Dáil debates

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

12:55 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It seems that promises made to develop regional businesses and so on are falling flat on their face, as it were, especially in terms of the two-tier recovery. The case of Norwegian Air is interesting. There was much hope in the regions in terms of the announcement from the US but it seems that there will be 12 flights per week from Dublin and that Dublin will get the bulk of the flights from Norwegian Air. Cork will get about three flights per week to Providence and it is not clear what Shannon or Knock will get, if anything. It seems to me that when one looks at the 27 million passengers that go through Dublin Airport, the 2.3 million through Cork and the 1.74 million through Shannon, it illustrates the incredibly lopsided economic development on the island and in this Republic. Under the Irish Aviation Authority (amendment) Bill, I put it to the Taoiseach that there is an urgent need to ensure a far greater balance in terms of services out of the regions as opposed to the capital.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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This was under consideration for quite a long time, as Deputy Martin will be aware. I had the privilege of raising it with President Obama on two occasions in America and I am glad that, after quite a deal of difficulty, the decision was made. It was not all political, as the Deputy will be aware.

My understanding is that a number of airports throughout the country will benefit from this. Obviously, Norwegian Air is looking at how best that can be expanded. Its may be because of pre-clearance, I do not know. Obviously Cork is particularly hoping to avail of its best benefit from this. I believe Norwegian Air cannot use all of its larger aircraft at the airport due to the length of the runway. That is an issue that the airport authority will consider. Shannon, Belfast and Knock may also be considered in time.

I should say to the Deputy that every region of the country has shown growth. On the many occasions I have been in Cork, things are improving, as I am sure the Deputy will agree. This is a commercial decision that has the support of everybody. Let the flights begin, as they say. It is to be hoped Cork will continue to benefit from it in the time ahead, but we would like to see that benefit spread throughout the country, as the Deputy says. We have Belfast, Knock, Shannon, Cork and Dublin so it is to be hoped that people who wish to fly to America have regional spread and plenty of opportunity.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Taoiseach tell the Dáil what the Government has done to implement the Weston Park Agreement of 2001 between the British and Irish Governments? The Ceann Comhairle will know that this commits both Governments to hold inquiries if a judge appointed to examine four cases recommended so. Judge Cory recommended that four inquiries should be held, and three have taken place, but the British Government has refused to hold an inquiry into the murder of human rights lawyer, Pat Finucane. Yesterday, the Court of Appeal in Belfast dismissed the appeal by the Finucane family against the British Government's actions. I commend Geraldine Finucane and the Finucane clan for their courage and perseverance. Yesterday, when I raised this issue with the Taoiseach, he said that he had asked for a report. Will he brief the Dáil on this? Will he bring the case of Pat Finucane before the United Nations, the European Union, to the Government of the United States and to every other available international forum?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I commend Geraldine Finucane and her family on following through on this and I note her comments yesterday. I have asked for a copy of the judgement, which I have not yet received and which I will need to read. Deputy Adams and I have discussed this before. Clearly the Fresh Start agreement in respect of legacy issues, in my view and the view of the former British Prime Minister, has the potential to have released all files and information held on persons who suffered, and in many cases died, during the troubled times.

I think this is a case that should be dealt with. Judge Cory made his recommendations and they were followed through in this jurisdiction, where he made those recommendations, but not in Northern Ireland. I would like to read the judgment in full and have a report furnished to me on it. I am quite happy to have it raised when I have had an opportunity to read those and to see where it might be possible to follow through. As I have said to the Deputy previously, if people are serious about providing information about loved ones who were bombed, shot or killed or where loss of life occurred, that capacity is inherent in the Weston Park agreement and also in the Fresh Start agreement. I would like people to live up to their responsibilities and provide the information so that loved ones and family members can bring closure to these things that happened so long ago.

1:05 pm

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I asked the Taoiseach earlier about a matter which should be at the top of the agenda of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, but which sadly is not. I now to turn to an issue that seems to be his obsession, although he has no responsibility for it at all. I am talking, of course, about the promised judicial appointments legislation. Today's edition of The Irish Timesreports that the legislation to reform the way judges are appointed - a Bill promised by the Department of Justice and Equality for months - has been delayed. The latest deadline was the end of January. Pat Leahy notes that nobody now seems bothered about the matter. Where stands the judicial appointments Bill?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The judicial appointments Bill stands as a priority for Government for this session. We would like to see it concluded. There has been quite a deal of discussion and correspondence from members of the Judiciary outlining their view on this. As the Deputy is well aware, it is a function of the Cabinet to make appointments to the Judiciary. The system by which that is made is at stake here.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Are judges being appointed at present?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Judicial Appointments Advisory Board has been in operation for a number of years. What is proposed now is a more transparent method of providing names for Cabinet to consider for appointment to the Bench.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Is there an embargo?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is a priority. I will update the Deputy on the progress made since the matter was last raised here.

