The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re appointment of members to the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion re appointment of members to the Committee of Selection, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, statements on the response to Storm Éowyn, to be taken at 1.30 p.m. and to brought to a conclusion at 3.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, time may be shared and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and Private Members' business No. 12. motion 1, re public transport, to be taken at 4.30 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Will there be a minute's silence at the end of the Order of Business for Ukraine?
Yes. This is an important thing to do, so I appreciate that.
I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. Two weeks ago, we had the announcement of an investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads, which is a record amount of money and is certainly very welcome. It includes some bridge rehabilitation works and some surveying around pavements. We need to look at bridges on their own because many of the areas we represent have a lot of old bridges. Between Waterways Ireland, Irish Rail, the OPW and the State, a very comprehensive survey needs to be done on the safety of these bridges. Along with that, there should be a dedicated grant for footpaths because, as we know, our roads are dangerous and many people we represent live just outside our towns and villages. We need more money invested in footpaths, so I would appreciate a debate in this House on trying to attract funding, particularly for bridges and footpaths.
The ACRES payment is a very important payment to support family farms' incomes and biodiversity. I understand that 12,000 farmers have still not been paid the ACRES payment for 2024. Out of this cohort, 2,764 have still not been paid the 2023 payment. This is wrong. We need a streamlined implementation of the ACRES payment, so I ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine come to the Seanad for a debate on this.
The last item I wish to raise involves animal welfare and animal cruelty. I appreciate that Senator Andrews is setting up a cross-party group, which is very welcome. I have had interaction with My Lovely Horse Rescue in the past and have spoken in the past about sulky racing. I see from its social media that My Lovely Horse Rescue has been talking in the past few days about two horses it rescued named Celine and Bastian. It also showed scenes in Dublin recently of horse cruelty. It is beyond time to have a dedicated Garda animal crime unit because when we see the evidence across the country of animals not being treated correctly, it is beyond time that something needs to be done. Again, I would like a debate in this House on that.
Before I call the next speaker, I welcome Deputy Cleere on one of his rare visits to Seanad Éireann. He is most welcome. I also welcome Pat and Joan Murphy and thank them for being in Seanad Éireann. They are in great hands and will have one hell of an entertaining day.
I wish to raise the issue of TB testing and TB sector in Ireland. At this moment in time, 6.2% of the national herd is closed due to TB. If we define this 6.2%, it is late testing in animals and cows brought in that had not been tested in a 60-day period. They are part of the 6.2%. Skin testing is usual way of testing animals. However, when an animal goes down following a skin test, the Department carries out a blood test on this animal. Does that give us a clear indication that the skin test is accurate? Many of the animals that go down after the skin test have been proved not to have TB.
We have been testing animals for 58 or 59 years. We have not got to the bottom of the whole sector. It is a bottomless pit where we are throwing good money after bad. We are talking about fencing badger sets and not letting the badgers out to mix with bovines. We need to bring all sectors together to collaborate on testing. If we could vaccinate people during Covid, how come we cannot vaccinate the national herd against TB? It is ridiculous when one thinks about it. Millions upon millions have been spent on TB.
At this moment in time, the price of a reactor is €2.86 per kg. The price of that animal in the mart is €6.50 per kg, so the farmer is not getting paid market value for the animal that goes down. I ask that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine raises the value of the reactor to the market value at least in the short term. This would help alleviate some of the stress, pain and anxiety this has caused throughout the national herd.
There are certain areas we certainly need to address. One is the fact the skin test is not accurate. Is the blood test accurate? Can we see the figures from the Department about how many animals have gone down with TB lesions in the factories? Could this information be given to the public? This is information the public needs to understand. How many animals have been tested and have gone down that have not shown lesions?
Furthermore, the bovine classification encompasses deer as well. A deer is a bovine. We are testing farmed deer in this country. What percentage of our wild deer carry TB? Have we got results and figures on that? Could we get them presented to the House?
Yesterday, I spoke on neutrality and the triple lock, and I want to return briefly to that issue. The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, is about to bring forward legislation on the triple lock and there is a lot of discussion and debate among wider society about this terrible thing that is going to be brought about by the Government. There are many misconceptions that the triple lock was always there, but it was not; the triple lock is a fairly recent part of Irish history. The public need to ask themselves whether we really want somebody outside our sovereign State making decisions for our Defence Forces at any time. I am not advocating for the Government to have carte blanche to send troops wherever it wants. What I am saying is that we should not be subservient to the United Nations Security Council at any stage.
If the Government wants to build in checks and balances, it can build the checks and balances within the State itself. Let the citizens of this State decide. I am not saying we should go to a referendum every time we need to deploy troops, but we can build a system whereby, first and foremost, it would be debated in the Houses of Parliament, the Oireachtas, both the Seanad and the Dáil. Perhaps the Council of State or a body such as that could have oversight of that debate. Maybe that is the way forward. Clearly, what we want to do is to put accurate information into the public domain that, first, the triple lock is not in the Constitution, second, it is not the case that it has been there since the foundation of the State and, third, it requires a sovereign State to seek permission from other states, some of which are belligerent against this State, so we need to sort that out.
