Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Feb 2024

Vol. 1049 No. 4

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 Report of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach under Dáil Standing Order 133 on a Proposal for a Council Directive on Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT), COM(2023)532 (without debate)

- Road Traffic Bill 2024 (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 6.30 p.m. or after 2 hrs 41 mins, whichever is the later)

Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Reform of the Television Licence Fee Model, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Revised Estimates for Public Services 2024 [Votes 7 to 15, 17 to 22, 24 to 28, 30 to 33 and 35 to 45] (back from Committee) (without debate)

- Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions (without debate)

- Motions (3) re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposals for recommendations for Council Decisions authorising the opening of negotiations for agreements between the European Union and Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the transfer of Passenger Name Record data (to be moved separately but debated together, and to conclude within 57 minutes)

- Statements on recent developments in Northern Ireland (not to exceed 3 hrs 32 mins)

- Road Traffic Bill 2024 (Second Stage, resumed, if not previously concluded) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 8.30 p.m. or after 1 hr 16 mins, whichever is the later)

- Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Seanad] (Committee and remaining Stages) (to commence no earlier than 7.30 p.m. and if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 10.30 p.m. or after 2 hrs, whichever is the later)

Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Business Costs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, selected by the Regional Group.

Thursday's business shall be Statements and Q&A on Sustainable Fisheries Sector and Coastal Communities (not to exceed 1 hr 47 mins).

Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Commissions of Investigation (Amendment) Bill 2023.

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 may sit later than 10.32 p.m.; and

(ii) the time allotted to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for the Road Traffic Bill 2024, with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business, namely, private members’ business, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Education, and topical issues;

2. the proceedings on the Motion re Report of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach under Dáil Standing Order 133 on a Proposal for a Council Directive on Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT), COM(2023)532 shall be taken without debate; and

3. the proceedings on Second Stage of the Road Traffic Bill 2024 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 6.30 p.m. or after 2 hours and 41 minutes, whichever is the later, and shall not be resumed on Tuesday.

In relation to Wednesday'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 extent that the Dáil may sit later than 9.30 p.m. and the weekly division time may be taken later than 8.45 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of proceedings on the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Seanad], or where those proceedings conclude within the allotted time, on the conclusion thereof;

2. the Motions for Revised Estimates for Public Services 2023 [Votes 7 to 15, 17 to 22, 24 to 28, 30 to 33 and 35 to 45] shall be moved together and decided without debate by one question which shall be put from the Chair;

3. the proceedings on the Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions shall be taken without debate;

4. the Motions re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposals for recommendations for Council Decisions authorising the opening of negotiations for agreements between the European Union and Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the transfer of Passenger Name Record data shall be debated together and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 57 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:-

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group;

- speeches by non-aligned members – 2 minutes; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time;

5. the Statements on recent developments in Northern Ireland shall not exceed 3 hours and 32 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:

(i) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 200 minutes, and the Resolution of the Dáil of 20th September, 2023, providing for two minutes for non-aligned members;

(ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and

(iii) members may share time;

6. any resumed proceedings on Second Stage of the Road Traffic Bill 2024 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 8.30 p.m. or after 1 hour and 16 minutes, whichever is the later, and the Bill shall not be resumed on Wednesday; and

7. the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Seanad] shall commence no earlier than 7.30 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 10.30 p.m. or after 2 hours, whichever is the later, and shall not be resumed on Wednesday.

In relation to Thursday'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 extent that topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the conclusion of proceedings on Statements and Q&A on Sustainable Fisheries Sector and Coastal Communities, and the Second Stage of the Commissions of Investigation (Amendment) Bill 2023 shall be taken on the conclusion of topical issues, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil; and

2. the Statements and Q&A on Sustainable Fisheries Sector and Coastal Communities shall not exceed 1 hour 47 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:-

- opening statement by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- time for member of a Government party – 15 minutes;

- time for representative of Sinn Féin - 15 minutes;

- time for representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 10 minutes per party or group;

- time for non-aligned members – 2 minutes; and

- a statement in response by the Minister – 5 minutes;

(ii) members may use their time for a combination of statements and questions and answers, or questions and answers only; and

(iii) members may share time.

