Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 2 Feb 2023

Vol. 1032 No. 6

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Deputy Pearse Doherty

Today, the European Central Bank is going to raise its interest rate again by another half a percentage point. This means there has been a 3% increase since June 2022, and it will have an immediate impact on those with tracker mortgages. Approximately 200,000 households are in this position. There are also tens of thousands of borrowers with other mortgages who have had their mortgages sold off to vulture funds. Many of these are now facing interest rates of 7.5%, and this will increase again in March to about 8%. These people have no option to fix their mortgage rates and to go on to one of the different options the banks have because the vulture funds do not offer this. Despite these people having been reassured time and again that vulture funds provided the same protections and safeguards as the banks, this is not the case. These increases since June, then, are going to add thousands of euro to these people's annual repayments and they are already under pressure as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

I am, therefore, asking the Tánaiste to introduce a timely, temporary and targeted mortgage interest relief.

It can be done by introducing a relief that would absorb a portion of the interest costs that have been incurred since June. It is sensible. Will the Tánaiste commit to reviewing and looking at an interest relief?

The Tánaiste

Obviously, budgetary matters in the first instance will be considered by the Minister for Finance. Across Europe, interest rates have been rising. The ECB has hiked its key policy interest rates by 2.5% since last July. Individual lenders will respond as to whether they will pass on these increases. To date, retail banks have increased fixed rates for new or switching customers but have not increased their variable rates. Some non-bank lenders have raised variable interest rates. We will keep the issue under review. The average interest rate on new mortgages in Ireland is now 2.57%. The average across the eurozone is 2.84%. Ireland's rates are now the third lowest in the euro area, after Malta and France. That is poor consolation for those who have had increases in interest rates because of the inflationary macroeconomic environment we are currently experiencing.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I express my solidarity with PayPal employees and staff at Google, all of whom are anxiously awaiting news about prospective job losses this week. It is a worrying time for those in similar positions. It is just the latest in a series of announcements of layoffs and redundancies across the tech sector worldwide. It is not just in the tech sector; I met just this week with employees of Argos in my constituency who are also facing similar news. Workers and their families will pay a high price in these cases. Will the Government initiate a review on the effect of job losses, particularly those being announced in the tech sector, for indigenous businesses and jobs here? This will affect local cafés and bakeries, cleaning services and legal services. We are conscious that job losses in tech will have a knock-on effect in other sectors too. All of us are very conscious of the concern and uncertainty for those affected.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Simon Coveney)

I am happy to take this question, if that is okay. I reassure the Deputy that we are following what is happening at the moment very closely. We are speaking to many tech companies at a senior level to understand what is likely to unfold in the coming months. It is important to say that the tech sector is extremely strong in Ireland right now. Many of the global decisions that have been taken are reversing part of the growth of last year, when many tech companies were employing very large numbers of people over a very short space of time. Google, for example, took on an extra 30,000 people last year and has made a decision to reduce its workforce by 12,000 this year. We do not know how that will impact Ireland yet. This should not be seen as a tech crisis. This should be seen as a reversal of part of the growth from last year. However, I take the point the Deputy is making. It is our job as a Department to make sure we understand the-----

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We are over time.

Deputy Simon Coveney

-----broader implications of these decisions for many Irish service companies as well.

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan

Amy Fitzpatrick has been missing now for 15 years. Amy disappeared when she was just 15 years old while staying in the Costa del Sol. Her family is heartbroken, as any family would be. They just want to be able to find Amy, bring her home and lay her to rest. New evidence has emerged recently about a location where it is believed Amy's remains are buried. Despite this new evidence, there has not been any search of this location by the Spanish authorities. This requires the Tánaiste's intervention. The family of Amy Fitzpatrick have asked to meet with him. Will he meet with the family?

