It is my great pleasure to welcome my fellow Ulsterman, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, to the Chamber and to invite Senator McGreehan to raise her matter.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Common Agricultural Policy
I welcome the Minister. It is great to have the senior Minister with us. As he knows, the sheep sector is important to me. My family are all in the sheep sector and it is how I was born and reared. It is also important to the country, so I am glad we are having this discussion. I hope that what I have asked in the Commencement matter will be answered without prejudice about other parts of the agricultural sector. I would like to know the rationale behind the difference in the direct payment for sheep compared with beef suckler cattle in the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and how the Department will work to support the sheep sector further.
The sheep sector is a vital part of the agri-economy and all rural communities. There are approximately 34,000 sheep farmers. As the Minister knows, County Donegal has the largest number of sheep in the country. In the counties with the most marginal land, hilly land, and the poorest of farmers, one will find farms with a combination of beef suckler cattle and sheep. I want to highlight a specific mathematical discrepancy.
Fifteen cattle equals 100 ewes. Fifteen cattle will receive €3,350 while 100 ewes will get €1,200. If sheep farmers were getting the same supports as suckler farmers, it would represent a payment of around €33 per ewe, rather than the €12 per ewe promised. It would be beneficial to get an answer to this question on why a vulnerable sector like the sheep sector does not get the same level of support as the suckler sector, which is also a very vulnerable and valuable sector. The Minister may know that the sheep sector has had a few difficult years, but sheep farming is a love and a way of life. It must be supported to encourage young farmers back into the sector. I grew up in it; it is an industry I understand and I have a deep connection with my sheep. Nothing highlights that more than when the Cooley Mountains were depopulated of sheep due to foot and mouth disease. No person in this Chamber would understand the trauma of that for my community, but the resilience of my community in the Cooley Mountains to restock and come back after those dark days proves my point about the importance of the sheep sector to our economy, culture and heritage.
The average age of farmers is increasing and is currently 56 years in sheep farming. If anyone is familiar with sheep farming, particularly sheep farming on marginal land, they will know that it is time-consuming and labour-intensive. The hours are long and hard with clipping, dipping, dagging and dosing. The time is spent on manual tasks. I can tell the House first hand that it is difficult. If you have ever tried to turn over a stubborn sheep to check her feet or her udder, you will understand the strength you need. This is not an older person's game. We need youth in the sector and we need to encourage youth into the sector.
I am putting forward a case for the sheep farmers of Ireland for more direct support for their sector and particularly an increase in the payment in the new sheep improvement scheme next year. I acknowledge the new scheme will see farmers getting €12 per ewe rather than the €10 they receive in the present sheep welfare scheme, but a €2 increase is clearly not enough. I also acknowledge that there are other supports coming but we need to protect, support and encourage sheep farmers who are often an afterthought in national policy. With the Minister's background and knowledge of County Donegal and my knowledge of County Louth and the sheep farmers in the Cooley Peninsula, I know we will not allow that to continue.
I thank Senator McGreehan for putting this issue on the agenda today. It is certainly not the first time she has raised it with me. She has been a very strong advocate for the sheep sector throughout the CAP process and since then as she has been for the agricultural sector and family farms across the board.
The short-term and long-term viability of our beef and sheep farmers is a key priority for me, as it is for the Senator. Having grown up, like her, on a sheep farm in County Donegal, I am acutely aware of the importance of these crucial sectors not only to agriculture but to the wider rural economy. I continue to lead and support the agrifood sector by putting in place appropriate supports for the sector, including through the CAP strategic plan. The next CAP is fair and well-funded and will support our farm families over the course of the decade regardless of their size, system or location. The plan recently approved by Government will provide almost €10 billion to farm families over the next five years to support them to continue to produce world-class, safe and sustainable food as well as supporting them in their important work on meeting our future climate ambitions.
This enhanced climate ambition will be met through a number of measures, including eco-schemes in pillar 1 and a new €1.5 billion flagship environmental scheme, the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and the organic farming scheme in pillar 2. Almost €6 billion will be paid in direct farm payments to farmers with a number of specific supports for the livestock sector under pillar 2. For example, the supports for both suckler and sheep farmers are at higher rates, as the Senator pointed out, than in the current programme and will improve the carbon footprint, genetic merit and animal welfare of our national herd.
In relation to the suckler scheme, an allocation of €260 million has been provided between 2023-2027 for the suckler carbon efficiency programme and €100 million for the same years for the sheep welfare scheme. It must be recognised, however, that both beef and sheep farmers can avail, as the Senator pointed out, of a range of other CAP measures, including areas of natural constraints, ANC, payments, the new environmental scheme and the organic farming scheme.
Another significant support for the beef and sheep sectors is the enhanced support for early-stage producer organisations in the upcoming CAP strategic plan which, in addition to providing administrative and advisory support of up to €33,000 to groups, provides under competition law for collective bargaining on output prices thereby strengthening their position in the supply chain.
I have maintained the levels of specific sector supports for both sheep and beef. If we look at 2023 specifically, the budgetary provision from my Department in 2023 is €2.14 billion which is the highest ever level of funding for the Department and represents a €283 million, or a 13%, increase on the previous year. In the coming year, I will introduce a new scheme to continue the beef welfare measures which were previously funded under the beef environmental efficiency programme - suckler, BEEP-S. I have also maintained the annual budget for targeted beef and sheep supports of more than €100 million. Beef and sheep farmers will be well placed to benefit from the enhanced supports I have in place this year for fodder aid, as well as a number of other support schemes, including the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and the organics scheme which I mentioned.
