Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Nov 2022

Vol. 1029 No. 4

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Hospital Overcrowding

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

Before I begin, I acknowledge the passing earlier this week of Vicky Phelan. Although she was born in Kilkenny, Vicky was a Limerick woman and a tremendous advocate for women's health. Her honourable request was that action be taken immediately on cervical checks. We are all obliged to do so as parliamentarians.

Last month, University Hospital Limerick asked members of the public not to attend the emergency department unless absolutely necessary. Nobody would attend the emergency department in Limerick unless it was absolutely necessary because people could end up staying there for 30 to 60 hours before being seen. Last month, University Hospital Limerick was under huge pressure. We are now in the winter months and the number of people being treated on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick remains high. By autumn, we had already seen the total number of people treated on trolleys exceed the number in the entirety of 2021. Halfway through November, 767 people have been treated on trolleys. As I am sure the Minister of State is aware, Covid-19 and seasonal flu presentations will put additional pressure on staff at UHL. Record numbers are being treated on trolleys, and high numbers are presenting to the emergency department. None of this is new to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, or to previous Ministers. I have outlined this situation to them for seven years, since I was elected, but it seems to get worse rather than better each month.

One would have thought the HIQA report, following its visit to the emergency department of UHL on 15 March, would have spurred the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, into reacting. He is well aware that in three of four categories in which it was measured, the hospital was found to be non-compliant. Despite this damning report, the issues continue. The emergency department continues to see high numbers of presentations. The University Limerick Hospitals Group advised that, in 2021, there were 76,473 presentations, and projects that the number will increase by 4% by the end of 2022. This is a huge stress on the functioning of the hospital. Of those 76,473 presentations in 2021, 8,720 waited for more than 12 hours to be treated. Not only is that a significant inconvenience for these people, it is also unsafe. It is worth reminding the Dáil, as I have said on numerous occasions, that the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in the UK notes there is, on average, one excess death per every 67 patients waiting in an emergency department for eight to 12 hours.

The vast majority of staff, including porters, kitchen staff, ambulance paramedics, doctors and consultants do an exceptional job in this impossible situation. However, staff cannot continue to work this way. Patients need to have more dignity when, unfortunately, they need assistance at a hospital. I am concerned that if the situation continues, we will have avoidable deaths and accidents. I have been contacted almost daily, as I am sure have other public representatives in the mid-west, by patients and their families about the treatment of their loved ones at the hospital. We have all had reports of dementia patients being able to leave the hospital and go missing. We have had feedback from others that they simply cannot get a response from the hospital when they try to call for updates on their loved ones.

The hospital is short by at least 68 non-consultant doctors, as the Minister confirmed to me in a parliamentary question, and by at least 200 beds, as the report states. Filling in these gaps would only bring the hospital on par a with hospitals of a similar size in the State. The Deloitte report went further and found that an additional 302 inpatient beds and 63 daycare beds are needed by 2026. It also outlined the demand for additional staff in the emergency department, with 83% of beds allocated to those who presented through the emergency department. A new 96-bed unit is under construction but it will only offer 48 additional beds, with half of the stock replacing old beds. Will the Minister of State outline what contingency plans are in place for the coming months so that seasonal presentations can be managed and staff have the opportunity to work in decent conditions? Will the Minister of State confirm if the Minister has planned for it all?

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

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, so I will keep to the script.

I recognise the long-standing interest of the Deputy in the development of healthcare at University Hospital Limerick and the entire mid-west. We are all familiar with the difficulties faced by UHL. It was in consideration of those difficulties that the Minister visited the hospital in February this year. Following that visit, he requested an HSE expert team to review the day-to-day functioning of the emergency department in UHL. The HSE's performance management and improvement unit, PMIU, led an intensive engagement with the hospital group and mid-west community healthcare organisation, CHO, throughout the summer in response to the Minister's concerns and the findings of the HIQA report published in June this year. The PMIU worked with UHL to support and oversee the implementation of rapid improvements in services in the region. These measures include a renewed focus on hospital avoidance, patient flow and discharge planning, and regular and frequent assessment of patients with long stays in hospital.

In addition to the review requested by the Minister, UHL commissioned Deloitte to review and advise on unscheduled care and patient flow in the hospital. This review was published in September. Its key recommendations include the opening and staffing of the acute medical assessment unit on a 24-7 basis and the recruitment of an additional 20 non-consultant hospital doctors, four emergency medicine consultants and dedicated paediatric nursing staff. They also include a review of health and social care professional staffing levels, an additional 202 acute beds and 63 day beds by 2036, and improved access to primary care through additional places for GP training schemes and expansion of GP access to diagnostics.

