The announcement last Friday regarding the proposed ring road for Galway city whereby An Bord Pleanála stated it will not contest the judicial review of the project is devastating news for the people of Galway. Some national media outlets are reporting the project is now dead in the water. I note the matter is still before the courts and a judge has to make a determination. It is important that we respect the judicial process. The reason I raise this in the Dáil is to ask why it takes so long for a project of this …

When the plan for the N6 Galway ring road was first published in 2016, it was proposed that 54 houses be demolished or bought out to facilitate the project if it got the go-ahead. For the past seven and half years, 54 families have been prisoners in their homes. They cannot sell their properties because who would buy a house where there is a proposal to demolish it? There is little point in spending money on improvements. The families were told to sit and wait for seven and a half years. Over the past few years, I …

The blight of illegal dumping continues to be a major problem across the country, costing local authorities millions of euro to clean up each year. On many occasions I have raised the issue of illegal dumping in the Dáil, with both the Taoiseach and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I have received assurances on every occasion that this issue will be addressed, but legislation has not been brought forward to deal with it yet. One of the biggest problems is that CCTV fo…

I have shown the Taoiseach pictures.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. At the start of this month, I and some of my Oireachtas colleagues from the west of Ireland held meetings with IBEC and representatives of a number of multinational companies which employ tens of thousands of people in the west. The biggest issue that they have is the rising cost of energy. The meeting was a very productive one and showed how seriously worried they are about the effects of energy costs and the uncertainty about further increases in the future. Also…

The Dentists Act 1985 needs to be updated as a matter of urgency. This was confirmed by the Dental Council of Ireland in its most recent submission to the Minister for Health. In October 2021, the council highlighted the fact that the Act is not fit for purpose, citing certain omissions and weaknesses. While I understand updating this legislation could be a lengthy process, I am calling on the Taoiseach to expedite, with immediate effect, a revision of sections 38 and 44 of the Dentists Act 1985. We must legislate …

The legislation needs to be updated and the Dental Council is calling for that to happen.

A few weeks ago when headlines were dominated by queues and chaos at Dublin Airport, there were 35 people on trolleys and chairs in the emergency department of University Hospital Galway, a scene which was most likely replicated in other hospitals throughout the country. This did not feature in the media at all. We are now experiencing a summer Covid wave with cases in hospital rising significantly in the last week and expected to rise further in the next few weeks. The Chief Medical Officer has stated that hospita…

The programme for Government promises to highlight inequalities and implement policies to do better by people. There is a sizeable group of people in this country who are suffering from inequality that follows them even when they have passed away. Today, I am asking the Tánaiste to tackle the unfairness of the situation that arises when a person who does not have any children of their own dies and leaves their house to a close family member. Currently, the child of a parent who dies does not pay tax on the first €3…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. It is a different scenario in Northern Ireland and Britain. A niece or nephew in the same situation in those jurisdictions would not have to pay a penny in inheritance tax. Several other countries in Europe and around the world also make it easier for family members to hold onto the family home. Sweden, the Czech Republic and Norway have all scrapped inheritance tax. The same is true in Austria where a small property transfer tax must be paid instead. The niece or nephew being…

I do not have a question on promised legislation. Instead, I welcome the Ukrainian students, who are pupils of Galway Community College, in the Visitors Gallery today. They asked their teacher Mr. Philip Cribbin if they could visit the Irish Parliament and asked me to read out a short note of thanks to the Irish Government and the Irish people for the heartwarming welcome they have received since they arrived here. Their message is as follows: We would like to thank Galway Community College, the Irish government an…

In recent months, I have held a number of meetings with organisations that provide services to people with disabilities. I acknowledge the tremendous work they do. An issue that came up with a number of different agencies was the difficulties they are having in trying to secure accommodation for clients in the rental market. I was told that most of the funding they receive is used to rent accommodation and they get very little capital funding to purchase properties. Some landlords will only rent a property for a th…

That was why I asked if the Government will carry out an audit of the disability sector and see how many houses are rented and what agreements are in place with landlords. If this problem is not addressed, it will continue to cause enormous difficulties for agencies trying to secure suitable accommodation for people with disabilities. The rental market is already in crisis and not every house is suitable to meet the needs of this group of people. As I stated previously, it is a waste of taxpayers' money to adapt pr…

It is a fact that Ireland ranks tenth highest in the world in terms of the proportion of homes that are vacant. Almost all of the concentration on finding solutions to our chronic shortage of accommodation has been centred on building new homes. Although necessary, this takes a great amount of time and money. For many years, there has been a considerable shortfall in the number of homes being built. While the rate of construction has stepped up considerably, it will be a long time before supply catches up with dema…

I want to acknowledge the range of supports put in place by Government to support businesses, particularly those in the hospitality sector, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Without these supports many businesses would have closed permanently but thankfully many were able to survive at reduced capacity for the last two years. While I appreciate that we are not out of the woods yet, hopefully in the next year or two things will be able to return to normal with the easing of restrictions. Many of these businesses are now…

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. As he knows, Galway is a culture capital, known for its many festivals and cultural events, including the Galway Arts Festival, the Galway Races and the Film Fleadh. No matter what weekend people come to Galway, they will find a festival somewhere. The lack of staff will have a negative impact on tourism and the success of many of these festivals. Businesses are now trying to plan for the summer season, but they are limited by the difficulty of securing staff. I am aware of a re…

You would want to be able to feed them in Galway.

Given the volatile situation in Ukraine and that the cost of the cyberattack on the HSE last year is €100 million and still rising, will the Minister outline the increases in funding given to the NCSC over the past 12 months? What are his views on the way the centre has improved Ireland's defence against cyberattacks on State infrastructure?

I welcome the budget increase for cybersecurity and the recent appointment of Mr. Richard Browne to the position of director of the NCSC. The incidents in question can have devastating consequences for national security, healthcare and many other social, economic and personal matters. The cyberattack on the HSE last year was the largest attack against any health service computer system in history. It paralysed systems and caused major disruption throughout every part of the health service, and its effects are still…

In addition to large-scale cyberattacks from abroad, cybercrime is on the rise. According to Garda reports, it increased by 150% during the pandemic, costing billions of euro in 2020. Unfortunately, many people caught by online scams do not report it to the Garda, so the costs could be much higher. The attractions of cybercrime for criminals are many, as the rewards can be higher and the risk of getting caught are lower. Even criminals not involved in cybercrime are using encryption to hide their activities and cry…