I have been contacted by a lady who has three children and is five months pregnant. She is being evicted from emergency accommodation on 5 May. The Minister might ask why this is happening. It is happening because this lady is earning too much over Cork County Council's income threshold for social housing. This is unbelievable stuff. I will ask the Minister a straight question. Is it this Government's policy to remove or refuse people from emergency accommodation when they have nowhere else to go because they are earning too much money? If it is not, the Minister needs to notify every local authority of that.
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
If Deputy Gould could give me the details on that I will follow up. Emergency accommodation-----
I am talking about the policy.
-----is there for that particular reason. If people have nowhere to go, regardless of their income, and they require State emergency accommodation, that should be made available to them.
Cork County Council-----
I call Deputy Bacik, please.
I wish to raise the plight of workers who face their livelihoods being taken away from them. I draw the Minister's attention to a report from Mr. Donal MacNamee in The Business Post on Sunday about plans to lay off 225 workers from the Irish offices of Indeed, the online recruitment platform. We understand that as many as 640 jobs at Indeed are likely to be affected by the global cuts being made. That will be approximately half of their Irish workforce.
Indeed's offices are in my constituency of Dublin Bay South, on St. Stephen's Green. I understand the proposed severance package being offered to the affected workers is significantly lower than those which have been offered to other big tech firms in recent months. Indeed has been making record profits recently. The Financial Services Union has rightly criticised management at Indeed, which appears to be pre-emptively cutting short the required consultation process.
What representations, if any, has the Minister made to management at Indeed? Can he give assurances to the workers affected, who are going to be hearing very shortly about these dreadful job losses, that the Government will offer them contingencies and support?
As the Deputy knows, we have had a number of announcements from technology companies in Ireland about global redundancies. This has had an impact on Ireland but, in most cases, the percentage impact here has been considerably less than the percentage global reduction because Ireland continues to be a favoured location for many technology companies. In the cases of the redundancies that have been announced in Ireland, of course there are statutory obligations with regard to notice periods and redundancy payments. In most cases, the technology companies have offered well above the statutory redundancy in support payments. Of course, the arms of the State are also there to support employees to find new employment. I will get a note from IDA Ireland on Indeed and share it with the Deputy.
During the discussion this morning on the Social Democrats' vacant homes tax motion, the Minister for Finance was quite dismissive of the figure of 160,000 vacant homes identified by the census. He seemed to think that the figure included the homes of people who were on holidays for a few weeks, but this is not correct. For a vacant home to be classified as such, the census enumerator must visit it on several occasions and find that it is vacant and then must talk to the neighbours and get clarification that there is no one on holidays or some other reason for a short-term vacancy. Given that the Minister charged with implementing the vacant homes tax clearly does not understand the census data on vacancy, this raises the question as to whether the Cabinet understood the data when making its decision. Will the Government reconsider the derisory 0.3% tax and increase it to an effective rate?
We had a discussion on this at Cabinet yesterday and my understanding is that the census figure for vacant properties is 167,000 but the actual, real, likely figure for vacancies, given the fact that many people are simply away from their property when the census form comes in or do not fill it out-----
That is not the case.
I ask the Deputy to hear me out. My understanding, and the figure we were given by the Department of Finance, is that approximately 57,000 is the real figure in terms of habitable vacant properties right now. However, when looking at the different exemptions that are in place for the tax, for example, works going on, the property being up for sale or stuck in probate, and a whole range of other things, the actual number of vacant properties that are habitable - not derelict properties - and that this tax is likely to apply to is probably going to be less than 10,000. That is my honest assessment and understanding of it. If the Deputy has a different figure, I would love to see the detail on it.
I want to ask a question on the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant that were in place in this country but that were ceased. The Ombudsman asked that they be restored ten years ago, in 2013. The primary medical certificate, which is in place at the moment, is not functional and the appeals committee resigned almost two years ago because the system is not fit for purpose. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters, on which I sit, has raised these issues as well but, so far, it has not received anything from Government, other than an indication that there is a working group in place. We need to see action. We talk about mental health, homelessness and many other issues but we have a cohort of people who should be living independently throughout Ireland, including rural Ireland, but who cannot get transport and who do not have any supports to live independently.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As he will be aware, the working group has met for the past 12 months and has finished its work. The final document has been produced and sent to the Department of Finance. Our aim is to devise a scheme that is fit for purpose before the next budget.
