Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Jun 2023

Vol. 294 No. 12

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Mining Industry

Senator Shane Cassells

I do not need to tell the Minister of State about the bombshell that went off last night in Navan following the temporary closure, as has been described, of Tara Mines, and the impact on the town and region. Some 650 people are employed in Tara Mines and 3,000 jobs depend on an income from it. The general manager, Gunnar Nystrom, speaking on "Morning Ireland" earlier, explained why the company took this measure. For the general manager and management of Tara Mines to act in the manner in which they did last night, without any warning for the 650 employees, was not acceptable.

The mine has been in operation in Navan for 46 years. I grew up in the shadow of the mine. It has extracted substantial profits from the natural resources of our town. It has overcome serious challenges in recent years. A severe flooding of the mine in November 2021 threatened its existence.

It has been claimed that the decision was taken having considered all feasible alternatives and implementing measures in other areas of the business. I do not accept that. Last week, I was in contact with employees who raised concerns about what were described as control measures being taken to reduce costs. This included a freeze on recruitment and overtime, the cessation of discretionary spending, training and education, a reduction in drilling and cutting contractors.

Last week, I was contacted by subcontractors who were being let go with immediate effect. There were warning signs last week that I and local media raised. Meetings were scheduled in the coming week with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Simon Coveney. That makes it all the more strange that, without any consultation with the union, the management has acted in this way.

My thoughts are for the people who work in the mine. Last night, a lady contacted me while her husband had been called into a meeting at 9 p.m. Her husband and son work in the mine; the son had just started as an apprentice. It is not uncommon in Tara Mines for sons to follow their fathers down the mine. There is an entire ecosystem of jobs in Tara Mines. I have travelled to the bottom of the mine some 800 m underground. There are garages in operation, run by mechanics, engineers and skilled electricians. There is an entire skilled workforce down there.

This is the largest zinc mine in Europe. Management has claimed it has taken the action because of a fall in the price of zinc and the cost of energy, but that has not impacted on the mines it owns in Sweden. It worries me that this action has been taken in the mine in Navan The Government can play a role here, and I ask the Minister of State, Tánaiste, Taoiseach and Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to take action. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has already engaged with management.

This is a two-way street. There are steps the Government can take. I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State will say. The company has a duty of care to its employees. To simply put 650 people on the dole queue with near immediate effect is not acceptable. These people have expenses, mortgages and families. To deal this body blow to the town of Navan in the unilateral manner in which management did so last night, with no consultation with the union, is simply not acceptable and will not be accepted.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Sean Fleming)

I thank the Senator, who is from Navan for raising this bombshell this morning. The thoughts and first concern for everyone not only at local level but also Government level is the impact on staff, their families and local community and businesses in County Meath. Having 650 people laid off, even on a temporary basis, is shocking news. The employment situation in the country has generally been improving and has been very positive over the past couple of years. This is a phenomenal shock for people to get out of the blue.

The company has informed the Government that the decision to temporarily suspend operations and place the mine into care and maintenance within the next four weeks is being taken to safeguard the long-term future of the company. That is the essence of what the chief executive said on radio this morning, and the Minister spoke subsequently. They have been in direct contact with each other.

The abruptness of the announcement, as the Senator said, without consultation or advanced notification, was a major shock to the local community. As he indicated, there was word locally in terms of staff overtime, discretionary spending and subcontractors not having their contracts renewed. That sent a clear signal that something was in the offing, but nobody expected the announcement last night.

Government officials are engaging with the company and management team to ensure that staff are looked after. It is important that the company sets out a range of support available to employees during the temporary layoff as quickly as possible. These discussions would not have taken place at this stage. Tara Mines needs to spell out what the expected period of temporary layoff will be.

From a practical point of view, it is important to make sure that as part of the care and maintenance project that will be introduced over the next four weeks the mine is kept in a position whereby once the price improves and cost structures are dealt with it can reopen quickly. We do not want to have to wait a further six months to do some rehabilitative work because the care and maintenance did not keep it up to standard.

From the point of view of the mine, it is important that all necessary funds be expended to ensure it can come back with a prompt opening as quickly as possible. The Department has established a statutory process to protect employees.

