Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Oct 2024

Vol. 303 No. 6

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Fire Safety

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

Before I call Senator O'Loughlin, I welcome the guests of Senator Cassells, Senator Padraig Fitzsimons - I apologise; he is not yet a Senator but Councillor Fitzsimons - and Councillor Wayne Harding. They are accompanied by Senator Davitt. The guests are most welcome to the Seanad. Also in the Gallery are Deputy Bruton and Neil Cronin, who is a transition year, TY, student. Neil is most welcome. In addition, my nephew, Dylan Treyvaud, also a TY student, is here to observe how the Seanad works.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, to the House.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin

I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming all our guests, particularly Councillor Padraig Fitzsimons.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for accepting this Commencement matter. It concerns fire defects and the need to ensure housing estates such as Millfield in Newbridge are included in the Department's remediation scheme. Nine years ago, in March 2015, a blaze occurred in Newbridge that burned a terrace of six houses to the ground in just over half an hour.

In that time, people's possessions were turned to dust. Luckily, only one resident was in situ in the houses on the Millfield Manor estate on the afternoon the fire occurred. He got to safety, but if it had happened at night when more than 20 people lived in these six homes, there is every possibility that somebody would have died. Residents live with that threat every day. Not a family photograph or a stick of furniture survived the fire. Their homes, dreams and plans went up in flames. Every property owner in Millfield Manor is innocent, having bought in good faith and relied on the processes they believe existed in terms of planning and inspection. The developer took shortcuts and having made a quick buck, had gone into receivership by the time the fire occurred, leaving affected residents with absolutely nowhere to turn. Following on from this, as we know, an expert report was commissioned. This estimated that between 62,000 and 100,000 apartments or duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 may have defects that require remediation. I was pleased when the Government finally gave the go-ahead for a redress scheme during the summer, which is estimated to cost €2.5 billion. That is a huge amount of money, but it is a worthy scheme and a necessary payment for homeowners. I know it is expected that legislation to give force to that scheme will be enacted later this year.

Unfortunately, people living in houses in estates such as Millfield Manor have been left with nowhere to turn. The redress scheme is designed only for apartments and duplexes, not for houses. I find it very difficult to follow and understand that logic. Wayne Proctor, chair of Millfield Manor's residents association, has stated:

... we’re left out. No State agency whatsoever has come in and said they would assist us. We are being left completely on our own to address these defects that are dangerous.

I really struggle to understand how these houses are not included in the remediation scheme and how similar problems in other residential complexes are also not included.

Progress on this issue has been very slow. It is a major cause of worry and frustration for residents in Millfield and across the country. Will the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, indicate why the six houses in Millfield that burned down as a result of fire defects and other affected homes are not included in the proposed scheme? Will consideration be given to amending any scheme to ensure that houses that should be included are included?

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Sean Fleming)

I thank Senator Fiona O'Loughlin for raising this matter and for the opportunity to provide an update on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The Government is committed to helping homeowners affected by defects arising from the original date of construction to get their homes and lives back together. In December 2023, the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien announced the opening of an interim remediation scheme for fire safety defects in apartments and duplexes. The scheme provides for the funding of eligible emergency fire safety defects works in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings pending completion of the full remedial works. Apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 with eligible defects qualify for this scheme. Applications can be made by the owners' management companies on behalf of their members. Houses are not covered under this scheme.

In a multi-unit development, the head lease obliges the owner's management company to put in place insurance cover for all common areas. The common areas are those parts of the estate not owned by the individual owners and shared by all users, such as car parks, shared gardens, corridors and lifts. The common areas are owned by the owner's management company. In almost all circumstances, the owners of houses in a multi-unit development arrange their own private insurance.

Claims for damages to such property must be made by the policyholder and handled by their own insurer. This is in contrast to apartments and duplexes within these developments, where the insurance is typically covered under a block policy. It is for this reason service charges levied on those type of homeowners, as I understand, are usually much higher than house owners in the same development.

