Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 May 2024

I welcome the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to the Chamber and thank him for being here. It is always good to have a Cabinet Minister here for Commencement matters. The Minister is no stranger to us and I thank him for that.

Glaoim ar an Seanadóir Lynn Boylan. A Sheanadóir, tá ceithre nóiméad agat.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach.

Today I want to discuss the critical issue of strategic gas storage. If the Government is going ahead with its plan for more gas infrastructure, there is an imperative need for robust legal and regulatory measures governing its implementation. It is essential to establish a framework that ensures any strategic gas storage is temporary and does not increase gas demand and that it aligns with our climate obligations.

Why are we saying that any proposed strategic gas should meet this threshold? The reasons are multifaceted and deeply rooted. First, we must prevent long-term fossil fuel lock-in. Committing to new fossil fuel infrastructure poses a significant risk of perpetuating polluting emissions and increasing our reliance on fracked gas imports. Such infrastructure would also undermine our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and could lock us into decades of reliance on fossil fuels, counteracting our climate goals.

Moreover, there are profound implications for our climate leadership. We know that Ireland, and rightly so, took a prominent stance in the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, the European Union and the International Energy Agency. Introducing new fossil fuel infrastructure could erode that leadership position that we have taken and contradict our commitments to transitioning towards cleaner energy sources. An independent risk assessment is crucial in this context.

Gas Networks Ireland, while an important stakeholder, has a vested interest in increasing gas supply. To ensure unbiased and comprehensive assessments, we must involve independent bodies such as the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and the Climate Change Advisory Council. Any proposed infrastructure must be meticulously evaluated for its risks to public safety, national security and its potential for locking us in to further emissions. We must address the conflict of interest in having Gas Networks Ireland alone analyse the feasibility of a strategic, temporary floating storage and regasification unit. Ensuring that GNI's plans align with the State's carbon budget programme should be non-negotiable.

Looking beyond our borders, we do see that President Biden's administration has taken decisive action in halting new LNG exports and reviewing the impacts of LNG. These actions underscore the global shift towards scrutinising and curbing fossil-fuel dependancy and, similarly, concerns with voting LNG terminals delaying the transition away from gas should prompt us to question the applicability of such solutions in Ireland. The same vigilance applied to our Moffat import point must extend to any floating strategic reserve unit proposals.

There are several risks to a floating LNG terminal, in particular the concerns about a strategic State-led LNG terminal that would never be used. I am not aware of any precedence on whether it is feasible in practice. I would like to hear the Minister's view on floating LNG terminals losing 20% of their cargo every four months due to boil-off of gas. If the plan is not to use it but to have it as a back-up reserve, how does that square? We need guarantees to stop third party LNG importers from operating at the site and assurances that it will not open the floodgates to other fracked gas import terminals opening elsewhere.

We also need assurances that this will not open up the market to direct LNG imports. The Government energy security review outlines essential conditions for any strategic gas storage initiative. If we are to enforce these conditions effectively, we must ensure enduring enforcement and adherence to our climate commitments that cannot be rolled back on.

As we deliberate on the future of our strategic gas storage, we need to remain steadfast in our commitment to sustainability, independence and leadership in climate action. The implementation of a robust legal and regulatory framework is not just a necessity but a responsibility.

The Government approved and published the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 report last November, which concludes that Ireland’s future energy will be secure by moving from a fossil-fuel based energy system to an electricity-led system that maximises our renewable energy demand flexibility and is integrated into Europe’s energy systems. Ireland needs to enhance its resilience in the event of a disruption to the country’s natural gas supplies.

The energy security review determines that a disruption to Ireland’s supplies of gas is considered to be an unlikely but high-impact event. Without implementing new additional resilience measures, a significant disruption would lead to unacceptably high economic costs with potentially catastrophic impacts for society, particularly our most vulnerable. Ireland’s energy security will be significantly improved and risks greatly reduced through the implementation of a strategic gas emergency reserve on a transitional basis for use in the event of a disruption to gas supplies.

The Government’s National Risk Assessment: Overview of Strategic Risks 2023 report states that the lack of diversity of supply sources and storage is a risk for security of supply. Risks relating to secure and sustainable energy supplies have been heightened and intensified by the war in Ukraine. Recent attacks on the Nordstream and Baltic interconnectors are examples of the heightened risks presented to critical energy infrastructure.

