Alan Dillon
Ceist:1. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [55138/23]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Cabinet Committees
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:2. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [56545/23]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:3. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on economy and investment will next meet. [1841/24]
I propose to take question Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established in January 2023. It met twice last year, most recently on 16 November. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for 15 February 2024.
Membership of the committee comprises: the Taoiseach; the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence; the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, who is also Minister for Transport; and the Ministers for Finance, Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Other Ministers or Ministers of State are invited to participate as required.
The committee oversees the implementation of the programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, investment and job creation, including Harnessing Digital, our national digital strategy. We continue to see good domestic economic performance, more people are at work than ever before, and female participation is at an all-time high. Our economic model continues to be founded on a well-established and successful pro-enterprise policy framework, providing a stable and sustainable regulatory and tax environment, with sound management of the public finances and significant investment in the infrastructure and skills required to ensure our competitiveness. As with all policy areas, economic issues are regularly discussed at full meetings of the Government, where all formal decisions are made.
There are six contributors who have 1.5 minutes speaking time each. I call Deputy Dillon.
I want first to commend the success of the Government and of Fine Gael's policy in the unprecedented job opportunities which mean that unemployment is currently at an all-time low. Figures have also shown over 1,800 IDA Ireland-backed companies directly employ over 300,000 people in Ireland for the second consecutive year. This also demonstrates a continued strong regional performance for the past year with 132 investments outside Dublin representing 54% of the total investment.
While this good work must be acknowledged, I must raise a matter of concern which is the lack of progress on a new Mayo IDA Ireland facility in Castlebar. Plans were announced in 2021 for the delivery of 19 advance building solutions as part of the key strategic objective under the IDA Ireland's Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth strategy up to 2024. Of these, eight had been completed by the end of 2023 and another eight were at construction stage. Unfortunately, Castlebar lags in the bottom three of the 19 selected sites across the country. The building in Castlebar, along with the planned buildings in Galway and Longford, remains in the site selection process. A planning application has not been submitted. I urge the Taoiseach to give this project his full attention. The people in Mayo have witnessed success at a previous IDA Ireland facility, namely, Meissner Filtration Products. I ask that the process of site selection be expedited.
The cost of doing business in Ireland makes these worrying times for workers and for businesses, which, as the Taoiseach knows, have been vocal on this issue. Corporate insolvency has reached its highest level in five years, with a 25% rise in 2023. Across the country, towns and villages see long-standing businesses, particularly restaurants and pubs, are closing their doors. Jobs are being lost and communities hollowed out. SMEs are particularly vulnerable and, no doubt, are watching the rapidly approaching deadline of 1 May to start repaying their warehoused tax liabilities. To date, Government supports have been poorly thought out and ineffective.
The temporary business energy support scheme of 2023 was a failure, with only 11.5% of its €1.3 billion budget allocated to struggling businesses. We cannot allow this to happen also with the increased cost of business scheme that will open this year. Many businesses are telling us the Government's proposed structure will not help the 95% of businesses it claims. Companies paying more than €30,000 in rates will not qualify. In cities like Dublin those are not big businesses. They can often be pubs, restaurants and shops paying significant rates, and a recently announced change means businesses that pay between €10,000 and €20,000 will have their payments capped at €5,000. Will the Government revisit this scheme and listen to the voice of business?
I think we are all happy there has been a forum called to deal with some of the issues we have previously spoken about in the film industry. It is important there be follow-through on that forum and the other actions that need to be taken on the basis of the budgetary oversight review. We see the importance in the recent decisions at the WRC and the awarding of €434,216 to members of the Irish Film Workers’ Association who complained en masse over many years, but officially two years ago, about the issue of blacklisting. It is vital this forum is provided as a real forum so we deal with these issues and find the actions that are necessary so we have a sustainable industry. We are all delighted to see Cillian Murphy and others doing so well, but we need to ensure it is sustainable.
I wish to raise an issue about women's rights in the workplace. A woman worker at VMware in Ballincollig working off her contract would get six months' full pay during maternity leave, but the new contract put in front of her on Monday by the new owners would cut that to 12 weeks' full pay during maternity leave. There is a company restructuring taking place and there are mass redundancies in the pipeline. This is being used by the new owners as a battering ram to lower conditions. The rights of women need to be protected and advanced. They do not need to be targeted for attack. They are being targeted for attack here and this is an issue of concern not just to VMware workers but to all women workers, that this is how industry trends can start off. I would like the Taoiseach to comment on the issues at hand there.
