Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Oct 2023

Vol. 1043 No. 4

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Deputy Matt Carthy

I am sure the Tánaiste will join me in welcoming the imminent announcement that the British and Irish bid to host the UEFA Euro 2028 competition is set to be successful. We all look forward to seeing fans from across Europe attending games in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and Casement Park in Belfast. First, however, we need to ensure that the redevelopment of Casement Park is completed on time. I would appreciate it if the Tánaiste would outline the role he sees his Government taking to support the redevelopment of Casement Park, a crucial piece of the jigsaw in a project that could become a great international showcase for our country.

On the issue of all-Ireland infrastructure projects, the inquiry into the A5 road is due to report shortly. Will the Government be in a position to recommit to the principle of co-funding that project?

An Ceann Comhairle

One topic-----

Deputy Matt Carthy

They are linked, as I am sure the Ceann Comhairle will agree.

An Ceann Comhairle

I am sorry, Deputy, only one topic.

The Tánaiste

I thought the Deputy might acknowledge that this Government has done more on all-island and cross-Border projects than most, whether that be the Ulster Canal, the Narrow Water Bridge, the €40 million-----

Deputy Matt Carthy

I am just giving the Government the opportunity to do more-----

The Tánaiste

-----for research involving third level collaboration, the geopark in Cuilcagh, where we purchased thousands of hectares for the first cross-Border geopark-----

An Ceann Comhairle

We can only address one issue, Tánaiste.

The Tánaiste

I am delighted about the UEFA bid. What is important is that, first of all, we get host nation participation in the finals. That should be sorted. Stadia have to be developed and the UK Government has significant obligations in this regard as well.

The Irish Government will work with the UK Government to make sure that our stadia are fit for purpose, available and developed with a view to making sure that we can host these games. It is great for the fans and all supporters of football.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I welcome the students in the Gallery, who are politics students from High School, Rathgar in my own constituency. They are very welcome.

I want to return to the issue of housing, the civil rights issue of our generation and most particularly of the generation of the students in the Gallery who are with us today. One key way to increase the number of homes available, that are so badly needed across our communities, is to ensure that we have a really positive proactive programme to turn vacant housing into homes. I raised the issue with the Tánaiste last week and he was somewhat dismissive, if he does not mind me saying. He told me to get onto my local authority. In the meantime, I have raised it with the Taoiseach. He acknowledged this is a national issue. Indeed, in The Irish Mirror this week we saw an investigative report showing that 250 HSE-owned properties are lying idle and vacant at a time when the housing disaster is ravaging our communities. Today, we in Labour will be launching our alternative budget. We will be including plans for an emergency empty homes fund to crack down on the appalling blight of vacancy and dereliction and bring homes back into use.

An Ceann Comhairle

We are out of time; there is one minute per question.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

How many Department of Defence homes, that could be used as homes for our Defence Forces and others, are lying empty?

The Tánaiste

I look forward to publication of Labour's budget proposals. I saw no sign of change in Sinn Féin's budget at all, despite all the rhetoric. The Social Democrats has gone for a €17 billion expenditure. It is really challenging for Labour to come with a budget package-----

Deputy Ivana Bacik

We are up to the challenge.

The Tánaiste

-----given the underwhelming Sinn Féin budget and the very interesting Social Democrats budget in terms of financial sustainability.

I was not dismissive last week at all. I just made the very fair point that there is a Derelict Sites Act. Local authorities have a duty and obligation to implement it, and they should be proactive in doing so. There is a vacant house tax and which we introduced. I agree 100% with the Deputy that vacancy has to be dealt with. There is absolutely no necessity for it. There are about 5,000-odd accommodation units in use within the Defence Forces, but they are for general inductees or people attending training courses and so on in various barracks. I can get the figure for the Deputy.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I thank the Tánaiste.

