I have a point of order.
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Let us see if it is a point of order.
Yesterday during Taoiseach's Questions, the Taoiseach said that People Before Profit-Solidarity Deputies were "puppets" for Putin's regime. I believe this to be an abuse of privilege and disorderly. It is a very serious allegation for a Taoiseach to make about Opposition Members of Parliament that they are agents of a foreign state, particularly a state like Russia.
That is not a point of order. The Deputy is entitled to raise the matter but what is he asking?
I am asking for the remark to be withdrawn in light of People Before Profit's very consistent record of opposition to Putin, the fact it is our co-thinkers who are in prison in Russia for opposing Putin's invasion of Ukraine and, while Bertie Ahern was shaking hands with Putin-----
No, we will not go into a discussion.
-----we were opposing the invasion of Chechnya.
The Deputy is asking for the comments to be withdrawn.
Yes.
This Parliament is the last bastion of democracy and free speech. The Deputies opposite feel free to make all sorts of assertions and allegations against Government Members on a consistent basis, whether we are puppets of oil and gas or of NATO, which is a constant assertion of Deputy Murphy and others. I will always retain the right to speak freely in this House. The far left does not get the right to frame the narrative in this Chamber. I will not withdraw it.
So the Taoiseach is not withdrawing that Opposition Members of Parliament are agents of a foreign power? That is incredibly authoritarian.
Thank you, Deputy. We are not having a debate.
It is genuinely quite chilling that the Taoiseach feels able to discount what we say and attempt to smear us by saying we are agents for Putin with no evidence whatsoever.
I have shown some flexibility on this. The Deputy has raised it-----
It is very serious. It is a real diminishing of democratic rights.
Thank you.
The Taoiseach is accusing Opposition Deputies-----
Deputy, we will not continue-----
-----because they do not go along with the Taoiseach's agenda of militarisation, of being agents of Putin.
Thank you, Deputy. Resume your seat.
It is quite shameful.
The Deputy has raised a matter of order but what he has asked is for the comments to be withdrawn and the Taoiseach is saying he will not withdraw them. There the matter rests for the moment. We will move on.
What remedy is there to be?
No, the issue has been dealt with at this point. The question has been asked and the comments have not been withdrawn. I am moving on to ceisteanna don Taoiseach.
National Risk Assessment
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:1. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment 2021-2022. [57547/22]
Ivana Bacik
Question:11. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment 2021-2022. [58886/22]
Brendan Smith
Question:12. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment 2021-2022. [58894/22]
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:13. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment 2021-2022. [59007/22]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:14. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment. [59148/22]
Mick Barry
Question:15. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment 2021-2022. [59220/22]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:16. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment. [59243/22]
Paul Murphy
Question:17. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the status of the national risk assessment. [59246/22]
Bríd Smith
Question:18. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach the status of the national risk assessment. [59250/22]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 11 to 18, inclusive, together.
The national risk assessment has been prepared since 2014 and provides an opportunity to identify and discuss significant risks which may arise for Ireland. The national risk assessment 2021-22 was published last December. The experience of recent years has brought home the importance of work in the area of risk management and preparedness. By promoting an open and inclusive discussion on the major risks facing the country, the national risk assessment plays an important role in this work.
Work is now under way on the latest version of the national risk assessment, and it is intended to publish a draft list of risks for public consultation in the coming weeks. This will provide an opportunity, as has been done in previous years, for stakeholders and Oireachtas Members to contribute to the development of the final report early next year.
Many of the proposed strategic risks will have been identified in previous assessments. However, there will likely be a number of new proposed economic risks, and a number of other previously identified risks will have evolved significantly in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and current cost-of-living challenges.
It is important to note that the national risk assessment is just one element of the overall system of preparedness and resilience planning for Ireland and is not intended to replace or displace the detailed risk management and preparedness carried out across Departments and agencies. It is, however, an important opportunity to reflect on strategic risks facing the country in the years ahead.
There are several contributors, so the Deputy has up to one minute.
One of the criticisms of the current national risk assessment is that it does not adequately provide for poverty-related risks and includes an inadequate analysis regarding social exclusion. Of particular relevance today is the criticism that forced displacement does not feature as a risk. It is mentioned only fleetingly in the analysis. Social Justice Ireland has observed that forced displacement, whether due to conflict or climate change, presents a serious risk for all countries.
Poverty, too, is dealt with only briefly and is certainly not acknowledged as a risk. It is a genuine risk. Over 11% of the population live in poverty, more than 160,000 of whom are children. If the Government agrees with Social Justice Ireland’s analysis that a thriving economy is not a goal in itself but a means to social development and well-being for all, surely the significant risks of poverty in Ireland should be given greater consideration.
There are just over nine minutes.
That is not my fault.
It is not my fault either.
I know. The way the questions are ordered is bizarre.
If there is a difficulty with the timing, there is a Business Committee to deal with it. I am operating according to the time schedule I have. Could we stick to it?