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Practices that in normal circumstances would never be countenanced are sometimes allowed to become commonplace during a prolonged and entrenched crisis. Is the Cabinet holding any discussions on legislation to deal with the exploitation of homeless people? We have seen a number of very serious breaches - these would normally never happen if there were not a prolonged housing crisis - in the context of the way landlords behave but also, unofficially, in the way the new type of landlords are behaving. I refer, in particular, to the overcrowding in the house in Cabinteely. Can legislation be introduced to stop landlords from doing something like this in the future? Following an incident in Mountjoy Square last night, Dublin Fire Brigade reported 150 people living in three houses. I know these houses and I calculate that they should not hold more than 70 to 80 people. An Internet café on Talbot Street is allowing people to sleep on the floor overnight. Those individuals are being charged a tenner a night to sleep on the floor or under desks. Will legislation to deal with the consequences of this disgraceful prolonged homeless crisis - by means of which what would never normally be tolerated is being allowed to become the norm in our society - be introduced?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to address the Deputy's specific question.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We are, as the Deputy knows, doing a number of things. The main focus has been on increasing the supply of emergency accommodation dramatically in recent months so that people do not feel they are forced to find accommodation in totally unsuitable circumstances, whether that is in Internet cafés or elsewhere.

On the overcrowding within the private rental market, the focus has been on a dramatic increase in the supply of social housing, which is now very much under way. There has also been a focus on Airbnb's role in the private rental market. I have met Airbnb recently to discuss how we can deal appropriately with some of the concerns people have. There is a whole range of different areas. The number of inspections of rental properties will also increase significantly through local authorities which we have committed to in the new rental strategy.

1:10 pm

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We saw how Mountjoy Square has gone. Hopefully we will not see fires and tragedy resulting in them.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I want to raise an important issue. The programme for Government contains a commitment to using the credit unions and allowing them to help in the housing crisis and other areas. At the moment, the Central Bank seems to be bullying credit unions. Our one in Clonmel, of which I am a member, is being forced to merge with Charleville. There is a song about Charleville but the people in Clonmel have no real interest in Charleville. There are over 21,000 members. The Central Bank ran amok and allowed the banks to run amok under its watch in the past decade. We know the consequences of that. Will they now destroy the credit unions? Both of these credit unions are pretty large. Charleville has large debts and a merger is being forced. The people are incensed about this. We are looking for information from the board. The board has to do its job. Is legislation being forced? Will the Government bring in amending legislation to the Central Bank Act and not coerce honest and decent credit unions that have served the people well for decades into a situation of having to merge with a credit union that is 50 miles or 60 miles away?

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy should not say anything bad about Charleville.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There have been a number of reports on credit unions, which the Government fully support. The regulator for the credit unions is the Central Bank. Government fully supports the credit unions and the many hundreds of thousands of members who participate in credit unions. Those reports were commissioned and recommendations made for the improvement of the credit unions for the benefit of the many hundreds of thousands of customers. Government supports that. In response to a question yesterday, I said the moneys available to the credit union to provide the opportunity to provide houses is a matter for approval by the Central Bank, which is the regulator. Government is anxious it will be forthcoming.

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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At the launch of the national planning framework, the Taoiseach gave a very good speech on the need for us to invest in twenty-first century solutions for this country. It is a real concern in this House. Earlier this month IBEC said that what we need to do first is invest in finishing off twentieth-century solutions. It presented its connection plan this morning which involves thousands of new motorways and dual carriageways everywhere. It is the least sustainable plan I have ever seen. It beggars belief that IBEC is coming out with it. National planning framework officials came to the House last week and said our biggest problem has been sprawl and that we have to go back into the centres. That is the centre of the plan. The plan is about asking people for their views and listening. Will the Government give any direction to back up those officials and tell IBEC to wake up and that we have to bring life back into the villages, the centres of towns and the centres of our cities rather than continuing the sprawl, which the IBEC plan would almost guarantee?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I agree with this. I launched this plan with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in Maynooth recently. We also have the rural action plan. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to comment on the Deputy's specific question.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy knows, the Government puts a lot of store on this new developing national plan. The technical term is the national planning framework. We attempted to do this only once before as a country with the national spatial strategy which did not work out too well. We are in a consultation process at the moment. I have already been to Sligo. I was in Ballymun yesterday. I will be in Cork on Friday and we are going to Waterford, Athlone and Galway. There will also be a second meeting in Dublin. We will try to build consensus across political parties as well as across multiple stakeholders that have an interest in what Ireland should look like in ten and 20 years' time. Sustainability and climate change will be a big part of that as will how people move around, where they live and, in particular, urban environments that have not been developed appropriately over the past 20 years. The Deputy will have an opportunity to input into that in a very direct way.

