Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 20 Mar 2025

Vol. 1064 No. 5

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Jen Cummins

As this is my first Topical Issue, hopefully I will get the timing and all the rest of it right. I thank the Minister of State for taking this and wish him the very best of luck in his new role. I do not think I have congratulated him yet.

Today, I am asking about families in Dublin 8 who are looking to have a multidenominational secondary school for their children. They have been campaigning for a number of years and I have been involved with them over the past little while.

I suppose mine is one of those original families from a long time ago. When our family was looking for a multidenominational secondary school in the Dublin 8 area where I live, unfortunately, there was not one. We are a Unitarian family and, therefore, we would prefer our children to be educated in a multidenominational school. That suits our ethos. We also believe that religion should be done at home or after school. Many families in Dublin 8 are now facing this issue. I suppose we had this as a family in 2016 and my children do not go to school in Dublin 8 but travel outside of the area. The reason I am giving that personal information is because it is reflective of the families who are now fighting for a secondary school for their children in the future. Many of those children are still in primary school but they are looking to the future.

The fact is 38% of people in Dublin 8 identify as Catholic. That leaves a very large proportion who do not. It is one of the lowest proportions in the country, along with the north inner city and the south-east inner city. In Dublin 8, however, there is not one multidenominational second-level school.

Despite the youth population growing by 30% in the past decade, far exceeding the city and national averages, more than 50% of the children living in Dublin 8 are forced to leave the area for secondary school, including, as I said, my own children. By 2026, 2,135 students will need to travel outside the community daily. Parents have made their wishes clear and while 89% of them have said they want their children to attend a local secondary school, the system is not allowing for that. As a parent of children - teenagers and one who is 21 - let me tell the Minister of State that collecting your child outside your neighbourhood at the end of a party on a Saturday or Friday night is really a pain. As well as that, when they get a bit older, they do not want to be collected and they want to come home, the worry of that is quite immense. Being educated in your area with your friends is the preference for those 89% of parents who want to have their children educated there.

It is about parental choice and not having the ability to send your child to a school which reflects the ethos of the family. When those parents send their children to primary schools where they are educated in a multidenominational way, they would like to continue that for secondary school. The Department has stated previously that there is sufficient capacity in Dublin 8 but this is questioned by that group. They do not believe that. Where does the capacity exist for multidenominational schools when there is not one? Where is the capacity being reached there?

They also question the fact that other areas, such as Booterstown, Blackrock, Goatstown and Harold's Cross, have all been granted multidenominational schools but there are many more co-educational schools in those areas than there are in Dublin 8, and they are wondering why Dublin 8 is not being treated the same.

They also wonder about planning as a huge amount of planning and building is happening in Dublin 8 at present. Where will the capacity be for the people moving into those apartments or homes? If they have children, where will they go to school? Where is the capacity there?

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan)

I thank Deputy Cummins. The Deputy's first Topical Issue was extremely well delivered. The Deputy may have answered the question in her own statement but we will get to that later. I appreciate the comments and I will feed back a lot of that.

On the provision of multidenominational education, the Government is committed to increasing the provision of education in line with the choices of parents, families and school communities. Work is under way in the Department, by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to deliver on this objective. Since 2011, new arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by the Department. The new criterion for new school entities ensures that all new schools are co-educational, but ethos is determined during the patronage process.

These arrangements give an opportunity to patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental preference and language preferences and an analysis of existing provision in the areas where the schools are being established. This approach is underpinned by a 2011 Government decision.

The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure must be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase to ensure that every child has a school place. Based on demographic analysis undertaken, it is deemed that there is not a sufficient unmet demand in Dublin 8 to establish a new school at present and that increasing demographics can be met from within existing schools. Requirements for school places will be kept under ongoing review in this region and across the country.

Separately, the schools reconfiguration for diversity process, supporting transfers of schools to multidenominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities, has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multidenominational schools. When a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number and operating from the same school property. All State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same Department rules and regulations.

Given the importance of increasing choice for parents, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, intends to launch a survey of primary school communities shortly. This survey will ensure we have a greater picture as to what our plans need to be into the future. It is planned that the survey will ask parents for their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice, including demand for a multidenominational ethos. The results of the survey will help us plan how we provide education at primary level into the future. Further details regarding the survey will be announced in due course.

