Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 2022

Vol. 1017 No. 3

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

An Garda Síochána

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

Regrettably, I must once again raise the issue of sale and supply of controlled substances in my city, Limerick. While inroads have been made with regard to sale and supply, the main drug supermarket and leading supplier of crack cocaine remains open on a near 24-7 basis. I raised this issue last year and, in fairness, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, unlike her predecessor, listened to what we were saying and committed to take an action. Action duly followed with the initiation of the joint Garda-Limerick City and County Council operation, namely, Operation Copóg. This combined operation has had some impact, with numerous arrest and seizures over the past 12 months. The council also played a constructive role by demolishing some of the vacant properties that have been used for storing drugs.

That said, one need only to walk into St. Mary's Park in Limerick, which I do regularly, to see what is happening. Last Sunday, I visited most of the homes in the area. One can clearly witness for oneself the sale of crack cocaine from the property to which I refer. Local gardaí have told me that they are not aware of anything like this in any other part of the State. The issues of drug sales, accompanying crime and antisocial behaviour have been raised with the Minister for Justice, the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach by me over the past 18 months. While positive steps, such as the commencement of Operation Copóg and the removal of restrictions on Garda overtime in Limerick, have been taken, more needs to be done.

St. Mary's Park is a very old and very settled estate. It is a welcoming estate where working families have lived for generations. I am proud to call many of its residents my friends. Yet it continues to be held hostage by drug gangs. People who have lived in the estate all their lives have told me they are reluctant to walk past specific houses or to call the Garda. Quite frankly, I can totally understand why this is the case. St. Mary's Park is a small estate where everybody knows their neighbours, for better or for worse. Despite Garda action, many residents believe that drugs gangs are now in control and can operate with impunity. The customers are not from the community. People travel from far and wide to get their drugs there.

What would the Minister of State say to a constituent of his if they asked why the State is pursuing him to the ends of the earth for a minor infraction while the drug supermarket in question remains open continuously? This is undermining support for the forces of law and order. What would he say to those residents who need only look out the window and see the gangsters laughing and joking and often selling again less than an hour after a Garda raid? What can he say to residents who have had planning applications for house extensions declined while others can construct security walls around their properties without planning permission?

Let me be very clear as to what is happening in this estate. The drug supermarket is not like some Amsterdam coffee house. The main business is not hash; its main business is the sale of one of the most destructive and addictive drugs possible, namely, crack cocaine. To give a flavour of just how addictive the drug is, a street outreach worker from Ana Liffey Drug Project in Limerick told me that one client told him that crack has brought him to places he thought he would never physically or mentally go. Another outreach worker told me a client of hers would spend €1,000 to €2,000 per night.

The problem is that the sale and supply of dangerous drugs does not happen in a vacuum. The growth of drugs trade is quite often linked to disadvantage and poverty. Youth unemployment is a major problem in Limerick. Eight out of the ten unemployment black spots in the State are in my city of Limerick.

We have reached a tipping point. We have reached the point where those who are tired and frustrated will act as they see fit. They see little impact from the State. What they do see is smirking hoods preying on addicts.

There was a time when we had 92 community gardaí in Limerick. They did incredible work. They liaised with the community, spoke to young people and acted as a bulwark. They helped to steer many away from crime, but the number of such officers has been cut by more than 60%.

Some 12 months on, we are not seeing the results we had hoped for. Crack cocaine remains prevalent in Limerick and in the wider mid-west. Success in this matter can now only be measured by whether the forces of the State can permanently close this crack-dealing hub and take those who profit from the sale of drugs off our streets.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice (Deputy James Browne)

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for raising this very important matter around the issue of Garda Operation Copóg, the aim of which is to target the sale and supply of controlled drugs in Limerick.

The Government is acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage that drug dealing has on communities across the country. Organised criminal activity, including drug dealing, represents a serious threat to communities and safety.

