I welcome the Minister, Deputy Harris, to the House for the second time this week on Commencement matters. It is good and refreshing to see a full line Minister, who sits at the Cabinet table, here for a Commencement debate. We are genuinely delighted he is here again.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Third Level Education
I welcome the Minister to the House for this Commencement debate on two critically important projects for South East Technological University, SETU; namely, the acquisition of the former Waterford Crystal site, and the completion of the public private partnership, PPP, process for bundle 2 which will see a 12,000 sq. m engineering computing and general teaching building built on the Cork Road campus.
When I submitted this Commencement matter, I did not know that the Minister was going to formally write to me yesterday evening and issue a statement this morning confirming the approval of the purchase of the 20.3 acre former Waterford Crystal site. This Commencement matter, therefore, has been overtaken by events. Given that the Minister issued a formal statement at 9 a.m. this morning, I wish to formally record my thanks and appreciation to the Minister, his staff and his officials for the work they have done to arrive at this point. Today is a very positive day for our new university. I believe this is a strong statement of intent by the Government. It will future-proof the growth of SETU in Waterford city. Over time, it will regenerate one of the most strategically located brownfield sites in the region, a site which once employed thousands of people. To be able to repurpose that site now to educate and accommodate the next generation of young workers in industry is very important from a practical and symbolic point of view. I suggest the motives of those who dismiss the acquisition as anything other than a positive move have to be seriously called into question.
The Minister will agree with me that the various stages and the due diligence have been extensive and at times painstaking. I get that when a State is buying an asset, all processes have to be followed to a T but there is probably room to streamline those processes because it may not always be the case that there is a seller on the other side who is as patient as the vendor has been in this case. I am aware that the SETU president, Professor Veronica Campbell, along with Mr. Noel Frisby and the Irish Strategic Investment Fund, have very ambitious plans for a university innovation and enterprise quarter which they are very much looking forward to setting out in the next fortnight during the formal contract signing. I ask the Minister for early engagement by his Department in the design of the first building on the site and to ensure continued engagement from his officials about possible earlier delivery by bringing the former showrooms and offices on the Waterford Crystal site back into productive use for SETU in a much quicker fashion by using innovative ways to do that.
I wish to turn my attention briefly to the higher education bundle 2 PPP process, which encompasses five higher and further education buildings. The Waterford project is the largest in both bundle 1 and 2 with a 12,000 sq. m engineering, computer and general teaching building for the Cork Road campus. As the Minister will know, this project received planning permission in November 2019 and went into the PPP process in 2020. Both of those bundles have been very slow in moving. Bundle 1 had been moving about six months ahead of bundle 2 and that has now slipped to ten months. I understand the reasons behind this - the fact that just one consortium was left in the process, the very significant construction inflation and the need to ensure value for money for the State - but I firmly believe the process needs to be brought to a conclusion without any further delay. I would appreciate the Minister's comments on that.
I thank Senator Cummins for his tireless work in delivering a university for the south east and, subsequently, keeping the pressure on night and day to ensure we successfully acquired the Waterford Crystal site for the expansion of one of Ireland's newest and most innovative universities. I am delighted to be back here to discuss where we are at with the acquisition of the former Waterford Crystal site for SETU in Waterford and where we are at with regard to the PPP bundle 2 process.
I will be very clear, as I have been from day one, that part of the vision we have as a Government for the development of SETU - I know Senator Cummins shares this vision - is to expand its footprint in Waterford. We have said that day in, day out. We are not just interested in a name change or anything like that. We want to build a university of scale that serves all of the south-east region. As part of that, we want to see the footprint in Waterford growing with more students, more courses and more modern facilities in Waterford. This is a vision which I am very strongly committed to, together with Senator Cummins, because I believe this expansion will enable SETU to cater for increasing enrolments and to deliver an infrastructure transformation that reflects its university status and the mandate which we as Government have given this new university. Like the Senator, I want to thank Professor Veronica Campbell and her governing authority for the incredible way in which they have hit the ground running with regard to this project.
Earlier this year, as the Senator will be aware, my Department gave approval for SETU to expand its presence in Waterford by agreeing to accept the vendor's final reduced asking price for the 20.3 acre portion of the Waterford Crystal site.