In addition to this work, the Minister launched the 2022 waiting list action plan, as the first year of a multi-annual approach to reducing waiting lists and waiting times. The €350 million funding allocated to the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, this year has been primarily focused on providing additional public and private activity to reduce waiting lists, but also to lay the foundations of important multi-annual reforms that will deliver sustained reductions in waiting lists. This work will continue in 2023, with €443 million allocated to tackle waiting lists, including €123 million in funding for delivery of the HSE waiting list action plan, €150 million for the NTPF to procure additional capacity, and €90 million for additional short-term measures to address acute scheduled care waiting list backlogs.

There has been significant investment in infrastructure in UHL in recent times. Work has commenced on a new four-storey, 96 single bed acute inpatient ward block. In 2021, a new 60-bed modular ward block opened. This follows the completion of two separate rapid-build projects constructed in response to the Covid-19 emergency, which provided an additional 38 inpatient beds on site at UHL.

I would like to assure the Deputies that the work under way to address capacity issues at UHL will make a significant difference to patient experience at UHL. The Department of Health continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure UHL is fully supported and that the necessary improvements are actioned in a timely manner.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

I thank the Minister of State. The reality is there has been a catastrophic failure of the hospital. The situation cannot continue in the current manner. Yesterday I spoke to a woman whose husband is in UHL. After days in the emergency department, ED, he was sent to the ward. The sheets on the bed he was given were filthy. His young son who visited him later left the room because he could not stand the smell. This is simply outrageous. We deserve much better than this. Under the current management, crisis has become normal. The perpetual crisis at the hospital demonstrates that the management team is not up to the task. A new approach and a new team are needed. Patients deserve much better than they are getting. Simple things do not work in the hospital. People do not have blankets when waiting in the emergency department. They are cold and hungry. The toilets quite often are not cleaned properly. These are simple things that can be fixed.

Pandemic bonuses were announced in January and still thousands of workers remain without them. These are people who took the risks in our hospitals when the rest of us were able to shelter at home. I would like to mention one positive note. That is the introduction at the hospital of the pathfinder programme. It is a welcome addition which it is to be hoped will deflect some of the elderly patients away from the ED without compromising their care. This should lead to improvements in waiting times at the emergency department while removing the possibility of infection for those elderly citizens who otherwise would have to sit in the ED waiting room. However, as is always the case in this hospital, it is too little too late when it comes to action and health.

The recent report I referred to earlier commissioned by the UHL group requires a proper Government response. It has detailed what we already knew, namely, that we have an overcrowding and capacity issue at UHL. It is time for the Minister for Health to step up and address the capacity in a much better way than he has been doing up to this. Staffing and management issues at the hospital need to be addressed as well. An additional 48 beds will not solve the problem. We need a minimum of 202 beds. There is no tackling the crisis at UHL unless we get to grips with this. The people of Limerick and the mid-west will continue to suffer in the emergency department due to Government inaction and a failure to act and invest with the proper money, resources and staffing we need.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I again state that the Government, along with the Department of Health, remains fully committed to improving services in Limerick and throughout the country. Significant efforts are being made to ensure the issues, such as overcrowding in the emergency department and delays for elective care at UHL, are being addressed as a matter of priority. As I noted, following the Minister, Deputy Donnelly's, intervention earlier this year, the performance management improvement unit of the HSE immediately engaged with the hospital group and the CEO under the HSE performance accountability framework. This is to provide the intensive support needed to ensure the necessary improvements in services for the region are achieved. These measures include a renewed focus on hospital avoidance, patient flow and discharge planning, and regular and frequent assessment of patients with long stays in hospital. This work, along with the broader efforts and the considerable funding made available through the waiting list action plan, will provide significant assistance in addressing capacity issues at UHL and across the hospital group.

The Government is fully aware of the impact overcrowding and hospital capacity issues have on patients and their families in the mid-west. I assure the House that intensive efforts are under way to address the difficulties currently facing UHL, and those efforts will proceed as long as required. The Department of Health will continue to work with the HSE to ensure support for the improvement of services for all patients attending the hospital.

