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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 24 Oct 2024

Vol. 1060 No. 5

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

Ordinary motorists struggling with the cost-of-living crisis are getting a raw deal from this Government and the hits keep on coming. The first hit was that the Government failed to rein in insurance companies that are increasing rip-off premiums. The Government actually blocked my legislation which would have forced costs down. The second hit came when the Government chose to hike up prices of petrol and diesel in the budget. The third hit is that it will increase tolls on national roads from 1 January. Motorists are being fleeced and the Government is doing this at a time when so many households are struggling to make it to the end of the week. Has the Minister forgotten that people in rural and urban areas need their cars to get to work, drop their kids off to school or drop a loved one to a hospital appointment? This is crucial in rural areas where public transport options are not available. Why is this Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government so intent on making life harder for ordinary motorists? Will the Government engage with TII to ensure the toll increases the Government plans to bring in on 1 January do not go ahead? Will it give motorists a break, please, for once?

First, the Government does not set the tolls. The Deputy knows that, too. Let us be straight, clear and honest with people. I have to say, though, and it is not often I agree with Deputy Doherty, the proposed toll increases are far too high, particularly at this current time. For example, there will be an increase of €1 to the peak-time rate on Dublin Port Tunnel’s southbound carriageway. Apparently, TII and Dublin Port Tunnel are saying it is to help with the flow of traffic. Anyone in this city or county who sees the flow of traffic through the port tunnel at the moment will know it is not working as it should. It is being metered and people are being delayed. I have written to the Minister for Transport in respect of tolling. To be clear, though, the Minister for Transport does not set the toll rates. I am certainly concerned and would like TII and the tolling companies to reflect on their proposed increases and not to proceed with them.

As the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon increases and worsens, our thoughts are with all those killed, wounded, bereaved or displaced in that conflict. We must do more to stop the war and to impose effective sanctions on Israel.

I met yesterday with members of Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, who are doing incredible work trying to bring wounded children out of Gaza. They impressed upon me the need for us in Ireland to do more. We can pass the occupied territories Bill. I have welcomed the positive signs from the Government on the occupied territories Bill. I have engaged with Senator Frances Black, who has engaged with the Tánaiste. He has made the commitment to her that the Bill, with Government amendments, will go to the foreign affairs committee the week of 4 November. I have a specific question which I would be glad if the Minister would pass it on to the Tánaiste, who is not here today. Will that committee meeting be a select committee? If so, do we have a prospect of passing the occupied territories Bill, even if that the last sitting week of the Dáil? There is a way to do it and the Government would have the Opposition’s support in doing it. I offer that to the Minister.

This situation in the area, not just in Gaza, is absolutely despicable. It is a wasteland where thousands and thousands of people have been murdered by the Israeli army. I do not call it the Israel Defense Forces anymore because this is not a defensive action. Let us not forget about the West Bank and what is happening there, with attacks by settlers supported by the Israeli army, and the ongoing brutal attack on Lebanon, and not just south Lebanon. We have seen an expansion of that and bombings in northern Lebanon. We must recognise, as the Deputy and I do, the need for all hostages to be returned and again condemn the reprehensible action of Hamas on 7 October 2023.

I will pass this on to the Cabinet for discussion. The Tánaiste has been actively engaged, as the Deputy is aware, with Senator Black. He is in Paris today in connection with the situation in Lebanon. I expect that if the Bill goes to Committee Stage in the Dáil, it would be a select committee. I assure Deputy Bacik that post her intervention today I will speak directly to the Tánaiste and get that clarification for her.

Another day, another massacre by Israel in Gaza. In the latest attack, 17 people were killed in a school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat. Among those murdered are Mamdouh, 11 months old; a five-year old, Malak; a seven-year-old, Hamad; an eight-year-old, Mahmoud; Moatassem, nine years old; and many others. Clearly, Israel is not going to stop murdering, killing and massacring until it is stopped. We need sanctions and we need them urgently. Could the foreign affairs committee meet next week to do Committee Stage of the occupied territories Bill? The Dáil is not required to meet. The committee could meet, which would move the Bill along and allow the real possibility that it Bill could be passed before the end of the Dáil term.

Deputy Boyd Barrett will know this. All of us share the revulsion at what is happening there. I cannot and do not set the times or dates for committees to meet. Deputy Paul Murphy can shake his head all he likes.

Could it be facilitated?