In terms of the payment rates under the new rural development programme sheep welfare scheme, the payment rate is being increased from €10 previously to €12. The payment rate per animal is also being increased in the beef data and genomics programme for suckler cows.
I am pleased to be able to maintain the funds. In terms of the sheep sector and throughout the CAP consultation process, the request for additional sheep funding was a very strong theme. I, along with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, delivered an extra 50% in national co-funding for pillar 2 schemes, meaning significantly increased payments for farmers. One still had to make choices and decisions in terms of how one would allocate that and which sectors were most under pressure. I increased that for sheep, although I know sheep farmers would have liked more. What I would say is that as we step out over the next number of years the potential is there to look at that year-on-year to see if we can increase it. It has increased in recent years and I know the sheep sector very much wants to see that happen.
I thank the Minister. I spoke to him previously about a wool council. I reiterate the need to continue those indirect supports. As he well knows, part of sheep welfare is that they must be sheared and they must be protected. It is now costing a farmer more to shear their sheep and to look after them in that way than they are getting for their wool. If they are not getting it in a direct payment, it is really important these indirect payments are sufficient to make sure they get all the benefit and that they are supported within their industry. One glaringly obvious support is wool. It is a sustainable, renewable product and we must create the markets and create the space for them to sell it into. Maybe there could be an extra payment, or a small payment, to support the shearing and clipping of sheep in the sheep welfare scheme and an acknowledgement of the work in regard to a wool council.
I thank the Senator again for raising the issue. The sheep welfare scheme has been a popular one among sheep farmers. It is regarded as being straightforward, accessible, practical and very useful in terms of the measures contained in it. The funding has been welcomed. There has been a request for additional funding, for which Senator McGreehan has strongly advocated, over the last couple of years. Thankfully, over the last three to four years sheep prices have been much stronger than they have been in recent years. We need them to be like that all of the time and we need to ensure farmers get a fair return for the work they put in, whether in the Cooley Mountains, in the lowlands or in Donegal.
When the previous CAP programme was launched in 2014, there was no sheep programme in it. This CAP, which I have brought in, has a sheep programme plugged in from the very start at a rate of €12. The fact there was not one there at the start of the last CAP but that it evolved over the course of that CAP programme shows that schemes can evolve and be strengthened over a CAP programme.
I will certainly be looking to see what capacity I have to further improve supports for the sheep sector. If one looks at the last year, the fodder scheme, in particular, was an important scheme to support sheep farmers and sheep farmers very much availed of it. I thank Senator McGreehan for raising this issue today and I look forward to continuing to work with her on how we can support the sector.
Forestry Sector
I thank the Acting Chairperson. To clarify, I am sharing time with Senator Carrigy so do we have four minutes each?
The Senators have two minutes each.
Nice try.
I tried my best but what can you do?
The Senator should have known with a Kerryman in the Chair.
Indeed. You cannot get around a Kerryman.
The Minister is very much aware of this important issue. Senator Carrigy and I tabled this Commencement matter to seek clarity about the new forestry programme. There has been significant worry in the industry, especially in the past two or three years, about afforestation rates and how we can move the sector forward. Unfortunately, the afforestation rate is at an all-time low and restoring confidence in the forestry sector has been a major issue for many of us. This new forestry programme is an important part of that and aims to get confidence back into the system. We need clarity regarding afforestation rates for 2023 and up to 2027 in order that people on the ground know what they can do.
We had hoped the new scheme would be announced around the time of the National Ploughing Championships and it would give an indication of what would be in the scheme so people could start planning. Unfortunately, that has not happened and we do not have an indication of the contents of the scheme. The timeline of the scheme is also a major issue. There are rumours it will be launched in January. We are now hearing from the rumour brigade that it may not happen until February, March, April or May. We need clarity that it will be launched in January and the rates, grants and premiums will be confirmed so the entire industry can have clarity.
Legacy licences are also an issue. I believe they will never be acted on because the majority of the licenceholders have moved on to other farming enterprises and may never get involved in the forestry sector.
It appears likely we will have a large cohort of foresters with nothing to do for the next six, eight or 12 months until the licensing scheme under the new programme is put in place. The knock-on effect is that we could have people left with no jobs and plants destroyed. I heard of such cases last week. It would be helpful if the Minister could provide clarity on these issues.
I thank the Acting Chairperson and the Minister for taking this important Commencement matter. I am speaking on behalf of farmers in my local community in Longford-Westmeath. I have met the chair of the forestry committee of the Irish Farmers' Association, IFA, and individual landowners who are looking for certainty and want to plant in future. I have spoken to Glennon Brothers, one of the biggest companies in this country which also operates abroad. It provides timber products throughout Ireland and the UK and is responsible for hundreds of jobs in my community in Longford and also in Cork. It also has a factory in Scotland. Glennon Brothers is looking for certainty that the company will have a future. I cannot understand why we do not have clarity about the funding available to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to move the new forestry programme forward. As Senator Lombard stated, it was our understanding that this scheme would be ready for the National Ploughing Championships and we now hear it might not be ready until April or May. We are looking for certainty on behalf of the landowners who want to plant their land. We want to increase the amount of land we plant, yet we cannot tell the people who are considering planting what the grants or premiums will be with any certainty. Individual landowners will make alternative decisions with their land.
I ask the Minister to provide clarity on whether the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform has allocated funding to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a scheme to be put in place. Will he also confirm that we will hear what those premiums and grants are sooner rather than later? April 2023 is far too late; we need this now.
