Séamus McGrath
Question:1. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [12360/26]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Cabinet Committees
Tony McCormack
Question:2. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [12362/26]
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:3. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [12363/26]
Shane Moynihan
Question:4. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [12364/26]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:5. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [26722/26]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:6. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [34876/26]
Paul Murphy
Question:7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [34879/26]
David Cullinane
Question:8. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [36507/26]
Liam Quaide
Question:9. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [36951/26]
James Geoghegan
Question:10. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [36953/26]
Ruth Coppinger
Question:11. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [36988/26]
Mark Ward
Question:12. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [37494/26]
Conor Sheehan
Question:13. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [37534/26]
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:14. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [37563/26]
Darren O'Rourke
Question:15. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [38893/26]
Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Question:16. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [38895/26]
Peadar Tóibín
Question:17. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39179/26]
Jennifer Whitmore
Question:18. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39343/26]
Paul Lawless
Question:19. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39395/26]
Louis O'Hara
Question:20. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39587/26]
Conor D McGuinness
Question:21. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39588/26]
Conor Sheehan
Question:22. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next [39593/26]
Barry Heneghan
Question:23. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39716/26]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:24. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39719/26]
I propose to take Question Nos. 1 to 24, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on infrastructure met last week on Monday, 18 May. The Cabinet committee works to drive infrastructure delivery and implementation of the national development plan. From the start, we have set out our ambition to deliver a step change in Ireland’s infrastructure. The revised national development plan sets out unprecedented investment of over €275 billion for critical infrastructure across the country to 2035, including an overall investment of €112 billion up to 2030. This includes funding for major infrastructural projects in transport, water and energy, which will support our continued development, notably in enabling the delivery of much needed housing at scale, but also to improve competitiveness and sustainability. In the coming years, we will see over €24 billion NDP funding invested in key transport programmes across our country, along with €12.2 billion for the water sector to support water quality, rural water services, unlock housing and upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure. In energy, the landmark investment of up to €18.9 billion approved by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in its price review 6, supported by Government investment of €3.5 billion equity, will allow us to upgrade Ireland’s existing electricity infrastructure and deliver critical new infrastructure to meet future demand. This is the largest single investment in the country’s electricity network in its history.
Large, once-in-a-generation projects, such as MetroLink and the greater Dublin drainage scheme, are advancing at pace having secured planning, and they are now moving with momentum to enable construction to commence in the next few years. To ensure we get maximum value out of the investment we are making, we are reforming our delivery mechanisms so that these critical programmes are brought to fruition as efficiently and as quickly as possible.
The Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan sets out 30 high-impact reforms to speed and scale up delivery of homes, roads, public transport, water and wastewater plants and energy infrastructure. It includes legislative reforms to balance individual rights with the public interest, measures to simplify regulation and consenting systems, and to cut administrative burdens and red tape. Strong progress is being made and impacts are becoming clear. Twenty-six weeks were saved on the Waterford wastewater treatment plant due to measures implemented to accelerate projects through consenting processes. System changes have also resulted in Uisce Éireann changing the project commissioning of the greater Dublin drainage scheme, resulting in a saving of 12 months. Timelines for marine area consents are now reduced by 30% for bodies classified as "fit and proper". Further progress will be made over the current quarter.
The Critical Infrastructure Bill will fast-track the approval processes for strategically important projects and the scale of fees for environmental judicial reviews will give a clearer cost framework for applicants and the taxpayer. A large number of measures are being implemented to continue our reform agenda.
Thank you, Taoiseach.
Our economy is strong and our population is growing, and we are building a robust infrastructural backbone to support this. We are seizing the opportunity now to invest for the benefit of current and future generations.
I thank the Taoiseach. I raise the issue of Cork BusConnects project. As the Taoiseach knows, Cork is a growing city but every day people are facing long commutes, unreliable journey times, whether that is in a private car or on public transport, and we have roads that simply cannot take additional capacity. BusConnects offers a real choice but unfortunately it is almost stagnant in terms of its delivery and implementation. If it is moving, it is at a glacial pace. It was first mooted in July 2021 with the first concept consultation. It is now almost five years later and the process has been extremely frustrating. I seriously question the use of the €75 million the NTA has spent on BusConnects to date. It needs to be driven towards delivery and I ask the Taoiseach to please take this matter up.
From my work on the infrastructure committee, it is clear that Government is putting major investment and the right frameworks in place, particularly through the work the Minister, Deputy Chambers, has done on infrastructure legislation; the work the Minister, Deputy Browne, is doing in housing delivery; and that of the Taoiseach himself and his Department. The Government is now providing a huge amount of money to the likes of Uisce Éireann over the next five years, which is a very significant level of investment. However, concerns continue to arise around whether the organisation currently has the operational capacity, technical expertise and the management structures needed to deliver these projects. Will the Taoiseach outline what further steps are being taken to strengthen delivery?
