Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 1 Mar 2023

Vol. 292 No. 7

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Working Group on Disinformation

Senator Rónán Mullen

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy Peter Burke. A working group tasked with fighting misinformation and disinformation has been set up by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, in a bid to reduce the spread of false and harmful material. This will produce a national counter-disinformation strategy by the end of the year.

An Irish Independent article noted that, "While the group is not the government's direct response to recent anti-immigration protests and the spread of anti-immigration sentiments online, it is part of a State strategy to combat false information as a whole", which prompts a question in my mind. It may not be a direct response, but could it be an indirect response? Speaking as somebody who has, for a long time, been a champion of a generous but structured immigration policy, you would have to be a fool not to notice the demonisation in mainstream media of some of those who suggest, for example, that we do not currently have enough accommodation to house our present population, or those who might suggest that it was a bad idea for our immigration system to allow thousands of people into the country with no identification papers. On a range of issues, it is fair to say that in recent years we have often seen steady misinformation produced by mainstream media, so as to advance one point of view in contentious debates against other equally legitimate views.

Ultimately, this is a problem about allowing free citizens to think and express free thoughts. People often disagree about the interpretation of facts, and on what facts should be presented to the public. Thinking and expressing thoughts is a dangerous business in a democracy, but it is also its fundamental strength. I am concerned about any kind of ministry of truth solution emerging from, or through, this working group. I have concerns that media vested interests have the valuable work of citizen journalists in their sights. I shudder when I see prominence being given, for example, to so-called fact-checkers who have themselves been shown to be notoriously partisan towards particular narratives, rather than the pure, unvarnished truth on various issues.

One reason people have turned away from mainstream media is this recent, ongoing attempt to control what people hear, and what people think about. I do not think that any such means of control would be enhanced by outcomes from this working group, unless - and I am here to be constructive and to issue this challenge to the working group and the Minister setting it up - it operates openly and completely transparently and in public; that every submission it considers be done in public; that all contributions from big tech, mainstream media, political parties and government are publicly accessible as soon as these are made; and that all discussions take place in public. I also ask that the small man or woman be well represented - and I do not mean the well-heeled lawyers of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties - so that ongoing decisions of the working group are made in public, that conflicts of interest be regularly acknowledged, and that all correspondence on these matters be made public. In this way - and I see my colleague smiling - there is less possibility of the working group being manipulated by pressure groups and those elite interest groups who currently have their finger in every government pie.

Let this working group not simply hide behind claims of public consultation; let us have complete transparency in the way that it operates. I am looking for the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, who, I admit, is not the Minister present. Yet again we have a matter being taken by a hapless other Minister, Deputy Burke, who is perfectly competent in his own domain, but not really fit to have a free thought of his own on the issue that is being raised. We are talking about limitations on freedom of expression, one of democracy's foundation stones. In conclusion, I warn that wherever ideas and views are suppressed, distrust and alienation will follow-----

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank Senator Mullen.

Senator Rónán Mullen

-----and if the window of discussion is too narrow, then politics fails, and conspiracies will abound.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank Senator Mullen. Before I call the Minister of State, I would like to welcome the people from Youthreach in Balbriggan. I hope they enjoy their day in the Oireachtas. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, on his new and more challenging appointment.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Peter Burke)

I thank the Acting Chairperson. I wish the people on tour the very best. It is great to see the Public Gallery packed again, as they observe us do our business.

I am taking the Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Martin, this morning. As we are all in no doubt, the issue of disinformation is a complex and challenging problem to tackle.

It affects many different parts of society. For example, disinformation has been shown to have played a role in the manipulation of public opinion in elections, on the pandemic, and more recently on the war in Ukraine. No one approach will solve the issue but instead, to succeed, the fight against disinformation will need to co-ordinate many different approaches.

The Future of Media Commission acknowledged this in its report, published in July 2022, and identified that there is a need for more co-ordinated and strategic action to combat the damaging impact of disinformation.

At a national level, Ireland has utilised a range of approaches designed to combat disinformation. Education plays an important role in giving people the skills to recognise false material and help to prevent its dissemination. Existing media literacy initiatives have supported digital literacy among Irish citizens and are also a key tool in Ireland's response to disinformation.

Legislative solutions that seek to regulate and restrict disinformation, such as the new EU Digital Services Act, are emerging. However, as in any emerging policy area, legal approaches, as with all laws that seek to oversee the online space, must cohere to existing legislation and, insofar as is possible, be robust and flexible in the face of emerging technologies and development.

Senators will, no doubt, be aware that the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act was enacted last December. Members of this House played a vital role in ensuring the Act lays a foundation for the beginning of a regulatory system for the online world in Ireland. The new regulator established by that Act, Coimisiún na Meán, will be formally established on 15 March. Members will also be aware that the Government agreed to designate an coimisiún as digital services co-ordinator under the Digital Services Act.

