An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

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

I move:

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee (without debate)

- Motion to Instruct the Committee on the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021 (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately prior to Report Stage of the Bill)

- Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021 (Report and Final Stages) (to be taken no earlier than 3.50 p.m. and to conclude within 3 hours)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re Mortgage Interest Relief Scheme, selected by Sinn Féin.

Thursday’s business shall be:

- Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of application for Private Bill (without debate)

- Statements on Nursing Home Charges and Disability Allowance Payments (not to exceed 210 mins)

- Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 (Second Stage, resumed) (if not previously concluded, to stand adjourned either at 6.35 p.m. or 1 hr and 20 mins after the conclusion of Statements on Nursing Home Charges, whichever is the later)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re Emergency Housing Measures, selected by the Labour Party.

Announcement of proposed arrangements for this week's business:

In relation to Wednesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the time for Government business shall be extended for the purposes of allowing the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021 to conclude, with consequential effect on the commencement time for private members' business;

(ii) oral Parliamentary Questions pursuant to Standing Order 46(1) to any Minister other than the Taoiseach shall not be taken; and

(iii) topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of private members’ business;

2. the Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion to Instruct the Committee on Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately prior to Report Stage of the Bill but, in any event, no earlier than 3.50 p.m.; and

4. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021 shall be taken no earlier than 3.50 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice.

In relation to Thursday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) no private member's Bill pursuant to Standing Order 160 or motion for a Committee report pursuant to Standing Order 102 shall be taken, and private members' business pursuant to Standing Order 159(1) and Standing Order 169 shall be taken for two hours on the conclusion or adjournment of Second Stage of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022; and

(ii) topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of private members' business;

2. pursuant to Standing Order 29(3) and notwithstanding anything in Standing Order 39, the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of application for Private Bill shall be taken without debate immediately following Questions on Policy or Legislation;

3. the Statements on Nursing Home Charges and Disability Allowance Payments shall not exceed 210 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 200 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time; and

4. the resumed proceedings on the second reading motion of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 6.35 p.m. or 1 hour and 20 minutes after the conclusion of the Statements on Nursing Home Charges and Disability Allowance Payments, whichever is the later.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is it agreed that the proposed-----

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

It is not agreed. The Attorney General has published his report. There is nothing terribly surprising in it but it is disingenuous of the Taoiseach to describe the treatment of vulnerable citizens as merely an historical phenomenon. The political choices that were made by successive governments are very much contemporary. The Attorney General has set out the legal stall from his point of view. I have a question for the Taoiseach, however.

Will he, this week, avail of the opportunity to make a comprehensive statement about his actions and political decisions regarding nursing home charges and disabled persons? Likewise, will his colleagues in government the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, the Minister without Portfolio, Deputy McEntee, and his predecessor as Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly, make themselves available to the Houses of the Oireachtas to explain the political decisions, which in the end are what all of this is about? The Attorney General advises-----

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy is way over time.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

-----and members of the Cabinet decide. The Taoiseach has very significant questions to answer on these matters from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and, let it be said, others, including those within the Labour Party.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

Will we see a debate very soon on the proposed introduction of a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies, as families and households are grappling with severe hardship and poverty? A Barnardos report has disclosed really shameful levels of parental sacrifice because of poverty. It is obscene to see Shell reporting a profit of $40 billion for 2022, its highest in 115 years. BP's profits have doubled to £23 billion. We have called for a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies. The Government is committed to reviewing this. When can we have a debate on this? When will we see Government proposals on it? We need to see action taken on these obscene profits of energy companies at a time when there is so much hardship around the country.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

The cost-of-living crisis is spiralling. Independent surveys have put the rate at 16% over the past three months. We are only 20 days from the end of February, as the Taoiseach knows, and many of the supports are to run out. Therefore, we need a debate in this House. The members of the Cabinet seem to be all over the place and there are mixed messages, with the Green Party not wanting to continue with the supports for fuel. Eighty-eight percent of fuel in this country is fossil fuel. Let us face it and be honest. The cost of living, including the cost of groceries, must be borne in mind, as must the tourism sector. People need certainty above anything else. While the Government dithers and squabbles, people are suffering. Their mental health is suffering and they are going to food banks. That is the reality on the ground. People need to know whether the supports will continue beyond the end of February, the shortest month of the year, and they need certainty.