I also repeat the issue about the film workers. Over the new year the WRC issued an absolutely damning ruling on the treatment of 38 members of the Irish Film Workers’ Association and established they had been blacklisted by Metropolitan Films International, which is probably the biggest recipient of section 481, and that their rights under the fixed-term workers legislation had been abused. The point is the Irish Film Workers’ Association and some of us in this House have been saying what was done in this case is endemic across the industry. It needs to be addressed because the condition of the €100 million given in section 481 to these film production companies is that they comply with the law by treating workers properly and giving them quality employment and training. It is similar with the actors, performers and writers who are being forced by film producers to sign buyout contracts where they are forced, essentially, to hand over their rights to future royalties and residuals from their performances, which is in breach of the copyright directive. These issues must now be addressed. We need to look at the constitution of the stakeholders' forum, which we asked for in the budget scrutiny committee and there should be cross-party representation from the committee at that forum.
The housing and homelessness crisis is spiralling even further out of control. It is destroying the lives of thousands of families and children across the State. In South Dublin County Council, 1,452 people were registered as homeless in November, including 653 children. All three homeless hubs in Tallaght are now permanently full. We do not just have a social housing list anymore, we have an emergency accommodation waiting list. Every day as a consequence, families are being sent miles away from school and family support networks into Gardiner Street where, on just one street, the Taoiseach's Government has forced more than 1,000 people to live their lives in slum conditions in 21st century tenements. I met a family a couple of weeks ago with six children and the eight people have been living in one room for over seven months. There is one toilet and no cooking facilities. Whole families, hundreds of them, are in conditions like that for up to two years. Children are growing up, learning to crawl, walk and run, in a single, dingy room. The councils' job used to be to clear the tenements by building social housing and moving people into decent homes of their own. Instead, we are now going backwards. We need to go forward again by building council homes on public land.
I thank the Deputies for their questions. I join Deputy Dillon in complimenting the IDA on its success in securing investment and good jobs for Ireland. Again, over half the investment is occurring outside Dublin. I would like to see that figure rise further in the coming years and I have said that to the IDA board. I will follow up about the Castlebar advance building solution with the CEO of the IDA. I understand there has been a difficulty securing an appropriate site. That was the last update, but I will seek another one. I am very keen to see another investment in Castlebar similar to that of Meissner, which was a good boost for the town economically.
Deputy McDonald spoke about corporate insolvencies having gone up, and that is correct. It is important to point out, though, that the number of corporate insolvencies was extremely low for the past couple of years, due in large part to the Government’s unprecedented financial supports for business, which cannot go on forever. We are still seeing that insolvencies are below the long-term average of about 50 per 10,000 per year.
As for what we can do to help businesses with their costs, which we are doing, the new increased cost of business scheme will provide relief to small businesses affected by rising costs. Under the scheme, in excess of €250 million is being set aside to assist businesses and we will ensure it is all paid out. Approximately 150,000 small businesses, which is 95% of all rateable businesses, are expected to benefit, with each eligible business receiving up to €5,000 from the State in early 2024. The funds will provide immediate financial aid to small businesses in the face of current economic challenges.
A new national enterprise hub will be fully operational early this year and it will have a dedicated team of expert advisers specifically trained to help guide business owners through the range of grants, loans and vouchers that are now available and, where necessary, put the business owner in direct contact with the relevant agency. We have also allocated an extra €9 million to the LEOs to assist small businesses. That boost in funding will allow them to provide essential assistance and resources to local business.
We have also increased the research and development tax credit from 25% to 30% as well as increasing the upfront payment from €25,000 to €50,000, which will especially benefit small businesses. We have increased the VAT registration threshold for microbusinesses to €40,000 for services and €80,000 for goods. That reflects the Government’s commitment to bolstering small business and acknowledging its role local communities.
