Timmy Dooley
Clare · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I thank both Senators for the amendments they are putting forward and the sentiment behind them. I will deal with the points about the emergency. The Government made it very clear that a decision was taken, based on a decision taken by the previous Government in November 2024.”
“The State has taken a view, however, that is consistent with our desire and our commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and onwards to 2040 and 2050, that this facility is strategic, as it says, that it is only for storage and that it is not meant to be a market play and cannot be a market play.”
“It is, but it is not an either-or situation. If €1 billion could sort it out with more batteries, wind or solar then that is the route we would be taking. We are investing very significant amounts of money in our electricity grid.”
“As the Senators know, the piece of kit – effectively the ship – will be leased in. There are a number of these around the world and they move on. First, we are not investing in the kind of infrastructure that had been a feature of discussions in the past.”
“All fossil fuels are harmful to the environment. The Senator is right that methane has a much higher concentration and is more impactful by what is referred to as the carbon dioxide equivalence. It is much greater than carbon dioxide but it also has shorter life in the atmosphere. It dissipates over time whereas carbon dioxide does not.”
“If we were to do it, however, to get the private sector to pay for the security - I think it is accepted on all sides that there is a necessity for some security in terms of the gas supply - and if the Government were to say it would provide that through a market-led private consortium and initiate an auction to allow entities around the…”
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“That has to be appropriately thought through and structured. We have appointed an independent chair, Michael Berkery, under the Food Vision programme to do a full analysis of market conditions as a result of quota loss, etc. When that report comes through we will make further determinations based on its findings.”
“In my initial answer to the Deputy's question, I wanted to set out the parameters under which future decisions might be taken or any work done. I will continue to engage with Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs in that regard. We have a clear policy position to support the inshore sector. That is why, by October of this year, there will be a total ban on trawling within the six-mile limit on vessels above 18 m to ensure the improved viability of the inshore sector. It is not as if the Government, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, and I are standing back from our responsibility. We recognise there is a crisis. We are doing everything in our power and have not at all ruled out the possibility of putting a case to the European Union or the Commission in due course.”
“These include the small-scale coastal fisheries scheme; the inshore fisheries conservation scheme - the v-notching programme; the seafood training scheme; and the seafood capacity building scheme. In addition to these, a scheme specifically for the inshore fleet was implemented in 2024 and 2025 under the seafood development programme.”
“Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union defines state aid as any aid granted by a member state, or through state resources in any form whatsoever, which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods. Articles 107(2) and 107(3) provide for exceptions where state aid can be compatible with the Internal Market, such as aid to promote regional economic development, as well as research and innovation. Most state aid has the potential to disrupt trade within the EU. As the managing authority for the EMFAF programme in Ireland, there is a range of projects and industry supports to the inshore sector, provided by agencies of the Department under the programme.”
“The Department has reviewed all funding mechanisms available, either through the seafood development programme or other state aid routes to ascertain if there is a possibility of introducing a financial stabilisation scheme for inshore fishermen. Ireland, as an EU member state, is required to comply with the state aid regulations and the European Commission oversees the application of state aid rules among member states. Failure to comply with state aid rules, such as a failure to provide notification to the European Commission or implementing the aid without approval, can result in the member state being required to recover any aid provided. These rules also provide for added interest to be applied.”
“I have met the National Inshore Fishermen's Association and other representatives of the inshore sector and I am aware of the challenges facing the inshore fisheries sector. I am taken by its resilience and capacity to manage through difficult times. I am fully aware of the concerns raised. However, Ireland's current €258 million Seafood Development Programme 2021-2027, which is co-funded by the Government and the European Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, EMFAF, is the primary source of funding for the Irish commercial seafood sector. including the inshore sector.”
“MARA has a large volume of applications relating to matters right across its remit, whether it be in respect of offshore renewables, Irish Water applications or seaweed harvesting. There is a large volume of work has yet to be concluded.”
“I want officials to pursue it insofar as is legally possible so that we can provide assurances, give recognition of those rights even in circumstances where documented rights are not established on folios, etc., and find a registration process that would comply with the law. In line with the law since MARA's statutory establishment, applicants may apply to the regulator for a licence to harvest seaweed in accordance with Schedule 7 of the 2021 Act, which provides for maritime usage that may be undertaken pursuant to the granting of a licence. Before granting any licence, MARA shall, of course, have regard to any environmental impacts arising. As I said, MARA is within its rights.”
