Robert Troy
Question:1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [18285/24]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Cabinet Committees
John Lahart
Question:2. Deputy John Lahart asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [18286/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:3. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [21326/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [21329/24]
Mick Barry
Question:5. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [21360/24]
Jim O'Callaghan
Question:6. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [21561/24]
Bríd Smith
Question:7. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine will meet next. [21747/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on migration, integration and Ukraine was established on 9 April to oversee the development and delivery of a whole-of-government response to the system of international and temporary protection for those arriving in Ireland from abroad, including international and domestic policy options, accommodation and other supports, integration, community engagement and public communications. This committee is assisted by the senior officials group, which is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. Through this mechanism, all Departments and agencies, as well as local government, are working to co-ordinate the State's response. The first meeting of the Cabinet committee, which I chair, took place on Thursday, 2 May. The Cabinet committee is scheduled to meet again this week, on Thursday, 23 May. I also chaired meetings specific to Mount Street and international protection accommodation on 25 April and 9 May respectively.
Since February 2022, more than 142,000 people from Ukraine and international protection applicants have come to Ireland seeking protection. On 14 May, Government agreed a number of measures to respond to the growing number of people seeking protection in Ireland. Beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine in State-provided serviced accommodation should receive the same level of payment regardless of when they arrived. This work is being advanced by the Ministers for Social Protection and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The entitlements of international protection applicants will be reviewed within six weeks. There will be targeted workplace inspections in sectors or firms where there is an increased risk or reports of non-compliance with the range of employment and workplace requirements and permit regulations. The Minister for Justice will further review the safe countries list, visa-free travel and airline fines. The Minister will then report to Government on the outcome of these reviews. State-owned locations for tented accommodation will be utilised in advance of the medium-term strategy commencing.
The Government is also making every effort to improve the international protection process and has introduced an accelerated process for particular categories of applicants, including those from safe countries. We are working to accommodate people seeking shelter against a backdrop of unprecedented demand. However, the situation remains deeply challenging, particularly as the available supply of accommodation for international protection applicants has very seriously diminished. In addition to the actions across Government to alleviate immediate pressures, work is also underway to develop a more sustainable State response when it comes to migration.
I looked back on statements that took place in the House in February of last year, when we discussed the migration challenges and the crisis that we face. Those who spoke on that occasion all referred to asylum system that is fair, efficient and incorruptible. Much of what the Government is doing now, with the implementation of the Dublin Convention, working to return people to the UK, reviewing the safe countries and aligning social welfare payments was advocated over 12 months ago. There was a delay in the Government's response. As a consequence, our system has been overwhelmed.
Last week, I met people who were seeking asylum in a centre in my constituency. We now have a situation where people are being asked to relocate when they have been in the same centre for 18 months and are integrating into the community. We have a centre in my constituency where people are being asked to walk 4 km on country roads in winter and summer in order to avail of public transport. We want people to work, get educated and contribute to society. How can they do that if they have to walk 4 km?
Another issue is the scheme to offer a room. My wife offered a room four different times but never received a reply. We had a baby and stopped offering the room for six months because we did not want anyone else in the house. Recently, we offered the room again. We identified that we had offered it three times. For that fourth time, someone was to get back to us in a week but it never happened.
Last week, representatives of 15 governments met in Copenhagen to discuss new solutions in respect of irregular migration. Ireland was not represented politically at that meeting. Why was that the case? Is it our intention to sign the letter that was written?
For generations, Irish people were the subject of foul racist stereotypes. Tory Governments in Britain specialised in scapegoating the Irish for problems that they themselves were responsible for. They implied that the Irish were a problem, and that there were too many of us. In fact, Irish people contributed significantly to building British society, particularly in the areas of housing and roads. We did the same in Ireland. Is the Government now leaning into the same tactics as the British Tories in scapegoating immigrants who are coming to this country? Obviously, we know that far-right groups have pushed this narrative. Is the Government now, in the face of an election, beginning to do it too, with talk of having to check immigration and the numbers of asylum applicants? Michael Taft has just written a brilliant paper showing essentially that our health service would collapse without immigrant workers. I was stunned by the figures he provided. People need to be aware of them. Some 51% of the people working in our health service are non-EU nationals. That numbers are 36% in information and communication, 24% in industry and 34% in other sectors. I could go on. I suggest that the Government needs to state clearly that immigrants are contributing positively to Irish society and if there is a problem with housing and accommodation, which there is, it is the political system and not immigrants that is to blame for that.
