Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 12 Oct 2022

Vol. 1027 No. 5

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Bus Services

Deputy Cormac Devlin

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, for taking this matter. I am disappointed that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, was not able to make it. I have raised this issue previously, most recently with the Tánaiste in this Chamber in September and at committee meetings last year.

Specifically on the Go-Ahead bus service, my office is inundated with complaints from customers. It is not just the 63, 59, 45A, 111 or 75 routes in Dún Laoghaire; it is Go-Ahead bus services across the greater Dublin area. Just yesterday, for example, the 16.56 and the 17.38 services on the 18 route to Palmerstown were cancelled. On Monday, a woman was left to wait for more than an hour for the 17.05 service on the 175 route, which was cancelled. Another man was left waiting for more than an hour in Kilmacanogue because the 13.10, the 13.30 and the 13.50 bus services to Dún Laoghaire on the 45A route did not show up. When he contacted Go-Ahead, he was told that the 14.13 service was also being cancelled and that he would have to wait until 14.33. That is a wait of more than an hour and a half for a service that is meant to run every 20 minutes. It is completely unacceptable.

I could list a dozen more examples from this week alone. As I said, I am disappointed that the Minister is not here to take this matter. I wonder if he is aware of how bad the Go-Ahead bus service has become and the significant impact this is having on people’s lives, particularly those of his constituents in Dublin Bay South. My Fianna Fáil colleagues across Dublin and I will continue to raise this issue until we see a resolution and an improvement in the Go-Ahead bus service.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

Deputy Devlin provided a litany of buses that have been cancelled. Thankfully, Go-Ahead only operates one bus in our area, the N6, although many would say that one is enough. It does not seem to be able to fulfil the contract that has been given to it. That is significant. When a person is standing at a bus stop at 7.50 a.m., has to be in work for 9 a.m. and the first time a bus arrives at the stop is at 9.10 a.m. - nearly 55 minutes later - that person is already ten minutes late for work and will arrive in at 9.45 a.m. That is happening on a consistent basis.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, has issued fines to Go-Ahead, LUAS and Dublin Bus, amounting to nearly €5 million. That is welcome to send the signal that it is not acceptable for them to cancel bus services. However, nobody wants to hand out fines to transport companies. We want them to collect their passengers and to be able to deliver the services that they promised to deliver. Go-Ahead promised it would have a service for local people on the N6 route. It told us its issue is staffing, and I understand that anybody can have staffing concerns. The real difficulty is that the new N6 replaces two previous routes, namely, the N6 and the N4, one which was operated by Dublin Bus and the other by Go-Ahead. The Dublin Bus service powers ahead past the interchange at Finglas village. Meanwhile, there are five or six buses left waiting by Go-Ahead in the middle of Finglas village, where it has located its new canteen. Not only is it not providing the service, it is also blocking up the village. There are many complaints from the local Tidy Towns group, disability activist groups, and so on. There cannot be a bus depot in the middle of a village. It is just not safe for pedestrians or cyclists and it is not good for congestion. As I said, I know this is about drivers. However, a company should not tender for service if it is not able to provide it.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)

I would like to thank Deputies McAuliffe and Devlin for giving me the opportunity to discuss this issue on behalf of the Minister. I understand that the Deputies' questions are on the ongoing issues with the provision and reliability of bus services provided in Dublin, in particular those services provided by Go-Ahead Ireland. I further understand that the issue of service reliability with Go-Ahead Ireland routes was previously raised by several Deputies in recent weeks during Topical Issue debates and parliamentary questions.

The Department has responsibility for policy and overall funding in respect of public transport. However, the Department is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services nationally, including those public service obligation, PSO, routes in Dublin currently operated by Go-Ahead Ireland or other operators. It is the NTA that has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of public transport services contracts and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators. As the Deputies know, PSO services are socially necessary but financially unviable services and the PSO programme represents a significant expenditure of taxpayers' money. Currently, the vast majority of PSO bus services are provided by either Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann through what are known as direct award contracts. The remaining routes are operated by Go-Ahead Ireland, which entered the market in September 2018 as part of Government's commitment to open up the bus market through a programme of tendering known as bus market opening.