Disability Services

Deputy Holly Cairns

A group of young adults in Beara, west Cork, need a bus to access training and day services in Bantry, which is more than an hour's drive for some of them. These are incredibly important facilities that not only offer education but also give them social, emotional, and employment opportunities. This issue initially arose during the summer when the need became apparent. However, it became clear that Local Link in the area did not have the resources to provide this service. Two groups very generously recognised the need and enabled a temporary solution. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Beara West Family Resource Centre stepped in where the State had failed. The young people themselves are making weekly contributions from their disability allowance. Besides the fact it should not fall to local civil society organisations to pay, it is a temporary fix that is only in place until Christmas. Now the young people, their families and colleagues are deeply worried about what will happen in the new year, which is only weeks away.

In the words of the people themselves who are now using the service, "We are now at crisis point." It is clear that funding must be provided by the Government. In a letter I received from one of the young people she explained that:

The uncertainty associated with my future is causing me and my family great stress, anxiety, and sadness. We are overwhelmed and unsure of where to go next.

At the end of the letter she stressed:

I am very concerned about what will happen in January, I do not know how I will be able to continue in education without support.

This group's case highlights the need for an integrated approach to disability. It is not only about the services but also about being able to access them. This problem is even more pronounced in rural Ireland, as the Minister of State will be aware. Bantry has incredible facilities, with the National Learning Network, RehabCare and CoAction offering a fantastic range of training courses and day services. However, people have to travel a considerable distance to get to them, especially people living on the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsulas. In this case the local community and organisations have gone above and beyond. While this is welcome, it is a public service that should be provided by the State. Especially jarring is that these young people who are living on fixed incomes through disability and related payments have to pay towards the bus themselves. People in similar situations in larger towns and cities can avail of free public transport, so this now becomes a matter of inequality. The existing public transport routes do not offer the buses at suitable times every weekday, meaning that a bespoke service is the only option.

These young people have a right to access education and support, which includes transport. We have examined these issues at the Committee on Disability Matters. In fact, when the National Learning Network from Bantry appeared at the committee, the importance of transport arose. The network representatives highlighted how they regularly have to fight for transport and work with public bodies and private companies to come up with solutions. There is no good in having a service if people cannot access it. This is about joined-up thinking. Cork Local Link has been working with the stakeholders and public representatives in trying to solve this, but ultimately it comes down to resources. There needs to be funding for this service. Will the Minister of State personally look into this, please?

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am told by the HSE that a number of young persons with a disability attend both the RT programme and day services in the Beara area. An arrangement has been in place for a number of years between RehabCare and Local Link for these service users living in this area to be collected in the morning, brought to their service and brought home in the evening. This is because the geographic location is rural and there was no existing transport service in place via the National Transport Authority, NTA, at the time.

Unfortunately, the HSE has said it is not aware of any difficulties with this existing transport arrangement for these service users accessing RehabCare services. As a result, officials in the Department of Health made contact with the Department of Transport on the issue. In an update provided through the NTA rural transport programme, the TFI Local Link Cork office confirmed that the service in question is a long-standing one and is a HSE co-funded service. However, TFI Local Link Cork says it is not aware of any issues with this service. For example, no passengers are being left behind. It confirmed that nothing has changed recently and no changes are being proposed to the service by TFI Local Link.

However, I know from local media reports and the fact the Deputy is raising the matter this morning that there clearly is some form of issue, which I hope we can address in some way here. It is important for me to note that it is disappointing for me to tell the House this morning that different agencies are seemingly oblivious to the potential issue when a quick Google search shows Beara West Family Resource Centre has flagged the issues with Local Link in Bantry, while parents have also approached Local Link in the area. There has clearly been a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line, which it is to be hoped we can resolve.

I am grateful for the additional information set out by the Deputy.

To be honest, my script has changed four times in the past 24 hours because we have been trying to get input from the various agencies. We sorted it out this morning on Google. We had to go to Google to actually see what is happening in Beara. I will take this up because I do not think people in their various offices realise the impact on young people with additional needs who are trying to get to their day services or rehabilitative training. The importance of this training is that it is their next step into paid employment. If we do not have the links in place, how can we expect to support families or young people with additional needs? The whole idea of the school leaver programme is to ensure we scaffold people to know exactly where the services are, how they can get to them and how those services can be depended upon, as opposed to having people in offices telling me yesterday and today they are not aware of any issues.

