Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 May 2024

Vol. 1054 No. 4

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Wind Energy Guidelines

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach agus é seo a thógáil. It is fitting that today, when I did something I only do once a week and collected my post in Leinster House, I got Government notice of statutory instruments designating special areas of conservation in County Galway, for the attention of land owners and land users. These are designated special areas of conservation that have now been confirmed at EU level.

They afford huge environmental protection. In fact, people would argue that they provide environmental protection over and above human protection in terms of creating employment and having roads, water systems, sewerage systems and so on. This is very relevant to today's debate. I am sure the Minister of State would agree that we need to preserve the environment, both on land and at sea, irrespective of who is doing the developing.

I am sure the Minister of State believes in balance. There is no absolute good in anything humans do. There is always a balance and a trade-off. There is nobody who does not agree with the harnessing of our massive natural resource, particularly wind, off the coast, including waves, tides and anything that can be done. In doing that, however, it is important to listen to the concerns of local communities and make sure we strike a balance between wind energy targets and the rights of residents in various areas.

One of the biggest challenges we face is the increasing size of turbines. Originally, turbines were very small. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will be familiar with the turbines in Cois Fharraige that Pól Ó Foighil erected many years ago, which look very small today. They have grown, however. To give the Minister of State an example, I am told the turbines at the Arklow Bank Wind Park are 12 km out to sea and 124 m tall. We might compare that to what is proposed, for example, in the Sceirde Rocks Windfarm. Some of them will be up to 11 km off the coast, but I understand that some will be as near as less than 6 km away. They are over 300 m in height, which is the height of the Eiffel Tower, in one of the most pristine and beautiful areas in the country and near human habitation where there is quite a considerable population. Therefore, the question has to be asked as to where the balance is. Of course, if they were floating turbines out in the ocean, there would be no problem. In our rush, however, and it is an understandable rush to get wind energy harnessed, these have been proposed as fixed-base turbines. I am not trying to get into the planning of these today. I understand there will be a statutory planning process through the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, and maybe the Minister of State can outline all of that. However, there is a need to update the 2006 wind development guidelines - I have just outlined to the Minister of State the huge change in the technology - to make sure they meet the new requirements in terms of the heights of these turbines and the distance they are recessed from the nearest human habitation. If we do not tackle this, we are going to find that we are taking a shortcut to nowhere. We have seen this in the past where in people's hurry and their unwillingness to try to strike the right balance, they actually cause more delay than if they had taken a more considered and balanced approach and gotten everybody to move forward together. There is certainly one thing I would say to the Minister of State, which is that after all the restrictions that have been placed on these communities to start with, there would be huge resentment if anyone said to them that their quality of life does not count equally.

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

I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this Topical Issue matter. At the outset, I would like to highlight that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for planning guidelines for onshore wind energy development. Following a recent transfer of functions from this Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has responsibility for guidelines for offshore wind energy development in the context of that Department’s responsibility for marine planning.

With regard to onshore wind energy, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the guidelines including setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. The review aims to strike an appropriate balance between addressing the concerns of local communities, as the Deputy raised, by ensuring there is greater and earlier community engagement by wind energy developers, while maintaining Ireland’s ability to deliver on its binding climate and renewable energy policy obligations. It is envisaged that the revised guidelines will provide greater consistency of approach in planning for onshore wind energy development and will provide certainty and clarity to the planning system, the wind industry and local communities. The Department of Housing, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which has primary responsibility for environmental noise matters, has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspect of guidelines having regard to, inter alia, the revised 2030 target to generate up to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources. This work is substantially complete. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, will make any further changes to the draft guidelines that are deemed necessary or appropriate in the wake of this work, with a view to concluding the review of the guidelines at the earliest possible opportunity.

