Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Oct 2023

Vol. 1044 No. 3

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Weather Events

Deputy Pat Buckley

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating me in raising this issue. Midleton was described as a disaster zone or a swamp on media this morning, but it is not alone when it comes to this disaster. Killeagh, Whitegate, Lady's Bridge, Mogeely, Youghal, Inch and many other single dwellings dotted around east Cork have been affected by this flooding. Roads have been ripped up. In addition, more than 9,000 people in the same area are now on boil water notices. When shops in the hardest-hit areas are struggling to open, never mind stock up on essentials, how can we support those directly affected? Our local welfare offices have been decimated - Midleton recently lost its one - so where do people go when they are reaching out for help?

When communities are torn apart, the one thing that Irish communities will always do, is rally around each other and I have been witnessing this over the last few days. I thank everyone who has been involved in this massive clean-up operation, our volunteers, Civil Defence, our emergency services, the Garda, the RNLI and so on. In 2016, when all stakeholders came together following another major flooding incident, the local council and Cork County Council gave the people of Midleton every support they could have. That has been replicated once again with the support of the Government.

I have a number of questions to put to the Minister of State in order that I can go back to my constituents with solid answers. I do not expect him to be able to answer them all, but I want to put them on the record and I hope there is follow-up on them. Why was the national flood forecasting and warning service not used? Was there any prior knowledge of this disaster? Carlow Weather acknowledged the possibility of flooding and forecast 100 mm of rain in the days before this event.

What immediate emergency funding - be it be Government funding, European funding or humanitarian funding - can be drawn down as soon as possible? What happens to businesses and householders that have already drawn down the humanitarian aid funding in the past? Are they allowed to apply for it again? Do they need to have their house or business insured? Will there be a dedicated email for public representatives and Deputies? Many householders and businesses in east Cork do not have insurance because they were not afforded it after four major flooding incidents that have occurred since 2015 or January 2016.

What happens to all those vehicles that were destroyed in this flood? How can people replace them? Is there a special insurance fund that covers these events? Can the Minister of State guarantee that the Government will leave no stone unturned and will do everything to assist the people of Midleton and east Cork and that it will also remove any barriers that stand in the way of householders and businesses in order that they can get on with their lives as soon as possible?

I know there is a lot in that. I appeared in the media today and I spoke frankly about this matter. I said I am not one to go down, stand in front of the cameras, put on lovely white boots, pull a sandbag and say I have my job done. There is a job to do up here as well. I appreciate that some Ministers have today gone down to Midleton and surrounding areas.

Again, I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I am raising this because I need to go back and be in Midleton and east Cork tomorrow morning. I want to be able to assure people that they will be able to access stuff. If there is going to be an issue with previous flooding and people are not insured, what can they do? I am definitely very interested in the issue of car insurance. People had gone to work and were not parked outside their homes. These are necessities and they have lost all of them. Is there a special insurance fund in that regard? I am trying to get that information.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Thomas Byrne)

I thank Deputy Buckley. I acknowledge what his constituents are going through today. He is doing his job on behalf of his constituents here. I also spoke to Deputies O'Connor and Padraig O'Sullivan, Billy Kelleher MEP and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, about various aspects of this matter. I thank all the public representatives for the information they are getting. I will try to give as much information as I have here, but, as the Deputy has acknowledged he has placed questions on the record and it is important to get answers to every one of them.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is designated as lead Department for co-ordinating the response at national level to severe weather and flooding. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, NDFEM, within the Department is tasked with co-ordinating the response to these emergencies working closely with Met Éireann, local authorities, who are the lead agency for the response to severe weather, Departments and other agencies following the procedures developed over the years and set out in the Strategic Emergency Management - National Framework.

Storm Babet was named by the UK Met Office on Monday, 16 October. The NDFEM has been liaising with Met Éireann which is monitoring the heavy rain associated with Storm Babet that has affected the south of the country. A status orange rainfall warning was issued for Cork, Kerry and Waterford on Monday, 16 October for spells of heavy rain likely to bring localised flooding, difficult driving conditions and possible wave overtopping at high tide with an expected onset of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, 17 October until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, 18 October.

In preparation for the arrival of heavy rain, the NDFEM crisis management team issued a severe weather notice to all local authority severe weather assessment teams and principal response agencies on Tuesday, 17 October. A European Flood Awareness System flash-flood notification, issued to local authorities on Monday, 16 October, also highlighted the possibility of significant flooding in the south west. On foot of those warnings, local authorities, activated their crisis management teams, and local co-ordination groups and flood defences were put in place.

