Vol. 1051 No. 3
As we sit, we remember that one of our former esteemed colleagues, Emmet Stagg, passed away at the weekend. I am sure everyone here joins with me in extending to his wife, Mary, his daughter, Gillian, and his son, Henry, our deepest condolences and sympathies on his untimely passing.
I call the Government Chief Whip, Deputy Naughton, to move that the proposed arrangements for the week's business be agreed to.
I move:
Wednesday's business shall be:
- Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions (without debate)
- Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee (without debate)
- Statements pre European Council meeting of 21st-22nd March, pursuant to Standing Order 124 (not to exceed 1 hr 52 mins)
- Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 7.10 p.m. or after 1 hr 31 mins, whichever is the later)
Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re General Practice and Local Health Services, selected by Sinn Féin.
Thursday's business shall be any resumed proceedings, if not previously concluded, on Second Stage of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 4.10 p.m. or after 2 hrs 26 mins, whichever is the later).
Thursday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Accommodation for International Protection Applicants, selected by the Social Democrats.
Proposed Arrangements for this week's business:
In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:
1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 34A(1)—
(i) private members’ business may be taken later than 6.12 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of proceedings on Second Stage of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024, or where those proceedings conclude within the allotted time, on the conclusion thereof;
(ii) questions pursuant to Standing Order 46(1) to a Minister other than the Taoiseach shall not be taken; and
(iii) the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of topical issues pursuant to Standing Order 37 which shall be taken on the conclusion of private members’ business;
2. the proceedings on the Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions shall be taken without debate;
3. the proceedings on the Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee shall be taken without debate;
4. the Statements pre European Council meeting of 21st-22nd March, pursuant to Standing Order 124, shall not exceed 1 hour and 52 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:
(i) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 100 minutes, and Resolution of the Dáil of 20th September, 2023, providing for two minutes for non-aligned members;
(ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and
(iii) members may share time; and
5. the proceedings on Second Stage of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 7.10 p.m. or after 1 hour and 31 minutes, whichever is the later, and shall not be resumed on Wednesday.
In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:
1. (i) the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:
(a) no motion for a Committee report pursuant to Standing Order 102 or private member's Bill pursuant to Standing Order 160 shall be taken;
(b) private members' business pursuant to Standing Order 159(1) and Standing Order 169 shall be taken for 2 hours and 2 minutes on the adjournment of the resumed Second Stage proceedings on the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024, or where Second Stage of that Bill concludes within its allotted time, on the conclusion thereof: Provided that if Second Stage of that Bill concludes before Thursday, private members’ business on Thursday shall be taken on the conclusion of the SOS; and
(c) topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of private members' business, and the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of topical issues; and
(ii) the Dáil on its rising shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 9th April, 2024; and
2. any resumed proceedings on Second Stage of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned at 4.10 p.m. or after 2 hours 26 minutes, whichever is the later, and the Bill shall not be resumed on Thursday.
Are the proposed arrangements agreed to?
Not agreed.
Everybody must agree the scenes of asylum seekers being moved from tents on Mount Street to tents on the Dublin mountains in recent days were absolutely appalling. It is the latest chapter in the shambles the Government has made of international protection. Be it the disrespect for local communities, the lack of engagement or consultation throughout the State or the enrichment of a small number of property owners, it results from the abject failure of the Government in this whole area. We need the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, who has been abandoned by his Cabinet colleagues, to come to the Chamber to account for what happened and lay out a plan. Maybe his Cabinet colleagues will be kind enough to join him and lay out a collective plan for how the Government will deal with this challenge and respect communities and asylum seekers together.
First, I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for acknowledging the sad passing of our dear friend and comrade, Emmet Stagg. On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend my condolences to Mary, Gillian and Henry and all Emmet's family and friends.
