I am very grateful to Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this very pertinent issue in relation to Owenabue Educate Together National School in Carrigaline, County Cork. The Deputy is right that he could be reading this about at least seven different schools in my constituency. I have, therefore, great empathy for the case the Deputy raised and for the entire school community. As alluded to, this school building project will deliver a new 16-classroom primary school and additional accommodation for children with special educational needs at Janeville in Carrigaline, County Cork. The project is currently at stage 1, preliminary design, assessment of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme. As part of the stage 1 process, the design team submits a stage1 report to the Department. A preferred design option, including the scope and extent of works to be carried out, forms part of this report. The stage 1 report was received in the Department in January 2025 and upon completion of the Department of education's due diligence review, the stage 1 stakeholders meeting took place on 24 March 2025. The principal, a representative from the patron body, Educate Together, all design team members, the project manager and Department officials were in attendance. The meeting concluded with agreement that the design team would explore further design layout options. On 30 April 2025, an architectural workshop took place between the design team architect and the Department senior architect. The Department received the full design team stage 1 addendum report in August 2025 and this report is currently under review by the Department of education. On completion of this review, the Department will be in contact with the school and patron with regard to the further progression of the project. For wider context, as the Deputy is aware, the Government recently published the €7.55 billion national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan for education. Of the total €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. The Department has also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027. This list includes 12 projects in County Cork. The first tranche of 105 school building projects includes 80 large-scale and additional school accommodation scheme projects. To be frank, I think this will be a slightly frustrating reply for the Deputy and those on whose behalf he raised the issue. It is, however, typical of a process that is in the middle of the weeds. It would be irresponsible of me, on behalf of the Minister, to provide false information at this stage, other than to say that this is the review that is in place. What I would humbly suggest is that the Deputy consider bringing a deputation from the school for a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Naughton. I would be more than happy to play my part to ensure that is delivered as soon as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.11
That is a perfectly valid request. I advise having a deputation meeting and writing a formal letter to the Department of education on foot of this Topical Issue debate. The Deputy has been in this House longer than I have, and he and I know that Topical Issue debates are only a step in the process by which constituency TDs provide good advocacy. I will not insult the Deputy by giving out the departmental lines that this is obviously a process, there is continuing prioritisation and that prioritisation will move forward. Ultimately, the school community in Carrigaline - the current parents, the prospective parents and, most importantly, the children who rely on the Deputy to be their voice - expect better answers. I will have no hesitation in meeting the Deputy afterwards to see how we can facilitate such a deputation meeting as quickly as possible and ensure it gives as clear a timeline as is possible, recognising that any new school project or, more likely, school expansion project will be evaluated. I take on board the two factors the Deputy raised, namely, growing demand, first and foremost, for what is needed and that this school is split over two sites. Having two campuses and two buildings is never the optimum or ideal. I make that undertaking to the Deputy in good faith.
