Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Feb 2024

Vol. 298 No. 12

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Pension Provisions

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I wish the Minister of State "good morning" and welcome him to the House. I appreciate Deputy Ossian Smyth coming here to take time to listen to this extremely important matter with respect to public service pensions.

I can say since 1995 that the messing and changes being made to public service pensions have rendered the public service the least attractive job in the country but, today, I want to specifically speak about those who are in uniform and who generally are part of an accelerated pension scheme. The post-1995 and pre-2013 pension is the one I am concerned about today. The pension causes significant problems for members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, prison officers, firefighters, etc. In all, there are 37,000 members who are affected by this.

Let us look at the case of a garda who is retiring on a post-1995 full pension having paid all of his or her contributions. He or she will receive a pension from two sources. Approximately two thirds of the pension is paid directly into his or her bank account from the Justice budget while the remaining third comes by way of an indirect payment, known as then supplementary pension, and it is paid from the Department of Social Protection. They both amount to roughly 50% or a specific number of eightieths of the person's service.

When the post-1995 members reach the State retirement age, the supplementary portion of the pension is withdrawn and the member moves on to the contributory old age pension. The overall income is not in any way affected. However, a post-1995 member of An Garda Síochána with full contribution paid has no option but to sign on at the Department of Social Protection for jobseeker's benefit in order to receive his or her supplementary pension. This is the only way they can receive that supplementary payment.

In signing on at the Department of Social Protection, this involves the members making a false declaration and that false declaration is something the Department of public expenditure and reform has been aware of for some time. The retired garda in question must sign on stating he or she is ready and willing to take on work when, in fact, he or she is not. If members refuse to sign this declaration because they feel that it is a breach of the ethics that they have upheld all their lives, the Department of Social Protection issues a letter stating that they have no entitlement to jobseeker's benefit as they are unable for work. When the member submits a letter requesting supplementary pension, it is refused on the grounds that it can only be granted by way of jobseeker's benefit. The retired member either loses out on the supplementary or lies and states that he or she is available for work. This has happened. Retired members are left with no choice after 40 years' service - 40 years of upholding the truth and upholding ethics. They must sign a false declaration, which is in blatant breach of everything they have held close to themselves in their lives.

There is no reason a retired member could not be given an option on retirement. If they do not wish to engage in work after retirement, they should simply have their supplementary pension paid directly into their bank account alongside their Garda pension. Those who wish to continue working after retirement - that is a different ball game - can take on work and they can deal with the Department of Social Protection, for example, if they are engaged in casual work.

In particular, retired members of the Garda Síochána, under the present system, have to stand in a post office queue. I ask the Minister of State to imagine the following: a garda, after 40 years' service, standing in a post queue waiting to sign on. In my opinion, it is a highly insulting and most degrading part of this entire fiasco. They are not jobseekers. They are proud retired members of An Garda Síochána, soldiers, firefighters and prison officers.

I am aware of one garda who was shot in the line of duty and, today, he stands in a dole queue in order to get his jobseeker's benefit. I know of another retired member in Cork who stood in a dole queue in a post office and, at the same time, in the queue there were three people on whom this garda had recently served warrants.

I wonder how the Department of public expenditure and reform cannot immediately see the moral injustice of this.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Lynn Boylan)

The Senator's time is up.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I am coming to an end now.

It is utterly astounding that this would happen. This has been under review for quite some time. We really need an answer straight away.

Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (Deputy Ossian Smyth)

I thank Senator Craughwell for bringing this important matter to the House.

As the Senator will be aware, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes payable to retired public servants.

For all new entrants to the public service on or after 6 April 1995, the date of the introduction of full social insurance for public servants who now pay Class A PRSI, and before 1 January 2013, the date of the introduction of the single public service pensions scheme, their pension is integrated.

An integrated pension scheme considers the State pension as part of the total pension package promised to employees on retirement. One reason for this is that both employers and employees make PRSI contributions, and these in turn entitle scheme members to social insurance benefits, including the State contributory pension.