We all look forward to seeing the draft list of risks, which the Taoiseach said will be published in the coming weeks. I refer specifically to the enormous risks to Ireland and elsewhere posed by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which the Taoiseach has referred to. It poses an enormous humanitarian risk to so many people displaced by war as well as posing many economic, strategic and security risks. I am asking specifically about the risk to national security associated with the continued presence in Ireland of so many officials operating under diplomatic cover in the Russian embassy, Orwell Road. I am conscious the Government has already moved to expel some of them. I and others have called upon the Taoiseach to expel the Russian ambassador and indeed the other officials in light of the continuing brutality of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. I renew that request. Will the national risk register identify the real risk to national security associated with having so many officials in the Russian embassy, Orwell Road in Dublin?
For the past nine months, the world has witnessed the horror of the war inflicted by Russia on Ukraine. Apart from the loss of life and suffering, we have seen the adverse effect on economies and the hardship caused to families by cost-of-living increases. As we know, small and medium enterprises are the backbone of our economy and of particular importance in our smaller towns, villages and rural counties. Many of these enterprises, be they involved in retail, manufacturing, processing or distribution, are being crippled by increased energy costs. Substantial Government support has been made available and is appreciated by business. The Government will need to continue to ensure adequate and additional support will be made available, if needed, to assist small and medium enterprises, which are vital to employment, to remain viable in these turbulent economic times.
I want to ask the Taoiseach about the very serious risk of energy poverty faced by those who rely on district heating and who pay exorbitant prices for it. In one area of my constituency, residents estimate it now costs €12 to take a shower. Households are no longer taking showers as a result; they are washing with basins of hot water. They have no alternatives and cannot opt for another provider. They are in a prepay system. If in arrears of more than €10, they are cut out. This means some residents are now living without heat or hot water. This is extreme and cannot be allowed to continue. It needs to be addressed urgently. Replies I have received on this to date suggest the Government will take action in the coming months or even years, on the basis that there is no urgency. Will the Government, as a matter of urgency, act on this and ensure those in district heating systems and without access to heating or hot water at affordable rates will be protected?
I add my voice to what Deputy O’Callaghan has said about communal heating systems. This is an issue I have raised many times.
I want to deal with the risk posed by poverty. We know about the issues we are dealing with, the general cost of living and the absolute housing emergency. We must consider early family interventions and supports. While there are many good projects, we are very good in this State at coming up with pilots that work very well alongside families to bridge the gaps, but then, without adding resources, we just add a workload that cannot deliver. We know education and employment are the way to break poverty, but a very large number of people need to be given supports so the gaps can be bridged long before we talk about youth diversion or other initiatives. What has occurred represents an absolute failing of the State over many years. What I propose is something we need to do.
I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the very severe danger to people’s health because of the lack of fast and efficient medical assessments of people with housing needs. The lack of social or any other housing options is seriously jeopardising the health of very vulnerable people. I gave the Taoiseach some examples yesterday. Here are some more. One relates to a 59-year-old man with severe Alzheimer’s disease in a housing assistance payment, HAP, residency. He has been moved seven times in the past nine years. His doctors have specifically said he needs one location in which to live so as not to aggravate his medical condition. I received an email today from a couple with two twins. There are four young boys. The mother is getting cancer treatment, namely, chemotherapy, and she is also getting multiple infections because the family is living in mouldy, damp conditions. In all these cases in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, it now takes up to a year for the medical assessment to happen, never mind giving people places to live that are suited to their health conditions. Will the Taoiseach addresses this as a matter of urgency?
I raise the issue of adult education tutors who are denied a decent contract and therefore, incredibly, have to sign on for social welfare payments during the summer. They are uncertain about their hours and annual income. There is pay inequality for post-2011 entrants, no opportunity for progression and no pay rise after years of service. This has long been an issue, starting with the Workplace Relations Commission in 2014. In 2020, the Labour Court instructed the Department to make an offer to the workers. In July 2022, the Department promised it would make an offer before October, but there was still no offer from it then. The workers have had enough of the many years of begging and asking the Government to do the right thing. They have decided to protest this Friday at 1 p.m. outside Government Buildings.
I want to talk again about the risk to tenants who have to live in accommodation under reckless landlords. The tenants of Liberty Lane, Dublin 8, have for two years been paying €500 and €600 per month for a tin box with wires dangling around the kitchen area and bathroom area, and with two showers between 27 of them. Twenty-seven people now face homelessness in the weeks before Christmas. Would the Taoiseach join me in calling on the landlord, who is one of our own, to do the decent thing? Nowadays people go on about who is our own and who is not. He is one of our own, an Irish landlord who is putting at risk the lives of 27 people. There should be criminal negligence charges brought against him. Furthermore, I argue that every penny given to him in rent from the illegal unauthorised dwelling – a dwelling representing a fire safety risk – from which he profiteered, should be handed back to the tenants so they can at least find some comfortable accommodation before Christmas. I ask the Taoiseach to join me in calling on the landlord, Cathal Garrad, do the decent thing, hand back the money and face whatever consequences should be faced because of his activity.