The Taoiseach

I will take the questions in reverse order. The Government will make a decision on the cost-of-living supports roughly around the middle of the month, hopefully next week if not the week after.

On the windfall tax, I will have to speak to the Minister for Finance. However, we are bringing in a windfall tax and intend to use the money to help businesses and families struggling with the cost of living.

On the question of making a statement on the matter Deputy McDonald raised, I will not be able to do that this week. I will be on a plane to Brussels in a few hours' time because I have to attend the European Council meeting and nobody can substitute for me. However, I am in this House twice a week and will be happy to answer any questions the Deputy has on any of those matters to the best of my ability. Where decisions I have made were correct, I will explain why. If they were wrong, I will say they were wrong.

An Ceann Comhairle

Are the proposed arrangements for this week's business agreed to? Agreed.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

I hope the Taoiseach and his colleagues, rather than answering individual questions, will make a comprehensive statement on these matters.

The levels of child poverty in the State are absolutely unacceptable. We have seen the worsening situation for workers and families laid bare in a report by Barnardos, published this morning. The Taoiseach is probably familiar with its key findings. One in ten parents have used a food bank over the past year. That is double the rate for last year. One in five parents have not had enough food at some point to feed the children. Twenty-nine percent of parents are skipping meals so their children have enough to eat. This is Ireland in 2023, on the Taoiseach's watch. Families were already saddled with out-of-control rents, heating bills and so on. Child poverty, food poverty and wider poverty can be resolved but only if there is political resolve to do so. This is an issue that impacts not only families in receipt of social welfare but also families with one or both parents working. What package will the Taoiseach consider to include a living wage?

We need a spring bonus for social welfare recipients.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy is way over time.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

We also need further supports in respect of energy costs. Will the Taoiseach put together such a package and, if so, when will he announce it?

The Taoiseach

Levels of child poverty in Ireland are too high. They had been falling for several years on the Government's watch. I am sorry the Deputy was not willing to acknowledge that but they had been consistently falling because of the policies we pursued as a Government. Over the past year, the cost-of-living crisis has changed that and I acknowledge that many families are now really struggling to make ends meet in a way they were not only a year ago. We did a lot to help in the budget. This included increases in pension and welfare payments, reductions in income tax and in costs such as childcare fees, and with the rent credit. Over the coming weeks, we will examine what we can do to help people in the spring.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I will first acknowledge the horrific death toll following the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria and express my thoughts and sympathies for all of those affected by that horrific and devastating event. Last Thursday, I raised with the Tánaiste the need to resource the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, to ensure they had capacity to meet the housing needs of those from other countries seeking refuge here. Contracts for thousands of hotel beds currently used by refugees will expire very shortly. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has called on other Departments and State agencies to step up and offer spare housing. However, we see reports today that not one of 300 offers of property made by the HSE has been taken up by IPAS. Can the Taoiseach assure us that IPAS is sufficiently resourced to meet the needs of those who come here seeking refuge? Will he heed Labour's call for a dedicated Minister to co-ordinate the housing of refugees, to be located in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage? Will he ensure a co-ordinated cross-governmental approach to meeting the needs of those who are seeking refuge here and who are, in some cases, simply not being offered any housing?

The Taoiseach

I might ask the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to answer the Deputy's question more fully than I can later but my understanding is that we are recruiting more staff for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, including IPAS. There are quite a lot of vacancies we are not able to fill, although we are keen to do so. We have been seconding people from other parts of the public service because we really need staff in that area. The former chief executive of Limerick City and County Council, Conn Murray, is now heading up a task force to bring everyone together in an area that has been disjointed in the past. This task force is particularly focused on refurbishing buildings. We have appointed Mr. Murray to pull all of that together and to try to refurbish as many buildings as we can get our hands on in order that they will be available for Ukrainians and international protection applicants in the first instance, although we will also need these buildings into the future.

