Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Wednesday, 4 Feb 2026

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Public Transport

Deputy Shane Moynihan

Is mian liom an deis a thapú labhairt ar an gceist seo, ceist atá thar a bheith práinneach do mhuintir Leamhcáin agus Bhaile Formaid. This matter relates to the need, as has been documented by others in the House and as constituents have raised with me, for a direct public transport link between the Lucan-Palmerstown area and Dublin Airport. At present, there is no such link. This is despite the fact that Lucan is a large and rapidly growing suburban area and its population exceeds that of Waterford city. Previously, a privately operated service, the Airport Hopper, provided a direct connection that included stops in Lucan village and Liffey Valley. Since the cessation of that service last year, residents have been left without a comparable replacement to allow them to travel to Dublin Airport. As a result, those who want to travel from Lucan to Dublin Airport and who want to use public transport have to make an indirect and time-consuming journey. Not only does this reduce the attractiveness of public transport for airport access, it also adds to the stress involved and to time it takes for someone to get to the airport, be it for business, pleasure or education purposes.

I will illustrate some of the difficulties involved. If people want to use public transport to access Dublin Airport, they travel on the C1 or C2 into the city centre and then transfer to route 16 or 19 to the airport. They can travel by bus to the Red Cow Roundabout and transfer to the private Dublin Coach service 750 to Dublin Airport. In both of these instances - and there are others - the travel time can exceed one and a half hours for what is a 30-minute drive at off-peak times. This means that many residents are left with little choice but to use taxis or their private cars. In many cases, taxi fares can exceed €50.

What is puzzling about all of this is that several regional coach services, including the Expressway route 22 from Sligo to the airport and route 23 from Ballina to the airport, pass through Lucan on the M4 and stop at the Lucan Spa Hotel.

We have made a suggestion to the NTA from my office to improve the connectivity for Lucan residents by providing an additional stop, for example, at the footbridge at the N4. The NTA has advised us that these services operate under a pick-up and set-down restriction designed to protect capacity for longer-distance passengers. Disappointingly, the NTA has indicated to me through replies to parliamentary questions that there are no current plans to amend these restrictions or to facilitate a direct connection between Lucan and the airport.

I know the Minister of State knows this area well and I thank her for being here and taking this Topical Issue matter. One of the successes of BusConnects over the past two-to-three years has been the introduction of the orbital routes like the W4 route that goes through our constituency, the S2 route, the N routes and so on. There is a real scope and opportunity to build on the success of those orbital routes, build on the very positive public disposition there is towards using public transport and providing a very direct link for people who live in Lucan and people who live in Palmerstown to allow them to access the M50 via a public transport link and to get to Dublin Airport. My ask today is that the Minister and the Department of Transport consult with the NTA with a view to creating that direct link between residents in Lucan and Palmerstown and Dublin Airport.

Lucan's population at this moment in time exceeds that of Waterford city and it is quite questionable that there is not a direct link between that town and Dublin Airport given the reliance of people in Lucan on the airport for business, holidaying and educational use. I look forward to a good and thorough discussion on the matter.

Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (Deputy Emer Higgins)

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this really important topic which I am taking today on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. From the outset, I want to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, however neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the NTA, National Transport Authority, which the Deputy referenced in his contribution. The NTA works with the public transport operators who deliver the services and have responsibility for their day-to-day operation.

That said, I want to reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2026 the Department secured €940 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, and TFI Local Link services. That is a significant 43% uplift and an increase from €658.4 million in 2025 to €940 million.

I understand that the Deputy specifically wishes to discuss the public transport links, or lack thereof, between Lucan and the airport. Officials from the Department of Transport have engaged with the NTA on this matter and have been advised, like the Deputy, that there was previously a direct service between Lucan and the airport which was operated on a commercial basis. That was a bus I used regularly so I have a vested interest in this and I did always find it reliable.

While most public transport in Ireland comprises the bus and rail services funded through the NTA's PSO programme, there is part of the national public transport system that comprises non-subvented bus services, which are run on a commercial basis by bus and coach businesses of varying sizes throughout the country. As such, any decisions taken by commercial operators regarding route scheduling and timetabling are a matter for the commercial company involved, and the NTA has no powers to refuse an application from an operator to reduce or withdraw services on what is a commercial route.

In circumstances where a commercial operator ceases operating a specific route, the NTA undertakes an examination to determine whether, with the discontinuation of the commercial service, it is necessary for a replacement PSO service to be introduced to ensure no loss of connectivity to the travelling public. This process includes an assessment of the level of demand for public transport services in the affected area, an evaluation of whether existing PSO services can be reconfigured to meet any shortfall, or whether it is necessary to competitively tender for the provision of services.

