I welcome the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to the House.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Domestic Pets
I congratulate the Minister on his new position. It is well deserved. Last year, the Fine Gael Minister in the previous Government spent €400,000 on a campaign to highlight the need for dog owners to be responsible dog owners. A few months later, the Minister was banning XL bullies and targeting specific dogs, rather than targeting behaviour, and letting irresponsible owners off the hook. This was populist and it was also extremely unfair to dogs. The Government said it wanted to keep the law in unison with a similar law north of the Border. However, it did not copy the process that exists north of the Border but cherry-picked elements of the process. This meant the XL bully ban here in the Twenty-six Counties has no appeals process. It is deeply unfair. Without an appeals process, dogs have been killed on the word of a dog warden, who has no expertise in determining whether a dog is an XL bully.
The Government's record on dog welfare is lamentable. The Government's attitude towards animal welfare is lamentable. Look at the poor horse that died of starvation in a field in Limerick or the horse running down O'Connell Street. We are the puppy farm capital of Europe. Back-street dog breeders do what they want. Wardens are mostly afraid to tackle the back-street breeders. The Government needs first to implement the laws we have on dog welfare and then create a safe environment for dogs in Ireland. On the bully ban, there is no appeals process and this is simply unfair on both dogs and owners. If we are going to implement a ban and, as a result, kill many dogs, we need to have at least an appeals process.
Six dog welfare rescue groups are taking a judicial review and challenging the lack of an appeals process. I acknowledge the six groups that took the case: Working Animal Guardians, WAG, Dog Angels Ireland, My Lovely Horse Rescue, Wicklow Animal Welfare, Clare Animal Welfare and the Haven. It is notable that none of the big dog welfare groups joined this judicial review. They took the case and I understand that, in court on Tuesday, there was an agreement by the Government's legal team to have an appeals process. There is no point in having an appeals process unless it actually works and is fair, and leads to dogs being treated better. Working Animals Guardians does unbelievable work. It achieved charity status last year. It has said that, in any appeals process, there must be a qualified, independent dog identification expert. Dog wardens would not be the determiners of dog breeds. All costs should be incurred by the State and the burden of proof should be on the State, regardless of appeal outcome. WAG also states that the dog should remain in the home and dogs should not be confiscated or impounded during the appeals process. There should be a certificate of exemption issued after the independent appeal if a dog is classified as an XL bully. On protection of dogs in pounds and rescues, WAG emphasises it is important that dogs in pounds and rescues are afforded the same rights as privately owned dogs and that a dog classified as an XL bully can be rehomed through a registered charity and obtain a certificate of exemption.
The Government has not published any evidence to show that the ban will achieve its aim of enhancing public safety. It has simply decided to target bully breeds rather than targeting the owners and the behaviour of the dogs. It is populist in the extreme. What will the appeals process look like?
I thank the Senator for his good wishes and return them to him on his election to this House. The Control of Dogs (XL Bully) Regulations 2024, SI 491 of 2024, which provided for the banning of XL bully-type dogs, came into force in two stages, beginning on 1 October 2024 last, with a full ownership ban coming into force on 1 February this year. The ban was brought in over two stages to give XL bully-type dog owners who wished to keep their dog time to obtain a certificate of exemption. There was a four-month period between 1 October 2024 and 1 February 2025 where these owners were able to apply for that certificate.
Owners should have used the published physical conformation standard to determine if their dog was an XL bully-type dog. It is the owner's responsibility to determine if their dog is covered by the ban. lf an application for a certificate of exemption, which must have been applied for before 1 February 2025, is refused for any reason, the owner would be notified in writing by their local authority. Such owners may re-apply to their local authority within ten working days if they are subsequently able to address the reason the application was refused, for example, if documentation was missing from the original application. lf further applications are refused, and a certificate of exemption is not applied for, or was not in place before 1 February 2025, owners may be required to surrender their dog to the local authority dog warden. Under the Control of Dogs (XL Bully) Regulations 2024, a dog warden may seize and detain an XL bully-type dog which is not the subject of a certificate of exemption, and destroy, or cause to be destroyed, in a humane manner, such XL bully-type dogs.
I can confirm that I intend to introduce further regulations that will provide for an appeals mechanism and process in circumstances where a dog owner may disagree with the determination of a dog warden that a dog not in possession of a certificate of exemption meets the physical conformation standard that defines an XL bully-type dog. It should be noted that, under the existing provisions of the Control of Dogs Act, a dog warden can make a complaint to the District Court that a dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control.