We have raised on the floor of the House previously the importance attached to DART+ South West for my constituency. I am pleased that in the interactions I have had with the Minister for Transport on the floor of the Dáil that he has indicated a willingness to try to bring this forward for delivery ahead of the expected timeframe. I ask again for the Taoiseach's support in ensuring that does happen. It is pivotal that it happens for my constituency and the rapidly growing communities in Lucan, Clondalkin, Adamstown and Clonburris, and that in the interim sufficient bus services are put in place to make sure we give people the option so they do not have to rely on the private car.
I brought up the issue before of Scoil Bhríde in Shelagh. It is a national school that needs further accommodation. Many parents have been on to me and I have spoken to the school principal and many staff members. The Taoiseach has corresponded but we still do not have the timelines that are necessary and the promises from the planning and building unit, so I request that that would happen. It is a school that would have had to close today. I am requesting that the Taoiseach would add to my voice on the need for Uisce Éireann to deal with the issue of water supply outages in that area and the significant issues that exist. A meeting is needed with Uisce Éireann.
On 13 May, the Irish Independent reported that DLR Properties Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, but which, incredibly, councillors have no control over and no say in whatsoever, put up for sale on the private market land in Cherrywood, which is zoned for more than 1,000 units of housing. It is shocking that the State - the only political representation on it is Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael - is selling off land that could be used for housing in the midst of a housing crisis.
It is hard to think of community infrastructure more important than our postal services. It, therefore, makes no sense whatsoever that the sorting office for Dublin 16 is being moved out of Dublin 16, from Edmondstown to Lucan. It will be a disaster for workers who have built their lives around the fact that they live near where they work, and it will result in massively worsened postal services because the letters and packets will get stuck on the M50.
The routes will not get finished and, potentially, people will have to go all the way to Lucan to pick up their packages. Will the Taoiseach join me in urging An Post to sit down and meet representatives of the community and reverse this disastrous decision?
A short drive from here is the Poolbeg area. The Irish Glass Bottle site is expected to have about 10,000 residents at peak when it is completed but there is a major traffic congestion problem. If the Taoiseach tried to go there this afternoon, he would experience it. We are waiting on the Poolbeg Luas. There was a report saying it could be delivered by 2030 and I want to understand why it will not be. Why is it not in the national development plan? What will the Government do to accelerate infrastructure in this area, which badly needs it?
That is two for Poolbeg because I will also raise the extension of the Luas to Poolbeg. I can tell Deputy Hayes that I have had engagement with the NTA and the project is progressing at pace. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, hopes to go to public consultation early in the new year. I re-emphasise the need for that project. It is not a very large project - a couple of kilometres - but it would make a difference to an area where there will be 10,000 people living and potentially an additional 10,000 people working. TII has confirmed that there is a demand for the extension.
Deputy Geoghegan might communicate with Deputy Hayes on that one.
I did.
A woman attended a public meeting I held last week and she spoke about her son being out of school for two years. He is at home and is smashing things up. She has had to give up her job, as is often the case with people whose children have additional needs. We need a second special school in Dublin 15 and in Dublin West. Cork, Limerick and Blanchardstown have comparable populations, yet we have one special school whereas Limerick and Cork have numerous. This is a recommendation of the task force. How will this infrastructure be provided?
DART+ South West will bring DART services through Clondalkin, Lucan and Adamstown. Construction was expected to start in 2025, but it has been delayed to 2030 at the earliest. This project would enable 20,000 passengers from Clondalkin, Lucan and Adamstown to go each way every hour. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, said the delay was interlinked with another project. I do not believe that is the case. It is ultimately down to funding from central government to the NTA. Will the Taoiseach confirm this? Will the Government prioritise the construction of DART+ South West?
The Government is spending €5 million on building a temporary platform at Adare for the Ryder Cup, yet there is a €35 million missing link between that temporary platform and Limerick Colbert Station. As a result, the Government is spending €5 million on a temporary platform that will only be able to go from Adare to Limerick Junction, bypassing Limerick city, which is a 15-minute drive away. Should the link not be funded - the €35 million Kerry curve - to allow services into Limerick city?
This week, Knock airport will celebrate its 40th anniversary. It is a huge milestone for Mayo and the wider western region. I congratulate Joe Gilmore and all the staff and board of Knock airport. At a time when many thought it was impossible, Monsignor James Horan showed extraordinary vision and determination to make Knock airport a reality. He took the "Build it and they will come" approach and history has proven him right. Thousands of jobs, tourism opportunities and vital international connectivity have come to the region. Will the Government improve connectivity around the airport? The western rail corridor----
The Deputy left out the main supporters, the people who made it happen.
