Dáil debates

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

4:00 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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A national crisis within our farming industry is affecting almost every part of the country, particularly rural Ireland. This relates to the availability of fodder for our cattle and is particularly acute in the dairy sector and in high intensity farming. Deputies Ó Cuív and Moynihan raised this last week. Yesterday I met the Bothar Buí co-operative and spoke to farmers who express huge frustration that there does not appear to be a sense at national level that farmers are really in an unprecedented crisis.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The problem began last year with terrible weather in the summer which has impacted on the quantity of silage that could be cut and on the fodder capacity to deal with an extended winter. Cows would normally have been out on the grass for a long time by now but they are indoors. I met the chairman of the farmers' committee of IRD Duhallow yesterday who told me that by his estimate 90% of farmers in the Duhallow area are without feed. I saw on television the Dairygold Co-operative purchasing fodder for its suppliers across that region at exorbitant prices.

The transport costs incurred by co-operatives helping their suppliers to source fodder have serious implications. Credit facilities and lines are breaking down. There is no fodder left in the country which is very serious. The farming community is concerned that this point has not got across to people at national level, in government or in the Oireachtas. The human toll is beginning to mount. Some farmers have been hospitalised and mental health problems are growing. People do not know where to turn.

Does the Taoiseach accept that the fodder situation is a national crisis? Will he establish a national co-ordinating group or task force involving all stakeholders immediately with a view to addressing the issue in the short term and coming up with solutions and coming to the assistance of farmers? Will he establish a fodder aid scheme to assist farmers who are in deep trouble and see no end in sight?

4:10 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am aware that this is an issue of acute concern to farmers. Obviously, significant numbers of farmers have contacted my constituency office about the matter. I met the president of the ICMSA, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the other morning about it and have had representatives of the IFA, Irish Farmers Association, on to me on numerous occasions. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine was very open about this issue last week on national radio and many occasions since. It has arisen because of the hardness of the weather for several months. As any farmer will tell the Deputy, farmers have been waiting for some natural heat to bring on growth. The issue is of acute concern in quite a number of cases. The next few days and weeks will be critical for farmers, for whom sourcing fodder is a key priority.

The first priority is that farmers should have access to fodder for their animals. As Deputy Micheál Martin is aware - if he is not, he should be - the relationship between farmers and their animals is very close. One will recall the plight of a poor farmer in Athlone whose cattle were stranded and went to extraordinary lengths to see they had fodder. It is an issue of the farming community caring for animals in the best way possible. I saw the television pictures of the 75 loads of hay coming in from England. The Minister and his Department have been quite open about this matter and want to hear from farmers who have acute fodder shortage difficulties. They have encouraged the co-operatives which have been flexible with providing credit for affected farmers to give them favourable deals, selling fodder at cost price. Feed is being sourced and will be provided for any farmer who has run short. One cannot wait with animals in a case when there is no fodder available.

A relatively small number of farmers have contacted the Department, despite the request to do so, if they were in acute need. Listening to farmers, I note the co-operative spirit is very strong. Farmers who still have silage left have helped others who do not. Available fodder is being shared, while other fodder is being sourced. The Minister and the Department have been in regular contact with the banks, the co-ops and the feed merchants urging flexibility and co-operation in order that farmers who need it can have access to fodder, be it silage or meal. The Minister will again meet the chief executives of the co-ops and the representatives of the banks tomorrow when he will again urge the greatest degree of flexibility and support for farmers in distress. Both the banks and the co-ops have urged farmers to contact them to discuss the terms they have available.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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The banks, for God’s sake. The Taoiseach must be joking. Show me the money. Cá bhfuil an t-airgead?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Gabh mo leithscéal. They have indicated flexibility and support will be available for farmers affected. Teagasc is dispensing substantial amounts of technical and nutritional information on fodder needs arising from the severe and harsh weather conditions that have prevailed since the close of summer in 2012. Teagasc advisers are working with farmers to provide advice on the best options available to them.