I thank the Acting Chairperson and Senators Lombard and Carrigy. I welcome the opportunity to address this issue in the Seanad. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, is otherwise engaged and could not be here. I am happy to address the matter.
We want to be in a position to ensure people have clarity about the new rates before the start of January in order that they can plan and afforestation will proceed. The programme will be 100% funded by the Exchequer, as has been the case for previous forestry programmes. It is not co-funded by the European Commission. It is all national funding and the payment of the grants and premiums is an integral part of the programme and vital to encourage an increase in afforestation over the coming decade.
Before I deal with the issue of the approval of this funding, it is worth reflecting on the efforts to date to design a shared vision for forestry in Ireland, which of course informs the new programme. Following extensive engagement and consultation, Ireland has, for the first time, a Shared National Vision for Trees and Forests, which was published on 12 September 2022. This shared national vision is ambitious and calls for an expansion of multifunctional and diverse forests, delivering multiple benefits for climate, nature, wood production, water quality, people, the economy and rural development. The overarching statement of this vision provides for:
The right trees in the right places for the right reasons with the right management supporting a clean, healthy and well protected environment and a sustainable economy and society.
With due consideration given to the shared national vision, a new forest strategy to 2030 has also been developed, which is underpinning a new forestry programme that will run from early 2023 to late 2027. The strategy's implementation plan comprises a list of actions and measures, including the forestry programme for the period, which will be the main implementation vehicle for the forest strategy in the immediate to short term.
The forestry programme is subject to an ongoing strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment process. As part of this process, it is currently out for public consultation. Together with the draft forest strategy and associated environmental reports, the draft forestry programme was published on my Department's website last week and will be open for public consultation until 29 November 2022. This means that stakeholders and interested parties will be aware of the measures and schemes being proposed under the next programme and will have an opportunity to submit any feedback they may have. I encourage anyone with an interest in the future of forestry to participate in this consultation. Once the public consultation process has been completed, the submissions received will be considered in the finalisation of the programme.
I acknowledge that the draft programme, as published, does not include the proposed changes to grant and premium rates. I am aware of the need to make these details available at the earliest opportunity. Having secured an additional €12 million in budget 2023 for forestry to reach a total budget of €112 million, my Department is engaged in detailed and ongoing discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform around the entire funding package for the new programme, particularly regarding the new grant and premium rates. Once we get approval for the new grants and premium rates from that Department, we will make them known. This will be on the understanding that they will be subject to securing state aid approval from the European Commission.
It is my intention to introduce a programme which will deliver for society, landowners and the forestry sector in Ireland. A comprehensive and well-subscribed forestry programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production, water quality, economic development and quality of life. I am hopeful that once the programme is launched, public and private actors will support it to realise its ambition.
I thank the Minister for his response. Our original intention was to table this Commencement matter and seek a response from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, before the programme was changed, because we believe there is an issue here that we need clarified by that Department concerning the rates of payment and timelines for this programme. Reading the report, it is clear that approval must be given to the proposal first by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It then goes to the European Commission and can then be launched. I think this is the timeline being proposed.
We are weeks away from Christmas, and mid-term is next week. I am genuinely concerned that we need to get clarity on this scheme. We have no timelines and no indication when it is going to begin. The people we spoke to told us about job losses and a lack of confidence in the sector. The last thing we need is for January 2023 to arrive without this programme having been announced. That would be a disaster for the entire industry. I am genuinely concerned in this regard. I emphasise the need for urgency here. Perhaps the Minister might be able to provide us with some timelines concerning when he proposes to launch the scheme.
Following on from Senator Lombard's comments, I am also concerned about this matter. We are hearing about job losses, a lack of confidence, no timelines and blockages. We need certainty, as do the people in this industry considering laying off employees and the landowners contemplating alternatives. Otherwise, we are not going to hit the ambitious targets we have set out for afforestation.
We will be giving this certainty. The situation now is that the strategy has been published.
A public consultation is ongoing and will be completed by the end of November. We have not yet published information on the grant aids and premiums that will be in place from January 2023. We are finalising those with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. What is clear is that they will be attractive and higher than the outgoing scheme. The engagement we are having is about the size of the overall funding over the course of the programme and, therefore, how strong the rates can be. We want to give that clarity in advance of January.
The new programme will start in January. I know it is proving to be a challenge because people are reluctant to start planting before the new programme comes in as they know the rates are likely to increase. However, it will be a strong and good story for the sector. We need to instil confidence and drive it on. We want people to plant. We want new afforestation to drive on from January. We will give clarity in advance of January as to the rate. Like everything, it will be subject to state aid approval and needs approval from the Commission. We cannot give a black-and-white answer and a 100% guarantee, but we expect approval to come.
Once we can provide clarity on the rates we are planning to set, people will know and understand the system. The rates will be higher. I advise people who are thinking about applying to plan and work ahead on the basis that the rates will be published in advance of January and they should plan to be in a position to do that work. We need to increase our afforestation rates. It is a massive priority for the Government and we will back it financially to drive it on.
We have worked hard to address the backlog in licensing, which is undermining confidence. The backlog is reducing every week and we are driving it down. We are almost at the stage of equilibrium. We want new afforestation applications in particular and we will back that with grant rates. We will try to provide clarity on what they will be as soon as possible, and certainly in advance of 1 January 2023.
I thank the Minister for his time and giving such full answers. I omitted Senator Carrigy's final contribution. I beg his pardon.