SETU has been engaged on the site in due diligence, which is obviously required as part of the pre-contract stage of a site acquisition. Today, I am delighted to inform Senator Cummins and the people of Waterford that this process has now concluded. I gave formal approval today to South East Technological University to proceed and sign the contracts to acquire the Waterford Crystal site. As to what happens next, very practically the next steps will be the signing of the contracts, and I understand that the president of the university is now arranging this with the owners of the site and that it will take place within a fortnight. This is huge, and Senator Cummins knows better than most how important this is beyond education because this is an iconic site that used to be full of people, enterprise and hope. However an economic crash hit our country and it has lain idle for many years. That was the past. Its future is now secure and it is now part of the exciting new university footprint. I genuinely thank Senator Cummins for his tireless work with me on this. I appreciate it has taken a long time and that it has been frustrating at times, but it has certainly been worth the wait. This is a very significant investment in Waterford and in the university.
Regarding the next issue, I again thank Senator Cummins for giving me an opportunity to provide an update on the engineering, computing and general teaching building on the Cork road campus of SETU, which is part of the public-private partnership, PPP, bundle 2 projects. There are 11 projects being progressed through the PPP programme. Bundle 1, which consists of six projects, has now commenced construction, and all projects will be delivered between quarter 4 of next year and quarter 2 of the following year. There are five projects in bundle 2, two of which are for the South East Technological University. We are discussing the one in Waterford today and there is one in Carlow. Those five projects as a bundle are currently at tender stage. I want to say very clearly, in case there is any doubt about this, that the new engineering, computing and teaching building is a high-priority project for me, for Government, for the Department and for the university. The new building in Waterford will have capacity for more than 3,400 students and approximately 160 staff. The bundle 2 procurement process is currently at tender stage. The competitive dialogue remains open. I know it is frustrating when I cannot say more but I have said very clearly that it is a high priority and I join the Senator in wanting to see this brought to a conclusion very quickly.
I thank the Minister for his forthright comments and again I thank him for the approval that has been given today to SETU to purchase that iconic site in Waterford. It is hugely welcome and I put on record my thanks for all those who have been involved in the process over the past 12 months and more. Regarding the PPP process, there has been justified inflation. It is a build and maintenance contract. The sooner we can proceed to final price on that, the better. The alternative of taking it out of the PPP bundle will not deliver further value for money in my view. The sooner the process can be concluded, the better. It is a really important project. I welcome the fact the Minister stated it is a high priority for the Government, and what I want to see is that the process will be concluded this side of Christmas.
I share the Senator's ambition on that. This is a high-priority project. It will involve me, at a point in time, needing to engage with my colleague in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. One way or another we need to bring finality to this and I think everybody shares that view.
Can I just say that a couple of people, or maybe a few more than a couple, in Waterford have doubted us a few times on this university, so let us look at their record today. First, they said there will never be a university in the south east. Wrong. Next, they said we would not attract great calibre of leadership. Wrong. We attracted the former bursar of Trinity College Dublin to be its first president and who is an exceptional academic and leader. We attracted the former provost of Trinity to head up the governing authority. Third, they said we would never acquire the Waterford Crystal site and today, they are wrong again. I am looking forward to proving them wrong for the fourth time when we deliver this engineering block as well. Today is a really good day for Waterford and for the south east. God knows, the people of Waterford and the south east have waited long enough. They deserve this. They deserve and need a university of scale, and Senator Cummins, with his Government colleagues in Waterford and his tireless work have delivered that for them.
Thank you very much, Minister, and again thank you for coming to the House.
Health Services Staff
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, to the House. Our next Commencement matter is in the name of Senator Maria Byrne and concerns the available supports for student nurses and midwives.
Thanks very much, Acting Chair, and I thank the Minister of State for coming to answer my question. I know it is not his area of responsibility so he can only give me what he has been given. A number of student nurses have contacted me who are in third year and doing their student placement. There was a big announcement that student nurses would receive €500 each and they would receive travel assistance. There are two problems with the system that has been set up, according to the nurses who have been in touch with me. The first thing is they only get the €500 if they have worked in trauma wards or wards during the pandemic where people were being treated for the virus. If they have worked in average wards, they do not actually qualify for €500 and this is what they have been told. This is slightly different from what was announced initially, that all student nurses would get €500.