A key Government objective is to provide all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and transport plays a key role in delivering this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2022, the Department of Transport secured approximately €538 million of funding for PSO and Local Link services this year. The Department recently secured €563 million in budget 2023 for the continuation of these essential PSO services and for the continuation of both the 20% average fare discount and the young adult card.

In the context of the Deputies' specific questions on ongoing issues with the provision and reliability of bus services provided in Dublin, and in particular those provided by Go-Ahead Ireland, the NTA has advised that the performance of all public transport operators is closely monitored by the authority as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators.

Go-Ahead Ireland is not alone in experiencing these issues. Many operators in the public transport sector are facing similar challenges with staffing, both because of Covid-19-related absences and with regard to recruiting new drivers. The public transport industry has been particularly hard hit with driver shortages as operators attempt to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity, as well as deliver intended service improvements. However, while these staffing issues are being experienced across the system by both commercial and PSO operators, it is also true that Go-Ahead Ireland is experiencing higher than normal levels of Covid-related staff absences that are impacting on service delivery, with a number of services not operating as scheduled.

I understand that the NTA is working closely with bus operators, including Go-Ahead Ireland, to try to mitigate the impact of the driver shortage through extensive driver recruitment campaigns, engagement with the Road Safety Authority, RSA, regarding the testing and licence process of new bus drivers and by working with the operator to minimise service cancellations, ensure first- and last-service buses operate, and on low-frequency routes to avoid, where possible, the cancellation of consecutive low-frequency services.

Before coming into the Chamber, I got updated information from the NTA that Go-Ahead has indicated that it will have the adequate number of drivers by December of this year.

Deputy Cormac Devlin

I thank the Minister of State for the update, the majority of which was contained in the response I received yesterday from the Department, which is welcome. A parallel I would draw is the issue of Go-Ahead experiencing higher than normal levels of Covid-related staff absences. We wish Covid on nobody but I do not understand how that company seems to have a worse number of cases of Covid than any other operator. It is having a serious impact on commuters. From the Minister's perspective, there is a kind of a hands-off approach to public transport in Dublin in particular, and that he is leaving it to the NTA. That approach is not working. I contrast that with the issues during the summer at the Dublin Airport Authority, which the Minister of State herself worked on. That political pressure resolved the issues. Between the NTA and the Department, pressure needs to be applied to ensure we do not wait until Christmas. People have jobs to get to between now and Christmas and they need to get there on time and to have a reliable bus service. It is very important that this is done, and done quickly. Furthermore, if the issues continue in regard to Go-Ahead, I and Fianna Fáil colleagues like Deputy McAuliffe will be back again. People need safe, efficient, high-quality bus transport.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I welcome the news that Go-Ahead will have its full complement by Christmas. As I said from the beginning, if a company tendered for a service, it should be in a position to deliver it. In that context, we should not be playing catch-up, particularly where people's lives are concerned. We only have to look at the discrepancy between the number of routes Dublin Bus operates and the number Go-Ahead operates. Dublin Bus received fines of €1.5 million whereas Go-Ahead, with a fraction of the bus services of Dublin Bus, received fines of €850,000. I appreciate that there are staff shortages right across the economy; it is because the economy is growing fast, which is to be welcomed. However, we have to look at what the manpower issues are in the transport industry. We are getting similar concerns from Dublin Bus on the 40 bus route, where buses are again being cancelled. If this is widespread, we are going to have to examine the terms, the conditions and the working environment. Of course, Covid impacts those people on the front line but there is nothing new about that and we have known about it for some time. Operators like Go-Ahead should have done far more far sooner.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I thank the Deputies. I will be raising the issues they have raised with the Minister. I want to reassure them that the NTA is engaging regularly with Go-Ahead Ireland and other public transport operators in regard to any service provision issues on the PSO network, and the NTA is providing regular updates to the Department of Transport in regard to these issues. I can also confirm that, as part of the NTA’s contractual performance monitoring system with operators, issues of poor reliability and punctuality performance can result in financial penalties for those operators. As the Deputies have referred to, the NTA formally administers sanctions and penalties. The NTA also formally meets with Go-Ahead on a weekly basis to review performance-associated customer feedback and driver recovery plans, and it will continue to closely monitor the situation.