I am glad that Deputy Coveney is here today standing in for the Taoiseach because he has long experience in foreign affairs. A citizen from Clonmel, Mr. John White, has been incarcerated in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a number of years. He was imprisoned for debt - company debt rather than personal debt. He has had two strokes and has just been released from hospital. His sister contacted me yesterday to tell me that he was finally released from hospital on Friday morning. He is almost blind and he needs consular assistance to get out of the UAE and back home. He has family in Clonmel and Dublin. The Taoiseach knows of this family. I ask the Minister to instruct the consulate to intervene here. This man has been to hell and back. He has been incarcerated for some time but was released from hospital on Friday morning. He suffered two strokes and is partially blind. He is unable to fend for himself or make his way home. He needs consular assistance and I appeal to the Minister to intervene.
Having been in the Department of Foreign Affairs, I know how complex and difficult some consular cases can be. I will raise this issue with the Department and remind officials of the urgency of the case the Deputy has raised.
I want to raise a really important issue for many people, particularly those with disabilities, which is the need to find a way to reopen the hydrotherapy pool in Cregg House, Sligo. Pre-Covid, this hydrotherapy pool was utilised full-time but it closed at the beginning of Covid and never reopened. In the meantime, Cregg House was sold but the new owner has indicated that he would have no problem in coming to an arrangement with the HSE to use the pool. We urgently need to put such an arrangement in place. I have been contacted by many constituents, again and again, who are asking that this hydrotherapy pool be reopened for people, especially those with severe disabilities. The hydrotherapy pool in Cregg House was a lifeline. The service that was in place is now gone and, to be honest, the people affected feel abandoned. I ask the Minister to contact the Minister for Health and ask him to speak to the HSE about the need to reopen this pool.
I thank the Deputy for raising this very valuable topic. I fully believe in the use of hydrotherapy pools. She is correct that a number of hydrotherapy pools around the country have not reopened after Covid. I ask her to bring me the details of the pool in Sligo. I have no problem working with her, nor does the HSE, to make sure that this and other pools are reopened.
I wish to raise the issue of the huge potential of offshore wind energy to bring Ireland to a more carbon-friendly place and to make sure we meet our international obligations. This will be very lucrative in its construction phase. We heard many people on the airwaves over the Easter recess saying that the Irish ports are not configured at this time to be able to build or tow into place the infrastructure required, particularly for floating offshore wind platforms. What would the Minister say to that? We are also quite concerned in County Clare that the offshore designation we have for wind energy is far smaller than in other parts of the west. The greatest wind corridor hitting our west coast comes in by the Loop Head lighthouse and up along the Shannon Estuary. That is the area Ireland should prioritise for offshore wind. We already have the kV transmission lines from Moneypoint and that is where it should happen. I would really like to hear how the Government will support ports and harbours because if we do not take this opportunity, the likes of Rotterdam or Bremen will step in and seize this lucrative development opportunity.
As the Deputy knows, this Government set up a task force to look at the potential of the Shannon Estuary. My understanding is that in the next couple of months its report will come in. I have met that group on more than one occasion. It has a fantastic chairman who is very ambitious for the Shannon Estuary. A big part of that report will be around offshore wind and redeveloping the Shannon Foynes Port, which is going to involve hundreds of millions of euro in investment to make it ready to assemble some of the largest offshore wind energy infrastructure on the planet. We currently have a pipeline of approximately 27 GW worth of projects, which equates to €80 billion in capital investment. Investors want to be able to develop off Ireland's east, south and west coasts. We will have to do that in phases and with a State-led planning system, and that is what we are embarking on now. I assure the Deputy that the opportunities for the west of Ireland will be huge but they will take some time to deliver.
Given that wholesale energy prices are down quite sharply, can we be assured that energy users are being treated fairly? I have three specific questions in that regard. I welcome the 75% windfall tax, but can we expect additional measures for energy users on foot of that?
Does the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, police the hedging policies of different energy companies to ensure that there is not price gouging so that when they say they have to wait before cutting prices, it is on a valid basis? Finally, with the renewable generation sector now earning very high profits, can it make a contribution to reducing the strain on energy users at this time? This would also win the sector brownie points as it seeks to develop this infrastructure for the future.
That was a lot of questions. I am not sure how much time I have to respond to them.
One minute.