Deputy Paul Murphy

There was a powerful briefing yesterday in the audiovisual room by Long Covid Advocacy Ireland and Long Covid Kids. We heard about the devastating impact of long Covid on some of the hundreds of thousands of people who were affected by long Covid in this country, the children who were unable to attend school every day and the adults unable to work.

It is almost a year since this Dáil passed a good motion on taking long Covid seriously, but the people affected feel, understandably, that the Government and the HSE are not taking long Covid seriously. The question is whether the Government is going to do that. Covid is not going away, unfortunately, and every additional infection that someone gets increases their chances of ending up affected by long Covid. Will the Government take long Covid seriously? Will it launch an awareness campaign to alert the public of the dangers of contracting Covid and the possibility of ending up with long Covid? Will it ensure that there is training for GPs to ensure appropriate diagnosis and management of long Covid, and will it provide financial support for those affected by long Covid, including healthcare workers and others?

The Tánaiste

First, I wish the students from High School, Rathgar the very best in their tour of Dáil Éireann. We thank them for their presence here and hope that some of them will emerge in the not too distant future as Members of this House.

In terms of the briefing-----

An Ceann Comhairle

I hope they are better able to read the clock than the ones we have here at present.

The Tánaiste

It has been one of my lifelong difficulties, a Cheann Comhairle.

(Interruptions).

The Tánaiste

When I used to attend secondary school, I was always five minutes late and my twin brother was always five minutes early, to which at the end of my sixth year in school the Deputy Principal, totally flummoxed by this, said: "Is that why you only had one spoon to eat the egg?" That has been the story of my life. I apologise when I get here a minute too late.

An Ceann Comhairle

Okay.

The Tánaiste

On the serious question of long Covid, and I know the Minister for Health is here, we are committed in a programmatic way to deal with the implications of long Covid in all its manifestations, through the primary care sector, diagnostics and also in terms of ongoing care. We are also doing research, which I think is critical, because we are still learning.

Deputy Denis Naughten

Clare is a nurse who has returned from Britain at the request of the HSE to take up a permanent nursing post. She has been lucky enough to source a house near the hospital that she can afford to buy. Her last two years of continuous employment were in Britain and she is being refused a local authority mortgage because according to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage not only has she to prove her ability to repay, but she also needs to prove her long-term commitment to Ireland. Surely, relocating to Ireland to bail out our health service should be proof enough. I am asking the Tánaiste to ensure that this anomaly within the regulations is addressed and that where nurses are being encouraged to come home and to take up employment here, they are not being told that they have to wait a further two years before they can access a State mortgage.

The Tánaiste

I agree 100% with the Deputy. Maybe he could pass the case on to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I will certainly alert him to the fact that he has raised the issue. We need to be flexible and sensible in our implementation of regulations and in administering loans of this kind. The spirit must be one of facilitation as opposed to creating hurdles. If someone is working for the HSE, he or she is in a very secure and sustainable position with good prospects for the years to come. That in my view should qualify one for a loan.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

One of the two radiography machines in University Hospital Limerick is out of order since last Thursday. This is supposed to be a world-class facility for cancer care not only serving Limerick city and county, but also Clare, Tipperary, Kerry and parts of Cork. My office has received numerous calls from cancer patients whose treatment has been delayed by over a week. You can understand how anxious they are and how worrying that is. Why is it taking so long to fix the machine? It has been out of order since last Thursday, which is today last week. That is seven days in the running of things. There are only two of these machines in the centre and there is a huge backlog. It is causing huge worry and stress for people who are already stressed and under pressure from going through the illness of cancer. Surely it should not take seven days to get a very important machine like that repaired.

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

I will talk to the HSE today and ask it to revert to the Department, which will revert directly to the Deputy. He can rest assured that everything that needs to be done will be done to make sure that full cancer services and treatments continue.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

As part of last year's budget, the Government introduced an enhanced electricity credit of €600 that was applied to electricity bills. However, many in the Traveller community were left behind as they did not receive this energy credit. Despite engagement between the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and the National Traveller Money Advice and Budgetary Service, MABS, the issue has still not been resolved. Many families have missed out on a credit that would have eased a significant financial burden during this cost-of-living crisis. There was no bother in this credit making its way to those who not in need of it, such as TDs, high net worth individuals and multimillionaires. With next week's budget looming, what is the Government going to do to ensure that every Traveller household that missed out on a credit last year is issued with a credit as soon as possible? What will it do to ensure that it does not happen again next week?