An Ceann Comhairle

Is that agreed?

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald

It is not agreed. Israel acts with impunity and continues its genocidal war on the people of Gaza because it is never held to account by world leaders. Millions of Palestinian refugees in Rafah face the same nightmare as those wiped out in Gaza city and Khan Yunis before the eyes of world. Government has said that Israel's attack on Rafah is inhumane, that Israel behaves as a rogue state and that Netanyahu is not listening to anyone. Why then is the Israeli ambassador still in Ireland, justifying genocide on RTÉ? It is long past time she was sent packing. It is also time for European states, Britain and the United States to stop arming Israel's genocide. When will we hear that call from Government? The situation is now so dire that we need the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement, take questions and set out very clearly the Irish Government's direction of travel on behalf of the Irish State and Irish citizens everywhere.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

We have seen reports on RTÉ's "Prime Time" that 23 properties have been set alight in recent months. Setting these fires amounts to a form of domestic terrorism, as my colleague, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has said. Very concerningly, this spate of arson attacks is posing a real and serious threat to human life. In response to a request from Deputy Ó Ríordáin, on 5 March, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, will address the Joint Committee on Justice on this threat. Will the Government also allocate time in this House so that we can hear from it as to how it proposes to stop these arson attacks before someone is hurt seriously or even killed?

Deputy Catherine Murphy

On the same issue and the Government's approach to it, we have heard that resources are going to be provided to deal with these arson attacks. The best deterrent is probably seeing people brought to justice, that is, detected and prosecuted. However, that will require a strategy. The social media platforms play a huge role in the spread of information and disinformation. I have some questions about the policing approach to that. Before we see someone hurt or injured - the buildings may be empty but we are asking firefighters to enter them and neighbouring buildings are also compromised - we need a debate on where those resources are being deployed and the approach Government intends to take to arrest this issue.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Planning and Development Bill is the second biggest piece of legislation that has ever gone through this House. It deals with critical issues to do with the delivery of housing, the right of communities to participate in the planning and development of their area, the right of communities and individuals to have access to justice on community planning and development issues, and much more. The Bill is being dealt with in the committee. All of the Opposition spokespeople, and possibly others, are deeply unhappy that we are being asked to consider some 1,200 amendments in a very condensed period of, I believe, 20 or 30 hours. In that timeframe, it is not possible to deal with that number of amendments and the complexity of this critically important Bill. Opposition spokespeople have asked that it be spread out more to make it possible to deal with this critical legislation that deals with housing, planning, development and democracy.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

On the same issue, this Bill is 700 pages long. The number of amendments is enormous and we are to push it through with so little time. It affects every man, woman and child, urban and rural, in the country. People are taobh amuigh and talking inniu from the Gaeltacht area protesting at the way they are being mistreated by the planning regulations. A lot of people had hope for this new legislation but it is so enormous and there is so little time to tease it out that it will be fraught with problems. It will only make money for one lot of people, namely, the lawyers across the river in the courts. It is rushed and it will not be properly debated or discussed here. This is bad for democracy any day of the week. We had all hoped the legislation would change some of the guidelines and give greater clarity but that is not the case. It is confused legislation. We need a debate on it.

The Taoiseach

I thank Deputies for their contributions. It is not the practice of the Government to expel ambassadors. We still need to be able to speak to the Israeli ambassador about two things: first, the Irish citizens who are still caught up in Gaza-----

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

Held hostage. They are being held hostage in Gaza.

The Taoiseach

-----and, second, the safety of our troops on the border with Lebanon and on the Golan Heights. As Taoiseach, I have a responsibility to think about the safety of our citizens and our troops on the borders of Israel.