Integration is used as a means of taking into account the benefits payable under the social welfare system to calculate the following: the amount of pension payable from a pension scheme so the combined pension from both the State pension and occupational pension is at the level aimed at in the scheme's design; and the level of contributions payable by the employee towards the cost of their occupational pension so the contributions payable to an occupational pension scheme reflect the offset from scheme benefits to allow for the State pension. Typically, this is achieved by calculating pension benefits based on this lower "pensionable salary" at retirement. Therefore, the pension payment of a post-1995 public servant comprises three components: a public service occupational pension, payable by the public service employer; a social insurance benefit or benefits – State contributory pension, jobseeker's benefit, etc. – payable, subject to eligibility, by the Department of Social Protection; and, where the full rate of State contributory pension is not payable, a supplementary pension equivalent to a non-integrated pension, which is payable, subject to eligibility, by the public service employer.

Where a public servant does not qualify for the State contributory pension or qualifies for a social insurance benefit at less than the value of the State contributory pension, he or she may be entitled to an occupational supplementary pension, subject to eligibility criteria. In addition, the grant of an occupational supplementary pension has three conditions: the retired public servant must not be in paid employment; the retired public servant, due to no fault of their own, fails to qualify for social insurance benefit or benefits or qualifies for a benefit at less than the value of the State contributory pension; and the retired public servant must have reached the minimum pension age or retired on grounds of ill health.

The second condition is important to ensure no duplication of payments from public funds. To verify this condition, prior to payment of the occupational supplementary pension, a retired public servant must engage with the Department of Social Protection and obtain proof that they have exhausted any relevant benefits for which they may be eligible under the social insurance system. A significant number of occupational pension schemes, both private and public sector, make an allowance for the State pension when providing a pension.

The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is fully aware that the requirement to engage with the Department of Social Protection as part of the process for qualifying for the payment of an occupational supplementary pension is presenting difficulties for individuals and at Intreo offices. My officials are in the process of reviewing the processes involved and have been engaging with key stakeholders with a view to establishing if a more efficient and streamlined approach is possible.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive reply. Whether we like it or not, the bucking about that has taken place with State pensions has been an issue. I will be submitting another Commencement matter on the post-2013 pension, in respect of which I hear from public servants in all aspects of public life that they no longer want to work in the public service. The single pension Act is detrimental to them. However, that is for another day.

I know the Minister of State and know he does not want former members of the Garda standing out in a dole queue in Dún Laoghaire, lying that they are available for work when they are not. We should kick in the supplementary element straightaway. If somebody says they do not want to work, they should not have to go to the Department of Social Protection. The third element of the pension should kick in straightaway and the individual should be given the full supplementary pension without having to go to the Department of Social Welfare.

The Minister of State said this morning that his officials are examining this matter. Could we have an answer as quickly as possible? What is happening is grossly unfair to members who have served this country loyally in uniform down through the years. I am aware that the Minister of State inherited this problem. The guys who brought it in all walked away with their full public service pensions, having decimated the rest of us in public service.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

Retired members of An Garda and the Defence Forces are entitled not just to respect from the State but also to great gratitude for what they have done, and they should always be treated with dignity in dealings with the State after they have served. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has acknowledged that there is a problem and that the interaction with the Department of Social Protection and attendance at Intreo offices are presenting difficulties. He is trying to find a way through that, so he acknowledges there is an issue. Even if the total amount of money stays the same one way or the other, it is a question of the manner in which people are treated. People's dignity should always be respected, particularly later in life. The contributions of members of the Garda or the Defence Forces, often in very dangerous circumstances, put them at risk and subject them to much abuse. At the end of your career, you should be treated with dignity. I absolutely respect that. There is a process under way. I believe the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is a man of honour and is working on this. I will keep the Senator up to date and ask the Minister to keep him up to date on the progress on the work.

Road Projects

Senator Garret Ahearn

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. I thank him for taking this Commencement matter. It is an important one for me. It concerns the N24, which runs from Limerick to Waterford and is a key, strategic route. Work has been done on a future upgrade of the road. The work entails two sections, the first from Limerick Junction to Cahir and the second from Cahir to Waterford. The first is about a year ahead of the other and its proposed route is going through the design phase. The proposed route for the second section, from Cahir to Waterford, was picked last month, and funding is now needed for the design. What I am hearing in this regard from the Department is not positive. I might have to submit another Commencement matter to seek funding to keep it going.