Among other things, this will see a move away from self-regulation by platforms to a new system of regulation aimed at reducing harmful online content. But legislation on its own is not enough. That is why, in line with the recommendations set out in the report of the Future of Media Commission, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, approved the formation of a working group to develop a new national counter-disinformation strategy. The working group met for the first time on 24 February 2023. The strategy that the working group will develop aims to co-ordinate national efforts to combat disinformation and provide a joined-up approach to ensure effective restraints are applied to the creation and dissemination of this harmful material.

The Future of Media Commission recommended that the strategy be developed in consultation with all relevant Departments and agencies, academia, industry stakeholders, news organisations, civil society groups and Irish fact-checkers and disinformation researchers. That is why the working group comprises representatives from Departments as well as bodies such as the Press Ombudsman, the Library Association of Ireland, the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, as well as academics and other experts. At its meeting, the group agreed that Martina Chapman, who is an expert in media literacy and the national co-ordinator for Media Literacy Ireland, would be the independent chair and officials in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media are to act as the secretariat to the group.

The strategy will endeavour to identify measures to support innovation in fact-checking, as well as disinformation research. It will also seek ways to help support the important role of free, independent, high-quality journalism and to protect the supply of public interest information. We are all conscious that in combating disinformation, we must be careful to protect freedom of expression as well.

The strategy also seeks to develop long-term monitoring of implementation of legislative and regulatory measures. This monitoring intends to support effective implementation of domestic and international measures, including the forthcoming Digital Services Act.

Senator Rónán Mullen

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am all in favour of the apple pie as well, but it is the little bit of poison in it that would worry me. We must remember that the present day distrust that cuts across society is not just because of the cranks and opportunists, although they are there; it is also about the elites who are blinded by elitist globalist ideals who consistently cancel discussion of real problems facing real people. When Facebook or Meta can get an appointment with the Taoiseach in 24 hours with a limited public record of the ask, we realise the need for full transparency. This is not gimmickry. In recent months our Parliament has seen a vast range of unsettling legislation, challenging what until now were seen to be clear democratic principles. We must wake up. There has been enough of the decision-making by elites behind closed doors. That must not be smuggled in through this otherwise laudable initiative.

Deputy Peter Burke

I wish to point out that there is an independent secretariat to record all items discussed at Government meetings. I do not want the suggestion to be thrown out that there is anything inappropriate about the Government meeting tech firms. As we all know, and as Senators in this House are acutely aware, politicians in Ireland are very accessible to all strands of society, which is very important to see.

As I said in my opening remarks, this information relates to a highly complex issue. We refer to the right to free speech as well in terms of the content, which is very important to the Government. There are many dimensions to the problem, but as I set out, following the Future of Media Commission report, a working group has been established. We will update the House further through the Minister in that regard.

Senator Rónán Mullen

I thank the Minister of State.

Road Projects

Senator Malcolm Byrne

I too welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and congratulate him on his important role. Unlike my colleague, I would certainly not describe him as hapless. He is well able to express opinions on a range of issues. While this matter relates to the transport brief, the Minister of State's role on EU affairs is pertinent given the importance of Rosslare Europort and the completion of the last leg of a 340 km motorway that runs all the way from Belfast to Rosslare. For that reason this is vitally important.

The Minister of State will be aware of how Rosslare Europort has grown, and how it has become even more important in the post-Brexit context. Cumulative trade in the port has grown by 53% in the past two years. The increase in continental trade in the port has been of the order of 398% in the past two years. Last week, a deal was signed between the ESB and Rosslare Europort on the development of an offshore wind hub in Rosslare. Rosslare is becoming even more critically important. Coincidentally, Glenn Carr, the manager of Rosslare Europort was before the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs this morning to outline how the port is developing. He stressed the importance of the road and rail connections into the port and why they need to be improved.

Today, I seek an update, as I have done previously in this House, on the completion of the last section of the M11 motorway from Oilgate to Rosslare. Rosslare is now the number one port for direct freight and passengers services to the European Union. Therefore, although my question is on transport, it is also critical to the Minister of State's European responsibilities. There is a master plan in place for Rosslare Europort and the port is proceeding apace with its development. It is important that we have good transport access in and out of the port. The completion of the M11 is essential not only for the port itself but also for the communities in central and south-east County Wexford who are currently dealing with all the traffic. Anyone travelling south at the moment does so along the very fine M11 road into the village of Oilgate, where there are regular traffic jams and delays. It is a great community there and the village will be freed up once the motorway is completed, as will other villages and communities along the existing route.