Arson is a serious crime that is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Garda investigations are under way and we expect there will be prosecutions. I agree that we need to see prosecutions and convictions. It is deeply ironic that people who oppose migration and connect migration with criminal activity are the criminals themselves who are carrying out the very serious crime of arson. While I believe that many protestors may very well be decent and good people, I do not believe that protestors who spent the entire day and night outside a building did not see anything before the building burned down. They need to be held accountable for their silence and complicity.

It is our intention to have the Planning and Development Bill enacted before the summer recess. This gives us four to five months to do it. I would hope that is enough time for us in this House to deal with the matter. It is linked to the housing crisis and should be doable in that time schedule.

On the query about statements, I am happy to have statements on any of the matters Deputies raised. I do not think we can have a statement on Garda strategy but we certainly could have a statement on the issue of arson and the attacks on buildings more widely. I will not even say proposed migration centres because some of them were never even proposed for that purpose. That should be agreed by the Business Committee, however.

An Ceann Comhairle

Are the proposed arrangements for this week agreed to?

Deputy Mattie McGrath

No.

Question put: "That the proposed arrangements for this week's business be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 67; Níl, 56; Staon, 0.

Tá

• Berry, Cathal.
• Brophy, Colm.
• Browne, James.
• Bruton, Richard.
• Burke, Colm.
• Butler, Mary.
• Cahill, Jackie.
• Calleary, Dara.
• Cannon, Ciarán.
• Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
• Chambers, Jack.
• Collins, Niall.
• Costello, Patrick.
• Coveney, Simon.
• Creed, Michael.
• Crowe, Cathal.
• Devlin, Cormac.
• Dillon, Alan.
• Donnelly, Stephen.
• Donohoe, Paschal.
• Duffy, Francis Noel.
• Durkan, Bernard J.
• Farrell, Alan.
• Feighan, Frankie.
• Flaherty, Joe.
• Fleming, Sean.
• Grealish, Noel.
• Griffin, Brendan.
• Haughey, Seán.
• Heydon, Martin.
• Higgins, Emer.
• Humphreys, Heather.
• Lahart, John.
• Lawless, James.
• Leddin, Brian.
• Madigan, Josepha.
• Martin, Catherine.
• Matthews, Steven.
• McAuliffe, Paul.
• McConalogue, Charlie.
• McEntee, Helen.
• McGrath, Michael.
• Moynihan, Aindrias.
• Moynihan, Michael.
• Naughten, Denis.
• Naughton, Hildegarde.
• Noonan, Malcolm.
• O'Brien, Darragh.
• O'Callaghan, Jim.
• O'Connor, James.
• O'Dea, Willie.
• O'Donnell, Kieran.
• O'Dowd, Fergus.
• O'Gorman, Roderic.
• O'Sullivan, Christopher.
• O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
• Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
• Ó Cuív, Éamon.
• Phelan, John Paul.
• Rabbitte, Anne.
• Richmond, Neale.
• Shanahan, Matt.
• Smith, Brendan.
• Smyth, Niamh.
• Smyth, Ossian.
• Troy, Robert.
• Varadkar, Leo.

Níl

• Andrews, Chris.
• Bacik, Ivana.
• Barry, Mick.
• Boyd Barrett, Richard.
• Brady, John.
• Browne, Martin.
• Buckley, Pat.
• Cairns, Holly.
• Carthy, Matt.
• Clarke, Sorca.
• Collins, Joan.
• Collins, Michael.
• Connolly, Catherine.
• Crowe, Seán.
• Cullinane, David.
• Daly, Pa.
• Donnelly, Paul.
• Ellis, Dessie.
• Farrell, Mairéad.
• Funchion, Kathleen.
• Gannon, Gary.
• Gould, Thomas.
• Guirke, Johnny.
• Healy-Rae, Danny.
• Healy-Rae, Michael.
• Howlin, Brendan.
• Kelly, Alan.
• Kenny, Martin.
• Kerrane, Claire.
• Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
• McGrath, Mattie.
• McNamara, Michael.
• Mitchell, Denise.
• Munster, Imelda.
• Murphy, Catherine.
• Mythen, Johnny.
• Nash, Ged.
• O'Callaghan, Cian.
• O'Donoghue, Richard.
• O'Reilly, Louise.
• O'Rourke, Darren.
• Ó Broin, Eoin.
• Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
• Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
• Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
• Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
• Pringle, Thomas.
• Quinlivan, Maurice.
• Ryan, Patricia.
• Sherlock, Sean.
• Shortall, Róisín.
• Smith, Duncan.
• Stanley, Brian.
• Tully, Pauline.
• Ward, Mark.
• Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy-Rae.