I note the Senator is asking that these homes, which I believe burned down in 2016, were excluded from the current interim apartment defects scheme. However, as I understand from the Housing Agency, they have no record of an application from the owners’ management company of this development on behalf of house or apartment owners. In any event, matters relating to fire safety such as these are a matter for the relevant local authority in the first instance. The Department of housing has put various support measures in place, including provision of considerable financial assistance to remediate their homes. In this regard, the pyrite remediation scheme and the defective concrete blocks grants scheme are both underpinned by legislation. There have also been wider State schemes offering financial support for homeowners for works other than these defects, such as lead pipe replacement, home improvement works and energy efficiency improvement works. These schemes are intended to bring homes to an acceptable standard and ensure they remain viable as part of the housing stock.

The scale of defects in apartments and duplexes is significant. It is estimated that between 62,500 and 100,000 apartments may be affected by one or more fire safety, structural safety or water ingress defects. Full remedial works, which will include all necessary fire safety measures as well as those related to water ingress and structural damage, will be funded under the forthcoming apartment and duplex defects remediation scheme, in respect of which the drafting of legislation is now well advanced. Following circulation of the draft heads of the general scheme and observations received, Government approval was given on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the apartment and duplex defects remediation Bill.

I should have opened my remarks by issuing sympathies and support for the people in the houses that have been mentioned. Fortunately, very few people were there at the time the fire occurred. Nevertheless, as Senator O’Loughlin outlined, the trauma of everything a person ever owned and ever looked forward to sharing in the future being gone in 30 minutes is a destruction that will have long-term effects not just on the building but on the people themselves. It is to be hoped, through some of their own insurance policies, they will be able to get some work completed related to that.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin

I will make a few points. I am disappointed with the thrust of what the Minister of State said, that houses would not be included. I fail to understand why. The Minister of State made the point that the House Agency has no record of any application from the owners’ management company of this development. I will certainly check into that. He made the point that there is the pyrite remediation scheme and the defective concrete blocks grants scheme, which are important schemes, but they do not apply in this situation. These houses are timber frame construction. Apparently, a high degree of precision is needed to install the prefabricated inputs. It is widely reported that without a proper inspection regime, this precision was missing in Millfield Manor and similar estates. I still believe that houses such as Millfield Manor should be included, and I have written to the Minister for housing to say the same. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would bring that message back to the Minister.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I will certainly do as Senator O’Loughlin asked on behalf on these residents in Newbridge. It may not be an isolated case. It is the only the case I am aware of but it may have happened in other areas. I will bring it back to the Minister so the number of houses that have suffered damage during this period can be checked. There cannot be too many cases like this in the country. It would be good to have an idea, for future reference, how many houses are in some of these multi-unit development complexes with apartments and duplexes. I will certainly bring that point back to the Minister.

I take the Senator's point that the schemes I mentioned were more of a general nature than specific to the particular area the Senator has highlighted on behalf of the people of Newbridge. She mentioned that because these homes have timber frames, by definition they would not be covered by some of these schemes.

I ask the people involved to check with their insurance companies to see is there an avenue for them to be covered. I do not know whether they have done that. I will bring the points the Senator has made on behalf of the residents in Newbridge to the Minister.

Electricity Grid

Senator Mark Wall

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. I also thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss the issue.

I know from conversations with colleagues throughout the country, particularly in south Kildare, that there have been an awful lot of unplanned power outages in recent weeks and months. There are considerable knock-on effects for families as a result. One of the biggest effects relates to medical devices. Along with colleagues of mine, I have been contacted by a number of families who cannot plan to use medical devices because of the increasing number of power outages that are occurring in their areas. One such family was using a sleep assistance machine and it has cut out on a regular basis in recent months. There is a built-in danger for that person. There is a reason the person is using the machine and needs the power. All of these outages are unplanned, with no notice given, and are causing a lot of grief for that family.

The affected area seems to stretch from Rathangan and Monasterevin in my area to Athgarvan and the Wicklow border. There is also an issue for those who are working from home. We have encouraged people to work from home and many people have enjoyed that experience and, importantly, need that experience. However, they are finding on too many days that they cannot work from home and are rushing into work to try to get back up live, onto the Internet and working again. It is frustrating. It is happening too often at this stage and an explanation needs to be given by the Government and EirGrid. I have mentioned previously that EirGrid's web page states: "EirGrid develops, manages and operates the electricity grid in Ireland". It is responsible for making sure everyone has electricity when and where they need it. I have fielded calls on this issue from people from the Minister of State's own county of Laois in recent months. It seems that we do not have the power for these people when they need it most. The most important aspect is the unplanned nature of what is happening. Families cannot plan. Those who require medical devices cannot use them. Those who are working from home are struggling to ensure they can continue working from home and do not have to travel back into their offices, where they were prior to working from home.

