Vol. 292 No. 6
Before I call on the first Senator, I welcome the students and staff members from the Holy Family Senior National School, Swords, County Dublin, to the Gallery. Tá fíor-fháilte rompu go léir go dtí Teach Laighean. I hope they have a very enjoyable and educational day.
The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is very welcome.
I welcome the Minister and acknowledge the enormous amount of work he has done in this area. The topic of my Commencement matter relates to the Institutional Burials Act 2022. The Minister will be aware that this Act provides a lawful basis for the excavation, exhumation and identification of remains, and their dignified reburial, from the site of the former mother and baby institutions in Tuam in County Galway, and at any site where intervention is required to address manifestly inappropriate burials.
A full exhumation of the bodies of children buried on the grounds of the Tuam mother and baby home in County Galway is expected to begin soon. I understand this will be some time after March. Will the Minister enlighten us as to when that will take place? I also understand that a director of authorised intervention is to be appointed by the Government to oversee the excavations of the site in Tuam, where up to 800 children are buried in unmarked plots. We do not really know the exact number; it is suggested it is approximately 800. It is an issue of major concern, both to the people related to those families, but also to the community itself.
I want to pay tribute to those who exposed the wrongdoings at the Tuam mother and baby home in County Galway and who, in effect, gave voice to those who were silenced. That is an important point to make. Will the Minister share how the director will oversee the phased excavation, recovery, analysis and reburial of the remains and also the forensic standards that will be applied during all this process? Can the Minister also please confirm the process for the identification programme? Where will the human remains be interred on exhumation and during their analysis? It is an important point about which the people involved in this situation want to know.
What are the plans for the Tuam site thereafter? There may be no plan but if the Minister can confirm that one way or another because that is a question that is being asked. How will people be prepared for this really major project that will take place in their community? It will reopen ground; the pain and the stories will reopen wounds, hurts, disappointments and even anger. I understand all of those emotions.
This is a major event for Tuam and we need to prepare all the various people involved for this major piece of forensic work of removing these bodies. Most important, how will we interface and support the relatives and families who were affected by this terrible case? These are real concerns as we draw near the eventual project of excavation. This excavation was promised by the Minister who joined with the people and is delivering on that promise. I acknowledge that. If I say one thing, it is important that we prepare because this is really going to open up so many mixed emotions and hurts. Now that we know we are going into this next phase for Tuam, it is important we address that issue.
I thank Senator Boyhan for giving me an opportunity to speak about the Institutional Burials Act and the preparations under way for an intervention under the legislation at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam, County Galway.
The Institutional Burials Act 2022, which came into operation on 15 July 2022, provides the underlying legislative basis for an intervention whereby the remains of those who died in residential institutions, in respect of which a public body has or had a relevant role, and who were buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner, may be recovered and re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way. As Senators will be aware, the legislation was developed in response to the abhorrent situation at the Tuam site where it was confirmed that children's remains had been discovered that were interred in a manifestly inappropriate manner and the Government was advised that a full forensic-standard excavation, recovery and identification of those remains could not take place under existing legislation.
Shortly following enactment, on 27 July, the Government approved my proposal to establish an independent office under the legislation to oversee the excavation, recovery, post-recovery analysis and identification, if possible, of the children’s remains at the Tuam site. As required under the Act, a draft of the Government order directing me to intervene, as well as a statement of the reasons for making the order, were then laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas for a resolution. Following the resolutions in both Houses in September, the Government on 4 October made an order directing the establishment of the Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam and the appointment of a director to head up the office.
The recruitment campaign for a director to lead the intervention was launched by the Public Appointments Service in November. We felt that something of this importance needed the independence of the Public Appointments Service to operate it. I understand that the campaign, which is being managed independently of my Department, is expected to conclude in the coming weeks and I hope to be in a position to appoint the director in this quarter of 2023, that is, by the end of March. Once appointed, the director will need to engage a range of appropriately qualified experts to undertake the excavation, recovery and post-recovery analysis processes. Engineering works and the construction of onsite facilities will also be required in advance of excavation of the site, which will get under way as soon as possible. In this regard, it is important to note that funding of almost €7 million has been secured for the 2023 costs of this multi-annual intervention.
The intervention at the Tuam site is an absolute priority for me. It is imperative that we seek to afford the children there a dignified and respectful burial. I am confident that this hugely important intervention will get under way as soon as possible following the appointment of a director.
The Senator asked about engagement. A key function of the director will be to provide regular updates on his or her work to families, other stakeholders and the general public, which will help to ensure that everyone is kept aware of the plans and how work on the site is progressing. Under the Act, the Minister is required to appoint an advisory board to provide advice and guidance to the director in undertaking his or her functions. The director must consult the board at regular intervals, including at key decision points. The board, which will be chaired by a former coroner or someone with coronial expertise, will also include representatives of family members and former residents. Just as we are looking to appoint a director soon, work is already under way in terms of the appointment of an advisory board.
I apologise to Senator Boyhan that the Minister's script was not available.
That is no problem. We have it now.
I thank the Minister for clarifying those points. The authorised director is going to happen, as the Minister confirmed. In his closing remarks, the Minister might touch on the independence from Government of this process and intervention. Work is under way on the advisory board and I understand from what the Minister said that members of families will be involved in all of that.
