A review of the school transport scheme was announced in February 2021. After examining eligibility criteria phase 1 was completed in June 2021 and resulted in temporary alleviation measures for post-primary students attending their second nearest school. These remain in place. Phase 2 of that review was completed late last year. Phase 3 and the final report have not been published and no date has been indicated as to when it will be published. This simply is not good enough. It is vital that the service is expanded significantly so that every pupil who wants to avail of school transport can do so. After the shambles the Government made of school transport last year, which saw concessionary and eligible students left without a seat on the bus, the Tánaiste knows the impact this had on families across the country. Why has he not ensured that this review, which has been ongoing for almost two and a half years, is concluded, brought to Government and the recommendations published?
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
We need balance and perspective in all debates. Thousands of people had free school transport, which Deputy Clarke described as a shambles. For thousands of people who received free school transport it was not a shambles. I believe 115,000 received free school transport as a result of the Minister's interim initiative in the context of the crisis we were going through. It was innovative in the context of climate change. That is where we should be heading. The review is ongoing. As Deputy Clarke said, phase 2 was completed late last year. Phase 3 will be completed shortly. I presume it cannot be published until it is completed. It will include recommendations on the future operation of the Department's school transport scheme.
I have just come from the Family Carers Ireland briefing across the road. In their own words, this is a group that is relied upon but not listened to. I listened to the testimony of Lynsey O'Donovan from Swords who is the carer of her son Jack. They do not want praise or platitudes, they want action. Their prebudget submission has been launched and I am sure the Tánaiste and his Government colleagues will see it. The Labour Party wants to ask about a key area of this, which is carer's allowance. Carer's allowance is outdated. It undervalues care work. It is inadequate in terms of the cost-of-living crisis. It forces carers to be financially dependent on their partners should they have one and it discourages employment. In this time of plenty, will the Government commit not only to an increase in carer's allowance and carer's benefit but a fundamental reform of the payment and how it is structured and administered?
I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue. We are all aware of the work that carers do. However, the Department is about giving people a basic income. We increased in last year's budget the means test threshold for the carer's allowance so that more people are able to benefit from it. In fact, we increased it to €750, which is the highest it has ever been. We will continue to review the means test. There is a broader discussion to be had on how we compensate carers for the work that they do. We have to have this conversation and there is no doubt about it. It will involve a number of Departments. I hear what Deputy Smith is saying and, of course, we will look at all of these things in the context of the budget in terms of the basic payment that we provide from the Department.
I want to go back to the deplorable escalation of violence we have witnessed in Palestine and Jenin over the past week. In response to Deputy Carthy the Tánaiste rightfully mentioned the contribution of his colleague the late Brian Lenihan to the debate, as the first European politician to recognise the right of the Palestinians to a homeland. We recognise and remember this 44 years later because it was courageous and brave and because it stood out from the pack and demonstrated leadership. I ask once again that the Tánaiste's Government, in keeping with the memory he has of that contribution, demonstrates a similar level of bravery, courage and leadership in terms of stepping out from the pack and recognising the state of Palestine today. It should call for what it is the form of apartheid being inflicted on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel, and it should enact the occupied territories Bill. If the Tánaiste rightfully acknowledges that form of leadership there is an onus on us to step up once again and be the first to act.
It is not about me. It is about the Palestinian people and what actions we take that are most impactful and effective for the Palestinian people. That is what will guide our response on these issues. We are working with other countries to see whether we can get a critical mass of a number of countries together to pursue this agenda. There is a commitment in the programme for Government that relates to judgment issues. The occupied territories Bill will not pass muster because it is an EU legal competence. This is the problem with it. But rest assured. Recently along with many other countries we signed a convention on violence in urban conurbations and urban areas which inevitably leads to the death, murder and killing of civilians. This has to be condemned. Ireland has been to the forefront internationally in getting an international convention agreed on that.
