Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

Senator Rabbitte raised the issue of CPOs, in particular those relating to the N63 road. I was quite shocked to hear the details that an arrangement was apparently made in 2014, but a landlord has not been paid since. That raises a lot of questions because the individual has suffered a loss of income. As the Senator said, that has caused a lot of stress. We need clarity on CPOs. They are, of course, not just used for roads, bypasses, etc. but also for derelict buildings in our towns. I am conscious of an ongoing issue in Newbridge. CPOs are used in order to put buildings to good use. It is important that there is absolute clarity for the owners, trustees or whatever the case may be. There should be very clear guidelines on timelines and compensation which is generally agreed to be fair. There is a process in place to carry out valuations. As the Senator said, there has to be an element of trust. She asked if the House was aware of any similar situations going on for more than 12 months. I am not, but I will leave that open to the House and anybody outside the House. It is a fair point. We should ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to come before the House and speak about CPOs. There will probably be more of them in the future, in particular given the housing situation. I am happy to agree to look for that.

Senator Manus Boyle spoke about apprenticeship programmes and a decrease in funding. I am not aware of that. I had reason to speak to the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the week before last regarding a craft apprenticeship in Ballyfermot school of music. He assured me at that point that absolutely no apprenticeship programme would end. We are at a time when we need to invest in our apprenticeship programmes and show parity of esteem to young people who are leaving school. They can earn as they learn and apprenticeships are the way forward. We will certainly ask about that possibility. I am not aware of it but we will look for clarity and for the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, to come to the House to talk about the apprenticeship programme, in general. Senator McCarthy spoke about Irish business concerns regarding proposed tariffs. There has been an intensification of EU trade negotiations in recent weeks. The Tánaiste was in Brussels for one such meeting on 26 June. The Tánaiste is in close contact with the EU trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefovi, whose name I always pronounce incorrectly, so excuse me for that. The trade forum is ongoing. We cannot afford to be passive and we need to show business owners, particularly those in the SME sector, that we are supporting them. We are also looking for new markets. The Taoiseach has been in Japan this week. The development of new trade links is hugely important. We have an action plan on market diversification. The Senator also mentioned the banking industry and concerns about the housing situation. We are all concerned about the housing situation but I know that many developers are finding it hard to get access to credit from the banks. Maybe banks could improve their lending rules.

Senator Andrews spoke about the 150 redundancies at Penneys. It is a very difficult time for the workers and their families. I recall that there was a statement from the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Dara Calleary, in relation to this. He said that it was a Government priority to support the workers. He has deployed a team to deal with the 150 people. They have been offered supports and income. Under the new rules, they can have income of up to €450 per week. The team is also looking at education and training supports. The Senator also called for a debate on workers' rights. We will look for this, as it is an important issue.

Senator Teresa Costello spoke about a briefing she received on adequate supports for cancer survivors facing menopause. For these women, HRT is not an option. We are all thankful to the former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, for leading a revolution in women's health, particularly in the context of menopause supports. The Senator spoke about a new drug which is under review and, as she rightly said, no one should be left behind. We hope that this new drug will be considered and the women who need it will get access to it.

Senator Ní Chuilinn spoke about the sportsperson's tax rebate. There was no one like Charlie McCreevy to find ways to support niche industries. He really did the State incredible service. At the time, I am sure it was just something that came out of the blue, but I know the man and I know the way his mind works. He is quite an incredible person. It was an important thing to do. Senator Ní Chuilinn spoke about the anomaly for different sports. She made the very fair point that sponsorships were not included. We need to bring this to the attention to the Minister for sport and the Minister for Finance.

Senator Goldsboro spoke about class sizes and the need for proper capitation grants. The Senator is right, the schools we represent in our areas are to the pin of their collar at this time, with rising prices. I acknowledge that the capitation grants will increase in September, from €200 to €224 per student for primary schools and from €345 to €386 per student for post-primary schools. I agree that this is still not enough. There is an anomaly with regard to what primary schools and secondary schools get. This should be equalised. If anything, younger children need more supports. There is a special unit in the Department of Education, the financial support services unit, that deals with financial supports for schools that find themselves in a very difficult situation. School principals need certainty. Regarding investment in schools, there has been a 20% increase in capitation over the past three years, but we are still not back to where we were in 2011. Considering how costs have risen, to think that we are back at pre-2011 levels is wrong. Principals need certainty and they need more middle-management administrative supports. There needs to be more deputy principals. In a primary school I know with more than 1,000 pupils, there is only one deputy principal. They are finding it difficult to manage. We will look for the Minister for education to come to the Seanad. We will try to get her before the recess and if not, immediately once we resume.