To conclude, I thank the Minister for setting out how we are progressing. It is important that we continue to monitor that progress and that there is good, open and transparent communication. It is also important that the community is briefed on the information available. It is not a question of people being on board or off board, but people have various historic connections with this site. It is very important that the families indirectly involved are fully supported and that every element of support is made available to them in this very difficult period for them and for the community in Tuam. I again thank the Minister.
It is important to say that we are setting up a separate agency that will undertake the work specifically at Tuam, and important that it is at a clear remove from Government. Obviously, it will be funded through my Vote but the director will take decisions independently. In order to support the director so it does not just become an entirely bureaucratic process, we have this advisory board. The advisory board will have two representatives of either family members or former residents of the institutions and the local authority will also be represented, which ties it into those kinds of local structures to ensure there is information about what will be happening. The investigation works on the site will be a lengthy process and even after the physical works onsite have ended, there will, of course, be the identification process, the engagement with families in terms of reburial and the question of what site will be chosen. There is a mechanism built in so there is a board comprising family members or former residents, but also long-term engagement with the other families to ensure we can keep them informed and engaged, so they feel they are part of the overall decision making process.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House. I am delighted she is here to take this matter. As we know, there is an increased number of people in this country on dialysis. We have seen the figure increase exponentially in recent years. This is partly due to people living longer and there being better healthcare options and opportunities available.
There are quite a number of people in County Clare receiving dialysis. Some of them are in the west of the county, down on the Loop Head Peninsula and around Kilkee. The Minister of State is familiar with the area. Those people must go to either Limerick or Galway to get their dialysis. It takes the bones of an hour to get from Loop Head to Ennis and then another half an hour to get to Limerick. It therefore makes absolute sense for a dialysis unit to be opened on the grounds of Ennis Hospital. This would achieve a number of things. It would dramatically reduce the time people in Clare must travel three or four days a week to get dialysis. For example, rather than a person in Ennistymon receiving dialysis travelling a minimum of an hour to get to Limerick and the same to get back, a unit in Ennis would mean a journey time of just 25 to 30 minutes each way. From a quality of life perspective, this would make an enormous difference to the daily and weekly lives of people in Clare who require dialysis. Having to get dialysis every week of every year is traumatic enough without the trauma of having to travel into Limerick while battling traffic jams and so on.
This would also take the pressure off University Hospital Limerick, UHL. It makes sense to have services like this in a more localised setting. We have all seen, heard and spoken about the challenges at UHL. Those challenges are not at the dialysis unit but the more capacity that is freed up the better. It would be better for people from Limerick going into UHL for dialysis if there were fewer people in the unit because people were being looked after in Clare. That would extend to people from north Tipperary availing of dialysis.
An investment like this makes sense. There is much talk about the opening of a dialysis unit in Ennis but the purpose of this Commencement matter is to clarify what exactly the thinking of the Government, the Minister and the HSE is. I want to know what kind of timelines we are looking at. Is this imminent or just aspirational? If it is just aspirational can we make it imminent? Can we fast-forward a decision? Can we make happen what we all want to see, which is to have as many primary care supports and services at community level as possible? That is the ask. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply.
I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. I am aware this is an important issue for the people of Clare and the mid-west. The Senator referenced north Tipperary and I would say south Galway would also benefit.
Indeed.
I assure the Senator the Government remains fully committed to improving patient services and ensuring patient-centred care across the country. That commitment can be seen in the unprecedented level of new resources the Government has provided to the HSE over the past three years. This investment is benefiting a huge number of patients accessing care and will ensure hospitals can continue to develop the services they provide, including in the mid-west region.
In the context of dialysis services at Ennis General Hospital, the University of Limerick, UL, Hospitals Group has advised that patients from County Clare currently receive their care either in the renal department at UHL or in UHL’s satellite centre, which is located on the Dock Road in Limerick city. However, the UL Hospitals Group is fully aware of the need for the establishment of a kidney dialysis service in Ennis. In that regard, it has advised the Department of Health that a tender specification document for a dialysis service in Ennis is being finalised. This tender document will be issued to the HSE’s national procurement office in the near future. The UL Hospitals Group is seeking to establish a contract for the provision of a haemodialysis service with a suitably qualified renal provider for a contracted satellite haemodialysis unit service in Ennis. This would be similar to the existing satellite service on the Dock Road in Limerick.
It is envisaged that a designated consultant nephrologist from the renal unit at UHL would provide overall clinical governance for the Ennis service and that the new satellite facility would provide the following services: consultant-directed medical care for chronic haemodialysis patients; haemodialysis delivered-supervised by nurses and care with regular consultant-led reviews; regular dietetic review and support; other clinical supports as required, such as pharmacy services; and administrative support.
As the Senator will appreciate, the development of the unit in Ennis would allow patients to benefit from better quality of life by being able to avail of treatments closer to home. The development of this unit would also help to ease pressure on the renal department at UHL and on the existing satellite unit. Although work is under way to progress the development of dialysis services at Ennis General Hospital, this work is at an early stage and will be subject to the HSE’s procurement process. The Department continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure that the UL Hospitals Group and the mid-west region in general are fully supported in the delivery of healthcare services.