The other matter I want to bring up this morning - I also spoke about it last week - is the search and rescue contract at Shannon Airport. We now know that the Sligo contract will not start until 30 April. The Irish Independent recently published an extremely worrying article on this matter. I have been contacted by senior pilots on this. I am not a pilot; I know nothing about flying an aeroplane. I never flew a search and rescue mission in my life but what I do know is that we lost four people in this country as a result of mismanagement and the Rescue 116 report pointed out all of the flaws. Two of the flaws pointed out related to the requirement to have an aviator in the Department of Transport and an aviator in the Irish Coast Guard. Neither of those recommendations have been followed through on. We have an oversight of the safety requirements of search and rescue. I will not go back into the detail of the company that has the contract, but it is not an internationally renowned company with expertise in search and rescue as far as I and many pilots in the country are concerned. The company that is overseeing these things does not have the breadth and depth of expertise that is required in this area. We were told two accidents took place. I have been told several more accidents took place in training. We need to get a Minister with responsibility for SAR in here and to discuss this in an open forum.
I welcome yesterday’s announcement on the shared island fund for cross-Border tourism initiatives. There are a number of initiatives. One of them is in Carlingford Lough, which is close to where I live, and there is a terrific project in Cuilcagh which goes across the mountains between Fermanagh and Cavan. That follows on from previous shared island funding allocated to the Wild Atlantic Way linking up with the Causeway Coastal Route on the north coast, right across to the beautiful island of Rathlin, in which Senator Black and I have a shared interest. That type of cross-Border initiative is very welcome. However, what is more important is the ability to bring the brands. The Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route project is very significant in the context of bringing the brands together on the island.
Tourism Ireland organises a wonderful marketing exercise right across the world for the island of Ireland as a consequence of the Good Friday Agreement. I had the pleasure of being with its representatives at events in New York, Chicago and Toronto last year. Tourism Ireland would have a much more cohesive marketing strategy if the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and the Hidden Heartlands brands were to be shared. A piece of work in that respect was undertaken last year by the department I represented at the time, along with that headed by the then Minister, Catherine Martin. Those brands are owned by Fáilte Ireland, rather than by Tourism Ireland, and it is responsible for their promotion. This is particularly important for the tourism industry north of the Border, which has been a huge success since the Good Friday Agreement. The pandemic actually led to a significant influx of visitors from south of the Border, many of them for the first time, all of whom were very welcome.
In light of the introduction of the electronic travel authorisation form by the British Government, very much against the wishes of people in the North and, in particular, people in the tourism industry, the amalgamation of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Hidden Heartlands brands would be a very welcome development. I ask the Leader to request that the Department and the Minister responsible would, at least, share a briefing with us on the status of that work. It was undertaken under the previous mandate. We also initiated an approach whereby both departments, North and South, and the three tourism agencies on the island were joined together in a shared piece of work. That collaboration gave rise to this discussion in respect of the brands. I very much hope we can get an update on the status of that work. As I stated, I very much welcome that intervention through the shared island fund to promote tourism across the island.
Is rud an-tábhachtach é seo. Foras na Gaeilge was established in 1999 under the auspices of the Good Friday Agreement and is responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland. Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community and has a much longer history than Foras, having been established under Douglas Hyde. I am raising this issue because a half-day strike has been called today to challenge both Governments, North and South, to reverse funding cuts of €820,000 announced recently by Foras which have been caused by the DUP directly blocking a revised funding structure.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Government in the Republic provides 75% of the funding and the northern Government provides 25%. Neither Administration can increase or decrease their contribution without upsetting the percentage balance. Agreement was reached between the two finance ministers, however, to allow either party to increase their budget without affecting the contribution of the other, but this has been blocked by the DUP. This has resulted in a situation whereby the Government in the Republic has funding ready to go but one political party, which got just 21% of the popular vote in the Six Counties, is vetoing a 32-county funding increase which would not cost it even a penny. This will impact on services. I have been contacted by a number of community services on the ground regarding the direct impact on paying for their heat and rent and the groups they run in schools. It is having an enormous effect on communities and small businesses.
Earlier in February, a group of community organisations affected by the €822,000 in cuts undertook the Solution Now, Fair Investment campaign, which calls for both Governments to immediately adopt the new funding agreement, along with a commitment from Foras that, should any increase in the grant be received, the first priority will be a reversal to all these cuts, and that Foras na Gaeilge be provided with at least an additional €20 million, as outlined in the growth plan.
It is nothing less than a scandal that these groups feel they have no option other than to go on strike. Some of them may be outside the gates of Leinster House today. We need to stand together in solidarity to ensure the Irish Government puts pressure on its counterpart in the North to resolve this issue immediately. This will not cost the Northern Ireland Assembly a penny, but it is being blocked purely by tribal politics. Is náireach an chás é sin agus tá súil agam that we will reach some kind of agreement.
