I thank the Minister for his feedback and his commitment. The two of us have benefited from the amazing education system we have had in this country. We have both utilised it to the best possible degree in various forms. What we want, and the opportunity we have here, is to ensure that all the young people growing up in this new and growing constituency can access it, and I see Deputy Ó Cearúil is here. Obviously, there is a multitude of other issues around accessing education, maybe transport and housing and place…

I ask the Minister if the Department plans to resource town centre first and establish a dedicated town regeneration team in every local authority focused on tackling vacancy and dereliction in towns and villages, as committed in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. I am looking over at Deputy Wall, who is from Athy in County Kildare, while I am from Leixlip. We know first-hand in County Kildare the opportunity that this would give us.

I thank the Minister for his response. He referenced the rural but I am also conscious of Kildare, which has the unique issue that it has a number of large towns, like Athy and Newbridge in the south, and Monasterevin, Clane, Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas, Maynooth and Kilcock in the north. We can see where dereliction has impacted those towns and where there is a need for regeneration. We have a great team in Kildare County Council but it is small, with just one or two individuals who are actually going out to try to t…

I thank Deputy Wall for his contribution. We did not organise this but, at the same time, we are speaking with one voice because we know the issues at hand. I am sure that other counties could do the same. I thank the Minister for his depth of knowledge and his interest in the topic. We need to ensure this gets rolled out.

I want to speak about a key issue impacting many people in north Kildare. Most likely it is impacting people throughout the country. This is the provision of childcare facilities. I have spoken to parents in Kilcock, Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth who are really struggling. It is a key issue in the programme for Government. We also know from speaking to providers that they are struggling to get the correct facilities. I want to focus on three specific areas. These are the expansion of afterschool care in school bu…

We have been asked to deliver statements on delivering a world-class education system that breaks down barriers and ensures every child can achieve his or her full potential. Since the foundation of the State, we have seen improvements in our education system. Opportunities that may not have been available to our grandparents in the twenties and thirties were available to our parents. Certain opportunities may not have been available to our grandfathers or grandmothers. As a State, we have improved the system throu…

I will not make a grand speech about something I have always been involved in, but biodiversity was something I always just knew about. On the farm where my mam grew up in north Roscommon or the farm my uncle had, there were meadows and bees but I never thought too much about biodiversity. I grew up in a housing estate in Leixlip. We were out and about and parks were just for playing football. When I became a councillor, it started hitting home. As I speak, I am thinking of Vanessa Liston, who was a councillor with…

Has any analysis been carried out to date on potential new markets for agrifood produce, exports of which to the US currently amount to almost €2 billion per annum, should tariffs be introduced? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter in the context of his visit to the US?

I thank the Minister. I will make sure to bring back to Kildare word that its two Fine Gael Deputies are among the hardest working TDs in the country. I had the good fortune of being able to nip back to Leixlip and Kilcock for events earlier this evening. I am slightly closer to Leinster House than the Minister, so I am lucky in that regard. I will make a couple of comments on the great potential associated with trading partners such as India and China. What discussions have we had with emerging nations? Have we sh…

In the context of Kildare and given that the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, is seated beside the Minister, we should remember Kerry Group is one of Kildare’s major employers and exporters. We are fortunate the company is based in Naas and is a key employer in our county. What discussions has the Minister been able to have with such businesses? What mitigating measures can we put in place ahead of tariffs and what discussions can we have? No more than we have Intel in the north of County Kildare produc…

In six months since I was elected, I have received many emails, calls and texts from concerned parents in towns such as Kilcock, Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Naas who are struggling to find special education places for their children. This Government has promised to increase the number of special schools and special classes across the country. I acknowledge the work that has been done so far, with an extra 399 new special education classes for the upcoming academic year. However, my constituency of Kildare Nort…

I will continue in the same vein as some of the other Deputies from across the country. People from my constituency also use test centres in neighbouring constituencies. People from north Kildare would have used Fonthill in the past, but they now use Tallaght and Naas predominantly. We have seen wait times increase. My colleague in north Kildare, Deputy Cronin, referenced a 28-week waiting time in Naas while her colleague referenced 43 weeks in Tallaght. Those are the waiting times for people in north Kildare. When…

Last Saturday a powerful statement was made by 30 women on the Dublin and Kilkenny senior camogie teams when they took to the pitch for the Leinster semi-final wearing shorts instead of the regulator skorts which are mandated by the Camogie Association. This action was in response to findings in the survey by the GPA which found that 83% of players wanted to have the choice. Unfortunately the rules had to be enforced by a referee put in a very difficult position and the teams were told the game would have to be aba…

Today, in marking Europe Day, I want to talk positively because I have seen the changes in my lifetime. The reasons for the European Union’s coming into being were obviously the worst things that ever happened. Just over 80 years ago, Europe was devastated by the horrors of the Second World War. All around many of our rooms, we have the books, films and documentaries, but ultimately, because we never experienced the war, we will never truly understand it. The people who came together to bring Europe together, which…

When is it envisaged that a whole-of-government action plan on competitiveness and productivity will be finalised in line with the programme for Government? As the Minister knows, there is obviously a lot of news happening, some of which has just been discussed, in respect of the different issues with the economy. Will he go through that?

I thank the Minister for his reply. It is great the timeline has been brought forward. The Minister is conscious of time, no more than myself, and therefore, it is a real positive that July is the new date. While the Minister and his team are doing significant work, there are challenges. As someone who has worked as an accountant with both large Irish multinationals and many smaller businesses, I deeply understand the difficulties businesses face and how marginal changes in costs, such as some of those costs we hav…

I thank the Minister. Intel's situation underscores how crucial it is that we address the systemic issues. In other Departments, we have things like planning delays, which can cause uncertainty. Energy prices, which the Minister alluded to earlier, are a key issue not only for small businesses but also for very large businesses like Intel. Energy prices are above many EU rates, so that is something of which we have to be very conscious. We all know that we have to speed up infrastructure delivery and I know that it…

It is a great honour to be here, as a relatively newly elected TD, to speak on International Workers' Day. This is a day that rings out not only around Ireland but across the world. Workers in different societies have, for many generations and over hundreds of years, had a constant fight to get their rights, whether it is in industry or otherwise. We have seen it in the United Kingdom, the US and all across the world. While that struggle may have had positive results for many in the industrial world that battle con…

I congratulate Deputy John Cummins on his role as Minister of State. He has been there for a few months but it is my first time speaking to him directly in the Chamber. Deputy Cummins was a great councillor friend of mine. Obviously, he is from Waterford and I am from Kildare but we were great friends for so many years that is a great honour to be able to speak to him in this way today. I want to support the revised national planning framework but also to call for its full and fair implementation, particularly, as …

"I believe in America" is the opening line of "The Godfather" movie and as the undertaker Bonasera said, I too believe in America. Brought up in a western European post-war world, many of us saw America as a beacon of prosperity and hope, a vision of opportunity. Over the years and through different US administrations, we have not always agreed with American presidents but we have broadly supported America. In my lifetime, the culture and influences of American music and movies have not only pervaded our lives but …