Aisling Dolan - Recent appearances (From KildareStreet.com)
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date: 2024-10-23T15:36:02+00:00
items: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages | Seanad debates
items: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage | Seanad debates
items: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
items: Bus Services | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
items: Budget 2025 (Finance): Statements | Seanad debates
items: Budget 2025 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements | Seanad debates
items: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
items: Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
items: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) | Seanad debates

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages | Seanad debates
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description: In my local area, the community employment scheme and the rural social scheme have been extremely important to people in their 60s. The pandemic has had an impact on volunteering or on people...
encoded: In my local area, the community employment scheme and the rural social scheme have been extremely important to people in their 60s. The pandemic has had an impact on volunteering or on people getting involved in their communities. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->There has been a bit more of an increase in isolation and people are not getting back involved in social activities. The community employment scheme and rural social scheme are ways and measures in which people can get involved. On community activities, we talked about community centres which crisscross both of the Minister's portfolios. What she has done on those schemes has been important and extremely beneficial. It is about encouraging engagement in our local communities by volunteers. That has an impact. I see people who have recently retired are active and getting involved in so many activities. We are so much richer for people with their experience, talents and skillsets from their types of employment, which they are able to give. I know people in their 70s who are going back to college and doing degrees and PhDs. It is great to see that because education is for all ages. One of the areas we lack in Ireland is in how we encourage people of all ages to come back into education. There is a role for the Department of Social Protection in encouraging people to change career choices, but this is also for people who are in their 70s and 80s. There are options to take up courses and degrees in areas of interest. That could be a hobby or going back to study drama and theatre. Now that we see it coming into the junior cert, it would be great to see grandparents…
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages | Seanad debates
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description: This amendment comes down to cost for families. We are talking about the challenges for families and in particular for lone parents. We know that lone parents are one of the most vulnerable...
encoded: This amendment comes down to cost for families. We are talking about the challenges for families and in particular for lone parents. We know that lone parents are one of the most vulnerable groups out there. In this budget we can see something that is quite strong, which is the measure around cost-of-living payments, especially those that will happen at the end of October. There are 1.3 million people who will benefit from those cost-of-living payments come 28 October. That bonus is very similar to the Christmas bonus. I also welcome the double child payments that will happen in November and in December. Looking outside of that - and I have spoken about it already - I believe that hot school meals, for example, is one element that will be a huge benefit for families looking after young children. Never mind parents not having the extra burden in the morning of trying to get the meals ready, which Senator Ahearn would speak to, it is probably also to do with the costs, which are so expensive. All of these measures are to support families and to support lone parents, and especially when children are so young. We are looking at early childcare supports as well. This raft of measures is there to support families. There is not one particular measure that is a solution. The Government is looking at all areas. This is a whole-of-government approach to say, "Here is a suite of measures that are there to support you as a parent, as a young mum, as a young dad, as a single parent. Here is how this Government is here to support you in this time". Those measures we are looking at are to benefit the most vulnerable in our society and in our communities. It is crucial to see that they are very welcome payments, and particularly around the child benefit increase of €12. The other support measures, such as free school books and the hot school meals, are all ways to reduce costs for young families as well.
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages | Seanad debates
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description: It is true that we need to examine supports for our businesses; it is absolutely crucial. The Minister for enterprise, Deputy Peter Burke, has introduced the national enterprise portal. I want...
encoded: It is true that we need to examine supports for our businesses; it is absolutely crucial. The Minister for enterprise, Deputy Peter Burke, has introduced the national enterprise portal. I want to highlight what local enterprise offices, LEOs, do across the country. I know the LEOs are expanding their remit to support businesses, particularly in the retail and hospitality sector. We have seen funds come through the LEOs, particularly the energy efficiency grants. We see there are now free applications for businesses in retail and hospitality across all sectors to apply for the green for business initiative. As part of that, there are recommendations that come from an expert who comes out to visit a business, which can then apply for the energy efficiency grant. That has been increased from €5,000 to €10,000. There are also other supports due to issue to businesses which includes microbusinesses, that is, businesses with fewer than ten employees. We see there are challenging circumstances. We know the pressures, and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, acknowledged the increase in inflation in his budget speech and this has happened over the past four or five years. Fine Gael in government is looking at how we ensure there are supports in place for businesses to tackle these rising costs we see ahead of us.
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage | Seanad debates
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description: The Minister has visited Roscommon and Galway multiple times because so many projects have received funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, CLÁR, the town and village...
encoded: The Minister has visited Roscommon and Galway multiple times because so many projects have received funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the community centres fund and project development measures. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->Innovative policies and measures that have made a difference have been introduced. If people say they want to live and work in rural areas, we want to ensure that there are supports and amenities in place. That is what it is all about. Councillors had not seen the level of funding the Minister has provided during her term of office for many years. I am sure she hears this in places she visits. I pay tribute to her dedication in meeting various groups across the country. She always has a smile for people and is full of enthusiasm and energy. On the occasions when she visited my area, we would have six or seven different events in one day. I would probably have tried to pack more in. Every time she visited, the Minister greeted people and was interested in speaking to them and hearing their stories in order to learn what was happening in the community centres. Last week, Virgin Media send a camera crew to Moore Community Centre. The centre received funding of more than €100,000. It has a programme called "Fit Farmer" that involves a movement mentor. Virgin Media was there to film people taking part in an exercise class in their brand-new community centre. Communities and people benefit from the fact that they are able to have these services provided nearby. We say that there is €1 million being allocated here and another €1 …
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage | Seanad debates
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description: Hear, hear.
encoded: Hear, hear.
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage | Seanad debates
type: item
description: Hear, hear.
encoded: Hear, hear.
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: I wish to speak about the Minister of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, who made an announcement over the weekend, and pay tribute to a Fine Gael Minister who has done wonders...
encoded: I wish to speak about the Minister of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, who made an announcement over the weekend, and pay tribute to a Fine Gael Minister who has done wonders for rural and local communities all over the country. She made an number of visits to counties Roscommon and Galway in my case, which were the result of investment in our region be it through CLÁR or the towns and villages schemes. Many funding streams from the Department of Rural and Community Development have had an impact. They are about showing that rural areas are great places to bring up a family, to start a family, live and work and we have everything to offer young people in our local rural areas. The Minister has done so much for that. She is passionate about rural life and what towns and villages have to offer. She has done so much work particularly for Meals on Wheels and bus transport - all innovate policies brought in through during her time in her portfolio. She will be here to speak to us later in the Seanad as the Minister for Social Protection. One of her prides and joys from listening to her on Radio 1 over the weekend and on RTÉ 1 is school meals. She sees it as one of her key achievements. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->This Government has been able to do that. It has been able to ensure the scheme has been rolled out to more schools, from 30 only five years ago to nearly 2,000 schools now. The intent is to deliver school meals to all schools by the end of 2025. These are great achievements. I pay tribute to the Minister for that. There is no stopping her energy and enthusiasm, no matter what she may say. S…
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Bus Services | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: It is good to hear that there is a proposal that has been considered because it is well overdue. I understand the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport,...
encoded: It is good to hear that there is a proposal that has been considered because it is well overdue. I understand the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. It is important that this service be put in place as soon as possible. We are already in year three of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. The challenge I have seen is that when the X20 Bus Éireann route was removed, leaving nothing for communities between Ballinasloe and Athlone and between Loughrea and Galway. There are people in those communities who will need to get to University Hospital Galway or Merlin Park University Hospital. We need to have access to healthcare services. I co-ordinated a video campaign to encourage submissions at the launch of this in 2021 in Roscommon and Galway. I have raised the issue a number of times here. I highlight again that this is a CLÁR funding and just transition area. Moore is roughly 6 km from Shannonbridge. The impact of the just transition is felt there more strongly than in many other regions across the country. We need to ensure there are public transport services to enable people to get to work, hospitals and training. We cannot do so if these services are not in place.
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