Question declared carried.

Deputy Thomas Gould

It is time to scrap the TV licence. In the wake of the financial scandals at RTÉ and more than 100,000 people who have not paid their TV licence, it is now time for it to go. Public support for the licence has collapsed and the idea that the State would chase thousands of people through the courts is, frankly, absurd. The Taoiseach has described the TV licence as outdated and has said that we need a new funding model that works. Sinn Féin's motion tonight proposes that the licence fee be scrapped and replaced with direct Exchequer funding to fund public service media and broadcasting in the State. I urge the Taoiseach to scrap the TV licence and fund public service broadcasting directly.

The Taoiseach

I agree that the TV licence is outmoded. However, it remains the law. I encourage people to comply with the law and continue to pay it. It is not just about RTÉ; it is about other forms of public service broadcasting, Irish language programming and, indeed, programming for children and the arts. The Government will make a decision this year on a new funding model, which will either be a household charge collected by Revenue or Exchequer funding.

I had a chance to read the Sinn Féin policy.

Deputy Thomas Gould

I thank the Taoiseach.

The Taoiseach

There is a nice picture of the Deputy and Deputy Pearse Doherty in it but it is pretty comical. I am sorry to say that but it is.

Deputy Thomas Gould

That is an awful thing to say to me.

The Taoiseach

Parts of it are copied and pasted from the Future of Media Commission report. Sinn Féin's proposal to introduce an amnesty for people who did not pay is deeply insulting to people who comply with the law and do pay.

Deputy Thomas Gould

What about the water charges?

The Taoiseach

Just think about all those people who collect the stamps or who pay their bills and have done so for years. It is an insult and a kick in the teeth for them. The oddest thing in the policy is the proposal that we continue to pay €12.5 million a year to An Post for not collecting the charge when it is abolished. I am all for supporting An Post but giving people €12 million a year to collect a charge that does not exist anymore-----

Deputy Thomas Gould

Post offices are closing down every month.

The Taoiseach

-----really is comical.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

News broke today that the latest attempt to curb HSE overspending involves plans to cut €250 million on outside agency staff. The cost of hiring healthcare staff from for-profit agencies increased by 139% between 2015 and 2022 to €619 million. The HSE should direct employing nurses, midwives and doctors and not over-rely on agencies. One agency healthcare worker affected by the current recruitment freeze said to me about agency work, "Every day is like your first day on the job - it doesn’t make sense to move around all the time. We are paid the same and a private company takes the cream off the top."

The Labour Party is concerned that the HSE’s plans to suddenly turn off the tap with sizeable cuts could risk patients’ health, especially this winter. Will the Taoiseach ensure the safety of patients is the marker of success? To save money and secure better care for patients, as well as decent conditions for healthcare workers, will he move to end the foolish recruitment freeze within the HSE?

The Taoiseach

The HSE hired 8,000 extra staff last year, which was probably the biggest increase in a very long time. The HSE service plan next year provides for it to hire an additional 2,000 to 3,000 staff. I do not know what the Deputy's definition of a recruitment freeze is but 8,000 extra staff last year and another 2,000 or 3,000 this year, to me, is not a recruitment freeze. However, it will not be the free-for-all we have seen in previous years. It cannot be and it should not be. As part of the plans, 400 more beds will be opened between community and acute hospitals, there will be provision for waiting lists to fall again this year, which will be third year in a row and some of the savings will come from a reduction in agency staff.

