Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 25 Apr 2023

Vol. 1037 No. 1

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Health Services

Deputy Thomas Gould

Blarney GP service closed on 31 December when the GP retired. The service was closed and patients were sent to different areas. They were sent to Ballincollig, Blackpool and Ovens. There was a process under way to appoint a new GP. An announcement came last week and patients were told they would have to travel to Blackpool. There are vulnerable patients, including people with lifelong illnesses, families, and now they are expected to travel from Blarney to Blackpool. The people of Blarney are really upset by this. The HSE should have moved earlier. It was not until I contacted the HSE last year to let them know that the doctor was retiring that the position was advertised. It is not good enough from the HSE to leave advertising GP services to the last minute. It is really disappointing for the residents. To follow on from that, a GP is now retiring in the St. Mary's primary care centre in Gurranabraher. The same thing has happened again. This GP wanted to do a handover with a GP who is also in the primary care centre so that his patients would have the best possible handover and treatment.

The HSE, however, did nothing for months. The doctor did everything in his power to plan for the goodwill of his patients but, once again, the HSE has procedures in place that I do not understand. When it knows a GP is leaving, the position should be advertised immediately. In addition, GP services should be kept locally. There will now be an interim GP service even though there is a GP based right next to the practice from which the GP is leaving. It does not make sense. Patients are losing out again.

The HSE must take responsibility. This affects vulnerable patients. It is really disappointing. People in Blarney have made the point that Blarney is a village but it is growing. It has a huge hinterland. Patients are now travelling all over Cork North Central to get the GP service they need. It is not good enough. I want the HSE to change its procedures and get the GP service back on St. Mary's campus in Gurranabraher and the people of Blarney to get their GP services back in Blarney rather than being expected to travel. Even if a GP was put back into Blarney, there is a significant backlog for GP services. We need the primary healthcare service that was promised for Blarney.

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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. As the Deputy will be aware, GPs are private practitioners, although most GPs hold contracts with the HSE to provide services under public health schemes. There are currently 2,539 GPs with a general medical services, GMS, contract for the provision of GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. As they are private practitioners, GPs are free to establish their practice and work at a location of their own choosing. However, when a GP vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes involved in the recruitment of a replacement GP. Obviously, we wish both doctors who have served the people of Blarney and the surrounding area for many years all the best in their retirement.

The HSE recently undertook a recruitment campaign for the GMS vacancy in Blarney and several candidates were interviewed in late February and early March. A GP has been identified through this process and is anticipated to take up the position of the GMS GP for the GMS panel on 1 July 2023. Regrettably however, as the Deputy stated, it has not been possible to arrange for the GMS GP service to be based in Blarney. The GMS GP service will be located in Blackpool, which has strong transport links to Blarney. Correspondence was issued to the main cardholders of this GMS panel on Thursday, 13 April. The HSE appreciates, as do I, as Minister of State with responsibility for older people, that this relocation will present a challenge for some GMS cardholders and, accordingly, a change of doctor process will be available from 1 July to those who require it.

As regards the expected GMS vacancy at St. Mary’s primary care centre, the HSE has advised that it is aware of the upcoming vacancy and will advertise the GMS panel on 1 May. Engagement is ongoing to provide cover for the GMS panel on an interim basis to ensure continuity of services for the cardholders concerned.

The Government recognises the high demand for GP services and has taken measures to make working in general practice in Ireland more attractive. This will improve the recruitment and retention of GPs, increasing the number of GPs throughout the country. The rate of remuneration under the GMS scheme has been increased, with additional annual investment of over €200 million being provided under the 2019 GP agreement. For GPs, this means increased capitation rates, increased rural practice supports and increased contributions to leave arrangements. Specific to rural practices, the agreement provides for a 10% increase in payments under the pre-existing rural practice support framework and a 28% increase to dispensing doctor fees. Practices that receive rural practice supports attract the maximum allowable rates for practice staff support subsidies and locum contributions for leave taking. The terms of reference for a strategic review of general practice have recently been published. This review will commence shortly and will be completed this year. The review, with input from key stakeholders, will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice and will set out the measures necessary to deliver a more sustainable general practice.