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Ossian Smyth)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is important. Energy credits were introduced as part of emergency legislation last year. The Cabinet agreed on a special allocation to make sure that the money reached Travellers. The way that was done was that the money was sent to the local authorities. Each local authorities was asked to state how many Traveller families it had. A sufficient quantity of money was sent to each local authority to distribute it. After that, I met with Traveller MABS and other Traveller representative organisations to discuss individual cases where they had not managed to receive the payment. We have traced down and carried out investigations to try to find any cases where that has not happened. New legislation will be passed this autumn to support any electricity credit that happens. It will be different from previous legislation and will take specific account of the specific needs of Travellers, not all of whom have their own electricity meter.

Deputy James O'Connor

The issue I want to raise concerns our national development plan, NDP, and the road budget funding. I have been raising continuously the issue of the implementation of the existing NDP that was revised by the Government under one of the first acts of the programme of Government. Within the NDP, I am particularly concerned about the lack of the appointment of a design consultant for the Castlemartyr-Killeagh scheme.

I have been asking for this for nine months. Money has been allocated but there has been no action from the Department of Transport. Can the Tánaiste give some commitment that he will raise this with the Secretary General of the Department and the roads unit within it?

The Tánaiste

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge that he has been a very persistent and strong advocate for this bypass and this facility. There will be further work on the capital ceilings of the NDP in the aftermath of the budget and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform will work with line Departments. I will examine the specific issue. My understanding is that it was progressing but I will examine the specific issue of the appointment of a design consultant.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I would like to deal with the tragic loss of Private Seán Rooney in Lebanon on 14 December 2022. His loss will be felt by all of us, but particularly those in Donegal and Dundalk, for a long time to come. The Tánaiste has been very clear that all facts would be uncovered and that all would be done in delivering justice. I think "no stone unturned" was the term he used. There has been a huge level of engagement with the Lebanese authorities. That obviously limits what can be said because a judicial process is in play. On 14 July, there were court proceedings. I do not think the defendants were there. On 30 August, there was another hearing but I do not have information on whether the defendants were there. There is another to be held on 15 December.

An Ceann Comhairle

Time is up, Deputy.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I ask for information on that and around the Garda Síochána. The UN has also carried out a board of inquiry. That has concluded and it has been shared with Ireland-----

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy, please.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

-----for official use only. Can that be shared with the Defence Forces or could it be shared with the family?

An Ceann Comhairle

Please, Deputy.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

Tá brón orm.

The Tánaiste

There has been ongoing engagement with the family on this question. Maybe I could talk to the Deputy to get more clarity on the specific asks. There was a UN initial inquiry and my understanding is that that then goes to a board of inquiry.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

That has concluded.

The Tánaiste

I will come back to the Deputy on that. The Garda is also involved in a coroner's court. I met with the Lebanese foreign minister at the UN recently to again underpin the importance of justice here with regard to those who killed Private Seán Rooney.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I am sure the Tánaiste will join me in sending our condolences to the family of the lady who was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Phibsborough yesterday evening, which involved the large-scale closure of the Phibsboro area. While it was a tragic incident that resulted in this closure, it was not an unpredictable scenario that a large part of the city would have to be closed following an unexpected incident. Yet, this morning, no major incident traffic management plan was in place. That was evident to many commuters across the city. People coming from Finglas, Ballymun and Glasnevin, all using that N2 road and also the N1 road, experienced very significant delays. There was no Garda presence at junctions to ensure flow and there did not seem to be any evidence of either the local authority or the Garda being there. Could the Tánaiste raise this with the Minister for Transport? I understand Dáil business was slightly delayed this morning because of this and I imagine businesses across the city were impacted as well. I got reports this morning of delays of an hour and a half or two hours.

