Aisling Dolan - Recent appearances (From KildareStreet.com)
Social Welfare Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages | Seanad debates
In my local area, the community employment scheme and the rural social scheme have been extremely important to people in their 60s. The pandemic has had an impact on volunteering or on people...
In my local area, the community employment scheme and the rural social scheme have been extremely important to people in their 60s. The pandemic has had an impact on volunteering or on people getting involved in their communities. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->There has been a bit more of an increase in isolation and people are not getting back involved in social activities. The community employment scheme and rural social scheme are ways and measures in which people can get involved. On community activities, we talked about community centres which crisscross both of the Minister's portfolios. What she has done on those schemes has been important and extremely beneficial. It is about encouraging engagement in our local communities by volunteers. That has an impact. I see people who have recently retired are active and getting involved in so many activities. We are so much richer for people with their experience, talents and skillsets from their types of employment, which they are able to give. I know people in their 70s who are going back to college and doing degrees and PhDs. It is great to see that because education is for all ages. One of the areas we lack in Ireland is in how we encourage people of all ages to come back into education. There is a role for the Department of Social Protection in encouraging people to change career choices, but this is also for people who are in their 70s and 80s. There are options to take up courses and degrees in areas of interest. That could be a hobby or going back to study drama and theatre. Now that we see it coming into the junior cert, it would be great to see grandparents deciding to get involved in that as well. I know a lot of people taking on PhDs in areas of interest they had through their lives and never had an opportunity to study. I know many people in their 70s and 80s who never had the chance to go beyond the inter cert in school. We underestimate the opportunities in this regard and it would be great to see those extra supports when it comes to people of an older age who wish to re-engage in education and study for their own enjoyment.
This amendment comes down to cost for families. We are talking about the challenges for families and in particular for lone parents. We know that lone parents are one of the most vulnerable...
This amendment comes down to cost for families. We are talking about the challenges for families and in particular for lone parents. We know that lone parents are one of the most vulnerable groups out there. In this budget we can see something that is quite strong, which is the measure around cost-of-living payments, especially those that will happen at the end of October. There are 1.3 million people who will benefit from those cost-of-living payments come 28 October. That bonus is very similar to the Christmas bonus. I also welcome the double child payments that will happen in November and in December. Looking outside of that - and I have spoken about it already - I believe that hot school meals, for example, is one element that will be a huge benefit for families looking after young children. Never mind parents not having the extra burden in the morning of trying to get the meals ready, which Senator Ahearn would speak to, it is probably also to do with the costs, which are so expensive. All of these measures are to support families and to support lone parents, and especially when children are so young. We are looking at early childcare supports as well. This raft of measures is there to support families. There is not one particular measure that is a solution. The Government is looking at all areas. This is a whole-of-government approach to say, "Here is a suite of measures that are there to support you as a parent, as a young mum, as a young dad, as a single parent. Here is how this Government is here to support you in this time". Those measures we are looking at are to benefit the most vulnerable in our society and in our communities. It is crucial to see that they are very welcome payments, and particularly around the child benefit increase of €12. The other support measures, such as free school books and the hot school meals, are all ways to reduce costs for young families as well.
It is true that we need to examine supports for our businesses; it is absolutely crucial. The Minister for enterprise, Deputy Peter Burke, has introduced the national enterprise portal. I want...
It is true that we need to examine supports for our businesses; it is absolutely crucial. The Minister for enterprise, Deputy Peter Burke, has introduced the national enterprise portal. I want to highlight what local enterprise offices, LEOs, do across the country. I know the LEOs are expanding their remit to support businesses, particularly in the retail and hospitality sector. We have seen funds come through the LEOs, particularly the energy efficiency grants. We see there are now free applications for businesses in retail and hospitality across all sectors to apply for the green for business initiative. As part of that, there are recommendations that come from an expert who comes out to visit a business, which can then apply for the energy efficiency grant. That has been increased from €5,000 to €10,000. There are also other supports due to issue to businesses which includes microbusinesses, that is, businesses with fewer than ten employees. We see there are challenging circumstances. We know the pressures, and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, acknowledged the increase in inflation in his budget speech and this has happened over the past four or five years. Fine Gael in government is looking at how we ensure there are supports in place for businesses to tackle these rising costs we see ahead of us.
Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage | Seanad debates
The Minister has visited Roscommon and Galway multiple times because so many projects have received funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, CLÁR, the town and village...
