It would be fair to say that, at times, that the Minister's own party was not necessarily supportive of that particular project.

In fairness to the people, what they want they want to see is a review and obviously, in the long term, undergrounding. Sinn Féin will not be very different North or South.

Will the Minister provide an update on the provision of wind energy; the targets for its provision in 2026; whether there are sufficient resources in place to ensure that offshore energy can be onshored; and any other infrastructural deficits that need to be dealt with from the point of view of delivering on the wind energy promise?

In a straightforward sense, we all want to see renewables. We might not have oil fields but we definitely have a large number of areas, offshore in particular, where there is a significant amount of wind for a considerable amount of time. It is that idea, which we often talk about, of becoming a wind superpower. Am I right in thinking that we will not see these particular offshore projects by 2030? Can we get a timeline for how far behind we are? What are we doing as regards the infrastructural deficit? Obviously, …

I am back to whether we can just get some sort of better notion of a timeline on when we will go from planning to shovels in the sea, for want of a better term. It is vital, no matter how far behind target we are, that we ensure we get back on track. We are hearing about an accelerating wind energy task force and the Taoiseach's clearing house. That all sounds wonderful. I just hope it does a better job than an awful lot of task forces have done to date. When we get these targets, are we looking at something that c…

Will they start construction in 2030?

There are funding schemes, but what funding schemes are available for a communal heating system that wishes to change from being gas powered, possibly to heat pumps, in individual houses? We spoke a bit about alternatives in relation to communal heating systems. It is about whatever works, whatever can be done and whatever is cheapest, particularly for those systems. I am talking about Carlinn Hall in Dundalk, specifically.

On the North-South interconnector, the Minister has laid out Government policy and stated there will be no further reviews, not even the one requested. There is no difference between Sinn Féin in the North and Sinn Féin in the South on this. As I have said before, the Minister’s own party has had a significant number of people who opposed the interconnector over many years, but generally not while in government. I appreciate the answer the Minister has given. I have discussed this a number of times with him. Some o…

I appreciate that. Possible solutions for the housing estate have changed many times. Initially, the heating system was fed by biomass. It was then changed to gas but then the invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices through the roof. It is a deeply inefficient system in places and at times, and while there have been some attempts at improvements, we need a long-term solution. I welcome the fact the SEAI and the Government are open to delivering on this. It may be that the easiest solution is not to replace the communal…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss the disability action plan targets for additional residential places. Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss funding for the breakfast club for St. Paul's SNS, Drogheda, County Louth. Deputy John Paul O'Shea - To discuss delays in waiting times for outpatient appointments with consultant orthopaedic surgeons in Cork. Deputy Pat…

I welcome that the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, is here to answer this question. It is a very important issue. I think everyone has seen it or heard about it on the airwaves. A number of us were at the match in Oriel Park on Friday night. I like to make Dundalk FC's home games as much as I possibly can. The Louth derby is something you look forward to. We were there and it was good to have the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, there for the opening of a fabulous pitch with the new lights. It was provided by spo…

Deputy Byrne has put out a statement. I have spoken to her many times on this. She calls out what was abject criminal activity. Everyone will be aware that Deputy Byrne is the co-chair of Drogheda United. People will also know that she called on the FAI to ensure that Ireland would not play genocidal Israel. On that basis, action has been taken by Drogheda United. That is being dealt with at the minute. It probably limits what Deputy Byrne can speak about, but she has 100% said that this has been an ongoing problem…

A successful year for Dundalk FC as well.

We have been dealing with big tech in a very different way. If we were just relying on good manners and decency, we would not need to have this conversation. It is difficult to see how anybody thought it was an okay idea to produce an application that would allow for the creation of child pornography. That is what we are talking about. I agree with my party colleague Deputy Joanna Byrne that we need to see the operation of the online safety and media regulation legislation here. We need action to be taken from our …

Many of us have spoken in here about the low level of employment among those with disabilities. I get that, to a large degree and particularly with some of the schemes, this falls into the ambit of the Minister for Social Protection. However, a holistic approach is needed. While we have seen decent work and decent schemes such as WorkAbility, EmployAbility and the work of the Trinity centre and others in engaging with employers, I do not think these are sufficient. It is too ad hoc . We need to see a greater level …

It is absolutely necessary that we track the changes in the jobs market. We are all aware of jobs that have been displaced and replaced. It is a matter of being able to react and being agile. That is something that goes without saying. We have already discussed issues around the regulation of artificial intelligence, which is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Deputy Byrne. We need training - and we could do with starting in here - on what AI can do. In this entire conversation, we need to en…

The question relates to supports available to businesses damaged by flooding. We have just been through Storm Chandra and, on some level, people believe the rain will never actually stop. It is about ensuring we have fit-for-purpose defences. In my county's case, we need the OPW, the local authority and Uisce Éireann to ensure works are done, both short term and long term. We will be dealing with more of this, so we need the supports in place.

It is vital that we have a standing support scheme. As I said, a huge piece of work needs to be done to ensure we are not looking at this constantly from here on out. When I think of my own county and the town of Dundalk, it is not only the CFRAM flood protections that are necessary but the Uisce Éireann infrastructure is not up to scratch. Unfortunately, the dates we are looking at are 2030 and 2033. That needs to be sped up. We have also engaged with the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, from a point of view of th…

It was an absolute necessity that the money was increased. We are going to be dealing with this from here on in, so it is about ensuring we can react. From the Department's point of view, it is absolutely necessary that there is engagement in terms of those works that can be done to ensure we have greater levels of protections, be they natural or unnatural protections. There is a huge number of areas that are still impacting on issues that have not been resolved over many years. I am thinking in the last while of s…

The Minister mentioned the change in the legislation around assessments of need and the Disability Act. We all know the pressure families are under - not being able to get an assessment, the therapies or the necessary early intervention. While we might all support that idea of a single point of access, it needs to work. Assessments of need waiting lists have skyrocketed. I assume they are anywhere between 22,000 and 25,000 at this point and constitute a continuing breach of the law. I can accept the argument that 2…