Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Feb 2023

Vol. 1034 No. 3

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

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

I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures (to conclude within 55 minutes)

- Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad] (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 6 p.m. or after 1 hour and 15 mins, whichever is the later)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re the National Ambulance Service, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday’s business shall be:

- Motions for Further Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023 [Votes 16, 23 and 34] (to be moved together and decided without debate by one question)

- Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad] (Second Stage, resumed, if not previously concluded) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 4.30 p.m. or after 1 hour and 40 minutes, whichever is the later)

- Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages) (to be taken no earlier than 4 p.m.)

- Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2022 (Amendments from the Seanad)

- Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Report and Final Stages) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 7.30 p.m. or 1 hour after the conclusion of proceedings on the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2022, whichever is the later)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re the Future of Regional Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, selected by the Regional Group.

Thursday’s business shall be:

- Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad] (Second Stage, resumed, if not previously concluded)

- Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 (Second Stage, resumed) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted and stand adjourned at 4.30 p.m.)

Thursday evening business shall be Second Stage of the Employment Equality (Pay Transparency) Bill 2022, sponsored by Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh.

Announcement of proposed arrangements for this week's business:

In relation to Tuesday’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 extent that Government business shall be interrupted and stand adjourned and private members’ business shall be taken either at 6 p.m. or 1 hour and 15 minutes after the commencement of proceedings on the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad], whichever is the later, with consequential effect on the commencement time for oral Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications and topical issues, and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2023 shall be taken without debate; and

3. the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 55 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time.

In relation to Wednesday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that the weekly division time shall be taken on either the adjournment or conclusion of proceedings on the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motions for Further Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023 [Votes 16, 23 and 34] shall be moved together and decided without debate by one question which shall be put from the Chair;

3. the resumed proceedings on the second reading motion on the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad] shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 4.30 p.m. or after 1 hour and 40 minutes, whichever is the later;

4. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 shall be taken no earlier than 4 p.m.; and

5. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 7.30 p.m. or 1 hour after the conclusion of proceedings on the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2022, whichever is the later.

In relation to Thursday’s business, the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that, if not previously concluded, the proceedings on Government business shall be interrupted and stand adjourned and topical issues shall be taken at 4.30 p.m., with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Employment Equality (Pay Transparency) Bill 2022, and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil: Provided that in the event Government business concludes before 4.30 p.m., topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of Government business.

An Ceann Comhairle

Are the arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

They are not agreed. What arrangements will be made to take statements and have a discussion on the agreement that has been struck between the British Government and the European Commission? As I said earlier, the imperative is now to restore government in the North. It is very important that we have a space and an opportunity to reflect on the agreement itself and to send out - I hope collectively - a very strong message from this Chamber that the Executive must now be restored and government resumed north of the Border.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

There was a strong delegation from the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, outside the Dáil today. Many of the Taoiseach's backbenchers came to meet them. They are being crucified by increased input costs, and the price of lamb paid to them has never been lower. It has dropped consistently over the past four months, despite what the housewife or houseperson pays for a leg of lamb in the shops or the butchers. There is very significant gouging going on here and then there are all the input costs, for fertiliser, doses and everything else. We need to have a debate in the House to address this situation because these farmers cannot sustain this and we will lose many valuable farmers who work tirelessly. They want to be at home lambing today, not up here protesting but they are forced to do so.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

It would be useful for the Taoiseach to outline when we will have the opportunity to have statements on the Windsor Framework. Will it be this week or early next week? It would be good to hear that being confirmed.

I also ask whether arrangements are being made for the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to make a statement to the House. I understand he has indicated he wishes to do so regarding planning application allegations. It would be good to hear when that is to be taken and whether the Minister of State will take questions.

Deputy Gino Kenny

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised this issue at the Business Committee. It would be good if we had statements next week on safe staffing issues in Irish hospitals. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, has said the situation is not conducive to staff safety and patient safety. It would be in the public interest to have statements on that issue next week.

Deputy Denis Naughten

A couple of weeks ago at the Business Committee, I raised the issue of the sheep industry. As the Taoiseach knows, back in 2016, I secured the introduction of the sheep welfare scheme. Since then, income for sheep farmers has reduced by 550% according to Teagasc and fertiliser costs have gone up by a further 400%. Yet, we are introducing a paltry top-up of just 20% to that welfare scheme. The industry is on its knees. I have looked for a debate on this subject at the Business Committee and I hope this will be facilitated in order that all these issues can be thoroughly debated.

