I thank the Deputies for tabling these amendments but I am unable to accept them. First, I will focus on the objectives of section 4 and 5. Section 4 deals with the capacity of the enterprise development agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, to provide environmental grants and consultancy grants. The objectives of these incentives for businesses are to invest in actions that drive decarbonisation and our national objectives with respect to green and digital transition. They also align with the Government's …

For the purpose of this Bill, a lot of the matters being raised are unrelated to the specific amendments that have been tabled. We should be making it easier for our agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, to meet their objectives. If that means providing for consultancy grants or environmental grants, that is very much a core objective of this Government in terms of our green and digital transition. The agencies are working closely with client companies as they continue to navigate these strategic challenges…

I thank the Deputies for tabling these amendments, and as with the previous amendments, I cannot accept them. The Act's section 8(5) provision is ambiguous and creates ongoing practical difficulties for the agencies. It hinders the agency support by creating uncertainty about what engagement requires prior Government approval and what does not. This blanket provision is outdated, given the multilayered regulatory framework that now exists. Increasingly, the Defence Forces have procurement needs related to the defen…

I thank all the Senators for raising these important matters and welcoming the opportunity to discuss the continued high cost of fuel and energy costs for households and businesses. As referenced by many of them, the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have caused significant disruption to global energy markets. The Government indeed recognises that these pressures are resulting in high energy prices and are placing Irish consumers and businesses in a vulnerable and difficult state. This Government understands…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann declines to give the Home Heating Oil (Emergency Mineral Oil Tax Reduction) Bill 2026 a second reading on the grounds that related matters are being considered as part of Budget 2027 on 6th October 2026"." Ireland has a strong economy. The job of Government is now to make sure that people feel that strength in their everyday lives. We fully recognise the pressures high energy and fuel costs are placing on households…

-----and the winter heating season would already be under way. I think Sinn Féin knows that.

This is the appropriate mechanism through which the Government can examine these pressures comprehensively and decide what further assistance is warranted. The budget allows us to take a full view across a range of energy costs and across all affected households and sectors rather than dealing with one fuel or one tax measure in isolation. We should not pre-empt discussions that properly belong in the budgetary process, the product of which is only days away. The Tánaiste has been clear that Government is examining…

The budget is in 14 days.

I thank the Deputy for her question. My thoughts are with all workers facing potential redundancy. I understand this is a very difficult time for those involved. Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation in place to protect workers impacted by redundancy. The Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended, requires employers to pay a statutory redundancy payment to eligible employees who are being made redundant and have more than two years’ service. The rules governing collective redundancies are set o…

As already stated, Ireland has a robust suite of employment law to protect workers who are impacted by this redundancy programme. That includes the right to statutory redundancy payments for eligible employees with more than two years' service. It also includes the right to a 30-day information and consultation process during the collective redundancy process and, indeed, a certain level of minimum notice prior to dismissal. These protections are in place. They are really important. Given the independence of those …

I answered that question previously. The legislation sets out clearly the requirements of what the consultation involves. The consultation process includes discussions around avoiding redundancies where possible, reducing the number of redundancies and mitigating the consequences for those affected. Employers are also required to provide employees' representatives with specific information relating to the process of redundancies and to facilitate meaningful engagement and transparency. Nothing has been communicated…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Balanced regional development is a Government priority. The Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the regional enterprise plans, REPs. The REPs are bottom-up plans, developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise environment. Each of the nine REPs was tailored to reflect regional strengths and opportunities and aligned to national enterprise policy priorities such…

I thank the Deputy for his support and his ambition for the delivery of enterprise and business solutions to the west, especially Galway. Galway has been one of the major drivers of the success of the regional enterprise plans and the county has benefited significantly from closer collaboration across enterprise, education and innovation sectors. One only needs to look at the likes of the PorterShed, the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and Platform 94 to see that. The ambition is to continue to support the …

That is a fair point. The new Planning and Development (Amendment) Act, along with the Critical Infrastructure Act will certainly unlock key large-scale infrastructure. There is no better example than the Galway ring road and other key infrastructure that will support the expansion of, not just County Galway, but the west as a whole. That includes the western rail corridor and many other significant strategic projects. Galway has a strong ecosystem, like Mayo, in medical technology and pharmaceuticals and in workin…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, an item in the programme for Government, was published on 10 September 2025. The action plan reflects a whole-of-government approach to the domestic drivers of competitiveness and focuses on areas that are firmly within national control. Its development was informed by extensive consultation across Departments and with external stakeholders. Accountability, monitoring and oversight are key to the successful delivery of the act…

I thank the Deputy for his response. It is a priority within our Department to focus on enterprise and the small business sector. That is why we established the cost of doing business advisory forum. We published that report last month. It had huge input from regulators, representative bodies, businesses and the private sector. It was broadly well received. It looked at the structural costs within businesses. We need a whole-of-government approach to drive the implementation of those recommendations. Some 63 recomm…

I take the points the Deputy has raised. In the last budget, we made a decision within our Department and the Minister, Deputy Burke, brought forward an increase in the research and development tax credit, bringing it to 35%. That was broadly welcomed. The industry had campaigned for it. The Minister will bring forward a new life sciences strategy in the coming months. This will focus on our strengths but also try to implement practical measures to continue to make Ireland an attractive place not just for indigenou…

I thank the Deputy for his question. He will be aware that in August 2026, KKR announced its intention to acquire Integer Holdings, with the transaction expected to complete later this year. Integer's facility in New Ross is a significant employer in the south east and is an important part of Ireland's internationally recognised medical technologies sector. The company has a long-established presence in the region and continues to make a valuable contribution to the local economy and employment base. IDA Ireland ha…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this important matter. I appreciate what a valuable employer Integer is with regard to New Ross and the wider region. However, as I said earlier, let us not over speculate the situation. The IDA stands ready to engage with KKR. It is very important we continue our engagement with the senior leadership team at Integer as that acquisition continues in process. We will closely monitor developments and continue to ensure we have proactive engagement with the company as the transacti…

I thank the Deputy for his remarks. I am certainly open, as I am sure the Minister is, to visiting New Ross in the future to engage with existing and future management as part of this operation. Of course, we will continue to engage with our key State agencies, including IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. We will ensure County Wexford continues to be supported. FDI investment has increased by over 15% in the past five years, which shows the level of interest and intent within that region. We will continue to marke…