Deputy Holly Cairns

Last year, Rafah was home to approximately 250,000 people. Now, 1.5 million people are in Rafah because Palestinians were told to go there as they would be safe. Yesterday morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted Rafah, killing dozens of people. The targeting of Rafah is a massive escalation of Israel's invasion of Gaza that requires a change in approach by our Government. What actions is the Government taking as a result? The Taoiseach mentioned he contacted the European Commission President on the EU-Israel trade agreement. Will he update us? What happened during the conversation? What will the Government do next?

The Taoiseach

We will continue to do what we have done to date, namely, use our voice and vote at the UN and EU in support of the Palestinian people and increase funding for agencies, such as UNRWA, when other countries have suspended their funding.

We are working with other countries on the possibility of statehood recognition. We have clearly called for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be on the table because we believe Israel may have breached the human rights clause. We will continue doing all of these things and we will also continue to call for both Israel and Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal on the table, and I strongly encourage both sides to do so.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

People Before Profit published a plan for the funding of RTÉ and public broadcasting in August last year. It was obvious at that stage that there was a funding crisis. The TV licence has always been a regressive charge. After the Government's issues and the Tubridy scandal, it was obvious this could not work but the Government has not made a decision. The consequence is that 13,000 people get dragged through the courts for a regressive charge that it is not viable and that has to go. It is also clear that workers and jobs are going to be the collateral damage in RTÉ. They are talking about job suppression, which means good jobs will be privatised and outsourced, and the quality of public service broadcasting will be degraded. It will precisely hit arts, culture and entertainment.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy's time is up.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Government needs to scrap the TV licence and bring in a digital tax to directly fund RTÉ and public service broadcasting.

The Taoiseach

We are not going to introduce a digital tax. Ireland is a hub for digital and we have huge investments and huge numbers of people working in digital and tech. I do not want to undermine that by imposing a tax on them. There are levies for regulation but that is a different thing. We have also provided emergency funding to RTÉ, precisely because we want to protect employment there and continue to fund public service broadcasting but I accept that is not sustainable into the medium term. We will make a decision on a new funding model this year. It will either be a household charge collected by the Revenue or Exchequer funding, and we will make that decision this year. In the meantime, the TV licence remains the means by which public service broadcasting is funded. It is not just about RTÉ. It is the law and I encourage people to comply with the law.

Deputy Cathal Berry

My question is about the national development plan. I understand additional resources may be made available for the plan some time this year. How much additional money will be put on the table? When will we know the individual allocations for each line Department?

The Taoiseach

The capital budget for this year, which is money invested in public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, roads and transport, is €13 billion. That is four times the amount when I was first appointed to Government in 2011. That is the extent to which we have ramped up investment in public infrastructure in recent years. The additional amount to be allocated is €2.25 billion over the next three years. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is currently in negotiations with Ministers about how that will be allocated and to which Departments. As the Deputy can imagine, Ministers have ideas and bills attached to them that run to many multiples of €2.25 billion. It was always thus but we expect those allocations to be ready to be confirmed most likely in March.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

We are currently seeing a significant decline in rural health services across Ireland. A recent survey by the Irish Independent showed that more than 50% of GPs nationwide cannot accept new patients. The situation is worse in rural areas where two thirds of GPs are not taking on any new patients. Some patients have to wait up to three weeks for an appointment. In spite of our increased national health budget, we are witnessing a slow deterioration of health services, especially in rural communities. Last week, both hospitals in County Tipperary were overcrowded to an awful extent. University Hospital Limerick had more than 1,500 patients one day while there were 18 in Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel. We need some action to be taken here. This has been going on in front of our eyes for ten years but it is very serious at the moment. There are ads on the radio telling people not to go to accident and emergency, but to go to the doctors as first call and to out-of-hours services. A lady last week told me she waited two and a half weeks. She was number 20 on the list when she rang on the waiting system and was told she had an appointment in two and a half weeks. That is insane. If you are sick, you need a doctor. We can get a vet within half an hour day or night, and we cannot get doctors.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy's time is up.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

There is something seriously wrong here. I am not blaming the doctors, but we need extra.

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy. We are opening primary care centres all over the country, including in his constituency.