The second thing is, in terms of their travel assistance, they must own their own car and show from their car log that they own their own car and drive themselves to and from the hospital or wherever they are based. The thing is that many of them are maybe dependent on friends or family to drive them to and fro. They are only student nurses and do not own their own vehicles so it has become an issue. They, equally, do not qualify for the travel allowance.
I am not sure if the Minister of State is able to answer those questions for me today, but these are issues that have been put to me by student nurses. Many nurses train in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, and it is the students who are in their third year of nursing there who have come to me with these issues. I thank the Minister of State and look forward to his response.
I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. As the Senator has alluded to, I am standing in on behalf of the Minister, and the information I have has been supplied by the Department of Health. Before I go into the details of the script, the two particular points the Senator made are the exact points of detail I will ask the Department to come back to her directly on in the event they are not adequately covered in the script.
I thank the Minister of State.
A top Government priority is to protect and support the education of all students. Regarding student nurses and midwives, an important consideration for this group is the specific requirement to undertake mandatory clinical placement which comprises 50% of the overall nursing and midwife education programme requirements. Mandatory supernumerary practice placements occur for 45 weeks from year 1 of the programme right through to the first semester of year 4, where it is 50%. These students are not employees and are additional to the workforce in a learning capacity and therefore are not paid. They learn under the supervision of a registered nurse or midwife, and while they learn through practice, they are not accountable for patient care.
Following approval by the Government on 13 December 2022, the Minister, Deputy Donnelly was pleased to announce €9 million in additional supports for student nurses and midwives. The sum of €5.4 million was used to introduce the enhanced travel and subsistence scheme for eligible students while attending their supernumerary clinical practice placements. This scheme is governed by the Department of Health circular 4/2023. This scheme provides a targeted and more equitable approach to support these students, and its main features are that eligible student nurses and midwives in years 1 to 3 of their studies will each receive €500 per year as a targeted measure to contribute towards meeting the extra costs of meals associated with practice placements outside the student’s core placement site; and a new rate of €80 for overnight accommodation is being introduced along with an increased weekly cap of €300 for those eligible supernumerary students who require accommodation away from their normal place of residence while attending practice placements. This weekly cap is three times the cap that was introduced on 1 January 2022 and almost six times the previous caps.
Supernumerary students requiring overnight accommodation will also be able to avail of, on a vouched basis, the reasonable cost of uniform laundry services.
These students will continue to be entitled to a refund of the cost of transport for placements on a vouched basis. The HSE has informed the Minister that these payments have commenced in a number of areas. The Department will continue to engage with the HSE to ensure all eligible students receive the allowances due. The Senator can see that the process has commenced but has not yet been finalised. It is ongoing.
For student nurses and midwives in their final year of internship, the Minister has ensured that their salaries are in line with the relevant recommendation in the McHugh report by increasing their rate of pay to 80% of point 1 of the staff nurse-midwives pay scale. This is governed by the Department of Health in circular 1/2023, which was issued on 30 January last. This measure is worth €3.6 million and demonstrates further the Government's commitment to retaining students in our nursing and midwifery degree programmes. Students will also be provided with two additional uniforms at the start of their internships.
There is a well-established funded clinical support infrastructure to ensure that the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland's undergraduate standards and requirements are met. I will complete my address after the Senator responds.
I thank the Minister of State. It is most welcome that the money that student nurses and midwives receive has increased and that these measures are being put in place. Whether it is interpretation by people at the top and that people have taken it up differently, I do not know. However, the case that has been put to me is that not all student nurses qualify for the €500 and not all will be able to avail of the travel and subsistence arrangement. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State will convey my concerns to the Department. I would appreciate it if he could make those points and come back to me directly.
Over the past three years, the number of undergraduate training places for nurses and midwives has increased by 400. That is an increase of approximately 25%. This year, there are more than 250 additional places in higher education institutions across the Republic of Ireland. Also this year, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and our Department of Health have agreed to - and want to operate and support - an all-island approach to increasing the number of training places for student nurses and midwives.
As previously indicated, the Government has provided a fund of €9 million, €5.4 million of which is for enhanced travel subsistence. The Minister would have liked these payments to have been made long ago. On whether they will be subject to tax, the matter has now been clarified. The Minister is pleased to confirm that payments have commenced in a number of areas, but not in all.
