Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Mar is gnáth, iarraim ar Teachtaí na srianta ama a choinneáil.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Speaking on "Morning Ireland" last Thursday, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, conceded that the Government will not meet its housing targets for this year. He stated:

In relation to direct social housing building, the target for 2022 is 9,000. ... We do not believe at this juncture that 9,000 will be met.

I take it that he stands over that comment. His remarks at least shed some reality, in contrast with the assertions made by the Taoiseach and the housing Minister that the Government is on track and its housing policies are working.

Despite the Taoiseach's repeated refrain that housing is the single biggest social issue facing the Government, what we see is failure to plan and failure to deliver. The Government promised 9,000 social homes this year. By the end of June, it had delivered only 1,765. It promised 4,100 affordable homes this year. It has delivered only 925 to date. This means the Government will miss its social and affordable housing targets for the third year in a row. Those are targets, by the way, that do not come close to meeting the level of housing need in society. In addition, the Government refused to introduce a ban on rent increases. These are rents that are crippling tenants, are at record levels and are continuing to rise. Meanwhile, homelessness is at an historic high. Even with the ban on evictions, it is likely to rise. Child homelessness has increased by a staggering 51% since April 2021. It beggars belief that any member of the Government could claim its housing policies are working. Does the Minister, Deputy McGrath, accept not alone that the Government is missing its targets but, in fact, that its entire approach to housing has failed?

To make matters worse, we hear the Government is €2 billion behind in its annual housing spending in its capital spend. That is not likely to change in the next six weeks. That means €2 billion sitting there while people watch housing prices go through the roof and know they have no chance of affording their own homes, while young mothers and fathers and their children squeeze into the box rooms of their own parents' homes and while families languish for years and years on council housing waiting lists. People caught up in the never-ending housing crisis will be shocked and angered by this. It highlights again that the Government is incapable of bringing the required urgency to deliver the homes that are needed.

We now see young people voting with their feet when it comes to housing. Young people throughout Ireland are leaving because they cannot put a secure, affordable roof over their heads. It is now time to deliver. Conas go bhfuil an Rialtas ag tarraingt na gcos le €2 billiún de chaiteachas tithíochta i lár géarchéime tithíochta nach bhfacthas riamh roimhe? Seo géarchéim ina bhfuil ár ndaoine óga ag fágáil na tíre i gcomhair seans le saol níos fearr a bheith acu thar lear.

The Minister is in charge of public expenditure. He holds the purse strings. How is sitting on €2 billion for housing happening when so many people are in desperate and unprecedented housing need? How can the Government claim it is doing everything it can to end the housing crisis, while sitting on this huge sum of money? It is failure to plan, failure to deliver and, by the Minister's own acceptance and admissions, failure to meet what are at best low-level targets. Fail, fail, fail.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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This Government has acknowledged from the very beginning the scale of the challenge we face as a country in housing and the provision of accommodation for our people, whether it is private housing, public housing, cost rental or affordable purchase. We have prioritised investment in housing since coming into office in the summer of 2020. That is delivering results. Do we believe that more needs to be done? Absolutely. The challenge is still immense but it is a challenge we will meet.

The overall target by way of housing output of all forms in the current year is 24,600 in the Housing for All strategy. We are confident that this number will be significantly exceeded. That will be the highest number of new homes built for a very long time in our country. The Deputy raised the specific issue of social housing. The target in the Housing for All plan, by way of total additions to the social housing stock in the current year, is 10,500. That is principally made up of new builds. The point I will make, in answering the Deputy's question directly, which I always seek to do, is that we currently estimate we will build approximately 8,000 new homes but that will be supplemented by purchases and leases of new homes. In our view, that will bring us close to, if not in a position to reach, the overall target of 10,500 social housing additions to the stock in 2022, which is the highest number in this country for a long number of years.