In respect of the specific issues being experienced regarding service reliability, the NTA has advised that it has raised these with Go-Ahead Ireland and will continue to monitor and engage closely with the operator in an effort to improve the situation. As Deputies have noted, penalties were previously applied to Go-Ahead Ireland for the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, amounting to €266,968 and €209,188 respectively. Furthermore, public transport operators are forecasting improvements in reliability in the coming months. This will depend on successful recruitment and retention of critical staff, and drivers, in particular. It is hoped that this will help to resolve the current reliability issues being experienced. I will ask the Minister to keep the Deputies updated in regard to the driver shortage.

Bus Services

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

This is similar to the previous topic. It is strange the two were not grouped. The matter concerns Go-Ahead bus services in my area, the 17 and 18 routes, and in other areas across the city. A mistake was made when these services were privatised in the first place, but we are not going into that today. If a schoolchild of 12 or 13 years of age is standing at 7 a.m. in the lashing rain, trying to go to secondary school in Rialto, and the bus does not turn up until an hour later, that is madness. The same happens week in, week out. There is nothing new in this. Despite contacting Go-Ahead previously and despite the services pre-Covid being this bad, it has continued. These are radial services and any other journey would double the time. What is happening now is that most people are abandoning these services, which means they are unviable, and they have to rely on other services.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

The level of service that is provided by Go-Ahead for the people I represent in north County Dublin is nothing short of disgraceful. Buses are being cancelled at the very last minute and no explanation is being sent to passengers. This means people are missing appointments and they are late for work and late for school. It is happening constantly. We have contacted Go-Ahead I do not know how many times and the answers we get are of absolutely no comfort at all. I very much welcome what the Minister of State is saying in regard to recruitment but the company seems to be recruiting some of the most delicate drivers I have ever heard of. The level of sick leave and Covid seems to be disproportionately impacting the workers in Go-Ahead, and the Minister of State might want to look at that. The simple fact is that Go-Ahead is not delivering on its contractual obligations. That is the bottom line: it is being paid to deliver a service and it is not delivering that service. The question for the Minister, were he to be in the House, is what he is prepared to do about it. We do not need a description of the problem because we know what the problem is. We want to hear from the Minister or the Minister of State what it is that they are going to do to resolve this.

Deputy Réada Cronin

I also want to talk about the Go-Ahead bus service, in my case the 120 service in north Kildare. It is the bane of workers’ lives in north Kildare. Workers are out in the cold at the crack of dawn, waiting for a bus that does not turn up, that just disappears, that is late or that is too full and will not let them on. I know of several workers in north Kildare who are on late warnings from their employer and one on a final late warning because of the 120 bus and the absolutely appalling Go-Ahead service. In particular, when we have a Green Party Minister as the head of the Department of Transport, and with climate collapse at our doorstep, it is unbelievable to think that we are depending on the private sector to provide a public service. I will leave it at that because I only have a few minutes and that is because four of us from the Sinn Féin Party are here to bring up the Go-Ahead service. It is a disgrace.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

The poor standard of service provided by Go-Ahead is a very significant issue and we can see that across the board. My colleagues here this morning have given their own accounts but, in truth, as my party's transport spokesperson, wherever Go-Ahead operates, I have heard of problems from Sinn Féin Deputies, Senators, councillors and local area representatives. It could be that the 184, 185, 45A, 238, L52, 115, 120, 33A or 33B - the list goes on. Anywhere it operates, there are these challenges. We know there are challenges but it is weasel words from the NTA that there are problems in the sector because there is a particular and pronounced problem with Go-Ahead. In my own area, the 270 is a connecting route from Dunboyne that people use as part of their journey to school, work and hospital appointments, and it lets them down time and again without warning. Go-Ahead must be held to account.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to discuss further this issue.