“I want to make the Deputy aware that MARA has a statutory function. It is an independent regulatory authority. I would not be in a position, nor would the law permit me, to influence the work it does. In the adjudication of any licence application, it will have to follow the legislation as it stands and would not be minded to consider what we might be discussing in this House or what any future proposal might be. However, as I indicated to the Deputy, we want to bring forward proposals that would, insofar as possible, provide support to those traditional harvesters in recognition of the rights that have been established over a prolonged period of time.”
“In that context, it is important to note that, since the establishment of MARA, applicants may apply to the regulator for a licence to harvest seaweed in accordance with Schedule 7 of the 2021 Act, which provides for maritime usage that may be undertaken pursuant to the granting of a licence. MARA shall, before granting a licence, have regard to any environmental impacts arising, and any Government policies that may affect or relate to the functions of MARA. That is a critical component of this discussion. I would also note that departmental officials are examining the regulatory framework to ensure that it is appropriate to adequately safeguard holders of traditional seaweed harvesting rights.”
“The enactment of the MAP Act in 2021 subsequently provided a statutory framework for marine planning policy statements, and following a consultation on a draft statutory MPPS in 2025, that policy statement is currently being finalised and is expected to be brought before the Government in the coming weeks. We had intended and hoped it would be ready for April but it has lagged a little bit. I am aware of the complexities involved in relation to traditional seaweed harvesting, having met and engaged with representatives of the industry, as I did with the Deputy. The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority has also engaged with representatives of the industry and is engaging with the Department in relation to the existing regulatory framework, because that has to be clarified to some extent.”
“It is that where people have rights that are established, either by way of documented evidence on folios and other means or through a significant tradition that can be verified insofar as possible, their rights should be respected. We see this from an historical perspective. Coming from a small farm in the west, I am very conscious of parcels of land not always being documented in a manner that would be sufficient to address the ownership or the title deeds, etc. We have to find a methodology of addressing that. Our officials are working on that.”
“The objectives of the NMPF in relation to seaweed harvesting are: to support the sustainable harvesting of seaweed, having regard to the important economic and social contribution it makes to coastal communities; develop and maintain a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework that supports sustainable harvesting, ensures that key seaweed species that support multiple vital ecosystems are safeguarded and respects existing formal and informal rights to harvest - I think this last is the nub of where the Deputy is coming from - and support ongoing research to build on available data to support sustainable seaweed harvesting. The Deputy has asked for my view on that, which I have made known to the officials.”
“It set out the high-level priorities of the enactment of the marine planning system in Ireland. Ireland's national marine planning framework, NMPF, was subsequently adopted in May 2021. The NMPF brings together all marine-based human activities for the first time, outlining the Government's vision, objectives and marine planning policy for each marine activity. All public bodies and consenting authorities are required to have regard to it in exercising their statutory functions. This is intended to ensure that consistency, precautionary and evidence-based decision-making across all Departments and agencies.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. I know of his particular interest in this area. I have met with him and some seaweed harvesters. Indeed, he and I have discussed this in the Seanad previously. I thank him for his advocacy on behalf of those people who are particularly impacted by this and I congratulate him again on his successful election back to this House, where I have no doubt he will make a significant impact as he has in the past, not least on this issue. Ireland's first non-statutory MPPS for all marine planning aspects was published in November 2019, pending the introduction of the national marine planning framework and the enactment of the Maritime Area Planning, MAP, Act 2021. In 2019, the MPPS outlined existing components of the marine planning system and its future vision.”
“All sides of the House are fully in agreement that fossil fuels are damaging and bad and that we have got to wean ourselves off them quickly. We are working very hard to capture renewable energy, whether wind or solar, and we are doing it in a plan-led and strategic way so that we can, from climate change and emissions perspectives, rid ourselves of fossil fuels while also putting in place a means of controlling our own energy mix into the future. The State will control it and it will be within our own ambit, so that we will not be dependent on regimes outside the normal zones of Europe.”
“I reiterate that there is very little between our understandings of the negative or harmful impact that gas, whether it be natural gas, LNG or any form of methane, has on our climate and on the environment. As I set out in response to the other amendments, the Government has made it abundantly clear that we have to pivot away from the use of fossil fuels. We are doing so and have a strategy for doing so. It would be foolhardy in the extreme if, while pivoting away, we failed to recognise that we need a backstop of energy security. Deputy O'Gorman, who performed very well in a previous Government, knows that in November 2023 there was recognition that we had to have an energy security component in place for the future. It was accepted at that stage and we are building on that. I refer to Energy Security in Ireland to 2030.”