I want to read into the record some of the many comments I have received in recent weeks and months. One correspondent told me that the power was out again in Monasterevin without any reason or explanation. My correspondent told me that the same had happened on a Friday two weeks previously. My correspondent said there was no consideration for anyone or for those who have days when they work from home and called the situation absolutely ridiculous. Another correspondent told me they live in the Athgarvan area. Two people in the household are working from home and they feel that when no notice of outages is given, it is very frustrating. Another correspondent told me that in the past three months, the Mountrice and Lackagh area has had five planned power outages. There was a planned outage on the day prior to the correspondent contacting me and another outage without explanation on the day they made contact. My correspondent noted that we pay the highest prices for electricity in the EU and that the providers are making super profits but none of them are being reinvested in the infrastructure. My correspondent stated it is time for the Government to demand better from those companies. That is the reason I have tabled this Commencement matter. I hope the Minister of State will give us some reassurance that the unplanned power outages are being looked at by the Government, EirGrid and everybody involved in the provision of power in this country. I hope we can provide some solutions to those in all areas but particularly in the south Kildare area.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I thank the Senator for raising the issue of the power outages in his area. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

I also acknowledge the fact that we are dealing with areas of south Kildare, including Athy, Kildare, Monasterevin and Newbridge, and Portarlington in my area. I am conscious of that.

As the Senator will know, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities - as an independent regulator which is accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas and not the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications - has been assigned responsibility for the electricity market. This includes the supervision of the electricity system operators EirGrid, responsible for transmission and ESB Networks, responsible for distribution, who are tasked with building, safely operating and maintaining the fit for purpose electrical system.

One area where this can be dealt with is through the Oireachtas committee because, by definition, the regulator is independent of the Minister and the Minister has no direct line of authority over the regulator. The Oireachtas committee, however, is where they answer to the House. It is important that avenue be followed up.

As I said, my colleague, the Minister for the environment, does not have a role in this area and it is carried out directly by EirGrid and ESB Networks or other infrastructure developers to particular sites, routes or technologies. Our electricity grid is made up of two interlinked networks. The first is the transmission network, which is organised by EirGrid and allows transport of electricity around the country. That is through the very big power lines we see covering the country. The second is the distribution network which is operated by ESB Networks which brings power to communities, businesses and people's homes.

In July 2023, EirGrid published Shaping Our Electricity Future in an update of the roadmap for the development of the transmission grid out to 2030 to deliver renewable energy and include the integration of offshore wind into the grid. Last year, ESB Networks launched its network for net zero strategy which outlines its commitment to future proofing Ireland's electricity network and making the goal of net zero by 2050 a reality. Work has commenced on price review six, which will see the CRU sanction the investment in the grid from the years 2026 to 2030 and, while a decision is not expected to be made until Q3 2025, the regulator published their strategy paper to inform and seek comments from the public on their approach to deciding the funding and investment over this five year period. The companies involved invest and then the regulator reviews it and agrees a price structure for the forthcoming period. The current price review five is in effect until the end of next year and saw the CRU sanction a €4 billion capital investment in the grid over the four year period 2021-2025.

The Senator has asked about the outages in his region and we all know about planned outages. These are normally carried out by EirGrid where there are new connections and lines to be brought in. People understand that and there is always good notice for those things weeks in advance. The second type is unplanned which can happen for a variety of reasons and I will come back to that in a moment. I share the Senator's concern regarding people on medical devices in their home who do not have backup power for their facilities when they are needed. That can cause difficulty from a medical point of view if the machine cuts out and they have to go back and start again having been half way through the process. It can also cause difficulty for people working from their home.