Almost one in four applicants for international protection are children. Some 6,755 children are living in direct provision. Their parents receive a payment for them of just €29.80 per week. The child poverty monitor 2024, published yesterday, reports that this falls well below a minimum essential standard of living. It says it is not enough, of course, to cover basic needs like food, healthcare, school supplies, clothing or footwear. It forces thousands of children with no responsibility for the situation that they are in to live in consistent poverty. The Government knows all of this. It is not news. The Government is planning not to end this deliberate policy of impoverishment and immiseration; the intention is to expand it instead. It is going to bring more children into this system. Ukrainian kids must be made equally miserable by having their payments also cut to €29.80. They must also be ground down to the same subsistence level as the kids in direct provision. The same sort of performative cruelty is on display as when the Government picks up and destroys the tents of vulnerable people who have almost nothing in this world just to show it is taking the issue seriously. How can the Taoiseach justify the cruelty? Are the children to be sacrificed, like the children drowning in the Mediterranean in the name of deterrence?
A far-right local election candidate is sharing copies on Twitter, or X, of what she claims are people's international protection applications. One is that of an alleged Palestinian applicant and seems to have been taken down now but at least another two are still up.
This is not the first time that alleged international protection applications have been shared on social media by the far right.
This is a serious matter. We are discussing vulnerable people. Will the Taoiseach ensure that an investigation is conducted into whether this material is real? If it is real, what measures does he intend to take to stop this situation from ever happening again?
The Taoiseach has spoken about a sustainable migration system and the idea of streamlining processing times for those trying to avail of international protection. We all want to see something that is fair, but it also needs to be efficient and enforced. The Taoiseach has spoken about how countries have been added to the list of safe countries. He has also spoken about how we have improved our processing times and what impact the latter has had. Will he provide an update on the matter? The Irish people want to see that we have a system that looks after those fleeing war, oppression and torture. When will we be able to move on from the chaotic system of the private sector dealing badly with people who are in a really precarious situation to the planned system of State-owned and fit-for-purpose international protection reception centres? We have an accommodation crisis, but we were living with that long before we were dealing with the current circumstances as regards migration.
I add my voice to those who have spoken about the positives of those who have come to Ireland. A large number of people have come from abroad on work permits. The work permit system across Europe may need to be examined. Our health system could not operate without it.
The western world, Russia and China need to address the fact that a destabilised world means a large number of people on the move.
I wish to raise two issues. The Abbey Manor Hotel in Dromahair in County Leitrim received some international protection applicants in recent months. More have come in the past week. The families have been accepted by everyone and I have every confidence that they will be integrated into the community, but the problem that arises wherever people arrive is one of ensuring we have adequate medical, transport and education services. Wherever applicants arrive, these are the services that are placed under pressure, so we need to ensure there are adequate services. I appeal to the Taoiseach to do that.
On the flip side, the Lough Allen Hotel and Spa in Drumshanbo, which is just down the road from the Abbey Manor Hotel, has Ukrainians living in it. There have been more than 300 people there for the past two years. The Ukrainian contract for that hotel will run out at the end of this month. The Ukrainians have been told that they all must leave. Many of these people are in schools or working locally and have integrated into the community. They are now going around trying to find somewhere to live. Like everyone else, though, they cannot find accommodation. By opening the doors and telling these families they have to leave the hotel and go into emergency provision somewhere, we are creating a serious problem. They are working for many employers. Will they end up in Cork, Dublin or somewhere else where they will put pressure on the accommodation situation? There is a great short-sightedness in closing accommodation that has been working well, thereby putting pressure on our housing system, which is already under serious pressure.
One of the main problems with the migration issue is the chaos of the Government’s approach to it. The Government does not know what is happening. The answers to many of my parliamentary questions show that the Minister for Justice either did not know the information, was not asking the questions or could not extract the information from the data. We are spending a great deal of money on an expensive process to differentiate between those who need help and those who do not. Those who do not need help are getting deportation orders, but 85% of those are voluntary deportations. According to a parliamentary reply that I have just received from the Minister, she rescinded 1,000 deportation orders just in the past two years. People might be waiting up to ten years to have their respective processes done at great expense to the State, but when the State decides they are not entitled to stay, the Minister for Justice turns around, rescinds those decisions and lets them stay. How can the Government have any credibility in this matter?