I take on board what the Senator stated with regard to the timeline. The HSE already has a blueprint in the form of the satellite unit on the Dock Road. As stated, the clinical governance will be provided by UHL. We now need to know the timeline for delivery and the ring-fencing of the funding in order to put a team in place. In addition, we need to know when the tender and procurement processes will open up in order that those who can provide the satellite service are given the opportunity to do so and that the pressure on the people on whose behalf the Senator is advocating will be relieved.
That is great news. It is not aspirational; it is imminent. Clarity is needed in respect of the timelines. I encourage the UL Hospitals Group to finalise its tendering process as soon as possible. I hope the Minister of State and her officials in the Department will fast-track the funding in order that the service can be rolled out. It would be great if we could get this over the line in quarter 2 or quarter 3. That would be a reasonable timeline. It is not that additional people will be getting dialysis; it will just be that the services will be better spread geographically. I appreciate the fact that it is another unit which requires clinical governance. That all seems to have been taken into consideration. Let us make this happen. It will be good for medicine in the mid-west, people who have to get dialysis on a weekly basis and healthcare in County Clare.
It would also be good from the point of view of patient-centred care. Receiving their care in the community and close to home, as opposed to being stuck traffic trying to get to the hospital, would be good for patients.
As already stated, the UL Hospitals Group has made progress recently in seeking to develop its dialysis services and extend them to Ennis. The group’s plan would see a comprehensive, locally available dialysis service providing a range of care to patients from across County Clare and beyond. This would include consultant-directed care, where appropriate, and supervised haemodialysis services. I welcome the group’s commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the delivery of the unit.
I will bring Senator Conway's ask to the effect that he would like to see this become operational in quarter 2 back to the Minister.
I welcome students from the renowned St. Mel's College in Longford to the Public Gallery. I also welcome their teachers, Mr. Clarke and Ms McGuinness - I hope I have got the name right - and Deputy Joe Flaherty, who is their host. I hope they have a very educational and beneficial day here i dTeach Laighean. Ba mhaith liom fíorfháilte a chur rompu go léir.
I now call on Senators Hoey and Gavan, who are sharing time. As Senator Black is not present, the Senators will have equal time. Is that agreed? Agreed.
I thank the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, for coming to the House. While it is great to have him here, we were interested in talking to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform because we have been to believe that the delay lies with his Department as opposed to that of the Minister, Deputy Harris.
I will briefly outline the state of play and then my colleague, Senator Gavan, will speak more about the issue. Education tutors, SIPTU and the Teachers Union of Ireland, TUI, took a claim to regularise the employment of education tutors, of whom there are approximately 3,500. That claim was taken more than a decade ago. It was first encompassed in the Haddington Road Agreement and then it was developed in further agreements. My understanding is that progress on the claim ceased in 2019 when the then Department of Education and Skills refused to make an offer, as per a commitment in successive public service agreements, to establish a common sector-wide incremental salary scale for the employment of adult education tutors. The unions referred the matter to the Labour Court, as per the dispute resolution mechanism. The court, inter alia, considered it reasonable to recommend that the employer should identify a scale of costs it is now prepared or able to absorb to address the unions' claims and should formulate an offer within the parameters of the scale of cost. Despite repeated representations, protests outside Leinster House, and much communication between the Departments of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, the relevant Department has failed to formalise an offer. We believe the significant difficulty in this regard lies with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.
Senators Gavan and Black- unfortunately, the latter cannot be present - and I, would like to get clarification on the delay in considering the Labour Court recommendations. In July, the Government promised that there would be a recommendation by September. For the sake of dramatics, I point out that it is now March 2023, which is some time on. Senator Gavan will speak more about the impact on the workers in the sector. We cannot afford to treat workers in the adult education sector in the way they are currently being treated.
It is good to see the Minister.
I do not know how much contact he has had with these workers but when you speak to them and hear about the constraints on their lives because of the lack of a decent public service contract, you discover they have to sign on every summer and have to take out credit union loans to get through that summer because they only get the money for the dole by the time they go back to work in September. You discover it is almost impossible for them to qualify for a mortgage and they are unable to plan financially for their futures. I am sure the Minister will agree these workers do incredibly important work, including everything from adult literacy to pre-university education courses. It is evident, despite the best efforts of their unions, both the TUI and SIPTU, they have been forgotten about. You need only do a search on this topic to see that a whole host of people across the Seanad and the Dáil have raised this issue before. They were promised there would be a resolution but there has been no resolution. We are now three years on from the Labour Court recommendation. As my colleague said, the promise of an offer that was made last September still have not been delivered. To be honest, both unions and their members have been incredibly generous to the Government by not balloting for strike action.
I hope the Minister will give a positive answer. I appeal to him, as someone who has engaged very well on Commencement matters in the past, not to give us an answer in terms of "We are working on this. It will come through shortly." We heard that last year and two years ago. These workers are at the end of their tether. They carry out incredibly important work. They are looking for decent contracts of work and if this were a private sector organisation, we would all be out picketing it. However, this is the State letting down some of the most important workers in the State. The Minister has the power to address this matter finally. I hope he will give us a positive and clear response today.