With the Taoiseach's surprise announcement today - I have wished him well personally already - it is impossible to suggest the Government can simply pretend to continue on the basis that this is business as normal. With his surprise announcement, the Taoiseach has destabilised the Government. What we have now seen unfolding is Fine Gael apparently deciding it will get to pick what will be a third rotating Taoiseach in four years, with less than a year to run in this Government. That is simply not on. I am calling on the Taoiseach to pay a visit to the Áras and call a general election. It is the people of Ireland, not members of Fine Gael, who should now decide who will lead the country through this unprecedented set of crises and challenges, not least the housing disaster with more than 4,000 children now homeless. We are calling on the Taoiseach to call a general election because this country needs a change of Government, not just a change of Fine Gael leader.
In advance of the meeting of the European Council and in light of the fact that innocent civilians are being killed not just by bombs indiscriminately dropping on people in Gaza, but also by an impending famine, we need statements scheduled to discuss what will be the Taoiseach's approach at the European Council meeting and what Ireland can do independent of Europe, as an independent State, to use every lever available to us to prevent any further suffering in Gaza.
This is no way to run a country. The position of Taoiseach is being passed around by the Government like snuff at a wake.
Highly-paid Ministers do not know what is happening from one day to the next. The Administration of this country is clearly in a state of instability and chaos. We have seen ten Fine Gael TDs vote with their feet a lack of confidence in the future of this Government. The Taoiseach is now doing the same. The referendums showed the absolute divide that exists between the people of this country and the political bubble here in Leinster House. We cannot have a Taoiseach who was rejected by the people being replaced by another Taoiseach who is unelected by the people. There must be an election now. At the very least, this Chamber must debate the chaos created by the Taoiseach's decision today.
There needs to be a general election now. Several parties have called for that in the House today and I strongly suspect that a great many people out there in society would also say that it is time for that now. The people should have the decisive say in who the next Taoiseach will be rather than the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party. Deputy Varadkar has been a good Taoiseach for the wealthy and the upper echelons of the middle class but not for working people or for the poor. His legacy will be a housing crisis that went from bad to worse and a health crisis that is also worsening. We need a change of government and we need a government that will act in the interests of working people and the poor at the expense of the wealthy, who have benefited so massively under this Government. We need a debate on the need for a general election in this House this week.
I wish the Taoiseach well and good health but I wrote to the Ceann Comhairle last week to seek a debate on the results of the referendum and the fact that the Government recklessly wasted €23 million - it was probably twice that - on a referendum campaign that was supported by all political parties here except for smaller parties. We in the Rural Independent Group opposed the referendums because the wording was nonsensical and did not make sense. The parties supporting them collectively hid the truth from the electorate. The people have now spoken. It was the first chance they had to pass comment on the Government since it was cobbled together. It is time for the Government to go and it should go with haste. As I have said, I have no ill will towards the Taoiseach. I see in a dispatch that there is an executive meeting tonight to pick who will be Taoiseach. That is completely unacceptable. The Government has overwhelmingly lost the faith of the people in every part of the country, with the exception of south Dublin or Dún Laoghaire, where it has held on by the skin of its teeth. People everywhere else are fed up of its antics. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, was bandying around the promise of extra money for carers as if it was confetti at a wedding. The people gave the Government its answer. It is time for it to pack its bags and go off. We need an immediate debate on the results of the referendums with all parties and classes that supported them.
In light of the fact that we are going to rise for two weeks tomorrow, it is vitally important that we debate the situation in Gaza because, unfortunately, thousands more people will be dead by the time we come back. We need to do that. We need to take an independent stance on that issue. That has to happen.
I will take this opportunity to note the passing of our former colleague, Emmet Stagg. I worked with him when he was deputy Chief Whip in the 2011-2016 period. He was a fine man and did a lot to make sure that Government stayed together and got votes across the line. I extend my condolences to his family, party, supporters and friends.
On the issue of asylum seekers, there is to be a Private Members' motion on the matter this week so there will be an opportunity to discuss it there. My understanding is that there are now more than 100 international protection applicants in Crooksling, where they have access to toilets, showers, regular meals and other services. They also have access to healthcare services. Those are the services that are available until something more permanent can be found.
I reassure the House that Government business scheduled for this week will continue, as it should. There is a meeting of the European Council tomorrow and I will attend. Work goes on. We will discuss Gaza and, this afternoon, we are to have statements on the European Council meeting, which will give Members an opportunity to speak about that issue, if they so wish.