I will try to respond to some of those issues. Objectively and fairly, the Government has been responding in real time to a migration system that moved from one that was used to seeing about 3,000 to 4,000 people per year to one that, between international protection applicants and people from Ukraine, saw around 143,000 people over a period of time. The Government has taken a number of actions in real time to try to build those systems and respond. The expansion of the safe countries list is one matter I would point to. Faster processing times is another.
I will inquire about the offer of a rent-a-room scheme. Deputy Troy gave a particular example, but obviously I am very eager to see anybody who offers accommodation being taken up on that offer. I will also inquire about the Copenhagen meeting. I am not across the detail of it. I will come back to the Deputy directly about that.
There will be a consolidation of State-rented facilities. Deputies Troy and Kenny have raised this matter. We have to be very conscious that, where we have a reducing number of people from Ukraine in State-owned accommodation, we have to look at the total portfolio of properties that the State is using a lot of taxpayers’ money to rent. We need to see some hotels being put back into tourism use and public use. I am conscious that there are people, including families, involved and that this is a sensitive issue, but we need to be honest about it. As the number of people here from Ukraine goes down, we obviously cannot have a scenario where we have more facilities than we need and for which we continue to pay a great deal. I do not think that is common sense, and I do not think that the taxpayer would want to see us do that.
Let me say very clearly that I absolutely abhor racism in all its forms. I join with Deputy Boyd Barrett in acknowledging, on the record of this House, the very positive contribution that migrants make to this country. He used the example of our health service. One could use the example of the hospitality sector or schools. One could pick any example. We are a better country as a result of immigrants coming here, just like Irish people made other countries better. I fully accept and agree with that, but I also know this: we have to have a system that is rules based. We have to have the rules enforced, we have to have transparency around the rules and we have to have efficiency in terms of how the rules are applied for the credibility and sustainability of the system. There is not a country in the world that cannot do that.
The other point I would make - I think Deputy Ó Murchú referenced it - is that there are a number of ways of legitimately coming to a country. International protection is there for a very specific purpose. We should assess quickly whether a person has a right to stay or does not have a right to stay, give that determination and then act on it. There are other ways of coming to this country, including the work permit system. We need to keep challenging ourselves in terms of the work permit system and making sure that it is a viable route for many as well.
I completely disagree with Deputy Murphy's characterisation of what we did around Mount Street and at the Grand Canal. We nearly had a public health emergency at Mount Street. The Deputy will have read of some very significant situations that people were encountering. Every single person who was in a tent at Mount Street without access to proper sanitation got relocated to a better facility. It was not an ideal one, but a better one. I genuinely believe that there is a humanitarian element to this, and similarly at the Grand Canal location. Yes, tents are disposed of on the health advice that one cannot reuse them, but people are provided with a better level of shelter and access to sanitation. That is the motivation.
Regarding the decision we have taken in respect of people from Ukraine, we have provided a significant lead-in time, but we have only applied the decision to people in fully serviced accommodation - people who are being provided with free accommodation, free food, free utilities and, crucially, the right to work. There will be many people outside of that. Alternative forms of accommodation were not covered by the Government decision.
Regarding Deputy Barry's point, I will look into that. I am very concerned to hear that. I would be particularly concerned if it turned out to be real data. Data protection applies to everybody, so I will undertake to ask for that to be investigated. I will be happy to come back to the Deputy and provide an update.
I will send Deputy Ó Murchú a note on the progress we have made on processing times and the work we are doing to implement the new Government approach to accommodation.
Regarding Deputy Kenny's point, I met that group from Dromahair while I was in Sligo recently. I support the importance of communities getting services, particularly communities that want to welcome people and be supportive of them. All of the people I met were very reasonable and decent. They wanted to know whether we were going to support the community in terms of services. I will look into the issue relating to the Lough Allen hotel.
What about the 1,000 deportation orders?
I will have to get the details as regards that.
I have given the Taoiseach the details.
Sorry. The Deputy has given me the figure for the number rescinded. I will have to get the details as to why they were, which is an appropriate thing to do. This matter is quite a long way from the questions that were asked, so I do not have the information to hand, but the Minister for Justice of the day, whoever he or she is, has a role to play in the migration process and can make decisions, but I will find out the details and revert to the Deputy directly.
