Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Mar 2024

Vol. 1051 No. 2

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Fire Service

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I am dealing with the case of John Molloy, retained fire station officer in Dunleer fire station. The station has a crew of five. That is the minimum for a crew. I do not necessarily have to go into the great and necessary work that is carried out by the fire brigade. We know that at times they have to deal with dreadful circumstances as a result of fires, road traffic accidents and all the rest of it.

There are two things here. There is the particular situation of Mr. Molloy but, beyond that, we need to make sure there is at least a minimum level crew. We need to look at increasing those numbers and we know we have had ongoing issues in respect of retained firefighters. I was at an event in the Market House in Dunleer where Mr. Molloy was one of the spokespersons at that stage and he even engaged with the Taoiseach on that day about the wider issues around pay and conditions for those who work in the fire service.

The problem might have a solution. A decision made at Cabinet this week might provide a solution. On 24 May, Mr. Molloy will turn 60. We heard the plans for those in uniform, including members of the fire service. The age of mandatory retirement for the likes of Mr. Molloy will be moving from 60 to 62. I am putting two things to the Minister of State. What is the timeline within which this will occur? Are there any particular obstacles that may occur? If this does not happen before 24 May, could there be a possible workaround or whatever, seeing this change will be coming into play. Could there be engagement from that point of view with Louth County Council and whoever else is necessary?

I have brought up this matter with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. I had a conversation with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. At that point, he did not have the timeline. He said there may be an issue relating to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform on the timeline. That frightens me. This is one of those cases where I would much rather have the Minister of State's answer before these four minutes were available to me. It cannot be beyond us to deliver upon this. We all know the multiple issues that have been dealt with in respect of retained firefighters. They have had issues around retention. We have seen particular issues that were taken to a head by their own actions this year. We want all of that delivered. I am asking for two things. I am asking that we see right by John Molloy. He says there is no fire station officer available to replace him. He is, as I say, making up that minimum crew of five firefighters. That is a particular issue and there will be another issue if we cannot provide a fire service because that crew number falls below five.

I hope I am right when I say that Mr. Molloy has 18 years' service as a retained firefighter and spent 22 years in the Defence Forces before that. He knows absolutely all there is to know about public service. I know a few members of his family who would also have served within Defence Forces. We are talking about a really sound man and someone who, along with his wider family, has put such effort into public service. We need to see right by him but we also need to see right by the people of Dunleer and Louth and ensure they have a fire service that is fit for purpose.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, issuing guidance on operational and other matters, providing a central training programme and providing a capital funding programme for priority infrastructure projects to support local authority expenditure.

The retirement age for retained firefighters has been the subject of many discussions between management and unions over time with many challenges faced in achieving an agreed position. In 2002, trade unions sought an increase in the retirement age and the associated ex gratia payment. This request was subject to a Labour Court referral and the Labour Court recommended the need to maintain a blanket retirement age of 55 but stated that from a health and safety perspective, this should be reviewed and objectively assessed by parties with the assistance of suitable experts. This allowed for the establishment of an expert group to carry out a review of the retirement age for all grades of the retained fire service. The expert group report published in 2003 considered a range of advice from different sources, including medical advice, and provided that retained firefighters would have the option of either retiring at the age of 55 or, subject to an annual compulsory medical assessment, an annual extension to a maximum age of 58 years.

Subsequently, in early 2020, the Workplace Relations Commission recommended that the existing provisions for the retirement age of retained firefighters should be amended to change the existing provision for an annual extension from 58 years to 60 years. Accordingly, my Department issued a circular to all local authorities in December 2020 directing that, on an interim basis, pending consideration of legislative amendments, retained firefighters could now continue working until they reach the age of 60, subject to annual compulsory assessment under the occupational health scheme.

The Government has recently approved an increase in the mandatory retirement age for members of the uniformed services to 62 and agreed that the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform will bring forward legislative proposals in that regard. It is the intention of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery, and Reform to ensure the mandatory retirement age for firefighters is consistent with other uniformed services.