The Senator asked a specific question about whether nurse training will take place in trauma wards. She also asked about the details of the scheme relating to car ownership. I will take her queries directly to the Department because I do not have a note on the specific points she raised.
Medicinal Products
I thank the Minister of State for giving up his time to take this matter. I tabled it because I am greatly concerned about the lack of availability of standard medicines in the pharmacy network throughout the country. I welcome the fact that we have extended the qualification threshold for medical cards. An awful lot more of our citizens now qualify for medical cards compared with a few years ago. That is good because it follows through on the principle of Sláintecare and ensuring that we have a public health service that is accessible to everybody.
I will outline a problem. On one hand, we are making it more affordable and easier to access medicines by providing medical cards to more people and reducing the drugs payment scheme. On the other, because of the shortage of medicines - and internationally at this stage - people cannot get the medicines they require either through the drugs payment scheme or with medical cards in a growing number of cases. For example, a specific medicine is unavailable but there is a licensed alternative. However, that is not available through the medical card or the drugs payment scheme. People who are vulnerable or financially stressed – as we know, people are very challenged at the moment – are not in a position to fund their medicines, so they end up not taking medicines and they wait until the medicines that are listed under the various schemes come back into stock. This is putting pharmacists in an awful situation. They are trying to advise people to take their medicines, which have been prescribed for very good reasons. If people cannot afford to pay for alternative medicines, they decide not to take them for a couple of weeks.
I cite the example of a medicine that is used for thyroid issues. Forgive my pronunciation, but a drug called NeoMercazole is usually prescribed by GPs. The alternative, which is licensed and recognised, is a medicine called carbimazole. Unfortunately, it is not listed for use under the medical card or drugs payment scheme. If it was listed, people with thyroid difficulties who did not have the prescribed medication could get a licensed alternative.
If we were really interested in ensuring that people are as healthy as possible, drugs would be as accessible as possible to those who need them. We need to review the schemes and increase the medications listed under them dramatically. The shortage in medicines will not be resolved today or tomorrow. It will take a long time. I ask for a full review of the medicines listed under the drugs payment scheme and the medical card scheme.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I will be providing an answer on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.
This issue is becoming well known, and there is not a pharmacy, region or family with many prescriptions that has not encountered it. The HSE has statutory responsibility for pricing and reimbursement decisions under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Under that Act, the company that holds the marketing authorisation must apply to the HSE to add its medicine to the reimbursement list. The Act also permits community pharmacists to dispense alternative products on the basis of prescriptions. However, to do so, the medicines must have been designated as interchangeable by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA.
Many interchangeable alternatives are available to patients availing of the community drug schemes. These schemes include the general medical services scheme - the medical card scheme - which provides access to healthcare for people on a means-tested basis and, in some cases, on a discretionary basis. The drugs payment scheme, which is available to any person normally resident in the State, limits the cost of approved medicines to €80 per month. Spending above this threshold, which was reduced twice last year, is refunded, provided that the medicines dispensed are eligible.
In its reimbursement list, the HSE sets a common reimbursement price for all medicines in any group of interchangeable products. This is known as reference pricing and includes both generics and branded medicines. Where a patient chooses to receive a product above the reference price, he or she is required to pay the difference. This probably applies more to private patients rather than those on the schemes I mentioned. Generally, if a generic manufacturer chooses not to apply to the HSE to be added to the reimbursement list, the medicine will not be eligible for reimbursement under the community drug schemes. However, in cases where a medicine is not on the reimbursement list and the full cost must be paid, an application can be made for discretionary hardship arrangements to be considered by the HSE. All applications under these arrangements are reviewed on an individual basis. The HSE must be satisfied that the patient requires the item for clinical reasons and that there is no item on the reimbursement list that is a suitable alternative for that patient.
Shortages of medicines are not unique to Ireland. There is no evidence that shortages disproportionately impact patients here compared with other countries.
Ireland has a medicine shortage framework in place that is operated by the HPRA, which I referred to earlier, on behalf of the Minister for Health. This framework aims to help avert potential shortages occurring and to reduce the impact of shortages on patients by co-ordinating the management of potential or actual shortages as they arise. The multi-stakeholder framework includes representation from the Department of Health, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare professionals, the HSE and patients.
