That is very heartening to hear, and I look forward to working together to ensure that the commitments in the programme for Government are advanced. While I am here, I would like to raise the immense financial strains carers often find themselves under in spite of the services they provide. In a recent survey, 69% of carers reported having difficulty making ends meet and, of those, 29% have begun cutting back on essentials such as food and heating. Some 39% of all carers live in households with a combined total inc…

It is a great start to the new year for me to be here in the Chamber addressing an Aire Stáit, another strong female TD from Carlow. Go raibh maith agat. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, for the work she is doing for the young people in Carlow and Kilkenny. Thank you once again. Speaking as a parent first and foremost I am alarmed at the increase in the sale of vaping products among our young people. I welcome the new legislation being brought forward by the Minister of State, which is comi…

I ask the Taoiseach to please continue to support our farmers. I am a rural TD and, together with my local public representatives, like Councillor Tommy Kinsella in Ballinkillen, we have been hearing over and over again about the devastating impact that the Mercosur deal, in its current format, will have on farmers, farm families and rural communities. I stand together with my Fine Gael colleagues in Carlow and Kilkenny in strong opposition to the deal. I am asking the Taoiseach on their behalf to follow through on…

As I am sure we in this Chamber are all well aware, keeping our children safe in a seemingly limitless digital landscape can be a source of anxiety for parents all around the country. As a parent born in a non-digital world, I know I sometimes yearn for the good old pre-mobile phone days but we all have to acknowledge that the online world has made life so much easier for many people in many ways. It has helped us feel connected to family members who live far away from home and has offered peace of mind to parents …

Gabhaim buíochas.

I acknowledge all the contributions made on this Bill today. It will play a crucial role in protecting Ireland’s reputation as an advocate of free and fair trading agreements worldwide and it will allow for the constitutional ratification of the trade agreement between the EU and Canada and other international agreements. I am not alone in acknowledging the transformative effect that open and fair trading relationships have had on this island. I am also not alone in acknowledging the major opportunities that agreem…

I acknowledge the work of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who, since she became Minister for Health, has been proactive in tackling many pre-existing inefficiencies in the health system. It is also important that I acknowledge and recognise the very hard-working staff within our hospital system. None of what I am saying is a slight on those dedicated and committed members of the hospital network, the HSE or CHI. It has been apparent since Deputy Carroll MacNeill became Minister for Health that she i…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. It is very important to acknowledge the marked increase in our defence budget. We are making good progress and it is really important that this momentum should continue. I mention the second part of the SAFE regulation, which is the loan. One way I would have liked to have seen this momentum continue was through availing of the SAFE loan. It was a loan that was very competitively priced and had a long maturity and for me it is a missed opportunity. I understand fully the logic…

I thank the Tánaiste. That is very reassuring to hear. The logic of creating the SAFE regulation was to ensure EU money stayed in the EU to support and encourage European enterprises to be developed with the long-term goal being to strengthen Europe's industrial and technological base. At a recent defence committee meeting, the Department of Defence said that out of the €340 billion spent on defence purchases by European countries, 80% of that went outside the EU. It is to be applauded, therefore, that the EU is wo…

I am very happy to see that progress is being made on developer-led infrastructure in terms of water and wastewater treatment for smaller developments but will the Tánaiste please ensure that Uisce Éireann moves as fast as developers do? There are significant water restrictions in Castlecomer in my constituency due to the lack of water capacity. Uisce Éireann has a plan to upgrade the plant, which I welcome, but it is not due to be completed until the end of 2029. That is an intolerable delay for residents and an i…

I welcome the contributions that have been made on this important Bill so far this afternoon. I commend the vision and efficiency that the Government has shown in progressing this Bill, which will fulfil the second phase of a multiyear plan to increase the number of judges. While those who work to administer justice in Ireland are among the hardest working individuals in the country, by increasing the number of judges available to hear cases, we can provide a further boost to their efforts. Recent reports from the …

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution on the topic of international protection processing and enforcement. It is an area in which, in spite of enormous challenges, the Government has made sustained progress in the right direction. It is critical to point out at the outset that migrants make an immense contribution to Irish society. People are welcome to come here, work, study and join family so long as they do so legally, as the vast majority do. Migrants' presence here in Ireland contributes to a rich a…

I welcome the contributions on the topic of men's health. To hear that this may be the first time in the history of the Dáil that this issue has been discussed on its own is a good sign of the direction we are travelling in. I want to thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for all her work on mental health and men's mental health in particular. I was recently at an event in Carlow, as was the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor. It was really heartening to see such a strong light being shone on men's me…

Ballon Meats is a family-run independent meat processing factory that has been operating since 1977. It provides a vital service to local farmers across my locality - Ballon, Fenagh, Kildavin, Rathoe, Myshall and Tullow - as well as employing local people. It faces a challenge at the moment and needs our help. It needs more skilled workers. Despite having advertised locally and across the EU, it has not managed to receive a single application. It identified a number of skilled workers outside the EU, but it was uns…

I thank the Minister for his answer. As we all know and as he said, cyber-resilience is critical in this modern world. We need robust cybersecurity to protect our digital systems and data from unauthorised access and misuse and from theft and damage due to the increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency, complexity and destructiveness and can compromise our critical infrastructure across geographical borders without even being present in this jurisdiction. That is the real thre…

In the Department of justice, we know An Garda Síochána leads the domestic intelligence and national security operations, while the NCSE manages cybersecurity. In the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces handle external and military intelligence. In the Department of the Taoiseach, the national security secretariat provides strategic oversight and co-ordination. Will the Minister please outline the current level of collaboration between these three Departments? Is he confident that their collective cyber-resil…

I ask the Minister to offer a report on the progress that has been made on the national roll-out of the See Something, Say Something initiative, as outlined in the programme for Government.

I thank the Minister very much for his answer. As he says, See Something, Say Something is a really good initiative. The national roll-out of it is committed to in the programme for Government. It is a community initiative which enables the public to text details of illegal dumping, antisocial behaviour and other incidents directly to the authorities, as the Minister said. It is designed to support crime prevention and community safety. The initiative has been warmly received in all the locations it has been introd…

I thank the Minister. As already outlined, the initiative has been enormously successful. While I commend the Minister's ambition in expanding community policing across the country it is important to note there is still a real need for more community gardaí in our rural towns and villages who are as visible and contactable as possible, as far as the people they serve are concerned. Of the most recent graduate class from Templemore, only one has been stationed in Carlow, with zero new graduates coming to Kilkenny. T…

Budget 2026 is about protecting and supporting jobs in the face of turbulent economic headwinds. As the first of five budgets that will be delivered over the lifetime of this Government, of course we cannot achieve everything we wish to at once and there will always be more that we can do. However, the permanent incremental measures that are outlined in this budget will go a long way towards providing the structural supports that our economy needs to weather any potential storms. This is a budget designed to keep u…