Departmental Policies
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:8. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [18288/24]
Marc Ó Cathasaigh
Question:9. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [20534/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:10. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [20566/24]
Mick Barry
Question:11. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [21361/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:12. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [21749/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:13. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [21752/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:14. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [21761/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 14, inclusive, together.
Ireland’s well-being framework is a programme for Government initiative to measure progress and policy impact in Ireland in a more holistic way. The framework was launched in 2021. We are now focused on embedding this approach into the Irish policy-making system.
The framework consists of 11 dimensions which are made up of different aspects of well-being. It is supported by a dashboard, hosted by the CSO comprising a representative set of 35 indicators that brings together economic, social and environmental statistics in an integrated way. Analysis of the framework is published annually and integrated into the budget process. This analysis looks at Ireland’s progress over time and also our performance in comparison to other countries. Drafting of this year's report is at an advanced stage. I look forward to bringing it to Cabinet and publishing it in the coming weeks.
As was the case for budget 2023 and budget 2024, the well-being framework will again feature this year at the national economic dialogue and will form part of the summer economic statement. Analysis of the dashboard will contribute to the preparation of budget day documentation.
Departments are progressing work to implement the approach into policy development and decision-making. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has undertaken significant work in this area, in particular in the context of a well-being tagging initiative that uses the framework to support cross-Government understanding of expenditure allocations, inform prioritisation considerations and enhance transparency. Other Departments are progressing sectoral approaches aligned to the well-being framework to improve performance measurement, support policy analysis and allow us to better understand Government's impact on quality of life in Ireland.
The well-being framework helps us to assess where we are and informs us to make better choices and decisions in the future. The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for our citizens. Implementing the framework into policy-making will support that commitment.
I am an enthusiastic supporter of the well-being framework and the move to go beyond GDP in how we assess the health of our economy in order to remind ourselves that the economy should work for society and not the other way around. I want to raise three issues that should be part of the discussion on how we implement it.
First, the Taoiseach mentioned the summer economic statement and the national economic dialogue. We really have to stitch the framework into these. It has to involve more than just tagging. It has to be more than just window-dressing. It has to be central to the entire budgetary process.
Second, we need a watchdog with teeth to make sure that this happens. In Wales, that role is discharged ably by the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner. Second Stage of a Bill I tabled will be taken in the Dáil next Thursday. I have asked to meet with the Taoiseach to discuss it. The UN Summit of the Future coming up in September. There is a great opportunity for Ireland and, indeed, the Taoiseach to bring something positive to that summit in terms of what we want to do about future generations.
Third, I have advocated consistently for an 11th dimension around culture and language. The well-being framework, as it is currently constituted, has very little to say about culture and has practically nothing at all to say about language. How we feel within society is so pivotal in terms of the cultural experience and our ability to express ourselves in our own language.
The Taoiseach has made great play of his opinions on law and order. Why is he not taking action against employers who break the law? Less than half a mile from here, there is a construction project that is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works and that is 100% funded by the taxpayer. Organisers from Unite the Union recently consulted with the workers on that project and found that more than 50% of them are members of a pension scheme. The union also has serious questions about the level of bogus self-employment on this site. The pension situation is a breach of the public sector pay agreement. It is a breach of the sectoral employment order and it is a breach of the law. The union wrote to the Minister about this more than a week ago. They have yet to receive an acknowledgement, let alone a full reply. Will the Taoiseach commit to writing to the relevant Departments reminding them of their obligations under the terms of the public sector agreement to consult with the unions at the various stages of tendering? Will he instruct the Minister to meet with Unite to discuss this issues and other matters going forward? The site in question is on Leeson Lane and the main contractor is Duggan Brothers.
I ask Deputies for co-operation with time now.
One of the important categories in the well-being framework is housing. There is nothing more damaging to the well-being of children and families than living in very poor housing conditions. An increasing phenomena is of mothers, fathers and children being crammed into tiny spaces, which is seriously damaging to the well-being and mental health and physical health of children. When there is medical evidence to back the need to prioritise such people for housing, local authorities are increasingly refusing medical priority because of the lack of available three-and four-bedroom social housing units.
I thank the Deputy.
The decision about prioritising the physical or mental health of children and families should be based on the medical evidence, not on the availability or lack of availability of certain types of housing. This needs to be addressed.