To sum up, the HSE steps in where a GP is retiring. It has tried everything to recruit and it has managed to recruit a doctor for the original GP service in Blarney but, unfortunately, that will be located in Blackpool in the short term. It will be recruiting for the St. Mary's primary care centre starting on 1 May.

Deputy Thomas Gould

I thank the Minister of State. I thank Dr. Gibson, who is retiring from St. Mary's campus, and Dr. O'Halloran, who retired at the start of the year. Unfortunately, the response provided by the Minister of State gives very little hope for the people of Blarney or for those who attend St. Mary's campus. There is a severe lack of GP services in my constituency. People regularly contact me because they cannot get a GP, while those who have a GP are struggling to get appointments because GPs are overwhelmed. There are six primary care centres in Cork city but there is only one in my constituency of Cork North-Central. Some 131,341 people live in my constituency but there is only one primary care centre. That is completely unfair to the staff, the people of the area and the communities in which they live. Areas such as Blarney, Glanmire, Bishopstown, Ballyvolane, Mayfield and the Glen do not have primary care centres.

In Fine Gael's election manifesto, it promised 90 primary care centres. The Fine Gael spokesperson on health is based in my constituency but we have not seen a single primary care centre opened or even announced. Fine Gael promised to deliver primary care centres but that has not happened. The centre in Blarney has a planning issue but what contingency plan was there to deliver another such centre in the town? I spoke to Dr. O'Halloran, who was working in Blarney. She retired because the primary care centre was not delivered and she could not get the HSE to support her with holidays or if she was sick. The Minister of State made the point that GPs are private practitioners. They need support, however, because many of them cannot keep going on their own. She referred to the challenges and stated that the HSE will advertise Dr. Gibson's GP service on 1 May. Months ago, Dr. Gibson told the HSE he was leaving. I contacted the HSE weeks ago, asking it to advertise the position so that the GP service could be kept there. Why is the HSE being evasive and not advertising the positions? Why is it not being proactive? Is there an alternative reason for this? We need local GP services in Blarney and on the St. Mary's campus in Gurranabraher.

Deputy Mary Butler

I do not have a response in respect of primary care centres at the moment but I know the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was in counties Sligo and Donegal last Friday to open three primary care centres. Nine primary care centres were announced in December last year. We have been building primary care centres for the past five or six years and rolling out eight or nine of them each year. I was delighted to announce one for Lismore in County Waterford a couple of weeks ago. I will check the latest details in respect of the proposed primary care centre in Blarney.

The HSE has undertaken a recruitment campaign for the GMS vacancy in Blarney and a GP has been identified through the process and is anticipated to take up the position of the GMS GP for the panel on 1 July. The HSE has issued correspondence to the affected main cardholders of the GMS panel. They were informed on Thursday, 13 April. They will have the opportunity to change after 1 July. The HSE is aware of the expected GP retirement at St. Mary's primary care centre and is taking steps to ensure the provision of GP services for affected cardholders until a replacement GP is in place. It is attempting to get a GP but we all know there are a lot of difficulties in that respect at the moment. The Deputy referred to Dr. Gibson and Dr. O'Halloran, who have probably served the area for many years. People are always upset when their GP leaves. The HSE is doing everything it can to provide alternative cover in the short term. Nowadays, many doctors do not want to take over a full practice whereas they might work in a practice that has several doctors.

I will raise the Deputy's concerns with the HSE tomorrow.

Deputy Thomas Gould

I thank the Minister of State.

Hospital Services

Deputy Neasa Hourigan

I have one very clear and concise request for the Department tonight. It is that every maternity unit in the country publish its risk assessments each month or whenever a new assessment is completed so that people accessing the services can understand why they are still not allowed to receive supports from their partners in some hospitals. During the pandemic, partners were banned from appointments in order to curtail the spread of Covid-19 in clinical settings. We all understood that but the reality is that even now, those restrictions are still in place. In some units, visitors are restricted to one designated support partner. In some cases, partners are not even allowed into particular appointments. Time and again I have outlined in this House the negative consequences for partners, women and families and, more importantly, for infants when people are not supported during childbirth. The ongoing exclusion of partners from antenatal appointments and assessment units is being implemented by individual hospitals. We all know that but ultimately it is the Department and the Minister who have a responsibility to address the ongoing constraints that are contrary to the best care and best practice for people giving birth.

