I publicly thank the Minister for coming to Castlebar earlier this week to deliver the fantastic news on the Mayo College of Further Education and Training. This will be a multimillion euro project for County Mayo and Castlebar. It will strengthen our appeal in the future economic outlook and will invest in FET. This significant capital investment will transform that campus. We have an excellent team under Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB, and its executive management is passionate about delivering the best of courses t…

We have Mayo College of Further Education and Training progressing with this capital development on the back of the establishment of the ATU in Mayo, which is designated for Castlebar. We are offering postgraduate courses with other disciplines, ranging from outdoor education to, as we mentioned previously, digital media and cybersecurity. This means there is a university campus along with an FET college. We have approximately 900 students in the university and we have up to 700 students in the FET college. We have…

I wish to raise a serious issue that has horrified the nation and has terrified parents of young children in recent days. A nine year-old boy suffered what can only be described as horrific injuries on Sunday afternoon when he was savagely attacked by a pit bull dog while playing football with his friends in the green area at the estate where he lives in Wexford. The little boy remains in a serious condition in hospital following the attack by a dog that was not under the control of its owner. Nor was it muzzled. T…

I thank the Minister of State for the update on the attendance by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, at COP27. Climate change is possibly the most important issue of our time, and our actions now will certainly affect what will happen for future generations. There are actions we can take now to reverse climate change and to support our transition to a low-carbon economy. Some of the biggest advances in technology have come from trying to limit and create alternatives to our dependency on carbon. As a Government, we must co…

I raise the ongoing investigation into the violent death more than five years ago of 21-year-old Joe Deacy from St. Alban's in Hertfordshire, England while visiting his relatives in Mayo. I met Joe many times in London when playing football. He was a fantastic fellow. He was Mayo GAA to the core. The Garda opened a murder inquiry into Joe's death after post mortem results showed he suffered a blunt trauma to his head. He was found lying on the ground outside a house in Swinford on 12 August 2017 by a passing cyclis…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, which is most welcome and will assist hundreds of thousands of people across many strands in our society who would otherwise face a difficult time as we head into an uncertain winter. The eight lump sum payments that amount to more than €1.2 billion could be the difference between a happy and a miserable Christmas for many individuals and families across the country. The payments have helped parents of young children, those living alone, carers and those on disability…

The sports capital and equipment programme makes an enormous contribution to thousands of sporting clubs, organisations and schools which have benefited from the fund. The programme supports jobs when delivering capital projects and also provides an economic and social stimulus in both urban and rural areas. Could the Minister of State provide an update on the current status of the sports capital programme and the future timing on next year's plans?

I thank the Minister of State for his response in relation to this important programme. We understand the importance of sport to communities around the country and it is imperative to fund it. Money spent on sport is money saved on healthcare down the road. Certainly, the 2020 sports allocation programme has been hugely successful and I commend the Minister of State on his efforts in relation to the national fund of over €166 million that was allocated for both equipment and sports capital. The Minister of State me…

I appreciate the response of the Minister of State. Certainly in my constituency, more than 99 sporting organisations and schools benefited from the fund. In total €4.8 million was allocated through the sports capital programme. More than €470,000 was allocated through the sports equipment programme. This is a significant contribution to sport. Given the record number of applications I commend the Department on the information, presentation and support they give to applicants who are not familiar with the process i…

Following the recent publication of the draft residential zoned land tax, RZLT, maps by local authorities, I ask the Minister to provide an update on the scope of the tax and its intended use.

I thank the Minister for his response. It is very positive to hear of the advertising campaign because this tax will have implications for farmers and landowners in rural areas throughout the country. Hundreds of farmers could be hit with an annual tax of 3% of the market value of their zoned farm land. Looking at the interactive draft maps, which I have analysed for County Mayo, the volume of land zoned as liable under the tax in certain market towns and small to medium-sized towns is significant. In other areas t…

I thank the Minister for his engagement and proactive approach to the issue. I encourage the local authorities and county councils that have published these maps to engage with the landowners and ensure they do not go down a route where appeals will have to be made to An Bord Pleanála. That would be the last resort. I welcome the tax measure. It is an important component of the pathway towards increasing our housing supply. Activating zoned land is hugely important. Only one sixth of land zoned residential is activ…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to statements on water policy. Everyone is in agreement that the importance of improving Ireland's water resources cannot be underestimated. Having clean and healthy water catchments, safe and secure water supplies and a comprehensive wastewater service are, collectively, vital to protect public health, support economic growth and, what is very important, preserve our environment. An issue I continue to raise that causes grave concern among residents in north Mayo relates to …

I want to raise the Mayo College of Further Education and Training, which delivers more than 40 courses with outstanding support services and runs across three campuses in Ballina, Castlebar and Westport. The Castlebar campus is also home to the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board headquarters and accommodates up to 700 students. It is well below an acceptable standard, however, for an inclusive and vibrant learning environment. It has submitted an application to SOLAS under further education capit…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, which will go some way to alleviate the worries of viable but vulnerable firms in the manufacturing and international trade services sector, and not just those that have existing relationships with Enterprise Ireland, which is welcome. Through no fault of their own, they are very worried heading into the winter as they face rising costs, higher interest rates and issues with consumer confidence. The scheme, which will help those impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukrain…

In accordance with Standing Order 80(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 9 November 2022.

You are over time, Minister.

Apologies to the Minister but Deputy O'Rourke has a supplementary question.

My own county of Mayo has abundant renewable energy resources, including the potential for a further 2 GW of onshore wind which is deliverable in the short term. We are ideally placed to become a national renewable energy and hydrogen hub. We are, however, aware that this opportunity is time limited. It will certainly pass us by if essential policy drivers are not delivered with urgency. The Minister's Department invited submissions to the consultation on the delivery of a hydrogen strategy for Ireland in July this…

Community centres and parish halls are the core and heartbeat of many rural communities, towns and villages. The community centres investment fund has been a game changer for many community groups and organisations. Will the Minister give an update on future allocations under the fund?