I would stress that it is essential that the retirement age reflects the requirement that firefighters should be capable of satisfactorily meeting the physically demanding nature of the role. In this regard, pursuant to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, every fire authority, as an employer, has a statutory duty to avoid placing employees at unnecessary risk.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I will respond to what the Minister of State said in reverse. He said "it is essential that the retirement age reflects the requirement that firefighters should be capable of satisfactorily meeting the physically demanding nature of the role".

Mr. Molloy made the point to me that he has no issue with regard to that or any of the fitness tests, so that is out of the equation.

Unfortunately, some of what is in the answer is I thought it would be. The reply states that it is the Minister's intention to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to ensure that the mandatory retirement age for firefighters is consistent with other uniformed services. We just need this to happen as soon as possible. Would it be possible to issue a circular, as happened previously, stating that this is coming in order that we can find some sort of workaround that could at least ensure that Dunleer maintains a crew of five and a fire station officer with all the institutional memory and knowledge he has? There is nobody to replace Mr. Molloy and nothing is in place to ensure that he does not fall between two stools and is forced to retire when two, three or four months later, that issue would be dealt with. It cannot be beyond the capacity of Government and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver a solution. There are two scenarios at play. We are talking about being able to ensure that we deliver a fit-for-purpose fire service for Dunleer and for County Louth in general. I have seen it in action too many times. Everybody realises the necessary work the service does. Beyond that, we have to treat Mr. Molloy fairly. We cannot have him falling between two stools, so we need to make sure that there is some interim action. If we get a timeline - even if the Minister of State could give an indication of the timeline for the legislation and delivering fully - that would be welcome.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

I reiterate the steps my Department has already taken to incrementally increase the retirement age for retained firefighters from 55 to 60. I can also reconfirm that the Minister intends to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to ensure that the mandatory retirement age for retained firefighters is consistent with that of other uniformed services, particularly noting that Government recently agreed an increase to age 62 in that regard and for legislation to be drafted to provide for this.

I appreciate that Mr. Molloy is stuck in limbo because the legislation has not been not drafted. It is being drafted. Retained firefighters provide an invaluable service that is essential to their own communities and the public and there is no doubt that primarily retained fire services save lives, prevent damage to residential and commercial property, protect critical infrastructure and safeguard the environment. Our firefighters constitute an invaluable front-line service staffed by very dedicated and selfless people serving communities around the clock.

I will ask the Department to come back to the Deputy. I cannot state what the timeline for the legislation is. I am not sure about interim actions or a circular in that regard. As the Deputy can appreciate, it is a decision that has just recently been made by Government. I wish Mr. Molloy all the best. I know he faces uncertainty. As the Deputy mentioned, Mr. Molloy has 22 years of service in the Defence Forces, as well as his service as a retained firefighter. I will ask the Department to revert to the Deputy about the matter.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I appreciate that. If a final solution was put in place, we would all be better off.

Post Office Closures

Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Chaitheamar roinnt uaireanta sa Dáil an tseachtain seo ag déanamh díospóireachta ar úsáid na Gaeilge agus ar an gcineál infheistíochta a theastaíonn san oideachas, sa tithíocht agus i gcúrsaí mar sin chun an teanga, atá i ngéarchéim thromchúiseach, a chosaint agus a athbheochan. Tá ár gceantair Ghaeltachta, tobar ár dteanga dhúchais agus acmhainn ríthábhachtach ó thaobh ár bhféiniúlacht chultúrtha, faoi bhrú ó gach taobh. Ó chostas agus easpa tithíochta inár gceantair Ghaeltachta go dtí brú forleathan an Bhéarla, atá i gceannas ar ár n-aerthonnta, ár meáin agus ár sráideanna, d'fhéadfadh sé a bheith deacair an rogha a dhéanamh an Ghaeilge a bheith mar phríomhtheanga theaghlaigh.