The Taoiseach

In relation to the Windsor Framework, we propose to take statements on it next week. We want to give Members some time to read and digest all the documentation. We propose to set aside Government time next week for that.

In relation to the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, it is my understanding he is seeking time to make a statement today. I am not sure if the Ceann Comhairle is across that, but the Minister of State wants to make a statement at any rate and has agreed to do so.

On staff safety and sheep farmers and the problems they are facing, I think these are matters for the Business Committee. I am sure we can find time to discuss these issues, but there is Opposition time as well. Perhaps we could use Opposition time to discuss one issue and Government time to discuss the other.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is the Order of Business agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

I want to return to the Children's Rights Alliance report card, which was published today. It records that some progress has been made, but the Government gets a D grade for child homelessness and a very damning E grade for youth mental health.

The Children's Rights Alliance described serious failings in the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, including more than 140 children prescribed antipsychotic medications and then lost to follow-up, as “the tip of the iceberg”. As the Taoiseach knows, children continue to be placed in adult psychiatric units and waiting lists for CAMHS have nearly doubled on the watch of his Government. He has failed to invest in mental health services and his policy, Sharing the Vision, has no costs and no timeframe. When will we see a real, costed plan and when will he fully resource CAMHS so that children and young people can get access to the mental health services they need when they need them?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

There were many questions there. The HSE, the Government and I are fully committed to ensuring the most appropriate supports are there for young people. I might put a little context on this, which does not always happen across the floor of the Dáil. A total of 21,000 children are currently receiving the supports of CAMHS. There were 225,000 appointments last year among 73 CAMHS teams working the length and the breadth of the country, but what was excluded from the report was the fact that the number of referrals to CAMHS increased by 33% over the past two years. Notwithstanding the difficulties the CAMHS teams have, they saw 21% more appointments - more children - last year. I am very conscious, every time we stand up in the Dáil and tear apart the mental health services, that €135 million was spent on CAMHS supports last year. There are 73 teams working today looking after 21,000 children. Notwithstanding the difficulties, many very good supports are being provided to those 21,000 children.

The number of children in adult psychiatric units has fallen to 20 in the past year, and no consultant psychiatrist will ever take the opportunity to put a child into a psychiatric unit - we are talking about 16- or 17-year-olds - unless it is extremely necessary. I would like to talk to anyone who says putting a child into an adult psychiatric unit overnight for that child's safety so that he or she might not attempt suicide is not the right thing to do. What should we do instead, leave them out the door?

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

We should have the proper facilities for them. That is the Minister of State's job.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Bacik, please.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

That was a ridiculous answer.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I think we will agree yesterday's Windsor Framework announcement represents a breakthrough and a chance to restore the democratic institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, and I welcome the Taoiseach's announcement that he will provide briefings to Opposition parties. I would ask that that might be done this week given the statements are to be taken, as we understand, in Government time next week. As Claire Hanna MP, a member of our sister party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, SDLP, has said, the framework announcement can be heralded as a way forward for those genuinely interested in consensus and prosperity.

We are concerned by the tone of reception from certain quarters, even though we see a perceived improvement in relations between the Governments across the two islands. If we listen to some members of the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, the tone is jarring with the more conciliatory words that have been spoken by Jeffrey Donaldson. As one of the custodians of the Good Friday Agreement, is the Taoiseach concerned we are seeing the emergence of a hard-line unionist veto and that the Stormont brake may function to enable that sort of veto?

The Taoiseach

We will arrange the briefings with agreement by the parties to do that this week. My Department is already working on that and will probably be in touch with Opposition leaders' offices today around having those briefings.

I think we are at a very sensitive stage and I do not think anyone in this House, least of all me, wants to say anything that might jeopardise the acceptance of the Windsor Framework, so the only thing I would say is this. The Stormont brake is there, in many ways to counterbalance the consent mechanism that is already in the protocol. The protocol can be disapplied in full only by a vote of the Assembly, and the Stormont brake tries to counterbalance that by having a mechanism whereby 30 members of the Assembly, from two parties, can red-flag an issue with the UK Government to have it discussed in the joint committee and dealt with there, but that can be used only if the Assembly is up and running. That is one thing to bear in mind, and all the more reason to have the Assembly up and running.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

The announcement from Electric Ireland that it was going to reduce energy prices for businesses is very welcome, particularly for those small businesses that have been very much struggling with the incredible energy costs.