Taoiseach, we do not have time. I call Deputy O'Rourke.
I raise the unscheduled water outages in Ashbourne, County Meath. They are hugely frustrating and increasingly common. People who have lived in the area for decades say it has never been worse. There is a variety of issues: interruptions at the treatment plant, reduced levels in the reservoirs and problems with pumps. However, the main issue is the large and ageing network that has not been invested in. To add insult to injury, Uisce Éireann's communication is a disgrace. What is the Taoiseach doing to address these outages in Ashbourne? Will he advance Sinn Féin's Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2025 to hold Uisce Éireann to account?
Will the Government establish new designated parking bays at motorway junctions to support car-pooling and curtail rising costs for commuters? The basic infrastructure to support car-pooling does not exist in many parts of the country. Motorists are already using motorway junctions as informal meeting points. They pull in on hard shoulders in Paulstown, Mullinavat, Castledermot, Knocktopher and Danesfort. Provision of spaces with safe access, lighting and basic security would immediately reduce dangerous stopping practices and lower commuting costs and congestion. The solution would play into existing Government policy aimed at reducing emissions, tackling congestion and supporting more sustainable travel.
Iarnród Éireann cannot organise a cup of tea to be sold on its commuter trains from Galway or Sligo but it can incinerate €50 million on a failed IT system. This is another disgusting waste of money in our country. You might as well have loaded that €50 million onto a bonfire and set it alight. Does the Taoiseach understand the time it took for those workers to earn the income to pay the tax that has been frittered away? This would not be tolerated in any other walk of life. Will the Taoiseach make sure that the individual responsible for this is removed from their job?
The new battery electric DART to Wicklow town was first promised in 2019 by then Minister, Shane Ross. His expectation was that Wicklow would see that electric DART by 2023. In 2021, a local Government backbencher stated that the carriages would be operational by 2025. In 2022, the former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, announced that the electric DART would be operational by 2026. In February 2025, the date was pushed back to 2028. Last year, it was pushed back again to 2029. It was announced last month that Irish Rail had gone out to tender for this battery electric DART extension. Will the Taoiseach confirm that it is still the case that the DART will be operational by 2029?
I raise Carrabane National School in County Galway. Two weeks ago, I visited the school. The conditions are shocking. There are prefab buildings quite literally falling apart. People have been waiting 20 years for their new school building but it has been delayed again and again by the Department. It is on the priority list but people still do not have clarity as to when it will go to construction. Local families and children should not have to put up with this. They deserve an awful lot better. Will the Taoiseach ensure that this project gets the go-ahead and is prioritised?
It is no surprise that I am discussing energy costs again. The frustration I have today is that the Climate Change Advisory Council again warned the climate and energy committee that Ireland remained exposed to global fossil fuel shocks because of renewable roll-out. At the same time, I have been contacted regarding a proposed infrastructure crossing charge from an already built solar farm being applied by a semi-State body - an unpublished charging structure of €20,000 per megawatt. It is a ridiculous amount to be giving to a renewable project that goes up to €465,000. That end cost will go to the Irish public. CIÉ needs to be investigated.
The Taoiseach has 21 Members to respond to, please. He has 21 answers to give, believe it or not.
Did 21 speak? I thank them all.
Deputy McGrath began on Cork BusConnects. I am familiar with it and may have been responsible for some of the delays in terms of the consultation required with residents and communities. The initial preferred routes that the NTA produced created huge anxiety and stress for many families across the board and we all had to intervene to try to get common sense. Then, lo and behold, there were changed routes. There is an issue with how BusConnects does that. I have had that issue with BusConnects. Very often in the beginning of the process, you get the worst case scenario put out there. People get really stressed and then, lo and behold, a new solution is arrived at. One wonders whether the new solution was in the bottom drawer all along. I do not want to be too unreasonable but as public representatives, I think we have all experienced that. Sometimes, there is no need to create all that stress.
Legislative capacity has now been given to the NTA to be the body with overall responsibility for the roll-out of BusConnects in Cork. It is making progress, at long last. To be fair, there was a lot of consultation and many residents' organisations and communities had issues with residential amenities, potential CPOs, all of that. There is an evaluation to be done and lessons to be learned from how that happened. However, I take the Deputy's point. It was 2021 and it is now 2026.
Deputy McCormack spoke of Uisce Éireann, accountability and so on. There is an issue there and many public representatives are not happy with the level of accountability of Uisce Éireann.