The continued destruction of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other State agencies tasked with responsibility in this regard. A concerted effort has been made over the past year to ensure that the detection and prevention of these types of criminal activities have not been adversely affected by the unprecedented demands placed on policing services by the vital enforcement of public health restrictions.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including Garda operations aimed at preventing and countering criminal activity and the enforcement of legislation pertaining to illicit drugs. As Minister of State, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that Operation Copóg commenced on 8 March 2021 to disrupt and target the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the St. Mary's Park area of Limerick city. Additional resources were also allocated to the community policing unit in Mayorstone and dedicated solely to the St. Mary's Park area to provide a high-visibility policing presence and reassurance to the local community. These community policing members work closely with the divisional drugs unit at Henry Street Garda station to target individuals who are involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs, with a particular focus on the sale of crack cocaine. Operation Copóg is supported by the regional dog unit, district crime units, the armed support unit and regular units.

I am informed that a search operation was conducted as part of Operation Copóg on 20 December 2021. Search warrants were executed at a number of premises and properties in St. Mary's Park as part of this operation. During the course of the operation, €700 worth of suspected cocaine was seized, along with items used for the preparation of crack cocaine, including baking soda and chemical ammonia. One man was arrested in relation to this investigation and appeared before Limerick District Court on 21 December 2021. I understand that investigations into this matter are ongoing. Operation Copóg was initially planned for a three-month period. However, I am advised it has been extended on a number of occasions due to operational policing demands.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

I would like to mention the work of gardaí in Limerick in respect of this matter. In fairness, they have responded and made arrests and seizures. I have no doubt that they share my frustration. I speak to them on an almost daily basis regarding the continued operation of the drug supermarket. They, in the main, have responded whenever I have raised concerns directly with them. I thank them for this.

The focus of our discussion is the Department of Justice's response to the issue in Limerick. This is a very important part of the response but it is not the only aspect of it. This is an issue that requires a cross-departmental response.

I mentioned earlier that the scale of drug dealing does not happen in a vacuum. Another important element of the rise of the sale of crack cocaine is the lack of funding for the drug and alcohol forum. The Mid-West Regional Drugs and Alcohol Forum in Limerick had its funding cut every year from 2008 to 2014. Despite the escalation of the drugs crisis, funding for many groups has been effectively frozen since 2014. The lack of proper funding has severely affected the delivery of services for communities. We need to restore funding to 2008 levels at least as soon as possible, while ensuring that the responsibility of implementing local drugs strategies remains local. Failing to do this would be a big mistake.

As already stated, local people are becoming despondent and need to see some tangible results, such as the closure of the infamous drug supermarket.

Funding and outreach groups such as Ana Liffey Drug Project that could go and meet people in their own areas across Limerick would have a very positive impact and would be money well spent. When I raised the issue last year the Minister responded positively. She invited all local Oireachtas Members to meet with her in order to air their concerns and put forward solutions. I would be amenable to meeting with the Minister again in respect of this matter, which is of great importance to the people of Limerick.

Deputy James Browne

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for raising the very important matter of Operation Copóg, which targets the sale and supply of controlled drugs in Limerick. The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, GNDOCB, is having significant success in disrupting drug trafficking and supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups. The bureau's work is supported by Garda divisional drugs units nationwide and by all gardaí working in local communities. The GNDOCB also works closely and productively with international law enforcement partners. Gardaí continue to work closely with local authorities, the HSE, NGOs, community groups and other State agencies to tackle the problems of drug addiction and drug abuse.

On 12 January, An Garda Síochána issued operation statistics on the work on the GNDOCB last year which included: cash seizures in 2021 of €5,639,310 and £38,571; cash forfeited to the State in 2021 of €8,230,886 and £142,520 and $23; and drug seizures valued at €63,689,000, subject to analysis.

I can also inform the Deputy that on 2 July 2021 An Garda Síochána commenced an enhanced national anti-drug strategy, Operation Tara, which has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing throughout rural and urban Ireland. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels, international, national and local, involved in importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs including that of crack cocaine.

