There is one minute for each question and a maximum of one minute for each response.
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
RTÉ has just reported that the proportion of third level students not progressing from first year to second year has risen to 15%. The proportion is almost one quarter for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The reality is that the student accommodation crisis continues to go from bad to worse. Vulture funds now own more student accommodation in Dublin than all the Dublin universities combined. The same goes for the Tánaiste's home county of Cork and the situation is now almost the same in my home county of Galway. To rent a room the size of a car-parking space, students must pay over €1,000 per month. The majority of the investment-fund-owned complexes now have some form of requirement for a 51-week lease, meaning parents have to fork out up to €15,000 per year. Over the life cycle of a degree, that can reach almost €60,000. Will the Tánaiste, at the very least, legislate to ensure the setting of a maximum lease period of 39 weeks? This is the length of the academic year. Will he commit to supporting me and my colleagues regarding an Teachta Ó Broin's new student digs legislation?
I believe the two relevant Ministers, namely, Deputies Harris and Darragh O'Brien, intend to bring proposals to the Cabinet in March to make clear that when planning permission is granted for student accommodation, the mandatory lease period will be confined to the current academic year. It would take on board the entire academic year. I would be careful about relating the issue to student performance. It is much more complex than that. Normally, there are multifaceted reasons for attrition rates at third level. Several factors need to be analysed to determine the reason for the increase in the number leaving university. That analysis should take place.
The Irish Wheelchair Association launched a report earlier this week reviewing Government plans for bus stops, footpaths, cycle lanes, pedestrian spaces and other infrastructure. It examines how disability access will be included and provided for in public transport infrastructure. It concluded that the Government approach is chaotic and irresponsible, with no evidence of any mandatory requirements regarding disability access and public transport infrastructure to meet international standards. The census tells us that more than one fifth of people report having at least one long-lasting condition or disability. These are people who will be affected by the lack of accessibility in our public transport infrastructure. Others with small children, including those who push buggies and prams and those with luggage, will also be affected. Therefore, we need to ensure public transport infrastructure is fit for purpose and fully accessible. What steps is the Government taking to address the issues highlighted in the Irish Wheelchair Association's report?
I met representatives of the Irish Wheelchair Association outside Leinster House during the week when they made their protest. We will be discussing this at Cabinet level. The NTA is responsible in many ways for the configuration of urban streetscapes in terms of the sharing of bus, cycle and car lanes. The representatives of the Irish Wheelchair Association say people have suffered in gaining access to buses and so on. It is disappointing because, some years ago at the ability awards, Bus Éireann was applauded regarding access to buses. There seems to be a mixed result but we will talk to the agencies involved. There has to be co-design-----
-----and clear provision to facilitate people with disabilities.
Castletown House and its demesne receive about 1 million visitors per year. Most visit the demesne. As the Tánaiste knows, the State was not successful in purchasing the land adjoining the house, where the only viable vehicle access is located. The historic village access is not viable, according to the OPW, and there appears to be an unwilling seller. I understand a CPO involves a long process; however, if it is a question of Kildare County Council entering a CPO process, will it have the backing of the State, including financially, in doing so?
Many Deputies, including Deputies Durkan, Lawless and Catherine Murphy, have raised what has happened in this case. I am not going to second-guess the county council in respect of a CPO because that would potentially involve a long legal route that may not ultimately yield the results we want. However, I assure the Deputy that the Government will work in a very supportive way with the county council to resolve this because public access is key. The house and demesne comprise a considerable amenity, not just for the immediate area but also for the country at large. We will certainly work to achieve the right outcome for the people in as timely a manner as possible.
After all the revelations about exit packages in RTÉ, we have a new revelation about a senior official in the HSE being paid almost €400,000 to leave the organisation. This is an extraordinary amount of money. Does the Tánaiste know how much the public has spent on these sorts of pay-offs over the term of the Government? Does it run into millions, or perhaps many millions? How widespread is this? Does the Tánaiste agree we need to end these extraordinary pay-offs to those at the top of public bodies? We need a pay cap at the top of our public bodies throughout the public sector and we must no longer pay people off with hundreds of thousands of euro to leave very well-paid jobs.