The Tánaiste

Yes, I will. I have asked my private secretary to try to facilitate and schedule such a meeting. In the first instance, consular officials have been in touch with the Fitzpatrick family and are in touch regularly. It is a desperately sad situation. Our consular officials have been in contact with the family on an ongoing basis over the years and the Garda has been in contact with the Spanish police.

Deputy Bríd Smith

It is rare that this happens but yesterday some areas of Dublin got good news. The people of the Liberties learned that Dublin City Council has directed the immediate commencement of a process that will enable it to carry out preservation works of the historic Iveagh Markets. It is, however, short in its budget and has said it will be calling on the State to provide funding to preserve this wonderful building, which the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, spoke about in this House quite recently. It is a credit to the people of the Liberties that they have always insisted that the building not be allowed to die, even after 20 years of neglect. In honour of those people, who have put up with a lot of overdevelopment and lost a lot of Dublin's real heritage but are able to preserve this part of it, I am calling on the State to honour its commitment, as given by the Minister of State, who said:

The building is far too important for Dublin and the country to lose it. We will do all we can to try to help with this process.

With a bit of optimism for the people of the Liberties, for Dublin and the country, we want to see that funding made available.

The Tánaiste

From what the Deputy has said, it appears Dublin City Council has now taken the decision to do this, which is welcome, but no application has been made for funding yet.

Deputy Bríd Smith

It is very new news.

The Tánaiste

It is good news. We have not been shy before in the allocation of resources to heritage matters but the application has to go in and I will talk to the Minister.

Deputy Michael Lowry

Two days after Christmas, a farmer in Lorrha in County Tipperary was alerted that his sheep had been attacked by dogs. Some 80 of his 133-strong flock had been savaged. Councillor Michael O'Meara, who is a neighbour of this farmer, told me of the devastation and heartbreak suffered by the farmer and his family. The attack was caused by dogs whose owners had failed in their responsibility to keep them under control. These dogs were free to roam and maraud. Dog owners need to understand the damage and hurt caused by carelessness as we enter lambing season. Earlier this year, a young woman in Carrick-on-Suir was attacked and permanently scarred. She was terrorised and had to jump into the river to escape four loose pitbulls. The incidence of dog attacks on children across the country is escalating. We must act to enforce stronger laws and we must bring forward robust legislation to enforce responsible dog ownership.

The Tánaiste

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We have all been shocked by recent dog attacks, particularly the one that left one young boy with life-changing injuries. The Deputy spoke about a horrific story where a young woman had to flee four pitbulls. We need to strengthen our laws. A working group has been convened and formed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister for Rural and Community Development. That group has been meeting and it will look at the issue with regard to both the enforcement of current legislation and recommendations for new actions. I believe we need to strengthen the law on this. There is a strong onus on the owners of such dogs in respect of the damage caused by attacks on livestock and sheep in particular. It is not acceptable. It is a terrible loss to the farmer concerned and we have to tighten up considerably on this.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I raise the very serious backlogs for testing of routine samples at University Hospital Waterford, UHW. The current waiting time is approximately 20 weeks for non-urgent histology cases. When I raised this matter with the Minister for Health and the HSE, the response stated that the demand on histology services at UHW far exceeds the capacity. UHW also claims it has an ever-increasing workload, with rises in complex cancer cases. We need to get more resources in there. I have a number of constituents who are 20 weeks on a waiting list. It is a serious worry for people when they have had a biopsy. Having to wait 20 weeks for it to be analysed is too long. They need more resources in the hospital laboratory to deal with this and take people out when they get a good diagnosis or whatever they get. Hopefully it is good but sometimes it is not so good. Time is of the essence in these cancer cases especially.