I am assured that gardaí continue to engage closely with Limerick City and County Council to support the regeneration work in St. Mary's Park and to explore enforcement options available to deal with specific individuals and properties involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs. Gardaí also continue to liaise closely with residents and public representatives. I will bring the Deputy's comments to the Minister's attention.

Mental Health Services

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I am grateful for being given the opportunity to discuss this matter and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being present. I had the opportunity to raise this matter on Questions on Promised Legislation last Thursday when I referred to the report on south Kerry CAMHS as devastating reading, which it is. At the time, I called for a full Garda investigation into the matter. I am hopeful that progress is being made in that regard. I also made the point that this failure in regard to south Kerry CAMHS has resulted in catastrophic outcomes for some children, which is at odds with the finding of the report, or certainly the wording of the finding of the report. I stand over those comments. I also called for the Government to make sure that every single child and family affected by the failures of CAMHS in south and indeed north Kerry, would immediately receive the care and support they need. I also called for this catastrophic failure for children in both south and north Kerry and throughout the country, never to happen again. We are yet to establish definitely throughout the country whether these failures are occurring, but certainly, anecdotal evidence in recent weeks is pointing to that unfortunate suggestion. That needs to be established immediately, and interventions need to happen without delay.

I will read into the record a brief snip from an email I received this week from a concerned parent. It states:

Dear Brendan, we request immediate support. The CAMHS south Kerry LBR report was sent to us on Wednesday last and we have been left entirely alone to process the findings. We need support. We need immediate access to a consultant child psychiatrist, and not anyone from within CAMHS Kerry. Our kids have ongoing needs and we are extremely dissatisfied with the level of so-called support they are receiving.

That was just this week. When we hear in the public domain that supports are being provided to families, that interventions are there, quite clearly this is not the only case but this is an example of the type of contact I am receiving this week, and I am sure other public representatives are also receiving. This needs to be addressed immediately. I call for an intensification of efforts to ensure that the children and families impacted by this gross failure in south and indeed north Kerry are addressed immediately and that the professional support that is quite clearly required by these families is provided. It is just not good enough that any family or child would feel alone, particularly at this time, after everything we have learned.

In the brief time I have left, I want to raise the issue of the recruitment process. Alarm bells surely must be ringing within the HSE in that this is another example of an appalling situation where the work of a professional medic has resulted in terrible outcomes for patients in Kerry. We know that in recent years we had the scandal in the radiology department in University Hospital Kerry. Around the same time we had the start of this particular failure in CAMHS. I ask the Minister of State, are the recruitment processes within the HSE being examined? It seems that the wrong people and totally inappropriate people are being appointed to these very responsible positions. This is another example of a gross failure. Is it going to be examined?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this important issue. I know that I have the support of everyone in the House in working to address the challenges throughout our mental health system, in particular those arising from the report on CAMHS in south Kerry. This is a priority for me and for the Government as a whole.

As Members know, the report by Dr. Seán Maskey was published last Wednesday. Dr. Maskey is an independent consultant psychiatrist working out of Maudsley Hospital in London. I wish to put on the record of the House that the report was completely independent. Not one word was changed or redacted. Sometimes in the HSE reports are not published, sometimes reports are redacted. I welcome the fact that the full report was presented. The HSE has considered the report, acknowledged the systemic failures that occurred over a sustained period and accepted the recommendations put forward. There were many contributory factors which led to this catalogue of failures, including an absence of clinical oversight and appropriate governance and management structures. Work is under way to implement the full suite of recommendations as a matter of priority. Deputy Griffin will be aware that there are 35 recommendations in the report - including an assessment of a reconfiguration of the service - six of which have already been implemented. Implementation of a further 13 has commenced. Implementation of the others has yet to commence.

The HSE has met with 198 of the 240 young people affected and their families to discuss the deficits in their care and to provide them with key information and referral to any necessary services and supports. I note what Deputy Griffin read into the record. I spoke to Michael Fitzgerald, the chief officer, again last Friday and informed him that we must put in place all the supports these young people need, such as talk therapies, cognitive behaviour therapies and so forth. Mr. Fitzgerald indicated that he will revert to me this week. What must be put in place includes, as I said, counselling supports and appropriate services from within the area of child and adult mental health.