It is neither a semi-State in terms of Dáil questions and so on, but there needs to be a quicker response to public representatives, particularly Members of Dáil Éireann, who are elected by the people, vote money in respect of Uisce Éireann and need a more simplified and straightforward avenue of communication on various projects and issues, and also on the acceleration of projects. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, has spoken to the Deputy. There has been a lot of progress made on some of the big projects, but we need to get more on the towns-based ones in terms of wastewater treatment solutions, and even more than that.
In response to Deputy Shane Moynihan, I am fully behind DART+ South West. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I got very positive feedback that it would be accelerated beyond what was originally given, and I am confident that funding will be found. My view is that the funding will be there to enable DART+ South West to happen because a lot of housing will depend on it as well. All of the development plans along that route envisage very substantial housing projects but they cannot happen if DART+ South West does not happen, so I think it will happen. In the interim, I hear what the Deputy is saying in respect of bus services being advanced.
In response to Deputy Ó Murchú on Scoil Bhríde, he is persistent. I will talk to the Minister for education. There is a broader issue around capital, but I will raise specific schools with the Minister. The Deputy has raised that school with me and I will talk to the Minister for education in respect of that.
The Deputy said there was an Uisce Éireann connection to it-----
The water is out. There are a huge number of issues, including with pumps. If the Taoiseach could follow up on this, a meeting is needed.
We do not have time for these things. We have to be fair to other Members.
In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I presume that the 1,000 housing units are being sold on with a view to development for housing.
Why sell it?
Sorry, Taoiseach. This is Taoiseach's Questions; there is no back and forth.
It is publicly owned.
It was a rhetorical question.
I asked that rhetorically.
I know, but rhetorical or not, will the Taoiseach get on with it, please?
I cannot help the-----
Well, I can, so keep going.
----- energetic responses from Deputy Boyd Barrett. He is engaged anyway. He is on every word I am saying, which is important, too. I am not being facetious about the matter, but I presume and hope that is the case and I will engage with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to make sure that it will go for housing and that the 1,000 houses will be built because we need those 1,000 houses as well.
In response to Deputy Paul Murphy, there are various reforms in An Post. I have talked to An Post. The Deputy has raised the issue. It probably has its reasons it is doing what it is doing, and it remains to be seen whether that will be as disastrous as the Deputy suggests, but I will engage with An Post on the issue.
Deputy Hayes raised the issue of 10,000 homes in Poolbeg and that he needed a Poolbeg Luas. That was followed quickly by Deputy Geoghegan, who said that it was happening.
That would be an update. It is not in the national development plan, NDP.
It is happening anyway, but Deputy Hayes said that it was not happening at all and the Deputy Geoghegan said it was. The Taoiseach now believes that it may be happening. It is important. It is a huge housing development, and we obviously need public transport to service it and the Luas would be an outstanding facilitation of that.
In response to Deputy Coppinger, I will talk to the Minister. If it is recommended by the task force that we need a second special school in the area, I would support of that. I will see whether the Minister can advance that or not.
In response to Deputy Ward, I think I have dealt comprehensively with DART+ South West. I am supportive of it and we are making good progress on it. The funding is there and will be there for it.
In response to Deputy Sheehan, he should acknowledge the extraordinary funding that is going into Adare on all fronts because of the Ryder Cup. There is a lot of investment across the board in lots of services, roads-----
We need the train to connect to Limerick.
-----transport, rail. I do not know if the Deputy would be playing golf there, but Adare is doing well, and that is no harm for that region either.
In response to the Deputy Conway-Walsh, I was very disappointed that she never mentioned Fianna Fáil.
I just could not bring myself to do it.
Fianna Fáil built Knock airport - everybody knows that - with Monsignor Horan, and she could not mention Fianna Fáil. She could not mention Charles Haughey. Monsignor Horan embraced him when he went there to dig the old sod. Everyone said we were stupid, all of the media and the Opposition. They all said that it was nonsense and asked how bad and stupid could we get.
The Taoiseach is turning into Bertie with these answers.
Lo and behold, 40 years later, it is still doing very well and the Deputy could not mention Fianna Fáil.
I only had 30 seconds.
Deputy O'Rourke asked about Ashbourne and the treatment plant.
It was water.
We have put huge investment into Uisce Éireann. It is up to Uisce Éireann to get on with it and start delivering. It has no issue with funding now and that is clear.
In response to Deputy Cleere, it is an interesting proposal and idea. I will talk to TII. It would be responsible for that, but I hear what he is saying. Car-pooling is something that we are encouraging. We need to give capacity to enable that to happen.
In response to Deputy Tóibín-----
Some €50 million was wasted.
Yes. I will talk to the Minister to get behind that to get the full details around that IT system and what the issue has been, as well for full accountability in respect of that project.
