It is good to see Deputy Feighan here as Minister of State. I thank him for being here for this very important debate. I pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Shane Moynihan, who has been raising this issue during Taoiseach's questions since the beginning of the year. Barry Andrews, MEP, raises it regularly in the European Parliament. This is a very important debate. As colleagues said, it has perhaps been overshadowed by conflicts in Gaza and the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing campaign of aggression against Ukrain…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this item. Like my colleague Deputy Cleere, I acknowledge the significant investment in the school building programme. However, there does, of late, seem to be slow progress on certain projects. We are looking for an assurance that when it comes to the school building programme the capital is in place to be able to deliver on those much-needed schools. The concern I have is that I placed parliamentary questions at the start of the year and six, seven or eight months later, I…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I totally understand there can be delays to various projects. In nearly all of these cases, if it has got to stage 2b, the land is there and the school is ready to go. Stage 2b seems to be some sort of bizarre purgatory within the Department. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State talked about 80 further school programmes. All that many of these schools are asking for is a clear timeline. If it is published on the Department website, as the Minister of State sa…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the renaming of Dublin Airport as Seán Lemass Dublin International Airport and to provide for related matters. I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me the time to move this Bill. It provides for the formal renaming of Dublin Airport as the Seán Lemass Dublin international airport. This is not simply a question of changing a sign; it is about recognising a leader whose vision transformed Ireland and whose policies opened the ga…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I support Deputy Butterly on this. The Minister might update us. We had a regional film uplift fund in the past but, as a result of issues relating to EU supports, that could not continue. He will certainly be aware that, when filming has to take place outside of Dublin and Wicklow, crews have to travel and there is a cost to that. He has outlined the success we have seen with filming right around the country. He will also be aware that there are plans to develop Tara Studios, just outside Gorey in north Wexford. H…

I applaud the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's efficiency in the Chair. I thank the Minister for taking this question. It concerns the proposal in the programme for Government to develop an arts capital scheme. Will the Minister provide us with an update?

The sports capital programme has been incredibly successful at providing support for sport within our communities. I welcome the Government's continued commitment but we have not placed the same level of investment in arts and cultural facilities in our organisations. I appreciate the point about stream E but, as the Minister pointed out, the maximum grant available is €50,000. In a capital programme, that is not a huge sum. I am thinking of a number of places in my constituency, including Gorey Little Theatre, KMH…

I welcome that. Will the Minister outline a rough timeline for that? He talks of local authorities but not all venues are local authority-run or have local authority input. Many venues for amateur drama or the arts are run on a community or voluntary basis. It is about the process of application and capacity-building in the sector. Does the local authority have to be involved? I appreciate the scheme is not fully designed but will the Minister outline his intentions in that regard?

I wish the Tánaiste well in his new role. I also thank Paschal Donohoe for his service as Minister for Finance and in other roles. One of the last reports he published as Minister, and one of the most important, is the Future Forty report, which sets out the long-term direction for this country. Part of that is the demographic challenge, whereby we will grow from having about 860,000 people over the age of 65 now to potentially 2 million in 40 years. What is critical in that is that we have a healthy older populati…

I appreciate the Minister of State coming to take this Topical Issue. I am not sure if in his earlier answer he was committing to bringing the Luas to the Wicklow-Wexford constituency but if he can, I will welcome it. We will welcome any improvement to rail services. I deeply love where I come from. We have some of the best beaches in the country and wonderful community life in all our towns and rural areas but many people have to commute to work or college. Part of that is due to the continued failure of the IDA t…

I appreciate that the Minister of State is only providing the answer on the part of the Department of Transport but it shows why I have very little confidence in that Department or the NTA on delivery. I am a huge supporter of completing the M11 from Oilgate to Rosslare. That will not assist in any way the 6,500 daily commuters who for the most part are moving north but let us move on with it as quickly as possible. There is no real significant improvement in what will happen on the N11-M11. I had to laugh because …

Notwithstanding other matters that may have happened today, I believe this is the most important debate to be happening in this House. It is not just about Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine but, rather, a question around the war in Europe and, indeed, a war on Europe by an increasingly aggressive Russia. I have to express my disappointment that while every other parliament in Europe has been debating and exploring this issue, this is the first time since the summer we have had the opportunity to have statements …

A wise man.

Yes, I am. I commend Deputy Farrelly on introducing this Bill and on his deep and genuine commitment to young people, engagement in civic life and youth work more generally. I have long supported the reduction of the voting age to 16. In fact, I wrote an opinion piece in August 2007 for The Irish Times and in preparing for this I reread it. The arguments I made then are still as strong 18 years later as they were at the time. Deputy Jen Cummins mentioned she was on the board of NYCI in the noughties and said she fe…

That is not true.

Hear, hear.

We have worrying news from Arklow this morning. The Merck Life Sciences plant, which is located in the town, is scheduled to close in 2028. About 100 employes are impacted. I have been speaking with the company. There will be efforts to redeploy. Until now, Merck has been a very good employer. I know many of the people who are working there. It is critical, and I would like assurances, that every support will be given to those workers. Some will have to redeploy but I refer also to any necessary upskilling and retr…

I echo the remarks of Deputy Eoghan Kenny with regard to trans healthcare and, indeed, condemn outright the appalling personalised attack on the Minister of State for her compassion. I have known the Minister of State for a long time, and she is somebody who wears her heart on her sleeve. It is important to have that within the Department of Health. I will always have her back, as I think will nearly everybody in this House, on how she seeks to ensure that Ireland becomes a fairer society. I would also echo that I …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to regulate the use of the title "accountant", to establish criteria for recognition, and to provide for offences and penalties for misuse of the title, and to provide for related matters. I am happy to be here today to introduce the Companies (Protection of Title: Accountant) Bill 2025. This Bill is about protecting consumers. At present, anybody can describe himself or herself as an accountant. Indeed in the morning, the Ceann Comhairle and the Gov…