The report of the Business Committee has been circulated and can be taken as read. Are the proposed arrangements for this week agreed to?
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
They are not agreed.
Do not all run at the one time.
We have another report from the Police Ombudsman in the North and it makes for devastating reading. It details how eight RUC special branch agents were involved with 27 murders and attempted murders, and this follows so close on the report on Operation Greenwich, which also dealt with an elected representative from Donegal. The findings there are devastating. There is plenty of time in the schedule this week so could we have a dedicated debate in this Chamber on those two ombudsman reports? Could we have a substantive response this time from the Taoiseach to the two devastating reports we have had in recent weeks?
I am calling for an open and frank debate in this House on the treatment of children with spina bifida and scoliosis. Every night on the television news we see these children crying. Parents, meanwhile, are demented with worry. These operations can be done in the UK if there is money for them.
The Taoiseach said he gave €5 million to someone last week when he was questioned by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald. Who did he give it to? Where is it? The Taoiseach said that and we want accountability for these poor little children, whose bodies are deteriorating daily. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Health are here in the Chamber and they are responsible for those little children, poor little creatures who deserve to live as well as anybody else. They deserve treatment like everybody else. The Taoiseach is being ambivalent.
The Taoiseach is covering for someone or for some people.
Thank you, Deputy.
We need to have a debate here.
Your time is up.
There is nothing as important, a Cheann Comhairle, as those little children.
I know, but your time is up.
If we are worth our salt working in here, then we must raise it and we have to get answers. This has been going on for two or three years now and it has gone on long enough.
The motion on the carbon budgets is going through without debate. There should be a debate on that. The entire discussion about the recommendations was conducted in private and there was no opportunity for the committee to input into the body of that report. We were not given an opportunity to do so, which I believe is wrong. There was no time for a minority report to be developed by committee members if they so wished. There are concerns that the actual body of the report does not reflect the very stark evidence-----
A Deputy
That is a whitewash.
-----given by the independent scientists around the carbon budgets. I ask that this motion be debated in the Dáil this week.
The discussion on carbon budgets, and ultimately the decisions that will be made, will be some of the most important decisions made by this Dáil. The Government, however, proposes to ram through the committee report on carbon budgets with no opportunity whatsoever to debate it here in the House. The truth for that is because what is contained within the committee report is a cop-out. The programme for Government promised 7% annual reductions, but contained in the report is a recommendation for a 4.8% reduction for the time of this Government. Even extending out to the end of the decade, Professor Barry McMullin has pointed out that it amounts to a 6% average reduction. It breaks the programme for Government, it breaks the Paris climate agreement, it breaks EU emissions targets and, most important, it breaks the actual science in terms of what needs to be done. It relies on unproven and non-existent carbon capture and storage technologies in the future and it ignores the impact of aviation and shipping emissions. At the very least we must have a debate on it, and we actually have time in the Dáil schedule to have that debate. I would appeal to the Taoiseach to accept that.
On the reports from the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland, the most recent report is indeed very significant and deeply concerning and is the second such report in a matter of weeks. It examined eight loyalist paramilitary attacks in south Belfast between 1990 and 1998, which resulted in 11 murders and one attempted murder. The report has found strong evidence of investigative and intelligence failures, collusive behaviours by the RUC, including the continued unjustified use of informants involved in serious criminality and murder, and the return of weapons to loyalist paramilitaries. The report is, quite simply, appalling.
Last week I met with a number of victims and survivors groups from across the community in Northern Ireland. I met with Mark Sykes, who is a survivor of the Sean Graham bookmakers massacre attack. I was very grateful to him for taking the time to talk to me on the 30th anniversary of that shooting. It was very emotional for Mr. Sykes, and it was as clear to him 30 years on as it was on the day it happened.
I do not have an issue with the House debating these issues in a structured way. It will not be possible this week. We have the Business Committee and it was anticipated this report was coming. There are now three Private Members' motion opportunities for the Opposition every week. I remember a couple of years ago back in 2015 there was only one opportunity. Now there are three opportunities per week. We are also a legislative Chamber and we do need to get legislation through. We need to balance it. While it will not be possible this week to do it, I have no issue with the Whips arranging at some future date to discuss this issue in a structured way.