“As stated on Second Stage, the operation will be dealt with in another Bill. What the Deputies’ are trying to stitch in here by means of their amendments might be better addressed in the context of that legislation. This Bill is just about permissions. Hopefully, that will give Deputies an understanding of what the Government is doing. We are not in a position to accept the amendments.”
“In this instance, however, I cannot accept it because we are talking about a piece of floating infrastructure. There will be some onshore infrastructure to be built, which will be relatively minor in both overall and cost terms. The big element is the ship and its location. When we get to a point where we do not need that back-up storage and we either have enough batteries in place or are generating enough electricity to be able to look to hydrogen storage, we can move that piece of fossil fuel kit on to another location, dispense with it or sunset it. Another thing I would like to mention in more general terms, because I think will arise in respect of some of the other amendments, is that this Bill is about getting moving really quickly on the permissions that are necessary to get the infrastructure in place.”
“We have to use liquid fuels, and hydrogen would be the obvious one in that regard. That creates huge opportunities, because we will have a quantum of electricity generated from renewables. Generally, the wind blows better at night when demand is less. Rather than grounding or not utilising that electricity, it can effectively be converted to hydrogen or ammonia in a more stable way. There are opportunities for exports as well as storage in that regard. That is the longer term plan. Work is being done on that. I accept that there is an investment in infrastructure, but I do not accept the point that we are locking ourselves in. If we had put this out to the marketplace and asked for outside investment in a market-driven initiative where you would be building hard infrastructure, that accusation would stand up.”
“Unlike what happened with the phase 1 projects, which were effectively developer led, we have moved to take control. That work is already done and we are working through it but it would be foolhardy to just say that because we have a plan to capture effectively 20 GW of wind energy, and some additional solar on shore out to 2040, we can somehow ignore the necessity to store gas as we transition away from the use of fossil fuels. I understand what Deputies Ahern and Murphy said about battery storage. It is there but it will not be sufficient in the short term. They also spoke about other liquid fuels. The Department and the Government are working on a hydrogen strategy, so we are working towards identifying other solutions. The ESB recently published a report which effectively said we cannot get to net zero by 2050 by renewables alone.”
“There is interest from other companies in this regard. The Government is working really hard. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, myself and others are in regular contact with the marketplace to encourage investment and to show that Ireland has a long-term plan in place. We are working on a national DMAP or designation of more suitable sites around our coastline that have the capacity to generate up to 15 GW of electricity out to 2040. That is the kind of approach we are taking. I understand the politics of it, but it is unfair to say that we are ignoring the opportunity regarding renewables. In recognising that it is a slow process, we are derisking it for those investors who are going to come in. We are doing the mapping and collecting the data ,and we will be providing it to those entities as part of the auction process.”
“I also take the points made by Deputies Murphy and Ahern on why this legislation is being rushed through in an emergency way. We are already making significant headway in relation to our plan-led approach to the capture of wind off our shoreline. We had the recent designation through the designated maritime area plan, DMAP, process off the south-east coast. We had a very successful auction. Where other countries that are attempting to capture wind off their shorelines or in their seas have been unable to get bidders, we had three or four bidders for the auction in December. Some 900 MW have been secured. The process is now going through the final permissions aspect. It is working really well. There are three other suitable locations within that overall designated area. They will go to auction soon.”
“Principally, it is storage. It will be a State-owned and State-controlled facility. It is not a market initiative. It is not an attempt to use LNG as a price lever to compete with the supplies that are already there. It is not aimed at creating a market tension that would reduce prices and, therefore, make us more dependent. It is really just about storage. I understand where Members are coming from, but it does not and will not add one extra element of carbon dioxide emissions. In the event of there being a disruption, it will replace gas that would already have been provided into the market. This is about critical infrastructure and ensuring that our hospitals and other key facilities that are dependent on gas, principally for heat, will be able to remain in operation for whatever length of time it might take to repair the supply line.”