The Fianna Fáil spokesperson on agriculture has been calling for a €10 million fodder fund. Farmers have not been seeking such a fund. What they have been seeking is flexibility, co-operation and access to fodder. It is in these areas that the Minister, the Department, Teagasc and the co-ops are working very hard to see to it that the farming community and animals get through this difficult period safely.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Live horse, eat grass.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In my opening remarks I endeavoured to keep this issue free of party politics because it should be above it. There is a real crisis. What concerns me about the Taoiseach’s reply is that he uses every word but “crisis”. He says the Minister is open. He used the words “acute concern”, “difficulties” and “challenging”. The Minister did the same last week, but there is a determined effort to avoid use of the word “crisis”, as if uttering it would mean the Taoiseach would have to take some action. He mentioned everyone but the Government is taking some action on this issue. There is a credit problem which is looming and getting worse for the millers, co-operatives and farmers.

I asked the Taoiseach three questions. Did he accept there was a crisis? He said, “No.” The farmers I met yesterday were very clear that there was a crisis. Everyone knows that if those who take decisions do not accept there is a crisis, it impacts on the urgency and nature of their response.

I asked if the Taoiseach would set up a national task force to bring all stakeholders together to develop a national response to the crisis for many farmers who are in difficulty through no fault of their own. I accept the matter has to do with negative climatic conditions. However, the unprecedented nature of these climatic conditions justifies a national response led by the Government in bringing all stakeholders together. It is not too much to ask the Taoiseach to put together a national group to lead a proper, co-ordinated response to the crisis. Paying €135 a bale, as the Dairygold Co-operative Society has had to, is not an answer. I met a farmer yesterday with 100 cows who had enough feed to last only until today. The crisis so far will have cost the average farmer with 70 cows up to €20,000.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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And he or she will never get that money back.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The banks, meanwhile, are generally increasing bank charges. The co-ops have told us that they are playing their role but that they are concerned about the banks. They are doing their very best to help their suppliers. Teagasc is also playing its role. The problem, however, is that it is giving professional advice but farmers involved are at the pinnacle of animal husbandry. These are good farmers who have taken good advice all along the way. However, last summer’s weather conditions and the extended winter period have impacted on the amount of feed available. What happened at the back end of the year will present another problem because of the extended winter period.

Photo of Michael KittMichael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is over time.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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This is not going to end in the next three weeks if there is some sunlight. As was articulated to me yesterday, the overall problem will be that it will sap farmers' confidence in Harvest 2020-----

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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It has.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----because milk yields are down by one third this year. In some areas such as Duhallow, County Cork, there will be a 50% cut in milk yields. This will reduce farmers’ capacity to take advantage of good milk prices. The implications are fundamental for an industry and a sector for which we have great hopes. The Taoiseach should set up a task force. In the past, when there were isolated flooding incidents, fodder aid schemes were produced by former Ministers, including by Deputy Brendan Smith and Joe Walsh in 1999.

Photo of Michael KittMichael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is over time. I must call the Taoiseach.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not something that could not be done. It could be. At the very minimum, the Taoiseach should set up a national co-ordinating group. I ask him to do this in good faith.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Deputy Butler could head it up.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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The Government is asleep.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I always remember Deputy Brendan Smith as the Minister who gave out free cheese.

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I gave out cheese, but I also gave funding to farmers in the west who had been affected by bad floods.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A good productive farmer knows exactly the extent of fodder and feed he or she has left.

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The man to whom the Taoiseach referred from Athlone was actually from Galway.

Photo of Michael KittMichael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As they approach the end of their silage or meal cellars stocks, they know exactly what they have left. It is a crisis when it reaches the point where the farmer has no fodder and meal left.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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They have no fodder.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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They have gone beyond that point.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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What are they going to do, Mattie? The first thing is that neighbours share, as all farmers do.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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They cannot eat clay.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As Deputy Micheál Martin has heard on the national airwaves, farmers in every parish have shared silage bales, feed and fodder.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Yes, they have, but the fodder is gone.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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They are bringing in fodder from England.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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The Taoiseach should listen to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae because he is in touch.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If farmers are in difficulty in the next few days when they run out of fodder, they will be on, first, to the co-ops, Teagasc, their neighbours and the Department.

In this case there is no need for another task force to consider the problem. We know what the problem is-----

4:20 pm

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Taoiseach is doing nothing about it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has stated publicly that if there is a difficulty with any farmer in so far as fodder is concerned, he wants to hear about it.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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We are telling the Taoiseach about it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There is a line to the Department of Agriculture-----

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Phone a friend.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and the feed is being distributed. Teagasc instructors are giving nutritional and feed advice to farmers as they need it. Nobody wants to see farm stock left without fodder in these cases.