With regard to guidelines for offshore wind energy developments, the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, known as the MAP Act, introduced a comprehensive new marine management regime for Ireland’s maritime area including forward planning, authorisations and enforcement. The MAP Act includes provisions for the development of statutory marine planning guidelines. The offshore wind energy marine planning guidelines are the first to be developed under these provisions. The purpose of these guidelines will be to set out the various elements that make up offshore wind energy developments, creating a common understanding among stakeholders; to clarify the decision-making processes, requirements and organisational roles under the MAP Act as they relate to development permissions for fixed foundation offshore wind energy; and to inform offshore wind energy planning applications as well as the subsequent process of making development permission determinations, particularly with regard to the requirements of the national marine planning framework.

Offshore wind energy is an emerging industry in Ireland with all actors working in a new legislative framework, much of which is being applied for the first time. In this context, the offshore wind energy marine planning guidelines are being informed by related existing guidelines and guidance across government, as well as lessons learnt from other jurisdictions. Discussions are ongoing with teams in relevant Departments in this regard. A dedicated and regularly convened working group including representatives from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, An Bord Pleanála, MARA and the Marine Institute Ireland is supporting development of the offshore guidelines. In addition, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is seeking to provide more expert resources to support development of the guidelines.

In accordance with the requirements, the guidelines are subject to a strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment before they can be finalised, and an independent consultant has been retained to help to deliver these assessments. As part of these processes, the draft offshore wind energy marine planning guidelines will be subject to public consultation once prepared.

I will come back in with a supplementary comment about the issue around public participation and striking the balance about which the Deputy is quite right in terms of the genuine concerns of local residents and the increasing size of turbines. Again, it will be welcome news to the Deputy that the new guidelines for onshore energy will be published shortly.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

This reply is unusually helpful. We normally get two or three pages that never address the issue until the last three lines. I thank the Minister of State for that and for the effort that has been put into giving a meaningful answer. I think he would agree it would a reasonable supposition that whatever guidelines are brought in on land in terms of height versus setback would apply on near inshore and offshore turbines. I will table a Topical Issue matter - I might get lucky again in the Topical Issue lottery - to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and give him an opportunity to come in to explain his side of the story. I presume that if we decide that on land it has to be a certain distance from a house relative to the height, that will also apply to houses that are on the land where the turbines are in the sea. The Minister of State would agree that anything else would be irrational.

I obviously welcome that the issue of noise is being addressed, which would also apply in the sea. In fact, noise would probably travel better over the sea than over land. It is good that shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections will all be in the guidelines. Can the Minister answer the $64,000 question? This is going to have a huge effect on the marine guidelines too because for the near inshore ones, they will be fairly similar. Can the Minister of State tell me when they are likely to be published? He should not tell me it will be very soon or in due course or after a proper process because it was 2006.

Look at the changes in the world between 2006 and 2024. I need to get a real clear indication of when these will be. I will certainly be pursuing the Minister of State's colleague and party leader to ensure that the guidelines on these issues relating to marine or offshore turbines would also be published at the same time. If people think it is public consultation to have bad guidelines and laws that do not really take them into account, but with plenty of consultation about it, it will be game over before they start, and I think they misunderstand ordinary people.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

On community engagement, supplementary to the wind energy guidelines, there is a code of practice for wind energy development in Ireland and guidelines for community engagement. I am of the view that under the Aarhus Convention and public participation directive that engagement should take place at an early stage of any process or development of onshore or offshore. That is important. On the onshore guidelines, my understanding is that the updated guidelines will be published in quarter 3 of this year, as I understand it. I cannot give an indication about the offshore guidelines. It is contingent on quite a number of other factors, not just proximity to housing, that might be on the shoreline. These include, as the Deputy mentioned earlier, special protected areas for birds and marine protected areas, the legislation for which we will be publishing shortly. All of these are important considered factors that have to be taken account with regard to the location of offshore wind.