We are tackling the housing challenge using all the levers at our disposal. As a Government, we are partnering with local authorities and approved housing bodies, and getting back to delivering public housing at scale for the first time in a generation. That is the right thing to do. Sinn Féin Deputies are welcoming new developments as they are being opened throughout the country, which they are welcome to do, in addition to turning up at the launches of the Housing for All schemes all over Ireland-----

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Photograph, photograph.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----because thousands of people are being provided with accommodation in our country as a result of the investment we are making. In addition, we are investing in affordable housing for the first time in well over a decade, including new affordable purchase schemes which Sinn Féin opposed. The Land Development Agency is now on site and is delivering homes for our people, both public housing and cost rental homes. Again, Sinn Féin opposed the establishment of the agency. We also have the help-to-buy scheme, which is there to support first-time buyers whom we acknowledge are struggling in many instances to bridge the gap between the amount they can borrow and the cost of purchasing a new home in Ireland today. Close to 28,000 new homes were built in our country in the 12 months to September 2022. There were almost 21,000 house completions in the first nine months of this year. This is already exceeding the total for 2021, which was approximately 20,500. We are projected to reach more than 26,000 new homes by the end of the year.

We acknowledge there is much work yet to be done but we are working very closely with the local authorities and the approved housing bodies to deliver new homes across the country. We also need the private sector to continue to deliver homes for our people. We will see Part V affordable homes come on stream again, for the first time in a long time, because of the change in the law brought in by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

It is challenging for many people to purchase a home. Many are caught in that rental trap. The Central Bank's macroprudential rules have made some change and will assist people in that regard. I assure the Irish people that tackling the housing challenge is a top priority of this Government. We are providing the investment. It is delivering results. We will double down on that to make more progress for our people.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I noticed the glee on the Government benches as Members congratulated themselves on housing delivery. The Taoiseach was in attendance at one of those great launches, at which one of the families who got the keys to their home had been on a social housing waiting list for 14 years. That is a generation. That is the time it takes to raise a family. As we meet and speak here, there are families, as I said to the Minister earlier, who are raising their children in the box rooms of their parents' homes. There are kids and families in bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels and so on. There is a sense of desperation everywhere.

I asked the Minister about the undershoot of €2 billion in respect of capital spend on housing the Government is sitting on. How in the name of God is the Government falling €2 billion short on its spend on housing and sitting on that €2 billion in circumstances in which people have been on housing lists for a decade and more, living in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation and desperate, with no real prospects? That needs to be explained by the Minister.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no €2 billion in capital underspend on housing. As the Deputy knows, it is always the case that the final quarter of the year is the period in which there is the largest delivery. That is when schemes get closed out, accounts get done and drawdown of payments happens. There will be no such underspend in respect of housing capital this year. Any underspend, as the Deputy knows, is subject to a carry-forward provision whereby it can be carried forward, subject to an overall rule in respect of 10% of the ceiling for that Vote into the following year.

The truth, which the Deputy does not want to hear, is that Sinn Féin has opposed all the schemes that are making a difference for people who want to buy a home in Ireland, whether it be the help-to-buy scheme, the work of the Land Development Agency or the work of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in bringing forward the First Home shared equity scheme, in respect of which over 600 eligibility certificates have been provided at this point, because Sinn Féin seems to have a calculation in mind that it is in its political self-interest to sustain the housing crisis.

A Deputy:

Get out of here.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On this side of the House we are focused on doing everything we possibly can to resolve it-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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That side of the House created it.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----and to ensure that people who want to purchase a home are given direct support by the State to do so.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I am glad the Taoiseach is not here today. It is very important that he is representing Ireland at COP27 in Egypt today because it is vital that we see really strong leadership at national and international level on tackling the climate catastrophe. As COP has got under way, we have been hearing increasingly bleak prognoses from world leaders. We heard António Guterres, UN Secretary General, say we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator. He is not mincing his words, nor is our former President, Mary Robinson, in her strong warnings this morning on radio urging far more rapid and urgent implementation of promised measures here and internationally. While world leaders have committed previously to keep global warming below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, far from achieving that we are on track to reach a 2.8°C rise by the end of the century, and eight of the ten hottest years on record have occurred in the past decade. If we miss our global warming targets, we will not have to wait long to see the consequences. We are already seeing them now, with devastating floods in Pakistan, the devastating famine encroaching on the Horn of Africa, the drought there and the excessive heatwaves in Europe. Here in Ireland, on a balmy, sunny November afternoon, we can see the consequences of climate change ourselves with the bizarre environmental impacts on our plant life, with real risks to our biodiversity and with unthinkable things happening in our environment and in agriculture.