The full range of State supports will be available for employees who are affected. We will work with the company to explore all options to secure the long-term future of the mine and employment in the area. The parent company has identified a range of operational challenges. They mentioned, and it was on the radio this morning, the decline in the price of zinc, high energy prices and general cost inflation as contributory factors. The company has said that the losses were not sustainable at this point in time. The temporary closure will also impact on the Irish subcontractors and sub-suppliers. I think the ripple effect in the town will be significant. A couple of thousand families will be impacted as well as the direct employees. We will work with them to win alternative contracts through Enterprise Ireland, as appropriate. By this I mean working with the Irish sub-suppliers. They have skills that should be able to be used in other major projects in the country in the short term.

Once again, I want to thank Senator Cassels for raising this issue, which has been a shock. It is not just a shock for Navan and Meath and the employees and subcontractors and their families. It is a shock for the whole country to get a bolt out of the blue like this.

Senator Shane Cassells

The Minister of State touched on something when he said that the price needs to increase, costs need to be reduced and that this will lead to the cessation of this temporary lay off. The management needs to be honest with the employees as to what the nature of this temporary lay off is. The Government needs to press them on extracting an answer. This is not unprecedented. We were here before with Boliden Tara Mines DAC over a decade ago, when it did the same thing. On that occasion, it lasted for months. We cannot have a scenario where they do not offer some kind of cohesion to the 650 people and the many thousands depending on an income. They said in their briefing document this morning that the decision was communicated as soon as possible. People were hearing about it over the airwaves last night. They had no communication. They talk about being in continuous dialogue. They were not in dialogue to begin with. Saying that they were acutely aware of a deep regret is not worth the paper it is written on this morning. There is a long-term future for this mine. A rich body of ore has been discovered in what is called Tara Deep. This is going to be a profitable mine for 50 years to come for the town of Navan. However, in the here and now, the company has a duty of care to its employees and I am asking the Government to press it on the matter. It cannot leave this as an open-ended book with no date on when production is going to start again in the mine.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

Before the Minister of State replies I would like to ask if we could have the speech circulated for the record. The speech here is not actually the speech he delivered. Therefore, you might liaise with your Department and circulate the speech later on. That would be much appreciated.

Deputy Sean Fleming

The Commencement matter put in by Senator Cassells a day or two ago was to discuss the future of exploration mining in Ireland with particular focus on Boliden Tara Mines DAC. That was referred to our colleague, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, before last night's announcement. Essentially, the script we were working on yesterday was from the point of view of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

Deputy Shane Cassells

The Minister of State has a role in this. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, needs to sign the drilling licence.

Deputy Sean Fleming

What makes it more perplexing is that last November, Boliden Tara Mines DAC applied for the renewal of prospecting licence 4502 at Tara Mines which expired on 29 December 2022. A permanent prospecting licence to prospect for specified materials in a defined geographic area has since been issued very recently. That will indicate the long-term plans for the area. It is not a licence to drill, rather it is a prospecting licence. To me that is a good signal for the future. In the meantime, there must be maximum support from the company and the duration of the temporary closure must be as short as possible.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I know it is an evolving situation but it is important for the record of the House that we would have a correct, comprehensive statement laid before the House.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Senator Lynn Boylan

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I want to raise the need for Government policy to incorporate the contributions that people on different incomes make to the climate crisis. In order to do that, good quality data is essential. The climate justice question is often framed as the difference between wealthy countries in the global north like Ireland and America that have high average emissions per capita and global south countries like India or Mozambique that have low average emissions per capita. It is also important to reflect the fact that climate justice also applies within country borders. Country level averages often mask the contributions of different groups within society. The Climate Inequality Report 2023 makes the point forcefully that there are vast historical inequalities in emissions between regions but also that there are significant inequalities between individuals, both within regions and at a global level.

In the Irish context, research commissioned by Oxfam revealed, unsurprisingly of course, that the wealthy are much more responsible for the emissions in Ireland. One only needs to look out into Dublin Bay to know how this is so. There can be seen the 110 m. super yacht, Kaos, owned by the billionaire Ms Nancy Walton Laurie, of the family that owns Walmart. In addition to yachts, private jets, helicopters, fleets of luxury vehicles all contribute massively to the billionaires' carbon footprint.