Heavy and persistent rain over southern counties on Tuesday and Wednesday combined with already saturated soils, extremely high river levels and high tides caused rivers to break their banks resulting in significant flood events particularly around east Cork, with Deputy Buckley's constituency at the centre of it. The flooding led to widespread rolling road closures that severely disrupted the road networks in County Cork, which hampered afternoon and evening commutes on Wednesday.

Cork City Council is aware of flooded properties, particularly in the areas of Blackpool and Glanmire, where council workers worked to defend properties with sandbags and pumping operations. Cork County Council is aware of the flooding of properties in Youghal, Whitegate, Rathcormac, Glandore, Ringaskiddy Carrigaline, Raffeen, Halfway and Castletownbere. In Midleton, the Owenacurra river rose at an unprecedented rate and broke its banks at two locations causing significant flood damage to the town with more than 100 properties flooded. We all saw the flood waters on television and how frightening they were at a depth of approximately 1 m.

A co-ordination centre was established at Midleton fire station to house the interagency team that co-ordinated the local response and evacuation of people trapped by the extreme floodwaters. People displaced by the floodwaters were given shelter at a local hotel and temporary rest centres in Midleton. Much of Midleton experienced power outages during the afternoon and evening on Wednesday and ESB crews worked overnight to restore power to those areas. A section to the rear of Midleton Community Hospital was flooded and some patients were evacuated to Heather House at the Mercy Hospital in Cork city. Thankfully, floodwaters have now receded and local authority workers have mobilised to clear debris from affected roads and premises.

Deputy Pat Buckley

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As I said, it is not a competition and I do not expect all questions to be answered. I acknowledge that the flood defence mechanisms that were put in place, such as in Mallow and Fermoy, actually worked. There should be an emphasis on that. Nobody could have predicted it affecting such a large area. In Midleton where the two rivers meet at the estuary with a high tide, one could say there was a problem there. However, given what happened in Killeagh, Youghal and Glanmire, there is a bigger picture.

On other days we could talk about flood defences, catchment flood risk assessment and management studies and stuff, but this is about making sure that we can get the information to the people who need it. We need to make it is simple as possible. We should acknowledge that the last time we were in trouble when a proper co-ordinated plan was put in place with the local stakeholders, the volunteers, the fire service, An Garda Síochána, the local authority, it worked extremely well. I thank them for that and I hope we will see such co-operation again in future. I want to reach out to everybody.

A while ago I came off the phone from talking to a teenage girl, who rang me up to tell me that she and a friend spent €40 on bottles of water and just walked around the town, handing them out. That is the community spirit we need. It is all about communication which is the most important thing here. I hope that by working together we can get this right for everybody in east Cork.

Then we can truly, genuinely start addressing where we went wrong, and it is to be hoped this will never, ever happen again.

I thank the Minister of State for his time.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I acknowledge the community response. People tend to look after one another in a situation such as this. Politicians work together. The public certainly want to feel that people are there responding to the immediate need. The community has done that. I know that Sarsfields GAA club in Glanmire, for example, prevented further flooding from happening.

Deputy Pat Buckley

Yes. That was a massive gesture.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

To be fair to Cork County Council, on foot of the warnings, work was done in anticipation of the flooding and I am sure that protected some people as well.

As regards the Department of Social Protection, community welfare officers have been on the ground in the Deputy's constituency, in Midleton and Youghal, today. I am sure he has been touch with them and with other people all day. I can only imagine-----

Deputy Pat Buckley

If I can find the community welfare officers. The local one is retired.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

The information I have is that people are on the ground. There is a humanitarian assistance scheme in place. There is a €10 million fund in place for that.

Separately, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is ready to activate the flooding support scheme for small businesses and sports clubs that are unable to secure flood insurance and are affected by the flooding. There are details in the written reply as to how those measures can be availed of. We will certainly look at sports clubs as well if there are particular issues in that regard that need to be addressed. That has happened in the past and we are certainly willing to look at that again, as I said to Deputy O'Connor and Deputy O'Sullivan today.