In the case of medicines that are used most often in Ireland, when there is a shortage, there are typically multiple forms, strengths, brands and generic medicines available from a range of sources. In the event there are some supply issues for individual medicines, alternative options such as alternative strengths, brands and generic medicines may be available to ensure continuity of treatment. The Department of Health maintains regular contact with the HPRA regarding medicines shortages.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply and his acknowledgement this is becoming a major issue in pharmacies. We need a more comprehensive response from the HSE. I raised a Commencement matter seeking the appointment of a chief pharmacist officer at the Department of Health to oversee all this. While I fully acknowledge the good work done by the stakeholder engagement group, the HPRA and so on, this needs more far more intensive engagement both with the IPU and pharmacists in general. This can and should happen. Initially, there would be the appointment of a chief pharmacist officer. The immediate problem must be looked at within the Department, namely, the non-availability of standard medicines and the fact other medicines that are licensed as alternatives are not covered within the schemes. Then, on an immediate to long-term basis, there must be engagement to come up with a strategy, because it is a Government policy that community pharmacists should have a greater role in the provision of healthcare, and rightly so. For that to happen, we need a proper strategy within the Department.
I thank the Senator. As I have already mentioned, under the Act, a company that holds a marketing authorisation must apply to the HSE to add its medicine to the reimbursement list. I will follow this up with the Department to ensure there is no undue delay for companies that have applied to have something on the reimbursement list being approved in the meantime. The introduction of the medicine substitution protocol would allow pharmacists to supply a specified medical product without the need to seek authorisation from the prescriber, in other words, going back to ring the original GP and asking can one medicine be changed for another. Substitution will be under the strict direction of the protocol drafted by clinical experts and approved by the Minister. It would only be used when other existing measures are likely to be ineffective and in certain defined serious shortages. The community drugs schemes are designed to address the financial barriers, which the Senator mentioned. The State is committed to enabling safe access to medicines for as many people as possible. This requires the pharmaceutical industry to continue to engage with the public health system, which includes companies applying to the HSE to have their medicines added to the list of reimbursement items.
Community Development Projects
I thank the Cathaoirleach for choosing this Commencement matter. The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. Last March, the Minister for Rural and Community Development announced the first ever dedicated fund for shovel-ready community projects in our towns and villages. This followed a successful scheme from the previous year centred on refurbishment and supports for communities with existing community centres. The new scheme proposes an investment of at least €1 million per amenity, with a focus on the areas and communities that are lacking community facilities. The Minister stated the fund is about delivering ambitious projects that bring communities and families together and the maximum payout would be €6 million. I very much welcome this fund. I was involved with both the Minister and the Taoiseach in progressing this over a number of years and was delighted to see the fund launched and opening to applications. The closing date was 1 July and I am inquiring about the total number of projects. Have they been assessed in terms of the number that are valid? When will decisions be made on the applications?
There are three projects submitted from my county of Galway, with one from my local community of Moycullen through the Moycullen Community Development Association le tacaíocht ó Udarás na Gaeltachta fresin mar cheannródaí ar an togra tábhactach sin. Second, we have the Newcastle Combined Community Association in Galway city. It has a project being supported through the city council, which has provided a site and a long-term lease. That is a very exciting project for that community. The third project is in Glinsk in the north of the county. The Glinsk Community Development Society is campaigning for the building of a new community centre on a greenfield plot, to include childcare, community rooms and multipurpose spaces. I hope all three Galway projects see significant new financing from this new fund. They are all worthy of funding.