Deputy McDonald raised the issue of poverty, and Social Justice Ireland also raised the same point. Overall, the national risk assessment deals with strategic risks facing the country from external sources, including hybrid threats, terrorism, armed conflict and war. These were identified for the period 2021 to 2022. Risks referred to include the rise of a multipolar world; the future direction of the European Union; Ireland’s relationship, after Brexit, with the United Kingdom; and armed conflict, terrorism and hybrid threats. The economic risks listed relate to economic scarring, economic risks coming out of Covid, the public finances, the financial system, labour shortages, and supply chain capacity. These are all the issues that were identified, along with environmental risks. Social risks include risks to social cohesion, which relates to poverty, and risks associated with housing and sustainable development. The risk assessment makes the point that each Department and agency will have to carry out more detailed risk assessments.
The Department of Social Protection, in particular, and the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform need to do that in respect of issues pertaining to poverty. We will be publishing information shortly on the strategic risks identified for 2022-23 and we will be engaging with the Oireachtas in that regard. We can discuss those issues in more detail, including the more global strategic risks to the country and the risks in respect of individual areas within the country, such as forced displacement and so forth.
Deputy Bacik raised the issue of Russian officials in Ireland. We do not get down to those specifics in terms of risks but we have expelled certain officials and we are advised by the National Security Committee on occasion in terms of potential risks to the country from external forces. Those issues are kept under constant review.
Deputy Brendan Smith raised the impact of the war on Ukraine on Ireland's economy and the energy crisis, particularly for small and medium sized enterprises. We are very seized of this matter. The temporary business energy support scheme will be announced shortly and we hope funding gets out to companies before the end of the year. We will keep it under review to ensure we keep jobs intact, especially in the domestic services sector and particularly in hospitality and retail, which are areas the Deputy mentioned, as well as other manufacturers and so on. We will keep an eye on that because we want to retain as many jobs as we possibly can in small and medium sized enterprises.
I will come back to Deputy O'Callaghan on his question about district heating systems, which was also raised by Deputy Ó Murchú. We are not talking about waiting months or years for action to be taken. The Minister is of a mind to come back quickly in respect of this. We cannot wait months or years.
Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of household poverty, which I dealt with. On early interventions with families, that would be an issue for the Department of Social Protection, other social services and housing services. They need to work with local authorities, Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in respect of early intervention and support services for families who are at risk and are challenged. There is a whole range of work that must be done at national level by Departments and agencies.
On Deputy Boyd Barrett's question, I do not know why it takes 12 months to assess somebody in the circumstances he outlined, for example, in the case of a cancer patient with children. That should not take 12 months.
People are still being asked for more information even though they have an oncologist's report.
A consultant's report should be sufficient or a GP should be able to give a confirmation in those circumstances. It seems to me that certain local authorities might have different approaches. The Deputy said a man had been moved seven times over the past nine years.
He has severe Alzheimer's disease.
We have to build more social houses, and we are building them. We are getting far more social houses built now, but there is room for local authorities to house people with medical conditions of that kind. Particularly in the situation the Deputy outlined, one would have thought a solution would be found by now for that individual.
I ask the Taoiseach to look into the matter.
I will do so. Deputy Murphy raised an issue in respect of adult education tutors. My understanding is that this would come under the remit of the education and training boards and it would take responsibility for it. The issue must ultimately be determined through the labour relations procedures and processes we have.
Deputy Bríd Smith raised the issue of tenants in Liberty Lane and the more general issue of landlords who are reckless. There is legislation dealing with those issues. Dublin City Council has moved to enforce the law. In situations like that, I do not want to prejudice the outcome of any case that may arise following the pursuance of this issue by the council. We should be in no doubt that accommodation of this kind should never have been offered in the first instance where there is a threat to tenants.
Does the Taoiseach agree the tenants should have the rent returned to them?
As I said, I am not going to prejudice the outcome of anything that may ensue here.
Questions Nos. 2 to 10, resubmitted.
Questions Nos. 11 to 18, inclusive, taken with Question No. 1.
Cabinet Committees
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:19. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of his Department's Covid-19 and health unit. [57548/22]
Ivana Bacik
Question:20. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [58884/22]
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:21. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health last met. [58896/22]
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:22. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will meet next. [58902/22]
Peadar Tóibín
Question:23. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [58941/22]
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:24. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [59150/22]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:25. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [59244/22]
Paul Murphy
Question:26. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [59247/22]
Gino Kenny
Question:27. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [59248/22]
Bríd Smith
Question:28. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [59251/22]
Mick Barry
Question:29. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health last met. [59316/22]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 to 29, inclusive, together.
The Covid-19 and health unit of my Department supports me and the Government in developing and implementing health policy and related matters and co-ordinating the Government's response to Covid-19. This includes supporting the work of the Cabinet committee on health, the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 and the associated supporting senior officials groups and structures. In addition, the unit provides me with speech and briefing material on health matters and Covid-19 for Government meetings, Cabinet committee meetings, Oireachtas business, attendance at events and engagements with a wide range of stakeholders, including representative bodies and members of the public.
The Cabinet committee on health oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments in regard to healthcare, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers the implementation of health reforms, including Sláintecare. The committee last met on 14 November. The date of the next meeting has not yet been set but the meetings are regular.
In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet committees, I meet with Ministers individually to focus on different issues. I meet regularly with the Minister for Health to discuss priorities in the area of health, including Sláintecare.