Deputy Holly Cairns

I thank the Minister of State for her response and engagement with this issue. She mentioned that people in west Beara have approached Local Link. I assure the Minister of State that I have also met with Local Link on this issue. It is doing everything it can to try to find additional funding support. At present, it simply does not have the funds to provide an additional service. It already runs free services for which it fundraises, including transport to addiction services in west Cork. I assure the Minister of State that Local Link is doing its level best. It just needs more funding to be able to provide this service. The young people concerned currently have a temporary service. It is a matter of saving it and its positive impact. In essence, the solution is ready and in place. It just needs the Government funding. I pay tribute to the young people and their families who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, in addition to the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul community and Beara West Family Resource Centre. They should all be acknowledged. The rural community has shown what is possible. It is now time for the Government to support it.

The integration of services is crucial. As the Minister of State mentioned, we have some of the highest rates of unemployment among disabled people in the EU and high levels of social exclusion and poverty. We need to do everything we can to support dynamic young people like these. Some of those who attend the National Learning Network in Bantry have an incredible success rate. Last year, 92% of the students there progressed to either part- or full-time employment or further education and training. That is an incredible figure, rivalling the universities in Cork. Enabling their access to this facility is not only about their rights; it is potentially life-changing.

This situation also underlines the need for improved public transport more generally on the Beara Peninsula. I do not know if the Minister of State knows this, but the Connecting Ireland plan would see Castletownbere being classified as a local route rather than a regional one, which would downgrade the entire connectivity of the Beara Peninsula, when we all know there are no public services there that people could access. This case provides clear evidence of the need for that to change. With dependable daily transport, these young people and others could access training, employment, day services, social outlets and so on. As the new year approaches, we need a solution to this matter. Given the emotion surrounding it, the sooner clarity can be provided, the better. I again thank the Minister of State for her response.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I ask her to bear with me as we get to the bottom of it. It is very clear from Google that the family resource centre raised in excess of €10,000 to keep the bus on the road. I will talk to the Minister for Transport over the coming days and engage with the NTA. It is also important to realise that, within disability services, I pay out more than €54 million a year to support transport. There is surely a way the Department of Transport and the Department of Health can work together to ensure that where there are more local areas, everybody who can attend services gets on the bus.

On paid employment, as the Deputy said, that education piece from transitional school leaving to the National Learning Network, the rehabilitative training programmes and on into paid employment are the opportunities we are talking about. They should not just be opportunities but a right for everybody, regardless of their geographic location, to be able to attend. I will come back to the Deputy.

Courts Service

Deputy Sean Sherlock

It has come to my attention in recent days that it is the intention of the Courts Service to move sittings of District Court No. 20 in Mallow, County Cork, and centralise those services in Cork city. I wish to express my grave concern at such a move, given that the District Court in Mallow serves a large geographical area that extends as far as the County Kerry border and north to County Limerick. If it is the case that the Courts Service's intention is to move District Court sittings to Cork city, it will have a massive impact on the administration of justice in the region I represent. I say that because Mallow hosts sittings in respect of criminal and civil proceedings on the first, second, third and fourth Tuesday of each month. It also hosts juvenile and family cases on the first Wednesday of each month and childcare and HSE proceedings on the second Wednesday of each month.

I am given to understand the sittings will move to Washington Street in Cork city. I am also given to understand that the Courts Service administration will be retained in Mallow. I am deeply worried that it is now Courts Service policy to centralise more and more District Court sittings. This is happening without any proper scrutiny of that policy. We are very limited in what we can do to scrutinise that. The only opportunity Deputies have to do so is to raise it as a Topical Issue matter because we are told the Courts Service is independent, as it should be. We acknowledge that and there is no question about it. There are issues, however, relating to the administration of justice. I am particularly concerned about the family courts and the seeking of specific orders. For instance, if a woman, and it is largely women, comes before the court to seek protection regarding a domestic or gender-based violence issue, that service will not be available at the most local level within the District Court. That person will now be forced to go to Cork city and may not be in a position to do so. I am genuinely worried - this happened in Youghal and is now happening in Mallow - that there is no scrutiny of what the Courts Service is doing.

I ask the Minister of State to use his good offices to intervene with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, if at all possible. The Minister has put particular emphasis on combating gender-based violence and has acknowledged the "stark", to use her word, domestic violence figures that exist in this country. If we remove the ability of people to get access to the courts at the most local level through District Court sittings and force them to travel further to seek justice and to interface with the administration of justice, that is a poor showing on the part of the Courts Service. I ask the Government at least to intervene to ensure the District Court sittings at Mallow will continue to be hosted there.