First, I salute the workers at Tara Mines, who have mounted a protest today. The way they are being treated by their employer, Boliden, is horrendous. They are facing shortly the loss of their jobs and wages and the huge impact that will have on their community. The measure is supposedly temporary, but they are not being given any date or timeframe for when the mine will be back in operation. Tara Mines has been profitable through the past 13 years. No real justification has been put forward by the company for this action. What will the Government do to support these workers? Will it put pressure on the company to continue the mines in operation with full wages for the workers? If the company does not do so, will the Government heed the call from Unite and others to take Tara Mines into public ownership in order to ensure jobs and skills are protected and retain this vital natural asset?
The option of taking it into public ownership is not on the agenda. Our major concern is with the impact on staff and their families. This includes 650 staff who are employed directly by the company in Navan, but also staff in companies impacted that have contracts with Tara Mines. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, met the management team from Tara Mines last week. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and officials, along with Enterprise Ireland, are engaging with the company to try to work out what assistance can be given to introduce efficiencies and reduce costs, including energy costs, within state aid parameters. Every effort is being made to see what we can do to get Tara Mines reopened. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, met the trade unions on Monday afternoon. We are very conscious of their concerns. I refer to the WRC meeting this week which unions and management attended.
Last Monday, I, along with my colleague, Deputy Canney, met Age Action, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Active Retirement Ireland and SIPTU regarding their pension promise campaign. These organisations have united to seek a commitment from the Government that the State pension will increase to 34% of the average industrial wage, or €318 per week. The State pension is currently set at a rate of 28% of the average industrial wage and many older people are struggling with the rising cost of living in recent years. The new Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 states: "this Government has committed to the introduction of a system of benchmarking rates of pension payment both to average wages and to inflation." There would be unanimous support in the House for the introduction of that measure. Can the Tánaiste give a commitment that the request to increase the State pension to 34% of the average industrial wage will be honoured in the next three years?
I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Of course, there will be a lot of demands between now and October in terms of the budget. I said it before and will say it again this year, there will be a lot of kites flying. I am going to be like an octopus trying to keep them all down.
So long as the Minister does not fly any herself.
I would not dream of it. The Department's pre-budget forum will take place on 19 July. I will be meeting all those stakeholders and will hear their views, which the Deputy articulated clearly. He will appreciate that I will not give any commitment today because my good colleagues, the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, would not appreciate any comments I might make. What I can say is that we supported pensioners last year. We expanded the fuel allowance and provided for an increase of €12, as well as all the lump sum payments which equated to approximately €47 per week in total. We were not found wanting last year and pensioners will be a priority again this year.
With all that is going on in RTÉ at the moment, when will there be an investigation into the conduct of the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA? I have been contacted by Mr. John Fraher, a hard-working businessman in Clonmel who has been working since he was 13 years of age. He is alleging that his tax number was fraudulently used by officials from NAMA and then attempts were made to cover it up over the Clonmel Park Hotel. It is a nice hotel and development that was this man's brainchild. He worked hard at it. Agents from NAMA used Mr. Fraher's tax number illegally, he alleges, and a company called Bonaventura Clonmel Limited took over the assignment of the Clonmel Park Hotel. This introduction coincided with the suspect removal of Mr. Fraher's tax number.
Deputy, be very careful.
I am being as careful as I can.
You are getting into an area where people could be identified.
I am not. Parts of land that were traditionally owned by South Tipperary County Council have now been acquired by this company. This all sounds very murky. We had Project Eagle. Is this going to be project Cluain Meala? It is a lovely name, meaning the vale of honey. There are serious questions to be answered here about persons who were on the board of NAMA and interfered with Revenue and everything else. I want this investigated at the highest level. We saw how former Deputy Mick Wallace had to continually raise the issue of Project Eagle. This is a very serious allegation that has been put to me and the county council. I have asked parliamentary questions but cannot get answers. Answers need to be got and NAMA needs to be investigated in respect of Mr. Fraher's allegations.
I take it that the Deputy has asked the gentleman to refer this to An Garda.
I have.
Has it been referred to An Garda?