We have increased the number of GPs being trained every year to more than 300. Two GPs are now qualifying every year for every one who retires. I appreciate that is against the backdrop of a rising population and increased demand. There are particular challenges in disadvantaged parts of our urban areas and also in rural areas. The particular challenge in rural areas is that times have changed and GPs want to work in group practices so they can have a much better quality of life. That is understandable but it requires that we reflect that in the models for the future.

Deputy Michael McNamara

The Government has consistently reiterated Ireland's legal obligations under international and European law to asylum seekers and those fleeing persecution. Indeed, we have an obligation under the temporary protection directive to accommodate persons from Ukraine. However, it emerged last week that €808,000 was spent on pets from Ukraine in the State with a contract for €248,000 for accommodation and almost €500,000 for transport. The Department of agriculture sought tenders for the transportation of pets from Ukraine from point of arrival in the State where they would be accommodated while being in quarantine, I presume.

I have had a look and I do not see it. Can the Taoiseach point me to anywhere in international or European law where there is an obligation to accommodate or transport pets - not people but their pets? If not, does he stand over that spending? What can be done about it?

The Taoiseach

I am not aware of that but I will certainly make inquiries. It has not been brought to my attention to date.

Deputy Michael McNamara

Can the Taoiseach stand over it?

The Taoiseach

Let me get the facts first and then I can let the Deputy know.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I draw the Taoiseach's attention to a matter of concern relating to our expatriates returning home, particularly in light of the recent campaign to encourage Irish construction workers overseas to return home amid the current labour shortage in the construction sector. Our citizens who have spent between five and 15 years abroad are encountering significant challenges accessing banking services, exchanging driver's licences, securing housing assistance, availing of childcare facilities and even procuring motor or health insurance. Last week, I was approached by a constituent who had spent 15 years in the UK and has secured a good job in her home town but is unable to open bank account due to the absence of a utility bill in her name. She cannot reactivate her PPSN as her social services card is out of date with no online provision. She is finding renting accommodation an insurmountable problem. I am asking for the Government to commit to evaluate, monitor and eliminate these obstacles for Irish citizens to facilitate their smooth transition back home.

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. A number of years ago, the Department of Foreign Affairs commissioned a report on this and set out a number of actions that can be taken to assist Irish people returning home. Roughly 30,000 Irish citizens come home every year - 90,000 in the past three years. In many cases, they have not been away for long and so it can be straightforward but where they have been away for a long time, it can be much more challenging, as is often the case in moving to another country. There are things we can do that are under our control and we are working on them. Unfortunately, others are more complicated, particularly regarding banking records and so on. We are keen to assist our citizens to move back home should they wish to and they are returning home in very big numbers.

Deputy Willie O'Dea

Last November, I raised with the Taoiseach the disturbing suggestion that community funding for the north side of Limerick city was about to be cut by 59%. At the time he expressed concern and said he would ask the Minister of State to have a word with me. The Taoiseach did that and I thank him for that. However, when I spoke to the Minister of State, he said he could not meet the representatives of the communities affected because the decision had not yet been taken. The decision has now been taken and instead of a 59% cut, we are getting a 100% cut on the north side of Limerick city. Community funding has disappeared now on the north side of Limerick city, an area that includes Moyross, Ballynanty, Kileely, St. Mary's Park and King's Island, which are, by the Government's own statistics, some of the most deprived communities in the country, suffering from extreme deprivation. Could the Taoiseach instruct the Minister of State to meet representatives of those communities now that this decision has been taken? This is the worst time to withdraw this type of funding from these communities.

Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Heather Humphreys)

I will raise this matter with the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, in my Department when I go back and I will get him to speak to the Deputy directly about the issue.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

Anthony Allen is from Kells, County Meath. He has advanced motor neurone disease and has been an inpatient in the ICU in Cavan General Hospital since St. Valentine's Day 2023, one year tomorrow. Since March of last year, 11 months ago, his medical team have supported the plan to discharge Mr. Allen home but because of his high level of need this will require a specialised home care package. They have not been able to secure this. In the meantime, Mr. Allen continues to occupy a much-needed ICU bed and he and his loving family grow increasingly frustrated. What measures are being taken to ensure home care packages can be secured? I call on the Taoiseach and Minister to intervene in this case.