With regard to some of the comments made earlier, the triple lock is actually one of the very important things that link us to the United Nations, which is one of the great prizes we have had in terms of building and maintaining peace on this planet. Far from undermining our capacity to say "No", I would be very worried that without the triple lock those who get so embarrassed that they are not generally part of armies, as we have heard, who feel disapproval from other countries and believe they should act immediately, would be too vulnerable to pressure. The triple lock is actually what protects us from pressure and from being pressured into inappropriate words and inappropriate military action, including military action for interests or resources or some of the many protection rackets that we have seen some using their military for in recent times.
The triple lock is a very important protection for us because it allows us to say "No", and that is a part of our sovereignty. We must have a reference to the UN that is proper and not simply interpretable. It should be borne in mind that Israel says it abides by international law. We need an actual anchor into the UN system.
We have heard a lot about military threats, but the threat of climate change has not gone away. Everybody has lost interest in it, but we have just had the ten hottest years on record. Soon we will stop talking about the ten hottest years and we can start talking about the deadliest years, because this is the actual threat in terms of the liveability of our planet in the next decades, not the next centuries. We have a huge backward step today in that the European Commission has published a proposal to completely gut, in the words of our MEPs - indeed, a Fianna Fáil MEP, Barry Andrews, has called it that - the European Green Deal and to gut regulation of corporations, having had private meetings with large corporations such as ExxonMobil and all those who have caused the climate crisis. The EU Commission is now using language like "simplification" to describe its attempt to get rid of many of the key parts of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive. That directive, by the way, was introduced to improve human rights and environmental outcomes, guide companies towards sustainable operations and choices, and provide a level playing field for corporations. This action will punish those largest companies and corporations - it applies only to the largest companies and corporations - that have chosen to try to implement good standards in order to reward the laggards and those who are the drivers of climate change in the first place. We talk about sharing the burden. We cannot place the burden on the poorest of the world and those most vulnerable to climate change in order to chase a United States deregulatory agenda, which is gutting equality and has now left the Paris Agreement. Let us, Europe, stop chasing that and move in the other direction in order that we have a future.
I ask the Leader either to bring the relevant Minister before the House or to have statements on safe routes to school. Active travel was incredibly positively received when it was originally launched. However, it got curtailed along the way, in 2022, when the definition of active travel and safe routes to school meant just the schools but did not take into consideration day services or respite houses that could be along the same pathways. For example, in Portumna we have a lovely development consisting of a respite and day service but it does not come under the safe routes to school programme, which means its footpaths cannot be upgraded, which in turn means that it cannot have a wider footpath, as part of active travel, to bring the people to the Shannon banks where Waterways Ireland has spent €3 million on upgrades all along the canal. It is really unfortunate that minority groups that have an equal need for inclusion within their communities would not be able to access active travel. We need to look at the safer routes to school and active travel programmes within communities to ensure our most vulnerable people, who attend day services or stay in respite or residential housing, are also brought into that piece. Active travel was really well subscribed to and very well funded, but we now need to look at it benefits ensuring day services in Portumna and right around the country.
Five weeks on from Storm Éowyn, I wish to raise the extent of the damage that was done to our built heritage in the west of Ireland by that storm. Between the counties of Galway, Clare, Mayo and Roscommon, it is estimated that we have approximately 400,000 km of dry stone walls on our roadsides and around our fields. That is enough wall to run the length of the equator ten times over. It is by a long way the largest stone wall network in the world. In kilometre terms, it consists of about nine times more wall than the Great Wall of China when it was at its peak. Our stone walls are currently in tatters and on the ground after the storm. The reconstruction job for many farmers will be a mammoth task. I worry that for many elderly farmers the task may be just too great and that, if unassisted by the State, these walls will simply lie where they currently are, on the ground. I call on the Minister for agriculture and the Minister for heritage to sit down together on this. I call on them to put together, as a matter of urgency, a package to help with the cost of rebuilding these walls. Just like our Georgian buildings in Dublin and Limerick, our stone walls in the west are an important part of our built heritage, and once gone they will not be replaced.
I also wish to speak about the additional funding that is needed by the local authorities in these western counties for road-widening projects. Roadside walls are being taken out and replaced with chain-link fencing simply because that is all that Department funding allows for. Over the past 15 years we have countless examples where, as part of work through the CIS, active travel or the building of footpaths or greenways, stone walls have been removed by local authorities and not replaced. I want to see a policy implemented for all local authorities for stone walls similar to that for hedgerows, that is, where you remove a metre, you replace a metre. That will cost money, and this money simply must be made available to the western local authorities through the Departments with responsibility for the environment and local government. I would appreciate feedback from the Minister on this request.