Where the court determines the dog is dangerous and is not kept under proper control, the court may, in addition to any other penalty it may impose, order that the dog be kept under proper control. It is a matter for the court to determine who is liable for costs in such cases. That puts the emphasis back on the owner.
As for the Senator's remarks regarding the appeals process online, this will be a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We are transferring this function to the Department but until that happens we will work on the appeals process. I will take the Senator's comments on board as we design that.
I thank the Minister. I have to emphasise the importance of having an appeals process and that it is independent. When the ban was brought in, the Government had to bring an independent expert from England, Ms Debbie Connolly, because there is no expertise here in terms of identifying what an XL Bully is. Debbie Connolly trained some of the dog wardens. Some dog wardens did not go to the training, while some of those who did go to training did not attend the second day of training. It is important that there is a proper system and expertise in identifying what an XL Bully is.
We have to ensure that the wardens are not the arbiters of the identification of an XL Bully. I welcome the fact that there is an appeals process but it is important to note that the Government had to be brought to court by these six dog welfare groups. If that had not been done, an appeals process would not have been introduced. It is extremely unfair. There is a great deal of dog welfare legislation, almost none of which is enforced. We are the puppy farm capital of the world. This Government has to do better. It should not be as populist as the previous Government. I ask the Government to take a dog-welfare-centred approach to animal welfare.
I acknowledge that the Senator has a long track record of working in this space. As he will be aware, we have set out that we are going to provide for an enhanced approach to dog control issues. As I said, all legislation and policy relating to the control of dogs, dog welfare and dog breeding establishments will rest with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We are currently in discussions with the Department to transfer those functions. However, I will continue to take the area of dog control seriously. My Department will launch a national awareness campaign in the coming weeks to remind dog owners of their responsibilities. We have to remember the dog owner has serious responsibilities in every setting, particularly rural settings at the moment as we are in lambing season.
In 2024 my Department provided €2 million in capital funding to local authorities to expand and improve the conditions of their dog pounds and dog warden facilities, in addition to €2 million that was provided in 2023. We will be providing an additional €2 million for 2025, which recognises the increased demands in the area of dog control and the need to ensure resources on the ground to enforce the legislation that we have. Going back to the Senator's original remarks, the responsibility should lie with every dog owner. I very much believe that when you take on a dog it is a matter of fantastic responsibility.
With the ban, however, the dog is being punished.
The dog owner is as well. The responsibility for a dog is on the owner. We cannot forget that.
Civil Registration Service
I welcome the Minister and congratulate him on his ministerial role. I wish him well for many years ahead. I thank him for joining me this morning for this Commencement matter regarding the continued non-commencement of section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014. We were previously told that the legislation had not been commenced due to the needed correction of a technical error in the legislation. Following the correction of this error in 2024, however, we were told that further engagement was still needed with HSE on the operational readiness necessary prior to the commencement. The then Minister, Heather Humphreys, was pleased to inform us that the officials in the General Register Office, were engaging with the superintendent registrars in the HSE in this regard. This is what we heard from the Government in November 2024. Will the Minister give us an update on the progress made in the four months since then and on this engagement with the HSE superintendent registrars? In addition, can we receive a timeline from the Government on the plan to commence this legislation? If this engagement has raised additional steps that still need to be fulfilled before commencement, will the Minister list and outline these steps along with the order in which they need to be fulfilled?
This legislation has been delayed for a decade. I feel obligated to remind the Government that this delay has had and continues to have a real human cost. For ten years this delay has prevented unmarried fathers from having their names recorded on birth certificates, affecting their legal rights and their children's ability to trace their lineage. More than ten years ago, this House agreed that this change in the legislation was the right and necessary thing to do for unmarried parents. The extent of the delay of its commencement is frankly baffling.
I underscore to the Government that this issue extends beyond a minor exceptional demographic within our society. Over the past decade the proportion of children born to unmarried parents has increased significantly, from 37.2% in 2014 to 43.2% in 2022. It is imperative that this legislation be initiated with the utmost urgency. I extend my support for all governmental efforts aimed at expediting this process.
I thank the Senator for her good wishes and also for bringing this issue to my attention. I know that she raised it previously with the former Minister, Heather Humphreys. For the benefit of other Senators, the background to this is that the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 principally amends and extends the Civil Registration Act 2004. The Act was signed into law on 4 December 2014. The Act contains 36 sections that are, in the main, all subject to commencement orders. Seanadóirí will be aware that the sections referring to the law relating to marriages contained under Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 were commenced in 2015 and these sections primarily referred to marriages of convenience cases. Other sections were commenced in 2016 and 2020.