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter with me. I will revert to the Department and the HSE immediately on it. The timelines the Deputy is talking about are too long. Patients and their doctors need rapid responses to biopsies. I will look into what capacity constraints there might be at the moment with a view to addressing them.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

At the end of September, the Minister of State in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Peter Burke, replied to a parliamentary question I submitted on the commencement of the defective blocks Act. His response stated, "The aim and intention is to have the regulations and guidelines finalised before the end of the year with the scheme opening for applications as soon as possible thereafter, which I expect will only be a matter of weeks later." The Tánaiste will remember that his Government rammed this legislation through the Houses before the summer break without proper scrutiny and with claims of great urgency, yet it still sits on the shelf uncommenced. The Minister and the Department have form in this area. Over the last ten years, the Department has left 450 sections of 19 separate Acts sitting uncommenced.

My constituents in Donegal are at their wits' end with the Government's combined failures and delays. Will the Tánaiste update the House on the new timeline for the commencement of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022?

The Tánaiste

On the issue of getting the legislation through, it was not rammed through; we wanted to get it on the Statute Book as quickly as we possibly could so that we could develop the scheme and get working on it. As the Deputy is aware, progress is being made in parallel with the work on the commencement of the regulations. I will talk to the Minister about it but my understanding is that the regulations will be ready very shortly.

Deputy David Stanton

I raise an issue I raised with the Tánaiste before Christmas. The old Amgen site in Carrigtwohill is still sitting there 13 years later. It comprises 188 acres of fully serviced land. IDA Ireland has tried to market the site but because the road infrastructure is so poor, it cannot get anyone to go in there. What is the Government doing to unlock the site and what are its plans and policies in respect to it?

The Tánaiste

It is a very important site with potential for industrial activity or the attraction of a foreign direct investment project of some considerable scale. I recall that originally Amgen was to invest there and it pulled out for internal company reasons at the time. It subsequently invested in Dublin.

At the time, I remember the speed with which both the county council and governments could act when the prospect of an imminent investment loomed on the horizon. I take the Deputy's point. He would like to get some work done now in advance of that. I am sure we will work with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, in that respect also. I do not think that is a factor that militates against the location of any particular industry. The key issue is the site. If someone makes a decision to locate, it takes a considerable period before everything is ready to get on site.

Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh

I raise the issue of cohabiting couples, on which a number of constituents have been in contact with me. Very often at a time of bereavement, people who have made a decision not to get married or enter into a more formal arrangement and who may have lived together for many years and have property or children together often find themselves dealing with complicated legal issues relating to access to pensions, inheritance, etc. Does the Government have any plans to legislate for cohabiting couples to make it easier for them to access what I think we would all agree are their rights?

The Tánaiste

I will revert to the Minister on that. The Deputy has made a fair point. There has been legislation in the past in respect of cohabiting couples to try to make issues of that kind, in particular inheritance and other such matters, much easier. I would encourage further discussion with the Deputy on the specifics he raises and on which he has highlighted concerns. He has made a very fair point. I will talk to the Minister in respect of that.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

It was wrong and unfair that households struggling to pay bills were subsidising big business and large energy users. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, failed to protect the public interest. That is why Sinn Féin has been pursuing this issue. The reason my colleague, Senator Boylan, submitted freedom of information requests on the issue was to get fairness for hard-pressed households. Yesterday, we welcomed the fact that, as a result of shedding light on this issue, households will now each get €50 back. However, it was reported in the media today that it appears this will not happen any time soon. Does the Tánaiste agree that the CRU must provide a full breakdown of how much this subsidy has cost domestic users so we can know exactly what households are owed? Will he commit to ensuring that households are repaid immediately for this overcharging, as a result of an absolutely braindead Government scheme and CRU failings?

The Tánaiste

Last autumn, the Government made an unprecedented allocation of resources and outlined an unprecedented cost-of-living package to help householders with their electricity bills, energy bills more generally, and also a whole range of payments within the budget. I think that has given some help to people to deal with the unprecedented energy price crisis we are currently experiencing. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the €50. I believe there is an onus on the agency, in this context the ESB, to pay back what is due as quickly as possible. I will talk to the Minister about that.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I raise with the Tánaiste the extension of the free GP care scheme to children aged under eight. This has been on the cards for some time. In fact, the timeline for delivery was the end of last year. That time has come and gone and children aged six and seven still do not have their free GP cards. The parents of these 80,000 children want to see the scheme introduced before their kids age out of it. My understanding is that talks on the contract are still ongoing. Will the Tánaiste provide us with an update on it because people are struggling now and this scheme cannot come quickly enough for the cohort of parents with children aged six and seven? Nor can the training and recruitment of GPs come quickly enough, as the shortage of same is impacting and we can feel the effect in my community. When will the scheme for six- and seven-year olds come into play?