The debt warehousing scheme is set to expire on 1 May. There has been a significant reduction in warehoused tax debt being paid from a peak of €3.2 billion to €1.76 billion, and the number of businesses that owe tax has fallen from 110,000 to just 57,000. However, we recognise cash flow is very tight for some businesses, especially at this time of year, and we want them to continue to trade so they can pay those back taxes. The Minister, Deputy McGrath, is actively engaged with the Revenue Commissioners on the scheme. Building on undertakings already in place, a proposal is being developed and it should be finalised in the next two weeks. There are several benefits already in place for businesses engaging early on the repayment of warehoused debt.
On the audiovisual stakeholders' forum, I had not heard that it had been established, but if that is the case, I am glad to hear that is happening. It is something I have encouraged the Minister, Deputy Martin, to do. I recognise the very high number of Irish people, businesses, producers and artists who have been nominated for Oscars, particularly Element Pictures. Theirs is an extraordinary achievement and I congratulate them on the work they do and on their creativity. Back in 2017, we announced we would double Government funding for the arts and culture by 2024. We have honoured that commitment and I hope the additional Government support has, in some way, contributed to the success of Irish literature, art and film in the past couple of years.
In response to Deputy Barry's question, I am reluctant to comment on any individual contract or any individual enterprise. We in this House set down the minimum conditions when it comes to all forms of leave and businesses have to apply them. It is up to businesses to decide to offer better terms and conditions if they so choose or if they are negotiating with a trade union, but what we stand over are the minimum terms and conditions we set in these Houses.
On housing, we will be publishing our progress report on Housing For All on Thursday, including the house building statistics from the CSO. I do not know what they are yet but it is my expectation that, last year, we will have built more than 30,000 new homes in Ireland, the highest in 15 years, which is no small example of progress. Homelessness and people living in State accommodation is a much more complex issue driven by lots of different factors that are not necessarily under our control. Where it happens, we try to make sure homelessness is rare, short lived and not repeated. A very large number of the people who have to experience homelessness, almost half, do so for less than six months and the majority, thankfully, for less than a year, but I totally appreciate that is a very long time in the life of a child, in particular.
European Council
Seán Haughey
Ceist:4. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the EU, western Balkans summit and at the European Council in Brussels on 13, 14 and 15 December 2023. [57117/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:5. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach to report on the December European Union Council meeting. [2802/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:6. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on the December European Union Council meeting. [2805/24]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:7. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on the December European Union Council meeting. [2808/24]
Mick Barry
Ceist:8. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the December European Union Council meeting. [2897/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together.
I participated in the western Balkans summit which took place on 13 December in Brussels. The meeting brought together EU leaders with their counterparts from six countries in the western Balkans, namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia. On conclusion of the summit, the EU and the leaders of the six western Balkan countries signed the Brussels Declaration. This reaffirms the EU membership perspective of the countries of the western Balkans and the commitment of the countries involved to continue to undertake the political and economic reforms required for EU accession, including in the area of the rule of law. The declaration also underlines the importance of economic development in the region, especially for building security, and welcomed the new growth plan for the western Balkans under which the European Union will provide substantial funding to the countries of the western Balkans.
On 14 and 15 December, I attended a meeting of the European Council. Leaders discussed their continued solidarity with Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, enlargement, the mid-term review of the EU’s multi-annual budget for 2021 to 2027, security and defence, migration, hybrid attacks, the fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, and the EU strategic agenda for 2024 to 2029. EU leaders restated their condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine and reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and its people. Overall assistance made available to Ukraine from the EU since the start of the war has reached approximately €85 billion. Leaders stressed the importance of consistent and predictable solidarity with Ukraine through the European Peace Facility, the EU military assistance mission and direct bilateral assistance from member states. We welcomed the agreement on the 12th package of sanctions and stressed the need to ensure compliance to avoid circumvention. Most significantly, in line with the recommendation of the Commission, we agreed to open EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia. I have long said that Ukraine’s future belongs within the EU family, and this is another important step in making that a reality.
Given the need to ensure sustainable financial assistance to Ukraine, it was disappointing we were unable to reach a consensus on the mid-term review of the multi-annual financial framework, which includes a new facility for Ukraine of up to €50 billion in grants and loans over four years. The package of an additional €64.6 billion in total, which includes additional funding for areas like migration, had the endorsement of 26 member states but was blocked by Hungary. The European Council will therefore return to the matter at a further meeting in Brussels next week on 1 February, and I hope it will be possible to reach agreement.