The Minister for Transport has been advised by the NTA that, at present, there are no plans to introduce a replacement subsidised direct service on this route. However, a considerable number of journey options to Dublin Airport are available and the Minister has outlined them. To be honest, the Deputy puts forward a really good suggestion in relation to the existing route that passes by and stops at Lucan Spa Hotel, and for it to just stop at the footbridge on the N4. I will take that feedback directly to the Minister for Transport. As Deputy Moynihan said, the orbital bus routes servicing areas throughout Dublin have been a huge success and we really need to be thinking outside the box and making small changes that would have a big impact for the commuting public.

Deputy Shane Moynihan

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. I note, as I said in my on contribution and the Minister of State mentioned, the ability to interchange with the likes of route 16 from the city centre is available to people. However, I would emphasise, as has been emphasised to me by constituents Mary and Gerard Sammon in Lucan, that the route 16 is one that takes a long time. It compounds the fact that one must travel into the city centre to go out to the airport, whereas a link that goes onto the M50 allowing an orbital route would be far preferable.

The Minister of State mentioned the NTA undertakes an evaluation of whether a PSO is necessary on a route. I note that the answer did not state whether the NTA has actually done that evaluation. If that has taken place, I would welcome the NTA making it available in order to allow it to be scrutinised and held up for further analysis.

I welcome that the Minister of State will take on board the suggestions I made about inserting new pick-up and drop-off stops on the N4 for existing routes that go to the airport from the western part of the country in particular and those that use the N4. That should be consistent with the principles the NTA has set out in its response and conveyed to the Minister of State. If we are suggesting people can use existing routes that take longer to access from Lucan, surely it is consistent with that approach that we allow existing routes coming into the city from the western part of the county to have stops incorporated in them to allow people to access this.

This suggestion is coming from constituents and, from my point of view and that of the Minister of State, from a place of wanting people to use public transport. We regularly discuss congestion in this House. I would welcome the NTA making the results of its evaluation available to us for scrutiny. I would like to see how it has done that analysis. If that is not the case, will the NTA then engage with the public transport market to see if a provider will take on this route on a commercial basis? The population is there and the demand is there for what I think should be a commercial service. However, that certainty and guidance from the NTA will be needed to build that appetite in the market.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I fully agree. It makes absolute sense to utilise existing routes. It makes sense from a sustainability perspective, from an efficiency perspective and, most importantly, from a public transport users' perspective. I will absolutely take that feedback back to the Minister for Transport. Orbital routes have been a success in most instances. There has been huge investment in them and that is because nowadays everybody does not necessarily need to be going to the city centre. That is not everybody's destination. It is about being able to provide people who work on the outskirts of Dublin with a better commuting option as well. They have really worked and I take on board the Deputy's feedback that it would work in this instance too.

Regarding the commercial operator itself, the decision to cease operations on this route was solely a matter for the company. The NTA has no legislative powers to refuse an application from an operator to either reduce or withdraw services. I appreciate that there are not direct routes and that is having an impact locally. On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank Deputy Moynihan for bringing this issue forward. I assure the Deputy that his concerns have been heard. I will convey his points, including his very good suggestion regarding the existing bus route, back to the Minister.

Public Transport

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

The No. 15 bus from Clongriffin to Ballycullen Road has served the people of the northside of Dublin for more than a decade. It is a great service and a crucial service going into the city for a lot of commuters and has become even more important as Clongriffin has continued to expand with LDA work and other projects there. Since the route went to 24-hours in 2019 it has also become a vital option for students, shift workers and others travelling late at night who still wish to rely on public transport and, in fact, it may be their only option in and out of the city.

However, in recent months my Fine Gael colleague, Councillor Supriya Singh, and I have received a steady stream of complaints from local residents about the deterioration of that service. People are experiencing frequent no-shows, last-minute cancellations, long gaps between buses and, of course, the so-called ghost bus services that appear as due on the TFI Live app but never arrive. It is a particular problem at stop 6320 on the Hole in The Wall road where commuters travel towards the city centre. They can experience two or even three consecutive buses failing to show and wait times of 30-40 minutes, often in heavy rain and poor weather and without a structure at the stop to protect them.

That makes it even harder.

These delays are causing problems. People are missing work. They are missing educational opportunities. They are missing school. They are missing medical appointments and childcare commitments. It is made worse, as I mentioned, by the lack of that shelter.

My colleague, Councillor Supriya Singh, whom I mentioned previously, has raised these issues on a few occasions with the NTA, but the responses, to be honest, have been unsatisfactory. We get these responses to many Deputies in this House - that congestion is causing buses to miss return journeys; there are driver shortages and operational issues such as breakdowns or incidents in service. We all want good services. We want to fight for good services for our constituents. A service like this is very important and it is frustrating as a public representative, representing our constituents, that there appears to be so little progress in addressing the underlying problems. We should not accept the level of service that people have come to tolerate on some of these routes. I do not accept the level of service. I want the NTA to improve and to up its game, to step up and play ball. It must do better.