During the pandemic, at least the restrictions were part of national guidance and were developed in collaboration with stakeholders, patients and senior HSE executives, but this model of decision-making seems very regional in its approach and highly specific. What I am asking for is not necessarily to override those decisions but simply to make them legible to the people they are affecting.

From Wednesday last week, mask-wearing is no longer mandatory in hospitals, except in certain circumstances. That is the last vestige of Covid leaving our system. We are all happy to see that but it makes the continued existence of some of those restrictions in maternity units even more baffling and really hard to understand for the families affected.

To put it mildly, although it might be a significant understatement, we do not have a positive legacy in this country of listening to women in terms of their healthcare and what they need. It is frustrating that Deputies still have to come into this Chamber to talk about maternity restrictions and ask the Government to provide guidance to maternity units. It is now more than three years since partner restrictions were implemented in maternity units across the country. Thousands of people have laboured alone, have given birth on their own without their partner, the support who knows them best, but also the person who is often the other parent of the child in question. People have suffered unbearable losses in maternity units, on their own, without support, while others have had to cope with sick infants and deal with the impact of that on their own. Their partners have to sit in carparks or at home wondering how their very much loved family is coping without them, knowing for certain that they might not be coping and are still on their own.

In August 2021, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, confirmed that the nationwide restrictions were no longer in place and that partners could once again be present to support during maternity care. We were all hoping that would mean they could come to everything in its entirety. I truly do not understand why we are still here talking about this issue and I am still getting emails and phone calls from distressed people on it. We know it is affecting people who do not have English as a first language or who may be from a particularly vulnerable cohort. They may not have the agency to challenge decisions. It is really important that when specific decisions are being made, they are made legible and people are informed of the risk assessment and the reason the decision was made. That information must be available and public.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I know it has been an issue of concern for women and their families. I fully appreciate that limitations on partners accessing maternity services have been very difficult for everyone over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why I was surprised earlier when I read the topic to which I was to respond this evening. I was not aware that partner restrictions were still in place. I do not believe they are in every maternity hospital but obviously they are still in some. Deputy Hourigan, like me, is a mother and we have plenty of dads here in the Dáil Chamber. People need support at many times in their lives and this is one important time in life when people need to have support.

The objective throughout Covid had always been to keep maternity services as safe as possible, support the woman on her pregnancy journey and facilitate access for the nominated support partner. Maternity services have remained focused on maximising access and, in effect, all restrictions that were introduced during the pandemic have now been removed, including for routine scanning, labour, delivery and time spent on antenatal and postnatal wards.

However, the clinical advice has always been focused on the potential for infection to spread in maternity services, and the highest priority is protecting the health and safety of the women and babies in our care. Variations exist across our maternity services and hospitals which include case load, complexity and infrastructure. This all feeds into decisions made in relation to infection prevention and control risks in our maternity services.

The HSE has advised the Department that Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, guidance and restrictions that were in place regarding access to maternity services in the context of Covid-19 are no longer applicable. That is why I was surprised to find I was responding to this matter. There are limited exceptions introduced at times, based on local infection control and health and safety measures. Everyone appreciates that there are times when local infection takes over but limitations on access for nominated support partners should always be the minimum required to manage this risk. They must be clearly explained and should be applied with consideration for individual circumstances and needs. In all circumstances a person-centred approach should be adopted to recognise the context in which the presence of a support person is required.

Each maternity service assesses its ability to accommodate access for partners in the context of local facilities and infection control requirements. For example, in light of the recent fire at Wexford hospital, while support partners can attend all antenatal appointments, they are requested to wait outside until their pregnant partner is called for her appointment.

The HSE recognises that a nominated support partner plays a central part in supporting a person using maternity services. The support person also has a right to be present and to participate in the care process to the greatest practical degree.