“We might have a difference of opinion about how we get there, but I know what he is talking about in terms of the cost of energy. It is my strongly held view and that of the Government that if we bring more renewables onto the grid from our own resources - from wind and solar within our remit - we will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. That will ultimately reduce the price and benefit everyone across the country. For those who are looking at it from a different angle in terms of the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and the impact that is having on climate change, I refer to the fact that this is not going to be gas traded into the marketplace. It is a storage facility that will be there in the event of a rupture or a disruption to the supply through the interconnectors from the North Sea via the UK and Scotland.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to respond to the strongly held views of many Opposition Members. There is a bit of divergence between some of them, and I must respect that. People's views are strongly held. We might argue over the detail. What I want to reflect about this Bill that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I have brought forward is that it is purely about energy security. Maybe we do not all accept it, but a lot of people in this House and in society generally accept that we need to transition away, for a couple of reasons, from our dependence on imported fossil fuels. There are the climate emissions targets. The latter are recognised as an important aspect of this. I must also reflect on what Deputy Healy-Rae has just said.”
“I have had a quick look at them and have been briefed on a number of them. They are more likely to relate to the next Bill rather than this Bill. Some of the concepts and discussions we were having today and the issues raised have more application in the operational piece of legislation rather than just on the planning side. Deputy Whitmore raised a number of issues she was concerned were not in this Bill, and I want to assure her and many others that those elements will be addressed or, if they are not, Members can discuss them with us. We will happily look at them. I obviously make no commitment in advance of a piece of legislation that has yet to be published. The heads of Bill probably still have to go to Government to clear but we have a broad plan here and we want to implement it.”
“This is a mobile piece of kit. There will be some hardware on the ground but, in essence, it is a ship storing gas connected to our pipeline. When the Government gets to a point that it no longer requires that level of storage, the asset moves on. A lot of questions were raised today that do not really relate to this Bill. This is just about the permission and setting aside certain elements of existing planning legislation to get the fast-tracked approach through. Another Bill will come forward later this year that will effectively be the operational component, and which will address the costs and the kinds of commitments that have been sought with regard to the length of time, usage, access for private capital and all of that. All of those elements will be in a later Bill. The issues were raised and there are amendments.”
“It would be foolhardy of any administration of whatever hue in this House to somehow walk away from its responsibility to provide insofar as it can a back-up storage plan in the less likely but still possible event of some disruption to the two gas interconnectors out of Scotland. For years gone by, we were drawing a significant amount of our gas from the Corrib gas field. As that is petering out, and the level of gas coming from it is reducing significantly, we have to move on this. Frankly, I think we should have moved sooner. That would be my criticism. This should have been in place. We are doing it now. Others then suggested we were baking in or locking ourselves into fossil fuel infrastructure. Had we allowed some of the commercial operators who sought to do this to build a gas terminal, then yes we would be locking ourselves in.”
“Ultimately, if we get to a point where we are able to use the electricity for the purpose of generating hydrogen at times where the demand is not on the grid, we will have effective storage of clean energy in a molecule format that can be stored. It will either be that or through ammonia, whatever is the safest method of doing it as technologies develop. That ensures you are not grounding electrons or doing dispatch downs. Some seem to suggest, from a critical perspective, that the Government was not talking a strategic approach but of course we are. We are planning it now in a long-term strategic way, recognising where our targets are and what we have to achieve. In the here and now, today, and beyond 2030 as we head towards 2040, we will still need fossil fuels to fill that gap in our energy mix.”
“That will far surpass our domestic demand. It opens up opportunities if we can get the right interconnectors in place. We have the Celtic one coming on board. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on behalf of the Government, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain to look at the possibility of interconnection there too. We are travelling at significant pace and scale now to reach our renewable targets. We are also developing a strategy for hydrogen because we identified that getting to 2050 and reaching net zero, particularly with regard to our electricity generation, will not be possible without hydrogen or some component thereof, be it ammonia or whatever.”
“I have travelled to encourage international developers to participate in those auctions. That is to the long-term benefit of Ireland. There is a recognition among the large companies that take on these projects that Ireland is a good place to invest, and they are following through on that. There were three or four bidders for the auction off the south-east coast. They are still interested in Ireland and there are three other opportunities in the same designated zone, which will be going to auction over the coming months and year. In addition, the State has undertaken a national designation for such sites, and we will have all of those sites identified by the end of 2027. That strategy is working towards our commitment out to 2040, so we will have identified all the necessary sites to generate an additional 15 GW of electricity.”