Inequality is not just about the elite billionaire and the rest, either. The top 10% of the Irish population, by income levels, emits as much as the bottom 50% of earners. It is not just consumption emissions. It is also where those very wealthy individuals invest their money. We know that many people in this country do not have any money to invest. The level of inequality in the country has a direct impact on the emissions that are produced by the individual. Sinn Féin wants to bring down our carbon emissions, which we have to do. We also need to tackle the wealth-associated emissions. Over the years, we have repeatedly called for a wealth tax. We have called for a private jet tax. We have called for the removal of tax credits on a tapered basis from individual incomes greater than €100,000. We have called for a second home levy.

We need more data if we are going to be able to develop the policies that will actually go after the emissions of the wealthy. This is so important because it would be more effective in taking climate action and bringing down those emissions that we know the wealthy are responsible for. It would also help to demonstrate that "a just transition" is not just a slogan. It is actually essential to the decarbonisation process. If we want to achieve our 2030 climate emissions targets and our 2050 net zero target, we have to bring people with us. Bringing people with us means going after those who have the luxuries of the wealthy. It is easier to achieve those emissions reductions if we cut back on the superfluous luxuries of the wealthy than on the low income and low emissions groups whose emissions are largely tied to necessities like heating and commuting. In these areas there is very little scope for people to make changes in their day to day lives. This is a theory referred to by economists as the marginal effort. In short, the emissions of the rich are the low hanging fruit. Current climate policies are not paying sufficient attention to who emits what, rich or poor. It is all based on the lowest cost approach. The recent report of the Environmental Protection Authority, EPA, exemplified that again. We need the EPA and the Central Statistics Office, CSO, to produce the data so that we can develop policy that will target the emissions of the wealthy but also bring about a real, just transition.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I would like to welcome the people, young and old, who are visiting here today. You are very welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay. We are debating Commencement matters now. This is where Senators raise particular topics with the relevant Minister. I hope you enjoy your day here in Leinster House.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I thank Senator Lynn Boylan for raising this topic.

The EPA is responsible for compiling the inventories of greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland and for reporting data to the relevant European and international institutions. As such, Ireland's legal reporting obligations require that the agency submits data to the European Commission and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The emissions data are compiled using methodologies in accordance with UNFCCC reporting guidelines and are disaggregated on a sectoral basis in alignment with the classification used by it for reporting at UN level, although some adjustments are made for ease of comparison with national policies in different countries.

The EPA's greenhouse gas emissions reporting also plays an essential role in the reporting and delivery processes that guide our climate action by informing our progress against a number of key emission reduction targets, specifically those set out by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, the carbon budgets and the sectoral emission ceilings, as well as against our emission reduction commitments under the EU's effort sharing regulation. The EPA's reporting also provides valuable information regarding the source of our emissions and how various factors impact the emissions across different sectors of our economy.

Providing a breakdown of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions by income decile or some other wealth metric is not available from the data collated and published by the EPA. That is fundamental to the issue being raised here today. However, there is significant work being undertaken to assess the economic, distributional and socioeconomic impacts of climate change in Ireland, including research and analysis from the EPA. We will continue to support and encourage research and analysis that helps to inform our understanding of Ireland's emissions and their impacts on different sectors of our society and assists in the development of climate action policies that address these impacts.

Moreover, the Government has adopted, through the Climate Action Plan 2023, a framework for a just transition to support and inform climate action policy and implementation. The framework comprises four principles: an integrated, structured, and evidence-based approach to identify and plan our response to just climate transition requirements; people being equipped with the right skills to be able to participate in and benefit from the future net-zero economy; the costs being shared so that the impact is equitable and existing inequalities are not exacerbated; and social dialogue to ensure impacted citizens and communities are empowered and are core to the transition process.

As set out in the plan, all relevant Ministers should consider this framework in the process of climate action policy formulation and implementation so policies are informed by the need to ensure a just transition. This includes creating sustainable employment opportunities, providing reskilling and retraining opportunities and providing appropriate supports for those most vulnerable as part of Ireland's transition to a climate-neutral economy.

It should be noted that the carbon tax is one of many policies in place aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Over the period 2021-30, planned carbon tax increases may allow for €9.5 billion in additional revenue which will support €5 billion for the national residential retrofit plan, which is a socially progressive programme with specific schemes for low-income households and local authority homes; €1.5 billion for new schemes that will encourage greener and more sustainable farming practices; and €3 billion in funding to ensure that increases in carbon tax are progressive by supporting targeted social welfare payment increases to address fuel poverty and provide for a just transition.