I will not comment further about the increasing size of turbines but all of this will be developed in the new guidelines that are due to be published. The Deputy is correct that it is important to strike a balance between listening to the concerns of local communities and taking on board their rights. That is hugely important. It has not always been the case in this country. It is important to do that. I assure the Deputy that the onshore guidelines will be published once the process is complete with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and our Department with regard to noise. I cannot give a date for the offshore guidelines but will revert to the Deputy with a possible timeline for the publication of that.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit.

Defective Building Materials

Deputy Joe McHugh

Fáilte ar ais, a Aire Stáit Noonan. I often wonder who listens to the words of TDs. In fairness, at the different times the Minister of State has been here, he has listened. He has been compassionate and showed empathy. However, this is an important question for departmental officials in particular. I certainly do not want to go down the road of bashing officials. They are hardworking officials who try their best in the main. I know that some officials took time out yesterday today and yesterday to prepare the answer that the Minister of State has in his hands tonight. Phone calls would have been made and emails would have been sent, then there would be agreement on some wording. In a nutshell, the public would see this as holding the line for the officials and Ministers in charge of the purse strings.

I understand this up to a point. Departmental officials and Ministers have been holding the line on the defective blocks issue for the best part of a decade. That line has been to frustrate, obfuscate and delay the defective blocks scheme. In a nutshell, this scheme is creating substantial shortfalls for over 50% of applicants. It is not a 100% scheme and should not be labelled as a 100% scheme. It is a shortfall in the region of €100,000, which is an average. The bit that I want to get across to officials and Ministers tonight in the Departments of housing, the Taoiseach and public expenditure is this. This is a multifaceted problem and a complex issue. It is not correct to just land everything on the doorstep of the Department of housing. This is a chain of command issue.

I ask the people who happen to be listening tonight or may be interested in listening tomorrow to visualise a scenario where their home, irrespective of size, has defective blocks, which they bought in good faith. Their house is falling and they still have an outstanding organisation. Their house is worthless and of no value. They knock down their house but continue to pay a mortgage on a house that does not exist. I will say that again. They continue to pay a mortgage on a house that does not exist. They pay a mortgage on a greenfield site. Further, they will need to raise upwards of €100,000, which they will add to your mortgage. Is this fair? I think everybody in this House knows the answer to that.

Within the current legislation, there is scope to raise the cap by 10%, which would add €42,000 to the scheme. Even with this, there is a shortfall. Ultimately, this will benefit 50% of applicants. My question tonight is straightforward. Will the Minister raise the cap by 10%, as is provided for in the legislation?

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist seo. He knows I am aware of the deep trauma that this has caused families in areas affected by defective concrete blocks. Seeing reporting as I have in the media, it has a significant impact on families.

As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022, the DCB Act, on 22 June 2023, which provides for the enhanced grant scheme, and adopted the related regulations on 29 June 2023. The Act includes significant improvements to the previous scheme, such as increasing the previous scheme's 90% maximum grant to a 100% grant for all eligible costs under all remediation options 1 to 5. The maximum grant cap for option 1, demolition and rebuild, was increased to €420,000 from €247,500. A revised application process was introduced, which now only requires the homeowner to submit an initial building condition assessment at minimal cost, recoupable on entry to the scheme. Alternative accommodation and storage costs are included, subject to a maximum of €20,000. For works carried out under remediation options 2 to 5, a second grant option is available for such a home in the future if blockwork which was not removed as part of the initial remediation work subsequently proves defective in accordance with IS 465.

As the Deputy is aware, the defective concrete blocks Act contains a review mechanism that allows the Government to increase the overall grant scheme cap of €420,000 by up to 10%. In accordance with the conditions set down in section 11 of the Act, this review cannot take place any sooner than 12 months after the coming into the operation of this section of the Act, that is, after 29 June 2024. I am not familiar with the 50% figure quoted by the Deputy. I understand there is no robust data set yet relating to build costs, reflective of the fact the current scheme has only been in operation for less than a year.