Deputy Holly Cairns

On Friday, I visited St. Finbarr's Boys' National School, Bantry, which is working with the local mixed-ability sports club, the West Cork Jesters, which is one of the first clubs of its kind, to develop an all-weather pitch for the whole community. The students believe strongly in having an inclusive school and I hope there will be support for that application for funding. That visit was also a reminder for me that, despite being elected to represent all of our constituents and not just the electorate, we rarely hear the voices of children or representations on their behalf here in the Dáil. We may need new models of engagement to better capture and reflect young people's perspectives. On that point, I asked the students what they would like from their Government. They had a few different requests. They wanted money for kids and better playgrounds, which is a reasonable request. It may not be a surprise that the removal of homework also came up. This may be an obvious request for students to make but, when I read up on the issue, I saw there is merit to their suggestion. Homework for primary school-aged children has little pedagogical benefit. Will the Minister for Education review this practice to at least ensure our policy is based on evidence?

The Taoiseach

I am not sure what is meant by "money for kids" outside of child benefit but I definitely agree that there should be more playgrounds and sports facilities. That is happening and it is something that Government and local authorities are very much investing in. I am interested in the debate about homework. I am not sure what is the right decision. My sense is that some homework is a good idea and that it is a good idea for kids to practise at home what they learn in school but I absolutely agree that our approach should be evidence-based.

I have not studied the evidence and certainly would be interested to hear the Minister for Education's view on it.

Deputy Mick Barry

Barnardos is telling us that in January 2022, one household in 25 was forced to go to a food bank, but by November that figure had risen to one in ten. The situation seems set to worsen. Kantar told us yesterday that the average household will spend nearly an extra €1,200 on groceries in 2023. Why then is the Government considering the scrapping of at least some of the cost-of-living supports for householders at the end of this month? The crisis remains; the supports should remain too. The Government and the State have a surplus of €5 billion. There should not be a single one of these supports cut in that situation. Any and all of these cuts should be opposed and resisted. Where does the Taoiseach stand on this issue?

The Taoiseach

I want to acknowledge at the outset that a lot of people and a lot of families are struggling with the cost of living and are struggling to make ends meet. Nobody on the Government side would deny that for a second. I do not know if it is correct to say that one in ten Irish families have gone to a food bank. That would be 200,000 families. I am not sure if that figure is correct but it is certainly more than it used to be and nobody is going to deny that. We see it as well in second exceptional needs payments where people go to the Department of Social Protection and to their community welfare officer. They look for help and get it. The numbers getting it are increasing. I believe that system is working, maybe not as well as it might work, but it is working. What we will consider over the next few weeks is which supports can continue into March and April and which ones cannot. We do have to balance the books and have regard to other demands on the public purse. One thing I will say is that we will bear in mind those who need the help the most and make sure that whatever package we put together is targeted.

Deputy Noel Grealish

The traffic problems that are plaguing Galway city are well documented. In excess of €35 million has been spent in the last 20 years to progress a ring road. On Tuesday last, the Minister for Transport stated that the current plans for a ring road could not proceed and that the National Transport Authority, the local authority and the Department of Transport would have to look at a new transport strategy for Galway. The following day, in the Dáil, an Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, said that the N6 Galway ring road is essential for the growth and development of Galway city and the relief of unacceptable congestion. Galway City Council, Galway County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have issued a joint statement confirming that they are committed to the project. However, there is now growing confusion and concern in Galway about the mixed messages from senior parties in government. Businesses and residents who are plagued with daily traffic congestion are worried about the lack of a commitment by the Minister for Transport. Can the Taoiseach please clearly outline his position and that of his Government regarding this vital piece of infrastructure for Galway?

