John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the members of the Business Committee for agreeing to have this discussion today. As I have not had a chance to speak yet in this Dáil, I want to place on the record of the House my own sympathies for those who have been bereaved in the current crisis, as well as my appreciation for those on the front line both in the health service and right across society, not least in the local government sector, which we are going to spend the next two hours discussing.

Our local authorities have been part of the front line of Ireland's response to the Covid-19 crisis. They have provided local leadership and support to communities throughout the country. They have proved once more how responsive and agile they are in the face of the crisis. They have found new ways of maintaining services and indeed creative new ways of delivering new services. The provision of support and care to vulnerable sectors of society, whether those in emergency accommodation or those in our communities forced to remain at home in cocooned isolation, has been at the heart of the local authority response to Covid-19. Just as the virus has forced us all to find new ways of working, coping and communicating, so it also has demonstrated the reach and flexibility of our 31 local authorities. The local authority system has played a pivotal role in protecting the most vulnerable in communities, namely, those in emergency accommodation. It has worked closely with NGOs, the HSE, the Garda and other key stakeholders to put in place really strong supports for those in emergency accommodation. It has also moved quickly to secure additional accommodation, with more than 1,000 new spaces secured in Dublin and more than 400 secured outside Dublin. There is more capacity above and beyond that.

It has also planned and acted strategically in maintaining key essential services. These have often been delivered in different ways and from different locations throughout the crisis, while planning carefully for the phased resumption and ramping up of more activities in line with the timetable set out in the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, and consistent with the Return to Work Safely Protocol.

The urgent requirement to keep the planning process open is recognised by all. While the public participation process in planning had to be protected by extending statutory timelines for several weeks, the focus now is on a prudent reopening of planning offices to facilitate a steady return to this critical element of economic activity across the country. Since Monday, planning offices have been open right across the country to public inspection.

From the very beginning of the emergency, it was recognised that people who were cocooning would need extra help, particularly if their usual networks of support were not able to reach them at that particular time. For that reason, and to put in place a safety net for such people, national government came together with local government and the community and voluntary sector to launch the Community Call initiative. This initiative recognised that local authorities are at the heart of every community in the country and that they have a unique democratic mandate and capacity to bring people together, and all the principal response agencies in the public sector, as well as huge numbers in the community and voluntary sector locally.

On Friday, 27 March, immediately following the announcement by An Taoiseach of strict measures to control the spread of Covid-19, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, directed all local authority chief executives to establish a dedicated forum to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable in their communities. Forums, dedicated help lines, and support systems were put in place in all 31 local authorities over that weekend. I want to take this opportunity to commend the local authorities, the staff, elected members and indeed other agencies on their leadership in responding so effectively and so rapidly to that call. I thank also the other bodies involved, including the HSE, the Garda, Civil Defence, the GAA and other sporting bodies, community and voluntary organisations, volunteers and everyone else who has come together with such commitment and generosity of spirit. The Community Call initiative has brought together key local bodies with national organisations such as ALONE and An Post, is helping to ensure that everyone who needs support is identified, that the support required is carefully assessed and the appropriate support is provided by a tried and trusted source. ALONE, the organisation supporting older people, is operating the national support line to provide emotional support and reassurance to vulnerable people and is cross-referencing callers through the appropriate local authority as required. Similarly, local authorities are referring appropriate calls to ALONE.

Special credit is due to An Post, whose staff have not only delivered critical Covid-19 informational material to households but are also checking in on vulnerable people and helping to ensure that they can stay connected. I thank my colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, who has worked in close partnership on this initiative. I also wish to mention and support the work of the forums in support of which, through Deputy Ring's Department, the Government has launched a €2.5 million fund. These include the local authority Community Call forums and the community and voluntary groups they are working with, such as Meals on Wheels and other community and voluntary services throughout the country. Each Community Call forum is providing practical supports like collection and delivery of food, meals, fuel, medication, pensions and other essential items.

Since 31 March, the 31 Community Call forums around the country have met 310 times remotely and have handled over 41,000 calls, some 750 calls per day on average, with more at the start. A total of 24% of the calls related to the delivery of food; 20% concerned social isolation or engagement; 8% concerned the delivery of meals; 6% concerned medical matters; and 42% fell into the other category, such as volunteering and people who hoped to give support to their local Community Call forum.

Since its launch on 9 March, the ALONE national helpline has received 21,000 calls and has supported just under 15,000 older people. The service provided by the Community Call forums will continue to operate as long as needed. It is quite important. There is a lesson to be learned for local government in the future from the engagement of so many new people, particularly in the community and voluntary sector, during the Covid response. It is important that we build on that in the future in terms of developing our local government structure. Important links and working relationships have been built among service providers and users at local level. A key consideration of the review of the initiative, which will commence shortly, will be about sustaining those links.

Importantly, given the breadth and reach of the bodies involved, some vulnerable and isolated people in our communities have been identified as part of the work of the forums. They have now been brought under the wing of their local communities and support organisations, which should allow them to continue to live independently in their homes for longer.

The Community Call fora also play an important role in the In This Together initiative, which aims to help everyone in Ireland to stay connected, to stay active and to look after their mental well-being throughout the emergency. An important element of this will be the work of the network of local authority libraries, which have already seen an expansion in their digital and online services.

In terms of finance, the Department has worked closely with the local government sector, particularly with the County and City Management Association, CCMA, to deal with the very significant financial and funding challenges that Covid-19 has presented to the sector. Rates income, budgeted at €1.54 billion in 2019 and €1.66 billion this year, provides approximately 30% of the revenue across all local authorities and up to 50% in some cases.

Recognising the critical nature of rates to local authorities and local communities, I ensured that the Local Government Rates and Other Matters Act 2019 was enacted last year. The act modernises the rates system. Important elements have already been commenced and the commencement of the remaining elements is being progressed with a view to them becoming operational for the next budgeting period beginning in the fourth quarter of this year. Obviously, however, the impact of Covid-19 on business and ratepayers has been very significant and Government has responded by announcing on 2 May a waiving of rates for all businesses forced to close due to public health requirements from 27 March for a three-month period. This will come at a cost of €260 million to be met by the Exchequer. The Department is currently finalising further guidance for local authorities on that initiative and the Cabinet will be meeting to discuss this guidance further on Friday. The position will be reviewed as part of a wider review of supports to enterprise and employment and associated local authority funding.

We are also involved, as Members will be aware, in the restart fund for micro and small businesses, which was announced by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys.

There are a number of other issues on which I will answer questions from Members.

See this speech in context