There are many commitments in the programme for Government on the health service, particularly in terms of additional recruitment of nurses. As the Taoiseach knows, the INMO has decided to ballot on industrial action. What I want to bring to the Taoiseach's attention is that one of the key issues facing our hospitals is the fact there are more than 1,000 vacancies in terms of nurses and midwives, which is an extraordinary number. After the latest recruitment drive by the HSE to address these vacancies only 85 positions were filled. This is an incredible outcome and will impact on our ability to deal with waiting lists, waiting times and the quality of care. The vacancies are in key areas such as intensive care, paediatrics and theatre nurses, where the turnover is significant. In short, there is a manpower issue in terms of nursing. There is an overreliance on agency nursing. With regard to the commitment in the programme for Government, how does the Taoiseach intend to address this core issue of 1,000 vacancies on the front line?
Questions on Promised Legislation
The Minister has the budget to be able to recruit significant numbers of nurses. There is a pressure point here because nurses coming out of training from the 13 centres in Ireland are very much in demand because of their quality, integrity and capability, and Deputy Martin knows this. I happened to be in NUI Galway recently at a graduation, and all 60 nurses who came through the graduation are staying in Ireland. We have 13 centres for providing nurse training and, as Deputy Martin is aware, they are under pressure from opportunities being offered in Great Britain, the Middle East and Australia. It is always a real challenge. The Minister and the HSE were disappointed that they did not get the numbers they thought they might to come back, but they are working on it very assiduously.
The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016 will be introduced in the Seanad next week. It contains no measures on rent certainty. However, given the highly concerning figures for the third quarter of 2016, will the Taoiseach commit to amending the Bill? Given Deputy Micheál Martin and his crocodile tears this morning, will he commit to supporting this? The average monthly rent is now €1,077. The Government is failing those in the rental sector. Rent certainty would put a brake on the unaffordable rent increases thousands of people face. We have enough of lip service and platitudes. Will the Taoiseach commit to amending the Bill to include rent certainty that is so desperately needed by so many households?
I am committed to ensuring that the Minister brings forward a comprehensive rent strategy to the House in the next number of weeks. Last week we cleared a housing Bill in Cabinet and it is going to the Seanad next week. A comprehensive rent strategy is a different matter and that will be in here in the next couple of weeks.
Will it include rent certainty?
Yes. It will deal with stability and certainty, as I have outlined to the House.
It will be ready in a couple of weeks.
The tragedy - indeed the horror story - that is the Grace case in the south east of our country is known to all Deputies and has been raised by several Deputies across the House. When will the unpublished reports within the purview of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, be published? When will legislation to establish a commission of inquiry into the case be brought before the House?
I cannot answer the question but I will consult the Minister on it. Deputy Howlin will be aware that, following the raising of the matter by Deputies Deasy and McGuinness, the last Government made a decision to hold a commission of investigation in the House. The Dignam report was commissioned and that recommended that two legal matters be dealt with sequentially. That has been done and the Minister published the report. He has made a commitment to Cabinet to come back with the terms of reference for the commission of investigation as soon as possible and I would expect this to be within weeks. I will advise Deputy Howlin in due course.
The programme for Government refers to the Citizens' Assembly. Is the Taoiseach perfectly happy with the composition and independence of the Citizens' Assembly? Many people throughout the country believe that 100 people can never accurately represent our estimated 3.3 million voters across the Twenty-six Counties and many rural counties, including my own of Tipperary, are not represented at all. Is the Taoiseach happy with that situation? Is the Taoiseach aware that at least 40% of the experts chosen by him to guide the representatives are in fact campaigners and cannot seriously be seen as unbiased?
The Deputy is straying beyond proposed legislation.
I am not straying. This is in the programme for Government and it is very important. The Citizens' Assembly takes away from the sovereignty of this House and two of the five members of the expert advisory group are pro-choice campaigners, though I have no qualms about the judge. This is not fair, nor is it open and transparent. It is totally biased.
I have answered questions on this already. This was not done on the basis of selection from each individual county. There was a tender process for a properly constructed polling company to do this work. It is not a reflection on the good people of Tipperary that somebody from that county was not chosen.
Or Kerry, or Sligo.
The Citizens' Assembly comprises 99 citizens under the direction of Ms Justice Mary Laffoy. They have also had to inquire as to whether others might do the job in case some of the first 99 chosen get ill.
Or have to step down.
I cannot tell the Deputy whether any of those are from Tipperary or if they might be called into action. It was an authentic tender process and, while other counties were also not represented, it was completely above board.
What about the second part of the question?
The Deputy has asked his question. He must resume his seat.
I asked about the fact that 40% of the expert panel were biased. This is the most important part of the question but the Taoiseach has refused to answer it. If he answers the question, I will resume my seat.
The Taoiseach has answered the question.
He has not answered the question.
On a point of order-----
The Deputy cannot raise a point of order on questions on promised legislation.
Are we not meant to be taken fourth?
If the Deputy has a question on promised legislation, I will take it. If he has not, we will proceed.
I have a question on legislation. I will ask my other question later as I think we should be taken fourth but we are consistently not taken fourth.