Sentiment score: 0.43
I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this pertinent issue, which is one that resonates with many of us in the House in many regards. I am replying on behalf of the Minister. It is the policy of the Department of Education and Youth, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that students with additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes, along with their peers, with additional supports provided as necessary. The Department has invested considerably in ensuring that all recognised mainstream schools have been allocated additional special education teaching resources to support children with special educational needs, including students with literacy difficulties. Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on the Department's website. There are 15,000 special education teachers allocated to primary and post-primary schools to enable them to support children with special educational needs. I know that, as my wife is one. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has the responsibility for planning and co-ordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers or software to assist children with special educational needs, including children with specific learning disability, where relevant professionals recommend the equipment as being essential for the provision of education. Schools apply to the NCSE through their local special educational needs organiser, SENO, for such support. A continuum of education provision is in place covering the full range of need spanning placement in mainstream classes, with supports through to more specialist placements either in a special class or a special school, depending on the complexity of need. It is important to note, though, that the majority of students with literacy difficulties currently receive additional teaching support from a special education teacher in a mainstream class. This is provided on the basis of the individual student's learning needs identified in schools, as opposed to being based on a requirement for a child to have a diagnosis or an assessment of a particular disability. There are four schools dedicated to supporting students with specific learning disability, SLD. There are also 14 SLD classes in 11 mainstream primary schools located across the country, in counties Dublin, Clare, Louth, Galway, Kerry and Wexford, although, I acknowledge, not in Dublin Mid-West. These settings have a student-teacher ratio of 9:1 and are attended by students normally aged between eight and 12 years for a maximum of two years. Students will have a diagnosis of dyslexia and score at the 2% percentile or lower on literacy standardised tests. They will also have an average or above average level of intelligence. In May 2021, the inspectorate was requested by the Department's special education section to evaluate provision in special classes for children and young people with an SLD. The purpose of the evaluations was to examine the quality of provision for children and young people with an SLD, with particular reference to understanding the placement of children and young people in these classes and to identifying the strengths and areas for improvement in learning and teaching in these classes. The inspectorate's report will inform the Department's development of policy and the overall effectiveness of SLD classes in the context of emerging international trends for inclusion. This is an area that the Minister is keeping under close review. The Minister is also working on a new measure which will see the provision of enhanced supports in mainstream schools for students experiencing literacy difficulties. The Minister hopes to be in a position to update the House on this soon. The Minister and the Department of education will continue to consider the findings and recommendations of the inspectorate report and may in time request the inspectorate to review provision for children with specific learning disabilities, SLDs, in special schools. I undertake to ask the Minister to engage directly with the Deputy given his interest in the area.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I appreciate the Deputy's supplementary question and, where relevant, will bring it forward to the relevant line Minister. He raised a few key issues that are absolutely understandable, but go to the nub of the complexity of providing special education that is sometimes blanket and misses certain aspects of a child's development in education or what their need or want is. It is hard to put that into a straight column. The Department will continue to engage intensively with the NCSE on forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a place in an educational setting, which, where possible, best fits their special needs on the back of the 15,000 special education teachers and 12,500 SNAs already in the system. For children with more complex needs, special class or special school places are still important. That is in keeping with the policy. Crucially, there is a need for a degree of flexibility to allow children to adapt to settings to allow them flourish to their best, particularly at the key ages of between eight and 12 when diagnoses are made. It is about putting in a learning support plan that is appropriate to the child's needs and the setting. There is no perfect answer to any of the issues, which on an individual basis I have no doubt are coming into the Deputy's constituency office, as they probably come into all our constituency offices. However, the issues the Deputy raised provide me with great material, which I will put directly to the Minister and I will ask her to respond to the Deputy with additional information in due course.
Sentiment score: 0.45
I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this important issue and join him in celebrating the 30th anniversary of Gort Community School's foundation. As the Deputy will be aware, the school was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme. The project will provide 19 general classrooms, seven SET rooms, two meeting rooms, one deputy principal's office, three classroom SEN bases, one art room, one home economics room, one graphics room, three science laboratories with two prep areas, one construction studies room with a prep area, one engineering room and prep area, three project stores, one staff room, one general purpose or dining area and other ancillary accommodation. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. It is currently at stage 2b, developed design. The stage 2b report was submitted to the Department in April 2026 and is currently being reviewed from a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the public infrastructure guidelines. Although this project is not in the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department's overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP school sectoral plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out. The Department of education will continue to build on the progress made in recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. As part of planning ahead for the progress to tender of the next tranche of projects, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender. The Department-led energy and conditions survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities. Based on this ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department of education will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond. Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and the best approach for addressing same.