Again, the HSE is an agency charged by the Oireachtas to run its affairs and organise health services across the country. There has been a slimming down of the centre and delegation to the regions. The position in the case in question was suppressed and there were legal issues as a result. Whether we like it or not, people are entitled to take a case. There was legal mediation that resulted in redundancy plus a settlement. The HSE took the decision that it wanted to reorganise and do things in an effective way, and that resulted in what has occurred. I can understand people's views on the size of the pay-off – the person was in office since 2017 – but neither I nor the Government can get involved in the affairs of every single agency to try to govern it in place of its CEO and board.
I welcome the Government's decision to review and revise the regulation on eligibility for school transport. The bus pass travel scheme has been a shambles for years. The scheme is not fit for purpose and needs a radical overhaul. From my experience across Tipperary, the scheme is riddled with anomalies and inconsistencies.
The rigid interpretation of rules and regulations has deprived hundreds of children of access to school transport. Refusal to grant a bus pass causes embarrassment and inconvenience and places a financial burden on parents struggling with the cost of living. Every September we have chaos, with a scramble for tickets which, in many cases, across Tipperary and the country, becomes divisive and contentious.
Also, the chronic shortage of professional bus drivers is an established contributor to the sufficient provision of places on school buses. It is inexplicable that a qualified bus driver over 70 cannot drive a school run but the same driver can travel with a private bus throughout Europe. This nonsense must stop. We need these drivers in rural Ireland to allow bus providers maintain a service. Standing down healthy qualified experienced careful drivers is illogical. It is an outdated ageist policy by Bus Éireann that should and must be scrapped.
When does the Tánaiste expect a report from the review?
First, the review on school transport that the Minister, Deputy Foley, published represents the most comprehensive reforms of the school transport system since the State was founded. I pay tribute to the Minister in getting this through Cabinet. Obviously, there will be an implementation phase. All of us are familiar with the anomalies, rows, disputation and challenges facing families that occur in different locations on an annual basis. The review is designed to put an end to that and it will need increased allocation. The Minister is talking about some pilot schemes in the autumn in relation to some aspects of the implementation of the review but I will ask the Minister to revert to the Deputy. One should bear in mind that we have brought in the free primary books scheme up to junior certificate level, which is beneficial.
I thank the Tánaiste.
On the qualified bus driver over 70, we are discussing that at Cabinet. The suggestion now is perhaps that an independent medical-----
We are over time. I thank the Tánaiste.
-----review could enable us to unblock what has been the position that CIÉ has taken in respect of not allowing over 70s. I take the Deputy's point.
I want to raise an issue that was brought to my attention. Mr. Ger Hyland of the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, has raised the issue of levies along the A5 corridor. Given the welcome cross-Border investment of €600 million in this corridor-----
Sorry, I missed that bit.
Gabh mo leithscéal.
Apologies, I missed the last bit there.
Sorry, I will start again. I want to raise an issue that was brought to my attention by the IRHA president, Mr. Gerard Hyland. The issue concerns the A5 north-west corridor. The Irish Government has co-operated with the Northern Executive, and that is welcome. Indeed, the €600 million is welcome at this time to ensure that there is safety. However, the burden of costs in terms of levies on hauliers is an issue of concern. The IRHA has looked for the levy of £10 per day to be scrapped. Given that there are cross-Border initiatives and co-operation, can this levy be scrapped or at least can engagement be made with the Northern Executive to reduce the levy in order to alleviate the burden on our hauliers?
We have a date for the North-South Ministerial Council. It is certainly an issue I will raise with representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive. They have their challenges in terms of revenue raising as well, but I certainly will raise it and take it forward. I appreciate the Deputy raising the case.
I want to raise the issue of the termination of the special scheme of paid leave for those who suffer from long Covid. In fairness, the payment has been extended on several occasions over the past number of years. Despite the Minister for Health asking for an extension to the end of June this year, the request was denied by the Minister for public expenditure.
