The British Government's legacy Act is a cynical and callous attempt to block victims and families from ever getting justice through the courts and to hide the role of British state forces and their agencies in the conflict. Today, that Act takes effect, to their very great shame. I have raised this issue many times previously. I accept that the Government has lodged an interstate case against the British Government, which is a necessary and welcome action. Has the Government received any timeline as to when that case might be heard?
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
When I was on my way in the car this morning, I heard on the radio that it was the Deputy's birthday. I meant to wish her a happy birthday in a moment of levity.
I thank the Taoiseach.
I am sure she is delighted to be spending it with me. I hope she gets some time to enjoy it later.
I thank the Deputy for raising a very serious issue. It is a rare issue on which the Deputy and I agree. Our view on the UK legacy Act has been clear since the legislation was first published. We are opposed to it. It is a unilateral move in the wrong direction and represents a fundamental break from what the two Governments and most parties in Northern Ireland agreed to in the Stormont House Agreement. As the Deputy knows, the Act was opposed by all political parties in Northern Ireland and in this House. It is opposed by civil society and by church leaders. We did take the interstate case. We did not want to find ourselves there but we have. I will seek an update in that regard. I have not been given a timeline. I also will be travelling to Belfast on Friday where I hope to have an opportunity to discuss this with the parties.
I wish everyone a happy May Day. I also wish Deputy McDonald a happy birthday today. May Day is a day when we mark progress made on workers' rights and note how much still remains to be done.
I raise with the Taoiseach workers' rights legislation that we in Labour brought forward in January. We used our Private Members' time to debate our Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021, which, if passed, would offer paid leave of up to 20 days for women who experience early pregnancy loss and up to ten days for employees accessing reproductive healthcare treatments, such as IVF. In short, we would provide for leave when it matters most for compassionate workplaces. We were disappointed that the Government put a stay of 12 months on progressing that Bill further through Second Stage. More than three months have passed since then. Therefore, on May Day, could the Taoiseach update us on whether he proposes to do anything to make further progress on our important proposal, which would contribute greatly to making workplaces more compassionate and provide for workers' rights?
I wish the Deputy a happy May Day as well. I thank her for raising this issue. This Government has taken any number of measures in terms of workers' rights, whether that is the statutory sick scheme, domestic violence leave or parental leave. I appreciate the area the Deputy has raised is very important and sensitive to many people. I will familiarise myself with where that is within the Department. I will talk to the line Minister directly and come back to the Deputy.
I want to ask the Taoiseach about the stamp duty on the bulk purchase of homes. There have been multiple instances of funds buying up housing estates. Earlier this year, 85% of homes in Belcamp Manor were bought up by an investment fund. At the time, the Government committed to reviewing the ineffective stamp duty on bulk purchases, which is at just 10%. That review has now been concluded and, incredibly, the Government has decided not to do anything and not to act. Can the Taoiseach tell me why the Government has decided not to act on this and why is it siding with investment funds that are snapping up homes?
Of course, I would disagree with that assertion of the Government's actions. As the Deputy said, the Government did introduce the increased stamp duty. The Government is continuing to keep this under review and has not ruled out going further in this regard. The Minister for Finance said that himself in recent weeks. I will ask him for an update on that.
The Tánaiste was at Rafah two weeks ago and saw with his own eyes how Israel is blocking humanitarian aid from going into Gaza. He correctly described it as criminal and as collective punishment of the people of Gaza.
There are ships gathered in Türkiye, which are part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that is trying to bring more than 5,000 tonnes of aid to the people of Gaza. After pressure from the Israeli state, they have been unable to leave because the flag of Guinea-Bissau, which they were sailing under, has now been withdrawn. I have seen for myself that Israel will do anything it can to stop the blockade being broken and to stop it being highlighted. I was part of a flotilla in 2011. Our boat was sabotaged. Our permission to leave from Greece was withdrawn. Ultimately, the boat we did leave on was surrounded by warships and we were in imprisoned in Israel for a week. There is something very concrete the Irish State can do now to help the people of Gaza and that is to allow the ships to fly under an Irish flag. The Minister of Transport has the power to do it. Will the Government to do so?