Rail Network
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Calleary, to the House. I think this is my first time being in the Chair since he was elevated.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Rosslare to Waterford line was closed in 2010, having operated since 1906. It connects with the Waterford to Limerick railway line, which continues to operate. Many in south Wexford knew it as the sugar beet track because for a long time the railway line was synonymous with the transportation of sugar beet. It served communities in south Wexford, including Campile, Ballycullane, Wellingtonbridge and Bridgetown. There is a very active local campaign group, South East on Track. Councillor Michael Whelan, who is based in Ballycullane, has been active in terms of examining supporting improved services. The communities in the area would like the development of a greenway which could run in parallel with the rail line.
The Minister of State may be able to update us on the all-Ireland strategic rail review. It is very clear that Government policy is shifting towards a greater use of railway lines. We know that shifting goods onto a railway line rather than using roads reduces the carbon footprint by 75%. The more we can shift freight onto rail, the more environmental sense it makes and the more we can, ultimately, encourage passengers to use railway lines, which makes environmental sense. I appreciate Rosslare Europort is a roll-on roll-off port and therefore may not be ideal for some areas of freight. However, in terms of transporting freight around the south east this is something that would be of particular benefit. While we continue to have infrastructure in place, which includes the longest railway bridge in Ireland over the River Barrow, it is important that we maintain that infrastructure and try to determine whether we can reopen the line.
I know the Minister of State is particularly passionate about re-opening the western rail corridor. If we can look at also redeveloping that south-eastern rail corridor, we can have that link between the Dublin to Rosslare line, the Waterford to Limerick line and on to Foynes and so on. That would make a lot of sense. I understand the all-Ireland strategic rail review is to be published shortly and it is imperative that we see this not just specifically for this line but so we have a real debate around transport in Ireland. If we are serious about meeting our climate targets with regard to transport, then we have to look at serious investment in rail. This is not just about re-opening old lines. It has to be about ensuring those lines are attractive to use from a freight, and also from a passenger, point of view. This is something that is growing in interest. I would love to see this rail line re-opened at some stage over this decade and a greenway running parallel to it. This would have huge benefits for the local community if it could be done and I would certainly hope in the context of the rail review that the possibility of re-opening this line could be considered.
Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh Ghníomhach, agus buíochas libh as ucht fáilte a chur romham chuig an Teach seo. I thank the Senator on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, for the opportunity to address this issue. As the Senator has acknowledged, I do a lot of work with West on Track and we are very much aware of South East on Track and indeed the work of Councillor Whelan on this matter.
As the Senator indicated, rail services on this line ceased in 2010 under an agreement made between the National Transport Authority and larnród Éireann. A number of improvements were made to bus services at the time to ensure continued public transport connectivity. While the line has been closed in recent years, the port in New Ross remains open for business. The location of the Barrow bridge on the River Barrow means that the ability to open the bridge is critical to ensuring navigational access to the port. Iarnród Éireann continues to operate this bridge with all its unique properties as referred to by the Senator, for this purpose.
A maintenance arrangement is in place to allow for the line's continued maintenance since the decision to remove passenger services. In 2019, a number of revised arrangements were agreed between the National Transport Authority, NTA, and larnród Éireann regarding the line. These revised arrangements include: obligations to review level crossing surfaces each year; to review the boundary protection along the line each year; and to conduct bridge inspections every two years, in line with larnród Éireann's technical standards. In addition, the agreement between the NTA and Iarnród Éireann requires that a general review of the line be undertaken on an annual basis. The purpose of the general review is to assess the overall condition of the line to provide a current status assessment of the infrastructure each year. As acknowledged, the Minister for Transport, in co-operation with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure, has commissioned an all-Ireland strategic rail review to help inform the development of interurban and interregional rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades. It will also consider the potential scope for improved rail services and infrastructure, alongside the various existing or future potential corridors of the network including disused and closed lines. The provision of rail services on the Wexford to Waterford line is being considered in this context. An important aspect of the review will be to consider the potential for rail freight and whether opportunities exist to increase its role.
It is also the case that Waterford and Rosslare ports handle different types of cargo and that influences the potential suitability of developing rail freight at each port. As the Senator acknowledged, Waterford Port handles lift-on lift-off freight, which is suitable for rail freight, while Rosslare is principally a roll-on roll-off port, where freight is accompanied by drivers, which does not lend itself easily to rail freight.
The Minister for Transport believes there is real potential for Ireland's ports in the area of offshore renewable energy. That is why he published a policy statement on the matter last December which makes it clear to the offshore industry that the Government is committed to the provision of port facilities in Ireland for offshore energy developments. In that regard, he very much welcomes the fact that Rosslare Europort has ambitious plans to develop an offshore renewable hub.
At a broader level, the Minister for Transport has no doubt but that the Senator's wish is to see rail services running again on this line. The Minister is also aware that there are those who would like to develop the route as a greenway and build on the work already undertaken or under way in the south east to create a network of attractive greenways spanning the region. As the Senator acknowledges, however, there is nothing to stop the two projects from running together. I will forward that view to the Minister.
The future development of the line, in whatever form it takes, will be informed by the results of the forthcoming final report of the all-island strategic rail review, which I understand from my work with the western rail corridor will come relatively shortly.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Senator.