A number of my constituents - nurses - who are on this temporary special scheme have contacted me. With its termination, they now feel totally let down. During the first year or two of Covid, they were fighting an enemy they could not see and they often did so with no PPE. They put their health at risk and now they have the burden of long Covid to deal with. They see themselves as having gone from hero to zero in the space of a few years. They consider that extending the payment is the least the Government can do for those who genuinely put their lives at risk and they want to see long Covid recognised as an occupational illness.
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Deputy is correct in terms of the temporary special scheme having been in place since July 2022. It has been extended on a number of occasions, most recently in October 2023 up to 31 March 2024, and people would have received notification. People have been advised that they may utilise the full provisions of the public service sick leave scheme, which would provide further support.
The matter of the conclusion of this temporary special scheme has been the subject of a claim from the health sector staff representative bodies. The matter has been through the industrial relations machinery, WRC engagements and the Labour Court, with the Labour Court recommending that management meet with the staff representative bodies to explore the supports already in place that are available to those impacted by long Covid. A number of engagements have taken place to date between management and the staff representative bodies in line with the Labour Court recommendation. Hopefully, we might see some outcomes to that.
One of the few positives that we got from Covid-19 lockdowns is the rise in the ability to work from home. When I am out canvassing on a Monday and a Friday, I am continually amazed by how many people I meet who are working from home. We know that it has many benefits in terms of flexibility, better work-life integration and increased productivity but there is also a downside. It can make people less physically active and more prone to health problems, in particular, back and neck pain. Some employers already offer incentives for employees in terms of a wellness bonus but I think we need to do something more universal. We should make health and wellness tax deductible and start with those people who are working from home because they need it most. That would be good for workers and society as a whole. In the long term, it would be good for the healthcare system. My question to the Tánaiste is whether he would look at prioritising health and wellness for workers, in particular, those working from home.
As the Deputy will be aware, the taxation commission report was published many years ago and successive policy from successive Governments has been marked by a reluctance to bring in new tax reliefs, although we introduced the rent credit for housing. Experts in the taxation field have always shunned the idea of tax reliefs.
However, we will examine it. We have done some good work on bicycles in the past that dramatically changed cycling behaviour. I am a keen wellness enthusiast but we all have personal responsibilities for wellness and physical activity. We should not lose sight of the fact that the State cannot do everything.
The Government will see today that the effects of Storm Babet are being broadcast and a case study that has been carried out involving scientists with specialist skills in the areas of flood mapping. The study showed that the event that happened in Midleton is now twice as likely due to the current global temperature as it was in pre-industrial times. The reason I raise this matter is that we urgently need to see the advancement of the Midleton flood relief scheme, including using everything available to the State to push this project on, including the Arterial Drainage Act. Will the Government give a commitment here that it will look at this as a project that needs to be advanced as a matter of urgency to protect Midleton in the future? The study showed that, because of low tide, the damage was much less than what could have been the case although there were still almost 700 homes and businesses flooded and catastrophic damage caused. This shows why there is that level of urgency around getting the Midleton flood relief scheme going.
The Deputy has raised a fair point. That evidence-based study and research is vital to inform future action but it also has to galvanise the public, more generally, and society in making sure that we can get these schemes through.
The OPW is funding two full-time staff for the Midleton flood relief scheme and will be bringing forward interim measures pending the scheme's completion. Significant progress, I am told, is being made with the design of the scheme and the next step is to commence work to achieving planning consent. That whole planning area is where we need to accelerate, given the emergency that this involves.
Midleton was part of the CFRAM programme. We have had flooding there in December 2015 and January 2016. The importance of getting this done as quickly as we possibly can is clear.
Last week, there was a very serious incident in Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, where over 100 young people gathered in a planned way that, I believe, the Garda knew about in advance. A car was crashed. Two people were taken to hospital. The car was burnt out and then fireworks were set off. Some of these were aimed at the emergency service and gardaí. There were only five gardaí at the site. No arrests were made because the gardaí did not have the back-up. At the same time, in my own GAA club, St. Vincent's Hurling and Football Club, hundreds of people, young people and adults who were in there training, were virtually trapped for an hour because the Garda did not have the resources.