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

The budget provided this year for home care is €726 million. As I stand here today, approximately 56,000 people throughout the country are receiving home care. I know there are challenges at times. If the Deputy sends me the details of the specific case, I will have it investigated and will engage with him.

Deputy Brendan Griffin

I very much welcome the news today that the child benefit scheme has been extended to include 18-year-olds in full-time education. This is highly socially progressive and by my calculations, it will benefit those young adults to the tune of at least €1,680 a year. I ask the Minister to outline to the House when people can start benefiting from the changes that were agreed at Cabinet today and any other information she may have.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

I was delighted to get approval from Cabinet today to bring forward the announcement we made in budget 2024 to extend the child benefit to those aged 18. That was due to take effect from 1 September. Today, I was able to bring it forward to 1 May. That means the parents of all children in full-time education until they reach the age of 19 will receive the child benefit payment for them. It also includes children with disabilities. Up to the age of 19, they will receive that payment provided they are in full-time education. That comes into effect from 1 May.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I ask the Taoiseach to comment on reports emanating from County Hall and Cork County Council that the roads budget for this year will be slashed by €33 million. It is very serious if this is the case. In west Cork, local and regional roads are crumbling. They are under pressure because Cork County Council remains at the very bottom of the league table of road funding allocations. It also has the lowest average allocation of funding per kilometre for regional and local roads. It is really important that we clarify that. Is the current funding for national roads or for local roads? I would prefer if we did not refer to the recent opening of the Dunkettle Interchange and the Macroom bypass because they do not benefit the people in west Cork who are dealing with really substandard local roads. We do not have bus services or other public transport there. People rely on cars to get around and therefore they rely on a decent standard of road. It is really important that it be clarified whether the budget will be cut by €33 million.

The Taoiseach

I understand those allocations will be made on Thursday. I think the information the Deputy has been given is probably incorrect. I am not referring to national roads here; they are a separate pot. I am talking about local and regional roads. Sometimes restoration and maintenance of existing roads and funding for new local and regional roads get mixed up in the one pot which can create the appearance of a cut. For example, in County Kildare, which the Ceann Comhairle will know very well, the fact that the Athy bypass is now open and running means Kildare does not get money for that new road again, which is separate from regional and local roads. I think it will become clear on Thursday.

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore

In 2018, the BusConnects plan was launched.

We knew it would take time to get that into place. Unfortunately, we have not seen the speed of implementation we should see. In my constituency of Wicklow, 58,000 people travel to work every year; only 2,500 of those travel by bus. There is huge potential to get people out of private cars and into buses, if the bus service was there. The BusConnects plan for north Wicklow is for a bus loop service for Bray and Greystones that would go around the different towns, a direct service between Bray and Enniskerry and feeder buses from the Southern Cross to the DART station. All of these bus services would be useful and worthwhile but they are not in place yet. They were meant to be in place in 2022 and then in 2023; now it will be 2024 apparently. Does the Taoiseach have an update on that?

The Taoiseach

I am afraid I do not. A number of BusConnects projects are progressing around the country. I am not fully up to date on that one and do not want to mislead the Deputy but I will let the Minister, Deputy Ryan's, team know she raised it today and ask him to come back to her directly.