I realise this may not be the answer Deputy Cummins is looking for. According to the Department’s statistics and its analysis of the area, it feels there are no unmet needs in the Dublin 8 area but it has also given a chink of light, in that the matter is under review. I have outlined the other process where a school can be transferred to multidenominational management if there is a will and desire among the parents in the school community to do that. I can get the Deputy more details on that process if necessary.

Deputy Jen Cummins

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive answer. Yes, it is not the answer I want but God loves a trier. The reconfiguration process has been very slow to date. The previous programme for Government had it that, I think, 400 schools would be transferred. Unfortunately, that number has not been reached yet and I did not see it in the programme for Government this time.

The survey has been promised for quite a long time and I am anxious to know when exactly it will happen. The reply said there was no unmet need in Dublin 8. Will the Minister of State clarify if that is because there is a suggestion that students in Dublin 8 should travel to Dublin 10, Kylemore College, and Dublin 12, Clogher Road?

I know Sandymount Park Educate Together Secondary School, whose open day some years ago I was happy to attend as chair of Educate Together, is a thriving school and doing very well but a number of my neighbours and friends’ children attend that school and take two buses. They leave at 7.25 a.m. and get a bus into town and a bus out to Sandymount. Those children are exhausted coming back from school. The other day, I spoke to a friend whose child was often unable to get out of bed because he was so tired from the long journey. If that is the school provision for Dublin 8, it is too far away from the students. I know that is what it was supposed to do, but two bus trips is not in the community even if the Department says it is.

How quick can reconfiguration happen? On the survey, when will we know? If there will be a transfer, how can that group be supported to identify those schools? Has the Department identified which schools could be part of that transfer of patronage?

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

The Deputy has asked some questions that I will endeavour to get answers to, namely, how long the survey and the process of reconfiguration will take. On the unmet needs in Dublin 8, I assume it does not take into account whether there is a desire to have multidenominational education or under different patronage. We can find that out. The approach is that, if capacity of any type can be met within any of the existing schools, the Department will favour that route.

I take the Deputy’s point about the other areas not far from Dublin 8 where they have managed to establish multidenominational schools. She mentioned Harold's Cross and other examples. I will ask how those decisions came to be and how recent was the analysis that decided there was no unmet need in Dublin 8. As the Deputy noted, there is a lot of building in the Dublin 8 area. It is becoming a very popular place to live and it is a fantastic area, so we may see the population trending in a certain direction that may require the need to investigate this further. I have taken note of those questions and will take them back.

Health Services

Deputy Mark Wall

I am sure that the Minister of State knows of many great communities in Cork. One of the great communities I am aware of is in Kildare, that being, the community of Ballyteague, Allenwood, Kilmeage, Robertstown and Milltown. It is a great community that comes together. Unfortunately, it is now more than three months since the Allenwood daycare centre closed its doors in Ballyteague GFC. This closure has had an immense impact on the older people who attend the centre. According to their family members, they are regressing and deteriorating. For many attendees, this centre was their social lifeline and a way of staying connected with their neighbours, community and friends. This move definitely flies in the face of Sláintecare. We should be keeping people in their communities and keeping them close to their vital community connections, friends and services rather than closing centres such as the Allenwood daycare centre in Ballyteague GFC. I listened to my local radio station, KFM, and some testimonies of those using the centre. One was from Gabrielle Dempsey who is 80 years young. She said she missed the cups of tea and the chats. She said it was heartbreaking that people could not go back.

The community feels let down by the Government and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They are disheartened and feel there is a process of bureaucracy that their families are suffering under. From speaking to people on the ground, the impact of the closure goes beyond the attendees. It also affects the family members, wives, husbands and family carers of those who use the centre. I have been informed that, in the three months since the centre closed, four service users have gone to nursing homes and two have been hospitalised.

