Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Yesterday, at the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Ms Lisa Hone of the Mica Action Group spoke of how one year after the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage announced his intention to bring forward a new redress scheme, households felt abandoned by this Government. They remained locked out of the scheme and facing a shortfall of tens of thousands of euro to rebuild their homes and their lives. Ms Hone described in her own words how thousands of families are enduring life in unstable structures that are impossible to heat and are riddled with damp, black mould and dangerous electrics. They are extremely dangerous conditions. Ms Hone's words are true. I have seen those homes with my own eyes. Ms Hone also spoke of the fact that the Minister has still not appointed a senior counsel, as promised, to investigate how to pursue those who supplied the defective materials, ruining their homes and ruining their lives.

The reality on the ground is that we have thousands of people in my own county and right across the State who are locked out of redress. When will the Government bring forward the scheme that was promised over a year ago and when will it keep its promise to appoint a senior counsel to investigate those who caused such disruption and devastation in the first instance?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government is keen to get the mica scheme up and running. I want to see dozens, if not hundreds, of houses being repaired and rebuilt next year. We all want that to be the case. I understand that some regulations now have to be agreed by the Minister. I will come back to the Deputy with the timeline once I have had a chance to speak to him, and on the issue of the senior counsel.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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All energy customers across the country are conditioned to receive higher bills, but how do we know they are not being additionally ripped off during this crisis? The reason I raise this with the Tánaiste is because a number of people have been on to me concerned that their bills are even more inflated. One customer had to engage in quite a number of emails and phone calls with Energia before the company admitted that it had been charging the wrong unit prices because his bill was estimated. It took him a long time to get this. They stated they were very sorry that they did not consider this. For how many more customers did the company not consider this? It was charging the wrong rate over an estimated period. In other words, it was charging the higher rate now for a period over the last number of months. I will be writing to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities on this but I would appreciate it if the Government would do so as well. Obviously, this is an issue.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is an important issue but I would have to be across the details. If the Deputy wants to pass them on to me, I will look into it in closer detail if I can.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I want to ask the Tánaiste about Dublin's O'Connell Street. The "RTÉ Investigates" documentary last week encapsulates many of the problems that probably any of us who live or work in the city knew have been happening there for a long time. I put it to the Tánaiste that the issues on O'Connell Street are vast and complex and require a multi-departmental approach. Dublin City Council is pointing at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Garda is saying it cannot police what are ostensibly health-based issues. In six weeks' time, the Tánaiste potentially will be the Taoiseach. Will the Tánaiste commit to having a Taoiseach's task force on the rejuvenation of the main thoroughfare in our city's capital because it is long past time we had leadership on this issue?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The problems we have in O'Connell Street are long-standing and, as the Deputy stated, complex. The issues range from dereliction to planning, addiction and policing. They are complex. It is not only O'Connell Street, by the way. It might be the worst manifestation of some of the problems that we have but there are other streets that are not in good condition either. There is already a north-east inner city task force, as the Deputy will be aware.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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It does not cover O'Connell Street.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Perhaps extending that to cover O'Connell Street might be something worth considering but I do not want to make any commitments on the hoof.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Tomorrow, it will be ten years since the tragic and avoidable death of Savita Halappanavar in an Irish hospital having been denied a life-saving operation for an abortion. Everyone will acknowledge that we have come a long way in the last ten years and her death ignited a movement that saw an end to the misogynistic anti-choice laws in this country. However, we still have a way to go. Abortion services are patchy and sometimes difficult to access. Doctors still operate under the shadow of criminalisation. The pro-choice movement has organised a march on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. in Parnell Square, that I want to amplify in the hope that many people will come both to remember Savita and to honour the courage of her family and to demand that we improve the abortion legislation.

