Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 7 Mar 2023

Vol. 1035 No. 1

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)

I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 12) (Reservation of Vocational Training Places) Order 2022 (without debate)

- Motion re Amendment of Orders of Reference of the Joint Committee on Autism (without debate)

- Motion re Modification of referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Twenty First Report of the Standing Committee of Selection and Appointment of Committee Cathaoirligh (without debate)

- Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee (without debate)

- Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first round and any division claimed to be taken immediately prior to Committee Stage of the Bill on Wednesday)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re High Energy Costs, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday’s business shall be:

- Statements on International Women’s Day (not to exceed 145 mins)

- Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023 (Committee and remaining Stages) (to be taken no earlier than 5 p.m. and to conclude within 3 hours)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re Protection of Cash as Legal Tender, selected by the Rural Independent Group.

Thursday’s business shall be Statements on the Irish Language to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge (not to exceed 145 mins).

Thursday evening business shall be Second Stage of the Education (Inspection of Individual Educations Plans for Children with Special Needs) Bill 2022, sponsored by Deputy Pauline Tully.

Announcement of proposed arrangements for this week's business:

In relation to Tuesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil shall sit later than 10.30 p.m.; and

(ii) the time for Government business shall be extended for the purpose of allowing Second Stage of the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023 to conclude, with consequential effect on the commencement time for private members' business, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Finance, and topical issues;

2. the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 12) (Reservation of Vocational Training Places) Order 2022 shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion re Amendment of Orders of Reference of the Joint Committee on Autism shall be taken without debate;

4. the Motion re Modification of referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023 shall be taken without debate;

5. the Motion re Twenty First Report of the Standing Committee of Selection and Appointment of Committee Cathaoirligh shall be taken without debate;

6. the Motion re Consideration of Estimates by Committee shall be taken without debate; and

7. on Second Stage of the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023, on the conclusion of the first speaking round in accordance with the arrangements agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, whereupon proceedings on Second Stage shall be brought to a conclusion; Provided that any division claimed on the Second Stage proceedings shall be taken immediately prior to Committee Stage of the Bill on Wednesday.

In relation to Wednesday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion of the proceedings on the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Statements on International Women's Day shall not exceed 145 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time; and

3. the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023 shall be taken no earlier than 5 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

In relation to Thursday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) topical issues shall be taken on the conclusion of Government business, with consequential effect on the commencement time for the Education (Inspection of Individual Education Plans for Children with Special Needs) Bill 2022 and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil; and

(ii) the Dáil on its rising shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 21st March, 2023; and

2. the Statements on the Irish Language to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge shall not exceed 145 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is that agreed? Not agreed.

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan

At a time when we have record homelessness, the Government has made a decision that is going to increase homelessness further. The explanations we have been given so far hold no weight. We have been told that 1,500 new homes will be purchased as part of the tenant in situ programme, but that had already been announced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We urgently need full accountability in respect of and statements on this matter.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

The revelations in the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night told us that parents who are desperate for diagnostic assessments for their children are being exploited by people who call themselves psychologists but who do not have any real qualifications. This is nothing new, but the failure to regulate the use of the title "psychologist" has caused considerable distress to many. When is the Government proposing to take action to address this issue? The Labour Party has campaigned for years for the registration and regulation of psychologists and of bogus crisis pregnancy agencies that seek to exploit vulnerable women. Unfortunately, this has been going on far too long. I would like to know what the Government proposes to do about it in light of the new revelations in last night's "RTÉ Investigates" programme.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Government has made the brutal and heartless decision to cast thousands of individuals, families, children and, increasingly often, elderly, vulnerable and sick people into homelessness, with all the suffering, hardship and fear that involves. At the very minimum, the Government should allow this House to take a vote on that decision. It should allow everyone to stand up and be counted in respect of a decision to inflict so much suffering on people. I ask the Government to allow this week, as a matter of urgency, a debate on this matter in order that we can hear from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what he proposes to do to stop more families being driven into homelessness and to stop this absolutely brutal and disastrous situation getting even worse, which it is guaranteed to do as a result of the Government's decision.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