I will state once again that the Constitution is clear as to how our system works. The President is directly elected, the Taoiseach is elected by the Dáil and the Dáil is elected by the people. There will be an opportunity for a debate on the election of the Taoiseach and the Government in early course.
On the referendums, the results are clear.
The people have spoken. The Government accepts and respects the outcome of the referendums. I do not ever think that spending money on democracy, whether it is a referendum or an election for the Seanad, the Dáil-----
Except this election.
-----or the European Parliament, is ever a waste of money even if you do not get the result you want.
Is the Order of Business for the week agreed?
It is not agreed.
As this is an important issue and the people spoke overwhelmingly the week before last against all parties, I demand that the vote be taken by other than electronic means.
As the Deputy is a teller and the difference between the votes is ten or less, the division will proceed.
Tá mé ag bogadh ar aghaidh anois go dtí ceisteanna ar pholasaí an Rialtais nó reachtaíocht atá geallta.
I will return to the redress scheme that opened today for those who experienced trauma in mother and baby homes and county homes. I acknowledge that redress comes in many forms. It is not all about financial recognition but trauma also comes in many forms and the largest design flaw in this scheme is the 160-day rule. It has been correctly described as a real insult to many victims. Some 24,000 people are excluded for one reason or another from this redress scheme. I have been informed that this is perhaps the Taoiseach's last Leaders' Questions. Is that correct?
Yes.
I did not realise that this was the case so I, therefore, wish the Taoiseach well. I wish above all else that on this issue, the Government might reconsider and put those flaws to right.
The main thing for us to get the scheme up and running. It has been far too long in coming. It is open to applications from today and we are very keen to implement it, press ahead with the other measures such as the remembrance centre, memorialisation and the medical cards and get what has been agreed by Government and the House operational as soon as possible.
As this is the Taoiseach's last Leaders' Questions, I also wish him well. For weeks, we have seen growing numbers of men sheltering in tents around Mount Street, which is a stone's throw from here, many of them in appalling conditions. Many of us found it very difficult when we went down to visit them over recent days. I pay tribute to the many volunteers who provided help and support. I very much welcomed the fact that the men were moved at the weekend to what we hoped were better conditions in Crooksling. Unfortunately, those conditions were at least initially very poor. We have all seen it. We have heard reports from the men themselves. I know conditions are improving now and I am getting updates all the time from our volunteer group, which is offering support and help, but there are still men camped on Mount Street. I was there twice yesterday and again saw men who had come back from Crooksling because they had nowhere else to go. On his last Leaders' Questions, I ask the Taoiseach to take control of this issue and ensure that decent accommodation is provided to those who come here seeking refuge.
Over the course of last week, Deputy Bacik and many other Deputies in this House raised the really concerning situation in Mount Street, which is why I asked my Department to act and identify a location where people would have access to sanitation, showers, toilets, meals and services. We were able to provide them at the site in Crooksling. The earliest we were able to provide that was last Saturday and as soon as we were able to provide that, we did provide it and moved international protection applicants there. A significant amount of misinformation was provided on the day with regard to the services but let us be very clear. There are 15 toilets and six showers, more are being added at the moment and there is access to a safety net in terms of healthcare facilities and access to Crosscare in terms of wider facilities all being provided there at the moment.
The length of time it takes for facilities to be started and completed can seem like an eternity and that is when things go well.
In the case of the Mercy Convent primary school project in Naas, planning permission was obtained in 2012. The work commenced in 2017 and there is still no sign of the building being available. It was necessary to deploy the dispute mechanism but that is obviously not working. Two years after the building was sealed, there is still no date for when the new contractor will be on-site to commence the 15-month final stage of this project. The dispute mechanism is not fit for purpose when this kind of thing can happen. Can the Taoiseach give an undertaking that he will review it? Will he also give an assurance that the issue will be resolved in time to allow the 15-month project to be completed for September 2025?
