Dáil debates
Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Ceisteanna - Questions
Cabinet Committees
4:10 am
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [15161/25]
Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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18. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [5905/25]
Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [6492/25]
Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [6495/25]
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [6719/25]
James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [8515/25]
Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will meet next. [9483/25]
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [12376/25]
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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25. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [12379/25]
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [13703/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [13707/25]
James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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28. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [13795/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [13709/25]
Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [13972/25]
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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31. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [14195/25]
James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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32. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [15528/25]
James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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33. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee dealing with transport will meet next. [15529/25]
Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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34. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [17122/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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35. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee for transport will meet next. [17217/25]
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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36. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [17218/25]
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 36, inclusive, together.
The first meeting of the new Cabinet committee on infrastructure took place on Monday, 24 March, and the next one will take place on Monday, 28 April. Membership of the Cabinet committee consists of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Minister for Finance, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and for Transport, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Note the long titles of all Ministries. With the constitutional prohibition, we are not expecting any more but there is a lot of activity being covered by individual Ministries. That is just on reflection.
The committee will oversee programme for Government commitments in relation to infrastructure delivery and reflects the importance this Government is placing on the delivery of infrastructure as the key enabler for regional development, economic development, delivering on our housing commitments, meeting social needs and meeting our climate objectives. A significant measure is the establishment of a dedicated infrastructure division in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. This new division will work with stakeholders on strategic project selection and prioritisation, aligned with national priorities and making maximum use of resources. It will develop a sustainable pipeline of projects to support delivery of the ambition under the national development plan. The new division will provide oversight, co-ordination and expertise across Government to remove barriers, break down silos and ensure infrastructure projects are delivered on time and on budget.
One of the first tasks of the Cabinet committee is the oversight of the review process for the national development plan, which is now under way and will be completed by the summer. The review will focus on major projects to meet our overall priorities, namely housing provision, energy, water, transport and health digitalisation, ensuing we are investing in programmes which will truly support economic and social development. The committee will also oversee the progress of large and strategic projects in these priority areas, such as MetroLink and the various road and other active travel projects, many of which are well under way across the country.
While large-scale transport infrastructure will be overseen by the infrastructure Cabinet committee, transport issues may also arise in other Cabinet committees, given their relevance to various policy areas, for example, the economy and climate action. Formal decisions in relation to infrastructure issues will, of course, continue to be made at full Government meetings.
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Many of us have brought up the infrastructural deficits we are talking about here, namely housing, Uisce Éireann, the electricity grid and communications. The recent Storm Éowyn showed serious pressures and the need to deal with this. Housing is just a crisis that has, in no way, improved for those who are impacted.
We also know we are under severe pressure in respect of Donald Trump and tariffs. While we need to have cool heads, we do not exactly know how this will go. I want to give some details of a constituent with a business in the medical devices sector and the impacts tariffs are already having, although I will not name the company. The business is a provider of specialist precision manufacturing in the medical devices industry. It describes itself as a world-class operation competing at the highest level with companies across the globe. As it works on a global level, it is heavily reliant on international customer and supply chains. It has described losing a number of orders from US customers and is afraid of further knock-on. This is a grave risk to employment at the company. The main concern with the impact on employment is that its staff are highly trained and it has taken the company many years and significant investment to bring them to that level. If they are lost, regaining that expertise will be near impossible. The company is asking for immediate measures to be put in place by the Government to support staff who are put at risk due to the imposition of tariffs by the US Administration.
The urgency of the matter cannot be overstressed. Cancellation of orders by the company's customers has already been decided and implemented. It is afraid of what is to come and is sure this is happening to many other companies. While we do not know exactly where this will go, we know it will have to end in an engagement with the American Administration. As was done in Covid, we need to make sure we maintain companies like this, which have a really good business model and have done a significant amount of vital work in the past. We must ensure that the company and its workers have a future.
Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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All development indicators, such as population, jobs and infrastructure, show Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick cities developing at a much faster rate than Kilkenny, Waterford, Carlow and the south-east region. If we continue to focus on growth in and around Dublin without addressing the specific development challenges facing other regions, such as the economic underperformance of the south east, this will have negative consequences that could further add to growth pressure in the wider Dublin region and inhibit more peripheral parts of Ireland, like my own constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, from realising their full potential. We need to improve accessibility between centres of scale along key east-west and north-south routes. Belview Port, for example, is a significant piece of national infrastructure based in south Kilkenny. It will not realise its full potential without improved east-west connectivity.
