I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill, which contains new and enhanced powers for An Garda Síochána to operate recording devices and robust safeguards for such recording. An Garda Síochána plays such a vital role in all our communities and in society. Its members are those on the front lines who protect us every day, keep our people safe and serve our communities. In recent weeks, however, we have seen some serious incidents where gardaí have been seriously injured. We must address this issue in…

The programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a statutory scheme to support people to live in their own homes by providing them with access to high-quality regulated home care. The lack of home help support is adding to the chaos in some hospitals in rural areas. The chronic shortage of millions of home help hours means that doctors are delaying the discharge of vulnerable elderly patients. The issue here seems to be the lack of enticements for people to work in the area of home help. The people w…

We move to the Regional Group. Deputies Peter Fitzpatrick and Verona Murphy are sharing time.

Representatives of Fáilte Ireland were recently before the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to discuss the challenges the tourism sector is facing on the back of our response to the Ukrainian crisis. Up to one quarter of our hotel rooms are occupied by beneficiaries of temporary protection. What plans are in place to support the tourism sector in response to our humanitarian empathy towards Ukrainians?

I thank the Minister for her response. "The Banshees of Inisherin" is a considerable achievement and as a result of the film, the Wild Atlantic Way is now on a global stage, which is significant for the likes of counties Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Galway and Mayo. We should not look to capitalise on the opportunity through further investment along the Wild Atlantic Way. We have an enormous product on our doorstep. There are now more than 55,000 beds being occupied by Ukrainians in more than 250 bed and breakfasts. We …

That has been noted and we will ask the Minister to respond in his closing remarks.

I remind Deputies that this motion is on inshore fisheries and not on forestry. We will proceed to Deputy Catherine Connolly.

I wish the Minister the very best in the finance Ministry and congratulate my party colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I look forward to working with them both. Over the weekend, the Minister stated that the economy would experience a "short and shallow downturn" in the coming months that will, inevitably, impact on small and medium enterprises. What considerations is the Government making to support our SME sector in response to the choppy waters ahead?

I thank the Minister. I think we are all in agreement that the supportive measures and schemes that were introduced earlier during the pandemic and within budget 2023 were a massive lifeline of vital importance to the survival of many SMEs. Nevertheless, businesses are still struggling to cope with the soaring energy costs, the rising interest rates and the broader inflationary pressures across our economy. The mood among some companies that operate in the domestic economy is not great. Revenue sheriffs will soon b…

I thank the Minister for his response and for raising the TBESS scheme. From listening to some constituents regarding its expansion, there are many sectors which have been excluded from it, one being those which do not use a main gas supply and use imported liquefied petroleum gas, LPG. They can measure their consumption and the cost. There is a certain cohort which has been excluded which should be included. Many rural pubs which use kerosene and LPG to run their businesses have also been excluded. There are, I th…

Counties like Galway, Mayo and Sligo are home to more than 500,000 people and linking these three counties directly via rail would make an enormous difference in terms of connectivity to the west, while connecting them to the south would go a long way towards tackling regional imbalance. We can create a strong rail link between the west and south, and that can only benefit industry, commuters and the economy as a whole. A very positive opportunity is presenting itself with the westward extension of the Foynes to Li…

I welcome the Minister's positive comments. This week, Cabinet approval was granted for a €750 million project on the Navan rail line as part of the greater Dublin area transport plan, while the western rail corridor still sits in an unpublished rail review report. Reopening the Athenry-Claremorris line should proceed in advance of the rail review. We cannot wait for the Northern Ireland Government to sort itself out. It may never sort itself out. It is inconceivable that the Government sees itself as being prevent…

I again raise the issue of the long-awaited strategic development zone, SDZ, at Ireland West Airport Knock. It has real potential and will provide for a new business and economic hub with the potential to deliver future employment for more than 4,000 people. I note that the west regional enterprise plan includes an objective to advance the development of a regional enterprise and innovation ecosystem in the region, with action 5 of this objective referring to strengthening the enterprise strategy for the SDZ at Kno…

We had some very positive news this week on the town and village renewal scheme. I ask the Minister to provide the House an update on the scheme and the announcement.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I certainly want to thank her for this week's announcement. In her reply she mentioned vacancy and dereliction and how the Government is prioritising the scourge this represents in many communities, towns and villages. It is important to note the amount of funding - €149 million - going in to support these types of projects. That demonstrates the Government's commitment to addressing this. I welcome the funding for villages such as Balla, which has received €120,000 for the redevelopm…

I thank the Minister for her response and thank her for visiting Mayo a number of weeks ago. It was a very positive visit for the work that is happening on the ground with community organisations and the local authority in addressing dereliction and vacancy and bringing new life back into rural communities. There was another very significant announcement in Belmullet, with more than €500,000 for the redevelopment of Canal House. Community parks are also central so people can have amenities on their doorstep when th…

I wish to raise the shambolic issues surrounding the suspension of catering services for those who use rail transport for intercity commutes. This has been ongoing for the past 11 months and it needs to be resolved. Rail passengers, including students and the elderly, who travel for up to three or four hours are still unable to access catering services, whether that is to get a bottle of water, a mineral or a cup of tea, on Iarnród Éireann’s intercity network across the country. Commuters cannot for the life of the…

I wish the Minister the very best in his role as Minister for Finance.

We will suspend briefly, pending clarification.

Will the Minister provide an update on the recent announcements around the new FET colleges of the future?