The Minister has visited Roscommon and Galway multiple times because so many projects have received funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development, CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the community centres fund and project development measures. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->Innovative policies and measures that have made a difference have been introduced. If people say they want to live and work in rural areas, we want to ensure that there are supports and amenities in place. That is what it is all about. Councillors had not seen the level of funding the Minister has provided during her term of office for many years. I am sure she hears this in places she visits. I pay tribute to her dedication in meeting various groups across the country. She always has a smile for people and is full of enthusiasm and energy. On the occasions when she visited my area, we would have six or seven different events in one day. I would probably have tried to pack more in. Every time she visited, the Minister greeted people and was interested in speaking to them and hearing their stories in order to learn what was happening in the community centres. Last week, Virgin Media send a camera crew to Moore Community Centre. The centre received funding of more than €100,000. It has a programme called "Fit Farmer" that involves a movement mentor. Virgin Media was there to film people taking part in an exercise class in their brand-new community centre. Communities and people benefit from the fact that they are able to have these services provided nearby. We say that there is €1 million being allocated here and another €1 million being allocated there, but what this actually means is that there is potential for an early childcare service to be provided in a community centre. Someone could be contracted to provide after-school care in a community centre. There could be training courses or exercise classes provided. The connected hubs funding could be rolled out. This would provide places for people to work close to home. Those are things the Minister has achieved. As a member of Fine Gael, I am so proud each time I have been able to show the Minister what she has achieved since entering the Department. She has represented her community. I am sure that in Cavan-Monaghan and Cootehill there are many sad faces today. I can well understand why that would be the case. The Minister has transformed these communities as a result of what she has done. On the CLÁR programme, coming out of the pandemic, the Minister looked at how we could support meals on wheels services. That benefited Ballinasloe social services, which provided meals to CLÁR areas in Roscommon and Galway within a radius of 10 to 20 km. The Minister has provided emergency buses to bring people for treatment. This is very important for those who live in areas where there are no bus services. The availability of these buses is important when people need to go for chemotherapy or radiation treatment. People are living long, active and healthy lives but they sometimes need help along the way. Help along the way means being able to get the bus to travel for treatment in a timely way or as a matter of urgency, when necessary. The Minister has visited some really lovely locations. Now she has time with her family, I hope she gets to go back and relax and enjoy them more. We visited Strokestown when the new investment for the National Famine Museum was announced. Of course, that was excellent. The Minister visited rugby clubs in Ballinasloe and elsewhere to announce money for walking tracks. Hopefully, she will get to walk around some of them now. She has done so much that is going to have a major impact. I hope she will get to visit these places again and really enjoy them. One of the most important matters for people in rural areas who contact my office is the fuel allowance. That is the issue I hear about the most. We have signs up and I keep telling people that a few years ago we expanded the scheme for those over 70 years of age. Some people think they may not be eligible. I have people of 75 or 80 who come in and tell me that they face challenges with costs because their pension does not cover this, that or the other. A couple can now get up to €1,000. I know there were probably changes again in the budget but the fact that this was expanded to those over 70 has made a huge impact. During the debate on a Commencement matter I raised earlier, I was informed that, based on census data, there was a 40% increase in the number people over 65 years of age in the period 2013 to 2022. We are seeing that this trend is continuing. The number of people over 65 stands at 800,000. By 2050, there will be 1.5 million people over the age of 65 in this country. That is a massive increase. In the context of the recent budget, one of the changes I really like is that carers can now apply for the fuel allowance. This is an extremely important measure for carers because it is recognition of the work they do. Once they are eligible for fuel allowance, all of these people can apply for the retrofit grants. I remind those in receipt of the fuel allowance who may be listening to these proceedings to apply for the retrofit grants offered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. As a Fine Gael spokesperson in the Seanad, I acknowledge the work done in respect of hot school meals. Senator Garret Ahearn has spoken about this as well. I know principals who are overjoyed by this initiative. Many schools wanted to be involved with the pilot scheme that was run last year. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->It is incredible to think we only had 30 schools five years ago and that it went up to 2,000 schools. The Minister's intent through the budget this year is that all schools will have hot school meals by the end of 2025. She also put a hunger pilot in place for particularly vulnerable areas. Kids are delighted. Putting ovens and storage areas in schools has made it practical and accessible. It is one of the proud achievements of Government over the past number of years. I acknowledge the community recognition fund. Many communities have welcomed new families into Ireland. There has been a recognition of what they have done. These can be local supports or playgrounds but particularly around childcare. There was more than €500,000 for The Growing Tree childcare facility in Ballaghaderreen. It was an amazing investment. I see three-year waiting lists for childcare at the moment. We need to see how we use those funds and how local authorities apply and use those community recognition funds in a way that benefits areas like childcare and family resources centres, which is what we struggle with and do not have. In the time the Minister has left, I hope she will call for those types of funding for family resource centres and childcare and how to best use community recognition fund. I know there is no end to the Minister's energy and enthusiasm. I am sure that will not change. No one will tell me otherwise because I have seen it. I hope I have the benefit of getting to show her again, in a more relaxed way perhaps, when she comes to visit Roscommon and Galway. I appreciate everything she has done for our counties. I know I speak for many councillors who have enjoyed having the Minister come to visit over the past few years.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
I wish to speak about the Minister of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, who made an announcement over the weekend, and pay tribute to a Fine Gael Minister who has done wonders...
