As the Tánaiste is aware, the nature of national security has fundamentally changed. We are no longer talking solely about traditional military threats but, rather, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy security, technological vulnerability and foreign interference. The world has moved at pace, from the war in Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East and particularly in Gaza, right through to malign actors targeting critical infrastructure across Europe. Ireland still remains exposed.…

The Tánaiste has outlined the issues quite succinctly and well. One thing to bear in mind as well is whether the strategy will incorporate external expertise to ensure that it reflects best international practice. That is not necessarily expertise from the private sector. We would be looking to our partners in Europe specifically, and then obviously to our Canadian and American partners, when it comes to the protection of deep-sea cables. Crucially, it will need to provide a clear national security doctrine that al…

I wish to raise a matter of urgent importance affecting communities across Kildare North, that is, the sustained and worsening failure in water infrastructure, particularly in Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. For far too long, families in estates such as Primrose Hill, Temple Manor and The Grove in Celbridge have been forced to endure weekend after weekend of drastically reduced water pressure. Constituents have told me they cannot wash their clothes, boil a kettle, flush their toilets or even shower on Saturdays a…

I want to outline how the communications on burst water mains happens in Kildare. I will pick Maynooth as an example. I was a councillor there for close to 11 years before being elected to this House. I could get a call at 2 o'clock in the morning from a resident in a housing estate or from the local fire service telling me there is a burst water main. I then had to get on to Irish Water and the county council. After that, I got on to the local schools to let the principals know there was a burst water main. The pr…

I welcome Ireland's associate membership of CERN and, like others, I would encourage our moving towards full membership. I acknowledge the work done in this regard by the Minister, by Deputy Malcolm Byrne and by the previous Oireachtas. We really need to focus on the many positives coming out of this. The most important thing to bear in mind is that we get far more out of our associate membership than we put into it. There are opportunities for PhD students, researchers and staff and also in terms of the contracts …

I acknowledge the progress made this year to date. The CSO has announced 5,938 home completions happened in quarter 1 of 2025, which is the second highest first quarter since the series began in 2011, and that apartment completions in quarter 1 of 2025 were up 13.4% on quarter 1 of 2024. Many more apartments need to be built and I hope the announcements being made will increase the number being built. Regarding the NPF, there is a need to be ambitious about not just town and village centres but the outskirts where …

The new accelerating infrastructure task force is a welcome move to tackle delivery delays and cost overruns in major public projects such as the national children's hospital, MetroLink and thousands of social and affordable homes that are delayed or over budget. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has noted that our infrastructure delivery is 25% below European norms. How will the task force overcome these systemic challenges and deliver projects on time and within budget?

The appointment of 12 experts to the taskforce, including from the ESRI, the NTA and IDA Ireland, is encouraging. Its focus on high-impact reforms and boosting productivity is crucial. With construction productivity around 30% lower than our European peers and an estimated shortfall of 80,000 workers, delivery risks falling short, according to the CFI. Will the Minister outline which specific reforms the taskforce will prioritise? Will it be, for example, digital planning, modular construction, or streamlined appro…

It is encouraging to hear about engagement with the private sector on the taskforce. With €165 billion committed under the national development plan, delivery must keep pace with ambition. How will the taskforce work with industry to close workforce gaps and improve productivity, to which Deputy Byrne also alluded? Would the Minister consider establishing dedicated delivery units within agencies to ensure a focused, agile approach? Finally, KPMG has highlighted the need for balanced regional investment. How will th…

We all welcome the postponement of the 50% tariffs from 1 June to 9 July by the US. What are the Government's plans to accelerate talks and avoid escalation of the transatlantic trade war? I appreciate that it is an EU competency but how does the Government plan to feed into that?

Last Wednesday, we had statements on the situation in Gaza and Palestine and since then there has been a continuation of indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians. Consideration is being given by the EU to the EU-Israel trade agreement and last week, the Taoiseach mentioned in the House that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet on the occupied territories Bill. Is the Taoiseach in a position to update the House on that?

I congratulate the Minister on his elevation to Cabinet. As a constituency colleague, it is great to see him in that brief. He has hit the ground running, and I have no doubt that the rest of his term will be a success. I wish him well. We know from the Irish Universities Association, IUA, that half of the equipment in third level institutions is more than ten years old and that a third is more than 15 years old. How does the Minister plan to modernise basic research equipment in universities?

In March 2025, the IUA stated, "increased public investment in research is the best way to protect the Irish economy from external threats such as US tariffs," and what is happening in an international context. I welcome the Minister's commitment to not just funding third level institutions but also modernising those institutions. As a follow-up question, when does the Minister envisage that funding will be available to third level institutions? I appreciate that this will be part of the national development plan. …

I will give some time back to the Minister in order to allow him to finish his point. I acknowledge the President of Maynooth University, Eeva Leinonen, for her work there and as chair of the IUA. I am keen to hear from the Minister in terms of what his timeline is. I appreciate that any scheme like this cannot be just a once-off; it needs to be continuous because of the rate of change and development in all areas of research. I completely understand that it will take time. It is not just a case of being here once …

I speak not only in condemnation but in deep outrage at what we are witnessing in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past 19 months, children have been bombed in their homes, hospitals and shelters, starved due to the denial of aid and treated as pawns in a brutal campaign that flies in the face of every principle of international humanitarian law. Entire families have been wiped out in a matter of minutes, refugee camps have been flattened and hospitals have been deliberately targeted. T…

County Kildare has the lowest rate of community-based childcare facilities, with three in total and only two of those in Kildare North, one of which is Maynooth University crèche. To give a sense of how long it has been there, I attended it myself. This is in spite of 48% of childcare services having waiting lists in Kildare. I have raised multiple parliamentary questions about this. However, in the programme for Government there is a commitment for capital investment to build or purchase State-owned childcare faci…

Like others, I acknowledge an incredibly brave and courageous young person at the gates of Leinster House when it is lashing rain - Cara Darmody. She is protesting outside not for herself but for her brothers and thousands of children throughout the country who are being denied timely assessments of supports. Cara's strength is extraordinary. Her message is one that we in this House must listen to. That message is that we are in an emergency. I also acknowledge my colleague, Councillor Donna Phelan, who, like so ma…

The statements today from around the country have been quite insightful. Naturally many Deputies here are extremely frustrated with the delays they are seeing in their constituencies. In Kildare North, for example, 4,024 people are waiting for a driving test. That is up from 3,303 last year, which is 691 more for the same time period. We are also told that the national average waiting time in March 2025 stood at 24.1 weeks. Many Deputies here have complained about that delay and understandably so. In Kildare North …

Tá an-áthas orm an deis a bheith agam labhairt ar an mBille tábhachtach seo. Is céim chun tosaigh agus chun cinn í an reachtaíocht seo a neartóidh ról an údaráis i saol sóisialta, cultúrtha agus eacnamaíochta ár bpobal Gaeltachta. Mar urlabhraí Fhianna Fáil nua ar an nGaeilge agus ar ghnóthaí Gaeltachta, fáiltím roimh an sprioc atá ag an Rialtas struchtúr an údaráis a nuachóiriú agus níos mó daonlathais a thabhairt ar ais trí bhord na gcomhaltaí tofa agus ceaptha araon. Is ceart agus cóir go mbeidh pobal na Gaeltac…

Each year, more than 44,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer. It remains one of the leading causes of death, accounting for 30% of all deaths annually. In July 2024, in excess of 172,000 people were waiting more than three months for a diagnostic imaging test, delays that have significant implications for early detection and outcomes. In light of these trends and the commitments made in the programme for Government, will the Minister outline her plans to improve diagnostic pathways and invest in the infr…