I am trying to be constructive with Deputy Boyd Barrett on this. I take his point and will raise it directly. I cannot give a commitment because it would be unfair of me to do so. I will, however, raise the point directly with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who, as the Deputy knows, is in Paris today representing our country in connection with the situation in Lebanon and the Middle East. Ireland has led. It has been one of the leaders in the European Union with regard to our response, as a Government, an Oireachtas and a country, in calling out Israel. The recognition of the State of Palestine was a significant step forward. We have not been laggards; we have been leaders in this. I will raise the point the Deputy has brought to the floor of the House today and the Minister for Foreign Affairs will revert to him.

In the 14 years I have been a TD, the current lack of availability of rental property is without doubt the worst I have seen. I live in Dundalk. I hold my clinics every Monday and Friday, and for the last number of months, the increased footfall has been unreal. People just cannot find affordable properties, especially if they are on HAP. There is a stigma to HAP. The number of people coming in and paying cash is unreal. A lot of properties in my area have risen to over €2,000 per month. Only for families and friends, a great many more people would be homeless. Last week, I visited a family of eight living in a two-bedroom apartment. If the Minister could see the condition of the apartment, the dampness, the windows and doors - it is an absolute disgrace. I ring the local authorities and all the rental companies. I ring around every Monday and Friday. The Simon Community is full, Women's Aid is full, emergency accommodation is full - everything is full. I have never, ever, in all my life, seen the situation as bad. What are the plans? I am not saying it is the Minister's fault, but the situation is getting worse and worse.

We had a good debate this morning and during the week about housing output. The solution is supply, and we are increasing supply substantially. In Louth, the Deputy's county, he sees that and he sees the new builds, cost-rental and affordable homes for the first time and very impressive social housing output. I want any specific example the Deputy has. There is capacity in our emergency accommodation, and it is good-quality emergency accommodation. I do not want people to be in it, but when they are I want them to be in it for as little time as possible and then we can exit them into permanent housing supports. We have built 125,000 new homes since this Government came into office, a lot of it in the Deputy's constituency. He will see that supported by this Government. Challenges still remain, however, and the number one focus is on those who do not have a home and ensuring they have a safe and secure home.

I ask the Minister to act as an honest broker between Tipperary County Council and Mr. Price in Tipperary town. Enforcement proceedings are being taken to hunt the retailer Mr. Price out of the town, which is on its knees. Mr. Price is a blended retailer selling a mix of convenience, comparison and bulky goods and has 65 stores nationwide in town centres and shopping centres within its portfolio. Mr. Price boasts the expertise and retail knowledge to transform Tipperary retail park into a thriving edge-of-town comparison centre. We need that badly in Tipperary town. We have nothing and have got nothing over the decades. It beggars belief that planning enforcement is trying to hunt Mr. Price out of that area. It tried to get a property in the town, a property that is closed down, with a "for sale" sign on it, although it is not for sale, that is, the old Supervalu. Will the Minister intervene, ask for common sense and try to work with the company? We need these valuable 12 jobs and the valuable asset in the retail park.

I cannot allow the Minister to intervene; for him to do so would be illegal.

As an honest broker, I said.

The Minister cannot intervene in any way in any planning matter.

That is a fact. That is what I was going to say. The planning Act precludes me from doing that.

Anyone who watched the RTÉ documentary "Anorexia, My Family and Me" will have seen the devastating impact of eating disorders. There has been a terrifying rise in eating disorders in this country, and it requires a lot more attention than it is being given. In Donegal, 17 young people in child and adolescent mental health services were being treated for eating disorders in 2020. That number rose significantly to 47 in 2021, and 41 people were being treated in June of last year. This number reflects only those who come forward with their illness and actually manage to get a referral. Many more are unable to get as far as receiving treatment. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has said that the number of people suffering from eating disorders has soared from 60 to 500 in recent years, so why are we so slow to act and get people the treatment they need? Early intervention is key in preventing people from reaching the stage of hospitalisation. Support services can oftentimes be a lifeline to those who use them. We are in desperate need of a review of the model of care for eating disorders. When does the Government plan on delivering this?