If we are serious about meeting climate targets and if we want to encourage people to make the famous modal shift whereby they get out of their car and onto a bus or a bike or they walk or take the train. We have to make sure that public transport is not only available but that it works for people. It must come on time, arrive when it says it will and when it is meant to, and leave on time so that we can go to work on it and come home on it. Public transport must be reliable and work. I would appreciate the Minister of State's views on this issue.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I thank Deputy Ó Muirí very much for raising this Topical Issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport. To clarify, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport, but he does not have responsibility for or involvement in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. That rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA, which the Deputy referenced in his contribution, works with the public transport operators, who deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That being said, I would like to reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal.

I appreciate that many customers in north Dublin, in the Deputy's constituency, have recently been experiencing some issues with regard to cancellations and reliability. As he predicted, the note I was handed today by the Minister speaks to traffic congestion, and a shortage of bus drivers and mechanics being part of the issue. From what I can see, it looks very much to be the case that traffic congestion is having a big impact on this bus route. Traffic conditions have been particularly challenging in recent months on that route. Traffic speeds have seen a decrease of 5%, while at the same time there has been a 5% increase in traffic volume. This has resulted in significantly higher lost kilometres for route 15 in quarter 4 than in quarters 1, 2 and 3 combined. That is heavily impacting both punctuality and reliability. They are the issues the Deputy has spoken about in regard to the constituents he mentioned who have missed work, school, appointments or other commitments. That is a direct result of the situation.

Dublin Bus introduced two additional morning peak capacity trips on 2 November to alleviate the issues facing the route. I compliment Deputy Ó Muirí and Councillor Supriya Singh, whom I know he has worked with on this to make sure that this happened. While the additional services have provided some relief, passenger loadings remain very heavy during the morning peak. A further capacity and demand review is now scheduled for later this year. At present, it is planned that a revised schedule for route 15 will be introduced in September, aimed at improving reliability and better matching capacity to demand. In the short term, an additional evening peak trip from the city centre to Clongriffin will be implemented from 8 February. I know this is something the Deputy has campaigned hard on and I thank him for doing that.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

I thank the Minister of State. It is good to hear about the revised schedule in terms of the additional peak trip and the morning peak capacity trips from 2 November. To be honest, I do not want to come in here and raise issues about specific bus services because it is a matter for the NTA, but in a situation whereby residents are finding that the service is deteriorating and the NTA is not responding, then I am obliged to do it here. Like the Minister of State or any other Member of this House, we are obliged to raise the issues that matter to our constituents.

I am going to give two examples. The first is from 17 December. I will read an email verbatim:

There are now so many cancellations of the 15 because Dublin Bus fear getting a fine from the NTA for being outside the timetable and allowed tolerance re:arriving late/arriving early, that you are lucky if you see two or three in an hour, a long way off the published timetable, which at this stage is but a work of fiction. From the 01st Jan to 30 Sep 2025 there were 2950 cancellations of the 15 route making it the 4th most cancelled bus route in the city.

That is one example. I will give just one other from 30 January.

This morning, I waited 50 minutes before a bus showed up (8am to 8.50am) – screen said 4 minutes for the duration of that time. My sister also travels this same route and this week alone experienced: Tuesday - 1 hour and 15 minutes wait; Wednesday – 30 minutes wait; Thursday – 20 minutes wait and a broken-down bus; Today – broken down bus again. As a fare-paying customer, I expect a basic level of punctuality and reliability that is currently not being met by this service.

They are just two examples of the many contacts Councillor Singh and I have received. I welcome the response of the NTA in terms of additional capacity. I also welcome what it is talking about doing, but the NTA needs to up its game in this situation because the 15 above many other routes in the city, goes from Clongriffin, which is growing, all the way into the city centre. It is a vital route. It is a workhorse of a route for the area.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Conor Sheehan)

I thank the Deputy.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

I ask again that this issue would go to the NTA and that it would pay close attention to it.

Deputy Emer Higgins

I thank the Deputy. He is right. He has to raise these issues on behalf of his constituents. At the end of the day, transport connectivity is massively important to people. It is important to people who are using it to get to work or to get to study. It is a part of day-to-day life. Public transport is something that should be able to be relied on. The Deputy spoke of published timetables being a work of fiction. That is not acceptable. We need to get to a point where published timetables are reliable.

I am really encouraged to hear that Dublin Bus has introduced two additional morning peak capacity trips, as of November, to alleviate the issues facing the 15 route, and that it is now going to introduce evening peak trips from the city centre to Clongriffin from 8 February, which is this week. That is really good news for Deputy Ó Muirí's constituents. It is also really good to know that a revised schedule for route 15 is to be introduced in September. That is aimed at improving reliability and better matching capacity to demand. It is really important that the Deputy continues to work with the NTA and Dublin Bus, and with his colleagues both locally and nationally to make sure that the new route in September adequately services his constituents. I will take this feedback directly to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

I thank the Minister of State.