I wish to speak about the Minister of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, who made an announcement over the weekend, and pay tribute to a Fine Gael Minister who has done wonders for rural and local communities all over the country. She made an number of visits to counties Roscommon and Galway in my case, which were the result of investment in our region be it through CLÁR or the towns and villages schemes. Many funding streams from the Department of Rural and Community Development have had an impact. They are about showing that rural areas are great places to bring up a family, to start a family, live and work and we have everything to offer young people in our local rural areas. The Minister has done so much for that. She is passionate about rural life and what towns and villages have to offer. She has done so much work particularly for Meals on Wheels and bus transport - all innovate policies brought in through during her time in her portfolio. She will be here to speak to us later in the Seanad as the Minister for Social Protection. One of her prides and joys from listening to her on Radio 1 over the weekend and on RTÉ 1 is school meals. She sees it as one of her key achievements. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=22"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->This Government has been able to do that. It has been able to ensure the scheme has been rolled out to more schools, from 30 only five years ago to nearly 2,000 schools now. The intent is to deliver school meals to all schools by the end of 2025. These are great achievements. I pay tribute to the Minister for that. There is no stopping her energy and enthusiasm, no matter what she may say. Separately, the Minister for further and higher education, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, made an incredible announcement on Friday with respect to courses in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. Through the National Training Fund, this will unlock over €130 million to be dedicated to those courses and places. One of the programmes is a very innovative University of Galway based on and informed by international guidance. Locally, I see what happens with GPs. We are unable to get GPs to serve in rural practices. What we see here is an innovative course, for the first time in Ireland, being run out of the University of Galway. It is going to look at graduate medical entry for rural and remote areas. That will mean we are going to take on graduate students with an interest in rural and remote areas. When they are doing their training, it will not solely be in the university. They will do training in medical academies in Castlebar, Letterkenny and the likes of Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe, and they will also be embedded in GP practices. How on earth are we going to get graduates to consider working in our communities other than by showing them that GPs are the fabric of our local communities? This is a crucial course. I have been calling for it for over two years and I am delighted to see the Minister has made this announcement. It is going to have a huge impact for us in the west.
Bus Services | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
It is good to hear that there is a proposal that has been considered because it is well overdue. I understand the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport,...
It is good to hear that there is a proposal that has been considered because it is well overdue. I understand the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. It is important that this service be put in place as soon as possible. We are already in year three of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. The challenge I have seen is that when the X20 Bus Éireann route was removed, leaving nothing for communities between Ballinasloe and Athlone and between Loughrea and Galway. There are people in those communities who will need to get to University Hospital Galway or Merlin Park University Hospital. We need to have access to healthcare services. I co-ordinated a video campaign to encourage submissions at the launch of this in 2021 in Roscommon and Galway. I have raised the issue a number of times here. I highlight again that this is a CLÁR funding and just transition area. Moore is roughly 6 km from Shannonbridge. The impact of the just transition is felt there more strongly than in many other regions across the country. We need to ensure there are public transport services to enable people to get to work, hospitals and training. We cannot do so if these services are not in place.
The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was meant to connect rural communities. However, there is no regional or Local Link service connecting the communities living between the towns of...