On Children's Health Ireland, the €5 million went from the Health Service Executive to Children's Health Ireland for expenditure in the paediatric hospitals and in Cappagh hospital for further measures on top of other measures already taken to get waiting lists down for those children with spina bifida, scoliosis and a range of orthopaedic-----
It is not working.
It was only sent-----
They have the beds but they do not have the money. There is an issue. They are not getting the money. Some of these are waiting two years or more.
The money has been allocated. It is not a money issue.
Who did the Government give it to?
Could I also say-----
We want it made public as to who got the money.
Children's Health Ireland got the money. The Deputy can contact it or seek to meet with it through the Oireachtas Committee on Health, or by whatever means. The Deputy can meet it.
It will go through all of that with the Deputy. There is no issue.
That is the issue.
The process will be fully transparent. There is an issue with the length of time, and we need to reduce that.
Some are waiting two years or more, and that is not good enough.
There is nobody going around with the money in their hip pocket.
Well, someone has it. The doctors and the surgeons-----
Please, can we wait and let the Taoiseach respond?
Deputy Whitmore and Deputy Paul Murphy raised the carbon budget issue. That went through committee and there was debate at committee level.
Not-----
In all of the debates on climate change, I am struck by the fact that everybody wants to delay the day of reckoning on all fronts.
This is not about delaying. This is about giving the committee an opportunity to participate in the process and have its voice-----
We had that earlier in the cost of living debate, when people said we should postpone the carbon tax.
We are over time.
The same will happen with the carbon budgets.
This is a committee report. There is no-----
Committee members did not have an opportunity to have an input into the body of the report.
People will say it is not enough, but when specific measures will be put on the table in respect of realising these objectives, everybody will oppose them.
That is not-----
This is going to be the story of climate change in the next number of years.
You should join the Green Party.
There you go again. All you seem to want to do is to say the Green Party is the greatest evil since time began.
It is.
He is telling the truth.
It is not, Deputy McGrath. Younger generations in the country need the Oireachtas to deal with climate change once and for all. We cannot keep on postponing and delaying climate change.
That is what the Government is doing.
Every time there is a big conference like COP26 or whatever, everybody is all ado for about a week or two.
Dance to the tune-----
However, when we try to do something concrete about it and resolve carbon budget issues, there are objections.
Why is the Government not following the science? Why can we not debate it?
We had a debate on it.
We did not.
Will Members have a bit of respect for order in the House, please? Is the proposal for this week's business agreed to?
Deputies
Not agreed.
Question put: "That the arrangements for this week's business be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 71; Níl, 52; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Berry, Cathal.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Danny Healy-Rae and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.
Question declared carried.
Earlier, the Taoiseach described the latest report of the Police Ombudsman as deeply concerning. It is indeed shocking and sheds light on the activities of British state agents and on their connection to 27 loyalist murders and attempted murders in south Belfast between 1990 and 1998. As he will know, this is just the latest report setting out the nature of the relationship between the British state and loyalist paramilitary gangs.
As the Taoiseach knows, collusion was a reality for nationalists in the North. Britain can have no hiding place from the deliberate, calculated policy of arming, directing and controlling death squads in Ireland. When will the Taoiseach give a full and comprehensive response to this series of damning reports? What contact has he had, or does he intend to have, with the British Government and particularly the British Prime Minister regarding this issue? Ad-libbing in response to a question posed on the floor of the House is not a sufficient response to the scale of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland, which is now, report by report, coming to light.
In fairness, I was responding to issues raised by Deputy Mac Lochlainn. I certainly was not ad-libbing. I was giving a very considered response setting out my views regarding the latest report from the ombudsman, which is quite appalling. I make no bones about saying that. Last week, I met several victims' groups. I met Mark Sykes in the context of what happened in south Belfast. I also met Raymond McCord's group and Michael Gallagher in respect of Omagh. I refer as well to the activities of loyalist paramilitaries in respect of murders. What is clear from the experience of all the victims is the absolute necessity for truth, for full transparency and accountability and for people to be prosecuted where such prosecutions are possible.
I thank the Taoiseach. His time is up.