The Tánaiste

I appreciate what the Deputy said and I would share with him our deepest sympathies to the family of the woman who was killed in this hit-and-run accident. Our hearts go out to them on such a loss of life in circumstances where it could have been avoided and prevented. I will ask the Ministers for Justice and Transport to liaise with the local authority and the Garda locally as to the issue around the implementation of a major traffic accident plan. My understanding is that local authorities have clearly established frameworks governing such plans and the activation of them.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I want to bring to the attention of An Tánaiste the importance of the issue of Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare, where the OPW, which is the owner of Castletown House and 230 acres or so of land, has been denied access by virtue of the actions of an adjoining landowner who is now the owner of the right of way. Neither the public or the OPW will have a right of access unless immediate action is taken at whatever level possible, either through Kildare County Council separately or with the support of the OPW, to ensure access is restored without delay.

The Tánaiste

Deputy Lawless has raised this same issue. I am aware of it because Deputy Lawless spoke to me about this. A very unsatisfactory situation has emerged here. I learned about it post the acquisition of the land. It is a pity the State did not get control of it from day one. It is very important that all options be examined now. The fundamental objective has to be to restore the access of the general public to these lands. We live in a society and in a community and there is a public interest involved here that, irrespective of private property rights and so on, has to be taken on board by private landowners, particularly where there has been an established right of access for decades.

Deputy Louise O'Reilly

Some weeks ago, the medical technology company Merative contacted approximately 250 workers to notify them that their positions were at risk. Thereafter, the statutory 30-day consultation period relating to collective redundancies kicked in. Unfortunately, at-risk workers have contacted my office to say they are concerned that no meaningful consultation is taking place and the company is also refusing to engage with their trade union, Unite. Will the Tánaiste join with me in calling on the company to engage with the union and give sufficient time, opportunity and energy for fair representation regarding the current redundancy proposals to discuss - this is really important - ways to avoid job losses, reduce the numbers of workers impacted and mitigate the consequences of any restructuring with a view to reaching a fair conclusion?

The Tánaiste

Yes, I appeal to the company to work with the trade unions and to have a full and meaningful consultation, which is provided for within the legal frameworks so that employees will have full clarity and also that every effort will be made to minimise job losses.

Deputy Johnny Guirke

Unfortunately, the situation at Boliden Tara Mines has not changed since the decision was made to enter into care and maintenance in June this year. Approximately 650 workers were temporarily laid off by management and the duration of those temporary lay-offs is undetermined at present. Has the Government been engaging with the management of Tara Mines to ensure it does all in its power to get the mines reopened as soon as possible and get a date for this? Healthcare premiums covered by the company until 31 October are running out, as is a weekly support payment of €65. There is a meeting with the unions on 12 October where these issues will be discussed and reviewed. I ask the Government to talk to management before 12 October to see if it can offer that support to the workers and their families so we can keep these benefits going.

The Tánaiste

The Government is very much committed to helping and supporting the workers within the frameworks that are available. We will continue to do that and see what we can do, working with the owners, to get the mines operational again. The international context was not conducive at the time of the decision taken to have it at a care and maintenance level. The Government will remain engaged on the issue.

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan

I note the Minister for Health is also present. I raise with him an article published in The Irish Times this morning about the possible cutting of funding for new drugs in the budget. I do not expect the Minister to reveal the budget here and I know negotiations are still ongoing. However, a number of us have been contacted by stakeholders and patients' groups about their concerns leading up to the budget. It is right that we highlight this here today in advance of the budget next week. We are a hub for biopharma and innovation in this field and any such move would be a retrograde step and would halt the progress that has been made, to be fair to the Minister, over the past three years, in providing new moneys for drugs. I just wanted to highlight the issue.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

I thank the Deputy and recognise his ongoing work in this area in ensuring we have new medicines, particularly for rare diseases. I met with the industry representatives' group and made a point that I think is well known, which is that funding for new developments in healthcare is a matter for the budget and is an ongoing conversation.