The Minister of State's response is somewhat positive. I think we all look forward to reading the all-island strategic rail revieww. I think it will encourage a lot of debate about how we can more effectively use rail in this country. I think we could see the reopening of the railway line with a parallel greenway connecting to the very successful Waterford greenway operating over the course of this decade. I think we are now realising that the future is in rail. There is enormous potential there because there is a rail line currently in existence and, as the Minister of State said, it is being maintained quite well by Irish Rail at present.
We need to be ambitious. I certainly support the extension of the western rail corridor, but we need to look at connecting all these parts of the country. I think a real possibility now exists to reopen the south-east rail link as well to provide that link between Rosslare, Wexford and Waterford. I hope that, coming out of the strategic rail review, the Government will consider it positively.
On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Senator for his comments and his ongoing interest in this important issue and the ongoing interest of many Members of this House in rail expansion. I know that Senator Cassells, in particular, is passionate about the Navan rail line.
The Minister wishes to assure Senator Byrne that the potential of rail connectivity from Rosslare to Waterford is being fully considered as part of the strategic rail review. As I have said previously, the review is unique in that it is being conducted on an all-island basis, in full co-operation with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive and at official level within the Department for Infrastructure. This will provide an holistic overview of the potential of rail on an all-island basis. The review is considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure alongside various existing or potential future corridors of the network, including disused and closed lines. The provision of rail services from Wexford to Waterford, as requested by the Senator, is being considered in that context.
It should nevertheless be noted that if a reopening of the line is endorsed by the review, reopening the lines to passenger traffic would entail a comprehensive body of work. Initially, this would involve a detailed baseline survey to understand the requirements to bring the line back within operating safety and regulatory compliance. While the funding requirement has not been established, some significant cost items would arise, most notably on the Barrow bridge, which would need substantial investment along with investment generally in the railway corridor, some track works, interventions at level crossings and station buildings and the rehabilitation of infrastructure which has been dormant for a long time.
The review is considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure. Rail connectivity to our international gateways, including Rosslare Europort, and the potential role of rail freight will all be considered in the context of considering the reopening of the Rosslare-Waterford line.
Departmental Schemes
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. My Commencement matter relates to the back-to-work enterprise allowance, which has been dramatically reduced for persons with disabilities or disabled citizens. I wish to put a human face on this. The text of my Commencement matter refers to supports for people with a disability establishing businesses.
This matter is drawn from one of hundreds of representations I received since my election from people in the disabled community. It comes from a man called Donal Coade who was a general manager for SuperValu and Tesco for 25 years. Let us imagine what that environment was like, with fast-moving consumer goods and human resources management. In 2011, Donal was diagnosed with a potentially fatal brain tumour. He had a craniotomy, which is when part of the skull is removed surgically. He had a titanium mesh inserted following the removal of the tumour. It is such a struggle to survive in those circumstances, because life goes on when people have a disability or when they suddenly have an acquired brain injury. People still have to pay the mortgage. They still have to squander whatever meagre resources they have on groceries and feed the kids. Life does not stop; it continues.
Unfortunately for Donal, the titanium mesh did not take well and he had some scarring on the brain that caused repeated seizures. The mesh was duly removed and for a period of years he had no skull, just a covering of skin, and he had to live and cope with that. The seizures continued and he had up to seven per week. Eventually, a solution was achieved through the insertion of a vagus nerve stimulator, VNS. I am telling this story to explain the challenges, obstacles and thresholds people with disabilities must survive and endure just to make it from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The VNS is inserted into the chest cavity, connected to the heart and then through the voice box connects to the brain itself. The vagus nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body. It goes from the brain right down into the gut. With a magnet on one of Donal's wrists they managed, after a number of years of tuning the device, to get rid of the seizures.
Then Covid hit in 2020. What did Donal do, as person confronting considerable challenges? He has hemiplegia and so is unable to use one side of his body because of these complications, but he decided to set up a hands-free sanitiser dispensing business. It is extremely successful. He used his experience of disability and so-called impairment to devise a device that can be used throughout Covid. It is robust, self-servicing and self-contained. The business is successful. He became eligible for the back to work enterprise allowance but his disability allowance of €208 per week was taken away from him. According to the Cost of Disability in Ireland report, that figure is not even sufficient to meet the extra costs per household incurred simply by having a disability. The back to work enterprise allowance is reduced by 50% after one year and 75% after two years so unfortunately Donal now finds himself in a situation where, as he cannot write and must employ somebody to scribe his business communications, he has to survive on €156 a week. The purpose of this matter is to ask the Minister of State to consider urging the Department of Social Protection not to put obstacles in the paths who have disabilities, or disabled citizens. They are exemplars for what our citizens should be when it comes to ingenuity, endurance and resilience and we should support them every step of the way. We are not talking about huge sums here.
I thank the Senator for outlining Donal's story. The Senator might send me on the details so we can pursue it. It definitely sounds like it would be worth pursuing. I have a general response on the general query.
The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of employment-related supports, for all jobseekers, including people with a disability. The back to work enterprise allowance offers support to people receiving certain social welfare payments, including disability allowance, to develop a business while retaining a reducing proportion of their qualifying social welfare payment for two years. The payment is 100% of the person's social welfare entitlement in year 1 and 75% in year 2. The scheme alleviates some of the risk involved with a new venture and provides an element of financial security along with business mentoring and supports.
In addition, the enterprise support grant of up to €2,500 provides financial support to back to work enterprise allowance recipients to assist with initial business start-up costs, for example to purchase business related equipment, advertising or website development costs.