Cancer Services

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue for debate on world cancer day. I thought it was important that this Dáil should mark world cancer day and discuss the issue of resources and funding for cancer services in this country, not least because I had a cancer diagnosis last year and have undergone treatment. I am very grateful to the cancer services and to all the fantastic people who work in it: the doctors, the nurses, the allied health professionals, all the people in our cancer and health services, and indeed the people who are working and researching things like cancer treatments and cancer prevention and advocacy groups like the Irish Cancer Society. They all deserve our gratitude and their work deserves to be highlighted on this important day.

The statistics on cancer make it clear that it is an issue for absolutely everybody in this country. Every three minutes in Ireland somebody will get a cancer diagnosis. That means 44,000 people this year will be diagnosed with cancer. We have, unfortunately the second highest ranking among EU member states for new cancer diagnoses. Tragically, more than 10,000 people a year will die as a result of cancer. Ireland also unfortunately has the third highest rate of cancer mortality in western Europe. Central to the concerns of those in the Irish Cancer Society and those who work in our cancer services is that the expected increase in cancer diagnosis that will take place between 2015 and 2045 is 100%. That is against a background where already 50% of people will be affected by cancer in their lifetime.

This is a serious issue. It is going to affect most people and there are worrying signs that cancer is increasing in prevalence. There was a report in the last couple of weeks by the Irish Cancer Society and the OECD that while it is often associated with older people, there is a very concerning rise of cancer in people younger than 49.

There are a lot of issues you could bring up. The Irish Cancer Society produced detailed reports that are asking about investment in resources, infrastructure, services, staffing and so on in a range of areas such as prevention, genetic services, costs of cancer screening, early detection, timely access to treatment, children and adolescents living with cancer, the end of life, and capital investment and infrastructure. All of those need to be addressed. The Minister is probably familiar with them.

There are worrying statistics and worrying instances of people not getting their cancer treatment in time. Early cancer treatment is critical. We have, for example, one hospital in the country where only 12% of people were getting cancer treatment on time. Ten hospitals missed their target of getting cancer treatment in time for their patients in half of the months of the year. That is a very worrying sign.

I have also raised the fact that there needs to be, on behalf of those working, a national replacement programme for radiotherapy machines - linear accelerators - because 35% of our machines, which are supposed to be replaced every ten years, are now 15 years old or more, and 40% of our machines need to be replaced in the next five years. While there is a replacement programme under way, those working in the services say that this is not centrally organised and is not being organised in advance, so we are responding to the immediate need but not planning for the future, particularly when there is a massive increase in demand projected over recent years.

There is a lot more else I could say, but I hope the Minister will respond to some of those points.

Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

I thank the Deputy for raising this on World Cancer Day and thank him for continuing to be an advocate for cancer patients across the island. As the Deputy has said, he and I could speak about this for a good hour and not get through all of the different issues.

We are well aware that every person in this room and the people whom we represent are impacted by cancer in their families, in their broader families and in their community. While we have made huge strides in cancer care since the first national cancer strategy was launched, where we had only 45% of people surviving five years in the nineties and that is up to 65% now, with our mortality rate falling faster than anywhere else in the EU, as the Deputy correctly points out, however, the number of diagnoses is going to continue to increase and the population is increasing.

I attended the Irish Daffodil Day launch for the volunteers. The ambassador for the Irish Cancer Society this year is Katie Foley from Inch in Kerry. She is 30 and she has a four-year-old girl. Katie was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. She runs her own business, a coffee shop. She has gone through a recovery process and is doing very well. She is ambassador this year. She has been speaking about the difficulty for every part of her life - looking after her little girl, looking after her business and getting the treatment that she needs. I highlight the example, as the Deputy has, of how it can impact so many young people.

As we live longer and we are diagnosed with more illnesses, we should expect the rate of diagnosis to increase. That does not mean that we change anything that we are doing, but we need to be diagnosing and treating much more quickly. As we both know, what we are looking at now is a future of people living with and beyond different types of cancer for much longer than would previously have been the case because we have the technology and the types of drugs that can keep people living with cancer much longer than would have been the case, but that does not change the challenge for those people's lives.

We have consciously chosen to invest in our cancer support programme, for example, Rose Rock House in Castlebar or ARC in Cork. We have given €5.5 million for the core funding of 21 centres around the country because they are providing therapeutic support, counselling support and psychosocial supports to people who are living with and beyond cancer, and those supports are just as important as every other element of the investment in our cancer strategy.