Following a request from the Department, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, SCSI, recently provided updated cost reports for the north west and mid-west regions to the Department. These updated cost reports were received on 29 March 2024 and cover demolition and reconstruction costs; concrete path around the house; disconnection and reconnection of utilities; making good the driveway and garden; professional fees; and VAT at 13.5% on building costs and 23% on professional fees. Officials in my Department have been in touch with the chair of the expert group with regard to reconstituting the group to undertake a review of the rates prescribed in the 2023 regulations on foot of the updated cost reports received from the SCSI. Once the expert group has completed its review, it will provide advice to the Minister for his consideration as to whether both the grant rates and scheme cap should be increased, and if so by what amount. I hope this gives some assurance to the Deputy that progress has been made. That date in June is critical. I think that reconvening the group will be a positive step forward for people affected.

Deputy Joe McHugh

I thank the Minister of State for the response. He is correct in saying that the legislation states that, within 12 months of the legislation being enacted, the Minister of State has the discretion to increase it by up to 10%.

It is important that I point something out. Even at this early stage of the scheme, while the officials' interpretation is that there is no robust data, there is human data. There has been trauma for ten years. There is anguish. Families are struggling. People want to see light at the end of the tunnel. I ask the officials who are listening to this debate tonight or who may be in a position to listen to it tomorrow, the next day or the following day to take seriously the human impact of what is happening. Brexit and Covid-19 landed on our shores. We dealt with them immediately, but we did not deal with this issue immediately. It has still not been dealt with. It has to have the focus of all Departments - that may include the Department of Finance or the Department of the Taoiseach - at a high level. I have called for this previously.

I welcome that the Department has been in touch with the chair of the expert group about reconstituting it to undertake a review of the rates. That is important, but I ask that the voice of the homeowners be at the table as well. I have been calling for that continually because the word "expert" is used loosely in the world of politics. The people who have gone through this and been campaigning are experts in their own right and should be around that table.

The Minister of State's bona fides have been consistent the whole time. He has shown empathy. In the final months of his tenure in his Department, I ask that he please use his efforts, his wisdom and his understanding of the human condition to try to bring a bit of light to the end of the tunnel. I thank him for attending and I ask that the senior Minister consider the possibility of 10%.

I am looking for a wee bit of time. I will degress, but I will not digress. I have called for two actions: the transfer of eligibility for pensioners who cannot hand theirs houses down to their children; and penalty-free downsizing. These two policies would not cost the state 1 cent. I was not listened to, but I still have them on my agenda and I am looking for them to be addressed even at the eleventh hour of this Government.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

We will take on board those last few points.

Regarding the date of 29 June, the Deputy will be aware that the review can take place. The Minister has consistently acted with empathy on this issue. He has shown that empathy in his engagement with affected families. The reconstitution of the working group is one part of it. There is also a subgroup, which met from January to April 2024 with a focus on the financial aspects of the scheme. That subgroup included representatives from Engineers Ireland, Insurance Ireland, Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, the Department of Finance, local authorities and homeowner action groups. As such, homeowners are represented on the subgroup. The Deputy is right that the voice of the homeowners should be at the table, and it is. That is important.

The date of 29 June that triggers the review under section 11 of the Act is an important timeline. Data is important, but I take on board the point that the lived experience of the residents is equally important. The Minister is cognisant of that as well.

This is a good scheme. The Government and the Department want to ensure that it works for families and that the injustice they have suffered for too long is addressed in a meaningful way by the Government. We give our commitment to that.

International Protection

Deputy Alan Kelly

The matter I am raising is unique. We all know that the issues surrounding asylum seekers and refugees in our country are significant at the moment, but the town of Borrisokane, County Tipperary is unique. The Minister of State visited it and met people there. Unfortunately, various protests have been occurring across Ireland from time to time. In Borrisokane, though, the people are up in arms because the asylum seekers who have been there since 2019 are being evicted. Some are meant to leave in July. If this happens, there will be a protest of a different kind. Uniquely, and probably for the first time, the town liaison committee and many people from surrounding areas will protest the way these asylum seekers are being treated and forced out of their accommodation. They are unique because, in 2019, there were many protests around the country. I recall issues in Ballinrobe, Oughterard and elsewhere. The then Government wanted to get a handle on the situation, so the people of Borrisokane stood up and were counted. I recall the public meetings. They ensured that 16 units initially, and a further four units later, would be used for families from various wartorn areas. These are fantastic people. They made asylum seekers feel welcome and I am proud to represent that town in light of how they dealt with the situation.

