Members should take one minute maximum for asking questions and one minute maximum for responding.
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
I am raising this issue once again because families living in crumbling homes in my constituency in Donegal, but also in Mayo, Sligo and Clare, are waiting for a fit-for-purpose scheme to rebuild their homes and lives. They have been given promises and they have seen missed deadlines, and the defective concrete block grant scheme is not fit for purpose.
Thousands came onto the streets nearly a year ago this month to shout that loud and clear to the Government. These families in Donegal and across the west expected this scheme to go to Cabinet this week. It is another deadline missed and another delay so I am asking the Taoiseach when we will see the scheme published and if there will be full pre-legislative scrutiny on this legislation.
Deputy Doherty knows well that we are in constant engagement with families. It is a detailed piece of work that is nearing conclusion. We intend to get this legislation through the Dáil by the summer recess. The Deputy knows how important it is that we do that and I expect that, as the main Opposition party, Sinn Féin will support Government and the legislation so that it is passed before the summer recess. We have asked for Sinn Féin's input to the scheme and we wrote a detailed letter to it. Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson said he would respond in detail and he never did.
We support the homeowners.
We are proceeding with the scheme-----
When will it be published?
-----in consultation with the homeowners imminently and I expect and hope we will get the co-operation of the Deputy and his party colleagues to ensure the legislation is passed by the summer recess.
When will it be published?
Today's report from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, makes for truly alarming reading. Even in the unlikely event that we meet all of our goals in the climate action plan and see those policies fully implemented on time, we know our greenhouse gas emissions would only fall by 28% by 2030, just half of what is legally required in accordance with the Government's own laws. Labour has offered constructive engagement with the Government, we support the ambitious climate targets and along with most of our colleagues in the Opposition we have worked with the Government to ensure we will meet the targets. This report is alarming and I want to hear from the Taoiseach what the Government proposes to do about it in the short term. In particular we want to see that those sectoral emissions ceilings will be brought before us in the lifetime of this term of the Oireachtas. The Taoiseach said earlier that the sectoral emissions ceilings would be brought to Cabinet and the Dáil in the short term but we only have five sitting weeks left before the summer recess. We do not want to see this done at the eleventh hour; we want to have time as an Opposition to debate these issues.
I have made it clear that there is an enormous challenge ahead of us in climate change, which the EPA report identifies. We always made it clear as well that it would be the latter half of the decade before some of the decisions we have taken will bear fruit, including investments in a range of areas such as retrofitting, electric vehicles, EVs, and agricultural investments. The carbon tax revenue is building up very strongly, for example, and that is important to enable us to do the retrofitting, to implement fuel poverty protection measures and to do environmentally friendly farming. The carbon ceilings will be brought to Government shortly and I will come back to the Deputy on the timelines following discussions with the Minister.
More than 300 jobs were axed in Blanchardstown and Dundalk last week by PayPal, which plans to outsource work and relocate positions to low-wage economies. Did the Taoiseach know that the workers who participated in the redundancy negotiations were those who volunteered themselves but whose names were then picked from a laundry basket by a representative of company management? While PayPal gets to pick those who are best placed to represent it in the negotiations, the employee representatives are left to chance. Does the Taoiseach think this is in line with employment law? Why did the Tánaiste state publicly that the company would aim to make all redundancies voluntary? This is disputed by PayPal workers. The Tánaiste mentioned that he had spoken to representatives of the company. Will the Taoiseach agree with me that it is incumbent on the Tánaiste to meet these workers and hear what they have to say on this and other matters?
This is a matter of enormous difficulty and challenges for the people concerned and my empathy is with the workers who have been identified as being laid off, which is very tough on the workers concerned. Every effort has to be made and this is a huge shock to the staff. I am not familiar with the details the Deputy has announced about the selection methodology but if the Deputy wants to send me the detailed background information-----
If the Tánaiste met the workers he could easily see the detail.
I invite the Deputy to send me a detailed background note on it because sometimes things are said here and when I go back and check it is not always the case. I would welcome it if the Deputy could do that. What is important is that we do everything we possibly can for the workers who will be laid off. The State must immediately work with the workers to find alternative employment if possible. Given the fact that we have over 30,000 vacancies, hopefully we will be able to help the workers to get alternative employment.