Sentiment score: 0.37
Once again, I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to provide, on behalf of the Minister for education, an update to the House regarding the accommodation at Gort Community School. The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project on the school building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the Government's infrastructure guidelines. Since 2020 the Department has provided €256.55 million in capital funding for Galway schools. Over this period a total of 88 schools have been upgraded either through the provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or modular accommodation. There are currently 17 school projects in Galway under construction and another ten school projects will go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027. This summer, 20 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the climate summer works scheme. In addition, since 2020 a total of 101 special classes have been opened in Galway, of which 23 were sanctioned for September 2026. The accommodation needs at this school in Gort will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department-led prioritisation process in consultation with the school's patron and school authorities. The current status of all projects continues to be set out under item 10 on the Department's website under building works for the construction, extension and refurbishment of schools. This is updated regularly to reflect progress through the capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction stages. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is aware of the situation in Gort, not just from having visited there personally but from Deputy O'Hara's ongoing advocacy and that of other Members in the area. I will bring the contents of this debate to her attention and ensure that the pertinent points are made. I thank Deputy O'Hara again for raising this issue.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. This week there has been a lot of focus, correctly, on the areas raised by Deputy O'Rourke. Delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach his or her full potential is a key priority for the Government and the Minister. In that regard, supporting the education of Travellers and Roma children is one of the key objectives of the Government. Currently action to address Traveller and Roma education outcomes is progressed through the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy 2024-2030 and its associated plans for implementation and action which were developed through the strong collaboration of Traveller and Roma organisations with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The strategy acknowledges that Travellers and Roma are among the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups in Ireland. While educational outcomes have improved in recent years, they remain significantly below those in the general population, as outlined by Deputy O'Rourke. Key actions contained in the plan for implementation and action include increasing the number of Traveller and Roma young people who are completing post-primary school and achieving the leaving certificate; embedding Traveller culture and history into the curriculum; promoting workforce diversity; and providing teacher training on inclusion, cultural competence and anti-racism. The Minister is committed to promoting positive relationships and supporting the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people. In this regard, funding was provided for 15 community link workers to work across a number of schools in areas where there are high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Their roles will focus on fostering greater engagement with Traveller and Roma families to facilitate successful communication, promote positive relationships and support the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people by linking them to resources within their area. The link workers will provide vital engagement on the ground between schools, families and communities. In addition, two Traveller and Roma strategy national co-ordinators and a Traveller and Roma education strategy general manager were appointed to support the implementation of the strategy and to lead on specific actions outlined in the initial two-year plan for implementation and action. The implementation of the strategy is supported by action plans, governance and consultation structures, including the Traveller and Roma education strategy plan for implementation and action and associated progress reports. The strategy's oversight group and the Traveller and Roma education forum are ensuring ongoing engagement with communities and effective monitoring of progress. Work is currently under way on the development of the next plan for implementation and action, running from 2026 to 2028, which is due to be published in July of this year. To inform the plan, engagement is ongoing with the Traveller and Roma education strategy oversight group, the Traveller and Roma education forum and other Traveller and Roma organisations, communities, children and young people. I know that any contribution to that by Deputy O'Rourke would be welcomed by the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.45
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I want to underline, without any degree of uncertainty, that the Government, just like everyone else in the House, is absolutely committed to increasing the number of Traveller and Roma children who complete primary and secondary education. The vision of the Traveller and Roma education strategy is that we want a high-quality, inclusive education system that is open and welcoming to all, irrespective of background or ability and that meaningfully engages learners of all ages in a positive learning environment where quality is upheld, diversity respected and where every individual is valued and actively supported to reach their full potential. The next two-year TRES plan for implementation and action will be published in July. The new plan will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of Traveller and Roma children and young people and in addressing racism and discrimination by developing more targeted cultural competence in training and teaching Traveller culture and history through the curriculum. The TRES and its associated plans for implementation and action reinforce the Government's commitment to supporting and nurturing Traveller and Roma children and young people to reach their full potential in education and making up for lost decades of missed opportunities from successive Governments in the political system and the education system as a whole.