I reiterated the Government’s position that we have communicated, and I have spoken personally and formally to the British Prime Minister and the authorities in this regard, that there can be no amnesty. When we listen to the victims and the families of the victims especially, it is clear that the British Government must change tack here.
Has the Taoiseach spoken to them on the back of these reports?
No, we cannot have a discussion on this. I call Deputy Nash.
Last year, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said he wanted to see the introduction of a new form of annual TaxSaver ticket for commuters. The Taoiseach and the Minister will be familiar with the concept. It would benefit commuters in places like Louth and east Meath by bringing down travel costs and reflect the new hybrid model of working we have seen operate well over the last year. The National Transport Authority, NTA, confirmed to me last week that this model is not yet available and ready to go live. There have been some delays in this regard. This is a real blow for commuters in Louth and east Meath who were hoping to see the cost of commuting reduced to reflect new ways of working. Can the Minister confirm when the NTA will amend the current TaxSaver scheme to provide for a new form of ticket which will be more cost-effective for commuters and will reflect the new hybrid model of working?
The Deputy is right. I had a meeting with representatives of the NTA yesterday and this issue was among the topics discussed. There are complications. The real difficulty is that we do not have the same facilities in our train stations as we have at Luas stops, where people can tag on and tag off. That makes it difficult to introduce a scheme, which we want to do, where it is not expected that people will be commuting five days a week. Therefore, we continue to look at the options. It is complex and difficult because of the architecture of some of our ticketing system. As soon as the NTA has a solution to that issue, I will come straight into the House to inform the Members because this is something we want to try to deliver.
On average, eight women every day are turned away when they seek a space in a refuge. Meanwhile, demand for services has increased by up to 200% during the pandemic. I do not know if the Taoiseach saw RTÉ's "Prime Time Investigates" report last night, but it is harrowing what these women and children have to go through. The Social Democrats have consistently called for the number of refuge spaces to be increased to the level recommended by the Istanbul Convention. It is welcome that the Government has finally come to the realisation that there is a need to provide those spaces. We are wondering when exactly that increase in the number of spaces will be provided for women and children. It is an especially critical question for those nine counties that do not have a single space currently.
I did see that programme last evening. I thought it was powerful in revealing the horror and brutality of domestic violence. The programme’s power was that it allowed the victims to speak and speak truthfully about the manner of their experiences. It was the most effective way as a medium to bring home to us the enormous suffering that people have endured. The report covered the criminal justice system in the context of the victim’s journey and how unsatisfactory for some victims that turns out to be.
On refuges and the number of spaces, in the interim the Minister is bringing forward a strategy. As well however, as was discussed with the party leaders last week, the audit will be brought forward. In the interim, however, we must do everything we possibly can to provide more places. We must work with the local authorities in those areas to seek to ensure places are put in place more quickly than otherwise would be the case.
Those nine counties will get refuge spaces.
The time is up. I call Deputy Boyd Barrett.
Working people and the least well-off in our country are being absolutely crucified by the rising cost of living. The cost of energy is going up and there are unaffordable rents and real pay cuts for people, with inflation running way ahead of the pay increases received. People Before Profit has been very clear. We think that there should be controls on the cost of energy and on rents and that workers are entitled to a pay rise. The minimum wage should be increased and workers should put in pay claims. The Taoiseach set his face against all these things and said they would make the situation worse. Why does the Taoiseach say nothing about the price gouging and profiteering of the energy companies? The ESB made €616 million in profits in 2020 and that figure is expected to go over €700 million for 2021.
The Deputy's time is up.
Energia saw its profits go up by 46% last year.
Please Deputy, the time is up.
Why does the Taoiseach not ask those companies to pay for the cost-of-living crisis by giving workers a decent pay increase and by controlling the cost of living?
I am asking the Deputy to adhere to the time limit please.
Again, I am intrigued by the degree to which the Members opposite attempt to misrepresent what I have said, and then try to establish it as a fact by continuing to repeat it in order to embed it in the public consciousness as a fact. I told the Deputy that wages have increased and that is a good thing, especially when linked to productivity. Wages have increased and I have no issue with that at all. We have controls on rents. Rent increases are now controlled by legislation. Increases are limited to 2% or the cost of living index, whichever is lower. That is a fact.