There is a commitment in the programme for Government to invest in all road projects in the current national development plan, with multi-annual funding clarity for road budgets so that agencies can plan accordingly. The N24 Waterford to Cahir project is listed in the NDP and, therefore, will be funded under the programme for Government. I require an assurance from the Government as to when the project will be funded and how quickly we can get it over the line.
4:20 am
Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the regional airports fund. This programme has been run by the Government for the past number of years. The current regional airports programme runs from 2021 and expires this year. The Government has reviewed it. The programme benefits airports which have fewer than 1 million passengers per annum. Shannon and Cork airports became beneficiaries during the Covid years when the numbers travelling through those airports dropped significantly. The ask of these airports, particularly Shannon Airport in my constituency, is that the Government raise the 1 million passenger cap. This is possible under state aid rules and increasing it would allow Shannon and Cork airports to have a regular and steady income stream each year. This would allow them to improve airport infrastructure.
Dublin Airport currently has a dominant position, accounting for 91% of all inbound and outbound air traffic. This means Cork, Shannon and Knock airports have to grapple and fight it out for the remaining 9%. If the Government is going to raise the airport passenger cap for Dublin, a little bit more could be done for the regional airports. I would love to see the regional airports fund cap raised. As I said, this is in the gift of the Government and it would hugely-----
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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How high?
Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I believe a cap of between 2.5 million and 3 million passengers per annum would be within state aid rules. It would also allow those airports to grow and compete more effectively for market share. It is in the gift of the Government to do that. The new programme begins in 2026. I would love to see those airports grow. I do not see why we should allow Dublin to grow to the detriment of other airports. That the national airport should have such dominance - 91% - over other airports is extraordinary among EU member states.
While we call it a regional airports programme, we take pride in Shannon Airport not being a regional airport. It is an international airport of the highest calibre.
Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Navan rail line is firmly on the agenda of this Government and is of great importance to the people I represent, not just in Navan but to the entire constituency of Meath West. Meath has the highest number of commuters leaving the county every morning.
We are halfway through year one of two years of design, route selection and public consultation. This means we will not get the project into the planning system until 2027, with construction and delivery not planned until between 2030 and 2035, which is a decade away. Why are three years needed for planning? Is there anything that can or will be done to ensure this vital project is delivered as soon as possible?
Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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Thurles is being strangled by traffic. There is a glaring and immediate need for the inner relief road to progress. The Taoiseach visited the area previously and I was with him at the Slievenamon Road side of the proposed inner relief road, which will link the N62 at the Slievenamon Road to the Mill Road. All the lands are now in place since the Taoiseach last visited and funding is in place for detailed design. I call for the funding for this road to be prioritised and for a sense of urgency regarding its development. It is in the national development plan but we need to see it delivered, from a road safety point of view but also regarding congestion. Thurles, the number one town in north Tipperary, has been strangled by traffic and the people of the town are crying out for this road.
James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I raise with the Taoiseach the issue of energy security ahead of the infrastructure meeting. I want to bring forward the idea that Ireland follow suit and join other countries in the EU which use nuclear technology as part of their energy production. Ireland has the highest non-residential electricity prices in the European Union as of 2024, according to Eurostat. Finland has the cheapest because between 35% and 40% of its energy comes from nuclear power. Should we not look at nuclear as a solution instead of focusing on solar, which, unfortunately is taking up huge amounts of good agricultural land in my constituency? To paraphrase the Taoiseach's words on the last day we discussed this issue in the Chamber, we talked then about the transition from the 40 shades of green in Cork East to 50 shades of grey. Local people are not happy about the visual impact visually and the vast amounts of land being transitioned to solar energy. I would appreciate if the Taoiseach would comment on this issue.
Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
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Given the Luas Green Line between St. Stephen's Green and Sandyford was originally designed to allow for a future upgrade to metro standard, and with MetroLink tunnelling provisions already in place to Charlemont, can the Taoiseach confirm if and when it is planned to proceed with the full metro upgrades southwards to Sandyford, considering its long-term necessity for capacity demands and, in particular, the significant cost-saving advantages of doing this at the same time as the MetroLink work?