“We are at about 8 GW on land at the minute, between solar and wind. That is a significant quantum of electricity. The previous Government changed the strategy for the development of offshore renewables. Rather than having it being developer led, identifying sites and responding to various options, we now have a planned approach in place. The DMAP for an area off the south-east coast of Ireland has worked well. The bid went through last December. Some 900 MW of electricity has been procured and that is now working its way through the planning system. The State has derisked projects like that by capturing the subsea data and providing it to the bidders. There was a caustic comment about the number of conferences we have had. I have participated in those.”
“It is the case that we are all aligned on renewables but to get renewables at scale and reach the capacity to power our economy when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, we need something else to power our electricity generation. We will require greater amounts of that as we move heating, transport and more components of our economy onto the grid and we need to invest in our grid. We are doing that. I know there is some criticism that we do not have any turbines in the water at the moment. We were ahead of others, and we have fallen behind for sure. However, the plans we have in place and the projects at different stages of permissions were not mentioned at all. We have to work them through, and we expect by 2031 or 2032 to have between 3 GW and 5 GW of electricity generated from offshore renewable sources.”
“Bringing forward this piece of legislation in no way distracts from the Government's agenda to move towards and reach our climate change targets in relation to the reduction of CO2 emissions, the electrification of our economy and generation of that electricity from renewable resources within our own ambit. It is the right thing to do from a climate change perspective. It is the right thing to do from an energy security perspective. It is the right thing to do for our citizens and businesses into the future, from the perspective of competitiveness. It guarantees us costs. It allows us to reduce costs and not to be vulnerable to the kinds of shocks that everybody has talked about. I know we are in a political Chamber but if you strip away a lot of the politics, there is little between any of us in this House about where we need to go.”
“In line with the Deputy’s comments, I congratulate him on being so succinct in his points. He managed to do it in a relatively quick time. I will make a number of general comments. We have had a good debate across a lot of areas, many of which are not part of or subject to this legislation. This Bill is the first stage in addressing the energy security deficit that we have. It is an enabling piece of legislation to allow for the procurement of the necessary permissions. It sets out a timely way to do that by setting aside certain pieces of existing legislation in order to get it done at the haste it needs to happen. Everybody recognises, and there has been a broad consensus, that we need energy security. Others have pivoted to saying what we should be doing is addressing the renewables issue, which of course we are.”
“The judicial review and access to justice provisions have been adapted from the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, retaining the well-tested framework that currently applies to a challenge to a planning decision in the courts. Part 7 contains one section relating to a consequential amendment to the Environmental Protection Act 1992. I commend the Bill to the House and I look forward to the debate and the contributions from Members.”
“Time when An Coimisiún Pleanála is waiting for a return of further information by the applicant will be disregarded towards this overall time period. Part 5 contains three sections relating to the determination of an application for approval to carry out designated development. Part 6 provides for miscellaneous provisions relating to designated development granted approval under this bespoke process. Section 15 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 is disapplied to relevant bodies performing functions in relation to designated development. The Minister may also issue a direction to competent authorities responsible for the granting of relevant consents, to facilitate priority consenting of the project.”
“The required contents of an application are specified as well as the requirement to give public notice of an application and details of the public consultation procedure. It sets out who may submit an application for designated development under this procedure, being limited to Gas Networks Ireland or such other public bodies as may be prescribed. Part 4 contains 17 sections relating to the environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment procedures that will apply to an application for designated development. These assessments shall be carried out by An Coimisiún Pleanála within specified, accelerated timelines. It provides for a period of 18 weeks for a decision to be made by An Coimisiún Pleanála from receipt of an application to final decision.”
“Part 2 contains three sections relating to what comes within the scope of designated development. Section 5 provides for what constitutes "designated development" for the purposes of development and use of a strategic gas emergency reserve to be located at Cahiracon in County Clare. Sections 6 and 7 provide that the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Planning and Development Act 2024, and Regulation 2 of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 are disapplied in relation to designated development, to facilitate the alternative consenting process set out in the Bill. Part 3 contains four sections relating to the seeking of approval to carry out designated development. It provides for a mechanism for pre-application consultation.”
“It is intended to bring forward a memo for Government later this year requesting permission to draft the strategic gas emergency reserve (operational) Bill to provide for the operation of the strategic gas emergency reserve. This will be the substantive Bill addressing provisions related to the operation, use and cost of the reserve as well as a number of policy matters previously raised by Oireachtas Members. The Bill contains 7 Parts and 38 sections, and I will give a brief overview of it now. Part 1 contains four sections containing standard legislative provisions that cover the Short Title of the Bill, commencement procedures, definitions of terms used in the Bill, a regulation-making power, as well as enabling the expenses of the Minister to be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.”