I am afraid I am not familiar the particular individual project but I will take it up with the Minister and come back to the Deputy directly.
I think Sally Rooney nailed it. She said that the "Government [is basking] in the moral glow of condemning the bombers, while preserving a cosy relationship with those [who supply] the bombs". Even as celebrations were in full swing in the White House on Sunday, Netanyahu and his war cabinet were no doubt making preparations for a ground invasion of Rafah, which is a city of nearly 2 million people now, one traumatised by war and with the majority of its population living in tents. I think Sinn Féin let itself down badly in the United States last week but I think the Taoiseach let the country down. I put it to him that given he did not boycott the celebrations with genocide Joe Biden, he should at least have openly criticised not just the bombers but those supplying the bombs.
Hear, hear.
Deputy, I think there is no more righteous glow than the moral indignation of isolating yourself and criticising everyone else. That is not the way you influence people. I have been working very hard in the past few months, as has the Tánaiste, in influencing the position of the US, as well as that of the EU, bringing it closer to ours. I think this has happened not because of what we have done, but that we have, however, contributed, in part, at least, to this change. I do not see what the Deputy has done in this regard or his approach having contributed anything at all.
Hear, hear.
I wish the Taoiseach well if this is his last day taking Leaders' Questions. I thank him for his friendship and loyalty over the last seven or eight years.
In the aftermath of the referendums we had and the Government's insistence that it wanted to do something for carers, will the Government support our Private Member's motion coming before the Dáil next month? We will be seeking the introduction or the initiation of a non-means-tested carers support scheme for carers.
Equally, regarding the issue of disabilities and the waiting times we have now, it was reported yesterday that 8,900 children were on a waiting list waiting for an assessment of need. The NGOs have said the HSE's own figures last October referred to approximately 19,000 people waiting for a needs assessment. We need to get to grips with what is happening here and have a true account so we can plan for the future.
I thank the Deputy. Referendum or no referendum, I think we need to do more to demonstrate that we value carers and are on their side. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is bringing through legislation that will give pensioners a full State contributory pension, recognising their years of caring as equivalent to PRSI contributions. I think this is very important. There are several sets of payments being made to carers. There is the means-tested carer's allowance, the means test for which has been relaxed. It will be from June. There is also the carer support grant that is not means tested at all. The Minister is currently reviewing those payments in advance of the next budget. The areas we are really trying to invest more in are therapies and treatments for people with disabilities and their assessments. We are also trying to get more respite centres open because carers need a break and time off so they can keep doing what they do. Our real challenge there has been recruitment and finding skilled staff to take those positions.
We have a massive and truly shocking housing crisis. Regarding the IPAS applicants in Mount Street, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, decided to be out in Japan instead of looking after them. We have a case in Tipperary concerning Mr. Sean Meehan. He is facing imprisonment for housing himself in a perfectly suitable mobile home, which is very aesthetically placed on his own land. He is facing jail in the early days of April. Hundreds of people marched in Clonmel last Friday and more people are meeting in Caiseal na Mumhan next Saturday. It is shocking that the Government cannot introduce a statutory instrument The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage can do this. Maybe the Taoiseach might do this as his legacy.
There are thousands of these people around the country who have housed themselves. They are not causing any damage to anybody and are not looking for a house from the State. A stroke of a pen in the form of a statutory instrument could allow these people to remain where they are. A moratorium for ten years in this context would make a huge dent in the housing crisis. If all these people are forced to go onto the housing waiting lists, then there will be another couple of thousand people on those lists. I think it makes sense that Sean Meehan should not go to jail and his house should not be destroyed.
I thank the Deputy. I have read about the case in the media. I am led to believe it is now before the courts, so it is a matter that is sub judice and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on it. As is always the case, though, the courts will hear the prosecution but also the defence, and I am sure the court will make the right decision.