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Niall Collins)

I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who regrets she cannot attend for this matter due to a prior commitment.

On behalf of the Minister, I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on the issues he raised. As the Deputy will be aware, management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the Judiciary and the Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998, given the separation of powers in the Constitution. The Minister has no role in the exercise of Courts Service functions.

All that being said, it is the Minister's understanding that the Office of Public Works, OPW, commissioned a report in late April 2021 to identify remedial works required at Mallow courthouse. The project involves addressing and rectifying water ingress issues throughout the building in Mallow.

Defective elements include pitched and flat roofs, windows and parts of the exterior walls. The refurbishment will also include fire safety upgrades in line with modern building standards.

The works in Mallow are due to take approximately six months and the cost is likely to be about €1.2 million. The refurbishment works to Mallow courthouse will ensure the future of courts and court services in Mallow and surrounding areas. During the refurbishment period, the Courts Service in Mallow is opening a public office and counter at the courthouse in Fermoy town. This building has holding cells, consultation rooms, courtrooms and an office. It is planned that all sittings of the District Court will be held in Fermoy for the duration of the refurbishment works. All Circuit Court sittings will move to Anglesea Street courthouse in Cork city for the project's duration.

The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has been informed by the Courts Service that no staff will be in Mallow courthouse as the extent of the refurbishments will necessitate vacant possession for the builders. All counter queries and phone calls will be directed to Fermoy court office for the duration of the project. In the case of domestic violence applications, these will be dealt with by telephone initially and applicants can bring supporting information with them directly to the next scheduled court sitting.

Mallow courthouse plays a vital role in the local community and its refurbishment is to be welcomed. The Courts Service has embarked on a multi-year programme of modernisation to enhance the delivery of services to the people. This programme is focused on designing court services around the user, leveraging digital technology to streamline services and processes, and ultimately delivering a courts system which is more accessible to all. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is committed to driving the modernisation and Digital First agenda across the entire justice sector and particularly welcomes the commitment set out by the Courts Service in its corporate strategic plan 2021-2023 to maximise the use of digital technologies to provide an improved and user-centred service. In April of this year, the courts modernisation programme approved an additional investment of €3.1 million for a three-year programme to provide 54 more video technology-enabled courtrooms, in addition to 104 already in operation. Further additional funding of €2.5 million has been provided for the modernisation programme in budget 2023 to build on significant investment in the sector. I hope that clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

Deputy Sean Sherlock

I thank the Minister of State. I have received some comfort from his response in regard to the remedial works that are to be carried out. However, it was my firm contention, and perhaps I should have made this clearer, that it is about the loss of court sittings in Mallow. I contend it would have been very easy to provide alternative accommodation within the town of Mallow itself and not to have to send people further to Fermoy and Cork in respect of Circuit Court sittings. For instance, the Courts Service could have engaged with the local GAA club, which has ample facilities to be able to make provision for court sittings.

It is the loss of a service to a town. Although I acknowledge it is on a temporary basis, the fear is that once services get consolidated to another court, they do not return, and we have Youghal as an example. The Minister of State has given us some assurances but, whether the Courts Service listens to these debates or not, it is vital there is some sort of confirmation directly from the Courts Service that it is its intention, absolutely and utterly, to ensure our services will be returned to Mallow post the completion of remedial works.

I still need to interpret the words of the Minister of State in respect of the domestic violence provisions. I reiterate that it is about ensuring that where there is a Government policy specifically spearheaded by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in regard to combating gender-based violence, and with the Minister herself acknowledging the stark figures in regard to domestic violence, we do not put in place impediments for women in particular where there is a necessity to ensure the services are within their own town or as near as possible. I seek assurances those services will be returned.

Deputy Niall Collins

I again thank the Deputy for raising these issues in a genuine manner. It is obviously a concern to the Deputy and to any community if there is a fear of a loss of services. I am confident, given the initial reply supplied to me by the Department of Justice, that there is a clear intention to restore the existing level of service to Mallow once the refurbishment works have been carried out. I know Mallow quite well, although the Deputy knows it better than I do. Suffice it to say it is a significant population centre and it is a centre which should have the full services of the Courts Service available to the public and citizens of Mallow and surrounding areas that rely on Mallow for that kind of service.