The HSE apologised to each individual at the meetings to which I refer in person and, subsequently, in writing last Wednesday for any harm caused. As part of the recommendations a full nationwide audit will be conducted of compliance within CAMHS operational guidelines by all CAMHS teams. I have also directed that there be an independently led prescribing audit in each of the CAMHS teams. This will cover community and inpatient teams. There will be a further independent audit of case files in north Kerry because we know that the relevant non-consultant hospital doctor worked in north Kerry for a time. In addition, the HSE will commission qualitative research to identify the experiences of children, young people and their families using CAMHS nationwide. It is important that we hear from service users all over the country, not only in Kerry, availing of all the supports from the 73 CAMHS teams. I have directed that this three-stranded approach be subject to independent oversight.

In addition, the Government has committed to a non-adversarial scheme for compensation for the children and their families affected by the matters that are the subject of the report. I will ensure that the details of such a scheme are confirmed without delay.

On a separate front, An Garda Síochána in Kerry is in receipt of the detailed and extensive final report, which will now be considered to see if there are grounds to commence a criminal investigation. Although it is not appropriate to comment on human resources or industrial relations matters relating to any individual, the chief executive officer of the HSE has stated that disciplinary action will be taken if appropriate.

I acknowledge that there are significant challenges in our mental health services. The south Kerry CAMHS report is invaluable in addressing these. The Deputy is quite right in speaking about recruitment. There are 85 consultant psychiatrist posts funded for CAMHS and there are currently 79 such consultant psychiatrists in place. There is a vacancy in six roles and Kerry is one of those. The challenges are very stark when it comes to recruitment and it can take up to nine or ten months to fill a post. On many occasions, the person is successful in attaining a post but we cannot get the other post backfilled, which can also cause significant delays.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I acknowledge, in particular, her reference to the non-adversarial process for trying to address the matter and support some of the families. That is absolutely crucial. There must be a review of recruitment. I have put in a very detailed parliamentary question this week on the matter but there must be a review of what background checks were made. Is this something that will happen again or can we be sure it will never happen again? There must have been a failure somewhere in that recruitment process if certain individuals are getting into the positions and failing so clearly. There are other factors but the recruitment process must be looked at. Too many alarm bells have rung without a review happening in that regard. Confidence in the system has gone and that is why exceptional measures in the context of intervention are required. The support from within CAMHS is not good enough for people who have been so badly let down by this. For the children who have been so badly neglected, it is crucial that this be rectified immediately.

In the very brief time I have left, I will raise a very tragic case that came to my attention last September. When I brought it to the attention of the HSE, an immediate review was undertaken. I refer to the case of a child who attended Kerry CAMHS with their mother but who was turned away. Two weeks later, the child took their own life. Five months have passed since the review was initiated and the family has not got a conclusion. These people deserve answers. We speak about catastrophic impacts on children but this family has lost a child. It has been five months since I brought this matter to the attention of the HSE. I was guaranteed a review would happen. We need this to be concluded now for the family to give these people some answers.

Deputy Mary Butler

I would rather not comment on that individual case but I will check it out for the Deputy and see what is the position of the review of that young child's case. I offer my sincere condolences to the family. I can only imagine what it has been like for them in the intervening five months of waiting.

The Deputy is quite right that we need confidence in CAMHS both in Kerry and all over the country. That is why I took a three-pronged approach in the audit. The first audit relates to compliance and the standard operating procedures but we will look at everything, including configuration of teams. Last week and this week, I heard across the floor of the Dáil how some children are finding it difficult to access supports, depending on geographical location. They are falling between two stools. We are going to look at that again. As I said, we are also going to speak with service users - children and young people - and that will be academic research done completely independently of the HSE. The third element is the important prescribing audit.