We also had a strategic debate on the Middle East, but given our very different perspectives, it was not possible to agree conclusions on the very serious situation in Gaza. In our discussion, I was joined by a majority of leaders in calling for an immediate ceasefire to allow much-needed humanitarian access and to enable the release of the remaining hostages.
Leaders resumed our discussion on the European Council’s strategic agenda for the period 2024 to 2029, which will provide guidance for the next institutional cycle, including in the area of enlargement and reforms. It is set to be adopted by the summer of 2024.
It looks like the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, continues to be the bold child of Europe. It is to be welcomed that he left the room when the decision was about to be taken on opening accession talks with Ukraine and we should be thankful he did not veto this decision. There has been some criticism of the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, for unblocking the payment of funds to Hungary on the eve of the summit on the basis it had apparently reformed its legal system, as demanded by the EU. As the Taoiseach has said, Viktor Orbán did veto the allocation of more EU financial aid to Ukraine. This is happening at the same time as Republicans in the US are blocking the granting of arms support to that country. Is it proposed that the other 26 EU countries will now allocate this money to Ukraine bilaterally or is there a chance that this matter can be resolved at the next meeting of the European Council in February?
Why was it, as the Taoiseach referenced in his response, there was no mention in the final communiqué of the terrible events taking place in Gaza? I know Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Malta did Trojan work to try to get a joint statement on Gaza. Will the Taoiseach in his answer expand on why it was not possible to have any reference to these events in the final communiqué?
I first raised with the Taoiseach in Taoiseach's Questions in the middle of November the Government's responsibility and obligations under the Genocide Convention. I have repeatedly raised it with him since and tried to explain it to him in multiple interventions, including in a Dáil motion in November. We are still discussing motions, and did so again this week, but the Government is clearly failing to discharge those responsibilities while the genocide continues in Gaza. When I first raised it with the Taoiseach in the middle of November, 11,000 people had been killed by Israel. Today, 25,000 people have been killed and 2 million people have been displaced.
I want to make it clear to the Taoiseach, who made reference to the Balkans in his response, that in previous rulings relating to Bosnia and Serbia, the International Court of Justice said that the Genocide Convention requires states to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide. It went on to say that a state incurs responsibility for breaching this obligation if it fails to take all measures to prevent genocide which were within its power and which might have contributed to preventing the genocide. I could go on but I do not have the time. The Taoiseach was asked about this in November, but as of this week, he is still saying that the Government is strongly considering intervention. Months on, with 10,000 more people murdered and the Government is still only considering it, when it has a clear legal obligation to act at the first instance of even a possibility of genocide. I ask the Taoiseach to respond to that.
On Monday the Israeli foreign minister met with EU representatives. He showed them a video from a few years ago about plans to build an artificial island off Gaza where, basically, the Palestinians could be put.
It caused eyebrows to be raised, even among those who are not very clear in their opposition to the genocide that is currently taking place. If you want a clear signal that Israel intends to continue with the war, the massacre, the onslaught and the genocide, there you have it.
Let us be clear, however. Israel could not do what it is doing without the support of the US Administration. It gets approximately $4 billion a year in military aid and, this year, the Biden Administration has proposed an extra €14.5 billion. Joe Biden recently told a fundraiser, "We’re not going to do a damn thing other than to protect Israel. Not a single thing.” As long as Joe Biden supports this genocide, the Taoiseach should not go to the White House on St. Patrick's Day to give him a bowl of shamrock. Instead, we should send a signal around the world that Ireland stands with Palestine, that we are appalled at what is happening, and that we are opposed to the continuing US support of it.