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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Just last week, a plane from Lufthansa flew through Irish airspace carrying about a tonne of munitions to Israel to be used in the horrific genocide in Gaza. I watched a video just yesterday on social media of a beheaded baby in Gaza. Tens of tonnes of munitions have passed through Irish airspace on their way to Israel to murder innocent people. This is not legal. Unless these flights have exemptions, and I understand these flights do not have exemptions, they are not allowed to do it. There seems to be no consequences whatsoever for major commercial carriers like Lufthansa flying weapons through Irish airspace without an exemption.
Before the last election, the then Government sounded very concerned about all of this. It said it would act and there was talk of legislation to enable random checks on planes. As with the occupied territories Bill, nothing has happened. Last week, Independent Senators introduced a Private Members' Bill to try to force the Government to act and the Minister for Transport claimed that there was a genuine concern about how this legislation could actually be implemented. The Ditch is publishing the receipts for these flights. Why does the Taoiseach not announce that any airlines found to be carrying munitions through Irish airspace to Israel during the genocide will have their operating licences revoked or is the Government going to continue to deepen its complicity in genocide by allowing these flights to go through and Israeli war bonds to be authorised by the Irish Central Bank?
Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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It is important to mark a situation where the right to travel of all citizens no longer exists. Trans and non-binary people were issued with a warning in the past ten days from the authorities in Ireland that if travelling to the US, the traveller's biological sex at birth should not differ from the sex on their passport. They were told by the authorities here to contact the US Embassy if they are such a person. We campaigned and voted for marriage equality and, by extension, for trans and non-binary people to have the right to exist in this country. Yet, with Trump's executive orders and the official policy of the US declared to be one of only recognising two genders, we have a situation where people in this country are now fearful to travel to the US and may be turned back from the US. Has that happened to anybody yet? Has anyone been turned back when they reached the US? Has the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, who is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, lodged any protest with the authorities in the US over this policy? I do not know if the Taoiseach raised this matter in his discussions with Trump when he met him. A small percentage of our population now live in fear of this and cannot travel to the US.
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Our public transport in Dublin West is under serious pressure. Punctuality figures for the 37 bus route over winter and spring last year stood at approximately 60%. I often wonder what employer is okay with staff being punctual just 60% of the time. The National Transport Authority, NTA, admits that we are badly affected by ghost buses. The BusConnects roll-out is now delayed until late 2026 because of a lack of mechanics and drivers and issues around the electrification of bus depots, which I believe warrants more scrutiny. We have active judicial reviews on both our major public transport projects, namely, the BusConnects core bus corridor and the electrification of our rail line through DART+ West. In the meantime, the NTA has stated its priority is to fix capacity issues rather than enhance them because it had a limited budget for new or additional services in 2024. In effect, the NTA wants to run to stand still in an area that never stands still. We have also lost out on additional train carriages which were earmarked for the Maynooth line but, post Covid, were moved to intercity services.
I am not sure whether the previous Minister signed off on this decision or whether it was the NTA alone. My question is whether the work of the new Cabinet committee will hold the NTA to account for delays and its decisions, and ensure sufficient investment, not only in capital projects but also in capacity in the here and now.
4:30 am
James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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A very important infrastructure project is before An Bord Pleanála at present. This is the expansion of Dublin Port. Part of this expansion includes the construction of a new bridge alongside the toll bridge. Part of this bridge will facilitate the extension of the Luas from the Three Arena to Poolbeg via Irishtown and Ringsend. Does the Taoiseach agree it would be common sense that we proceed now with this extension of the Luas to Poolbeg, where 3,500 homes are being built to facilitate a growth of population in the area by 10,000? Connecting the Luas between Ringsend and Irishtown would provide a level of connectivity between the DART and the bus which would make a massive change for the area.
Will the Taoiseach give an update on the interdepartmental group on the Dublin city task force? There is a fear out there that it is being mothballed. Will the Taoiseach allay this fear and give a clear timeline on when the recommendations will be brought to the Government?
Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the establishment of the subcommittee on infrastructure. I want to raise the issue of the accessibility of our towns and villages for people with disabilities. I acknowledge a lot of funding has been spent under the active travel heading to improve accessibility but many challenges remain and we need to continually improve this funding. Recently, unfortunately, I heard the story of a wheelchair user who became dismounted and ended up on the footpath because of the poor condition of the footpath. This was in a large town. This is something that is not acceptable to any of us. We need to ensure we have sufficient funding to address these issues. I ask for an improved ring-fenced fund to be set aside under the active travel heading specifically to improve access for those with disability issues and mobility challenges in our towns and villages throughout the country.
