Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all woke to news from Ukraine that is not shocking, given the direction of travel in recent weeks, but is certainly sinister. I agree that we must do everything in our diplomatic, humanitarian and political power to support the people of Ukraine.

The draft Fingal development plan 2023-29 was launched today. It will be out for public consultation until 12 May. This is critical. In the past couple of years, there has been a real shift in terms of what is described in the development plan as healthy place-making, that is, people spending more time in their communities. That needs to be reflected in the development plan supporting communities. We see it in rural areas but we do not see it so much in suburban and urban villages that flourished during Covid. I will be making a strong case that those areas and communities, such as the likes of Clonsilla, Castleknock, Blanchardstown village and Ongar, among others, should be getting more supports, similar to the urban regeneration and development fund, the rural regeneration and development fund, town and village schemes and so forth.

This weekend, I will be going to Westminster for a meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.I am very much looking forward to that. This will be the first opportunity for us to meet in person. There will obviously be Irish Government representatives to the UK, as well as the leader of the Labour Party, the leader of the DUP and Sinn Féin.

It could not be coming at a better time. A survey was released this morning in the Belfast Telegraphon the issue of lack of trust. In terms of managing Northern Ireland’s interest in respect of the protocol, 84% of people distrust London, 52% distrust Stormont, 45% distrust the EU, 46% distrust the Irish Government, 72% distrust the DUP and 55% distrust Sinn Féin. The political community needs to come together and work together. We have not seen opportunities to work together since Brexit and that should be, obviously, on the agenda.