Senator Mark Wall

I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. I am aware of the Minister's role in this but I also believe he should be aware of what is happening on the ground. I appreciate the CRU is an independent authority and it should be so but the Minister is responsible for energy provision in this country. If there are continual unplanned outages in certain areas of the country - and I believe from speaking to colleagues that this is not just in my own area but right throughout the State - the Minister should take some responsibility for that. I will ensure it is raised at the committee, as the Minister of State has mentioned in his reply, but I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and ask him to make sure he is doing everything in his power to ensure the power that comes into our homes is available to people when they are paying such high prices. We know we have some of the highest electricity costs in this country so I am asking the Minister of State to bring this back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan.

I made contact with Airtricity and the ESB and I will also make contact with the committee but it is very important that the Minister knows exactly what is happening on the ground. As the Minister of State said himself, it is not just in south Kildare this is happening, it is right throughout the State. We need to ensure people can use those medical devices and people can continue to work from home.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I will put this on record so people listening and following this will get an understanding of what we are talking about. "Unplanned" means nobody knows this would happen until it actually does, as opposed to planned outages. I note that in Kildare town and out towards Monasterevin and Ballykelly, people have experienced four unplanned outages in recent months. The first one was caused by farm machinery damaging a stay and bringing the conductor to the ground. I believe the second incident was caused by a contractor damaging a cable during earthworks. The third and fourth incidents were caused by small sections of the overhead wire looking weak and damaged and needing to be dealt with as an emergency. We also had a situation where up to 2,000 people were affected because an overhead line was hanging very low. It was deemed a danger and had to be dealt with in an unplanned manner. It had to be done now and not next week. Those are examples of what happens. ESB Networks does its best, but unfortunately sometimes things can happen. There needs to be provision made on an ongoing basis for those who need power for medical devices or working from home.

Human Rights

Acting Chairperson (Senator Fiona O'Loughlin)

I am used to seeing Senator Gavan to the right, so he will forgive me for not seeing him right in front of me.

Senator Paul Gavan

No worries. I am always on the left.

The Minister of State is very welcome. Last Sunday, thousands of protesters across Diyarbakır in Türkiye defied police restrictions and gathered to demand the release of imprisoned Kurdish leader, Abdullah Öcalan, and a democratic resolution to the Kurdish issue. The protestors mobilised in different areas of the city, resisting a ban imposed on the rally by the authorities. They chanted slogans and called for an end to Öcalan's isolation and the oppressive policies of the state.

It is a matter of record that Öcalan was a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and led it into the Kurdish-Turkish conflict in 1984. He was abducted from Nairobi in Kenya in February 1999 by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization and has been imprisoned on İmralı Island in Türkiye ever since. He was sentenced to death following his original trial. That sentence was commuted to aggravated life imprisonment when Türkiye abolished the death policy. It is important to note that in 2005 the European Court of Human Rights ruled Türkiye had violated Articles 3, 5 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to allow Öcalan to appeal his arrest and by sentencing him to death without a fair trial. Öcalan's request for a retrial was refused by Turkish courts. He is a political prisoner who has advocated for peace since the 1993 PKK ceasefire. He has spent most of his 25 years in prison in almost complete isolation. For many years he was the only prisoner on the island, with 1,000 troops guarding him.

I do not believe I or the Minister of State could possibly comprehend the horrors of that isolation. Two weeks ago I had the privilege of being in the room for Julian Assange's first public appearance since his release from prison. Speaking about isolation he said:

The experience of isolation for years in a small cell is difficult to convey. It strips away one's sense of self, leaving only the raw essence of existence".

From July 2011 to May 2019, Öcalan's lawyers were not allowed to see him. From July 2011 to December 2017, his lawyers filed more than 700 appeals for visits but all were rejected. His last direct contact with lawyers took place in August 2019, which is five years ago, while his latest communication with a family member was a brief phone call in the spring of 2021 and that was suddenly curtailed by prison authorities. We have no idea of the toll all this has taken on Öcalan, who is now 75 years of age, or if he is even alive. The Committee for the Prevention of Torture stated in August that it had visited İmralı Prison nine times so far, with the last visit taking place in September 2022. Upon being asked why the report of this last visit had not been published, the CPT responded it had not received authorisation from Türkiye.