An Ceann Comhairle

Deputy Mairéad Farrell is substituting for Deputy Martin Kenny.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. Bhí agóid taobh amuigh de Theach Laighean inniu le daoine a bhí bailithe ó chuile cheann de na Gaeltachtaí chun aird a tharraingt ar an gá le hathrú suntasach ar an mBille um Pleanáil agus Forbairt (Leasú). Tá siad ag éileamh go mbeidh a gcearta teanga san áireamh sa Bhille nua agus go mbeidh an Ghaeltacht lárnach sna comhráite faoin reachtaíocht. Faoi láthair, tá na cosaintí don Ghaeltacht níos laige sa Bhille molta ná sa dlí mar atá sé anois agus cheana féin, níl daoine Gaeltachta in ann teach a thógáil, nó a aimsiú fiú, ina gceantar féin. Mar gheall air sin tá siad ag mothú go bhfuil bánú ag teacht ar an nGaeltacht. An nglacfaidh an Rialtas le leasuithe chun tithíocht agus todhchaí a chinntiú do phobal na Gaeltachta?

This relates to the protest outside the Dáil today in relation to planning, particularly in the Gaeltacht. Many people feel they cannot, build, buy or rent in Gaeltacht areas, specifically with reference to the Bill today.

The Taoiseach

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a cuid ceisteanna agus gabhaim buíochas don ateangaire.

I am advised the planning system in Ireland recognises the importance of continued daily use of the Irish language, especially in Gaeltacht areas. Section 46 of the Bill places an obligation on planning authorities to prepare, as part of a city or county development plan, a strategy relating to the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places and communities. This includes a provision relating to the protection of linguistic and cultural heritage, including the protection of Irish as the community language of Gaeltacht areas and in the functional area to which development plans relate. The guidelines state planning authorities should ensure development plans have regard to the provisions of the language plan and include objectives to support the promotion of the Irish language in Gaeltacht areas.

An Ceann Comhairle

We have three remaining Deputies. I will take 30-second questions from them because we are out of time. I call Deputy Collins.

Deputy Michael Collins

Cancer Connect is a free service for patients who travel by bus or car to Cork hospital, including people requiring radiotherapy, chemotherapy and related cancer treatments. The service started in 2011 and now covers all of Cork county with 430 voluntary drivers. Cancer Connect is about to mark its 13th anniversary, recording over 50,000 passenger journeys to date. The company is fully reliant on community donations, which is unfeasible. It is struggling to budget for 2024 effectively without an income secured. It needs €100,000 per annum from Government, which will represent 40% of expenditure. It is still committed to recouping the remaining 60%. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, announced €3 million in funding to community cancer support centres in November. We have continuous promises in west Cork from a TD but will the Taoiseach tell us how much community cancer support funding Cancer Connect will receive?

Deputy Sorca Clarke

The Department of Education has reduced the criteria for the allocation of special education teacher hours and removed the complex needs criteria from the calculation. Some 76% of principals of primary schools say the 2024-25 allocation does not meet the needs of children for the upcoming academic year and is wholly inadequate, while 37% reported a decrease in their allocations despite evidence that classrooms have a higher number of children with additional needs than ever before. How are these cuts in the best interest of children with complex needs who will regress if they do not get the right supports at the right time? How do the cuts correlate with recent advice in the National Council for Special Education's policy document on working towards an inclusive education?

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

Significant funding has been provided by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, for a voucher scheme so people who are deaf can purchase sign language interpreters for essential private and personal issues. Unfortunately, the Citizens Information Board has suspended the scheme with immediate effect, causing significant concern and worry for people who are deaf and the Irish Deaf Society. Will the Minister intervene with the Citizens Information Board to ensure a constructive outcome from this engagement?

The Taoiseach

I am afraid I do no have the information Deputy Collins asked for. That sounds like a very good service and I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to come back to him directly during the week.

On Deputy Clarke's question, I am advised there has been a change to the special education teacher allocation model. However, there are not cuts. There is an increase of 1,000 special education teachers to 14,600. While some schools will see a decrease in the number of hours, 67% of schools will see an increase in their allocation.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

I thank Deputy O'Dowd for raising this matter. I was made aware of it late last week and the Irish Deaf Society has been in contact with me. As we speak, my officials are engaging with all the stakeholders, both the Citizens Information Board and the sign language organisation. I will keep the Deputy abreast of how they get on.

The Taoiseach

Just to clarify, I should say that increase of 1,000 special education teachers for the school year coming is compared to the school year in 2021, not last year.