I understand that, similar to the issue raised by Deputies McAuliffe and Devlin, this matter relates to ongoing service delivery issues with bus services provided by Go-Ahead Ireland and the urgent need to address these. The Department has responsibility for policy and overall funding in respect of public transport and is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services nationally, including those PSO routes in Dublin currently operated by Go-Ahead Ireland and other operators. It is the NTA that has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of public transport services contracts and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators.

The majority of PSO bus services are provided by Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann through what are known as direct award contracts, with the remaining routes being operated by Go-Ahead Ireland. The Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. The recently agreed budget 2023 helps to support this objective and is a further positive development for public transport passengers across the country. We have extended the 20% fare reduction on PSO services so that everyone will benefit until the end of 2023, we have extended the 50% reduction available to young adults on PSO and commercial bus services until the end of 2023, and we are supporting new and enhanced bus and rail services throughout 2023. These are all part of the €563 million funding package to support PSO services. This package is significant in the context of providing accessible and affordable transport options.

Regarding the specific question on ongoing service delivery issues with bus services provided by Go-Ahead Ireland and the urgent need to address these issues, the NTA has advised that it is closely monitoring the performance of all public transport operators as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. The service reliability issues being experienced by Go-Ahead are not unique to that operator, with many operators in the public transport sector facing similar staffing challenges as a result of Covid-19 absences and the recruitment of new drivers. However, while these staffing issues are being experienced across the public transport system, it is also true that Go-Ahead is particularly impacted by them and is experiencing higher-than-normal levels of Covid-19-related staff absences. These absences are having a knock-on negative impact on the delivery of services, with a number of services not operating as scheduled.

The NTA is engaging extensively with Go-Ahead on this issue. Go-Ahead has told the NTA that it will have the full complement of drivers in place by December.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Maybe the Department should be involved in the day-to-day operation of Go-Ahead, given that neither Go-Ahead nor the NTA can deliver the service that it has promised. This does not have to do with Covid or staffing issues. These problems have existed from the start, particularly on the 17 and 18 routes in my area. They have always been known as a joke, but parents have to rely on them if they are going to work in one direction and their kids are going to school in another. In the case of a woman who wrote to me last week, her kids were going to a bus stop at 7 a.m. to try to get to Coláiste Eoin and Coláiste Íosagáin, which are her closest schools and supposed to be on a direct route, but they cannot get there. Other people cannot get to their hospital appointments or doctor appointments and others are being challenged at work because they cannot get to work.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

The 33A, 33B and 102 routes are vital links in my constituency, linking Malahide to the airport, Malahide to Swords and Skerries to Swords. People rely on these services but they have been left at the side of the road. They have a choice at that point - to miss their hospital appointments or be late for work or to get into their cars and drive. If something is not done about this, we will be forcing people into a situation where they will either be constantly late for work - the Minister of State knows what the consequences of this are - hospital appointments or school, or they will be forced into their cars. That is not acceptable.

I am disappointed. When I asked the Minister of State what she proposed to do about this, she gave us a long-winded description of the problem. We know what the problem is. We want to know what she is prepared to do about it.

Deputy Réada Cronin

It was an unsatisfactory reply. I cannot go to constituents in Prosperous, Clane, Straffan and Celbridge with it. There is no way that the Go-Ahead contract should be renewed. The Minister of State mentioned in an earlier reply that Go-Ahead would have the full complement of drivers by the end of December, but the time to have the full complement was before it applied for the contract so that it knew it could fulfil that contract. This shows that we cannot depend on the private sector to deliver public transport.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

Where is the Minister? This question has been asked repeatedly. Taxi drivers, hauliers and the aviation sector have given up on him as Minister for Transport. We had a two-hour debate last week and he was not present for a single minute of it. This debate on public transport has been held repeatedly in the Chamber, but the Minister has been present for none of it.

December is no time to have this issue addressed. It needs to be addressed now. Contracts are up for extension at this time, but they should not be extended.

