This is a good continuation of our discussion with Deputy Quinlivan. As I said, implementation of Powering Prosperity: Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy is progressing well. Our Department is overseeing the implementation of the actions, working alongside the action owners across Government Departments and agencies, including Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. We also have regular contact with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, Marine Institute Ireland and…

I assure the Deputy that we are making very detailed progress in our Department in terms of Powering Prosperity through skills and job and supply chain opportunities. That is acknowledged by the groups with which we are engaging. As the Deputy knows, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has responsibility for future auctions and grid development. The Minister, Deputy Burke, and I are very focused on ensuring that we have supply chain opportunities for smaller Irish companies and regionally …

The SEAI comes under the operational responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Ryan-----

I am pretty sure we will bring that to his attention. To go back to the offshore side of things, there are quite different opinions in terms of how advanced the technology is and how suited it is in particular for offshore on the west coast of Ireland, as the Deputy will know. What we are doing in our strategy is that we will establish an offshore wind centre of excellence. It will look at a floating demonstrator of scale to see how prepared the technology currently is for the conditions of the Irish west coast, pa…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 18 and 23 together. In June, the European Commission announced 151 regions, including Ireland’s three NUTS 2 regions, as designated regional innovation valleys, RIVs. I commend the regions and the respective assemblies on the hard work that was put in to successfully attaining this designation. The RIVs commit to enhance the co-ordination and direction of their research and innovation investment and policies. They also commit to collaborating on interregional innovation projects…

The midlands is ideally placed, through its regional enterprise plan, to maximise the opportunities. There is already a funding call through the European innovation ecosystems work programme, for which €116 million has been budgeted. There will be further competitive calls. I once again commend the regional assemblies involved on submitting the application and providing the information. These are best placed to brief the Deputy. I encourage every Member to be briefed on the potential. The regional assemblies are be…

The whole basis of asking for the RIV designation is that it is a kind of matchmaking process. In many ways, we are going back to the future and the European programmes of 20 years ago, when regions with complementary strengths and challenges were matched together across Europe. Some of the challenges the Deputy mentioned regarding transition and just transition are being experienced across Europe. We had the chance to do that through the RIV network. Digital transformation is obviously a major focus for our Depart…

We have had a lot of discussion on Powering Prosperity to date and I welcome the Dáil’s interest in it. I acknowledge the Deputy’s work in this space through the joint Oireachtas committee. In terms of infrastructure, that is obviously a matter for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, but we will continue to work closely with it to ensure that infrastructure is in place. Powering Prosperity is focused on ensuring that we maximise the opportunities that are available to Irish businesses, wh…

I endorse everything the Deputy has said with regard to the Port of Cork. It has applied for funding under the 2023 call on the EU's Connecting Europe Facility fund. The Department of Transport worked closely with it on that application. That would give it up to 30% of the cost of infrastructure investment works in this space. A decision on that will be announced this month. We will continue, through the offshore wind delivery task force and our colleagues in the Department of Transport and the Department of the En…

I am more than happy to pursue this. The shared island fund has invested significantly in infrastructure. Indeed, I took part in an event with the Cork, Dublin and Belfast chambers of commerce a few weeks ago on the potential to develop all-island projects now that the institutions are up and running. That is definitely one I will pursue. I would also point out that the Port of Cork has communicated to the Department of Transport that it will be beginning construction of the Ringaskiddy east permitted development i…

In the relatively short time since its establishment, the CEA has quickly established its presence and is integral to maintaining Ireland’s reputation as a safe and well-regulated economy in which to invest and create employment. The CEA has produced its first statutory annual report covering the period from 7 July 2022, the date of its establishment, to 31 December 2023. During the period under review, 454 complaints with allegations of wrongdoing were received, of which 398 were received from members of the publi…

We engage regularly with the CO. The resourcing of the CEA is kept under constant review and the Department is involved in regular engagement to ensure resourcing is adequate for the job we have given it. Filling specialist posts tends to be a challenge for many agencies but we engage closely with the agency on that.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanad as an díospóireacht seo a thógáil. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his good wishes. I am pleased to bring this Digital Services (Levy) Bill 2024 to the House, which amends the Broadcasting Act 2009, as amended by the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 to extend Coimisiún na Meán's power to raise the levy in section 21 of that Act to cover its new functions under the digital services regulation and the terrorist content online regulation. It does this by introducing two new cat…

I thank all Senators for their support for the Bill. I thank Senator Higgins for the thought she has given to the digital empowerment fund. This Bill is limited to and strictly focused on funding activities at Coimisiún na Meán for enforcing the Digital Services Act and the terrorist content online regulation, which will remove a burden on the Exchequer to fund the regulatory functions for the Digital Services Act. I am not able to incorporate her idea in this Bill, given its limited focus, but I like the idea. I w…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. As the Deputy outlined, under section 38 of the Dentists Act 1985, the Dental Council or any person may apply to the fitness to practise committee of the Dental Council for an inquiry into the fitness of a registered dentist to practise dentistry on the grounds of alleged professional misconduct. Professional misconduct is defined as a serious falling-short in the standards expected of a dentist, and …

I would encourage the Deputy to provide the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, with the specific details of the case so that it can be followed through. The Minister is looking at reviewing and updating the legislation in the context of the wider implementation of the new national oral health policy, which envisages a fundamental reform of oral health services. Any new legislation will be informed by this work. I referred to the series of thematic engagements. These are important, as they will have an input into the regula…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, I thank Deputy Tully for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to address the speculation about the lack of accessibility for wheelchair users at the new children’s hospital. The hospital is the largest health capital project in the history of the State and will transform the delivery of paediatric healthcare in Ireland. The project consists of the construction of the main hospital on the St. James’s Hospital campus and two satellite facilities at Blanchardsto…

I thank the Deputy. I am happy to provide clarification. The Department has stated that the new national children's hospital has been designed and constructed in consultation with CHI and, most important, in accordance with disabled access certification. There are 5,000 rooms in the new hospital and the development board is advised that all rooms and areas are fully compliant and, as such, are accessible. I again reiterate that if someone has evidence to the contrary, I ask them to please engage with the hospital d…

I thank Deputy Gannon for raising this issue and I will bring his description directly to the attention of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. It is important, as we all agree, that people feel safe and are safe in their local communities, and Dublin 7 is no exception. Community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Department of Justice or An Garda Síochána. Rather, it is a whole-of-government responsibility. On behalf of the Minister, I will outline the all-of-government approach to community safety but I will…

I agree with the Deputy that it has to be a multiagency approach. There is a new approach to community safety policy via the local community safety partnerships, which are being piloted in three locations, including in the north inner city of Dublin. They bring together the local communities and local service providers under an independent chair to develop a specific community safety plan for that local area and, more importantly, to work in partnership. The Dublin north inner city partnership continues to work col…