In the minute available to me, I will make the point that at one level the Deputy says that she is not asking us to usurp but she is, really. I do not understand the logic of what she is saying.
Sentiment score: 0.00
We are not members of UEFA. The FAI has to navigate UEFA in the same way it has to navigate FIFA. The Irish football team has had a lot of success recently.
Sentiment score: 0.19
The bottom line here is-----
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I cannot hear a thing.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I read that report and I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, and the NPWS. I think we have roughly doubled the staffing level of the NPWS in the past five years and have provided it with additional resources, correctly so. The Minister of State is very focused on the enforcement dimension. There has been good success also in terms of conservation and the biodiversity side of the equation, so to speak. Enforcement is important because we need to stop this crime. It is interesting that in the initial phase of the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle there were some cases of birds being poisoned many years ago but with education and by working with co-ops and people, a better understanding emerged. That programme is now a resounding success. Enforcement is important but education and working with people to change attitudes and culture are also very valuable inputs to this.
Sentiment score: 0.34
I am not quite clear about what the Deputy articulated in that minute, in terms of whether it was more spending, more tax or whatever.
Sentiment score: -0.34
We appreciate the role of the fiscal council. Its reports are a valuable part of the budgetary process. We fully accept there are issues in terms of how we manage our public finances in the context of the revenue. However, the Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund have been a success and they have not been funded by borrowing to date.
Sentiment score: 0.47
It is interesting that if we look at Irish expenditure over the last number of years in terms of the argument around the sustainability of public expenditure, there is no doubt that there have been a lot of increases, but one metric to evaluate is to look at total gross voted expenditure as a ratio of national output. Basically, we are kind of tracking fairly consistently over the last years, at about 33% through the 2026 to 2030 period.
Sentiment score: -0.37
It did increase sharply during Covid.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I appreciate the comments Deputy Coppinger has made. The violence last night in Belfast, the racism on display and the burning out of families because of their ethnicity have to be roundly condemned. It is very dangerous. It puts Northern Ireland in a very difficult and challenging spotlight in terms of where the North goes into the future societally. Some areas are potentially becoming no-go areas because of the colour of someone's skin or their ethnicity, despite the fact they might have been living in an area for quite some time. It is making life very difficult for many families and causing anxiety and stress. It will demand a significant community response and a response from social services. It is a very serious issue. On the exploitation of this by far-right elements in particular, we have to be extremely vigilant of in dealing with this because it is happening in other locations and jurisdictions as well.
Sentiment score: -0.18
I am the Taoiseach.
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The Deputy is confused on this one; there is no question about that. The International Protection Act 2026 has been introduced by this Dáil and supported by this Dáil. It will provide a very fair, sustainable, efficient and robust asylum procedure. It will also result in faster dealing with applications and appeals that may be made against those decisions. It will be much faster. It also enables us to return asylum seekers who need to go back to the place where their asylum application originated in Europe. This is strengthening laws in respect of asylum seeking and no amount of shallow, empty soundbites that are used against this legislation will sustain. This is, again, part of a wider agenda to try to instil fear and misinformation.
Sentiment score: 0.05
What Deputy Lawless said there is misinformation. It is absolute misinformation.
Sentiment score: -0.32
It is absolute nonsense and I think it is wrong.
Sentiment score: -0.70
Nonsense, just bloody nonsense.
Sentiment score: -0.81
I thank Deputy Crowe for his robust advocacy on behalf of St. Joseph's Secondary School and its extension application. I take on board what he said. There has been significant investment in school buildings but, clearly, there is a necessity for more. I will engage with the Minister for education on this issue to see if we can move forward and advance this extension for the benefit of the students who attend the school and, of course, the staff who work there, as well as the wider community. It is a valuable school in a beautiful part of the country. We will certainly do what we can. There are wider issues as well.
Sentiment score: 0.48
It is absolutely not sustainable and it is not safe for people either. It is not appropriate. It is wrong that people should feel the need to use tents at times. The facilitation of that is something I have issues with. The Government does not support that. The Minister has sought accommodation in different locations but also, the Act itself will lead to much faster treatment of applications. About 70% of applications are decided in the negative; in other words, people do not actually have an entitlement to asylum. The number of negative responses to appeals is quite high as well. Speed in assessing the applications and also the appeals is crucial to this and critical to the avoidance of the kinds of issues the Deputy has raised.
Sentiment score: -0.29
The Deputy is being unfair to his colleagues, Government TDs who are-----
Sentiment score: -0.48
-----people of considerable experience and who have had significant impact over the years in respect of Cavan-Monaghan. There has been increased funding overall in terms of roads this year. I will engage with the Ministers for housing and the environment, local authorities and the Minister for public expenditure to make sure we can deal with the significant challenges that people undoubtedly face across the country in respect of roads, road maintenance and restoration.