1:20 pm

Photo of John BrassilJohn Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Given that more than 50 families in Tralee and its environs have gone without a single night's respite care for more than 14 months for their adult disabled dependants, including a 75 year old women who is in poor health and looking after her middle-aged son, when will the Government finally ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and give some level of hope to those people and their families? To cite an example in this respect, last year the HSE sanctioned the purchase of a building to provide respite care in Kerry and this year it refused funding for the running of it. What level of ineptitude will we accept from that organisation for it to do something like that?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I can empathise with the Deputy and the comments he made in the respect of the pressure and stress on people in this situation. The Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is going through the Dáil. The ratification of the convention is subject to a number of items of legislation going back 18 months or two years. In Ireland we prefer to put the legislation through and for it to become law and then to ratify conventions, rather than what other countries do in some cases, which is to ratify a convention and then they have to follow through with the legislation. The legislation, which is currently going through the Dail, is another piece of the jigsaw that will bring us nearer being able to sign that convention.

However, something needs to be done for the families the Deputy mentioned, and that is part of the programme the Minister for Health is examining with a ten-year perspective from an all-party Dáil committee. As to how we take the politics out of many of these areas, Tralee, no more than many other towns around the country, would love to have an opportunity to have a place where respite care could be provided for local people and where that opportunity should exist. In respect of the convention, that Bill is going through the Dáil. We will look at the question of access to respite care for the families the Deputy mentioned.

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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In 2015 a 40-bed long-stay rehabilitation unit was completed in Deer Lodge in Killarney and in 2014 a four-bed high-observation unit was completed in University Hospital Kerry but to date, those two units lie empty. I am told the reason they lie empty is due to a lack of staff to run these units. When will the Government and the Minister for Health make funding available to have those two units up and running?

For the Taoiseach's further information, 16 children have been admitted to the mental health section of University Hospital Kerry because there are no child or adolescent beds available in Kerry. That is a national disgrace. When will the Government address these issues?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I do not know the actual facts around the two cases that the Deputy mentioned but clearly these units were built for a purpose. As the Deputy knows, the Minister for Health has addressed the question of incentives for qualified nurses and medical personnel to come back to Ireland. There is the intention to employ, I believe, more than 1,000 this year and quite a number of people have been employed in the medical services run by the HSE during the past 12 months. Clearly, there has to be a programme for people to work in these facilities and for them to be used for the purpose for which they were built. I will advise the Deputy as to what the current state of play is from the HSE perspective. I will arrange to have the Minister of State dealing with mental health provision respond to the Deputy regarding children being placed in adolescent beds in Kerry.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call Deputy Brendan Smith.

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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On the same issue----

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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There is a commitment in the programme for Government for much better engagement with citizens and communities about the energy policy decisions that affect them and a commitment to effective community consultation on energy infrastructure developments. As the Taoiseach is aware, last week Dáil Éireann passed a Private Members' motion, moved by the Fianna Fáil Party, and one of its particular elements called on the Government to commission immediately an independent report incorporating international industry expertise. Could the Taoiseach advise the House if the Minister concerned or the Government or both have yet initiated that study and, if not, when is it expected to commence that process?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I note the motion that was passed last week. It calls for a report to be provided and we have been in touch with the Minister about that. He was in the House for the taking of that motion.

1 o’clock

There have been other reports on this provision, as Deputy Smith is aware. The provision is for an all-energy island, and this is clearly a major issue post-Brexit in all these respects for the economies of both the North and the Republic. I will have the Minister, Deputy Naughten, respond to Deputy Smith in respect of the motion that was passed and the matter referred to of the report.

