I thank the Senator for her interest and for bringing this into the Chamber this morning. What I can state here today is in regard to the interest and the progress within the EU Commission's proposal on the wide-span ban on lead in ammunition in the context of lead being toxic for human health and the environment. It is important again to stress that I do not have a policy responsibility in respect of the proposal and also I am not in a position here this morning to address the technical aspects of such a restricti…

I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue and for outlining the position in terms of commentary regarding Ireland and Dublin in the press this week. The World Economic Forum is an independent international organisation that was founded back in 1971. The forum states that its mission is to improve the state of the world through public-private co-operation. As the Deputy outlined, the forum's annual meeting is one of a few global moments in which the most powerful government and company leaders and business e…

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important topic. He has made his case very articulately and has demonstrated as well as anybody could the positive impact global international trade has had on this country in terms of our economic growth and our resilience over the past number of years. It is important that Ireland continues to have a presence at Davos. It underscores our position as a stable, pro-enterprise, pro-business and innovative economy and as a trusted partner for many large, powerful companies an…

As the Deputy is aware, the programme for Government sets out a strong enterprise and fiscal framework that prioritises economic and employment growth and competitiveness, with a target to support the creation of 300,000 extra jobs by 2030. I am pleased to report that, one year on, the Irish labour market continues to record sustained employment growth, rising labour force participation and record job numbers last year, indicative of a resilient performance. In total, over 2.8 million people are now employed in Ire…

I acknowledge the significant buoyancy within our labour market. On the Deputy’s earlier point, it is not a matter of a song and dance; it is actual fact that we are very much creating balanced regional growth. That is evident from the high employment and rising participation rates right across the country. With 2.82 million people at work, a record level, we continue to implement good, sound Government policy. With regard to our regions, we have an open and highly mobile workforce. Remote working has certainly enh…

We are doubling down on skills development. Very much part of that is the fact that we are working with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on apprenticeships and training courses, expanding many of the skills within Springboard and Skillnet and working on digital and green skills. The results of IDA Ireland’s most recent report show there were over 183 investments, 57% of which were regionally based. That demonstrates how important it is to ensure we have the jobs outsi…

Regional development is a key focus of our programme for Government and is central to the work of my Department and our enterprise development agencies. The mid-east region, comprising Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, is home to 126 IDA client companies employing 20,284 people. The mid-east has a significant ecosystem of well-established companies across technology, life sciences, international financial services, and engineering and industrial technologies. The region has also won significant investment in the f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I acknowledge her question and her commitment to the people of Louth in regard to high-quality, skilled jobs. The Minister and I recently published the new national development plan and part of that capital plan is an emphasis on regional enterprise and supporting the regional ecosystem. That is around helping SMEs start, grow and scale, while supporting the IDA on next-generation FDI sites and on its regional property portfolio. That will strengthen innovation and capacity within …

We are very much focused on working with key State agencies, through Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, to ensure that we can continue investment across regions, including Louth. The most recently published report outlined that over 57% of all IDA investments, that is, 323 investments last year, were in the regions. That delivered huge positivity in the regions to ensure that people can work in their areas close to home. We have also committed a significant amount of research and development grants, totalling over €2.…

As set out in our Department's sectoral capital plan, I and my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Burke, published last week, ensuring a vibrant seed and venture capital market that supports high growth and market disruptive businesses at all stages of development from seed to follow-on is a key priority for this Government. The seed and venture capital scheme was established in 1994 and since then has invested €700 million to support and sustain national and regional innovation which, in turn, has leveraged €3.3 bill…

I thank the Deputy for his question and interest in this area. We know how important it is. Recently, the Minister, Deputy Burke, launched the start-up Ireland programme, along with the seed and venture capital scheme. These two pillars are critical to the strategy to make Ireland one of the best places in Europe to start and scale a business. We have allocated over €28 million to start-up Ireland in 2026 to strengthen the start-up ecosystem. The seed and venture capital scheme has gone from strength to strength. T…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Enterprise Ireland manages the fund. The fund reflects geography and Enterprise Ireland has a target of up to 60%. Funding is very much targeted at manufacturing, internationally traded services and high-growth potential areas in life sciences, healthcare, pharma, fintech, technology, digitalisation and the green and environmental sectors and is very much focused on areas which can ensure quality and inclusivity. In 2024, 22% of all seed venture capital supported companies were …

Balanced regional development is a Government priority and a central component of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 is to support balanced regional enterprise development. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the nine regional enterprise plans, REPs. These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders that focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region. The north-east regional enterprise plan cove…

I acknowledge the Deputy's advocacy for Louth and the north east. That is really significant and important. We want to get the regional enterprise plans back up and running in 2026. As part of that, we have looked at ensuring there are programme managers based in each of the local authorities. That is really important to drive implementation, but also to give the accountability piece. We will be focusing on 12 actions under the five strategic objectives, as I stated earlier, one being around decarbonisation and cli…

Again, as I said earlier, this Government is very much committed to ensuring we have the skills and talent within each of our regions. We have had a real focus on apprenticeships and upskilling. We very much want that to be a core part of the regional skill set forums, driving investments into areas where it has the talent. Indeed, regional enterprise plans will be a key driver in that regard, working with further and higher education institutes. We know how important that is in terms of workforce planning. We have…

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy O’Callaghan, has complete ownership of matters relating to the granting of visa and immigration permissions and is solely responsible for the administration of its registration appointment service. Queries relating to immigration status or any initiatives or temporary flexibilities in accessing its services during periods of high demand should be addressed to that Department. My Department has responsibility for the employment permits legislation which pr…

I thank the Deputy for bringing this important matter to our attention. Certainly, a healthcare professional should not lose their job or employment on the basis of a backlog. As I said earlier, employment permits allow for the commencement of work while the registration is pending. That is important to factor in. Our immediate priority, as a Government, is to keep hospital staff and ensure patients are cared for. Permit holders can start work on that basis. We are all working together and working with the Departme…

We have made significant strides with regard to our efficiency by transitioning to an online employment permit system. Since its launch, we have processed over 22,000 employment permits and we have issued over 15,000. That has been successful with regard to processing times. We see now critical skills employment permits, including healthcare roles, are being processed within 14 days. That by any yardstick is important to recognise. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration …

On behalf of the Minister for Transport I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the House on this issue tonight. The DART+ programme comprises five different projects in and around the greater Dublin area. It will extend the existing network from the city centre to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Hazelhatch and Celbridge, and Drogheda, and will improve current DART services from the city centre to Greystones. The programme will triple the length of the electrified network and will double city centre capacity from 2…

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue this evening. I will relay the key important points that the Deputy raised to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. As I stated earlier, to recap some of the recent developments within the DART+ South West project, the NDP sectorial investment plan for transport was published in November last. It enables advancements of various elements of the DART+ programme, including DART+ West. The roll-out of the new DART+ fleet, which is currently undergoing safety testing, w…