for any election. Senator Wilson would have made a very fine Chair. I am one of the five Cavan people in this Chamber. I am proud to be from there. Where one is from is really important in life. It forms us as the people we are. While I was born in Cavan, I was previously, before being elected as a Senator, elected in County Meath. There are some issues I would like to see finalised within this Seanad term. I thank, most importantly, the county councillors who put me back in this House. I worked hard for them over the past five years. I am in touch with them every single day.”