The Department, in consultation with Gas Networks Ireland, the transmission system operator, is completing a detailed examination of the optimal approach to deliver the emergency gas reserve, which will include consideration of a timeline for construction and climate objectives among other factors. The proposal is being developed in accordance with specific criteria requirements, including a proposal that can be implemented quickly and decommissioned as it is going to be temporary, a proposal that does not inadvertently increase gas demand by increasing the supply available on the market, a cost-effective proposal at the appropriate scale that provides sufficient resilience if a disruption to gas supply occurs and a proposal that is compatible with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015 to 2021.

Gas will continue to play a key role to support the secure transition to an energy system based on electrification and greatly increased renewables penetration. Reducing gas demand and increasing renewable gas production will reduce the impact of Ireland’s risk but the risks themselves will remain for at least a decade. The impact of any significant unplanned reduction in the country’s gas supplies would have severe economic and social impacts.

The strategic gas emergency reserve will be supported by policies outlining its terms of use to ensure the reserve operates to mitigate the risk of a gas supply disruption. An end-of-life policy will also be developed to ensure that once the risk is no longer a viable concern for Ireland’s energy security, the reserve will no longer be required.

Gas demand is expected to drop significantly through the course of the decade from 2030 and production of renewable gases is set to increase along with the introduction of renewable gas-compatible storage. This would enable security of supply benefits to be delivered without committing to a long-term dependence on natural gas.

A State-led approach is consistent with the climate Act and broader Government climate and energy policy avoiding the risk of fossil fuel lock-in or stranded fossil fuel assets. The optimal approach will be determined by the Government's continued commitment to the three policy objectives of sustainability, affordability and security. All opportunities to accelerate the potential implementation of this project will be explored on the basis of its strategic importance. I expect to return to the Government for a final decision on this later this year. I thank Senator Boylan for raising this important matter and I look forward to hearing the views of the Seanad.

We are concerned about the consultation with Gas Networks Ireland because not only does it have a vested interest in the continued use of gas and protecting its assets, it is also on record as having no issue with connecting data centres directly to the gas grid. It does not see any contradiction in that and its public statements contradict statements that have come out of the Department and the Minister's letter asking Gas Network Ireland not to connect those data centres to the grid. That is a key part. One is about independence so why not have the energy regulator, another independent body, be part of that energy security review? When are we going to close that loophole that allows the data centres to continue to connect to the grid? In his response, the Minister agreed that we need to reduce gas demand. That is essential. We have to reduce gas demand and we need a strategy around that but when we look at the use of gas and the rate of its growth, it is clearly connected to these data centres that are connecting to the gas grid.

In saying that we are committing that everything must be compatible with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts, we are saying that this cannot involve expansion of the use of gas. It is the opposite. We must contract. With an organised plan to retreat, we will need some gas for the likes of back-up. We will need some gas-fired generation that will run for very few hours but will be there during periods when the wind or interconnection cannot provide us with capability.

Similarly with data centres, we cannot agree to the further expansion of data centres depending on gas expansion. It is not where that industry will go, or wants to go, because it cannot be outside its own climate limits. That is why this must be a temporary facility. This is an interim solution while we ramp up the alternative electricity supply and our development of biomethane. Yesterday, the Government launched a major initiative in scaling up our natural gas sustainable resources. That is the future - not expanding gas supply.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, to the Seanad. I think this may be her first Commencement matter in the House so she is very welcome. We collaborated and worked well together on the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I wish the Minister of State well. It is an exciting and challenging time for any Minister. I know she will do it well and I hope she enjoys the fruitful time she will have in that Department.

I wish to raise the issue of Horse Racing Ireland's strategic plan from 2024 to 2028. This amazing and positive document is entitled Nurturing Success and Inspiring Participation. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, who is a Kildare man. He was at the launch of this strategy in Punchestown with Horse Racing Ireland and its management board. I know he is particularly committed to the horse racing sector as he would be as a Kildare man and as someone who lives and is a politician in the heartland of the equestrian world in Ireland.