Probation and Welfare Service

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is unable to take this issue but I thank the Minister of State for being here to facilitate the matter being raised. Over several months I have raised, by way of parliamentary question, the issue of historical sexual abuse in the Probation Service. In May, in a written reply from the Minister, she confirmed that two allegations of child sexual abuse had been made in regard to the Probation Service. In the Minister's words, they related to a deceased member of the Probation Service. This matter has also been the topic of media coverage. "RTÉ Investigates" carried out the programme "Scouting Dishonour", in which it referred to the then chief scout Joe Lawlor, and allegations in regard to him and his service in the Probation Service. I know Joe Duffy on RTÉ Radio has also discussed this case.

I appreciate it is an incredibly sensitive issue, but, unfortunately, a victim who has come forward to me has said that he feels there is a cul-de-sac now in terms of justice. He feels that, like many other institutions where sexual abuse took place, there is always a stigma in victims coming forward and articulating the allegation. In this case, however, there is almost a double stigma because many of these people were the subject of the Probation Service, and in order to reveal that they had been the subject of sexual abuse, they also had to reveal that they were the subject of the Probation Service.

I have asked the Minister on several occasions if she will consider carrying out a review of the file within the Department of Justice or an investigation or some form of inquiry which would relieve these victims. I believe there are others out there who have not yet come forward because of the nature of the circumstances I have outlined. We should actively facilitate them. It is accepted now that abuse took place at the hands of this gentleman in other organisations. We want to find out what the Department of Justice and the Probation Service know about that activity over that time.

There has been a lot of discussion in regard to Scouting Ireland and changes within that organisation. Ian Elliott's report refers to particular individuals. If, however, there are cases of sexual abuse in the Probation Service, in my view, the Minister should take those allegations incredibly seriously and we as a State should relieve the victims of the burden of having to go to the media and having to go out there and raise these issues. We should carry out an inquiry based on the allegations we have received and review the documentation to see what was known. My understanding - again, these matters have been reported in the media - is that complaints were made to the Probation Service as far back as 2000, and other reports have said that they were made as far back as the 1970s.

As I said, and within the limits of what I can say in this House, I ask that the Minister carry out an inquiry and review whatever documentation is on file to see if victims can be brought together and, instead of forcing people down the process of legal action, which delivers justice for very few, put in place a process whereby people who are impacted in this way can receive justice and can be dealt with sensitively.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I apologise for the absence of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I understand she is at a Justice Council meeting in Luxembourg at the moment. I sincerely apologise that she is not here to answer this.

Deputy McAuliffe will be aware from previous responses to parliamentary questions submitted to the Minister that records indicate that two allegations of child sexual abuse have been made in respect of the Probation Service. Both relate to alleged incidents in the 1970s by a former staff member who is now deceased.

As the Minister has also previously advised the Deputy, the Minister is informed that when the first allegation came to the attention of the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána and relevant services were notified and a criminal investigation was initiated.

As the Deputy will be aware, in general terms, criminal investigations can be carried out only by An Garda Síochána, which then, as appropriate, submits a report to the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP. The DPP, which operates independently, then decides whether or not somebody should be prosecuted and for what crime on the basis of the Garda findings viewed against the background of common law or statute law. The Minister for Justice, as a matter of law, cannot intervene in this independent process.

The Probation Service later became aware of a second allegation against the same former staff member, who by that time was deceased. This matter is the subject of a legal claim which is being managed by the State Claims Agency on behalf of the Department of Justice. As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, I am not in a position to comment further as the matter is ongoing.

I and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, encourage anybody who has been a victim of any kind of sexual assault to reach out for help and support and to report the matter to An Garda Síochána. There are in every Garda division specialist Garda members trained to ensure that any victim presenting to gardaí are met with a consistently high standard of specialist, sensitive, professional and expert help. There is also a range of victim support services available, and many are listed on the Victims Charter website at www.victimscharter.ie. Rape crisis centres throughout the country also offer advice and support services to victims of rape and sexual assault and operate a national 24-hour helpline which can be contacted at 1800 77 88 88. The HSE also has a national counselling service, the details of which are on the HSE website.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I welcome the Minister of State's putting those points on the record. I join him in encouraging anybody who was the victim of sexual abuse, in a historical context or otherwise, in the Probation Service to come forward. A probation officer has a sense of huge trust. The reports which came to me involved not the person themselves being the subject of probation but actually a family member. The threat was used that if this sexual abuse were disclosed, that family member - I say "family member"; it was another child - would be subjected to the Probation Service and the power it has. Probation officers occupy an incredibly important position in society and do incredible work. Like all those trusted important positions, however, people who are willing to commit abuse against children use those positions.