Is cuid ríthábhachtach lárnach den phictiúr seo iad seirbhísí. Má táimid dáiríre faoi chosaint ár bpobal Gaeltachta, caithfimid a chinntiú go bhfuil seirbhísí ar fáil sna pobail sin trí mheán na Gaeilge. Is minic nach mar sin a bhíonn. Mar shampla, i nGaeltacht na nDéise tá an GP áitiúil caillte againn. Caithfidh daoine sa Rinn nó sa Seanphobal taisteal isteach go dtí Dún Garbhán le haghaidh seirbhísí sláinte a fháil, áit a mbíonn siad curtha ar fáil trí mheán an Bhéarla. Anois, tá an oifig an phoist áitiúil i mbaol. Tá an mháistreás phoist reatha ag dul ar scor agus tá ceisteanna tromchúiseacha faoi todhchaí sheirbhísí oifig an phoist sa phobal. Ní cinneadh eacnamaíochta amháin é seo, i mo thuairim féin ar aon nós. Tá tionchar aige seo a théann i bhfad níos faide ná dúnadh oifig phoist tuaithe, cé gur buille tubaisteach é sin do phobal ar bith. Scriosfaidh an cinneadh seo inmharthanacht na Gaeilge mar theanga phobail i gceann de na beagán dár nGaeltachtaí atá fágtha againn.

We spent quite a few hours this week debating the status and use of the Irish language and the type of investment we need from education to housing to many other areas to protect and revive a language that is at a serious tipping point in terms of a crisis. In our Gaeltacht areas, the places that are supposed to be the well spring of our native language and that are really important cultural resource, the Irish language is under pressure from all sides. There is no housing available. The housing that is available is incredibly expensive. Everywhere we have the pressure of the English language. It will be on social media and the airwaves and is increasingly on streets and roads in Gaeltacht areas. It can be hard to make a choice to raise a family through Irish and make it the first language of the household. Services must be a critical part of this. If we are talking about maintaining our Gaeltacht communities, we have to make sure services are available and that those services are available through the Irish language, but that is often not the case.

An example is Gaeltacht na nDéise in my constituency. It has lost its local GP, so if people want to access a GP, they must travel to Dungarvan and will get their health services through English in a place that is not within their community. Now we have a threat to the local post office service. The person who has run the post office in An Rinn for many years is retiring and there are serious questions about a future post office service. This cannot just be a hard economic decision. The loss of a post office in any rural area is a big blow but in a Gaeltacht area, it is not just the loss of services, it is the loss of services in the Irish language so we cannot just bring it down to hard figures.

I ask the Government to intervene in this case and make it clear to An Post that there is more than just an economic element to this and that it is about more than just its central importance to rural communities. It is vital in Gaeltacht communities where access to basic services trí mheán na Gaeilge has to be part of the community preservation of our language.

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

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh. Tá brón orm ach freagróidh mé as Béarla.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. I welcome the opportunity to outline the position in respect of it on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. An Post is a commercial State company with a mandate to act commercially and, as such, day-to-day operational matters, including decisions regarding the size, distribution and future of the network, are matters for the board and the management of the company and not ones in which the Minister has a statutory function.

The Minister is very aware of the impact that decisions relating to changes in An Post operations have on communities and individuals in rural and urban areas. The Deputy very eloquently and in a linguistic sense, very beautifully laid out the impact of this in his area. It is understood from An Post that the postmaster in An Rinn is retiring. An Post has advised that it has advertised the post office contract a number of times and canvassed the local area but to no avail. An Post indicated that An Rinn, like most post offices, is run by a postmaster, who is a self-employed contractor, rather than directly by An Post. The contract for An Rinn will be advertised once more this week by An Post and it has indicated it will continue looking for a suitable contractor to take over the running of the post office.