First, I wish to put on the record of the House that I agree a general election should be called now. The main question I wish to put to the Taoiseach, though, is on behalf of a group of men who as children were sexually abused in day schools by Christian Brothers. All the perpetrators were subsequently convicted. Sexual abuse is all about power and control. In the Taoiseach's 2019 apology to children abused in day schools, he referred to the State having failed them at the time and failed then again when it did not own up to its responsibility. He then said, "We will not fail them a third time". In May 2023, the CEO of Louth County Council, against the wishes of the then chair of the council, withdrew a motion rescinding the freedom of Drogheda from Edmund Garvey. The actions by the CEO were a devastating blow to the survivors. A State body had let them down, with no accountability regarding the actions of the CEO forthcoming from the council or the relevant Minister of State. As far as these survivors were concerned, this was just another example of power and control being misused against them.
I thank the Deputy.
I pose this question from the victims. In the Taoiseach's view, is the State apology and the promise he made in July 2019 now diminished?
I do not believe so. The State's apology was sincere and we followed up on it through various actions. I have received some correspondence on the matter the Deputy has raised, from Councillor O'Farrell and some others. My advice, however, is that this is not something central government can intervene in and that it is a matter for the local authority.
Regarding the local authority-----
I thank the Deputy very much.
Will the Taoiseach meet with the group?
I call Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan.
I wish the Taoiseach the best of luck in the future. I have known him for a few years here and, to be fair, I have always found him to be very forthcoming and reasonable to deal with, so I wish him the best.
I raise the issue of SET allocations. This is something I have raised with the Minister for Education previously. I taught for 15 years and I have a fair idea of how the model worked in the past. I understand how the Department of Education has removed complex needs as an assessment criterion because the HSE and the CDNT teams have only provided it with 5% of the required information. No longer will students' disability, be it a child with Down's syndrome or with a hearing or visual impairment, be taken into consideration for those allocations. The criterion of complex needs has been removed and these SET allocations will only be based on literacy and numeracy performance. I think this is wrong and a mistake. On the basis that only 5% of the information has been provided, I think it is only fair and reasonable to ask that this SET review be deferred.
I discussed this issue with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, today, and only in the last week with the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, Deputy Madigan. The explanation they gave me is that this new model is fairer. Two thirds of schools will have the same number of hours or will, in fact, gain hours. It is not the case that complex needs will not be a factor any more at all. The schools data around complex needs will be used, rather than HSE data, which I am told is patchy and inconsistent. It still remains, therefore, a criterion. A review process is under way for any school that wishes to question its allocation of SET. I will be happy to provide the Deputy with a detailed note on this issue, which, for me anyway, is reassuring.
Gaza is on the edge of famine. It is man-made starvation caused by the deliberate actions of the Israeli Government. This comes on top of the horror and the brutality we have already seen. As we as we have already said, the EU Council meeting is coming up at the end of this week. What actions will the Taoiseach be asking from our European colleagues on this? We need a strong European response. In the absence of a strong European response, will the Taoiseach commit to Ireland acting alone which we have a moral imperative to do here? We can do things like passing the divestment Bill and the occupied territories Bill, and through recognition. There are things that are within our power alone if we fail to get agreement from our European colleagues.
The last European Council meeting failed to reach any conclusions. I am attending it tomorrow and on Friday. It is definitely my objective to get to the point of having conclusions where the European Union as a whole unequivocally calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and the supply of adequate food, medicine and electricity to the Palestinian people living in Gaza, and a two-state solution. As the Deputy knows, when it comes to common foreign and security policy, the European Union acts unilaterally. Even one or two countries - they are a dwindling number - would be able to block conclusions, but that will be the objective. I have never taken the view that acting unilaterally is the right approach. It tends to make a country isolated, makes its voice less heard and has little effect on the ground. We do not have to act only on an EU level. We could act on certain things like recognition with a group of like-minded countries.
In June it will be one year since Boliden Tara Mines closed with the loss of 600 jobs of those employed directly and more than 2,000 jobs of those employed indirectly. Management and unions are involved in negotiations but progress is very slow. These workers and their families have been left with a feeling of uncertainty over whether the mine will reopen in the second quarter of this year and what the terms and conditions will be for workers, who in many cases have big mortgages and kids going to school with many bills coming in.