When will we see the results of the abortion review that is long overdue?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy and I join with her in recalling the life and death of Savita Halappanavar. As she has said, much has changed in Ireland since then in terms of our laws in this area. The review is under way. I do not have it in front of me but I understand that it is led by an independent chair and has two main phases. I do not want to misinform the Deputy but I understand that it is supposed to be done by the end of this calendar year. I will double-check and come back to the Deputy if this is not the case.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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This week, Aontú broke the news that 40,000 tonnes of fertiliser were imported from Russia to Waterford port. It is estimated this is worth approximately €40 million. It is alleged that the supplier of the fertiliser is a sanctioned Russian oligarch. This is an incredible situation. The Government plans to train Ukrainian military personnel in Ireland, which is clearly in breach of Irish neutrality, on the one hand and it appears the Government is allowing sanctions against Russian oligarchs to be breached on the other. In the middle of all of this, we have farmers trying to buy fertiliser at inflated prices with very little help from the Government. Prices are 250% higher than they were. What investigation is the Tánaiste undertaking into this importation? Will he provide more help to farmers to deal with the shocking cost of fertiliser?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. My only information on this so far is from news reports. I will have to make further inquiries into exactly what happened. I would point out that there are exemptions to the sanctions. They relate to medicines, food and food production. This would include fertilisers.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Not to Russian oligarchs. It is the payment to the Russian oligarch that is the point here.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I will check it out.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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We have reached crisis point trying to accommodate refugees from Ukraine. This morning I received a reply to a parliamentary question from the Minister for Justice. It states that 3,254 people arrived in this country without documentation in the first eight months of the year. This breaks down to 400 a month or 100 a week. The reply also states these individuals presented full documentation when they boarded at their point of departure. When they arrived at Dublin Airport they had no documentation. What is going on? We are trying to accommodate people who have a right to be looked after. If people have no documentation when they arrive, surely there must be some checks. The sheer amount in eight months is crazy. Do we have enough police at immigration in Dublin Airport? I do not believe we do. These are very frightening figures. They are from the Minister for Justice I will forward the Tánaiste the reply I received.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I have not seen the figures. We do have a problem with people entering the country illegally. This is the case and has been for quite some time. Sometimes people are not properly checked when they get on the plane. That happens in a different jurisdiction and there is very little we can do about it. Other times people use false documents. Sometimes, people destroy their documents. If people present at the airport to claim asylum and have no documents, it is very difficult for us to send them back. These are the practical difficulties that we face. Even without documents, people are entitled to apply for asylum. We have been increasing checks and increasing engagement with the airlines. We remind airlines they have a responsibility not to allow people to board unless they have the right documents and they have to take them back. We must also ensure that we have the checks at the airport.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Will the Tánaiste give me some definite word for the people who contacted me about providing accommodation for Ukrainians in my constituency both on a commercial and a non-commercial basis? One lady from Grange, Sligo pledged a room last March. She was Garda vetted in the summer. The house was inspected in September. She was asked to install smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and a fire blanket. She did all of this and she was approved. There is still no word. Somebody from Boyle, County Roscommon, wants to provide 14 places of accommodation on a commercial basis. He applied six months ago. My question this morning is, who do these people contact? Is it the Red Cross, the International Protection Accommodation Services, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or the local authority?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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If it is a pledge of accommodation on a non-commercial basis, it is the Red Cross. If it is on a commercial basis it is the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or the local authority. I have had the same experience as the Deputy of people who have pledged accommodation in their own homes or perhaps in a property they own on a non-commercial basis and of people who are offering properties on a commercial basis. They tell me how frustrated they are that they are not getting the level of engagement or of response that they should be getting. I have heard the same stories and they are real. Let us not forget we have accommodated more than 40,000 people. It is not that nothing has been done but it is clear that more offers are being made and we need to take them up. We need to intensify our efforts throughout the Government to make sure it happens.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome today's housing completion numbers that show completions are up by more than 7,000 to 28,000, which is the highest in more than 15 years. The total of 45,000 planning permissions is also the highest of the past 15 years. What is clear is that while 80% of housing permissions are being completed, only 40% of apartment permissions are being built and completed. How have the two Land Development Agency initiatives to activate these delayed permissions done? Can more be done to drive the commencement of apartment developments?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I saw the housing numbers today also. They are very encouraging. They are better than we had expected with 7,544 new dwellings completed in the three summer months of July, August and September. This is an increase of 62.5% on last year. The number of apartments has more than doubled. Over the first three quarters of this year, more than 20,000 new homes were built. We can confidently say we will reach our target of 25,000 new homes being built this year in Ireland. The Deputy is right. Apartment completions have increased a lot but they are still lagging behind housing. Two initiatives from the Government are taking place at present to activate apartment developments. One is the Croí Cónaithe process that the Deputy is aware of. It does not yet have European Commission approval but there is a lot of interest in it. We have agreed in principle to mandate the Land Development Agency to pre-purchase apartments for affordable housing and social housing to de-risk developments in order that they can go ahead and get started.