I welcome the opportunity to contribute this evening. I am going to concentrate on the Bill itself and its substance. It is by any measure a technical Bill - a little bit technical, perhaps unexciting, but very important because it deals with something incredibly important, that is, the safety of our citizens in their own homes. When gas safety regulations are not upheld, the consequences are severe, immediate and catastrophic in some cases. That reality should highlight just how necessary it is for the powers of t…

I echo the concerns raised by my colleagues across the House today. The sales of single-use vapes to minors and their use of these vapes have reached epidemic levels in Ireland. The vaping industry has deliberately exploited this reality. The figures are incredible. WEEE Ireland found that vapes accounted for 33% of all electronic devices sold in 2024. That is a huge percentage. These brightly coloured, sweetly flavoured products are targeting vulnerable young people in particular who are unaware of the serious lon…

They gave you their number two.

My question relates to the future of a very important scheme that supports indigenous businesses around the country, namely, the seed and venture capital scheme. Will the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment provide an update on the uptake of the scheme, when commitments will be made by Enterprise Ireland, and will he make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the commitment of €250 million. In effect, it is venture capital provided by the State. From dealing with private venture capital funds, I know they extract their pound's worth. They look for an annual return of anything from 30% to 35% and try to get out of the business after two or three years, which does not provide the sort of space, investment and continuity required for fledgling businesses to succeed, as well as what they need in terms of building up markets, products…

Regarding a sectoral approach to those investments, does the Department make those decisions or is it left to Enterprise Ireland to decide how to allocate the funding? Who has that expertise, because an element of expertise is required? Reference was made earlier to the geographical distribution of investment. I know it is difficult because we are reliant on small businesses looking for these funds. Can anything be done to make sure that there is some level of geographical distribution of that investment? I do not …

I join colleagues in expressing my deep disappointment at the decision taken by a group of EU member states to block that deployment of the Hague preferences for higher proportional quotas. That decision has left Ireland uniquely exposed to nearly 70% loss in the allowable catch for mackerel in this country, a reduction that would have been mitigated by this long-standing and agreed protection mechanism for Ireland. Mackerel is Ireland's most valuable catch, worth €94 million in exports last year to premium Europea…

My question relates to the recently published Government infrastructure plan and the steps that will be taken by Government to work more closely with housing developers and builders, big and small, on essential infrastructure for housing. What reforms will be introduced under the accelerated infrastructure delivery plan to enable developer-led infrastructure?

I thank the Minister for that update. I welcome the progress the Government is making on accelerating this infrastructure, particularly from a wastewater perspective. Standards are essential, but this is a way for these housing estates and these developments to get on the blocks, get done and get moving quickly rather than having to wait for Uisce Éireann, local authorities, the ESB, etc., to get that work done. It is very important that standards are clear and, for that reason, that Uisce Éireann takes all that st…

As Chair of the climate committee, I am acutely aware of this. We hear a lot at that committee about the pressures on the energy grid, its ability to move energy around the country and to take additional houses, and how important that is. I welcome private wires, investment in the grid and anything else that will help relieve that pressure and put capacity in place in the network to allow residential units to connect as quickly and as reliably as possible. With forthcoming regulations that will allow developers to …

I want to raise the issue of lithium batteries which are everywhere now. Lithium is in rechargeable batteries, disposable vape battery packs and mobile phones. I think the Minister has a background in chemistry so he will know that lithium is highly reactive. I visited a waste to energy facility in Dublin recently and learned that lithium batteries are a huge problem because they end up in the waste stream and can explode in the chambers, causing a lot of damage. What progress is the Government making to support pr…

I welcome this debate. The role that social media and online content play in inciting violence against women cannot be overstated. I had the opportunity to meet the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last Thursday and I heard first-hand about the central role that digital spaces now play in enabling and amplifying violence against woman. The discussions, examples and direction of travel in relation to pornography, what is acceptable, how vast it is developing online, and the role that strangulation plays in pornography is s…

I am not sure if the Minister of State was in LH 2000 earlier for the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was a lovely event that kicks off the Christmas celebrations for many. Christmas offers a chance for families around the country to come together and reconnect. However, it can also be a time of additional emotional stress and pressure. I refer to the pressure of additional spending for those already struggling to make ends meet, the feeling of loss for families struggling with the death of loved one during the …

I thank the Minister of State for her response, and I acknowledge the development and service development work that has gone into this in the past number of years. As she set out, we started from a very low base, but it is hugely positive that the service is being developed. It is important we recognise the challenges that many people face in our communities. Reduced service hours during the Christmas period has the potential of having a really negative effect and I really welcome the commitment from the HSE and th…

An leagfaidh an tAire amach na tionscnaimh atá á gcur ar bun ag Gaois in DCU, and will he make a statement on the matter?

As the Minister mentioned, the €4 million investment is a very substantial commitment from the Department and I welcome it. Gaois's building in DCU is a big northside institution right on the edge of Dublin Bay North, my constituency, and it serves that entire area well. Tá sé iontach go bhfuil an infheistíocht seo ag tarlú ach go bhfuil sé lonnaithe sa tríú leibhéal. Tá an cumas acadúil ag na hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal an taighde ar fad a tharraingt le chéile agus na huirlisí seo a chur ar fáil. Luaigh an tAire dú…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta.

Bím breá sásta i gcónaí ardán a thabhairt don Teachta Heneghan. Bíonn sé liom gach uile áit a dtéim. Nach bhfuil sé sin fíor? Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tá an-fháilte roimh an infheistíocht i dtuaisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá an institiúid sin thar cionn. Déanann Dáire Keogh agus an grúpa ansin an-jab. Tá na fréamhacha leagtha acu ó thaobh an obair a dhéanamh. Ar aghaidh linn leis an tionscnamh.

Ar dtús báire, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire ar a ceapachán mar Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála. Go n-éirí léi ina post nua. My question concerns the significant opportunity Ireland will have this year to help to shape the clár, or agenda, of the European Council. Will the Minister outline the preparations currently under way in her Department?

It is clear that there is a lot of work already under way on planning. I welcome that. There will be over 250 meetings in Ireland over a short period of time. It is going to be intense, as we saw before, in 2013. It is an opportunity for the country as we take a leadership role in steering the EU agenda for that period of time and dealing with some of the challenges that confront us collectively across the EU bloc. The Minister mentioned stakeholders. At the climate committee yesterday, the question was raised as t…