Section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 referred to by Senator Keogan introduces new provisions relating to the registration of the father where the parents are not married to one another. This section sets out that the mother, if she attends alone, is required to name the father of the child, with exceptions applying. Registration of the father would then be dependent on the man acknowledging paternity of the child. Commencement of these provisions was subject to preparatory work and training of the registrars by the HSE and the General Register Office. That training was delivered in early 2020. However, prior to commencement of the provisions in 2020 a technical error was discovered in the relevant amending legislation. This technical error was corrected in the recently enacted Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Act 2024. This Act was signed by the Uachtarán in July 2024. This will now facilitate the commencement of section 6, to which the Senator referred.
The Senator will appreciate that, given the passage of time since training relating to this provision was originally delivered, as well as the outbreak of the pandemic and the turnover in HSE registration staff, further engagement with the HSE was required to ensure operational readiness prior to commencing the legislation. However, associated with an industrial relations issue within the HSE, staff in the registration service were not co-operating with the roll-out of the training required for the implementation of section 6. It is the understanding of the Department that the issues surrounding the implementation of section 6 are resolved. My officials in the GRO are engaging with the HSE and superintendent registrars to seek to arrange for the delivery of the required training at the earliest opportunity. Commencement of section 6 will happen as soon as this training is completed. I anticipate that will take place before the end of quarter 2 of this year. I will continue to keep Senator Keogan updated and to engage with her on this issue. I thank her for drawing my attention to it.
I thank the Minister. Many fathers in this country have been waiting for this legislation for a very long time. I know there is now an issue in respect of training. This is my fourth or fifth time to bring a Commencement matter on this issue before various Ministers in recent years. I will be keeping an eye on this. If the Minister can give me some feedback on when the training will commence and when fathers will be able to get their names on the birth certificates, that would be most helpful to me and to a great many fathers around this country.
I will continue to keep the Senator updated on the issue. However, I reassure her that the number of birth registrations that do not contain a father's name is still very low. It is our view as a Government that, where possible, all children should have the right to know the details of both their parents.
In that context, I remind the Senator that a new section will allow for circumstances whereby the mother can provide a statutory declaration to the registrar if she is unable to provide the name of the father. This provides a welcome safeguard to the mother and provides a mechanism whereby the registrar, or a superintendent registrar, has oversight of the implementation of this provision.
The commencement of section 6 will also complete the commencement of all the sections of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 as regards the registration and reregistration of births. Together with the Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Act 2024, its commencement and operationalisation will provide for a modern and efficient civil registration service. I give a guarantee that I will keep an eye on this and I know that the Senator will be watching it as well.
I thank the Minister.
I thank the Minister for his attendance.
National Planning Framework
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, back to Seanad Éireann, albeit only temporarily. We are delighted to have him here to take this Commencement matter.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit on his appointment. I am sure he is wondering why a Senator from Dublin Central is asking about rural housing planning guidelines, but he knows my remit and that I was elected by councillors from around the country. He is also familiar with the fact that this is issue that was considered by the previous Oireachtas joint committee on housing. It is of great concern to councillors around the country who are trying to represent their constituents.
The sustainable rural housing planning guidelines were introduced in 2005, but the world has changed dramatically since then, not least in terms of housing. Ireland's population has increased significantly and the way we live has changed dramatically, in that we used to live four to six people in a household whereas now it is one to three people, so there is an almost doubling of the need for housing. We have full employment and people are earning a lot more money at a younger age, and they have a reasonable expectation to own their own homes. On top of that we have the changes that came about as a consequence of Covid-19, with remote working, which has created opportunities for people from urban areas to live in rural areas. There was already a pent-up demand in rural areas for housing.
I acknowledge that significant progress was made by the previous Government on increasing the housing budget from less than €500 million per year to more than €4 billion and increasing housing supply from less than 20,000 to more than 30,000 per annum. We all know this is not enough and more needs to be done. If we are to increase housing supply, we need to increase it for all communities, urban and rural alike. We need to support indigenous rural communities to continue to live on their land, but we also need to support those who want to return to enrich, contribute to and become part of those communities.
I acknowledge that the programme for Government contains a strong commitment on rural housing. According to it, the Government will continue to support one-off rural housing, support self-builds through the help-to-buy and first home schemes and the vacant property grants, and commit every local authority to facilitating the construction of serviced sites that provide for three to ten housing units in at least three towns and villages in their areas annually. The Government supports group water schemes and private well grants, implementing the special rural water investment scheme and reviewing the planning and transport guidelines to facilitate rural housing.