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

I can confirm that the scheme is broadening by about 430,000 men, women and children in the coming months, so that everyone in the country earning up to the median income will have access to State-funded GP care. We worked very hard to try to get the six- and seven-year olds over the line last year. Agreement was not possible but I can assure the Deputy that was not for the want of trying. We are engaging with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, on both cohorts now, namely, the 430,000 people earning up to the median income, which, as the Deputy is aware, is scheduled to commence in April and, at the same time, we are looking to secure agreement for six- and seven-year olds, which would be about 70,000 children. We are working with the IMO now as well to put a framework in place for eight-, nine-, ten-, 11- and 12-year olds whereby they could be brought in quicker. It has taken longer than anybody wants and we are not there yet on the six- and seven-year olds.

Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne

Like a broken record, I am compelled to raise the issue of healthcare in the mid-west region for the second week. Today, we have 78 people abandoned on trolleys. We heard the recent specific concerns from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, about paediatric care in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, as its members are seeing an increase in the number of children on trolleys.

I have also heard that not a brass penny has been allocated to Ennis hospital since it started taking emergency patients, even though we got assurances from the HSE that all would be in hand. Not one day surgery could take place in the month of January, as a total of 1,180 people have languished on trolleys. I also hear that surgical patients are now on the forgotten lists of the UL Hospitals Group.

I also understand the Tánaiste will visit UHL in the coming weeks. Will he ensure that he visits unannounced and that additional beds and resources are provided for Ennis hospital?

Deputy Stephen Donnelly

There has been an historical issue with the number of patients on trolleys in Limerick, of which we are aware. There has also been a very successful initiative by the healthcare professionals, not just in the hospital but in the community group as well, since we had the three very high days at the start of January. As of 8 o'clock this morning, there are eight patients on trolleys. The average number of patients on trolleys in the past seven days is five or six. The numbers have been brought very low. What we need to ensure is that the efforts that have been made by the healthcare professionals there are supported and we can sustain them right through the year. We must ensure the number of patients on trolleys that we saw a few weeks ago is consigned to history.

The Deputy will be aware that since Covid arrived, the Government has sanctioned and delivered 132 beds in UHL. There has been an increase in the workforce of 1,000 and an increase in the budget of 20%. Recently, I turned the sod on an additional 96 beds and we are currently considering the proposal for two additional 96-bed blocks.

Deputy Paul Murphy

This Saturday at 1 p.m., there will be a gathering at the Dublin City Council buildings on Wood Quay of families who are facing mass eviction. Those in Tathony House and those on Rathmines Road are coming together. They will be supported by Peter McVerry and they are calling on supporters across the city to come and rally with them. Their clear message is that they should not be made homeless. It is a demand on the council to do the right thing and buy the buildings to ensure the tenants can remain in situ. If the Government proceeds with its plan to lift the so-called eviction ban, which in reality is very partial, on 1 April, those families will be joined by thousands more.

We have the highest number of homeless people on record, at more than 11,500 people. We know evictions are the number one cause of this. Does the Tánaiste accept we need a proper eviction ban extended beyond 1 April?

The Tánaiste

The homeless situation is much more complex than the Deputy has articulated. There are quite a number of factors that give rise to the increase in homelessness. The Government will consider the eviction ban in due course, because it has impacts across the board. We will examine its extension or otherwise. We will look at the impact of it and evaluate its impact to date. The ban has been an important measure through the winter period in particular.