The Taoiseach

I should say that this is ultimately going to be a matter for An Bord Pleanála to decide on. It has been remitted to An Bord Pleanála for a decision, taking into account the climate action plan. I will be very straight with the Deputy. While there are different views within Government on this matter, which happens sometimes and sometimes is a healthy thing, I am a supporter of the Galway ring road. It is in the national development plan and the national development plan is Government policy. Therefore, if it gets planning permission, it will be funded. It is in the national development plan, and that is part of the programme for Government. I do not accept the view that it will necessarily be bad in terms of climate. It will take a long time to build it and by the time it has been built, I would hope the vast majority of our vehicles will be electric and 80% of our electricity will come from renewables. That will put a very different picture on it in terms of the emissions created and it will free up the city for cycling, buses and pedestrians.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

On behalf of my Rural Independent colleagues I too want to express our sympathy and thank all the groups supporting the earthquake victims.

The deer overpopulation situation is alarming throughout rural Ireland and parts of urban Ireland. There is actually a deer consultation open at the moment which closes this Friday. The lack of awareness, getting the message out about this consultation, is very poor. I am calling for the Government to insist on it being extended for at least a month.

It is a health and safety issue for rural dwellers, road users, farmers, land owners and ordinary people. There have been numerous accidents around my county of Tipperary, Waterford, Limerick, Kerry and everywhere else. People have been seriously injured. There will be fatalities. There is overpopulation. People need to feed into the strategy that is being developed, but if they are not aware of the consultation, they cannot. I ask that it be extended by four weeks until 10 March.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is there anyone here to talk to us about venison?

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

I understand that the consultation is being led by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which has re-established the deer forum. We are conscious of the deer population. We need better data and statistics, but there has been good engagement with the public consultation and we are getting a better picture of the situation. It is important-----

Deputy Mattie McGrath

Can it be extended?

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

I cannot say, as it is being led by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

More than three years ago, the then Government introduced a positive and necessary policy directive, the purpose of which was to stop vessels of over 18 m fishing in our inshore waters. Unfortunately, there was a judicial review, which then went to the Court of Appeal. As I understand it, the Court of Appeal gave its final judgment on 19 July 2022, which was more than six months ago. Only one issue was outstanding - the effect on Northern vessels - and submissions were required on it. Here we are six months later, however, and the policy directive has still not been implemented. It is necessary for the conservation of our fishing stock, in particular sprat. After all of the times I have raised this matter, and in light of the urgency and necessity involved, could someone tell me why we are not implementing the judgment, given that nine of the ten conclusions were in favour with just one relating to Northern vessels outstanding?

The Taoiseach

I am afraid I honestly do not know the answer to the Deputy's question. While I appreciate she may have raised it before, this is the first time it has been raised with me. I will have to check with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and come back to the Deputy with an answer.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Last month, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, who is in the Chamber, came to Carlow and saw the pressure on out-of-hours services and the limited use of a perfectly good X-ray facility at St. Dympna's Hospital.

The Caredoc team have met me several times on the matter of securing doctors from abroad to assist in tackling the significant workload. The atypical working scheme, AWS, visa was taking 30 working days to be issued while entry visas normally took 20 working days more, but the AWS permit only allows people to work in Ireland for 90 days. They must then leave the State and reapply. Entry visas are now taking up to eight weeks to be authorised, which is having a major impact.

We need doctors to come and work in Ireland quickly, but of more importance is the need for an injury clinic in Carlow that makes use of the good facilities already in place and allows for the service's expansion so that it properly serves the people of Carlow, where there is significant demand.

During the Minister's trip, he also visited our ambulance base. We asked for a temporary modular build there until the new build was completed. Will he fill me in on that?

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

I congratulate the Deputy on getting in approximately four different constituency matters in the one question. It shows real professionalism.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Minister can only answer one, I am afraid.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

We will be moving rapidly on the ambulance base.

I congratulate the team in Caredoc. They showcased an outstanding service.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

They did.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

There are lessons for us to learn across the board.

I acknowledge the case that is being made for additional radiology in the location.

When it comes to work visas, it is essential that we be as open as possible to the international healthcare labour market. We are working with the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, and others on bringing GPs in from South Africa. There are opportunities from other parts of the world. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, worked with colleagues on creating 1,000 visas for people coming in for home care packages. We will not just be keeping an eye on the matter of work visas, but also progressing it as one of the ways of meeting healthcare workforce demands.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

I thank the Minister.

