I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to the House.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Further and Higher Education
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. What is the purpose of a university? Is it to explore, research and engage in debate and the open exchange of ideas, as most people would expect and have always believed, or is it to ensure that everyone thinks the same, believes the same things, adopts the same ideological approach to topical issues, discounts the latest evidence-based research, and stifles academic freedom?
It is a real question that we have to ask because when I proposed amendments relating to freedom of expression to the universities Bill, the Minister assured us on that occasion that we should have no fear about limitations on freedom of speech for staff or students in third level colleges. Some months ago a staff member at the South East Technological University highlighted her concerns relating to freedom of expression in Irish universities. She has received no clarification from the Minister or his Department as to whether it was, in fact, "unlawful discrimination or harassment" for staff or students to refuse to use students' or staff members' preferred pronouns, as was claimed by the university. I want to stress that the lecturer in question is herself happy to use preferred pronouns, but not as a matter of obligation. She does not believe that staff or students should be compelled to say something that they might believe to be untrue.
In its gender identity and expression policy, that university describes as "unlawful discrimination or harassment" the refusal to use students' or staff members' preferred pronouns. Similar claims are made in the gender identity and expression policies of UCD, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Trinity College; that is, that unwelcome pronoun behaviour is an "indicative example" of unlawful discrimination.
These gender identity and expression policies are at odds with Irish legislation. Irish equality legislation focuses on gender-sex and not on gender identity and rightly there is no compulsion in law on gender identity matters. The issue around gender identity arises in part because all Irish higher education institutions, HEIs, must participate in the Athena SWAN charter and eligibility for research funding is contingent on engagement with the charter. The Higher Education Authority, HEA, has explicitly stated that "HEIs stand to lose access to research funding if they do not achieve Athena SWAN awards within a set timeframe" and that HEIs would be ineligible for Environmental Protection Agency, Health Research Board, Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland funding from January 2020 if they had not achieved specified Athena SWAN award status.
Essentially this compulsion to participate in the Athena SWAN charter means that certain ideas and philosophical beliefs are now compelled within Irish HEIs. The Athena SWAN charter requires that HEIs sign up to commit to the charter principles. Unfortunately, those principles, which most people thought were about equal opportunities for men and women in third level institutions, have chosen to reject the male-female binary, despite having no evidence base to do so. Thus the Athena SWAN charter impinges on academic freedom in Ireland by imposing a set ideological approach to certain contested beliefs, including the issue highlighted by the lecturer in SETU. Universities and higher education quangos, egged on by the Irish Government and international NGOs or bodies, are pushing norms and standards that are not evidence-based and are not required by law.
Ironically, participation in the Athena SWAN charter, which came from the UK, is not compulsory for UK HEIs and is not required there in order to be eligible for funding from the major research funding bodies. The National Institution for Health Research in the UK did require, for a time, HEIs to engage with the Athena SWAN charter to get research funding but this was dropped in 2020. Research funding in the UK is not now dependent on participation in Athena SWAN. There is the additional irony that the two most offensive principles which form part of the Athena SWAN UK charter were revised following a public critique of them and their potential impact on academic freedom. Crucially, however, those two principles remain in the Athena SWAN Ireland charter. It is madness.
Principle 5 of the charter requires a commitment to: "fostering collective understanding that intersectional inequalities must be accounted for in the development of effective equality analysis and actions" and principle 8 requires a commitment to:
... fostering collective understanding that individuals have the right to determine and affirm their gender, and to implementing inclusive and effective policies and practices that are cognisant of the lived experiences and needs of trans and non-binary people.
This is essentially the policing of thought on a highly controversial subject. Surely the job of a university is to facilitate open debate – not to "foster collective understanding" on such controversial matters.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy O'Donnell. He is welcome. He is nearly a permanent fixture here at the moment. He has four minutes to reply to Senator Mullen.
I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris.
The employees of higher education institutions are protected by the provisions of employment law. This includes, but is not limited to, the provisions contained in the Employment Equality Acts and Equal Status Acts. As employers, relevant HEIs are also bound by the same provisions in their capacity as employers of academic staff. In the case of any staff member believing that they are discriminated against, they should use the internal mechanisms available in HEIs. They should refer to their internal policies and human resources department, as appropriate.