I thank the Deputy. I have to move on.
A crucial element of well-being should be investment in our parks and green spaces. We had quite a successful campaign, led by Jess Spear, for investment in Watergate Park. We got agreement for bins, lighting and picnic benches, but one of the key issues was the issue of park rangers. The campaign was told by the local authority not to worry as the park rangers from Tymon Park take care of Watergate Park. We have since found out that this is not the case. The park rangers from Tymon Park never come to Watergate Park. In fact, there are only two park rangers in Tymon Park, the second biggest park in Dublin, while there are correctly six in Corkagh Park in Clondalkin. They lack proper equipment. They have no vehicle capable of going off-road in the park meaning if there was an incident or security issue, it could take 20 minutes to get there.
I thank the Deputy.
Does the Taoiseach agree that we need to have more investment and more park rangers to properly service and take care of our parks?
I want to bring up the issue of the De La Salle College in Dundalk and an autism unit. There was one autism class last year. It was put in a class that was freed up by a teacher. There will be a prefab unit that that class can go into.
This is a very specific issue.
I know. The problem is we are talking about a number of families. We are talking about five families that have been told there is no room at the inn. It is a four-way conversation including the school, the NCSE and the families. We just need to bring it to some sort of completion. The problem is if the school building programme had been earlier, we would have had the solution with the two classes.
I am finding myself having to stop the Deputy.
I am sure the Taoiseach remembers the early instalments of Harry Potter when he lived under the stairs in a little alcove. When I see this particular topic of well-being framework, it reminded me of that because yesterday we were in Ballinamore and Drumshambo in County Leitrim with the Minister for housing opening some new houses. One of the houses I visited was that of a family there that have a little boy with autism. When he has particular bad meltdowns, they need a place for him to go and the only place they have to put him is under the stairs. They have lights in under the stairs, a little place where he can go in - a cubbyhole - and he sits there. They go in and cuddle him there. It is not big enough or spacious enough. The boy is nine. They have contacted the HSE. They have contacted the local authority. The multidisciplinary team came out and approved that under the stairs was an appropriate place for him to be. We need to recognise that some of the places that we are putting our children, and approving as being adequate, in our society are well in breach of a well-being framework.
I commend all the communities across Ireland that are seeking to make their town autism-friendly towns. In particular, Ballina is getting together next Thursday to do that. I ask the Taoiseach for his commitment around resourcing the actions that they agree within these towns because it is an important development. It has also happened in Castlebar and many other towns.
There were a variety of issues and I thank the Deputies.
I would be pleased to meet Deputy Ó Cathasaigh on his legislation and to discuss the 11th dimension that he believes is needed in the context of the dashboard around the culture and language. I agree. that the purpose here is, to use the Deputy's words "to stitch" the well-being framework to our budgetary process. I would be happy to meet him on his legislation and very happy to have that discussion about how we monitor, who is the watchdog, etc. My office will be in touch with the Deputy to arrange that with him.
In response to Deputy Barry, I will ask the line Minister to, of course, engage with the trade union. We generally have good engagement processes with unions. We obviously have the Labour Employer Economic Forum structure, that I chair, as well. I have a meeting of that scheduled quite shortly. It is a chance to bring employers and trade unions together with Government.
Of course, the Government should always honour public sector agreements, as should all parties to those agreements. I do not think there is a need for me to write to people in that regard. It is absolutely the position of the Government. I will, however, refer to the line Minister the specific issue the Deputy raised regarding the concerns of the union.
On the matter raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett, I remember from my time as a councillor and my work as a constituency TD that medical priority was always a very important part of the accommodation scheme and the letting priorities of any local authority. I am not suggesting that local authorities are not under real pressure regarding the decisions they have to make, but I would not like to see any deviation from the importance of medical prioritisation. I will certainly look into that further.
I am not across the detail of park rangers, but I thank Deputy Murphy for raising the issue of Watergate Park. From a well-being point of view, I very much share his view that parks, open spaces and amenities are a crucial part of our mental and physical well-being. Park rangers certainly play a very important role. I would like to see an expansion in the number of park rangers. I will ask the relevant Minister to engage with the Deputy on that.
I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising the important issue of De La Salle College and the provision of adequate facilities for autism students. This can be a stressful time for parents. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to try to pull together the various agencies the Deputy has engaged with.