We in the Rural Independent Group have a problem with the allocation of six hours this week for debate on Second Stage and Remaining Stages of the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023. There will also be a guillotine at the end of debate. It beggars belief that this kind of emergency legislation has to be rushed. Only a little over six hours has been allocated for debate and a guillotine has been included. The Government has had plenty of notice because we have been saying there might be a need for emergency electricity generation but we do not need a Bill such as the one proposed. The Bill has not been legally scrutinised. It has not been scrutinised by committee and it cannot possibly be scrutinised in the time that has been allocated for debate. This is rushed and bad legislation, as it will always be. It is an effort by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, before he flies all over the world, ar fud an domhain, for Paddy's Day. He and others will be travelling many miles, but there has been no talk about that. The people are sick and tired of this. We are opposed to the Bill being debated in this manner.

Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick

I have spoken to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in recent weeks about privates in the Army being forced to retire at the age of 50. I know a man who is only 50 years of age. He has a family of three and is being forced to retire. He is a chef. The Army has only paid him pennies. He wants to work on. I have asked the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste what they are going to do. In two weeks' time, this man will be forced to leave the Army. That is an absolute disgrace. The numbers in our Defence Forces are below 8,000. The Army brought in this man and trained him to be a qualified chef. That is only one example. Will the Government sort this matter out, once and for all? These are public servants who are being forced to retire at the age of 50.

An Ceann Comhairle

That is not really a matter for the Order of Business. I call the Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach

The matter raised by Deputy Fitzpatrick about retirement age is under consideration by the Tánaiste and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. It does not just relate to the Defence Forces. There are other professions, such as the Garda, where the issue of a mandatory retirement age is in question. The matter is currently being considered by Ministers.

In respect of the lapsing of the eviction moratorium, we are happy to facilitate statements later in the week, subject to agreement by the Whips, or, alternatively, we can do so during the week of 21 March when we return from the St. Patrick's Day recess. The moratorium does not lapse until 31 March, so there is plenty of time between now and then to have statements on the matter.

Of course, if Opposition parties wish to use their time for a Private Member's motion, which I am sure they will, there will be an opportunity to have a vote on this long before 31 March.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

We do not have Private Member's time. We had a Bill that should have passed though.

The Taoiseach

The important matter raised by Deputy Bacik is also of concern to me and to anybody who saw the "Prime Time" programme last night. The profession of psychology is not regulated. There was a time when very few professions in Ireland were regulated. It was just doctors, dentists and a few others. Over time, we have added to the number of professions that are regulated. We want to add psychology to the list of professions regulated by CORU. However, we have run into some real difficulties. There is no common education pathway or standards for entry to the profession. A public consultation was held in 2020 but no consensus arose from it. As recently as last August, the Minister for Health took up this matter again and wrote to the Psychologists Registration Board. The board provided recommendations to the Minister only last week, on 3 March. The Minister and his officials are going to consider these with a view to advancing this process as soon as we can.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is the Order of Business for the week agreed to? Agreed.

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin

Last night, "RTÉ Investigates" put a spotlight on the difficult and traumatic circumstances families of children with additional needs are experiencing due to the failures of the public health service. There are nearly 12,000 children on waiting lists for psychology appointments in a public primary care centre. Many of these children are waiting over five years, and in some cases more than seven years, for an appointment with a qualified psychologist. "RTÉ Investigates" showed us just how easy it is for an unscrupulous person to take advantage of this situation and practice fraudulently as a psychologist with fake qualifications. Due to the lack of professional regulation, families have no recourse when they are ripped off and there is no authority that can stop this from happening. We have been waiting 15 years for the regulation of psychology by CORU and it has been five years since the Psychologists Registration Board was established. The Taoiseach's delay is putting children at risk. It is harming them and leaving many behind. Will he tell the House when the Minister for Health and CORU will finally publish regulations for the psychology profession?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I acknowledge the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night, of which I was aware. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and CORU will be meeting in the coming weeks to progress this matter. It was the work I did in meeting with families around the country as a Minister of State that put a spotlight on the hurt and pain this issue has caused. I look forward to working with the Minister to pursue the matter further.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