The horse racing and breeding industry is one of our biggest success stories. We need to celebrate, embrace and constantly evaluate it. One of the things I particularly like about this strategy is that it sets out and analyses the strategic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by the industry. It takes on board the weaknesses, opportunities and, most importantly, threats to the industry. It is set out in a very strategic and analytical way for which I commend the board and management of Horse Racing Ireland.

The real underlying figure is the more than €2.5 billion that comes from this industry regarding the expansion of the economy by this industry. Sometimes we forget that. The horse racing strategy aims to protect, strengthen and sustain Ireland's global leading horse racing and breeding industry. The strategy plans and focuses strongly on two clear objectives to nurture successes and inspire participation.

I will not go into the issue of Deloitte which did a review of the finances back in 2023. It is there, it is current and valid, and it very much endorses the strategy itself. The goal of HRI is to increase the industry up to €3 billion, which is an amazing ambition. Within the lifetime of the plan, HRI also aims to deliver the big capital projects and, importantly, provide a pipeline for the future human talent, which is really important in this industry. Under the new strategic plan, HRI wants the annual welfare budgets to increase by 70%, which is very important. It also wants investment in the governance and integrity and wants to advance welfare. I acknowledge that that is an important focus. It also has plans to develop a new campus at the old racing apprenticeship centre in Kildare. Overall, it is good news.

The strategic plan for 2024 to 2028 captures the ambition of HRI for the future progression of the industry which generates Ireland's fifth biggest agricultural export and sustains a very significant economic activity across this country and beyond. I commend the strategy, work and ambition of the HRI under the stewardship of its board of management and its chief executive, Suzanne Eade. It is a really good news story and it is important we get the message out. It also embraces the issue of regional and rural development and the rural economy - of course, it is also urban - and its significance for our economy but, most importantly, for our international reputation. As a country, Ireland is the envy of the equestrian world.

Before I call the Minister of State, cuirim céad míle fáilte roimh na daltaí as Scoil Fhursa, cathair na Gaillimhe. Tá céad míle fáilte roimh gach duine. I hope they have a very pleasant day in Leinster House and to celebrate their visit, I hope they will get homework off tonight and tomorrow night. They have no homework tonight and the teachers need a break from the ceartúcháin.

I thank Senator Boyhan for informing us that this is the first visit of the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, to the Seanad for Commencement Matters.

I thank Senator Boyhan for his kind words and wishing me well. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I thank the Senator for his submission and for giving us the chance to discuss this topic. As Senator Boyhan was elected on the agricultural panel, which obviously also includes fisheries, I know this is an area of huge interest and advocacy for him.

I am delighted to be able to confirm that Government policy is to ensure the horse racing industry achieves its maximum potential and, in doing so, contributes to economic and social development over a wide geographic distribution. The valuable contribution to a balanced regional economy made by the horse industry is well recognised and is a key priority of both the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. Government funding, in addition to supporting this key industry, presents an excellent opportunity to yield a high return for its investment, leading to a flow of income through many levels of the economy, thereby providing widespread benefits for our society. This sector is also crucial in driving a geographically balanced economy throughout our country. The Senator referred to the regional and rural economy, and I fully agree.

The importance of this industry has been acknowledged by successive governments and it is supported through legislation and policy initiatives. The world-class reputation for excellence in horse racing and breeding that Ireland enjoys today has been enabled by the support provided through public funds. The Senator stated it is the envy of other countries and I fully agree.

The horse racing industry receives financial support from the State through the horse and greyhound racing fund, under section 12 of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. Payments are made from the Fund to Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, and to Rásaíocht Con Éireann, RCE. The Estimates for the Department, passed by both Houses as part of budget 2024, include an allocation of €95 million for the horse and greyhound racing fund. This will be distributed in accordance with section 12(6) of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001, with 80%, €76 million, going to HRI and 20%, €19 million, to RCE. Exchequer support provided from the fund is crucial to the survival and continued development of the horse racing industry.

As the Senator mentioned, Deloitte conducted a report, which estimated that, in 2023, the Irish thoroughbred industry had an annual economic impact amounting to €2.46 billion, supporting direct and indirect jobs of some 30,000 people. Ireland is the second largest producer of bloodstock in the world by value sold, after the United States of America. Ireland also has the world’s third highest number of thoroughbreds foaled each year after the USA and Australia. The thoroughbred sector is a firm part of our identity. The value of Irish-foaled thoroughbreds sold at public auction in 2023 was €334 million. Horse racing generates a significant return to the rural economy in Ireland and a positive international profile for our country.