I saw that programme as well. It is unquestionable, as the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has said, that we have seen a significant increase in eating disorders. We are able to see the impact that has on the individuals themselves and their families. In April of this year, as Deputy Pringle will know, the Minister of State announced additional funding for the eating disorders programme of €1.3 million, which included €700,000 in funding for a new adult eating disorder team which is based in CHO 7, out of Dublin and Wicklow. This announcement brings the number of eating disorder teams across the country to 12. It has also been announced as part of budget 2025 for mental health services that approximately €1.2 million in funding will be allocated to the national clinical programme for eating disorders, for an additional two teams, which will bring the total number of eating disorder teams nationally to 14. This will include a CAMHS eating disorder team for CHO 3, which is the mid-west.

On 28 June, my 11-year-old daughter had just broken for her school holidays and was looking forward to the summer that lay ahead. Little did we know what was to unfold. At 12.30 that night, Croía had a spontaneous brain haemorrhage. She received phenomenal care in Beaumont, Crumlin and Temple Street hospitals, particularly from all those in St. Gabriel's ward, from the cleaners, the porters, the nurses, the doctors, the consultants. As part of her care plan, she was referred for physio services and was deemed as a priority case. Four months later, we have got nothing - no dates, physio or anything like that. I am raising this on the floor of the Dáil not for me, not to get any preferential treatment or anything like that, but to give a voice to all the other children and their families out there experiencing similar situations. In Wicklow, 30% of children referred for physio services are waiting six months or longer. By any stretch of the imagination, that is a scandal and a disgrace, particularly when physio services are seen as a critical part of the care plan for recovery. What does the Minister say to my daughter, who had a spontaneous brain haemorrhage and is dependent on that service, and all the other kids out there who have been failed by the Government in terms of putting in place those critical services for kids like my daughter?

I was not aware of that. On a personal level, I wish the Deputy and, obviously, his daughter in particular all the very best for a speedy recovery. I am sure that was a traumatic event for her and for the Deputy's family.

I do not have the numbers to hand. The Deputy has referred to 30% of children in Wicklow waiting six months or more. I cannot back that up here. I could go through with Deputy Brady all the different investments in health. I am not going to do that. Obviously, physiotherapy post an event like that is critical to assist in recovery. What I will do is raise the matter - not just on behalf of the Deputy, and he has been clear on that, but as an example. I do not know the quantum of children or families in that situation but I can guarantee the Deputy that, following his intervention today, I will raise the matter directly with the Minister for Health and ask him to respond to the Deputy on the issue of physiotherapy for children. I do not know what the waiting times are. The Deputy has cited a number. I am not going to disagree with him but I cannot agree with him either that that is the case. I will raise the matter directly with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.

Tá áthas orm gurb é an tAire atá anseo inniu, and the reason I am so pleased he is here is that I have raised time and again in this house the issue of Travellers living in caravans, or trailers, as they prefer to call them. Many of these are old and many of them are freezing cold in the winter, and as we come into another winter, this problem is not solved. The Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community has just agreed a short report with 12 specific, very practical recommendations that once and for all would put this issue to bed and solve it comprehensively for the people who choose to live in trailers rather than in fixed accommodation. At the moment, I think the maximum spend per caravan is €40,000. The Minister knows the cost of one single house. We have had that debate in the House recently. To resolve this with all the trailers that need replacement would not be a big cost.

I ask the Minister to confirm for me today that, once the report comes to him, he will examine it and make sure its recommendations, which amount to one page, are implemented. Each one of the recommendations is practical and doable.

Go raibh maith agat as ucht an cheist ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. It is good to hear the report is concise. I guarantee the Deputy that, on receiving it, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and I will review it. The Minister of State has delegated responsibility in this area. I am pleased that our capital budgets for the provision of Traveller accommodation have been fully spent every year in which this Government has been in place. There is an issue and I know the caravan loan scheme and other matters are being examined for people in the Traveller community. I will welcome the report as soon as it is ready. I assure the Deputy that I will examine it as a matter of priority, consult my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and revert to the Deputy and the committee directly.

As a TD for County Louth, I share the views of all my constituents on the appalling vista facing us, whereby an eight-year-old boy has disappeared without trace, having been missing for at least two years. I was shocked and horrified by this. We urge anybody with information to go to the Garda immediately and urgently. It is entirely unacceptable that, in the modern world, a child can disappear into thin air.

In addition to speaking as a TD, I speak as a parent, grandparent and teacher. It is essential that mandatory protocols be put in place now in education, Tusla and child welfare services to ensure the traceability of every child who leaves an area to a different school administration area so we know where they have gone, have proof they have gone there and, even if they are outside the jurisdiction, that we follow it up. It is an entirely appalling vista and we are all shocked and horrified. We are all behind the gardaí and we should make damned sure this never happens again. If there are people accountable, they must be held to account.