Included in the proposed N24 project are two link roads in Clonmel, connecting Cashel Road, Fethard Road and Frank Drohan Road. The link roads have been included in the project to try to ease the traffic going along Frank Drohan Road. The amount of traffic there has been a problem for the town for years. As part of the new project, Frank Drohan Road will be the new, improved N24.

One of the two link roads is to go from the Ard Gaoithe Business Park roundabout across to the Fethard Road, just north of Clonard. The second, which is also really important, is to go from Longfield estate across to the Paddocks roundabout and then across to the Carrigeen roundabout. The really important point is that half of these link roads are done already. Those from the town know the roundabouts have been completed. The Paddocks roundabout has no link roads off it. The link roads were proposed in 2008 and it is now 14 years later. There was to be funding but there was a crash. We now have a new plan in place.

It is a big project to complete a road from Waterford to Limerick. This is really important. I am aware there are big projects right across the country and that not all of them will be completed, but I am saying that irrespective of whether the whole project is completed, be it in five, ten or 15 years, the two link roads should be built as a matter of urgency. They amount to only 1.8 km. Half of one of the link roads is done already. You would have to go through only one field, nearly, to complete it. The cost to the Department of Transport would not be excessive. If we build the link road from Frank Drohan Road, we will reduce a lot of the traffic in Clonmel. Ultimately, much of the traffic on Cashel Road and Fethard Road is because of big multinationals in the town, including Abbott and Boston Scientific, and the business park at Ard Gaoithe. An awful lot of traffic goes through this area in the morning and it all goes down to the Cashel Road and Fethard Road roundabouts. The new design will alleviate the traffic problem. For the town itself, we should be considering the link roads separately from the full N24 project.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

I thank Senator Ahearn. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding regarding the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.

The Government has allocated €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country and compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. A major priority in the NDP, in line with the Department’s investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP foresees an Exchequer allocation of approximately €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over the ten-year period to 2030, allocated fairly evenly across the decade. As the greater portion of this funding will become available in the second half of the decade, this means that there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2023 and 2024. However, approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds were provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. The allocations for 2024 will be announced in the very near future.

The N24 Waterford to Cahir project aims to enhance regional accessibility and improve connectivity between Limerick and Waterford. This will enable improved access for businesses in the region to international markets via the ports of Waterford and Rosslare Europort. It will also deliver quality of life improvements for residents in towns along the N24, such as Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. The project is nearing the end of the options selection phase whereby potential transport solutions are developed. This includes the preferred route for the project. The preferred transport solution was recently on public display.

The link roads mentioned by the Senator would form part of the overall transport solution but cannot be viewed in isolation from the project as a whole. It will be necessary to progress the project to the design and environmental evaluation phase in order to carry out detailed design for the project, environmental impact evaluation and to establish the necessary land-take requirements. Determination of the road layout, including for any link roads, will be determined during this phase.

Senator Garret Ahearn

I thank the Minister of State. I would appreciate it if he could take what I am about to say back to the Minister. The Department says the link roads cannot be viewed in isolation, but the Minister is doing that in the context of Tipperary town. On part of the road that is being constructed, the Minister has said that Tipperary town will be looked at in isolation in the context of a bypass of 7 km or 8 km for the town as opposed to the whole project. I am asking the Minister to look at Clonmel in isolation just has he has done with Tipperary town and to say that these have to be completed as a matter of urgency. We might not be able to do or fund the whole project initially, but what we can do is prioritise the two link roads just as the Minister has prioritised Tipperary town and its bypass. I am asking for nothing different from what the Minister has done. The Dunkettle roundabout opened this week. That is really positive but it took a long time to get to construction. The Frank Drohan Road is a car park for most of the day. It is no different to the M50 at 5 p.m. It is just a smaller road, obviously, but in terms of traffic and getting from place to place, it is a car park. People make decisions not to travel to places or go into town at that time simply because traffic is so bad.