The Deputy has raised a very valid point. It is something I have raised previously with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. It is very frustrating as a Minister of State to receive a budget but we find it very hard to recruit people. We successfully recruited 53 staff to clinical positions in CAMHS last year throughout the country. There is significant investment in CAMHS again. It is very frustrating when it takes that length of time. We can be up to eight, ten or even 12 months filling some posts. For example, it took a year and a half to get a consultant psychologist into Wexford. We have challenges in Donegal with dieticians. A decision was taken by the HSE in 2016 when the choice was to leave the post vacant or put in a non-consultant hospital doctor without the experience but with oversight. Unfortunately, the process fell down because the oversight was not available.

Health Services Staff

Deputy Marc MacSharry

I am pleased my constituency colleagues, Deputies Harkin and Martin Kenny, are in the Chamber because I know they agree very much with what I am calling for today, which is the immediate recruitment of an additional four clinical nurse specialists in neurology. As the Minister of State is aware, the Neurological Alliance of Ireland has highlighted that we are 100 neurological nurses short of the HSE's own model of care, not to mention national best practice. This is costing the HSE a great deal of money in the context of additional and unnecessary admissions, adjustments to care and medication. There are only 42 whole-time equivalent specialist neurology nurses in the country, but we need in the region of 142.

In the north west of the country we have Sligo University Hospital in our constituency and Letterkenny University Hospital. They offer services in the north west to a population of approximately 500,000 people. We have the highest incidence in the country per capita of multiple sclerosis. There are 2,000 people on the waiting list in the region and approximately 24,000 nationally. As it stands, we have two neurologists and we should have seven. We have no neurophysiologists and we should have two. We have two multiple sclerosis nurses when we should have three to cover over 1,000 people dealing with multiple sclerosis. We should have one movement disorder nurse and although we have one, it is shared with four geriatricians, so, in effect, it is 20% of one. We have two epilepsy nurses when we should have four. We should have three headache nurses but we have none. We should have one rare disease nurse per 500,000 of population but we have none. There are also issues around administrative support.

The reality is if we recruited these nurse specialists in neurology, we could have nurse-led clinics, rapid access clinics, telephone advisory consultations and outreach. This would significantly improve the quality of care at lower cost, mainly by preventing unnecessary admissions to advice, information, support and counselling with the appropriate safeguards and adjustments in medication.

In preparing for this year's budget, the clinical programme asked for approval for 16 out of the shortfall of 100 posts. There is a very strong rumour it will not even get approval for one post. This is in a year where money was no object and no expense was spared. Approximately €20 billion is being made available to the HSE and the Secretary General gave himself an extra €81,000 in pay, such is the importance of the distribution of that money to the HSE. Approximately €460,000 is being paid to the head of the HSE. I am sure all of them are doing a wonderful job, but the reality on the ground is that where it counts in terms of clinical care for the patients, which is what all the money is for, what is the problem in recruiting and paying four additional neurology specialist nurses for our area? As it happens, it is the area represented by three of the four Deputies in the Chamber now.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank Deputy MacSharry for raising the matter of the recruitment of additional nurse specialists in neurology for Sligo University Hospital.

The issue has come to the fore as part of a national campaign organised by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. I could be standing where the Deputy is standing and raising the exact same issue about the south east. I compliment the alliance on bringing the challenges its members are facing to the fore.

Neurology nurse specialists play an important role in triaging, assessing and providing ongoing support to neurological patients. This in turn builds capacity within neurological services and allows for more timely access to efficient, equitable and quality care for patients. I met a group of three consultants regarding Huntington's disease yesterday, which falls under this area also.

The national clinical programme for neurology, in conjunction with the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, completed an all-Ireland survey of neurological services in 2020. The survey highlighted that although all neurological centres have access to a designated clinical nurse specialist and-or an advanced nurse practitioner, the total number of neurology nurse specialists is significantly below, as the Deputy said, what is recommended by international guidelines. The national clinical programme recognises the need to address this deficit to ensure the provision of efficient and timely care.

An additional 16 clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners have been sought for 2022, as the Deputy stated, across different specialties and hospital groups. While a final decision on funding is currently awaiting finalisation of the HSE service plan, the additional posts sanctioned will initially address the areas of greatest geographical inequity, and the subspecialties that are most in need. Plans to increase the overall number of neurology nurse specialists incrementally will then be developed to address the remaining needs.

