I thank all Members in the House for what was a really interesting discussion on this really important issue. Like my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, I am pleased the Government has not opposed this motion. The Dáil’s engagement on diaspora matters is always welcome and it was really positive to have such good engagement today. Every day, we see the value of the sustained investment in our communities abroad. That was evident in the response of the Irish community to the Covid pandemic, a response…

I thank both Deputies for raising this cross-party Topical Issue which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I thank them for raising this issue. I was in Limerick city only earlier this week with Senator Maria Byrne and the issue of crime was raised with me by Limerick Chamber of Commerce. Like all decent citizens, I strongly condemn gangland criminality and, in particular, intimidation and threats using firearms and other lethal weapons. People have a right to live safely and feel safe in the…

I thank the Deputies for raising all of those issues. Regarding the joint policing committees - I too sat on my JPC - as the Deputies will be aware, they are being replaced by the LCSPs. We will get further information on that-----

-----but that is the latest information we have in relation to that. Deputy Quinlivan raised community gardaí and the need to invest in them. I absolutely hear him and will certainly bring that back to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, on whose behalf I am taking this Topical Issue. At the end of April this year, there were 585 Garda members of all ranks assigned to the Limerick division. I am told that is an increase of almost 6% since the end of the previous decade.

According to the figures that have been provided to me by the Department of Justice, there was a 6% increase in the ten years previous to 2025. In addition to the specific measures I mentioned which are taking place in Limerick - I have gone through the different Garda operations - a number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle organised crime and the crime groups behind those types of acts. They include legislation that has been brought through this House, for example to increase the maximum…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for sharing her own experience. It is really important that we, as female parliamentarians, share our experience. It is inspiring for others who may follow in her footsteps that the Deputy has done so. The challenge of providing accessible childcare is very much real. The Deputy outlined the issues many of her constituents face. Many of my constituents, and some of my friends, are in the same boat, having to put down the names of children who are not yet born …

I thank the Deputy and her colleague for the work they are doing on this issue. The Government is committed to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. I will take her recommendation for a cross-party committee to the Minister, Deputy Foley. The programme for Government commits, for the first time ever, to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned early learning and childcare facilities. This will create additional capacity in areas where unmet need …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is raised with many of us in this House by principals up and down the country whose jobs are constantly evolving and constantly getting more challenging. I really appreciate the Deputy raising this here today. The role of schools within communities is crucial and the Minister for Education and Youth, on whose behalf I am taking this Topical Issue, acknowledges the contribution made daily by all school leaders in the operation of our schools. International evidence is…

I thank the Deputy for sharing her own experience, which is so relevant. Ultimately, the existing models of leadership and governance in our schools place a burden on school principals as well as boards of management and the sector as a whole. It is a very difficult balance to strike to get the appropriate level of checks and balances which are critical for both our students and the industry and to make sure we are not overburdening principals, in particular, and school leaders. Recognising these challenges, the De…

The Government data centre initiative is led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, OGCIO, a division within my Department. It is an action item in the Government’s public service ICT strategy and aims to deliver and centrally support ICT as a shared service rather than have common technical solutions in each public sector body. The Government data centre project will deliver high-quality, energy efficient data centre facilities which are fit for purpose and are capable of efficiently meeting th…

I thank the Deputies for their comments. The new Government data centre will provide secure but also green operations that will future-proof the reliable delivery of essential digital services. The intention is to operate a hybrid model utilising a Government data centre that combines Government and commercial cloud technology in an optimised way. That is part of the Government's wider digital strategy. The Government data centre will be a 4 MW facility and obviously, as Deputies have pointed out, all data centres …

Yes, and that is something Government is examining in detail. We need to make sure we invest in our digital infrastructure but that we do so in a way that balances our environmental commitments and obligations. We are working very hard to strike the right balance.

I did not know it was for an entire week. Thank God it is Thursday. I welcome the opportunity to address Seanad Éireann and to share with Senators my vision and my ambition for public procurement. Public procurement is a key priority of our Department and is vital to ensuring we deliver better public services for all of those living here in Ireland. I thank Senator Kyne for the invitation to address the House and to have this discussion, and I thank all the Senators here for giving their time to share with me their…

I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate. It is great to see such interest in this area. It is great to see so many ideas being put to the floor. I will address the comments. I off huge thanks to Senators Byrne, Davitt, Craughwell, Noonan, Murphy, O'Reilly and Higgins for their interest in this and their welcome comments. I have categorised the feedback I received on three key themes: SME access; suppliers, supply chains and engagement with suppliers; and the social, ethical and green impact. I might …

Every time we speak in this Chamber about Palestine the situation is worse, but it is still important to speak about it in this Chamber, in our national Parliament, because that is a privilege people whose voices are being silenced do not have. Some 14,000 babies in Gaza are at risk of dying if humanitarian aid continues to be blocked. These are innocent, helpless lives, yet there is still no breakthrough. Tragically, we are not actually talking about them being at risk any more because it looks like it will become…

Every year on 9 May we celebrate Europe Day. It is an occasion which is more than just history. It is a celebration of peace, partnership and progress. The European Union, whose membership has supported a remarkable economic and social transformation in Ireland, is, at its heart, a peace project. It was founded on the simple but powerful idea that countries can achieve more by working together, solving problems collectively and improving the lives of their people. On 9 May 1950, the French foreign minister, Robert …

I thank Deputy Farrell. The programme for Government includes a commitment to review the public procurement process to make it more transparent and to encourage greater participation by SMEs and other entities the Deputy has just spoken about. Working towards this aim and in the interests of setting out the strategic direction of public procurement for the next five years, my Department is developing a first national public procurement strategy. Last week, I launched a public consultation, which is being run by the…

I have not seen the Deputy’s Bill.

I am absolutely happy to look at it and to sit down with the Deputy to discuss it. Data collection is a key issue of concern for me. I have tasked the Office of Government Procurement to look at how we can better collect those data. Looking right across the spectrum, from SMEs to social enterprises, it is important to consider how much is being tendered versus how much is actually used at the end of a project. The Deputy referred to ethical sourcing. The Office of Government Procurement has, as she will be aware, a…

I am happy to speak to it about that matter. It is worth noting that the feedback I have been getting is that local authorities often source locally. That is really positive. We need to ensure that this is baked into our frameworks going forward to make sure we are being socially aware and that transparency, value for money and efficiency are top priorities for all procurement, whether that is in the context of local authorities or the various Departments. We have a sourcing team to support any Department, local au…