As the Senator mentioned, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, recently noted HRI’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028. They welcomed HRI’s drive to protect, build and sustain Ireland’s position as one of the leading racing and breeding nations of the world. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is glad to see that HRI’s ambition is to grow this figure further while also acting on its social responsibility to industry employees and expanding educational opportunities in the sector.

In November 2021, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, of which the Senator is a member, published a report on horse racing in Ireland. At the committee’s request, an international equine anti-doping expert was commissioned to conduct an independent review of the IHRB’s equine anti-doping programme. This review concluded that the programme does “at least match international best practice in most respects and has made significant advances in recent years”.

The Department and stakeholders want to ensure the highest standards of integrity and welfare are maintained and that is what the Government is committed to.

Before I call Senator Boyhan, I welcome the second group from Scoil Fhursa in Galway. They are very welcome to Leinster House. I hope they have a very enjoyable day. Like their friends, colleagues and classmates, we will give them no homework tonight and tomorrow night in celebration of their visit to Leinster House.

I thank the Minister of State for her very positive response. The key lies in rolling out the strategy. The horses owned, bred and trained in Ireland are the envy of the world. We can never take that position for granted. We always need to improve it. The sector recognises that we need to work on welfare issues. We need to work on the welfare of the jockeys and all the people in the bloodstock industry. We need to have a favourable economic and tax regime that supports this unique industry for Ireland. Let us never take it for granted. We need to continue to improve it. We need to deal with and analyse the strategy and the direction. Of course, every year we endorse the funding for this sector, and that funding is an important part of it. I thank the Minister of State, the Minister for agriculture and the Department for the very favourable response to this industry which is unique to Ireland.

The Senator is absolutely right that our horse racing industry is the envy of the world and we cannot take that for granted. The rapidly changing international environment continues to pose challenges to the Irish economy. Coupled with Ireland being a small and open economy naturally prone to volatility, it can be somewhat difficult to fully predict what the future holds. That is why it is crucial we support this important industry and its continued navigation through the challenges in 2024. Given the wide geographic distribution of the horse racing and thoroughbred industry, it is fundamental to the achievement of a more balanced regional economic growth here in Ireland. Nurturing that and nurturing the rural economy is a key priority for Government in this context. The welfare of horses is a cornerstone of this valuable industry and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, are assured that the HRI and the IHRB are striving to ensure the highest standards for the sport and its participants on and away from the racecourse. As we have both said, this plays a key role in providing investment and we will continue to support it.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins. Is í seo an chéad uair atá seans agam é sin a rá ó ainmníodh mar Aire Stáit í. Comhghairdeas léi. Táim buíoch di as teacht anseo inniu.

I wish to talk about a social inclusion measure in the naturalisation process. At the outset, I wish to say clearly that I think immigration is hugely important for this country. It is a good thing for this country. It is necessary for this country in supporting our economy and providing workers and taxpayers for our economy. It is full of potential from the point of view of producing a progressive and advancing population on the island of Ireland.

I am very much for immigration and it is important to distinguish immigration as it is often confused with migration. I refer to the controversy that has recently occurred in respect of international protection. The people who come to Ireland and choose to make Ireland their home and place of work, the place where they pay taxes and, in the future, raise families, want to be part of Ireland. They want to come here, be part of our community and contribute to Ireland. We, as a State, do nothing to facilitate that. We do nothing to help them - I hesitate to use the word "integrate" because I do not want any of them to leave behind their own cultural norms, values and richness, which benefit us all - to understand our norms and cultural richness. There is an opportunity for the State to contribute to that but it is doing nothing in that regard. One of the ways that it is done across Europe is through a citizenship exam, but I am talking more about a structured system whereby we can greet people who come to make their homes here, give them classes on Irish citizenship, be they cultural or language classes, because there is a huge opportunity for the Irish language here, and at the end of the day, ask them to demonstrate, through an exam or some other process, that they have an understanding of those cultural norms. It is an opportunity for us to include them to an even greater extent in our community so that we have common popular culture references and historical references in order for them to have an understanding of the community they are entering and therefore have a much greater chance of being a functional and inclusive part of it.

