Seán Haughey
Ceist:1. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the special European Council on 9 and 10 February 2023. [7241/23]
Ceisteanna - Questions
European Council
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:2. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent attendance at the European Council; and the extent to which pressing issues were dealt with. [7398/23]
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:3. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent special European Council meeting. [8118/23]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:4. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the special European Council on 9 and 10 February. [8209/23]
Mick Barry
Ceist:5. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent European Council on 9 and 10 February 2023. [8634/23]
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:6. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the extent of any recent discussions he has had with the Ukrainian President or Ukrainian authorities, directly or at European level. [9876/23]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:7. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent European Council on 9 and 10 February 2023. [9936/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:8. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent special European Council meeting. [9958/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:9. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent special European Council meeting. [9962/23]
Rose Conway-Walsh
Ceist:10. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the special European Council meeting on 9 and 10 February 2023. [10253/23]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 10, go huile, le chéile.
I attended a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 9 and 10 February. The agenda covered Ukraine, the economy and migration. We also touched on relations between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as the tragic earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined leaders in Brussels, meeting with all his EU counterparts in groups. In my engagement with him, I reiterated Ireland’s commitment to standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes. President Zelenskyy also joined us for the start of the European Council meeting. As we approached the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he thanked the EU for the assistance and support given to Ukraine and its people. In addition to expressing our commitment to Ukraine’s political, economic, humanitarian and other needs, we acknowledged the considerable efforts Ukraine is making to ensure it is prepared for the opening of accession negotiations with the European Union. This is especially impressive under the exceptionally difficult circumstances it faces.
The European Council discussed the economic situation in the EU and how to ensure the region’s long-term competitiveness, prosperity and international standing. We will return to this important discussion when we next meet in March.
We discussed migration, focusing in particular on the external dimension, where we agreed on the need to strengthen our external borders, engage better with countries of origin and transit and more effectively deal with people involved in trafficking and smuggling.
We expressed our deepest condolences to the victims of the tragic earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and pledged humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering in all affected regions.
I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the Government's plan to implement a windfall tax. I am seeking clarity on the matter because I have been unable to get a straight answer from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. When I submitted written questions to the Minister in December, he seemed to rule out bringing in a windfall tax on electricity companies despite the record profits. A couple of weeks ago in this Chamber he dismissed my concerns, claiming he would bring in a windfall tax on private electricity companies for 2022 profits. I again submitted a written question and received the same answer, that is, that electricity companies would get to keep the very significant windfall profits from 2022 in full. Workers and families have been struggling to meet crippling electricity bills for more than a year, as the Taoiseach is aware, and electricity suppliers are now telling them they are not going to reduce prices. The prices have been artificially high because of how they were set. This allowed electricity companies to keep the obscene profits. It has been a shocking transfer of wealth from households to corporate profits. Could the Taoiseach please provide clarity? Will the Government be implementing a windfall tax on the 2022 profits of electricity companies - "Yes" or "No"?
It is great that the Taoiseach was able to meet with President Zelenskyy and express to him our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. As we know, the EU has agreed the tenth round of sanctions, which include new enforcement measures and additional reporting requirements. However, in response, the hard-hitting Belgian MEP, Guy Verhofstadt, tweeted last week that:
...the 10th sanction package is weak...as one country protects its Russian friends, another wants to go after Russian rubber, several like to keep hiding Russian Central Bank assets. High time to abolish unanimity!
I certainly would not go that far. The evidence indicates that Ireland is doing very well in the implementation of the sanctions. Is there much evidence available to indicate that the sanctions are being violated and circumvented? Should other non-Western countries be persuaded to join in the effort, or at least not be allowed to facilitate the circumvention of existing sanctions? In this regard, I would like to welcome the appointment of David O'Sullivan as international special envoy for the implementation of the EU sanctions. What is the Taoiseach's understanding of his work to date and when will his comprehensive assessment of the position be expected?
I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I ask the extent to which the earthquake and the survivors in Türkiye and Syria have been the focus of attention, with particular reference to the co-ordination of European rescue efforts and help and support to Türkiye and Syria at this very important time, given Türkiye's support for the EU and, in fact, previous anxiety to join the EU in an effort to cultivate and improve relations in that area, which might be helpful also on Türkiye's opposition to the admission of new countries to NATO.