The CPT made its concerns about the situation of Mr. Öcalan and the other prisoners on İmralı island clear, also stating the fact that he is being held in solitary confinement for 159 hours out of 168 hours per week is a state of affairs that is not acceptable. It is also important to note that in 2014 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the life sentence of Öcalan violates the principle of the European Convention's right to hope.

While all this is going on, Türkiye continues to use oppression against those struggling for democratic rights within the state and externally. Kurdish political leaders are subject to imprisonment, with literally centuries of sentences being placed upon them, European Court of Human Rights rulings are routinely ignored and the autonomous state of north and east Syria, whose forces were key to defeating Isis, remains under attack. Just last Thursday, two children aged five and nine were murdered by Turkish forces.

What can our Government do to raise the case of Mr. Öcalan and to make the case for democratic dialogue and a peaceful resolution of all these issues?

Deputy Sean Fleming

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. It is clear that he has been following this matter very closely for a long period. He has a great deal of general information and also background information about the person directly involved, including where things have been, the visits, and the isolation. I cannot possibly appreciate how bad it is. I hear what the Senator is saying, and he knows it too, but to be in solitary confinement for a long number of years is beyond comprehension for most of us. As he said, Mr. Öcalan's last visit was more than two years ago, and he has been in this one prison for 25 years. That is a phenomenal thing. I do not know how his mind copes with that.

Ireland remains concerned regarding the case of Abdullah Öcalan, who has been in prison on the Turkish island of İmralı since 1999. Türkiye is a fellow member of the Council of Europe and a candidate for European membership. Ireland has made clear, both bilaterally and multilaterally, our concerns regarding human rights in Türkiye, including in relation to prisoners and the implementation of rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. In the case of Mr. Öcalan, in 2005 the court ruled that Türkiye had violated Articles 3, 5 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to allow him to appeal his arrest and by sentencing him to death without a fair trial. In 2014, the court ruled that Türkiye breached the European Court of Human Rights by excluding the possibility of parole.

As a member of the Oireachtas delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE, Senator Gavan will be aware of the Council of Europe's extensive engagement on this area, which Ireland fully supports. Our permanent representative to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg closely follows this particular case. In a 2019 report, the Council of Europe committee for the prevention of torture stated that the restrictions on Mr. Öcalan in the prison on the island were not acceptable. In March 2023, the same committee published a report on its visit to the high-security prison where Mr Öcalan and three other inmates are being held. The report stated that detention conditions had significantly improved, if you do not mind, for Mr Öcalan and were satisfactory for the three other inmates. However, the committee expressed serious concern that the prisoners’ contact with the outside world had been further limited in that period, and that Mr Öcalan had not been allowed to receive visits from his family or lawyers. I consider that a basic flaw in the whole system, despite the report stating that his conditions have improved.

At EU level, human rights are fundamental to all aspects of EU membership. Ireland is fully supportive of the EU's engagement with Türkiye on this. The EU regularly highlights the human rights situation in Türkiye through public statements, Council conclusions, the European Commission's annual reports, and in bilateral engagements with Türkiye. As an EU member state, Ireland will continue to support this proactive approach.

The Irish Embassy in Ankara engages regularly on the wider Kurdish issue and the Kurdish people’s ongoing pursuit of greater autonomy. It is clear that this can only be addressed through dialogue aimed at establishing a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution. Ireland has called for the resumption of such a dialogue in order to allow the political process to resume. Recent remarks by Turkish President Erdoğan on the need for improved political co-operation to reach consensual compromises to national problems are encouraging. Ireland will continue to support efforts to maintain contacts between Kurdish community representatives and the Turkish authorities through our funding of the Democratic Progress Institute’s Türkiye programme.

As a candidate country for EU membership and a long-standing member of the Council of Europe, it is important for the Turkish authorities to follow up on the recommendations of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, as well as the rulings in respect of the European Court of Human Rights.

Senator Paul Gavan

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and I acknowledge the many good responses in it. I also wish to acknowledge the work of our team at the Council of Europe and at PACE in particular.

There is a fair degree of frustration among my colleagues from the Kurdish community regarding the recent decision of the committee of ministers to postpone any action on the 2014 court decision which condemned Türkiye for abolishing the right to hope for Mr. Öcalan, especially after it was decided to put it off another 12 months before doing anything about it. I urge our representatives in PACE, and in particular our permanent staff at the Council of Europe, to raise this as a matter of urgency.