1:30 pm

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I asked the Taoiseach a few weeks ago to check what legislation was imminent on foot of the announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy English, about the mortgage-to-rent scheme being extended to allow for credit union participation. Has the Taoiseach found out whether the legislation is imminent? The credit union movement has not been consulted on the issue and I would have expected it to be consulted before the implementation of such legislation and such a pilot scheme.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Regarding money currently available to credit unions to be used for housing purposes, the Central Bank must give its approval for this as it is the regulator. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Coveney-----

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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That is not what the Taoiseach said two weeks ago, despite the fact that I already knew that.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----to deal with the question of the legislation.

Photo of Barry CowenBarry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Specifically, the Minister of State, Deputy English, announced on national radio that credit unions would be included in the extension of the mortgage-to rent-scheme, which allowed for private equity funds to purchase 36,000 bad debt loans.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will check the issue of credit unions for the Deputy and come back to him, but my understanding is that the relaunch and revamp of the mortgage-to-rent scheme, which I think he and many others have welcomed, needs to extend across all the financial institutions.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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On Monday morning, I met a group of parents of children with various disabilities to discuss child and adult mental health services, CAMHS, in Sligo. Last week, the senior child psychiatrist resigned. She had only been in the position for four months and I think her predecessor was in the position for even a shorter period. There has been chopping and changing for the past two years. There is a huge backlog of children who have serious problems and their parents are absolutely out of their minds. It reminded me of the television programme, "Living on the List"; it was a similar kind of situation. These families are very worried. Their children are waiting for months on end to be assessed. Then, when recommendations are made that services be put forward for them, they find the psychologist, speech therapist or OTs are not in place to provide those services. It is a crisis in the Sligo-Leitrim area. It is not that one child psychiatrist needs to be recruited; two need to be recruited to deal with the backlog. One parent told me how she had to hide the knives and cutlery in the house-----

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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-----to stop her child self-harming. It is a very serious situation-----

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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-----and the Taoiseach's Government needs to take a handle on it and sort it out-----

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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-----because we are looking at a situation that will be a catastrophe if not resolved shortly.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I cannot answer Deputy Kenny as to why the psychologist and her predecessor retired or resigned. There are reasons that apply locally. However, I will have the HSE and the Minister respond to Deputy Kenny about this. I do not have all the detail of all the issues such as this that get raised locally, but it is important for the people there, the parents and children, that these matters be dealt with and sorted out.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Many of the issues being raised are more appropriate to Dáil questions.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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When it is likely to be possible for the Bail (Amendment) Bill 2016 to pass through both Houses of the Oireachtas with a view to coming into operation?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There is an example of experience: the Deputy asks a question about legislation, which is what this session is supposed to be about. We are awaiting Committee Stage of the bail legislation in this House.

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to the programme for Government commitments, one of which is a review of the school transport scheme. What steps are the Minister for Education and Skills and the Government taking to intervene in the bus strike in respect of school transport? There are reports in the newspapers this morning that, unexpectedly to some extent some would say, school transport is likely to be affected. Drivers affected may be balloted; other drivers will not want to pass pickets. What plans has the Government in place to get children to school?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, is away-----

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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His boss is there.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----but I am sure he reports to the Minister, Deputy Bruton, on all issues in this regard so I will ask Deputy Bruton to comment on this.

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I make the general point that we have a very professional Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court which have huge experience and the idea of individual Ministers getting involved in industrial disputes is unwise in my view.

We have been in close contact with the various bodies providing school transport to ensure, as best as possible, that we can protect that service. We are very alert to the concerns of parents and children, particularly children with special educational needs. We are not, however, involved in industrial relations issues, which, as the Taoiseach said, are not a matter for the Minister for Education and Skills or the Minister of State in the Department.

1:40 pm

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government recently published a social housing construction programme which sets out, scheme by scheme and stage by stage, each of the social housing projects. It is very clear from the programme that it will be several years before significant numbers of properties will be complete and ready for occupation yet every month we see figures for homelessness continue to increase.

The programme for Government states,"The Action Plan will look at existing housing stock that is uninhabited, and vacant commercial units, with a view to incentivising the refurbishment and change of use to homes." As the construction programme is under way in 2017 and 2018, can ambitious targets be brought forward in these areas to bring some of the very many unoccupied units back into use to help address the homelessness problem?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That is a good question and the answer is "Yes". The Minister, Deputy Coveney, will embellish that.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister should not embellish it too much because we are running out of time.

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Ceann Comhairle should give the Minister four minutes.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In view of the latitude the Ceann Comhairle has shown to many on the Opposition benches today, perhaps I will take a little bit of time on this.