Deputy Réada Cronin

Hear, hear.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

Will the Minister of State give a commitment that the contracts will not be extended if the necessary staffing complement is not in place? That commitment needs to be given.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I will raise the issue with the Minister again. I assure Deputies that the NTA is engaging regularly with Go-Ahead Ireland on the service provision issues currently being experienced on the PSO network. The NTA is also providing regular updates to the Department of Transport on these issues.

Regarding poor reliability and punctuality performance issues, they can and have resulted in financial penalties for operators. As part of the performance monitoring process, penalties were applied to Go-Ahead Ireland for the fourth quarter of 2021 and for the first quarter of 2022 at €266,968 and €209,188, respectively.

Regarding the specific issues being experienced with service reliability, I assure all Deputies that the NTA has raised these matters with Go-Ahead Ireland and will continue to monitor and engage closely with the operator in an effort to improve the situation. I have no doubt that the Minister will keep Deputies up to date on the driver complement up to December.

Nursing Homes

Deputy Colm Burke

I wish to discuss the need for additional supports for private nursing homes. As the Minister of State is aware, 16 private nursing homes have closed over the past 12 months alone. There are more than 30,000 residents between public and private nursing homes. Approximately 7,000 of them are in public nursing homes, with in excess of 23,000 in private ones. The cost base of each nursing home varies, but the average for a public nursing home is approximately €1,650 per bed per week whereas the average for a private nursing home is in excess of €1,100 per bed per week.

I will cite a study done on a nursing home. In 2020, the wage and salary costs there were €710 per bed per week. In quarter 2 of 2022, they were €864. Direct costs increased from €56 per bed per week to €71 and the cost of lighting and heating increased from €17 per bed per week to €55. According to the analysis of this single nursing home, the overall cost increased from €912 per bed per week in 2020 to €1,134 per bed per week in quarter 2 of 2022. That was an increase of €222. Additional supports are needed. Importantly, they must be introduced early.

There is an issue that many people are not aware of, in that private nursing homes are paying for a number of items that are not paid for by public nursing homes. Despite that, the public nursing homes' cost per bed per week is in excess of €1,650. For example, commercial rates are paid by private nursing homes whereas public ones do not need to pay them. The average cost of commercial rates for a 50-bed private nursing home is more than €40,000 per annum. That cost is substantially higher in the Dublin area. Some €40,000 per annum is going to the local authority from a private nursing home whereas the public sector is not required to pay.

Likewise, there are a whole host of costs, including light and heat. The cost of wages in order to retain staff is extremely difficult. If we want to prevent further nursing home closures in the next six months, additional supports need to be put in place at the earliest possible date.

When a person is admitted to a private nursing home, there is an assessment of the fee that will be paid and the supports the person will get under the fair deal scheme. I understand that does not vary even if the patient needs a greater standard of care two or three years later, whereas in a public nursing home that changes. Public and private nursing homes provide the best standard of care to their patients. It is extremely important that we put in place the additional supports at the earliest possible date.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler. The Government is conscious of the financial challenges faced by the nursing home sector, in particular inflationary cost increases. The Department of Health is bringing forward appropriate responses.

The Minister of State is aware that a number of nursing homes have closed this year. The closure of any nursing home reduces bed capacity and puts pressures on other local health and social care facilities, including acute hospitals. Ensuring the welfare and safety of residents is secured when a nursing home closes is the most important thing and work to alleviate the concerns of residents must continue. There is a legal requirement that providers must give at least six months' notice to HIQA if they intend to close. This provides residents, families and the public health authorities the appropriate time to respond efficiently.

As of 10 October, 16 nursing homes had closed, or had officially notified HIQA of their intention to close, since the start of 2022. Over the same period, four new nursing homes have opened. Gains in capacities this year have been effectively offset by the closures. However, the Minister of State understands more capacity is expected to come on stream before year-end. It is imperative that nursing homes manage potential cost pressures in line with regulatory and contractual responsibilities, maintaining the quality of care so that the residents' lived experiences and comfort are not affected.