I thank Deputy Murphy for raising the issue. As the Deputy said, the Tánaiste travelled to the region only last week and had a number of meetings, including with humanitarian workers at Rafah. The Government has been very strong, as have all parties in this House, with regard to the importance of aid being able to flow. I know that the humanitarian aid ships - the freedom flotilla - destined for Gaza were halted when the flag was removed from two vessels over the weekend. The flotilla remains docked at Türkiye with more than 5,000 tonnes of aid aboard. My understanding is that a number of Irish citizens have joined the flotilla. I have not had an opportunity to discuss this with the Tánaiste but on foot of the Deputy raising the matter, I will.
On Monday evening, I attended a meeting in Kilmore. Forty-six children have concessionary tickets but no bus to take them to school in Wexford town. They all have working parents. It was brought to my attention that, apparently three weeks ago, there was a bus put on for the very same situation in Gowran, County Kilkenny, where Deputy McGuinness was informed that he would not be getting a vote from anybody. Basically, a meeting was set up with the Minister and the bus was put on. There are now three buses taking children from Gowran to Kilkenny. It lasted for a week, and now all the students appear to be catered for on two buses. What the 46 children and parents are asking for in Kilmore - all tax-paying, working parents whose children have concessionary tickets - is that they would be afforded the same. It cannot be one rule just because a TD in the Government is not going to get a vote. It has to be the same for everyone. I ask on behalf of the children in Kilmore that they will have a bus service for concessionary ticket holders in September, and I would like that in writing please.
I am sure Deputy McGuinness will be flattered by the Deputy's belief in his excellent abilities. He is an excellent public representative but we obviously have systems in place with regard to school buses. We have brought forward a very significant reform. I accept it is a very real issue, including in my own constituency. I will ask the Minister for Education to look into the specific issue with regard to students in Kilmore and to come back to the Deputy in writing on the issue.
The increased cost of business grant scheme was introduced by the Government last year. It is a very good scheme, which closed at midnight last night, but there is a major loophole in it. Where businesses are renting from somebody else, the proprietor is paying the rates so those businesses cannot claim this business scheme. I compliment the officials in Tipperary County Council's revenue and rates office on their assistance to business but clearly, there is a loophole there with regard to people who do not own the building. On the other hand, the owner of the property who is paying the rates cannot avail of it because he or she is not running the business. There needs to be a meeting of minds here, and the scheme needs to be reopened for small businesses who badly need the supports. It is a good scheme and council officials are working hard with it but that needs to be changed. If the business is running in people's name, they should be allowed - once it is legitimate - to get the supports. In the other case, if the proprietor owns the business but is not running it, the money must go to support the business person who is trying to keep the doors open and is employing people, paying taxes and insurance and everything else. It needs to be tweaked. I have not got the same powers as Deputy McGuinness obviously but I would appeal that the scheme be reopened for another month at least to allow people to qualify.
I thank the Deputy for welcoming the scheme. It is a scheme where, thankfully in the last couple of days, we have seen a very significant uptick in the number of people applying. The take-up rate was quite low and has increased a lot but as the Deputy said, there is still funding in that scheme. I will talk to the Minister about the specific issue the Deputy has raised and see if it can be addressed. I am not across the detail of it but I will speak to the Minister. As the purpose here is to try to get cash into the bank accounts of small and medium businesses across Ireland, I will take the Deputy's suggestion on board.
The Taoiseach already will have received an invitation to visit Dromahair to meet the local community regarding the decision to locate 155 IP applicants in the only hotel not just in Dromahair but in the whole of north Leitrim, despite the Government's new policy of not using the last hotel in any town. For context, pro rata, 155 applicants in Dromahair equates to about 77,000 in Dublin city.
In my one minute, I only have time to say that I believe there is an opportunity if there was real engagement with the community around numbers, service and resources. Dromahair could be a template for how we accommodate asylum seekers in villages. We are told there is consultation but we really know that communities are told what is happening and when it is happening and they have no input into any decision. Dromahair could be different, were the Taoiseach to meet local community representatives and elected representatives. I believe we could do better if we put the community at the centre of what we want to do.
I thank Deputy Harkin for raising the issue. I do take on board the importance of community engagement, and I meet communities as I travel around the country. I think there should always be engagement with communities. I understand that the Abbey Manor Hotel shut down in 2009. It was derelict for over 13 years before being purchased by new owners in 2022. That is certainly what I am being told. I understand that there was an offer of this accommodation late last year to the Department of integration and as the Deputy knows well, there was a legal dispute on that between the county council and the Department.
My understanding is that it is likely that this will be used but more likely for families, as the Deputy has suggested. I will certainly ensure there is engagement with the Deputy from the Department, and her point on engaging with the community to try to get this right is a constructive suggestion. Community engagement is something the Government supports. We always say no one has a veto on who lives in an area but engaging with communities and giving people information is important.