As I said, this happens across Europe. The Netherlands is a prime example. It has a very comprehensive programme which educates people on the history of the Netherlands and its cultural references, but also gives them a number of hours of tuition in the Dutch language, if they choose to take it up. They all sit an exam, with allowances made for people who have difficulties and whatever it might be, but the key point is that if a person cannot pass the exam, it does not mean he or she has to leave; it just delays the naturalisation process. It does not affect the person's status as somebody who has the right to live, work and rear a family in the Netherlands. I am not talking about something exclusive or exclusionary, but something that is quite the opposite. It is something that includes people and gives them a road to become a true part of Irish society. In that regard, we have these naturalisation processes all over the country, which is a wonderful thing. I know there is one coming up next month in the INEC in Killarney and another in the Convention Centre Dublin. Why not have them at an even more local level, however? All of the people who come and choose to make their homes here live in local communities, not just in Killarney and Dublin but in towns and villages all over the country. We have local government infrastructure in each of those towns and villages. We have a local cathaoirleach or mayor or even the chair of a municipal district. Would it not be much better to have smaller and more intimate naturalisation ceremonies involving the local community? These ceremonies used to be done in District Courts but it has moved now to a larger scale ceremony. These are joyous occasions, when people who have gone through a lengthy process become part of our wider Irish community. Let us do it at a local level, where they live and work and where their neighbours are, and therefore have a truly inclusive and welcoming process for them.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Senator for raising this matter in the Seanad today. He has described this as a social inclusion measure. We absolutely need to aspire to be more socially inclusive. As he said, citizenship ceremonies are wonderful events. I know that our new citizens cherish being part of them. They are a day to acknowledge the journey that has brought them to Ireland, where they have made a home. New Irish citizens undertake to faithfully observe the laws of the State and to respect its democratic values. Each new citizen makes a declaration of fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the State. New Irish citizens are contributing to a diverse and inclusive workforce, bringing a range of skills and talents that enhance the overall capabilities of the labour market and economy. That is exactly the point the Senator made in his introduction. Over 10% of those who received their citizenship at the most recent ceremonies are now working in the healthcare sector across Ireland.

I am assured by the Department that the current application process is robust. All applicants are required to meet minimum periods of reckonable residence before they can apply. Applicants must also satisfy the good character criteria under section 15 of the Act, which includes checks for criminality.

With regard to citizenship ceremonies, as the Senator noted, we will have two ceremonies on 10 and 11 June, in the INEC, Killarney and the following week, on 20 and 21 June, more ceremonies will be held in the Convention Centre Dublin. Invitations to these ceremonies have begun to issue to successful applicants. I am informed that efforts have been made to accommodate applicants from the southern region at the Killarney events and others at the Dublin ceremonies. The location of ceremonies is an important point. I appreciate there are costs and time involved in travelling to ceremonies. I acknowledge what the Senator has said on the idea of local-level citizenship ceremonies. That would be really progressive and it is an interesting idea. I am pleased to say that the citizenship division of the Department is exploring every option with regard to the localisation and location of ceremonies. The granting of Irish citizenship is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. As regards the Senator’s specific inquiry on classes on citizenship, the Irish language and the introduction of a civic test, there are no plans to amend the Act to introduce a civic test as part of the application process.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I am conscious that she is answering on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, who cannot be here this morning. I wish to make a few points. First, I have no doubt about the robustness of the process. In fact, it can be an obstacle to a lot of people in an unduly bureaucratic way, but I recognise it is a process that needs to be followed. I heard what the Minister of State said about the Department examining possibilities. This is an issue I raised many years ago, when Deputy Stanton was Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality and I was a councillor. I met people in the Dún Laoghaire area, for example, who were becoming citizens and travelling in to the convention centre to do it. They would be much better off doing it in Dún Laoghaire town hall or wherever it might be. That is what I am talking about in terms of localisation. I am a little bit disappointed by the Minister of State's indication that there are no plans to amend the legislation to introduce a civic test as part of the application process. There may not be such a plan but is there be any plan to examine the possibility, the possible benefits that might come with such a process and look at implementing it in the future?