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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The Tánaiste may be aware of significant delays with applications for charitable status to the Charities Regulator. A number of entities in Kildare are awaiting a decision, including Newbridge Community Development CLG, which started the process in February 2021. There is also the issue of Ó Modhrain Hall and those awaiting funds through the cy-prèsscheme. I tried to ask a parliamentary question but it seems there is no accountability to the Dáil. Will the Tánaiste make inquiries and provide the resources needed to help the team in the Charities Regulator to deal with the backlog?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Charities Regulator is independent in its duties and the Deputy can appreciate this. If she wants to give me the details of the particular cases she has raised, I will be happy to follow them up.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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While I do not know the exact number - I am not sure whether the Government knows either and if it does not, it should - there are tens of thousands of people on district heating and communal heating systems in multi-unit apartment complexes. They pay three, four and five times the rate of other providers. They have no right to switch to another provider. They are not regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Even people who have not turned on the heat received bills for approximately €400 a month for July and August. I have a set of bills in front of me. They go from 0.8 cent per kilowatt hour to 21 cent, 31 cent, 49 cent and 59 cent per kilowatt hour since January. Even if people do not turn on their heat, they can pay €2, €3 and up to €6 a day in non-usage charges. What will the Government do to get this regulated to control the prices and allow these people to have the possibility of switching?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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To be honest, I am not sure exactly how pricing works for district heating in Ireland. I know it is commonly used in other European countries but it is not that common in Ireland. As the Deputy has said, tens of thousands of people have district heating systems. I will meet the Minister with responsibility for energy this afternoon. I will make sure he knows Deputy Boyd Barrett has raised it in the Dáil and I will ask him to come back to him with a proper answer.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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The next time the Dáil sits, COP27 will be under way. The conference will hear that greenhouse gas emissions were at record levels last year. Ireland has ambitious targets that are agreed. They include a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. To achieve that, offshore wind will play a significant role. Our ports will also play a significant role but they will need to be ready. We know they sought funding through the Connecting Europe Facility, CEF, but they were not successful. We do not have a port that is ready for the manufacture and installation of offshore wind infrastructure. They will need significant funding, be it through the European Investment Bank, EIB, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, or green funds. Is this a priority for the Tánaiste and his Department? Will there be a commitment to funding next year and in the years ahead to realise the opportunity of offshore wind and to drive down our emissions?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government is determined to dramatically increase the amount of offshore wind generated in Ireland between now and 2030, and beyond. We can use the ports in Belfast and in England but that is not ideal. Therefore, major investment, well in excess of €100 million, is now going into Rosslare to enable it to service the wind farms we are going to build off the east and south-east coasts.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have previously raised the issue of drug reimbursement in this country with the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach and last week, the Swedish Institute for Health Economics published a report on cancer outcomes in Ireland. It found that while much progress was made, we are still among the worst in the EU for ovarian and breast cancer outcomes. The report specifically cited that our drug reimbursement system is not fit for purpose and that it costs the equivalent of 2,600 life years per annum due to the cumbersome nature of the reimbursement process. Can we, please, prioritise the publication of the Mazars report, which looks into reimbursement, and update the rare disease plan, which expired since 2018? When the Tánaiste assumes the office of Taoiseach in the new year, I hope he makes this a priority.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is a very important issue and one in which I am taking an interest. All of us find it hard to explain to patients or constituents why a medicine is available on the NHS or in Germany or France but is not yet available in Ireland.

Cancer survival rates have improved a lot in Ireland in recent decades. Rates are ahead of those in the UK but are still behind the EU average. The impact of what we did five or ten years ago is being seen in the statistics now. The impact of what is being done now will not be seen in the statistics for another five or six years. However, we have been a bit too slow to approve and reimburse some of these medicines. I will follow up on the publication of the report with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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The review of the accident and emergency unit and acute care in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan is complete. The people in Meath are very concerned about a review that does not include protecting and enhancing existing services or looking at what it would cost to make Navan a fully functional model 3 hospital. We keep talking about patient safety but if we invested in Navan hospital, we would not have to worry about patient safety. When will this review be released to Oireachtas Members and the people of County Meath?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have not seen the review and I do not know if it is even complete at this stage, but I will make inquiries with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and ask him to get back to the Deputy directly.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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I listened to the Tánaiste’s reply earlier that he is determined to increase wind energy by 2030. International investors hear that, they come to Ireland and they leave shortly thereafter shaking their heads. When will the marine area consents be granted for phase 2? What are the criteria going to be? Will power-to-X be included in that or will it not? Because international investors are completely in the dark as to what the Government's plans are, they simply do not hang around. They leave and invest in Scotland, which is massively upping production. We are talking about doing this a lot but there is nothing happening.