Deputy Whitmore asked about the DART to Wicklow town. She gave a long timeline and then she said at the end that it had gone out for tender. If it has gone out for tender, we are in business, and I think it will progress. The precise timeline depends on the tender process and so on, but I think it is going to happen, notwithstanding the long lead-in time that the Deputy outlined there.
In response to Deputy O'Hara, I will raise the national school in Carrabane with the Minister.
In response to Deputy Heneghan, I need the background to the issue from him, but I hear what he is saying. We should not be exacerbating the costs for what are practical and important solutions to our energy crisis.
It is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.
Northern Ireland
Brendan Smith
Question:25. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14895/26]
Cormac Devlin
Question:26. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14896/26]
Cathal Crowe
Question:27. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14897/26]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:28. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [26723/26]
Liam Quaide
Question:29. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38775/26]
Darren O'Rourke
Question:30. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38894/26]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:31. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38896/26]
Paul Murphy
Question:32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [38899/26]
Peadar Tóibín
Question:33. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39180/26]
Jennifer Whitmore
Question:34. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39344/26]
Conor D McGuinness
Question:35. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39589/26]
Barry Heneghan
Question:36. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department [39717/26]
Erin McGreehan
Question:37. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [37321/26]
We will cut the Taoiseach's reply to a minute and a half to stay on time.
I have so much to say.
The remainder will be read into the record.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 to 37, inclusive, together.
Our programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for building our shared island backed by our €2 billion commitment to the shared island fund out to 2035. We are forging ahead with the investment and co-operation agenda across all sectors.
In November, the Government made a funding commitment of over €50 million from the shared island fund to resource ten new island-wide programmes over the next five years, including on media, heritage, emergency management, greenways and air transport.
In December, the Minister for enterprise and employment and I announced six projects under the €20 million shared island sustainability capital grant scheme, supporting six firms across the island and leveraging over €60 million in private capital investment for decarbonisation.
Some €2 million was announced by the Minister for foreign affairs under the shared island civic society fund for 64 cross-Border community projects and a further call for applications opened in April.
In January, the Minister for Education and Youth and her Northern Ireland counterpart announced the shared island teachers research exchange, providing educators with a digital community platform for professional learning and collaboration, and in April announced the expansion of the shared island creative connections programme to additional schools.
In February, we announced over €2.5 million for 13 projects that enhance visitor experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route as part of the shared island tourism brand project.
Also in February, the Minister for agriculture, food, fisheries and the marine and his Northern Ireland counterpart launched the shared island cross-Border co-operation programme on tackling bovine TB on a regional basis.
In March, the Minister for justice convened a conference in Drogheda, with policing, education and social care representatives from North and South, in co-operation with Northern Ireland partners, on tackling domestic and gender-based violence.
Also in March, the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht announced capital funding of €6.2 million for shared island projects to support the Irish language and Ulster Scots culture, heritage and language.
In addition, five new shared island funding calls have opened since the start of the year: the Shared Home Place: Diaspora Voices initiative to bring together Irish people abroad, from all traditions, to explore shared heritage and place-based connections; Culture Ireland’s new shared island touring, production and platforms fund to support showcasing, international touring and co-productions by artists from across the island; the Arts Council’s shared island touring scheme to support cross-Border productions and island-wide creative partnerships; a fourth programme on female entrepreneurship under the shared island enterprise scheme; and a new call as part of the creative climate action fund.
Additionally, the shared island research programme continues to provide high-quality evidence and analysis. In December, the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance launched a new annual ESRI report series, entitled "Assessing economic trends in Ireland and Northern Ireland". On 2 April, an ESRI shared island report was published on disability rates across the island of Ireland, the first such analysis. ESRI shared island reports on health inequalities, gender-based violence, regional productivity and regional income disparities are in preparation for publication in the second half of the year.
Through the shared island initiative, the Government is investing in strategic all-island co-operation, developing our partnerships with the Executive, including through the North-South Ministerial Council, and with the UK Government.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
We are fostering deeper connections and mutual understanding across all communities and traditions of this island.
I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. The progressive shared island initiative is bringing to fruition many cross-Border and all-Ireland projects that many of us thought would never be realised. The National Economic and Social Council, the ESRI and some universities have been enabled to carry out very substantial comprehensive studies through shared island funding. Through the office of An Taoiseach and in various parliamentary questions, I have asked if the National Economic and Social Council will undertake a study of the challenges facing the central Border region, North and South, and also identify the opportunities for further economic development. I have been a representative in the southern Ulster counties for some time. I saw the challenges with the currency fluctuations and the movement of trade that devastated our local economy over many years. We should be prepared for turbulence in the economy that may arise but that nobody can readily predict. The current geopolitical uncertainty clearly shows the economic challenges that can arise from such turbulence.
