I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach attended the COP in Brazil as head of Government. It is appropriate that he did so. I welcome his remarks while there. I ask the Taoiseach to consider that Ireland might consider hosting a future COP to raise awareness of the important issues he has outlined. I do want to express concern that if we are going to reduce our own dependence on fossil fuels and get people out of cars, we have to provide them with a realistic public transport alternative. I am passionate about rail t…

There is nothing on the roster-----

I raise again the question of support for school secretaries and caretakers. It is unfortunate that the talks at the Workplace Relations Committee, WRC, collapsed and the issue is now going to the Labour Court in January 2026. We need to give a clear commitment in this House that we will look to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible. It is a real concern for long-serving school caretakers and school secretaries. I am thinking of people like Valerie Gregory and Declan Murray at St. Michael and St. Peter sch…

I thank the Minister for taking this debate and for his personal interest in this important subject. As legislators, we can have no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety of our citizens in both the offline and the online world, and particular those who are vulnerable, especially children and young people. It is critical that we get the balance right between regulation and education. It cannot only be about regulation. It has to be about ensuring that we equip children, young people and parents to be able …

I thank the Minister. He and I do not need to discuss the challenges facing the sector; I know he is very much aware of them. What farmers are looking for is a guarantee of a basic income. Obviously we already have the BISS scheme in place. I welcome the fact that as part of the CAP negotiations the Minister is looking at trying to provide some floor for farmers. It is not just important for the sustainability of farming, as the Minister mentioned, it is also important to us being able to tackle climate change and …

The Minister is aware that in the US there is a federal crop insurance programme which was introduced during the time of the depression. I was with the Canadian ambassador when he spoke to the IFA about guarantees, insurance and a basic income scheme that operate in Canada. It continues to be a concern that 1,400 tillage farmers have left the sector in recent years. I know the Minister is committed to this and I very much welcome his support for flour production in Ireland, bringing that back and diversifying marke…

It is good to see Deputy Feighan here as Minister of State. I thank him for being here for this very important debate. I pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Shane Moynihan, who has been raising this issue during Taoiseach's questions since the beginning of the year. Barry Andrews, MEP, raises it regularly in the European Parliament. This is a very important debate. As colleagues said, it has perhaps been overshadowed by conflicts in Gaza and the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing campaign of aggression against Ukrain…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this item. Like my colleague Deputy Cleere, I acknowledge the significant investment in the school building programme. However, there does, of late, seem to be slow progress on certain projects. We are looking for an assurance that when it comes to the school building programme the capital is in place to be able to deliver on those much-needed schools. The concern I have is that I placed parliamentary questions at the start of the year and six, seven or eight months later, I…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I totally understand there can be delays to various projects. In nearly all of these cases, if it has got to stage 2b, the land is there and the school is ready to go. Stage 2b seems to be some sort of bizarre purgatory within the Department. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State talked about 80 further school programmes. All that many of these schools are asking for is a clear timeline. If it is published on the Department website, as the Minister of State sa…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the renaming of Dublin Airport as Seán Lemass Dublin International Airport and to provide for related matters. I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me the time to move this Bill. It provides for the formal renaming of Dublin Airport as the Seán Lemass Dublin international airport. This is not simply a question of changing a sign; it is about recognising a leader whose vision transformed Ireland and whose policies opened the ga…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I support Deputy Butterly on this. The Minister might update us. We had a regional film uplift fund in the past but, as a result of issues relating to EU supports, that could not continue. He will certainly be aware that, when filming has to take place outside of Dublin and Wicklow, crews have to travel and there is a cost to that. He has outlined the success we have seen with filming right around the country. He will also be aware that there are plans to develop Tara Studios, just outside Gorey in north Wexford. H…

I applaud the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's efficiency in the Chair. I thank the Minister for taking this question. It concerns the proposal in the programme for Government to develop an arts capital scheme. Will the Minister provide us with an update?

The sports capital programme has been incredibly successful at providing support for sport within our communities. I welcome the Government's continued commitment but we have not placed the same level of investment in arts and cultural facilities in our organisations. I appreciate the point about stream E but, as the Minister pointed out, the maximum grant available is €50,000. In a capital programme, that is not a huge sum. I am thinking of a number of places in my constituency, including Gorey Little Theatre, KMH…

I welcome that. Will the Minister outline a rough timeline for that? He talks of local authorities but not all venues are local authority-run or have local authority input. Many venues for amateur drama or the arts are run on a community or voluntary basis. It is about the process of application and capacity-building in the sector. Does the local authority have to be involved? I appreciate the scheme is not fully designed but will the Minister outline his intentions in that regard?

I wish the Tánaiste well in his new role. I also thank Paschal Donohoe for his service as Minister for Finance and in other roles. One of the last reports he published as Minister, and one of the most important, is the Future Forty report, which sets out the long-term direction for this country. Part of that is the demographic challenge, whereby we will grow from having about 860,000 people over the age of 65 now to potentially 2 million in 40 years. What is critical in that is that we have a healthy older populati…

I appreciate the Minister of State coming to take this Topical Issue. I am not sure if in his earlier answer he was committing to bringing the Luas to the Wicklow-Wexford constituency but if he can, I will welcome it. We will welcome any improvement to rail services. I deeply love where I come from. We have some of the best beaches in the country and wonderful community life in all our towns and rural areas but many people have to commute to work or college. Part of that is due to the continued failure of the IDA t…

I appreciate that the Minister of State is only providing the answer on the part of the Department of Transport but it shows why I have very little confidence in that Department or the NTA on delivery. I am a huge supporter of completing the M11 from Oilgate to Rosslare. That will not assist in any way the 6,500 daily commuters who for the most part are moving north but let us move on with it as quickly as possible. There is no real significant improvement in what will happen on the N11-M11. I had to laugh because …

Notwithstanding other matters that may have happened today, I believe this is the most important debate to be happening in this House. It is not just about Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine but, rather, a question around the war in Europe and, indeed, a war on Europe by an increasingly aggressive Russia. I have to express my disappointment that while every other parliament in Europe has been debating and exploring this issue, this is the first time since the summer we have had the opportunity to have statements …

A wise man.