Regarding children visiting at maternity services, as in all other hospital settings, in circumstances where a woman has a long length of stay, the hospital should provide reasonable access for her children to visit her.

I assure the Deputy that any access limitations individual hospitals may implement from time to time are necessary for infection prevention and control. A decision to limit access is taken locally by clinicians and hospital management who know their own circumstances intimately. The HSE has assured the Department that every effort continues to be made to maximise access for partners and their loved ones during their maternity care. It is obvious, however, that this is not the case in all hospitals, as Deputy Hourigan outlined.

Deputy Neasa Hourigan

I thank the Minister of State. I know she fully understands the issue. I am sure she also hears constituents or people around the country raise it every so often. This issue only seems to be raising its head in some maternity units. It does not apply in all hospitals. To be honest, part of the problem may be that it is not a nationwide standard. I fully accept that every unit is different. We are very aware that the infrastructure in the health service is not always what we want it to be. We are dealing with older buildings. Capital spending on the upgrade of maternity hospitals has been a particular focus of the Government and we are doing good work. I want to focus tonight not on querying whether there would ever be restrictions but on querying the fact that we do not make readily available the thinking and reasoning behind it.

In preparing for this discussion, I had a look at what is happening in other countries. I reviewed ten NHS trusts with maternity units. Eight of those trusts have been providing risk assessments for at least 18 months and of the remaining two, one was two years old and the other was three and a half years old. I know the risk assessments are being done.

The people who operate maternity units are well used to evidence-based decision-making and make risk assessments based on what they have to hand. I hope and assume it is not something they are doing without due consideration. The request is to make the consideration publicly available. All our hospitals and hospital groups, from what I can see, have fairly well operating websites and a platform whereby they can communicate with the public. It would be incredibly helpful to people, particularly those in more vulnerable cohorts who do not feel they can speak up and those who do not feel they understand the minimum requirement to manage risk, if the thinking, outline and risk could be made available to them.

Deputy Mary Butler

I acknowledge how important the support of partners is to women throughout their pregnancy journey. It is also important that the partners be present as much as possible. The Deputy might have hit the nail on the head when she talked about some of the older buildings and some of the risk assessments. It is really important that we have evidence-based decision-making regarding restrictions. It is difficult for families at a joyful time if there are restrictions.

We have 19 maternity hospitals. Perinatal mental health supports are available in every single one of them. If a person presents with mental illness or mental health challenges before, during or after giving birth, there are supports. In some cases, it might just involve the anxiety of being a first-time mother and the associated difficulties. One of the success stories of our mental health service is that we have supports rolled out to every single maternity unit in Ireland. Last year, I was delighted to visit the Rotunda. Of the 1,000 mothers who presented last year, 20% used the perinatal mental health supports. I am aware that I digress a little but it is sometimes important to put out the message, especially to mothers who might be feeling vulnerable and who might not have access to the language supports they need, that there are supports being provided in their hospital.

The Deputy made a valid point about the risk assessments and having information available. I will certainly relay it to the HSE on her behalf. I thank her again for raising this matter. I did not believe I would be answering a question like this at this stage of Covid but I understand that infection prevention and control measures are really important. They are always taken to support mothers and their babies, especially in the neonatal units.

Job Losses

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy James O'Connor)

I apologise to Deputy Cowen for interrupting him earlier. He may now proceed with his Topical Issue.

Deputy Barry Cowen

This issue is in response to the impending and accelerated closure of the Derrinlough briquette factory in County Offaly. Our first priority, of course, is to deal with those impacted and their families. I am aware of the discussions that have taken place and that are ongoing on opportunities for redeployment, a rewetting programme, the waste management unit, renewable energy projects and the retraining that may take place under just transition in conjunction with Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board and the university in Athlone.

There are four points I want to make to the Minister of State with a view to his speaking to his colleagues in the Government and the board itself. Any training sponsored by the just transition fund should be on Bord na Móna time rather than workforce time. There is a need to recognise the costs associated with and new travel expenses that will be incurred on redeployment. There is a need to acknowledge that the shift allowance paid in the factory setting should be recognised in the new roles that may be available, without workers being asked to work for 47 hours to earn what was earned in 40 hours. There was an expectation that a new job would have the same pay.