Academic freedom, including in relation to research funding, is strongly protected in Ireland through the relevant legislation, including the Technological Universities Act 2018 and the Universities Act 1997. As the body with oversight of the higher education sector, the HEA has an obligation to protect academic freedom. The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 includes the following provisions: to advance equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion in higher education; and to respect the academic freedom of higher education providers and academic staff in those providers.
The HEA is committed to meeting these objectives.
Every HEI has a responsibility and a statutory duty under relevant sectoral legislation to act in a way that promotes academic freedom. The sectoral legislation also includes a statement that the academic staff of the relevant HEI shall not be disadvantaged if they question and test received wisdom, put forward new ideas or state controversial or unpopular opinions in their teaching research and any other activities, either inside or outside the HEI.
The HEA Act also outlines a statutory duty of HEIs to promote equality. The Athena SWAN Ireland charter is a policy initiative that sits under the legislation and the charter is cognisant of national policy in this area. As such, the objective of the Athena SWAN Ireland 2021 charter framework is to support higher education institutions, academic departments and professional units in impactful and sustainable gender equality work. The charter supports HEIs to build capacity for evidence-based equality work across the equality grounds enshrined in Irish legislation.
I thank the Minister of his State for his reply. As I would not have him down as one of the most woke members of the Government, I regret that he has been shackled with the job of responding to this matter. I would like to face the Minister, Deputy Harris, directly on this point and I would like him to face me. What we have here is an explanation that it is all right, the law is fine and the Athena charter comes in under the law. That is not the way it is working out in practice in terms of what the universities are requiring. How can there be academic freedom when universities are telling their staff that they are breaking the law if they state what they believe to be true?
It is an irony in our society at the moment that the Government, which is constantly talking about the dangers of misinformation and disinformation, is one of the greatest proponents of the post-truth society when it comes to fostering collective understanding around what are, in effect, gender fantasies. Requiring academics to use language that they may not believe to be true is an unacceptable situation. We have highlighted the problem but the Government has not answered it effectively here today. Athena SWAN has to be revised or it has to go.
I thank the Senator. I will take these matters back to the Minister. I note the point being raised by the Senator. Higher education institutions participating in the charter sign up to the Athena SWAN Ireland principles. In signing up to the principles, participants recognise that each institution, department and professional unit has different equality challenges and development priorities, and that these priorities should be developed based on an understanding of the local evidence base and the national and global equality challenges in higher education.
Athena SWAN Ireland is managed by dedicated staff who are based in Ireland. Award recommendations are made by panels of peer reviewers who work in the higher education sector. In 2021, the Athena SWAN Ireland charter was redeveloped in line with the findings of a national consultation and offers a framework for progressing equality in higher education and research that is unique to Ireland.
Schools Building Projects
I welcome the Minister of State. This matter, which is of significant interest to taxpayers, students, parents, teachers and local communities, concerns the planning permission delays relating to the new Educate Together secondary school on Mill Road, Colpe, Drogheda. The current site was leased to the Department in June 2019. On 17 February 2021, the Department purchased 11 acres to deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary building and accommodation including six classrooms for children with special educational needs. At the end of last year, the total cost of supplying temporary accommodation for pupils had reached €14.3 million.
When questioned by Dáil Deputies last week, the Minister claimed that the Department of Education is awaiting a letter of consent from the owner of the adjacent land. The latter happens to be the landowner from whom the Department bought the site. According to the Drogheda Independent, Phil Reilly of Shannon Homes, who owns the adjacent site, denies there is any outstanding issue with regard to the letter of consent. He is unaware of the circumstances relating to the delayed planning application from the Department to Meath County Council. Mr. Reilly stated that half the existing temporary modular school accommodation will need to be moved to facilitate the permanent build. I note from the Minister's response to Deputy Nash last week that the Department has no plans to install additional modular accommodation for the 2024-25 academic year. Some 120 children have already enrolled for this academic year. Where are they to go?