They are not working.
The Government has said it is going to bring in measures to try to help people and to cushion the blow imposed by this inflationary cycle. We acknowledge that and we are going to deal with it.
I thank the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Berry.
My question concerns the organisational capacity review of the Department of Defence. It has been ongoing for 12 months now. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach could update the House regarding where the review stands now. Is it complete? Is it going to be published? If so, is there an indicative date regarding when it will be published?
An organisational capability review of the Department of Defence has been conducted over the past year by the organisational capability review team based in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is part of a Civil Service-wide process being overseen by the Civil Service management board. It is, as the Deputy knows, completely separate from the Commission on the Defence Forces. As is the established process in such reviews, the Department will prepare an action plan to address any recommendations made. The report and the action plan will subsequently be brought to the Government and then be published. I do not have a date yet, but I will respond to the Deputy later in that regard.
We will have to cut the time for contributions to 30 seconds to fit everyone in. From the Rural Independent Group, I call Deputy Mattie McGrath.
I am glad the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is here. The NTA did not get one penny, aon phingin, to continue work on the N24 road from Cahir to Waterford and the N25 road to Dungarvan. All the politicians in the south east are at one on this issue. A meeting has been requested with the Minister to emphasise the importance of this project and the continuation of the different aspects of this endeavour. If it goes off the Richter scale, the consultants will have only another month before they leave. Will the Minister please facilitate a meeting with members of the Oireachtas from the south east?
That sounds like a "Yes" or "No" question.
I look forward to such a meeting.
I thank the Minister. I call Deputy Joan Collins from the Independent Group.
I have a specific question for the Taoiseach on the cost-of-living increases. Is the Government seriously considering setting up an emergency hardship fund? Last week during statements on the costs of living, I raised this proposal.
The ESRI has also raised the need for the establishment of an emergency fund to help to meet exceptional need payments and for such a fund to be administered by the community welfare officers based in the community as they operated in the past.
Again, the Government is looking at a range of measures in terms of dealing with the current inflationary cycle to see what we can do best to target particular people on low incomes who are clearly under pressure as a result of this price cycle increase.
Last night we saw on RTÉ women who are victims of violence and have had to flee their homes. We need urgent action across all Departments on this. I know the Minister will open consultation on our strategy to combat gender violence next week. I really welcome her commitment to bring a refuge to all counties without a refuge, including Carlow, which I have raised here with the Taoiseach. Every town needs a refuge. As we saw last night, the women were so brave on the programme but there needs to be more places for women and men because they are being turned away. I ask that this public consultation be done as soon as possible.
The public consultation is obviously on the strategy and that will impact on the refuges and places. In those counties that do not have any refuge centre or proper centre, work should proceed with the local authorities in those areas to see if we can do something in the interim.
The Tánaiste last week said we need to urgently increase the electricity rebate. We need to go significantly higher than the announced €113. We also need to address the issues in respect of fuel allowance, increase the benefits for people and the time, and the income they can get before they qualify. We need to look also at the squeezed middle, people who cannot pay their mortgages, the rising cost of living, and significant bills such as energy, childcare and rents.
As I said to other Deputies, I am not going to go into specific measures but there will be a range of measures we are looking at, particularly for people who are on low incomes and people who are finding it very hard on a weekly basis right now, to try to help them in their current situation.
Rents continue to rise in Galway city with a report recently stating that they rose by 8%. Regularly there are no houses to rent available in the city under the housing assistance payment, HAP, limits, pushing people into homelessness, which rose by 42% in Galway over the last 12 months. As a measure to prevent a continued rise in homelessness, would the Taoiseach consider giving Galway HAP the same 50% flexibility as is given in Dublin?
I will talk to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage about that specific issue in Galway and I will come back to the Deputy.
Cavan and Monaghan are two of the counties without a dedicated refuge centre. Tearmann services do a very good job locally in the two counties supporting people, both women and men but predominantly women, going through such trauma. Tearmann recorded a 35% increase in 2021 in the number of people seeking support since 2019. They support families along with the local authorities through HAP and rent supplement programmes. It is very urgent that a dedicated refuge centre be established in Cavan-Monaghan because if people need accommodation at the moment in such a centre, they have to source the accommodation in Louth, Meath or Sligo, which is totally unsuitable for families who want to ensure their children can still attend school while going through such trauma.
