There are families in east Galway right now who are really worried because they cannot afford the cost of putting a fill of oil in the tank this winter. The reality is that the Government reduced the price on diesel and petrol but it is fair to say that it has not done anything yet to help families with the cost of home heating oil. In this budget there needs to be a serious measure put in place to support the families that I represent in Galway to get through this winter because the price has completely ballooned.…

As we work to mark World Pharmacy Week with World Pharmacists Day tomorrow, I want to thank pharmacists and their teams across Galway East and throughout the country for the work they do every day. In towns and villages across my constituency, the pharmacy is somewhere people know they can turn to. They can walk through the door, speak to someone they trust and get professional advice about something that is worrying them. That might be a parent concerned about a child. It could be somebody adjusting to a new presc…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Supporting people with disabilities and their families is a priority, particularly for me as a TD for Galway East, to ensure the people of Galway East receive the services they deserve. I want to see a system that supports their needs close to home and gives families confidence for the future. I start by acknowledging the work Government has been doing. It provided €20 million this year for the assessment of need targeted wait list initiative, the development of ther…

The western regional enterprise plan has been a successful endeavour. Regional enterprise in the west has continued to go from strength to strength. However, the plan ended in 2024. I accept that it was extended to 2025 for an independent review. However, we are now in September 2026. When will we see a revised, updated and ambitious western regional enterprise plan?

I welcome the report and that the plan will be published in the coming weeks. That is a huge step forward and will allow us to take things to the next level in east Galway, the rest of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Let us consider the reality of what has been achieved in just the past two years with the Dexcom facility in Athenry. There are more IDA Ireland lands in east Galway from Athenry to Tuam and Loughrea. We want them to be unlocked and brought into use. The one request I have for the Minister of State is that…

I welcome that commitment. It is important to say that we in Galway have an ability to deliver life sciences like no other area of the country. It has become what we are known for. Galway is seen as a medical devices and medical technology hub and we should pursue that by continuing to attract more talent from across the globe to that region. I do not need to explain this to the Minister of State, but none of that can be achieved without the adequate infrastructure. It would be remiss of me not to raise with the Mi…

Last week in Galway, a meeting was held by IBEC with all the Oireachtas representatives from right across the political spectrum with the site leads in Galway and some of the CEOs of the organisations. It was a fruitful meeting. Competitiveness was the lead item on the agenda so I would appreciate an update on the implementation of the action plan.

I welcome that the actions are being implemented. I believe the Minister of State said that 24 have been completed to date. That is welcome, but there are 85 actions included in that implementation programme so there is work to be done. I know it is a body of work that will be worth doing. The companies we met with outlined something to us. From small and medium enterprises right up to the largest of enterprises, when talking about competitiveness, they spoke of a fear about the speed at which Government has brough…

One other thing that the Minister of State and all of the Ministers in the Department of enterprise will be aware of is that multinationals and Irish companies that are competing on a global scale are also competing internally. They are competing with sites in the US, sites in Asia and other European sites. We have to be conscious of that internal competition that is taking place. Part of the success story of the med tech and life sciences sector in Galway is the fact that we do research and development really well…

I want to raise the issue of generational renewal and, specifically, the need for a farm succession scheme. We have been talking about the age profile of Irish farming for many years but the figures tell us that we simply have not shifted the dial. Only around 4.3% of Irish farm holders are under the age of 35 while almost 38% are over 65. This should be a concern to all of us who want to see the future of the farm family succeed. Macra na Feirme, which represents more than 16,000 young farmers and young rural peop…

What really shocked me when I met Macra na Feirme was seeing that the numbers backed up what we were seeing on the ground. It really is important that we encourage young people to stick with the family farm. Part of that is that they need to see a future in it so that they know they will be able to take it over and invest in it for the future. What I am proposing here cannot simply be viewed as a retirement scheme for older farmers. It must be designed as a succession scheme for the entire farm family. I thank the …

A huge amount of work has been done by An Garda Síochána to recruit new members. Understandably, after each attestation, the gardaí are allocated to different stations right across the country. My huge problem with that is that in the last three attestations, Galway received, in total across the over 700 gardaí that were allocated, only four gardaí. That is not four gardaí for one town in Galway or one small village; that is for the entirety of County Galway, the city and Connemara. It is a huge area that received …

They were repatriated outside Galway.

For the city.

The Tánaiste will be well aware of the case of Carrabane National School in east Galway. I have no doubt that multiple representations have been made to him about it. While I do not expect him to have an answer today as to what the case is, I want to highlight the frustration that exists among the school community. Two months ago, I and all of the other public representatives in east Galway attended a public meeting at Carrabane National School. On the night, Councillor Moegie Maher had a letter from the Minister, …

Essentially, what I am asking about is the cost of doing business. With rates, insurance, electricity and labour costs, the costs of doing business over the past few years have soared and while the Government has, at times, tried to intervene and support people, I want to know what plans the Minister has to further support businesses?

Go raibh maith agat a Aire Stáit. I appreciate the update and the work that is ongoing. A key area I want to highlight, and I know the Minister of State is hearing this regularly, is energy costs. Energy remains one of the largest overheads for SMEs, particular in the hospitality sector, the manufacturing sector and the agribusiness sector. Small businesses do not have the same purchasing power that larger entities or corporations might have. It might be feasible for a large entity to buy the energy coming from som…

The Government has to go further, in particular for small and medium enterprises that do not have the scale to acquire electricity at a discounted rate. This is who we have to consider and support. I want to move on to another cost of business issue which is constantly coming up for me, in particular in recent weeks. It is with regard to rates. Commercial rates are increasingly becoming a frustration for businesses. I understand that rates were not revalued for a long time but the revaluation has led to significant…

Artificial intelligence, AI, is one of the biggest economic opportunities facing Ireland over the next decade. It has the potential to transform productivity, innovation and competitiveness across every sector. What is the Government doing to position Ireland as a leader in AI adoption and development?

I am firmly of the opinion that the countries that adopt AI responsibly will yield the greatest benefits over the next generation. We can be economic leaders through AI and we can show what a society is capable of. A part of where this conversation has to be is about the societal benefits that can come from AI-gained efficiencies. With those efficiencies, however, come a lot of concerns. We have to address the challenges that there will be around job displacement and workforce skills and ensure that people can upsk…