We have learned so much in the past that victims should not have to fight every inch. I will say at this very early stage, and it would appear that there are very small numbers, that we should try to look for a mechanism that would avoid a legal route being the only route to justice. I am sure more seasoned Deputies - I see, I think, the longest-serving Member of the House here, Deputy Bernard Durkan - although I think there is a dispute between him and Deputy Richard Bruton in that regard - have seen more times than anybody else how victims are forced to use the legal process as the only way they can secure justice.

Surely we can step back from this and put in place a process. The option of having a criminal investigation is not open when the person is deceased. It is right that people ask what the State knew, when it knew it and if it should have acted. Everything may have been above board but it is right that people ask those questions. I ask again that the files be reviewed and a mechanism put in place to help victims who have been through an immense torture.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I reiterate what the Deputy and I have both said about reporting any crimes. It is important to always say that. Such reports will be treated seriously and sensitively. I will pass on the points the Deputy made to the Minister.

An Ceann Comhairle

I thank the Deputy for raising a profoundly serious matter.

Children in Care

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Alan Farrell wishes to discuss the implementation of increases to the foster care allowance. This is a matter that has been the topic of much discussion in recent times. It is very topical.

Deputy Alan Farrell

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and providing me with an opportunity to raise it in the House. I thank the Minister of State for his presence. There is no doubt that the change to foster care payments detailed in budget 2024 is to be welcomed as a positive step. It is the first time the allowance has been increased since 2009. We should be more ambitious in our delivery. There are a number of measures outlined in the budget, all of which are extremely welcome, particularly for foster families. These include a double payment of the foster care allowance, which will be made before the end of the year, and an increase of €25 per week in the statutory foster care allowance rate from January. In November 2024, the allowance for children under 12 will increase to €400 per week and the foster care allowance for children aged 12 and over will increase to €495 per week.

Foster carers provide an extraordinary service and the payment of the foster care allowance should recognise the role foster families play in our country. In 2022, 556 children entered foster care and approximately 5,184 children are cared for daily. In that context, we can and should expedite the increase planned for November 2024. As I mentioned, these families have been waiting since 2009 for an increase and recognition of the invaluable work they do. I can think of no greater gift a family or individual could offer the State than to care for a child who is not their own. It is in that context that this recognition should be expedited.

Like many Members, including, I am sure, the Minister of State, I have received correspondence from foster families on this matter. They have expressed their frustration with the gap between the announcement of these measures and their implementation. I received a good few emails and after responding to one, I got a justifiably irate reply from a family who are caring not for one child but for multiple children. There are increases in payments for all households during the cost-of-living crisis but we need to give particular recognition to those who are offering a home and safe environment to a child. As the Minister of State will know, many children in the foster care system have complex needs, the cost of which often falls directly on the families who care for them. This underscores the need for timely support. I assure the Minister of State that these families are not in it for a financial benefit and are not asking to be rewarded. Rather, they are asking to be given sufficient support so that they can care for the vulnerable child in their care to the best of their ability.

The changes to the foster care allowances in budget 2024, as I mentioned, are the first since 2009. The Minister and his Cabinet colleagues should be commended on taking that step in the right direction. We are fortunate that we have the financial prowess and resources to invest in facilities, State services and people. I can think of no greater investment to ensure these vulnerable children who often have complex needs are supported in an appropriate and timely way. That is what I ask.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He speaks for all of us when he praises foster parents and families for all the work they do. Foster care is the preferred model for the care of children in care who cannot live with their families of origin. In recognition of the importance of foster care in contributing to positive and improved outcomes for children in care, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, made it a priority to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in this year's budget to support that vital role the Deputy discussed.

As outlined in the budget, from January next the rates of the foster care allowance will increase by €25 per week to €350 per week for children aged under 12 and €377 per week for those aged over 12. The foster care allowance will be further increased in November 2024 to €400 per week for children aged under 12 and €425 per week for those aged over 12. These increases mean that foster carers will receive over €1,700 additional funding per child over the course of 2024, amounting to an extra €300 per month by the end of 2024 for each child placed with them, when compared with the current allowance. In addition, the Deputy may also be aware that a double week of the foster care allowance will be paid at the existing rates to foster carers before the end of 2023. Foster carers will also benefit from a double child benefit payment in respect of each qualifying foster child, which is due to be paid before the end of the year.