Bus Services | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was meant to connect rural communities. However, there is no regional or Local Link service connecting the communities living between the towns of...
encoded: The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was meant to connect rural communities. However, there is no regional or Local Link service connecting the communities living between the towns of Athlone and Ballinsloe, a stretch of 20 km. In 2021, the Bus Éireann Galway to Dublin regional route, the 20 and X20 routes, which connected towns and villages in the west, were removed because there were private providers on the route: Citylink and Aircoach. However, since April of this year, Aircoach has withdrawn from the route. I have raised this on a number of occasions. I worked on video campaigns for the Connecting Ireland programme to promote submissions about this connected route and most recently as a Commencement matter last May. The loss of the 20 and X20 routes a number of years ago had a major impact. How do people get to medical appointments in Portiuncula University Hospital or primary care? How do students get to college in Athlone? How do they even make their way to train stations? This is a 20 km section of road that is not served. One of the goals of Connecting Ireland was connecting medical and educational establishments. Moore is a vibrant community. It is very successful and it won more than €100,000 recently to renovate its community centre. It has training and exercise programmes, Fit Farmers, the Movement Mentor and they were on Virgin TV last week. They run concerts and plays and they are the heart and soul of a rural agricultural area. Moore Community Council, which represents the people in this area, worked on a survey for south Roscommon to gather feedback from these local communities. More than 1,000 responses were received and I would like to share some of this feedback with the Minister of State. One of the key messages was that without local public transport, it can be very isolating and that their voice should be instrumental in shaping the future of the transportation services to ensure that the needs of communities are met and that no one gets…
date: 2024-10-22T13:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: There is profound shock at the loss of Councillor John Naughten. He was a wonderful gentleman who was devoted to his family and livelihood as a farmer as well as being there for his local...
encoded: There is profound shock at the loss of Councillor John Naughten. He was a wonderful gentleman who was devoted to his family and livelihood as a farmer as well as being there for his local community as a public representative. It is a devastating loss for the Naughten family, friends and for so many in these communities. John helped people for decades and many are grateful for his invaluable public service for the people of Roscommon. As a Fine Gael councillor, John represented the Athlone municipal district on Roscommon County Council and had a very close team there of councillors and with the executive. He also represented the west on many regional forums. There have been many incredible tributes to his public service over the decades. I worked with John since joining the Seanad. I saw his tireless efforts on behalf of local groups, always with kindness and a smile. I know this contribution to public life is part of what his family has done for many decades. We know of his brother, Deputy Denis Naughten, and his father, Liam Naughten, a former Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. This is a heartbreaking time for so many and our thoughts are with his family, his wife, his beautiful children and his mother in this really difficult time. May John rest in peace. Our thoughts are with them at this time.
date: 2024-10-16T10:30:00+00:00