The national clinical programme for neurology recognises the value that skilled and highly trained nursing staff add to neurological services. It has endeavoured to endorse this by focusing its current work streams and initiatives around nurse-led clinics, nurse liaison services and outreach programmes. Examples of this include the headache programme and epilepsy outreach programme, both funded under the Sláintecare innovation fund.

These programmes involve reconfiguration of the management of these conditions, enabling clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners to lead and co-ordinate care of these conditions in the community. This reduces reliance on consultant neurologists and tertiary services, in turn reducing waiting lists, allowing more timely access to services and improving the overall quality of care.

The north-west regional consultant-led neurology service is based in Sligo University Hospital with a regional commitment to Letterkenny University Hospital. The existing nursing staff currently in place at the neurology service at Sligo University Hospital includes two advanced nurse practitioners in epilepsy, three clinical nurse specialists in neurology and one candidate advanced nurse practitioner in movement disorders employed through community healthcare organisation services, working across both Sligo University Hospital and Sligo-Leitrim community services.

In addition to the two existing consultant neurologists in place, the national clinical programme for neurology has recommended the appointment of a third consultant neurologist to help fulfil the neurology care needs of the population of the north west. This post is expected to be filled in 2022.

The bottom line today is in relation to the additional 16 clinical nurse specialists and the advanced nurse practitioners across different specialties with a final decision pending. I give the Deputy a commitment I will raise it with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, because it is one I am hearing about all over the country.

Deputy Marc MacSharry

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. As she said, she could quite easily be standing where I am today and if she was, I doubt she would be happy with that response. I am conscious that undoubtedly if it was her constituency, she would be very much focused on trying to get the issue sorted. I appreciate where she is coming from. Two problems arise. The first is 16 additional nurses were sought as part of budget 2022 with the decision pending in February for the service plan. It has become the practice that the HSE service plan is published sometimes as far into the year as June or July, which is laughable. No business could do that, certainly not one with €20 billion in resources. One hits the ground running on 1 January and recruits 16 additional nurses, otherwise it is the service plan for 2023 or 2024.

The other problem is the bottom line that we have less than 50% neurology nurses who are required in the country and the same is the case in Sligo even though we have the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis per capita in the country. There is no urgency about this to the effect that we should get this sorted and get these people recruited. If the Minister of State was to adopt the business analogy I used, she would save money because it would cut admissions, free up otherwise much needed acute beds that are there for other reasons, and eat into the 2,000 on the waiting list, bearing in mind that within the region there are 10,000 with neurological conditions and 800,000 nationally. We need to focus a little better on this issue.

I should have mentioned my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, who I am sure would agree with this. However, talk is cheap. We could all acknowledge the need and all the rest of it, but where is the recruitment process and the staff? I am sure the Neurological Alliance of Ireland does not want accolades or congratulations. Like the rest of us, its members want to see results.

Deputy Mary Butler

I appreciate the Deputy's contribution on the neurological service at Sligo University Hospital. I can read a script here and read out the commitment to the national clinical programme for neurology, to meeting the needs of patients, as illustrated by the proposed appointment of a third consultant neurologist to help fulfil the neurology care needs of the population of the north west, but it needs to be backed up, as the Deputy said, by the nurses.

The commitment of the Government to the provision of quality healthcare in Sligo University Hospital is underlined by the project for a multistorey ward block. This is currently in detailed design stage and will consist of two additional 21-bed wards with single en suite rooms. I will give the Deputy a commitment that I will raise that issue with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, this week and I will raise it with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. I am aware of the demand for these nurses. We have to start incrementally. I remember when I was fighting very hard to get dementia advisers in place and we had eight. We built on it year on year and we ended up with the 28 we needed. I will give the Deputy the commitment I will raise this issue as soon as possible and, hopefully, we can get such provision included in the service plan for 2022.

Job Losses

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Deputies Harkin, O’Reilly and Martin Kenny are sharing time and have four minutes.