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I am very grateful to my dear friend, Deputy Burke, for raising this matter, as is the relevant Minister. Public libraries are at the heart of all our communities. The Deputy and I were in the Chamber when our former colleague, Paschal Donohoe, made that very clear appeal as part of his closing salvo to this House. Public libraries are multi-purpose social, cultural and educational spaces for the whole community to enjoy. There are 330 public libraries nationwide providing an excellent service throughout the country. As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of library services, including buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the funding and delivery of the Frank O’Connor Library in Mayfield project is primarily a matter for Cork City Council. In April 2023, the Department invited proposals for funding under the current Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027. A total of 33 proposals were received for library capital projects and 15 for next generation mobile library vehicles. Each proposal received was evaluated thoroughly using a scoring matrix published with the initial call for proposals document. Cork City Council's application in respect of Mayfield library unfortunately did not score or rank high enough to receive funding approval or to merit inclusion on the waitlist. One of the key factors in the failure of this project to secure funding was the lack of progress regarding planning approval at the time. The Minister has been informed by Cork City Council that the library project at Mayfield Is categorised as a priority project in the council's development plan 2022 to 2028. I have also been further advised that the Part 8 planning application, as per the requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, was approved by councillors in October 2024, allowing the proposal to be progressed through the standard planning approval process. With Part 8 approval secured for Mayfield library, the project is now positioned to provide a modern multi-use facility for the north-east suburb of Cork city and its surrounding area. This places the Mayfield development a strong position to compete for future funding developments as they arise. The Department’s current libraries capital programme is fully committed. This ambitious €25.2 million investment includes €22.6 million in 11 state-of-the-art infrastructure projects nationwide and €2.6 million dedicated to 12 next generation mobile library vehicles to improve rural and community outreach. I am delighted that later this year, the Department will begin planning for the next iteration of the libraries capital programme and a successor to the current national library strategy. Since 2019, the Department has demonstrated a strong commitment to library services in the region, providing €8.3 million in funding to Cork City Council and Cork County Council public library services, through the libraries capital programme and the rural regeneration and development fund.
Sentiment score: 0.40
While I agree with the Deputy it was a shame that the Mayfield library could not be considered in the most recent tranche, I do think the Department's response and the developments from a planning point of view and more widely in the local community in that part of County Cork illustrate the need and merit for the library to be considered in the next round. I have no doubt the next time a funding round becomes available, a strong submission will be made by Cork City Council. The Deputy may rest assured that I will raise with the relevant Minister the strong case he has put forward this afternoon. A common-sense approach to this would be valued not just by the locals and patrons in Mayfield but more broadly by all those projects and potential projects that will be seeking funding under the next scheme. I fully believe Mayfield will be in a very strong position. I look forward to providing Deputy Burke with whatever supports I can, along with the Minister, to achieve that development.
Sentiment score: 0.34
I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue, one that I have absolute familiarity with having previously been a Minister of State in the Department with responsibility for retail during a period when we had 16.9% grocery inflation on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which massively increased food and energy prices across western Europe. Global inflation will see grocery prices increase. At the time, we would have seen grocery stores reduce their prices on about 700 products in the interim but there was a range of different proposals suggested. The opportunity I have this afternoon, given the directness of the points raised by Deputy Daly, is to outline the existing situation. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is responsible for policy in relation to competition and consumer protection. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is the independent statutory body responsible for enforcing competition law and consumer protection legislation. The CCPC is not a price-monitoring or price-regulating body. The collection, compilation and publication of official price data is a statutory function of the Central Statistics Office. Businesses in Ireland are generally free to set their own prices, provided they do so independently and in compliance with competition and consumer protection law. The CCPC has engaged with public concerns about grocery prices within its existing remit. In August 2025, it published an updated high-level analysis of the Irish grocery retail sector, updating its 2023 work. This analysis examined market concentration, entry and expansion, national and international price trends, and the profitability of major grocery retailers. The CCPC concluded that while grocery prices have risen significantly since 2021, there is no evidence of a failure of competition or of excessive pricing in the sector. The CCPC plays an active and enforcement-focused role in protecting consumers. It enforces competition and consumer protection law across the economy, including in the retail and grocery sectors, and takes action, for example, where traders mislead consumers, fail to display prices correctly, or breach pricing transparency requirements. This includes inspections, prosecutions and enforcement actions in the grocery and wider retail sectors. In parallel, the CCPC protects consumers by preventing anti-competitive outcomes that could lead to higher prices or reduced choice, including in rural areas. For example, the CCPC approved a proposed supermarket acquisition by Tesco only after the company agreed to divest an outlet in Oranmore, protecting local competition in Galway. The Central Statistics Office continues to publish detailed and independently-verified data through the consumer price index, including on food and drink prices. This data provides a transparent and authoritative basis for understanding price movements across the wider economy.