I send my best to the little boy with autism mentioned by Deputy Kenny and to his family. I always like to see the housing adaptation grants as a way forward. Generally, and I have a lot of experience with this in my constituency, they work well, but I take the point he made. We need to continue to support housing adaptation grants so that a family with a child with additional needs who requires additional space or modification-----
It is a local authority.
This is a local authority. I take the point. That should be taken into consideration before people are housed. I would have thought that it was, although that is not to comment on the specifics of this case.
As I travel throughout the country, I visit many towns that are becoming autism-friendly towns. I am delighted to hear about Ballina and Castlebar from Deputy Conway-Walsh. The Government has a role to play there, as do local authorities. It is important for everybody that these autism plans are implemented. If a community comes together to say they want their town to be inclusive, the Government should of course support them in that regard.
Cabinet Committees
Niamh Smyth
Question:15. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [19970/24]
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:16. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21665/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:17. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21750/24]
Paul Murphy
Question:18. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21753/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:19. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21762/24]
James O'Connor
Question:20. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21829/24]
Cathal Crowe
Question:21. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [21830/24]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:22. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [22676/24]
Mick Barry
Question:23. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [22815/24]
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:24. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with transport will next meet. [22999/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 24, inclusive, together.
Transport-related issues can arise in a number of different Cabinet committees, given their relevance to multiple policy areas. Climate action is one and economic growth is another, as is the provision of housing, regional development and the like. For example, the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change considers environmental and climate change dimensions of transport, as well as the implementation of transport-related policies and measures contained in the Government’s climate action plan.
The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment oversees the implementation of the programme for Government commitments aimed at sustainable economic recovery, investment, and job creation. This includes the implementation of the national development plan under which record levels of investment in transport infrastructure are now being made. The Cabinet committee on housing deals with matters of transport as they relate to the supply of large-scale delivery of housing under Housing for All. This includes, for example, the monitoring of the progress of major transport-orientated development opportunities. Issues relevant to transport can also arise at other Cabinet committees, such as the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland and the work we are doing relating to the A5.
As with all policy areas, transport issues are regularly discussed at full Cabinet meetings. It is the Cabinet where any formal Government decision is made. In addition to meetings of the Cabinet and Cabinet committees, I regularly meet with Ministers, including the Minister for Transport, to discuss particular issues and participate in other relevant meetings. For example, on 15 April, I met with the Road Safety Authority and relevant Ministers to discuss action in response to the rising level of deaths on our roads, and I subsequently chaired a meeting of the ministerial committee on road safety on 2 May.
There are ten contributors and we are running out of time. There is up to one minute for each contributor.
Seventy-nine people have died on our roads so far this year. It is a heartbreaking and frightening number. A third of those people were under the age of 25. That is a figure that strikes fear, particularly for parents, throughout the country.
The two main contributors to this terrible statistic are driving under the influence and speed. We have seen the advertisements and the campaigns and we know there are an additional 30 minutes of Garda checkpoints. However, we cannot hope to tackle this issue without a multi-agency approach. Our local authorities are tasked with the design and maintenance of the vast majority of our roads, yet for the past six years they have not been supplied with road traffic collision data from the Road Safety Authority. How can we expect local authority engineers to design safer roads and tackle collision blackspots when they are not even given the data they need? This information has been accumulating since 2018 but, due to a GDPR issue, it is not being shared. The history of road traffic accidents on particular roads has not been given to the engineers charged with making these roads safer.
Seventy-nine people have died so far this year. Seventy-nine families have suffered the devastating loss of a loved one. We must do everything we can to bring down these awful numbers. When will the Department of Transport finally resolve this frustrating and dangerous situation?
A major anomaly has emerged for taxi drivers as regards their licensing that I would like the Taoiseach to address. During the pandemic, taxi drivers whose taxis were just about to reach the ten-year point when they had to get rid of them were given a two-year extension because there was no work for two years. Taxi drivers got the two-year extension if their cars were registered 141, 131 or 121 but cars registered 151, which are just about to come up to the ten-year point next January, do not get that extension. This is even though these cars were off the road for two years, were not used for two years and, therefore, did not have the wear and tear. A few other years are also affected. In fact, there is now a bizarre anomaly whereby younger cars will have to be got rid of before older cars that got the extension. Taxi drivers are very simply asking that cars in the fleet that were affected by two years of effectively no work should get the two-year extension to remove that anomaly. They had to pay back loans on those taxis when they had no work.