Budget 2023 provides the highest allocation of funding to the health and social sector in the history of the State. It is designed to facilitate better access to affordable, high-quality healthcare and to advance further our ambition for universal healthcare for all. The budget delivers on our commitment to continue to expand the core capacity of our acute hospitals by providing more health professionals and more acute hospital beds. It includes a €443 million funding package to treat tens of thousands of people on waiting lists and reduce the waiting times faced by all.
Among other eligibility measures introduced this year, we removed inpatient charges for under-16s and we will remove them for all patients in 2023. Next year, we will widen the eligibility for the GP card, which will allow many thousands more people to be covered. Additional eligibility measures include the provision of €10 million for access to IVF treatments, the expansion of the entitlement to free contraception to women aged 26 to 30 and, subject to legal advice and consultation, to 16-year-olds, and an allocation of €5 million to introduce free oral healthcare for children up to seven years of age.
Major increases in mental health services will be implemented, support for older people with a range of needs will be extended, and nearly €30 million in new funding has been allocated for expanded disability services. Coupled with these service improvements, we are also reforming how and where we deliver services. The enhanced community care programme continues to develop healthcare at a more local level, closer to where people live, thereby reducing pressure on hospital services. We will continue to advance these reforms in 2023, with work progressing on the establishment of six new regional health areas and on the elective care centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway. While it faces very serious challenges, our health system has expanded dramatically and is treating far more people and with better outcomes than ever before.
I have two questions. Will the Taoiseach give an explanation as to why the long Covid clinic at the Mater hospital in Dublin is to close? What is the basis for that decision, which seems deeply unwise?
Second, I refer to community disability services, which have been caught in a debacle around the transfer of functions from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The reality is that unless matters are resolved speedily, we will have a real crisis in the delivery of services. As the Taoiseach knows, €65 million in one-off funding has been agreed but, so far, the Ministers, Deputies Donnelly and O'Gorman, have not allocated those moneys. This has left the Taoiseach's colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, between a rock and a hard place. Community disability services will haemorrhage staff by year's end if this funding is not released. I spoke to one service provider that is looking at losing six staff members by the end of next month. That is how critical this issue is. Will the Taoiseach intervene on the matter?
There remains a chronic shortage of speech and language therapy and physiotherapy services in special schools, with the waiting time for assessment by community disability network teams now being counted in years rather than weeks or months. Will the Taoiseach confirm whether the funds allocated in the HSE budget under the progressing disability services, PDS, programme will be used to reinstate services in special schools? I continue to be contacted by parents about this. Are there emergency measures that can be taken to speed up assessments?
There remain serious problems with obtaining a primary medical certificate from the HSE to confirm severe or permanent disability. Many cases are coming to my office in which applicants have been declined without medical assessment.
Since the entire Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal resigned in November 2021, no new board has yet been appointed. I ask that this be addressed without delay and a guarantee given that applications for a primary medical certificate from the HSE will be properly assessed.
I wish to raise the issue of the resignation of a GP in Blarney with the Taoiseach, which Deputy Gould brought up with him earlier. I raised this issue this morning with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, as a Topical Issue matter. My constituency colleagues and I have all been written to and told that an interim arrangement for cover has been provided for public patients. I know this and Deputy Gould knows this but he continues to politicise this issue. That is wrong and I need to call it out for what it is. Many people are concerned, elderly people in particular, and they are worried about their service. The HSE has responded to us and I got the response again this morning in my Topical Issue matter that interim arrangements will be in place. The issue I want to raise is related to a programme that the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, is hoping to establish. It has doctors from non-EU countries, including South Africa, Sri Lanka and India, ready and available to come to Ireland. Can I get a commitment from the Taoiseach and the Government that they will support this pilot initiative in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 4 to bring those much-needed GPs to our shores?
There remains a particular focus in the Cabinet subcommittee on health on the recruitment of people into the health and disability services. Cope Foundation in Macroom was to have a seven-day-per-week service to support clients and their families. While that was approved, it is still not possible to deliver it because Cope Foundation has not recruited people. Similarly, there is a serious situation with care assistants and home help workers, in that up to 20% of posts in the Cork and Kerry region remain vacant. These are vital services to support people who want to live at home and in their communities in order that they can avoid hospital. It is also an issue of backing up carers. It is an issue that is constantly raised with me in my office by people who are approved services but who cannot find people to deliver the service. The HSE has confirmed that there is a particular issue locally in Ballincollig, Dunmanway, Macroom and Millstreet, where it is struggling to recruit home help workers. Can the Cabinet subcommittee bring a particular focus or plan to ensure that community services continue to be provided?
When the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, offered free CervicalCheck screening, after the CervicalCheck scandal broke, 4,088 women received inaccurate test results or experienced delays in the issuing of letters as the result of an IT glitch at Quest Diagnostics. This week, three years and three months after the recommendation was made by the MacCraith report, the HSE has confirmed to RTÉ that conversations are ongoing with a small number of women as part of this continuing care. What does this mean? I have asked the Tánaiste and he said the Minister will come back to me but the Minister has never come back to me on this. What does "a small number" mean? Does this small number of women have cancer? Do any of these patients have a terminal illness? Has there been open disclosure in each of these cases? Have any of the delays in speaking to them affected their ability to treat their cancer or their survival chances? It is extraordinary that three and a half years after that recommendation of the MacCraith report, none of this information was forthcoming until we in Aontú raised it last week. Can we have the details today?