This year, in the Department of Health we are evaluating the success of the ten-year cancer strategy which ends this year and beginning to do the work on devising the next one. We want to be unapologetically ambitious for what is possible because of what we have learnt, in particular, through technology. In relation to artificial intelligence, AI, we saw some really interesting work on that in the media today in relation to its use in diagnostics. We want to be unapologetically ambitious in terms of where people are getting their cancer treatment. For example, I visited Bantry and Cork University Hospital. Repeatedly, I see people being supported in their transport needs to get from Bantry to Cork University Hospital, on a Tuesday for a blood test and on a Wednesday for their infusion. I do not want them to have to travel from Bantry to CUH. I would like people to be able to get their treatment - their specialist diagnosis and plan for treatment in our specialist centres but, thereafter, for them to get their treatment at home or as close to home as possible, in Bantry or in their home, rather than taking the fairly arduous journey for a cancer patient of travelling that distance to CUH. These are the sorts of changes that we are trying to make through a reallocation of funding this year. It is a really important shift.

The Deputy correctly identifies that there is too much variance in how people are treated around this country depending on where they happen to live and the type of cancer they happen to have, and that is not good enough. I want people in Donegal and Dublin to have the same equality of treatment. I want people in Cork to have the same treatment as the people in Galway and as the people in Tullamore, that they have the same expectation no matter what cancer they have that they will be diagnosed and treated in an equal way. We have not had the transparency previously of being able to assess which regions are meeting the standard and which are not. This new regional funding model enables us to put the 6% uplift that we have in the budget and the 3,300 people into the system and make sure that those resources are targeted in the most effective way to achieve a much better regional equality for people across this country.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I thank the Minister for that response. First of all, the inconsistency between the experience people have in different parts of the country has to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Indeed, I was conscious when I was getting my own treatment that people were coming from different parts of the country. There was a place available for them in St. Luke's to stay, but it was not provided by the State. To the best of my knowledge, it was funded by the Irish Cancer Society. The Minister can correct me if I am wrong on that. Services such as where people could stay should not simply be dependent on charitable organisations raising funds. My understanding was that the place that people could stay overnight was not run by the hospital even though it is fantastic that it was there for them, but that is an aside.

On the linear accelerators in the national replacement programme, the Minister has given me some answers. I got some answers from the HSE on the replacement programme. It is worth saying, while it is under way, that all in the St. Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, SLRON, are supposed to be replaced after ten years. Two of those will only be replaced when they are 19 years old, two will be replaced when they are 21 years old, two will be replaced when they are 14 years old, two when they are 18 years old, and two when they are 17 years old. All will be well over the ten years it is supposed to be. That shows a lack of planning to have a replacement programme that is organised centrally and that is ahead of the game rather than reacting afterwards and realising we have not replaced the machines and therefore the machines are breaking down, causing hardship for the staff providing the treatment and for those who are awaiting the treatment, often impacting on things such as childcare and their ability to travel back to where they live in other parts of the country.

On equality of access, I will read the following from a report that was sent to me by a radiation oncology medical physicist. He was talking about PET CT scanners. He said that only two of the Republic of Ireland's eight current PET CT scanners are fully or partly publicly funded and that there is a system where 75% of net national PET CT imaging capacity resides in private institutions. He has done a report on that. I do not know the detail of that, but that shows a worrying lack of those scanners in the public system, funded publicly rather than being only available in the private sector.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

I am here for the public system. I am here to invest in the public system and to champion the public system. A total of 80% of our cancer care gets delivered through the public system and that is my focus.

The Deputy is correct to highlight the replacement programme in St. Luke's. I have updated the Deputy that there is a replacement equipment supply commencing in quarter 1, with a contractor in place this year. In quarter 4, we are also working on a detailed business case for the Beaumont phase 2 expansion. There is also work to be done in Cork and Galway. There is a particular difference with St. Luke's, but the work is progressing. The Deputy is quite right that it should have progressed before now.

I highlight as well some of the other important developments that are happening more broadly. It is about machinery, treatment and additional staff. It is also about prevention programmes and screening programmes. We have recently announced the extension of the Laura Brennan HPV catch-up vaccination programme targeted at fifth and sixth years in schools.

We would encourage anyone whose child, male or female, has not had that vaccination to get it where it is offered. We know it is most effective when a child is about 12 or 13, before they become in any way sexually active. Please take that vaccination if you can. It is there to try to eliminate cervical cancer.

I am examining, with the screening control programme and NSAC, the opportunities to most effectively extend screening for bowel cancer in a way that is going to get the best for us. I am very conscious of the “do not attend” rate and the rate of participation for that. It is one of the reasons we have prioritised that for the pharmacy extension, and in the agreement that we have reached with pharmacists, who are now going to try to proactively register some of their patients on the bowel cancer screening programme in an effort to get more people onto that screening programme.