The company has asked for 200 voluntary redundancies. We need to make sure that what is offered to these workers is fair and acceptable to them for the time served. Only on Monday of this week Boliden announced a $463.5 million investment for its mine in Sweden. There is no shortage of money but we need to make sure that the Irish workers are respected. How much recent engagement has the Government or the Minister, Deputy Coveney, had with the management and unions regarding Tara Mines? This closure has a massive effect on workers' families in the town of Navan and surrounding areas.
The Minister, Deputy Coveney, his Department and its agencies are seized with this matter. There has been engagement with the company but I do not have an up-to-date brief on it. I do not want to give information that might turn out to be incorrect. I'll make sure that my office sends the Deputy a written reply.
Today marks the end of an era. As a member of Fine Gael, I thank the Taoiseach for everything he has done for our party and for our country through his leadership over the past seven years. People do not really see the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and the huge personal sacrifice that goes into the job of leadership. The Taoiseach has done that with distinction. I wish him every happiness and health in the future. As a wise Cork man said to me one time, this is not a dress rehearsal we only get one crack at life, so onwards and upwards. I hope that every step for him in the future is a positive and successful one.
I apologise to the Ceann Comhairle for indulging. The business of Government goes on.
The Deputy has 20 seconds.
In 20 seconds, I raise the very serious matter of rates revaluation letters arriving in businesses throughout Kerry at the moment. I know there are winners and losers with these revaluations. However, in some cases people have been notified of a 500% increase in their rates bills. This is just not sustainable and these businesses will close. Can there be an intervention to ensure these people will not have to pay these astronomical rates?
I thank Deputy Griffin for his kind remarks. I will certainly let the Minister know about the issue he raised about the valuations. As we all know, there are winners and losers and it works out overall exactly the same. However, sometimes people face very big increases. There is a system by which that can be disputed and appealed to the Valuation Tribunal. I would encourage anyone affected to do that.
I wish the Taoiseach well in the future and I appreciate the courtesy he always extended to me in debates in this House and at other forums. We are all well aware of the need to improve services for children and adults with a disability. From the many engagements I have had with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, over the past three and a half years I know she is very determined to expand and improve disability services and facilities. We have particular difficulties in Cavan-Monaghan. We need stand-alone respite centres for children and for adults in both counties. Respite services are totally inadequate and parents are at their wits' end. As a matter of urgency, we need a new day activation unit to replace the Clogher House day activation unit which is situated in a totally outdated building and is not fit for purpose. Our most challenged young adults need proper supports. Therapy services for persons with different levels of dependency also need urgent improvement.
I thank Deputy Smith for raising this important issue here today. The local HSE has made a proposal for a stand-alone respite centre for Cavan-Monaghan, for Cavan. It will support 50 families and it will be open 52 weeks of the year. Along with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, I am currently finalising the national respite plan within which Cavan-Monaghan is a priority. Funding has been allocated for Clogher House under the capital plan for a new stand-alone purpose-built day service facility. I thank the Deputy, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and Deputy Niamh Smyth for their representations on behalf of the people of Cavan-Monaghan on this issue.
I congratulate the Taoiseach on his work as Taoiseach. I wish him well for the future and thank him for his friendship and his availability at all times.
The Government policy on international protection applicants is not working. We have had two fiascoes recently - the situation in Dublin with tents on the streets being removed in the middle of the night to a place where people do not want to go; and, second, putting more than 500 people into a hotel in Drogheda where there is now no hotel left. These unfortunate people have nowhere to go because there are no recreational amenities attached to this hotel. The function room is gone and they cannot go there. All they can do is walk across the town day in day out. It is not good enough and needs to change. We need support in Drogheda for the business community and for the tourism interests. We also need to meet the needs of international protection applicants in an appropriate and proper manner. Ordinary, good and decent people who support human rights, and support all of those right and proper things, do not accept the fiasco the Minister is imposing on us.