I want to raise the issue of the rural social schemes, RSSs, and the Tús programmes that are running. Last Monday night in Athenry we had over 400 people present at a meeting, comprising of community groups, sporting organisations and RSS and Tús participants and supervisors. At the meeting the main issues of concern were that the RSS participant numbers are declining and will decline rapidly next year as the six-year rule will kick in for new participants in the scheme, leaving us short of a huge amount of people in the communities where the RSSs are the fabric of society in delivering much-needed services that the local authorities do not provide now. It is not a job activation scheme but an income support scheme for farmers and fishermen. It was introduced by a Fianna Fáil Government under Deputy Ó Cuív. It was and it is a great scheme but with the way it is structured at the moment it will die a death in a short number of months.
I am glad that the Deputy acknowledged the work of Deputy Ó Cuív when he was Minister and when he brought in that scheme. He brought in a number of imaginative and creative schemes for rural Ireland. I was responsible for bringing in the six-year rule in its first form when I was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to deal with people of a certain age who were coming off schemes and to exempt them from coming off schemes. That said, I understand that the Minister is looking at the six-year rule because I can understand why numbers and participation rates are probably problematic, given the fact that the economic recovery plan, which was published by the Government, has been successful to the extent that over 2.5 million people are working. Notwithstanding all the challenges we face, that has been a significant development, much earlier than we thought it would happen according to the recovery plan, and there are a lot of vacancies so there must be pressure on the schemes.
One of the saddest parts of the coronavirus was when people, mostly elderly people, died alone in hospitals where they were not allowed visits. It was very sad and very bad that many people who worked hard, reared their families and brought this country to where it is were denied visits and died alone. Almost every aspect of society is open but in the area I represent, most hospitals and nursing homes are only allowing two visits per week for family members. This is not acceptable. Where is this rule coming from? Is it from the HSE, the Government or the Chief Medical Officer? It does not make sense at all. When the patient is close to death and it is clear that he or she will die the whole family is let in to visit. Where did this direction come from? I ask the Taoiseach to lift it right away.
Decisions like this are made locally and they are based on a variety of factors. Some involve local outbreaks among healthcare workers or residents and some will factor in the prevalence of the virus at the time so different hospitals in different regions adjust accordingly. We have to try to get the balance right between infection prevention and control, and compassion, particularly when people are sick or near the end of life. If the Deputy has specific areas or nursing homes that his constituents are making him aware of-----
It is practically the whole lot and it is not acceptable.
If the Deputy wants to talk to me about it further I will get him a note on it.
Significantly, this day a year ago, I was obliged, along with my colleagues, to bring a motion to implement the national maternity strategy, which the Government accepted on the day. That motion arose from the concerns of the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, at the failure to implement the national maternity strategy, notwithstanding that we were halfway through the strategy. Imagine my horror when learning this week that in the local maternity hospital in Galway city, St. Monica's ward is closed and appears to be closed for three weeks. The major gynaecology ward in the hospital is closed for three weeks without explanation.
That ward deals with patients with cervical cancer and all the other gynaecological problems. I am bringing it to the Minister's attention that I have not had an answer to my queries on this issue. I would appreciate if he could find out why the ward was closed, what is happening with it and when it will be reopened.
I will, of course, get the Deputy a detailed note on this matter. I can tell her that the national maternity strategy has been fully implemented last year and this year. The full €9 million required for new development was allocated in 2021 and this year. I have met the maternity team in University Hospital Galway. There are several things going on. The maternity strategy in Galway is being implemented and there is more midwifery-led care. I will get the Deputy a note on that.
Did the maternity team bring the ward closure to the Minister's attention?
It did not. However, I saw during my visit that one of the new ambulatory gynaecology clinics has been set up and, as the Deputy will be aware, a new regional fertility clinic has opened in Galway. The new perinatal mental health team is also in place. There has been a very significant expansion in women's health services, including maternity services, in Galway in the past two years. I will get the Deputy a note on the ward she referenced.
I raise the ongoing issue of price inflation and the energy crisis we are in the middle of at this time. I noted comments the Taoiseach made in an interview in Brussels yesterday on the need to accelerate offshore wind energy provision. What did he mean by that and how does he plan to do it? The wind energy guidelines have been in place since 2005 and still have not been updated by the Minister. I ask the Taoiseach for an update on what is planned to be done in terms of that legislation.
What I said related to offshore wind generation permitting systems. A recent analysis by the European Union estimated that it can take eight years from concept to get an offshore wind farm installed. The European Commission, in its REPowerEU plan, which was presented to the European Council yesterday, and in its communication to the Council, has said it is looking at introducing a regulation or framework that would enable national governments, with their local authorities, to fast-track their permitting systems, instruments or mechanisms to enable wind farms to happen more quickly. There is a bit of work to be done on this yet by the Commission but the concept of overriding public interest will prevail. There invariably are objections and tensions around some of the environmental concerns relating to wind farms. However, the overwhelming need to construct them in order to deal with climate issues will take precedence.