Sentiment score: 0.57
It is a very reasonable point the Deputy is making. It is a good scheme and it has been a good, welcome initiative. We always evaluate initiatives in terms of how they are working. I will speak to the Ministers for energy and Finance in respect of this.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I thank the Deputy for his comments. This is a very important issue for people generally, but young people and young couples in particular, in rural Ireland. Given the housing crisis we are in, we simply have to look at every avenue to increase housing capacity. The Minister and the Minister of State with responsibility for housing have been working substantively on this with significant proposals. I envisage that in the next number of weeks, they will bring it to Cabinet. We have had a discussion at the Cabinet subcommittee on this and hopefully it can be brought to a conclusion sar i bhfad.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I pay tribute to St. Joseph's Gaelic football club for its ambition and energy and for serving the community so well. This project represents the manifestation of a further milestone in the club's development and history. I will ask the Minister and endeavour to engage with Uisce Éireann to see if anything can be done here to facilitate what is a very significant community facility for the wider community that will be used by all.
Sentiment score: 0.36
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I also recognise the strength of his advocacy in regard to the ring road in Galway and the absolute necessity for it. It is with some degree of dismay that we read that there will be a judicial review of the planning. I urge the authorities - and I will engage with them - to see if mediation can bring about a speedier outcome to the issues that have been raised. My understanding is that the county council is the lead authority but I will talk to TII, the county council and relevant Ministers. I have spoken to the Minister for Transport on this because, for the wider public good and for Galway generally, this road needs to be built.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I condemn, and I have condemned, what happened on last evening. "Racist pogrom" is a good description of last night in north Belfast. I made the point in my earlier remarks that there were certain media outlets of a particular political disposition that sought, from observing some of the interviews, to raise tensions. That is unacceptable and I roundly condemn that. Everybody has a responsibility for what is said because the dignity of every individual must be respected. To have families and young children subjected to what happened last evening is unacceptable. What happened the previous evening was savage and has created huge anxiety, fear and anger. That must be acknowledged, but all of us in political life, as public representatives, must call out the level of racism that was evident last night.
Sentiment score: -0.39
This is parliamentary democracy. By 86 votes to 62, the International Protection Act 2015 was passed in this House. It has been signed by the President. Why are Members inventing and deliberately misinforming people? That is what is going on here. This law has been debated in this House at length.
Sentiment score: -0.06
It has been passed by this House. People have different perspectives, as they are entitled to. It has been passed, signed, and is coming into law. That is all. This is a new development where TDs are coming in to say that a matter was only won by this amount or that and we must have another debate, despite the fact that legislation went through all Stages. This is misinformation and let us call it out. All last week, there were emails going to everyone about how a terrible day was going to happen on Friday when legislation that was debated here at length was commenced. Legislation is commenced all of the time. That is all that is happening. By the way, it gives us control.
Sentiment score: 0.01
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I cannot get involved in every single scheme with Uisce Éireann but I would say to Irish Water that it needs to reflect on its relationship with public representatives because the number of TDs who are complaining about not getting replies is too high. Something needs to be resolved here to have a proper flow of information. I will check with Irish Water but the Deputy is saying he cannot get any information. I do not know.
Sentiment score: 0.07
A number of TDs have been raising this kind of issue from time to time.
Sentiment score: 0.08
I will go back to the Minister. We do not want people to have to flood the system with a load of parliamentary questions about a particular scheme. That information should be provided to Members automatically. I am hearing now of Members using AI for parliamentary questions. If we keep doing that, we will have thousands of questions in here and the system will be paralysed. I know the Deputy is not doing that, in fairness.
Sentiment score: -0.01
I will talk to the Minister of State. If this modular building is complete, there will be classes. We have allocated an extra €646 million over and above the Estimate of last year to the Department of Education and Youth. A significant amount of that will be allocated to special education for the express purpose of more teachers and special needs assistants. We want every child to have a place in September. If the Deputy can send the details on to the Minister of State, I will alert him that the Deputy has raised an issue with me here.
Sentiment score: 0.18
It is a no-brainer. I am appalled that there are cigarette butts on the ground outside State institutions. It should not happen. It is just unacceptable. Every individual has responsibilities in that regard but we do, as institutions of the State, have responsibilities to make sure that does not happen. I will ask for a re-examination of that and see what measures can be taken to clamp down on this.
Sentiment score: -0.08
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know he has raised it previously. Uisce Éireann is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and is accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts but that is more in terms of the broader governance issues. It is also subject to requirements of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and has, I understand, established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. It has acknowledged, as I said earlier, that there are concerns around the effectiveness of communications of Uisce Éireann with public representatives. It has undertaken a review of elected representative engagement, with input from across its entire business, which is due to be concluded shortly. I will engage again with the Minister in light of this discussion with the Deputy and others in respect of a need to change and maybe demonstrate, by experience, an improvement.
Sentiment score: 0.30