The Garda is trying to play this incident down now because it knows it is a resourcing issue. If this happened outside the Tánaiste's local club, with 100 young people gathering, burning out cars, letting off fireworks and attacking the emergency services, people would not be left there for an hour. It should no be allowed to happen in Knocknaheeny. I am calling for more gardaí and a commitment that this will never happen again.
First, I condemn unreservedly what happened. I do not think it is fair to say that if it happened in one club or another, there would be a different----
People were waiting an hour for gardaí to come to Kilmore Road.
It is not fair to say that if something happened outside one club as opposed to another-----
It has never happened at other clubs. It is happening at this club every year. It is not good enough.
Will the Deputy let me finish? What happened is wrong, fundamentally on the part of those gathering. Second, there has been very significant sustained investment in Knocknaheeny and in the north side across housing, health and so on. There is a great community there.
A brilliant community.
We need to promote what is a great community. I have been there a lot, as the Deputy knows. There are great schools there and great community endeavour and spirit. At various times in the history of the city, we have had different outbreaks at different times. The best way to get at it was through on-the-ground community interventions, at which the Garda has, historically, been very good. More community gardaí, which some in the higher echelons do not agree with-----
Only five gardaí were present.
I will talk to the Garda, get a report and get back to the Deputy.
It is reported in a local newspaper today that there are proposals to install 167 modular homes for refugees across Roscommon town, Ballaghaderreen and Boyle in my constituency. These proposals were provided yesterday to Roscommon County Council by the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, which is seeking feedback from the council on the plans. I have engaged repeatedly with communities in regard to seeking additional services for them where their population has increased. I have raised the issue in the House many times. I committed to communities that where there were plans in place for their area, I would inform them, as is right and proper. How can we do that when we in this House are not informed and must instead read about it in the newspaper? It is totally unacceptable. Short of a landowner who is looking to do this coming to us and telling us that is the intention, or short of having a crystal ball, we cannot know such plans are in place. I ask that the LGMA share these plans with elected representatives in this House and seek feedback from us, as well as the local authority.
I am unsure. Is the Deputy saying she supports this but she wants to make sure services are in place?
Yes. I have raised this issue many times.
We cannot have a conversation about it.
Apologies. I will check out what the position is. There should, of course, be consultation and engagement between the local authorities and their representatives. I am not ware of the specific proposal to which the Deputy referred. We have built modular homes in different locations across the country and, by and large, it has gone fine. There has been no issue and it has worked out okay, particularly in terms of the Ukrainian population in certain locations.
The Irish Wheelchair Association, IWA, has made it clear there is a need for a national mandatory minimum accessible standard for infrastructure for active travel and for road developments. I want to tackle a subset of this issue. It might come as a surprise to some that there are many scheduled bus services provided in this country that are not wheelchair accessible. Apparently, the National Transport Authority, NTA, does not make it a condition of the licence of these scheduled bus services that they be wheelchair accessible. This is particularly an issue for people living in outlying areas where taxis are not a possibility when travelling 50 km or 60 km to a county town. This is a huge challenge. Is it proposed either to bring in legislation or give an instruction to the NTA that no public transport on scheduled services should be licensed unless it is wheelchair accessible?
Every agency of the State should be cognisant and conscious of the need to align with overall Government policy on disability access. There may be operational issues in terms of adjusting every single bus in the fleet right now. I would have to check all that out. I do not want to make commitments in advance but I am very clear that there should be a legal and legislative framework governing all of this in terms of access to our public transport system for people in wheelchairs and for people with disabilities more generally. Just as transferring to electric vehicles will take a bit of time, so will this. Where we are purchasing new fleet, it should be wheelchair accessible and accessible for people with disabilities. I will revert back to the Deputy with a more comprehensive position on this matter.
When workers at Tara Mines were put on temporary layoff last July, the Taoiseach and various Ministers said everything would be done to support them and to get the mine opened as quickly as possible. Many of us wondered at the time what was the employer's plan. That plan has now become clear. It is a plan to reduce costs and maximise profits by reducing the number of directly employed workers and altering their terms and conditions. It is also a plan to negotiate through the media. The trade unions SIPTU, Unite and Connect are standing against that plan on behalf of their members but they need Government support. We are told that Enterprise Ireland is liaising with the company on energy and productivity supports that could assist with a sustainable reopening. Will the Government ensure that those supports, if delivered, are conditional on the maintenance of high-quality local jobs and on the company engaging in a meaningful way with workers and the local community?