The things we take for granted, like having land that is capable of food production, are now at real risk. We watched lots of horror movies during the Halloween season but I can think of nothing more scary than the immediate future facing us with this imminent climate catastrophe. The failure to take international action has generated cynicism among many activists, included Greta Thunberg, but the COP process is the only game in town. It is the only international forum where we can see world leaders come together to try to achieve change, even at this late date. The Labour Party believes in the power of that forum to take the necessary collective action but we need to see a resolve from our own leaders that is commensurate with the challenge. In particular, we need to see the Taoiseach stepping up along with the Minister and the rest of the Government to ensure we do not just set ambitious but necessary targets but deliver on the measures needed to reach those targets.

We are just over seven years away from the 2030 deadline. With the best and most constructive will in the world, it is impossible for many of us to see how we are going to reach our target of a 51% cut by 2030. We have missed targets, rising emissions, low investment in critical infrastructure and significant delays in generation of offshore wind capacity. Ireland is the second highest emitter of greenhouse gases per head of population in the EU so we need to see more urgent action. Will the Taoiseach show a commitment to the polluter pays principle so that those paying the highest price for climate change will see justice? Will he sign up to and promote the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty while he represents us at COP27 this week?

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this issue, which is significant for our country and the planet. By now, the Taoiseach will have delivered his speech at Sharm el-Sheikh. I think he summed up very well the imperative of action and delivery. This is something he has pinpointed as being the key issue. Ireland has made significant progress in terms of the overall framework, putting legislation in place, the adoption of the climate action plan, the carbon budget and the sectoral emissions ceilings. A new climate action plan for 2023 will come before the Government shortly. Every line Minister will also bring forward a set of specific measures to give effect to all of those targets and set out exactly how we are going to achieve them.

This is not easy. We know it is not easy when it comes to transport policy, what our farmers are trying to do in terms of the transition they are buying into, the challenges in forestry, energy policy and everything we need to do but there is hope. The Taoiseach is right to highlight the importance of pointing to where we have made progress, while at the same time identifying that much more needs to be done.

I was struck by the latest report from Wind Energy Ireland which said that in October, wind energy provided 47% of the country's electricity. This is a real glimpse of the future when you look at the potential in Ireland for fixed and floating offshore wind energy. These latest figures mean that wind energy has supplied one third, or 33%, of Ireland's electricity demand this year to the end of October. It is one example but it highlights the potential we have as a country when we all put our shoulders to the wheel and focus on what needs to be done. In the years ahead, we can become a global leader in this space and a net exporter of energy to our neighbours in Europe. This is why investments such as the Celtic interconnector, which involves the development of an electricity connection between Ireland and France, are so important for this country.

The Deputy is correct to point to the amount of work we have to do not just as a Government, although it is incumbent on us to lead, but also as a people. I believe the Irish people will lead and deliver on the commitments we have entered into. I can assure the Deputy, the House and the Irish people that the Government will not be found wanting because the next generation and future generations will not thank us if we shirk this and do not deliver on our commitments to them.

One specific commitment we gave related to climate finance. The Government gave a commitment that it will increase from €93 million to €225 million over the next four years as a tangible manifestation of our commitment to supporting developing countries which, unfortunately, are bearing the brunt of the excesses elsewhere in the world.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I thank the Minister. He spoke of progress and of the potential for wind energy, but we have been speaking about this potential for a long time without having put in place the necessary infrastructure to deliver at scale on the sort of energy generation capacity offshore wind can provide. The Minister also spoke of the climate action plan 2023 and said it will go to the Government shortly. When is that going to come before this House? I ask because we have previously seen foot-dragging and delays in the production of necessary plans and in the development of the sectoral emissions targets. Often, these have not been brought before this House and the other House until very late in the day and at a time when we cannot give the plans the sort of adequate scrutiny required.