A person moving from a long-term disability payment to take up a job or self-employment can retain entitlement to free travel for a period of five years. They may also retain their electricity or gas allowance for the duration of the payment. Where a person with a disability requires a more accessible workplace or adapted equipment, the Department offers support through the workplace equipment adaptation grant under the reasonable accommodation fund.
In circumstances where a self-employed person decides to employ an additional person from the live register on a full-time basis, they may be eligible for support under the JobsPlus scheme. Under the scheme, an employer can receive a grant of €7,500 or €10,000 over a two-year period. The scheme will be expanded from January 2023 to people receiving disability allowance in order that they can take up a JobsPlus-supported job. Where a person's entitlement to the back to work enterprise allowance is exhausted and the person is operating at reduced levels of business activity, there may be alternative income supports available and the individual should engage with their local Intreo centre. I will do so, on behalf of the Senator, in respect of Mr. Coady.
Disability allowance is structured to support recipients who wish to avail of opportunities to pursue employment. When an individual commences employment, he or she can avail of an income disregard of €140 per week. In addition, 50% of earnings between €140 and €375 are disregarded for the purpose of the means test. Earnings above €375 are assessed at 100%. As part of budget 2023, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has increased the earnings disregard for disability allowance by €25 per week from €140 to €165.
The partial capacity benefit scheme allows a person in receipt of invalidity pension or illness benefit to enter or return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment, depending on his or her capacity for work. There are no restrictions on the earnings the individual can generate from employment while on this scheme or on the number of hours worked.
In the wider context, local enterprise offices, LEOs, are the first-stop shop for advice and guidance, financial assistance and other supports for anyone, including people with disabilities, intending to start or grow a business. LEOs can provide additional support to entrepreneurs with disabilities such as mentoring or accommodations to assist with the completion of grant application forms or training courses such as start your own business.
I thank the Senator raising this issue and for his ongoing advocacy for disability. This is my first time to acknowledge that publicly. If he sends me the details of his Commencement matter, I will certainly pursue them with the Minister for Social Protection.
I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response and his kind offer to assist in this matter. I am trying to make a more general point about citizens with disabilities. Equality does not mean treating people the same. It means treating people differently recognising and celebrating difference. We cannot treat disabled citizens in the same way we would treat other citizens who are able-bodied and who do not face the same obstacles. We must recognise the deficits in the disability allowance and the current supports. Extra supports need to be put in place.
We have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons of Disabilities and that ratification should be used to able-proof all of our legislation and supports from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for people in the workplace. However, we need to scaffold and support our citizens with disabilities in a radically different way than we have thus far. I appreciate the Minister of State's comments and have utmost good faith in his goodwill with regard to these issues.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, back to the House. She has always been a regular visitor.
Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being here on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to discuss this important issue. University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is in the headlines again today. It is the most overcrowded hospital in the country, with over 80 people waiting for a bed. There are approximately 670 people waiting for a hospital bed across the country but Limerick has the highest number of such patients and is consistently in that position.
When the CEO of UHL, Ms Colette Cowan, and her team led by Professor Lenihan, appeared before the Joint Committee on Health in September, they spoke about the proposal for an elective hospital for Limerick. The Taoiseach admitted in the Dáil that this proposal needs to be considered. A report commissioned by UHL referred to the need for extra beds for Limerick. It is estimated that 302 additional beds are needed in Limerick and the wider mid-west region, across six hospitals. UHL is having to deal with a growing population and is constantly in the news. We must think of the workforce there as well as the patients. Those attending the hospital want to be treated in a safe and compassionate manner. They deserve timely treatment and should not have to wait for hours to be seen or to get a hospital bed. I want to pay tribute to the staff who work so hard.
I am aware that the Minister for Health was not supportive of this proposal in the past. However, when he visited the hospital recently he gave a commitment to Ms Emer Martin, the CEO of St. John's Hospital, that he would consider its proposals. When Deputy Harris was Minister for Health, he made a commitment to consider locating an elective hospital at St. John's Hospital in Limerick. St. John's Hospital has 99 beds currently. It is a nightingale-ward hospital but there is huge potential to add on to it. The original proposal was for 120 beds but this has been increased to 150 beds. The proposal is for so-called replacement beds which would allow for procedures to be carried out in the hospital. It is an old-style hospital but the proposed new extension would make an enormous difference. There is also a proposal from University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, UPMC, for a new hospital which means, in effect, that there are two proposals on the table.
An elective hospital is needed for Limerick and the mid-west. The people of the mid-west deserve better. The day on which the Minister for Health visited UHL was a particularly quiet one but if he was there today he would see over 80 people waiting for a bed in the hospital. Obviously when there are so many people waiting on beds, elective surgery appointments have to be cancelled because of the overcrowding. It is just not right that the people of the mid-west are disenfranchised in this way. An elective hospital is badly needed. This has been acknowledged by the Taoiseach and I understand it has been discussed at Cabinet. Something needs to happen quickly. The weather has been very mild up to now and we have not really had cold winter weather yet. I dread to think what we will face in the mid-west in terms of overcrowding and people not being able to receive the attention they need at UHL.
I thank Senator Maria Byrne for raising this important issue and for her continued advocacy for health services in the Limerick area. The cross-party Sláintecare report in 2017 articulated a new vision for healthcare in Ireland, including the provision of elective-only hospitals to provide protected capacity for elective care. This policy has also been informed by a number of subsequent policy documents and Government decisions including the 2017 Sláintecare report, the Sláintecare implementation strategy of 2018, the 2018 National Development Plan, the programme for Government in 2020, the Sláintecare implementation strategy and action plan up to 2023, as well as the new national elective ambulatory care strategy agreed by the Government in December 2021.