The Deputy is right when he says the administration of justice, first, has to be timely but, second, has to be accessible. Unfortunately, many people who have to access the courts are vulnerable and one of the challenges they experience when having to access any service is travel and availability. Therefore, it is incumbent on the State and the Courts Service to retain the services. It would be proper for the Department of Justice to have the Courts Service confirm to the Deputy in writing that the full level of service which is now available will be returning post the refurbishment period.

Road Network

Deputy Joe McHugh

Gabhaim buíochas as an seans labhairt faoin ábhar iontach tábhachtach seo. Mar atá a fhios ag an Leas-Cheann Comhairle, tá na bealaí difriúil sa tír seo. Mar shampla, ina contae féin, tá an bealach mór ann idir Átha Cliath agus Gaillimh. I gcontae an Aire Stáit, tá bealach ann idir Átha Cliath agus Luimneach, agus tá bealaí eile idir Corcaigh, Port Láirge agus Béal Feirste. Tá bearna mhór ann faoi láthair san iarthuaisceart, idir Doire agus Átha Cliath. Sin an fáth gur ardaigh mé an cheist seo faoi na rudaí tábhachtacha seo.

The Minister of State is welcome. I am delighted he is here because I know that, as he represents Limerick, he will know the value and importance of connectivity. The things that motorists travelling from Limerick to Dublin will take for granted would be not to have cows on the road or tractors holding up traffic for 10 km or 20 km, which is the case in the north west. I appreciate the Minister of State being here. I ask him to use his influence in his position on two specific points, one being the A5. First, I acknowledge the commitment of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in regard to the shared island initiative, and there is reference to the A5 within the shared island programme. The Minister of State might update us on the public inquiry, which I believe is due to be held in January 2023, and it is hoped progress can be made after that. I also want to raise the issue of the trans-European transport network, TEN-T, bypassing Stranorlar and Ballybofey - the twin towns, the connectivity between Lifford and Letterkenny, and the Bunnagee link road. We have been waiting a long time for this companion link with the A5, for want of a different expression. It is important and it has to be delivered.

These points have been highlighted, emphasised and re-emphasised for a long time. We can offer a serious counterbalance to Dublin and become a serious net contributor to the overall economy. A new motorway through the north west will provide modern electric charging stations, assisting in the reduction of carbon emissions. We have to try to ensure both of these projects are brought along in tandem. I know there is a strong, dedicated team working between Donegal County Council and that the national roads design office, NRDO, is also working on a business case. The Minister of State might have an update on that and, if not, he might provide that at a later stage.

We have a new university in the north west. The Minister of State knows what has happened in Limerick over the past 20 to 30 years through having that university and having a strong presence of multinational companies and research and development.

We are looking to the likes of Cork, Limerick and Galway to see how we can build on that.

Connectivity is key. When directors from major companies come to Donegal, they have to travel on a road that is not up to scratch. That is not right in terms of positive conversations. We now have a lot of remote working and an emphasis on healthcare. In my next contribution, I will raise the issue of tourism, which I know is close to the Minister of State's heart. I ask for an update on the A5 today, if possible. When will the public inquiry happen in the North? I want to acknowledge the team of workers in the Department for Infrastructure in the North, which is very focused on trying to bring the A5 to fruition. How can we advance the business case that dedicated team is working on? Will we move the two projects in tandem? They are really important for the north west and would be a massive game changer.

Deputy Niall Collins

The Minister for Transport has overall responsibility for policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040 and the national planning framework, NPF.

In the new NDP, launched in October 2021, approximately €5.1 billion was earmarked for new national roads projects to 2030. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country, as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects that are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. Exchequer funding under the new NDP will also facilitate continued protection and renewal of our national roads infrastructure, including motorways, in line with Government policy.

The trans-European transport network, TEN-T, is a selection of strategic transport corridors throughout the EU that have been identified to play a key role in the mobility of goods and passengers through the EU. Three sections of the road network in Donegal have been prioritised for improvement and together they form the Donegal TEN-T priority route improvement project. The N15-N13 Ballybofey to Stranorlar bypass section consists of 9.5 km of mainline and 5.2 km of linking roads. Ballybofey and Stranorlar are connected via a multi-span arch bridge carrying the N15 over the River Finn. The N56-N13 Letterkenny to Manorcunningham section applies to the N56 and two legacy sections of the N13 south through the townland of Lurgybrack, serving the Atlantic corridor, and east towards Manorcunningham, serving the main route to Derry, Belfast and Dublin via Northern Ireland. It consists of 6.3 km of mainline and 2.3 km of link roads. The N14 Manorcunningham to Lifford section project begins at the junction between the N13 and N14. The majority of the project is on the N14 which connects Donegal and Letterkenny to Northern Ireland, Belfast and Dublin, through the Border crossing at Lifford in Donegal and Strabane in Tyrone.