However, we do not see the same respite for domestic users. People are getting bills through the door that they could never ever have imagined and that they are not able to pay. Electric Ireland customers saw three price hikes in a five-month period last year. They have been hit particularly hard with these price rises. Last week, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that a time would come when he would bring the energy companies in to hold them to task about the prices. I think that time has come. I ask him to commit to bringing in those companies and sitting them down to ask them when residential and home owners will see a reduction in their energy costs and ensure that it happens as soon as possible.

The Taoiseach

I spoke on this a little earlier. The next step from the Government is the windfall tax and legislating for that in the House to allow us to take some of the windfall profits from last year, and indeed this year, and to use them to help people and businesses with their bills. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, is engaging with energy companies. I will engage with them directly as well. But I would like to know, and it is not fully known yet, what their profits were for last year because what I want to be able to say to them is, notwithstanding wholesale and retail prices, hedging and all that, that these are the profits they have made and they should give some of it back.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

This Saturday, the film "406 Days" about the 406 days the Debenhams workers were in dispute with the Debenhams company will premier at the Dublin International Film Festival. It has just won the festival's human rights prize. One thing it highlights is that the Celine group, made up of three US hedge funds, Barclay's Bank and Bank of Ireland, walked away with £315 million from the liquidation whereas the workers who built the value of the company and had worked for decades were left with absolutely nothing. The vulture funds and the asset strippers walk away with all the money and the workers who built that company are left with nothing. Last December, I raised with the Taoiseach's predecessor, Deputy Michael Martin-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Time is up, Deputy.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

-----the fact that €200 million debt was loaded on the Irish company by this consortium to ensure that the workers got absolutely nothing. I took the issue with the workers-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Time is up, Deputy, please.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

-----to the Corporate Enforcement Authority. Will the Taoiseach check what report, if any, has come back from the Corporate Enforcement Authority about the tactical nature of the liquidation which left those workers with nothing-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy please. The time is up.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

-----and whether the law was broken in the treatment of the Debenhams workers?

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy, I am not going to call you again if you will not adhere to the time limits.

The Taoiseach

This is a complicated insolvency involving a company based in Britain. I am not sure if the way that the Deputy described things is exactly the case. I do not know whether the Corporate Enforcement Authority has examined it fully and come to a determination on it so I would prefer not to comment on it. Either the Deputy or myself can make inquiries with the Corporate Enforcement Authority as to whether there is a case or not.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

It will not get back to us.

Deputy Denis Naughten

Commitments were given in the last two programmes for Government to introduce a no-fault vaccine compensation scheme. This was promised again by the Taoiseach's predecessor in advance of the introduction of the Covid vaccine programme. My engagement on this issue with Ministers for Health has been ongoing for the last 250 months, or over two decades. When will we see this compensation scheme introduced in this State as is the case in many other countries across the globe?

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. During the pandemic all available Department of Health resources were devoted to the public health response. This meant that work on a vaccine damage compensation scheme was stalled. However, a senior counsel has prepared an initial report on this for the Department. It is expected that further work on it will be advanced this year. A similar scheme exists in the UK already. It is a good model to follow and one that can provide an alternative to court which is expensive, lengthy and stressful for all.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I raise the issue of MotorCycling Ireland’s insurance cover. I believe it wrote to the Taoiseach. I have seen copies of letters it wrote. A number of cycling clubs in Ireland lost the ability to obtain insurance for this season.

The governing body, Offroad Motorsport UK, informed staff in 2022 that no insurance company would cover any of the Twenty-six Counties. The Taoiseach and I know that very many valuable and entertaining races are held all over the country. What is the difference between horse racing, greyhound racing and everything else? Those involved have been treated like second-class citizens. There is a huge spin-off for the businesses and areas involved, and indeed for bike enthusiasts, who spend money, on which they pay tax, on tyres, engines, parts and maintenance. They have written to the Taoiseach. The season should now be cranking up and they need to get the insurance. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene to assist them in getting insurance, which they have always got. Their events are run in a safe manner and are well policed and organised. They bring a great benefit to local areas.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Department has been working with insurance companies to identify niche points of difficulty where people have not been able to access insurance. Where there are community events whose organisers work with local authorities, there may be an appetite to increase the risk profile. The most important thing is the implementation of the action plan for insurance reform, which the Government has been doing, and ensuring the reductions in the awards issued by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board are met and set, and stick with the legal profession, because these impact everybody's ability to get insurance. The Department of Justice is introducing legislation in the coming weeks to change the public liability aspect, which will have an important impact on what the Deputy is raising.

