The Government has committed €1.3 billion in funding to flood relief programmes under the national development plan 2030. Six of these schemes are County Kilkenny at Graiguenamanagh, Thomastown, Inistioge, Freshford, Ballyhale and Piltown. The scheme in Graiguenamanagh is one of the first 100 schemes in the first tranche. The scheme was approved in March 2020 and consultants were appointed but we are still only at stage 1, five years later. I am looking for a commitment from the Government that there will be renewe…

I have had the privilege of working with some of the finest gardaí in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny in recent years as mayor of Kilkenny and chairman of Kilkenny County Council. My priority is that everyone has the right to feel safe and be safe in their community and home. Across the country, communities are dealing with the scourge of crime and antisocial behaviour. We need to build stronger, safer communities by strengthening An Garda Síochána, expanding resources and modernising support to tackle crime. At…

I congratulate the Minister on his new role. I look forward to working with him for the betterment of the civilians throughout the country. My question is on a similar theme to other speakers relating to the number of children who have benefited from the newborn baby grant in the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.

It is really important to give credit where credit is due. In my constituency, almost 200 families have benefited from the newborn baby grant. It is a fantastic initiative that is to be welcomed. I am thrilled the Minister said that it is here to stay. I absolutely welcome that. As he will know, there are substantial additional costs when starting a family. Unfortunately, my days of starting families are over - my youngest is ten years of age - so I will not be in a position to personally benefit from it but, in fa…

I appreciate the Minister's comments and note his commitment to this issue, which is most welcome. I know committees have not been set up yet, which is a little frustrating, but when they are set up, the committee on social protection can examine this. The double payment of child benefit, which is separate from the baby grant, has been really welcome in recent years. However, monthly costs are increasing. The cost-of-living crisis is still there and people are still struggling every month. Again in the context of b…

I acknowledge the significant increase in investment that has gone into the Defence Forces in recent years. It has been felt on the ground. My question relates to the capital works projects currently under way at James Stephens Barracks in Kilkenny, the estimated cost of each of these projects and when each project will be completed. Will the Tánaiste make a statement on the matter?

I would welcome the opportunity to welcome the Tánaiste to Kilkenny to visit James Stephens Barracks. He will undoubtedly be impressed with the facilities and infrastructure there. I implore him to continue with the existing roll-out of the capital programme and in addition, if addendums are necessary, ask him to consider the refurbishment of the old church and convent into a medical aid centre. It would be of huge benefit to the barracks. It is not in the capital plan at the moment but if we could look at it and i…

I welcome the Tánaiste's commitment to the barracks in Kilkenny. That security is vital. There are more than 400 staff and each of them makes a vital contribution to the economic fabric of Kilkenny. To put that into context, outside their traditional duties, members of the Defence Forces based at Stephens Barracks, Kilkenny are regularly drafted in by the local authority to grit the city and county's footpaths in freezing weather. We have had flooding in many of our towns and villages and the Defence Forces are nev…

I welcome the establishment of this new Cabinet committee. I will focus on the nitrates derogation. As the Taoiseach will be aware, the current derogation concludes at the end of 2025 and Irish water quality improvement is vital for another derogation to be secured. Does he agree that we can retain Ireland's nitrates derogation while improving our water quality? Will he reject the idea that there is a conflict between having a strong agrifood sector and meeting these goals? Consultation is key. Will the Taoiseach e…

I congratulate the Minister in her new role and I look forward to working with her. Childcare is a significant issue and it needs to be tackled with urgency and intensity. Accessibility and affordability are two key issues. My question is specifically on the number of children in my constituency of Kilkenny and Carlow who benefit from the national childcare scheme.

The children of Ireland, in particular in my home constituency of Carlow–Kilkenny, deserve quality childcare that is accessible and affordable and will give them the best start in life. The key word here is "accessibility" because we have a significant number of providers that are oversubscribed and have waiting lists coming out of their arms. It absolutely needs to be addressed. I acknowledge the significant unprecedented investment and how the previous Government succeeded in reducing childcare costs by 50% on av…

The programme for Government contains other important commitments with regard to affordability of childcare, including exploring the option to cap costs for larger families. As a father of four children, I would like to think I should be clapped on the back for the contribution I make to my local GAA club in terms of the number of players, etc., and not be punished, because we are keeping schools open and the economy going. Is that something we could look at in terms of capping the costs for those who have larger f…

I ask the Minister to detail the number of homes in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny currently on the warmer homes scheme waiting list and the approximate wait time.

I welcome the significant increase in investment in this area. The Government must continue to deliver exemplary retrofitting schemes. However, to make real improvements we must take a targeted approach and prioritise the least energy-efficient homes first. Homes with a BER of E, F or G should be prioritised over those rated C or D. As the Minister will be aware, many homes with a lower BER are occupied by the most vulnerable in our communities, including pensioners and low-income families who cannot afford to use …

I welcome the Minister's enthusiasm and commitment to this. In order to speed up delivery of the warmer homes scheme, we must tackle the shortage of skills in the retrofit sector. The programme for Government commits to providing more upskilling and training opportunities in retrofitting, to establish new courses in green skills to support Ireland's transition to a green economy and industry centres of retrofitting excellence nationwide. Once delivered, this vital training will go a long way towards reducing wait t…

I wish the Minister well in her new portfolio. I will talk briefly about a hospital in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, St. Luke's Hospital. Will there be urgent investment in the hospital to improve waiting lists, bed accommodation numbers, accident and emergency overcrowding and waiting times at the hospital? They have escalated significantly recently. Additionally, we now have a critical issue regarding medical and nursing vacancies across the hospital. We have 207 whole-time equivalent positions not filled, …

I will begin by congratulating Deputy McGuinness on his elevation to the position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. It is a huge achievement for him and his family. I want to assure him that while he is busy up here, I will make sure that Kilkenny will be well represented on the ground. I wish the Leas-Cheann Comhairle well and congratulate him. I look forward to working with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, over the coming years. Growing up and living in a rural community, as I do i…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on road safety. Ireland has made significant progress over the lifetime of previous road safety strategies. Since the launch of the first strategy in 1998, road deaths have declined by 70%, but we must not give up the hard work. There is no time for complacency. I welcome this Government's focus, energy and commitment to road safety. Previous speakers have said, and I totally concur, that every citizen in this country is entitled to feel safe on our roads. We all must …

I welcome the establishment of the Cabinet committee on infrastructure. I will highlight a couple of key projects in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The first is the Kilkenny northern ring road extension, completion of which is of vital strategic importance to Kilkenny. It will help to reduce congestion in the city centre and improve traffic safety and convenience. Lots of projects are ongoing in Kilkenny city and the completion of the ring road is vital to these progressing. I ask that this project be included…

As this is my maiden speech in Dáil Éireann, I take the opportunity to thank the people of counties Carlow and Kilkenny for putting their faith and trust in me to represent them, their communities, families and businesses over the next five years. I will endeavour to do my very best to do so. In particular, I take this opportunity to thank my family, my wife Brenda and my four daughters, the communities that have rallied behind me, and indeed the Fianna Fáil family for helping me to get to this position. I will lea…