I thank Senators Hoey and Gavan, and Senator Black in her absence, for raising this important issue. I genuinely appreciate the opportunity it gives me to update them, the Seanad and, most importantly, the tutors, on the matters the Senators have raised.
As we all know, more than 3,300 adult education tutors are employed across our 16 education and training boards, ETBs. I agree they do incredibly good work. I have met many of them across the country, some of whom I have met in Leinster House and in my Department. There is no specific public sector grade of adult education tutor. Tutors are paid on an hourly-rate basis and generally at the unqualified teacher rate. That is where the frustration arises and the nub of this dispute centres on the need to have a public sector grade and to move beyond the hourly-rate basis generally paid at the unqualified teacher rate. The published rate for tutors dates from November 2013, and they are outside the national pay agreements. However, as Senators are aware, the rates are currently being reviewed.
The factual position is that a joint proposal has been prepared by my Department and the Department of Education. The reason for the Department of Education's involvement is that it still retains regulatory responsibility for the ETB sector. In that document, we have proposed the establishment of a grade of further education and training, FET, adult education tutor and that this would be formally established with a standardised pay scale aligned with the Youthreach resource person's scale. This grade will apply to staff employed in ETBs to deliver FET programmes who are currently employed under a variety of terms and conditions. We shared broad details of this proposal with union representatives in October 2022, and we acknowledged the need for further engagement to agree a final approach. Discussions on the details of the formal offer are ongoing with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.
I want to be clear to Senator Gavan. I would love to be able to say we will have an answer on this date or that date. What I can tell the Senator, in all sincerity, is that I acknowledge this is going on longer than it should. I acknowledge there is huge frustration among adult tutors across the country, and I would like to see this brought to a conclusion quickly. I am personally engaging with the matter at the most senior levels possible to try to quickly bring this to a conclusion.
I have genuinely placed an unrelenting focus on the issue of adult literacy. We now have a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is not acceptable that we live in a country where one in eight of us cannot read, one in six of us struggle to read a bill and half of us do not possess the necessary digital skills to thrive in society. To address that challenge, to get to where we want to get to, the people who will be crucial to doing that are these tutors. It is not acceptable to me, my Department or the Department of Education that they would continue to exist in a reality where they are employed under a variety of terms and conditions. That is why we have worked intensively to put forward a new grade, namely, FET-adult education tutor, that would have a standardised pay scale aligned with the Youthreach resource person's scale.
When this was shared with the unions in October, we made it clear we had to engage. I accept it is now almost March but we are intensively engaging with a view to trying to bring this to a conclusion as quickly as possible. I am very happy to keep both Senators directly updated on this matter and to engage further with the union on this issue.
It is very positive the Minister is planning to establish FET adult education tutor graduates. As he said, we ultimately do not have an answer regarding the timeline for when this will be done. We specified the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform because we believe that is where the finances in respect of this issue lie. It would be great if it could answer the question. I apologise for not giving Senator Gavan much time.
Not at all. I again thank the Minister. I hear his engagement and I absolutely accept it. The blockage in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform is entirely unacceptable. Of course, there is also collective Cabinet responsibility. It is up to the Cabinet to resolve this matter without further delay. The Minister acknowledged how important this work and the issue of adult literacy is, yet these workers have been forgotten. That has been the reality for far too long.
Is an ideological blockage partly in play, not in the Minister's Department but in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform? Whenever we talk about improving workers' terms and conditions, there seems to be delay after delay. In this case, however, the Minister and I agree that these delays are entirely unacceptable. I would appreciate it if he would keep Senator Hoey and I informed because this cannot go on. This has to be resolved in the coming weeks and certainly no longer than another month. We have waited long enough.
I would like to bring this to a conclusion within the coming weeks. I acknowledge the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform is engaging fully and intensively with my officials. Indeed, I am engaging with the Minister in that Department on this matter. It is appropriate that engagement takes place. We are seeking to move to a different scenario as regards terms, conditions and pay than the one we have previously been in. That is right and appropriate because of the very valuable work that is being done and the recognition that the current scenario is operating at pay rates outside the current national pay agreements and date back, I think, to November 2013. There is a clear need for change. I want to bring it to a resolution. I would like to do that in the coming weeks. I am happy to keep both Senators directly updated and come back to the House when we have more finality regarding this matter.
I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber and taking this important Commencement matter. When I speak about Clonmel Garda station, I must first recognise that the Minister is responsible for two Departments. Kickham Barracks plays a key role in both Departments.
Before I outline my frustration with the Department of Justice and the Government regarding Clonmel Garda station, since I have not had an opportunity to do so in a public forum such as this, I acknowledge and thank the Minister for his support, and that of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in financing and picking Kickham Barracks as one of ten sites throughout the country that will amalgamate the Technological University of the Shannon and further education ETBs as dual campuses. This will be something that will be an example to the country of how to do things in respect of further education in future. The €35 million being invested in Clonmel town centre is highly significant.
On top of that, as the Minister will know because he visited it - people thought he was there to open the plaza but it was the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage who did so last week - there was a €10 million investment in Kickham Barracks in order to open it to the public. That opening was last week. The problem is all this positive news has again shone a light on a real elephant-in-the-room problem with Clonmel Garda station. The Minister is the fifth or sixth Minister for Justice from my party who has held that position during our period in Government since 2011. Almost every Minister has visited the Garda station, has met its superintendent, Willie Leahy, and all the gardaí who work there, and understands the conditions they are working in are not acceptable. They all accept we need to build a new Garda station. The problem is it is lumped in with Macroom Garda station and the Children Court. As the Minister will know, the problem with that is the Children Court is way behind Clonmel and Macroom Garda stations.
