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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Oct 2022

Vol. 1027 No. 2

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

Speaking on radio last Sunday, the Taoiseach gave an assurance that nobody would be disconnected from electricity supply this winter. He said:

In an energy crisis of this kind we cannot have disconnections. We are very clear about that.

This is very welcome news, as people are now under severe pressure. The energy credits announced in the budget are already being gobbled up. From this week, Electric Ireland customers face a price hike of 38% for electricity, while Bord Gáis customers have been hit with a massive increase of 45% and other energy companies will also hike their prices this month. The Government's refusal to cap electricity bills at pre-crisis levels has left people wide open to further hikes. In reality, and despite the Taoiseach's assurance at the weekend, households struggling to pay their bills remain in danger of disconnection. This is a very real and present fear. We know that 712 households were disconnected in the first half of this year and that was before the impact of the huge increases in bills this winter.

Workers and families need more than words. They need a real plan from the Government that gives them the certainty that they will not be disconnected. The Government’s intention is to introduce a ban on disconnections for all customers from 1 December until the end of February. That is not good enough. It leaves people waiting far too long for protection and the time span is too short. We are now starting the run-up to Christmas, which is a most expensive time of the year. People are coming under huge financial strain today and are struggling to pay their bills today. The Government needs to start the ban on disconnections now. It should kick in immediately and should run until at least the end of March.

The Taoiseach also said that the Government would protect pay-as-you-go meter users from disconnection. However, other than directing people to their local social welfare office, he does not have a plan to back up that commitment, or does he? Once a person’s €10 arrears allowance runs out, the pay-as-you-go meter gets disconnected. Many households on prepaid meters are already rationing their electricity for fear of being cut off and that is a horrible situation for any family. Ní cheart go mbeadh aon teaghlach ag tabhairt aghaidh ar dícheangal fuinnimh an geimhreadh seo. Caithfidh an Rialtas cosc ar dícheangail a thabhairt isteach anois go dtí deireadh mí an Mhárta agus caithfidh an Rialtas plean a chur i bhfeidhm a chosnóidh custaiméirí ó a bheith dícheangailte.

The Taoiseach needs to back up his promise that nobody will be disconnected with real action. Will the Government start the ban on disconnections for all customers now and extend it until the end of March? Will it take measures to ensure that pay-as-you-go electricity customers will not be disconnected this winter? Can the Taoiseach outline how this will work and, most important, how quickly it might be implemented?

Géarchéim uafásach atá againn maidir le praghsanna. Níl aon amhras ach go bhfuil an Rialtas ag déanamh a dhíchill cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt do gach éinne: teaghlaigh éagsúla ar fud na tíre; gnóthaí; agus eagrais éagsúla atá ag obair ar son mhuintir na tíre san áireamh. Táimid ag tabhairt an-chuid tacaíochta do dhaoine agus bhí sé sin soiléir sa cháinaisnéis a bhí againn an tseachtain seo caite.

We are facing the worst global energy crisis since the 1970s, caused by Russia's immoral and unprovoked war on the people of Ukraine. We import approximately three quarters of the natural gas we use from the United Kingdom. Approximately half of our electricity is generated using gas and, therefore, spiralling gas prices feed through into higher electricity bills. The price today for UK gas on wholesale markets is 263p per therm. This day two years ago the price was 38p per therm and future markets are pointing to even higher prices in the coming months, with a therm of gas to be delivered in January costing 450p and March deliveries priced at 440p per therm. That is the background. We are in a wartime situation, which has brought about these extraordinary increases.

I agree with the Deputy that the response to a crisis of this scale needs more than words and that is why we announced unprecedented measures in the budget to support and help people to get through this winter, including electricity credits for all households totalling €600; a lump sum payment of €400 for fuel allowance recipients; a double-week payment to all qualifying social protection recipients in October, and the normal Christmas bonus will also be paid; an extra €500 for working family payment and career support grant recipients in November; double child benefit of €140 per child in November; and a once-off payment before Christmas of €200 to recipients of the living alone allowance and €500 to those on disability allowance, invalidity pension and the blind pension. Significant additional funds will be provided to schools, which will see huge increases in their energy costs, and parents will be spared €650 through the provision of free school transport. The fees for third level institutions have been reduced by €1,000. Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations, local authorities, nursing homes and hospices will all get additional supports, as will third level institutions. We have also extended the reduction in excise duties and VAT on electricity and gas until the end of February. To protect jobs, we have introduced the temporary business energy support scheme, at a cost of €1.2 billion. We have also brought in tax cuts amounting to approximately €1.1 billion for middle-income earners and the social protection package of measures is worth more than €1 billion. These are not just words; they are actions that the Government has taken in respect of the cost-of-living package and the budget itself.