Deputy Marian Harkin

Do we have four minutes each?

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

No. The Deputies have 1 minutes 20 seconds each.

Deputy Marian Harkin

Apologies, I did not read my emails properly.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I will check the time available as I calculate it is 1 minute 20 second each. It still remains 12 minutes in total. We will stop the clock and restart it at three minutes in fairness to the speakers, as it is three minutes to be shared by them.

Deputy Marian Harkin

One minute each.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Yes. The Deputy will have to make the words matter.

Deputy Marian Harkin

It is great to see the Sligo-Leitrim constituency so well represented by Deputy MacSharry and also by Deputy Kenny in raising this extremely important issue. I raised this issue with the Taoiseach yesterday and he agreed it was a hammer blow for the community in Collooney, with a population of approximately 1,700, to lose 80 jobs. It is a massive blow to the workers, their families and the surrounding community.

We can talk all day about how bad it is. The question is what will be done about this. Perhaps one of the tiny bright lights on the scene is that there is a research and development facility there where there are 11 jobs. The Taoiseach said that perhaps there was the potential for further investment. We need to hear from the Minister of State today that IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Minister responsible will put this issue high on their agenda and ensure there are replacement jobs.

Deputy Martin Kenny

These job losses will impact greatly on this small community. Eighty jobs is a large number to be taken out of it. This factory opened in 1984. At that time there was a larger facility, Gowna, which has closed in the town, having at one time employed up to 700 people. This factory has been there for a long time, it has sustained the community through very difficult times and it is very disappointing to see it close. My colleague, councillor Thomas Healy, has been in touch with other Deputies asking that the four constituency Deputies work together along with representatives of the local community and that we would meet IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Minister to come up with a plan for the area because that is what we need. We need to ensure there is a plan in place to deliver for the community to ensure the people there can have a sustainable future. Sligo has great potential as an employment district and area but we need investment. Part of that investment is about the health service that has been taken away from the community, which is a major problem for the area.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

I offer my solidarity and support to the workers in B. Braun Hospicare who are facing the loss of their jobs. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has a jobs, enterprise and development programme for the coming year. This programme talks about the creation and sustenance of high-quality enterprise and employment across all regions. Obviously, the IDA has a key role to play in this regard. It does great work, but that work could be better in the Border, midlands and western, BMW, region. Total employment in BMW-area IDA client companies is 8,721 as opposed to 124,000 in Dublin. There is a real disparity there. As my colleague, an Teachta Martin Kenny, has referred to, we need a discussion in which the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Tánaiste, is involved. Deputy Kenny will be convening such a meeting with local representatives, the IDA and other relevant stakeholders but we need to hear the Minister of State say this morning that she will fight like hell to save these jobs.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank all of the Deputies. I apologise for the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, who was not available this morning. I will start by acknowledging that this is an extremely difficult and stressful time for the workers of B. Braun and their families. The firm was a significant source of employment for Sligo and this news will have struck a heavy blow to the community there. I understand that the company made this decision as it found it difficult to continue to scale its specific manufacturing operations in Ireland to remain competitive. The Government, through IDA Ireland, worked closely with B. Braun to try to find a solution to the problems it faced. Unfortunately, a solution could not be found and the company made the disappointing decision to move a significant portion of its operations to third parties.

It will take approximately 18 months to fully wind down operations in the facility. In the meantime, the IDA will work with the company to explore options for the future of the site. It is likely that the site will be sold to an external party and the company has stated that it wants to ensure that it is sold to a buyer that can effectively use the site to help to create and grow jobs in the region.

The redundancy package for the affected workers is yet to be confirmed but the Government, through the Department of Social Protection, will make all necessary State assistance available to the workers, including welfare entitlements, help with their job search, education and training.