The following is a message from a student nurse:
I myself am a student nurse working 39hours on placement for free and having to work 2 days on top of this to earn money and i am honestly burnt out. Most student are doing over 60hors a week. It is costing 9euro a day in parking alone without including petrol and lunches. To add even more to this disappointment, I am yet to receive the thousand-euro nurses' bonus promised to us in June. something needs to change to help our health system and it is not for the lack of nurses training, it is the treatment we receive that people leave Ireland seeking better conditions.
She particularly asked, as do her colleagues, what has happened to the recommendations for an enhanced reimbursement scheme for student nurses arising out of the McHugh report and other recommendations, including the provision of uniforms and a payment for the cost of laundering uniforms and so on. It must be remembered that we have record numbers on trolleys. We have the highest number of patients on trolleys on record for this month of November. When we treat our student nurses in this way, is it any wonder we cannot get the staff we need in the health service?
In the same vein, I want to say this is the worst November on record for the trolley crisis. It is the last day of November today and it is the worst November on record. It has also been the warmest November on record so God knows what we will face when the weather gets really cold. We need to look at the health service in a very serious light. Figures tell us that in comparison with the EU, we have 2.7 beds available per 1,000 of the population, while the average in the EU is 5.7 per 1,000. Yet, our expenditure per capita is many times higher than most EU countries. There needs to be an entire review of what is going on in the HSE and the health service. In particular, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, which we all agree with, it is vital that the HSE focuses on recruitment, retention, accommodation and capacity for nurses and doctors as a matter of urgency. This applies to the mental health services as much as it does to children's health and general hospital care.
The Taoiseach previously told me the Government has a health-led approach to tackling drug addiction. There will be a test of whether the Government means that. Deputy Gino Kenny has brought forward a Bill to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis. All personal drug use should be treated as a harm reduction matter and not a criminal one. This Bill is a necessary step, it will begin a conversation and it will provide a stepping stone for a more progressive drugs policy in Ireland. The truth is the war on drugs simply does not work. If the Government is serious about reducing drug addiction, then the answer is to launch emergency interventions to combat poverty and deprivation to tackle the housing crisis and the crises of service provision. Will the Government support our Bill to decriminalise the personal possession of small amounts of cannabis? Can the Taoiseach confirm when the citizens' assembly on drugs will be taking place?
Families across the country who lost loved ones in nursing homes in the course of the Covid pandemic are calling for a human rights-led public inquiry. Among them are constituents of mine who lost loved ones at the Ballynoe nursing home. These families are calling and campaigning for the introduction of safeguarding legislation that would cover all care settings. They are calling for staffing-patient ratios in nursing homes to be mandatory and set at a mandatory minimum rate. They are also calling for all records to be made available to families without delay. I support the calls and campaign of these residents and I would like the Taoiseach to comment on the issues they are raising.
Deputy McDonald raised the issue of the long Covid clinic at the Mater. I do not have the reasons here but the Deputy is suggesting it is closing. I will make inquiries with the HSE on what is happening there and what the background to the situation is. In the notes I received earlier, the indication was that this clinic is still operating. On the transfer, I have spoken to the relevant Ministers and Ministers of State and my understanding is we can bring that to conclusion relatively quickly with the transfer of disability service functions from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth because substantial additional funding has been made available for disability services for 2023. We want that funding and the additional services provided as quickly as possible and I will revert to the House on that issue when it is brought to a conclusion.
Deputy Bacik raised the issue of special schools and the provision of therapy services within them. We will convene a meeting of the Ministers responsible for education, health and children in respect of disability services. I have said to the HSE that we want therapists restored to special schools. The progressing disability services programme is a different philosophical approach and model of care. It might be more accurate in dealing with disability services but one of the consequences of that was taking therapists out of special schools. We need a multidisciplinary approach within special schools. That has been agreed and is being worked on by the HSE in the restoration of therapists to special schools. There is a broader recruitment process under way in disability services more generally.
I will come back to the Deputy on the medical board of appeal. The appointments should have been made by now. My understanding is that there would be moves on that front.
I thank the Taoiseach.
I note what Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan says. It does not augur well if people are coming in knowing the solution to the problem they raise. What he is saying is that he clearly has it in writing that the HSE has already organised interim GP arrangements for the catchment area. Deputy Gould raised it earlier. I thought the implication was that it had not but it is clear now that it has. All Deputies have been informed of that. That is progress. I appreciate Deputy O'Sullivan alerting me to that.
I will examine the issue of doctors from Zimbabwe, South Africa and other locations with the ICGP. I would be supportive of being able to facilitate that in terms of the general shortage. I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of it. I have not seen the proposal yet. I will follow that up with the Minister for Health. In the healthcare area generally, work permits are provided to allow people to come into the country. This is an Irish College of General Practitioners initiative, which means that the college is supporting it also, and that would give an added credibility to it and would be an important endorsement.