I wish to raise the issue of towns that have taken in large numbers of migrants in IPAS centres. My own home town of Youghal is one of the examples across the country that have taken a huge proportion, having lost almost 70% of our hotel bed capacity in that town. Not enough is being done to support towns where this has happened. Economically and socially for the local communities, the community recognition fund of €100 million simply does not cut it. Can the Government consider supporting these locations and helping much-needed reductions in tensions in these communities by assisting them in key projects around integration, community infrastructure, as well as sporting and other facilities? I reiterate that €100 million is simply not enough in comparison with what the IPAS contractors are in receipt of from the Government.
I thank Deputy O'Connor for raising the issue. I am conscious the Minister of State with responsibility for integration, Deputy Joe O'Brien, is here as well. The Government is eager to support communities and to assist with integration and services. Communities across Ireland have done much to assist and it is important that we try to respond to the needs of those communities and to engage with them. If the Deputy wants to send some ideas on how he thinks the Government can do more in that space, we certainly would be very happy to consider them.
From the work that I am doing with the Fine Gael policy lab, it is very clear that we need a new vision and a step-change in realising the potential we have from longer lives. To be fair to past strategies and current work, they are trying to break new ground. The real problem is the weakness in implementation across policy silos of Departments. Would the Taoiseach consider leadership in this important area coming from the Taoiseach's office? We need a new approach to planning, to providing accommodation for people as they grow older and a new approach to health. You will not get that combination without a cross-cutting strategy led by the Taoiseach.
I thank Deputy Bruton for his contribution and for the work he is doing on positive ageing from the position of our own political party. I am aware of a number of really good initiatives like the Age Friendly Ireland programme, and the real impact that is having. I am conscious of the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Deputy Butler, who does an absolutely excellent job in this space. I am conscious of the commission on care as well. As Taoiseach, I am certainly very eager to help the Minister of State in any way that I can on co-ordinating initiatives. I am also happy to engage with Deputy Bruton on the positive ageing issues that he has put a lot of policy work into.
The Taoiseach is obviously aware of the issue of the 51-week leases now being required by vulture fund-owned student accommodation, and he is of course aware of the detrimental impact that this is having on students and the study abroad sector. Over the past number of months, the Taoiseach has raised his intention to introduce legislation to ban this practice. However, given the tight timeline between the coming academic year and the present, why is he planning on using primary legislation? Is that what he is planning to do? If it is, then it will have to pass all five Stages in the Houses, and we are obviously under a very tight timeframe. Has the Taoiseach considered bringing in secondary legislation like a ministerial order or regulation, which is much quicker? We need to make sure this is sorted before September. People and students are already struggling, and we need to sort it now.
I agree with the Deputy on this. We got an opportunity to engage on this in my previous role so we do need to rectify this. I am going from memory now but my understanding is that primary legislation is required. In my last role, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and I brought a joint memorandum to Government with regard to progressing this through housing legislation. My understanding is that it is his intention to get that passed by the summer. Alongside that, there was a planning aspect, where my former Department was engaging with city councils on the planning conditions attached to some of those buildings. I will get the Deputy a written note but it is still our intention to work with the Opposition to try to resolve this matter by the summer recess.
I will start by saying we need non-EU workers. We need non-EU workers with permits. The economy needs that. That often gets lost in the immigration debate. However an issue has arisen in terms of how permitted workers are paid. At the moment, in a food processing plant, for example, there will be non-EU permitted workers working alongside EU workers and Irish workers. They are currently paid the same for doing the same job. However, under a recent legislative change it has emerged that non-EU permitted worker will get on average €2 extra an hour for doing exactly the same work. For example an EU or Irish worker might get €13 an hour and for the non-EU permitted worker that will increase to €15 an hour. You can see the problem straight away. It will cause tension within the workplace and will raise issues around inequalities, leading to things such as xenophobia and probably racial tensions too. We need to sort that out straight away. There is also the added impact to the costs of business. Businesses struggling with the costs of business has been well covered. I am asking for a pause on this legislation to allow it to equalise and level out.
I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this matter. I will have to ask the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, who has responsibility for work permits to come back to me and to the Deputy on this.
More broadly, this is a Government that wants to provide certainty to small and medium businesses on costs and to look to see how we can support small and medium businesses with the increased costs they have been encountering. It is our intention to try to bring forward some measures to assist with that in the next few weeks. I will look into this specific issue.