The project has been stated to be a Government priority but some concerns were expressed recently about the length of time it is taking to move on this critical piece of infrastructure. It is not just important for Wexford and the south east, this is now of all-Ireland importance. The rail connections are also important but in particular, given that this is a roll-on, roll-off port, we must make sure that the last leg of the journey is completed as soon as possible. I understand there are now moves to carry out a design and environmental evaluation of the selected route. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide us today with a realistic timetable as to when the M11 will be completed.

Deputy Peter Burke

I am aware that this is very important infrastructure which the Senator has raised a number of times. There is a fivefold increase in freight going through Rosslare Europort post Brexit.

A number of key connectivity ferry routes have increased which have been discussed at a European level recently. I appreciate that connectivity is critical for it.

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

In the new NDP launched in October 2021, approximately €5.1 billion is earmarked for new national road projects to 2030. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others.

The Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour project focuses on improvements to both the N11 and N25. The project commences south of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway, which opened in 2019. The existing route runs through Oilgate village and on to Wexford where it connects with the N25 road from Wexford to Rosslare Europort through the villages of Tagoat, Kilrane and Rosslare Harbour. This project consists of approximately 33 km of high-quality route which will form a strategic link between Rosslare Europort, Dublin and the rest of Ireland. The project will form part of two strategic links between Rosslare Europort, Wexford and Dublin via the M11-N11, and between Rosslare Europort, Wexford, Waterford and Cork via the N25.

Technical advisers were appointed, and the concept and feasibility stage has been completed. The route option selection was completed in November 2021 with approval then granted to proceed to the design and environmental evaluation which is ongoing. The next stage after this is to proceed to statutory approval. TII allocated €1.15 million to Wexford County Council for the project in 2023.

Senator Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I am grateful that the commitment is still very much there. Concerns were raised locally that there have been delays. This is certainly welcome. I had hoped the response might have given a more indicative timeframe as to where we are going with this, especially given that Iarnród Éireann and Rosslare Europort have now committed to the development of a master plan with Government support. We cannot have a world-class port put in place if the necessary infrastructure linking it has not been completed. I welcome that this remains a top priority for the Government. I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister for Transport the sense of urgency about getting this completed in parallel with the master plan that is being developed for Rosslare.

Deputy Peter Burke

It certainly is a priority. We have very clearly pointed out the increase in freight and passenger numbers passing through Rosslare post Brexit. To take advantage of these opportunities, additional infrastructure is needed to connect all the routes together and the strong connectivity that lies between Dublin and the rest of the country. It is a very important project and as I have said, more than €1.1 million has been allocated this year. I will follow up with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to reaffirm how important his commitment to the project is for the Senator's locality and for the entire region.

Maritime Safety

Senator Tim Lombard

It is always a pleasure to have the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, here. However, I am disappointed that the senior Minister with direct responsibility for this issue is not present. It is the second time in the last two years that I have raised the issue of abandoned vessels in Irish waters and the Government's policy for dealing with the issue.

The Minister of State is probably very much aware of the abandoned vessel in Ballycotton in east Cork. It ran ashore on 16 February 2020. Cork County Council became the lead authority in ensuring it was handled safely. It is a huge vessel which has eroded and broken into two parts. It is sitting on the seashore. On Monday afternoon I met residents at the old bridge site in Kinsale where we looked at another vessel which has been tied to the quay for over 13 years. It is literally taking the quay wall with it into the sea. The local authority has no powers, finance or structure to deal with these issues. A plethora of abandoned vessels are literally littering our seashore. There is an ironic twist in this tale. Every Saturday morning people are out picking up litter on the beaches. There is a significant campaign by the locals to ensure that their shoreline is kept in an appropriate condition. However, the big hand of the State is doing nothing to ensure that the major vessels that are littering our seashore are taken away.

If there was an abandoned car in a housing estate, legislation exists to get that car moved within months. We do not have the same appropriate response from the Government to ensure that these vessels, which are eroding our environment and are a blight on scenic views, are removed. The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks was passed in 2007, but the Government has never enacted it. We need to ensure that we can empower, finance and put a plan in place to deal with the plethora of abandoned vessels on our shores. We have the technology to do it and we have the ability to do it, but we do not have the powers from the State to do it.

I am frustrated to be here again two years later with the exact same matter. At that time, I got a wishy-washy response with no detail about when the convention would be brought forward and no ability to ensure that the abandoned vessels in various harbours could be dealt with. I am frustrated to say the least. The local authorities should do much more, but for marine issues like this they do not have the wherewithal, finances or technical ability. It must be led by the Department of Transport. There needs to be a direct line to ensure that the Nairobi convention of 2007 is enacted. If that were enacted, we would have the legislative power to move forward to remove these vessels. At the moment it is not happening. I hope the Minister of State can give me a comprehensive response, but I am deeply disappointed that again the Minister for Transport has not turned up in this Chamber this morning.