The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was meant to connect rural communities. However, there is no regional or Local Link service connecting the communities living between the towns of Athlone and Ballinsloe, a stretch of 20 km. In 2021, the Bus Éireann Galway to Dublin regional route, the 20 and X20 routes, which connected towns and villages in the west, were removed because there were private providers on the route: Citylink and Aircoach. However, since April of this year, Aircoach has withdrawn from the route. I have raised this on a number of occasions. I worked on video campaigns for the Connecting Ireland programme to promote submissions about this connected route and most recently as a Commencement matter last May. The loss of the 20 and X20 routes a number of years ago had a major impact. How do people get to medical appointments in Portiuncula University Hospital or primary care? How do students get to college in Athlone? How do they even make their way to train stations? This is a 20 km section of road that is not served. One of the goals of Connecting Ireland was connecting medical and educational establishments. Moore is a vibrant community. It is very successful and it won more than €100,000 recently to renovate its community centre. It has training and exercise programmes, Fit Farmers, the Movement Mentor and they were on Virgin TV last week. They run concerts and plays and they are the heart and soul of a rural agricultural area. Moore Community Council, which represents the people in this area, worked on a survey for south Roscommon to gather feedback from these local communities. More than 1,000 responses were received and I would like to share some of this feedback with the Minister of State. One of the key messages was that without local public transport, it can be very isolating and that their voice should be instrumental in shaping the future of the transportation services to ensure that the needs of communities are met and that no one gets left behind. This is about connecting to essential services, education institutions, and businesses in both Athlone and Ballinasloe, which is crucial. This community wants to be able to boost the local economies by increasing access for people to get into our local shops and, of course, for tourism. It is also about having an affordable travel option for people who do not drive, including older people, young people and those who do not have a car, or where there is just one car per household, and about social inclusion and access to community services. In this survey, 50% of those surveyed would use this service for further connections. Some 500 people alone would use the service to get to the train station. We discuss loneliness, anxiety and isolation. We know that people are living healthy and active lives and that is what we want to see. We had a gentleman living to 107 years of age in County Roscommon. According to this survey, 900 people alone would use this service for social activities. These are such activities as recreation, shopping, going to the cinema, meeting friends and having a coffee. According to the census office, the number of people aged 65 and over is estimated to have risen by in excess 40% in Ireland between 2013 and 2023, from 569,000 to 806,000 and it is expected to double again to 1.6 million people in Ireland in 2051. The census found that twice as many women aged 75 and over were likely to use the bus at least weekly at 13% compared with only 7% of men. I am calling to the Minister of State for a review of this regional route? I want us to consider the reinstatement of the Bus Éireann 20 or X20 route as a way to connect rural communities between Galway and Dublin. It existed for decades, it was taken away and now these communities are left with nothing and no access to coaches. It is fair enough that the M4 and M6 motorways can be used but this region in south Roscommon does not have a link for older communities and we are being left behind.
There is profound shock at the loss of Councillor John Naughten. He was a wonderful gentleman who was devoted to his family and livelihood as a farmer as well as being there for his local...
There is profound shock at the loss of Councillor John Naughten. He was a wonderful gentleman who was devoted to his family and livelihood as a farmer as well as being there for his local community as a public representative. It is a devastating loss for the Naughten family, friends and for so many in these communities. John helped people for decades and many are grateful for his invaluable public service for the people of Roscommon. As a Fine Gael councillor, John represented the Athlone municipal district on Roscommon County Council and had a very close team there of councillors and with the executive. He also represented the west on many regional forums. There have been many incredible tributes to his public service over the decades. I worked with John since joining the Seanad. I saw his tireless efforts on behalf of local groups, always with kindness and a smile. I know this contribution to public life is part of what his family has done for many decades. We know of his brother, Deputy Denis Naughten, and his father, Liam Naughten, a former Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. This is a heartbreaking time for so many and our thoughts are with his family, his wife, his beautiful children and his mother in this really difficult time. May John rest in peace. Our thoughts are with them at this time.
Budget 2025 (Finance): Statements | Seanad debates
I welcome this budget. When we look at the figures, this is the biggest social welfare budget, with investment of €26.5 billion. There is investment of €25.8 billion in health,...
I welcome this budget. When we look at the figures, this is the biggest social welfare budget, with investment of €26.5 billion. There is investment of €25.8 billion in health, €11.8 billion in education, €4.5 billion in further education, €8.9 billion in children and €7 billion in housing. How can we do this? How are we in a position to be able to support people at every stage of their lives in this country? It is thanks to the highest employment numbers we have ever had. There are 2.7 million people at work. The level of employment was mentioned today. It is set to increase by almost 110,000 people in the next two years and the unemployment rate will stay low, at approximately 4.5%. During the Covid pandemic, we were putting all those measures in place. That was not long ago - only three or four years. We had no idea the economy and businesses were going to bounce back. We put measures in place that led to businesses being able to maintain real success. We can never take this for granted, however. Many of the multinationals constantly undertake global cost-cutting measures. We know the next technological advances are around the corner and we have to stay up to speed. I acknowledge the work of development advisers, whether at IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland, as well as the funding that we deliver into innovation and research and our universities. We try to stay ahead of the curve. We are going to be dealing with digitalisation and AI and all these measures that will probably immeasurably improve our lives, but also lead to additional challenges for a small country in a global economy. There is success here. My queries, however, are on how we are future-proofing ourselves. What are we doing? How are we going to be on the innovation index? How do we compare with Singapore? The funding that is going into universities under the direction