The Minister has acknowledged the disappointment, which the Deputy has outlined, among foster carers that the full increase will not come into effect until November 2024. However, given the many competing demands on the limited funds of the State, including from across the Tusla budget and from other responsibilities within the remit of the Department, including disabilities, necessary compromises had to be made. In this context, it was decided that it was necessary to introduce the increases to the foster care allowance on a phased basis over next year. It was the Minister's priority to secure a significant increase to the allowance, albeit it has been at the cost of a phased implementation. It is hoped the supports contained in the budget will, over time, ease financial burdens on foster carers.

Deputy Alan Farrell

I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Minister. I completely understand the matter of competing demands. I had the privilege of chairing the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs for a number of years in the previous Dáil and I fully appreciate the budgetary constraints in Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. One only has to look at the childcare demands the Government has added to the Department to understand the level of investment being made. I fully appreciate the Minister of State’s point. I ask that further consideration be given to bringing the date back from November. Perhaps the Minister will be in a position to review the matter in his budget before the end of the year or in early 2024 to see whether it is possible to support these families sooner.

I recognise the significant sacrifice and extraordinary gesture made by foster carers in showing what I consider to be love towards children who are not their own and in caring for, nurturing and educating them and giving them a safe environment in which to thrive. All of us in this House support that. I want to give them the recognition they are due because I know that over many years it has been a struggle for Tusla to encourage families to serve the State by offering their homes to children. I commend Tusla on the work it does in supporting these families. I thank the Minister of State for his response.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I acknowledge what the Deputy has said. I also acknowledge that what the Minister has done has been significant, although it is not exactly what everyone wants. However, he is committed to working with everybody, including Government partners, stakeholders and Tusla to continue to improve the supports for foster carers.

Heritage Sites

An Ceann Comhairle

The fourth item I have selected comes from Deputy Durkan, who wishes to discuss the ongoing impasse regarding vehicular access to Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare. It is a very hot local issue, and a national issue as well.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

It is. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this particularly sensitive and important issue in the House at this time. I am aware a meeting took place this evening at about 5 p.m. but unfortunately we could not be in the two places; bilocation is not one of our achievements just yet. However, a continued discussion took place at that meeting between the Office of Public Works, OPW, and local residents with a view to facilitating the works that remain to be undertaken to safeguard the roof and ensure the building of Castletown House is maintained in a proper order. I hope some arrangement was reached. I also must again point out the anxiety of the residents. They are not unreasonable people and have put forward various suggestions over the past six months. The area through which the OPW was allowed to gain access to the lands and house at Castletown House is no longer available to it and efforts have been made to facilitate an alternative. Unfortunately, that alternative so far is not something that can receive the support of local residents, in that the traffic from Castletown would go to and from the house through the main old front gates. The point has been made by the residents and by all of the public representatives that traffic plans and volumes have changed considerably since the front gates of Castletown House and the house itself was built because now there is intense traffic congestion on the main street in Celbridge and its environs. A solution has to be found whereby the needs of both sides can be achieved without in any way creating an issue that we may have to deal with in the future.

The issue still continues and we have suggested to the OPW that it should try to get a legal counsel's opinion on the possibility of restoring the access that was previously available while negotiations take place, without in any way impinging on the entitlements of the adjoining landholder across whose property access was gained for the last 15 years, albeit on licence. It is important to reassure the residents and all concerned in the country at large that access to the house is guaranteed in the future in a way that is acceptable and in line with the requirements of traffic and of the State in maintaining its property in a way it sees fit. The State, through the OPW owns 230 acres in the Castletown estate and the house itself. The fact that negotiations were taking place regarding a larger area of land adjacent to Castletown House is fine. We all accept and support that. However, what is really important at this stage is to reassure the residents that if proceedings are allowed to go ahead as they are, access to and from Castletown House via the front gate onto Main Street will become the only access that becomes available in the future, which would be a traffic management disaster. I hope the meeting that took place this evening was a fruitful one and that the Minister of State has the information emanating from it. If not, we must go back to the drawing board once again. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House this evening and I strongly urge that every effort be made and continued to restore access to the premises.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I will set out the position here. To be clear, I do not have the latest update from a meeting that took place at 5 p.m. I have been in the Chamber since then myself. The OPW is responsible for Castletown House. In 2008, it reassembled 227 acres of the original estate. The OPW attempted to purchase the lands from Janus Securities on several occasions, including in 2022 but it was outbid. In May 2023, the OPW engaged in negotiations for a licence agreement with the new landowners but could not agree on terms. Access to the M4 road and car park was allowed until 15 September 2023. The OPW entered into negotiations with the new landowners on a licence agreement in May 2023. While the OPW was prepared to pay the significant uplift in the licence fee the landowners were seeking, it could not agree to the unreasonable terms of the licence agreement. The landowners then allowed use of the M4 access road and carpark until 15 September. However, the OPW has a responsibility to ensure public access to Castletown House and estate and is funded by the Oireachtas to do so. To ensure public access, the OPW explored creating a temporary car park within State-owned lands but this plan was abandoned after community feedback. With only the Avenue, Celbridge, as vehicular access, a community protest group has blocked access for OPW staff and contractors since 30 September, leading to difficulties in site maintenance and operations.

