Colleagues and I from the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action travelled to Amsterdam two weeks ago. We saw how these smaller, dinkier type vehicles are quite prevalent in cities similar to Amsterdam. I had previously seen them in Rome. From conversations I have had with my colleagues on the committee, I think there is a cross-party appetite to go in this direction. Everybody recognises now that we do not want our cities full of SUVs even if they are electric. I ask the Minister to explore this further…

It gives me great pleasure to speak to a fellow Limerick man on a matter that I think is dear to both of us. I am very glad the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is standing in for the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, although this is also very relevant to his brief. This summer, 332 years ago, the Wild Geese left these shores for France and further afield. They left after the Treaty of Limerick. I live a stone's throw from the treaty stone marking where some of the major battles of the two Sieges of Limerick o…

I am proud to be a member of a 32-county party. I am also proud that my primary sport is a 32-county sport, which is the sport of rowing. Many Members might have thought I would say rugby as I am from County Limerick but that is my second sport. On Good Friday 1998, I was with the Ireland rowing squad in Enniskillen on the River Erne in County Fermanagh. I was rowing with young lads my age from throughout this island. I remember at night we stayed on an island on the River Erne near Enniskillen. We stayed in dormit…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, in accordance with section 8(3)( a ) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended, appoints Deputy Michael Ring to be an ordinary member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in place of Deputy Joe Carey who has resigned his office in accordance with the aforementioned section 8.

I wish to ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work his Department is doing to support and accelerate transit-oriented development, in particular medium-to-high density and high-quality housing projects around high-capacity transport nodes in urban areas. It very much applies to suburban areas as well. I also ask if the Minister of State will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. He referred to the Colbert Quarter in Limerick, a very ambitious LDA project for residential and mixed-use development. It will support thousands of people to live and work in the heart of Limerick city, right beside Colbert Station. I recognise the work of the working group that was set up in December 2021. Its focus has been on Dublin up to now. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will know the project very well. We must start to focus on the other cities. Limeric…

I re-emphasise the potential of Limerick, but I think that potential exists in all Irish cities. It is not just about rail transport but also about developing bus networks and housing in conjunction with that. I take the train, as does the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to and from Dublin every week. We pass through Portlaoise and we can see that town developing at pace because of the opportunity provided by the rail service between Portlaoise and Dublin. Developers, that is, the private sector, are respondin…

Cosúil leis an Teachta Gannon, I find it very difficult to make my contribution as Gaeilge but we will persist. Gach bliain, bím ag tnúth le labhairt ar Sheachtain na Gaeilge nó, mar a thabharfaimid air i Luimneach i mbliana, Sneachta na Gaeilge. Gach bliain, bím ag déanamh cainte faoin nGaeilge le haghaidh Seachtain na Gaeilge. I mbliana, in ionad an Ghaeilge a úsáid chun labhairt faoin nGaeilge, labhróidh faoi mo chuid oibre. Is orgánaigh bheo iad teangacha. Athraíonn siad agus athraíonn siad arís. Ní mór iad a c…

It is four years since the people of Limerick decided that we would have a directly-elected mayor. My constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, has helpfully indicated that we will have legislation next month, all going well. I thank the Minister of State. We need to make sure that the legislation is meaningful and that there is proper devolution of power from Dublin to Limerick, but also that we have an election. Realistically, 2024 would be the time for such an election, concurrent with the…

I am taking this question on behalf of my party colleague Deputy Ó Cathasaigh. What is the status of the proposed charge on single-use coffee cups? What is causing the delay to its introduction and what is the anticipated timeline for its introduction?

I thank the Minister of State. As he will be well aware, 200 million coffee cups go to landfill in this country every year. It is about time we did something about that and I congratulate him on all the efforts he has made to date in that regard. I am a regular customer at the Abbey River Coffee café, located in the historic Potato Market next to Mathew Bridge in Limerick. It is a family-owned and locally run business that has been at the forefront of running a sustainable business since it opened a few years ago. …

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. I would say there is overwhelming support among the general public for this measure. I would argue that many businesses are not pulling in the other direction. The business I spoke about in Limerick certainly wants to see progress in the area. It is just one example of thousands across the country that want to do the right thing and that are taking proactive measures. I look forward to reading the report the Minister of State mentioned. I would like to think that the vast ma…

I wish to ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the way increased participation in women's sport at local and community level will be advanced in the coming years and if she will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for his answer. When we encourage anyone to get involved in sport, we do so not simply for the competitive aspect of it, but we know there are lifelong benefits for the people who get involved. Of course, there are benefits beyond their sporting careers. There are the benefits to their clubs, which are central to their communities. It is critical that we invest in sport and it is every bit as critical that we invest in women in sport as much as we invest in men in sport. I have the hon…

I mentioned the challenge of retention of girls in sport, particularly those aged 16 and 17. The big part of this is supporting women to get involved in coaching. There is a dearth of women in coaching in all sports in Ireland. If we can tackle that, we can go a long way to addressing the challenge of retention. I am a lifelong member of St. Michael's Rowing Club and have coached there over the years. It had no women in it when I was a youngster but now more than 20 years later, the women's crews are the strongest …

This is a timely question in light of the news in the past few days the 26 children in Limerick are without places at secondary school. I acknowledge the efforts of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, the Department and the Minister in trying to resolve this. Could the Minister outline the plans for new primary and secondary school developments in Limerick city to support the steep population growth targeted for the city under the national planning framework and make a statement on the matter?

I welcome the Minister's answer. I want to dig into it a little and talk about the national planning framework and Project Ireland 2040, a very positive plan that we are following. There is to be a statutory review of the plan next year, as I understand it. In the case of Limerick, we can see that what is actually happening and what is projected under the national planning framework are misaligned. We must think about planning our city in a manner that moves away from what is known in transport, education and other…

Indeed, there are very significant developments under way. We welcome them in Limerick. They point to a future for the city in which the population is rebalanced back towards the centre. The Minister mentioned Laurel Hill and Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh. The latter is a very exciting project in my locality and we hope it will be open very soon. Construction is going very well. When it comes to locating new schools, we must be careful not to build on the edges of urban areas continually. Doing so exacerbates the sprawl t…

First, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, on his new position. I wish him very well in the role in the term ahead. Second, because I have not done so already, I join colleagues in expressing my condolences on the death of Private Seán Rooney. The European Council expressed its condolences at the weekend. Coming up to a year ago - 24 February I think was the date the war in Europe kicked off - we spoke in this House in the weeks leading up to that point and none of us could quite believe what was co…

I intend to provide some balance to some of the commentary we have just heard and to tone down the rhetoric and incitement, which is not appropriate in this House, notwithstanding people's strong views on this issue or any other issue. I pay tribute to the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, whom I know personally, who is one of the most dedicated public officials we have in this country and who is passionate about resolving the challenges we have in this country in climate and forestry. I pay tribute to her and th…