I wish to bring up the issue of housing and its impact on young people as well as our ongoing emigration crisis. Many people are already aware that the housing crisis is making life impossible for young Irish people, especially those just leaving college, yet, as always, we need to be reminded of this issue. For example, a recent article in District Magazine found that many young people are having their ability to form romantic relationships sabotaged by the crisis. Many cannot progress or even begin relationships since they live with their parents. This is the case for over 40% of working Irish people between the ages of 25 and 34, according to an EU study. In other cases, many young couples are forced to move in together far too early in their relationship just so they can have somewhere to stay. Most nations across Europe and the western world are currently facing emigration crises. The Irish Government seems to have outdone itself in terms of mismanagement as we appear to be one of the only nations on earth facing simultaneous immigration and emigration crises. Since a recent study found strong indications that less than a fifth of the tenants in the Dublin market are Irish, I call on the Minister for Justice and the Minister for housing to say what they are willing to do to solve these twin issues. Are the Ministers even willing to acknowledge that these two issues are connected in the first place?
Finally, regarding the question of emigration, what is the Government willing to do about the fact that many Irish people take their training and academic degrees from this State and leave? Does the Government not intend to place some minimum timeframe and requirement on teaching graduates, for example, to give back to their country? At a bare minimum, will the Government consider putting a cap on the sabbaticals of recent graduates?
I rise to support and highlight the serious concerns of the people of the Listowel and Killacrim areas. Recently, on 23 November, what was classed as the perfect storm came to north Kerry and devastated over 70 homes and businesses. People visit Listowel during race week. Listowel Racecourse was overwhelmed by the flooding. People were left homeless a couple of weeks before Christmas. As regards the carnage that led from Storm Bert, there was a yellow warning that night. The weather warning for rain was not too significant but, unfortunately, there had been a snowfall three days before and the night before the temperatures had risen and a thaw had set in. What was classed as a tsunami came down the River Feale, destroyed over 70 homes and left the whole area in a bad way.
The emergency response went from saving homes to saving lives and all this happened without warning. I am calling on the OPW to come to the floor of this House to provide a timeframe. A report was done by Kerry County Council, which has been commissioned, produced and presented to the OPW. As of now, however, nothing has been done. These works will come under a minor flood relief scheme and, indeed, it will relieve any serious concerns going forward for the people living in this area.
When I say the fears are real, they really are. Three weeks after this incident, I was involved in getting Kerry County Council to install 1,000 sandbags along a section of the River Feale that breached its banks. The community did this and built their own dam to prevent more homes getting damaged because there was another yellow weather warning. Will the Minister come to the floor of the House to inform us when these works, which have been identified and, it is hoped, nearly paid for, will commence? I and the people in my area need to know and would welcome the Minister to the House.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I ask that the issue of a school extension at Milltown National School, which is just outside Belturbet, County Cavan, be referred to the Minister for Education, Deputy McEntee, for an update. It requires an extension as its projected enrolment indicates it will not have classrooms to accommodate pupils for the 2026-27 school year. This extension needs to be started immediately. Any available space around the school has already been taken up with modular units. The stage 1 report was forwarded to the professional and technical team for review, a process which the school was told would take between three and six months. That timescale, however, has passed. The school has still not heard anything back and is getting nervous about it. It hoped that approval would issue to the design team to progress to the next stage. I am seeking an update on the project, specifically what stage it is at.
I will speak today to overseas development assistance, ODA. In recent weeks, in the early days of the Trump Administration, we have seen a cutting of USAID funding by approximately 50%, which has consisted of a complete cutting of staff overnight and a complete embargo on the implementation of humanitarian projects across the world. This week in the UK, Keir Starmer has brought the ODA of the UK Government down from 0.5% to 0.3%, which, according to BBC reports, will actually be 0.15% in practice because a lot of that funding will be used domestically.
I want to touch on what this means for people living in poverty across the world. We will have instances of extreme hunger, famine and increased deaths. In the context of women’s equality, as a consequence of these aid cuts, we will see an increase in early and child marriages, school drop-outs and fewer women being educated across the world. Equally, we will see a major change in how we address climate change and in resilience projects in some of the countries living with the most extreme impacts of climate change.
Ireland has always taken a proud stance on human rights, development and humanitarian aid. While we have been seen globally as leaders in this space, there is more we can do, particularly in the area of debt financing. We see countries that are basically spending the majority of their tax generated income on debt financing, which is a vicious cycle where they cannot spend their own funding and money on projects involving women’s equality, climate change adaptation or building resilience in their communities. Will the Minister of State for international development, Deputy Richmond, come to the Chamber for a debate on Ireland’s position on supporting the UN framework convention on sovereign debt to see our position on debt financing as a country as well as global tax justice?
There is an urgent need for the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, to prioritise the village of Fahan in County Donegal on the application of roads funding. Over the years, there has been a disproportionate number of accidents in the vicinity of the village because of the way the village is laid out. Cars and heavy vehicles tend to go through the village. More could be done by the authorities to improve the village in order that drivers realise much quicker that they are entering a village. The issue of road safety is compounded by the sheer volume of traffic through Derry and the other side of the Inishowen Peninsula. There has been a large number of traffic accidents in the vicinity of Fahan, although thankfully none of them have been fatal.