The matter to be dealt with today is the planning permission. Last week, Meath County Council told me engagement has begun with the Department. If planning is launched now, it will take three years to build a school. How can we leave 600 children in prefabs, surrounded by acres of empty fields, without any playing pitches for the next three years? The mental and physical health of these children is being completely disregarded. Having already spent €14 million, surely the Department can ensure a playing pitch is provided. I ask the Minister of State to please give the school and its students some hope. When will the planning permission application be lodged with the council to progress this much-needed education facility?
I thank the Senator. She is in no way tight on time. I remind all Senators that we cannot identify persons, irrespective of the situation-----
Details were published in newspapers.
We cannot do so. It is the rule. I am sorry.
Okay.
I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it allows me an opportunity to update the House on the current position in respect of the provision of a new school building for Drogheda Educate Together Secondary School, ETSS.
Drogheda ETSS is a coeducational post-primary school under the patronage of Educate Together. It was established in September 2019 as a start-up second level school as a regional solution to serve the combined Drogheda and Laytown school planning areas. The permanent school building project for Drogheda ETSS is being developed under the Department’s design and build programme. As the Senator stated, the programme will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including six classrooms for children with special educational needs. Representatives of the school have viewed the plans for the new school in advance of submitting the planning application.
The Department has been liaising with an adjacent landowner regarding a letter of consent which is required as part of the planning permission. Although this element of the planning application preparation is outside of the control of the Department, I can confirm that agreement in principle has been reached with the landowner in respect of providing the letter of consent and the matter is expected to be concluded shortly. Once the letter of consent has been received, the planning application can be lodged within a matter of days. All going well, we expect that the planning application will be lodged soon.
Since 2020, the Department has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of 800 school building projects. Construction is currently under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 34 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of €1.2 billion. There are also 90 projects currently at the tender process, including a further 28 new school buildings. All these new school buildings are flagship projects in their area and transform the education infrastructure for those school communities. This is a record level of investment in schools and this highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for school communities.
Going back to the core point raised by the Senator, I can confirm that agreement has been reached in principle with the landowner with regard to providing the letter of consent. We expect it to be concluded very shortly. In the normal way, once that letter of consent has been received, the planning application will be lodged within a matter of days. I expect that to happen soon. I hope this is welcome news for the pupils of Drogheda ETSS, their principal and the teachers and parents,.
I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact the Department has received the letter of consent in recent days and that it has been in negotiations with Meath County Council.
The planning application should be made within a matter of weeks and I will be keeping a very close eye on that.
There are currently 600 students on that site, with another 120 students due to arrive in September of this year. The Government has stated it will not provide any more temporary accommodation on the site, so where are those children to go? That is obviously a different matter and I will have to submit another Commencement Matter on it, but today has been a good day in terms of the news regarding the planning permission application for the site.
I will be back to the Government regarding the 600 students already there and where they and the additional 120 students are going to go. There is also the issue of sports facilities and playing pitches for those children during their academic years there. Three years without pitches is not good enough.
I thank Senator Keogan for raising this important matter. The Department will continue to keep the patron and school updated as the project progresses and on interim accommodation, pending delivery of the permanent project for the school. I have no doubt this is a matter Senator Keogan will take up directly with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, but I will also draw it to her attention. There is ongoing communication between the Department and the patron of the school on both the planning application and the interim accommodation. I wish the school well.
Climate Change Policy
I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan. When the Minister of State and I were in school, we learned all about the Gulf Stream and the importance of the flows in the Atlantic. I am very alarmed by recent reports from Utrecht University on one of the longest studies of the impact of climate change on the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation current and the fear that it is going to collapse. The worry is not that it is going to collapse in the next three to five years but that it could collapse some time in the next century. This requires a global response in terms of measures to address climate change but it is also critical for this State to start to prepare for the possibility of something like this happening. The reality is that if this current collapses, we are going to see temperatures in Ireland dropping. Various scientists have come up with different figures but we could find that Ireland is five, ten or even 15 degrees colder. This would certainly have very serious and significant impacts on agriculture and food production, and if we see sea levels rise by up to a metre, that will be very significant for our coastal communities in particular.