Sentiment score: 0.18
To be honest, I do not necessarily accept that. Perhaps this is a communications issue. As the Deputy said, the structures are there. The CCPC enforces competition and consumer protection law, and the CSO independently collects and publishes official price data through the consumer price index. This means two bodies are doing the key things the Deputy is asking for. The CCPC is not the price monitoring or price regulating body; it just enforces the law. The CSO is the price monitoring body. The Deputy is right, equally, that grocery prices are not a uniquely Irish issue. We do not perhaps have the competition in the grocery sector that I would like, but let us not forget that there were only three major grocery retailers in the country up until about ten or 15 years ago. The addition of two other grocery retailers has provided other options. When we look at consumer spending, purchasing power went up by 2.9% last year compared with the year before. This is something that has, unfortunately, bedevilled economies across Europe. Croatia and Hungary introduced price caps on groceries and that had a disastrous consequence, with a lack of affordability and availability. The left-wing Government in Spain proposed to introduce price caps, only to reach the conclusion that isolated, rural supermarkets and smaller stores would simply have to close. To get to the nub of the Deputy’s point, I do not for an instant hesitate to accept that people are very much feeling the pinch at the supermarket tills at the moment, and they are rightly concerned. The key to this is that we are in the grips of an energy crisis that leads to issues with costs and food provision. In turn, we need to make sure the systems already in place in this regard, through the activities of the CCPC and the CSO, perhaps communicate more clearly and directly to allow that level of consumer confidence to be in place and ensure people are aware that even though things are very tight, the Government has genuine plans, be it through changes to income tax rates or targeted supports and social welfare, to make sure a little bit of a break is given to what I accept is a very hard pressed part of our society.
Sentiment score: 0.01
I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue. I think Richmond Village is a brilliant name. There should be more of them, needless to say.
Sentiment score: 0.37
More pertinently and directly to the Deputy's point, on behalf of the Minister, we all know why the LDA was set up and the ambition it has. The Deputy is right that it is really ramping up. We can see that in sod turnings, on one hand, such as in Richmond Village, and in site clearings, such as at the former Central Mental Hospital, or Dundrum Central as we know it, but also, crucially, in people moving into homes, as we see in Shanganagh and Shankill. In terms of affordable purchase homes, LDA-sourced or -built affordable purchase homes are delivered in partnership with local authorities, funded by the Department via the affordable housing fund and sold through the local authority affordable purchase scheme. Under this scheme, newly built homes are made available at a reduced price for first-time and other eligible buyers who cannot afford to purchase these homes at the open market value. These homes are made available at a sale price of at least 15% below comparable housing market prices. Since 2022, the LDA has delivered over 400 affordable purchase homes through partnership arrangements with local authorities, on State lands or sourced through Project Tosaigh. This delivery includes the LDA working in partnership with other bodies, such as at Shanganagh. A total of 597 homes were delivered there, of which 91 were affordable purchase, with the remainder being delivered as 306 cost-rental homes and 200 social homes across 2024 and 2025. In addition, the agency has partnered with Kildare County Council to deliver 66 affordable purchase homes last November at Barracksfield West in Naas. More recently, the LDA has launched Priory Fields in partnership with Fingal County Council, as Deputy Boland will be aware, to deliver the first phase, comprising 36 affordable purchase homes of a total of 345 homes at Hackettstown in Skerries. A further phase of 91 affordable purchase homes is planned, with the remainder being delivered as 117 cost-rental homes and 101 social homes. Furthermore, the expanded role and remit of the Land Development Agency, as outlined in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, will help to further accelerate its delivery of affordable homes. Key measures include the expansion of the LDA’s geographical area of operation, which will enable the agency to partner with more regional-based local authorities and bring forward developments on local authority-owned land. I could not agree more with the Deputy, and I think this matter is going to be a precursor to Deputy Hearne's Topical Issue question to the Minister. Prioritising affordable homes first and foremost should be the aim of the LDA, and I will make sure this point is brought directly to the relevant Ministers.
