I thank the Deputy for her emotional presentation. I know she is acutely aware of the requirements that should be in place. She has the experience of a school that is doing the job really well. As she asked, why fix something that is not broken? Her experience of this school has obviously been a positive one. The Government is committed to the provision of additional special school places for children with more complex educational needs. More than 300 new special school places have been and will be provided for in …

Deputy Ardagh has made the case well for Scoil Eoin. It is important that we, as public representatives, who have the opportunity to listen to the real-life stories of parents and teachers, such as in Scoil Eoin relay that to Department officials as well as the Deputy's sense that to make any change will dismantle something that works, that is good and that is providing the care and the educational atmosphere needed for these children to thrive, to be welcomed and, as she said, to be included. We all have a respons…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after " Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that the Government; — recognises concerns with regards to the rising cost of groceries and the financial pressure on households; — shares the commitment to ensuring fairness, transparency, and competition in the retail sector; and — are actively progressing a range of targeted measures to support consumers and strengthen regulatory oversight; in this context, notes that the Government proposes the following targe…

It is not profit, it is turnover. There is a big difference.

I thank the Deputy for his very important question. I am happy to tell him that the Government and I, as Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion, digitalisation and AI, are committed to developing Ireland's enterprise base across all regions over the next five years. This ranges from backing small businesses and start-ups to scaling up indigenous firms and enhancing our attractiveness as a location for foreign direct investment. Our vision is to foster a dynamic, resilient and inclusive economy th…

I thank the Deputy for the very legitimate concerns he has raised. On the first piece around planning, he will agree that the Planning and Development Act passed by the previous Government has gone a huge way towards trying to address that. Whether we are in opposition or government, we all know this country has been choked and almost had its development stifled due to planning. We are doing everything possible to address those challenges and make it more attractive for businesses to go through that process. The sp…

Point taken. It is a very reasonable observation to make. Procurement is a language of its own. We all know that from filling in procurement applications for grants for communities, for example. There is a language and that can sometimes be off-putting, make it difficult and create further challenges for business. However, we are in the business of creating business. We are in the business, as a Government, of supporting business and the Deputy is right, in that we want the world to know this is a good country to d…

I thank the Deputy for his question on the National Enterprise Hub which was established on 10 July 2024 and since then, the NEH has handled more than 6,000 inquiries from businesses. Monthly numbers have increased consistently and 773 were received in May alone. The primary goal of the NEH is to improve access to Government supports for businesses. We also want to simplify access and reach businesses that have never availed of the many different supports on offer. While my Department leads on the NEH overall, it i…

I thank the Deputy. As I said at the outset, the National Enterprise Hub not only gives the information but it is collecting the data too which gives the Government a laser sharp focus on the type of policy, grant aid and supports we need to offer to get to the critical crux of what businesses need to support, grow and scale. The figures I gave out on the inquiries it has had so far are incredible. There have been 6,000 since it began and in May alone, there were over 700 inquiries. The hub brings together informat…

In my short few months in the Department, the Minister, Deputy Burke, has been relentless on the theme of lighter, faster and simpler with what the Deputy is talking about and providing opportunities for businesses to apply for those grants and make it easier and quicker and not as onerous or burdensome. As we all know and we hear it at meetings ourselves, business people ask is it worth the effort. There is a huge effort being made on the Minister's part to get all of the right people around the table and have the…

It is a real pleasure to be in here with the Senators today and I thank them most sincerely. I could not agree more with everything said by all who have spoken and with the sentiments that have been expressed here today. My background is that I grew up through an SME. My mam happens to be in the Gallery and she has a very small business in Slane in County Meath. I grew up packing shelves, sweeping floors and doing all of the graft that has to be done. I completely sympathise and understand the challenges and diffic…

There is also IDA Ireland. We often feel that rural constituencies are forgotten compared with the more urban centres, and this can be true, but in my role I will certainly do everything I can to ensure we support and provide access and, more importantly, that we listen, as I am doing here today, to what the concerns are. I can tell Senators quite honestly that in the few short months since I have gone into the Department the Minister, Deputy Burke, has been relentless. I do not just say this; people can look at hi…

I will finish this point, if Senator O'Loughlin stops me in time.

My intention is to ensure the AI tools and digitalisation supports we will provide through the Department of enterprise will support businesses and give them the backup they need. I would argue that businesses always go through uncertain times. We are going through a different uncertainty now.

Yes, absolutely. That is no problem.

I thank everybody for their patience and for waiting to hear the response. We are all of the same view that everything has to be done. The Minister, Deputy Burke, has been incredibly proactive in putting together teams of people around the table with the officials – I am ably assisted here today by some of the officials – to hear what the burdens are and how we can simplify them. My role around digitalisation and AI involves working with our local enterprise offices, LEOs, Enterprise Ireland and CeADAR. This last o…

Yes, indeed.

Okay. I will be back. I thank the Acting Chairperson for her forbearance.

I wonder how far I will get. I thank everybody for their patience because this is a most important debate. I thank everyone for their forbearance and for waiting to hear my concluding remarks. I have lots of say but I cannot say it all in a minute and a half, so I will conclude on a more human level in reassuring the House about any of the ideas that have been suggested. My officials are here and are cognisant of them. They have taken note of them. I assure the Senators that with the amendments we are addressing th…

This is a highly important issue that affects not just east Cavan but also Meath, Monaghan and the entire community of Mullagh. I contend that way more than 217 people will be affected by this. In addition to the workers themselves, there are ancillary staff, canteen staff and many outside companies that provide services and look after machinery in the facility. I have been in regular contact with the staff within Wellman over recent days following this really shocking announcement. This is devastating to say the l…