We did not agree with putting in place a cap with no detailed costing attached to it. We feel the better approach is to allocate funding to households, as well as trying to get downward pressure on energy consumption. One of the difficulties with the kind of cap the Deputy has proposed is that there is no acknowledgement of the crisis we are in, or the need to have greater energy efficiencies across the board in the workplace and reduce costs and consumption. Fundamentally, we are here to help. That is why we have not gone with the cap model, as proposed by the Deputy. We have seen elsewhere there are different proposals. Where there is a proposal that is not costed and could involve a blank cheque for energy companies for two years or longer, that is something we have to be extremely careful about.

In respect of pay-as-you-go meters, as part of its statutory role, the CRU has very clear functions regarding consumer protection, including around disconnections and protections for those using prepaid meters. As part of responses 6 and 7 under the national energy security framework, the CRU announced enhanced consumer protection measures for implementation this winter, in particular for customers using prepaid meters. It has strengthened the protection. We are determined to give support to those people and others.

I think the Taoiseach has benefited from a malfunctioning clock.

Blessed be the malfunctioning clock.

These times are very reminiscent of a decade ago when the troika was in town and people used to ration everything, including food. I remember families having cornflake days; that was dinner for them. I am hearing from families that they are rationing their electricity. The reality for many, and fear for many more, is that they will be left in a position whereby they have to take a decision to turn on a light or put breakfast in front of their children.

The Taoiseach gave a commitment at the weekend that disconnections would not happen. I want him to set out in detail what that means for pay-as-you-go meter users. Some 200,000 households across the State have such meters. The Taoiseach has made a commitment. When will it kick in? How will it work? I put it to the Taoiseach that the ban on disconnections needs to start now and run until the end of March. Rather than rehashing all of the global factors, could the Taoiseach kindly answer my questions and reassure families who are afraid and struggling?

The clock is functioning.

I am not rehashing any global generalities. Rather, I am bringing the hard reality of a wartime situation in Europe to the floor of the House. I will never make an apology for that. The Deputy is trying to create the delusion or illusion that everything is normal and we can go back to pre-crisis levels. That is the Deputy's line. She believes we can all make it go away magically.

Things are clearly not normal.

The Deputy cannot make it go away magically. She simply cannot do that and it is dishonest to people-----

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards along with its allocation of funding.

As funding for the event mentioned by the Deputy was administered by Sport Ireland I have referred the Deputy's question to Sport Ireland for direct reply.  I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.

It is dishonest, in the middle of a terrible crisis, to pretend there is no war or the war does not have an impact. We are doing people a disservice when we do that. We need to be honest with people. We know the war is having a terrible impact.

Answer the question.

The total number of prepay electricity meters is around 340,000. Some 90,000 of those meters have been provided to people who have experienced electricity debt in order to help them budget these costs. Gas Networks Ireland has confirmed that there are about 117,000 pay-as-you-go meters. Through the social protection systems and the work of the CRU, which is a statutory body, we will protect people. Our entire purpose is to protect people. We have no interest in not protecting people.

You consistently do it. You come in here and insult me and call me untruthful, and you do not answer your questions. Do your job.

Deputy McDonald, if you consistently ignore the Chair, I will abandon the session. I ask for co-operation so that I do not need to keep interrupting. We are eating into the time.

I welcome an esteemed visitor to the Gallery, Finola Cassidy, who is here representing the Irish Thalidomide Association. She is a constituent of mine and somebody the Taoiseach has also met. I pay tribute to Finola for her campaigning and advocacy work over many years. She was, as the Taoiseach knows, a central contributor to last night's powerful "Scannal" documentary which aired on RTÉ 1 about the thalidomide scandal.

The airing of that documentary came at a timely moment because next month marks the 61st anniversary of the international withdrawal of the drug thalidomide. It was removed from the market internationally in 1961 due to the number of babies who were being born with catastrophic or very serious disabilities to women who had been prescribed the drug while pregnant to treat symptoms. In this State, even after international withdrawal, the drug continued to be prescribed for some time, causing severe harm to many children who are now adults. Even children whose mothers only took the drug for one or two days suffered severe harm as a consequence.