Deputy Aindrias Moynihan raised recruitment to disability services. I do not know whether the Cope Foundation has advertised for the position in Macroom, but there is an issue generally. More people have been recruited to the health service in the past two years than in previous years. It has been quite dramatic. Never before have so many people been recruited, but there remains a specific issue for recruitment of therapists to services for children with disabilities. Other services across the full spectrum of services within the HSE and within the health service more generally tend to have more success in getting therapists. The disability sector for children is problematic and it needs a specific focus, which we have said to the HSE. That covers Ballincollig as well as Macroom.
I came across a home help the other night who is not working her full hours. We have expanded the home help hours dramatically and existing home helps should be availed of to the fullest extent possible by the HSE if they are available. That point was made to me.
I will follow up on Deputy Tóibín's point but I did not quite catch it. Did he say there is an ongoing conversation between the HSE and some women in respect of the IT glitch highlighted by the MacCraith report?
Yes, the MacCraith report recommended that there would be communication with the 4,088 women who were affected by the glitch, but many were not contacted and we do not know what is happening there, three and a half years later. The Tánaiste did say the Minister for Health would come back to me but he never came back to me.
I will follow that up with the Minister for Health and come back to Deputy Tóibín on it.
Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of student nurses. Again, the €1,000 has been paid to healthcare staff.
It has not been paid.
My understanding is that it has been allocated by the HSE, which stated that all healthcare staff have been paid. I do not know the specifics of the case. If the person was working in the service in the past two years, albeit as a student, my understanding is that the payment would have applied to her. Again, the degree programme-----
I am sure she is not lying to me.
-----involves placement. That is part of the programme, which I launched in 2003 when we moved from an apprenticeship model to a degree programme. It has been transformative in terms of the nursing profession more generally.
For the information of Deputies, we have nine minutes left for the next round of questions and we still have three Deputies waiting for responses. I draw that to their attention. The clock is running on the next lot of questions.
I do not think we will be able to give the full time to the next set of questions.
Deputy Bríd Smith raised the trolley crisis and bed capacity. We have improved bed capacity by close to 1,000 beds in the past two years, which is quite significant in itself, but we need to expand more. Post Covid, we have increased ICU beds and critical care beds significantly. Recruitment is the big issue within the HSE.
Retention is the problem.
We are recruiting more people – nurses and doctors.
In particular for nurses.
The number of nurses has gone up significantly in the past two to three years.
Half of the beds in Linn Dara have closed because psychiatric nurses cannot afford to live in Dublin. There is a real problem with retaining nurses.
If Deputies keep interrupting, we will not get to the next round of questions at all.
Deputy Paul Murphy raised a health-led approach to drug addiction, which I do support. I have not examined Deputy Gino Kenny's Bill in detail, but the relevant Minister will, and the Minister will then come back to the Government in respect of a recommendation on it. The broader point is that from a healthcare perspective, treatment and treating addiction is a core issue for those who are addicted to drugs more generally. We must acknowledge that drugs do cause harm. We cannot resile from that either. We must examine the provisions of the Bill and what they are designed to do. More broadly speaking, we favour a healthcare-led approach. I hope we can get the citizens' assembly on drugs established early in the new year, following completion of the one on biodiversity, which has sought a couple of weeks' extension. The Citizens' Assembly on a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin is more or less completed. We are in a good position to proceed with the citizens' assemblies on drugs and education early in 2023.
Deputy Barry raised the public inquiry in respect of nursing homes. Again, at this stage I would not be minded towards a statutory public inquiry, but I know the Minister for Health has established a public health reform expert advisory group on the lessons that can be learned, an evaluation of how we performed in the pandemic, incorporating the lessons learned into a continued response to Covid but also, potentially, future pandemics and general preparedness on the public health front. We do need a wider evaluation from the country's perspective of how we manage Covid-19, covering all aspects of it, because that again would enable us to gain from the experiences of the Covid period.
We have very little time left. I continue and ask for the co-operation of Deputies on whether we can complete the next round of questions. I am conscious that there are no Taoiseach's Questions next week.
Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
Neale Richmond
Question:30. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the recent US congressional delegation. [57757/22]
Brendan Smith
Question:31. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the recent US congressional delegation. [58895/22]
Seán Haughey
Question:32. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with the US congressional delegation. [59154/22]
Ivana Bacik
Question:33. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the recent US congressional delegation. [58888/22]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:34. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the US congressional delegation. [59254/22]
Paul Murphy
Question:35. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the US congressional delegation. [59257/22]
Mick Barry
Question:36. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the recent US congressional delegation. [59317/22]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 to 36, inclusive, together.
On 10 November, I welcomed a delegation from the US House of Representatives for a courtesy meeting at Government Buildings. The delegation was led by Congressman Bill Keating, a member of the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber. Congressman Keating was accompanied by Congressman Brian Higgins and Congressman Juan Vargas, all recently re-elected members of Congress. The delegation was visiting for a four-day programme in Ireland and Northern Ireland, which included a number of economic, civil and community engagements, with a particular emphasis on education and social inclusion. At my meeting with them, the delegation was accompanied by the US ambassador, H.E. Claire Cronin.