I call all parties that have indicated. I am sorry if I do not call them in a manner that is satisfactory to the Deputy.
There is no problem with the biggest party being called, and then the second and third.
For the Deputy's information, I call people as they indicate. I am not divinely inspired.
The Ceann Comhairle can take it that we will always indicate. My question relates to the housing Bill and to what the Taoiseach referred to as the comprehensive rents strategy. Is the Taoiseach saying that rent controls will be included in the comprehensive rents strategy which he proposes to introduce in the next few weeks? The Government needs to take a hard look at itself in terms of its housing strategy in light of, on the one hand, the highest ever annual increase in rents on record and, on the other hand, the massive increase in homelessness that was whispered out by the Department last week at the same time as only 237 social houses have been built. Is it the Government's intention to bring in rent controls and a ban on economic evictions and to seriously invest in building social houses?
The Minister has already outlined the figures in respect of returning voids to habitable use, to the impact of the funding provided to local authorities to purchase and build houses-----
That has nothing to do with rents.
-----and to the proposed comprehensive rents strategy. The rents strategy, the detail of which I do not wish to pre-empt, will, as I outlined this morning, refer to stability and greater certainty in terms of rents and renting by landlords for longer periods to give families a greater degree of security and certainty.
The programme for Government commits to a health service for everyone. There were 51 people on trolleys last night in a centre of excellence in Galway city. I make no apologies for raising this issue. The Taoiseach visited Galway city and said at that time that the accident and emergency department is not fit for purpose, as did the leader of Fianna Fáil. I call on the Taoiseach to step outside the mantra of the rhetoric he is using in his replies and tell me that he cannot stand over 51 patients on trolleys in that centre of excellence and to also tell me that the Minister for Health will visit the hospital with a view to taking a hands-on approach to a solution to this problem. What is the status of the promised accident and emergency department and the plans for a new hospital given the statement by the clinical director of the hospital that the hospital is No. 1 on the risk register?
The Deputy has asked me to confirm the status of a new accident and emergency department and a new hospital. A new accident and emergency department was built at Wexford hospital, which is in Deputy Howlin's constituency.
I asked the Taoiseach to express outrage that there were 51 people on trolleys.
I will be obliged to turn towards the Ceann Comhairle if Deputy Connolly continues to interrupt me. There are no trolleys in the emergency department at Wexford hospital. For the first time since I became a Member of this House, two or three days ago there were no trolleys in use at Beaumont Hospital. That is significant progress in terms of management and so on. The Minister for Health is visiting all hospitals. For the information of Members he does not always advertise what hospital he will be visiting on a particular day because the story is that hospitals are moving patients because he is due to arrive. Deputy Connolly can expect the Minister in Galway, where, as she will be aware, there is extensive building work underway.
The Deputy has asked me to confirm a new accident and emergency department and a new hospital in Merlin Park-----
I asked the Taoiseach to comment on 51 people on trolleys.
I am glad that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, is in the House. It is stated on page 48 of the programme for Government that the Government will actively encourage payments at post offices. Earlier today at a local post office in County Kerry a woman informed the post office clerk that she will no longer be availing of the post office's services as her jobseeker's allowance payment, up to now paid to her by cheque by the Department of Social Protection, will no longer be made to her by cheque as the Department is no longer issuing cheques. I was informed by the Kenmare social welfare office in County Kerry that the instruction not to issue any more cheques was issued in March 2016, leaving recipients no option but to have their payments paid into their bank accounts. This will result in the closure of post offices.
The Minister has up to now been helpful in terms of listening to what I have to say about payments to post offices. I am asking him to act in this matter. I know his heart is in the right place but will he act accordingly?
I thank Deputy Michael Healy-Rae for raising this important issue. I can assure him that the Government is committed to the post office network and to continued use of it. People in receipt of regular weekly social welfare payments have a choice. They can either have their payments paid into their bank accounts or receive them at their post office.
I have issued a directive to staff to ensure they do not actively encourage anyone to go for a bank account over the post office and the Deputy has seen that. What the Deputy is referring to is something that occurred only in the first few weeks or around the time of the change of Government in respect of what are called casual jobseekers, that is, those who are in part-time employment who also receive jobseeker's allowance. In those cases, the Department no longer issues cheques and instead payments are made directly into accounts.
This was today.
If the Deputy wants to give me the details, I will follow it up.
I want to raise an issue on behalf of young farmers who were encouraged into farming, to get their green certs at a cost of €3,000 and who leased very expensive land on six year leases to qualify for what they thought were the entitlements that were going to be given to them. The scheme was opened in 2015 but even though it was supposed to be open again in 2016, that has not happened. I had a response from the Minister this morning in relation to 2017 and it is not very encouraging. These people are desperate. They are young farmers with very little money who are committed to very expensive leases with no entitlements or support. I ask the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister for Agriculture and Food to resolve this.
I am not sure whether that is covered by a requirement for legislation, but if the Deputy provides me with the detail of the nature of the cases he is talking about, I will have it taken up with the Minister for Agriculture and Food.
It is in the programme for Government.
My apologies to the eight other Deputies who had indicated but the time has elapsed.