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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In the context of global economic turmoil, investment in infrastructure is very important. In 2021, the national development plan set a target of 5% of GNI* to be invested in capital projects for the period 2021 to 2030. We know this target has not been met in any of the years so far. In 2021, the national development plan was underfunded by almost €1 billion. In 2022, it was underfunded by €2.2 billion, in 2023 by €2.3 billion, and in 2024 by €2.4 billion. Nor have the budgets been adjusted for inflation. This underfunding has led to real implications for infrastructure projects in the State, particularly in County Mayo and throughout the west and north west. We know this from the EU infrastructure investment index, which ranks us in the bottom 7%. The western rail corridor has not yet been reopened. There is no rail connectivity to Ireland West Airport Knock. The Government has failed to increase grid infrastructure to harness the potential of renewable wind energy on the western seaboard. Water and sewerage treatment plants, such as the one in the town of Newport, have not been delivered. The lack of housing is seriously impacting our competitiveness. Has the Taoiseach identified the shovel-ready projects that can protect us in the turmoil we are experiencing and maintain our competitiveness for foreign direct investment and real sustainable growth in our country?
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Quite a number of issues have been raised. Deputy Ó Murchú started with housing, Uisce Éireann and the medical device sector. In the past week, I have spoken to a number of CEOs in the medical device sector as well as in the pharmaceutical sector about the challenges that are arising. The discussion was more on the medium-term and longer term impacts of the tariffs and other non-tariff initiatives that might yet be taken by the US Administration. One would hope the complexity of the supply chains and their integrated nature may force either a rethink or at least greater reflection in terms of measures that might or might not be announced.
Through IDA Ireland we are monitoring and keeping in touch with every company in terms of how things are operationally impacting on them. It is early yet to draw definitive conclusions. The medical device sector is probably in a different situation to the pharmaceutical sector. We are very conscious of this. Ireland represents a large footprint of medical devices in Europe. It is a significant sector in Ireland. In European terms we are the biggest location for medical devices. As I said earlier on Leaders' Questions, anything we do must be done in a financially sustainable way also. We are conscious of the risk to employment.
I agree with Deputy Cleere on the need to weigh investment in favour of the south east and Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Carlow. We will continue to do so. A lot of progress has been made. Kilkenny is a very attractive city. On tourism it has gone ahead of others because of its attractiveness. It will continue to require investment. Deputy Cleere specifically asked that access to Belview Port, east-west connectivity and the N24 be prioritised. I will certainly feed that into the process of the NDP review.
Deputy Cathal Crowe has been a constant advocate for Shannon Airport, to his credit. I remember at the time a decision had to be taken to bring Cork and Shannon airports into the regional airports because of Covid. Ordinarily they were never in that group. Now they are in it people are asking that they be kept in it. We will have to weigh that up. Both airports have grown very well in recent years. The problem with the growth of airports generally is that the airlines tend to decide. There is still the preponderance of airlines drawn like magnets into the Dublin area. What the Government is about really is raising all airports. Dublin Airport will be key for the national economy. Cork and Shannon airports will be key for the national economy and for the regions and getting real investment into them. The airport in Knock should never have been built if we were to believe economists, the then Opposition and everybody else. It has more than survived to tell the tale. It has also grown and the Government has been consistently supportive in different ways of Shannon Airport. I will come back to Deputy Crowe and I will speak to the Minister for Transport about his proposal.
Deputy Dempsey spoke about the Navan railway line. It is great news that we have got it sanctioned. Now that is old news and the next question is asking to accelerate it and expedite it. There has to be proper design. Again, we will do everything we can. It is a key piece of infrastructure. The whole issue with infrastructure is delivery and speed. People come in and raise this issue, that project or the other project. There are issues with delayed planning and all of that.