I want to know that the State is preparing for this possibility and that it is something we are thinking about. We know that, because of global warming, a lot of the ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic are melting and this is having a profound effect on the oceans. It is reducing the salinity and density of surface water in the North Atlantic and that will have serious implications for Ireland. I appreciate this may not be something that will happen in our lifetime but it is something we need to think about. In the context of potentially dramatic change, we need to think about the Irish climate suddenly becoming very like the Icelandic climate. When we start to think about the implications of that, we realise they are profound. This could be really transformative and, as a State, we have to do everything we can to try to combat it. At the same time, we also need to make sure we are prepared for this if it does happen. Ireland is one of the most vulnerable countries, given our location, if something like this happens. I raise this issue today on foot of the recently published study by Utrecht University to determine whether there is any level of preparedness on the part of State for the possibility of this happening.
I am taking this important matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and I thank Senator Byrne for raising it. This Government takes the issue of climate change very seriously and has put in place a number of initiatives to address the changes that we, as a nation, need to make to address the climate crisis. These include amendments made in 2021 to the climate Act, the requirement for an annually updated climate action plan with sectoral emissions ceilings, and the publication of the national energy and climate plan. However, due to the locked-in effect of past emissions, Ireland will face substantial risks from climate change, including increased precipitation, floods, droughts and the potential collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. We need to prepare for these impacts to ensure our society, economy and infrastructure are climate resilient.
The current national adaptation framework, NAF, was published in 2018 under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, as amended in 2021. It noted the risks inherent in a potential collapse of Atlantic thermohaline circulation, THC, but estimated that the probability of collapse of this circulation is low, even for high temperatures. However, it also noted that changes in the intensity of the THC may have a significant impact regionally without actually crossing the tipping point for collapse.
The 2018 NAF outlines a whole-of-government-and-society approach to climate adaptation in Ireland and aims to improve the enabling environment for adaptation through ongoing engagement with key sectors along with civil society, the private sector and the research community. In line with international best practice, adaptation actions are mainstreamed into appropriate sectors. Six Departments are leading the implementation of 12 sectoral adaptation plans made under the NAF in the areas of agriculture, forestry, seafood, biodiversity, electricity and gas networks, communication networks, flood risk management, water quality and water service infrastructure, health, built and archaeological heritage, and transport infrastructure. The NAF underwent a statutory review in 2022 and the Minister published the report of that review. The principal recommendation was that a new draft NAF should be developed and this new draft was published, following public consultation, on 19 January 2024. The draft takes note of adaptation developments at international and EU levels since 2018, work done under local authority adaptation strategies, as well as sectoral adaptation progress and research. The new draft NAF, which provides the principal frame for sectoral and local adaptation responses, has a medium degree of confidence that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation will not collapse abruptly before 2100. However, it notes that should this occur, it would very likely lead to abrupt shifts in regional weather patterns and would have a significant impact on human and natural ecosystems, which is the core point made by Senator Byrne.
Ireland has commenced work on the first climate change risk assessment. This project is being led by the Environmental Protection Agency and is scheduled for completion in early 2025. The project will examine all of the risks. Public consultation on the NAF will close on 19 February. Issues raised in submissions made to the consultation will be considered for inclusion in the final draft of the NAF, which the Minister will submit to Government for approval. Subject to Government approval, a new iteration of sectoral adaptation plans will be commenced for completion in 2025. These new plans will incorporate the principles in the NAF. Revised guidance for sectors is being developed to assist them in that goal.
Climate change mitigation aimed at reducing and stabilising greenhouse gas emissions is the most effective strategy for preventing the crossing of critical environmental tipping points. Reliance solely on adaptation may prove insufficient in averting irreversible ecological consequences. The implementation of Ireland's NAF, sectoral adaptation plans, climate action plans and local authority climate action plans is key to achieving a climate resilient Ireland.
I thank the Minister of State for his response and I am glad the Government is looking at the potential impact across a range of sectors. As he said, this may not happen this century but there is a real risk of it happening. We are already seeing a lot of strange weather events as a result of climate change.
I would be concerned if Government policy is that it will put Noah's Ark on top of the Sugarloaf or whatever, and that this could be the approach, but I am happy that in order to try to address some of the concerns, it is being dealt with right across all these sectors.