Maybe 17 minutes. As Members know, I am quite interested in the energy debates. These are serious questions. Obviously, the Government is watching closely where energy prices are at now versus international wholesale prices. We see petrol and diesel prices at the pump, for example, falling to their lowest level in a number of years, which is a good thing, and likewise in regard to home heating oil and gas into people's homes. There is always a delay in passing on reduced wholesale prices but we will make sure that delay is as short as possible. In the meantime, we have a strong support package for businesses under the temporary business energy support scheme for businesses, which has been extended. The support has been increased in regard to the percentage increase that the State will now pay for. It may be extended again beyond May for another two months without the need for primary legislation. We are doing a lot in this space. We have said that the 75% windfall tax on extraordinary profits made on very high energy prices will effectively be recycled back into the system, recognising the pressures that both households and business are under.
I wish to talk about a family from Lucan whose five children, all under the age of five, are praying every night for a new house, having been served with an eviction notice. Darina, who went public last week, said she breaks down crying when she puts her children to bed because of the stress of having to move out on 1 May. The family's problems are further compounded because their daughter, Emma, has level four cerebral palsy and epilepsy, which causes regular seizures. Their father, Benjamin, who is an engineer, told me yesterday that he is trying everything possible to find a secure home for his family. South Dublin County Council has not been able to offer suitable emergency accommodation to meet the needs of young Emma. The tenants in situ scheme does not apply in this case. On 1 May when this family has to leave their home, where will they go?
As we have discussed many times in the House, individual cases often require individual answers. There are both local authorities and housing bodies with significant funding from the State there to work with families in vulnerable situations. From what the Deputy said, this is a very vulnerable situation - five children and very stressed parents, and one of the children with a disability, facing real concerns around an eviction notice, which I assume is a valid eviction notice.
It is.
Many of them are not, by the way.
This one is.
We learned from reports this morning that up to half of eviction notices are not valid and should be challenged. If this one is then of course we have an obligation through the housing departments of local authorities primarily to try to find accommodation and solutions for cases such as this one.
In regard to the very successful visit of President Joe Biden, there are times when visits such as this cause us all to reflect on the extraordinary power of our global Irish community. This is something we celebrate, and rightly so. The Minister and I have had a real, in-depth experience of encountering and working with that power and that community in so many different locations throughout this planet. However, we are hopelessly out of step when we seek to support our citizens in electing our first citizen - that person who best embodies who we are as a people, our President. We are hopelessly out of step with other countries in giving our citizens the right, no matter where they live on this planet, to elect our first citizen. When is it planned to hold that referendum that has been committed to in the programme for Government? It is about time that we gave recognition to those of our citizens, including those who live on this island, who cannot exercise that right.
I wish first to recognise the role of the Deputy in building that connection with the Irish diaspora throughout the world when he was Minister of State with that brief. He made a significant impact. He and I discussed many times the commitment that the Government has made to extend voting rights to Irish people living abroad for presidential elections. I am still committed to this. It is part of the programme for Government. It requires a referendum, of course, which is not straightforward. In some ways, we have been prevented in recent years from holding referendums through the Covid period, which has made it more complicated because we have a series of referendums that the Government wants to deliver between now and the next election. This is one of them. I do not have a date for the Deputy but I confirm that it is my understanding that the Government’s intention is still to hold a referendum in this space before the next election.
I speak on behalf of the people involved in Airbnb short-term lets. A statement from the EU stated that the Irish Government was wrong in the persecution and torment it is putting those people under. The local authorities throughout the country that are dealing with planning permissions want valid applications from people looking for permission to do short-term lets because they have been directed by the Government and others who think that 12,000 people are going to change from short-term lets to long-term lets. That will not happen. People cannot be forced to do something with their property that they do not want to do. A group of people representing short-term let operators recently stated that 80% of them have said they will not change over to long-term lets. They will not. They will not be pushed or compelled to do so. Today I seek direction for our local authorities and decision makers in planning departments. What exactly is the Government’s take on short-term lets now, following that statement from the EU ten or 12 days ago?
Nobody is being persecuted here. My understanding is that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will give guidance, if it has not already, to local authorities in this space regarding the planning considerations involved. In some parts of the country the role of Airbnbs is particularly important, particularly this year when many of our hotel rooms are not available for the tourism season. In other parts of the country where there is inappropriate short-term letting of premises that should be available for longer term letting, the State needs to act on that. In many rural parts in particular, I do not disagree with the Deputy. Many people, if required to apply for planning permission for short-term lets in the context of an Airbnb letting, simply will not do it. Local authorities will receive guidance from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on this issue shortly.