In response to the European Commission's proposals for a green deal industrial plan for a net-zero age, EU leaders called for further work to be undertaken in several areas, including state aid. It appears that leaders have limited the Commission's state aid work to consider the procedural issues in minor temporary support. As a small member state with significant domestic supply and export opportunities in renewable energy, the Government should be directing the work of the Commission to consider how we can strengthen the commercial semi-State agencies. State rules cannot act as a blockage to Ireland's ambition for energy security and independence. Leaders also tasked the Commission with boosting skills to meet the challenges of labour shortages and the transformation of jobs. I am sure the Taoiseach accepts that the renewables sector must be equipped with the skills base needed to succeed and support its State-led strategies, such as tailored plans for SMEs and sector-specific apprenticeship schemes. The CEO of Green Rebel has argued that the renewable energy sector has the potential to bring life back to rural communities, creating high-end jobs and revitalising towns and villages across the country. Does the Taoiseach agree that Ireland urgently needs to meet the immediate and increasing need for skilled staff in this area?
Europe is rearming and the world is rearming. The International Defence Exhibition and Conference, IDEX, took place in Abu Dhabi from 17 February to 21 February. Arms manufacturers from all over the world participated and big money was made from selling the machinery of death and destruction. The United Arab Emirates signed deals there worth $6 billion. A strong Israeli presence was reported. Russia's deputy premier was there and a Russian company displayed armoured vehicles, attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems used in Ukraine. "Few things illustrate the health of the arms industry like a massive defense fair", according to CNBC News. In publicity from the organisers, one of the countries listed as a participant at the expo for the first time was Ireland. Can the Taoiseach tell us whether the Irish State was represented? Did privately-owned Irish companies or Irish-based companies participate? Finally, were arms deals signed by either or both?
I appreciate the Taoiseach outlining some of the details of the European Council meeting. There are two areas of concern for me. One is the fact that the latest round of sanctions includes further seizing of assets belonging to Russian companies and Russian citizens. How might we mobilise those resources to support Ukraine and its economy during any reconstruction, and also to support the millions of Ukrainian migrants living in EU countries right across Europe? I would appreciate it if the Taoiseach could provide any details on that. Second, I know that there are general discussions on the European economy as well. The increase in interest rates by the European Central Bank has been significant. The ECB is independent, but Irish mortgage holders have seen a really significant increase in their mortgage repayments. That will have a cap on demand. Does that necessarily relate to a reduction in inflation? Is our current inflationary spiral linked to supply or demand? Have the European leaders discussed how the increase in the interest rate will impact broader growth in Europe?
There is literally not a day that goes by when we do not get further evidence of the obscene profiteering of energy companies. The latest, of course, is Electric Ireland finding itself able to reduce prices for business, but not able to do so for householders, and the fact that wholesale prices for energy have now dropped to 18-month and pre-war lows. It appears that while they were able to jack up prices to extortionate levels to crucify ordinary people, they cannot reduce the prices now that wholesale prices have gone down. Is it not long past time that the Taoiseach accepted that the profiteering can only be ended by introducing controls on prices and, indeed, by nationalising the energy sector so it operates on a not-for-profit basis and stops ripping off ordinary people who are being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis?
I want to return to the question of what the EU discussed in regard to migration. I know the meeting was prior to the tragedy that happened in the Mediterranean, where at least 62 people, including a month-old baby and twin toddlers who were among 12 children, drowned coming from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. We know that the accurate number of deaths recorded in the Mediterranean Sea cannot be ascertained, and that between 2014 and 2018, in a four-year period, about 12,000 people who drowned were never found. My question for the Taoiseach relates to Frontex and the role of the EU. For example, on the coast of Italy where these boats went down, the right-wing Italian Government recently passed a law preventing charities from performing life-saving rescues except one at a time. Of course, it is impossible for those charities, all of which are privatised, to operate in that strait. Frontex, the European agency for sea and rescue services, no longer has a role to play in preventing people from drowning and the EU pays over millions and millions to countries like Libya to keep people on their shores. Yet, they are still coming and they keep drowning. When is the EU going to reinstate a sea rescue operation to avoid such horrendous, inhumane and barbaric incidents as we have just witnessed off the Italian coast?
I thank the Deputies for their questions. On the windfall tax and energy prices, the windfall tax proposal, which is at an advanced stage and being developed by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Finance, derives from EU law in this area. My understanding is that it has two elements. The first is a tax on gas and oil product producers in Ireland, of which there are not many but there are a few. There is also a tax on generators. The tax raised on generators will be used to bring down prices for businesses and householders. It will apply to profits made in 2022 to be taxed in 2023, and profits made in 2023 to be taxed in 2034. Generally, profits are taxed the year after they are made. That is the principle that will be applied, as I understand it. I do not think that nationalising the energy sector is a good idea.