No decisions have been made but there is a lot of pressure there. Notwithstanding that, in this year's spend, there is about €100 million in spending on new medicines that have come in over the past three budgets, and that is making new medicines available for a lot of children and adults throughout the country.

Deputy James Lawless

I also raise the issue of Castletown House in Celbridge. The Tánaiste and I have discussed it directly on a number of recent occasions and, indeed, it was ventilated on the floor of this Chamber a few moments ago. This is an issue of huge significance not just to the 80,000 people living in close proximity and the communities of Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth, Straffan and into Lucan and beyond; it is also a nationally strategic site. The Tánaiste is familiar with the background. Unfortunately, half of the estate has gone into private ownership, and not only has 200 acres been lost to the State and the public but access to the house and remaining lands has been compromised as a result, with what is called the N4 access taken away.

We have met the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and we are meeting that agency again tonight. My sense is we may need to take a broader, more holistic, collective approach from the Government, potentially across multiple agencies, and use the resources and expertise the State has. It is at a stalemate between the OPW and the landowner. We may need to think creatively about this. I ask that the resources and expertise of the State be brought to bear in trying to crack this nut and to restore this valuable asset to the people of north Kildare but also to the population at large.

The Tánaiste

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, as Deputy Durkan did earlier. I know Deputy Lawless has been advocating on it for some time, because of the significance of the estate and the access the public enjoyed for a considerable length of time. As I said earlier, it is important that all involved, including those who own the land, have due regard for the importance of public access, for societal cohesion and for the well-being of the community. My experience is the State generally takes a fair approach to these issues, working with all interests, and that is my first appeal. I am always conscious in situations like this that I do not want the State held to ransom either or to be leveraged unfairly. That said, I think the State will look at every option to try to put the public interest first, along with the recreation and well-being of the wider community who use the facility.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell

I am being contacted by so many medical card holders who simply cannot access dentists. When I contact the HSE about which dentists are providing services to medical card holders, I am told there are 30 dentists in Galway city and 11 in County Galway, but that is just not the case. What is the update on that? When can we expect medical card holders to be able to access that dental service? I have dealt with a woman who needed a tooth removed and was in massive pain but just could not find anybody. It is really an urgent issue.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on an ongoing basis. We have done a lot of work since she and I last discussed it. The fees paid to dentists have increased by about 50%, as she and I have discussed previously, and at this point I really would like to see dentists provide services to medical card holders under the existing scheme. I have taken a look at, and am happy to share with Deputies, the amount the Government is paying versus other countries in western Europe, and at the incomes that are coming in. We compare favourably in terms of the sums we pay to dentists to do State-supported work, such as provide services to medical card holders. There needs to be an ongoing conversation. There is an ongoing discussion with the Irish Dental Association on reform of this scheme, which is required, but Ireland's fee rates, now that we have raised them by 50%, compare favourably. I know dentists can make more money from private work and that is what is happening here, but I do believe dentists should be engaging in that scheme to the greatest extent possible and treating exactly the kinds of people the Deputy is talking about.

Deputy Colm Burke

The population has increased by 1.5 million in the past 20 years, or 40%, and there is a need to fast-track the delivery of medical facilities. An increase of 1.5 million people is huge. In Cork, for instance, we have planning for a new paediatric unit and there is also the issue regarding the delivery of elective hospitals. We need now to respond. As the Tánaiste said earlier, there has been an increase in the population of 97,000 in the past 12 months alone, and our health service has to respond accordingly. It is about how we can fast-track the delivery of healthcare facilities, outside of the delivery of services. We need to be able to fast-track the delivery of actual infrastructure, rather than take five or eight years to deliver it.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Minister for Health to respond.