Sentiment score: 0.08
I will make two points quite clearly. In relation to affordable homes, that is the sort of prioritisation the LDA should be looking for. I am more than happy to bring this point forward on the Deputy’s behalf to the Minister. Perhaps there will be scope for further discussion at the next round of oral parliamentary questions. The Deputy has raised a point that is not being raised enough in relation to the collection of development levies and the ability to use those funds for community facilities. The part of Dublin where I lived was very much a project of the Celtic tiger era where land that was once rural was rezoned rapidly, and housing of all forms – apartments, duplexes and three-, four- and five-bedroom houses - were built at pace, but it took approximately ten years for the schools to open, for roads to be finished off and even for the basic, more commercial entities such as supermarkets and shops to come on stream. We see where development has got this right, such as in Cherrywood, just up the road from me, where the roads and parks are already in. It is only now that we are starting to see the large-scale housing accommodation provided. The three school sites have not only been identified but groundwork has started, and they will be open for the children of that area to be educated in. It is similar with Clonburris in South Dublin County Council's locality. I would argue that many of the mistakes made before have been learned from, but there are a heck of lot more that need to be learned from, and that requires our diligence to make sure those mistakes are not repeated. We need to make sure that, absolutely, we crack on and massively ramp up the delivery of new homes, but that those communities and, indeed, the scope for commercial facilities that goes with that are prioritised as well. Again, these are points I will be more than happy to make to the Minister on the Deputy’s behalf.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to reply on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne, who unfortunately is not here today. Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied in the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Government is continuing to invest an unprecedented level of funding to support housing delivery, which will underpin the new starter homes programme, delivering an average of 15,000 starter home supports annually to 2030. In terms of starter home delivery, over 22,000 starter home supports have been delivered since the launch of the previous housing plan, Housing for All, including nearly 1,000 in Dublin City. Dublin City Council has established a significant pipeline of starter home delivery and continues to work proactively with all delivery partners to ensure the successful delivery of these homes. Dublin City Council currently has an affordable housing delivery programme that includes a total of 789 new starter homes, which will be available for affordable purchase by eligible, approved housing candidates by 2028. These homes will be located at Ballymun, Montpelier, Oscar Traynor Road and Cherry Orchard. Twelve homes have been delivered at Ballymun to date, with the schemes at Montpelier and Oscar Traynor Road at an advanced stage. We will see significant delivery during the year. The delivery programme continues to be expanded and accelerated. Two additional schemes with the potential to deliver a further 240 affordable homes are under assessment. The first home scheme, which supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, is also available to support eligible new home purchasers. It has been availed of by 93 affordable home buyers in Dublin city up to the fourth quarter of 2025, the latest period for which statistics have been published. The Department of housing is funding 12.5 dedicated administrative and technical staffing posts in Dublin City Council to support the resourcing and development of these starter homes schemes. In addition to this, we look at cost-rental delivery, the croí cónaithe scheme and, crucially, the vacant property refurbishment grant and other available opportunities. In conclusion, in order to further drive the required delivery of 90,000 starter homes under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, local authorities including Dublin City Council will shortly commence the preparation of new housing delivery action plans for review by the Department, setting out how the starter home programme will be implemented within their area. These plans, replacing those previously drawn up under Housing for All, will be informed by affordable housing need within the local authority area and will involve collaboration with the delivery partners, including the Land Development Agency, approved housing bodies and the wider development sector, as applicable. The plans will be published on each local authority's website following engagement with the relevant Department.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I greatly appreciate Deputy Hearne’s contribution. Delivering Homes, Building Communities is a clear priority for Government and we are committed to delivering on the targets across all pillars of the plan. The strategy delivers on the programme for Government commitment to increase housing supply and tackle homelessness with an ambitious target to deliver 15,000 starter homes annually to 2033 via local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency, the first home scheme, the vacant properties refurbishment grant and the help to buy scheme. The next iteration of the local authority housing delivery action plan will shortly commence outlining local authorities plans to deliver in their areas over the next five years. The LDA has also been tasked with taking over State lands in addition to unlocking stalled private planning consented developments in the shorter term through its market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh, to facilitate additional starter home delivery. We will continue to work closely with local authorities, approved housing bodies, the LDA and other key stakeholders to support delivery of the starter homes programme and I will undertake to bring the points made eloquently by Deputy Hearne to the Minister in due course.