Tá cearta tithíochta ag gach duine ach tá an cosc ar dhíshealbhuithe ag críochnú ag deireadh na míosa agus tá géarchéim na ndaoine gan dídean ag dul in olcas. The news today that the eviction ban will not be extended is devastating for thousands of individuals and families who thought it might be because the Taoiseach had been indicating to me and other Opposition leaders in recent weeks that a decision would be made by Government and that Government was actively considering an extension. We understood that such an extension of the ban would not be permanent, that it would be for a matter of months and that it might be conditional. Indeed, it should have been conditional on Government putting in place necessary measures to ensure an increase in the supply of housing and yet, in the four months the ban was in place, the Taoiseach's Government did nothing. The tenant in situ scheme should have been a real opportunity to increase delivery of homes for people who are renting and yet, as of yesterday, Dublin City Council had acquired just seven homes in 2023 according to information supplied to our Labour Party councillor, Jane Horgan-Jones. Why could the Government not have extended the ban further and given itself some more months to ramp up schemes such as the tenant in situ scheme and put genuinely effective measures in place to deliver housing for renting families?

The Taoiseach

We did consider an extension and a partial extension. On the recommendation of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and with the unanimous agreement of Cabinet, we decided that, on balance, an extension was not the right approach for the reasons I explained earlier. I will not accept the narrative, or the nonsense, that we somehow sat on our hands and did nothing for the past three to six months. I have set out what we have done. Some 5,000 new social homes were built in the past couple of months. A further 600 have been leased and 500 bought while 1,500 voids were returned to use and 650 additional emergency beds were provided. We announced today not only that the moratorium would lapse, but also that we would purchase 1,500 homes from landlords who are selling up where social housing tenants are at risk of becoming homeless.

Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seven homes-----

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

Last night "RTÉ Investigates" made for difficult viewing for parents of children all across the country. Not only did it, once again, highlight the scandal of the incredible waiting lists for children awaiting assessment of needs, it also exposed the incredible situation that, when a parent is unable to get the supports from the HSE in the public system and they manage to scrape together the money to go privately, what they are doing is entering the wild west of healthcare in Ireland where anybody can call themselves a psychologist. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, mentioned that the Minister will be meeting with CORU. The question for the Taoiseach and for the Minister is, what has taken so long? This was first mooted in 2017. It was raised as an issue with the Minister in 2020. Now we are a situation where the Minister is meeting with the regulatory body. What has the Government been doing?

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising that. In fact, I have met with CORU three times over the past 18 months to address a number of issues of what we have covered here today.

On the Deputy's primary question about assessment of needs, we have secured €11 million. We will be putting in assessment hubs so that we can clear that backlog as soon as possible.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

As I said, it is disgusting what the Government has done consigning so many more people who have done nothing wrong to homelessness. On the purchase alternative, which the Government claims it will ramp up, is that to be an instruction to the local authorities to buy houses where people are threatened with eviction or is it simply that the Government will allow it, in which case it will not happen because it is not happening? Every excuse under the sun is being used not to buy houses, certainly in most of Dublin.

Is it, and I have heard from the Minister so far it is not, to extend to people who are not on social housing lists? People currently above the threshold are being evicted even though they have done nothing wrong and they are not entitled to the purchase in situ scheme, housing assistance payment, HAP, or social housing.

An Ceann Comhairle

The time is up.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

They are entitled to nothing and they have been left hanging out to dry by the Government so far.

An Ceann Comhairle

I thank the Deputy. We will get an answer.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

Is the Government going to do something to stop them being evicted?