Deputy Marian Harkin

All of us are used to meeting delegations. I just spent half an hour outside the gates speaking to sheep farmers from all over, some from Sligo and others from Donegal and Mayo. It is a long time since I met such a dejected group, some of whom are at their wits' end. Many of them are on the floor and are losing money. They watch French farmers and other European farmers get up to €8 per kilogram for their ewes when they get about €6 per kilogram, knowing they are at the mercy of the factories, with no real chain of accountability. The input price is at a record high. I spoke to some men who told me it is not just that they will cut back on stock this autumn but that it is about the rows at home over no money. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine needs to come to the table immediately with an exceptional aid package. He needs to set up a proper sheep forum, just like the beef form. He needs to fully implement the 2019 task force recommendations and ensure Bord Bia steps up its promotional work.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Martin Heydon)

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important point because this is the time of year when sheep farmers' focus is on lambing their ewes. Right now, sheep farmers throughout the country are in their sheds with their ewes wondering what return they will get for their efforts and time in the months ahead. This is a really concerning time for them. Every sector across the country in agriculture has been impacted by the really high rise in input costs created by the Ukraine crisis. That is why we intervened last year with over €90 million worth of supports for farmers. Sheep farmers were an integral part of it. Their contribution to the countryside and rural economy is really important, not only economically but also environmentally, and nowhere more than in the west.

We continue to work and monitor this situation to support sheep farmers. What the sheep farmers want more than anything is a proper price for their produce. That is why we continue to work. We gained access to the market in the US last year and continue to work on new market development. I am the Minister of State with responsibility in this area. We are working in really important markets like China to open up the opportunities and achieve the best return for our sheep farmers.

Deputy Willie O'Dea

Phase 4 of the job evaluation scheme for HSE support staff, the results of which were announced last October, provides an upgrade in salary and status for the following categories of workers, among others: caretakers, barbers, hairdressers, general operatives and even labourers. However, among those who were not upgraded and who were forced to remain within the same wage structure are laundry workers, household staff, domestic staff and cleaners. On the face of it, this seems bizarre, if not downright discriminatory. Is there any appeal mechanism for those people who are aggrieved by the decision so as to have their case reheard? Is there any mechanism whereby their case could be reopened and further considered?

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

I will undertake to get back to the Deputy with detail on exactly what appeal mechanisms are available.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I want to raise an issue of staffing affecting voluntary and community organisations across the country as interest in the labour activation schemes continues to drop, despite some reform initiatives last year such as those concerning Tús and the community employment scheme. Participant numbers are continuing to fall.

GAA clubs, community councils and Tidy Towns organisations are all suffering from a shortage of applicants. To resolve this issue, I urge the Government to consider expanding the community employment scheme to enable Ukrainian refugees to participate by removing the 12-month signing-on period, given the shortage of applicants across the country and the influx of Ukrainians who may wish to avail of the scheme. It would also be cost-effective for the Government. It would promote social inclusion by allowing our Ukrainian guests the opportunity to engage in the workforce, improve their English-speaking skills and contribute to their local communities.

Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Heather Humphreys)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We have carried out a number of reviews of the community employment schemes. We have changed some of the criteria, in consultation with them, to expand it and to allow them to keep workers on for longer. There have been a number of good and very positive changes in that regard.

It is almost a year since the first Ukrainian refugees came to this country. We are opening up the community employment scheme to them now. We look forward to working with them and getting them on board. This is very valuable because we can help them with job activation measures and maybe with language classes. It is a great opportunity to help them to integrate into communities. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I am happy to work with him to progress it further.

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

When it comes to housing, we have a perfect storm in County Donegal. No social housing was built for approximately ten years. We have families who have been pushed into private rental across the county. There is no affordable housing taking place in County Donegal even though the income threshold is €30,000 for families. That is why we have very large numbers of young people emigrating to Australia and Canada from all across the county. When we add in the defective block crisis, we really have a profound crisis in our county; as I said, a perfect storm.