Boliden Tara is officially on board as a client company of Enterprise Ireland. The latter is liaising with the company on energy and productivity supports that can assist with a sustainable reopening. The Government is very committed to a sustainable reopening because of the impact Tara Mines has on the wider region. It generates about €75 million in annual economic activity in the local community. That is very important. In addition, zinc plays a critical role in enabling green technologies such as solar and wind. Demand for zinc is estimated to increase to 150% of 2019 levels by 2035. There is a future for the mine. Obviously, we are concerned with protecting the workers. The Workplace Relations Commission has been involved in engaging with them as well.
I know the topic of post offices is close to the Tánaiste's heart. Closures of post offices tend to be associated with rural towns and villages but two offices have closed in my constituency of Dublin South-West in the past two years, one in Templeogue village and the other, very recently, in Rathfarnham village. In fairness, these closures were not the fault of An Post. In Templeogue, the shop housing the post office shut and An Post could not find a replacement operator. In Rathfarnham, the postmaster, whose family had been a long time operating the post office, died before Christmas. That was a significant loss to the community. An Post has been trawling for other operators to take over but has not been successful so far. What is the Tánaiste's view on An Post purchasing and directly operating former post office buildings rather than franchising them out?
That is an interesting question to which I do not have an immediate answer. There is an issue in this regard. We have provided financial supports to An Post to support post offices. Increasingly, it is becoming an issue that a postmaster exits and there is no subsequent take-up. I will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, who has been working with the postmaster organisations, and put Deputy Lahart's suggestion to him.
I raise an issue that is affecting primary schools, particularly St. Aidan's National School in Rossinver, County Leitrim. A small school with 37 pupils, it has serious problems with damp and poor-quality windows. The school applied for an emergency works scheme this year but was refused and directed to the summer works scheme. The first question is when will the summer works scheme open. That is one of the issues. The school has teak windows in some parts of the building and old aluminium windows in other parts. There is mould growing on the walls. At the same time, it is getting letters from the Department about grants for photovoltaic solar panels. The management does not see the sense in going down the route of putting photovoltaic solar panels into a building from which the heat is leaking. I am sure the Tánaiste will concur that it would be quite senseless to do so. I know of other schools that are in a similar situation. There needs to be a determination by the Department to ensure our schools are well insulated, secure and have good windows and everything else before we roll out other plans. The other plans certainly need to happen but we must get the basics right first.
We should never look a gift horse in the mouth. I would distinguish between the two. We have to go ahead with the solar element, but the Deputy’s point was well made, in that the repairs have to happen as well. The Minister is in discussions. Year on year, we now have the highest capital allocation to education as well as a growing population, but the school in question clearly needs emergency works. I will speak to the Minister about the matter. We have to keep going with the solar element, too.
I join my constituency colleague in calling for the expediting of the flood relief schemes in Midleton, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Mogeely. Scientists are saying that the fact the tide was out on the day means we missed a bullet, but I am worried about sea levels rising. The seas are rising all around our coast. What we saw with Storm Babet was a taste of things to come. What policies is the Government putting in place to deal with sea levels rising and not lowering again?
The Government is working on a national adaptation plan. With UCC, Cork County Council has concluded a major survey of the entire coast of Cork to understand the vulnerabilities. There are other vulnerabilities, as I understand it, underneath Midleton. We have to more proactively develop sea protection mechanisms to cope with rising sea levels. I have argued publicly that we have to accord the same priority to adaptation as to addressing climate change itself. Climate change is happening. Storm Babet was a clear example of that. It was a climate event, not just a normal flooding event. I was there two days later and I met people. We were quite fortunate that people did not die during that storm.
That is true.
I saw some of the videos of people trying to navigate their way out of shops. It was quite frightening, and that was with the tide out and very little warning.
We are out of time, but if Deputies can be brief, I will take three questions. I call Deputies Cahill, McAuliffe and Tully.