We know from the powerful documentary and other sources that Government documents at the time show that authorities had considered making a public announcement earlier on the risks associated with the drug and did not do so. It remained in circulation for far too long in Ireland after international withdrawal. The reason can only be assumed or surmised. Clearly, the State bears responsibility for what happened to those children at the time and their mothers and families.

The mothers and children, in particular, who were harmed by a negligent Government are still waiting for an acknowledgement of the wrong done to them and a formal State apology. They were offered compensation by a Fianna Fáil Government in 2009 and I know there have been meetings since then. The Taoiseach has met survivors, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, met Finola Cassidy this morning. However, there has been no official attempt to address the stalemate in the situation. Over decades, the money and packages offered by Governments have not come near enough to meet the real cost of the harm caused and the life-changing disabilities experienced by so many survivors. I pay tribute to those survivors who continue to campaign on this.

Last year, the Minister for Health told the Dáil that work was under way to bring forward a Bill to provide health and personal supports to thalidomide survivors, but we have heard nothing since then. We know the State has been dragging out a defence in High Court proceedings ongoing on this issue. Earlier this year, I sought the support of Government parties for a cross-party motion on support for thalidomide survivors. I renew my appeal because I did not get support from Government parties.

I ask the Taoiseach to take the lead, in the last few months of his role at Taoiseach, fix the stalemate, ensure the State acknowledges the wrong done to thalidomide survivors and parents, issue an apology and ensure that an adequate compensation and healthcare package is offered to those survivors who are now at an age where they desperately need supports.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I met Finola Cassidy and the Irish Thalidomide Association representatives, along with their legal representatives, in my office a couple of weeks ago. It was a good meeting. I listened very carefully to the concerns expressed. There has been a long history of interventions by Governments in respect of this issue and the people involved. Supports have been provided by previous Governments, and continue to be provided, in terms of monthly payments, eligibility for health services and so on. As the Deputy knows, the company the Contergan Foundation provides payments. There is an issue there that we need to work out. Anything additional done by the State should not result in liability on the foundation being taken back; in other words, it should not result in there being no net gain to thalidomide survivors.

During the meeting we teased out a number of approaches that we could take to try to resolve these issues. The Government is not dragging anything out. There are contested issues around liability on this. Ex gratia payments and so on were made and additional financial assistance was provided in 2010, but arguments have been put forward that they were not of a sufficient scale or the circumstances or context of how those payments were made were not optimal or appropriate. Those arguments have been made to me and to the Minister for Health.

We discussed a number of broad areas. First, there should be a very comprehensive health package. That is one area we said we would discuss. There seems to be some uncertainty around what is available and what, potentially, could be available. We also discussed independent support as people go on in life and broader issues.

The idea emerged from the meeting that we may develop a mediation approach, in the first instance, to tease out a number of issues. I have reverted to the Minister and had discussions with him and the Attorney General on this. I will be back to the Irish Thalidomide Association in response to a proposal that was put on the table as to how we could engage in a meaningful process to try to resolve this issue once and for all.

I thank the Taoiseach for his response but he might clarify when he will get back to the Irish Thalidomide Association. It has been waiting for a long time. It is very anxious, in particular, about the few mothers who are still left alive. They are owed an apology by the State and an acknowledgement of the wrong done to them because many mothers and women who had babies who were born with disabilities as a result of thalidomide are themselves feeling guilty. That is utterly unacceptable.

It is very clear, from the programme last night and what we know, that the State bears responsibility. The State bore a particular responsibility after the international withdrawal of the drug. That has never been formally acknowledged. We need to see an acknowledgement and apology and a decent, suitable and specific healthcare package and compensation offered. That has never been forthcoming from the Government.

I ask that the Taoiseach, in the last few months in his role, seek to resolve this damage. Only a small number of survivors are involved in this. Finola Cassidy is such a powerful spokesperson for those individuals who have been done such wrong by the State and others. They were undoubtedly done wrong by the German manufacturer as well, but let us do what we can to put things right. I will renew my appeal for cross-party support for a motion and for the Government to step up and offer a decent package to thalidomide survivors.