A peer review of the design and environmental assessment for all sections was held in September 2022. The project business case is expected to be ready for submission to the Department for approval at gate 1 of the public spending code in quarter 1 of 2023. The planning and implementation of the A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the authorities in Northern Ireland. As is the case in all such capital projects, the A5 upgrade scheme is subject to a planning assessment and approval process in Northern Ireland. Since 2012 there have been a number of legal challenges, which have led to unavoidable delays to the implementation of the proposed scheme.

In 2017, the Department for Infrastructure decided to proceed with the A5 scheme. However, the decision was challenged and the decision to proceed was quashed by the High Court in November 2018 when the Department announced it would no longer defend the case. Following the conclusion of the legal action, the Department for Infrastructure updated environmental assessments for the project and undertook further public consultations. Despite the delays which have taken place, the public inquiry will be reopened in January 2023.

Deputy Joe McHugh

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I wish to acknowledge the preparation of the officials in TII and the Department of Transport because they provided important information. The questions I raised were answered and I am grateful for that. It is important that the public start to believe this can happen because given all of the delays and false dawns regarding the A5, people have stopped believing in the project. It is important to send out a positive signal, and I thank the Minister of State for doing that today.

I thank the officials and, most important, the dedicated team in Donegal County Council which has worked hard on this for a long time. It is good to hear that a business case for submission under gate 1 of the public spending code will be made in quarter 1, which is just around the corner in 2023. This information is in the public domain, but it is good to hear in the Dáil that the public inquiry into the reopening of the A5 will happen in January 2023. I thank the Minister of State for providing that information.

I said I would mention tourism because it is the lifeblood of my county and requires connectivity. The Irish Hotels Federation, IFH, has a lobbying day today in Buswells Hotel and will raise issues around the criteria for energy cost supports, insurance and the 9% VAT rate. It is an area close to the Minister of State's heart and any support he can give to the lobby session today would be welcome.

I met Aisling Arnold, of Arnolds Hotel, this morning. Dunfanaghy has a small population, yet this one hotel employs 100 people. That gives us an idea of the significance and importance of tourism to many small towns and villages in our county. Aisling was very keen to point out that the business supports available during Covid kept that small independent business open. However, a number of challenges are coming down the track. Arnolds Hotel is celebrating 100 years in business this year and will hold celebrations in January. Having such a legacy of tourism in the county is important and it is important that we hold onto it. Anything the Minister of State can do on energy cost criteria supports, VAT rate, insurance and road connectivity in order to keep small independent businesses alive would be welcome.

Deputy Niall Collins

With regard to the A5, the funding arrangements have been governed by the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and implementation plan, A Fresh Start. Under this agreement, the Government is committed to providing funding of £75 million towards the cost of the A5 upgrade scheme once the statutory planning process in Northern Ireland has been concluded. The Government is committed to delivering on its funding commitment to the A5 project, which is also included in the New Decade, New Approach document of 2020.

Allowing for the time required for the conclusion of the public inquiry and all new decisions to be implemented, together with the possibility of a further legal challenge, the timeframe for the delivery of the A5 project is still uncertain. However, provision of £25 million is being made by the Department of Transport in 2023 to fund the scheme, should this be required.

Regarding the Donegal TEN-T projects, if approved at decision gate 1 of the public spending code, the next steps will be for work to commence on the statutory processes and the preparation of the project brief for the procurement strategy for gate 2 approval under the public spending code. On the benefits of the TENT-T projects, namely, the N13-N15 Ballybofey and Stranorlar project, through the provision of more efficient and safer journeys the project aims to enhance regional accessibility and improve connectivity and traffic flows to and from the north-west region. In addition, the project will improve the function and operation of road-based public transport locally and regionally. The project will provide significant active travel improvements through newly integrated cycle and pedestrian facilities and areas along the route will become more inviting for tourism. The project will reduce air pollution levels caused by the congested queueing of vehicles, traffic noise and the risk of watercourse pollution along the existing road.