Budget 2025 (Finance): Statements | Seanad debates
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description: I welcome this budget. When we look at the figures, this is the biggest social welfare budget, with investment of €26.5 billion. There is investment of €25.8 billion in health,...
encoded: I welcome this budget. When we look at the figures, this is the biggest social welfare budget, with investment of €26.5 billion. There is investment of €25.8 billion in health, €11.8 billion in education, €4.5 billion in further education, €8.9 billion in children and €7 billion in housing. How can we do this? How are we in a position to be able to support people at every stage of their lives in this country? It is thanks to the highest employment numbers we have ever had. There are 2.7 million people at work. The level of employment was mentioned today. It is set to increase by almost 110,000 people in the next two years and the unemployment rate will stay low, at approximately 4.5%. During the Covid pandemic, we were putting all those measures in place. That was not long ago - only three or four years. We had no idea the economy and businesses were going to bounce back. We put measures in place that led to businesses being able to maintain real success. We can never take this for granted, however. Many of the multinationals constantly undertake global cost-cutting measures. We know the next technological advances are around the corner and we have to stay up to speed. I acknowledge the work of development advisers, whether at IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland, as well as the funding that we deliver into innovation and research and our universities. We try to stay ahead of the curve. We are going to be dealing with digitalisation and AI and all these measures that will probably immeasurably improve our lives, but also lead to additional challenges for a small country in a global economy. There is success here. My queries, however, are on how we are future-proofing ourselves. What are we doing? How are we going to be on the innovation index? How do we compare with Singapore? The funding that is going into universities under the direction of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is an interesting aspect of this. We need to see how we are funding our third level sector. Yes,…
date: 2024-10-01T12:00:00+00:00

Budget 2025 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements | Seanad debates
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description: I thank the Minister of State for being with us today. We see measures worth close to €106 billion to support families. In my area, namely Roscommon–Galway, and in the west, there...
encoded: I thank the Minister of State for being with us today. We see measures worth close to €106 billion to support families. In my area, namely Roscommon–Galway, and in the west, there have been challenges owing to the cost of living. It is these that we see addressed in the budget. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, acknowledged in the Dáil that there has been a 19% increase in the cost of living from 2021 until now. Families see this every time they go out to do their shopping. However, the measures put in place are to support affected families. We see one of the largest budgets ever, with €2.6 billion in social protection to help households. In my area, I have worked so much with families crying out for home help and increases to home help hours. These ensure people can live independently for as long as they wish at home. Six hundred thousand more home help hours have been allocated, bringing the total to 24 million. There are more staff. We need more doctors and nurses to deliver the services, and we know there has been an increase. We have funded that increase. There are 30,000 more people working in our health service, bringing the number to 133,000. As my party's education spokesperson in the Seanad, I am delighted to see the school meals programme. I hear about it, have advocated it and have encouraged our schools to apply for the pilots. So many schools have joined, and now all schools will have the opportunity to do so. I know what this means for parents. Never mind that they do not have the extra task of preparing school meals in the morning; they know their children get great school meals during the day. These are really positive measures that make such an impact on families' pockets and headspace. There are now to be free schoolbooks up to leaving certificate level. I have heard it mentioned here that nothing is being done in respect of special education. If the provision of 760 additional special education teachers and 1,600 more SNAs is doing nothing about spec…
date: 2024-10-01T12:00:00+00:00