of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is an interesting aspect of this. We need to see how we are funding our third level sector. Yes, we have probably the highest number of third level graduates per capita globally, but we need to ensure we see that funding and innovation. We sometimes hear that Europe is very different from America when it comes to venture capital, VC, investment in innovation and cutting-edge technologies. People go to the United States. When we consider medtech companies in Galway, for example, their VC funding is an exit strategy to companies in the States. Europe needs to change how it looks at this. Europe needs to become more agile and change how it looks at regulation in this area. Those are elements that we, in government, can feed into. The Minister of State went through a number of items, such as tax credits and so on. One of the elements brought into this budget that is incredible and a real win is that people on carer's allowance now qualify for the fuel allowance payment. If people qualify for the fuel allowance, that means they also qualify for the warmer home scheme. This is one of the mega elements of the budget. It will further provide for families and carers, in tandem with the increase in the income disregard. Many of us want to see a lot of changes in respect of carer's allowance. Carers are the people who ensure people can live longer in their own homes. Of course, I also welcome the measure relating to home help hours. This budget is incredible as it will ensure there are more supports for carers. We often speak about infrastructure in this House. I note that one of the Ministers announced today in his budget speech that more than €99 million has been allocated to the Port of Cork. That allocation to develop a larger port will ensure we are able to do more offshore renewable energy. The provision in respect of infrastructure costs relating to broadband is another major aspect of the budget, as well as the provision for water infrastructure. When it came to building a development in my town of Ballinasloe, there was no water infrastructure. Uisce Éireann must be able to put the services in place as not having that sort of access when developing housing and developments in local areas is a real constraint. If the IDA is seeking to locate a company in the Minister of State’s home town, Roscommon or Ballinasloe, the first thing it will ask about is the housing in the area. It will ask where the people will be able to live and stay. If we do not have the water treatment plants to facilitate building capacity in our towns, it is a huge issue. One of the measures I would like to have seen in the budget - perhaps it is in it - relates to local authorities and affordable housing. How are we going to incentivise local authorities to provide affordable housing? We are allocating a budget for it and I have not read the finer details yet, but I am curious about how we are going to incentivise. Local authorities are not getting involved in affordable housing because there is an administrative challenge to that. There is more administration involved. If they are providing something like local authority housing, there is less need to engage on an individual level than there is for affordable housing. How do we ensure that our local authorities are going to do this? I also welcome the investment in the Future Ireland Fund, the agriculture reliefs and the change to inheritance tax. The latter is a major point for farmers in the context of succession and passing land from one generation to the next. It is very welcome. I commend the budget.
Budget 2025 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements | Seanad debates
I thank the Minister of State for being with us today. We see measures worth close to €106 billion to support families. In my area, namely Roscommon–Galway, and in the west, there...
I thank the Minister of State for being with us today. We see measures worth close to €106 billion to support families. In my area, namely Roscommon–Galway, and in the west, there have been challenges owing to the cost of living. It is these that we see addressed in the budget. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, acknowledged in the Dáil that there has been a 19% increase in the cost of living from 2021 until now. Families see this every time they go out to do their shopping. However, the measures put in place are to support affected families. We see one of the largest budgets ever, with €2.6 billion in social protection to help households. In my area, I have worked so much with families crying out for home help and increases to home help hours. These ensure people can live independently for as long as they wish at home. Six hundred thousand more home help hours have been allocated, bringing the total to 24 million. There are more staff. We need more doctors and nurses to deliver the services, and we know there has been an increase. We have funded that increase. There are 30,000 more people working in our health service, bringing the number to 133,000. As my party's education spokesperson in the Seanad, I am delighted to see the school meals programme. I hear about it, have advocated it and have encouraged our schools to apply for the pilots. So many schools have joined, and now all schools will have the opportunity to do so. I know what this means for parents. Never mind that they do not have the extra task of preparing school meals in the morning; they know their children get great school meals during the day. These are really positive measures that make such an impact on families' pockets and headspace. There are now to be free schoolbooks up to leaving certificate level. I have heard it mentioned here that nothing is being done in respect of special education. If the provision of 760 additional special education teachers and 1,600 more SNAs is doing nothing about special education, then I am left aghast. Five years ago, we had a couple of thousand SNAs, but we now have over 20,000 of them in our schools every single day. I meet people working as special needs assistants and know people doing the course in UCD to obtain a level 5 qualification. That is happening. There 20,000 more people working. The challenge is that we do not have enough. You cannot get people to work in certain roles. In hospitality, there is a struggle to get workers because there is now so much opportunity and choice. One hundred and eighty thousand are now benefiting from childcare. Again, it is a question of capacity. I want to see what will happen regarding infrastructure and development through the building blocks grant. The Minister of State might be able to speak about when the building blocks grant will come out, because the funds have been allocated to support it. Let me refer briefly to cost-of-living supports and the warmer homes scheme. I acknowledge that funding for the warmer homes scheme and for retrofitting is ten times greater than it was in 2019. The Acting Chairman will know very well that the housing profile in our area, in the west, is one of the worst, with only 85% of houses having attained a B2 rating. We need the warmer homes scheme and we need it to target areas under pressure. How are we going to have people living longer and independently in their homes if they are not insulated or retrofitted to allow them to do so? I welcome the measure in this regard.
Healthcare Infrastructure Provision | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate his personal connection as his wife, Dr. Mary McCaffrey, is an obstetrician. He is very much aware of the hospital and how it dates back to the...