At the outset, it would involve paying a large amount of compensation to the shareholders and owners of those companies. People might argue that this will be recovered after ten, 15 or 20 years, but, certainly initially, it would involve a significant financial outlay and a big cost to the taxpayer, which would not be recouped for a long time, if at all. I am not sure if countries have ever tried to experiment with running energy systems on a not-for-profit basis. I think it was attempted in communist countries between the 1920s and the 1980s and what they suffered as a result was a lack of investment, shortages, blackouts and so on. I am not sure it is a model we would like to experiment with here, given it did not work in-----
The ESB is run on a not-for-profit basis.
The ESB, founded in the 1920s, is run on a not-for-profit basis.
No. The ESB works as a State-owned enterprise-----
It put the lights on everywhere in the country.
-----and has a profit remit. I think what we are talking about is a model that was tried in the Soviet Union and places like that, where it did not work out so well.
In response to Deputy Haughey's question, like him, I do not support removing unanimity when it comes to sanctions. Unfortunately, there is evidence of circumvention, not particularly by EU countries, to the best of our knowledge, but by some countries that are located around the EU. We see that there are unusual changes in trade flows and trade statistics that indicate that circumvention may be occurring. That reminds us that Russia does have some friends out there, notwithstanding what it has done, and there are some countries that have no choice but to be Russia's friend for various reasons. This is a serious situation. I also welcome the appointment of Mr. David O'Sullivan as the special envoy for sanctions.
Deputy Durkan asked about the terrible earthquake that happened in Türkiye and Syria and the appalling human consequences. On behalf of the Government, I wrote to President Erdoğan to express my most sincere condolences on the loss of life and the destruction that occurred as a consequence of the earthquakes. Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by the earthquakes and their aftershocks. We are providing €10 million in humanitarian assistance to the people of Türkiye and north-west Syria. That is being done through the UN's humanitarian fund for Syria, the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and Irish NGOs working on the ground, including Concern and Goal. I extend my condolences to Goal and the families and friends of all Goal workers who lost their lives in the earthquakes. The situation in Syria is of particular concern, given the civil war there, and Ireland and the international community will work through the UN to ensure a speedy provision of aid to the parts of Syria that need it most.
Deputy Paul Donnelly asked about state aid. I agree with what he said about skills and the need to ensure we have a pipeline of people who have the skills to work in the renewable energy sector and to help us to build those windfarms and to deploy all those solar panels. Let us not forget, though, that they are often the same people we are asking to build and to retrofit all the houses and to build the metro, and there are only so many people who can do so many things. That is a challenge we face-----
Let the migrants work.
-----trying to do so much at the same time. I support, as the Government does, the appropriate use of state aid, but we should never forget that state aid is ultimately taxpayers' money given to businesses. Small countries like ours will never be able to compete with big countries when it comes to the amount of state aid they could give their companies. That is why we always need to be careful about that. If the state aid rules are relaxed too significantly by the European Union, the amount of state aid that France, Germany or Italy can afford to give its companies will dwarf what we can give many times over and we will find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage. We will give our companies state aid just so they can catch up, not so they can compete and grow. That is a big problem and always has to be borne in mind.
When it comes to the war in Ukraine, Deputy Barry referred to the arms industry. Let us be under no illusion that the war in Ukraine is a windfall for the arms industry, which will make a fortune out of the fact that there is a war happening in Europe. That is not just the arms industry in the west; it is the arms industry all over the world. We live in a dangerous world, and countries such as Ukraine get attacked and other countries face hybrid attacks. That is why countries have to be able to defend themselves and to buy the equipment to do so. Deputy Barry referred to an event in the UAE. I am not aware of that event. To the best of my knowledge, there was no Government involvement in it, but I could be wrong about that. There is a defence and security industry in Ireland, and it is an industry that has a role to play. It is often involved in the space industry, protective armour, robotics, artificial intelligence and things like cybersecurity. Unfortunately, we live in a dangerous world where even peaceful countries such as Ireland that do not want to spend a fortune on defence have to spend money on defence because we could be attacked, perhaps not in the way Ukraine is being attacked - I highly doubt that would ever happen - but hybrid warfare is a reality now, particularly when it comes to cybersecurity.
Cabinet Committees
Alan Dillon
Ceist:11. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [8624/23]
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:12. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9599/23]
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:13. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9672/23]
Aindrias Moynihan
Ceist:14. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9745/23]
Mick Barry
Ceist:15. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9746/23]
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:16. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9812/23]
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:17. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9923/23]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:18. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9937/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:19. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9959/23]
Gino Kenny
Ceist:20. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9961/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:21. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [9963/23]
Rose Conway-Walsh
Ceist:22. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [10252/23]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 11 go 22, go huile, le chéile.