The Minister of State announced, prior to budget day, that her priority over the past weeks had been to secure additional funding for budget 2023 to ensure the continuation of all services to high standard. Long-term residential care will be supported through €47 million in additional funding for the nursing home support scheme, NHSS, to maintain services and manage inflationary increases.

The Government has provided substantial supports to the private and voluntary nursing sector over the course of the pandemic. As the Deputy is aware, the Covid-19 temporary assistance payment scheme, TAPS, has been in place since the start of the pandemic and over €144 million has been made available to date under the scheme. The scheme has now been extended to the end of 2022 and will be refocused on inflationary energy costs, while continuing to support nursing homes that experience Covid-19 outbreaks. Details have been finalised and these will be communicated in the coming days.

A €100 million inflationary fund in the Department of Health was announced in the budget, which is a once-off payment designed within the Department. It will be rolled out before year-end to nursing homes. In addition to TAPS, direct support has been provided by the HSE to private nursing homes in many areas, including the provision of PPE, serial testing and support with staffing. In response to the strategic workforce challenges in nursing homes and healthcare sectors, a cross-departmental strategic workforce advisory group has been established. The group has worked to a tight timeline and is currently finalising a report which will outline a set of recommendations for the consideration of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler.

In the time I have left, I wish to advise the Deputy that I will bring his conversation on what public patients are receiving compared to what private nursing homes, on average, receive to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. He spoke about his constituency. The average in my constituency for public nursing homes is €1,450, whereas the private providers are lucky to achieve €1,100. There is a clear disparity between what is received in the public and private sectors. To be very fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that is why she secured €47 million in funding and will go back into negotiations.

Deputy Colm Burke

I thank the Minister of State. I very much appreciate the work Deputy Butler has done since she became Minister of State to ensure funding is available. The current pressure means that nursing homes would like if the Department came forward with proposals at the earliest possible date.

We are discussing the opening of four new nursing homes, but 16 have closed. The major change that is coming is that there are currently 760,000 people aged over 65 years but within eight years that figure will be 1 million, an increase of one-third. If we are using the same comparable, we technically need 40,000 nursing home beds by 2030 if we want to increase the number of places by the same proportion. I am not saying that we necessarily need to go down that road. We also need to ensure we have adequate supports in respect of home care.

I have come across a few families in the past number of weeks where family members have been in public hospitals for over six months, despite the fact that they should be in a nursing home. No nursing home is prepared to take on particular patients. The cost per bed per week in a public hospital is around €7,500 to €8,000. It is something we need to examine. We also need step down facilities within hospital grounds. We have a significant problem with respite care and, as a result, people stay in hospitals for longer. Step down facilities within the confines of hospital grounds mean that people can leave a hospital bed and enter a step down bed. The cost of running such facilities is lower which means there is a saving to the State. It is something the Department should take on board.

It is important that we try to put in place additional supports for the private sector at the earliest possible date to ensure that we do not have any further closures over the next few months.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

Ensuring the welfare and safety of residents is secured when nursing homes close is the most important thing. They and their families remain the continued focus of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. Maximum prices for individual nursing homes are agreed with the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, following negotiations based on NTPF cost criteria. It carries out this role independently and there is no role for Ministers or the Department in these negotiations.

Aside from the script from the Minister of State, I genuinely think the NTPF needs to consider inflation, the cost of living and the crisis of retention in the sector. To be honest, while I know there is no role for Ministers in the NTPF, it would be great if it listened to Ministers and articulated the need to take on board the cost of living, inflation and the retention crisis. We know the biggest costs for nursing homes at the moment are food, energy and the wage retention.

However, the Department has made significant additional support available to nursing homes, predominantly through the €144 million paid out under the temporary assistance payment scheme. The scheme continues and will now be refocused towards supporting inflationary costs, as well as helping nursing homes mitigate Covid-19. A budgetary uplift of €47 million has been secured for nursing home funding in 2023. That has to be welcomed. It is a positive indication of funding that will go into the NTPF and the workload the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has taken on to address this matter.

