Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 Oct 2024

Mar iar-Aire Stáit na Gaeltachta, tá a fhios ag an Aire, an Teachta Chambers, nach fiú mórán na pinginí a chaith an Rialtas i dtreo na Gaeltachta sa bhuiséad seo chun tabhairt faoin ngéarchéim tithíochta agus teanga atá ag scrios pobal agus ag díbirt teaghlach as a gceantar dúchais féin. Ar ndóigh, caitheann an Rialtas seo airgead ar na rudaí tábhachtacha, a deir sé, cosúil le púitsí speisialta chun fóin phóca a choinneáil slán sna scoileanna. Gheobhaidh na púitsí agus na fóin phóca seo 50% níos mó maoinithe ná a fógraíodh sa bhuiséad don Ghaeltacht ar an iomlán. Fuair na púitsí fóin €9 mhilliún agus in áit €6 mhilliún don teanga náisiúnta. Tá níos mó measa á thaispeáint ag an Rialtas seo do i-fóin ár bpáistí ná atá siad dár seoid, dár n-oidhreacht agus do thodhchaí na Gaeltachta.

Fiafraím den Aire, cad ina thaobh a bhfuil an Rialtas ag tabhairt níos mó airgid do na púitsí fón ná a d'fhógair sé don Ghaeltacht agus cad é an fáth go bhfuil 50% níos mó maoinithe á thabhairt do na púitsí fóin seo ná an uasmhéid a d'fhógair an tAire don Ghaeltacht agus don Ghaeilge sa cháinaisnéis seo?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Trí phróiseas an bhuiséid, bhí an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Byrne i dteagmháil leis an Aire, an Teachta Donohoe, maidir le gach rud sa Ghaeltacht agus tá níos mó tacaíochta á tabhairt chun Údarás na Gaeltachta a fheabhsú maidir leis an obair thábhachtach a dhéanann sé. Tá an buiséad do 2025 6.3% níos fearr nó don bhliain seo agus beidh an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Byrne, ag obair le gach duine sa Ghaeltacht, i gcontae an Teachta Doherty agus sna contaetha eile, chun níos mó a dhéanamh maidir le scéimeanna teanga, mar shampla, agus go leor polasaithe eile a chur i bhfeidhm.

The Minister's Government allocated €1 billion to Irish Water for non-domestic projects for next year's budget. Can the Minister indicate how much of that money would go towards projects that are caught in the Irish Water system already which are non-domestic related? I am thinking specifically of the pumping station upgrade works that are needed in Portmarnock. There is a huge ecological issue there. We have a special area of conservation down at the beach that is under threat. We have the toilets there which need upgrading works, as well as everything else. This has been on hold for five years. Irish Water took it away from Fingal County Council. Will the funding which the Government has provided ensure that projects like this actually get the go-ahead and that our environment and our amenity is protected and improved?

I thank Deputy Smith. The reason we are putting €1 billion into Irish Water, in additional funding for 2025, is to support many of the schemes where there have been funding constraints. I do not have the specific operational plan here with me but we set out clearly is that €1 billion is to ensure that Irish Water can move on many of the projects across the country where there have been concerns about its ability to deliver. This is only the start. We have said that the proceeds of future AIB share sales will be prioritised in housing, water and our grid infrastructure and we have a separate process with the windfall receipts we received to prioritise water infrastructure as well. Through that process, Irish Water will be able to scale the delivery of many schemes right across the country as water infrastructure is key to the wider delivery of housing. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to provide further details on the company's operational plans.

Ireland has never been as wealthy and that was illustrated this week with the splashing of the cash in the budget. Can the Minister tell me then why is public transport in Wicklow so bad?

We essentially have the same service we had 20 years ago and that is despite a clear demand for it, the need to meet our climate targets and despite all the promises, commitment and spin from Government TDs on this issue. There are 13,000 people living in Wicklow town. Greystones, with its DART connection, is 20 km away but there is no direct bus between it and Wicklow. It is just incredible. It is basic stuff. We also have Newtownmountkennedy. Every morning the 133 bus is full as it goes through there, meaning there is no option for people in that town to get into Dublin. It is completely unacceptable, so what is the Minister and his Government going to do to improve public transport in Wicklow and across the country rather than just engaging in spin and PR about it?