We are ready to go and ready to build the Garda station.
The chief executive of Tipperary County Council said the exact same thing last week to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We are ready to go and ready to build. It is not acceptable that we have been waiting years, with Minister after Minister taking office, for this Garda station to be built. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Harris, previous Ministers and the Taoiseach about this issue. It is a critical issue for the people of Clonmel. The most frustrating aspect is that this delay is happening when investment is taking place in Clonmel, including in the Kickham Barracks site and, we hope, in the town centre in the next couple of months under the new round of urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, allocations. The redevelopment of Clonmel's whole town centre will be included in the applications under that scheme. It is not fair on the people who work day and night in the Garda station that they do not have the facilities they deserve. It is also not fair on the community. Like every other area, we have problems with antisocial behaviour, intimidation and violence against farmers and communities. If gardaí are to do their job properly, they need a station that is fit for purpose. The facility that is there at the moment does not meet that standard.
I am asking the Minister for the same thing I asked of the Taoiseach and previous Ministers. I probably was too light on this topic in the beginning, accepting something would be done in the end. I am at the stage now where I know the station will not be built if it stays in the project bundle with the family court facility in Dublin. It will not be built any time soon or within any acceptable timeframe. I ask the Minister to see whether it is possible to take Clonmel Garda station out of the combined project bundle that includes Macroom Garda station and the children's court facility and, instead, to ensure it is built as a single project. That is what the people in Clonmel and Tipperary deserve. It most certainly is what the gardaí and staff who work in the Clonmel district deserve.
I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this matter and for taking me to Kickham Barracks in Clonmel on a number of occasions to see the significant progress being made on the site, which in no small part is thanks to his work and advocacy. It was brilliant to see the plaza site and superb to be able to say that Kickham Barracks will be home to a new third level campus. It is one of the first campuses in the country that will incorporate further and higher education. While I am taking this matter as Minister for Justice, I am delighted, as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to see the synergies that are now being created by way of the old barracks site.
As Senator Ahearn showed me during our most recent visit, the site will also be home to a state-of-the-art Garda station. It is a station that needs to be delivered. The people of Clonmel want to see it delivered quickly and the gardaí in the area need it. The Senator has continually advocated for its delivery and has, rightly, put pressure on us to see whether there are ways by which it could be delivered more quickly than currently envisaged. The Senator is committed, as am I, to the development of the two Garda stations he referenced, particularly the one in Clonmel. I hope he will take encouragement from the Taoiseach's convening of a meeting recently with me, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, OPW, and others to see how best we can progress this project in a satisfactory timeframe and whether it is possible to progress it more quickly. I am not in a position today to go further than to say these discussions are continuing between our teams and officials. I hope the Senator and the people of Clonmel will take encouragement from the impetus the Taoiseach has put into this issue being examined and explored to see whether there is a quicker way of progressing. I give my assurance that I will keep him and the House directly updated as soon as it is possible and appropriate to do so, which will be when those discussions bottom out.
The Garda building and refurbishment programme is based on agreed Garda priorities. It benefits more than 30 locations around the country and is underpinned by significant Exchequer funding across both the Garda and OPW Votes. The programme includes the major public private partnership, PPP, project the Senator referenced. The goal of this investment is to address deficiencies in the Garda estate and provide fit-for-purpose facilities for Garda members and staff and for the public interacting with them. The Senator is correct that both the Cork county divisional headquarters in Macroom and the new Garda station in Clonmel have been identified as priorities and are currently part of a Department of Justice PPP along with the family law court facility in Hammond Lane, Dublin 7. Planning permission for the new Garda stations was granted in early 2021.
In regard to the PPP more broadly, formal project structures have been established, including a project board and project team. We will continue to engage closely with the Taoiseach's team and with my colleagues, the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, specifically in regard to Clonmel and Macroom and the needs of people in Clonmel in respect of the issues the Senator raised.
When it is appropriate to do so and when those discussions have bottomed out, I will be happy to update the Senator. I want him to know that the Government, including the Taoiseach, and I are very committed to seeing this Garda station delivered as quickly as possible. We will explore the best ways to go about this and we will finalise the discussions as quickly as we can.
I appreciate the response and I accept wholeheartedly the Minister's genuine will to get this done. When the new Government was formed in December, the Taoiseach appointed Deputy Donohoe to a new role in public expenditure and delivery on national development plan projects. This is a clear recognition that while we are announcing things and putting money towards things, for some reason some projects are simply not being delivered. Clonmel Garda station is a prime example of this and is a project we announced eight years ago. We have had five Ministers in the meantime and nothing has been done on the grounds of Kickham Barracks to actually build a Garda station. It is telling that there are now discussions going on between the Minister, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform as to how we can get this project moving. The discussions have to be quick. People cannot wait any longer on promises of a station being built. We need to find out whether it would be worth it, cost-wise, to take it out of that project and do it regardless. I acknowledge that cost obviously is important but regardless of that, the project simply has to be done. How long more are we going to leave the people of Clonmel and Tipperary without a functioning Garda station? I ask that the decision be made quickly and I am happy to work with the Minister.