Given the importance of nursing homes and the NHSS to the wider health and social care sector, with a budget of over €1 billion and over 22,000 residents supported, it is essential that policy measures are examined with due care in order to ensure that Government objectives are delivered and to avoid unintended consequences. I will take what the Deputy said about step down facilities back to the Minister of State.

Perhaps we should be giving more respite beds to the nursing homes so that they can facilitate people in the community.

Crime Prevention

Deputy Jackie Cahill

This is not the first time I have stood in this Chamber to talk about crime. I want to make a few specific points about the escalating situation in County Tipperary. Last Thursday night there was a large public meeting in Moyle Rovers GAA club, which illustrates the growing public concern about the levels of crime and criminal activity.

The first point I want to make relates to the Garda Commissioner's decision to remove a chief superintendent from Tipperary. We have always had a chief superintendent based in Thurles. The county is 140 km long, stretching from Portumna to Carrick-on-Suir and for the Garda Commissioner to suggest that Tipperary does not need a superintendent is ludicrous. Obviously, this will result in a reduction in the resources being deployed into Tipperary because we will not have a chief superintendent fighting our cause at the Garda Commissioner's table. I cannot understand how a county the size of Tipperary can be left without a chief superintendent.

I am sure the Minister of State will say that this is an issue for the Garda Commissioner and is not within the Minister of Justice's remit but at the end of the day, we are elected by the people. For the Garda Commissioner to decide that a county the size of Tipperary, stretching from Mullinahone to Limerick Junction and from Portumna to Carrick-on-Suir, does not need a chief superintendent is just not on. This decision has to be revisited and addressed. My understanding is that the chief superintendent has moved from Thurles in recent days and has been relocated to Limerick.

The other issue I want to raise is our trespass laws. We have a growing problem with people going around rural Ireland and getting up to various activities in rural areas. Gardaí say that they do not have the power to do this or that to tackle it. We need to strengthen our trespass laws. If someone is found on property without good reason, he or she must be prosecuted and the penalties need to be much more severe than they are currently. People are going around rural areas under various umbrellas, including walking dogs and so on. Illegal hunting is also going on and is a very significant issue. There are gangs with lurchers going around, engaging in illegal activities. They are going around and gathering information which is definitely contributing to the crime spree. I was talking to a man this morning whose tractors were emptied of diesel the other night. Another constituent is being constantly called to by people who are going around the area on leisurely walks. She is so afraid in her home now that she is sleeping in an outhouse. She is convinced that she is going to be broken into and believes that if she is in an outhouse, at least she will be able to get away from these gangs.

We need extra Garda resources and the legislation on trespass must be improved and strengthened. If people are found in a place where they have no right to be, the penalties must be severe and serve as a proper deterrent against marauding gangs in rural areas. In the past six months I have seen an increase in the number of people contacting my constituency offices who are seriously concerned for their safety. We need to start with our trespass laws. Furthermore, having no chief superintendent in our county is ridiculous. Those two issues must be addressed.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne. It is important to say that often Ministers make commitments before Topical Issues are tabled and cannot change them. That is why I am here.

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising these issues in the House today. Rural communities deserve to be, and to feel, safe. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of An Garda Síochána or the Department of Justice but is a whole-of-Government responsibility. The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, whether they live in, work in or are just visiting a community are safe and feel safe and can enjoy all that the community has to offer.

High visibility policing is a crucial element in improving feelings of safety in communities. As the Deputy will be aware, An Garda Síochána has been allocated a record €2.14 billion for 2023. This funding includes provision for the recruitment of up to 1,000 new Garda trainees and more than 400 civilian staff in 2023. Budget 2023 also includes a €5 million increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána to over €100 million. These budgetary measures will support high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Deputy will appreciate, of course, that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of Garda business and for determining the deployment of An Garda Síochána resources throughout the State. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends to ensure their optimal use.

