Statement by Taoiseach Micheál Martin

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Paschal Donohoe on his new role at the World Bank.

I also thank Paschal for his years of public service, in particular as a government minister since 2014.

An honourable and committed colleague, I always worked very well with Paschal, and we cooperated closely throughout the COVID pandemic.

Together, the innovative approaches adopted during the pandemic underpinned the Irish economy, as well as during many other challenges, such as Brexit and the invasion of Ukraine.

This Government is in a strong position. In recent weeks, we have launched our new National Development Plan, with an unprecedented investment in infrastructure.

We have introduced Budget 2026, followed by departmental sectoral plans, and last week we launched our new National Housing Plan.

The Government remains focused on delivering on the Programme for Government we agreed at the start of this year, and I wish Paschal all the very best in his new role.