It is also critical there is a whole-of-government approach to raising concerns around the potential impact of this kind of event. As I said, it is to be hoped nobody in the House will see it. However, there is a real fear for future generations that if the AMOC collapses, it will have, as the Minister of State outlined and I talked about, profound implications for Ireland, probably much more than any other single event we could see in the next century. That is why it is critical that we look to combat it but are prepared if it happens. The evidence and research show that the AMOC has weakened by approximately 15% since 1950. If that continues, the reality is, while we might not see it, at some stage in the future there will be a real danger it will collapse.
I think I know at last what meridional means. Does the Minister of State have a final comment?
Senator Byrne made very cogent points. There is a whole-of-government approach to this issue. Changes to the climate system as a result of human activity have already resulted in an observed global average temperature increase of more than 1°C since pre-industrial times. That goes without saying. Further increases in global average temperatures are projected to cause significant impacts in Ireland and globally, especially in countries more exposed and less able than we are to withstand these impacts. The Government is committed to addressing this crisis by reducing our national carbon emissions to achieve our climate goal and by responding coherently to climate risks.
In line with Article 4 of the Paris Agreement and Article 15 of the EU regulation on the governance of the energy union and climate action, Ireland has set out a strategy to reach our 2050 climate action targets and has specified sector-specific pathways to reach these targets. A substantial increase in climate ambition was set out in the 2020 programme for Government, Our Shared Future, including new legislation providing for a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by no later than the end of 2050. It also set out a wide range of policies to achieve this target and affirmed the Government’s commitment to place social justice at the heart of the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Adaptation, as part of this transition, is not achieved by a one-time response to the impacts of climate change. Adaptation is an ongoing process that must evolve to meet climate challenges as our knowledge increases. The new draft national adaptation framework, when finalised following the current public consultation, will set out the coherent principles, strategy and governance for moving to a climate-resilient Ireland over the next five years.
Rural Schemes
The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. As his is a neighbouring constituency, he will understand where I am coming from on this matter. For the information of the House, the local improvement scheme, LIS, is where the State, through the councils, provides a certain amount of money to upgrade our roads. Local households also contribute. This usually involves a cluster of houses and farm entrances where, in many cases, people are elderly and there are young children and people with disabilities. In County Clare where I live, 146 applications have been approved for funding but are awaiting funding under the LIS. Many such applications have now been waiting for many years. During that period, the quality of the roads has continued to deteriorate. On some of the roads, there are potholes you could nearly fit into, if you climbed into them. People are constantly filling them to try to do immediate repairs until such time as the LIS funding comes through and the road is done on a professional basis by the council.
In 2020, Clare County Council received an allocation of €826,000, which completed 20 roads. In 2021, it got an allocation of €1.229 million, which completed 25 roads, and in 2023 it got an allocation of €1.368 million, which completed 22 roads. If all of the roads were to be funded and completed, we would be looking at a cost of €9 million. A figure of €1.36 million is a long way from €9 million. These roads continue to deteriorate. In the past three years in my constituency, 65 roads have been done, with 146 on the approved list, and the council is awaiting additional information on a further 20. What is even more concerning is these roads are all concentrated in the west Clare municipal district, which extends from Ballyvaughan to Loop Head and Kilrush. In that particular area of County Clare, right along the Wild Atlantic Way and the N67 stretch, probably well over 100 roads service some 1,000 individuals, and certainly hundreds of homes. Those roads are in an appalling state and people's cars are being destroyed and damaged on a regular basis. In one scenario brought to my attention recently, a car was written off. People could potentially be hurt when they are out for a walk. It is not acceptable.
The allocation for 2024 needs to be announced straightaway and there needs to be an additional, once-off, significant increase in funding. I am sure the constituency of the Acting Chair and other constituencies are in the same situation, but it is particularly bad in Clare because of the weather conditions, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and so on. We need a plan that includes a lot more than €1.36 million. I am looking for €4 million or €4.5 million over a two-year period so that Clare County Council can clear the waiting list and people can get the roads they deserve as citizens and taxpayers.
I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I thank my local colleague, Senator Conway from County Clare, for raising this important matter.