I have considerable empathy with the Deputy because no fewer than two post offices in my constituencies sadly could not be saved because the commercial viability of doing so was not appealing enough for people to take up this opportunity. Obviously, it is acutely different in suburban south Dublin compared with the rural Gaeltacht areas of Waterford. This should and will be acknowledged by An Post and the Minister.

In recent years, though, An Post, has been transforming its business by delivering new products and new formats in the context of the way it operates. Among other things, this includes diversifying and growing the financial services products it provides for individuals and SMEs to include loans, credit cards and more foreign exchange products, local banking in association with the major banks and a full range of State savings products. An Post is also providing agency banking services for AIB and Bank of Ireland across its network of post offices. The programme for Government recognises that a modernised post office network will provide a better range of financial services and e-commerce services for citizens and enterprises as part of our commitment to a sustainable, nationwide post office network with overall funding of €30 million provided to support a sustainable nationwide network in line with this commitment.

I trust, however, that the Deputy understands it would be inappropriate for the Minister, Deputy Ryan, or me, on his behalf, to comment further on operational matters relating to proposals for specific post offices. An Post plays an important role in serving the needs of business and domestic customers alike. An Post advises that this role is at the forefront of its mandate. Ultimately, however, the Minister cannot intervene to prevent An Post from doing that which we as the Oireachtas have given it a statutory responsibility to do. An Post has an independent board with a very clear mandate. That said, another effort is under way to find a suitable postmaster in An Rinn, a Gaeltacht region. I know An Post will put everything in place and will communicate fully with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and this House as this situation progresses.

Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh

I thank the Minister of State for his answer and the clarity concerning the ability, or otherwise, of the Minister to engage in this matter. I strongly feel, however, that we do need to find a way to apply a wider lens in this context. Let us leave to one side the individual case of this post office. The provision of services within communities, and especially in Gaeltacht communities, cannot always be driven by an economic or commercial model. In the case of An Rinn, and I am not here to make the case for any one person, the contract has been offered. I know one person who is interested in taking it on but his accountant has told him to run a mile from it. I refer, basically, to what is on the table in terms of returns. The transaction fees only total a certain amount of money and will not even pay a minimum wage for someone to stand in behind the counter for the hours required. An upfront investment of €40,000 is required because, as an An Post post office, it is necessary to put in the proper counter and the requisite security. The only reason this man is interested in getting involved is because he knows the importance of these services within the Gaeltacht community. He can do without this headache but he is committed to providing Irish-language services within Gaeltacht na nDéise.

There will be knock-on impacts if these Irish-language services are not provided. If people drive into Abbeyside to get their pensions, for example, first of all, they have to drive to the location itself, which is 6 miles in the car. The Green Party fellow does not want this, for sure. It is possible, however, to get the Local Link bus and it is well worth mentioning this point. After people have made that drive into Abbeyside, though, they will then have to do their business in English. This is not what we want for our Gaeltacht communities. Additionally, while people are in Abbeyside and their cars are parked up and they need a few bits of shopping, they will probably pop into the Spar or Centra shop there. This will result in an important cut to the revenue of the Spar or Centra shop out in An Rinn. What will happen then? That place will close its doors. This will be another piece of the jigsaw that we will have lost in terms of maintaining a community language in our Gaeltacht areas. This is, therefore, an issue we must look at. Even if we are looking at it in the round, if we are really serious about the preservation of our Gaeltacht, then we must provide services in those areas trí mheán na Gaeilge.

Deputy Neale Richmond

Go raibh maith agat. I do not disagree with anything the Deputy has said. The case from the perspective of sustainability for local businesses and the environment and for the protection, preservation and promotion of our national language is well made and completely understood by me and, indeed, by the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The process is in play. An Post is going to try to do everything possible because it does not wish to see services ultimately move over to Abbeyside and Dungarvan. It wants to keep the post office service in An Rinn. It wants to keep it open for the local population and, more importantly, open as Gaeilge.