I have been to Thurles. Thurles needs the bypass. To respond to Deputy O'Meara, we will try to feed that into the NDP. It is being funded at design stage. All of this has to happen. We have to make sure it gets completed. Without it, Thurles will be a bottleneck. A lot of good things have been happening in Thurles in recent years. The education campus has been groundbreaking, I would suggest, in terms of third level students in Thurles. We need a traffic solution there, not least to facilitate Cork on our next visit with all those supporters behind us. The long queues would be a thing of the past if we had a bypass.
Deputy O'Connor raised an interesting point. Forfás did a study 15 or 20 years ago on nuclear technology and felt it would be too expensive at the time. There is now mini nuclear reactor technology. I was in Texas prior to going to Washington during St. Patrick's week. What is interesting is that everybody associates Texas with fossil fuels but it also has nuclear, wind, solar and battery storage. It is doing all five to facilitate participation in AI and what it considers to be the revolution in AI and the energy implications of all of that. I would not say "No" to what Deputy O'Connor said but there are significant expenditure considerations and work to be done on it. Solar is growing fast in Ireland. The issue, which Deputy O'Connor has raised with me, is a planning issue. This is something we need to look at collectively. People have a constitutional right to sell their land. On the other hand, it should be a function of planning as to what goes where in terms of various activities, I would have thought. We will continue to engage on this issue in terms of the growing number of farms converting to solar and the long-term implications of this.
Solar is an important source and we put our eggs in the renewable basket, particularly offshore wind. We have done very well on onshore wind over the past three decades. Ireland is a leader in European on onshore wind. The challenge is to become a leader on offshore wind as well, which I think would change the story significantly. I will come back to the Deputy about how we can best progress an examination, without prejudice, into whether it is a viable option. It is interesting that there was a lot of opposition to nuclear in the past. It turns out it was far cleaner than fossil fuels. There were never big protests about fossil fuels. We just accepted it, and now look-----
4:40 am
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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We were battered off the roads in Rossport.
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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With fossil fuels 20 to 25 years ago, there was no Carnsore Point for fossil fuels.
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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There was Rossport.
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That was a different kettle of fish.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We are 11 minutes over time.
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is an interesting point. It ends up that fossil fuels are one of the reasons we are where we are with climate change. Anyway, that is a philosophical point but that is where we are.
Deputy Shay Brennan is revisiting the great work his dad did, and he now wants to bring the metro to Sandyford, with his dad having done the initial work. Fair play. It is at the design stage and there is a lot of work yet to be done on the metro. It will probably take up huge amounts of national development plan funding. I will have to do a deeper examination of that and come back to him on it, but I hear him.
Deputy Paul Murphy raised the overflights. I will speak to the Minister for Transport about this latest report of Lufthansa. There is an issue if people are doing it. They should seek permission. They would not have been given permission. They can circumvent Ireland's airspace if they so wish, and they should. They should not be going through Irish airspace if they are carrying munitions. I will talk to the Minister in respect of what we can do. We cannot inspect planes going overhead, but nonetheless that is not a practice we want to see continued.
In respect of Deputy Coppinger and having raised it with the US Administration, I think there is a duty on the Department of Foreign Affairs to alert people to the potential challenges they may encounter. It is something we do not agree with and have concerns about, but there has been a general election in the United States. These issues have been debated at length there. So far in Ireland there has been, and correctly so, a tolerant, proper, informed and mature debate. We do not want to enter into the kinds of culture wars that are going on elsewhere.
I turn to Deputy Currie. I will follow that up with the NTA, which will be held to account by the committee. I anticipate the NTA will come before the committee at some stage. To Deputy Geoghegan, I will examine that proposal about the connection between Ringsend and Poolbeg.
James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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It is the Dublin city task force.
Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is being worked on. It has not been mothballed or anything like that. It is being progressed and we will come back to him on that.
Deputy Seamus McGrath made an excellent point about new active travel facilities. The facilitation of participation by people with disabilities should be built into public infrastructure, full stop. We were both at the opening of the marina promenade in Cork last week. It is an excellent active travel initiative and we saw bicycles for all and people with disabilities in a position to use that from day one. That is the kind of thing we want to see built into all active travel projects in the country.
I think that is it. I apologise, Deputy Conway-Walsh raised the western rail corridor. Those issues are coming within the national development plan. In the early years, I think during Covid, some plans were not advanced enough to get to the 5%. With some spending in the first year or two of the last Government, there was an underspend in what was provided for in capital. We now have the opposite. My understanding is that the next NDP will be 5% GNI*.