I fully accept the Deputy's right to put forward a cross-party motion but, in my experience, where one has a legal process and a political process, someone has to represent the broad issue as well. The optimal way to resolve this is to get into a meaningful process and tease through all of the issues. The ultimate liability, never forget, is with the company involved. Legislation was passed, as the Deputy is aware, in Germany which allows for the Contergan Foundation to make payments to thalidomide survivors. We want to make absolutely sure that whatever we do does not in any way result - legislation was passed more recently - in any contributions we make simply being subtracted from the contributions that foundation makes. Legal clarity is being sought on that and it is something that is important and cannot be dismissed. Payments continue to be made. I am open to getting this resolved as quickly as we can. I would like to do so but previous experience shows that we should get into a process to get it resolved. I am willing to do that and I will be back to the representatives on this within the next two weeks.

I will read some headlines for the Taoiseach. One from RTÉ states, "Prepay energy customers will not be cut off, says Taoiseach", while another from the Irish Independent states, "Pay-as-you-go energy customers will not be disconnected over winter – Taoiseach", and thejournal.ie states, "Taoiseach confirms pay-as-you-go utility customers will not be disconnected if unable to top up". This is very clear and reassuring for the 340,000 electricity customers and the 120,000 or so gas customers on meter. The headlines are based on comments that the Taoiseach made on RTÉ's "This Week" programme. It would cause people to breathe a sigh of relief and think it was okay, in that, if they do not have money to put in the machine to top up the meter this winter, their lights will not go off or their heat go out.

The only problem is that those comments are not accurate, are they? They are spin such as that the Taoiseach tried to give earlier to Deputy McDonald. He is just playing with words because the truth, and I ask for a clear answer on this, is that as things stand, these people will be cut off electricity or gas when their meters run out of money and they run through the €20 overdraft known as emergency credit. These are among the people on the lowest incomes in the country and include 90,000 households that have previously experienced electricity debt. They are not being protected from disconnection this winter. Instead what the Government is actually saying is that these people can go to the community welfare officer and look for support. There is no guarantee that they will not be disconnected.

The Taoiseach needs to act now to guarantee that nobody will be left without heat or electricity this winter because they cannot afford to pay. He can do that very simply by extending the emergency credit, as was done during Covid.

This scandal is just the latest abuse by the prepay companies of their customers. They are highly profitable companies engaged in predatory practices. PrepayPower is the biggest prepay operator. It is owned by two of the richest men in Ireland. It increased its profits by 27% last year. It increased its prices three times this year and two times last year. If people want to leave PrepayPower, they are faced with a blizzard of potential charges amounting to well over €100 to dissuade them. The companies are effectively holding people hostage. Those exit charges should be banned entirely.

This is only one section of households subject to extra abuse. There is another. I have received multiple communications from people in apartment complexes on district heating systems. One here is from Lansdowne Gate, where gas prices have increased by 300%, unit rates have increased from 7 cent per kilowatt-hour to 27 cent per kilowatt-hour. Tens of thousands of people are in a similar situation. Even if they do not use the bills, they are still faced with extraordinary increases because of the network service charge which goes on top of the standing charge. The Taoiseach tells them to shop around but they cannot do so. These people have no choices. It is an entirely unregulated sector.

This is clear. It proves the madness of a privatised, liberalised system. The energy system should be renationalised and run in the public interest. At the very least, will the Taoiseach intervene to ensure that nobody will have their lights go out or heat cut off this winter because they do not have money to put in the meter?

The Government has intervened.

We have intervened. I reject Deputy Murphy's presentation of this. The measures we have taken of putting cash into people's accounts and reducing the bills are unprecedented. I read out the list. The measures we have taken have an impact. The impact they should demonstrably have is that people should not be cut off, by definition, given the scale of the energy credits, free fuel allowance and double payments, right across the board. Very substantial provision has been made right to the end of this year and into the two bill periods in early spring.

In addition, social protection is there to protect people from being disconnected in the event of their making a presentation to say that if they do not get "X", their electricity will be cut off. The CRU has also provided strong protections with regard to this. People should not have their heating or electricity cut off in the middle of winter.

The Government will work with providers and the CRU, the statutory body regulating this area. The Deputy is too dismissive of the extraordinary measures that have been included in the budget in respect of supports given to people on the lowest incomes in terms of the variety of payments that I outlined earlier. That was not spin. It is reality. The Deputy tends to do a lot of spin, when it suits, on a whole range of issues.