Budgets are obviously important and I understand there have been more applications received from this fund than might have been anticipated. It is important approaches are made through Government to ensure there is sufficient funding to support as many of these projects as possible, if not all valid projects. These projects will take a number of years to complete and it is important sufficient funding is being provided. I mentioned that in my community Moycullen Community Development Association, or Forbairt Pobail Mhaigh Cuillinn, has exciting plans for lands at the back of An Teaghlach Uilinn Nursing Home in the heart of the community. It is a former Coillte site. Planning permission has been granted and it is ready to proceed subject to approval to appoint contractors and so on. I certainly hope the funding will be forthcoming. Similarly, the Newcastle project is ready to go. It has the site from Galway City Council and a strong representative group that has been pushing this project for a long number of years. I hope that project will be funded and come to fruition as well. This is an exciting fund for communities up and down and, as I said, I am especially interested in the three Galway projects. Community centres are so important. They are the heart of a community. They are there for young people, elderly people, information meetings, public meetings, drama, sport - you name it. Community centres are the beating heart of communities and this is an exciting fund that will help support communities.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who sends her apologies that she cannot be here. We all know the valuable role community centres in many towns, villages and urban areas. It is very important to recognise that. With this in mind, the Minister put in place an integrated programme of supports for the establishment and development of community centres across schemes such as CLÁR, LEADER, the community support fund, the town and village renewal scheme and the community centres investment fund the Senator is referring to. More than €45 million has been committed to this important refurbishment work that has been ongoing since 2022, with 850 projects being assisted over that period.
This year the focus of the fund moved to new builds, as the Senator mentioned. The Minister wants to assist community groups striving to build their own community centre to service local needs. The €20 million fund is intended, as the Senator said, to support communities with shovel-ready projects. This is the important thing. The fund has grant funding from €1 million to a maximum of €6 million. These are very significant projects and are envisaged as serving the needs of their communities for years to come. The application deadline was 3 July.
Due to the scale of the funding it is important to recognise that for the purposes of compliance with public financial procedures, the lead party to an application must be a State-funded body such as a local authority, local development company or other State agency.
However, it was also open to other community organisations, voluntary groups and civil society bodies to partner with a State body in the submission of applications under the fund. This will help to ensure that community groups are at the centre and to the fore of such developments.
Following the 3 July deadline for applications, I have been advised that 22 applications have been submitted to the 2023 community centre investment fund and they add up to a total of €59 million. That is the number of applications that have been received. As the Senator said clearly, they are being looked at closely in the Department.
Newcastle Community Centre made a request of €4.34 million, which was submitted by Galway City Council. Áras lae, Maigh Cuilinn, submitted by Údarás na Gaeltachta, made a €6 million funding request. Glinsk community development group, submitted by Galway County Council, has sought €2.85 million in funding. The Minister and her colleagues look forward to the commencement of work on these successful projects as soon as the final decision is made with regard to which of these are most suitable.
As stated, the Minister is aware that she expects to be in a position to complete the assessment of the applications in the first quarter of 2024. As we already mentioned, these will be shovel-ready projects. Hopefully, construction will commence and be well advanced during the course of the year in respect of the successful applicants. As I mentioned, however, those decisions will not be made until early 2024.
I thank the Minister of State for providing that update. I certainly welcome the information provided. To have 22 applications shows the value and importance of the scheme because these are projects that had to have their own sites. They were effectively shovel ready. They had planning permission and they had their own sites to develop. Clearly, 22 applications from around the country in a rather tight timeframe shows how valuable this scheme is and it is important that all those valid applications, or as many as possible, are funded to the maximum possible. That may require additional funding. I certainly hope and expect that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will be making the case to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform that these are important. We have talked so often about facilities lacking in communities and communities having lots of houses but not having the required infrastructure, whether it be community centres, schools or whatever else. This is an important fund. I certainly hope the three projects in County Galway and projects up and down the country will get funding.
I thank the Senator. Again, this new community centre investment fund, which was launched by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, in March of this year, is so important. It gives communities an opportunity to develop brand new facilities that can offer a wide range of services to members of the community for decades to come be it for adult education, news service, book clubs, meeting rooms, sporting facilities, remote working facilities or community centres, and we did not mention the odd social events at night-time that take place in all these organisations.
What is great about this new scheme in particular is that we all know villages and small towns around the country that had old disused community centres that were not in great condition and which benefited from great refurbishment grants. There are areas that did not have a facility to start with, however, and this is aimed specifically at them.
As the Minister has indicated, she will complete the assessment in the first quarter of 2024. On her behalf, I would again like to take the opportunity to wish all the applicant communities the best of luck with their projects. I look forward to seeing the results of the substantial investment coming to fruition. It is an investment that will lead to tangible benefits for the local communities in these areas. On behalf of the Minister, I thank Senator Kyne for raising this matter.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.14 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 10.30 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 10.14 a.m and resumed at 10.30 a.m.