In the interest of the goodwill sought by virtue of the decarbonisation project being brought forward by many years, it is incumbent on the board to insist that the issues in question be taken out of the Labour Relations Commission and brought back to the table, with an agreement reached as soon as possible in order for communities to move forward.

Our intention when the acceleration of decarbonisation became a reality in 2016, rather than 2030, was to ensure funds would be invested to help to create innovation, retrain workforces and communities and offer new opportunities to bring people along rather than challenge them. We fought hard and made difficult decisions to ensure increases in carbon tax revenue would be geared towards addressing fuel poverty and green projects and to assist in the transition of those regions most impacted, especially the one in question.

We have had Government and ESB funds, following closures, of up to €15 million or more. On foot of an interjection by me and local councillors in my county, it was insisted that the then Government seek to include the peat regions among the coal regions eligible for funding under the EU just transition fund. That has been forthcoming and will be announced this week when the administrative element of the distribution is formalised this Friday. Funds made up to €180 million, related to the national development plan, will seek to assist community-initiated projects in conjunction with local authorities and accommodate innovation and enterprise by new and existing industries that have a green tint. The tourism element managed by Fáilte Ireland must be considered in this regard.

While the acceleration continues at pace, the mitigation measures put in place unfortunately have not proceeded at the same rate. That has created some friction in the locality, community, county and region. It is imperative that this be addressed.

Only last week I was communicating with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to seek an increase of 10% to meet the increase in the cost of construction materials associated with a project by Ferbane Food Campus. Initially, up to €600,000 was granted to meet the demands incurred since Covid, with other Departments having done likewise. The Minister informed me it was not possible while at the same time he responded to another Deputy in the House saying €1.5 million in transition funding had been transferred elsewhere prior to the close of last year. That needs to be rectified. New applications, which can be made in the new funding round, should accommodate those caught in this bind. There should be an extension of time for anybody caught in it.

There are other issues concerning community energy projects that need to be addressed, as do the issues of targeted initiatives to address the dependency on solid fuels of many homes in my county and the compensatory measures that have to be put in place in that regard.

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

I apologise to the Chair and, more important, Deputy Cowen for the logistical mess-up at the start. I was moving over from dealing with oral parliamentary questions.

To provide context to my reply, the Department has not received a formal redundancy notification in regard to the company just yet. That covers an awful lot of what the response can be at this stage, but I will try as best as I can to engage with the very clear points the Deputy made.

I understand that when Bord na Móna first announced, in 2018, the forecasted end to peat milling and all services related to it, a team of officials from the Department and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board developed an information package for affected employees, providing information on income supports available and also the supports provided to assist with the return to work, upskilling and retraining, as referred to by the Deputy. The Deputy will know an event was organised for staff around that time that involved presentations from both the Department and the education and training board, in addition to meetings with staff members to discuss their individual circumstances.

The Department has been advised that the employees impacted by the closure of the Derrinlough briquette factory are currently engaging with management to discuss the redeployment of the staff. The Deputy made four key asks on redeployment. They were fair asks and I will undertake to raise them directly with the board in my capacity as well as liaise with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, under whose auspices this matter falls more directly. The concern is very understandable on the part of those workers who have given so much of their professional and personal lives to an industry that has been so vital to the Deputy's community.

Generally, when the Department is advised of a company redundancy, officials of the Department engage with the company concerned, initially providing information on the full range of income and employment support services available to the workforce. The information provided initially addresses issues relating primarily to redundancy entitlements and income support, ensuring that all statutory obligations are met.

In addition, a team from the Department is available to meet with the workforce virtually or in person to ensure speedy access to income supports and to support them into alternative employment or to access appropriate education, training and development options.

When a person moves onto a jobseeker's payment, the local employment service teams provide expert help and advice on employment, training and personal development opportunities with a focus on individual customer needs to help him or her enter the workforce. These individualised supports assist the jobseeker with getting back to work and increasing his or her employment options. This support comes in various forms, as the Deputy is aware.