With regard to specific cases, the Minister has given authority to local authorities to purchase individual houses where there are tenants or people in situ who could otherwise be made homeless as a result of the sale of a house. That has been used quite significantly by the local authorities.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

The Dáil is in the final stages of legislating for the redress scheme for the survivors of the mother and baby homes. There is widespread criticism of this scheme from Opposition, legal and human rights experts and, most importantly of all, from the survivors. The main criticism stems from the exclusion of survivors who have spent less than six months in these institutions. That means the trauma of a baby who was forcibly removed from his or her mother is not being acknowledged by this scheme. That accounts for approximately 40% of survivors. Will the Tánaiste explain why the six-month rule was put in place? Does he believe that whatever happens to a baby under six months old does not matter, or that a person does not feel the trauma of what happened when he or she was less than six months old?

The Tánaiste

No scheme can ever right the wrong done to a baby who was separated from his or her mother.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

The Tánaiste could try.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

The Tánaiste should not compound the wrongs.

The Tánaiste

However, with regard to actions taken, this Government has done more than any previous Government in its comprehensive response. I refer both to the redress scheme and to the issue that has always been most pressing during the past decade, that is, access to information. The Birth Information and Tracing Bill has probably been the most radical legislation to come before us in the past year. It came through the House. It was a real priority identified by all concerned with this issue. The redress scheme is significantly in advance of what was recommended by the commission. It will include financial payments for an estimated 34,000 people and a form of enhanced medical card for an estimated 19,000 people. The approximate cost will be €800 million. The scheme is currently going through the House.

Deputy Chris Andrews

Given all that Katie Taylor has done for Ireland, Irish sport and women in sport, it is important that the Government does everything it can to ensure she has her homecoming fight in Croke Park in front of 80,000 fans. Certainly if Croke Park is not possible, a bigger venue than the 3Arena would be ideal. Some 80,000 fans in Croke Park cheering on Katie Taylor would be a fitting acknowledgement of the contribution she has made to Irish sport and to women in sport. Boxing has made such a contribution to communities throughout the country. Will the Government pull out all the stops to ensure Katie Taylor has her fight on 20 May with Amanda Serrano in Croke Park?

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Deputy Thomas Byrne)

I absolutely agree with the Deputy that it would be wonderful to see Katie Taylor in Croke Park. To that end, my very first meeting with anyone from outside the Department was with Katie Taylor's manager, Brian Peters, in the early part of January. It was explained to us that there was a funding gap between what the promoters were prepared to pay for the fight and what the fight would actually cost. We said that the Government absolutely supports major events, but there is a process to go through. Immediately after the meeting, we raised queries on what the cost would be and other details that would be necessary. The Department is currently considering responses to those queries. One of the difficulties is with the date. If one is doing the cost-benefit calculations with regard to tourism, which the major events have to go through, one must consider that the Heineken Cup final is already being hosted on 20 May. It is a huge event in European rugby and Dublin tourism will be full that night. A fight in November which was previously mooted for last year would have been an entirely different calculation. However, the consideration is still ongoing. Mr. Hearn said on some MMA channel yesterday that the Government had not been in touch, but that is simply not the case. There has been a range of meetings and correspondence in the past while.

Deputy Martin Browne

I am raising the issue of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, ARFID. I have raised the issue of young Riain from County Tipperary before. He cannot get proper treatment within the health service.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Will you repeat that, Deputy? We did not hear what you said about the disorder.

Deputy Martin Browne

Sorry. I am speaking about ARFID and about Riain, a boy from County Tipperary whose case I have raised previously. He cannot get proper treatment within the health service, but he is not alone. More families are presenting with their own accounts of difficulty in accessing services, or even a pathway to treatment. Many get shoved from pillar to post between child and adolescent mental health services and the children's disability network teams, which just do not have the skills to treat people with ARFID who may also have autism spectrum disorder. People are being left aside. The health service is just not up to speed on ARFID, which is more common than even the families knew, such is the lack of proper services. Will the Tánaiste or the Minister for Health meet with these families to learn about their condition and the physical, emotional and financial impacts that a lack of medical pathways is having on them? Will they endeavour to improve the provision of services? Will either of them accept the offer to meet the families?