Our discussions covered a broad range of issues including the political situation in Northern Ireland, prospects for implementation of the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, international support for Ukraine and the outcome of the recent mid-term elections in the United States, as well as Ireland-US bilateral relations. We also discussed cybersecurity, data privacy, and the global energy crisis. Congressman Keating and the other members of the delegation expressed their firm commitment to peace, prosperity and progress in Northern Ireland. They accepted that there are genuine concerns about aspects of the implementation of the protocol among some parts of the community in Northern Ireland, but shared our assessment that these can be addressed through substantive good-faith engagement by the United Kingdom with the European Union.
We noted the decision of the British Government to introduce legislation to delay the need to call elections in Northern Ireland and welcomed the space this creates for reaching agreement solutions that facilitate the formation of an Executive. We also discussed the programme of work of the shared island initiative since its launch in October 2020, including its aim of building a shared island agenda, fostering inclusive civic dialogue, commissioning research on the future of the island and delivering beneficial all-island investment projects, backed by a shared island fund of more than €1 billion. I expressed my appreciation for the continued unequivocal support of the US Administration and both Houses of Congress for the peace process and for the Good Friday Agreement. This has been of enormous value over decades and reflects the deep and historic ties between our countries.
As the Taoiseach is aware, the Senate and House of Representatives have consistently passed motions unanimously reaffirming their support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. All those motions have referred as well to the need to ensure that this international agreement is not diminished in any way as a result of Brexit. They have outlined clearly the parameters of a potential British-US trade agreement. In all engagements with US politicians, be it from the President to members of his government or with Members of Congress, we must always emphasise the urgent need to make progress on regularising the status of the undocumented Irish in the US.
The best estimates are that there are fewer than 10,000 people but the overwhelming majority of those Irish people are working, paying their taxes, rearing families and contributing very well to US society, yet they do not have residency status. We need to make progress in that regard. President Obama brought in legislation but, unfortunately, it was rejected by the US Supreme Court. Subsequently, the House of Representatives passed a motion but it was delayed at the last minute. We need to have that legislative agenda moved on again.
It is clear the EU and the US agree on many foreign policy issues since the election of Joe Biden as US President, particularly as regards Ukraine. As far as Ireland is concerned, we enjoy close ties and historical bonds with the US. Irish people follow US politics closely, including the recent mid-term elections. In this context, I pay tribute to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on her upcoming retirement from politics. She was a great friend and ally of Ireland.
The US has an important role to play as regards Brexit, the Northern Ireland protocol and the protection of the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement. Several US politicians have stated that there can be no free trade agreement between the EU and the UK unless these issues are resolved. Does the Taoiseach agree it is very important for the Government to continuously press its case on Capitol Hill, because there is no doubt other parties coming from a different perspective are also doing this?
At the Taoiseach's recent meeting with the US congressional delegation, were the ongoing human rights abuses in Iran raised and, in particular, was there agreement on international action to be taken against the Iranian regime on the basis of its dreadful ill-treatment of protesters there? On that note, will the forthcoming proposal to reopen the Irish Embassy in Tehran be reviewed? This has been raised in this House previously, and the Taoiseach and others indicated that the idea the Government might even contemplate reopening an embassy in Tehran, Iran, would now be under review in light of what is going on there.
Last Monday week, Mahmoud al-Saadi was shot in the stomach as he made his way to school by the Israeli occupying forces while they were conducting a raid on a refugee camp in Jenin. He is one of 47 children who have been murdered by Israeli forces just this year, as well as a massive escalation that has claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians.
When the Taoiseach met the US congressional delegation, or whenever he talks to his American counterparts, does he ask them the very simple questions as to why they continue to arm the Israeli State to carry out these criminal and murderous actions against Palestinian people, why they continue to give billions of dollars in military aid and why they continue to veto every effort to bring sanction against Israel for its crimes against innocent children going to school and being shot down by murderous Israeli forces?
I want to give my time to expand on the point of order I raised earlier. I have studied the Salient Rulings of the Chair and I believe the Taoiseach was clearly out of order in describing Deputies Boyd Barrett and Barry and me as puppets of Putin. Salient Ruling 417 states, "Member may not say that another Member is taking orders or instructions from outside interests or is representing or speaking for such interests". It is clear that was the smear involved in the comment "puppets for Putin's regime". Salient Ruling 413 states, "If an allegation impugns the character, integrity and good name of a member it must be withdrawn". Salient Ruling 412 states, "Chair protects Members against innuendo, insinuation and allegation". I am asking the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to instruct the Taoiseach to withdraw those remarks.
I was in Westminster a couple of weeks ago with the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Westminster is pushing ahead with its Troubles legacy Bill, which will give amnesty for the murder of Irish people. Before the Taoiseach leaves office, will he say to the British Government that the Irish Government will take it to the European Court of Human Rights if it proceeds with that Bill?