The answer to the Deputy's question is "Yes". It takes time to build houses. We have huge demand today, next week and next month for social housing and more housing in the private rental market. That is why tomorrow we will launch the extension of the repair-and-leasing initiative begun in Carlow and Waterford. We will commit tens of millions of euro to that project this year. A total of €25 million will be spent on a purchase-and-renew scheme for local authorities and for approved housing bodies, AHBs. We spent €203 million last year buying over 1,000 vacant properties in order to bring them back into use. That will continue this year. A number of other schemes are envisaged. Within the next month or so, we will launch a vacant properties strategy for Ireland which is designed to bring properties that are not being used back into use and to pay for their repair if necessary. There is a lot happening in that space.

Photo of Joe CareyJoe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Where stands the legislation that was promised to confer automatic entitlement to a medical card on those in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance? When will it be introduced?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thought it would have been introduced by now. We have done much work on it and I have answered questions in respect of it. I think the Deputy can take it that the legislation is practically ready to come to Cabinet. It was not that easy but it is almost ready.

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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On Thursday, 9 February I raised concerns with the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, about the reduction in the ambulance service in east Cork and Midleton. He assured me that he would come back to me on the matter. As of last Monday, the ambulance service has been removed from Midleton. This raises major concerns in east Cork. This ambulance covers over 50,000 people and nothing has been done. Now we are being served by a rapid response vehicle. I am not getting answers from the National Ambulance Service or the HSE. Will the Taoiseach support the people to whom I refer?

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is more appropriate to a parliamentary question or a Topical Issue.

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I am still asking for support because it is a major issue and will cost lives.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am glad the Ceann Comhairle is pointing out to Deputies that this business is on legislation. The question asked by the good Deputy is not on legislation but on the provision of a facility. In light of the fact that he has raised it, however, I will ask the HSE and the National Ambulance Service to respond to him.

Photo of Eamon ScanlonEamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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There are six veterinary laboratories throughout the country. They are located in Sligo, Athlone, Kilkenny, Limerick, Cork and Backweston, where, incidentally, €260,000 has been spent on landscaping in the past four years. In 2015, the Sligo laboratory catered for 3,140 post mortems and 26,500 samples were presented for diagnostic testing.

Sixteen people are employed at the facility, which serves seven counties, including Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon and the Taoiseach's home county of Mayo. I understand that officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are meeting the 16 staff in question at the moment. If this facility were to close, it would be poor and very unfair because dead animals would have to be transported hundreds of miles across the country. Such a decision would fly in the face of the rural action plan that was launched on 23 January last. This is the only facility of its kind in the north west.

1:50 pm

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy could raise the matter as a parliamentary question or a Topical Issue.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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This is not really a matter for legislation, unless the Deputy is talking about legislating for the regions.

Photo of Eamon ScanlonEamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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A promise was made.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It relates to the programme for Government.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A number of farmers raised this point with me when I attended Deputy McLoughlin's meeting on the issue of Brexit. Deputy Scanlon's point about having to transport animals across the length and breadth of the country is a significant one. Deputies will recall that the Minister of the day, the late Joe Walsh, had to clamp down on all movements when we unfortunately had BSE here. People responded very strongly to that. The need to move carcasses across the country for analysis and investigation is an issue in itself. I hope that point will be made very clearly to the officials at the meeting mentioned by Deputy Scanlon. I will raise the matter again with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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With regard to the programme for Government, over 80,000 people are on our inpatient waiting lists. We have to start finding solutions to cut the amount of time they have to spend on these lists. According to a recent report on thejournal.ie, "in 2013, Macedonia dealt with their long waiting lists for hospital referrals by introducing an e-booking system, which meant that a GP can book an appointment with any specialist...in the country in real-time while the patient sits in the room with them". Will the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health consider the introduction of such a system here because it would be of assistance in reducing our long waiting lists?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister, Deputy Harris, is looking at a strategy to deal with waiting lists. He has had some considerable success. We need to have a vision for where we are going to be in five or ten years as our population increases and how we are going to deal with the overall strategy. The Minister will advise Deputy Healy-Rae in respect of the valid point he has made.

Photo of Seán Ó FearghaílSeán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That concludes questions on promised legislation. At least 50% of Members are raising questions that are not relevant and should more appropriately be tabled as direct written or oral questions to the line Minister or as Topical Issues. We will have to take a more firm approach from next week on because we are wasting precious time here.