Mary Lou McDonald
Question:9. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [49698/22]
View answerTuesday, 25 October 2022
Questions (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
Bríd Smith
Question:10. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [51716/22]
View answer
Ivana Bacik
Question:11. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [52892/22]
View answer
Mick Barry
Question:12. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [53212/22]
View answer
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:13. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [53227/22]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:14. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [53230/22]
View answer
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:15. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the well-being framework for Ireland overseen by his Department. [53310/22]
View answerOral answers (13 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 15, inclusive, together.
The well-being framework is a programme for Government commitment to measure how we are doing overall as a country and improve our understanding of quality of life in Ireland. It does this by bringing economic, societal and environmental impacts together under one framework. It also places a particular focus on equality and sustaining well-being into the future.
In June, the Government published a second report on Ireland's well-being framework, Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-being Framework. This report outlines the longer term approach for integrating the framework into the Irish policymaking system over time. Alongside the second report, a high-level analysis of the well-being dashboard, which is hosted by the Central Statistics Office, was also published. This provides a medium-term, holistic view of quality of life in Ireland. Overall, the dashboard provides a positive picture of the country, as Ireland performs well in 21 of the 35 indicators. Only one dimension reveals a negative overall picture, namely, the environment, climate and biodiversity dimension.
This year, the well-being framework and the high-level analysis fed into the budgetary process. It was a theme at the national economic dialogue in June, and the analysis featured in the summer economic statement and as part of budget day documents. This will now be an annual contribution to the budgetary process that will support a broader discussion of the impacts of budgetary decisions. Work is ongoing in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on how to further integrate the framework into policymaking and expenditure decisions.
It is important that further integration is progressed in a measured and coherent way and implemented gradually. Over time, the framework can help inform policymakers take a more rounded view, based on evidence, of what determines quality of life in Ireland beyond just economic growth.
Ireland's well-being framework is a laudable initiative. The limitations of GDP as a measurement of a country's progress has long been acknowledged. As with any initiative, it can be judged only by the positive outcomes it delivers for society. Like equity budgeting, we have yet to see what tangible benefits and realisation of rights it will deliver. What impact, for example, will the framework have for people living in residential services for people with disabilities, who contributed to the HIQA report on resident forums published today? HIQA's report includes the distressing confirmation that residents want to get out of residential settings and live in the community but there is nowhere for them to live on their own.
On Sunday, my party leader, Deputy McDonald, met Geraldine Lavelle, who, as a result of collision when out cycling nine years ago, suffered a spinal fracture that left her paralysed from the chest down. After her rehabilitation, Geraldine moved into a congregated setting for what she thought would be a number of months in order to adjust to life with her injury. Eight years later, she is still there, with no indication of when appropriate social housing will be provided for her. She rightly believes that everybody needs a place to call home and that segregated settings do not feel like a home.
Frameworks are not worth the paper they are written on if people's lived experiences are not front and centre and if the State's failure to provide for them is not addressed. How will the framework deliver for Geraldine and the contributors to HIQA's resident forums?
The Taoiseach will agree that access to women's reproductive healthcare is essential to well-being, in particular that of women and girls. I say this as we mark this week the tenth anniversary of the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar. Of course, since then, we have seen the repeal of the eighth amendment and the introduction of very welcome abortion legislation in this jurisdiction. The announcement yesterday by the UK's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that the British Government would commission abortion services is welcome but also long overdue because women have for so long been denied access to basic healthcare.
I was glad to attend today the timely launch by the National Women's Council of Ireland of the new report Every Woman, setting out an overview of access to reproductive healthcare and choice for all. This report highlights the continued gaps in abortion healthcare, even in this jurisdiction. We in the Labour Party put forward a submission to the public consultation on the review of our abortion laws in March, calling for the repeal of the three-day waiting period and for better geographic coverage so that women in all counties can access services.
I was glad to launch the conference of the Southern Taskgroup on Abortion and Reproductive Topics, START, on 1 October. START is a group of doctors providing front-line services that was initiated by Cork-based GPs, obstetricians and gynaecologists. Doctors are seeking to ensure there is a stronger network across the country, and we are seeking to ensure strengthened access to reproductive healthcare once the review has concluded. Given that the consultation closed on 1 April, can the Taoiseach say when we will see progress on the reform of our abortion law to ensure greater access for women?
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The Government's target is to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030, or 62,500 homes a year, but so far this year only 681 homes have been approved and only 89 retrofits completed. It is safe to say the Government is about a million miles off target at this point and that is no surprise. If people are asked under the scheme to fork out €10,000, €20,000, €30,000 or €40,000 upfront in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, this is what the Government is going to get. There should be no upfront charges. The cost should be covered by the State, with people paying back a portion, based on ability to pay.
Someone once said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. When is the Government going to change its policy on this issue?
