Before I speak about my approval of this Bill and give my thanks for the work done on it, I wish to make my position on immigration very clear. Having listened to various debates over the last number of days, sometimes it feels, as an outsider looking in, that the lines tend to get a little bit blurred when we talk about immigration and what immigration is. It is important to underline that our position is that immigration is welcome in Ireland. We welcome people of all shapes and sizes and from all corners of the …

I absolutely concur with everything Deputy Callaghan has said. She rightly mentioned that families come in many shapes and forms and different sizes. I am very conscious that we link everything to our blood relatives. The time has come that when we are reviewing all the categories we have to consider those members of our families - because essentially, they can be very much considered as family - and perhaps consider a nominated heir rather than a straightforward A, B, C category and trying to slot them into a part…

I thank the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy.

Deputy Doherty, no more please.

In broad strokes, I welcome this Bill and the debate in the Chamber on it, be it on childcare places or the Bill itself. Today I want to focus on two points, namely, the duty to co-operate and the establishment of the committee. For the past couple of months, I have had my eyes opened in Drogheda. I normally visit schools on a weekly basis. Most recently, before Christmas, I visited three schools where it was highlighted to me that children of seven years of age were coming in high on drugs - not high on life; high…

There are many aspects of this Bill that I welcome. In particular, in relation to so-called sex for rent, I welcome the protections that will be afforded to people who are victims of such behaviour by ruthless landlords. I also welcome the detail in regard to the complex network analysis, CNA, techniques in locating missing persons. Unfortunately, there are a number of constituents of mine in County Louth who still have family members who are missing and I really hope this is of benefit to them. I also welcome sect…

I raise an issue on behalf of one of my constituents who is quite literally pulling out her hair because she has no idea where or if she will place her child in a special school next September. We know that parents of children with special needs face many challenges and one of them is the assessments. Through no fault of her own, last October she knew she was going to miss the deadline because her child has been on a waiting list for an assessment. She made clear to the NCSE that this was going to be the case but o…

I truly thank the Minister of State for the reply and look forward to a proactive approach from the NCSE and local SENOs to finding a solution to those individual cases. As the Minister of State said, anxiety is being caused to families by so many issues. If we can alleviate it and make sure these children, who are very special, have the right structures in place, are not delayed any further and get their places in September, that will be a huge achievement for the child and the family. On Monday, I visited St. Ita…

As my colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, said, this is a very wide-ranging debate but I would like to focus on international aid. In 2024, the US made $82 billion in contribution under USAID. In 2025, it was just under $20 billion. Other European countries and Great Britain also announced major cuts in their contribution which means it is estimated that only 29% of global humanitarian funding needs are being met. In a world that is changing before our eyes, how are we even going to possibly believe we will be in a posit…

We have water, water everywhere, except flowing through the pipes and down through the taps in County Louth. I fear I will be very repetitive, like many of my colleagues. As Deputy Barry Ward said about previous speakers, I am about to take the Minister of State on a whistle-stop tour, this time of County Louth. While I recognise that Uisce Éireann committed €28 million to Drogheda last year, the problems are so long and so vast that three minutes is not enough. I will point out the housing growth pressure issue. C…

I thank the carers and the home helps who come into our homes and take such good care of our mothers, fathers and loved ones. Without them, quite frankly, I am not sure if I or my family could function properly day to day. That is my first thought on this Bill. Overall, the Bill is very positive. It is timely that the sector is regulated. I still see some gaps, however. First and foremost - I have heard my colleague speak about this - the time stops and gaps of half an hour, three quarters of an hour or an hour two…

When I want to take a bus or train from Belfast to Dublin, Dundalk or Drogheda, the routes have improved. By rail or bus, they are absolutely excellent and even on the hour. However, if I want to go from east to west, from Clogherhead to Dunleer or Ardee and on to Trim or Kells, there are no buses and no public services to enable people to get to work or to get to medical appointments. I have written again and again to the NTA with no reply. If there is any reply, it is saying they have no plans to develop any serv…

Yes. County Louth, where there are 140,000 people-----

It is based on rail, Deputy Mac Lochlainn. With a population of 140,000, County Louth is growing and houses are spawning at an accelerated rate. Our businesses are growing and we are attracting businesses into the county, month after month. However, our two train stations are jammed. There is no parking and there is no facility. I listened earlier when the Minister of State talked about how we have to be ambitious, and we are ambitious, but it is now time to have a serious conversation about a third railway station…

Can the Minister provide us with an update on the capital investment allocations for electricity grid upgrades under the national development plan, and the way in which these decisions support Ireland's renewable energy targets and, most importantly, our security of supply?

I welcome all these updates, in particular the largest investment. I also welcome the fact that this is going to be monitored and that the Minister will receive quarterly reports because without a robust energy delivery, we are going to find ourselves in great difficulty going into the future. For example, the Minister, Deputy Burke, launched in May 2025 the Silicon Island project. This is a very ambitious project. This is something that will take us into the realms of new jobs and new prospects for our economy. We…

The M1 corridor is uniquely positioned to attract new FDI. We have the lands and talent, as well as the proximity not just to two large cities but also the airports. This is an area in which I welcomed, during engagement throughout the summer with ESB Networks, its announcement of a commitment to invest €90 million. That will take us into the next five years but not the next ten years, however. It is about continued investment. It is great to have a plan for the next ten years, but we must think longer term than th…