I again thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I have taken on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I will provide his feedback to her. The Senator is right. Some other EU countries have seen merit in introducing a civic test. I am informed that officials in the Department of Justice continually review all immigration applications and legislation to ensure they remain fit for purpose. The citizenship division of the Department has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people applying for citizenship. The Department has gone from 10,000 or 12,000 applications per year in the years pre Covid, to more than 23,000 applications received last year. The Department has reacted to this growing number of applications by more than doubling the number of ceremonies held last year. That incurs logistical cost and resources. As the Senator is aware, ceremonies were held in the RDS in March, in Killarney in June and in the Convention Centre Dublin in October and December. There will be a number of similar ceremonies throughout the country this year.

As the Senator may be aware, the Department of Justice has recently moved the application process for citizenship online as part of the overall digitisation of immigration services. This has allowed the Department to increase the number of applications processed and reduce the time it takes to process each application, which is a really positive move.

Finally, I acknowledge that citizenship ceremonies are a brilliant occasion. The Department has extended an invitation to the Senator to attend one of the upcoming ceremonies. I hope he will be able to attend. I understand it will be in Dublin city centre and he would prefer if it was more localised, but I do hope he will be able to attend.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister of State and thank the Taoiseach for the announcement last night that emergency medicine doctors are to crew the helicopter response service alongside paramedics for four months in a new trial. That is a huge step forward for the thousands of people who desperately need major pre-hospital trauma care. Ireland is an outlier in pre-hospital care. This has been highlighted through several years by a consultant expert group of Irish helicopter emergency medical service doctors. It has been driven by the fact that Northern Ireland has had this service since 2017. The UK and other European countries have it but we do not.

Our pre-hospital system relies on paramedic-led emergency care, as opposed to physician-staffed helicopter emergency services that could complement what we already have. We lose critical time in getting patients to hospital to access physician-led emergency care. Other countries bring the hospital to the scene of the emergency, whether this is at the roadside, a home or a farm, or in an urban or rural area. It could be a road traffic accident, a gunshot or knife wound or a workplace injury.

In Northern Ireland, helicopters are dispatched by specially trained doctors to deliver lifesaving treatment undertaken by physicians. This includes surgery, emergency anaesthetic administration, blood transfusions and the management of airways in a way that can alleviate the impact of trauma and prevent brain injury. A review of the first five years of the service in Wales found that 63% of patients received pre-hospital care they would not have received otherwise. The number of patients dying as a result of blunt trauma injuries was 37% lower than if they had been attended to by an ambulance service only. The medical intervention was, on average, 29 minutes to 41 minutes faster than the standard 999 response time. Almost 5,000 cases of major trauma were treated in Irish hospitals in 2021 alone according to the most recent major trauma report of the National Office of Clinical Audit, NOCA. It is the biggest cause of death among children and young adults in Ireland. Apparently, these figures also do not capture those trauma patients who die before they reach hospital. We could be saving at least 300 lives annually and improving the outcomes for many others.

My questions relates to the announcement made yesterday. Will the doctors involved be specifically trained to operate with helicopters? I encourage engagement with the members of the international medical expert group who led this campaign, including Dr. Cunningham, Dr. Burns and Dr. Passmore. It should be ensured that they are consulted and this trial is successful. I believe Dr. Lisa Cunningham is the only trained helicopter emergency medical care consultant in Ireland.

Are our statistics working as they should? Does this aspect need to be addressed, especially in light of the increasing number of deaths on the roads? Regarding Northern Ireland, we have already established health co-operation on an all-island basis. It is an area we can be proud of and that we wish to build on. It seems to me that if we have the relevant expertise already with HEMS in the North we should be looking at this as an area for all-island co-operation. We need health equality.

I welcome the opportunity to address this House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, regarding the Senator’s request for information relating to physician-led helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS, in Ireland. I was sitting in the Dáil yesterday when Deputy Berry, who is also a medical doctor, raised this issue with the Taoiseach. It was a positive engagement. One of the requests he made was that the Taoiseach would engage with those physicians mentioned by the Senator and the Taoiseach responded by saying he would. Everybody was delighted to hear that answer, that we are progressing in this regard and that we are going to have the pilot scheme.