It is a crisis for any farmer when they run out of fodder or feed. That is the reason the Minister has been meeting with banks, co-operatives, lenders, Teagasc and the feed providers themselves to ensure there is flexibility, co-operation, extension of credit, and sale at cost price to allow farmers get over the coming three or four weeks, which will be very difficult for some people. I share that concern. I accept it is a crisis for anybody who is running out of fodder.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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They have run out.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Farmers are the most practical-minded people in terms of their business-----

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Yes.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and they know that neighbours will share. If everybody is out of fodder, then they must have access-----

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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You cannot share what you do not have.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----as Dairygold demonstrated when it brought in the loads of hay from England last week. It is a genuine issue of concern, but I do not share the Deputy's view of the need for a task force. All of the people are in place.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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They are not. The Taoiseach is doing nothing about it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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They are headed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine who has publicly invited farmers to contact him and the Department so that they can get access to credit, access to fodder and flexibility, where that is required, from lenders, feed suppliers or whomever to tide them over these difficult few weeks.

A Deputy:

What about the small farmer?

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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The Taoiseach is totally out of touch.

Photo of Michael KittMichael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Can we have order, please?

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I understand the Taoiseach has asked the Labour Relations Commission to engage again with the trade unions a week after Croke Park II was decisively rejected by workers. At the same time, his Government is moving forward Estimates which include these pay cuts for front-line workers as a done deal.

For this new process to have any chance of success there must be a real policy shift in the Government's approach to this issue. Has the Taoiseach accepted the result of the Croke Park II ballot? Does he accept that Croke Park II is now off the table? Does he now accept that the big stick approach of issuing threats and diktats to public sector workers has failed? Will he definitively state that the Government threat to cut pay by 7% across the board is now off the table? This process must be a real renegotiation rather than a face-saving exercise or a tweaking. It cannot be like Lisbon II or Nice II. He cannot continue to ask workers to vote again until they give him the answer he wants. Is it a case of back to the drawing board? Is the Taoiseach genuinely open to new ideas and other ways to close the deficit?

A Deputy:

Does the Deputy have some?

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will this be an inclusive negotiation? Will all parties be invited back to the table? I have in mind in particular the gardaí, the nurses, the emergency personnel and other front-line workers, some of whom were excluded from the process towards the end of the negotiation of the Croke Park II deal.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm to the House that the Government considered the matter this morning and approved a recommendation from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that in the first instance, having noted the decision of the trade unions in their ballot on the Croke Park II negotiations, the Labour Relations Commission, LRC, should be asked to engage with the 21 unions involved to see if there is room for negotiation in respect of the outcome of the decision by the trade unions. That does not alter the fact that the figures and the arithmetic remain the same. There is a requirement to achieve a saving of €300 million this year from within the public payroll bill, rising to €1 billion by 2015. In the first instance the Government has decided to ask the LRC to engage with the unions, having published the Revised Estimates, including the requirement clearly set out by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, who has the full backing of the Government in this matter, to determine whether there is a basis for discussion and negotiation. The Government expects to get a response to that engagement inside two weeks.

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I asked the Taoiseach a series of questions. He did not answer any of them, with the exception of one. He is making it clear that Croke Park II is still on the table, and I can only take from his answers that he has asked the LRC to engage with unions and workers on that basis. Obviously, the Taoiseach hopes there can be some face-saving or tweaking of this agreement. I would not share that view. We should remember that when this deal was produced, the Government agreed, alongside the trade unions, that a process of ratification would be entered into. He voluntarily agreed to the notion that workers should be balloted on this agreement. The workers have rejected the agreement by a decisive majority.

When does "No" mean "No"? Why can the Taoiseach not accept that democratic verdict? He said he has to save €300 million. So be it, but there are other ways in which he can raise €300 million. It does not have to be at the expense of front-line workers. It does not have to be a result of hammering the public services.