This is all well and good, but councillors around the country say that their constituents continue to be frustrated by what they feel is a lack of supportive rural planning guidelines. I appreciate that the Minister of State is new to his role but I hope he will be able to give some good news to those councillors this morning.
I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new role and I congratulate Senators on their election or appointment to the House. It is good to be back here for the second time this week.
I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important matter. We soldiered together on the joint committee on housing over the past five years. All things housing are important to the Senator, everyone else in the House and me.
As the Senator rightly pointed out, the programme for Government commits to continuing to support rural one-off housing. My Department is considering how best to proceed with updating the rural housing guidelines to bring this matter to a conclusion. This will be a priority for me as Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, recognising that rural housing continues to be an important component of overall new housing delivery nationally. The vast majority of one-off houses - well in excess of 90% - are built in rural settings. I wish to highlight that, notwithstanding the need for updated housing guidelines, planning permission has been granted for almost 6,000 one-off houses, on average, every year since 2020. Furthermore, one-off houses comprised 20% of housing completions over the 2020-24 period, with an average of 5,200 completed per annum. It is important to note that completion figures remain relatively high and stable at approximately 5,500 for each of the past three years.
The level of development continues to be facilitated by the national planning framework's national policy objective 15, which is to support the sustainable development of rural areas. Once issued, the updated guidelines will expand on the high-level spatial planning policy of the national planning framework, particularly national policy objective 19, which relates to rural housing. The NPO makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence, that is, those areas within the commuter catchments of cities, towns and centres of employment, where there is a need to facilitate rural housing on the basis of demonstrable economic and social need on the one hand and, on the other, rural areas where population may be low or declining and rural housing may be facilitated on the basis of siting and design. The NPO is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social or economic need are applied by planning authorities in rural areas under urban influence. The updated guidelines are intended to replace the current rural housing guidelines, which date from 2005. These will continue to enable county development plans to continue to provide for housing in the countryside, based on the considerations detailed in the NPF, while balancing this with the need to manage development in certain areas, such as around cities, larger towns and environmentally sensitive areas, in order to avoid overdevelopment.
One of the issues identified in the analysis of various county development plans is that eligibility criteria for rural housing, based on economic considerations such as farming or social ties to an area, are usually based on distance and duration of connection. These can vary significantly from one local authority to another. The updated rural housing guidelines will aim to set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for rural housing on a consistent basis, based on a high-level policy framework set by the national planning framework, which is currently being finalised.
It is important to assure the House that current and future planning guidelines will continue to enable county development plans to provide for rural housing. I know how important this is in my own area of Waterford and across the country. When they are finalised, the guidelines will be open for comment from the public and the House.
I thank the Minister of State. He articulated the complexity of the issues very well. I recognise that complexity, as do councillors around the country. We all appreciate that the balance between housing, economic, social and environmental needs has to be got right. All of these elements need to be accommodated and protected.
We need to be careful not to allow perfection to be the enemy of the good in this instance. It is now going on 20 years since the guidelines were published. A sense of urgency from the Minister of State would be very welcome. It is incredibly important that power does lie with our local authority members, with our city and county councillors, in making their development plans to provide for good, strategic planning for their local authority areas. Those development plans are informed by these guidelines and those guidelines have to reflect the modern environment and the current need. I urge the Minister to work with his Department and the local authorities and stakeholders to ensure we do get guidelines that are fit for purpose at an early moment.
I thank Senator Fitzpatrick. Nationally, rural housing continues to be an important component of overall housing delivery. It is a vital element in the fabric of our society. I look forward to working with the Minster, Deputy Browne, to finalise the completion of the updated rural housing guidelines and to deliver on the programme for Government, which continues to support one-off rural housing. It is important to say that there is no cap or ban on rural housing as it currently stands. As I articulated in my opening statement, rural housing continues to be supported each year. As Minister of State at the Department with responsibility for planning and local government, it is something I wish to continue. We also need to find and strike that balance. That is why it is such a complex piece and is why significant work has gone into it. Even at the point of publishing and updating guidelines, it will still not be done. There is still significant work to be done in terms of engagement and stakeholders. I look forward to working with Senator Fitzpatrick and other Senators on that.
Housing Provision
I thank the Minister of State and I congratulate him on his new role. I wish to address an urgent and pressing challenge facing us in Ireland today, which is the housing crisis and the unacceptable level of homelessness. The word "crisis" is often used in the media to address our housing issues, yet the responses we are showing do not resemble or reflect what a crisis it is. What we did when it came to Covid, or when the war in Ukraine broke out, was that we had joined up thinking and they were approached as crises.