The Department also provides an online jobs portal - Jobslreland.ie - which enables employers to advertise job vacancies and for jobseekers to apply for job vacancies. We know that at a time of effective full employment, there are many vacancies and a serious dearth of talent but I appreciate the Deputy's concern will be redeployment as opposed to the redundancy aspect.

The Department’s employment services division has a network of staff across the country providing expert guidance and resources to both jobseekers and employers. In the event that employees in Derrinlough Briquette Factory are made redundant rather than redeployed, the Department is available to assist the employees to access their full income and employment supports. It is never a good time to lose a job and be made redundant, particularly in this situation where people have been on tenterhooks, for want of a better word, for a number of years through no fault of their own but due to an overall process in the region. The Deputy's requests regarding the general just transition fund and community energy supports are fair and I undertake to bring them back to others, where appropriate.

Deputy Barry Cowen

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I particularly welcome his commitment in acknowledging the four issues I have raised that are pertinent specifically to the workforce and their asks and expectations regarding the negotiations as well as the commitment to bring that to bear on the line Minister, who I am sure will in turn will talk to the CEO and management with a view to re-establishing the good faith and goodwill that can help with the wider issues I mentioned.

When Bord na Móna was set up in the 1940s, much of the land was provided not only by compulsory purchase, as might have been the case in some instances, but by many landowners giving their land freely to realise an ambition they never thought would come to fruition, namely, that a livelihood could be derived from such lands. A stable diet of income, investment and advancement took place as a result of that contribution to the county and region thereafter. Now it is time for that to reciprocated, notwithstanding the ongoing work of the board on alternative energy projects and the rewetting programme in which it is engaged. There is an expectation that the board will adhere to the purpose for which those funds were given.

I have had negotiations and discussions not only with the board and the Government but also with the affected communities and their representatives who are interested in exploring the option of the board providing land, whether by donation or nominal lease, to the community to allow a community energy project that has the potential to yield a benefit of up to €9 million per annum. This in turn could be administered by the local authority and allow it to be in a position to compensate for the loss of €4 million or €5 million in rates income in the county as a result of the closures we have seen in recent years and to act on many of the development initiatives and proposals in development plans that could not otherwise be done. I saw a project in my constituency where the result was an investment that was made and administered by the local authority involving robotics for children in primary school. A school close to my home town of Tober won the county championship, went on to win a competition involving schools throughout the country and is now competing at world level in Texas next week. That is an investment that could yield opportunities that were never available before through investment in STEM subjects and engineering expertise, which can benefit the locality.

I beg the Acting Chairman's indulgence. I have been waiting since last Thursday to discuss this matter and have been given three or four minutes to do so. The discussion was then delayed by an hour. With the Acting Chairman's indulgence - at this late hour, I do not think it will affect too many people who are waiting to speak after me - I finally want to address the SEAI programme of investment for those households that cannot afford a bespoke opportunity available to some to provide €30,000 on top of the €30,000 grant. We were successful in getting 90% for investment in insulation grants but it is time to move beyond that to windows and doors to allow for-----

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy James O'Connor)

The Deputy must conclude.

Deputy Barry Cowen

With due respect, I implore the Minister of State to bring that to Government to ensure that a new round of such offerings is made available because in the county I represent, up to 40% of homes are dependent on solid fuel as opposed to 5% or 6% nationally.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I am extremely aware of the importance of this industry to a county the Deputy and his family have represented with such distinction for decades. The suggestions he made are commonsensical and worthwhile. It behoves me to have great responsibility not just to bring them back to ministerial colleagues in Government, which I undertake to do, but take it further and engage on my behalf and on behalf of my Department with the chair and CEO of Bord na Móna following on from this debate, which was very engaging and important. I make this commitment to the Deputy at this late hour but it is one that merits it. I might pick up with the Deputy directly to make sure it is done in an appropriate manner that is truly reflective of the full points he made and those he was not in a position to make this evening. Much of it covers directly the responsibilities to the employees at the heart of this necessary but huge cultural change in a community that has relied on this industry for generations. It is not just the Derrinlough Briquette Factory but many other industries that are affected by what is a seismic change.