There is also the development of much greater public transport. This Government over the last four years has advanced unprecedented investment in public transport but also in the development of the capital investment in public transport across our country. There are very ambitious plans to continue delivery on enhancing the network through capacity improvements which the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is advancing with the delivery agencies. If the Deputy looks at the overall allocation for transport in gross voted expenditure terms it is €3.9 billion for 2025. That will make a real difference in what we are providing the agencies with respect to delivery greater capacity, but also from a capital perspective on the unprecedented investment we have brought in public transport infrastructure.

As we speak, nurses, midwives, health professionals and healthcare workers are protesting outside the HSE headquarters. They are also protesting in Cork. Many of them are balloting for industrial action. Last night in my area I organised a protest about the health service. It was packed to the rafters with healthcare workers from St. Michael's Hospital, Loughlinstown hospital and the local community. All were outraged by and extremely worried about the unsafe staffing levels across the health service and angered that the Government claimed it had lifted the recruitment embargo in the health service while actually imposing staff quotas, which are in effect an embargo, based on something called the pay and numbers strategy. The Government has suppressed thousands of posts in the health service, leading to a situation where patient safety is being compromised in our hospitals and across our health service. Is the Government going to scrap the pay and numbers strategy and get safe staffing levels back into our hospitals?

It is widely known there is a significant lack of dental services across many parts of Ireland. There are particular challenges in my constituency of Louth, especially concerning access to orthodontic care. While I acknowledge the HSE's national service plan for 2024 continues to support service development and initiatives to reduce waiting lists for dental and orthodontic care, the shortage of specialists means my constituents are not receiving timely treatment.

In June one of my constituents inquired about the lack of orthodontists in Louth and was told there was nothing in the pipeline with respect to interviews or potential a replacement orthodontist in Louth. Even if there was one appointed today, they would not be in place for six months. On top of this, I have been contacted by numerous concerned constituents who have been refused dental care at their regular practice due to their medical card status. Medical card holders have been cut in half. Will the Minister ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to contact the providers and put in place an effective plan, resources and funding in order that people in Louth, east Meath and Ireland get the service they deserve?

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick. I am aware there is an issue with the shortage of dentists, especially those providing community dentistry across our country and the Deputy has referenced Louth and east Meath as an example. To address that we have a lot of plans ongoing on increasing the supply of qualified healthcare graduates in dentistry and the respective therapy disciplines, so we have increased the pipeline of workers who can provide that service. That is something that has been ongoing between both the Department of further and higher education and the Department of Health so we can build capacity for the future. There have not been sufficient dental graduate to meet the level of demand, especially in community dental services. That is why the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, with the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is advancing plans to increase the wider capacity through strengthened numbers when it comes to new hire education healthcare places. That will make a difference for the future.

Will the Minister support the ask of FND Ireland that funding be provided for a multidisciplinary specialist FND clinic at St. James's Hospital Dublin? The group has asked for this and people need it. There are an estimated 9,000 people in Ireland suffering with functional neurologic disorder, known as FND. It is very debilitating. There is chronic fatigue and many other symptoms. Group representatives were here and lobbied us all two weeks ago. They have asked for funding for this clinic in Dublin, which would mean there was one in Ireland, to deal with this debilitating chronic condition. Will the Minister consider it and try to provide funding for this clinic at St. James's Hospital?

I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with how FND or fibromuscular dysplasia has an impact on a lot of people across our country. I do not have the specifics of the wider service plan within the HSE but I acknowledge the impact for families and for people and communities across our country. The specialist care for neurology may be based in St. James's Hospital, so I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to respond directly to the Deputy to set out what the wider plans are on supporting patients and those who live with FND.

There are many issues I would like to raise, but I am raising Palestine and Lebanon. I am raising it because we are inundated with emails and the Government is completely out of touch with the concern on the ground. It has been over four months since we recognised Palestine. There will be no Palestine left to recognise. The Taoiseach is going over to America to meet Biden, who has clearly stated over and over that he stands shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand with Netanyahu, who is before the highest international court for plausible genocide. It has been almost a year of terror, genocidal behaviour and slaughter and over 40,000 people are dead. I appeal to the Government to make words mean something. We recognised Palestine but did nothing on the occupied territories Bill or the divestment Bill. On top of that, we are now sending over a Taoiseach to meet a man who is absolutely complicit in genocide, notwithstanding that he is the President of America. I am over my time so I will stop.