I am struck by the fact that you cannot move a calf from one farm to another without completing a traceability document-----

-----yet a child can be treated in this way.

It does not make sense.

I agree with the Ceann Comhairle. It is appalling and tragic to think we only know now about a child who has been missing for two years. It really beggars belief. I join Deputy O’Dowd in urging anyone with information to contact An Garda Síochána, regardless of whether he or she believes the information is of any or of little significance.

I have read the media reports on this case. I am concerned by many aspects of it, including interagency approaches and how it could be the case that a child could be missing for two years before we even know. Mandatory protocols need to be strengthened wherever needed. I agree with the Deputy completely that this should not have happened and should never happen again. Again, I encourage people with any information they have to contact An Garda Síochána.

On Monday, it was announced that the tender for the Cork event centre would have to be reopened and retendered. It is eight years and four taoisigh since the sod was turned on the site. It was turned by Enda Kenny eight years ago, in February 2016. The people of Cork are fed up and really exhausted by this farce. It really is a farce at this stage.

Regarding how we go forward, what kind of tender will there be? Will it be an open one? Is it possible to recoup the €1.5 million already spent on the project without a brick being laid? Does the Minister accept that the process engaged in from the outset was clearly flawed?

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the Cork event centre. That is an important part of the decision it made this week. The Taoiseach and I submitted a memo on it to the Cabinet and it had the full support of all its members. We will see an expedited and truncated procurement process. Costs have increased. The Government has already committed €57 million in grants for this project. That will increase. The facility needs to be built. I assume the Deputy supports it. I do, too. The Tánaiste does, too, and is a very strong advocate of it. We need to move it along as quickly as possible.

I want to raise the matter of the special needs school bus escorts. I am aware that the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, promised a review of the pay rates by the end of 2024. Has that been completed yet? We know an election is imminent and I am concerned about the escorts.

Recently, I met two lovely, hard-working escorts who explained to me that they work with children with disabilities and provide an essential service, often serving as the important bridge between the school and the parents, never mind ensuring the children get to school in a safe, calm and dependable way. They pointed out that while the minimum wage has gone up twice in the past five years, they have seen an increase of only 50 cent in that period. The fear is that we will lose these essential workers. The Minister is cognisant of this. I cannot overstate the importance of the role of the individuals. When they have to take a sick day or if anything happens to them, they have to find a replacement themselves. They are under a lot of pressure as it is.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of special needs school bus escorts. I will raise it directly with the Minister for Education, having regard to the rates of pay, and then revert to the Deputy directly.

It was said last week that the Covid inquiry was close. I want to know how close. Is it closer than the election or closer than Christmas? At this point, can we get some answers? I have asked for a date four times now, which is absolutely ridiculous. Do we not believe the hospitals and nursing home staff deserve closure? Many of them have left their posts due to mental stress. Lessons need to be learned, as we are all very aware, so I really need to know whether we are going to have the inquiry soon. Will it be fully independent or will it be more a case of the fox minding the hens in the henhouse? I absolutely need to know whether it will be soon. I will continue to fight for it. If we could get an answer, I would really appreciate it.

It is great to see Deputy Ryan has her voice in this House. I am very struck by the fact that there are more former Sinn Féin Members than Sinn Féin Members in the Chamber at the moment. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I do not have a direct answer for her.

Deputy Chris Andrews-----

We will not go into Deputy Andrews’s history, but he is where he is. You make your bed and can lie in it.

It is a very nice, comfortable bed, I can tell you.

It is great to see Deputies Ryan and Wynne have escaped.

I do not have a direct answer for Deputy Ryan. I will get it for her and respond to her in writing.

I do not know whether the Minister has noticed but there are seven people outside the Dáil who have been there on hunger strike since Monday. After four days of no food, they are in a pretty bad way. They have faced abuse and threats daily from far-right activists, who have come here specifically to do that. I understand they are outside now. The seven are on hunger strike because they are afraid for their lives of being deported to South Africa.