I thank Karen Gorey and many members of the community, including Frank Moran, who have continued to advocate on this matter. I acknowledge, as I am sure the Minister of State will tell me in his reply, that the HSE has organised places for people to attend another daycare centre in Kildare town four days a week. Through the work that other public representatives and I have done, the HSE will also provide transport for those people. Thirteen of those using the Ballyteague centre have accepted but five have not. Those five are a worry for the community, but so are the 13 who have accepted. The community centre in Allenwood in Ballyteague GFC was a lifeline for all the people using it. It was where they met their friends and, as Gabrielle Dempsey said, where they had a cup of tea and a chat, but it has been taken away from them. For the life of us, we cannot understand why it cannot be reopened. I have dealt with the HSE and thanked it for its replies. It tells me that the new centre in Killmeage will be completed in June, but the problem is these older people cannot wait until June. The Minister of State will be aware of the detrimental impact that loneliness can have on older people, given the lack of social contact and contact with friends. The interviews on KFM were all about people who use the centre asking the family carers if they could go back to the centre.

That is what was said, time and time again on my local radio station. They do not want to go to Kildare town. They want to go back to where they know best, to their familiar surroundings where they can meet their friends, have that cup of tea, have the chat. That was in Ballyteague GFC. I cannot understand for the life of me why it cannot be reopened. I hope the Minister of State will bring some good news today.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this issue. Clearly he is in touch with the community there and is aware of the anguish that this type of move causes, the anxiety not just among the residents and their families but the community too, as people are worried about the future of residents. I wish to assure the Deputy that every effort will be made to ensure that proper care is given and that they are accommodated.

The new programme for Government has highlighted the importance of our community services for older people, which assist them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity and independence for as long as possible. Many older people living at home rely on the services they receive through day centres and the outreach those centres provide, which often includes meals on wheels services. Allenwood daycare centre is a HSE-funded service in Kildare that was managed and operated by the St. Vincent de Paul through a service level arrangement for daycare and meals on wheels services in Allenwood and the surrounding area. As a private, voluntary organisation, decisions about the closure of the service and the employment of staff rest with St. Vincent de Paul. In December 2024, St. Vincent de Paul issued a temporary notice of closure to the people who use this service and notified the HSE older persons services accordingly. The HSE reported that there were 34 active service users at the time when the closure was notified. HSE older persons services contacted all the people affected by this closure, offering them an alternative daycare place from 28 January.

On 4 March 2025, the HSE received formal written notice from St. Vincent de Paul that the Allenwood daycare service would remain closed permanently and would cease provision of meals on wheels from 28 March 2025. St. Vincent de Paul has advised the HSE that it has notified all services users of these closures. The HSE sourced alternative daycare places for service users of the Allenwood daycare service in the St. Conleth’s daycare centre in Kildare town. The HSE is providing transport for the service users four days per week, from Monday to Thursday. Some 18 clients have agreed to be referred to the St. Conleth’s daycare centre and 13 clients have confirmed start dates. As the Deputy has mentioned, five have declined attending this alternative daycare for the moment.

Additionally, a new meals on wheels provider has been sourced and will commence this service on 1 April 2025. All meals on wheels service users have been contacted by the HSE to advise them of this. The HSE is seeking an alternative daycare provider for the Allenwood daycare service and, in the longer term, it is planned that the day service will move to Kilmeague health care centre. Refurbishment works are under way currently and are expected to be completed by June 2025. In the meantime, it is essential that all of the people who relied on this service continue to be provided with reasonable alternatives.

I totally appreciate the concern the Deputy has highlighted here, the concerns that have been expressed on local radio. There is a few months of a gap between now and June, when they hope the new centre in Kilmeague will be open. I will endeavour to bring that message clearly back to the Department to ensure that the opening of the new centre at Kilmeague happens as soon as possible, and that everybody is accommodated in the best way possible.

Deputy Mark Wall

I appreciate the Minister of State's reply. He mentioned that there are a couple of months. Unfortunately, as we all know, a couple of months is a long time for older people. It is an especially long time when someone is asking their caregiver in the morning if they can go back to where they know best, and the caregiver cannot say they can. A person's whole system could be upset by that fact. On the reply the Minister of State has given me, public representatives in County Kildare have received that over the last number of weeks and indeed up to today. What we cannot understand is this: We have been informed that a certain new service provider has actually visited the centre in Ballyteague and is willing to start in the next couple of days. It is willing to open the centre in Ballyteague GFC as Allenwood daycare centre once again. That is the question we are all asking. For those couple of months, why cannot we allow that provider to reopen the doors in Ballyteague GFC and allow those people to go back and have that cup of tea and meet their friends? That is what they want and what they most need. A couple of months can be such a long time for all those people.