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. The Deputy may have missed the Taoiseach's initial response.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I heard it.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

Then the Deputy did not listen to it because we have made a couple of important decisions. First, we are extending the purchase of homes with a tenant in situ. We have got Government approval for another 1,500 homes. I met with all the local authorities last Thursday as well, and they are instructed to do it.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

People above the threshold.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

Will the Deputy let me answer the question?

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

That is what I asked.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

Also within that, it is for social housing list, HAP and rental accommodation scheme, RAS. What we have also done today, and the Taoiseach was clear about this earlier on, as I have been, is to provide an another mechanism for private renters to help them buy the home, should it come up for sale, and a cost-rental model if they cannot buy it. The latter is a measure I discussed with the Deputy some time ago and we debated here. We said we would do it and we will roll that out. That is for people above the social-----

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

When?

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

-----housing limits. What we are about is coming forward with solutions and that is what we have been doing. The Taoiseach outlined what was done in the last quarter of last year. There was significant delivery.

I put it to the Deputy that his party, People Before Profit, PBP,-----

An Ceann Comhairle

The time is up Minister.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

-----voted against every single measure the Government brought forward in relation to affordability or social housing - the Affordable Housing Act, the Land Development Agency Act 2021 and budget after budget.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

Because the affordable housing is benchmarked to the market.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

That is what we are doing.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

The programme last night was a huge exposé of how people can call themselves psychologists and practice in the private sector. Barry O'Kelly could interview mothers of children with special needs because they are not bound by the in camera rule unlike mothers whose children are taken into State care by Tusla who are victims of these charlatans operating in the family law courts. We saw how many quack psychologists act as expert witnesses in the family law courts. In 2014, one of them made a report on a family law case on whether a child should be removed from the family or not.

The Taoiseach's colleague, Deputy Bernard Durkan, has raised on several occasions here this issue of these psychologists operating in the family law courts which has led to the arrest and, indeed, imprisonment of some mothers and gardaí removing children from schools on foot of this.

When are we going to deal with this serious problem of quack psychologists? More importantly, evidence given by these people can impact significantly on families and children. It is traumatic and cannot be allowed to continue.

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy. For obvious reasons, I am not going to comment on evidence given in court, but regarding the issue the Deputy raises on regulating the psychology profession, we agree that it is desirable that it should be regulated. Since CORU was established, we have added a new profession pretty much every year. In the past, very few professions were regulated or titles protected. We have changed that over the course of the past ten years.

Regarding psychology, it is not straightforward. It is complicated by the fact that there is not a common education pathway and there are no common standards for entry into the profession. Public consultation in 2020 revealed significant challenges and no consensus, but the Minister has not given up on this. He wrote to the Psychologists Registration Board on this back in August. It replied to him only last Friday. He is going to consider those views with the goal of advancing this work as soon as it can be done.

Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick

Last week, PayPal announced a cut of 62 jobs in Ireland and the closure of its Dundalk office at the end of March. PayPal stated that there were to be a small number of jobs lost in Dundalk - 27, to be exact. This is less than the average, based on the 2,000 worldwide losses that PayPal announced in January. However, I empathise with those affected by these job losses. It is difficult for all concerned. I hope that they will find something soon.

Nationally, the IDA's strategy, entitled Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, reflects the approach and ambition of the programme for Government whereby, in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the IDA's success is measured by the impact of foreign direct invest on the Irish economy. We need to attract new businesses and jobs to County Louth, where we have the Xerox complex, the state-of-the-art Actavis building and the National Pen site. I ask the Taoiseach to step in and direct the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to act on these opportunities by creating jobs in County Louth.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Neale Richmond)

As the Deputy knows, the closure of PayPal in Dundalk and overall redundancies in the tech sector are part of a wider and disappointing global trend, one from which Ireland has been relatively insulated. Regarding Dundalk, the north-east regional enterprise programme will commit to finding new investment for Louth and the wider region. I look forward to Ministers going across the world in the coming weeks to attract business into Louth and across the State.

Deputy Joan Collins

The Government has decided to lift the eviction ban in the public interest. Thousands of people face losing their homes when the ban is lifted on 1 April. It is understood that more than 2,000 households might have faced eviction over the winter months. On top of that, extra people have received notices to quit since November. I do not know the exact figure, but I imagine it is at least 1,000.