In order to solve this crisis we must take decisive and bold action. We need to streamline our housing system. Bureaucratic delays and excessive planning restrictions and slow approval processes are stalling much-needed construction. We must simplify planning laws and fast track developments that focus on social and affordable housing.
Crucially, approved housing bodies need to be approached and made part of the strategy because they have the expertise, funding models and the community focus to deliver long-term housing solutions. The Government must expand the role of AHBs, allowing fast-track access to financial support and reduce the red tape to allow them to build and to build to scale. They should be central to the Government strategy that prioritises permanent, affordable homes over short-term emergency accommodation, as we have seen.
The latest figures show that more than 15,200 people are now living in emergency accommodation and over 4,600 of those are children. They are not numbers, they are individuals, they are lives. I have seen it myself through my involvement with homeless services and through establishing an approved housing body called Tiglin. I have seen how even one person can disrupt the whole planning process for a number of years, and prevent construction for so many. On the other hand, I have seen an individual coming to the Lighthouse Cafe, a rough sleeper, looking for help and getting support with housing, getting educational opportunities and then, last year, buying their own forever-home. I know solutions are there and that they can be achieved.
I am asking the Minister of State to outline the immediate and long-term plans to address this crisis. Specifically, will the Government set up a task force dedicated to overseeing the housing crisis, where all the relevant stakeholders such as Government Departments, local authorities, advocacy groups and housing experts could come together to deliver real, actionable solutions with clear timelines? I also want to know what the solutions are to accelerate the construction of social and affordable housing. Can we expedite the use of vacant and derelict properties to provide immediate relief in high-demand areas? Also, what additional supports are being introduced to prevent families and individuals from falling into homelessness in the first place?
We must ambitious in our approach. The Minister of State knows that. We need to remove the bureaucratic barriers that delay the housing projects, increase investment in modular and rapid build housing, and strengthen protection for renters. The establishment of a housing task force would ensure accountability, but it would also ensure co-ordinated action rather than fragmented efforts.
We must act now. We must act with urgency and ambition. I believe the Minister of State has the political will to do that. I urge him to take bold and decisive action. The people of Ireland deserve nothing less. The people in the queue outside the Lighthouse Cafe in Pearse Street deserve nothing less.
I would like to thank Senator McCarthy for raising this important issue. If anyone understands this issue it is him, given his work with Tiglin and dealing first-hand with people who find themselves in difficult circumstances. I commend him on his work in that regard.
Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority, I can assure Senators of that. Increasing the availability of emergency accommodation and permanent accommodation is a huge priority. The December 2024 homeless report shows there were 14,864 people in emergency accommodation. That figure is far too high and I am always acutely conscious that there is a person and family behind each figure. As a Government, we are committed to preventing as many people as possible entering emergency accommodation as possible and speeding up the exit for those who do avail of services.
In 2024 there was a 30% increase in the numbers of adults supported to exit, and prevented from entering, homeless accommodation. In fact, local authorities achieved nearly 9,000 preventions and exits using measures such as the increased social housing delivery to increase allocations to homeless households and the tenant in situ scheme to prevent new entries to homelessness. Of course, we need to do more as a Government.
Housing for All is our housing plan which contains a suite of actions that have increased, and continue to increase, the provision of housing through accelerating supply, and increasing the affordability of homes for our citizens. Increasing supply of all types of housing, be it social, affordable or private housing, remains the ultimate solution to addressing the homelessness challenge in the longer term.
Looking after the most vulnerable in our society remains a top priority for this Government. We will continue to support vulnerable households while we increase the levels of new housing stock required.
The Department is working closely with local authorities and their NGO service delivery partners to support households to emergency accommodation to tenancies in local authorities, approved housing bodies, or in the private rental market supported by the housing assistance payment.
The Government is committed to a housing-led approach as the primary response to all forms of homelessness. The programme for Government has pledged the largest social housing programme in the history of the State, building on average 12,000 new social homes per annum. The programme for Government 2025 includes distinct actions targeted at reducing and preventing homelessness. These include measures to engage and support rough sleepers with the continued expansion of the Housing First programme, a cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention, the leasing of one-bedroom units to address the immediate needs of single households, a focus on social housing allocations to families who are in long-term homeless accommodation, the continuation of the social housing tenant in situ programme to prevent homelessness and the reform the Housing Act 1988.
The programme for Government 2025 also commits to fully implementing the national youth homelessness strategy. The strategy, which is in its final year, sets out 27 distinct actions to help young adults who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Progress on implementing the actions within the strategy continues to be made, most notably with the establishment of a housing-led intervention Supported Housing for Youth, which is currently being piloted in the Dublin area.