This is a community with which I am very familiar through familial connections. This is an issue on which we can work together outside my Department's remit by engaging with the real responsibilities of the just transition fund and the work of the SEAI to be an equal opportunities agency to those citizens who, when the State needed them, contributed physically with their human power and by giving up their land. We know that in Ireland, land means so much to individuals but they were not found wanting. The State and, crucially, its agents should not be found wanting in response to their sacrifices.

Road Projects

Deputy David Stanton

At this late hour, I am so tired I am not sure if I can actually debate but I am glad the Minister of State is here. I am disappointed the Minister for Transport could not be here. The Office of the Ceann Comhairle should look at why Ministers cannot come into Topical Issues debates involving their Departments. While the Minister of State will do his best, it is not the same as having the line Minister present. Maybe it has something to do with the late hour. Maybe he is at home tucked in bed. I do not know.

Mallow is a fantastic town in the centre of County Cork. It has been designated as a key town in the regional, spatial and economic strategy for the southern region. The population target for 2028 in the county development plan is 15,351, up from 12,169 in the 2016 census, so it is growing very fast. It is a very nice place to live with outstanding education, sport, health and recreational facilities. It is probably the best served town in Ireland for rail services but traffic congestion is a major problem. Anybody who has been in Mallow at any time during the day will find that. People are stuck in traffic, which really kills the town. This has been recognised for many years. The need for a relief road has been agreed for almost a decade. An Indecon economic study was presented to the then Minister for Transport, Deputy Donohoe, by what was then known as the Mallow Representative Group in mid-2015, which found that a bypass for Mallow would remove heavy traffic from the town centre, enhance its attractiveness, facilitate the revitalisation of the town and would be worth up to €90 million to the town. Subsequently, the Mallow bypass project was included in the Government's capital spending programme for 2016 to 2021 and funding was allocated for a feasibility study and a pre-appraisal plan.

A lot of work has been carried out since. I understand that up to €1.2 million has been expended to date on the relief road plans. I think there were three public consultations. As recently as February, it was expected that an application would be sent to An Bord Pleanála later this year.

Cork County Council had applied to TII for €1.4 million to finalise the work and to bring the scheme to the board.

One can imagine the impact in the town and region when the TII allocations were announced in February and it was realised that only €100,000 was to be made available, and this was to pay for work that was already carried out. In effect, the project has been shelved indefinitely. I am told no further work can be carried out on the project, leaving property owners, the local authority, TII and the people of the town and region in limbo. I understand that the northern committee of Cork County Council has written to the Minister to express its deep disappointment at the decision to issue a section 24 letter which effectively overruled TII’s proposal to fund the Mallow relief road to the amount of €1.4 million. It maintains that the relief road is critical to the future development of Mallow and its environs. I understand that TII wrote a letter to Cork County Council dated 22 March 2023, and has also written to the Department of Transport, to point out that in its view the Mallow relief road is consistent with relevant objectives of national policy and that it has formally requested approval to increase the 2023 allocation for the project.

This is crucial for Mallow itself and for this part of north Cork. Much work has been carried out to date. It has been recognised for almost a decade that this road is needed. It is in the national development plan but with no rhyme or reason it has been stopped and shelved. I invite the Minister of State to come to Mallow some time and try to drive down the main street. Traffic congestion is killing the town. Heavy traffic, trucks and cars that have no business going down the main street have no choice other than to do so until this is done. We all know that if this goes to An Bord Pleanála, it could take a year and a half before the board comes to a decision on it. This has stymied the project and killed the project which is killing the town.

Why was this decision made? Just €1.4 million is required to continue the work that has been done already. One can imagine the frustration of all the officials in TII, the council and so on and the local people in Mallow, who have worked so hard for this, when they learned at the eleventh hour that the plug was pulled with no reason given.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I greatly appreciate Deputy Stanton’s indulgence that I am giving the reply. I will give the best response I can. From the outset, I want to underline that I completely acknowledge his commitment to the project and his advocacy that has been ongoing for it, as well as acknowledging that of the Acting Chair. His passion for it will be familiar to many of us here. I agree that Mallow is a great town and it needs increased recognition from the State.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.