Sentiment score: 0.50
I thank Deputy Toole for her forensic Topical Issue. I appreciate the detail and I will endeavour to respond as best I can on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien. Ireland’s energy security has moved from being a long-term ambition to becoming one of the most pressing challenges facing our country. I think back to the formation of the Common Agricultural Policy which was based on the basic need that Europe did not starve again. We are now in a situation where the basic need is that we cannot allow the lights to go out again in Europe because recent geopolitical tensions and volatility in global energy markets have proven that energy security is not just an environmental issue but it is essential for delivering long-term energy security and price stability for Irish households and businesses. It is now more important than ever that we reduce Ireland’s exposure to imported fossil fuel price shocks. The programme for Government has reaffirmed Ireland’s targets of 80% of electricity demand to be met by renewables in the near term with plans to move to net zero by 2050. We are fortunate here in Ireland to have extraordinary renewable energy resources. Our wind is among the strongest in Europe. Our solar sector is growing at speed, particularly in County Meath but, indeed, beyond, and it is already the third highest share of electricity generation for the country. Ireland currently has over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network, a remarkable achievement as it means we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity in just ten years, including doubling our wind capacity and establishing solar energy as a major pillar of our energy supply. In a few short years, solar has become a major component of our electricity supply. Solar is now the third-highest supplier of indigenously generated electricity, behind natural gas and wind, to the electricity grid. Solar is not only reducing electricity bills for households and businesses but it is also easing pressure on the grid by lowering peak demand and supporting a more resilient energy system. The accelerated deployment of both rooftop solar and solar farms is a critical part of meeting the Government’s commitment to deliver 80% of Ireland’s electricity demand from renewable energy sources in the near term, including 8 GW of solar energy alone. The design of our renewable electricity support scheme auctions ensures that the new renewables capacity is delivered in as cost effective and competitive a manner as possible. Solar has featured strongly in each scheme auction to date delivering real benefits to Ireland’s electricity network and Irish electricity consumers. Indeed, at times of high electricity prices the two-way scheme design ensures consumers benefit directly from the claw back of any revenue in excess of scheme strike prices. For the 2025-2026 PSO levy year, it is expected that over €11 million will be returned to Irish electricity consumers via the PSO levy as a result of operational scheme projects. It is worth noting that all renewable electricity developments are subject to careful independent scrutiny at the planning application stage by the relevant planning authority when reaching a decision on an individual planning application. Operational functions of the planning system, including the process of planning applications are, of course, a matter for the relevant planning authority. The points made by Deputy Toole are particularly relevant and I will be more than happy to bring them directly to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien.