I am simply asking that the Minister for Transport look at Clonmel in the same way as he has looked at Tipperary town, namely, in isolation. Continue the design if the design phase has to continue and fund it for the next year - because, as far as I am aware, it might not be funded - get it completed and then construct the two link roads. It is only just over 1 km long. It is easy to do.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

The Minister is very keen to reduce traffic in the centre of towns. He is also keen to look at ways, including putting in bypasses or any type of local projects that can help in that way. I take the Senator’s point that he wants Clonmel to be treated in the same way that Tipperary town and that he would like it to be prioritised compared with the rest of the scheme. I will bring that request to the Minister and ask him to come back to the Senator on it.

It is important to note that over €15 million in capital funding was allocated to national road projects in Tipperary during 2022 and 2023. In addition to the Waterford to Cahir project, the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction project also received funding during that period. The allocations for national roads in 2024, as I said, will be announced very soon.

Each local authority is responsible for the improvement and maintenance of their regional and local road networks under the Roads Act. Works on the network are funded from local authorities' resources and are supplemented by grants from central government. The Department of Transport provides substantial grant funding for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads. Last year, €626 million was provided with most of this funding, €556 million, being allocated to road maintenance and renewal. This is an increase from the 2022 allocation. In 2023, Tipperary County Council was allocated over €34.8 million for the maintenance and improvement of its regional and local roads network, of which over €33 million was allocated to road protection and renewal.

Aviation Industry

Senator Lynn Boylan

This matter relates to Dublin Airport and the impact of private jets on the passenger cap that applies. There has been a great deal of talk about the cap on passengers at the airport, but there has not been much discussion of how private jets are feeding into that. The Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, told the transport committee that it would have to consider limiting so-called general aviation in order to remain within the passenger cap. However, we know that general aviation is a broad church and that it includes the decadent use of private jets by a privileged few. A single flight of a private jet is responsible for the emission of approximately ten times more carbon dioxide per person than a regular commercial flight and a staggering 50 times more than the average train journey. The carbon footprint of such extravagance is incredible, with some private jets spewing out 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hour, surpassing the per capita carbon emissions of Ireland, which stood at 7.3 tonnes per person in 2019.

Data from Greenpeace reveals a disturbing surge in private flights departing from Ireland. Between 2020 and 2022, the number of private flights departing from our airports soared from 858 to a staggering 6,671, with CO2 emissions escalating from 3,072 tonnes to an alarming 67,903 tonnes. Dublin Airport appears to be serving as the epicentre of this crime against climate action. It alone witnessed 3,445 private flight departures in 2022.

Of particular concern is the prevalence of short-haul private flights. Taylor Swift was in the headlines for taking a 13-minute flight in America. However, there were several similarly unjustifiable flights like that in Ireland in 2022. There were 11 between Kerry and Cork, at just over 79 km. A train takes just an 80 minutes to complete that journey. There were 14 flights between Dublin and Belfast in 2020, a distance of 137 km. A train can cover that ground in two hours and five minutes.

Has the Government given consideration to taking a leaf out of France’s book? France took the simple measure of banning such short-haul flights on any journeys that are possible to complete in less than two and a half hours by train. Beyond climate concerns, private jets also contribute significantly to noise pollution, prompting airports like Schiphol in the Netherlands to crack down on the number of departures by such jets. The communities impacted in Fingal are deeply impacted on the noise pollution from Dublin Airport. I am sure they would welcome any reduction in noise pollution.

This brings me back to the situation in Dublin Airport. The head of the DAA told the joint committee on transport that it would need to curtail the number of flights by private jets in order to stay within the passenger cap. This clearly alarmed the private jet industry because the National Business Aviation Association, NBAA, sent a letter to the Irish ambassador in Washington and the press outlining its displeasure at this move. It defended the use of private jets, arguing that the flights are necessary for the Irish economy, because heaven forfend that the captains of industry would have to fly first class on commercial flights, with the riff-raff down the back on the same planes. In the event that the passenger limit is not increased to 40 million, the NBAA would like to ensure that they can have 20,000 passengers ring-fenced from the 32 million allocation. These people are seeking to double the capacity of private jets at Dublin Airport. While the operators of commercial flights face constraints in order to mitigate the impact of those flights, granting preferential treatment to private jets would fly in the face not only of climate action but also just transition.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

I thank Senator Boylan for raising this matter, which I am taking ,on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Jack Chambers.