Deputy Peter Burke

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this very important issue. I acknowledge the efforts of his community in keeping the area tidy. It is very frustrating if the State is not living up to its side of the bargain when communities are doing so much. I can hear the Senator's frustration on the matter.

The relevant legislation that allows for the removal of abandoned vessels in Irish waters is the Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act 1993. Section 40 of the Act provides that the Minister for Transport has the “general superintendence” of matters relating to wrecked or stranded vessels. The Act also sets out the responsibilities from an operational perspective for other bodies.

Sections 51 and 52 are of note with regard to the duties of the owner and appropriate authorities. Section 51 places the initial responsibility for removing a wreck on the owner of the vessel. However, if the appropriate authority considers the wreck is, or is likely to become, an obstruction or danger to navigation or a threat of harm to the marine environment, or to related interests, which includes the health of the public, it shall proceed to raise and remove the wreck or otherwise render it harmless.

Section 49 of the 1993 Act deals with the disposal of an unclaimed wreck. One year after it comes into the possession of the receiver of wreck, the receiver must notify the director of the National Museum, who has 30 days to decide if the wreck is of historic, archaeological or artistic importance. If there is no importance attached to the vessel, the Act provides that the receiver shall sell the wreck and pay the proceeds of the sale into the Exchequer.

While the Act does allow for the removal of a wreck, it does not contain provisions on the costs associated with the removal of a wreck where the sale of a wreck is not possible and the owners of the vessel cannot be located. The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 provides the legal basis for states to remove, or have removed, at the shipowner’s expense, wrecks that may have the potential to adversely affect the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment. Shipowners are obliged to maintain insurance or provide other financial security to cover the costs of wreck removal.

As the Senator rightly stated, primary legislation is required for Ireland to accede to the convention. It is intended to progress this as part of a future Bill.

However, the convention does not cover all wreck removal scenarios. For example, when the owner of a vessel cannot be located and insurance details cannot be found, pursuing the owner for costs is very difficult. Regarding any proposed salvage operations on wrecks located around the Irish coast, the following applies. Under Irish law, "a person who boards or attempts to board any wrecked or stranded vessel without the permission of the master or owner of that vessel shall be guilty of an offence". Therefore, permission must be obtained from the owner of the vessel prior to the commencement of any salvage operation. Contact must be made with the Irish Coast Guard, which will require specific information, including the salvage plan, insurance, pollution risk assessments, and emergency response and oil spill plans. Other Departments and agencies that should also be contacted for their permission and observations before any proposed salvage operation include the underwater archaeology unit under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Senator Tim Lombard

With the deepest respect, that reply does not do anything for us. Literally, we have no pathway and no ability to remove these wrecks that are littering our coastline. There is one at Ballycotton that is there since 2020. It is split in two at this stage and will probably be in four by the time I put down my next Commencement matter, and we will still be going nowhere. There is one in Kinsale that is one of many that has been tied against a pier wall for over a decade. There is no pathway from the local authority or the Department, and there are no structures in place to deal with these issues.

It is ironic. I go back to my point about these wonderful communities that go out picking litter every Saturday while the State is not doing its duty regarding vessels that are creating a huge environmental and health and safety hazard. This is destroying our rural and coastal environment. We need a date for the primary piece of legislation that is being talked about. Two years ago, I was told it was going to be “soon” but “soon” has come and gone. The vessels are now in two and they will be in four when I am back here again.

Deputy Peter Burke

I hear Senator Lombard's frustration in connection with this issue. I will endeavour to talk to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and to liaise with the Senator specifically on a timeline for the legislation that we referenced, which would potentially be a help. This is also to give his community some assurance. He rightly pointed out in his intervention the great work they are doing in living up to their end of the bargain, keeping their area tidy and aesthetically welcoming for tourists, and making the place look very accommodating.

I will revert to the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Obviously, two years is a very long time in connection with something as pressing as this. I will revert to the Minister and come back to the Senator in due course.

Health Services

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, for attending. Today, I am following up on a reply from the Minister for Health to a parliamentary question last October, in which he said his Department was considering a proposal to establish a working group to assist in the development of an updated strategy that addresses the hearing needs of the Irish population. I am grateful for the great advocacy work of those in Chime Ireland, who have brought this urgent matter to my attention and who do great work in this area. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide us with an update on what progress has been made and when the working group will meet. I am aware that the last time there was any strategy on hearing needs was in 2011, so a revised strategy is long overdue.