To highlight the pressing need for immediate action to address the speeding on the overall road safety through the village, there are added concerns for pedestrians walking and crossing the road. It can take a long time to cross the road and they are taking their lives in their own hands attempting to cross between traffic. Noise is another issue in this beautiful seaside town where the houses are built on the hill overlooking the beautiful Lough Swilly. The volume of traffic and weight of heavy vehicles in the village is very noisy.
Donegal County Council recently was allocated €42.4 million in funding for the roads. The Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, needs to prioritise the village of Fahan to support and implement the plan for the village. While there could be too many such deserving projects in the county, Fahan has fallen between the cracks in the political realities of not having its own councillor in its area. I am calling on the Minister to urgently address this issue to inform local residents, and indeed a former Member of this House, Catherine Noone, that this project is well overdue in Fahan. I am calling on the Minister to put a strategic plan together for Fahan and to try to work with the local community to see whether we can get something sorted.
I wish to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Donegal caused by the defective concrete blocks crisis. I was there myself recently and met with the families. It is absolutely devastating. We must consider the families, including the elderly and vulnerable within those families. They are trapped in homes that are structurally unsound and plagued by damp and mould. Children are actually at most risk and citizens are suffering from constant respiratory issues, while babies are exposed to hazardous spores in their own homes.
The mental health aspect of this is off the Richter scale and there has been new evidence that speaks to the impact on mental health the defective concrete blocks crisis has had. It definitely is a health crisis and cannot be ignored. Homeowners are unable to seal the cracks in their homes as doing so could disqualify them from remediation. As a result, these homes remain exposed to the elements, allowing pests to invade and making it impossible to keep them warm. The situation is both cruel and unacceptable and leaves families in dire conditions.
The impact extends beyond individual homes because essential community buildings, like shops, care homes and leisure facilities are also at risk, threatening the very fabric of towns and villages. We urgently need Government intervention. This includes a fully funded, science-led remediation scheme for all affected properties, immediate provision of modular homes for displaced families and the inclusion of all affected buildings in the remediation plan. We also need a dedicated strategy for social housing and the removal of current financial caps. This crisis has been ongoing for 14 years and it really has reached breaking point. It is vital to have an immediate solution to protect these families, communities and the economy of Donegal. Will the Minister give us an update as to what is going to happen and what the Government is going to do for the people of Donegal living in these horrific situations?
I raise an urgent issue that highlights the serious administration failures of the local authority purchase and renovation loan, LAPR. This scheme was announced last June and was intended to help families purchase and renovate their homes, especially where housing has been scarce. Eight months on, however, applicants are still facing delays, misinformation and uncertainty with no clear solution in sight. I will outline one particular case in my constituency. This family had their original local authority loan approved in March 2024 and found a house in Coolduff by July. Upon seeking advice from Cork County Council, they were advised to apply for the LAPR, which went live in July 2024.
They followed every instruction despite vague and unclear terminology. After months of back and forth, in November 2024 they were told they had verbal approval but were waiting for paperwork. By December, they had signed the contract with their vendor, securing the draw-down deadline which was approved for 31 January 2025. The final payment was due on 28 February. However, to date, despite receiving their loan, their mortgage package is stuck in limbo, waiting on the process between the local authority and Tailte Éireann with no clear completion. The family risks losing its deposit if the vendor withdraws. Their landlord has extended their lease out of goodwill but this is not sustainable for the family. The family has three young children. They are living in a state of constant anxiety and the threat of homelessness.
Today, I request an urgent debate with the Minister for housing on the issues with the LAPR loan. Why are there such extreme delays despite it having been introduced eight months ago? Why was no legal framework prepared before launching the scheme? What is being done to ensure people who have applied for this do not risk homelessness? What is being done to ensure applicants, such as the family I have highlighted, can be approved? I urge this House to demand accountability and immediate action. If we are serious about tackling housing issues we cannot allow broken administrative processes to fail good policies.
I raise an issue in my home town of Macroom in County Cork. I seek an update on the status of a new building for the Youthreach Further Education and Training Centre in the town. I ask the House to invite the Minister for further and higher education to the Chamber to discuss this. I have raised this as a Commencement matter but I understand a high volume of matters have been submitted and this has not been selected. I will raise it again but I mention it today because of the urgency of the situation.
For more than 20 years the Youthreach building in Macroom has not been fit for purpose. It has little to no insulation, the roof is not fire-proofed, there is mould throughout the building and there are problems with rodents. These are only some of the many issues I could highlight. Youthreach provides an invaluable service to young people in Macroom and the surrounding areas. It is a great testament to the wonderful staff that they continue to provide such high standards of education in these dire conditions. As well as coming from the town, students come from as far as Kanturk in north Cork, Balingeary to the west of Macroom, Lissarda to the east of Macroom and Kenmare in County Kerry. A quarter come from IPAS centres, with 20% members of the Traveller community and another 20% with an ASD diagnosis. We are failing these young people by providing them with an inadequate building in which to learn.