The use of private jets during the climate emergency for leisure and luxury is clearly an obscenity. However, such use is mixed up in the general figures for aviation, as the Senator understands, in the context of everything that is not a commercial flight. It includes such things as Defence Forces flights, medical flights and cargo flights.

The question was what impact private jets are having on the passenger cap. The answer to that is simply almost none because very few passengers are carried by non-commercial airlines, as opposed to in commercial flights. Some 99.95% of passengers going through Dublin Airport travel on commercial airlines. Approximately 32 million passengers is the cap in Dublin Airport at the moment and 16,000 passengers go through anything that is not a commercial flight. If we were to completely ban all cargo, all Defence Forces flights, all medical flights and all private jets, we would save 0.05 % on the number of passengers. Of course, the passenger cap is a strange thing. It is imposed by a planning condition, but we should really be looking at an emissions cap. It does not matter how many passengers are carried. What is more important is how many flights take off, or better than that, the emissions of the airport.

Dublin Airport serves as a major transport hub for millions of business and leisure travellers. It facilitates global connectivity and the movement of goods on and off our island. Senators will be aware that a cap of 32 million passengers per annum is currently in place at Dublin Airport. The passenger cap is a condition attached to the planning permission granted for Terminal 2. Dublin Airport is currently working to address the cap through the submission of an infrastructure application to the planning authority. This forms part of Dublin Airport Authority, DAA’s, capital investment programme and seeks to raise the 32 million passenger cap to 40 million passengers. The application, which was submitted to the planning authority in December, also seeks to increase capacity.

Increasing the capacity of Dublin Airport is in line with national aviation policy which recognises the strategic importance of Dublin Airport in meeting national social and economic policy goals and includes a specific objective of developing Dublin Airport as a hub with the necessary capacity to connect key existing and emerging global markets. While the importance of the airport to Ireland’s island economy is recognised, it is important to the Government to ensure the sustainable development of Dublin Airport, to balance the objectives of the national aviation policy, the needs of business and tourism interests and the legitimate rights of local residents.

As the Senator will be aware, DAA has the statutory responsibility for the operation, management and development of Dublin Airport including the compliance with any planning conditions attached to planning permissions granted for developments at the airport. It is DAA’s responsibility to engage with the relevant planning authorities on all planning matters including for the lifting of the cap and the development of new infrastructure required to support increased connectivity. I advise Senators that the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019 provides a wholly independent aircraft noise regulation process in accordance with EU law and established the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority, ANCA, as the independent noise regulator. The Act also provides that all future development at Dublin Airport is subject to assessment and mitigation in respect of the impact of associated aircraft movements on the noise environment around Dublin Airport. This provides a safeguard against any award of planning permission until such time as the proposal has been fully assessed in relation to aviation noise impacts. It is likely that this process will take some time to conclude.

While aviation accounts for approximately 3% of global carbon emissions, DAA has a plan to decarbonise the airport. DAA announced at the launch of its environmental sustainability initiatives last week that it is fully focused on reducing carbon emissions generated by its operations - including scope 1 and 2 emissions - by 51% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, at the latest. Regarding emissions from aircraft operations, a number of measures have been adopted at EU level to seek to achieve this target. On general aviation, I am advised that there were 7,842 general aviation movements including private jets at Dublin Airport in 2023. The number of movements was more than 10% less than in 2022 when there were 8,787 movements. In terms of a percentage of passenger numbers, general aviation constituted only 0.052% of the passengers at Dublin Airport last year.

Senator Lynn Boylan

I thank the Minister of State. I know general aviation includes medical and military flights and such. However, I am sure the National Business Aviation Association is not writing to defend them. When it writes to and lobbies ambassadors in Washington and sends letters to the press looking to double the capacity for private jets, it is not for medical flights. It is specifically for those frivolous flights that people who believe they are above and beyond flying on a regular passenger plane take.

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State takes on board the issue of emissions, but will the emissions cap be per capita? Private jets contribute per capita a much higher percentage of emissions than people who take one or two flights a year for personal or business reasons. That is an important aspect. While the figures the Minister of State cited differ from the figures I have from Greenpeace, I wonder whether it would be possible to get a breakdown of the figure for general aviation to see what is the percentage of medical and military flights and what is the percentage of private jets.