“The ongoing phased commencement of the Planning and Development Act 2024 at this time prevents the project benefiting from the required expedited decision timeframe to deliver this project. The conventional planning route under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, has been fully considered and it is proposed to disapply it given the need for an expedited decision timeframe necessary to deliver this project. The legislation will allow for the next stage of development for the strategic gas emergency reserve. It is intended to submit the development consent application by the end of 2026 in order to achieve an accelerated project delivery timeline.”
“The final design will be scoped to provide sufficient supply to protect household and business customers in the event of a major disruption to subsea gas pipelines. Gas Networks Ireland will ensure appropriate contractual arrangements are in place to refill the floating storage and regassification unit throughout an emergency situation to provide consistent gas supplies via the floating storage and regassification unit for the duration required. The introduction of bespoke legislation was agreed following advice from the Office of the Attorney General's to reduce the uncertainty of the timelines regarding planning decisions and to facilitate the request from Government to expedite delivery of the project.”
“This is critical to securing Ireland's energy systems as we continue to transition to indigenous, clean renewable energy. Crucially, the strategic gas emergency reserve will also ensure Ireland's compliance with EU standards and regulation. A strategic gas emergency reserve is a State-owned gas storage facility that will provide the resilience required to support our energy transition. This State-led strategic reserve will store LNG for use only in the event of a disruption to gas supplies to protect Ireland's citizens, economy and reputation from the possibility of energy curtailments. It is not intended for commercial use and will not act as a new entry point for gas into the system.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to address the House on Second Stage of the Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill. As Deputies are aware, the main purpose of the Bill is to provide for a project-specific, bespoke consenting pathway for the strategic gas emergency reserve facility to be located at Cahiracon in County Clare. This will enable a development consent application to be submitted later this year, which is critical to achieving accelerated delivery of this project. Before outlining the provisions of the Bill, I would like to speak on a number of key points relating to the development of the legislation. In March 2025, Government approved a State-led strategic gas emergency reserve.”
“However, there is a lack of information there and we should be filling the void because if we do not, it will be filled by various social media channels by those who seek to oppose or dismantle the effectiveness of the European Union generally.”
“I know that Senator Lynch and others regularly speak in school settings. Sometimes, Departments take time to get to where they need to be or should be. As politicians, maybe we should do some of that work ourselves in reaching out through our various constituency funding streams. For example, there is the capacity to get material printed and circulated to schools in our areas. Maybe that is something we need to push a little bit ourselves. However, I do take Senator Lynch's point. I know the hesitancy and reticence at departmental level not to be seen to support any particular programme are for all the good reasons, and there are other programmes that will come along that may not have the same broader acceptance or whatever.”
“I know of the Senator's commitment to the European Union and her desire to broaden the reach to the greatest extent possible, not in a lectural way, but an embracing way, to try to inform and educate. Of course, the best place to involve oneself in education generally is in an education setting. While Departments of state generally are rigorous about being associated with certain programmes, I cannot disagree with anything Senator Lynch has said, to be frank. I encourage her to use her office as an outreach to schools in so far as she can. I do a little of that as well because I share some of her interests, although perhaps not to the same level she has been so successful in. I see Senator Lynch on social media. She is a very hard worker on the ground. Maybe we can use our respective political offices to engage and inform schools.”
“It aims to empower children to understand their rights and responsibilities and to engage with local and global issues. Leaving certificate politics and society aims to develop students’ capacity to engage in reflective and active citizenship, informed by the insights and skills of social and political sciences. The content of these specifications supports the development of an understanding of equality, inequality and diversity in a range of areas of human life, including gender, ethnicity and social class.”
“The programme aligns to the primary curriculum and aims to foster a better understanding and knowledge of the EU through classroom projects and activities. This is an example of the issue facing the Department if asked to endorse particular programmes over others. It was suggested to the Key to the EU team that they explore how the two initiatives might align and support each other. Today is also an opportunity to highlight that the concept of citizenship is already embedded across the curriculum. Aistear, the curriculum for early years, promotes the concept of citizenship and social justice with children and respects them as young citizens. The redeveloped primary curriculum framework introduces being an active citizen as one of seven key competencies.”