The other ask that has been made by a number of public representatives is that the Minister responsible would go out to Ballyteague GFC and meet the people on the ground. I am asking again tonight that the Minister of State might bring that request back to the relevant Minister. Meeting the people on the ground, talking to them and hearing their stories would allow the Minister to feel the impact this has had. Three months in the life of an older person is a lifetime and can be so life-changing.

I have two requests for the Minister of State today. First, that he brings the request for an on-site meeting back to the Minister as quickly as possible and, second, that he asks the Minister for Health and the HSE why we cannot reopen the centre in Ballyteague given that a service provider has been on-site and has informed local people and, I believe, the HSE, that it can run the site and run the service within a couple of weeks to cover the three months while we are waiting for the new centre to open in Kilmeague.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I presume when the Deputy says a service provider has visited the site, it is the site of the old centre which St. Vincent de Paul has given notice it is closing. I appreciate that and will get clarification on whether it is something that can happen. I will certainly ask the question. The Deputy also asked whether the Minister might be able to visit the community there. Certainly I can see how that would be a helpful exercise. I will ensure that the Minister gets that request and can reply. Right across Ireland, communities have unfortunately experienced this issue where a daycare centre is closed for whatever reason. It is mainly in situations where they are not run directly by the HSE but perhaps by private or voluntary organisations. It causes hurt, devastation and a lot of uncertainty for families and the residents in question. I take the Deputy's point about three months being a long time for someone who is older. Loneliness is a big issue. The Deputy has made three simple requests and I will endeavour to get answers on them.

Fire Service

Deputy Brian Stanley

I am raising the issue of the need for a new fire station in Rathdowney. This has been sought for a number of years now. The current station was built to house a jeep and the small mobile pump they used to pull behind them. I do not know if the Minister of State would remember them, the old Land Rovers. Smaller towns had them and that is what the station housed. There are three vehicles there now, including two large fire tenders and one jeep. Only one of the larger vehicles and the jeep can be housed in it. It is very difficult to get the large tender in and out because it is on a narrow street and it is a very small building. I can tell the Minister of State it takes good skill. I witnessed one of the crew reversing it in recently. It took great skill to get it in and out. That slows down the response time in terms of getting out to calls.

There is a larger fire crew there now. It was down to four and five for a year or two. It is now up to nine and is due to go to 12. There will be 12 firefighters in that station but there is physically no space for them. The changing area is absolutely tiny, about 2.5 m or 3 m in each direction. It is basically a small cubicle of an area to change in. I also bring it to the Minister of State's attention that some of the firefighters are women. There are three women, including Shusha Killeen, the station officer who is doing a good job there along with the very committed staff in the station who maintain the equipment very well.

The station is serving a large area across south Laois, across nearly into Roscrea, Ballaghmore, across to Offaly, back across to north Kilkenny and all that area, back into Errill and Ballinakill and up as far as Abbeyleix. It is a huge area. There is a real problem with space in the station. They have good equipment; the system has been modernised over the years and money has been put into it. I acknowledge that the equipment has improved dramatically. They just need extra space. They have one shower. As the Minster of State can imagine, it is totally unacceptable for a large crew to come back in after a house fire or any kind of fire and have one shower between them.

There is no parking area. They have to look for parking at a business down the road and hope the little area in front of that is not already full up. Otherwise, they have to park on kerbs and on double yellow lines, so there is a real problem with that. The good news is there is a site literally around the corner from it. People can drive in and through it. It is one of those new fire stations that have been modernised and which people can drive through, like they have in other stations in County Laois. These can be put in.

It is a shovel-ready project. We do not need to draw up new plans. There are existing plans that have been used in similar towns. As I said to the Minister for housing yesterday, we should stop running to architects the whole time - we do not need to. Copy and paste; give whoever drew up the plans a bit of extra money for the royalties and get on with the plans we already have. This is a shovel-ready project. The Minister of State knows the importance of the fire service. Pay and conditions have been improved, which we all welcome. A lot of us campaigned with them to get that. I acknowledge that their equipment has improved dramatically in the past ten to 15 years. Training has improved. In Rathdowney, though, what is missing is the new fire station.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I thank Deputy Stanley. He has highlighted well the challenges they face in Rathdowney fire station. It sounds like they have a fantastic crew and great equipment but they need a new building. The first half of my response will be focused on Stradbally. The Deputy will be wondering why the hell I am focusing on Stradbally, but I will put it in context in the second half of the response, if that is okay.