This new strategy aims to change the way in which day-case scheduled procedures, surgeries, scans and outpatient services can be better arranged to ensure greater capacity in the future and help to address waiting lists at a national level.
The development of additional capacity will be provided through dedicated, stand-alone elective hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The elective care scope of service will be provided in two phases commencing with day cases, diagnostics and outpatients, and then by inpatient treatment. On this basis, the elective care centres, ECCs, will be designed to provide sufficient capacity to facilitate future phases, including some elective inpatient capacity, thereby providing a sustainable and strategic response to cater for the highly dynamic landscape of healthcare policy and practice.
It is important to note that the locations chosen will allow for new facilities of a size and scale to implement a national elective care programme that will tackle waiting lists on a national basis. This means the new facilities will be designed to maximise their capacity and, in doing so, will operate to meet the demands of as wide a catchment area as possible, extending beyond existing and future health areas, including Limerick and the mid-west.
The locations were chosen in line with good practice, which suggests that in order to maximise economies of scale, dedicated, stand-alone elective centres should be as big as is reasonably possible to meet identified demand while providing appropriate population coverage. Locating the new facilities in Cork, Dublin and Galway will enable the provision of a national service that aims to maximise the coverage of the ECCs as far as is reasonably possible. A central point of introducing these new facilities is not that they will only benefit the subset of the population that sits within their direct catchment, but, rather, that the introduction of this new delivery capability into the public healthcare system will benefit the whole population, including those who do not fall within the immediate geographical catchment. An additional elective facility in Limerick would have a minimal impact on population coverage relative to the significant increased investment to build and operate.
Nonetheless, I am conscious of the desires expressed by the Senator and I take on board her point that there are 80 people on trolleys today in Limerick. The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was in Limerick the week before last and discussed this matter with local representatives and the senior management team at St. John's Hospital. As the Senator will know, we are fully committed to the continued improvement of the elective care system in Ireland and have been impressed to see innovative care solutions developed locally, such as the Reeves day surgery unit at Tallaght University Hospital, which has succeeded in significantly reducing day surgery waiting times for patients.
As well as the strategic intervention under the national programme for elective care, the Minister will consider any similar proposal by University Limerick Hospitals Group to deliver elective day care in the shorter term.
I thank the Minister of State for her response, although I am disappointed that it is a standard response. I am not blaming her for that. As the Minister stated in the report, he only met the team ten days or two weeks ago. The issue of an elective hospital was highlighted in the report commissioned by UHL and its CEO, Professor Cowan, and Professor Lenehan reiterated that when they were before the joint committee. It has been called for by many of the top people in the mid-west as an overall solution.
All hospitals are overcrowded. Elective hospitals are proposed in Dublin, Cork and Galway but that will not solve the problem in the mid-west, which has the worst overcrowding. People are waiting for days on trolleys. I am not exaggerating as I know somebody who waited five days recently before getting a bed. It is totally unacceptable. There is a need for an elective hospital in the mid-west. I would like the Minister of State to take the message back to the Minister that he needs to listen to the people of the mid-west. This is a very serious issue.
I know meetings were held with the senior teams of St. John’s Hospital and UHL. The Minister needs to wake up and listen because the people of the mid-west deserve better.
It is important to note that the locations chosen will allow for new facilities of a size and scale to implement a national elective care programme that will tackle waiting lists on a national basis. This means the new facilities will be designed to maximise their capacity and, in doing so, will operate to meet the demands of as wide a catchment area as possible, extending beyond existing and future health areas, including Limerick and the mid-west.
As well as the strategic intervention under the new national programme for elective care, the Minister has said he will consider any similar proposal by the University Limerick Hospitals Group put forward to deliver elective day-care in the shorter term. When the Minister was there recently, the sod was turned on a new development. I understand this development will take up to two years and I appreciate the challenges that are there, but progress is being made.
I assure the Senator that the Minister remains committed to the continued improvement of the elective care system in Ireland. I have just come from the Dáil where a similar question was raised about the proposed hospital to be located in Cork. As part of this, the Minister will keep an open mind to any considered proposal brought forward as to how elective day care can be delivered in the shorter term for the Limerick area.
White Papers
I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, to the House. He is here nearly as often as I am.
I thank the Minister for coming here himself. I hope to receive an update about the White Paper on the end of direct provision. I understand there are additional pressures on the system this year. I am aware the Department stated this week that it is accommodating more than 58,000 people who arrived in Ireland this year, including 42,000 Ukrainians and 16,000 people seeking international protection. However, we must also acknowledge that this year marks the 22nd year of direct provision in this country, which was only meant to be a short-term solution. It seems that bringing an end to direct provision is never a top priority for the State and it gets pushed aside when other priorities arise.
I understand our response to Ukrainian refugees is outlined by the EU temporary protection directive, but I need to Minister to listen to me when I say this. Many people have said to me that there is a difference in the definition of what a refugee is, but we are, unfortunately, creating a two-tier system in our country for refugees and that needs to be stated honestly. As a member of the Traveller Community, I know exactly what it is like to be treated less than people from other backgrounds. I believe this is what we are doing in this country and for that reason, it is important that we set and meet clear deadlines to end direct provision for international protection applicants in this country.
I welcome Ireland's response to refugees from Ukraine. What human rights organisations and myself are looking for is the equal treatment of refugees in this country.