I understand the Senator's frustration on behalf of his constituents and the people of Clonmel. There has been some progress made. Planning permission has been in place since 2021 to build a Garda station in Clonmel. When this Government was formed and our party came to office this was identified as a priority. It has been on the list of projects that will be funded. This planning permission has been sought and secured and now the Taoiseach is working with me, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, to see how quickly these projects can be delivered. As Minister for Justice, my most important priority every single day is keeping the people of this country, including the men and women of An Garda Síochána, safe. To do so, we need to invest in recruiting more people and we need to invest in facilities, stations, vehicles and equipment. There is a clear need in Clonmel to bring forward this investment. There will be nobody, other than perhaps the Senator and the people of Clonmel, happier than I will be if we can make progress on this project. I am very happy to keep in touch with the Senator on this matter.
I thank Senator Ahearn for raising that important topic for the people of Clonmel and the south Tipperary area in general.
I thank the Minister for coming to discuss this important topic. This is about the placement of a veterinary school at the University of Limerick, UL. This will not only benefit Limerick, it will also benefit the region. I am aware that the Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, have met representatives from UL, along with other contenders for this school. In 2022 the national health strategy highlighted the role played by farm animal vets in animal welfare and health. In UCD, there are 82 people currently studying veterinary science at undergraduate level and another 50 at postgraduate level. I have availed of their small animal hospital on two occasions. It has been a very successful hospital and a training ground for many students. Last year there were 581 applicants for 82 places. As a result, many people have to travel abroad to study. For balanced regional development and student retention, the University of Limerick is best placed to implement the next veterinary training school and hospital. I note University of Limerick has come up with a hybrid model.
They have been working with veterinary practices, not just in Limerick but throughout the region, and have the support of a large number of them. The veterinary practices have come together and formed a veterinary working group. They are proactive when it comes to giving student placements in order that they can gain experience.
Another matter has been highlighted in the region. A number of large animal veterinary practitioners are retiring, and there are not enough people coming along behind to replace them. We are all really concerned about animal welfare, so what is proposed would give rise to good and balanced development from a regional point of view. We have the agrifood sector in the mid-west. We have dairy producers we have the Golden Vale. The mid-west would an appropriate place to locate the new veterinary college. The University of Limerick currently offers courses in human sciences, equine sciences, dairy production and biomedical. It has a good mix. If veterinary practice were added, the various courses would complement each other well.
My call is for the Minister to consider the University of Limerick as the site to locate the new veterinary school. The authorities at the university have put a lot of work into their application. I would like to hear an update on the matter from him.
I thank the Senator for raising this important and timely matter. When the Government came into office and I became Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, there were no plans to expand veterinary medicine in Ireland. If officialdom had been asked whether we needed extra veterinary places, the answer would have been no. I found that quite bizarre because many young and not so young people have to leave Ireland every year to study veterinary medicine. There is also a particular issue with large animals, which has been clearly explained to me by vets across the country. In certain parts of the country there are regional challenges when it comes to attracting vets.
Officials in my Department have done excellent work, along with the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to identify areas in respect of which there is a need to train more people. As part of this workforce planning, the HEA recently sought expressions of interest from higher education institutions in building capacity in dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing and veterinary medicine. They have done great work in that regard, and I thank them for it. I am really encouraged that a number of institutions have come back to say they can do more. This process was designed to respond swiftly to our national skills needs. Expressions of interest were sought from institutions with the capability to expand existing courses or to offer new programmes in these areas. The HEA is assessing the applications it received in conjunction with an independent panel. It is important for the process and its integrity that the panel is independent.
An expert advisory panel is reviewing and assessing applications for new programmes against assessment criteria agreed with the HEA. It is assisting the HEA to identify viable academic programmes based on information presented by applicants. It is expected to reach its conclusion in March, and then to make recommendations. As the process remains ongoing, it is not possible to say where any new programmes might be located. Of course, it is entirely appropriate for the Senator to put forward views on behalf of people in the region in which she lives. As with all HEA processes, this process is being conducted to the highest standards and will be externally validated. This includes the expert advisory panel. The HEA will consider opportunities for new programme provision alongside options for current programme expansion, to determine a final list of options to present to me hopefully next month.
Some people, certainly not the Senator, have questioned the expertise of the panel and its independence. I will use this opportunity to address that because it is important for the process. This is what the HEA does. It knows how to develop the third level education system. Every year since I have become Minister, we have asked the HEA to work with our institutions to identify additional college places in areas of high demand. For example, we have a five-year agreement to increase medicine places, as agreed with the HEA. We ensure that appropriate expertise is included on any panel. In that context, the chief veterinary officer and the Veterinary Council of Ireland have a role to play. That is important. My officials are engaged with the chief veterinary officer in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of this matter.
Factually, as a Government, we want to develop more veterinary places. We have gone out to the sectors, through the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and have asked what they can do and what the possibilities are. Quite a good deal of interest has come back.