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 Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.

Project consideration stages from a Department perspective include submission of preliminary and detailed appraisals; submission of design brief; selection of a site; application for approval in principle; appointment of design consultants; submission of a preliminary design; planning application; submission of a preliminary cost plan, detailed design and cost plans; and tender process and construction stages, with each step subject to approval from the Department. The Deputy will have known all this already.

In December 2020, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, announced the fire services capital plan for the period 2021 to 2025, with a funding allocation of €61 million. Following extensive engagement with fire authorities, a number of proposals for station works, etc., were received. The proposals were evaluated and prioritised on the basis of the area risk categorisation of the fire station, established health and safety needs, state of development of the project, value for money offered by the proposal, and the totality of requests from all authorities.

At that time, Laois County Council had indicated a new fire station at Stradbally to be its number one priority, with the replacement of Rathdowney fire station as its second priority going forward. While the Stradbally fire station project was not initially included in my Department's Fire Services Capital Programme 2021-2025; all projects in the capital programme may be reassessed annually to maximise available capital programme funding, and priority may be adjusted to bring forward projects offering best value for money and to take account the state of readiness of the projects, based on ongoing engagement with local authorities in respect of prioritisation. Subsequently, following reappraisal, approval in principle for a new fire station at Stradbally was conveyed to the council in November 2022. The council approved the tender for design consultants for the project in March 2023 and in February of this year, the council was approved to tender for the construction phase of the Stradbally fire station project. My Department officials are working with Laois County Council to progress a new Stradbally fire station in 2025. That is the situation in Stradbally. In the second half of my response, I will go on to highlight where we are in terms of Rathdowney.

Deputy Brian Stanley

I thank the Minister of State for that response. I welcome the news on the Stradbally station. I raised it with his predecessor on a number of occasions in the Dáil. That is very welcome; it was badly needed. I would say to the Minister of State by way of being helpful that there is a design for Stradbally. The plan is done. It is a similar size town and a similar size area. The Minister of State can see the stages it goes through. He needs to talk to the Secretary General of the Department about this. Civil servants sometimes get bogged down in things like the appointment of design consultants and submissions of preliminary design. We can take that out straight away if we can use the same plans. Those plans can be used - copy and paste - and if the design team is looking for money for it, it will be cheaper than starting again with a blank canvas.

The Minister of State mentioned how the state of readiness is a factor. This is ready to go. The site is there, it is a brilliant site, and it needs to be prioritised. There is a new programme for 2026 to 2030. If we have to wait for that, I ask that this project be front-loaded into it. There is a huge parking area on the site where the new building will go. There is ample parking, and it provides for that drive in and drive through aspect so that people do not have to reverse fire tenders out. They just drive straight out and go. The Minister of State knows that quick responses with fire are very important. I am, therefore, asking him to front-load and push this project. I know Ministers will always have shopping lists but it did not get in the last time. I am telling the Minister of State it is ready to go. We have the site and the plan, a dedicated fire crew and great equipment, so let us get on with it. I am asking the Minister of State to go for this, get it into the next round of funding and have it front-loaded.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I outlined Stradbally because it is now earmarked for being delivered in 2025, which very much opens the way now for Rathdowney.

Deputy Brian Stanley

It is good news.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

In December 2024, Laois County Council submitted an updated preliminary appraisal for a proposed new fire station at Rathdowney, noting several issues with the existing station, including, as the Deputy highlighted, the accessibility of the site for responding firefighters due to its central location on a narrow street within Rathdowney, the station's limited size and poor layout and the limited welfare facilities, particularly in the context, following the August 2023 Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, agreement with retained firefighters, of the increase to 12 in optimal crew numbers at fire stations. The Deputy also made a point with regard to female firefighters and the difficulty and lack of facilities in that regard.