There are 96 asylum seekers in Borrisokane now, including 20 families. The majority have got status in recent years while a few have not. There are 27 children in primary school, ten in secondary school and 11 at third level. Many of the adults are working. They are totally integrated. Mr. Sabelo Mavuso coaches underage soccer. He also set up a community garden in the town park. Guillema volunteers with the charity ALONE and Ase has just won the north Tipperary under-13 C hurling championship. These individuals are part of a range of other community activities. African Day was on recently when all the community came out to support them.

Naturally enough, all of these families are integrated and much loved in Borrisokane. Through time, they may move into other accommodation in the town or in areas nearby. Most have qualified for housing assistance payment, HAP, but they cannot find anywhere to live. Uniquely in 2019, an agreement was made between the then Department of Justice and Equality, which looked after IPAS at the time, and the liaison group, that is, the community of Borrisokane. According to that agreement, if an international protection applicant for status was successful, any subsequent application by that individual to the local authority for financial assistance, that is, HAP, to enable him or her to continue residing in the Riverside centre would be a positive and long-term outcome of the community’s welcome and support. This agreement was signed by Mr. Mark Wilson, principal officer, on 28 November 2019. The community feels that that gentleman did a good job. This is a unique scenario. The word of the Government and the Department has to stand. What are we telling other communities where a progressive change has taken place and asylum seekers have been taken on board? What are we saying to other communities if the word of the Department is not kept, given this agreement from November 2019 and the contract that was signed with the Double Property Group in September 2019?

Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Joe O'Brien)

I thank the Deputy for this question. I acknowledge the efforts of the people of Borrisokane over the past four or five years in helping people feel at home.

Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. In the first 20 weeks of 2024, nearly 8,000 people arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 398 per week. This was more than five times the average from 2017 to 2019.

The highest weekly number of applications in 2024 was more than 610.

As of 12 May, there are 30,000 people accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service system as a whole compared with approximately 8,700 people at the end of February 2022. More than 1,800 single men are awaiting an offer of accommodation from IPAS currently and receiving an increased expense payment in lieu of that offer. As at 30 April, there were in excess of 5,000 persons with status or leave to remain residing in IPAS accommodation.

Under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018, those who have had their application determined are no longer entitled to material reception conditions. However, the IPAS continues to accommodate those with status, until such time that they progress into the community.

Riverside accommodation centre in Borrisokane is a contracted international protection centre. To ensure IPAS accommodation centres are available to those currently being processed through the international protection system, IPAS is currently offering transfer to those who have had been granted international protection or leave to remain the greatest length. Single adults and couples who have status for nine months or more, and families who will have status for two years or more are currently being offered a transfer to alternative IPAS accommodation.

Those families, who in July 2024 will have reached two years with status, have been advised of transfer in Borrisokane to alternative accommodation in July 2024. Each family was notified in writing of this in February and March 2024. In recent months, officials have held a number of in-person meetings with those impacted and advised that a transfer to alternative accommodation was under consideration.

The IPAS transition team works in collaboration with Depaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust, the Department of housing and local authorities to support residents with status to exit IPAS accommodation and access housing options.

Those with status have the same housing entitlements as Irish citizens and are supported to register with a local authority and, if required, to avail of the housing assistance payment to secure alternative accommodation. In addition, those with status have the same social welfare entitlements as Irish citizens.

In 2023, more than 2,000 people with a form of status progressed into the community from IPAS. Already, over 1,600 people have done so in 2024.