As I said earlier, my view would be that if the county council, for example Cavan County Council, and Tearmann services could combine and approach the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with a view to providing such a centre, these are the interim approaches we have to take while the strategy outlines the more medium term. I think we would be forthcoming in responding to the county council working with the local service provider there to accelerate the provision of a centre.
I want to ask the Taoiseach about the Cost of Disability report that was published by Government, an Indecon report, in December. This is not the first report to recommend the introduction of a cost of disability payment. There was one by Indecon 18 years ago this month. There was another one as far back as 1986, 36 years ago. The latest report, we are told, is now going to become part of a straw man proposal which will go to be reviewed by the national disability inclusion strategy steering group. Rather than having report after report and groups looking at it, we know a cost of disability payment needs to be introduced. It cannot be done overnight but can we get at least a timeframe for people who are waiting for this important support?
Again in respect of that report, it would have to feed into the budgetary process of the next budget. Proposals will emanate from that and will fall due for consideration in the Estimates for next year.
As the Taoiseach knows, the prices of everyday essentials and utility bills have risen substantially. In January inflation hit a high of 5% right across the eurozone. The people and families I represent need a targeted suite of measures to help to ease the burden on their household budgets. We need to help people. We need to help low-income families and our squeezed middle who do not qualify for welfare support. Can we extend and expand the fuel allowance scheme? Will the Taoiseach bring forward social protection measures that are due to come into effect in June? How will this Government help families?
As I said earlier, I am not going to go into the specifics. There is a number of measures under consideration by the Government in respect of this issue and we will be revealing those in the next couple of days.
Deputy Gino Kenny is not present. I call Deputy Munster.
Last month it was announced that east Meath would be added to the Drogheda Garda boundary. The Minister for Justice at that time had said that Laytown Garda station might be refurbished and we would see an increase in Garda numbers. I sent a parliamentary question to the Minister a couple of weeks ago looking for details of the plan. She did not answer the question. I put the very same question to the Garda Commissioner and the response I got was that there have been no discussions relating to the realignment of Garda boundaries between east Meath and Drogheda and there has been no discussion of additional funding for the Drogheda Garda division. Which is it? Is it actually happening? Who is right, the Minister or the Garda Commissioner?
These are operational matters for the Garda. I do not have the details of that specific issue here with me today, as the Deputy will appreciate.
At Cork County Council level there was shock and dismay at the announcement that the Dursey cable car will have to be suspended due to emergency repairs needed from 1 April until November 2022. This, coupled with An Taisce and some crowd called BirdWatch Ireland forcing a judicial review on planning given recently for a €10 million community development scheme, is leaving locals who have communicated with me in shock. There is a local solution. Unfortunately, we cannot question what is wrong with the cable car. That is beyond me or the Taoiseach or anybody else. There is a local solution here that needs Cork County Council, and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who has responsibility for islands, to come together to find the funds and the solution to all work together for this to happen. This will enable the Dursey cable car to continue this year. A local solution is possible. Is the Taoiseach willing to work with the locals?
There is a judicial review in respect of the proposal. Is that what the Deputy is talking about?
No, I am talking about the Dursey cable car being closed for the summer months.
For repairs.
Yes. There is a local solution that could be accommodated by all if there were funds for it.
Maybe the Deputy might reveal the local solution to me.
I am quite happy to do that. There might be a ferry service provided while the cable car is closed so that tourism can continue in Dursey Island, which is of huge importance.
I wish to raise the issue of Shannon Heritage Properties with the Taoiseach. I have raised it many times before. A due diligence process is in place now for Clare County Council to effectively take over the Clare properties, as I am sure the Taoiseach is aware. Key to that is capital funding. Clare County Council has limited sources of revenue; namely, local property tax and rates. Nobody is going to thank it if it raises local property tax and rates in order to put a roof on a castle, for example. There will be funding required to ensure these properties are in a good state. Will the Taoiseach undertake to provide that funding?
Look, the council wants to take this over, does it not?
It does.
So they should get on with it.
That concludes Questions on Promised Legislation.