The team there had been advised that a new building would be ready by September 2024. This did not come to fruition. They still wait for confirmation on whether this proposed new building has been acquired. I call on the Minister to come to the House to address this matter and guarantee that an adequate facility will be provided to match the standard and level of education being provided to the students by Youthreach.
I support the previous call in regard to our dry stone walls. There might be some role for the Heritage Council or ETBs on traditional skills. It is part of our vernacular heritage and we have a vernacular strategy. I support that call.
I raise a matter relating to the other COP, that is, COP16. We are all familiar with the climate talks but the biodiversity talks, COP16, have resumed in Rome this week following a breakdown of talks in Cali in Colombia. I was present at those talks. It was a farcical situation unfortunately, where many from small and developing states or countries had to return home because they did not have the money to stay in the hotels. It is something the Irish Government tried to help with at the time. However, it left it in disarray. We have a real challenge. The Rome talks have resumed, against a backdrop of increasing biodiversity loss, degradation of habitats and a collapse in many species through deforestation and resource exploitation. As has been raised before around ODA and the climate crisis, these are all inter-related. There is the cutting of aid programmes, which also support biodiversity, agro-ecology and indigenous peoples. These people see nature not as nice to have, like we do, but essential to their survival.
We are at war with nature and it is time we called a truce. COP16 is the mechanism by which we can make and keep pledges to halt biodiversity loss and restore nature on land and in our rivers and seas. There is a small Irish delegation there, I understand, but no Minister is attending. I think there is very poor attendance by ministers generally. There is not much hope there among delegates that there will be any outcomes, particularly on financial mechanisms and ways to fund it. I would welcome a meaningful debate in this Chamber on an all-island basis, looking at biodiversity and where the opportunities lie for Ireland. There is a lot we can be positive about. We showed a lot of leadership in developing our national biodiversity action plan and supporting and leading on the nature restoration law in Europe. However, as we have heard from previous speakers, all those elements around nature and climate are being rowed back on as well as ODA. It is something on which Ireland can continue to show leadership. I hope we can have a meaningful debate about biodiversity in Ireland and look at it on an all-island basis.
I want to state my deep concern about over spending and wastage of public funds. We have seen printers that do not fit into rooms, great walls, spenny security huts and astronomical bike sheds. The phase "an embarrassment of riches" comes to mind with the emphasis on "embarrassment". When will this parody of public spending end? You could not make it up.
Today, I want to zone in on funding of the arts in particular. I share the concerns of Praxis: The Artists Union of Ireland about the over spending on the failed IT system, the estimated cost of which was €6.7 million with a loss of €5.3 million. This needs to be investigated. We need to ensure this does not affect spending in the arts and investing in our great artists and new talent in the arts across Ireland. I was contacted by a visual artist, Billy Lingwood, from Cork city recently. He pointed out that €7 million could fund 1,400 agility awards for individual artists across the country, or it could fund between 350 to 1,400 bursary awards. There are larger awards of between €5,000 and €20,000 to fund more high-calibre project realisations. It really is a kick in the teeth to artists applying for funding for projects but who are being rejected or told there is not enough money there to see this wastage in the arts sector and in public spending in general. That is without mentioning the need for artists to have a basic income in this country. I call on the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, to address the issue and discuss how artists will be better supported in Ireland.
This morning as I was coming in, I thought about next week and International Women’s Day. For the last four years in this House, and this year will be the fifth, it will be a day off for the boys and us women will be up talking about equality for women, including many women who do not have a clue about some of the inequalities that women on the margins of society go through - women who are homeless, who are escaping domestic violence and who struggle every day to feed their children as they live in the depths of poverty. These are women who do not have equality of opportunity and who are lucky enough to end up in the Houses of the Oireachtas or any big job or role in society. I have said so many times that it is not about taking from women who are rich, have had the best education and have equality of opportunity to be successful in all walks of life but it is about giving women on the edges of society a hand up. It is about reaching out to those women and bringing them with them. We are all talk in this House, and now will be the fifth year, with statements that do not do anything meaningful for women who are homeless, who are escaping domestic violence and who are living in poverty, etc.
I am seeking a debate on women's health in this country and what we can do to make the health system a little more bearable for women. We need a health service that all women can trust, whether for psychological or medical help, etc. I ask every man in the House to be mindful next week. It is not up to women alone to debate women's rights. Men also have a part to play. Next week, I would welcome the male Senators taking part in the discussion on women's rights.
Ar an gcéad dul síos, tacaím go hiomlán leis an Seanadóir Cosgrove as an méid a dúirt sí faoin saghas stailce atá ar siúl inniu maidir le comhphobal na Gaeilge agus muintir na Gaeltachta. The ad hoc strike of 40 or more organisations is taking place today mar tá a ladar curtha isteach ag an DUP i Rialtas Thuaisceart na hÉireann. It has stuck its oar in to obstruct the payment of €820,000 to Foras na Gaeilge. Effectively, unless there is cross-Border unity on this matter, the money will not be disbursed. I am asking every Member of the House to go back to his or her party and bring instant and formidable pressure on the parties to ensure this does not remain behind the door and that the money is released to the organisations around the country that so desperately need it for the housekeeping matters itemised by Senator Cosgrove in her contribution.