The OPW has continually sought to find a solution to these challenges within the community. Following intensive dialogue, and with the help of an independent facilitator, the OPW secured the agreement of three out of four local community groups to allow for limited access to Castletown House and estate for OPW staff, as well as essential suppliers and contractors. This access is crucial in order to ensure the house and its collections remain safe and secure. It is also critical that contractors are allowed unimpeded access to the demesne, both to confirm that the site is safe for visitors and to carry out maintenance and conservation works. Despite the protocol being set to operate from yesterday, 18 October, local community protesters continued to block access, prompting the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, to convene a meeting with various representatives to address the situation including all elected representatives, community representatives, representatives of Kildare County Council and from An Garda Síochána, and the union representing staff employed at Castletown House and estate. The impact of the protest on the health, safety, and welfare of OPW staff is a concern, and vehicular access through the Celbridge gate and Lime Avenue is necessary. Similar protocols have been safely implemented at heritage sites across Ireland. The OPW has continued to engage with the landowners. While the M4 access is an important amenity, in particular for local recreational users of the estate, the OPW can only agree to reasonable and feasible terms in any negotiation to ensure value for money for all taxpayers in Ireland. As these are confidential commercial negotiations, it is not appropriate to discuss these matters.

The OPW faces challenges in ensuring access to Castletown House and estate, with community protests affecting staff safety and its maintenance. It seeks support for a protocol that allows vehicular access and remains committed to expanding the historic estate when that is possible.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I thank the Minister of State for the update. I recognise that we were all here all evening and that it was not possible to get the updated position otherwise. The situation is simply this. The local residents who have not agreed to the protocol at this stage are really concerned. They are concerned about Castletown House itself and they want to ensure the works to restore it and that its operation and the way it was available for tourism, educational and amenity purposes will continue in the future. They are equally anxious to get some kind of guarantee that the process now in hand does not prevent or exclude the return to the use of the M4 route into Castletown House. We know this has been the subject of negotiations. It would be helpful, however, if it were possible to get counsel’s opinion as to whether it was possible to go back over the course and negotiate with the owner of the adjoining lands to achieve precisely the route that was previously enjoyed. If this does not happen, and the only route available is the one through the main Castletown gate into Celbridge, this is going to cause a lot of difficulty, angst and concern. I emphasise again that the local residents, local people, have an interest in the historical value of Castletown House and an equal interest in ensuring its restoration continues. The OPW has spent a considerable amount of money on it annually over several years, and hopefully will continue to do. Lastly, I again emphasis the extent to which the residents can be given some indication that the access through the main gates by way of Lime Avenue is not going to become a permanent one, because it simply will not work. I ask the OPW to engage on this particular issue in a very serious way and the rest of the problems can be resolved.

Deputy Thomas Byrne

I thank Deputy Durkan for his long-time commitment to Castletown House and estate. Everybody recognises the efforts of the OPW and the State in the care and preservation of Castletown House. I will say that the OPW wants to continue to welcome visitors to Castletown House. However, the impact of the protest is that the refuse cannot be collected, staff are working without heating, the essential systems in the house cannot be maintained and serviced, and essential works to the outdoor areas of the estate cannot be done to ensure the site is safe for staff and visitors. It is now critical that all elected and community representatives enable the OPW to undertake these essential works. The points I have already made about the negotiations stand and I wish them a successful conclusion.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 7.31 p.m. go dtí 2 p.m., Dé Máirt, an 24 Deireadh Fómhair 2023.

The Dáil adjourned at 7.31 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 October 2023.