I understand there were meetings in June 2023 and March 2024 with the dedicated IPAS transition team to set out the position and alerting residents to the existence of the available supports. Residents in Borrisokane also have direct support from integration workers from Peter McVerry Trust who support residents in accessing housing supports.

To reiterate, when Riverside accommodation centre opened at the end of 2019, 7,683 people were accommodated in IPAS accommodation. We currently accommodate over 30,000 people and have a significant number of people awaiting an offer of IPAS accommodation. I can come back to the Deputy with a little more information in a supplementary reply.

Deputy Alan Kelly

The Minister of State is a good person but that response, by and large, is a standard reply.

I contacted his officials, as he will be aware, this evening to let him know that I would read into the record this agreement from November 2019. I cannot state this any clearer. If the Department, which, granted this, in 2019, was the then Department of Justice and Equality, cannot honour the agreement it made with the town of Borrisokane and with the residents - I met with Maria, Mags, Martin, Keith, Tom and Robert late last week - which was a positive development, what hope have we in Ireland that the Department can be trusted to honour any other agreement? This is unique. The Government has to honour this agreement or make some attempt to honour this agreement. This is in writing, signed by a senior official, to a member of the committee who was a solicitor at the time.

We now have a situation whereby I do not want to be going down to the people of Borrisokane and saying they were sold a pup in 2019. They have done everything that was asked.

The issue here is commercial. The company has a commercial arrangement, by the way, which is up at the end of 2024, according to our information. It is now looking for eight more apartments, which, by the way, they cannot have a contract with because planning has only been granted.

The point I am trying to make here is, given the situation and given what was agreed, why can the Department not ensure for all of these people who qualify for HAP that in some way there is agreement as regards the differential between what potentially is a commercial charge by this company to the Department and what these people are able to pay with HAP? Why cannot an arrangement be made to help these people?

These are vulnerable people. There are so many children involved here. They are totally integrated into the town and the town is not going to let them down. The people I mentioned are not going to let them down. Given what was agreed because of the crisis that the Department was facing in 2019 and it wanted Borrisokane to be different, surely the Department can keep its word, honour that and find some way to ensure that these families, who were treated uniquely at the time in Ireland, are dealt with in a very fair manner.

Deputy Joe O'Brien

Notwithstanding the letter the Deputy has, unfortunately there have been other situations around the country where, because international protection applicants have been in IPAS accommodation and because the community have been supportive, the community has not been happy when we have had to move them.

Deputy Alan Kelly

Did they have a letter like this?

Deputy Joe O'Brien

I heard about the letter in question and I tracked it down today. I am glad it was the Deputy who read the piece into the record, rather than me. My analysis of that commitment was that it showed an incorrect understanding of the different between our mainstream housing supports and IPAS housing supports.

Deputy Alan Kelly

It is in black and white.

Deputy Joe O'Brien

Nevertheless, that is my interpretation of what was written there. That is unfortunate. Notwithstanding that, I understand how the community feel about this. We will endeavour to talk to the resettlement team.

There is potentially a role here as well for the new local authority integration teams. There is potentially a role for the programme I oversee, the social inclusion community activation programme, as well, to see what more we can do in acknowledgement that a lot has been done by the people in Borrisokane and that the people very much feel at home there as well. That is my read of what was written in black and white at that time in a different Department - I can understand how people have interpreted that - but we will look at what we can do in offering people further supports.

Departmental Funding

Deputy Claire Kerrane

There is something very special about the East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support centre in Ballinasloe, which I visited last week. The last time before that I had visited was during Covid.

It is a place where you instantly feel at ease. You go in the back door and it is like going into your own home. The first thing you see is the kitchen table and the kettle. It is a very welcoming and homely place and that is the very immediate sense you get when you walk in the door. You can tell instantly from those who are part of the centre whom I have met, particularly Jackie, Brian and Anna, how important what they do is to them.