Deputy Pearse Doherty

Four months ago, a terrible tragedy engulfed the village of Creeslough. We saw the loss of ten precious lives and others severely injured. Since then, the whole nation has wrapped its arms around that village, and particularly the families of those who lost loved ones. Unfortunately, some of those families are deeply distraught at the fact that TG4 is planning to broadcast a documentary tonight. A number of the families have contacted me directly and I know that they have also contacted TG4 directly. They are pleading with TG4 not to air this documentary because they believe it is too raw and the Garda investigation has still not been concluded. I know TG4, the excellent service it provides and its documentaries. Nobody is questioning the organisation's professionalism, or the fact that the tragedy and the families will be dealt with sensitively. The story of the heroes who were the first responders need to be told, but the families are asking, and indeed begging, that this is postponed until the Garda investigation is over. I ask the Taoiseach to join with me in asking TG4 to reconsider this matter with the families at the centre of it.

The Taoiseach

I want to extend once again my condolences to the people of Creeslough who, I know, are still mourning and for whom this tragedy is still very raw. What I would ask TG4 to do is perhaps to sit down with the families concerned, maybe consult with them and, having done that, make a decision as to whether or not it is going to postpone the airing of the documentary. I am reluctant, as head of Government, to tell any broadcaster what it should or should not broadcast. I do not want to get into that space, but I do hear what the families are saying and I think we all feel their pain. I ask, at the very least, that TG4 would sit down with their representatives and discuss the matter, hear their case and try to understand it.

Deputy Willie O'Dea

I ask the Taoiseach for an update on the surgical hub, which the Government has committed to provide in the Limerick area. This is a vital facility due to continuing capacity problems in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I ask the Taoiseach or the Minister for Health, if he wishes to respond, to consider locating this hub in the grounds of St. John's Hospital in Limerick. Can I get an assurance that St. John's Hospital will continue to play a central role in the delivery of health services in the midwest region?

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

St. John's Hospital will continue to play a very active role in the delivery of care. When it comes to the surgical hubs, there are several options being looked at, one of which is on a site-by-site basis. For example, the HSE is looking at retrofitting existing commercial space, which was the approach used in Tallaght. I am very interested in the approach the NHS has used. It has modular builds and I believe it has put 140 of these in place across the UK. I can confirm that HSE staff were in England earlier this week meeting with the NHS on exactly that. Obviously the facilities have to be high quality and clinically sound. The priority is picking an approach that gets these facilities in place as quickly as possible.

Deputy Sorca Clarke

The Taoiseach's programme for Government makes over 50 distinct asks of local authorities across the country. This week, in Westmeath, our director of planning described staffing levels as the equivalent of a revolving door syndrome. At the same time, there has been a massive increase in complaints around unauthorised developments. This has the makings of an unmitigated disaster. Apparently, there are local authorities that do not have even one single planning enforcement officer. I have two questions. Which city and county councils have no full-time planning enforcement officers? Can the Taoiseach advise if the reported request from city and county councils for additional funding from Government for the hiring of 541 planning staff will be approved?

The Taoiseach

I do not have the data to hand, but I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to come back to the Deputy with an answer on that within a week. I strongly believe that it is important that our planning departments are properly staffed.

This is so that they can grant planning permission to people who need to build homes and to build businesses and infrastructure. Our planning enforcement sections need to be properly staffed as well.

Deputy Alan Farrell

Wind Energy Ireland issued its report this morning highlighting that 41% of the electricity required in January 2023 was driven by wind. It is the best January on record and is a 9% jump on this time last year. Predominantly offshore wind energy generated 1,479 GW of electricity which is equivalent to the consumption of 320,000 Irish homes. The wind energy potential of Ireland provides us with a huge opportunity but we are in a race with other countries to secure material supply routes among other things. The development of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, is crucial for our ability to scale up our offshore wind offering. The State has a commitment to get MARA up and running in 2023. I ask the Taoiseach to provide an update on the development of MARA. When will it begin its vital work?