That is his own business. I have encouraged-----
It is not his own business. The Deputy has raised it in the House and if fraud is alleged----
I have been passing on-----
-----and if interference with Revenue is alleged, it should go to An Garda. I say that generally because the key to the future of the country is that our institutions that are charged with properly investigating issues do their job and then we will have less need for inquiries that go on for six or seven years and cost an enormous amount. Project Eagle and the Siteserv investigation went on for I do not know how long. We need to back up capacity behind the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and An Garda. That is where we have to go. The Deputy should refer the matter to An Garda. They are serious allegations.
I join the Ceann Comhairle, the Tánaiste and others in their expressions of condolence to the family of the late Brendan Daly, who represented Clare in this House for a long time and was also a Member of the Upper House. Among his many attributes, he was a man of great charm. Everybody who met him would agree on that, and that he was a man of many attributes.
I wish to return to the issue of the hardship caused to families throughout the country by delays in An Bord Pleanála. As the Tánaiste is aware, interest rates are rising. As I am sure he is equally aware, interest rates are set at the time at which they are drawn down. Delays in An Bord Pleanála have a real impact on many families, including those seeking to buy a house as part of a development, but also the many families looking to build a one-off house that has been referred to An Bord Pleanála. Obviously, people have a right to refer matters to An Bord Pleanála but there needs to be speedy decisions. The Government has no control over rising interest rates but it does have a degree of control over An Bord Pleanála and, in particular, resourcing it and ensuring it provides decisions in a speedy manner. I do not know whether this hardship is universal throughout the country or if it is worse in some parts of the country than in others. What will the Government do to ensure speedy decisions?
The Government has allocated exceptional resources to increase staffing at An Bord Pleanála. Recruitment is under way and, in fact, quite a number of people have been recruited. The challenge will be to recruit a sufficient number of specialists in different areas into An Bord Pleanála. As the Deputy is aware, an interim board was put in place, with Oonagh Buckley appointed as chairperson, and there has been a significant increase in planning permissions granted. There has been a 38% increase since the beginning of the year over a comparable period prior to that. Progress is being made but there are still too many backlogs. The backlog has to be cleared and, ultimately, we have to get into a position where timelines are observed. The new planning Bill will be key to that.
In February 2021, I raised the issue of an upgrade for the R624 from the N25 to Cobh. As I tabled a number of parliamentary questions but did not get the response I was looking for, I contacted Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. It came back with information on what would classify the road for an upgrade. It stated the function of the road must include access to towns and cities, major ports and airports and population and tourist regions. The R624 ticks all those boxes. As the Tánaiste is aware, the problem is that funding for regional roads comes from Cork County Council.
Belvelly Bridge is a bottleneck and more than €100 million of funding would be needed to upgrade the road. Under section 10 of the Roads Act 1993, the Minister has the power to classify a road as a national or secondary road. Is it possible to use that power and have Government funding provided? As the Tánaiste is well aware, this is a disaster waiting to happen in Cobh.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am familiar with the area and met representatives of Cobh chamber of commerce last year in respect of this. This is a key objective. In terms of the reclassification of the road as a national route, I am not clear that it is - excuse the pun - the route to go but I will check it.
A ministerial order can be made under section 10.
What we need to do is to find a way to allocate funding to upgrade this road because the current situation will not be tenable over the next decade. We have to get some route, some way, to try to get this road upgraded.
I raise the issue of housing adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities. I know from my office that people who avail of these grants find them massively beneficial in terms of making their homes more accessible, suitable and comfortable. We all know the cost of doing work has increased dramatically and what has not increased is the value of the grants towards that cost. What is more, different local authorities are implementing the grant scheme differently and many do not pay contractors for a number of months, which is putting contractors off taking on these much-needed projects. In the lead-up to the budget, will the Government re-examine the rate at which the grants are paid to older people and people with disabilities to ensure they have access to meaningful grants when they need them to make their homes more accessible, suitable and comfortable. That also means talking to local authorities about how they deliver this scheme.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is clear from this morning's questions that the lead-in to the budget is well and truly under way, and we have maybe three months to go yet. This issue was raised yesterday evening at our parliamentary party meeting. The Deputy made a fair point and I know the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is examining the situation. Obviously, it is in the mix but there are a lot of other issues in the context of the Estimates and there will be bilateral discussions between the Departments and the Ministers for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Finance.