The Minister of State will agree that isolation, particularly the type of isolation being perpetrated against Mr. Öcalan, is a crime against humanity. I think he will also agree that peace cannot be achieved through oppression, but only through recognising Kurdish rights and establishing meaningful dialogue. I urge the Government to up the ante a little more with regard to Mr. Öcalan and to put pressure on the Turkish authorities to do more.

Deputy Sean Fleming

I thank Senator Gavan again for raising this important issue of Mr. Öcalan. The international community needs to continue to pay attention and to address long-running cases such as this one. I reiterate that Ireland will continue to consistently emphasise the need for full implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, including the case of Mr. Öcalan, in high-level engagement with the Turkish authorities and the Council of Europe stakeholders.

In addition, alongside our European counterparts, we will continue to monitor all aspects of the EU-Türkiye relationship, with a particular focus on human rights. I expect the case of Mr. Öcalan will be once again addressed by the European Commission annual enlargement report on Türkiye, which is due to be published at the end of this month. This House can rest assured that we will continue to voice our concerns bilaterally and multilaterally, wherever possible, on this case.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Fiona O'Loughlin)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for staying with us for three Commencement matters. I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, is on his way in for the final matter.

Emergency Departments

Senator Erin McGreehan

The Minister of State is very welcome here today. I tabled this Commencement matter because of the importance of the accident and emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. As we all know, it is a necessary resource for many people in counties Louth and Meath.

In 2016, the last works to expand and improve the accident and emergency department were completed. Since then, as the Minister of State will know, there has been a huge increase in population, not only in the north east but also all over Ireland. According to the 2022 census, the population of Louth grew by 8% and in Meath it grew by 13%. In addition to the increase in population, there has been an increase in the ageing population. In Louth, the number of people aged 65 and over increased by 24%, while in Meath the population of those aged over 65 grew by 30%. Nationally, it grew by 22%. This shows the ageing population in the north east and the importance of providing adequate services for them.

I ask the Minister of State for investment into the accident and emergency department in Drogheda in order to increase capacity and capabilities. More ambulances are needed to facilitate higher levels of staff. This investment would and could combat the current issues within the emergency department. Last week, there were news stories of ten ambulances waiting to admit patients for hours outside the accident and emergency department in Drogheda in the middle of the week. The problem of full capacity and waiting times often gets so bad that people are urged by the management of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital not to attend because of an absolute emergency. Such a warning was issued this month on 5 October.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has warned that patient outcomes are being compromised due to increased waiting times and overstretched staff. In 2023, the average waiting time at the emergency department in Drogheda was ten hours. The north east has one of the lowest numbers of hospital beds per person in the State, at 1.89 beds per 1,000 people.

Every week, I hear stories about Drogheda hospital and its capacity issues, as well as the long waiting lists to be seen. I hear stories of staff, who are stretched but committed, working at full capacity under great pressure and dealing with a huge lack of space, with a limited number of staff to lighten that load. There are plenty of negatives about Drogheda emergency department, but there are many stories of good care having been given. Everyone agrees that once you get into the hospital and are seen, the facilities are second to none, thanks to the investment that has been seen in gynaecology and in the operating theatres, which are top class.

I have spent days on a trolley in Drogheda emergency department and would not wish it on anyone. Most of us will know people who need to go to the emergency department and will be very worried about that. I know of some people whose family members last week had to sit for hours on chairs in the emergency department. I beg the Department to look at the demographic changes in Louth and the north east in general, at the options to increase the emergency department capacity and at increasing the number of beds in the hospital. I appreciate that more than 116 beds have been added in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital recently, but we need to look at all options, including perhaps the expansion of the services in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk with the injury unit.

Where there is a will, there is a way. We will continue to see an increase in the population in the north west. The most recent investment, as I said, happened in 2016. It is time for new investment and an increase in the services there.