The programme for Government commits to ensure a holistic, cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention. I assure the Senator that the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I will continue to work with all stakeholders in this area to ensure we provide support for those who need it in the interim while also ramping up housing supply in the longer term.
I thank the Minister of State. I am excited to hear about some of the interventions he outlined. In 2016, before I was a Member of the House, I spoke to the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness about how, by coming together with a task force, we can make an absolute difference. The figure then was 6,200 people in emergency accommodation. The then Minister said that we hoped to eradicate homelessness by 2020. Unfortunately, the number has nearly tripled since then. I know the Government has taken significant steps through the Housing for All initiatives but the reality is clear, as the Minister of State outlined, that demand continues to outstrip supply. Rents remain unaffordable for many. Even people who go for cost rental or affordable housing do not have enough and do not qualify. Home ownership feels like an impossible dream for many and it seems we are missing out on a generation of home owners. If we are serious about solving the housing crisis, we must be prepared to take the stronger, more urgent measures the Minister of State outlined.
Homelessness is a complex matter, as the Senator knows. A whole-of-government approach is required. That is the approach of the Government and we will continue in that vein. It is important to say that €303 million has been allocated to homeless services for 2025. An additional €25 million in capital funding for the delivery of high-quality transitional emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness has also been allocated. This will be kept under review in the context of the national development plan. The likes of the programmes around Housing First have worked exceptionally well. I have seen them work exceptionally well in my county of Waterford. I know they are successful but we also need to continue to support more exits from homelessness through the increased ramp-up in social housing delivery and the likes of the tenant in situ programme to prevent homelessness. It is only when one delivers more social housing than there are people entering homelessness that the numbers will reverse. I am committed to working with the Senators and others in the House to ensure that happens.
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. We will see him again. He is no stranger to this House.
School Accommodation
It is a great honour to welcome my good friend and colleague, Deputy Buttimer, who is not a stranger to this House. He had a long and distinguished career here. He is very welcome this morning. I thank him for coming.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as teacht ar ais arís inniu. Grange Post-Primary School in north Sligo is a growing and thriving school. The whole area is developing and the population has increased a lot. The community has been asking for a 14-room extension since at least 2021. The money was approved and allocated for planning of a 14-room extension but the planning application was withdrawn in 2022 because there were not enough available parking spaces. Since 2022, seven additional pupils have joined the school but there is no temporary classroom or toilet provision. The issue was raised in January 2025 when Sligo County Council passed a motion to write to the Minister to advance the construction of an extension at Grange Post-Primary School and to grant an application for immediate emergency accommodation. There is no individual space for students because the school is growing. A lot of new subjects have been introduced and the facilities just are not there. Has an application for emergency accommodation been granted? If not, will the Minister of State confirm when the application will be granted? Will funding be provided to ensure the school can meet the conditions required to address the parking issues which led to the withdrawal of the previous planning application?
I congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on her election and elevation to the position. She will bring distinction to the role. Comhghairdeas leat agus beir bua.
I thank Senator Cosgrove for raising this matter. I apologise that I do not have a copy of the written reply for her. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Education. I will ask the Department to liaise with the Senator afterwards. I apologise sincerely to her that I do not have a script for her.
As the Senator outlined, Grange Post-Primary School is in north Sligo. It is a growing school with an enrolment in 2023 of 223 students. It has initiated a 14-room extension request. As Members will be aware, the purpose of the additional schools accommodation, ASA, scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested more than €5.7 billion in our schools, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects. Construction is under way in approximately 300 other projects, which involve new school buildings, some of which are being delivered in phases. The 300 projects currently in construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion. More than €48 million has been invested in schools in County Sligo since 2020. The Department announced earlier this year that close to 90 projects, including 28 new school buildings, will be authorised to proceed from tender stage to construction over the course of 2024 and into this year. In total, around €800 million will be invested in these projects under the Department’s large-scale capital programme and additional accommodation scheme for essential classroom accommodation. Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 550,000 sq. m of new and modernised capacity to our school estate. This is a record level of investment in school buildings. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt in communities around the country.