I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate his personal connection as his wife, Dr. Mary McCaffrey, is an obstetrician. He is very much aware of the hospital and how it dates back to the 1940s. This has been an incredible investment which I want to acknowledge. I refer to the numbers that he has mentioned here whereby there has been a more than 50% increase in budget to €126 million. That is an incredible increase but it just shows that was so overdue. We now have over 1,000 people working in our hospital. We have excellent healthcare staff who work to the highest standards but, again, they work in facilities that date back to the 1940s. This new 50-bed block has been an absolute wonder and will transform patient care for nearly five counties and a catchment area of nearly 400,000 people. Again, I wish to refer to the ED and I see that the timeline is 2027. There are people who are on trolleys; we have paediatrics who do not have enough space or capacity within our hospital; and in 2023 there were 30,000 admissions to our ED of which 6,000 admissions were for paediatrics. There is no space for triage when it comes to paediatrics in Portiuncula hospital. I say to the Minister of State that we need this faster, we need an acceleration and I need his support on this.
I welcome the Minister of State. A total of €35 million has been given to Portiuncula University Hospital for the provision of a 50-bed unit. The facility, which was opened on 11...
I welcome the Minister of State. A total of €35 million has been given to Portiuncula University Hospital for the provision of a 50-bed unit. The facility, which was opened on 11 September by the Taoiseach, will transform patient care. It is a crucial development. In 2019, I brought a clinical delegation from the hospital to Leinster House to meet with the now Taoiseach and then Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to fight for this. It should have happened ten years ago. A great deal of other investment in the hospital should have already happened and that must happen now. This development is so welcome. It will ensure we have more capacity within the hospital. It is an acute level 3 hospital operating on a 24-7 basis. It is the maternity hospital for the region. It is a training hospital with multiple medical academies that is working in co-operation with the University of Limerick and the University of Galway. The two 25-bed wards, the Orchard and Garbally wards, have just opened. On his visit to Ballinasloe, the Taoiseach spoke about the investment in Portiuncula University Hospital. He spoke about how it is more than just a hospital but is also a community in the town and for the surrounding areas. He spoke about the extension of day services, oncology services and the funding delivered for the sterile support department and the new ambulatory gynaecology unit, which is due to open shortly. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Aisling Dolan:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=&amp;pid=AislingDolan&amp;year=2024&amp;month=10&amp;day=01"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->He acknowledged the conversion of the outpatients department, which was done after the Covid pandemic. Before the pandemic, we had 13 single rooms in that hospital. As a result of the work by the clinical team there, the outpatients department was converted to the Dunlo suite and doubled the availability of single rooms. We have seen the expansion of minor operations and plastic surgery; the new nurse-led infusion unit; the opening of the Willow suite, which is the protected space for bereaved families in the maternity unit; and a brand-new advanced nurse practitioner take up her position in Portiuncula University Hospital. Two years ago, I advocated strongly with the then Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, that we should have additional treatment bays in our emergency department, which has seen zero investment or work over the past decade to two decades. This is at design stage, and I am very grateful for the work that has been done in the Department of Health to progress it, but I know we see significant waiting lists and people on trolleys. This happens, of course, coming into every winter, but we have seen huge episodes also over the summer, when there are spikes. Today, we will hear about our budget and allocations to each Department. Fine Gael in government will deliver one of the largest budgets in health, and I know the Minister of State will welcome that. I want to see an update here on the timeline for the construction stage and capital expenditure for the nine treatment bays in the emergency department. I want to know what is happening with the multi-bed ward blocks. We have moved and will be moving patients out of those ward blocks and into the 50-bed unit. What will we do now? How will we renovate those multi-bed blocks that are in the middle of the hospital and that could be used for so many other roles and positions? Staffing is always one of the key issues that is brought up when it comes to our hospitals. We see that the challenges around recruitment are being lifted and that there is more availability. There is, however, more administrative sign-off and there are various approvals and different stages relating to the recruitment process. The latter make the recruitment process in a hospital healthcare network that is mammoth even longer. Our student nurses need clinical placements. We need to make sure we have the people in place in our hospitals to provide those clinical placements in order that we can bring in more students and student nurses, particularly into our specialties. We know that maternity leave has been a big issue. When I speak here about capital expenditure, I am bringing in something around staffing. Maternity leave, when it happens, is causing huge challenges around replacements for maternity leave.
Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I have seconded the Fine Gael motion on better planning for local childcare. I thank Senator Currie for her...