As the Taoiseach will know, I see at first hand the value and importance of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement as a representative of southern Ulster counties. Thankfully, we have one economy now - the all-Ireland economy. However, the central Border region of Cavan, Monaghan, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh is vulnerable because it is highly dependent on a small number of particular sectors, such as food, farming, construction products and tourism. We should undertake comprehensive studies to identify the challenges but also the opportunities to ensure our central Border region is not disadvantaged.
Funding for the shared island initiative - an initiative brought in by the Taoiseach in 2020 - increased by €1 billion in the last budget, which is very welcome. It has supported a wide range of projects, cultural and community groups and infrastructural projects, which the Taoiseach outlined his reply. As Chair of the Good Friday Agreement committee, I have seen first hand the benefit and improvements it has made and, indeed, the popularity of the funding itself. Some €100 million of the shared island fund is for a new multi-annual programmes that deepen co-operation and connections across the island. The Taoiseach mentioned sustainable tourism, nature restoration, the important Dublin-Derry airlink service and the shared island media fund. Thirteen new tourism projects were approved under the shared island coast to coast capital investment scheme worth €2.7 million. In sport, about which I have spoken to the Taoiseach previously, there is €1.9 million in funding under the shared island civic society fund. The sport element is so important to communities, reconciliation and a greater understanding across the island. It is something that we should be looking to fund further. Hopefully, in the Taoiseach's response, he might outline how best it can be done under the shared island funding.
The shared island unit has been a major success under the Taoiseach's stewardship. A lot of money, co-operation and good initiatives have taken place. I wish to raise an issue that I hope the Taoiseach will discuss with his counterparts at some point. At the moment, there are 6,445 Irish artefacts held in the British Museum. I know the Taoiseach is very interested in history, as am I. I would not have a major problem if those items were on display. History is a global commodity. I would like to think if I was in London with my kids that they could go into the British Museum and see Irish artefacts. Likewise, we should be able to see arteacts from all over the world. However, most of these are held in archive boxes never to be seen. Some of them at least could be repatriated to Ireland. There could be maybe some dialogue on that. Some of them could be brought to local museums. Some of them have been bought, acquired or looted over the years. It would be good to have dialogue at this point. The Egyptian Government has ongoing dialogue with the British Museum about the Rosetta Stone. I would love to see some dialogue about some of these artefacts. We cannot paint them all with the one brush. From an Irish perspective, I would like some artefacts to be seen globably.
I wish to raise the murder of Seamus Ludlow on 2 May 1976. We are beyond 50 years. We are talking about a family that has been failed. The initial Garda investigation shut up shop within three weeks. The Royal Ulster Constabulary, RUC, provided the names of those believed to be involved back in 1979. We are talking about loyalists and some of them were members of the British Army. They were questioned in 1998 by the RUC. Admissions were made in relation to a number of them being there when the murder happened. We have seen no action over the years. The family have had to go to court. They have been to Europe. The family have not been sufficiently supported. They had a moment of hope with a new investigation but what they discovered was a new witness, who was not even questioned during that investigation, had seen suspicious activity in a car the morning Seamus was found that turned out to be connected to SAS incursion that happened soon after in Omeath. This is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. There is a need for the Minister for justice and Garda Commissioner to meet the family who have been failed for far too long.
The moniker for the Fianna Fáil Party is the Republican Party. What is the Taoiseach's plan to end partition? There is a huge set of tricky issues here. How do we integrate a health service? How do we think about housing? Property prices are about a half or third in Northern Ireland. How do we think about public transport? How do we think about constitutional changes? It does not seem like there is any planning happening in the Taoiseach's Department. That is a real challenge for many people who believe that should be something that we aim towards. In fact, it is an aim in the Good Friday Agreement with the consent of the communities, North and South. Without a plan, it is almost impossible to convince anyone that will happen, either North or South. How is the Government going to plan for all these public bodies and public services to be integrated in a future united Ireland?
Nine days ago, hundreds of people marched to Lough Neagh to protest the ecocide of our largest lake. Last year, the EPA published research on 35 lakes in the South. Two thirds are classed as at risk under the water framework directive. Seven important Irish lakes are found to be at high risk of Lough Neagh-type toxic algae blooms, including loughs Derg, Ramor, Sheelin, Sillan, Muckno and Naglack. Lady's Island in Wexford where toxic blue-green algae have all but killed the lake was not included in the research. The EPA said that agricultural diffused population is the most important pressure on most Irish water bodies. It said that phosphorus run-off from pasture-based farming is the most important land-based factor behind algae blooms significantly impacting three quarters of our lakes. The EPA report mentions limiting phosphorus application by farmers, controlling livestock access and safely storing slurry and manure. It recommended creating a harmful algae bloom action plan for Irish lakes. Where is the plan? What is the Government going to do to stop pollution from agriculture devastating more of our lakes like what has happened in Lough Neagh and Lady's Island?