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

I thank the Senator for raising the important matter of the emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and welcome the opportunity to update the House on it. The Government and the Minister for Health are committed to the ongoing development of hospitals, such as that in Drogheda. The Government has allocated significant resources to meet the needs of patients using the hospital. Staffing at the hospital has grown by 351 since January 2020, from 2,299 staff then to 2,650 staff in March 2024, representing an increase in staffing of 15%. In 2020, the hospital had a budget of €204 million. In April 2024, the budget had increased to €260 million, meaning its budget had grown by €56 million, or 27%, in just four years.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is the main acute hospital, as the Senator noted, in the north east and has 24-7 emergency care and related services. It is a nationally important facility and, according to the HSE, it hosts the fifth busiest emergency department in the country. The emergency floor of the hospital includes an emergency department, a clinical decision unit, accredited acute medical and acute surgical assessment units and a paediatric emergency department. Wider hospital services include critical care, orthopaedic trauma, surgery, a wide range of medical specialties, an acute stroke unit, cardiology, gynaecology and obstetrics, and paediatrics. The hospital's emergency department was last updated with an extensive phase 2 capital development completed in 2020. This involved an extension to both the adult and paediatric emergency departments. A new state-of-the-art theatre suite, comprising five new operating theatres, was also completed in 2020. Furthermore, over the past four years, three more ward floors have been reconfigured as 84 single-room accommodation units, improving the patient pathway and infection control environment.

Looking to the future needs of the hospital, with the anticipated future growth in the local population and an increasing population over 75 years of age, it is necessary to further develop the hospital's capacity and capability. In this regard, a number of projects are planned and under way to improve acute hospital capacity. Under the Government’s hospital bed expansion plan, a total of 141 new and replacement beds will be delivered at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital by 2031. Of these, 96 beds are scheduled to be delivered between 2025 and 2028. Additional inpatient accommodation is being constructed off site as a modular unit and is expected to be on site and completed in early January of next year.

This unit will deliver 15 additional beds to the hospital. A feasibility study has also been conducted to convert the Boyne ground floor west of the hospital to an inpatient ward. This feasibility study looked to identify potential for additional beds. These projects speak to the high level of investment this Government continues to put into Drogheda for the benefit of the staff and patients.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Fiona O'Loughlin)

The Senator has a minute to respond.

Senator Erin McGreehan

The hospital has seen huge investment. There has been an increase in staff. When a person gets into the hospital, they are looked after. I know that from personal experience. We have seen some changes in the accident and emergency department. The waiting room has been expanded. I am very familiar with the accident and emergency department in Drogheda, having spent time in it and having spent time in it with family members. We have to look at what is provided there. There is one toilet in the accident and emergency department for all patients. A patient cannot leave the accident and emergency department. We need to look at how we are looking after patients who go in there. People who go into accident and emergency should be afforded dignity, respect and privacy. It is not always possible to maintain dignity and privacy in Drogheda accident and emergency department and that is because of space. More space and more investment are needed. I am very interested in and hopeful about those feasibility studies and the work that is currently ongoing in the Department. I very much welcome that.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Fiona O'Loughlin)

I thank the Senator. The Minister of State has the final word.

Deputy Colm Burke

I thank the Senator. It is important to recognise that Drogheda hospital is an extremely important hospital, serving the population of the north east. The Senator is correct that the population is increasing and will continue to increase. The staffing levels, as I have outlined, have increased. The budget has increased by more than 27% from approximately €200 million to €260 million. There are plans for new beds over the next three to four years. The target date is for 96 new beds to be delivered between March 2025 and 2028. By 2031 the total number of new beds will be 141. The Senator is correct about the growing ageing population; we do need to plan for that also.

Recent years have seen the increase of both adult and paediatric emergency departments and the reconfiguration of wards to improve infection control. They are ongoing projects on the capital plan to improve inpatient accommodation.

On further improvements, the HSE has robust systems and procedures to manage and deliver infrastructure projects. The capital planning process begins by requiring all proposals to be signed off by the relevant integrated health area. Proposals are then forwarded to the relevant HSE directive for sign-off. That is being prioritised at the moment. There is already a plan in place for the next three to four years. Yes, plans may be altered and added to and it is important where the requirement is outlined, that we add to them and deliver on them.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Fiona O'Loughlin)

The House now stands suspended until 2 p.m.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.48 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 1.48 pm and resumed at 2 p.m.