I welcome the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I have seconded the Fine Gael motion on better planning for local childcare. I thank Senator Currie for her work on this, her continuous efforts to support families and her determination to find solutions. This is of course an innovative approach. The Government has made strides in supporting parents to access lower cost childcare. We have seen the Government investment, as referenced by Senator Currie, in childcare building blocks and we will see over €25 million in the autumn for extensions and the purchase of buildings. Again, that will be extremely popular, but there is a challenge in rural areas, as well as in our cities and smaller towns. I see childcare waiting lists of up to three years. I deal with families who come to me explaining there could be a three year waiting list. We need to see supports. In my case, I am looking at community childcare and how it can purchase, build and expand its service. The community childcare service in my hometown of Ballinasloe, County Galway, is in serious demand because it offers pre-school and after school. However, as Senator Currie said, and as has been noted in this motion, the Government has improved access, affordability and quality, but we are speaking here about capacity. We see the population of 5.2 million. We see an expanding population because Ireland is growing. We see families struggling because they cannot now get to work. We have more than 130 new homes in my hometown. That is 130 new families, but there is unfortunately not an increase in facilities. This means mothers and fathers need access and choice and they need childcare. It could be for a few hours in the morning or the afternoon. It could be to do their shopping, get some sleep or, more than anything, get to work. Let us face it, this more than likely impacts on women - the mums more than the dads. It is another obstacle for parents if they do not have a choice to return to work. That is income into the household and career choice. Some parts of the motion we have highlighted are empty childcare units and applications for change of use and childcare units that are a component of planning permission, but which have not been built. This could be an opportunity for the proposed new childcare agency. The option being proposed could see the agency working with local authorities, perhaps linking in with developers as part of the planning conditions and looking at the option to lease to private and public providers, including the community childcare group. This option could help accelerate immediate capacity. It is a way for us to look at how we get immediate capacity, which I think is the goal of all of us. We are joined at the hip on that one. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, was in the Chamber earlier and spoke about the new ten-year county development plans, which will be linked to the census and things like regional growth centres identified across towns and the whole country. In my constituency, we have one in Athlone, County Westmeath. We have two key towns. That needs to be part of it. That is in the time to come, but we are looking at what we can do now for immediate capacity. I support the call for an audit to be conducted of empty childcare units nationally and that powers be given to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to compel developers to make empty units available for childcare purposes. It is important we see supports in place. We are making great strides, as is the Department, in supports to reduce the cost of childcare for parents. This is the next step in that challenge. Our ambition has been raised and our expectations are higher, but it is thanks to the fact that more people, parents and families are availing of this. I will follow on from Senator Currie's contribution and say that this new model will open up new opportunities for small to medium childcare providers and community-led partnerships. It is about fostering a supportive environment for the childcare sector and also acting as a stepping stone to further provision in the future. That is under the better planning for accessible childcare from Senator Currie. I know this has been an extremely busy and active area. I know that the new childcare agency will give the Minister much more support in terms of a dedicated operations team. It will probably take parts that sit within other agencies and Departments and bring them together to drive real change. I believe this is an interesting and innovative potential solution and we could drive that to ensure we have additional capacity to help parents and families who are struggling right now because they cannot get access to childcare places.
Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) | Seanad debates
This discussion is on the county development plan. The county development plan is looking at a number of these sections, including: sustainability and regeneration; economic development;...
This discussion is on the county development plan. The county development plan is looking at a number of these sections, including: sustainability and regeneration; economic development; housing; the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places; environment and climate change; and the conservation of natural and built heritage. We talk about balanced regional investment but things like wastewater supply and services must be considered. The NWRA came out with an infrastructure tracker two days ago. It referred to the fact that the ability of these areas to grow capacity has been extremely limited. The figure for County Galway is approximately 30% in terms of population growth. For Roscommon, it is something like 65%. Roscommon is in a far better situation. It is down to things like wastewater supplies and services, as well as transport and the dual train line we want to see from Portarlington to Galway. On the county development plan and the way we are working on this with planners, how will we ensure we will have planners with the training, qualifications and supports required to able to do this? I know staffing for planners has been a challenge for Galway County Council. It causes stress and much angst for local authorities, which are working, I am sure, with the best intentions. That does not, however, translate to people on the ground who are putting in their planning applications. I ask the Minister to address that issue in his reply. In addition, I ask him to explain how the RSESs from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly work? Is it the Ministers and the national statement that will be seeking to ensure the RSESs align in the context of a growth centre that crosses both of these RSESs?
I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, for being with us today. This is an incredible commitment by the Government which will revolutionise planning and development across the country. It has...