Hearing loss is a common health condition, especially among older people. Some 300,000 adults in Ireland are affected but most have had no diagnosis or intervention. At an individual level, unmanaged hearing loss can impact significantly on personal relationships and social partnerships, leading to isolation and loneliness. It can also lead to other health difficulties, such as depression and cognitive decline. Based on The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, TILDA, figures, there are 50,000 people in Ireland with depression and-or depressive symptoms due to unmanaged hearing loss, while The Lancet commission estimated that up to 8% of dementia is preventable through early treatment for hearing loss.

Hearing aids are an effective solution for most people with acquired hearing loss. More than 80% of people who get hearing aids say they improve the quality of their lives and family relationships, while fitting of hearing aids has been shown to remove the risk of cognitive decline associated with hearing loss.

The health burden associated with unmanaged hearing loss is so high that, in 2021, the World Health Organization concluded that for every €1 invested in hearing care, governments could expect a return of almost €16 over the following ten years. In the face of this evidence, it is extraordinary that the Minister for Health and his Department are not acting immediately to provide timely access to hearing care for whole populations. A Department of Social Protection report on the affordability of hearing aids in 2020 acknowledged that we in Ireland were prescribing hearing aids at less than half the rate per head of population than happens in the UK.

Cost is a major factor in the low uptake of hearing aids here in Ireland. Those with a medical card who are entitled to free hearing aids from the HSE are twice as likely to have hearing aids compared with those who do not have a medical card. The hearing aid grant available to people with the required level of PRSI payments is actually less than it was 15 years ago. Meanwhile, those on a medical card can wait up to three years for an initial appointment due to long HSE waiting lists.

I hope the Department of Health will have good news for me today and that it is establishing a working group to help develop a comprehensive and cohesive national hearing plan which will enhance public health and save the Department of Health millions of euro.

Deputy Peter Burke

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I would like to respond to Senator Craughwell, who I thank for raising this very important matter. At the outset, I wish to state that the Minister acknowledges that the provision of appropriate audiology services to children and adults is an important aspect of the healthcare system. The provision of such can prevent other health problems and promote greater well-being and community participation for both children and adults, as the Senator rightly outlined.

The Health Service Executive community audiology service provides a full range of hearing assessments to children free of charge. This includes screening, assessment, diagnostics and related investigations, treatment, rehabilitation and devices, and referrals to speech and language therapy and children's disability services, if required. The HSE community audiology service also offers assessment and rehabilitation for adult medical card holders. The services offered include advice on the use of assistive listening devices and the provision, fitting and repairs of appropriate hearing aids. In addition, the treatment benefits scheme administered by the Department of Social Protection provides a grant towards the purchase of hearing aids for those who have the necessary PRSI contributions to qualify. A dependent spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of a qualified person may also be entitled to assistance.

The national audiology review group report published by the HSE in 2011 identified shortcomings in audiology services available at that time, including access issues, poor information, inadequate staffing and unacceptable waiting times, and made recommendations to address these additional issues. The following recommendations of the national audiology review group report have been implemented: the appointment of a national and assistant national clinical lead; the roll-out of a national newborn hearing screening programme which checks whether babies have permanent hearing loss in one or both ears; the roll-out of the national bone-anchored hearing aid programme, which is available in six hospital sites nationally; the provision of bilateral cochlear implants at the national hearing implant and research centre at Beaumont Hospital; the introduction of a domestic MSc in audiology training programme at University College Cork; the publication of adult hearing aid best practice guidelines in 2017; and the roll-out of the national audiology clinical management system for community and acute services.

The implementation of the last recommendation is facilitating accurate tracking of patients, including for the purposes of waiting list management. In addition, the HSE now employs 21 more audiologists nationwide than it did in December 2019. It is important to recognise, therefore, that the landscape of the audiology service is in a different and much better space than it was when the report was issued back in 2011.

The World Health Organisation report on hearing, published in 2021, recognises that timely action is needed to prevent and address hearing loss in people across the entire course of their lives. It recommends that governments develop a comprehensive people-centred hearing care plan within their national health care plan.

The Department of Health is consulting the HSE on the development of such a hearing care plan for Ireland.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

Before I call Senator Craughwell, I welcome the students from Ardee who are in the Gallery. They are very welcome and I hope they have a good day in Leinster House.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

The Acting Chair is very observant. He can figure out where people are from by just looking at them.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

It is all subtle intelligence.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

The Minister of State will have noticed that I am wearing headphones. I suffer badly from hearing loss and I can tell him it is the most frustrating disability. In crowded spaces I find I do not quite pick up on what people say and sometimes I get the wrong message. My wife reminded me that one time in a crowded gathering I was answering questions I had not been asked. It was an interesting observation on her part.