Sentiment score: 0.41
I thank Deputy Toole and the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to provide a response to the overarching points the Deputy made and the wider context of domestic renewable electricity generation, the substantial progress that has been made, and the opportunities to further improve the transition to renewable energy to make sure it is not just a climate imperative but is central to our energy security and, indeed, our economic development. I fundamentally believe that we are making crucial investments in renewable energy, our electricity grid and, importantly, in energy efficiency. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and, indeed, the continuing conflict in Ukraine underline again why we must accelerate the deployment of renewables, strengthen our grid and retrofit homes and businesses. The real issue raised by Deputy Toole about the transfer of leases is key. We have to provide that level of confidence in the system, not only for the consumer but also for those who are prepared to engage in this process to make sure there is balance and affordability. I undertake to write to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on the Deputy's behalf to see if we can get a specific deputation meeting on this issue. Perhaps it might be more pertinent for oral parliamentary questions in the next round. Hopefully, the wider information will provide a good grounding for further discussion on this key area, which I am grateful to the Deputy for raising.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I have to be very careful with this reply because, needless to say, replying on behalf of our mutual dear friend, the Minister for Health, whom I spoke to subsequent to receiving the script, is a balance, because I could throw back to the Deputy many of the points she has raised and somehow that constitutes a reply. I sometimes question, when replies are being drawn up, whether people look at maps or live in the areas. I know where Clonsilla is. I also know where North Strand is. It is a long way from Balbriggan. It should not take a southsider to tell someone that. I could also talk about the responsibility of every GP to make sure they are providing a genuine option for out-of-hours care for their patients as per their contractual requirements and, increasingly, how those out-of-hours services have been developed and expanded over time, and how they are working extremely well in so many parts of the country. It is a real testament not just to the Department, the HSE and the Minister but to the doctors who provide that care. I had reason to be in west Cork just last week and I read the local paper. It talked about a doctor who retired after 27 years of providing out-of-hours care to the sprawl of west Cork. I know Balbriggan is a long way from Stepaside but west Cork is even bigger again. Crucially, it is important to look at the population in the round. The latest population figure for the wider area covered is 690,000. It is covered by five treatment centres, which the Deputy has listed, two of which are only open overnight on weekdays, and those two are open 24 hours on weekends and public holidays. The geography is vast and the requirement for a car is quite obvious. The key thing the Minister would say, which I absolutely agree with her on, is about two things in the immediate area that require attention. The first is the sheer number of GPs in the system. Genuine and forceful efforts are being made on her behalf to make sure we have more general practitioners, both through the additional annual investment and through the conclusion of the GP GMS agreement. Something that we talk about, which is particular to this issue and which is parallel, not the solution, but complementary to it, is to have a greater D-Doc facility that goes into the north county. That is obvious to the Deputy and me, and indeed obvious to the Minister. That is ultimately the direction of travel we are taking, not just because Fingal is the fastest-growing county in the country or that Balbriggan is the fastest-growing area. I remember once when it was Stepaside but obviously it has been overtaken two censuses later. One of the key areas to cover the wider north county area is the development of the Swords surgical hub, which will be operational from this summer. It will draw on and replicate the success of Tallaght and Mount Carmel elective surgical hubs. One is in my own constituency. Indeed, I was born in Mount Carmel hospital. It will implement the use of innovative patient pathways and have a real impact on reducing waiting times for patients. If waiting times for patients are reduced, it means they will have less chance to need that out-of-hours care. Once it is fully operational, that Swords surgical hub is expected to deliver additional annual activity of 8,000 day care procedures based on the four theatres, 5,700 minor operations procedures, and approximately 18,500 outpatient department appointments. The Minister also introduced greater regulations to strengthen that. That is all complementary to the issue the Deputy raised and needs to be addressed at source. Needless to say, I will bring that directly to the Minister following this debate.
Sentiment score: 0.24
Out-of-hours GP care is provided to the population in integrated areas. The Government is committed to the continued development of our general practice service to ensure patients across the whole country have timely access to GP services. As mentioned previously, work is ongoing to increase the GP workforce and therefore improve access to both daytime and out-of-hours GP services. Significant investment has taken place in general practice both in the 2019 and 2023 GP agreements but we need to do a lot more. The input from the Deputy makes a very clear geographic case for an increased need to service the wider Dublin Fingal and north county area, with a particular focus on the rapidly growing town of Balbriggan.
Sentiment score: 0.53