We have been drip-fed information about the RTÉ scandal every day of the week for almost two weeks now. There are people in my constituency and all over the country who are rightly furious. We hear of wrong payments made to certain people RTÉ that have been going on for years. We hear of ticket purchases for bands at exorbitant prices and thousands of euro paid for flip-flop shoes, and on it goes. During all of this time, I have known a farmer in Rosscarbery on whose ground RTÉ has placed a mast to give service to the local community. Not alone is RTÉ's mast on this man's ground but it put a Vodafone mast on the same farmer's ground without his consent. The next thing he knew was that the might and power of RTÉ told him legally that it was going for squatter's rights. RTÉ threatened him with the might of its legal team and An Garda Síochána and, with the power it has, it wrongfully acquired squatter's rights on another man's registered ground. If this is not an abuse of power, what is? It is a true and modern case of David versus Goliath and it was all going on while RTÉ squandered money left, right, and centre in darker ways. Whatever investigations go on within RTÉ due to these scandals being fed daily to the public, will the Tánaiste work to have this man's violated rights put right? Instead of RTÉ using its might to get squatter's rights on another man's ground, will the Tánaiste have RTÉ sit down with the registered owner of the ground and accept that he is the legally registered owner of the grounds on which it is trespassing?
I am not familiar with the background to the case. I am familiar with the territory and the landscape in Rosscarbery, which is beautiful. I do not think RTÉ should ever assert squatter's rights over any person's property. That is not normally the way State agencies conduct their behaviour. There is normally engagement with landowners and agreements are arrived at. However, I am not familiar with the background so I cannot comment on the situation one way or the other.
Local communities, local drug task forces and An Garda Síochána are reporting a huge surge in the use of crack cocaine in communities. Local drug task forces are struggling to deal with this surge and are having to turn people with addictions away from their services due to a lack of funding and a loss of personnel. This crisis in employment in the task forces is because vital personnel are more attracted to the better pay and conditions, and job security, offered by the HSE. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. What plans does the Government have to deal with these important matters?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is a matter of concern and I will revert to the Ministers for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Finance in respect of what we can do to support the task forces and what route we can take to provide resources to enable them to retain staff.
I met a number of families at the weekend who are caring for family members with high dependency. Unfortunately, these families have not had any access to respite care since before the Covid pandemic. This is putting huge pressure on family members who have an adult with high dependency in their household. It is an extremely difficult situation. I ask that extra resources be put in place in order that we have respite care in place for adults with high dependency in Tipperary as quickly as possible.
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is very seized of it. Again, there is an issue around availability of respite care and maximisation of resources, both staffing and in terms of additional capacity being provided, in both respite and residential care. We will respond to that in the context of the forthcoming Estimates.
I will return to the issue of Tara Mines. Workers are protesting at the mines. SIPTU has tabled an emergency motion at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, conference this morning calling on the Government to urgently engage with the mine's owners, Boliden, and trade unions to put the necessary supports in place to ensure the mine remains in production and workers continue to be paid in full. Will the Government do that? Will it convene a meeting with unions, Boliden and Tara Mines headquarters management, not just local management, on a without prejudice basis?
As I said in answer to an earlier question, the Minister has engaged and the Government continues to engage. There was a meeting and there is ongoing engagement with management and unions also. The Government is working to see what it can do, within state aid parameters, to facilitate an earlier reopening of the mine. The situation is very challenging and very serious for the workers, of that there is no doubt. We will do everything we possibly can to be of support and assistance, as I said earlier.
I also express my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of former Minister Brendan Daly from County Clare. May he rest in peace.