Last month, Aircoach pulled the Galway to Dublin bus route. It served AIT in Athlone and Portiuncula hospital, Ballinasloe. This followed Bus Éireann Expressway pulling its service from Galway to Dublin, which also served routes for students going to college, hospital appointments and Dublin Airport.
The pulling of public transport routes flies in the face of encouraging people to use public transport and it impacts on people who rely on public transport greatly, especially our older people. Local Link works really well but in some circumstances, those involved will us it cannot expand routes or services because it does not have the funding to do so. There are particular gaps in south Roscommon in Taghmaconnell and Curraghboy then there is demand for services in villages such as Lisacul, which wants a service but Local Link does not have the funding.
Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to look at supporting and resourcing Local Link, particularly in areas where bus services have been pulled to make sure there is a service in rural areas, particularly for our older people?
I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising the issue and I will ask the Minister to do that. As the Deputy rightly says, the entire purpose of Local Link is to provide public transport options in areas where there is a real need for the State, the community, to intervene. If there is a part of the Deputy’s constituency where commercial operators have withdrawn and she and I see a gap, I will bring it to the Minister’s attention and ask him to revert to the Deputy directly.
Residents of the Bog Road in Callinafercy, Milltown, have been waiting to have their road improved for years. The road is quite dangerous. It has subsided in places and the surface is very poor. I would say it has to be done urgently. The reason that it has not been done to date by Kerry County Council is that Uisce Éireann says the water mains have to be replaced before the road can be resurfaced. However, I received correspondence from Uisce Éireann yesterday to say that even though these works have been promised there is no time line. This is a frequently occurring problem throughout the country for many residents and it is very frustrating. Our candidate in the area, Tommy Griffin, has asked me to raise this on behalf of Bog Road to see whether the Taoiseach, in his good office, can try to find a more efficient way of getting these issues rectified in order that when water mains need replacing and where roads are in dangerous and poor condition, they will be prioritised and done more efficiently.
Sometimes I think if pass the parcel was an Olympic sport, bureaucracy in this country would win a gold medal. I can see there are a number of agencies involved with one saying it is a job of the other. I will use my offices to try to bring clarity to the situation on behalf of Deputy Griffin and Tommy Griffin for the residents of Bog Road and see if we can get an up-to-date timeline in understanding of when they will see the improvement.
On 14 November last year, when deputising in the position the Taoiseach now holds, he said that Israel had been blinded by rage and warned that peace could not be built on the graves of children. In the almost six months since then, the lives of 15,780 children have been lost. As we sit here today, the invasion of Rafah is impending. Rhetoric has been strong from the Irish State - there is no doubt about that – but what tangible actions are we taking to hold Israel to account for the crimes it is inflicting on the people of Gaza?
My comments then are even more so my comments now. What we are seeing in terms of civilian casualties, children, women and civilian infrastructure,is unbearable and there needs to be an immediate cessation. We have taken a number of practical measures. We have given significant support to humanitarian aid including to UNWRA at a time when other countries pulled back. We have been only one of two countries seeking a review of the association agreement on its human rights clauses at EU level. I raised that at my first European Council meeting and my first bilateral meeting with President von der Leyen and will continue to do so. We are also moving ahead with recognising the state of Palestine shortly. I believe that is an important practical step we can take. You cannot have a two-state solution if you do not believe in recognising there are two states.
When this Government was formed in 2020 there was a post office, a GP practice and an active Garda station in Gaeltacht na nDéise. Despite all the ráméising in this House about protecting our Irish language, having it listed as an official EU working language, mandatory publishing and broadcasting as Gaeilge, the Government supports required to protect our teanga are not in evidence in An Rinn agus An Sean Phobal, where the GP practice, the manned Garda station and now the last post office have closed. All of this while €50 million has drifted out the doors of Údarás na Gaeltachta since 2019 but nothing spent i nGaeltacht na nDéise. Less talk and more action is required. Will the Taoiseach look at reviewing the charter of both Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Post in terms of their responsibilities to support the community services in our Gaeltacht but especially i nGaeltacht na nDéise?
I will indeed. I thank Deputy Shanahan for raising this. On taking office, I had a very good meeting with a number of Irish-language groups and groups representing Gaeltacht areas. There is a real need to do a lot more in this space. The Deputy’s two constructive suggestions are ones I am happy to take away and come back to him on.
