I acknowledge the efforts the Minister of State has made in this area. I recently met with the Muiríosa Foundation. The work it does in this space is commendable and is very welcome in terms of the initiatives it is bringing forward, particularly to encourage individuals with a disability into the workplace, into education and into different services. There is an element of needing to ensure there is an adequate service there to meet that level of dependency. Local employers are providing a couple of hours of work …

Will the Minister provide an update on the latest figures for school completion rates?

I firmly believe the Minister has made great strides on the issue of school completion. Initiatives such as free school books, hot meals, transport and even the school clothing and footwear allowance announced this week are all helping to encourage more people to stay engaged in education. Youth services have an important role to play as well. Some of the initiatives Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board, LOETB, has rolled out in my constituency are making a difference. While Offaly has one of the lower lev…

While we see an increase in the youth population in Offaly, we also see an increase in youth dependency rates. That is a call more than ever before to see this funding allocated where it is needed most. In the context of the Minister’s previous role as Minister for Justice, if we can ensure this funding is allocated and effective, we mitigate the possibility of antisocial behaviour, mental health issues, substance misuse and criminality in general. It has an important role to play. We must look at what the likes of…

Will the Minister give us the details of the number and type of trade promotion events that he has participated in since his appointment.

I thank the Minister. I met with agriculture students and teachers at Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board at the Intro to Ag initiative in recent days. I have also met with producers and farmers. It is clear that they are extremely proud of the high regard for Irish produce across the world. The level of innovation within this sector is best in class. It is important that we ensure it remains best in class. Our success in this sector did not come about by accident. It came about through strategic planning…

While other speakers made reference to the threat of TB, there is also the threat of trade tariffs. We need to remove the barriers in our control, one example of which is alcohol labelling. We need to look at growing our existing markets as well. France and Germany have similar populations, yet we export three times the produce to Germany that we do to France. I have to question why that is the case. What are the barriers or challenges to achieving the same penetration in the French market as in Germany? As the Min…

I start by welcoming Josie, Jacek, Cillian and Eabha along with their teachers, Ms Lavin and Ms Keyes, and congratulating them on their outstanding achievement as European debating champions. Reports this week from the national claims information database have highlighted further increases in motor insurance premiums. This is no doubt an added financial strain on motorists at a time when there are so many demands with the cost of living. Significant progress has been made on insurance reform, but premiums remain st…

This afternoon, I attended an event in Buswells Hotel hosted by Engineers Ireland, where it was stated that 65% of the children in our primary schools today will work in jobs that do not exist yet. I recently attended Banagher College to celebrate the Laois-Offaly ETB STEAM showcase event that recognises more inspiring projects in robotics, coding and virtual reality; initiatives that are truly reshaping Offaly's future, bridging the gap left behind by the end of peat production and equipping our youth for tomorrow…

In recent weeks, the debating team at St. Brendan's Community School, Birr, was crowned European debating champions. A team from Coláiste Choilm in Tullamore is in Texas right now competing in the VEX IQ Robotics Competition. Students from Sacred Heart school, Tullamore, will be in Texas next week, along with students from Cork and Kildare, all of whom will be competing against the best in the world from more than 50 countries. These achievements shine a global spotlight on our students and their country and unders…

Offaly and the wider midlands have powered this nation for generations, first through peat and now through renewables. We have led from the front but today we face a critical turning point in our energy and economic future. Midlands just transition was meant to ensure that no community was left behind in the move to a climate-neutral economy but for many in Offaly it has felt like a promise made but certainly not kept. With almost 700 job losses, we have lost more jobs in the energy transition than any other county…

I fully agree that in our renewable energy journey, we have hit many important milestones. As part of that journey, Offaly has been to the forefront. In addition to mapping, we also need to see a greater level of community recognition. In tandem with renewable zoning, we must overhaul the community benefit fund under the renewable energy support scheme. The current €2 per MW/h is too diluted. There are too many small pots, too many committees and too little impact. The more infrastructure, the more complex it becom…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue. Over the past number of years very significant progress has been made on insurance reform. The importance of insurance and the security and protection it provides for policyholders cannot be underestimated and it must be readily available and affordable. The impetus for and the objectives of all the recent reform was very simple. Insurance premiums were too high and were posing an existential threat to charities, voluntary organisations, homeowners, moto…

I thank the Minister of State. In no uncertain terms, this will lead to an increase in premiums and costs to every one of the societal areas I mentioned in my earlier contribution. General damages awards in Ireland remain significantly higher than in Europe. Increasing them further will only put more businesses at a competitive disadvantage and place even more pressure on strained sectors of society. We have made meaningful progress on insurance reform but adopting this proposed 16.7% increase in general damages wo…

The promises President Trump made from the Rose Garden last night were essentially protectionism with thorny tariffs, presenting challenges and uncertainty for many sectors, including businesses, farmers and livelihoods in County Offaly. It is essential we maintain a sense of calm with a measured response, proactively working with our EU counterparts through trade, diversification and deepening relationships with other global partners. Thankfully, we come from a position of strength due the prudent management of ou…

Thank you very much, a Cheann Comhairle. I wish you well, and it is good to see you back in the Chair. How many embassies and consulates is Ireland operating and how does this compare with the number at the time of the launch of the Global Ireland strategy?

I thank the Tánaiste. We have made fantastic progress in this area and it is commendable what has been achieved with respect to bolstering our global footprint. That whole Ireland House system has been a wonderful initiative, and it has never been more needed given our ever-changing and ever-shifting global priorities. When you speak to members of the diaspora, you get a great sense of pride and appreciation for what is achieved through our embassies. Sometimes it goes beyond monetary value. There is a tie back to …

When you look at days like St. Patrick's Day and what it achieves in reaching every corner of the world, the more locations where we can have a presence and be able to promote Ireland that way, the better. It also opens an opportunity for greater connectivity around the world. When you see the number of people who are coming here to work from the likes of South America, there is a real opportunity here, through balanced regional development, to create connectivity to other parts of the world that is not there alrea…

The local improvement scheme is one of the best schemes we have seen in terms of reaching corners of all parts of rural Ireland that may not necessarily have street lights or that may be waiting for broadband to be delivered. We should be encouraging councils to clear all their backlogs rather than breaking it down into districts or otherwise. If we can see a way to a situation where applications are sought, funding is provided and those lists are cleared, we must work in that regard. If we have a situation where d…

I wish both the Minister and the Minister of State well in their new roles. I ask if there is a central set of criteria which apply under the local enhancement programme, given that the funding is decided at a local level, and if the Minister will make a statement on the matter.