Encouragingly, I met Professor Daniel Ryan from Beaumont this week regarding different options for lung screening and what opportunities may be there. We are not doing enough on lung cancer screening, particularly for those people who are not symptomatic or are very young. We are now able to pick that up much better than has been the case heretofore.

The Deputy and I could speak about all of the different elements of cancer care, from vaccinations to screening to identification. We have to recognise the exceptional work that is being done at the research level in targeting and manipulating cancer cells in completely different ways, so people are living longer. This year is an exciting year to try to really drive forward with ambition with what we are going to do for the next ten years.

Urban Development

Deputy Thomas Gould

Regeneration is not just a word. It is a lifeline for communities that have been neglected for years. In Cork, we have the north-west quarter regeneration. I attended the first meeting in September 2000, 26 years ago. Twenty-six years later, only 99 homes have been built and delivered. Less than €100 million has been spent, which is less than €4 million a year. At the same time, regeneration in Limerick got €513 million, and regeneration in Ballymun got almost €1 billion. This shows the neglect that the regeneration of Knocknaheeny and the north-west has experienced.

Why is the regeneration of Cork so far behind the other projects? There are people living in Killala Gardens and different parts of Knocknaheeny and the north west who live in homes that are cold, damp and mouldy and, because they are part of the regeneration, they are left like that for years. The council does not want to spend money on them because they know the house is going to be knocked. Should people be left to live in the damp and cold for 26 years? How many more years must they be left in these conditions? They have been waiting a generation for regeneration.

Many people cannot put money into their homes. Why would you put in a new kitchen or a new floor or paint the house? People still do it, but why would you invest in a home when you know it is going to be knocked down? The people who do invest in their homes are spending what little savings they have to try to make the best of the situation. It is not good enough. We want a timeline for when the north-west regeneration will be delivered and completed.

I will give an example of how slow things are. There are 24 houses on Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny. They have been under construction for six years. They built the Elysian Tower in Cork in two and a half years, but they cannot build 24 houses in six years. It is a scandal. Twelve years ago, the international sensations from Knocknaheeny, Kabin Crew, brought out a song called “Knocka Regeneration - Deal With It.” They said they wanted to be heard. They wanted to be known as the children who made a difference to our home. These children are now in their 20s. Their entire childhood was spent waiting for regeneration. That is still not a quarter way towards where it needs to be.

There are other areas like Mayfield. The delay in the north-west is having a negative effect on areas like Mayfield and Blackpool. Mayfield is crying out for regeneration. In February 2023, the Tarry Path regeneration was supposedly at the preliminary stages. Where is it? Where is the regeneration for Mayfield? There are empty homes in every terrace. It is unbelievable that homes are lying rotting. There are cold houses with mould, damp and leaks, with guttering falling down and windows that need replacing. Why have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael given up on working-class areas?

There is an area in Blackpool, the most historic area of Cork city, that is crying out for regeneration. It is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the State. There is a brilliant community there that is doing unbelievable, Trojan work. However, who came in and bought up loads of it? Vulture funds came in and bought it up. They closed down doctors’ surgeries, gyms and hairdressers because they only want to make money.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy John Cummins)

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this very important matter. I am happy to have the opportunity to discuss the regeneration on the northside of Cork city on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne.

The regeneration of social housing is a matter, in the first instance, as the Deputy knows, for local authorities. It is their responsibility to identify an opportunity to advance regeneration programmes in line with the circular N11/2007 policy framework for the regeneration of local authority estates in their respective administrative areas.

The Cork north-west quarter regeneration master plan and implementation report was published in 2011. The strategy outlined a departure from previous policy, with a proposal to carry out wholesale demolition of the housing stock in Knocknaheeny that had not been the subject of previous refurbishment works. To date, over €96 million has been allocated to projects that are either completed or on-site under this particular regeneration programme. Up to the end of 2025, 121 social housing units had been completed, and a further 165 units are on-site and progressing, while 127 units are in the pre-construction phase. The current programme runs until 2028, and it is envisaged that projects will be ongoing until this date.

The programme is funded project by project as submissions are received and reviewed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Additional funding for Cork city is also being provided to support a social, economic and environmental programme, SEEP, to address the physical regeneration of housing and support wider community infrastructure projects, and the social and economic interventions which seek to address the causes of disadvantage in communities. This is funded on an annual basis, with an overall allocation of €450,000 in 2025. It is a matter for the council to shortlist the most appropriate projects that fit with the objectives of the social housing regeneration project in terms of revitalising the area and the built environment.