That is the message today. My point is about ending direct provision. We know there are 11,689 people living in direct provision, of whom 4,000 have residency status and are ready to move out. However, with the housing crisis it is very hard for people to find accommodation. Last week a man came to see me. He is looking for a one-bedroom house in Cork. Last week we heard the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, speaking openly about people who have their papers being charged rent in direct provision centres. I do not know where the idea came from that people who are living in this dire accommodation should be charged rent. Obviously, I would agree that we should put responsibility for accommodation for all people with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has many things to deal with in making sure people are safe. People who have their papers to move out of direct provision have nowhere to go. We must look at that. Will the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, answer the question on where we are on ending direct provision?
I thank the Senator for raising this extremely important matter, which is close to my heart. We emphasised this matter when we brought forward the White Paper to end direct provision in February of last year. I will outline some of the achievements that have been made since the White Paper was published. We created a unit within my Department to implement the White Paper. We established some governance structures. We brought in a programme board which included officials from other Departments, expertise from the private sphere, former residents of direct provision and people who are involved in NGOs to get their expert views and advice on how to develop the new system. We also created an external advisory group, chaired by Dr. Catherine Day, who has been so important in the work she has done on direct provision and many other areas.
Since then, we have been developing a community accommodation model and looking at the development of an ownership model that could be used by approved housing bodies, so that they could bid for funding to develop housing in the community for international protection applicants. We have had a great deal of assistance from the Housing Agency on the delivery of that. We have advanced the development of an integration programme to support the principle of integration from day one, which is central to the White Paper. We have initiated a planning process for phase 1 reception and integration centres. In August of this year, we launched a new integration fund, offering grants to civil society organisations for projects supporting the integration of international protection applicants. The awards will be announced in the coming weeks.
Senator Flynn is absolutely right when she says that the Ukraine crisis has posed a huge challenge to what we were trying to do. Indeed, it poses a big challenge to much of what my Department is doing generally. We have had to create a unit of 100 people in my Department, from nowhere, to respond to the needs of Ukraine. As Senators know, some 54,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country, of whom my Department is housing 44,000. We are also housing 16,000 international protection applicants. That is a huge jump on last year's number when we housed 7,500 people. That has created huge challenges, such as the need to strip teams, including the White Paper team, many of whom have had to move over to the Ukraine response. They were very much involved in City West. I have prioritised the moving of people back to their original work. I prioritised the White Paper team so that some of them are now back to focus on the White Paper.
It is going to be very difficult to achieve the target of having everyone out of direct provision by the end of 2024 in terms of the accommodation element. I have to be honest about that. The landscape has changed absolutely in the context of 7,500 people last year as opposed to 60,000 people this year.
However, the White Paper was not just about accommodation. Accommodation is central but integration and services were also key elements of the White Paper. I am looking to bring those forward. In regard to accommodation, I want to increase the State-owned capacity to accommodate people in international protection so that the reception and integration centres, those initial centres where people would be able to get own-door accommodation or singles would be able to get own-room accommodation, will be prioritised. We might build some or we may acquire some. We may acquire some existing buildings or residential accommodation or something like that in terms of accommodation.
Regarding the two other elements, HIQA will soon be inspecting direct provision centres. It is important that this monitoring role is being done by an organisation as recognised as HIQA. Vulnerability assessments were not being done prior to my time as Minister but they are being done now in respect of all new international protection applicants.
My Department will be funding integration officers in every local authority to assist people in international protection in engaging with services, education and training. The community fund will be broadened out further to support NGOs and smaller scale community groups that are actively helping to integrate into the wider community international protection applicants living in their respective areas.
I thank the Minister for his honesty. We are looking for clarity and, most important, people living in direct provision are looking for clarity. We are discussing HIQA and integration, which are critical for people living in direct provision, but for people who have been living in direct provision centres for three to four years, or even ten years in the odd case, having a home after leaving the system and being able to participate in society is what they want.
There are people living in direct provision centres who are now expected to pay rent. Is there anything that the Department can do to stop this? They should not have to pay rent for something that previous Governments came up with, namely, direct provision centres. I would like to work with the Minister and people living in direct provision. If we cannot end the system in 2024, when can we and what will be put in place to protect people's human rights and equality? I was disheartened to see that €2 billion was drawn down in humanitarian funds specifically for Ukrainian refugees. While I welcome that it was for Ukrainian refugees, what about the black and brown refugees who also need humanitarian support? We have a great deal of work to do to show people seeking international protection that we care about them.
I appreciate the Minister's honesty and look forward to working with him and people living in direct provision centres to see when the system can be ended if it cannot be ended in 2024.
There are approximately 4,500 people living in international protection centres with status. We will not charge them rent. They are entitled to full social welfare if they are not working, although many of them are. Some of them are in centres where they get free food points. It is not particularly fair that, on top of the supports that everyone else gets, they are getting these additional supports, so we may have to regularise their situation and the situation of others compared with those who do not have status, do not get social welfare and do not get access. There may be some degree of equalisation, but there will not be any charging of rent.
The Senator spoke about a two-tiered system. There was a situation last weekend that we all wanted to avoid, where some people coming to this country were not provided with immediate accommodation. Some of them were international protection applicants and others were Ukrainian refugees. Both were in the same situation, in that we were not able to provide everyone with accommodation. As of lunchtime today, though, we have been able to get to all of the people we were not able to accommodate over the weekend, be they Ukrainian or international protection applicants, and offer them accommodation. That is a small, but positive step forward.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 3.49 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 4 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 3.49 p.m. and resumed at 4 p.m.