An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-21
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Conor Murphy (SF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I concur with Senator Keogan's remarks on the abuse of Senator Flynn. I wish the Cathaoirleach well in his discussions with the social media companies, although from past experience I would not be overly optimistic about how they run their platforms and whether the protection they should be giving to people will materialise.
The spring economic statement released this morning refers to the prospect of a surplus of €9 billion, which is almost twice what had been predicted. Certainly, in the first instance, that will put the Government in a position where it can meaningfully step up on the cost-of-living crisis and the cost of fuel and put some significant supports in place rather than implementing actions of they kind which have been taken to date and which clearly have had very limited impact and only in a certain number of sectors.
I note also the comments by the Minister, Deputy Chambers, that the Government intends to increase capital investment on critical infrastructure. I was at a meeting of the Good Friday Agreement committee this morning that was attended by a number of representatives from chambers of commerce from both sides of the Border. Some were from as far away from the Border as Dún Laoghaire and Bangor, but most were from areas either side of the Border. We were discussing the opportunities that exist and that have already arisen in the context of all-Ireland economic growth, the huge potential that there is for more and the barriers being faced. Some of the barriers identified by the chambers of commerce relate to critical infrastructure such as wastewater treatment, water services, rail and road networks. The chambers of commerce on the southern side of the Border in particular made the point that investment in these on one side benefits both sides and is a benefit to the all-island economy. People recognise the work being done by the shared island fund, and there was a strong call for a structural fund agreed between the British and Irish Governments, and with input from the Executive in the North, to look at the idea of necessary infrastructure across the island. There was criticism of the lack of cross-Border infrastructure planning, which is clearly necessary.
In a context where the economic output, even with all of the challenges, looks significantly good, that is something the Government needs to address.
Other issues raised in the context of cross-Border rebuilding included the whole area of taxation, recognition of qualifications and pensions. There have been promises over many years to have a one-stop shop to address all of those issues but that has not materialised. There is work to do for both Governments in that regard. The all-Ireland economy is growing. It has been growing significantly despite all the obstacles. There is, however, a danger in the time ahead of both economies, North and South, diverging. It is in the interests of this State, as well as the interests of the whole island, to ensure that the economic growth potential is harnessed and that sufficient investment is put in for infrastructure and the removal of barriers in order that it can benefit everybody who lives across the island of Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-21