These are facts that have been outlined with regard to the budget 2023 measures we have taken. There is now €600 in energy credits. There is a lump-sum payment of €400 to fuel allowance recipients and a double-week payment to all qualifying social protection recipients in October, and the normal Christmas bonus will be paid. There is an extra €500 for recipients of working family payments and carer support grants and a double child benefit payment in November. There is a once-off payment before Christmas of €200 to recipients of the living alone allowance and €500 to those on disability allowance, invalidity pension and the blind pension and additional funding across the board for a range of not-for-profit and voluntary organisations to help with energy costs and so forth. These measures will have an impact.

If we did not have all of those measures, I accept the point that there could be disconnections and so on. However, these measures will have an impact and we will keep monitoring how this works in reality.

We have an idea from the future pricing as to where the costs or price rises could go in early spring in particular and towards the end of the year. We will continue to work with all concerned to ensure people are not cut off.

I do not agree at this stage with the idea of nationalising the entire energy system. That would have enormous cost implications that would have to be worked out and I do not think the Deputy has made any presentation in respect of that.

On Sunday the Taoiseach said prepay energy customers will not be cut off. Today he says prepay customers should not be cut off. Which one is it? You are the Taoiseach and you have the power to prevent the disconnections. What you are actually saying today is that these people have got enough money and sure it will be their own fault if they run out and are not able to put money in their meters. However, the Government has not given them enough money. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our country and it is a simple technical question. The Government can extend the emergency credit so prepay customers will not be cut off. If you are on a bill, once the moratorium comes in you are protected and will not be cut off but as things stand prepay customers can be cut off. If they do not put money in their meters they will run through the €20 overdraft, which is the only real thing the CRU has done to protect people. That €20 is half a week's electricity and then those people can be cut off. I am looking, and I would say they are too, for a guarantee that no prepay customers will be cut off this winter.

I thank the Deputy.

The way to do it is very simple.

I thank the Deputy but we are over time.

The Government did it during Covid. It should extend the emergency credit to protect people.

To be fair, the CRU has done more than that. It has increased the emergency credit of no less than €20 but it has also provided a reduction in the debt repayment level on pay-as-you-go meters from 25% to a maximum of 10%. Consequently, €20 would have €2 deducted to pay debt. That came into operation on the first day of this month. There is also an obligation on suppliers to advise their prepayment customers who are in debt of other payment options available to them, such as billpay, and an obligation on suppliers to place their customers who are on financial hardship meters on the most economic tariff. Then we have the additional protection of emergency social welfare payments to ensure people can pay their bills.

There is no guarantee.

I fear the budget will be a case of "A lot done. More to do". It is certain the supports for SMEs will not be enough to prevent a wave of insolvencies and redundancies in the coming months. I have brought the case of one manufacturing business to both the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. It employs 45 people in the south east. Its production processes use both gas and electricity in both heating and cooling procedures. Its energy bill has rocketed from €8,000 per month to €45,000 per month and the owner sees the writing on the wall. He has told me that the second-last thing he wishes is for his business to close. The last thing he wishes is for him and his family to go broke. The supports on offer to him as they stand are not adequate for his business to remain operational, offering wide employment and viable. His situation is not unique. I ask that the Taoiseach convene a business task force to study this unfolding crisis in the SME sector. Will the Government examine an enduring temporary lay-off scheme in the mode of the Covid employment wage subsidy scheme or perhaps even a more aggressive and ambitious renewal or retrofit scheme for SMEs? Can we look to segment the energy supports to ensure agrifood producers that consume huge amounts of energy through production can be additionally supported? Something needs to be done.

I am conscious this may be one of my final exchanges with the Taoiseach before he leaves the position. I draw his attention to the inequity of the continued resourcing of the Western Development Commission, WDC, versus other regions. The west is now awake and is one of the strongest-performing regions of Ireland. The midlands, Border and south-east regions are the economic laggards. To thrive and deliver on the programme for Government's aspirations around balanced regional development, these regions need the strategic regional thinking and resourcing the WDC has delivered to the west for a generation. I look at the miserly outturn of capital spending as a case in point. As the State plans to spend €10.8 billion on capital projects next year, there is a paltry amount due to be spent on strategic projects in the south-east, Border and midlands regions. These regions need a form of conceptual thinking, with strategy development based on the deep applied research and regional cohesion the WDC-type structure offers. It is indefensible to me and to many others that we see continuing funding of the WDC while other regions that need these resources are deprived and so badly ignored.