Senator Lynn Boylan

I thank the Minister of State for the response but we are conflating two different things. He spoke about the impact of climate action on different income groups. That is important to assess what the impact is but what I am asking about is assessing the contribution various groups within society make towards climate change. The facts are that high net-worth individuals contribute far more to the emissions profile than low-income households. It is important to understand what the impact of climate action is on different socioeconomic groups but I am asking that the CSO start to collect data on how wealth contributes to people's emissions. To give one example, the Minister of State says retrofitting is socially progressive. We do not know that because the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform has said it does not have the data to see how it reduces energy poverty. Looking at wealthy individuals, people who earn over €100,000 are able to avail of the grants. They are able to put solar panels on their roofs and get paid for the electricity they provide. They are able to get grants for their electric vehicles. That frees up more income for them to take more holidays and to buy more carbon-intensive products. We need to be looking at how high net-worth individuals are contributing to climate change, as well as looking at the socioeconomic impact of climate measures.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I understand the point the Senator is making relates to the wealth of the people who are contributing to emissions rather than how the tax take is distributed. In fairness, every local authority is doing retrofitting schemes for its tenants - well, they should be and most of the ones I know are doing it. If a local authority is not doing it, that needs to be tackled and the chief executive should be contacted. A lot of the retrofitting, whether through attic insulation or other schemes, was for people of an older generation and people on social protection. Some of the benefits of funds raised by way of carbon tax have been specifically targeted at people on low incomes. The Senator made a point about collecting information on the contribution to emissions and income. Industry, agriculture and transport are all major sources of emissions and it is very hard to disaggregate that down to the wealth of the people working in the individual sectors. That information is not being compiled. I take the point of view but what is important is that all funds are directed at the people who need them most.

Disability Services

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

The next matter is in the name of Senator O'Loughlin.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin

Apologies; I thought we were waiting for another Minister to come in.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

We have the top man on the job.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin

I certainly appreciate that the Minister of State is here to take on board what I am going to say. I have no doubt that he will go back to the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister for Health with these sad and pertinent points and the situations I am going to describe. Many of us deal with this issue for the people we represent. I know the Minister of State appreciates the importance of supporting families and communities to grow, develop and prosper, be that through adequate education, adequate therapeutic supports or adequate social infrastructure. The decisions, laws and policies we make in these Houses have the potential to be transformative for the lives of the people we represent. However, lack of action also risks stagnation and communities and families being very negatively impacted.

I am going to talk about two families that have been very negatively impacted by the lack of supports for their children and for them. Obviously I am not going to mention their names. One family are doing absolutely everything in their power to access the services they so desperately need but they are not getting anywhere. Their son is now 20. He is practically non-verbal and he has a number of developmental disorders. He has been registered and put on the waiting list for full-time residential care with one of our section 39 organisations. While he has been registered, the family home situation has deteriorated to a crisis point. I will honestly say that the family, with all the love in the world, are unable to meet his needs. A number of medical professionals have strongly supported the application for residential care as his current situation does not meet any of his needs, either physical or social. He requires an adequately supported living environment and so do his family.

I have been liaising with the HSE on this, I have liaised with Ministers and I am raising it here on the floor. Here is a 20-year-old man living at home with his parents and his younger siblings. He becomes agitated and upset at all times, day and night, which leads to extreme aggressive episodes. One of the parents has already had a nervous breakdown. No family should have to deal with this on their own. It has a hugely negative impact, particularly on the younger siblings. They do not have a life. They cannot go on holidays. It is always tense. Once a month there is respite for two days - it is two hours away - when the family can try to learn to be a family once more.

I have been in politics a long time and I have come across a lot of different situations.

To have a dad sitting across from the desk and explaining what life is like on a day-to-day basis makes me concerned for the dad and the family. This is an absolute crisis.

A school principal contacted me about another family situation where a nine-year-old boy is in a school without adequate support. Sadly, the boy's dad took his own life a few months ago. The mum has mental health problems and was taken into psychiatric care so there was no one to care for the child. There is still no one to care for the child. The mum had to leave psychiatric care to care for the child. The principal rang me to see if there was anything I could do. I feel so helpless. There are so many issues like this that come across our desks. We have to put supports in place in cases like this. The Tánaiste has said there is enough money. What is the issue? We can put more money into the housing. A lot of our section 39 organisations are registered as housing co-operatives. We should be able to support those. Some of them have places. How do I go back and support these families?