The Cabinet committee on health met on 13 February and is due to meet again on 27 March.
In addition to meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet committees, I meet Ministers individually to focus on different issues. I meet regularly with the Minister for Health to discuss challenges in the area of health and the Sláintecare reform programme.
The primary aim in 2023 is to improve access, outcomes and affordability for patients, and that is what Sláintecare is all about. We are committed to expanding the core capacity of our acute hospitals with more health professionals and more acute hospital beds. Over the past three years we have added approximately 1,000 hospital beds, more if community beds are included, with further additional beds planned for this year and next. We aim to increase our public health and social care workforce by 6,000 this year. We already have 6,000 more nurses, doctors, dentists and midwives than we had three years ago.
A strong pipeline of capital projects is being developed by the HSE and the Department of Health, including several new hospital projects and significant new facilities in existing hospitals.
Budget 2023 includes €443 million in funding to treat tens of thousands of people on waiting lists and to reduce the waiting times faced by all. Our multi-annual approach to reducing and reforming waiting lists resulted in an overall reduction in the number of patients exceeding the maximum Sláintecare waiting time, that is, roughly three months, by 11% in 2022. The number of people waiting more than three months for treatment fell by 11% in 2022, at a time most countries are experiencing big increases in the number of people waiting more than three months for treatment or to see a specialist.
The enhanced community care programme continues to develop healthcare at a more local level. The programme, which is investing €240 million in community health services, is easing pressure on hospitals and more acute settings.
Work is progressing on the establishment of six new regional healthcare areas, RHAs, and elective care centres and surgical hubs in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. We are also making high-quality healthcare more affordable for people at a time the cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone. For example, last year we removed inpatient charges for all patients under 16, and this year we will remove them for all patients over 16.
We are also widening eligibility for the GP card, which will allow many tens of thousands more people to see their doctor without having to pay.
Additional eligibility initiatives include €10 million set aside for access to IVF treatments in Ireland for the first time; the expansion of the entitlement to free contraception to women aged 26 to 30; €5 million for oral healthcare for children up to seven years of age; and a reduction in the drugs payment scheme threshold, that is, the maximum amount any household has to pay for medicine every month, to €80.
Our health service has profound challenges. That was particularly evident during the difficult winter period but we have responded and expanded capacity dramatically in recent years. We are treating more people than ever before, with better outcomes than ever before. Ireland now has one of the longest life expectancies in the European Union. It continues to increase and is well above international averages. We also continue to see reduced mortality rates for stroke and most cancers. We also see positive trends in health-maintaining behaviours.
We will continue to advance these reforms under Sláintecare in 2023 and 2024.
One of the most pressing projects in County Mayo is the long-awaited extension to the emergency department, ED, at Mayo University Hospital. The ED was initially built to cater for 20,000 patients. It now sees more than 40,000 annually, and that number is growing. An extension to the unit has been promised for the people of Mayo for the past ten years.
Following a recent HIQA inspection in August 2022 at Mayo University Hospital, long-term action to address the shortcomings in national standards to protect service-users from the risks of harm associated with the design and delivery of healthcare will not be taken until 2025, with a new accident and emergency department and an advanced medical assessment unit planned. I ask that the HSE and Department of Health work together to see how we can fast-track these type of projects on an accelerated programme in order to protect people’s lives, improve outcomes and deliver healthcare in a modern and fit-for-purpose facility.
The opening of the Children's Health Ireland, CHI, urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital was hailed as a major milestone in the new children's hospital project. The walk-in service providing urgent care for children with minor injuries and illnesses was a critical component of the new service, not just in providing immediate care but in taking the strain off CHI at Temple Street and CHI at Crumlin and the new children's hospital, when it finally opens. As the Taoiseach knows, CHI has inexplicably and suddenly withdrawn the walk-in service. Parents now have to log on to a website and triage their children online, after which they might get appointments at Connolly Hospital or they could be directed to CHI at Temple Street. This approach completely defeats the core purpose of the CHI service. I know that parents have been in contact with the Taoiseach about this because they are worried that they will not be able to get GP visits if their children are sick or injured and they are unlikely to go onto a website to get medical attention, which will put the ambulance service under further strain. Moving healthcare online also excludes sections of our population from accessing it, and we noticed this during Covid. Accenture's most recent digital index report found that computer use was split according to socioeconomic status, with only 39% of those in the lower socioeconomic groups using computers daily. Was the Minister for Health informed of this closure of services and will action be taken to reinstate the walk-in services in CHI at Connolly?