I will ask the Taoiseach to correct the record on something he said regarding the first group of questions. He said that when the tents were removed, all those people were offered other accommodation. That is not the case. A story published online in The Irish Times in the past half hour stated that tents on a Dublin canal had been cleared again leaving approximately 40 men without accommodation this afternoon after another multi-agency operation. It could be said that just happened but the same thing happened - maybe the Taoiseach does not know about it - and the same story existed on 1 May, when tents were removed and 30 men were left without accommodation.
My transport question is on the issue of a private jet ban. The Government has backed off from any suggestion of a ban on private jets. That appears to be after lobbying by the US-based National Business Aviation Association and American multinationals. They sent what were effectively threatening emails to the Minister, Deputy Coveney. How can we not deal with the big, rich emitters but ask ordinary people to take action?
I raise the issue of the N25 corridor between Midleton and Youghal. The Taoiseach will be familiar with this given I have been raising it since my election to the Dáil. It is a key issue for me. Unfortunately, there have been a number of major fatal accidents on and issues with that stretch of road. We have worked hard to get this issue up the political agenda in the Department of Transport. With a Green Party Minister in place and other issues around prioritisation of the national development plan, it has been hard to attain any progress. We have been waiting a number of months for the appointment of a design consultant.
I point out how despondent I am at the length of time it takes these Departments to conduct so-called studies and assessment reports and at how many months or sometimes, in this case, years are wasted in getting on with the projects that need to be done, especially when there are ones lying idle that have been done historically. Will the Department look at this matter through the Cabinet subcommittee meetings? Will the Taoiseach raise it with the relevant Ministers?
I commend the kids of Dundalk Grammar School on their campaign regarding the playing of Gaelic football. I have had very positive discussions with the principal, Mr. Graham, and with the GAA. It is hoped we will see something positive at the end of that. It was a very well-conducted protest. As I said, the kids were brilliant and the school was great to allow it. It was democracy in operation. It is a pity we do not see more of it.
I bring up the issue of the 100X, which is a Bus Éireann Expressway service between Dublin and Dundalk that includes the airport. There was an issue with the number of cancellations. There may be a short-term fix but we need to look at the stock. There has to be a wider conversation. I would like to reinforce that issue with the Minister.
Some 80% of more than 600 transport workers recently polled said that abuse and antisocial behaviour is an issue for them at work. A majority in receipt of this abuse expressed the opinion that the situation has worsened in the past year.
Some of the workers have experienced physical assault, some of which has been of a particularly vicious character. Three quarters of those from ethnic minority backgrounds have experienced racist abuse or harassment. The National Bus and Rail Union has campaigned for a dedicated transport police force and has been joined in that call more recently by colleagues in SIPTU. However, I am asking the Taoiseach about a far simpler matter today. Will he support the call from transport workers for anti-assault screens to be fitted to all public transport buses to protect drivers? What is his opinion on the timeframe for putting such a measure in place bearing in mind the urgency of the situation?
As we go around to canvass in Mayo, transport and public transport are among the biggest issues that come up. In addition to the lack of bus shelters and basic transport infrastructure, what comes up is the lack of interconnectedness between private and public operators and between city buses run by the likes of Bus Éireann, Citylink and GoBus and Iarnród Éireann services. For example, in Ballina, the GoBus service is not allowed to stop at the train station or the main bus station. It has to carry people another half mile down the road. It makes no sense whatsoever. This means that passengers on the GoBus service miss the bus to Blacksod or in other directions. Will the Taoiseach instruct TII to look at these situations, especially those across County Mayo I am interested in, to see if there is a better way to do things and whether we can have better co-operation and collaboration between routes to provide people with a proper service?
One of the sentences that has been repeated to me a lot over the past week is that the Government seems not to understand that there is a country outside of the Dublin area. There is a real divide in this country. It is really important to recognise the economic situation, especially in the midlands and north west, which is now a lagging area with lower incomes than the European average. The Government has also loaded fuel tax on people to try to force them out of private cars but has not put public transport infrastructure in place. Projects such as the western rail corridor and the Navan to Dublin rail line are simply not happening. There are tumbleweeds in that regard. We have heard of Thomas the Tank Engine. Is it the Taoiseach's legacy to be known as Simon the slowcoach?