Direct questions were put as to the actions the Minister will take to help the affected workers. IDA Ireland is directly engaged with B. Braun at both local and corporate levels and will work to ensure additional investment for the Sligo area so that these workers can get new jobs. The fact that B. Braun will continue to operate in Sligo until 2023 provides time in which to seek alternative investment for the area. The IDA will work to ensure that investment. The Department has agreed a jobs loss response protocol with the Department of Social Protection. This puts in place efforts to assist the workers, including welfare entitlements, job search assistance and upskilling needs opportunities. Every State support will be made available to these workers when the time comes to help them to transition and find new employment opportunities. I understand that B. Braun will be retaining its Sligo-based research and development team of 11 employees. The company has insisted that more investment will come to this area, ensuring that its research and development operations in Sligo will continue in the years to come.

Despite this unfortunate news, the pipeline for new jobs in Sligo remains strong. Firms are continuing to commit to Sligo, with Advantio recently announcing that it will open its new European cybersecurity headquarters there. The region will also see further development under Project Ireland 2040, including through the new N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin road and a significant €13.7 million investment in the Institute of Technology Sligo. This will help to bring more investment and more jobs into the region. While it may be difficult to appreciate now, we have reason to be confident that, even in the current climate, we will find new opportunities for investment and for jobs in Sligo.

Deputy Marian Harkin

I have listened to what the Minister of State said. She talked about the pipeline for jobs in Sligo remaining strong. However, the statistics show that is not the case. In 2017, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation released a document looking at figures from the 2011 and 2016 censuses. This showed the lowest increase of any county in the country, 2%, was to be seen in Sligo. The national increase was 11%. It is not just Sligo. The surrounding counties, Leitrim, Roscommon and Mayo, had the second, third and fourth lowest increases. The pipeline for jobs in Sligo and the surrounding counties is not strong. Last week, I pointed out to the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, that almost 60% of the area of Sligo, including Collooney, will wait until 2025 or 2026 for connection under the national broadband plan. This Government needs to look at the regions, including Sligo, and put something in place that will work.

Deputy Martin Kenny

The truth is that the Sligo area and the whole north west has always been behind because we do not have the infrastructure or technological expertise needed to maintain jobs in the area. Many of us are sending our children to college to get degrees but there are no jobs for graduates in the north west. That is a problem that needs to be addressed. The only way to regrow and facilitate work for people in the north west is to put the infrastructure and investment in. Government has a key role to play in that. I welcome what the Minister of State has said about the Departments being prepared to work with the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and so on but we have heard that many times in the past and little has come of it. The Minister of State will know that is the case in her own region as well. We really need to make this different. We need to put an infrastructure plan in place to ensure we can create new, sustainable, long-term jobs for people in that region. The closure of this factory is a sign that we are going in the wrong direction and that we are moving backwards.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

The total employment in IDA client companies in the Border region is only 8,721. In the south west, it is more than 47,000 and, in the mid-west, it is more than 25,000. As I have previously said, the figure for Dublin is 124,000. Sligo and the other counties in the region need and deserve very specific attention because those figures show a very clear disparity. The loss of these jobs has foregrounded something which the Deputies representing the area, particularly my colleague, Deputy Kenny, have been raising for a while, which is that disparity in treatment specifically with regard to the IDA. I also welcome the commitment given that the IDA and Enterprise Ireland are going to work together but this has been heard before. We need to see the Minister responsible, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, taking this on, leading on it and ensuring action to back up those words.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank all the Deputies who intervened today. I very much share their concern about the impact of this announcement. In any area, the loss of 80 jobs is a massive blow to staff and the local community and will have knock-on effects on families. IDA Ireland and B. Braun will collaboratively seek a buyer for the company’s site. I am hopeful that, given its size and location, it will prove appealing to companies looking to locate or expand in our country. The Tánaiste has asked the IDA to keep him regularly updated on its progress in finding a buyer.

As difficult as it may be to appreciate right now, we have reason to be confident. Firms are continuing to commit to Sligo. I will give all of the Deputies here a commitment. I will speak to my colleague later on today about the issues they have raised. I take on board the point that it is very important for all stakeholders to work together. There is a window of 18 months, which will pass very quickly, to try to bring in someone who will invest in the site, the workers and the area.