I thank the Taoiseach for giving his view. When the Cabinet subcommittee meets again, will it discuss medicine shortages? This is an issue that has been constantly raised with me and it is challenging for patients throughout the country. Pharmacists are finding that while there would have always been some medication shortages, the breadth and number of medications that are in short supply this year is much more unusual and significantly overwhelming. A recent survey of Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU, members found that over 60% found that there were 40 or more medications in short supply. This is not just prescription medications but also over-the-counter medications. This means that if you take a common lotion for eye care, for example, which was out of supply for several months, you are required to get an alternative by going to a GP, and that is adding to the burden on GPs. Will this be discussed and will a plan be put in place, such as the serious shortage protocol they have in the UK? What kind of measures can be put in place to deal with this?
Some 10 million people living with AIDS do not have access to lifesaving treatment. Not a single monkey pox vaccine has been sent to Nigeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo, where monkey pox has been endemic for more than 50 years. There are still huge global inequities around access to Covid vaccines. The World Health Organization pandemic treaty is being drafted to address the massive inequities in the global distribution of life-saving medicines exposed by the Covid crisis. The Government played a shameful role when it bowed to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry on the issue of the TRIPS waiver during that crisis. Will the Government play the same role or will it play a more honourable one this time? Will it prioritise the needs of vulnerable people globally over the profits of the big corporations?
In December 2022, Ireland had the highest excess mortality rate since the start of Covid. Ireland had the fourth-highest level of excess mortality in the whole of the European Union for that month. During Covid, at a time when there were fewer excess deaths than in December 2022, the Government’s response was to stop people travelling more than 2 km from their homes, close schools and stop people attending the funerals of loved ones. In that time the Government stopped people from going to work and making a living and it prevented them from being with their families, even when they were dying. We should compare and contrast that with now, when there are more deaths. I raised this with the Taoiseach in the Dáil in recent weeks and the full extent of the Government’s response was that the issue would be raised with the Chief Medical Officer. Why is the Government so silent about mortuaries filling up at this moment in time? What has it done to investigate what is happening in real time so that something can be done about it?
In April 2016 I asked an oral parliamentary question in the House about a proposed primary care centre for Tullow in County Carlow. I was told "The HSE proposes to deliver the primary care centre for the Tullow, Rathvilly and Hacketstown area using the direct/own-build mechanism." The HSE said its capital plan would fund the centre. Following several parliamentary questions in six years since, the HSE told me that Tullow was the only place identified for the centre. Last year then I was told it was to begin in the fourth quarter. I am still waiting to be told where the centre is to go and I hope the Taoiseach can tell me. Recently I met a crowd of people in Borris, County Carlow, which is also in urgent need of a primary care centre. That is a rural part of Carlow and it is so important that we have these facilities in rural areas. It would help to stop the crowds at the accident and emergency departments and people could be treated in these centres. I ask the Taoiseach to make this a priority.
I know the Taoiseach will share the frustration of many parents of children with different abilities as they wait for assessments of need and then interventions, treatments and therapies. One of the real difficulties in delivering that service is the level of vacancies for the posts. In CHO, 9, my CHO, we have a vacancy rate of 35%. It is difficult for any service to deliver if 35% of posts are empty. Will the Taoiseach outline what the Government strategy is on recruitment for posts in this sector and what we can do to ensure that parents and children get the services they are entitled to?
My question follows on neatly from Deputy McAuliffe's. The Children's Rights Alliance gave the worst mark to the Government on youth mental health. You look at the chronic understaffing of child and adolescent mental health services for assessments to provision of therapies, and it is all down to a lack of staffing. Then we make it very difficult for people who want to, for example, qualify with masters or doctorates in psychology, or in other allied health professions, to get qualified when they want to work in this area, because they are crippled with fees that are astronomical. Their representatives, myself and others have asked time and again why we are making it difficult for people who want to work in mental health or in health generally. Why are we making it difficult for them to get qualified by hammering them with fees for masters and doctorates? Why are we failing to pay our student nurses when they are on placement? It makes no sense when we need more people qualified in these vital areas.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, will ballot its members on industrial action very soon. It is doing this in pursuance of safe staffing. It has repeatedly asked the Government to intervene to take pressure off the health system and its staff. Nurses in this environment have stated that it is very unsafe. Will the Government intervene, uphold and listen to the nurses’ union that this is not conducive to their staff or patients?
Shocking figures from the HSE today show us that 27% of all deaths during Covid were of people in nursing homes. It is a shocking reminder of how we failed the most vulnerable cohort during the pandemic.