I was glad to hear the Minister speak of the Taoiseach's commitment to ensuring a solidarity pact with the Global South. This is hugely important. Can we, however, also see the Taoiseach promoting the non-fossil fuel proliferation treaty now being spoken of and being urged upon us by so many international groupings and activists worldwide as a key way to ensuring there is a mechanism at international level to ensure we will see the phasing out of fossil fuel reliance across the world?

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The truth is that the real test is when it comes to the specific actions that have to be taken to deliver on the targets. These will present challenges and difficulties at local and national levels but we will provide leadership and we require support from across this House. I do not think there is any lack of opportunity for input from parties and Deputies in the House to allow them to contribute to how the climate action challenge can be met.

The Deputy raised the question concerning wind energy. The new body, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA, will be up and running in quarter 1 of next year. We are actively recruiting a chair and a chief executive officer for that body at this point in time. It will, fundamentally, modernise and streamline the consent and licensing system in respect of offshore wind generation. This needs to be done to ensure it is delivered. A new planning Bill will also come before the House in the weeks to come. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Attorney General have been working closely in that regard. The truth is that this comes down to specific and tangible measures that demonstrate our real commitment. On days like this, words are easy but it is the follow-up and implementation where it gets difficult. That is the real test and that is where we can make great progress.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I remind Deputies to put their phones on silent.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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Funding was announced for the LEADER programme two weeks ago. I welcome that this funding has been put in place. County Galway received an allocation of €9 million for the next five years and this process has shown the funding we are getting per head of population is at the lower end of the scale. We are getting €46.63 per person for the next five years. A comparative analysis with other counties, for example, the other four counties in Connacht and the average funding they are going to get, shows that if County Galway's allocation was brought up to that average, we would be entitled to not €9 million but €18 million.

I assure the Ministers that I am not looking for €18 million today. We are, though, being put at the lower end of the scale. I do not know for what reason. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is present. He knows we have the same problem with local government funding. It seems as if County Galway is being penalised for some reason. I do not know whether it may have been because we did not join the city and county councils together or whatever the underlying reason might be, but County Galway is getting the lower end of the scale of funding allocation. For instance, Cork, the county of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, is getting an additional €3 million in LEADER funding this year. This situation cannot continue in a county that is so diverse and has as many different regions and challenges as Galway. The county is part of the North and West Regional Assembly area, which has been designated by the EU as a lagging region and one that needs positive discrimination in investment to try to bring the amount allocatedper capitaup to allow the country to have balanced development.

The argument here is not about the amount of the reduction; it is about the basis on which we are being funded and how much we are getting per capitacompared to everybody else. I do not begrudge Sligo, Roscommon, Mayo or Leitrim, or any other county, what it is getting but when one sees what they are getting compared to what we are getting, there are many questions to be asked. I would like to see at some stage the metrics by which this funding is being allocated on a county-wide basis. It is something that many people in Galway are uneasy about. The trend is continuing. Following on from Galway County Council having one of the lowest funding allocations, we have this. I would appreciate a response.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of LEADER funding in Galway. The first point I want to make is that there is no cut in LEADER funding. That is not the core point he made. The point he made is about the per capitaallocation. As part of the new €10 billion CAP strategic plan, the Government has committed significant funding of €108 million to LEADER for the period 2023 to 2027. When that is taken together with the €70 million provided by the Government for last year and this year, this maintains the €250 million funding for LEADER for the corresponding seven-year programming period from 2014 to 2020.

All of the €180 million will be allocated upfront to local LEADER areas. This is a change from the previous programme where €30 million was withheld to fund initiatives delivered at a national level, such as the LEADER food initiative. When combined with the transitional funding, this means that all LEADER areas, including Galway, have an increased allocation of core programme funding compared to the corresponding seven-year period 2014 to 2020.