Thank you, Taoiseach. The time is up.
That is the thinking of the Commission, which I agree with, in order to get things moving much faster. The guidelines to which the Deputy referred relate to onshore wind energy.
The Minister for Health, together with the HSE, appointed an expert team to look at the urgent situation at University Hospital Limerick. That review started on Friday, 13 May and will conclude on Friday, 10 June. We are more than two weeks into the process this week. Yet, when I look at the figures since the review commenced, the numbers for the emergency department have gone up. The number was 62 on 13 May and it is 98 now. The average over the past week has been above 104. Where is the review at and what additional measures will be put in to address the issues? We have a serious situation in terms of overcrowding at the hospital even during the review period. I pay tribute to the staff, who have put in a huge amount of hard work. Will the Taoiseach or the Minister for Health give an update on the current position?
I agree the situation in University Hospital Limerick is not acceptable in terms of both the number of people waiting on trolleys and the patient experience times for those who may or may not be admitted. There is a very significant job of work going on. An expert team has gone in for four weeks, as the Deputy said, and it is expecting to finish its work towards the end of next week. I will then be engaging directly with the HSE on the matter. I have asked for very specific actions that can be taken to reduce the numbers coming into the hospital. We want to make sure the hospital has the resources it needs, not just in the emergency department but also in diagnostics and further up the hospital in terms of beds for people. Critically, one of the big pressures right now is delayed discharge. The latest advice I have for the region is that up to two in every three nursing homes are still not accessible for discharge because of the 14-day period that has to elapse after a Covid outbreak. I will revert to colleagues in the Dáil generally and to the Deputy when that work is completed.
In April this year, 63 adults were confirmed to be homeless in County Tipperary, which is up 32 since April of last year. The number does not include children. The monthly figures have been increasing steadily over the past year and local authorities are coming under increased pressure to assist those individuals and families. For the entirety of last year, Tipperary County Council stated it spent €390,804 on emergency accommodation. To date in 2022, that bill is already at €279,394. In just over 18 months, the council has spent €670,000 on emergency accommodation. Demand and costs are increasing while supply is running dry. Yet, in the same period of time, not a single affordable house was constructed in Tipperary and the county was not included in the funding to 2026. Hundreds of thousands are being spent on emergency accommodation while the council must focus its time on determining whether it can identify the existence of a 5% affordability constraint. Surely it is time urgently to review or revise the affordable purchase scheme with local authorities.
I was in Tipperary last week and met with the chief executive, director of services, the cathaoirleach and mayors. I confirmed to them again very clearly, as I did to the Deputy two weeks ago, that the affordable housing fund is open to every local authority, including Tipperary County Council. It might be of information to him that the council is working on some proposals right now. I was in Clonmel and Thurles and I met with the chief executive, as I said. The council is preparing affordable schemes. The scheme is not closed to it. I was very impressed by the council's pipeline for social housing delivery, which means it will exceed its five-year target. It has a very strong pipeline. I commend the councillors and the team in Tipperary on the work they have done. I had the pleasure of visiting a number of social housing estates while I was there last week. The Deputy should be assured that the affordable housing fund is open to all counties in Ireland and we are looking forward to receiving proposals from local authorities. The Deputy's local council is working on its proposal at the moment.
The Taoiseach will be very familiar with Cancer Connect, which is a free transport service for people who need to travel to Cork city for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. On average, it takes 160 passengers per week up to Cork. It relies on the generosity of 300 volunteers drivers. The administrative and management staff are paid, which relies heavily on fundraising. Unfortunately, as we know, donations are harder to come by in this day and age. The organisation is asking that the shortfall be made up. It needs about €100,000 to run this incredible service, which is unbelievable value for money. I will raise the issue with the CEO of the Cork area community healthcare organisation but I am also asking the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health to support the service into the future.
I met with people from Cancer Connect recently at the opening of the Cork ARC cancer support house. They are providing a fantastic service in the rural parts of Cork - west Cork, in particular - in terms of bringing people to services like the Cork ARC facility, with which the service has a strong connection. The Minister has heard the Deputy's eloquent plea. Additional resources have been allocated to the national cancer strategy. Within that overall fund and through the HSE locally, we will see whether we can give some funding to this fantastic organisation.