The Deputy may be aware that on 30 September An Garda Síochána launched this years' winter phase of Operation Thor, the Garda operation designed to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight in winter months. Since Operation Thor was first introduced in 2015, burglary and related offences have steadily declined and figures show that there has been a 36% reduction in the rate of such offences when compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019. To date this year, there have been 6,100 residential burglaries reported, compared to 10,297 during the same period in 2019.

The Department of Justice is also delivering a range of measures, under its Justice Plan 2022, to improve community safety across the State, including three pilot local community safety partnerships that will build upon the existing joint policing committee, JPC, structures to provide a modern, fit-for-purpose forum for community safety concerns. The partnerships have a broader membership than the existing JPCs, including youth, new communities, voluntary sector and State agencies, such as An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Tusla and others. Nationwide roll-out of the partnerships is scheduled for January 2024. The Department is also drafting new legislation, including the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, which represents the largest reform of policing in the State in a generation and will give effect to many of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Another measure is the community safety innovation fund, which has an initial outlay of €2 million this year, increasing to €3 million under budget 2023. This fund will encourage the development of innovative ways to improve community safety from the people who best understand local community safety needs. The Department also published a rural safety plan, which is available on gov.ie/justice. The plan, which was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, at this year's National Ploughing Championships strengthens and enhances community safety initiatives.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Justice is in contact with the Garda Commissioner on an ongoing basis on concerns relating to criminal behaviour and community safety Indeed, she met him only yesterday, 11 October, accompanied by her colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, and she will continue to prioritise this continual engagement. I will raise the items Deputy Cahill has raised here today with the Minister, namely, the lack of a chief superintendent in Tipperary and the trespass laws in the context of illegal hunting.

Deputy Jackie Cahill

The trespass laws most definitely need to be strengthened and not just in the context of illegal hunting. Anyone found on property who has no right to be there should face far more severe penalties. Rural crime is not the only issue in my county. There are also problems with anti-social behaviour in town centres, including Ballina, Nenagh and Clonmel. I have had numerous complaints in the recent past about anti-social behaviour. Our battle against drugs is the greatest challenge facing modern society. I want to see more Garda resources being put in place to tackle this scourge on modern society. I am not here to criticise gardaí. They are doing the best they can with scarce resources. We need more resources because drugs are becoming a very significant problem. They have an enormous impact on mental health and, unfortunately, on suicide rates. Anti-social behaviour in towns is a significant issue. Old people are frightened in their homes and that is a situation that we cannot allow to continue. Greater Garda resources and a greater Garda presence are the only way we can hope to combat that fear. I thank the Minister of State for her reply but we have a serious hill to climb.

We have to address these issues. We have to tackle drug abuse and those dealing in drugs. We have to face up to it. It is now an issue at every crossroads. In the past drugs were an issue only in the major urban centres but that day is long gone. The abuse of drugs is happening in every corner of our country. I want to see greater Garda resources put in place so we can really get to grips with the situation and bring to justice those who are profiting from people's misery, making serious money from it and bring the full brunt of the law to bear on them.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank the Deputy again for raising the issue. As I have already outlined, the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs. We had an unprecedented allocation of more than €2.1 billion in budget 2023. Garda numbers are at the highest level with 14,283 members and 3,117 whole-time equivalent Garda staff nationwide as of 31 August. Since the lifting of the moratorium on Garda recruitment in 2014 a total of 4,000 new Garda recruits have attested and been assigned mainstream duties nationwide. I can confirm to the Deputy that the Tipperary division has, as of 31 August, which is the latest date for which figures are available, 399 members of all ranks assigned. This is an increase of more than 12% since the end of 2015 when there were 354 members assigned to the division. In the period from 2017 to 31 August 2022, 875 Garda members have been reassigned to operational roles under a Garda reassignment initiative. A further 306 posts have been identified as suitable for civilian roles and redeployment. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, welcomes the progress, which demonstrates An Garda Síochána's ongoing engagement on the programme for Government commitment to remove gardaí from non-core duties to allow them to focus on policing matters, thereby prioritising visible policing in rural and all communities, as the Deputy has mentioned.