I and many other Members of this House have met representatives of the Not Our Fault campaign who have been protesting outside Leinster House every week, including doing a full 24-hour stint recently. My constituency of Clare is represented on the group by Ms Lorraine Carew of Bru Na Sionna, an apartment complex in Shannon where serious fire defects have been identified. I commend Lorraine, Sam, Odette and the entire campaign group who have been steadfast in their resolve. The Construction Defects Alliance estimates that 120,000 homes built during the Celtic tiger did not meet building standards. Across the water, there was the unspeakable tragedy in Grenfell Tower due to apartments having fire defects. It is seared into all of our memories. Let it be a lesson. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage announced in January that there would be emergency funding. Maybe the Minister sees an emergency differently from the rest of us but it is now July, six months on, and there is only one week until the Dáil recess. Where is that emergency funding? Leaving people in distress is not a good look.
The Minister has been very focused on this issue. He announced a scheme related to defective apartments, with a timeline that has a long duration back. It is a very comprehensive measure. The Government supported that recommendation from the Minister in a decision. The issue now is to work through that decision in terms of providing a structured way of getting apartments refurbished and people supported in that refurbishment.
I also raise the Not Our Fault campaign. Many of the affected apartments are in my constituency and I make a point of going out to talk to the campaigners every time they are here. As the previous Deputy said, this is an emergency and funding is needed now. The Tánaiste said the budget is a few months away but this money is needed now.
There are huge problems in the houses with fire hazards that needed to be addressed months ago. Not only that, but many of those affected have management companies chasing them and have built up debts. There are also insurance issues. There are huge problems because the lack of emergency funding means basic fire safety standards cannot be reached. I add my voice to the calls to make an emergency fund available now.
I will talk to the Minister about the issues that have been raised, but very comprehensive resources have been agreed by the Government to deal with this issue, particularly apartment defects. More generally, the Government has committed in the territory of €4 billion to €5 billion over time to deal with mica, apartment defects and other defects. The issue is one of developing the capacity to respond in a meaningful way and getting the work done.
Front-line community drug services are having to turn people away due to the lack of funding. Those concerned have said services are now on life support. I was present for the pre-budget submission by the local drug and alcohol task forces yesterday. The name of the submission is "Services on a Shoestring", and that says it all. The services face a huge increase in demand. I have worked in front-line community addiction services and have been a director of the Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force, so I know at first hand how critical funding is.
I will be a little critical of the task forces. The demand of the Government was not ambitious enough. Sinn Féin, if in government, would commit an additional €7.2 million to the local drug and alcohol task forces as part of a €45 million package. Will the Government agree to the task forces' modest request of an additional €3 million in funding?
I am a very strong believer in the work of the alcohol and drug task forces and I have visited several of them. We will be of a positive disposition in allocating additional funding. An Estimates round is now under way across different Departments, so this is an issue we will prioritise.
Again I raise a question I have had to raise on several occasions with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, namely parental alienation and the degree to which it continues to be used in family law. I have gone through this to some extent. Parents – mostly women but in some cases men – continue to have decisions made about them by way of reference to so-called expert witnesses. They are maligned in their submissions. Now a large number of people, maybe up to 200, both women and men, have been condemned to experience the outcomes. How can we arrive at circumstances in which these cases can be taken on en bloc to reverse the damage done to family life, particularly that of women who are mothers?
The Deputy has been very consistent on this, and I appreciate his work. People might not have been as aware of the phenomenon without it. I have become increasingly aware of it and I will talk to the Minister for Justice. We need to reflect on the trend the Deputy has identified, which can result in a significant denial of access and rights. From a more holistic perspective in respect of children, parents and families, we do need to reflect on this. I thank the Deputy for his consistency in raising this issue and I appreciate it. He has been a lone voice in the House on it.
I suspect Deputy Durkan's tenacity will not fail him and that he will be returning to the subject on many occasions. Let us move on. I thank the Deputies for all that.