For elderly people who are damned with this curse of hearing loss, there is nothing worse. Everything we can do we should do. I thank Chime for coming to Leinster House to brief us. We should get people to be more proactive about seeking help with hearing loss. We should get the working group up and running and get reports out as quickly as possible. We need more help for people with hearing loss. I thank the Minister of State for taking the debate on behalf of the Minister for Health and I ask him to bring my comments back.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank Senator Craughwell for sharing his personal experience. It is very valuable.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

Pardon?

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

That illustrates it. Thank you for sharing your own valuable experience.

Deputy Peter Burke

As the Acting Chair has said, I acknowledge Senator Craughwell discussing his personal experience. It is something I know from my late dad who had great difficulty in hearing. It puts people on the periphery of conversations and puts them out of social discourse with people. This has significant consequences for their ability to fit in and meet people. It has an impact on people's well-being. It is very important.

There is proposal to establish a working group comprising the relevant stakeholders to assist with developing a national hearing plan. I will report back to the Minister on Senator Craughwell's interest in this and the possibility of him feeding into it, as it were. Healthcare priorities have been identified by the HSE in this regard. The Department will be actively working on it in the coming months.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I thank the Minister of State. I am sure many in here would be delighted if I were on the periphery of conversations.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank the Minister of State Deputy Burke and Senator Craughwell.

Ambulance Service

Senator Robbie Gallagher

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. Unfortunately, I am again raising the issue of ambulance delays which, sadly, has become a perennial issue. Ambulance and emergency responses are critical to the survival of many patients. Therefore, initiatives to solve the problem, or at the very least alleviate it, are crucial. In recent years communities have fundraised to purchase defibrillators and people in those communities have spent many hours training themselves to use them. I am sure the Minister of State will join me in offering our great gratitude to them for the work they do. They are doing all they can, but ultimately many emergencies require professional first responders to arrive quickly and deliver patients to the appropriate hospital setting urgently.

The Minister of State can imagine the concern caused when it took five hours and 14 minutes for an ambulance to arrive to the location of an emergency call in Monaghan last year. The Minister of State can imagine the scene for the patient concerned and for those around him. That experience caused stress and trauma. This wait time for an ambulance is not the worst. It represents the 15th longest wait in the country during 2022. The longest wait in Cavan was for four hours and 59 minutes. A total of 155 people waited more than an hour for an ambulance in Cavan and Monaghan during 2022. The HSE states that it aims to respond to life-threatening heart and respiratory calls within 19 minutes in 80% of cases. Other life-threatening emergencies should be responded to within the same timeframe in 50% of cases. However, according to a recent freedom of information request, the longest wait was seven hours and ten minutes in Waterford. A total of 233 response times were more than three hours.

Everyone knows that lives will be lost if drastic changes are not made to improve the response times of the National Ambulance Service, NAS. Figures have also revealed that the percentage of calls over life-threatening heart and respiratory matters responded to within the target time of 19 minutes has fallen from 75% in December 2019 to 65% for the same period in 2022. Ambulance response times for call-outs over life-threatening issues have failed to meet their targets, with almost 100 patients waiting more than four hours last year. Other life-threatening emergencies should be responded to within the timeframe in 50% of cases, as stated by HIQA. However this figure has also plummeted, from 49% four years ago to 30% in December 2020.

In almost 6,200 emergency call-outs last year, it took an hour for an ambulance to respond to calls over life-threatening issues. The data I am outlining clearly show we have a serious problem with the response times of ambulances. There appears to be a gap between demand and capacity. It is high time this issue was dealt with. Lives are being put at risk. It is clearly an issue whereby we need more vehicles and people to man them. I look forward to the response the Minister of State will outline to the House this morning on how we go about tackling this issue before more lives are lost and put in danger.

Deputy Peter Burke

I thank Senator Gallagher for tabling this very important issue regarding the National Ambulance Service and resourcing in the north east. I will take it on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly.

As Members of this House are aware, our ambulance service has experienced a significant and unprecedented rise in patient demand in the past two years. Last year a record total of 390,000 calls were received. This surpassed the previous record of more than 366,000 set in 2021. Of these totals, the National Ambulance Service’s north Leinster region, which covers the north east of the country, received a record total of 125,136 calls compared with 117,862 for 2021. This represents a rise of more than 6%. The rise in activity is even more significant for the number of emergency calls activated involving the deployment of an emergency resource. In 2022, more than 57,000 calls in the National Ambulance Service’s north Leinster region were activated. This compares with more than 49,500 in 2021 and represents a year-on-year rise in activity of 15%.