In the context of Senator Cosgrove's Commencement matter, Grange Post-Primary School currently has a traditional ASA school project in train consisting of three general classrooms, one music room, one science lab and preparation area, one graphics room, one home economics room, one construction room and preparation area, one special education classroom and one universal access toilet. This project is devolved to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB, as the school’s patron, for delivery. The Senator asked specific questions. My information is that there have been particular technical issues with the project, including parking provision. Department officials are engaging with the design team to get required clarification on the parking issues. A subsequent ASA application was also received by the Department seeking provision of temporary accommodation of two mainstream classrooms and two toilet blocks in a modular build. Modern methods of construction including modular accommodation from the Department’s framework provide high-quality accommodation solutions for schools. The Department engaged with Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB with respect to the proposed modular accommodation with a view to providing the accommodation requested and adjusting the accommodation to be provided as part of the traditional construction project. I am informed that Department officials are continuing to engage with the ETB in this matter.
It is fantastic that the application is going ahead. It will be welcome in the area. It would be great to get a definite answer as to whether the temporary accommodation will be provided. The school is aware it will be a few years before it will be built but in the meantime it really needs toilets and additional space.
It would be fantastic if we could get clarification as soon as possible on whether approval has been granted.
Senator Cosgrove is right that there is a need for clarity around additional accommodation. As a former school teacher, I understand fully the school community and its needs. I am told the school has been approved to progress a traditional building project, which will deliver a significant suite of classrooms, specialist teaching spaces and provision for students with special educational needs. This project has been devolved to Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim ETB for delivery and is at stage 2B, detailed design. Departmental officials will continue to engage with the ETB and appoint a design team to advance the project. The Department will also continue to liaise with the ETB on the school's accommodation needs pending delivery of the project. I will ask officials in the Department to engage with Senator Cosgrove following this Commencement debate.
Emergency Departments
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. It is great to have him in the Chamber and I thank him for coming to discuss the matter I have raised, which is the chronic shortage of accident and emergency capacity in the mid-west. The situation at University Hospital Limerick is simply unacceptable. The 420,000 people in Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary must rely on one overcrowded and under-resourced emergency department. This morning once again, UHL has the highest number in the country of people sitting on trolleys awaiting beds. The people of the mid-west are fed up. We are fed up with the dangers our loved ones face. We are fed up with the intolerable situations and conditions that our nurses, doctors and other hospital staff are working in. We are fed up with constantly hearing for more than a decade that we have the worst hospital overcrowding in the country.
As I stand here, I am conscious of the heartache and suffering of families affected by this crisis. In particular, we cannot discuss emergency department overcrowding without remembering Aoife Johnston, whose tragic and avoidable death at UHL must be a wake-up call.
UHL is a model 4 hospital. There are nine model 4 hospitals in the country. They are top-of-the-range hospitals, with expertise and facilities to cater for large catchment areas. Is the Minister of State aware that every other model 4 hospital in the country has at least one model 3 hospital with a 24-hour emergency department supporting it? Is he aware that UHL stands alone in the country as the only model 4 hospital without a second emergency department in its catchment area supporting it? Is he aware that, of the five hospitals with increased trolley numbers in the country, UHL was the only one that saw a further increase last year and not a decline in its numbers?
I acknowledge the progress made in the term of the previous Government. The first of multiple new bed blocks - a 96-bed block - is under construction on the UHL campus and there for all who are passing to see, with further bed blocks planned and in design. Perhaps the Minister of State will be able to provide us with an update on it. Recruitment has commenced for when the new bed blocks are ready to open, which is welcome.
A surgical hub for elective procedures has been commissioned and given the go-ahead for Limerick. We have seen a 41% increase in staff numbers at UHL since 2019, and a 44% increase in the budget has been given to UHL to deliver services to the people of the mid-west. While these investments are very welcome and much needed, the demographics and population growth projections tell us they will not be enough on their own. I ask the Minister of State to convey to his colleague, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, an invitation to come and witness the crisis for herself and to hear directly from the management and staff in UHL about how bad things are.
I have one more question for the Minister of State this morning. What immediate strategies is the Minister planning to ease pressure on the emergency department in UHL, which, regrettably, is a factor for us every day of the week and not just at weekends?
I thank Senator Ryan for raising the matter of the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick. In the previous Seanad, the Leas-Chathaoirleach raised it continuously. Senator Ryan is correct, in that it is completely unacceptable. For those of us who do not live in the catchment area, it is beyond belief as to how we are continuously in a place where concern is expressed by Members and others about the hospital.
In discussing this matter, we remember Aoife Johnston. I thank Senator Ryan for remembering her this morning.
It is important to recognise that UHL has experienced high levels of congestion again this winter, with a peak of 91 patients on trolleys in the middle of January, as per the HSE TrolleyGAR figures. As Senator Ryan rightly said, the impact on patients and their families is way too high and we cannot allow this to continue.