Will the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage urgently go to County Donegal, as has been requested, and meet with a cross-party delegation of councillors, including those from his own party, to talk about how Donegal County Council can help the families with defective blocks and assist the families who cannot afford to build their own homes all across the county?

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)

As the Deputy will be aware from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the regulations are out. They are with the local authority. The Minister has met with various political groups. He hopes and intends to meet with residents very shortly on the mica issue in County Donegal. The Minister is very much engaged on this and wants this-----

Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

And the councillors.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

It is certainly something I will take back to him. He has met various councillors. On this particular issue, however, he is very keen to meet the residents first and foremost. That will happen relatively shortly.

Deputy John Lahart

My question concerns the issue of pre-school and post-school therapeutic services for children with additional needs. It is a subject on which this Government has made great strides in the last number of years. Many parents in Dublin South-West have specifically raised the costs of paying for these invaluable therapeutic interventions because very often they have to pay for them privately. Those kinds of therapeutic interventions include play therapy, art therapy, sports therapy and animal therapy. Indeed, a group of teenage students from Tallaght Community School was in the House last week. One of them spoke specifically about how invaluable some of those therapies were to his development. There is a cost, however, which is the issue I am raising. The State is not yet covering these costs. What plans does the Government have to introduce or allocate funding that would assist parents of children with special needs to pay for these therapies?

The Taoiseach

I am not aware of any plans to cover those costs at the moment. It is not standard that we would cover the costs of private healthcare or private treatments. Sometimes we do this through the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, mechanism, for example through the cross-Border directive. If there is a prior arrangement, we can do this but we must have some checks and controls around these things. Perhaps we can give consideration to using that mechanism to pay for some people to go private in those circumstances. We would have to be careful to get that right, however, and ensure the right treatments are definitely needed and registered and all those things, which can be quite complicated.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

People who live near Dublin Airport are well used to airport noise. The Taoiseach will know this from his own constituency. However, residents in Ballyboughal, St. Margaret's, Kilsallaghan, Ridgewood and surrounding areas have been subjected to new flight paths. Houses that never had an aeroplane go over them or near them are now subjected to this daily. The attempts by the Dublin Airport Authority to address this with a new standard instrument departure, SID, appear to have been unsuccessful to date. I have been contacted by people wanting to know if the new SID has started because the noise is getting worse. I am aware that the Taoiseach has been contacted by them as well. Fingal County Council is responsible for noise regulation but has been slow to respond to the concerns of residents. Will the Taoiseach engage with the Minister for Transport to get him to instruct Fingal County Council to listen to the concerns of residents, acknowledge that efforts to date have failed to address this issue, and ensure that the 2007 planning conditions are adhered to?

The Taoiseach

I am very much aware of the issue. Residents in my constituency in the Hollywoodrath area and The Ward are having a similar experience. I am, and I will be, engaging with the Minister on it.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of schools in my area that are still waiting on extensions and new buildings. Earlier this month I visited St. Ronan's National School. Its existing prefabs are absolutely shocking and need to be replaced. My own secondary school, Holy Family Community School, went to tender for a new building but is waiting for the Department to sanction the approval for a contractor to begin. A transition year student, Blathnaid, who is in the Public Gallery, is with me this week. Her school, Griffeen Community College, is still waiting on a permanent building, despite having secured planning. The list goes on and on: Lucan Community College, Scoil Chrónáin, St. Thomas' National School, Scoil Naomh Áine, Divine Mercy, Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin, Gaelscoil na Camóige and Rathcoole Educate Together. All were promised new buildings or extensions and all were approved for funding, but all are still waiting. What reassurances can the Taoiseach give to the students, the parents and the teachers who are working on this?

The Taoiseach

We are definitely working on it. As the Deputy can imagine, I could recite a similar list for my constituency and I believe most Members in the House could do likewise. We have a very large school building programme at the moment. It is great to go into some of those new schools and see how well built they are and the level of services that are available. It reminds one of how old some of our school buildings are and how much investment we need. It is never the case that we can do every project we would like to do in any one year. They have to be timelined in the context of financial and planning constraints. We must also consider the availability of contractors because of all the things being built in the country at the moment. The Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Foley, are working at the moment to see how we can speed up capital programmes generally, and not just when it comes to education, although that is a particular area. In fairness, the Department of Education spends its capital budget every year and spends it very well.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Joe Carey)

There are four Deputies remaining so I will group them together. They have 30 seconds each.