As I said, the original request for an intervention, unfortunately, is just not one we can agree to. I will, though, absolutely make the point quite clearly to the Minister and he will communicate with An Post in the appropriate manner about the importance of this issue and the very clear need for An Post to work with those interested, as well as putting this out to tender, to see what can be done not just from a commercial point of view but from a societal and community perspective. I think and hope this matter can be resolved even if it is at this late stage.

Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh

I thank the Minister of State.

Middle East

Deputy Robert Troy

I thank the Minister of State for coming in this evening. How can we justify our allies' role in the genocide happening in Gaza? Can we stand by and say nothing? The simple answer is that we cannot. I refer to the line used by our allies, namely, that Hamas carried out its attack first. This was an attack that this Parliament was united in condemning, but an attack the UN Secretary General said, "did not happen in a vacuum". Our allies have said that every country has a right to self-defence, which of course is true. What we have witnessed in the last number of months and weeks, however, has been the cold-blooded slaughter of innocent people and of an entire civilisation.

We should not, then, smile and shake hands with allies across the globe who have both the influence and power to bring about the necessary change without expressing outrage regarding what is happening and demanding that it stops. Ireland is a small country, but thanks to decades of international peacekeeping duties undertaken by our Defence Forces, decades of missionary work and the contribution our diaspora has made right across the globe, we as a small country carry influence disproportionate to our size. Next week, we will see this demonstrated in abundance. We will have 38 St. Patrick's Day missions travelling across the globe, 11 of which are going to the USA. I wish all the Ministers and Ministers of State luck in their travels.

These St. Patrick's Day missions are about building cultural ties and supporting the great work the IDA and Enterprise Ireland are doing continuously to increase trade for our country. It is also, however, about taking a moral stand. To me, the definition of a good friend is someone who will tell me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear. This year, we must use our special relationship and deep friendship with the USA in this regard. Next week is an opportunity to really make a difference. Next week, we, as a Government, and our representatives abroad, must ensure that President Biden and his entire Administration, and the administration in every country our representatives visit, know just how strongly we as a country feel about this war. It is a war that goes against the very grain of humanity and that disgusts the vast majority of men, women and children on our island.

We must build alliances to ensure that an immediate ceasefire happens and there is immediate access to aid. I say this because we must all have been horrified by the scenes last week of aid being blocked and children dying of starvation. We must build alliances to bring about trade sanctions in respect of the occupied territories. We should look at working with other countries to see if there may be a mechanism whereby families in Ireland and other countries can sponsor families in Palestine and establish a refugee programme. Go raibh maith agat.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank Deputy Troy sincerely for raising this matter. He has particular insight and knowledge that not everyone in this House has concerning the importance of trade missions and, indeed, the importance of speaking truth to good friends. Everyone in this House knows the scale of devastation we are witnessing in Gaza. After more than 150 days of brutal conflict, some 5% of the population there is now dead, injured or missing. More than 17,000 children have been left unaccompanied or separated from their families. Behind each statistic and every number is a family, a child and a community utterly devastated by this horrific war. As if things were not bad enough, hunger is now the daily reality for almost everyone in Gaza. Children are reportedly already dying of dehydration and malnutrition and a conflict-induced famine looms on the horizon. Every day this conflict continues brings this man-made famine closer. All of us will have been touched by the harrowing images we have seen on television and on the Internet in recent evenings.

Time is short, but we can still improve the situation and the first step to doing so is an immediate unconditional ceasefire. For months, the Government and this House have been unequivocal in our calls for an immediate ceasefire. This remains a critical moment. I sincerely hope that a ceasefire can be secured in advance of Ramadan, which begins on 10 March.

The Government’s core position is consistent, principled and clear: an immediate ceasefire; the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza; and full and unhindered humanitarian access. In the event that no ceasefire is in place by the time of St. Patrick’s Day, the Deputy can count on the Government to take the urgent message of a ceasefire with us wherever we travel. St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity not just to advance our interests and promote trade and culture but also to promote our values. That means that we will be discussing our position on the war in Gaza in all our political engagements.