I will ask about the European directive on combating violence against women, specifically the inclusion of rape in the directive. Every year, more than 100,000 rapes are recorded in the European Union. Backward laws prevent many more from coming forward and prevent many who do so from getting justice. I say shame on France, the Netherlands and Germany for trying to block a more progressive, consent-based definition of rape in that directive. Will the Taoiseach confirm that the Government will back the inclusion of a consent-based definition at the European Council? Does he agree that if change is blocked at that level, and even if it is not, more now needs to be done in Ireland to move urgently on legislation on affirmative consent? The Government has been painstakingly slow to pass progressive legislation. The safe access zones Bill has still not been passed and the constitutional amendment is too timid by far. This issue is one that many women and supporters of women's rights are looking at closely. I would like to hear an answer from the Taoiseach on the issues raised.
More than 25,000 - nearly 26,000 - Palestinians have been killed at this stage. Israel Katz and Benjamin Netanyahu have laid out quite straight where the Israeli regime is. Like many people, I welcomed the fact that Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Malta requested that the European Council ask for a ceasefire. You would imagine that would be straightforward, given the disaster and slaughter the Palestinian people are facing. It was not possible to deliver that, but what is possible in regard to anything next to near sanctions that will hold Israel to account?
Beyond that, we all realise the US are the only people who can move this on. While we welcome what the US has done beneficially, when it comes to this peace process, it has been absolutely disgraceful. What interaction has the Government had with the US Administration on the fact it needs to make Israel move? If we cannot get action at European Union level, can we get anything with those countries that may be of the same opinion as us? If that is not the case, we need to move alone. The Government needs to voice that it supports what the South Africans are doing to ensure genocide is not continued, which, as we all know, is happening daily.
I thank the Deputies for their questions. Prime Minister Orbán of Hungary did not use his veto to block talks with Ukraine on membership. In fairness to him, he made his case and made it very strongly. He could have vetoed it but chose not to. It is unfair to mischaracterise him because by not using the veto he allowed European countries to proceed with the majority decision. He was not willing to do that as regards the budget. I hope we can come to a solution on 1 February. If we have to, there is a workaround. The other 26 member states could provide the financial package to Ukraine anyway on a multilateral or bilateral basis. What we would then lose out on, however, is the other aspect of the package, although it is a smaller one, which is about innovation, migration, helping to secure the external borders of the European Union, and investments in the western Balkans. It would be a shame to lose the package and only be able to proceed with the Ukraine element. For that reason, I hope we can come to a solution.
No conclusions were agreed on Gaza for a very simple reason. The majority of EU member states, including Ireland, wanted a specific call for a ceasefire. That was blocked by a minority of states, which take the view that the call for a ceasefire would not be adhered to by Hamas and would restrict Israel in anti-terrorist activities. We do not agree with that assessment but that is the reason they gave.
On Palestine, I reaffirm the Government's firm support for Palestinian statehood. It is not a gift to be given by Israel. The people of Palestine have a right to secure a homeland. We need to redouble our efforts at all levels to make sure that happens. We also respect Israel's right to defend itself, not just against other countries that attack it but terrorist organisations supported by other countries that attack it. However, the response in Gaza has been disproportionate and is in breach of international humanitarian law.
On the Genocide Convention, I restate that the Government supports the work of the ICJ and the ICC. We recognise their judgments and we provide those courts with funding. They have a very important role to play when it comes to accountability and deterrents. However, we have to be clear and honest with people on this. The ICJ did not stop the war in Ukraine and will not be able to stop the war in Gaza. I am not aware of any war that has ever been stopped by a court order. Wars end in one of three ways: military victory by one side over the other; an armistice or frozen conflict such as that in Korea; or a political and diplomatic settlement. We are putting our efforts into a political and diplomatic settlement, including a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid to get in, the killing to stop and hostages to be released, followed by a permanent ceasefire, which would involve Hamas fighters and leaders leaving Gaza-----
What is the point of the convention then?
-----allowing the Palestinian Authority to take over Gaza with international support. That would then lead to talks not just on a two-state solution but on wider mutual security for the region. If we are serious about stopping this conflict and ending this 75-year cycle of violence and terrorism, that has to be our priority. However, we will of course take our role under the various international conventions seriously. The Attorney General will be in the Hague in person on 22 February to give Ireland's intervention regarding an ICJ case on the occupation of Palestine. We will consider South Africa's case when it is lodged, which it has not yet been. That is exactly the approach we took in respect of the Russia-Ukraine case.