Photo of Michael KittMichael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach has asked the LRC to talk to the unions to see if there is room for a negotiation on the outcome of the agreement. What exactly does that mean? Is he asking it to test the ground with the unions to see whether they can run the vote again? Is that the Taoiseach's thinking? Given that he is hell-bent on finding this €300 million, why does the Taoiseach put himself in a type of policy straitjacket? Why will he not look beyond the proposals in Croke Park II to other initiatives that could raise those moneys fairly? Perhaps there is an argument for a proportion of that to come from the cosseted upper echelons of the public sector, but low- and middle-income workers and front-line workers have told the Government definitively that they have no more to give. Has the Taoiseach heard that? Does he understand it? Why will he not allow the LRC to open up the discussion in a genuine, open-minded way and listen to the proposals that many of the trade unions will bring forward as to how he might gather the €300 million? Will the Taoiseach not agree that "No" does mean "No"?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As I said to the Deputy, the bottom line is that the Government follows a plan which has made significant progress towards rectifying our public finances, restoring some sense of confidence in the Irish economy and bringing about a situation in which, thankfully, 1,000 jobs are being created in the private sector every month. The Government was disappointed with the outcome of the vote, which, on the basis of the negotiated proposals before the trade unions, ensured that those who earned the most paid the most and that the core pay of the 87% of public workers who earn less than €65,000 were not affected.

The Deputy's party has had views about the way in which this should be dealt with. I remind her of her proposal before the last election for €3 billion in tax increases, which would have been catastrophic for this country, deprived people of any opportunity to work and left marginal rates at an exceptionally high level.

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Says the Taoiseach with the 14% unemployment rate. Is he joking?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It does not take into account the mess we inherited and the difficulties with which Government has had to deal.

Regarding those who earn most, the €500 million package put together in the last budget comes from those who earn most. I repeat that the proposal did not affect the core pay or salary of the 87% of public sector workers earning less than €65,000 a year.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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I cannot believe the Taoiseach is coming out with that again.

Photo of Mary Lou McDonaldMary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach is re-running Croke Park II.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I would also make the point to Deputy McDonald that it is important that the Government stick to its plan, which is working in a sense of moving towards renewed confidence in the Irish economy.

As the Minister for Finance has stated, any flexibility that arises should clearly be invested in infrastructure for the public good, such as schools, primary care centres and public buildings, so that contractors and other people can have the opportunity to go work and earn a living and there is some investment for the future.

4:30 pm

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Bruton wants a tax cut.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Investing in minor adjustments to the social protection area will not sort out our economy. What we need to do is deal with the challenge of the scale of 14% unemployment and a live register of 400,000 people. This means investment in infrastructure in which people can be employed and have meaningful jobs.

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Is that why the Government cut the capital budget by over €3 billion?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As I said at the beginning, the Government's decision was to approve the recommendation of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to ask the LRC to engage with the unions involved to see, following the outcome of the vote, whether there is a basis now for a negotiated agreement on savings of €300 million this year. The Minister expects to have a response within two weeks.

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I am sure the Taoiseach heard Praveen Halappanavar describe his wife's treatment in our hospital service before her death as horrendous, barbaric and inhumane. Her death was one the most eminent obstetrician in the country has said could have been avoided had she been granted the termination she requested. Instead, she was left in agony with her treatment delayed until she was, basically, at death's door, because of the failure of successive governments to legislate and because of the obscene distinction between protecting a woman's life and protecting her health, a distinction the Minister for Justice and Equality correctly said has resulted in some citizens' being more equal than others. While there is no impediment to the protection of men's lives, health or general well-being, in the case of pregnant women that is a qualified right.

One would think, in a civilised society in which it has been found that an innocent woman has died unnecessarily and in which half of the population are not guaranteed an equal right to health, that the Taoiseach would be spurred into action. Instead, we had the spectacle at the weekend of talk of Spanish inquisitions and of suicidal women being brought before tribunals of three, four or six inquisitors to adjudicate on their mental health. That discussion was of itself insulting to women and their doctors. I was going to ask the Taoiseach what he has against women, but I will confine myself to three simple questions on the issue of maternal well-being.

On the day Savita Halappanavar's inquest finished, an inquest opened in Dublin into the death of Bimbo Onanuga, a Nigerian woman who died in the Rotunda three years ago. This woman's family had to fight for that inquest. Given the useful information that came out of the Halappanavar inquest, which can be used to inform our maternity services in future years, will the Taoiseach consider moving to amend the Coroners Act to ensure there is an automatic inquest into a case of death in our maternity hospitals? Will he, against the backdrop of recent commissioned research which reveals a disproportionate number of deaths among women not born in Ireland - 40% of maternal deaths occur to women not born in Ireland - examine the situation and the data protection information in our hospitals? Finally, will he ensure that, without delay, legislation is brought before this House to provide for abortion where the life of a woman is in danger, including a risk of suicide, on the advice of not more than two medical practitioners publicly available in our health service with State-wide access?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy's comment is not relevant here. In all the comments I have made about any of these matters, I have tried to be as understanding of the position as one can be. The situation is that there is no need for some of the language I have heard in the past, based purely on speculation, dealing with the lives of women and the lives of their unborn children. That language is not necessary. It should not be the case that anybody in this country refers to women as being some kind of impediment to their children and to the lives of their children. This is much too serious an issue for that kind of glib comment and I do not accept it from Deputy Daly.