The Taoiseach will certainly do so in Washington, including in meetings with President Biden and other key leaders in the US Government. This goes far beyond the shamrock ceremony and into many important bilateral meetings. The Tánaiste will be raising the matter in Canada and so will many other members of Government. I will travel to Croatia and Slovenia and will make our position clear in all my engagements.

Pushing for a ceasefire has been a focus of outreach by the Government for months. We have been pushing for that in the EU, at the UN and in a wide range of bilateral engagements, including by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste.

The Deputy will be aware of our strong support for UNRWA. It remains the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza and it contributes to the stability of the wider region. When news broke about the possible involvement of a small number of UNRWA staff in the attacks on October 7, the Tánaiste was the first foreign Minister to express confidence in UNRWA leadership. In February, we contributed €20 million in funding. In Europe, in Washington and elsewhere, we made the case for UNRWA. We argued that there is no alternative and that those who suspended their funding should lift that suspension. We worked assiduously within the EU to ensure that the Commission released its committed funding of €50 million to UNRWA. We will continue to make that case including, where appropriate, as part of upcoming St. Patrick’s Day programmes.

St. Patrick’s Day is a unique moment and a chance for us to showcase who we are. It provides an unparalleled opportunity to access decisions makers all over the world. That is why 38 representatives will bring Ireland’s message to 84 cities in 47 countries. I have no hesitation in assuring the Deputy that they will be bringing with them Ireland’s foreign policy priorities, including our resolute and principled position on bringing an immediate end to this brutal war. Our demand for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and unhindered humanitarian access will be at the top of every discussion for every meeting to be held in the forthcoming week. I assure the Deputy that the comments he has made will also be put forward as part of that process.

Deputy Robert Troy

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. He is correct that St. Patrick's Day is a unique opportunity for unparalleled access across the globe and is something we should be very proud of. We have an opportunity this year to promote our values. The values we are talking about are our opposition to the war in Gaza. I welcome that he said that in the event that no ceasefire is in place by St. Patrick's Day, Ministers will bring the urgent message of a ceasefire. While a temporary ceasefire is one thing, we need a permanent resolution in this area.

The military operations by Israel in recent years have been: Operation Cast Lead in 2008; Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012; Operation Protective Edge in 2014; Operation Wall Guardian in 2021; and Operation Swords of Iron now. They have resulted in tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians being killed.

Of course, we need to work towards a temporary ceasefire now to get the war to stop and get aid in to where it is necessary. We also need to work towards a permanent ceasefire, a non-military ceasefire, something akin to what we achieved on our island in Northern Ireland. However, that will not happen if the USA continues to fund the Israeli military to the extent it is doing. Before the war in Gaza, $3.1 billion was spent on military aid annually, the largest recipient of American foreign aid in the world. I welcome the Minister of State's confirmation that next week he and his colleagues will bring our message and our core values across the globe using our unique position with our St. Patrick's Day missions to try to bring about a resolution to what is going on in Gaza.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I again thank the Deputy for his comments. We all agree that the Government has certainly not been silent when it comes to this brutal conflict in Gaza nor have we been inactive. We have to back our words of condemnation with proactive approaches, building alliances within the EU and the UN as well as putting our money where our mouth is by backing the actions of the ICJ and UNWRA. More importantly, we will not sit out this issue. I know some people in this House and outside this House say that there should be some sort of boycott or that we should stay away. If we are not in the room, we cannot have that conversation. The Deputy knows this and he has expressed this. That is why Ireland must be in the room and why we must play that proactive role, not just fuelled by the experience that the Deputy outlined of our own island and how we built peace, but also our consistent work in this region, often being a lone voice in this region.

In recent months, Ireland has consistently advocated for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, for sustained humanitarian access and for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. A temporary or short-term ceasefire is not good enough. A ceasefire on its own is not good enough. We need a lasting peace and Ireland very much wants to be part of that discussion about how we create a lasting peace and ensure there is a two-state solution.