This week, the European Parliament passed legislation on the restoration of nature. It is essential that there be fairness under the legislation. The maintenance of our rivers and streams is an issue I have raised previously. The situation is farcical at this stage. An angling club in Holycross approached me. It holds competitions on the River Suir in the area. It is an excellent fishing spot, but the undergrowth and briars along the banks of the river are preventing anglers from accessing it. There will be a great deal of toing and froing before the legislation is implemented, but it is essential that the maintenance of our rivers and streams is allowed to continue.
Two commitments in the programme for Government were welcome, those being, addressing the issue of apartment defects and reviewing the Multi-Unit Developments Act, or MUD Act, which governs management companies, sinking funds and management fees. In the coming months, we will see owners’ management companies, OMCs, receiving millions, if not billions, of euro in Government support. We need that to be matched with the review of the Act that the Department of Justice is undertaking. Important issues need to be addressed. Some of them are unregulated, with small numbers of people involved and the correct provisions not being made to meet future costs, for example, for lifts. We need the Department of Justice to follow through on its commitment to review the MUD Act in the same way as the Department of housing followed through in respect of apartment defects.
A WRC pay agreement was reached in late 2023 where an 8% pay award was given to employees of section 10, 39 and 56 agencies. I have been informed that the HSE plans to outsource the management of the dispersal of the funds to the section 39 organisations and that the contract will be given to KOSI, the same company that management the pandemic payment. That we are two years on and there are still employers that have not received that payment does not augur well for the payment of these funds. Why is a national pay deal being outsourced to a company to manage and what is the cost of doing so? If there are delays, it will allow the pay discrepancies to widen, adversely affecting the recruitment and retention of staff.
Regarding Deputy Cahill's question, the European Parliament passed the restoration of nature law this week, but there are lots of procedures and phased approaches to its implementation. We first need to read it and understand what is going to happen next year, the year after, in five years and in ten years. The Government had two reports this week on inland fisheries in terms of removing barriers, dealing with weirs and fish passes, etc., which will benefit anglers. The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, brought the matter to the Cabinet. It will represent significant investment. During the week, Waterways Ireland put out significant plans for the rivers Suir and Barrow and so on to once again facilitate angling and access to their banks without undermining the core issue of nature restoration. These things can be done. That there are good programmes in place reflects the fact that, with investment, we can accomplish a great deal on this front.
Regarding Deputy McAuliffe, I will speak to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien. Both issues are crucial to many people in multi-apartment complexes and to those with building defects. The Government has made a strong commitment in that regard financially and provided for it. It is just a matter of delivering and getting on with it.
It lies with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee.
Fair enough, but I thought the defect scheme lay with the Minister, Deputy O’Brien.
Yes, but not the review of the MUD Act. This is not a conversation, though, and I do not want the Ceann Comhairle to have to tell me that.
The Deputy will get a rap.
Deputy McAuliffe’s adherence to the rules is commendable.
At least someone does.
The only point I would make in response to Deputy Tully is that it is important that the organisations in question and their employees get funded. They are not HSE organisations, which perhaps explains why the HSE is outsourcing it. There is a tendency for us to micromanage every agency in the country. The HSE is not every agency, and do not get me wrong on that, but we appoint boards and CEOs are appointed. This House has to achieve a balance in how much it micromanages every agency in terms of who gets severance payments, how they are paid and how the agency fulfils its duties. What we in this House should do is lay down policy, pay the organisations and ensure they are accountable-----
Deputies
Hear, hear.
-----for the efficiency and timeliness of their employees getting paid. I question whether we should micromanage every single decision that a CEO or board makes. The HSE has a board. That board’s members are appointed and they are accountable to the House eventually and they appear before the various committees. My comments are not targeted at Deputy Tully. There is just a general trend now for us to get embroiled in every decision that boards and agencies make. Either the State runs them directly or-----
Yes, that would be right.
I am not so sure about that. The Deputy should be careful what she wishes for. The agencies were created for various reasons. Sometimes, it was to give them greater autonomy to get things done. Perhaps the Deputy and I will speak again some time.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 1.18 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 1.58 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.18 p.m. and resumed at 1.58 p.m.