I can confirm to the House that the NAS is putting in place further resources in the north east. Twelve new service development paramedic posts became part of the roster system in the Cavan and Monaghan area at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. I am also advised that a further ten new development positions, approved in 2022 for the north east, will become part of the roster system by the end of the first quarter of 2023. A total of €6.8 million was allocated to the NAS as part of the 2022-2023 HSE winter plan. Part of this investment is being used to provide for further development of such care pathways. Specifically, capacity is being strengthened in the NAS national emergency operations centre clinical hub hear and treat pathway. This is where patient calls are clinically triaged and some lower acuity patients are referred to a more appropriate treatment pathway to avoid inappropriate ambulance dispatches.

Funding under the winter plan is also being used to develop further the pathfinder model of care. This was successfully piloted by the NAS in conjunction with Beaumont Hospital to respond to and treat older people in their homes where clinically appropriate. This initiative was expanded at the end of October 2022 to three new sites in Tallaght, Limerick and Waterford. It is planned to roll this out to further locations during 2023.

Senator Robbie Gallagher

I thank the Minister of State for his response.

I welcome the fact that new positions are being created which is vitally important. It is also vitally important that citizens in communities the length and breadth of the country have confidence in our health service, particularly our ambulance service, so that in the event of an accident happening, or somebody being taken unwell, that, based on experience, they have the confidence to know it will come out and be there in sufficient time to address their clinical needs. That is completely vital and important.

I sincerely hope the measures the Minister of State talked about will go some way to alleviating that problem so that I will not back here in 12 months' time with the same problem. I thank the Minister of State for his response and I sincerely look forward to a positive development in the servicing of the National Ambulance Service.

Deputy Peter Burke

I thank Senator Gallagher for his very important Commencement matter. As I pointed out, more than €200 million of an unprecedented level of investment was approved in the past year for the National Ambulance Service. This provided for front-line paramedic capacity building, as I outlined in my opening statement, as well as a provision for 27,000 hours through the private ambulance service in order to meet demand. In the response from the senior Minister, I pointed out the increase in services and there is unprecedented investment. I will pass on to the Minister for Health the concerns of the Senator in respect of the north-east region and how important a timely response from the National Ambulance Service is.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Burke. That concludes the first five Commencement matters, which he was scheduled to take. I thank him for the giving of his time to come here to deal with what was a number of varied topics, which we appreciate.

Job Creation

Acting Chairperson (Senator Victor Boyhan)

The Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, is welcome.

Senator Eugene Murphy

I thank the Acting Chairperson for his courtesy and the Minister of State for coming in to take this Commencement matter. It is the first occasion I have asked him to take one since his appointment to this position. Even though I have congratulated the Minister of State personally on his appointment, I want to state publicly this morning that I am very happy that he is in this position now. I know how committed and dedicated he is to jobs, job creation and rural development, in particular.

I am speaking this morning about the IDA Ireland commitment to County Roscommon. IDA Ireland has a very good record with regard to foreign direct investment, FDI, and we must pay tribute to the work it does with regard to the amount of foreign direct investment it brings to this country. We must also acknowledge that how it does this, derives from an ability to attract and retain this investment. It is all very fine getting jobs but IDA Ireland has a very good record of not alone attracting foreign direct investment here but also of retaining it.

There is a great focus now by Government on more jobs in the regions, which is happening and which I acknowledge. I feel at times that County Roscommon needs more of a push from IDA Ireland. Today, I am basically asking for an update, if possible, on what IDA Ireland has planned for the future of the county. There has been significant investment in Monksland in south Roscommon, which is a very positive development. That was started by Roscommon County Council some 40 years ago. That has brought in a considerable amount of FDI.

As the Minister of State knows, we have a wonderful plant in Castlerea - Harmac Medical Products, which now employs more than 300 people. We have, however, a deficit in other parts of the county. In Roscommon town, for instance, if it did not have fine family businesses, we would be very short of jobs. When Albert Reynolds was Taoiseach and Minister for Industry and Commerce, we had foreign direct investment, which I believe was the last occasion we had it in Roscommon town. He worked very hard on that with our local politicians, including our Oireachtas Members and councillors.

We also need more of a focus on towns like Boyle, Strokestown and Ballaghaderreen. In some of these towns, there are units which were built by local community development companies or by individuals and these are suitable for 50, 60, or 70 jobs. This is vital for towns like that.

I will not detain the Minister of State much longer in making the point that I want to see a greater focus by IDA Ireland on County Roscommon. It is a beautiful county with tremendous facilities in respect of education and sport and, on either side of it, you have Athlone IT and IT Sligo, which are operating now under their new names. These are very important and play a crucial role because many of the people who want to invest in the country will ask about education facilities and colleges, which are vitally important. There is one of these facilities on either side of County Roscommon, which is a county with a great community spirit.