Deputy Ossian Smyth

I thank Senator Boylan and I am glad that she agrees that we should be looking at emissions rather than passenger numbers and at emissions per capita. I will look to see whether I can get a good breakdown of general aviation so we are not mixing up private jets with medical flights, cargo and so on.

Much of this debate emerged with a provocative and noisy campaign by Ryanair saying it would like the Minister or the Department of Transport to intervene in planning conditions which it knew was not legal or possible to do. When I look at this kind of showmanship by Ryanair, I wonder why is it coming out with this kind of statement, why is it putting out these provocative and insulting statements rather than addressing the substantial issues as we are doing today. It is asking people to look at the left hand so they do not look at what the right hand is doing. The truth is that Ryanair presents itself as a low-fares airline. However, its fares went up 24% last year. When I looked at the cost of a flight to London or Paris this week, flying on 15 or 17 February, I see that Ryanair is €100 more expensive than its nearest rival for a flight to London and it is also more expensive to fly with Ryanair to Paris this week, than it is with other airlines.

Hospital Services

Senator Tim Lombard

It is great to have the Minister of State in the House. It is nearly like her Wednesday morning coffee break at this stage. Every Wednesday morning, I have the pleasure of talking to her about health issues in Cork.

I raised this issue about a dedicated cataract service for Cork that has been spoken about for many years. The regional centre that will be based in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital is a project we have probably been talking about since 2014. It is a project that has cost almost €5 million. I am looking for an update on several aspects of the project.

First, I welcome that the outpatient unit in Ballincollig primary care centre is now up and running. The Minister of State might give me an update on where we are with staffing levels there and the throughput figures to go through that unit. The other issue is that unfortunately the capacity in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital was projected to be 2,000 cases, but we have issues about where we are with that proposal. That is probably what I am really asking about this morning. The big issue is what is the level of transfer of services from Cork University Hospital, CUH, to the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. Has there been a full transfer of service? Have we seen the CUH work with outpatients, including the eye clinic and all the other services that are in the CUH at the moment and some that are in the Mercy University Hospital, MUH, coming all the way to this new unit that we have spent almost €5 million on?

There is considerable local concern that the transfer has not happened. This project has been finished for almost 18 or 19 months. It cost €5 million to build. It has the capacity to do more than 2,000 cases per year. Unfortunately, we have a huge waiting list, especially in my part of the world, for this issue. We see people going to Northern Ireland and going to the private centres to get services. We put money behind this project. We planned it in the past decade. We delivered it on the ground. Is it running at full capacity? That is the real issue.

From talking and listening to members of the Joint Committee on Health, I know that last December they were informed that negotiations were still happening between CUH and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital on this issue. It would be an awful shame - and I am being very polite - if office politics between two hospitals in Cork became the big issue in the transfer of services. We need to ensure the services being talked about and that we put our money and planning into in the past decade can now be delivered on the campus in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and the full transfer of all services from CUH and the MUH takes place. February was the date that was mentioned.

I am not sure if that can be confirmed this morning, but we need to get clarity because at the moment, unfortunately, there are people of a certain generation or age who feel, rightly or wrongly, that their only avenue is to go to the North, and that is not right. Other people are going through the private sector and facing issues in trying to get funding for that. We need to get clarity in this regard. I hope the Minister of State can bring that clarity to this issue.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. I commend him on his constant advocacy for services and supports, especially for older people, in his area.

Demand for ophthalmic services has grown in the region over recent years. This is due to both the development of new treatments and the ageing population profile. It is, however, important to say - I say it every opportunity I get - that we have the highest life expectancy in Europe, as deemed by the World Health Organization. That did not happen by accident. We are doing our very best to support older people to age in place. It is one area I have put a strong focus on as Minister of State with responsibility for older people. So many people have challenges with cataracts. They can be very healthy people, living well at home, but when your sight is affected, it can have a huge negative impact on you. I welcome the opportunity to address this today. Recent reports predict that demand for these services will continue to increase in the coming years.