We want to maintain our relationship with our allies. We want to be honest with our allies, but we want to make sure that our voice is constantly heard. That is why we will take that message. I again reassure the Deputy that every point he has made this evening will be repeated by Ministers in every single engagement as part of their St. Patrick's Day programme. I have no doubt that in due course there will be an opportunity to report back to this House about how those discussions went.

Road Network

Deputy Verona Murphy

I want to talk about the condition of the 3,522 km of non-national roads in County Wexford. I will give some background. We have the tenth greatest length of non-national roads in the country, just after counties Cork, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon and Tipperary. The non-national roads network is broken down into four separate categories: regional roads; local primary roads; local secondary roads; and local tertiary roads. In County Wexford, the breakdown making up the 3,522 km is: 529 km of regional roads; 865 km of local primary roads; 1,482 km of local secondary roads; and 646 km of local tertiary roads.

Four national surveys have been carried out to categorise the condition of these roads. In 1995, the first such comparative countrywide study of non-national roads placed Wexford in the lowest grouping, having the poorest overall condition. Ten years later in 2005, a survey placed Wexford and Donegal as the only two counties to rank in the bottom grouping. Despite an almost 20% improvement between 2004 and 2011, the 2011 survey of the condition of regional roads ranked Wexford with Offaly and Mayo as the only three counties with 25% of regional roads requiring reconstruction.

The issue is that the funding is not reflective of road condition. No matter what way we look at studies, funding is allocated on a per kilometre basis and not on a roads condition basis. Since 2008, funding has been cut significantly. Since 2008, County Wexford has had a deficit of €66 million. This is not my first time to stand on the floor of the House and ask for that amount to be given to Wexford to improve the condition of the roads. Addressing that significant 30% deficit in funding would go a long way to help bring Wexford up in the categories.

If we are to be serious, we need to stop asking why we have so many road deaths.

In recent weeks, I have seen flooding, aquaplaning and surface water on roads in County Wexford. It is a very serious issue. We are talking about basic maintenance here and there is no money for drainage. Wexford County Council, to its credit and that of the chief roads engineer, Eamonn Hore, who is also the director of services, is well managed. Our engineers do their best but I have been out and around for months and I have never seen anything like the damage this winter's weather has caused.

In January, the director of services at Wexford County Council sent a letter to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I have it in my hand. It is extensive and includes various appendices to prove what it says. The first point is significant. It states that if the council received €194 million, all roads could be brought up to standard. As much as I would like to say we should get €194 million, we definitely need to address the deficit. For proper planning, to look after road safety as we should and to ensure that people are able to have their vehicles pass the NCT, roads funding to Wexford County Council must increase by between €5 million and €10 million per annum. We need to plan to bring our roads up to standard in the next ten years. We would see a huge improvement in road safety. In the past six months, we have seen a huge increase in road accidents.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I sincerely thank Deputy Murphy for bringing up this issue. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this topic with Members on behalf of the Minister for Transport.

I understand that the Deputy’s question primarily relates to the current system for calculating funding allocations for the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network. I will provide some information for clarity. I know Deputy Murphy is all too familiar with it. I will then deal with the specifics on funding, if that is agreeable to the Deputy. I will run through it as quickly as I can.

As outlined in the 2024 regional and local roads programme released on 15 February this year, the Government is strongly committed to protecting the existing regional and local road network. This facilitates business, education, tourism, healthcare, agriculture and the provision of critical services and activities. The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads are the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants.

Ireland's regional and local road network spans over 96,000 km. The network requires significant funding to ensure it remains fit for purpose, safe and resilient. As such, €658 million was allocated to regional and local road grants in 2024, with approximately 90% of this funding being directed towards maintenance and renewal works. This funding supports local authorities in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities.