The LIS, which we all know as the local road improvement scheme, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas that are not normally maintained by local authorities but which represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents. The scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered through the local authorities. The Minister has asked me to assure the Senator that she understands just how important the scheme is for the people of Clare, for rural areas, and for farm families in particular. There is no other source of funding for these roads, which provide vital access to agricultural lands and rural homes. The Senator referenced the region where he lives in Clare.
The scheme is also used to fund non-public roads leading to important community amenities, such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points or other tourist heritage sites. As part of Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy, the Government has committed to increasing the level of investment in the repair of non-public roads through the LIS. Despite the progress that has been made, a significant backlog of roads awaiting repair remains. The Senator clearly indicated that in his county, 146 applications have been approved and another 20 are being considered. That is a total of 166. Is that figure correct?
Given the value of the scheme for people living in rural areas, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, was pleased to be in a position to increase the allocation for the LIS in 2023 alone to almost €30 million. This is a record investment that signifies her commitment to the scheme. More than €120 million has been invested in the LIS since 2017. The figure I have for the allocation to Clare in 2023 is €1.33 million.
That was used on 22 schemes. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will announce the 2024 allocations shortly. Her Department officials work closely with local authorities to ensure funds are utilised fully to ensure as many roads as possible are completed each year. The selection of roads to be funded under the scheme is a matter for each local authority based on the priority or condition of particular LIS roads in their county.
In recent years, when savings were identified in the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Minister announced a further round of funding later in the year. Officials in the Department are currently finalising the terms of the 2024 local improvement scheme and an announcement will be made imminently, with every effort being made to address the backlog of roads awaiting repair under the scheme. That currently stands at more than 3,400 roads nationally. Senator Conway's big concern is the people of County Clare, where there are 166 schemes outstanding at the moment. The Minister also confirmed that numerous contacts have been made with our colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, in an effort to implement a co-funded scheme, which would go a long way to addressing the backlog.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply and his understanding of the importance of the scheme. I wish the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, all the best in her engagement with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, because that is what should happen. There needs to be a once-off block grant to each of the local authorities participating in the scheme. It is not every local authority in the country. It is only a certain number in rural areas. Even in County Clare, it is really north and west Clare from Ballyvaughan to Loop Head and Kilrush. The majority of the 166 schemes are in that general area. Particular pockets of the country are affected, but they are badly affected. It is only fair and right that there be a multi-, or at least dual, departmental approach between the Ministers, Deputies Ryan and Humphreys, to come up with once-off funding to clear the backlog to give these people, some of whom are getting old and some of whom have young children, some comfort in their daily lives.
I once again thank Senator Conway for raising this important matter. I note the point he raises about the funding, and it is one I will take back to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. She is aware of the importance of LIS funding to rural communities, which provides access not just to people’s homes and farms but also to outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers or beaches. She remains fully committed to funding LIS into the future. As Senator Conway will be aware, there was no dedicated funding for the scheme for a number of years. This has contributed to a backlog of applications in several areas, including his own county of Clare.
However, since 2017, the Department of Rural and Community Development has allocated more than €120 million to the local authorities, specifically to repair eligible roads under the scheme. Work has already been completed on more than 4,000 roads, benefiting almost 20,000 landowners and residents. That shows the huge benefit of the scheme.
The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is committed to addressing the backlog of roads awaiting repair and, year on year, has consistently increased investment in the scheme. In 2021 and 2022, the allocation to the scheme was doubled. In 2023, an additional €18 million in additional funding above the initial allocation was provided. The Minister will continue to monitor expenditure within her Department and LIS remains a priority for additional funding wherever possible. When the 2024 scheme is launched, the Minister will be urging each local authority to utilise the funding allocated to complete repair works as quickly as possible. This would enable authorities to upgrade more roads before year end should further funding become available.
I sincerely thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber. I know we are sometimes annoyed when we do not have the senior Minister. However, the Minister of State has come in and handled the four issues. I also thank Senators Mullen, Keogan, Malcolm Byrne and Conway for having been here for this morning's discussion. As always, I thank the staff around the top table and the ushers. Our work is always made easier by those around us who are so helpful.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.15 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 10.30 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 10.15 a.m. and resumed at 10.30 a.m.