I must highlight that while the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is supportive of social inclusion initiatives within the overall regeneration programme, in order to ensure that maximum funding for housing regeneration is directed towards improving physical housing infrastructure, these complementary initiatives should be funded from appropriate funding sources. The council was made aware in 2024 that funding under the SEEP would be reducing in 2025, and that arrangements should be made for alternative funding should it wish to maintain such social inclusion initiatives into the future. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has significant sports capital grant programmes to assist in the development or refurbishment of sporting facilities and the provision of sports facilities, while requests related to youth services funding should be directed towards the Department of children and the Department of justice for youth diversion projects. As the Deputy knows, Cork has received substantial funding under the urban regeneration and development fund, which comes under the Department. In total, it has received €407 million under that programme for the Cork city docklands, Grand Parade quarter, Tivoli docks and Kent Station yard, which is funded 75% by the Department.

It is absolutely the case that we want to continue to regenerate areas like Knocknaheeny. It is a priority for the Government, as outlined in my response. A number of housing units have been completed, and the remaining units will be completed. We continue to work with Cork City Council, but the onus is on Cork City Council to bring forward those projects.

In relation to taking six years to complete a housing scheme, perhaps Deputy Gould can talk to me offline in relation to that. Who is responsible for that? Is it the council? I do not know. Perhaps the Deputy will elaborate in his follow-up.

Deputy Thomas Gould

The Minister of State mentioned the seed funding. The seed funding was actually a very good idea, although I will come in here and criticise, argue and disagree with the Government. However, there was a decision to cut it back last year. While €1 million was needed for community projects, only €450,000 was allocated, which was less than half. I think it was actually €1.2 million that was needed but let us just call it €1 million. This was an initiative that was good, with money that was to be spent on social initiatives in the community, and that could have made a difference. To me, this seed funding should have been expanded to other areas because it helped put money for sporting organisations and community organisations where it needed to be spent in the areas that required regeneration. The Minister of State mentioned 2011 when the original plan was changed. That was 15 years ago. Why has it taken 15 years to build 620 houses? That is what they are talking about in the plan - 620 houses. The Minister of State gave a date for it being completed - and I stand to be corrected - of 2028. That Knocknaheeny regeneration will not be complete for at least eight more years. They have not got to the Kilmore Road Lower houses. They have not got to the Dunmore Gardens site or Killala Gardens. This goes back to Hollyhill, Ardcullen, Ardmore Avenue and Courtown Drive, which were the initial part of the regeneration but where the works were substandard.

I am from Knocknaheeny. My dad lives there. My mother-in-law lives there. I am proud. It is a brilliant community. Why is Limerick getting €500 million, Ballymun getting €1 billion, and Knocknaheeny getting less than €100 million? Is that fair? We need this to work. We need places like Mayfield and Blackpool to be supported also.

Deputy John Cummins

What I said in my response was that the current programme runs until 2028 and they are the projects that the council have put forward for the regeneration, which encompasses 121 units that have been completed, 165 units that are on site, and 127 units that are in pre-construction phase. We in the Department will always assess any application that comes in from local authorities, be they turnkey housing units, regeneration projects like this or Part 8 plans that the councils put forward. We are open to applications from every local authority in this State to come forward with social and affordable schemes, but it is the local authorities' responsibility to bringing forward those schemes.

We now have a single-stage approval process in place with standardised designs where local authorities will have responsibility for putting forward the projects to the Department. This is for any project that is under €200 million. These will go through a single-stage approval process within the Department. This is to try to avoid the situation that has happened heretofore where councils blamed the Department and the Department blamed the councils. Under these new rules, there will be no hiding for councils that are not putting forward projects. They will not be able to say a project is at stage 2 or 3 within the Department. There will be none of that. We want the local authorities, Cork City Council and Cork County Council included, to bring forward schemes to us. The Deputy is right. He represents that area in the same way I represent working class areas in Waterford that have gone through regeneration and still have to go through regeneration. We are both passionate about regeneration programmes but I also acknowledge that it is the responsibility in my area for Waterford City and County Council to bring forward those schemes that we, as a Department, can fund from Dublin.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

I want to bring to the attention of the Minister of State the urgent situation affecting St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rush, Gaelscoil Ros Eo and the Rush education campus in my constituency in Dublin Fingal West with regard to the recent allocation of funding for schools building. While I understand projects that were fully documented as complete were eligible, it looks like it will take six to eight weeks before the tender is ready to go for the Rush education campus. That is six to eight weeks where children will continue to learn in overcrowded and outdated classrooms. Once the tender is committed, I urge the Minister of State to have it considered promptly and to give it the priority it deserves prior to the next tranche of funding, which I believe is in 2028.

St. Joseph's and Gaelscoil Ros Eo serve one of the youngest populations in the country and one of the fastest growing towns. The need for an education campus in Rush is immediate. We are not talking about planning for some distant future. Rather, we are talking about children today learning in buildings that are no longer fit for purpose. I worked in one of them, so I know that parts of them are more prefab than school at this point.