I commend the vets, without singling out any particular institution involved in the process, and some of whom will be known to the Members, who came forward and advocated for this need to expand places. They have shown great leadership and have helped get us to this point today. It is important that I now let the expert advisory panel do its work and for it to report back to me next month. The Government will not be found wanting then, in trying to make progress on those recommendations and I am happy to keep in contact with the Senator at that stage.
Great. I thank the Minister very much indeed for what is a positive response in respect of the independence of the assessment. I know the University of Limerick has also looked at the fact that points are quite high to qualify to go on the course. People, sometimes, even qualify but find that veterinary may not, perhaps, suit them. The University of Limerick has also proposed to introduce an interview process and working with people around their whole skills level in how they interact with animals. This is very important. That is a very strong point which should stand to it in this application. I wish the University of Limerick all the best with its application.
Just before the Minister replies, I concur with Senator Byrne. I raised this issue on the Order of Business in the past week. The University of Limerick has put forward a very professional application. It was not long ago, just before Christmas, when I was flying to Poland and I met 60 students going there to train as vets. Of course, we would love to see them training in this country. I know the Minister is very committed to seeing that happen as well. I now invite the Minister to make his final response, please.
I concur.
I believe Senator Ahearn also wants to be associated with these remarks. As much as I have great regard for all of my colleagues and for the points they have made, they will understand why I am resisting commenting on any specific application out of respect to the independence of the process.
I will just make two points. On a general point with respect to the University of Limerick, we do not often get to say these things on the record. The University of Limerick has been transformational for the mid west. There is just no doubt about that in respect of access to education, industrial development, social cohesion and economic development. In fact, when we establish new universities now around the country, I point to that transformational moment that UL was for the mid west as a template for other regions. I also want to say that in respect of the criteria, which will be assessed independently and externally, regional impact as well as national impact is a part of these criteria.
Finally, I agree with Senators Byrne and Conway in respect of the absolute importance of ensuring that young Irish people who want to study to become vets can to so in our own country and that we stop having to meet them at the airport on their way to other countries, as grateful as we are to those countries. We want to be able to train young people here and to increase the number of vets we have in this country. We also need to recognise the issue around large animals, where we need to have enough vets working in that area. I am happy to keep Senators updated as the matter progresses.
I thank Senator Byrne and the Minister for taking those three Commencement matters.
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for making himself available to take this Commencement matter. The Minister of State will be aware that I regularly raise issues facing people in my own area of south Kildare, a place which the Minister of State is very familiar with, in regard to accessing housing and, of course, the rental market within our communities.
My office regularly deals with complex and difficult housing situations, and I know this is no different for the Minister of State or for other Members of this House. I am confident, however, that Housing for All is having, and will continue to have, a meaningful impact on the housing market in south Kildare and, indeed, across the country.
When we look at supply and at the increase in 2022, when 29,851 homes were completed, this is an increase of 45.2% on 2021 and 41.3% on 2019, which was prior to the pandemic. This is always important to note.
Obviously, the Government is driving significant reforms. I am aware the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, recently published the draft planning and development Bill which will bring greater clarity, and consistency and certainty to how planning decisions are made.
That is very important. A record €4.5 billion in State housing investment will be available in 2023 to directly build social and affordable homes. Additionally, the Government is making progress in tackling vacancy and dereliction. This is again very important. In my area, I have seen the heightened focus of my local authority in tackling dereliction and in using the Derelict Sites Act to register and effectively force owners to maintain and develop their properties. I thank, in particular, Mr. Joe Boland, a director with Kildare County Council for his help with this matter. This undertaking has a positive impact in ensuring we do not have antisocial behaviour in these areas.
There is no doubt, then, that we are taking decisive and significant strides to better provide for our citizens in this sphere. We are all aware, however, of the somewhat unforeseen impacts of the ban on no-fault evictions. I believe this ban is the correct intervention and it makes sense to protect those tenants due to face the open rental market, many of whom would have been deemed at risk of homelessness as a result of a decade of undersupply. Many people, though, can and are accessing the property market and are able to purchase a home. I refer to young people who have had to make huge personal sacrifices. They have moved back in with their families and returned to their childhood bedrooms to save and set themselves up financially to purchase their first homes in a very difficult market. These people have worked incredibly hard to get to a point where they can purchase a house but many are struggling to secure their properties because of this eviction ban.
One case I am dealing with, which prompted me to table this Commencement matter, concerns a couple from my village of Rathangan. They reached out to me earlier in the year looking for guidance on how to deal with their mortgage lender. This couple had gone sale agreed on a property in the village, which is currently rented, and the tenants are waiting on their new-build home to be completed. As a result of the ban on evictions, the tenants will remain in the property until at least 1 April 2023. Initially, this couple were meant to close the sale on 6 January 2023, but this has not happened and this has left them in a very difficult situation. Not drawing down the mortgage funds by 13 February 2023 would see the fixed interest rate increase from 3.1% to 3.9%. This amounts to an extra €110 in repayments. If the mortgage has still not been drawn down by 13 April 2023, the interest rate will then go up again to 4.4%. This couple's deposit is fully paid but their inability to secure the property means their interest rate continues to increase, through no fault of their own.