It is only one part of the contribution that the Government and all the bodies that work under our aegis are making to the regions and, indeed, to rural Ireland. When I look at the current range of schemes principally administered by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, whether it be the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the new community centres fund that is being set up, the town and village renewal programme, the CLÁR programme, the outdoor recreation fund or, indeed, the record sports capital funding of €150 million that we provided earlier this year, much of the funding went to the regions and to rural Ireland. When I look at the population figures, I see in Galway the population has risen by more than 7%, unemployment has fallen and we can see the benefits and the fruits of continued investment by the Government and, indeed, by a range of public bodies.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, recently confirmed the extension of the Croí Cónaithe towns and villages fund to rural Ireland as well. The ability to get direct cash-grant support of €30,000 or, in the case of a derelict home, €50,000 to bring it back into occupancy is something that will be warmly welcomed in rural communities all over Ireland. The details of that, I believe, will be confirmed shortly by the Minister. It is a practical demonstration of the Government's commitment to, and support for, rural communities all over Ireland.

Decisions will always have to be made about the allocation of resources. The Deputy made the point about the specific per capitaamount for Galway. The approach that has been taken by the Minister is to provide a minimum allocation of €3 million to each sub-regional area with the remaining funding distributed based on population and the level of deprivation of the area. This ensures funding is targeted at the areas most in need of LEADER support. This approach is similar to the approach taken under the previous LEADER programme with the relevant population and deprivation figures updated to take account of the passage of time.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I do not disagree regarding all the schemes that are there, but they are available to everybody right across the country.

The Minister mentioned rural regeneration and urban regeneration and all these funds. They are welcome and they create better investment for a better environment to work and live in in rural areas.

The kernel of my point is not about a reduction; it is about how the funds are being allocated on a county-by-county basis. The Minister has not answered that question. For instance, if you tell people in Glenamaddy, Williamstown or in Connemara that there is population growth in their areas, you will be at your wit's end trying to find out where is the population growth.

There is something fundamentally wrong with how the funding is allocated when there is such variance. In County Roscommon it is €97 per head and in County Sligo it is €87 per head. We are down to €46. There is no logical explanation for it. I would like to see a transparent way of doing this so every county gets a fair share.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Canney. As he knows, Galway has been allocated €9 million for the period 2023-27. When we take this in conjunction with the transitional funding for Galway, which is €3.6 million for 2021 and 2022, it gives a total LEADER allocation of €12.6 million for the county for the period 2021-27. For the corresponding period 2014-20, County Galway had a core programme funding allocation of €12.2 million. I know the Deputy is not making the case it was reduced because it was not reduced. It was increased by 3.5% on a like-for-like basis. The Minister has been open and transparent as to how allocations are made. It is based on a number of factors with a minimum allocation for each subregional area. The balance of the funding is distributed based on the population and, critically, the level of deprivation. There are measures of this and it has been done in an open way by the Department to ensure we can stand over the allocations that have been made.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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Last week the director of the National Ambulance Service, NAS, felt compelled to outline some of the very serious challenges the service faces, including the fact it has an urgent need to recruit additional staff. Currently, recruitment efforts are being surpassed by service demands. We are told the scale of growth in demand for ambulance services is unprecedented and unexpected. Over recent days I have spoken to and received correspondence from paramedics in the midlands region and this reflects their experience. They tell me the service is now on its knees and that it is quite common that ambulance shifts are not covered due to a lack of staff. This is extremely concerning. The station in Tullamore has been closed for an entire day or night shift on a number of occasions recently. Previously this was unheard of. It is totally unacceptable. On top of all of this, despite the lack of cover in the midlands those available ambulances are regularly drawn into other areas. The Edenderry crews are regularly in Dublin, Kildare or the north east. The Birr ambulance crews spends most of its time in Tipperary or Limerick. The Portlaoise ambulances are frequently in Wicklow, Kildare or the south east. The Tullamore ambulance is then left to pick up the pieces in Laois, Westmeath, Birr and Edenderry. As one of the paramedics said to me, if a house was on fire in Portlaoise would we want the fire brigade to come from Dublin.

Despite the staffing crisis in the National Ambulance Service the Government has taken action that will, in all likelihood, significantly increase the pressure on it. I refer to the impact of extending nightclub opening hours. Allowing nightclubs open until 6 a.m., particularly in cities and major urban areas, is bound to have a knock-on effect on the already stretched ambulance services. It will certainly make it more likely that rural counties and rural ambulance-based services will be called into those areas and away from rural counties such as Offaly and Laois. Will the Minister consider pausing these measures to engage with the National Ambulance Service and health services and listen to what they have to say about the issue? They are important stakeholders. I want to be clear that while I fully support reform of our licensing laws for pubs and clubs, such reform should not bring about additional strain on vital national services such as the ambulance service.