Emergency accommodation is at breaking point. During Leaders' Questions last week, I asked what measures the Government would put in place to help the thousands of people facing eviction. I have seen no real indication of a plan being in place for emergency accommodation. The 1,500 social housing acquisitions might happen. I do not know - it is going slowly. The option for private tenants is a joke, with many unable to buy those houses when given first refusal. Where will the emergency accommodation be for someone who comes to my office on 1 April after receiving an eviction notice? There is none in place. Where is it, where will it be and to where can we direct people?

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

B’fhéidir nach raibh an Teachta ag éisteacht le freagra an Taoisigh roimhe sin. We have put in place clear measures. Some 5,000 new social homes were built in the past quarter, 600 new homes have been leased, and approval was given today for another 1,000 homes, which will be specifically focused on the homeless sector. Approval has also been given for 1,500 purchases with tenants in situ across the country. If more are needed in that regard, we will do more. Some 1,500 vacant social homes were returned to use in the last quarter alone.

On emergency provision, we have provided funding and other resources for an additional 650 emergency beds. Importantly, we had 2,709 exits from homelessness last year into permanent accommodation. That is because we are building more social homes than we have in 50 years.

Deputy Joan Collins

Where are those 650 emergency beds?

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

Mainly in Dublin.

Deputy Joan Collins

Will the Minister provide the House with that information?

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputies, please.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

I wish to discuss accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The Department has received 663 offers of accommodation, of which approximately one third have been rejected. I have spent months trying to get information about two suitable accommodation offers in Carlow. It is all online. There is no face-to-face contact. I have also visited the office of the Minister, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman. My understanding is that it is short-staffed. These communities and the owners of these premises are only asking for communication and speed. They have their fire certification, the necessary remedial works have been done and they have done everything they can. This needs to be addressed. We are all trying to work together, but people are becoming disheartened. They are not receiving any answers. I ask that we do something urgently to try to sort this out.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

The former chief executive of Limerick City and County Council, Mr. Conn Murray, has done a significant amount of work in the refurbishment programme that has sat with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We have stood up a new procedure under which Mr. Michael Walsh, the chief executive of Waterford City and County Council, will be co-ordinating the refurbishment response. A new portal will be opened and we are going through all the offers that were made. In some instances people were not responded to. If the Deputy has specific details about the two accommodation offers in Carlow she mentioned, she can give them directly to me and we will pursue them.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

Again this week we have fresh evidence from Sinn Féin's electoral returns that real reform is needed in the area of electoral spending as committed to in the programme for Government. The main Opposition party finds itself consistently U-turning in its declarations for all major elections in the past decade. Accountability and transparency must be an essential cornerstone of our democracy. It does not seem to be so for Sinn Féin. Currently, it wants us to believe it only spent on average €21 on each of its 230 candidates in the 2019 local elections. The party now claims that local areas pay for their own local election campaigns, which is a complete contradiction of its claim last month that local election expenditure was included in its European election returns to the Standards in Public Office, SIPO, Commission. It is a financial circus. It gives us a glimpse into the unmitigated disaster we would face if Sinn Féin were in charge of the finances of our nation. Will the Taoiseach give the Dáil an update on the electoral spending reforms that are urgently needed?

The Taoiseach

I am glad to confirm the Electoral Commission is now up and running. It is an organisation that will need many resources and many teeth because we need to clean up politics. What Sinn Féin has been claiming about its finances is simply not credible. To say in 2019 it only spent €4,775 on all its local election candidates beggars belief. It cannot be true. I do not believe it. It is important that people who ran for Sinn Féin in the local elections in 2019 and received support come forward and say so, at least to clear their names if their party will not do it for them. I agree with the Deputy's remarks in that regard. I am disappointed we are not having a debate on Sinn Féin's finances in the House this week and that the party is even being protected to a certain extent by some of the other Opposition parties in this regard.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien

Deputy Guirke should answer that. Did his councillors get support? How much?