People all over Cork county and city are incensed at the paltry amount in roads funding given to Cork each year. While canvassing in Baltimore, Kealkill, Kinsale, Drimoleague and Macroom last week, the thing on the top of everyone lips is the condition of our roads.
The independent AIRO report drawn up by Cork County Council proves the Government’s underspend has gone unnoticed despite the Minister for Finance meeting and committing to examine the report, all to no avail. Last week we had another exercise in can-kicking when councillors from Cork met the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, to plead for extra funds. This meeting should have been organised by the local TD four years ago. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors locally are screaming and shouting blaming everyone but their own Government for non-delivery.
I will make one quick comparison. Regional roads in Kildare make up 482 km and in Cork they are 1,402 km. Local roads in Kildare make up 1,889 km whereas the equivalent figure in Cork is 10,465 km. In total, Kildare has 2,372 km of road while Cork has 12,200 km of road. Can the Taoiseach tell the Dáil why Kildare’s roads budget is €11,163 per kilometre but Cork just gets €6,011 per kilometre? How will he address this immediately?
I thank Deputy Collins for raising the important issue of Cork roads funding and the condition of the roads. It is an issue I hear from my own colleagues in the county of Cork. I will look at the comparison he gave of Kildare and Cork and will ask the Minister for Transport to get back to the Deputy.
There are a good few roads in Kildare that are not too hot.
The Deputy will upset the Ceann Comhairle.
I call Deputy Mac Lochlainn. I do not know what the roads are like in Donegal.
Do not get me started. I want to raise the issue of Scoil Mhuire National School, Milford, County Donegal. The Minister, Deputy Foley, visited the school last year. I do not raise it lightly today. It was a school built in the 1950s for the town that was there at the time. Today it is 215 children. If the Taoiseach visits Donegal, I ask him to see it to believe it. It is a totally inadequate building. The site is landlocked. It is totally inadequate. The school board of management has secured an alternative site, at no cost to the State, in the control points of the town that the planners in Donegal County Council are happy with. I appeal to the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister for Education to please engage with the board of management. She has seen it for herself. They need a new school. They need that commitment. There are fantastic teachers and a fantastic teaching environment but has totally inappropriate amenities in terms of the classrooms, toilets and the whole lot. Will the Taoiseach please talk to the Minister about this?
I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for raising the issue of the inadequate facilities at Scoil Mhuire. From what he has said, it sounds as if the school community has been very proactive in trying to come up with a solution and a way forward. I will ask my colleague the Minister, Deputy Foley, to engage with the Deputy and the school community as I know she will be happy to do.
I raise the issue of assessment of needs given that 500 people are currently waiting in the mid-west region, 68 of whom are in County Clare. I was contacted by a single parent who was told that her son, Finn, will be waiting at least three years for his assessment of needs. Having been in contact with a private practitioner, she has had to get a loan of €1,600 just for an autism assessment. If any further assessments need to be done after that, she will have to pay an additional €1,600. The response to a parliamentary question indicated that once-off funding was made available. I note the word "was" was used - as in the past tense. Is that funding now gone? How many were able to secure an assessment of needs with that funding? There are still two vacancies on the children's disability network team, CDNT, that have not been filled. Is there is any progress there?
I thank the Deputy for raising the question. There is a whole-of-government approach to addressing the assessment of needs, under the stewardship of the Taoiseach. We have already met on the issue and option papers are being developed at this time. Regarding the use of the word "was", funding was secured in 2020 to clear the backlog of assessment of needs at that point; it was cleared completely. In each budget since then, we have secured funding to address the growing waiting list for assessment of needs. We are now looking at measures as to how we can provide reimbursements.
This morning, I heard that 33,000 passport applications were received last week. At this point, there is a backlog. Staff are obviously working. I think everyone would say that we get a great service with the Oireachtas line. I have questions about overtime. Whenever there are issues, all resources are brought to bear because we do not want people missing holidays, etc. People are finding that their documents are being uploaded but there seems to be an issue with getting them checked. I do not know if there are enough checkers. I have also been told that paper applications are taking an incredibly long time - longer than anticipated at this point in time. I know we constantly have this issue but there is a need to streamline the service. It would be beneficial if the checks to find mistakes, etc., could happen at an earlier stage.
I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this issue. I will certainly talk to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Considerable progress was made on the issue. In my constituency work I have seen improvements in processing times with the online system. If there is a niggle in the system now, it is right that the Deputy has highlighted it. I will raise it with the Tánaiste.