Laois County Council has indicated a new fire station for Rathdowney to be its number one priority project for the fire services capital programme 2026 to 2030, which I think the Deputy will accept is good news. The council has secured a new site, which I am hoping is the one the Deputy referenced, and this new site it regards as ideally situated with regard to the road network and traffic flow while retaining a central location close to the retained crews' living and working environments.

My Department will be identifying new priority fire service infrastructural projects for 2026 to 2030 in the coming months. Officials from my Department will work closely with county councils to progress their identified priority infrastructural projects within the context of the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide for capital funding. The good news is that this is Laois County Council's new priority. We will work closely with it in identifying the need. Clearly, it is its number one need now. The Deputy has indicated and the council has indicated that a site has been identified. I totally appreciate the Deputy's point and think this copy and paste approach could serve us well in a lot of areas, not just building fire stations. I appreciate there is a design and plan done. I am not sure and cannot see right now whether that can circumvent the different terms of the different stages, but I can certainly talk to the Department about whether that will help to progress it faster.

Hospital Facilities

Deputy Michael Cahill

As the Minister of State is aware, staffing and beds in all our hospitals is a huge issue. This is not just the case in our large acute hospitals but also in all our community hospitals, and West Kerry Community Hospital is no different. A provision was once made for 71 beds in West Kerry Community Hospital. It was capped at 36 beds, and there are only 42 open today, which means there should be room for a further 29 beds. GPs in Dingle and throughout west Kerry have been endeavouring to secure beds for patients throughout the peninsula. It is important to open this wing for the purpose it was built for and provide a valued service for all the people of Dingle and west Kerry. In that context, West Kerry Community Hospital is not fulfilling the purpose for which it was developed. I am aware of cases where patients from Kenmare, following discharge from hospital, have been transferred to Dingle Community Hospital and vice versa.

In the process, these patients have bypassed a number of community hospitals much nearer to their local communities. I want to emphasise that, for the families visiting these patients, it is a five-hour return trip. The idea of having to travel two and a half hours each way is absolutely outrageous. To have to travel that long distance to visit loved ones should not be acceptable and should be addressed as soon as possible. The solution is not rocket science and common sense must prevail.

This is especially upsetting in the context of those patients from the Gaeltacht being sent to hospitals outside of their own environment, feeling undermined and lost when they cannot communicate with fellow speakers of Gaeilge. This can be confusing for our senior citizens who are used to speaking Irish 24-7.

On staffing levels, I am aware that the direct care ratio has not been reviewed since 2016 and that staff who have retired have not been replaced. Residents, their families and the staff in Dingle in west Kerry have been let down and I would go as far as to say forgotten. Action is required now in West Kerry Community Hospital, beds need to be opened and proper staffing levels need to be provided. When the subject of West Kerry Community Hospital was raised at the beginning of last year, it was said that the intention of the HSE was to continue to sustain the current workforce and to maintain the 46 beds in the centre. It was also said that considerable efforts were being made to increase staff numbers and bed capacity in west Kerry as well as to facilitate clear pathways for the transition of patients from the acute sector to the community. Will the Minister of State provide me with an update on this most important ongoing issue in west Kerry?

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue. I know that in his term in the Dáil and prior to that as a councillor, he has very much been an advocate for community hospitals in Kerry, in particular the West Kerry Community Hospital. We know how important the community hospitals are. They are fantastic in the level of care and service that their patients and residents get. We need to protect them but we also need to ensure that they are working at full capacity. I hope that I can answer that question as best I can.

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Kieran O’Donnell. West Kerry Community Hospital provides important and valued services for the people in the west Kerry area. The Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, understands the significant role that the hospital plays in the community and the depth of feeling associated with the facility. West Kerry Community Hospital is registered to accommodate a maximum of 46 residents and provides long-term care, respite, convalescence and palliative care. There are currently 42 beds open in West Kerry Community Hospital, comprising 35 long-stay beds and seven short-stay beds. All of these beds are currently occupied. West Kerry Community Hospital cannot admit any more residents at this present time, as the opening of additional beds is dependent on safe staffing levels, as the Deputy has quite rightly pointed out.