The site for the Rush education campus is ready to go. It is procured and the planning permission has been given. There are no obstacles to starting construction other than funding and political commitment. This project was promised and can be delivered if we act decisively. I am hoping that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will help secure the necessary funding so that children can finally have a safe, modern and suitable environment for learning. This is more than bricks and mortar - it is an investment in the future of the children in the north county, in our town and in our community. Every day of the week, the children continue to learn in inadequate conditions. We owe them to act now to ensure they have the education they deserve in the environment that they need. I urge the Minister of State to give the project the priority it deserves and to commit to seeing it through without further delay. St. Joseph's and Gaelscoil Ros Eo, the students - some of whom were my students - and their parents cannot wait any longer.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)

I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for the question. I will update the Deputy and the House on the current situation regarding the building project for St. Joseph's Secondary School and Gaelscoil Ros Eo in Rush, County Dublin.

The delivery of this campus project has been devolved to Catholic Education, an Irish Schools Trust, CEIST. The brief for St. Joseph’s Secondary School includes the provision of a 1,000-pupil post-primary school, including a four-classroom special education base. The brief for Gaelscoil Ros Eo includes the delivery of a 16-classroom primary school with one special education base.

The project is currently at stage 2b of the architectural design process. This stage allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions, and the preparation of tender documents. Planning has been granted, and CEIST has advised that the stage 2b report is currently ongoing. Once the stage 2b report has been received by the Department, it will undergo a detailed technical and cost review in line with public spending code. Managing timing, scope and cost is crucial to staying within budgetary limits for the overall programme.

The Department recently published the €7.55 billion national development plan sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This plan involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. There will be a strong special education dimension to projects being roll out. Of the €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for projects to roll out the support, delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the large-scale, additional accommodation, modular, and annual September accommodation needs programmes. Over the course of 2026 and 2027, there will be construction work at some 10% of the school estate nationwide. These projects will, when completed, provide an extra 57,000 additional and modernised school places with a strong focus on special education in all of the projects. It is important to acknowledge and understand that, going forward, we are going to put fierce emphasis in all projects, both at primary and post-primary levels, that they encompass special education as well. The Department will continue to build on the progress made over recent years and will continue to roll out projects on a prioritisation basis to meet the urgent needs in the provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing buildings.

In this regard, the Department has also published a list of 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over the coming years. I recognise schools with important building projects are not included in the first tranche of prioritised projects. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the coming years to assess and evaluate the progress of individual projects through the design pipeline having regard to the continuing need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised need going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools. The accommodation needs at St Joseph's Secondary School and Gaelscoil Ros Eo will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department-led prioritisation process in consultation with the school authorities and patron into the future. I assure the Deputy we are well aware of the challenges there and of the growing need within the community as it expands.

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

It is nice to see the accommodation of St. Joseph's and the Gaelscoil will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department-led prioritisation process. The people of Rush are looking for a commitment that the project will keep being progressed once the tender documents are delivered to the Department, which will be in a matter of weeks. The campus will not have to wait until the next tranche, should that be 2028, to fund a school that is oversubscribed and outdated. Will the Minister of State give me an indication on when the next tranche might be released? I believe the Tánaiste is visiting Dublin Fingal West later in the week. I would be happy to bring him around the school and show him the plight of my ex-students and the children of Rush should he be interested. We have spoken about it before in here.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I understand this is the Deputy's former school where he has taught, so he knows first-hand the challenges being faced in the school communities there. He has outlined it in his opening remarks. I reassure the Deputy that the project is at stage 2B and CEIST has advised that the stage 2B report is ongoing. It is important there is no delay at any stage. The Deputy outlined the issue with prefabricated buildings. We have had a huge investment across the education sector over the past number of years and into the future. Education is so important for the future of our students and our country and the students going to this school. The Deputy outlined the population growth in the community there. They are matters that will be taken into account. I reassure him that when the documentation is lodged with the Department we will give it the urgent attention it needs. There will be back and forth on the ongoing issues between the school authorities and the patron bodies on this project. It is important right across the country but particularly in growing areas. We understand the need of both St. Joseph's and the Gaelscoil with regard to this project. I am taking this on behalf of Hildegarde Naughton, who is the senior Minister dealing with school projects. I assure the Deputy that I will press on her the urgency he has outlined in the Dáil. We will continue to work with it, not just tonight but I assure him we will continue to work. It is important that we are notified when the documentation is lodged with the Department from CEIST, the patron body. It is important that information is brought to us, and we can assure that we will work with it in a timely fashion, because these are important projects for every school community.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 10.24 p.m. go dtí 8.47 a.m., Déardaoin, an 5 Feabhra 2026.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.24 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 5 February 2026.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 4 Feb 2026