The cancer centre is a section 39 organisation. It is a non-profit charitable community cancer support centre and it supports and provides much-needed services and supports to cancer patients and their families. There are between 120 and 130 people going through the centre every week for various supports and services. The centre serves, but is not limited to, the counties of Galway, Roscommon, Clare, Longford, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath and Dublin. They serve eight counties, yet they are in a grave situation as regards their funding.

It costs the managers of the centre between €13,000 and €15,000 monthly just to keep the lights on to provide what they are providing - just to stand still. Does the Minister of State know how much funding they receive from the State? They receive €7,000 a year. That comes to approximately €134 a week. That is barely a euro for every person who they see and support, the people who depend on them, in a week.

This is not good enough. We have a state-of-the-art centre perfectly located in Ballinasloe that provides counselling sessions, treatments, therapies, fitness classes, and transport to cancer treatment, all of which is free of charge. In 2023, the centre provided 1,096 hours of treatments and 942 counselling sessions. It is struggling financially. It has two paid staff members; everyone else volunteers. The centre cannot say enough about those volunteers who give of their time. I also commend them on the work they do in supporting so many people in what is usually the most desperate, difficult and challenging time in their lives. The centre is heavily dependent and reliant on local fund-raising and the goodwill of the community. Again, that community and I commend those who fund-raise and donate. They are the people who keep the doors open. Of course, this is not sustainable. That is not good enough, given the supports and critical services they are providing. This cancer centre is seeing 130 people every week and serves eight counties. I know from the people who volunteer and work in it that they do not limit themselves by geography. They turn nobody away. They deserve an awful lot more than €7,000 a year.

I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister for Health to meet with East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support representatives, and for the Minister to get the HSE to engage with the centre on the funding it needs to keep its doors open to support the many people and families they support, and to keep it functioning at the highest level. It wants to do more but it is very much hamstrung by what it has. The centre has also made an ask regarding the HSE directly taking on the salaries of the two staff members who are there so it does not have to come out of the fund-raising or the €7,000. More importantly, we need to fund the service and sustain it into the future for those who rely on it today and, unfortunately, for the many who will rely on it into the future.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Colm Burke)

I am dealing with this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter of funding for East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support, which is based in Ballinasloe, County Galway. The need to address survivorship care for those living with and beyond cancer is now recognised internationally. Groups such as East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support emphasise the importance of quality of life during and after cancer treatment.

People living with cancer can require lifelong, evidence-based healthcare. This is both preventative and general medical, as well as psychosocial care and care specific to the cancer diagnosis involved. For others, access to support groups can fulfil most of these needs. Under the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026, our services for patients have undergone significant transformation and improvement. This has included the publication of a psycho-oncology model of care, and the development of the first national survivorship programmes. These are implemented in local communities by community cancer support centres. The strategy recognises the importance of links between volunteer and community organisations and cancer treatment services to ensure patients and their families have adequate support. The Government has invested an additional €50 million into cancer treatment and screening services under the national cancer strategy. Total cumulative additional funding under this strategy since 2017 is more than €300 million. This funding has enabled the recruitment of over 670 staff to our national cancer services since 2017, including an additional 200 nursing staff, 100 consultants, and 180 health and social care professionals in designated cancer centres.

There are more than 215,000 people living in Ireland following a diagnosis of invasive cancer. The national cancer control programme, NCCP, has progressed survivorship programmes to support improved quality of life for cancer patients. As part of this, the NCCP established the alliance of community cancer support centres, providing guidance and support to centres which, in turn, provide psychosocial supports to cancer patients and their families in the community. The NCCP operates an activity-based funding model for organisations that are full members of the NCCP alliance of community cancer support centres and services. In 2024, the Minister for Health secured €3 million in funding for community cancer support centres that are full members of the alliance.