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate her raising this important issue and stress the immediate need for a ceasefire and a de-escalation in Lebanon. I repeat our call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. We are all deeply concerned about the surge of violence in Lebanon, the continued violence in Gaza and the launch of an Israeli ground incursion. Ireland has been clear in our international commitment in terms of our support for Palestine and what we have recognised here in the Dáil, as well as reflecting that at an EU level. The Taoiseach, in his international engagement, has reflected the Irish position when it comes to Palestine and the Middle East in his wider engagement at the EU and elsewhere, as has the Tánaiste. We are reiterating our call for a ceasefire and will play a proper and constructive role in reflecting the concerns about the many people being subjected to violence in all our international engagements.

Will the Government reverse the decision whereby former HSE workers who returned to work in the public sector have their pensions abated or reduced? I have seen a number of situations in my constituency, and I am sure it is the same around the country, involving workers who returned to help out with the Covid effort, for example by administering vaccines or, especially in south Kerry, helping with the south Kerry CAMHS situation, now facing major repayment bills totalling up to five figures and well above that in some cases..

Will that decision be reversed? Also, in trying to attract people to where we have shortages, it does not make sense to punish people in this way. I ask that the situation be examined and possibly reversed.

I acknowledge and thank the workers in Kerry and elsewhere who provided unprecedented public service at a time when we needed all workers on the front-line. We have a long-standing policy on abatement of pay for people who come back to the public service. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, co-ordinates wider pension and pay policy so I will reflect the matter raised by the Deputy with him. We have to have consistency with wider abatement policy within the public service and that is probably why this issue continues for many workers.

Waterford is unique among the five cities in Ireland for not having a stand-alone university. Other cities have a university and a technological university. The reality is SETU, or WIT as it was, has had to play that role within the region. We made a promise to the people of Waterford, and the wider south east, that SETU will be a university of scale and of substance. We had a very positive decision about the veterinary course that was announced recently. We are still awaiting a decision about the pharmacy course, for which we have a very strong bid in. We are also awaiting for many long years a final decision on the capital funding of the engineering building in Waterford. These are critical. This is the litmus test in terms of whether we are serious about this being a university for the south east. I ask the Minister where we are in respect of those decisions.

As a Government TD, the Deputy will be aware of the unprecedented investment in education, healthcare and wider supports for the Waterford and south-east region. There was a positive result when it came to the veterinary college and I know from speaking to the Minister, Deputy Butler, and others that there is ongoing engagement when it comes to further supports or broadening out the education provision for the south-east region. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to update the Deputy on what further progress will be made over the coming period.

Yesterday, retained fire fighters rejected a paltry offer from the Government in relation to their retainer payment. This is yet another slap in the face for retained fire fighters right across the State. Last year, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, stated he would be their champion and fight tooth and nail for a significant increase in the retainer payment. This led to a suspension of industrial action that was in place at the time to create a space for these issues to be resolved. Despite having a €24 billion surplus in the budget the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Government have effectively stabbed the retained fire fighters in the back and we are now on the brink of the firefighters recommencing their suspended industrial action. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, simply lied to the firefighters last year to get them to off the picket line.

It is beneath the Deputy to refer to a colleague in the House in that way. The LGMA and SIPTU retained firefighter representatives will meet shortly to consider the outcome of the ballot and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, will work constructively with them. He has been very clear in acknowledging the important role they play in communities across the country. He has been very engaged in this-----

The Tánaiste recently said, in New York, that "we want to make cities safe again because there is a real sense that people just do not feel safe". That is certainly the view of my constituents who, for example, have to get night-time buses in the Talbot Street area or in the north inner city. For as long as I have been in this House people have demanded more gardaí on the beat. Garda visibility on our streets and in our communities is now a real issue. Recruitment and retention is obviously a problem. What is being done about this? The force needs to be increased to 15,000 members in the short term and up to 18,000 members in the long term. When is the task force that was established by the Government in May to rejuvenate Dublin city due to report? What can we expect from that task force?