South Africa is ranked among the top five most violent countries in the world; despite that, the Irish State has designated it as a so-called safe country. Ireland is one of only two countries in the EU to do so, which means it is easier to deport people to South Africa. Is any consideration given to the heightened dangers faced by LGBTQ+ people and HIV-positive people, in particular? They have told me they face a terrifying reality and say they have had knives pulled on them, been threatened with guns and been told outright they would be killed for being gay. It is completely unacceptable to tell these people that South Africa is a safe country. Will the Government act to remove South Africa’s designation as safe and, in particular and most immediately, will someone from the Department of Justice agree to meet the people on hunger strike to bring this to an end?

We have a fair asylum system here and everyone’s asylum claim is assessed on its merit. I have been to South Africa myself. It is a vast country and there are different areas of it that one would consider safer than others. The designation of a safe country means that the applications are expedited. I encourage anyone on hunger strike – I do know there are people outside on hunger strike – to end it.

Their applications in Ireland will be processed, and processed fairly. Where anyone has any fear they are going to be persecuted on return to any country because of their race, gender or sexual orientation, that is absolutely taken into account. What we do not want as well is that people are doing their own health damage by that. I assume every one of those people has an asylum claim in, has been assigned a case worker and is engaging with the Department of Justice. I absolutely condemn any attacks they are experiencing. They should not happen. I assume An Garda Síochána is aware of it and we will raise that too. We will go through the normal channels. Where an applicant has made an asylum application, that will be processed, and processed fairly. I encourage those who are outside to trust in the system.

I thank the Minister.

I will just say this, a Cheann Comhairle. Reversing the designation from safe country is not going to process those claims. If anything, the claims will be in process for longer.

I wish to be associated with the comments made earlier in regard to Deputy Denis Naughten in his last contribution to the House.

In what I hope will not be my last contribution to the House, and I imagine many of us are in the same position, I raise the issue of Scoil Chiaráin on St. Canice's Road, in my area, which is a special school. Earlier in the summer, it received full approval for a fantastic new extension and an expansion of that site. I ask the Minister to relate to the Minister for Education everything he can to ensure that project is progressed and is not in any way delayed during the tendering and construction phase. We want to get on site. The reason I say that is the special schools are a really important structure in our community. Both the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Tánaiste had to intervene to prevent therapists being withdrawn from that school over recent years. Those special schools can become the place, and I heard the Tánaiste say it, where therapies and treatments can be delivered not just to those who are in special schools but actually to the wider school network. I would appreciate it if the Minister could raise it with the Tánaiste.

The Deputy can be assured that I will. I know he has raised this at the parliamentary party as well, and he is a strong and active advocate on behalf of Scoil Chiaráin. He can be assured that, following what I am sure is not going to be his last intervention here in Dáil Éireann, I will raise this directly with the Minister, Deputy Foley, to ensure this project proceeds as a matter of priority.

The Dublin City task force launched earlier this week. It is hard to believe the Government needed to do a report to tell you what was wrong with Dublin City Council because we have been saying it in this House for years. I have been telling the Minister the issues with the redevelopment of the flat complexes. One of the task force proposals was the fast-tracking of flat regeneration, which is very important. So many of the flats are rotting from the inside to the outside because of the dampness and the mould. So many residents living in the flats are denied fire doors and properly insulated doors, even though when a new tenant moves in, they have new doors installed, and that is great, obviously, and very welcome. Tenants who have been paying rent for years, however, are denied a proper fire safety door. How is that fair? It is not really fair. Will the Government take on and commit to fast-tracking, like the task force suggested, the regeneration of flat complexes down to five years?

I welcome the task force report. I will agree with the Deputy on this. There are things in it we were doing already and there are things in it we know we need to do. I have visited most of the flat complexes in this city. I know the Deputy was at one of the visits with me and we had good engagement with the residents there. We have had some very good regeneration projects completed in Dublin, in Dorset Street and St. Mary's Mansions along with many others. The existing tenants who have been paying rent for a long time deserve to have their homes refurbished too. I have pursued that with the city council, in this instance, and other local authorities. In many instances-----

They do not have the funding, though.

The local authorities have more funding now than they have ever had. I have to say that the leadership of the new chief executive of Dublin City Council, Mr. Richard Shakespeare, and the focus he has brought to bear on housing is very welcome. Dublin City Council is delivering some fantastic new schemes and on the refurbishment and regeneration. There are in excess of 100 refurbishment and regeneration projects that are scheduled. That is a lot.

They are all on the northside.

We need to see how we can expedite that, and we will, certainly.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 1.15 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 1.59 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.15 p.m. and resumed at 1.59 p.m.
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