That is very good.
Rural Ireland wants to use public transport but we are making it very difficult. The 800 bus through Tullow town only meets the Arklow train to Dublin and not the Carlow train to Dublin. It is also stops far short of the new ETB campus on the Kilkenny Road in Carlow. The Taoiseach will know there are thousands of learners there but it is not served by public transport. We need to address all of these issues. We need to look at the services to make sure they are there for people. While I am speaking to the Taoiseach, I will also look for an update on the N80 road, which runs just outside of Carlow. He will be aware of the accidents there. Will he give me an update as regards safety and funding?
I am new to Taoiseach's questions but we have come a long way from asking when the Cabinet committee will next meet. We will do our best. I thank colleagues for raising a variety of very important issues.
I will take a moment on the very important issue Deputy Kenny raised about data sharing between the RSA and the local authorities and when that issue will be resolved. The RSA is working closely with key organisations to resolve the data protection issue and to establish a firm legal basis for the resumption of collision data sharing with local authorities. A cross-government group is being led by the RSA to resolve the issue. There have been a load of workshops between the RSA and An Garda Síochána, which collects the collision data in the first instance, in December, January, February, March and April to review each of the 161 individual data fields. There have also been meetings between the RSA, representatives of local authorities and the Department of Transport. Based on this intensive engagement, a consultation pack with revised proposals was submitted to the Data Protection Commission for consideration on 10 May. It is important to be clear that safety analysis and the funding of safety schemes is ongoing through a range of other mechanisms while the data sharing issue is being resolved. In the interests of time, I will write to the Deputy with the details.
I will certainly look at the issue Deputy Boyd Barrett raised in respect of taxi drivers. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to take a look at it as well. There seems to be logic in what the Deputy is saying but I do not want to create any expectations because I am not across the detail. I will speak to the Minister on the matter and we will revert to the Deputy.
I am not going to get into a back and forth on the issue raised by Deputy Murphy. I do not doubt his bona fides but I am told that the people in tents affected by the Mount Street and Grand Canal multi-agency operations were offered accommodation. I will also be clear that other people can arrive. I do not say that in a critical way. People are facing a very challenging situation. However, I am genuinely confident that more people are in better shelter with access to sanitation and in a safer environment as a result of the multi-agency approach. I thank the multi-agency teams for their work. I will seek a view on the ban on private jets and ask the Minister for Transport, who is also the Minister for climate, to revert to the Deputy on the situation.
I acknowledge Deputy O'Connor's long-standing work and campaign in respect of the N25 route from Midleton to Youghal. He raises it consistently and I sense his frustration at the wait for the appointment of a design consultant, the time lag his constituents feel there has been in that regard and the impact the issue has on safety and quality of life. I will ask the Minister for Transport to revert to him directly and I will also do so myself.
To respond to Deputy Ó Murchú, I am not fully familiar with the campaign at Dundalk Grammar School, although I have been there. I am delighted to join any action of local democracy in a school where students are having their voices heard. I will ask TII and the Minister to come back to the Deputy in respect of the 100X Dublin to Dundalk route.
On Deputy Barry's question, I condemn any attack on a transport worker, as I expect everybody in this House and people throughout the country also would. All employers, including public sector employers, have a duty of care to their workers and a duty to listen to workers regarding any measures that can be taken to improve staff safety in the workplace. Transport workers often work in very challenging and tense environments. Assaults should be condemned outright and we should consider anything we can do to mitigate such assaults. While I am again not across the detail, anti-assault screens sound logical. I will ask the Minister for Transport to revert to the Deputy on the proposal.
I will ask TII to look at the frustrating situation Deputy Conway-Walsh has highlighted on behalf of her constituents whereby there is no joined-up approach to bus routes, stops and shelters and come back to her.
I advise Deputy Tóibín that I am very well aware there is a country outside of Dublin. I am enjoying travelling right across it, as I am sure the Deputy is. We will continue to do so intensively over the next 17 days or so. Regarding the review of the western rail corridor matter, we are very close to progress in that regard and to the publication of the review. I will come back to Peadar the performer on that matter.
I hope Deputy Murnane O'Connor will allow me to come back to her on both the importance of linking the train route to bus services for people in Carlow and the road issue. To save her asking me, I have also asked the Minister for further and higher education to meet the Deputy with regard to Carlow College.