My Department and all Government will continue to engage with the Deputy and the other Drogheda TDs about supporting the immediate needs within Drogheda of the business community and looking to support the move of other hotels back into the tourism sector. The Deputy is absolutely right about the difficulties the current approach necessitates whether it is the use of hotel accommodation or tented accommodation. That is why next Wednesday at Cabinet we will be bringing forward the revised accommodation strategy, looking to move away from this approach where we are entirely reliant on the private sector, looking at providing a key core of State-owned accommodation which can help us meet the needs of international protection applicants.
I also wish the Taoiseach well for the future. As he will be aware, in just over ten days from now Government will push ahead with the first of four hikes in the cost of petrol and diesel over the next 12 months. The four increases will add around 15 cent per litre to the cost of petrol and around 12 cent on a litre of diesel. This has led to many people and consumer groups such as the Consumers Association of Ireland to suggest that this is punishing motorists and pushing up the costs of living as higher fuel prices will have an effect on many other goods and services because of the impact on hauliers and their increased operational costs. It will also adversely impact agricultural contracting services and farmers as farming is a fuel-intensive occupation. Will the Taoiseach consider postponing these increases until at least the next budget particularly in light of the fact that the current yield from VAT, excise duty and other levies on motor fuels amounted to around €6 billion last year?
I appreciate the prices at the pump are rising and that impacts commuters, motorists and many people in business, including hauliers. As Deputies will remember, we reduced these excise rates on a temporary basis at a time when prices were over €2 a litre and thankfully they are still well below that.
It would not be possible for the Government to reopen the budget now. There would be consequences down the line if we were to reopen the budget now. We will, of course, monitor prices over the next couple of months.
As we are out of time we will take 30-second questions from the three remaining Deputies. I call Deputy Danny Healy-Rae to speak now, please.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle. New valuation figures for commercial rates and properties in County Kerry became effective on 1 January 2024. This has meant a massive increase for many ratepayers, in many instances, with the demands received in recent days doubled, trebled and even four times the amounts they normally pay back over the years. Many traders appealed the increased valuations by the due date in October 2023. Approximately 260 appeals are still with the Valuation Office. Many others, however, have yet to appeal and are in the process of engagement with Tailte Éireann and with the Valuation Tribunal. Many traders in Kerry are contemplating financial ruin with the increased unreasonable demands they have received. I am asking that the Valuation Tribunal pause the demands that are being disputed until they are resolved.
I am asking the Deputy to pause now because he is out of time.
All right, but this is very serious for the people-----
I know, Deputy, but we only have so much time. I call Deputy Whitmore.
We asked the Taoiseach about the Greystones media campus. This is a €300 million project, which will be Ireland's largest production facility. It is a joint venture between John Sisk & Son Ltd and the Irish Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF. It was to start opening in 2024. The diggers were on site, cleared a few trees and there has been no activity on site for at least the past nine months. Can the Taoiseach give an update on that project and can he also outline what kind of safeguards the ISIF has put in place to ensure that the development will happen when it is due to do so?
I also want to wish the Taoiseach well in a personal capacity today.
We had the children from the Mercy Convent Catholic Primary School in Naas here at Leinster House protesting about their school today. For the past seven years, they have been walking past a magnificent school building, with two prefabricated buildings, while the Department of Education dithers and delays over the fitting out of their new school building. Students have spent their whole school lives walking past this school and unable to get in. The school is within reach and out of touch, just like this Government. There can be no more delay and the parents and families, staff and children have had enough. What is the plan to finish off the school and finally open it up to the children of Naas?
The Taoiseach has three questions there, which I would ask them to answer, please.
I thank the Deputy for their questions. On valuations as I mentioned earlier, when there is a revaluation, some people see their rates go up and others see them going down. Overall, there is no increase in revenue. People are encouraged to make appeals to the Valuation Tribunal but I will check with the Minister about the delays there and if something can be done in the interim.
I do not have an update on the Greystones media campus but I will seek it from the Minister for Finance and will come back to the Deputy in writing.
On the Mercy Convent Catholic Primary School in Naas, a number of Deputies have raised this issue. I will look into it and will come back to Deputy Cronin in writing. I do not know the reason for the delay but I can understand why it must be very frustrating for the children, parents and staff.