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will see a lot happening in the next couple of years, particularly with the developments in Rosslare, the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, and the auctions for offshore wind. I do not have the answers to the Deputy’s precise and very reasonable questions, but there is a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on the environment and climate this afternoon. Offshore wind is on the agenda, so perhaps I will be able to come back to the Deputy after this meeting or, if not, I will ask the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to do so.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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I doubt that will help either.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The issue of the long-awaited phase 2 and phase 3 of the western rail corridor from Athenry to Galway and from Claremorris in Mayo must be addressed. It is absolutely critical that the economic argument for the western rail corridor, both freight and rail, is included in the all-Ireland strategic rail review report to boost sustainable connectivity and address regional imbalance. I attended a conference in Tuam on achieving regional balance. There is cross-party support throughout the entire western region for the restoration of this key infrastructure, which has lain idle for far too long. If the corridor is extended to Claremorris, it will provide a strategic objective, connecting the Port of Waterford and Shannon Foynes Port to Ballina. For that reason, the Foynes project and the Galway-Mayo link should commence without delay. The importance of opening the western rail corridor cannot be stressed enough and I hope the Tánaiste and the Cabinet are giving it serious consideration.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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This issue is currently under consideration in the context of the all-island rail review. The case for extending the western rail corridor is stronger than it was in the past given that public finances are in a much better state and we are able to increase capital spending, the need to meet our climate plans, the high cost of fuel and the desire to get more freight off the roads and onto the rail lines. I know consideration is being given to a commuter to Tuam service and the possibility of freight from Athenry to Claremorris. However, we will have to see the outcome of that review before we can make any decisions at Government level.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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Is the Tánaiste in favour of the new Garda roster that has been proposed in which they are looking for members of the Garda to work seven days on-two days off, seven days on-three days off and then six days on-three days off, after which they return to the seven-day cycle again? I met Garda representatives during the week who said that no one will be joining the force after 87% of them resigned their position recently, with only 23 gardaí having been reintroduced. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, and the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, met last Tuesday to discuss the rising number of assaults on farmers, due to lurchers. They want to know if the Tánaiste is in favour of the new roster, a roster that will stop people joining the force? They want young people to join and not have the current number of people who are resigning due to this roster.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I have read about it in the news but I am not familiar with the detail of the rosters.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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Is the Tánaiste in support of it?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I cannot say whether I am in favour of it. It is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, of course, and he will negotiate with the representative bodies on that. The most important thing is that gardaí are rostered for when we need them. They are there to serve the public. They must be rostered for when we need them most. That is my position but I also acknowledge that we must make sure it provides an attractive career. The same thing often applies in health care. People say that doctors and nurses should work 24-7, every weekend. You will not recruit any doctors or nurses if you expect that. Therefore, we must get the balance right.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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On Tuesday, more than 100 people, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable, were on trolleys in Cork hospitals, between Mercy University Hospital and Cork University Hospital, CUH. That occurred on 25 October, with the worst of the winter yet to come. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, is looking for a number of measures to ensure the situation in CUH does not deteriorate in the coming weeks and months in order that we do not have a terrible winter. These includes additional specialists to be directed by the HSE to CUH, a bespoke plan for CUH, and additional capacity in the Cork region to be found from wherever it can, including from the private sector.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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We have seen a significant increase in overcrowding in recent weeks, not just in Cork but around the country, which is extremely worrying. There are lots of reasons for this. As the Deputy knows, giving the fact that the pandemic restrictions are now gone - although Covid is not gone - there is pent-up demand stemming from the pandemic period. We also have an increasingly aging population. All those factors are giving rise to what could be a very busy winter in our emergency departments. Many of the actions mentioned by the Deputy will be taken, including the recruitment of additional specialist, securing additional capacity where we can, the use of the private sector and the use of home care.

We will do as much as we can to increase capacity within hospitals and emergency departments, as well as to get people out quicker and to avoid people going to hospital, where possible.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I raise the question as to whether it might be possible to ensure that the rule of law is fully extended to the operation of the family law courts. At present they are held in secret. A flawed theory is used to remove children from their natural mother and place them in the hands of the respondent. This is a general point, with very serious consequences.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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What is the question?

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The question is whether the rule of law can be applied fully to the operation of the courts, whereby this flawed theory, which is called parental alienation, is removed from the equation and the rule of law is applicable in all cases.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I struggle to answer the Deputy's question. I am obviously conscious of the separation of powers, which I am sure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will remind me of. It is my understanding that the rule of law applies in our courts. That is the point of our courts. Perhaps there is a more detailed question behind the Deputy's question, which we can perhaps talk about with the Minister of Justice, rather than here.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank Deputies for their co-operation.