I was also in Washington with the Good Friday Agreement committee, speaking to senators and congressmen and women. They expect to come to this State for the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next April. All the political views in the North at the moment expect there is going to be no Executive in place on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Will the Taoiseach start the process now of changing the manner in which the Executive works so that it cannot be crashed or stopped ever again? That work has to happen now; otherwise, we are going to bust through the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement with no functioning Executive.
The context of the meeting, for all Deputies, related very much to Northern Ireland, the Brexit issue and the protocol, and their commitment to underpinning the Good Friday Agreement and making sure that the United Kingdom gets an understanding from us and also from politicians in Northern Ireland as to the issues relating to the protocol itself. We never lose the need to continue to raise those issues.
Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue concerning the undocumented Irish in the United States. We have been close previously to getting a resolution to that issue, falling short by just one vote on one occasion. We will continue to pursue that because it is very difficult for those who are undocumented.
I agree 100% with Deputy Haughey in regard to pressing our case on Capitol Hill and the need to continue to do so, because others also press their case and we need to keep the Irish perspective on these issues to the forefront of legislators’ minds on Capitol Hill and those of American representatives on both sides of the aisle, as well as that of the US President. I concur with the Deputy regarding the fulsome praise he gave to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on her intentions to retire from politics. She has been a great friend of Ireland and has been steadfast, loyal and supportive of the Irish cause on Capitol Hill. She has also been very influential on the protocol issue and on trade issues more generally, as the delegation was also.
Turning to Deputy Bacik's questions, we did not discuss in great detail the human rights situation in Iran, although we had a general discussion about the global situation. On the issue of the embassy in Tehran, I would advise some caution. We might need to have a debate in the House about diplomacy more generally and what we mean by it. Diplomacy is not an endorsement of a regime. If we were to base policy on whatever transpires in a given country at a given time, we might end up ending diplomatic relations on a number of fronts. I think that perhaps we need to give a bit more thought and reflection on the purpose of opening diplomatic channels. In the context of our broader understanding of the world and of how the world works, our diplomatic network is very important and gives us insights into what is happening in various societies across the globe, as well as serving the needs of Irish citizens in different locations around the world through consular services and so on. There is an issue we need to examine and I would respectfully put that forward as an issue meriting more reflection and debate.
To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, we do raise human rights issues in respect of Palestine. We have been very forthright-----
With the Americans.
Yes. We have been very forthright with all interlocutors on the UN Security Council. António Guterres stopped me two years ago and thanked me for Ireland's role on the UN Security Council regarding Palestine. We are known internationally for always raising the issue of Palestinians on the international stage. I have been consistent in my condemnation of any attacks on Palestinians and particularly the killing of innocent Palestinians, and likewise the killings and attacks in Jerusalem and the attacks on civilians in Israel, which are wrong as well.
Should the Americans stop arming them?
In respect of Deputy Paul Murphy, I again make the point that he and others have constantly made all sorts of allegations and assertions against me and against others in the Government and he seems to have no issue with them at all. In the context of debate within the Chamber, it is important we do not try to suppress debate-----
He did not accuse you of being a puppet of a different state.
The Deputies accused me of being a puppet of NATO, essentially-----
No, we did not-----
We said you wanted to align with NATO.
The Deputies did so on repeated occasions. In any event-----
The Taoiseach should stop lying.
I know the implications. They have associated us with all sorts of killings and so on. By the way, I do not deny the Deputies' right to say things. I have never attempted to interfere with their right to say things. I cherish the right to free speech---
The Taoiseach is abusing his privilege. He holds the position of Taoiseach. He is accusing people of being the equivalent of foreign agents.
---and I think the Parliament is a bastion of that. We need to be careful now of going too far in trying to suppress a legitimate debate in the Chamber-----
I am not trying to suppress the debate.
-----and that would be my assertion of what Deputy Paul Murphy is doing.
Will the Taoiseach please withdraw his remarks?
In Deputy Tóibín's case, we raised the issue of the proposed amnesty in the legislation and we will continue to do that. There is engagement going on between the two Governments.
It is moving ahead.
On the Executive, the current election has to be vindicated. People have voted so the structure should stay. Then, if it is restored, we should certainly consider reform for the next one.
It will be an empty anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement if there is no Executive in place.
We have gone way over time. I have been more than flexible. I have let the debate run on to get all the questions in. I am conscious that there is none next week.
An issue has been raised. To clarify, the Taoiseach has been asked to withdraw the comments. He has clarified that he is not withdrawing those comments.
That is correct.
Okay.
I ask the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to consider whatever the process is with the Ceann Comhairle. The Taoiseach is clearly in breach.
There are two things. The comments were made yesterday. No one asked to have them withdrawn yesterday. In that time, the Taoiseach said it was in the rough and tumble of politics. That was accepted yesterday to a certain degree. The Deputy came back today legitimately and asked for the questions to be withdrawn. He came back a second time during a question, which was possibly inappropriate. I hear what has been said. The Taoiseach said it is in the rough and tumble of politics. Allegations have been made on both sides. I am going to leave it like that for the moment. The Deputy asked us to consider it; I hear that. We are over time.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar
www.oireachtas.ie
.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 2.12 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 3.14 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 2.12 p.m. and resumed at 3.14 p.m.