I thank the Deputy for raising the twin issues of south-east economic and enterprise development and the issue around business supports in the current energy crisis. The Government is introducing a temporary business energy support scheme as announced by the Minister for Finance in the budget. That scheme will be open to businesses that carry on a case 1 trade, are tax-compliant and have experienced a significant increase in their natural gas and electricity costs. As the Deputy knows, it will be administered by the Revenue Commissioners and operate on a self-assessment basis. Businesses will be required to register for the scheme. It is proposed the scheme will operate by comparing the average unit price for the relevant bill period in 2022 with the average unit price in the corresponding reference period in 2021. Once eligibility criteria are met the support will be calculated on the basis of 40% of the amount of the increase in the bill amount. In addition to that, a monthly cap of €10,000 per trade will apply and an overall cap will apply on the total amount a business can claim. The scheme is designed to be compliant with the EU state aid temporary crisis framework and will need approval by the Commission.

There is a range of other business supports. I do not know whether the company to which the Deputy referred would come under the Enterprise Ireland scheme, namely, the €200 million targeted Ukraine enterprise crisis scheme to assist viable but vulnerable manufacturers and exporters. There is a €1.2 billion State-backed Ukraine credit guarantee scheme for SMEs, primary producers and small mid-cap businesses with fewer than 500 employees. There is a new growth and sustainability investment loan scheme and then €4 million has gone to the local enterprise office network, to include a new capital grant for microenterprise for energy efficiency and so forth.

On the comparison between the south east and the WDC, employment in the south east has grown by 8.6% in the last year. That is from quarter 2 of 2021 to quarter 2 of 2022 and covers counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford. There are now 79 IDA Ireland client companies in the south east employing about 15,000 people. In June the sod was turned on the Glanbia and Royal A-Ware €200 million continental cheese facility at Belview. That strategically important national project will support the incomes of over 4,500 family farms and create 80 jobs and 400 construction jobs in the south east. More than 6,000 people are employed in around 100 Enterprise Ireland client-based companies in County Waterford and the local enterprise office also supports 1,000 jobs. The Deputy knows there have been very significant investments announced in the last two years on the IDA Ireland front. Eirgen is investing €12 million in its manufacturing facilities in Waterford City. Bausch + Lomb announced investment of €90 million to expand its manufacturing operations in Waterford in July 2021. Infosys announced 250 jobs and a state-of-the-art delivery centre. PublicRelay, a US communications and analytics firm, is also establishing in Waterford. I will come back to the Deputy on the supplementary.

I gave a range of metrics at the enterprise committee this morning on the real performance of the south east. I have not got the time to go through them here but, unfortunately, they do not tally with what the Taoiseach has just described. The supports the Government is offering to the SME sector in particular are not enough. A lot has been done, as I said, but it will not be enough to hold back the wave of insolvencies and redundancies over what is essentially a geopolitical issue that is going to take out good competitive businesses. Their employees are going to be the victims also.

On the WDC, its job is largely done. I am not looking to see it scrapped but for something that has been really successful brought into play in other regions. Some of the problems that are outlined in relation to the Border have to do with regional issues around there but we must look at this. This morning I asked the Tánaiste if he would consider this and he has opened the door to doing so. This needs to be done.

If we are to put regions on par, we must have similar bodies to support their economic and policy development into the future.

A regional enterprise plan for the south east has been put in place. We need to analyse more deeply the factors that give rise to the growth in given regions. The medtech cluster in the west probably has been one of the more significant developments. It is based largely on research and development in the University of Galway and it also connects down to the mid-west with the University of Limerick. The South East Technological University is key.

The funding is key.

It has been key. I accept that historically there has been an issue with different regions progressing at different levels. What I have announced is very significant foreign direct investment in Waterford and the south east more generally. That will grow. Horizon Therapeutics has recently announced 350 jobs, as the Deputy knows. All of those matter and will have impact. As we expand the South East Technological University, it will have a key role to play on the enterprise side. There is infrastructure and it has been allocated through the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, and so forth. I know there have been issues on the private sector side, which was not the fault of the State. That funding is still in place for the local authority in Waterford and for the region generally. A regional steering committee has been formed to implement the regional enterprise plan. We need to be careful we do not just keep creating more and more bodies rather than analysing factors that would give rise to continued growth and development in Waterford. I would be open to having that analysis. Different approaches work for different regions.

I will take up the Taoiseach on that.

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