I thank Deputy Griffin for his response and for setting out clearly the pressures the sector is under in his constituency and right across the south and west coasts. I fully understand the pressures and the acute nature of the problem. I am due to meet with the hospitality and tourist forum in May with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. Obviously, the forum will discuss this issue. We will also frame a significant package for businesses in the days and weeks ahead that will try to assist them with the pressures…

I thank the Deputy and am happy to take him up on his kind invitation. It is so important we work closely with the sector he referred to. We had initiatives in the past such as The Gathering, and when our economy was on the floor, we saw how much that sector played a part in enhancing economic activity and getting employment back. It is at the forefront of our minds. As I said, it is important the increased cost of business grant be drawn down because as we are getting to a stage when we are looking for more money …

The Government is committed to backing business and will continue to work closely with small businesses nationwide to support their growth, help them find new markets and assist them in remaining competitive and resilient. The 31 local enterprise offices, LEOs, play an extremely important role providing assistance directly to micro, small and medium-sized businesses as well as promoting entrepreneurship within towns and communities. LEOs are the first-stop shop at a local level providing expert advice and guidance,…

I fully understand the pressures businesses are under throughout the economy at this time, not least those businesses in retail, wholesale or hospitality, which are key. We are supporting them, with €250 million through ICOB and a 9% VAT rate for electricity and gas out to October. There is the grant in respect of energy efficiency that I spoke about, at €15 million. VAT thresholds have been increased for goods and services. There is also tax warehousing at 0%. We are encouraging people to enter into a phased payme…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. In my comparisons, I am talking about Northern Ireland as well. Hopefully, we do not see that as Brexit Britain. We are working hard to formulate a cost-of-doing-business package for the SME sector. I hope we will see that in the weeks ahead. We know the acute pressure the sector is under. Every time businesses came under pressure, including from energy costs and inflation, we were there to provide them assistance. We are continuing along that trajectory. There is an array …

I thank the Acting Chairperson. We were before our time in having to negotiate the first Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition pact in the local chambers back in 2009. That paved the way for the future, indeed. I appreciate the good wishes. I thank everyone for the opportunity to address this very important issue. I fully recognise that businesses are concerned about the rising costs they have faced in recent years. The Government has introduced or progressed several initiatives to improve working conditions in Ireland o…

I thank the Senator.

I thank all the Members for their interventions on a topic which is very important to our local economies in protecting our SME sector. We all know the economic activity they provide in our communities is very much valued by the Government. That is demonstrated by the policies we have put in place to support them in recent years. First, I will raise the increased cost of doing business grant. It is a very important grant. I know the lifeblood of businesses is cash. It is so important that they are supported. It is …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I second the name of Simon Harris to lead the 34th Government of Ireland. Every Member of this House is elected by their communities for a five-year mandate. It is this great assembly's constitutional duty to elect a Taoiseach. On 15 December 1994, the late John Bruton put it best before he was nominated as Taoiseach, when he described the office as a high office and a humbling one. He also stated that it derives all its authority from this Dáil, the duly elected assembly of the people.…

I thank Senator Martin for raising this matter, to which I am responding on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. John Devoy was an important historical figure. Born in Kill, County Kildare, in 1842, he went on to become an active member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, IRB, before arrest and penal servitude for treason against Britain led to his exile in America in 1871. He spoke on behalf of the Irish cause to the US House of Representatives, became a journalist with the New York Herald and was act…

It is appropriate that the achievements of John Devoy be commemorated on the centenary of his visit to Ireland. His lifetime coincided with the most remarkable period of modern Irish history and he was prominent in reflecting the changes that carried the nation from devastation and the edge of annihilation to restored autonomy and a pathway to peace and prosperity. He is particularly important in that he represents the connection between the Irish people in Ireland and the Irish diaspora, most especially the emigra…

I thank Senator Dolan for all of her work on Portiuncula Hospital. I know she has been a very strong advocate in government, with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, acknowledges the work of Senator Dolan and thanks her for the opportunity to provide an update on the progress on the emergency Department expansion in Portiuncula University Hospital and the Roscommon University Hospital spatial development plan. Portiuncula University Hospital is …

I thank Senator Dolan for all her work in the context of healthcare at both hospitals. As I said, a meeting has been organised for April 2024. That will commence the process, which is very important. As I pointed out, the project has been included in the capital plan for 2024. The design team was procured in quarter 1 and is currently progressing with stage 1. Like the Senator, I will keep the pressure on the Minister. Hopefully, this will lead to the delivery of first-class healthcare for the people of the area.

I want to convey the apologies of the Minister for housing to the Senator. In line with programme for Government commitments, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage established the Commission on Housing in December 2021 as an independent body to examine and evaluate Ireland's housing system, including issues such as tenure, standards, sustainability and quality-of-life issues in the provision of housing. At the same time, the Minister also tasked the commission to advise the Government, in an indep…

It is a Government policy to hold a referendum on housing and, to this end, the Housing Commission was tasked with examining and reporting on a referendum on housing. As I said, the commission submitted its official referendum report to the Minister for housing last summer, with a minority referendum report submitted some considerable time later in November. While the delay is regrettable, the Minister hopes to bring both referendum reports to Government, together with the commission's broader report on recommendat…

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this very important matter in regard to Ballinspittle National School. I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Education, who is unable to attend. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 800 school building projects, with construction currently under way on approximately 300 other projects, including 31 new school buildings. The 300 projects currently at construct…

I again thank Senator Lombard for raising this important issue of Ballinspittle National School. I will go back to the Minister for Education about the timelines, specifically the tender process and the 22-month construction process. I will raise the Senator's concerns relating to his commencement last April where he pointed out the slippage of the timelines. I will ask the Minister to reply directly to the Senator.

I thank the Deputies for their contributions in the House this afternoon. I will focus my remarks on economic issues, specifically the 2024 European semester, the Euro summit and the capital markets union. I will also speak about the enlargement process and progress in Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, migration and the deteriorating situation in Belarus. As part of the 2024 European semester cycle of economic policy co-ordination, the European Council will endorse the priorities of the annual sustainable g…

Yes.

I would like to thank Sinn Féin for raising this discussion on primary care health services. The Government acknowledges there are issues in delivering healthcare in some communities, including issues regarding access to care for GP services in certain areas. However, the actions of this Government to improve service provision over the longer term will lead to significant improvements in the delivery of patient care within communities. Indeed, we have addressed most of the points raised in this motion. The Governme…