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

I liaise constantly with the providers of eating disorder supports throughout the country. Many young people are now presenting with eating disorders or disordered eating. Last year, 504 children, young people and adolescents presented to the eating disorder teams. When this scheme was initially put in place in 2018, when the relevant data were in place, it would have been expected that approximately 50 children per year would present. Some 504 children needed these vital supports last year. I assume the Deputy is referring to community healthcare organisation 5. Funding has been provided for an eating disorder team in this area. Multidisciplinary team recruitment is under way, but it takes between 12 and 18 months to put a multidisciplinary team in place. There are also many inpatient supports for children with eating disorders. If the Deputy sends me on the relevant details, I will have a look at them.

Deputy Martin Browne

Will the Minister of State meet the families?

Deputy Mary Butler

If the Deputy sends me on the details, I will have a look at them.

Deputy Michael Collins

Fuel excise duty reductions are due to expire later this month. When they were announced last year, they took 20 cent per litre off petrol, 15 cent off diesel, and 2 cent off green tractor diesel. Families are struggling. Many of them are on the edge and sick with worry at the end of every week about where they will find the money to pay exorbitant energy bills, or pay to put food on the table for their families. Farmers and fishermen are also under considerable pressure as they struggle to pay everyday bills in order that we can have food on our tables. As we have seen on the pumps in the past couple of days, fuel is starting to creep up again. It is vital that the fuel excise duty reduction is kept fully in place for the coming 12 months. If removed, fuel will shoot up to the same level it was at last year, which was totally unacceptable and will take many families into deep debt. Will the Tánaiste assure the Dáil that the excise duty reduction will be extended?

The Tánaiste

I thank the Deputy for raising a very pertinent issue. I am glad he acknowledges the benefits and importance of the initiative taken by the Government in reducing the cost of petrol, diesel and heating fuel. The Government has said there will not be a cliff edge, but we will examine the full range of supports that were contained in the cost-of-living package. The Deputy is correct in saying that the expiry date is coming at the end of February. The Government will have a decision made in advance of that. It is being examined by the Government as we speak and will be examined in the coming weeks.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

Newstalk reported today that 5,000 asylum seekers arrived in Ireland without valid travel documents last year. That is 40% of the total figure. The reply I received to a recent parliamentary question showed that the annual cost of accommodating an asylum seeker is €18,568. The mean wait time for the application to be processed is a year and a half. Thousands of people are waiting two or three years. One person has been waiting 14 years to have their application processed. It is absolutely incredible. However, the total cost of accommodating people who have arrived with false documentation or without documentation is €141 million per year, which is a high figure.

Most Irish people want to do the right thing. They want to make sure that people who are fleeing war, violence and famine get the help they need but they also want to make sure the system is not abused. What will the Government do to make sure the system is not abused?

The Tánaiste

The Deputy says "abused" but on the documentation issue, basically people come and seek asylum, and under the Geneva Convention and various international conventions we are obliged to consider the application for asylum. Additional resources have been made available to the Department of Justice, in particular, to expedite and accelerate the application process and to get results and outcomes more quickly. We are also looking at stronger controls in respect of abuse issues and are constantly on the lookout. Our officials and teams are constantly on the lookout for any potentially fraudulent-----

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

People get on flights with travel documents and then they do not have travel documents at the end of the flight.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Please allow the Tánaiste to respond, Deputy. We cannot have interruptions.

The Tánaiste

In any event, on the broader issue, controls have been stepped up over the last year and a half. We took action in terms of the convention in respect of refugees travelling across Europe because that was being abused in some instances and we dealt with that. It is an ongoing challenge.