The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it. As the greater portion of this funding will become available in the second half of the decade, there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects this year. However, many national road projects in the NDP will continue to be progressed in 2023. Approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. These allocations were announced by the Department of Transport and TII on 16 February 2023. They include the €100,000 mentioned to Cork County Council with regard to the Mallow relief road. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2024 and considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.

The proposed N72-N73 Mallow relief road project is included among a number of major national road schemes that were identified in the NDP for planning, design and construction. This scheme consists of a single or dual carriageway bypass of the town of Mallow. It is greatly needed. I have been through Mallow in recent weeks and I fundamentally agree with the Deputy's comments. I do not take from them for an instant. The scheme length would be of the order of 4.5 km to 7 km. Early planning, design and appraisal work for the project has commenced. The route option selection phase has been completed and the project is now in the planning and design phase. The Deputy asked why the decision was made and I have done my best to lay out the budgetary constraints which the Department has identified. More importantly, I will undertake to go back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, with details of our discussion this evening. If there needs to be a deputation meeting arranged, I will do my best to facilitate that. I will remain fully supportive of this project and of the efforts of Deputy Stanton and the Acting Chair, Deputy James O’Connor, to see it delivered as soon as possible.

Deputy David Stanton

I appreciate the Minister of State being here and what he has said but with all due respect to him, he is not the line Minister. He is doing his very best and I appreciate his support very strongly. However, this is not a new project as was outlined in the script that the Minister of State was given by the Department this evening. This project has been on the go for almost ten years. As recently as last February, we were told it was going to go ahead. We are told that there will be billions of extra funding in the Exchequer. The council is looking for €1.4 million to allow this to go to An Bord Pleanála where it might sit for six or 12 months or who knows how long. I do not know why we cannot find €1.4 million to allow this to happen. It does not make any sense. The €100,000 that was made available was already committed and spent. In effect, no work can be carried out on this project for the rest of this year and we have no indication when we might see this project start up again. The whole community of Mallow, north Cork and parts of Kerry is absolutely frustrated by this decision. Funding constraints my ass. Sorry, excuse me. There is plenty of money there so why the heck is this happening? I am not getting cross with the Minister of State but I feel strongly about this and believe that people in Mallow and north Cork deserve better. We are spending a lot of money on projects all over the country, and rightly so, but this particular project has been on the go for over ten years. In fact, it was spoken of well before then. When the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, was Minister for Finance, he gave it the go-ahead. It is in the NDP. A lot of work has been done by officials in TII and the county council. A huge amount of work has been done by committed people and it is all for nothing. There is no vision. On top of that, we are being told about active travel and so on. That is all built into it. The whole issue about the climate action plan is built into this. We will take heavy trucks and traffic out of the town and we will reduce pollution. We will put in cycleways and footpaths, which the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, tells us he wants. Without any rhyme or reason or excuse, this has been pulled at the last minute. It is not good enough. I want to say to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, if he is at home tucked up in bed listening to this debate, to change this, to make that small amount of money available and to allow this project to continue.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I empathise completely with the Deputy’s frustration. I will take this back to the Minister first thing tomorrow morning. He is right that it is not acceptable that budgetary constraints have been cited for 2023. Two Deputies for Cork East are in the Chamber. It is my job as the Minister of State who is taking this question to go back and look at the funding envelope or whatever they call it in the script not just for the rest of this year but also for 2024. I commit to doing that. I give the Deputy that commitment because the case is well made. It is not a new project but one that the people of Mallow have wanted for much longer than a decade even though they have been promised it for a decade. It is the responsibility of everyone in the Government regardless of the constituency they represent to deliver on the promise made regardless of the supposed funding restraints cited.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 11.19 p.m. go dtí 9.12 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 26 Aibreán 2023.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.19 p.m. until 9.12 a.m. on Wednesday, 26 April 2023.