Stormont is in big trouble. Stormont is in a mess. It is limping on day to day currently. In most of the human indicators in terms of quality of life, the people in the North of Ireland are falling currently. In terms of investment in education, hospital services, children's services and disabilities, money is being reduced on an annual basis. Public services are starting to grind to a halt. There is no doubt that the Sinn Féin, DUP and Alliance Executive is not delivering for the people but Stormont cannot even agree on budget at the moment it is in such trouble. A large part of this problem is because Stormont cannot raise its own funds. It can only raise about 5% of its own income. Wales can raise 10% and Scotland can raise 20%. I asked the Taoiseach a question a number of years ago in relation to the reform of Stormont. At that stage, the Taoiseach agreed with me that it needs to be reformed but he said it was too close to the next Stormont election to do so. Here we are, one year out from the next Stormont election and no work has been done on reform. This is serious. What can we do to reform so that Stormont functions properly and that it can raise its own funds like the other devolved administrations?
The North-South interconnector is now delayed until 2031. By Government estimates, it will cost up to €100 million. To tie back into what I was saying earlier, the semi-State company's own decarbonising strategy is dependent on 80% of renewables. The Taoiseach is aware of CIÉ. I did not get to the end of my contribution. On the North-South interconnector and private wires, these two were complementary to each other. The main thing is about taking the stress and strain off the grid while these interconnectors are waiting for connection. I welcome the developments in the Celtic interconnector. There have been some hurdles but there always are going to be with infrastructure. It is moving a lot quicker than the North-South interconnector.
I heard the Taoiseach mention in the House that we need to stop using infrastructure as a political football, worrying about election cycle thinking. If we are going to reduce the entire project cost by using a different method, politicians need to give the real impact of that to their communities. At the end of the day, it is the public and those local households that are going to be paying higher energy costs by these projects being delayed.
I thank all the Deputies for their commentary. Deputy Brendan Smith raised the studies that have been under way by the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and the ESRI under shared island. There is a range of studies. Never before in the history of the State have we had such a body of research commissioned and completed on the differences between systems in Northern Ireland, be it the health service, education and right across the board, and those in the Republic. There is a very good body of research. The Deputy made a very good suggestion that we would task the NESC with doing a more fundamental economic and social study around the central Border economic corridor. I will bring that idea to the shared island unit and NESC and I will come back to the Deputy on it. It is a positive and constructive idea. There are specific challenges in the area in respect of the regional economic make-up, in terms of farming, food, construction and other areas. We could perhaps design a study for NESC to do on that issue and in that area.
I thank Deputy Cormac Devlin for his role as Chair of the Good Friday committee. He is very much engaged in all of these issues and very much informed about them. It is interesting that, if you take those tourism projects, we have increased passenger traffic on the Dublin-Belfast rail line by 40%. The shops and retailers in the North are doing much better now than they would have been doing if the shared island initiative had not invested in the rail service. This investment has made it an hourly service and, vice versa, people are coming to the Republic more and there are greater connections between people, which is very important. Recently, under the shared island initiative I met people from the west of Ireland involved in knitting and other crafts and there were also people from loyalist east Belfast. Some people from both groups had never been to the other part of the island. For some, it was their first time being in Belfast and for others it was their first time being in Dublin. People talk about unity and all of that, but if we do not increase that level of interaction between people so that they can get to know each other a bit better and understand each other, then we are at nothing.
The Dublin-Derry PSO air service will be funded by the shared island initiative. The Minister of Transport will bring in that public service obligation air service in October of this year. This will be of great value to Derry in particular because the north west has lacked connectivity. The A5 has been snarled in planning and so on. We will have some more announcements under the shared island initiative for a rail service to the north west but it is not as comprehensive as the Dublin-Belfast line, for example. We have done a lot on tourism. The Narrow Water Bridge will transform Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. That will be completed late next year and it will be a major, iconic manifestation of the investment from the shared island project and initiative.