I, along with others in this House, sat on a special Dáil committee during the Covid pandemic, which made a priority recommendation that the State should conduct a full inquiry into the deaths of these people in nursing homes during that crisis. We are still waiting to hear news of that inquiry. That committee also examined other aspects of the State's failures when it came to caring for the elderly in nursing home settings. One startling figure that stood out was that 80% of nursing homes are privatised in this country and 20% are public. The position was the reverse only 15 years ago. The reality is that many private nursing home settings could not get qualified staff, could not retain staff and did not have medical resources to care for the people who got sick. When it came to the issue of oxygen tanks and personal protective equipment, PPE, they were totally inadequately resourced. We had a race to the bottom in respect of pay and conditions for those who worked in those nursing homes.
Will lessons be learned? Will that inquiry be held? Will the Government stop the failed policies of privatising healthcare, particularly healthcare for the elderly? We have seen since large healthcare centres, which are privately owned and operated being opened with grandeur, with the Taoiseach and others presiding over the opening, cutting the ribbon and so on. A commitment was given to move to more localised, community-based, smaller residential settings to prevent this tragedy in future.
The time for this question has expired. I seek the agreement of the House to take five minutes from the next question to use here. Is that agreed? Agreed.
This evening, Sinn Féin will table a motion calling on the Government to address the deterioration of ambulance services. This is nowhere more evident than in my own county of Mayo. The National Ambulance Service has warned that unless the Government acts, it will have insufficient resources to respond to the projected demand and the response times will continue to increase. We need to look at the coverage of the ambulance fleet, the ambulance stations themselves and the rapid deployment points to ensure that equitable distribution of services happens across the region. The challenges to our ambulance services relate to the wider healthcare system.
Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar was not compliant on ambulance turnaround times. Some 90% of the ambulances that attended the emergency department did not meet the turnaround time of less than 30 minutes. Let us imagine waiting for an ambulance and driving more than 50 miles in that ambulance on the worst roads in the country, only to have to wait in the ambulance to access emergency treatment. This is caused by the lack of capacity and bad patient flow. The same HIQA report stated the lack of beds in community and district hospitals is the main reason causing the backlog. Will the Taoiseach engage with the Minister for Health to address what HIQA has described as a significant reduction in step-down beds in district and community hospitals in places such as Belmullet, Ballina and Swinford to take the pressure off hospitals such as Mayo University Hospital?
I call Deputy Ó Murchú, then Deputy Bacik. I hope they leave some time for the Taoiseach to respond.
The failure to deliver assessments of need and intervention therapies for families has been discussed. If we got workforce planning correct today, though I do not think we have, we would be talking about four or five years before we are able to deliver the numbers that are required. A meeting of the Joint Committee on Autism earlier was attended by representatives of the Psychological Society of Ireland, the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland and the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists. They spoke about a need for themselves and all the stakeholders in the HSE to be involved in a forum or discussion to review both the assessment and the means of intervention to provide best practice as best we can at this point. I know the Chair is going to request that the Taoiseach meet with these three groups. What does the Government propose to deal with these specific issues and what does the Department of the Taoiseach intend to do?
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Sligo to meet our local representatives, Nessa Cosgrove in County Sligo and Bernie Linnane in County Leitrim. As part of our meetings, we met staff and management in Sligo University Hospital. Some of the issues they raised with us are common throughout the health service and are a concern to all those working in front-line healthcare provision. They include issues with waiting lists and delays in the delivery of the necessary infrastructure, which includes a new unit to provide more beds in Sligo, which I understand will not come onstream until 2025, despite having been promised for a long time. We also heard of issues with staff recruitment and retention and difficulties for staff recruited from overseas in finding accommodation locally in Sligo and in other towns and cities around the country.
I will table a parliamentary question on another matter that was raised with me concerning healthcare, which is the need for a review of the use of data collected in hospital laboratories around Ireland and what safeguards are put in place relating to data protection.
The Taoiseach has little time for a response but can reply as best he can.
I appreciate that a great number of Deputies have asked important questions. I jotted them down as quickly as I could. Eighteen Deputies asking three questions each comes to nearly 60 questions. I will try to answer as many as I can as best I can in the time available. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of the emergency department in Castlebar, which needs to be extended. I agree with his remarks on that. I am not sure if it can be fast-tracked but I am working with the Ministers, Deputies Donnelly and Donohoe, to see if there are particular health projects that we could fast-track, especially those involving expanding EDs or additional bed capacity. There are a number of similar projects in the west region. On Friday, I was in Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe. I visited the hospital and the emergency department. It is a good ED but it is really small for one that takes 30,000 patients every year. It also needs an expansion. It is good to see the additional 50-bed block and 12-bed additional isolation ward are under construction.