Due to the vast scale of the network, the Department of Transport employs an array of grant types to ensure investment is targeted across the network, from supporting scheduled maintenance works to funding climate adaptation projects, which aims to build resilience in the road network against severe weather events.

Within the budget available to the Department, State grant funding is allocated on as fair and equitable a basis as possible to ensure that all local authorities are in receipt of funds to maintain the network. The allocation of the three biggest Exchequer grant types, namely, restoration maintenance, restoration improvement and discretionary grants, is based on the length of regional and local roads within a local authority's area, with additional weighting based on contributing traffic factors in specific areas.

The rationale for this approach is that it is objective, it avoids onerous administrative and monitoring burdens on both local authorities and the Department of Transport and, critically, it avoids any perverse incentives that might arise if another basis were used. For example, providing higher levels of Exchequer funding where road quality is lower could create a disincentive for local authorities to devote own resource funding towards achieving a high-quality network. As mentioned, each local authority is legally responsible for ensuring its network is maintained and improved.

This approach also means that, while central government is supplying significant funding, we are acknowledging that local authorities themselves are best placed to make determinations in their areas for maximum delivery of results. Indeed, the initial selection and prioritisation of maintenance and renewal works are matters for each local authority. There is flexibility within the State grant programme for councils to direct resources to address particular problems identified on their networks as they see fit.

We encourage local authority officials, be they from Wexford or otherwise, to contribute in that manner. I have no doubt that if additional State funding is required, that case can be made and Deputy Murphy has made it very eloquently here this evening. I am more than prepared to pass that on. Responsibility lies with the Minister and the statutory agency and it requires a bit of work. Perhaps a meeting organised by the Deputy between a deputation from Wexford County Council and the Minister responsible with officials of the State agency would be in order. I would be more than happy to write in support of that proposal after this evening's engagement.

Deputy Verona Murphy

That is probably what is required. I appreciate what the Minister of State read out and that he is standing in for the Minister. I will give him some examples of where it seems Wexford is being disadvantaged vis-à-vis other counties. This is how rural counties fared in the 2011 road conditioning survey as regards. At that point, the percentage of roads in Wexford to be reconstructed stood at 29%. Other counties with fewer than 10% of roads to be reconstructed received much the same funding. The rates wee 2.6% in Louth, 9% in Limerick, 4.2% in Monaghan, 8.6% in Carlow, and 8.4% in Westmeath. There is another half a dozen counties with rates lower than 10%.

The Minister of State indicated that allocations are as fair and equitable as possible. No, it is not and I will tell the Minister of State why. The director of services and chief roads engineer, Eamonn Hore, went to great lengths in his letter to explain to the Minister where it is not fair and equitable. The regional road per kilometre in the PCI rating - the pavement surface condition index - stated that the national average is 3%. In Wexford, we are at 7.47%. As regards the total local primary road with PCI rating 1 and 4, the national average is 6% and Wexford is at 25.56%. As regards the total local secondary road with PCI rating 1 to 4, the national average is 10% and Wexford is at 38.72%. When we come to the tertiary road with the PCI rating 1 to 4, the national average is 19% and Wexford is at 38.86%. There is nothing equitable about it. I very much appreciate that the Minister of State will pass on a request for a meeting because that is what is required. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that road conditioning is not contributing to road accidents. It is as simple as this - 30% of Wexford roads need reconstruction. That figure is way above the national average and that has to be addressed.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I again thank Deputy Murphy and reassure her that the Government is fully committed to the protection and renewal of our new road network in each of the counties in the jurisdiction of the State. The Department believes the methodology is an equitable and proportionate approach that allows fairness and transparency throughout the process and also prevents unintended consequences. I fully appreciate the points made by the Deputy. I understand them and her frustration. I fully appreciate that the issue has been communicated directly to the Minister by the director of services. I believe there needs to be direct engagement between the director of services and the Minister. As I said, I am more than happy to write in support of that engagement following our discussion this evening. I hope that can be achieved after the St Patrick's Day recess.