The tenants have every right to remain in that property. The frustration felt by this couple does not stem from those tenants in situ but from the situation they have found themselves in. Of course, I engaged with the lender. I was informed that nothing could be done and the institution was not in a position to extend the fixed interest rate. It means this couple, and countless others, I am sure, remain in limbo. They finally achieved their dream of purchasing their own house but cannot realise it. All the while, the cost of doing so continues to increase due to no fault of their own. What is the Department of Finance doing to help protect these buyers, many of whom are young, first-time purchasers who simply cannot afford these increases at this stage of their lives?
I note that I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. I thank the Senator for her comments regarding the Housing for All policy. It is certainly beginning to take hold and have a significant impact right across the country. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and I are committed to ensuring we continue to deliver in 2023.
I will try to respond specifically on the question the Senator asked, the further information she provided and the additional outline she has just presented regarding the case of this young couple due to move into their newly-purchased home some time ago, but cannot do so because the house has tenants in situ protected by the ban on evictions. Arising from this, there is a risk that the interest rate on their offer of a fixed-rate mortgage will have increased before they are in a position to close on the house purchase. The Senator outlined some of the scenarios in this regard.
To give some context and background to this issue, it is important to bear in mind the emergency legislation enacted last year. The Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was signed into law on 29 October 2022.
It deferred the termination dates of certain residential tenancies that fall or would fall during the winter emergency period, beginning on 30 October 2022 and ending on 31 March 2023. As the Senator said, it was the correct action to take as a short-term measure. The aim of the Act was to mitigate the risk that persons whose tenancies would otherwise be terminated during the winter would be unable to obtain alternative accommodation. Provision was also made in the Act for the deferral of the giving of effect to certain notices of termination where they have been served by a landlord on or before 29 October 2022 and specify a termination date that falls during the winter emergency period. Such terminations could take effect after the winter, in accordance with the Act, over the period from 1 April to 18 June 2023.
A deferral under this Act does not apply to a notice of termination served before or during the winter emergency period where the termination is grounded on the tenant’s failure to meet his or her obligations under section 16 of the Act of 2004, including his or her obligation to pay rent and not to engage in antisocial behaviour or where the landlord states that the reason for the termination is on the ground of a breach of tenant obligations, other than to pay rent, on the ground of a breach of a tenant’s obligation to pay rent, or on the ground that the accommodation no longer suits the tenant’s accommodation needs having regard to the number of bed spaces and size of the household. The Act was carefully calibrated to limit its interference with landlords’ constitutional property rights but it is accepted that some interference will arise for a limited time. This could include, as outlined by the Senator, issues relating to the sale or purchase of a property.
Since last July, the European Central Bank, ECB, has been increasing official interest rates. The ECB has an independent mandate to maintain price stability and is taking action to bring it down to its desired target of 2% over the medium term. As we know, interest rates are the main tool to combat inflation and the ECB has now increased its official interest rates five times since last summer. Over this relatively short period, its key lending rate has increased from zero to its current level of 3%. The increase in official interest rates feeds into the general level of interest rates throughout the economy. However, in a market economy, decisions on whether or not to provide credit, the amount of credit to provide or the interest rate to charge for such credit are all commercial decisions for individual lenders. Likewise, the length of time that a particular mortgage offer will last or the length of time a rate of interest associated with a mortgage offer, including a fixed rate, will last is also a commercial decision of the lender. Neither the Minister for Finance nor the Government has any role in such commercial decisions. However, I would ask that lenders, in their engagement with prospective borrowers who are indirectly affected by this legislation, be as flexible as possible and have regard to the individual situation of the borrower.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am afraid it is not going to bring any comfort to the couple I am engaging with or, indeed, anybody in that situation. I fully understand the rationale for the eviction ban. It was the right decision at the time. However, I do not think first-time buyers or even the landlords themselves were considered when implementing that ban. Due to that eviction ban, hardworking people have been penalised from the get-go as those who were ready to make a closure have not been able to move into their homes. Tenants have been covered by the ban but purchasers are not. I honestly believe people in that position need to have some sort of protection. It is not their fault and yet they are being penalised. I am talking about those who are living at home with their parents, those who are living in a mobile home and those who are paying rent. Mortgage interest rates will be going up, in this case by over €300. I understand the Government does not have a role in such commercial decisions but I plead with the Minister for Finance to send a message to the banks. I want the Minister of State to bring this back to him. To be fair, I know of one situation where the lender is honouring a commitment made last year but many of them are not. We need to be very firm on this.
I again point out that as the independent regulator, the Central Bank has indicated on many occasions that it expects all regulated firms to take a consumer-focused approach and to act in the consumer's best interests at all times.
Last November the Central Bank wrote to all regulated entities to make clear to them that the firms are required to address potential risks arising from a changing operational and economic landscape and to ensure they have consumer service capacity and structures in place to meet expected service levels and provide a timely and customer-focused service through all channels. If consumers are not satisfied with how a regulated firm is dealing with them in the handling of their mortgage, or they believe a regulated firm is not following the requirements of the Central Bank's codes, regulations or other financial services law, they should make a complaint directly to that regulated firm.
The Minister has quite clearly stated that he would ask lenders to engage in a positive way with prospective borrowers. Senator O'Loughlin has stated that other lenders are offering flexibility. This is the thrust of the message the Minister is putting out to the lenders. I want to pass on this message.