I again appeal for help with the lack of spaces for children with autism in Dublin 15. The Danu special school will not have a place this year and will have one in September 2024. An extension to Castleknock Community School, which, despite all the promises given because it took on extra students, still has not been delivered. Powerstown Educate Together in Tyrrellstown has zero school places for children with autism in 2023-24. An average of 42 places are required at secondary school level for children with autism in Dublin 15 every year, yet there is no sign of any of these being delivered.
I take this opportunity to thank Síle Parsons, Susan Pollard and all those behind the autism school in Dublin 15 group for their continued good work in lobbying for school places for these children. They deserve school places similar to every other student. Unfortunately, there are none at the moment.
Of course they do. The State needs to continue to add more and more special needs places as well as special needs assistants and increased staff in schools and other educational settings in regard to autism and indeed other disability areas as well.
I am quite familiar with that from my constituency and some of the pressures we are trying to deliver on. I will have to get the Minister of State to come back to the Deputy on the specific geographic area of Dublin 15 he referred to. I will raise it with the her and get her to send him a note.
On Monday I was delighted to have the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, in Carlow. We met an awful lot of clubs and the big question was when applications will open for the sports capital grants and when the funding will be in place. It is a huge issue and we need to let the clubs know. I also want an update on the merger of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, and the GAA. What is the timescale for that?
I got an email yesterday and I want to relay some of it to the Minister of State. It says the Irish Dragon Boat Association is being threatened with extinction because Canoeing Ireland is changing its constitution and memo of association to state that it governs, controls and regulates all paddle sports in all their forms in Ireland. That is a huge concern for me. We have the dragon boat association headquarters in Carlow and there is a massive female membership there and it needs to remain viable. I ask the Minister of State to come back to me on that and I thank him again for visiting Carlow. It was a great day.
If I were to take that question I might be upsetting the plan here somehow, so I will leave it to the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne.
On the canoeing issue, we will get Sport Ireland to engage with the Irish Dragon Boat Association. It can do that. I compliment Deputy Murnane O'Connor and Carlow County Council on the work they are doing on the Barrow, boating there and the plans they have.
On the sports capital grant, which is of considerable interest across the House, the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform has to give us sanction to open it and we are having very good engagement with the Department and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, as well. We hope to get that sanction soon, as I am aware there are a lot of clubs waiting around.
On the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association, the merger is a matter for the organisations themselves, but from a sports funding point of view and especially a sports capital point of view I think there is a problem because the GAA owns practically all the facilities in the world of Gaelic sports. From a funding point of view, there would have to be full and equal access going forward for men and women to those sports. I am coming across a number of examples around the country where women camogie players do not have access to a hurling pitch, for example, or ladies' football players have access on different terms. That will all have to come to an end from a sports funding point of view, regardless of the mergers.
Good luck with that one.
In recent weeks and months we have seen an increasing number of events outside, and unfortunately inside, libraries involving intimidatory behaviour towards library staff and the general public in an attempt to remove, to deface or outright remove without permission certain library books for children. I am sure the Minister will agree with me that a library is a place of learning, information and study and is certainly no place for extreme politics of any kind. What assurances can he give me that the Government can provide certainty with regard to library staff, the general public and most importantly children that individuals will be kept outside the premises? One such incident happened in Swords, in my constituency, a couple of weeks ago. If these individuals are flagging these events online well in advance, they should be removed from libraries, forcibly if required, to ensure that the safety and welfare of library users and staff is not put in jeopardy.
I want to give a clear message that if someone has a political issue they want raised in terms of the availability of certain books and content within books, there are ways in which they can raise that without intimidating children and staff who are simply doing their job, normally linked to a local authority running library services that are fantastic across the country. My children use the library service a lot, and it is no place for protest and intimidation. I will raise this with the Minister with responsibility for local government. If there are security considerations then we will pursue them, but I hope we can give a clear signal across all political parties that intimidation that may involve children is not an appropriate way to raise a political point.