I am sometimes at a loss to know why this business of the Gaeilge is brought up as a type of meme or a Luddite attitude, perhaps most significantly among the DUP north of the Border. It seems that the DUP uses the Irish language as a sort of cultural meme to slap down uppity Taigs who are pursuing their cultural identity. Many people in these Houses would agree when I say that the days of slapping down uppity Taigs are long gone. We should put pressure on the logjam here to release the money and let those organisations that so desperately need it get the airgead atá tuillte acu.
I wish to raise the Planning and Development Act. It is a substantial document and runs to 870 pages. It was signed by Uachtarán na hÉireann on 17 September 2024. It is now almost March. I understand that people have even had a difficulty getting a hard copy of the Act. It is still in the preparation stage. I need to clarify that and the Leader might check it out because it is important that we have the document. It also needs to be translated into Irish, which is standard and right, and should happen. This is one of the biggest pieces of legislation that ever went through the Houses of the Oireachtas. A sizeable amount of time was spent discussing the legislation in this House, the Dáil and at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government. The next thing we need is to see a schedule of the plans for its implementation. Peppered through the commitments in the programme for Government are references to the detail of the Planning and Development Act. We talk about a town-centred approach and slicker and more embraced planning issues. We need to fast-track planning. We need to take away the obstacles to housing and commercial development.
We also need to examine the IT systems of An Bord Pleanála and the millions of euro that have been spent by that body. We still do not have the full roll-out of a functional IT setup for An Bord Pleanála. That is ongoing and I have been pursuing the issue in recent days. I intend to revisit the issue in the House next week. I ask the Leader if we can see the full publication of the hard copy version of the legislation. Can we have a timeline for the schedule of the sections that are going to be rolled out? That is important.
I raise a matter that is close to my heart. I met constituents on Monday, the parents of Mike Henry Benson. He was diagnosed with scoliosis. His parents, Penny and Michael, have been battling for their son in recent years, seeking to have the case heard and to get adequate treatment. Mike Henry has neurological impairment, scoliosis and type 2 respiratory failure. He is on oxygen every day and by night is on respiratory support.
For the information of Members, they are entitled to bring up any topic on the Order of Business. However, there is a balance between the public interest and people's rights. It has happened before that information has been brought up but families did not want it brought up. I want Senators to be conscious of that when they are speaking.
I am speaking with the permission of the family. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his contribution. The situation they are asking to be highlighted and addressed relates to a second opinion. Crumlin children's hospital has stated that it cannot operate on Mike Henry. The family is desperate for a second opinion. I am asking that we write to the Minister for Health so we can discuss the matter. I am making representations offline. I am asking that we fight for Mike Henry in this difficult situation for his family. All they want is a second opinion other than the assessment of those in Crumlin children's hospital. They are seeking a second opinion from abroad, perhaps from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children or specialists in the US. I ask that we write to the Minister on the issue. I will do whatever I can to support this family. I hope we can at least give the family some hope in what is an extremely difficult situation.
I thank all Senators for their contributions. Senator O'Loughlin raised the matters of roads funding and bridge rehabilitation works. She asked for more specific funding for bridges. She will have an opportunity to raise the issue with the Minister. I will try to organise a debate on roads funding at some stage. The Senator also raised the issue of agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, payments, which has been ongoing for a number of years. Delayed payments have created challenges for farmers who expect payments that do not come. I will raise the matter with the Minister, Deputy Heydon.
The Senator also asked for a debate on issues pertaining to animal welfare. She mentioned the great work done by the My Lovely Horse charity. I commend all the animal charities. I know that the supports they get from the Department of agriculture, as well as some of the local authorities, have increased in recent years.
Senator Brady raised the issue of TB, which I know is a scourge on farm communities and causes great upset in the many cases where a large number of animals have to be culled from a herd because of positive testing. The Senator raised issues and sought some information. Perhaps he could ask a Deputy to submit a parliamentary question in respect of the figures. Otherwise he could raise the matter with the Cathaoirleach as a Commencement debate. I will certainly discuss the matter with the Minister for agriculture. I know it is a serious issue.
Senators Craughwell and Higgins raised the issue of the triple lock. They have a difference of opinion on the issue, which is right and healthy. We will try to get a debate on the issue. Senator Craughwell again raised the issue of search and rescue. I will try to arrange for a Minister to come to the House on that issue.
Senator Conor Murphy talked about the great funding being provided under the shared island fund and cross-Border initiatives. He talked about branding, collaboration and amalgamation in respect of North-South tourism products. Perhaps the North-South Ministerial Council could have a role and I will raise the matter with the Ministers in question.