Deputy Johnny Guirke

I look after myself.

I received worrying news this morning about capital funding pressures in the Department of Education and about its work programme and priorities for 2023 and beyond. I have been informed that 58 school building projects are now on hold due to capital funding pressures. We need a list of the 58 schools on that list and how long the projects will be on hold. These include projects in my constituency of Meath West, including Enfield Community College. At a time when we have capacity pressures across the school system, this news is entirely unacceptable. The news also raises further concerns. If there are capital funding pressures in the Department of Education, in which other Departments are there also funding pressures? This is serious in the context of the national development plan. Will the Taoiseach give me an update today? I suggest the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform should come before the House in the next weeks to discuss this serious matter.

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It also affects schools in my constituency, as the Deputy can imagine. The Department of Education has been doing a stellar job when it comes to its capital budget. New schools and extensions are being built all over the country. What has happened is that in many ways it has been doing such a good job that it is now ahead of profile on spending its capital budgets. As the Deputy will be aware, the cost of construction has also gone up and as a result a number of school projects, as the Deputy said, have been stalled.

We will sort this out. It will take us a couple of weeks to sit down with the Department and a few other Departments that are in a similar boat. It is something we intend to have resolved, certainly before Easter. This may involve some additional capital to make sure some of the shovel-ready projects with planning permission can go ahead or the reallocation of capital across Departments. We are working on this and we will have a solution by Easter. I want people to know these schools will get the go-ahead.

Deputy Johnny Guirke

When?

The Taoiseach

Give us a few weeks to sort it out.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

Will the Taoiseach lend his support and the support of his office to the effort to roll out peanut oral immunotherapy for children in this country? Approximately 20,000 children in this country suffer from peanut allergies. As the Taoiseach knows, it can become very serious. Some children can have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts. A lot of work is being done on this by Children's Health Ireland, CHI, in conjunction with Cork University Hospital. A drug has been developed but there is no timeline for rolling out peanut oral immunotherapy. This is something that would be very welcome. Will the Taoiseach follow up on the matter? A business case has been escalated to the HSE by CHI. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics is reviewing a drug from the company Aimmune Therapeutics. It needs a push. It is something that could be the difference between life and death for a child.

The Taoiseach

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this issue. Peanut allergies are serious and in some cases are fatal. We have had a number of cases in recent years of people going into anaphylactic shock and, unfortunately, dying as a consequence of peanut allergies. I am not familiar with the new medicine or the particular business case Deputy Griffin has mentioned, but I will get my office to follow it up with CHI and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to see what we can do to push things forward.

Deputy Martin Kenny

I want to raise the issue of An Garda Síochána and the difficulties there have been in the organisation for some considerable time, particularly with regard to recruitment and retention. The most evident issue we have had in recent days is that of rosters and the problems with them. The Garda Commissioner has said he will extend the present contingency roster until September. This will give space for proper negotiations to occur. There needs to be recognition by the Government that we have a serious problem with our police service. This is with regard to the affordability of housing for people working in the police service and the cost of living. Many people are finding it very difficult to manage and survive. This is reflected in the serious problem we have with retention and recruitment. It is time for the Government to take action on this and to ensure we put the measures in place to recruit people into An Garda Síochána and retain them, and provide an adequate service for people throughout the State. We see trouble in almost every constituency and area, especially in the capital city of Dublin.

The Taoiseach

I thank Deputy Kenny. It is important we have appropriate and modern Garda rosters. We need gardaí to be available when people need them. Often this is at night-time and weekends. We also need rosters that respect the need for work-life balance and ensure we continue to be able to recruit and retain gardaí. There is a balance to be struck in this regard. There was a long process of engagement on this involving management and staff. There was an independent chair. A proposal was published on 15 August. The Commissioner, the chief superintendents and the superintendents accepted the recommendations of the independent chair. However, the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors rejected the recommendation of the independent chair. The Garda Commissioner has asked the WRC to intervene. This is the right approach. The WRC is the Government office that works to resolve industrial relations disputes. This is where it will go and I hope it will be sorted out there.