This week I spoke to Maria from Kilkee. She has a 16-year-old son who is deeply depressed and has had suicidal ideation. She has had to go outside the county to get two private diagnoses in Dublin. Even then, she was still left contending with Clare's extensive waiting list. When her son eventually received an appointment, it was unfortunately cancelled the day before due to a red weather warning in February. She is still waiting for him to receive a replacement appointment, so I urge the Minister please to assist me in helping this family. As of February, there are eight vacancies in the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in the mid-west. I welcome that three additional consultant child psychiatrists have been recruited in recent months, but a gap of eight is simply not good enough. Children in Clare are being forced to fight tor their lives against their own mental health problems and for parents this is a worry like no other. There is an underspend across the board. Can we please help these people and these families?
I am familiar with the pressure CAMHS are under in my part of the country as well across Cork and Kerry. We have seen a significant recruitment effort to bring in the skill sets needed to help young people who need that help. In most cases funding is not the issue here. It is about getting the people we need and the challenges we face in recruiting people with the necessary skills that are in demand across this country and across many other countries as well. I will ensure the specific issues the Deputy has raised are raised with the Minister and will see if we can get a response for the Deputy.
On top of the thousands of families with eviction notices and those with notices to come, there is another cohort of people, mainly women, that is hugely affected by the housing crisis. A case I really wanted to raise today is that of a constituent who fled an abusive marriage. She has two young children and is currently in a refuge. She has been offered one room with two beds in it for her and the children. One child will get their own bed, the other will sleep with the mother and there is a fridge and a sink at the bottom of one of the beds. One child has a brain injury and the other has just been put on antidepressants and previously had an issue with self-harm. They are on the council list, but there are no properties. They qualify for the HAP, but there is nowhere to rent. The council is doing everything it can and I hope she will be sorted, but it brings up the wider issue of supports in cases of domestic violence. The providers are doing so much, but we need to be able to offer better accommodation to these families, in particular those who have children with additional needs. A room with two beds where one child sleeps in a bed with the mother is just not good enough, so I again ask that greater resources be put in place to help those providers assisting people in situations of domestic violence.
That is a very tragic case and I am more than familiar with many cases like that. That is why, from a homelessness perspective, the support the State needs to give is more than simply accommodation, though that is of course hugely important, but it is about other support structures like healthcare, advice, counselling and supports for children too. We have dramatically increased the financial support for that range of services over the last few years. We need to continue to do that while people are in emergency accommodation and as we source proper, appropriate and sustainable social housing solutions for them.
We are out of time but have two remaining questioners. We will take 30-second questions from both.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Fine Gael has put forward a proposal for the introduction of a new 30% tax rate. A 30% tax rate would benefit more that 1 million working people in Ireland and in particular the squeezed middle. Now is the time to put more money back into people's pockets to counteract inflation, to counteract the huge increases in grocery prices, to assist people with rent and to support people saving for a first home. A new 30% tax rate would mean more people get to keep more of the money they earn. Can I get an update on the modelling the Department is doing on this?
It is over three months since the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, announced a 100% redress scheme for apartment and duplex owners affected by defects. At the time he said emergency funding would be made available this year, but there is still no indication as to how one can apply for emergency funding or what kind of scheme that is going to be based on and no progress on the details of the 100% redress scheme itself. People are still living in dangerous buildings. People are still being pursued for tens of thousands of euro by management companies.
There are situations where residents and owners of management companies are unable to get insurance. What action is being taken on this?
Deputy Paul Murphy's question is a fair one. The Government has given a commitment in this space and that needs to be followed through now. I will try to get the detail from the Minister for the Deputy. It is a fair question and many people are waiting for that detail.
On the question on the 30% tax rate, this will be a topic of debate in the build-up to this year's budget. As the Deputy knows, in last year's budget there was a big focus on widening tax bands to try to give middle-income earners a break. These are the people who are paying for everything through their taxes and finding it difficult to meet their bills because of cost-of-living increases. The Government thinks we should continue that trajectory and give people more of their income to take home at the end of each week. Whether we do that through a more radical system with a 30% tax rate or a more managed approach of widening tax bands remains to be seen. We want to ultimately move towards the target that Fine Gael has set of allowing people to earn €50,000 per year before they move into the top rate of tax, which I strongly agree with. Having looked at international examples, Ireland is an outlier in respect of the number of people who pay at the highest rate of tax. This is something that will be debated in the coming months.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 1.12 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.12 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.12 p.m. and resumed at 2.12 p.m.