On 18 February, the Minister for Health brought a memo to the Government regarding the situation set out in the report on urgent and emergency care this February, specifically on the spike in trolley numbers nationally after the bank holiday weekend. The Minister briefed the Cabinet on recent trends in poor patient flow and the build-up of inpatient congestion over weekends. Patient flow must be carefully managed seven days a week. The number of patients admitted and discharged must be kept balanced to avoid congestion, which results in patients waiting on a trolley for a bed.
Ensuring that sufficient numbers of senior decision-makers are rostered to discharge patients throughout the entire week, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, is fundamental to managing patient flow. The public-only consultant contract, introduced in March 2023, provides for evening, extended out-of-hours and Saturday rostering. Attention must now focus on realising the benefits of this contract to increase access to services in the evenings and at weekends.
The Government is committed to ensuring that every necessary measure is taken at UHL to ensure the smooth running of the hospital. UHL is being supported by a large ongoing programme of work to increase capacity in terms of staffing and beds. For the information of Members, the budget for UHL has increased by €224 million, or 84%, from €265 million in 2019 to more than €489 million last year. Staffing has increased by 43% since December 2019, including 62 more consultants, 192 more doctors and 442 more nurses and midwives. Between 2020 and 2023, €90.6 million in capital investment was assigned to UHL. A total of 166 new acute beds have opened in the mid-west region since January 2020, including a 16-bed unit delivered in 2024. The Government is providing for increased capacity, with a new 96-bed block due by the middle of this year and a second new rapid-build 16-bed unit later this year.
Enabling works are under way for a second 96-bed block at UHL and a further 84 inpatient beds are planned through the acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan. Overall, 582 new inpatient beds will be delivered in the mid-west region between 2020 and 2031. Other measures to alleviate congestion include the extension of opening hours for medical assessment units and the delivery of a new surgical hub.
On the question Senator Ryan raised about other hospitals in the area and emergency departments, opening hours have already been extended from 8 a.m. to midnight at the medical assessment units, MAUs, in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and the waiting list action plan for 2025 will reduce waiting times for patients. In September 2021, the average time on the list in the mid-west was just under 16 months. By January 2025, the length of time waiting improved to less than six months.
I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It is of great concern and something that we must continue to be vigilant about and work on, ensuring that we deliver for patients and staff in the mid-west. I apologise that the Minister was not here to take this Commencement matter.
I thank the Minister of State for the update. I acknowledge the extensive investment the mid-west received in the course of the previous Government. When I heard the Minister of State call it all out for us, it sounded very impressive, but the mid-west was already at a significant disadvantage in terms of hospital care and the efforts made thus far have not yet brought it to a par with the rest of the country. Without a second emergency department in the region, I fear UHL will remain overwhelmed and the situation may worsen as our population ages and grows.
Senator Dee Ryan: I thank the Minister of State for the update. I acknowledge the significant investment the mid-west has received in the course of the previous Government. It is extensive. When I hear the Minister of State call it all out as he has just done it sounds very impressive but ew were already at a significant disadvantage in terms of hospital care. The efforts made those for have not yet brought us to a par with the rest of the country. Without second emergency department in the region I fear you H will remain overwhelmed and the situation may worsen as the population ages and grows.
While patient flow improvements are necessary and while we need more consultants to adopt the new roster, these measures alone, however, will not address the reality of a lower number of ED beds per capita in the mid-west than any other place in the country. I stand ready to support the Minister of State and the Minister in government but I wish to get an update on the HIQA report that was commissioned last year by the then Minister, Stephen Donnelly, on accident and emergency capacity in the mid-west. I wish to discuss the matter further at the next opportunity.
I thank Senator Ryan for raising the matter and she is right that investment alone will not solve the problem. A wholehearted, collaborative approach around management, investment and patient flow is needed. She is correct; the people of the mid-west deserve access to responsive, urgent and safe emergency care. It is about the combination of increased capacity and reforms, which the Government is aiming to deliver.
More beds and more investment at UHL are important and critical. The Senator made reference to the HIQA report. As she rightly said, the Government has asked HIQA to lead a review into urgent and emergency care in the mid-west, including consideration of the need for a second emergency department. The Government expects the HIQA interim report shortly, with a final report due some time around May of this year. The Minister for Health, along with the Government, will fully consider the HIQA report when it becomes available and the Minister will take any action that is deemed necessary to ensure, again, the quality and the safety of delivery of further and future urgent and emergency care services for the people of the mid-west.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.32 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.04 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 10.32 p.m. and resumed at 11.04 a.m.