I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, for being with us today. This is an incredible commitment by the Government which will revolutionise planning and development across the country. It has been in preparation for four years and I again compliment the Minister, the Ministers of State and their team in the Department. It is one national planning statement, three regional assemblies, 31 local authority development plans, and area plans. This is what it breaks down to. I briefly referred to this yesterday, but I will bring to the Minister's attention a point about the regional assemblies and regional spatial and economic strategies, RSES. In the area covered by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, NWRA, Athlone is a growth centre. What is wonderful about the development plan and the framework is that it is being linked to the census, which is crucial. We are looking at a planned population growth from 20,000 people to 30,000 people in Athlone. That area is between the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Ballinasloe and Roscommon are key towns. Making Roscommon and Galway fantastic places to have a home, to live and to work is our priority. We want to ensure that we have more people living in the west. That means more people in our schools and more students choosing our colleges and working in companies and businesses in the west of Ireland. Having all of this, however, and fighting for homes, classrooms, the construction of technological universities at TUS in Athlone and the Atlantic Technological University in Galway and Mountbellew, and the University of Galway, requires huge amounts of funding. It also supports where we want to see growth in this area. It cannot be the case that the whole population of Ireland is going to be based within an hour's travel of Dublin city centre. That cannot be the case. Unless we see investment coming into our area in the west, this will always be the case.
I will focus on the national planning statements that will be presented to the Minister. We are discussing amendments relating to the provisions in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Bill. My questions...
I will focus on the national planning statements that will be presented to the Minister. We are discussing amendments relating to the provisions in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Bill. My questions specifically concern the regional spatial and economic strategy. The Northern and Western Regional Assembly released its regional infrastructure tracker just yesterday or the day before. The regional infrastructure tracker for the RSES reveals a challenge. The Northern and Western Regional Assembly covers all the counties west of the Shannon and north up to Cavan, and then there is the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly. In my area there is a growth town like Athlone and two other towns indicated like Ballinasloe and Roscommon town. Athlone crisscrosses two RSES areas and it is an actual growth town. There are only three indicated in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, NWRA. At a practical level from what I understand both Roscommon County Council and Westmeath County Council have worked together to develop the town. When the Minister is reviewing the national planning statement and looking at the high-level objectives, taking into account the RSES which is based on the census, how does that align if there are differences between one RSES for a particular town and another which is covered by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly? That is my question relating to the Minister's involvement in the national planning statement. Importantly the framework is linked to the census for a minimum of ten years. The challenge with the high-level information being given in the top part of the national planning statement from the Minister relates to the enormous deficits. The infrastructure tracker refers to Uisce Éireann water infrastructure capacity constraints. It indicates that Galway city has 0% capacity available to meet the requirements of the population increase. I come from a town where I want to see it double. Athlone has about 20,000 people and will move up to about 30,000 people by 2032 which is the timeframe of those regional economic strategies. Galway County Council is at about 20%. Roscommon fares much better at 76% capacity which means that the towns in the county are able to take on an increase. However, there are major challenges relating to infrastructure in rural areas. At a European level, the NWRA is the only region in Ireland that is defined as being in transition. I appreciate that this is a recent report. It refers to the regional competitiveness index which is done by development stage and index score. The northern and western area, which is a transition region, ranks 218th out of 234 NUTS 2 regions. We rank fairly poorly in this regard. In this national planning statement, not all things are equal across the regional areas. I have heard Senator Chambers talk about the challenges there. We have nearly 18 people working in the NWRA. There needs to be a regional balance and it must take into account that all things are not fair in this world and not all areas are starting from the same base level. We, in the Northern and Western Regional Assembly area, are starting at a significant deficit. When the Minister is reviewing these national planning statements how will the proposals that come from the three be taken into account? There is the national planning stage, the three regional spatial and economic strategies, RSESs, and then approximately 30 area plans as well. The regional assemblies will ensure the RSESs take into account many of these reports. They do excellent work and are made-up of local public representatives across those counties. The challenge is with the deficit we are dealing with. We are bringing in more people to live and work in the west. Day in, day out I talk about what a wonderful place it is to live in. During campaigning for the local elections, I met many people in their 30s and 40s with families moving back to places like Athlone because they can get work or they can work remotely. They may just need to be in Dublin one or two days a week. In Dublin city centre I met someone from home who travelled up on the train. While some train services have been increased, some basic coach services, including Aircoach, have been taken off. I am calling for a review of the route 20 service, for example, which crisscrosses in travelling from Dublin to Galway. These are infrastructural needs but they crisscross RSES areas. When we indicate a significant need and it crisscrosses like that in Athlone, how is that managed with the Minister's statement? My last issue is with housing. About four years ago one of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly regional statements indicated that over 95% of housing in that area was at B2 level or below. Obviously that area has a much older cohort. When we talk about development, this is where things like the vacant refurbishment grant comes in. I know we are doing work on retrofitting and so on and we need new housing. We obviously want to see better access to water, water infrastructure and wastewater treatment plants in our towns. How will we have the capacity to expand in the likes of Ballinasloe or Roscommon town when so much of our housing does not even meet the basic need of B2? These are some of the key issues in my area when it comes to planning. When we talk about planning so far ahead, I feel we are so far behind. That is where the Minister's statement looking at development across these regions will be crucial.