Dáil debates

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

Ceisteanna - Questions

Cabinet Committee Meetings

2:35 pm

Photo of Michael MoynihanMichael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach the number of Cabinet committees he has attended since 1 January 2017. [16398/17]

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have chaired 15 Cabinet committee meetings since the beginning of January. The Cabinet committees on housing and on health have met three times each, the committees on economy, trade and jobs and on Brexit twice each, and the committees on social policy and public service reform, on justice reform, on European affairs, on infrastructure, environment and climate action, and on arts, Irish and the Gaeltacht have each met once. A further round of Cabinet sub-committee meetings takes place next Monday.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his reply, but is there a case for a review of the existence of these committees? It was revealed that the justice reform committee had not met since March, but the extraordinary debacle concerning the drink driving tests and the undermining of the criminal justice system via 146,000 people being wrongfully summonsed to court happened under that committee's watch apparently without it or the Tánaiste knowing about it. We have been hearing about justice reform since the days of the former Minister, Alan Shatter. Clearly, the committee has not been working. Likewise with health. The health system has been experiencing significant issues and incredible pressures since 1 January and the full scale of last year's funding gap has been confirmed. The commitments on mental health that were made in the confidence and supply agreement have not been realised. Waiting times for children to access the child and adolescent units are growing. The shortage of staff is as high as 50% in some places.

In many respects, the efficacy of these Cabinet committees are highly questionable. For example, recent years are characterised by an underwhelming commitment to physical infrastructure, with many announcements but little in the way of delivery. The capital plan that was announced just before the general election was very much about that election, with everything backloaded to the last two years.

Broadband has been an issue. There have been many delays. The Minister, Deputy Naughten, or someone else should explain to the House how his announcement yesterday regarding eir tallies with the tender situation. When we met the officials with some of the Independents at the time of the Government's formation, ensuring that the tender was undertaken properly and carefully so that it would not be subject to legal action was a major issue. Unless I am reading the situation wrongly, and I would appreciate clarification, yesterday's announcement seemed to run counter to the advice that we were given at the time. It was strange, given that everyone had been waiting for the tender's announcement so that we could progress the wider issue of broadband access in rural Ireland. We have had too many false dawns and announcements. People's hopes have been raised but little has happened. There must be scrutiny of whether yesterday's announcement was in line with the Department's broadband tender operation.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I agree that there should be a review of these Cabinet sub-committees. I am trying to establish which sub-committee, if any, deals with international affairs. In particular, I am concerned about Ibrahim Halawa, who begins his 21st trial today. Where does the Government deal with that major miscarriage of justice? The family argues that the Government needs to consider other options now, for example, hiring an Egyptian lawyer to file a suit in the Egyptian administrative court, having Rule 140 applied or beginning an international legal challenge against Egypt on the grounds of human rights violations against an Irish citizen. Will the Taoiseach examine these options urgently and can he confirm if they would they be presented before a sub-committee and in which forum would they be addressed?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Cabinet committees are not the Government. Cabinet sub-committees have an important role in bringing in Ministers or agencies to progress matters through to a point where they can be sent to Cabinet for decision by Government. I will let nobody run away with the idea that Cabinet sub-committees make a stream of decisions. It is the Government that actually decides on recommendations or propositions that come through Cabinet sub-committees.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality was not made aware of the figures referred to by Deputy Martin on the fixed charges and the mandatory alcohol testing until 23 March, which was very recent. The Government responded immediately in respect of these issues and the Government would have finalised its position except that I wanted Members to have access to the second Fennelly report when it could be published. I hope that will be in the near future once the Attorney General authorises me as the receiving Minister to do so. At that point everybody can include his or her reflections on that in the context of the overall analysis of what we have to do for policing and the structure and role of the Garda for the time ahead.

I take Deputy Micheál Martin's point about mental health. We did have a meeting about that with one of his spokespersons. I have asked the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, to respond. I will follow up on that for the Deputy.

In respect of broadband, there have been many hundreds of hours put together by officials from the Department with the companies involved in the drafting of the tender. Two years ago, the number of high-speed broadband connections stood at 566,000. It will be 300,000 higher than that.

In 2016, the figure represented only 52% of premises. Traditional private sector investment by end 2018 is expected to increase to 77%.

The Minister has agreed that the map for the State intervention should be revised to reflect the fact that he has accepted a commitment by eir to build a high-speed broadband network to cover an additional 300,000 premises in rural Ireland by the end of 2018, with penalties built it should it not do so. This project will be undertaken on a fully commercial basis, with the commitment underpinned by a formal agreement. Also, 84,500 premises previously identified as being in the commercial area are being taken back into the State intervention area of the high-speed broadband map as plans by commercial operators to provide services to these premises did not materialise. It is intended to finalise the map at 542,000 premises for the remainder of the procurement process. In addition, eir has signed an agreement with the Minister to provide access to high-speed broadband to 300,000 additional premises by the end of 2018. This is a binding contract with detailed quarterly milestones to be published. If eir does not deliver fully, premises will be brought back into the intervention area and will be delivered under the Government contract with eir compensating the Minister in respect of the costs involved.

The evidence suggests that the Government's commitment has acted as a catalyst in encouraging accelerated investment by commercial operators.

2:45 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Will it affect the tender?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Yes, it will affect the tender. The groups that wish to tender will be made aware that 300,000 premises previously outside the tendered area are being taken back into the commercial zone. As such, they will understand the changed nature of the tender to be conducted now. Furthermore, eir has committed to service provision for the additional 300,000 premises. There are penalties built into the agreement between eir and the Minister which will come into play if eir does not deliver. I will ask the Minister to circulate to everybody a detailed report on the changed position arising from the agreement which he has negotiated with the companies.