Luaigh an Seanadóir Cosgrove rudaí maidir le maoiniú Fhoras na Gaeilge agus d’aontaigh an Seanadóir Conway léi freisin. Mar iarAire Stáit na Gaeltachta, tá na fadhbanna atá ann leis na blianta anuas maidir le maoiniú Fhoras na Gaeilge ar eolas agam. Nuair nach raibh an Tionól sa Tuaisceart ag feidhmiú thar na blianta, bhí fadhb ansin. Tá fadhb eile ann anois, áfach, mar gheall ar an mbac atá an DUP ag cur ar an maoiniú seo.
Níl sé féaráilte do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Tá an t-airgead anseo ag an Rialtas chun caitheamh ar son na Gaeilge agus ar son grúpaí áitiúla. Ba cheart go mbeadh muid in ann an t-airgead sin a chaitheamh. Beidh deis ag Seanadóirí é seo a lua leis an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, a bheidh sa Teach an tseachtain seo chugainn maidir le ráitis do Sheachtain na Gaeilge.
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins talked about climate matters and the ten hottest years on the record over the last ten years. She talked about her concern about the downgrading of the EU's role in climate issues. The Clean Industry Deal looked at three challenges: climate change, competitiveness and the dependency on critical raw materiels. It is an issue in the EU and I know it is dealing with it. Perhaps we will get an opportunity to deal with matters of climate change over the coming weeks as well.
Senator Rabbitte talked about safe routes to school and active travel. She rightly stated that certain minority groups and vulnerable people should have rights as well in relation to day care centres or respite houses. I totally agree. I will raise that with the Minister.
Senator Murphy, supported by Senator Malcolm Noonan, raised the matters of built heritage and stone walls. Galway, Clare, Mayo and Roscommon are synonymous with stone walls. They are a wonderful part of our heritage, going back hundreds of years. It is a shame to see those stone walls being flattened by storms. As was said, there may be elderly farmers who may not be in a position to restore them. I will discuss that with the Minister, Deputy Martin Heydon, and see if he and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, can come up with something on that.
Senator Keogan called for a debate on housing and how it relates to immigration and migration. I will seek a debate on that matter at the earliest opportunity. Senator Kennelly raised the issue of flooding along the River Feale last November and its significant impact on the town of Listowel and other areas. I ask the Senator to put down a Commencement matter to get a direct response. We will get the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, in at the earliest opportunity but if the Senator wants a specific reply on that matter, it might be an idea to put down a Commencement matter on it.
Senator Tully asked about a school extension. Again, it might be in order to put down a Commencement matter. I will also try to raise the matter directly with the Minister.
Senator Stephenson talked about overseas aid, debt funding and debt forgiveness, and it would be great if it were possible across the world. She is right that it does put a significant burden on countries' ability to use their own resources. Therefore, they become more reliant on overseas aid, which has been cut by the United States and by certain other governments from time to time. I agree that if something could be done internationally on debt forgiveness, it would make a huge difference. I will ask the Minister to come into the House at some stage on that matter, or Senator Stephenson could put it down as a Commencement matter.
Senator Boyle raised a specific issue in the village of Fahan. It might be an idea to raise this directly with the local authority. I am unsure whether he is talking about national, regional or council roads. Clearly, there is a need for a comprehensive plan. It might be best to raise that directly with the directors of services in Donegal County Council in the first instance.
Senator Black called for a debate on the defective concrete blocks grant. There is a scheme there, which is working in some case, but clearly there is a lot more that needs to be done. I will ask the Minister to come in as part of an overall discussion on housing.
Senator Ryan talked about the local authority purchase and renovation loan and called for the Minister to come into the House. I will mention that as well. Senator Lynch talked about the status of a building identified for Youthreach in Macroom. I know the Senator put down a Commencement matter. Maybe she could put one down again because it is the quickest way to get a direct response on a specific issue within her area.
Senator Noonan made an important contribution regarding the COP16 biodiversity talks and called for a debate on biodiversity. I will ask Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, to come in and speak on that. Senator Harmon talked about her concern for artists and that they may suffer because of issues in the Arts Council and the overspending. The previous Government introduced the basic income for artists. It is important that is continued. It is being looked at. It was brought in as a pilot and it is being reviewed. It is important that is maintained and continued. Regarding funding of the Arts Council, it has responsibility on how it spends the funding. It chose to spend €6 million in that manner. I am sure it was not its intention and that it got out of hand. Clearly, responsibility lies with it. We will have the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, here at some stage to speak on the Arts Council.
Senator Flynn requested a debate on women's health. There will be a debate next week. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, will be in to talk on women's health to mark International Women's Day. There will be an opportunity then and hopefully some men will turn up as well, if we are allowed in on that occasion, although I am sure we will be. I have addressed Senator Conway.
Senator Boyhan talked about the Planning and Development Act and asked specific questions about implementation and getting a hard copy of this Act. I will try to get information on those matters for him. Senator Duffy raised the very difficult case of young Mike Henry. My heart goes out to his family. I am not qualified to give an opinion on a specific medical case. I suggest Senator Duffy raise it directly with Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to see what can be done. I can only imagine the heartbreak of parents in how to look after young Mike Henry, and I certainly hope progress can be made on this matter soon.