Deputy Crowe proposed a very interesting idea. He articulated it in a very measured way, unlike other times, but I think he is on to something. I was in France last week and we agreed a project with the French authorities to digitise some Irish archives in France. For example, in Vincennes, there are original letters from Wolfe Tone, including his last letter to the French authorities, asking them to look after his wife and family because he had served the French army in the cause of Ireland. There are also documents relating to Samuel Beckett's role in the French resistance. All of that is in documentation, in French, and sometimes our historians and other interested people do not get access to it. We are going to digitise it and make it available to the public more generally. In terms of Britain, I will follow up on what the Deputy said because he made a very good point. Some of it is artefacts and some of it is archival material. Some of it is online and a lot of people can access it but we could do better in terms of an east-west relationship. Under the UK-Ireland annual summits we now have agreed cultural exchanges. There will be theatrical performances by the Abbey Theatre and others in the UK and vice versa. I take the Deputy's point that there is a lot of stuff buried in archives or storerooms that has not seen the light of day. The real issue is that the Deputy wants access to these artefacts and materials for everybody on the island of Ireland if they are held in Britain. That would be a good first step and then material could be exchanged and sent on loan to various museums and libraries. It is a very good idea and I will pursue it.
I assure Deputy Ó Murchú that again I will talk to the authorities about the murder of Seamus Ludlow. I do not have the latest details the Deputy has regarding new witnesses and so forth.
I will send them on.
Whether it falls within the legacy framework or not, that is perhaps the best avenue to pursue it. If we can get the legislation completed in Westminster and here, we will. That is an important aspect of it. Even though it happened in 1976 the trauma goes on for the second generation - the grandchildren, cousins and nieces - and the need for closure continues with each succeeding generation.
To Deputy Hayes I would say that the most fundamental prerequisite for the unity of the Irish people is reconciliation. We need to build on relationships and really develop them. We also need reform of the Good Friday Agreement in respect of strand 1, which is about how Stormont works. I said this about three years ago at the Alliance Party's annual dinner. The SDLP announced reform plans. Sinn Féin is saying it will announce reform plans. The one party that is opposed to reform plans at the moment or does not believe in the need for it is the DUP. That is an important evolution that we would make politics a bit more normal in terms of where we are now in the configuration of parties and a wider spectrum of views at the moment than may have been there at the time of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, so there has been a significant degree of evolution. Fianna Fáil was very much involved in the Good Friday Agreement and the Downing Street Declaration. It is a passion for the party and something we are deeply committed to. We have left our mark, along with others, in respect of the major milestones. The shared island initiative is probably one of the most significant initiatives since the Good Friday Agreement that is dealing with the practical connections between people North and South. It is having an impact on people but we do need reconciliation in the Wolfe Tone tradition.
Deputy Murphy raised the issue of Lough Neagh and the destruction of many lakes. The nitrates directive will deal with regional plans for water quality across the country. Through the shared island initiative we have supported projects that are trying to deal with Lough Neagh. We have met with the Ministers in the North. They are very frustrated and worried about their capacity to deal with it because of how far the destruction of the habitat and the water quality of the lake has gone. We contributed to trying to help them to deal with the issue. More broadly in terms of lakes across the country and the EPA's work, the Minister for agriculture and the Minister for housing, in the context of the derogation, over the next three years will be implementing significant action plans on water quality throughout the country. There is an agricultural dimension to it, of that there is no doubt.
I think I half answered Deputy Tóibín's question with my response to Deputy Hayes. I do believe we need to reform strand 1. The British Government was reluctant to do so for quite some time. However, the Northern Ireland Secretary has now invited parties to make submissions. I have outlined which parties are prepared to make submissions. They can raise some funding themselves but choose not to, as the Deputy knows. There was a recent report in that regard. They are, perhaps, politically unpalatable but they do have that capacity. It does need reform and I hope some reforms will emerge in the next year.
The Taoiseach left me out.
Deputy Heneghan feels left out. The Taoiseach did not answer him.
I apologise. The response to the Deputy’s question was on the next page and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle was looking at me intently.
I could not agree more with the Deputy on the North-South interconnector but there have been a lot of political challenges with it. As I said last week, we all need to pause a bit and say what our priorities are. We need the North-South interconnector in terms of the energy needs of those regions and the country at large. The relevant Minister is present now. On the Deputy’s private wires legislation, he has been consistent in his advocacy for private wires. I appreciate that we should not turn infrastructure into political football. We will continue to engage with the Deputy. I think we are making progress on some of these issues and I hope we can bring people along with us. The agencies have some responsibility in that regard as well. I thank the Deputy and I apologise again.
Questions Nos. 1 to 37, inclusive, taken orally.
Questions Nos. 38 to 43, inclusive, resubmitted.
Questions Nos. 44 to 46, inclusive, taken with Writtens.
Questions Nos. 47 to 58, inclusive, resubmitted.
Question No. 59 taken with Writtens.
Questions Nos. 60 to 78, inclusive, resubmitted.
Question No. 79 taken with Writtens.
Questions Nos. 80 to 93, inclusive, resubmitted.
Question No. 94 taken with Writtens.
Questions Nos. 95 to 124, inclusive, resubmitted.
Question No. 125 taken with Writtens.
Questions Nos. 126 to 135, inclusive, resubmitted.