We have now had sight of the four-point plan by the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, to ensure we do not again see the absolutely scandalous sights that took place in Dublin Airport over the weekend. Upwards of 1,400 people may have missed flights and it was an utterly desperate situation for them. We hope the plan will offer some element of security that we will not have these problems again. Do we have those assurances? Have the Government and, in particular, the Minister for Transport looked at the possibility of using security staff or other personnel with the relevant skill sets within State services at the airport, as required? We need to make sure we do not see sights like those of last weekend in the future. We must ensure Dublin Airport is operating as it should be and that we are not an international laughing stock.
I agree with the Deputy on the need to make sure the scenes that happened last weekend do not happen again. There is an onus on the DAA, as a semi-State company, to organise its human resources and to develop the capacities required to ensure what took place does not happen in the future. That certainly must be done in advance of next weekend.
I know that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, have been in discussions with the company, and will be every day, with a view to doing everything possible to avoid a recurrence. It is unacceptable for passengers, including families, to have what should be for the majority of people an enjoyable experience turned into what it is.
Kaftrio is a miracle drug used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis patients. It was approved by the European Medicines Agency, EMA, in January. Thankfully, 140 children in Ireland are now using it. A further cohort of 35 children have been locked out of the scheme relating to the drug and are anxiously trying to gain admission. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland has sought a meeting with the Minister for Health. I hope he will agree to that meeting to explain the delay and outline what will be done to ensure that this cohort of 35 children get access to Kaftrio.
I am very familiar with this issue. We need to get our language right here. There has been no delay and no one has been locked out of anything. It is a new use for the drug. It was approved by the EMA in January. An application came in for the first group of children some time ago. That was processed and approved very quickly by the HSE. The application in respect of the new group of children the Deputy mentioned only came into the HSE six weeks ago. It is going through exactly the same process. The HSE needs to look at the health technology assessment and other things. It did the first assessment very quickly. I have no reason to think it will be otherwise for this one. We are now waiting to hear what recommendation comes from the HSE. The Deputy can rest assured that it is being watched very carefully by the Department.
Will the Minister meet representatives of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland?
I met them quite recently in other contexts.
Will he meet them on this please?
It has been a rather depressing week for special education. Yesterday's absolutely last-minute announcement of special needs assistant, SNA, allocations has continued years of disrespect to those crucial education staff. I read with interest an article in The Irish Times two days ago where a Government source described the plan of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, in respect of proposed centres of education as dead in the water. I know that the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, has misgivings about that matter. Will the Government confirm that it is putting every effort into finding appropriate school placements in school communities? Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Government will no longer pursue this totally unsuitable plan which would have seen autistic children segregated and isolated?
I assure the Deputy that the Government is doing everything it possibly can with the National Council for Special Education to find additional places and additional capacity in schools. We are looking at simplifying and clarifying the legislation in order to oblige all schools in the country to be inclusive and to make sure that their doors are open for applications from children with special needs. In tandem with that, Government will provide the requisite resources of both teachers and physical accommodation to meet what should be a fundamental principle in education. All schools, including private schools, are funded to some degree by the State. There needs to be full inclusion for children with special educational needs.
I have been working with many constituents who have loved ones who are either returning from hospital or moving home and who desperately need home care packages. Many people need home care, whether it is a few hours home help or whether it is 24-7 care. We need to ensure we deliver for these vulnerable people. I have been working with older couples in circumstances where, for example, an older person returns home from hospital and their husband or wife is not in a position to take care of them. They also do not have any family who can offer to help. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been working on this matter, and I want to give credit where credit is due. I understand that we are short-staffed in the context of home care. People are contacting me in frustration and panic that they have nobody to help them take care of their loved ones. How do we recruit and retain qualified home care staff?
I thank the Deputy for her very important question. I am in a unique situation in that I have a budget that can fund every home care package in the country. My budget for the delivery of home care across the country is €672 million. Every day, 55,000 people receive home care. The problem is that we currently have approximately 5,300 people awaiting home care. The packages are funded but we have a shortage of staff. I have put in place a strategic workforce planning group working with the stakeholders in order to deliver this. We will be making recommendations very quickly. We are looking at everything, including people from outside the EU coming here to provide home care. We are also looking at targeted supports, such as people who are in a position to work 12, 15 or 18 hours a week to try to provide home support. I want to make home care a viable career option and to support people who choose to go into home care to progress the whole way through.
Yesterday, members of the Traveller community held a protest outside Leinster House to highlight mental health issues facing the community. As Fine Gael spokesperson for equality, I apologise to them for not being present. I was at a special school with members of the new Joint Committee on Autism at the same time as the protest. In response to a parliamentary question on 25 May, the Minister for Health stated the exact publication and implementation of the Traveller health action plan is a priority for his Department in 2022. Will the Minister confirm the exact timeline for the publication of the Traveller health action plan, which is one of the many things that were called for yesterday outside Leinster House?