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate his personal connection as his wife, Dr. Mary McCaffrey, is an obstetrician. He is very much aware of the hospital and how it dates back to the...
encoded: I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate his personal connection as his wife, Dr. Mary McCaffrey, is an obstetrician. He is very much aware of the hospital and how it dates back to the 1940s. This has been an incredible investment which I want to acknowledge. I refer to the numbers that he has mentioned here whereby there has been a more than 50% increase in budget to €126 million. That is an incredible increase but it just shows that was so overdue. We now have over 1,000 people working in our hospital. We have excellent healthcare staff who work to the highest standards but, again, they work in facilities that date back to the 1940s. This new 50-bed block has been an absolute wonder and will transform patient care for nearly five counties and a catchment area of nearly 400,000 people. Again, I wish to refer to the ED and I see that the timeline is 2027. There are people who are on trolleys; we have paediatrics who do not have enough space or capacity within our hospital; and in 2023 there were 30,000 admissions to our ED of which 6,000 admissions were for paediatrics. There is no space for triage when it comes to paediatrics in Portiuncula hospital. I say to the Minister of State that we need this faster, we need an acceleration and I need his support on this.
date: 2024-10-01T12:00:00+00:00

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: Incredible.
encoded: Incredible.
date: 2024-10-01T12:00:00+00:00

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: I welcome the Minister of State. A total of €35 million has been given to Portiuncula University Hospital for the provision of a 50-bed unit. The facility, which was opened on 11...
encoded: I welcome the Minister of State. A total of €35 million has been given to Portiuncula University Hospital for the provision of a 50-bed unit. The facility, which was opened on 11 September by the Taoiseach, will transform patient care. It is a crucial development. In 2019, I brought a clinical delegation from the hospital to Leinster House to meet with the now Taoiseach and then Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to fight for this. It should have happened ten years ago. A great deal of other investment in the hospital should have already happened and that must happen now. This development is so welcome. It will ensure we have more capacity within the hospital. It is an acute level 3 hospital operating on a 24-7 basis. It is the maternity hospital for the region. It is a training hospital with multiple medical academies that is working in co-operation with the University of Limerick and the University of Galway. The two 25-bed wards, the Orchard and Garbally wards, have just opened. On his visit to Ballinasloe, the Taoiseach spoke about the investment in Portiuncula University Hospital. He spoke about how it is more than just a hospital but is also a community in the town and for the surrounding areas. He spoke about the extension of day services, oncology services and the funding delivered for the sterile support department and the new ambulatory gynaecology unit, which is due to open shortly. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=01"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->He acknowledged the conversion of the outpatients department, which was done after the Covid pandemic. Before the pandemic, we had 13 single rooms in that hospital. As a result of the work by the…
date: 2024-10-01T12:00:00+00:00

Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
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description: I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I have seconded the Fine Gael motion on better planning for local childcare. I thank Senator Currie for her...
encoded: I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I have seconded the Fine Gael motion on better planning for local childcare. I thank Senator Currie for her work on this, her continuous efforts to support families and her determination to find solutions. This is of course an innovative approach. The Government has made strides in supporting parents to access lower cost childcare. We have seen the Government investment, as referenced by Senator Currie, in childcare building blocks and we will see over €25 million in the autumn for extensions and the purchase of buildings. Again, that will be extremely popular, but there is a challenge in rural areas, as well as in our cities and smaller towns. I see childcare waiting lists of up to three years. I deal with families who come to me explaining there could be a three year waiting list. We need to see supports. In my case, I am looking at community childcare and how it can purchase, build and expand its service. The community childcare service in my hometown of Ballinasloe, County Galway, is in serious demand because it offers pre-school and after school. However, as Senator Currie said, and as has been noted in this motion, the Government has improved access, affordability and quality, but we are speaking here about capacity. We see the population of 5.2 million. We see an expanding population because Ireland is growing. We see families struggling because they cannot now get to work. We have more than 130 new homes in my hometown. That is 130 new families, but there is unfortunately not an increase in facilities. This means mothers and fathers need access and choice and they need childcare. It could be for a few hours in the morning or the afternoon. It could be to do their shopping, get some sleep or, more than anything, get to work. Let us face it, this more than likely impacts on women - the mums more than the dads. It is another obstacle for parents if they do not have a choice to ret…
date: 2024-07-17T09:30:00+00:00

Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
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description: I second the motion.
encoded: I second the motion.
date: 2024-07-17T09:30:00+00:00

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) | Seanad debates
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description: This discussion is on the county development plan. The county development plan is looking at a number of these sections, including: sustainability and regeneration; economic development;...
encoded: This discussion is on the county development plan. The county development plan is looking at a number of these sections, including: sustainability and regeneration; economic development; housing; the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places; environment and climate change; and the conservation of natural and built heritage. We talk about balanced regional investment but things like wastewater supply and services must be considered. The NWRA came out with an infrastructure tracker two days ago. It referred to the fact that the ability of these areas to grow capacity has been extremely limited. The figure for County Galway is approximately 30% in terms of population growth. For Roscommon, it is something like 65%. Roscommon is in a far better situation. It is down to things like wastewater supplies and services, as well as transport and the dual train line we want to see from Portarlington to Galway. On the county development plan and the way we are working on this with planners, how will we ensure we will have planners with the training, qualifications and supports required to able to do this? I know staffing for planners has been a challenge for Galway County Council. It causes stress and much angst for local authorities, which are working, I am sure, with the best intentions. That does not, however, translate to people on the ground who are putting in their planning applications. I ask the Minister to address that issue in his reply. In addition, I ask him to explain how the RSESs from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly work? Is it the Ministers and the national statement that will be seeking to ensure the RSESs align in the context of a growth centre that crosses both of these RSESs?
date: 2024-07-17T09:30:00+00:00

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) | Seanad debates
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description: I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, for being with us today. This is an incredible commitment by the Government which will revolutionise planning and development across the country. It has...
encoded: I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, for being with us today. This is an incredible commitment by the Government which will revolutionise planning and development across the country. It has been in preparation for four years and I again compliment the Minister, the Ministers of State and their team in the Department. It is one national planning statement, three regional assemblies, 31 local authority development plans, and area plans. This is what it breaks down to. I briefly referred to this yesterday, but I will bring to the Minister's attention a point about the regional assemblies and regional spatial and economic strategies, RSES. In the area covered by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, NWRA, Athlone is a growth centre. What is wonderful about the development plan and the framework is that it is being linked to the census, which is crucial. We are looking at a planned population growth from 20,000 people to 30,000 people in Athlone. That area is between the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Ballinasloe and Roscommon are key towns. Making Roscommon and Galway fantastic places to have a home, to live and to work is our priority. We want to ensure that we have more people living in the west. That means more people in our schools and more students choosing our colleges and working in companies and businesses in the west of Ireland. Having all of this, however, and fighting for homes, classrooms, the construction of technological universities at TUS in Athlone and the Atlantic Technological University in Galway and Mountbellew, and the University of Galway, requires huge amounts of funding. It also supports where we want to see growth in this area. It cannot be the case that the whole population of Ireland is going to be based within an hour's travel of Dublin city centre. That cannot be the case. Unless we see investment coming into our area in the west, this will always be the case.
date: 2024-07-17T09:30:00+00:00

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) | Seanad debates
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description: I will focus on the national planning statements that will be presented to the Minister. We are discussing amendments relating to the provisions in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Bill. My questions...
encoded: I will focus on the national planning statements that will be presented to the Minister. We are discussing amendments relating to the provisions in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Bill. My questions specifically concern the regional spatial and economic strategy. The Northern and Western Regional Assembly released its regional infrastructure tracker just yesterday or the day before. The regional infrastructure tracker for the RSES reveals a challenge. The Northern and Western Regional Assembly covers all the counties west of the Shannon and north up to Cavan, and then there is the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly. In my area there is a growth town like Athlone and two other towns indicated like Ballinasloe and Roscommon town. Athlone crisscrosses two RSES areas and it is an actual growth town. There are only three indicated in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, NWRA. At a practical level from what I understand both Roscommon County Council and Westmeath County Council have worked together to develop the town. When the Minister is reviewing the national planning statement and looking at the high-level objectives, taking into account the RSES which is based on the census, how does that align if there are differences between one RSES for a particular town and another which is covered by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly? That is my question relating to the Minister's involvement in the national planning statement. Importantly the framework is linked to the census for a minimum of ten years. The challenge with the high-level information being given in the top part of the national planning statement from the Minister relates to the enormous deficits. The infrastructure tracker refers to Uisce Éireann water infrastructure capacity constraints. It indicates that Galway city has 0% capacity available to meet the requirements of the population increase. I come from a town where I want to see it double. Athlone has about 20,000 people and will move up to about …
date: 2024-07-16T13:40:00+00:00