I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter about a very scenic part of the country. I thank him for his advocacy. For the purpose of the question and the greenway itself, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for the overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to greenways. The planning, design and construction of individual greenways is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland in conjunction with the local authority. As Deputy Brennan knows, and he has been a long time campaigner f…

I genuinely thank the Deputy for his commitment and dedication to this project. As someone in the hospitality sector he recognises the importance of the greenway project. What might be unique in this case is that the scheme has general public acceptance and deserves to progress more quickly than others. In my own area of Cork we have a huge issue with a particular greenway, which is disappointing in terms of the level of engagement by TII. In this case, we have allocated money to TII and it has already expended or …

I assure the Deputy that the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are very committed to this greenway project. The Deputy is right, and he paints a wonderful picture. I look forward to visiting with him again because he has painted a wonderful, broad brush of what it can do. It will drive economic change and regeneration. The point the Deputy has made is the vision will become a reality. It is not “if”, it is “when”, and all of us on this side of the House are anxious to progress the scheme. From o…

I thank the Deputy for raising this project on behalf of Deputy McCarthy, which I know is of great importance to him. The Minister for Transport has overall responsibility for the allocation of Exchequer funding for national roads. As part of the annual allocation process for national roads, TII prepares the booklet for funding for each project for the year. We announced this year's allocation last week. Approximately €139 million in Exchequer funding was allocated to Cork County Council for national roads in 2026.…

Deputy O'Shea, speaking on behalf of Deputy McCarthy, is right that the N25 is an important road. It is the road to Rosslare Europort and funnels traffic into Cork city. As I said, the interventions for junction safety on the N25 are a matter for Cork County Council in this case. It will identify the points the Deputy has outlined and the need for enhanced safety measures to be taken. Funding has been allocated to it. The important point for our Department is that this road has had a number of accidents and fatalit…

Government with the NTA and the council have allocated funding. This is a very important route. Living in and being from Cork, I recognise the volume of traffic has increased, and the number of accidents has increased. It is a priority for us in government. That is why we have allocated money after having had a pause. I will take the areas the Deputy mentioned back to Cork County Council because the issues he raised are a matter for the council in the main. I will articulate the views of Deputy McCarthy to the coun…

It will not be from day one.

The increases will take a while, he said.

The increases will take a while, he said.

Is cúis áthais dom a bheith i láthair sa Seanad inniu. I am delighted to be here to speak on our national volunteering strategy and the importance of volunteering across Irish society. As members know, it is part of who we are. It denotes us and sets us apart. It is woven into the tapestry of our communities, our culture and our sense of identity going back to Kickham and the whole piece around the GAA. From the GAA to the parish hall, from community gardens to climate action to people living in Ireland, we have al…

I will sign the Senator up.

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le gach Ball an tSeanaid a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht, a raibh a lán fuinnimh inti. I thank Members for their participation. I never thought we would hear Churchill, Gandhi and Muhammad Ali quoted in the Seanad in the same night. I am impressed. The contributions by everybody were fantastic, I thank all the Members. It shows the importance of all of us in this Chamber being of the community, volunteering, understanding and recognising that volunteering is the cornerstone of our soc…

He is probably canvassing as well to be fair to him; maybe both of them are doing that. I thank all the Senators for their volunteering and what they do which is very important. As Minister of State but also as a person who grew up volunteering, I recognise our country is a better place for the contributions made by so many volunteers. Senator Flaherty mentioned the gentleman in Longford. Senator Scahill mentioned an 87-year-old man, a former councillor. We piggyback on them. The Government is committed to supporti…

The Senator looks younger than any of us.

I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this very important matter. I thank him for articulating the frustration expressed by motorists and people in the town of Virginia. I also thank the Senator and Councillor T.P. O'Reilly for their advocacy and continued lobbying in respect of the importance of the Virginia bypass to the people of Cavan. I am not sure I have good news on the timeline for him this morning. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. As the Senator will know, the Minister has re…

I do not disagree with the Senator's reply. As he has said this morning, this project will alleviate traffic congestion, improve connectivity and bring an economic lift to the region. The Government is committed. It has allocated €9 million to Cavan County Council, including €7.4 million for capital protection, renewal and active travel and €1.5 million for new roads along with almost €500,000 for current maintenance. The M3 motorway and N3 national primary road is a strategic radial corridor for the north east. I …

The Deputy is dead right. I thank him for his ongoing support and advocacy concerning the importance of the N20-M20 as a county councillor, as leader of the council and as a new Teachta Dála. He illustrated very clearly here the strategic importance of the road. He is 100% correct. I speak as a Cork person when I say that people have waited far too long. It is the piece that we are missing in our region for a variety of reasons, including safety and economic sustainability. I thank the Deputy for his very thought-p…

The Deputy is right that it is time to move from aspiration to delivery. That is why the Tánaiste was very clear about the need for the development of expeditious projects to be progressed, with the whole issue around infrastructure development and the need for a specific department of infrastructure. The Deputy and I really listened to the Cork Development Forum and the chamber of commerce and other business interests and a variety of interests relating to the N20-M20 project. It is included in the NDP and receive…

I thank the Deputy for her very important question. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are aware of the challenges that many large community groups that operate community centres face in relation to the operation and staffing costs. In our consultation processes for the new strategy for the community and voluntary sector, it has emerged as an issue of concern. As the Deputy knows, the community and voluntary sector is quite diverse and receives financial support through a variety and wide range of funding program…

The points the Deputy made are fair comments. Both the Minister and I are very much aware from our own involvement and engagement. We have travelled the country and met with the community and voluntary sector. As a former director of my own community association, I know they are very resilient in sourcing funding from a variety streams. In the budget announced last November, there is a 6% increase in funding from our Department, which is a demonstration of the ambition the Minister and I have in terms of supporting…