The Tánaiste

I might take that question because there is a broader issue relating to population growth and its impact on public services, and the Deputy raised a very interesting point. He mentioned an increase in the population of 1.5 million over 20 years. I have been making this point repeatedly and I think we need a deeper dive and analysis of the relationship between population growth and the impact on public services more generally, including the health service. Some of the increased costs in health are due to health inflation, which is generally higher than non-health inflation, and there are also increased activity levels, ageing of the population and growth in population. That is why we have big deficits in health. There needs to proper governance and management of health service budgets, but the population increase is a factor that probably has not, in my view, been analysed or assessed with the level of detail required to make sure we can plan better for the future. I agree on the need to fast-track elective hospitals, particularly the one in Cork, for which I have been arguing intensely with the Minister-----

An Ceann Comhairle

I thank the Tánaiste.

Deputy Colm Burke

We have planning for the new paediatric unit.

The Tánaiste

-----and the paediatric unit as well.

Deputy Bríd Smith

Some of our best and brightest brains gathered outside the Dáil within the past hour to demand a living wage. Earlier in the year, through engagement with the Minister, Deputy Harris, PhD students had their income increased to €25,000 a year for full-time work, but that impacts on only 30% of the total PhD student population. The rest of them are creased trying to live in this country, so they are out there to demand a living wage for all PhD students. Without them, we would not have developments in engineering, science, climate change and medicine, which are absolutely needed to make this world a better place for all to live in. Could we recognise their value by paying them a decent living wage, moving in the direction of other EU countries and recognising them as employees, and reforming their visa status so that it will allow them to live here for the duration of their research and not have to make a costly annual reapplication?

The Tánaiste

I would be sympathetic. I have had a long-standing commitment to research. PhD students are the lifeblood of our research capacity, particularly in science, engineering and technology more generally but across the board, where I do not want to differentiate. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science announced an independent national review of State supports for PhD researchers, as the Deputy pointed out, with Dr. Andrea Johnson and Mr. David Cagney as co-chairs. They submitted their first report last May and a series of recommendations were made, including one to increase the stipend level with an optimal target of €25,000, subject to the availability of funding. We have to remain competitive with other countries in respect of our treatment of PhD students and I would support improving their overall remuneration.

An Ceann Comhairle

We are out of time but I will take two final 30-second questions.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Earlier this week, I highlighted a discrepancy in the HSE guidance for GP care. Its website states that if three GPs decline somebody care, they can contact the HSE and it will assign them a GP, but it appears that last month it stopped doing this. That means people who cannot access healthcare can no longer get an intervention from the HSE to provide them with GP care. Was there a change in the policy? If so, at the very least, we need to update the information, but can we re-examine the policy? It means people the State has determined are entitled to free GP care are not getting assistance to access what is a basic human right.

Deputy Matt Shanahan

The latest Central Statistics Office, CSO, data show a massive discrepancy in disposable income between Dublin and the south west versus the Border areas, the midlands and the south east. In fact, for Dublin and the south west, the figures are 20% and 4% above the average, respectively, while the figure for the south east and the midlands is minus 20%. There is a 40% difference, therefore, in disposable income, which might be related to the representation in the Cabinet. Is the Tánaiste aware of these numbers and is he going to try to effect some policy to change this in the upcoming budget?

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

I will revert to Deputy Higgins with a note. The policy to which she referred is active. In the context of adding half a million people to State-funded GP care, it may be the case that there are some issues.

The Tánaiste

To respond to Deputy Shanahan, there are complexities to these figures. Bear in mind that the Government's strategy is to develop regional cities and to develop critical mass in Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway to create a better balance to economic development. The situation in Waterford has improved significantly over the past number of years in terms of foreign direct investment, FDI, and investment in education and health services. There has been progression and there have been improvements. That will continue. Our focus will be to re-balance economic development, so there are higher income levels in the regions. Higher populations can sustain regional economic growth. That is the key. This is a small island. It makes sense to have a counter pole to the east coast more generally.