Senator McCormack spoke about GP services in Laois. He mentioned that the national average is one GP per 1,000 people but in Laois the figure is one GP per 1,600 people. This is an issue in counties such as Laois where the population is growing. The Senator is correct to say that it puts extra pressure on hospitals and out-of-hours GP clinics. This issue did not begin overnight, it has been ongoing for some time and it has been highlighted by many GPs. There are some issues in the system. We will look for the Minister for Health to come here to address this particular issue. If we are focusing on primary care, as we are doing as part of Sláintecare, we need to ensure that we have a good GP service.

Senator Scahill spoke about school transport. As the Senator knows, the Minister of State at the Department of education, Deputy Michael Moynihan, had a briefing in the audiovisual room. It was great that he was able to bring in Oireachtas Members and representatives of Bus Éireann and the NTA to answer questions. I know there is a big review going on but the Senator mentioned the timely responses that every one of us should get. It is completely wrong that the Senator is not getting answers within an adequate time. No matter their party, everyone should be able to use the service that is there to get responses through the Oireachtas line. The Senator spoke about Glenamaddy Community School and the need to have a more efficient route put in place there. The Senator could possibly put in a Commencement matter next week. She is right to raise the general issue of getting responses.

Senator Ollie Crowe spoke about vaping and the number of young people who are vaping all the time. The Senator is correct, it has increased very significantly. The fact that three out of ten teenagers are vaping is an alarming statistic. Earlier this week, I happened to hear on the radio a young person talking about the impact vaping had on them and that it provoked a psychotic episode. There is a lot of evidence on this and we should have a session on vaping and get all the information and research.

Senator Joe O'Reilly spoke about retailers being the lifeblood of our communities - which we all agree on - and the effect on retailers of illicit goods. Apart from what is being lost to shops, particularly those close to the Border, €540 million is lost to the Exchequer. This could be very significant funding going into communities. I did not know that 37% of all cigarettes consumed here are smuggled. We need more people policing this issue, between Customs and Excise and An Garda Síochána. It would be worthwhile getting a briefing on how the matter is policed.

Senator Tully spoke about home care hours, particularly for older and disabled people. It is a quagmire and it is complex. In certain areas it is hard to be identify carers and that is why we need to have more courses on social care and we need to show school leavers that social care is such a worthy thing to do. We should provide the appropriate PLCs and apprenticeships.Senator Tully spoke specifically about the possibility of carers not turning up. That is most regrettable. In situations like that, I assume the agency must deal with those issues. Most of the carers I have come across have been excellent in terms of their care, attention and love they provide to those for whom they care. The Senator also said that some carers are available but are not being allocated work. Again, this is an administrative error that needs to be cut down on. It is certainly something we will raise with the Minister.

Senator Casey comes from the youngest county. I am sorry it is the last county to be thought of in terms of public transport. I am glad that one of its train stations got the fair fares, which is something we all fought for. The Senator is right in what he said about the services the county was promised such as the DART. So many people have moved to the county because of the cost of housing in Dublin, so it is a commuter belt area and Wicklow should have a far better service. We have looked for a debate on the NDP before recess so that might be a place to raise it. We will look to the Minister for Transport to come to the House to talk about that as well.

Senator Cosgrove spoke about surgical hubs and where one would be based in the north west. She spoke very eloquently about it and the fact it is not a Donegal versus Sligo debate. We just need clarity on it. I know Councillor Edel McSharry has been in touch with a number of us about the issue. The Senator also mentioned the deal that the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, made. I have no idea about the deal. I would love to know the details so the Senator can pass them on. I hope that clarity is provided very soon and that work can start. It would be ideal if both counties got it but we just need a decision so that people would know. It is probably worth putting down a Commencement matter to get the specific details about it.

In response to Senator Dee Ryan, reading the newspapers, I can appreciate what has happened in Limerick over the past few weeks and why this is a really important issue. I wish we had that problem in Kildare. We all wish we had that problem of benefactors who want to be able to give supports. It is not about giving it to the local authority; it is about giving it to the people so communities can be transformed and they can be enabled to thrive. The issue here concerns what happens when a philanthropist wants to gift land or a building to a local authority. A case involved Magee Barracks in Kildare many years ago. It was to be gifted to the local authority, which did not want to take it. A developer bought it and the Department of education had to buy that piece of land for a school, so we need clarity. We also need a system that is not tied up in red tape. If a generous benefactor wants to give a gift with no strings attached and it is decided that this should be done through the local authority, which is generally the best way in terms of transparency, we should enable it. Again, we will look for the Minister for local government to come to the House, so we are looking for him to come to the House to discuss two different issues.

Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke about a shocking situation of which she was aware. We all feel huge compassion for that individual. She spoke about sick certificates being issued without any consultation. A tele-consultation is still a consultation and I know it has worked if someone cannot get to a GP physically. I have not used it but I did see one in operation and it seemed to work well and is a consultation. The important thing is that it is a consultation. The article in the newspaper showed that there was no consultation and people could buy a medical certificate. This is completely wrong. I understand that it is down to the Medical Council to regulate that. There does not seem to be a specific regulation but I think one should be brought in. Perhaps that is something we can ask the Government to do.