East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support was set up in 2012. It provides a network of psychological, emotional and practical support for those diagnosed with cancer. Fund-raising is integral to the continued service provided by the centre and other such services. I am advised that the organisation has received small grant aid funding from the HSE’s NCCP in 2021, 2022, and again in 2023. East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support is currently an associate member of the alliance. The centre has indicated it will apply to undergo self-assessment and peer review under the NCCP best practice guidance this year, with the aim of attaining full membership of the alliance.

The Minister welcomes the opportunity to discuss funding for cancer support centres and encourages the East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support organisation to continue its engagement with the NCCP on becoming full members of the alliance. Cancer support services throughout Ireland are invaluable to those they support. The Government recognises the valuable work done by the staff and volunteers at cancer support centres throughout Ireland. As I said, more than 215,000 people have come through cancer treatment. It is extremely important that people get every possible support.

Deputy Claire Kerrane

I acknowledge the announcement of the one-off €3 million in funding that will roll out this year. I have no doubt that East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support will attain full membership of that alliance. However, that does not guarantee it X amount out of that €3 million and therein lies the problem. I reiterate that this a is a cancer centre in the heart of Ballinasloe seeing, supporting and providing services, which would cost the HSE an arm and a leg to provide, to 130 people a week across eight counties on this island, but it is receiving €7,000 a year. I find it shameful that is what the centre is receiving when I think of the work it is doing, and the families and cancer patients it is supporting every day of the week. It is not good enough and the group deserves an awful lot more.

There are 16 community cancer centres under the alliance of community cancer support centres, including Ballinasloe, which will be included, as well as Roscommon Cancer Support. That €3 million needs to be an annual payment. In fact, we should see multi-annual funding for this. The Minister for Health needs to engage, along with the HSE, with each of these cancer centres, find out what money they need, what their level of service and demand is, and put money in place. There is no better way to spend €3 million than to give it to these cancer centres that really need this funding. I can guarantee that if the Minister of State looks at the cost to the HSE of providing more than 1,000 hours of treatments, transport to and from cancer treatment in UHG, as is provided in Ballinasloe, and more than 900 counselling sessions, it would cost the HSE a hell of a lot of money and an awful lot more than €7,000 of a grant to the centre in Ballinasloe.

I again ask that the Minister engages with the centre directly and asks the HSE to engage on its level of funding. We need to support these cancer centres. The Minister of State has given the figure of more than 200,000 people with cancer. It is an illness that is growing and we need to support those with it in every way we can. This means funding services properly and meeting demand.

Deputy Colm Burke

I very much agree with her in respect of the number of people diagnosed with cancer who have come through treatment. They need support. The Department of Health and the NCCP are committed to working with cancer support services. This will ensure that various programmes and services are appropriately developed and made more widely available to those who need them. The current National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 is the third such cancer strategy in Ireland. These successive strategies have shown the benefit of continued investment in national cancer services. It bears repeating that this Government has shown its commitment to implementing the national cancer strategy through significant investment in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Voluntary cancer support centres are key in providing psychological and psychosocial support. It is important that the development of dedicated survivorship programmes continues to enable patients to maximise their quality of life.

Through the important work of the voluntary cancer support services and the implementation of the national cancer strategy, we can have a profound effect on the quality of life for many people who are living with a cancer diagnosis. Locally-based psychological, emotional and practical support is vital for the best outcomes for patients. I recognise the invaluable input of the volunteer drivers, and there are many of them throughout the country, the fundraisers who put their heart and soul into fund-raising for those centres, and everyone supporting services for cancer patients.

Once again, the Minister welcomes the opportunity to discuss the funding for cancer support services and encourages East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support to continue to engage with the NCCP and the HSE on funding opportunities in future. I agree that all these services provide valuable support to patients and their immediate families. The immediate families also go through trauma, concern and stress during the time people are under care and treatment. I will raise the issues the Deputy outlined directly with the Minister.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 11.12 p.m. go dtí 9.10 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 22 Bealtaine 2024.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.12 p.m. until 9.10 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 May 2024.