In line with recommendations in the National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology: Model of Eye Care, published in 2017, and the Reconfiguration of Acute Hospital Services: Cork and Kerry, it was decided that there should be a regional department of ophthalmology. The South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital was chosen as the site best suited for this. The HSE has advised that this reconfiguration of ophthalmology services in Cork began in 2014, with all elective and emergency surgery from Cork University Hospital and the outpatient department of the Mercy University Hospital to be transferred to the South Infirmary.

The new ophthalmology unit at the South Infirmary includes two operating theatres; anaesthetic, scrub and prep rooms; a recovery unit; and an ophthalmology day unit. The new unit also includes the most modern equipment and will have access to supportive diagnostic technology.

In addition to developing hospital services, this new unit will support continued work with the regional eye care service based in the primary community care centre in Ballincollig. This will further strengthen links between the community and the acute hospital setting for the benefit of ophthalmology patients.

The HSE, in response to the Senator's questions, has confirmed that the transfer of outpatient and eye casualty to the South Infirmary began in 2019; however, the process was paused, as the Senator will understand, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This transfer was reinstated last year, with a commitment on the part of the South/South West Hospital Group to work with CUH and the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital to complete reconfiguration. The transfer of the diabetic retinal screening service from CUH to the Ballincollig primary healthcare centre commenced in August 2023, with clinics commencing on 28 August 2023. The transfer of outpatient services also commenced in August 2023, and the HSE has confirmed to me that it is planned to finalise the transfer of this service to the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital by the end of March, that is, by the end of next month.

The HSE has also confirmed that the majority of emergency surgery is now being delivered in the South Infirmary and that pathways between CUH and the South Infirmary have been agreed in cases of major trauma presentations that require immediate ophthalmic surgical input.

The new ophthalmology unit provides further evidence of the Government's commitment to the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital and to the people of Cork in providing the most appropriate care in the right place and at the right time. The new ophthalmology unit is an extremely significant milestone in the evolution of services, both acute and community, for the people of Cork and the South/South West Hospital Group.

Senator Tim Lombard

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the news, in particular her announcement that the transfer of services will be complete by March 2024. That is literally two or three weeks away. There has been major concern locally that this has slipped and slipped, and there have been issues as to how CUH and the Mercy were combining with the new South Infirmary and how they are all tying together. The capacity now needs to be spoken about. That is really important. We need to start talking about that and what the service will deliver to the region. The figure as to what is projected, in particular for 2024 and 2025, needs to be publicised, and we need to make sure we stick to those capacity levels. Will the Minister of State give us an indication of the projected capacity as regards her proposal and this €5 million investment? As she rightly said, it is a really significant investment for the Cork region, which badly requires this service.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Lynn Boylan)

If the Minister of State does not mind, before she responds, I welcome the students from Sacred Heart Senior National School, Tallaght. I am also a Tallaght girl. It is great to see fellow Tallafornians in to visit us in the Seanad. You are very welcome to the Chamber.

Deputy Mary Butler

I also welcome the teachers and the students from Sacred Heart, Tallaght. It is great to have a school from one's own area come in. I hope they enjoy their visit. I remember a long time ago coming as a child to visit Leinster House, the Dáil and the Seanad. I do not think any of us would ever have envisaged at that age that we would be here working in this capacity. I hope the teachers and students have a great day.

To respond to Senator Lombard, the HSE has advised that the ophthalmology service reconfiguration will be fully completed by the end of March 2024, that is, probably approximately six weeks away, when the transfer of outpatient services from CUH to the South Infirmary will be finalised. That is really welcome.

The HSE has also confirmed that the majority of emergency surgery is now being delivered in the South Infirmary. Important pathways between CUH and the South Infirmary have been agreed in cases of major trauma presentations that require immediate ophthalmic surgical input. The Senator is quite right that it is really important to have those pathways and that we know, if there is a trauma, exactly where that person will be looked after. He is also quite right to talk about capacity. We have an ageing population and more and more demand on services.

The new unit will support and work with the regional eye care service based in the primary community care centre in Ballincollig, which will further strengthen links between the community. I expect that when this is completely up and running, with all the transfers made, capacity will be the issue. I will keep a close eye on that - pardon the pun. People can have a great quality of life if they can have their cataracts sorted and live well at home.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.18 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.32 a.m.

Sitting suspended at 11.18 a.m. and resumed at 11.32 a.m.