I will not make too great an issue of visits. As far as I can see, there are very few visits by IDA Ireland to County Roscommon compared to other western counties. I am not going down that road today, however, because there is no point in discussing that the whole time. I would like to know from the Minister of State what is in the pipeline for the future and what are the plans for County Roscommon with respect to IDA Ireland. I know there is a special focus on Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim, and that there are special things going on in Mayo, Sligo and Galway. Perhaps there is something in the pipeline for Roscommon also. I would very much appreciate it if the Minister of State could clarify the matter for me to see how we could move things forward.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Dara Calleary)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank Senator Murphy for his good wishes and for raising this issue in the manner he has. The Government and IDA Ireland are committed to the pursuit of balanced regional development. On the FDI front, IDA Ireland is targeting half of all investments to regional locations. We are now at the mid-point of its current strategy, where 260 out of 491 investments went to regional locations, which is well over half of those investments.

Foreign direct investment is not the sole contributor to addressing the challenges facing Ireland’s regions, including Roscommon. That having been said, FDI can have a significant impact in propelling economic recovery and in realising more balanced growth.

In 2022, the numbers directly employed in IDA Ireland multinational clients in Ireland reached 301,475, the highest FDI employment level ever, with employment growth in FDI companies recorded in every region of the country. The benefits of these new investments extend beyond their direct and indirect levels of employment. They also generate significant positive spill-over effects for regional economies, indigenous businesses, and local communities through payroll spend and the purchase of Irish materials and services.

Roscommon is marketed by the IDA as part of the wider west region, including counties Galway, Mayo and Cavan, as well as Roscommon. There are 126 IDA Ireland companies in this region who collectively directly employ 31,490 people, and there are IDA Ireland-supported companies in Roscommon, employing 1,565 people.

There is a significant ecosystem of well-established life sciences companies and the number of people employed in software engineering, technical support, global business services and research and development in the region has also grown considerably.

IDA Ireland has regular engagement with existing client companies and with stakeholders in Roscommon. Throughout 2023, IDA Ireland will continue to market Roscommon and the western region and will arrange corresponding site visits, as required.

IDA Ireland also points the Senator to the role of Enterprise Ireland and the local enterprise office in Roscommon, which also plays a central role in supporting enterprise to maximise job retention and creation in all regions. The local enterprise offices, LEOs, are at the very heart of regional and local business development and of entrepreneurship right across the towns in Roscommon, including all of those mentioned by the Senator. Nationally, the LEOs have just come out of their ninth consecutive year of employment growth.

Some nine regional enterprise plans were launched by my Department in early 2022 to reinforce regional enterprise development and job creation throughout the country. The West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 encompasses Roscommon, Mayo and Galway and facilitates stakeholders to work collaboratively to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem and realise enterprise growth and job creation in the region. The enterprise plan model is a bottom-up one and is formed within communities. I met the West Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 implementation group in Claremorris in November.

I intend to meet the CEOs of the three councils in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in coming weeks to discuss the implementation and strengthening of the regional enterprise plan on the ground. I will be more than happy to visit Roscommon with the Senator at some stage soon.

Senator Eugene Murphy

We invite the Minister to our county. He is in a neighbouring county. I know we have to meet at Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday in a big clash, and then another big clash a couple of weeks later. We meet regularly. I know he is regularly in our county. I welcome that he is going to meet with the CEOs on job creation, including Shane Tiernan, the acting CEO in Roscommon. It is very important that we engage the local authorities. The Industrial Development Authority, IDA, Ireland is engaged with the local authorities so that they can be involved in pushing projects forward. I acknowledge that it is not just about the IDA Ireland and foreign direct investment, FDI. There are many Government incentives around job creation. In our local enterprise company, Louise Ward and her staff do fantastic work with businesses as does Enterprise Ireland. My message is that I want more focus on our county, to attract more into it. It has been a long time, particularly in places like Roscommon town, since we have had any FDI. I would like to see that change in the future.

Deputy Dara Calleary

I share the Senator's ambition for Roscommon, and for the west. I will visit the county soon. I will be meeting with regional enterprise stakeholders in coming weeks. I assure the Senator that the Government is committed. One of the key challenges facing western regions is infrastructure. As he knows, the N5 project is back on track, led by and driven by the Senator himself. That will enhance infrastructure, particularly in western Roscommon, so we can make it more attractive for companies to invest. I endorse everything he has said about the commitment of IDA Ireland. It is a wonderful organisation, which year after year attracts new companies. Most importantly, it is enhancing and deepening relationships with existing companies. I am pretty sure we are going to continue doing that in Roscommon.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ag 11.32 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar méan lae.

Sitting suspended at 11.32 a.m. and resumed at 12 noon.