I have taken an interest in the EU directive on violence against women. I spoke about it to Frances Fitzgerald, who is the rapporteur, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee. Ireland believes the definition of rape should be based on consent and not on force. Other countries have different views on that. We want to make sure anything agreed does not water down our own laws in any way because it is about consent and not force. There is now a risk that there will not be an EU directive at all because it has to get through in the next couple of weeks. The most important thing is that we get the directive through. I am a great believer in incremental progress. We might not get everything we want in it, but if we can get our first EU directive on this issue passed and through, we can then build on it into the future.
On the US Administration, I shared my views with the US ambassador and other members of the Administration on the situation in the Middle East. We have had the chance to meet casually at international meetings in the past couple of weeks. I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss the issue with President Biden in March should I be invited to attend the White House, which I have not been yet.
Departmental Bodies
Alan Farrell
Ceist:9. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Taoiseach his views on the outcomes of his recent meeting with the shared island youth forum. [1438/24]
Brendan Smith
Ceist:10. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report his attendance at the recent shared island youth forum. [57118/23]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:11. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach to report on the work of his Department's shared island unit. [2745/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 11, inclusive, together.
Through the shared island initiative, the Government is engaging with all communities to build a consensus around a shared future, underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. The Government has so far allocated almost €250 million from the shared island fund. This includes contributing to the expansion of higher education infrastructure in the north west, with funding for a new teaching building at Ulster University in Derry, and progressing the Ulster Canal restoration in the central Border region. The Government has also introduced new programmes that bring people together throughout the island, including through the community climate action scheme, the Creative Ireland programme and the shared island civic society fund.
I will open the third annual shared island forum on 8 February in Dublin Castle and will set out then the Government’s priorities for the initiative in the year ahead.
I met with members of the shared island youth forum in Dublin on 7 December. Since September, the forum has been bringing together 80 young people aged 18 to 25, who are meeting regularly over the course of a year to develop and to set out their vision and values for a shared future on the island. The forum members were all born after the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. They are dedicated to using the forum as an opportunity to give voice to their generation, and to help to influence how we share the island of Ireland into the future. I look forward to the forum’s outcome statement later this year.
The shared island dialogue series is continuing with more than 3,300 citizens and civic representatives having participated in the past three years. The Tánaiste spoke at the most recent event in October on the theme of accommodating national identities. The shared island research programme is also continuing, with 30 publications so far examining the island in economic, cultural, social and political terms. The next ESRI shared island report examines housing supply factors and will be launched on 31 January.
Finally, I want to recognise the serious challenges for the people of Northern Ireland and for the Good Friday Agreement with the continuing absence of the power-sharing institutions for almost two years now. The Government will continue to work to see the return of the power-sharing institutions. Under all scenarios we will also continue to develop opportunities to take forward all-island investment and co-operation and to deepen both North-South and east-west relationships, in accordance with the objectives and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement.
I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I very much welcome the initiative of the shared island forum. I very much welcome the agreements and expenditures to date. My focus in this particular question is related to the youth forum. The forum is a wonderful opportunity for the 80 young people the Taoiseach mentioned because their voice is so important. The decisions that we make on a weekly basis, and in the Taoiseach's case on a daily basis, will affect those individuals for many years to come. It is important that their voice is incorporated into our decision-making processes. I would be very interested to see the form and shape of their deliberations and the outcome statement that is to be issued later in the year. Perhaps in his further response the Taoiseach will provide me with an idea of how the young people are engaging. I understand there is a broad range of subject matter and a broad range of individuals that are represented across gender, ethnic, community, faith and other diversities, which of course is most welcome. The all-island focus of the forum will be an opportunity for political parties on both sides of the Border to reflect on the fact there is an absence of power sharing in the North, which is very regrettable. Will those youth forum members discuss that impasse in power sharing?
I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. As has been said on many occasions in this House, the shared island initiative is very welcome. My constituency of Cavan-Monaghan is benefiting through investment, for example with the Ulster Canal and also through committed investment in the further development of the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark. It is the first UNESCO-recognised cross-border geopark in the world, encompassing parts of Cavan and parts of Fermanagh. This initiative and investment with the shared island local authority scheme will promote in a big way local tourism and biodiversity.