I appreciate this issue as a fellow colleague in Dublin. We need to make sure there is law and order on our streets and that is why the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has ensured Garda funding has increased by more than €500 million in total and is up 27% since 2020, with €2.48 billion in budget 2025. Budget 2025 will provide for the recruitment of between 800 and 1,000 new gardaí along with 150 Garda staff and move towards 1,000 Garda Reserve members. All of that work is about supporting front-line policing in communities across our country and also in Dublin where I am aware there is a need to ensure a front-line response. That is why the task force was established. My understanding is that has reached or is reaching a conclusion and I expect recommendations to come from it. I have not seen the task force report myself so I cannot comment on what the exact recommendations are or when the report will be delivered.

I was contacted by an 89-year-old woman who has mobility issues and using a car is her only way to get around and out of the house. She applied for a primary medical certificate and it is quite clear there were serious miscommunication issues because she is a native Irish speaker and the application was done through English. She appealed the decision but, incredulously, she was told she would need to do a 600 km round trip to Dún Laoghaire to be assessed for the appeal. That cannot be serious. This woman is almost 90 years of age and where she lives in Connemara is an hour and a half away from Galway city, let alone to get all of the way up to Dublin. There seems to be a lack of common sense here and I know Deputy Chambers is the Minister for Finance and this falls under his remit. Will he speak to them to see if a bit of common sense could be brought to this situation?

I regret that constituent had to do that for that particular appeal. I will ask my officials to engage with this particular case. More generally, the primary medical certificate has not been working for many years as everyone in the House would agree. That is why intensive work is ongoing to try to reform it and bring about a new scheme to help those who need it. That is part of our wider work, presently, and we have been engaging across Government Departments to try to put a new scheme in place. I will engage on the specific case raised by the Deputy.

One in ten learners have dyslexia. Next Tuesday, 8 October, is World Dyslexia Day. There is a campaign for the provision of extra time during State exams for students with dyslexia, dyscalculia and other learning difficulties. The lack of extra time is a barrier and disadvantage for dyslexic students. Additional time is the norm already in many European countries and even here we make provision at third level. To be fair to the State Examinations Commission it has promised a review but unfortunately it estimates this review will take up to three years. Earlier, I heard the Minister rightfully defend the Minister, Deputy Foley's, intervention regarding mobile phones and the positive mental health impacts that can bring for students. These students left in limbo while this review is going on will suffer adversely in terms of their own mental health and the stresses the exams and lack of time brings.

Will the Minister support the campaign? Will he try his best to bring that timeline forward?

I appreciate the points the Deputy has raised on the behalf of those with dyslexia, dyscalculia or other challenges who are engaging in State examinations. I will ask the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, who I am sure the Deputy has engaged with, to respond to this campaign. The Department of Education is responsive to the needs of many students in how it supports them, for example, through the school day, and in the wider provision we are making within our education system. I will ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy on the issue.

This afternoon, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, is picketing outside Cork University Hospital, CUH. Its members are seriously concerned about the situation we are facing into this winter. Yesterday, in October, there were 73 patients on trolleys in CUH and nine patients on trolleys in the Mercy hospital. There was an increase of 50% in the number of people on trolleys between August and September. The INMO is telling the Government that it is "obstructing safe staffing in a way that is simply irresponsible". That is a serious charge but it is one that the INMO clearly feels can be borne out. Posts are being suppressed and that is having a considerable impact on patient safety. Will the Minister address the posts that are being suppressed and the impact on the patient safety? Will he also ask the Minister for Health to consider the fact that CUH is consistently up with UHL in the list of hospitals with the most patients on trolleys and the need for a particular package for CUH.

As I have said in reply to others, the Government is hugely committed to supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce. There are over 27,000 more staff working in our health system than there were at the beginning of 2020. That is a 23% increase over this period and includes more than 9,000 additional nurses and midwives. OECD statistical data shows that Ireland has more practising nurses per 1,000 of the population than nearly all other European countries and has the second highest among the reported EU countries.

When it comes to the wider framework that the Government has set out, €56 million has been provided to implement the safe staffing framework for nurses and healthcare assistants in our acute hospital system. Thousands of additional nurses were hired to support the framework. An additional 500 hires, for example, are in train for 2024. Once those 500 staff members are hired, that will help to support the wider framework as it is set out.