I also was not in a position to attend as I was in the Seanad taking Commencement Matters at noon yesterday. I expect to publish the Traveller health action plan before the summer recess. It does not just relate to mental health; it also covers a suite of measures for Travellers relating to social protection, housing, access to education and access to apprenticeships. Considerable work has been done on the mental health aspect. In December, I allocated €365,000 to the HSE for equipment to support Travellers to work in a blended approach for delivery of recovery and engagement. In addition, €302,000 was allocated through the National Office for Suicide Prevention last year to support Traveller-specific mental health and suicide prevention services. Hopefully, the action plan will be published before the summer recess.
On 23 December 1996, one of Ireland’s most horrific murders took place at Kealfadda, which is near Goleen, when the body of Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found near her holiday home in my parish a couple of miles west of my home. At the time, the murder was the cause of real horror among local people. When the identity of the person who died became public, however, it sent shock waves across the world. It is now 26 years later and nobody has been brought to justice for the murder of an innocent woman - a much-loved daughter, wife and mother. What has followed with this case in these 26 years is like a roller coaster going round in a circle but getting nowhere. There are contradictory reports in newspapers as to whether there is a live investigation. The people of west Cork are tired of the posturing that is going on locally. They, like the rest of the world, want to see justice for Sophie almost 26 years on. Will a new file be submitted in time to the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, on foot of investigations that are taking place?
Could the Deputy repeat the last part?
Will a new file be submitted in time to the DPP on foot of investigations that are now taking place?
This murder is a stain on Irish society. That someone who loved west Cork was murdered in such a brutal manner was greeted by shock and horror by the people of the country. It is not like a roller coaster in the sense that I believe the Garda takes the matter very seriously. We know that his case has attracted enormous attention. I do not get involved in prosecutions with the criminal justice system or with sending files to the DPP. That is a matter for the Garda. It is then a matter for the DPP to make an assessment of whatever it is sent to him or her by An Garda Síochána. I have no doubt that as new leads emerge, if the prospect or capacity for prosecution exists, the Garda will do everything it possibly can to bring the person responsible for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier to justice.
We have three remaining Deputies and we are out of time. We have 30 seconds per question.
The Taoiseach is probably aware of what has been described variously as panic and chaos in the District Court yesterday as a result of the Davitt decision. If the current situation continues, there will be fewer gardaí on the streets and more delays in prosecutions.
What steps will the Government be taking in order to address the situation? Will there be emergency legislation? Will there be a stay or an appeal?
The Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands met this morning to discuss pensions and social protection-related issues with representatives of Foster Care Ireland and the Irish Foster Care Association, along with foster parents. We discussed many aspects of the fostering system. The committee will write a report and submit recommendations to the Minister. One issue I think should be raised here is that of the foster allowance, the weekly rate of which has not been increased for nine years. The Government should be looking at that area considering the 9% increase in the cost of living.
During an earlier exchange, the Taoiseach mentioned there is a cap on rent across the country of 2%. A landlord shocked his tenants in Tubbercurry a number of weeks ago. Anna Gallagher, who came to me about this issue, has been renting a three-bedroom semi-detached property in Knockanashee, Tubbercurry, with her husband and small child at the rate of €800 per month for the past two years. Her landlord, a man called Hugh Adams of Ballymote Construction, came to her and told her it was time for a rent review. He told her the rent was being increased to €1,400. That is a 75% increase.
It is not appropriate for the Deputy to be naming people in these circumstances.
Okay. An increase to €1,400 is a 75% increase in the rent. We all know of situations where tenants can have problems and can be in arrears. That is not the situation. There are five other tenants in the same estate with the same problem. It is happening across the country where unscrupulous landlords are pushing rents through the roof and it is destroying people's lives.
In response to Deputy Pa Daly, that matter will be examined. I will come back to the Deputy on the implications of that decision.
We will examine the point Deputy Joan Collins has made about the foster care allowance. Between the Ministers for Health, Social Protection, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, we can examine a range of measures for children more generally. We will consider the specific point the Deputy has raised in the fullness of the budgetary examination.
What Deputy Kenny has outlined is not acceptable. The area is not in a rent pressure zone. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is looking at legislation with a view to extending rent pressure zones. Nonetheless, the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, avenue is also open to complaints.
The RTB is under-resourced.
It can deal with complaints. The scale of what the Deputy has told me is involved in this case might merit examination by the RTB.
The foster care allowance is an urgent issue and cannot wait for the budget. Other areas can wait but the allowances cannot.
The Deputy has made the point.