It certainly should not make the working life of paramedics, such as those in Offaly and Laois, more difficult than it already is. Will the Minister outline the steps the Government is taking to increase recruitment and retention in the ambulance service? What actions will be taken to address the concern that ambulance shifts are not being covered in Laois and Offaly?

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is important to communities all over Ireland. The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, is working closely with the head of the National Ambulance Service, Mr. Robert Morton, and they are now very much focused on the implementation of the national ambulance strategy. We have provided substantial additional resources to the NAS over the past couple of years. Record investment of more than €200 million was allocated to the service this year, an increase of approximately €30 million on that allocated in 2019.

When it comes to what we can do directly at the centre of government, we have prioritised the allocation of resources for the service. In the 2022 budget the service received its largest overall investment to date of €200.7 million, which included more than €8 million for an additional 128 staff, including paramedics, to address baseline capacity and strengthen clinical capacity at the clinical hub. The NAS staff complement, as of the end of September this year, is 2,032 whole-time equivalents. This represents an increase of 17% since the commencement of the previous National Ambulance Service strategic plan in December 2016.

Having said all that, I acknowledge the points made by the Deputy and that there have been instances where the service has fallen short of the standard we expect. This may well be for a variety of reasons, including vacancies, which the service is seeking to fill, and for an active recruitment campaign is under way. New investment is going into the rolling stock the service has as well as into upgrading bases. They are actively recruiting the professionals they need to provide the quality of service the Deputy and I, as well as all the people who we represent, expect.

Undoubtedly, response times have been impacted by high service demand, delays in patient transfers at busy hospital emergency departments and the continuing need for ambulance service crews to carry out necessary Covid infection prevention and control measures. However, where the standard falls short of what people expect, this should be made known to the authorities and a complaint should be made so that a learning can come from it. We all have experienced individual cases in which the standard was not what we would have expected. That is not, as the Deputy said, because of the tremendous work of all of those working in the service. They are working in challenging and difficult circumstances and are doing the very best they can. I assure them, on behalf of the Minister and the Government, that we will continue to provide the resources they need to ensure the service is up to standard.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I agree with him on one point in that the paramedics are doing an excellent job, but they are being put in an unfair situation. He did not address the deficits in counties such as Laois and Offaly where ambulance shifts are not being covered, for example. This is concerning and this is putting lives at risk, while also putting massive pressure on paramedics who were being pulled across the country into the east, south east, and Wicklow. The Birr ambulance crew has been called to counties Tipperary and Limerick. This is an unacceptable situation. The Government needs to take action, as does the Minister for Health, to address the situation at hand before something serious happens and lives are lost. Every ambulance station should have its shifts covered. While I accept there are issues around recruitment, which I am glad the Minister mentioned, will the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform support the submission made by the National Ambulance Service in respect of recruitment, which calls for the recruitment of an extra 192 student paramedics and the opening of a fourth campus in the south to increase capacity in the system?

Will the Minister support all of that? If he is to be meaningful and true to his word about taking action, surely that would be what the Government should be doing.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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To be fair, the net issue leading to problems in certain cases is a lack of staff. It is not a lack of funding; the budget is there. The service is actively recruiting. It is bringing people in from other jurisdictions and trying to bring paramedics who qualified here and travelled abroad back to Ireland. However, there is a global shortage of paramedics and advanced paramedics. The service is doing all it can to make sure places are filled. Through the education system, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, are working closely together to ensure we have a pipeline of people coming through the education system with the training and skills they need so they can join the National Ambulance Service and fill the gaps that are there. It is the case that shifts should be covered and there should be a full complement of professionals at all times to provide the service to our people. We are conscious that this is a service that people only ever call on in an absolute emergency, very often at the darkest of moments of crisis in the life of an individual or family. That is why we will do all we possibly can to make sure the service is of a standard that people expect.