Ms Gina McIntyre of the Special EU Programmes Body was before the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement recently. We discussed the very valuable PEACEPLUS programme, with €1.4 billion provided by our Government, the British Government and the European Union. Since the mid-1990s when Albert Reynolds, John Hume and Jacques Delors put in place the first PEACE programme, €3.39 billion has been invested in those programmes. It has been hugely important. As a person who represents two southern Ulster counties I see the benefits of that investment in every parish, village and town.
As I have said in the past, we need to ensure we reach the really hard-to-reach groups so they are given an opportunity to participate and draw down benefits from these programmes. We always see the better resourced groups being able to avail of new schemes. I am thinking of the disadvantaged communities where there may not be the know-how or expertise to put in very significant applications. There must be a focus on ensuring everybody, including the most deprived, benefit from these welcome initiatives.
Has the Government had any interaction with eBay? There is talk about the possibility of 1,000 job cuts worldwide. We are aware that 900 people are employed here in Ireland so it is a worry for a huge number of people.
We have spoken many times about the shared island unit. All of us welcome the capital projects, in particular. I refer to the Narrow Water Bridge project in my constituency. We know that more groups are now aware of these and availing of them. I agree with Deputy Smith that as with all funding streams, a piece of work needs to be done around those groups who might not have the capacity to be able to deliver upon this.
What has been the Taoiseach's interaction with the DUP and others? Hopefully we are coming to a point where they will bring themselves in from the cold and we can have an Executive up and running.
With regard to the shared island dialogue, the Taoiseach will not be shocked to know that I would believe into the future we need to find the means for dialogue on the possibilities of Irish unity. That piece of planning still needs to be done by this Government.
I thank Deputy Farrell for raising the shared island youth forum. It has been really good success. I had a chance to meet with them in Dublin a few months ago. It brings together 80 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are meeting over the course of a year to set out their vision and values for a shared future. There are 40 young people from the North and 40 from the South, and there is balance in terms of gender, ethnicity, community, faith and other identity diversities. The forum focuses on five themes of sustainability, opportunity, well-being, equality and cultural identity. There have been five meetings so far, both North and South, and the next meeting will be on Friday in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The forum is organised by the shared island unit in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland and Youth Action Northern Ireland. When I had a chance to meet with the forum members, they certainly shared with me their various views on the particular political impasse occurring in the North but we have not made it a focus of the forum really because we want them to think long term rather than about the current political difficulties.
Deputy Smith spoke about the geopark, which I had a chance to visit as Minister for tourism a long time ago. It is really great to see that develop. It will be a fabulous asset and amenity. Indeed, it already is.
I agree with Deputy Smith's comments on PEACEPLUS and its predecessor programmes and the billions of euro that have been invested in Northern Ireland and the Border counties. The Deputy encouraged us to reach out to the hard-to-reach groups, areas and communities. I totally agree with that. It can be difficult to do this with any government funding scheme, be it sports capital or a community scheme, not just in Northern Ireland and the Border areas. Better organised, better equipped and better skilled volunteer groups find it easier to apply for money and then find it easier to draw it down. That does not make it okay. It actually puts an additional obligation on us, as the people in office, and on our civil servants and assistants to reach out to those communities that may not have the skills or stability, or who struggle with the governance issues, to make sure that money goes to where it is needed most. This, of course, is easier said than done.
On the issue of eBay and the potential redundancies there, I have not had any personal contact with the company. That relationship would be managed by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and by IDA Ireland. If they have not been in contact, I am sure they will. Obviously we need to make sure that any redundancies are minimised, that they are voluntary rather than compulsory if possible, and that a package is put in place for any staff who lose their jobs.
With regard to the situation in Northern Ireland, we have ongoing engagement with the five major political parties in the North. Certainly when it comes to the issue of the Executive and the Assembly being re-established, the DUP would strongly believe it is very much a strand 1 issue in which the Irish Government has no role. We respect that view even if we do not agree with it. It is the establishment of the Executive and the Assembly that will allow the North-South ministerial bodies to function. Strand 2 is dependent on strand 1 operating.
We are very keen to be of assistance in any way we can. If the assembly and the Executive are re-established we want to make sure they are successful and sustainable. This is why we are willing to help in any way that we can.
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