The well-being framework rightly points to access to housing as a key component of well-being. For the more than 100 residents of Tathony House, an apartment complex in Dublin 8 with 35 households of workers, families and many children, their well-being was seriously shattered by an eviction notice from their landlord threatening the mass eviction of the entire block. Shockingly, the person who owns this property, who the residents estimate is probably making an annual income of about €700,000 a year, is trying to claim financial hardship as a justification for a mass eviction, which just tells us about some of the landlord class in this country.
The residents - I put this to the Taoiseach, as we have done with St. Helen's Court in Dún Laoghaire and other cases where tenants have faced eviction through no fault of their own - are asking that the State step in and buy that block to ensure there is no mass eviction of these tenants. That should be a systematic policy pursued by the Government. We just cannot have a situation where, again and again, ruthless, profit-hungry landlords, just to make money, can threaten people with mass eviction into homelessness, with all the suffering, hardship and trauma that involves. I hope the Taoiseach will take seriously that request.
On Sunday, I joined workers protesting outside Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. They have been protesting over the last few weeks about the implementation of parking charges for them.
The cost will amount to at least €600 annually for many of the workers, which they will have to pay just to come to their place of work. If they cannot find a space in the limited staff car park and have to use the customer car park, this could rise to more than €2,000. Effectively, this a pay cut for these workers. They are 100% right to campaign and fight against it. Liffey Valley should be forced to offer free parking for its staff, as it has up until now. If it wants to encourage workers to take public transport, it should be covering public travel passes. Does the Taoiseach agree that it is disgusting that Hines, the real estate investment trust that owns Liffey Valley and that has more than €3.7 billion worth of assets in management in Ireland, is trying to squeeze even more profit out of these workers?
Deputy Brady raised the specific case of Ms Geraldine Lavelle. I am not familiar with the case in its entirety. I agree, however, that the more independent living services and facilities we can provide, the better. As the Deputy knows, we have different opinions from time to time in terms of closing residential care or evolving people from a residential care environment or integrated care setting to a home care setting. This approach has often created challenges for the services, particularly in terms of chronically sick young people or young people who, for a variety of reasons, have disabilities arising from accidents and so forth. There was a need for a resourced home care-based approach or independent living-based approach, which has been developed over a long period. I do not have the specifics of the case but the principle of facilitating independent living is accepted. Resources have been allocated on an annual and incremental basis. I am not familiar with this individual case. The Deputy stated that eight years have passed and that an appropriate setting has still not been provided, which is not satisfactory for that person.
Deputy Bacik raised the issue of access to woman's reproductive services and the work of the National Women's Council of Ireland, which published a report earlier. I outlined previously in the House, in the past week or so, where we are on that in terms of the Minister's various initiatives from a research strand to a consultation strand. That is nearing completion. I will voice the opinion in the interim that there is an obligation on the HSE and all maternity hospitals to provide access under the Act. I am concerned that some hospitals have still not done that. I accept that there can be individual conscientious objections, but it is then a matter for the hospital or the HSE to provide enough resources to accommodate this in given situations in order that there is a maximum of access to legally available services in the State. I will raise the issues raised by the Deputy with the Minister for Health. However, I did outline to Deputy Bacik last week the exact timelines for the review of the legislation that is under way and that will come to finality fairly soon.
Deputy Barry raised the issue of retrofitting. I do not know if the Deputy was in the Chamber during the Order of Business. I am told that the article is not correct. I have been informed by the Department that 29,000 have actually been completed. They are on target in terms of the retrofitting of homes. The article's reference to a figure of 89 related to a specific scheme involving the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, which was only started in February. It is achieving its targets, however. In fact, applications were up 150% this year after the announcement of the new scheme. It is very much on target. We must accelerate the numbers even further in order to meet the 2026 target, which is very high indeed. I will get those figures for the Deputy as they were presented to me. The note I received indicates that the article was mistaken and incorrect. It is certainly not reflective of the progress that has been made. I also heard it being quoted this morning on radio. Apparently, it is an incorrect article based on incorrect information. I stand to be corrected if that is the case but I think we need to bring clarity to it. The Department gave me that information. This is difficult for the Deputy; he made a presentation based on the article. I am told it is not grounded in the reality of what is happening, however.
Deputy Boyd Barrett raised a specific issue. I did not get the name of the building.
It is called Tathony House in Dublin 8.
I am not familiar with the background to that case in terms of the notice that issued to all 35 tenants.
Households.
I do not know whether the Deputy has spoken or written to the Minister in respect of this.
Letters have gone to both.
I do not know what the local authority's view is with regard to this matter. In the first instance, the local authority has to respond if it feels it is the right approach and, indeed, the Minister as well. There are various frameworks to try to get issues like this resolved. I do not know what the situation is in respect of the owner. I do not know the background at all, but I will raise the matter with the Minister.
Deputy Paul Murphy referred to Liffey Valley employees and the car park. This matter has been raised consistently in the House. These issues should be resolved through the normal employer-employee labour relations mechanisms. It does seem to be a very odd dispute. In my view, both sides should take steps to resolve this in the interests of all concerned. The public will be somewhat taken aback by what is occurring. Again, I do not have the full detailed background to the matter. I urge both sides to get into a process to get it resolved.