On the urgent care centre in Connolly, Deputy Paul Donnelly and I share a constituency. He will know, as I do, that it is a really good facility and has been a big addition to paediatric healthcare in the area. It has dramatically improved the experience of urgent care for children in west Dublin, Meath and north Kildare. The same goes for the centre in Tallaght. There is a new online booking system. It has been brought in because of a very significant increase in the number of attendances, way beyond what was ever intended. It is for a trial period. I do not know if it will work or not. I did not particularly like it when I heard about it. It is a decision it has taken for a trial period. It may work for some people. They might have a kid with a high temperature or minor injury and they would rather get an appointment in three hours than sit in the waiting room for three hours. It might work for some people but I take the point that the Deputy made about people who are digitally excluded and who might not be used to using computers. It may have the perverse or unintended effect of just increasing attendances in Temple Street down the road, which we want to avoid. We will see how it goes. If it works, it works, and if it does not, it does not.
Should I continue?
The Taoiseach might as well. We will take the time from the next group.
Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked about shortages of medicines. He acknowledged that these are not unique to Ireland and have happened in the past but it is worse than I have ever seen it, anyway. I am told that alternative treatments are available for every product that is currently in short supply. Shortages of certain paracetamol, Amoxicillin or penicillin products relate to individual line items and do not represent an entire portfolio. Unexpected surges in demand such as we have seen take time to resolve as the industry increases production to bring the supply chain back to normal. Medicine supply continues to improve.
The Department of Health is engaging closely with all stakeholders in working to mitigate the current immediate shortages. The Department has analysed products currently listed as short and can confirm that the reimbursement price is not the root cause of the shortage for any of these products. The increased notifications of shortages in recent months directly relate to the increased demand due to the winter surge. The Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, is working with all marketing authorisation holders to increase supply. It will continue to offer regulatory flexibility to suppliers where possible. The HPRA has secured additional stock for many items that are in short supply. The HSE has issued several memos to prescribers and pharmacists, including clinical advice and up-to-date information on available products. A dedicated web page has been developed to allow prescribers to check what is available to supply at the moment.
We have ten minutes for the next group of questions. I will stop the clock for a minute. There is a problem when so many questions are grouped with facilitating Members who want to make lengthy statements. I might ask the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform to look at this and see how we could make it more efficient.
I think I or my office may be partially to blame as we are the ones who do the grouping.
Yes.
In fairness to Deputies, on this occasion the questions were on topic but sometimes they are totally unrelated to the group.
Constitutional Amendments
Ivana Bacik
Ceist:23. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for constitutional amendments. [8210/23]
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:24. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for constitutional amendments. [9598/23]
Mick Barry
Ceist:25. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for constitutional amendments. [9875/23]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:26. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for constitutional amendments. [9938/23]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:27. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for referendums, including the referendum on housing committed to in the programme for Government. [9960/23]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:28. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for referendums, including the referendum on housing committed to in the programme for Government. [9964/23]
Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:29. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans for constitutional amendments. [10247/23]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 29, inclusive, together.
Various proposals for constitutional reform are currently under consideration. Some arise from the programme for Government and others from the work of citizens' assemblies, the Joint Committee on Gender Equality, and others such as the EU agreement on a unified patent court that arise from legal requirements. While no final decisions have been made as yet on the timing for the holding of referendums, the Government is keen to progress matters expeditiously and attaches a particular priority to gender equality issues.
Regarding housing specifically, the Housing Commission established in December 2021 will bring forward proposals for the wording of the referendum on housing by July of this year for the Government and the Oireachtas to consider. The recent establishment of the Electoral Commission, which will replace the Referendum Commission, among other things, will help to streamline the conduct of referendums.
I want to ask the Taoiseach about two of the referendums he referred to. First, on the housing referendum, we are anxious to see that take place as soon as possible to enshrine a right to housing in the Constitution. I note the Taoiseach indicated that the wording has not been received but that he expects to receive wording from the Housing Commission by July of this year. That is welcome but we hope to see speedy progress after that.
Turning to the gender equality referendum, this is a topic that is particularly close to my own heart and it is a priority for all who served on the Joint Committee on Gender Equality which looked to take forward the great work of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality. I am delighted to hear the Taoiseach say he is giving priority to that referendum on gender equality. I remind him that our unanimously agreed cross-party report published in December came up with a specific set of wordings for the three changes necessary to give effect to the citizens' assembly recommendations to provide for gender equality in the Constitution, to delete the sexist language relating to women and mothers and replace it with gender neutral language that values and recognises care, and, crucially, to expand the definition of family beyond the marital family. We came up with the wording, which I sent to the Attorney General's office, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister with responsibility for equality, Deputy O'Gorman. I ask the Taoiseach to commit to holding that referendum as soon as possible, preferably this year. The committee previously sought for it to be held in 2023. We need the gender equality referendum. It is long overdue and given that we have now come up with a wording that received cross-party support, we ask that the Taoiseach give it particular priority for this year.