The Taoiseach

I thank Deputy Farrell. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to answer on MARA.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)

I thank Deputy Farrell for his question. He is right that it is a very important authority. It has been established and we have appointed the chairperson. The board will be appointed between this week and next. It will streamline the maritime area consent process, which is badly needed on the basis of ensuring that we can protect our maritime area, utilise the resources of our maritime area in a responsible way and harness the resource that is offshore renewable energy.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

I express my sincerest sympathy to the people of Türkiye and Syria on the humanitarian disaster that has befallen them. I thank the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Government, voluntary organisations and the general public for the massive outpouring of goodwill and generosity they are affording them. I thank the Taoiseach sincerely for his own reaction to this awful event. Today we have seen heartbreaking pictures, including a father with his recently deceased daughter in the middle of the rubble. It was truly heartbreaking to see these photographs and everybody will acknowledge this.

Very briefly I want to raise the issue of an alliance of small nursing homes that has approached me. It comprises 27 nursing homes. They are in rural communities. Six nursing homes have said that they really cannot see how they will be able to financially continue beyond July unless there is an immediate increase in their National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, rates. They are not part of Nursing Homes Ireland. They are smaller nursing homes which, as the Taoiseach knows, provide a great service in our communities.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been engaging directly with the group Deputy Healy-Rae mentioned. The Government is aware there have been issues in terms of the rates set under the NTPF-administered scheme and the fact that costs have been rising. This has put enormous pressure on many of the smaller nursing homes in particular which do not have economies of scale available. I can tell Deputy Healy-Rae the Minister of State is engaged and she and the Department are working with the NTPF to see what might be done to recognise this.

Deputy Bríd Smith

On behalf of People Before Profit we send our solidarity and sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. The death toll has risen to 11,000 and the World Health Organization has warned that it could rise to 20,000. I want to raise the question of aid to this very desperate area in this desperate scenario. Aid has always been weaponised and there have been sanctions in place against Syria. These are sanctions by the EU and the US. I am no friend of Assad or the Syrian regime and what it has done, which has been absolutely outrageous in that country for the past 11 or 12 years, but obstacles are there to humanitarian aid and they have already prevented the importation of many medicines into the country. GoFundMe is stating it cannot allow funding support into Syria even though some people in some cases are trying to raise it through this manner. Will the Taoiseach assure us that Ireland will use its voice to insist the EU and countries globally do not allow sanctions against Syria to impact on the humanitarian effort to rescue people, save lives and re-establish some sense of order in the region?

The Taoiseach

As part of our response, the Government has announced €2 million in aid for Türkiye and Syria. Most of it will go to Syria and it will be done through the UN, the Red Cross and Red Crescent. We are going to talk to the authorities and see what else we can do. I expect this will be a matter we will discuss at the European Council tomorrow and I agree with the fundamental case the Deputy is making. I have always taken the view food and medicine should be exempt from sanctions. They are exempt from the sanctions regime imposed on Russia at the moment. I do not know how exactly that affects Syria but I will find out and make it part of our discussions tomorrow at the Council.

Deputy Bríd Smith

Very good, and the Taoiseach will use his voice and insist. Fair play to him.

Deputy Michael McNamara

I am surprised to hear the Minister talk about the new surgical hub in Limerick in circumstances in which the existing theatres in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, are underutilised because a lack of staff. The two newly-equipped theatres in Ennis have not operated since Christmas. How is the Government going to staff this new surgical hub if it cannot staff the existing facilities?

Deputy, the question is put; we need the answer.

The Taoiseach

On the other matter, Deputy Verona Murphy will appreciate the deployment of Garda resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner rather than the Government but it is the Government's job to make sure there are more gardaí, and we are doing that. We have provided funding for an additional 1,000 to be recruited this year. That does not mean an extra 1,000 gardaí because there will be retirements, but it will allow for several hundred additional gardaí. I hope that will include additional gardaí for Wexford and for the Garda National Immigration Bureau, GNIB, as I accept it needs them.

On the issue of transfers, the Deputy was not asking me to do this but the era when Ministers get involved in Garda transfers has, I think, long since passed.

Deputy Verona Murphy

The system is too slow.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023