Deputy Sean Fleming

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Anne Rabbitte. I thank the Senator for raising this important issue for discussion in the House. I have listened very carefully to the cases she has raised. These ultimately are the type of issues that must be raised in the national Parliament but if everything was working as plan, we would not need to have these discussions here. Clearly, from the evidence produced by the Senator, it is very necessary that these matters be raised here to highlight these issues so they can get a greater level of attention.

She will be aware that there is significant demand for respite and residential placements across all community health organisation, CHO, areas in the HSE. Challenges facing the provision of centre-based respite and residential care, for example include the necessary obligations that regulation places on providers; the difficulty in recruiting personnel and retaining them in the services and difficulties in procuring appropriate accommodation. The issue of recruitment and staffing is central to the difficulties we are having here. Funding is available but the recruitment process can be very difficult. To retain staff in those positions can also be very difficult. This is having an effect on the provision of residential services and overnight respite services.

Nevertheless, in budget 2023, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, secured €177 million in additional funding, increasing the overall funding for disability services to an unprecedented €2.5 billion. This level of funding for disability services reinforces the programme for Government commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities. Significant additional resources have been provided. In the past three years in particular, sustained new development funding has been secured. In 2023, €6.7 million in new development funding is being made available to further expand respite services.

Residential services make up the largest part of the specialist community-based disability services funding currently distributed by the HSE. As of March 2023, the HSE is funding a total of 8,330 existing residential placements, delivered predominately by the section 38 and section 39 organisations funded under the Health Act 2004. The Senator also referred specifically to section 39 organisations.

The HSE National Service Plan 2023 provides for the support of additional residential placements across a range of services, including 43 new placements, 23 residential packages for young people aging out of Tusla placements, 18 delayed transfers of care, with additional transitions of young people under 65 inappropriately placed in nursing homes, and further moves from congregated settings.

I support the points made by the Senator. I will speak with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, in the course of the afternoon to emphasise the points made by her. It is very important that I do this. I am aware from speaking with the Minister of State on an ongoing basis that she is acutely aware of the issue and is impatient about where funding is available having it translated into staffing to increase the number of places over and above the 8,330 places that are currently being funded.

I come back to the fact that not only is it a tragic situation for the 20-year-old son and the nine-year-old boy, but there is also the impact on the family. It is not one person we are talking about. There are four or five people in each case. The distress this is causing is, in another extent, equally as severe from a mental health point of view, as for the person with the particular mental disability the Senator referred to.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin

I thank the Minister of State. I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is very compassionate and is trying to do her best. I am also aware that a lot of extra money is going into the system but it is about outcomes, it is not about finance. The Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, said that there will be 43 new placements. These 43 placements will go nowhere. They would be absolutely taken up in CHO 7. When I went into the recent CSO data, I saw that 299,000 people identify as unpaid carers. This is an increase of 53% on 2016. I was saddened but I was not surprised. Here we are now with 43 new placements for this year.

The cases I have raised today are very serious but they are not unique. The situation is unsustainable. Parents talk about their fear for the wellbeing of their children and for themselves. There is a lot of pain out there. We must be better. As Family Carers Ireland has said: "Over the years, the number of family carers has increased while the availability and quality of respite care has steadily declined, leaving many in a precarious situation." A precarious situation is exactly where so many people are. They want and deserve better.

Deputy Sean Fleming

The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and her Department are aware of the challenges being faced around the delivery of additional capacity in the areas of respite and residential care services. The review of the disability social care demand and capacity requirements to 2032 was published in 2021. An action plan for disability services has been prepared to progress action on the findings developed by an interdepartmental working group. There have been some delays in publishing this draft plan and the Minister of State intends to progress this and have it accelerated so that people will see a clear pathway.

To the families involved, I understand and appreciate the difficulties. The two days of respite care are brilliant insofar as they go but when the 20-year-old son goes in for respite, do not let anyone think for a minute that the parents can relax because they know he will be back in 48 hours. It might be a temporary physical relief but it does not resolve the mental stress that this is causing on loving parents in those situations who do not see any way of dealing with it in the long term, until we get the additional residential places.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today to deal with these Commencement matters as selected by the Cathaoirleach. It is appreciated. I am aware that he is very busy and we appreciate that he took the time to take all of these matters. I thank Senator O'Loughlin also for raising that very important matter.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.08 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.30 a.m.

Sitting suspended at 11.08 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.