West Kerry Community Hospital, in common with other health facilities, particularly in rural areas, can experience staffing shortages for a variety of reasons. However, the HSE constantly endeavours to mitigate staff deficits and ensure that safe staffing levels are maintained. I assure the Deputy that the current care ratio in West Kerry Community Hospital is consistent with that of all community hospitals and community nursing units across the country.

There are currently a number of nursing and health care assistant vacancies in West Kerry Community Hospital and every effort is being made to fill these. HSE south west has progressed numerous recruitment initiatives at national and international levels to fill these positions. These campaigns have been progressed against the background of a limited pool of available candidates, which is reflected in the global recruitment challenges being experienced. In October 2024, West Kerry Community Hospital was approved to fill 4.3 WTE nursing posts. To date, one candidate has been recruited with a start date of April 2025. Once the full complement of staff has been recruited, the HSE will be in a position to open the remaining beds.

The HSE is working to provide additional beds at West Kerry Community Hospital so that the hospital can provide an enhanced service for the local community. However, as I have already outlined, plans to increase capacity are dependent on appropriate staffing levels being in place and the outcome of ongoing recruitment campaigns. Officials from the Department of Health will continue to monitor the situation and to provide updates to the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell. The Minister of State remains committed to working alongside the HSE to address all concerns in respect of the residential care for older persons in west Kerry, now and for the coming years.

As Deputy Cahill quite rightly highlighted, a five-hour return journey to visit a loved one is not acceptable. It is something that should expedite the drive to recruit extra staff so that West Kerry Community Hospital can work at capacity. The Deputy also made a relevant point on the Irish language factor. Being in a Gaeltacht area, there should be an expectation that patients be among other Irish language speakers.

My apologies, as I nearly had a slip of the tongue and said "west Cork" a few times. Deputy Cahill will have to forgive me for that.

Deputy Michael Cahill

I ask the Minister of State to get directly in touch with the Minister of State with responsibility for older people? The reply is pretty much the same as that received by the former Deputy for Kerry, Brendan Griffin, last January 12 months. It is not acceptable or fair on the staff in West Kerry Community Hospital, including the doctors and nurses, its patients and, indeed, the patients' families. I ask that every effort be made to open the 79 beds and to provide staffing levels.

I referred to patients in Kenmare Community Hospital from west Kerry and patients in Dingle Community Hospital who were from Kenmare. It is only a case of switching them around. It is not rocket science. I ask that the Minister of State take this matter up as soon as possible please and address it. Families are stressed out over it. It is simply not good enough and I ask that the people of west Kerry and Dingle get what they deserve. Community hospitals are all about community, yet there is this idea of splitting them apart with a two and a half hour drive to get from one area to another to visit a loved one. Being able visit that loved on in the immediate community is what we should be striving for. I ask that every effort be made and that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, whom I thank for his time and response, contact the Minister of State for older people directly about addressing this most urgent matter as soon as possible.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan

I thank Deputy Cahill again. There are 46 beds registered in West Kerry Community Hospital, 42 of which are currently open and occupied. West Kerry Community Hospital cannot admit more resident at present, as the opening of additional beds is dependent on staffing levels. West Kerry Community Hospital has experienced some difficulties with staff shortages, but all efforts are being made on a continuous basis to ensure safe staffing levels are in place to maximise the residential care capacity in the facility. Once the full complement of staff has been recruited in West Kerry Community Hospital, the HSE will be in position to open the remaining beds. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and the HSE are committed to maximising all available services for older people in the Kerry region. The HSE continuously reviews its services in line with population, health planning and Sláintecare principles to ensure that adequate and appropriate residential care services are available to older people in the region.

I will bring Deputy Cahill's specific requests to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and I will point out that a similar reply to this one was issued in January 12 months ago and that we need to see more progress. I will be asking him that every single effort be made. There are positions to be filled. I appreciate that there is a difficulty in recruiting, and that is a global issue, but the people of west Kerry deserve better. They deserve a hospital that is working at full capacity. The level of care being provided in community hospitals the length and breadth of the country is extraordinary. I am sure it is the same in West Kerry Community Hospital, so it is important that a solution be found.

I thank the Deputy again for bring this issue up and for speaking on behalf of the people of Kerry.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 8 p.m. go dtí 2 p.m., Dé Máirt, an 25 Márta 2025.

The Dáil adjourned at 8 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 25 March 2025.