I again bring to the attention of the House the activities of Pepper Asset Management. Some of its operatives are behaving in a very aggressive manner in the pursuit of vulnerable long-term borrowers who, for compelling reasons, were not able to service their loans. Those loans were sold to vulture funds, some at a fraction of the face value, but people are now being pursued aggressively for the full face value and arrears, leaving them with no option other than to become homeless, in which case they do not qualify for local authority housing. Those people become homeless to facilitate the vulture funds. I am asking that the licence issued by the Central Bank be reviewed and the activity of this organisation be reviewed as a matter of extreme urgency.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Bank and the Department of Finance have advanced significant reforms in this area to support households that face difficulties with their mortgages. There is a clear framework for how that engagement is meant to occur. If there are specifics that the Deputy wants to raise with my office, we will engage with him on the issue.

The budget announced this week by the Minister will see the average cost of a tank of petrol or diesel rise by €12, making Ireland one of the most expensive countries in Europe for fuel. For workers and families in rural communities, particularly those such as mine in counties Roscommon and Galway, this will make it even more expensive to run a car, which is, of course, a necessity in many of these areas. It also makes it more difficult for young drivers who are starting out. This measure will hit rural communities hardest. Will the Minister reconsider the measure?

As a Government, we introduced temporary reductions in excise rates of 21% and 16% per litre of petrol and diesel, respectively, in 2022, when energy prices in our economy were very high. That was worth approximately €1.2 billion to consumers. We gradually changed excise rates as the global price of petrol and diesel fell. Fuel prices in our economy have fallen significantly. They were at highs of €2.10 per litre and €2.20 per litre and are now just over €1.64 or below €1.70, depending on the fuel station. The decision made on budget night is a part of the wider trajectory of carbon tax agreed by this House. It will add 2 cent to a litre of petrol and 2.5 cent to a litre of diesel.

What is interesting about the Sinn Féin pre-budget submission is that every year its representatives talk about removing the increase to property tax but every year, it is willing to spend the previous year's increase. Sinn Féin should clarify its position on the carbon tax that it wanted to abolish last year. It has not made provision for removing that tax. Sinn Féin is proposing an increase in the carbon tax on cars and the tax on petrol and diesel every year.

With the days getting shorter and the dark evenings getting longer, and with the clocks due to change in a few weeks, does the Minister agree that visibility for road users, particularly vulnerable road users, is important? My question has two parts. Has consideration been given to making it mandatory for cyclists to wear high-visibility jackets of some type after sunset? They are of great assistance in terms of visibility to other road users, including other cyclists and pedestrians as well as motorists. In areas where there are no footpaths or streetlights, which is the case in large parts of the country, will the Government consider making it mandatory for people walking on roads without footpaths and with no streetlights to wear a high-visibility jacket? That would be a protection for vulnerable road users. It is important that we all help each other. My view is that it is a bit like helmets in hurling. When they were introduced, there was a bit of resistance and people said they were unnecessary. No kid would now think of going out on a hurling pitch without a helmet. It is just a part of what they do.

I thank the Deputy. The area of road safety is one over which I previously had responsibility. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, are putting intensive work into supporting a lot of road safety policy areas. That is being advanced in the context of the road traffic legislation this year and other reforms intended to support pedestrians and cyclists in communities across our country.

The Road Safety Authority encourages the use of high-visibility clothing for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in darker winter conditions, which can significantly improve visibility and play a part in creating a safer environment on our roads. It is something that is encouraged and there is wider educational engagement for pedestrians. There are, however, no plans to legislate to make such clothing compulsory.

Progress is finally being made by the Office of Public Works, OPW, on a bridge over the River Liffey connecting to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in the Dublin South-Central constituency. This bridge was originally planned in the 1930s. It has, however, been reported that the bridge will be closed in the early evenings. This seems to be ridiculous. The war memorial gardens are open and accessible 24 hours per day so access to the bridge should be too. I ask the Minister, through the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, to address yet another example of questionable decision-making by the OPW.

I thank the Deputy. I am not familiar with the specific operational matters that may have been set out by the OPW. I appreciate the point the Deputy has raised for residents and the wider community in the area. I will reflect that to the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW.

It is important that the OPW responds to the concerns and needs of residents and the wider community in its work.