Deputy Bríd Smith

Is the widely publicised response I received from the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on a question about free public transport the Government's position? In other words, does the Government reject the idea of free public transport because it leads to an increase in unnecessary trips? Does the Taoiseach claim, therefore, that journeys currently undertaken by people entitled to free public transport, namely, those on social welfare or older people, are also unnecessary trips? If this is not the case, why provide it to one group but not to all? Is the unspecified research the Minister referred to available to us? He referred to research. He has been asked by the media to provide it but he has failed to do so. I can give the Taoiseach six or seven other pieces of research that show the benefits of free public transport as a climate and social measure.

The Taoiseach

I have not seen that response so I cannot comment on it directly. I would not be overly concerned about unnecessary trips, to be honest. I do not think many people are going around on buses and trains just for the craic, but there would be genuine problems with free public transport - cost and capacity. We could see capacity being overloaded, and that would not be an advantage to anyone, and, second, there is an issue of cost. We want to invest additional money in public transport in new services, not just making existing services less expensive. We have reduced public transport fares in Ireland and it has been successful in increasing the number of people using public transport. That should be noted too.

Deputy Bríd Smith

So Eamon Ryan's position is not the Taoiseach's position.

The Taoiseach

I have not read it, I am sorry. The Deputy may not have represented it fairly.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We are out of time. With the co-operation of the Taoiseach, I will take the last two speakers. I call Deputy Michael Healy Rae.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

Sadly, an ever-increasing number of people are suffering from cancer in this country. Proton therapy, PT, is a significantly superior form of radiation therapy which spares a patient many of the side-effects of traditional radiotherapy, RT. To date, the development of PT has been limited compared with RT, principally because its comparative costs have been so great. A private company, Muir, has reimagined every aspect of the delivery of proton therapy such that it can deliver this superior form of cancer treatment at a cost equivalent to traditional radiotherapy. A number of discussions have been held with the HSE in Ireland, together with leading private healthcare providers, to explore the potential for treating patients with PT in Ireland and to meet the needs of patients in Northern Ireland. There is a consensus among the project participants that such a service would be of significant value if it could be developed on an affordable and sustainable basis.

Deputy Patrick Costello

Once again, the Attorney General's advice has been given as a reason not to act. The Attorney General's advice has been suggested as one reason not to extend the eviction ban. I call on the Government to publish this advice because there are plenty of learned barristers out there who say it is perfectly constitutional to continue the eviction ban. I call on the Government to publish this advice and let us test it. Better yet, let us continue the eviction ban and test it in court. Legal opinion only becomes legal fact in front of a judge. We would benefit from having the law around private property and around the common good clarified by the courts. That is what they are there for after all. Let us publish this advice and test it properly.

The Taoiseach

I am not up to date with our plans to bring proton therapy to Ireland. I think we will at some point, and we should sooner rather than later. I have seen it operating in a hospital I visited in Singapore, and it is really impressive. It does not work for every tumour but it does work for some. It means the tumour gets pinpointed, rather than the whole skin and the area around it. People can understand why that would be beneficial. I understand we do pay for some patients to have it overseas but I would certainly be interested in exploring any options to bring it to Ireland. I am sure we will. It is only a matter of time, so we should make plans to do it sooner rather than later.

In regard to the Attorney General's advice, I am not sure what is being said in the media or publicly. What the Attorney General has said is that private property rights are subject to the common good. He has said it would be extremely difficult to justify a permanent extension of the eviction moratorium but it would be possible to justify a temporary extension of the eviction moratorium, but in court we would have to prove it did more good than harm and that it was in the public interest in the round. Having considered it, the Government formed the view that it was not in the public interest in the round to extend the eviction moratorium. We made this decision as to what we thought was the right thing to do as a Government. It was not because the Attorney General told us we could or could not make the decision.