I welcome the Taoiseach's response that the referendum on housing is coming. Will he consult the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage to seek its opinion on the proposed wording? A constitutional right to housing will not guarantee every person in the State a home but it would place an important legal obligation on current and future Governments to progressively realise that right through their policies, laws and budgets. A referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution will also provide an opportunity for a national conversation about the meaning and place of a home in our society. This conversation must make its way to the child poverty unit to be established in the Department of the Taoiseach. Ultimately, the housing crisis can only be resolved through large-scale public housing provision, proper regulation of the private rental sector and progressive activation of the private sector. Does the Taoiseach believe the referendum on the right to housing could be held before the end of the year?
Local authority water assets and staff were due to be transferred over to Irish Water, Uisce Éireann, on 1 January. It is now 28 February and this has not happened. This is something worthy of public comment, in my opinion. What happened? Water workers across the country rebelled against the framework document which outlined the path to the transfer. The four trade unions that represent water workers have now opposed the document, throwing everything up in the air. Workers will not transfer over until two conditions have been met. The first is that their pay and conditions, up to and including retirement, be guaranteed, whether they transfer over or choose to be redeployed within their local authority instead. The second is that a date be set for a well-worded referendum to keep water in public ownership. When will this referendum happen?
I welcome the announcement today regarding the appointment of a chair of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. I also welcome the early date of 14 April for its first meeting. While it is very unlikely a constitutional amendment will be required as a result of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, it will make recommendations. I am conscious that we are midway through the Government's term. Has the Government plotted out where those recommendations might fall in the timeline between now and the end of the Government's term?
Will the Taoiseach be a bit more precise as to when the constitutional referendum on housing will take place and what exactly it will propose? If we have such a referendum, will it be matched by a willingness on the part of the Government to make use of it? One of the purposes of having such a referendum is that we could do things such as introduce rent controls, do something about land hoarding and speculation and protecting tenants rights, all of which the Government is not really willing to do. In fact, most of the time the Government seems to be hell-bent on allowing developers to charge obscene rents and, judging from the earlier conversation we had, promoting the right of developers to put in planning applications for totally unaffordable developments that they often do not build and which actually take up land and labour that could be used to develop public and affordable housing. Will the Taoiseach match the commitment to have a referendum with actually taking measures to challenge the profiteering by corporate landlords, speculators and land hoarders and prioritise instead people's need for affordable housing?
I thank the Deputies for their questions. I will start with the proposed referendum on housing. The first step is for the Housing Commission to present its wording to the Government. That has not happened yet and we expect it will happen no later than July. There will then be consideration by the Government. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked if we will consult the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage and we will absolutely do that. That will be part of the process of consultation. I anticipate the referendum will happen during the term of office of this Government but I think we need to be realistic about it too. I heard Deputy Boyd Barrett ask if it would allow us to do something about tenants' rights. We have done a great deal on tenants' rights.
It has not stopped them from being evicted.
One will hear stories, which I often hear, of people who have not paid their rent for two years using their rights to stay in situ even though they have not paid the rent for two or three years.
Loads of people who have done nothing wrong are being evicted.
Deputies, please do not interrupt.
There are already a lot of tenants' rights and there will be more. We have the rent pressure zones, compulsory purchase orders and fast-track planning and we have had eviction bans. There has been no constitutional bar on doing any of that. Private property rights in Ireland are subject to the common good so I think the question is misframed. What is it that a housing amendment would allow us to do that we cannot do already? That is a different question because it is very clear we have been able to do all of those things within the existing constitutional framework.
On the referendum on gender equality, I recognise the committee for the very good work that it did. I had a chance to read the report in full in the past few months and I was pleased to see we were given different options for the wording for the referendum. The matter is with the Attorney General at the moment. There has been some engagement with NGOs recently around the best timing for that referendum as well. I want to ensure we are properly prepared for it. It will probably require two amendments, one on equality and another on care. That is probably where it will land but we hope to bottom that out in the next few weeks.
On the referendum on water, we do not have a date for it yet. It is committed to but I want to give everyone reassurance that there are no plans whatsoever to sell off or privatise Irish Water. It is not the policy of any party in this House and in any case it is prevented by legislation.
To respond to Deputy McAuliffe, we anticipate the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Policy will report by the end of the year, thus allowing us to consider its recommendations in early 2024.