The tragic circumstances that arose in Galway can never bring back Savita Halappanavar to her husband, who has lost his wife and her unborn child. The jury and the coroner's inquest concluded with a unanimous verdict of medical misadventure and the jury adopted unanimously the nine recommendations made by the coroner, Dr. Ciarán McLoughlin, who conducted the inquest with a very high degree of professional competence. The HSE is considering the recommendations made by the coroner and some of them are already under way as part of the ongoing clinical and patient safety initiatives within the HSE - for example, the introduction of an early warning system for obstetrics and gynaecology nationally. The HSE presented the final draft report to the solicitor for Mr. Halappanavar on 29 March for his observations and his feedback and I understand the chairman, who is independent of the investigation team, offered to meet Mr. Halappanavar whenever appropriate. Arrangements have been made to set up that meeting.

I do not have the details with regard to the inquest to which Deputy Daly referred in Dublin. I suggest the Deputy request a Topical Issue discussion in respect of the data protection issues.

In regard to the Deputy's third question on legislation with regard to the issue of circumstances in which there is a real and substantial threat to the life of a woman, that matter is under active consideration by the Government. When the Government decides to approve the heads of that Bill, it will be sent to the all-party Oireachtas committee for its observations and for preparation of the legislation involved.

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I must say the Taoiseach has not provided a single answer. The words "active consideration" tell me nothing. This House deserves that the legislation be enacted as quickly as possible, because the findings of the inquest left no doubt whatsoever. The finding was that this woman was subjected to serious and shocking mismanagement of her treatment and that she was denied and deprived of proper medical treatment when she needed it. Dr. Peter Boylan has been very clear that the only thing that could have saved her early on was the granting of a termination when she requested it.

I do not know what the Taoiseach is waiting for. Is he waiting for his daughter, my daughter or someone else's wife to be in the same horrendous circumstance that Savita's husband described? Abortion is a health issue. It is a human rights issue. The Minister for Justice and Equality has clearly stated - and I agree with him - that this is also an issue of equality. I am not sure why the Taoiseach feels women's lives are less valuable than men's or why their health should be unnecessarily put at risk. That is what the findings delivered.

I have submitted a lot of questions about Bimbo Onanuga and about the compilation of our maternal mortality rates, which are at variance with the figures. The real figures show a higher rate than that indicated by the Central Statistics Office. This is a concern for all of us. At best, our figures equate to the EU average, rather than the rates we are always sounding on about. I will raise the issues, but the Taoiseach, as the key person in the State representing half of the population, might like to fast-track some of them.

Information which can be gleaned in coroners' reports and public hearings can inform our medical practice for the benefit of all women in the years to come. Delays in that regard do not help anybody.

4:40 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I completely reject the Deputy's assertion that anybody in this House values the lives of women less than anybody else.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I think that is a disgraceful comment for her to make.

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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She should withdraw it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I remind Deputy Daly that two lives are involved in each of these cases. She is well aware that each case involves the life of the mother and the life of the unborn. The process the Government is involved in, as it follows through on the expert report, clearly takes some little time. The information meetings held by an Oireachtas committee are feeding into the preparation of the heads of a Bill to deal with this matter in a sensitive, compassionate and understanding manner and in the right way. When the Government clears the heads of the Bill, it will send them to the committee for a full-scale debate so that this issue can be dealt with comprehensively and in the right way. This issue has divided Irish society on a number of occasions in the past 30 years. There are two lives involved here - the life of the mother and the life of the unborn. It is not a matter to be treated flippantly, glibly or with the kind of remarks made by Deputy Daly.

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Twenty-one years.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am quite sure everybody in this House shares the same understanding of, and places the same value on, people's lives. It is not correct for the Deputy Daly to suggest that anybody has a different valuation system when it comes to the lives of women in this country.