Appropriation Bill 2025 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Seán Kyne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel

I welcome the Minister and wish him a happy Christmas and thank him for this work throughout the year. I also thank the Seanad staff and everyone who works in these Houses for their work keeping the place running, from ushers to catering staff and everyone else.
This Bill sets out the expenditure for the coming year. It is interesting to run through it and see the amount of work this State does and the role it has. I want to mention two areas. One relates to Vote 31 and the Department of Transport. The Minister is a supporter of the ring road in Galway city. I know that is capital expenditure, but I hope we get a positive decision from An Coimisiún Pleanála early next year and we can see that project going through to construction at the earliest opportunity. It is vital that this important piece of infrastructure goes ahead.
The second area is the Department of Defence. I welcome the publication of the capital plan in relation to defence, but we have to start investing in our Defence Forces to ensure we have the basics that we need to provide security. Unfortunately, recent events cast doubt on our ability to do that. We need to ramp up investment in defence, both in current and capital funding, to ensure we have those resources so that we have a Defence Forces that can provide the minimum of defence for this nation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18