Just to be clear, it is important to note that the HSE's National Ambulance Service, NAS, currently provides two consultant-led, paramedic-delivered, dedicated HEMS responses in Ireland. I will briefly outline what this entails. The emergency aeromedical service, EAS, operates in conjunction with the Air Corps from Custume Barracks in Athlone and predominantly serves the west and north west. The south-west HEMS response, a publicly-funded service operated by the NAS in conjunction with a commercial operator, serves the south and south west. In addition to these dedicated services, the Irish Coast Guard provides further HEMS support from its four bases in Shannon, Sligo, Waterford and Dublin on an as-available basis. It does phenomenal work. HEMS in Ireland provide fast access to lifesaving pre-hospital emergency care interventions at the scene by highly-trained advanced paramedics. HEMS is also used to rapidly transport patients to the hospital with the specialist facilities and treatments best suited to their lifesaving needs. This may not always be the closest available hospital.

All HEMS aircraft are tasked through the 999-112 emergency system by a specialist aeromedical co-ordinator in the NAS National Emergency Operations Centre, NEOC. Last year, HEMS services attended 904 incidents in Ireland and such deployments have greatly reduced scene-to-hospital times, particularly in more rural parts of the country. We often think about road traffic accidents in this context, but there are many accidents in farms and around our lovely mountains and lakes that equally make this service important.

On the question of HEMS in Ireland being physician-led, I confirm that the overall delivery of HEMS services in Ireland is consultant-led but the service is delivered by highly-trained advanced paramedics. Clinician-crewing models for HEMS can vary across jurisdictions, with various configurations including paramedic-only, paramedic-physician- and paramedic-nurse-delivered services. In Ireland, HEMS is primarily focused on providing rapid access for patients to the most appropriate clinical care. This is particularly important due to Ireland’s remote and dispersed population. The provision of HEMS ensures equity of access to care for acutely ill and injured patients. The national trauma strategy acknowledges the importance of HEMS in Ireland as being a vital part of the pre-hospital care and retrieval stage of the trauma system, as the Senator mentioned.

The important point to be made here is that the NAS is due to commence a feasibility study next month which will see, on a trial basis, the deployment of physicians as part of its HEMS responses. The trial is expected to last approximately four months. As part of the study, NAS-affiliated emergency medicine consultants, with considerable experience in pre-hospital emergency medicine, will undertake a number of rotations each week on HEMS aircraft alongside NAS advanced paramedics. During this trial, key metrics and outcomes, such as the types of interventions performed by each physician on the scene and average on-scene time, will be measured.

When I initially submitted this question, we did not have this extremely positive news. The important line in the Minister of State's contribution was the confirmation that the overall delivery of HEMS services in Ireland is consultant-led but the service is delivered by highly-trained advanced paramedics. She also stated: "emergency medicine consultants, with considerable experience in pre-hospital emergency medicine ... undertake a number of rotations each week on HEMS aircraft."

As can be imagined, however, it is very different to be an emergency-trained doctor in the environment of a helicopter. We have the talent and expertise available from the members of this expert medical group. They have gone out of their way in the last few years to really campaign for and secure this trial. I am delighted the Taoiseach made this announcement and will meet the expert group. I would like the Department of Health, however, to reassure me that the expertise available in the expert group will be utilised-----

I thank the Senator. As I mentioned, the NAS will soon begin trialling the physician-advanced paramedic crewing model for HEMS. Plans are being finalised for physician deployments to commence next month. A great deal of work has been going on in the background concerning this issue for quite a while. It is very positive that the trial is going to commence. On completion of this trial, the HSE NAS will evaluate the information gathered from it to determine the clinical competencies to suit HEMS delivery in Ireland. I imagine that much work will be done in relation to the initial call and triaging exactly what response will be needed. This would be my experience of it.

The Senator asked if the doctors will be trained to operate with helicopters. I am sure they would have to be. I am only speaking off the cuff now, but I would assume that this would be the case. Statistics are important, so this pilot will determine the statistics.

To address the Senator's other point, we fully buy into North-South co-operation. I continually engage with my counterparts in mental health in Northern Ireland. This is crucially important. The fact that the North-South Ministerial Council is back up and running is also extremely important.