UK government and Stormont ministers could attend EU presidency events held in Ireland later this year, under plans going to Cabinet on Tuesday.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee is to update Cabinet on Ireland’s hosting of the EU presidency, including its policy priorities such as competitiveness and security.
McEntee will also outline a plan to consider invitations for ministers from Northern Ireland and the UK government to some of the informal council meetings to be held in Ireland during the six-month presidency.
Such invitations would be considered alongside EU officials, with a Government source saying Stormont ministers may be invited in light of the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland.
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The UK has previously attended some EU meetings post-Brexit, including in energy, culture, industry and research areas.
Also at Cabinet, Minister for Housing James Browne is to brief Ministers on the launch of a new “voids” programme designed to lower vacancy rates in local authorities’ social housing stock and reduce time taken to bring such homes back into use.
The new programme will link the funding to how well local authorities manage their stock, with monitoring of vacancy rates, how long tenancy turnarounds take, and the level of rental income being invested in management and maintenance.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris will brief Cabinet on plans to dissolve Nama, the recession-era bad bank that took billions of euro in non-performing property loans on to its books as the State bailed out lenders in the wake of the property crash.
The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), which was formed from the remnants of lenders Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide, will also have its liquidation concluded and the remaining activities of both these entities will be transferred to the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).
Harris will also outline a plan to Cabinet to appoint two financial literacy ambassadors as part of a plan to introduce a new savings and investment account, as well as an update on insurance reform efforts.
Minister for Children Norma Foley will brief Cabinet on a plan to put the National Review Panel, which reports on the deaths of children known to Tusla, on a statutory footing. She will also detail plans to hire a disability services manager in each health region, as well as a national disability manager.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien will bring two plans to Cabinet. The first, the “moving together” strategy, seeks to improve collaboration on issues such as congestion and transport-related air pollution in urban areas. He will brief Cabinet on the Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan, designed to monitor delivery of large public transport projects such as BusConnects, MetroLink and Cork Commuter Rail.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will bring a memo to Cabinet updating proposed inquiries into matters at Children’s Health Ireland and the activities of convicted child abuser Michael Shine.
Along with Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Carroll MacNeill will seek approval to publish legislation on vaping, including the ban on nicotine consumption pouches to those under 18 and a ban on advertising in shops and at tills, as well as restricting colours and imagery on vapes.
Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless will update Cabinet on opening dates for student grant applications this year. Students renewing their grants will be able to do so from March 5th, with new applications open from early April. The Government introduced a €500 reduction in college fees in last year’s budget; however, in real terms fees will be higher as they had been brought down by €1,000 annually as a temporary cost-of-living measure.
Income thresholds for fee grants of €500 were also increased, with households earning €120,000 now eligible, while postgraduate fee contributions went up by €500. Lawless will also brief Cabinet on the establishment of a new Research and Innovation Policy Advisory Forum.
Minister for Infrastructure Jack Chambers will brief Ministers on new laws which will see agencies and State bodies legally ordered to ensure capital projects are delivered faster.
Projects designated as being in the national and public interest will also be allowed to skip to the top of the queue at each stage of the project approval and delivery cycle.
The Critical Infrastructure Bill would see key projects identified by the Minister for Public Expenditure and then approved through a Dáil vote.