Deputy Bríd Smith

This morning, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, gave an extraordinary interview on a number of fronts, not least his guarded defence of the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. What was more worrying was his attitude to the hike in prices by Electric Ireland. He sounded like an innocent bystander, pretty much as the Taoiseach has sounded today on the same topic. The Government seems to think it cannot do anything to intervene. May I remind the Government of the Consumer Protection Act 2007, sections 61 and 62 of which would allow the Government to control prices? Will the Taoiseach comment on that? Also, is it not about time the Government started to rethink the remit and the mandate of the ESB and bring it back to a not-for-profit mandate?

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

Members of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, including some from County Kerry, had to come here today to protest. They are demanding an urgent €50 million support package for sheep farmers to be funded from the Brexit reserve fund. They also want the sheep improvement scheme to be increased towards €30 per ewe and an extra €5 per ewe for the correct presentation of wool. Brexit brought untold turmoil to the sheep sector and the ramifications are still being felt to this day. The New Zealand lamb imports are a consequence of Brexit. The weakness of sterling since 2016 is a consequence of Brexit. The importation of half a million lambs a year into the State, in carcass form and live form, is a consequence of Brexit. All they are looking for is a package to be put together to allow them to survive and to allow them to be able to continue to make a living from being small sheep farmers predominantly, up and down the length and breadth of this country.

They are here demanding support and I would be very grateful if the Taoiseach could acknowledge that.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

The Taoiseach may have seen videos on social media in the past fortnight showing the demolition of a family home in Newtown Cunningham as part of the existing defective block scheme. The family have had to move their children to a new school due to the inability to source rental accommodation in their own community. They are still paying a full mortgage on what is now a pile of rubble. They are also paying rent. They sent me an email with an engineer's breakdown of costs and the costs recovered under the defective blocks scheme. They already have a deficit of €19,000 on the first €50,000 of works. That is less than 70% cost recovery. So much for 100% redress. Despite the Government's chatter, the new scheme will not provide much more relief for this family. From what we can see, the trips that the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister took to Donegal were nothing more than hollow PR stunts. They failed to listen and are, therefore, bound to fail. My constituents will continue to suffer. We are sick telling the Government that the old and new schemes will not work as presently set up. When will the Taoiseach and the Government wake up to that fact?

Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

I wish to raise issue of the frustrations of the many folk in County Clare who are living in rural communities, such as the beautiful area of Kilmurry McMahon. The issue is that the roads there are like dartboards. They are unsafe and they are damaging people's cars. This is greatly problematic for those living in rural Ireland who depend on their cars. The costs involved in maintaining a car are already very significant and this situation is not acceptable. The Government has allocated the same amount of funding for restoration, maintenance, repairs and resurfacing this year as it did last year. That ultimately means Clare County Council will experience a reduction in resurfacing of 25% to 33%. Some of these roads have not been repaired for more than ten years and they are beyond dangerous. What do I tell these people?

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputies for their questions. In response to Deputy Bríd Smith, I am very much aware of what the Consumer Protection Act states. I am also aware of what European law states and what the laws relating to the regulation of the energy market state, all of which need to be taken into account. There are powers to regulate retail prices but there are no powers to regulate wholesale prices. That is not the process we intend to use to bring prices down, however.

Deputy Bríd Smith

Exactly. Innocent bystanders.

The Taoiseach

As regards sheep farmers, I acknowledge the difficulties they are facing. To use the Brexit adjustment reserve fund, one needs to be able to prove to the European Commission that Brexit is the reason prices are low and input costs are high. That would be a very difficult thing to prove. Unfortunately, we are finding great difficulty being able to meet the tests to draw down money from that fund. What I can say is that the Food Vision sheep group met recently with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. All the main stakeholders were represented on the group. They have been asked to make submissions. Once received, the chairman's report and the outcome will be carefully considered by the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and he will continue to keep the market situation under review and see if there is more we can do to help sheep farmers.

On the families affected by mica in Donegal and elsewhere, I am aware of the issue relating to engineering costs. Deputy McHugh spoke to me about it at the weekend. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on the issue and he is giving it consideration.

On road building, I will have to come back to Deputy Wynne in that regard. My understanding is that the road budget is the same as or higher than it was last year but I appreciate that the cost of doing work is higher as well. I will revert to the Deputy on the issue.