Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Dessie Ellis

It was with great disappointment that the príomhoide, staff, pupils and parents discovered that Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin was not included in the list of prioritised projects for 2026-27. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin, Bóthar Ghlas Naíon, Finglas East, Dublin 11, is a recognised DEIS school and has been acknowledged by the Department of Education and Youth to be in extremely poor condition. It has long been accepted that a new school building needs to be constructed to replace the current school. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin has been seeking a proper school building since it first opened in September 2005. The new school building will include 16 general classrooms and a two-classroom SEN unit. The school currently has 291 pupils and the new school will cater for approximately 400 pupils. The project is currently at stage 2a, architectural planning, and is being delivered under the ADAPT programme. To date, the project has stalled. According to the timeline agreed with the Department, the project should have moved on to stage 2b, that is, approval for statutory application, in August 2024. The agreed timeline, as presented to the school by the Department, is not being adhered to. Previously, in a meeting in January 2025 between the school authorities, design team and project manager, the Department requested an additional report to address issues of concern raised by the Department. The report was submitted to the Department addressing these concerns. Since then there has been no further progression of the project. The new school is urgently needed because the school is constantly firefighting as maintenance problems continually arise and a lot of money has gone into maintaining this old building.

Teastaíonn freagraí uaim maidir leis an bhfáth ar tháinig deireadh leis an tionscadal seo.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

Is mian liom labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Uí Earcáin i bhFionnghlas. Rinne mé staidéar sa teach scoile seo 40 bliain ó shin. Bhí mo sheanathair ar choiste tógála na scoile 70 bliain ó shin, agus tá an teach scoile ag éirí an-sean anois. Tá teach scoile nua ag teastáil ón scoil agus tá gá leis go han-luath. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin is a school I studied in 40 years ago. My grandfather was on the building committee nearly 70 years ago, yet the building still remains in desperate need of improvement. Over recent years, thanks to the tireless work of the principal - I give her great credit; she lets none of us off the hook - we have invested in the school in the form of new windows and other improvements. As she says, however, we are throwing good money after bad because we know that there is a plan for an exciting new school building, and the principal, the students and the school community want to get on with that being built. It is at stage 2a. There are documents, I understand, with the Department that have to be reviewed. There was certainly some back-and-forth over different elements of the design, but we find that it has come to a halt. The school was particularly disappointed when it was not included in the recent list, particularly when an adjoining school, St. Canice's Girls' National School, actually had a letter of intent issued today.

We are very grateful for that but it is all the more reason the Gaelscoil beside it should also get the go-ahead. There is demand for school places in our area. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin needs a new building.

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Jerry Buttimer)

Táim fíorbhuíoch de na Teachtaí Ellis agus McAuliffe as an ábhar seo a ardú sa Teacht. Táim ag caint thar ceann an Aire Oideachais. Tá brón uirthi nach bhfuil sí anseo chun labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Uí Earcáin. Bhí an Teachta McAuliffe mar dhalta san fhoirgneamh 40 bliain ó shin. Bheadh a sheanathair bródúil as. Molaim dó as an obair atá á déanamh aige ar son na scoile.

The important point that both Deputy Ellis and Deputy McAuliffe have raised is that the project is to provide a new replacement 16-classroom primary school and accommodation for pupils with special educational needs at the existing site. As the Members know, the current school building will remain in operation until the replacement school is delivered and will be demolished thereafter.

I am taking this Topical Issue tonight on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Naughton. I know Deputy McAuliffe has been in contact with her. As has been said, the project is currently at stage 2a, architectural planning - developed design. At this stage, the preferred design option is developed to a point at which the project can be fully cost planned and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.

This major programme is being delivered under the Department's ADAPT programme. Tá an clár tógála scoile ag méadú. We are increasing the programme. The programme uses a professional external project manager to co-ordinate and drive the design team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of architectural planning and on to tender and construction. As both Deputies have said, the Department of Education and Youth has reviewed the stage 2a submission. The stage 2a stakeholders' meeting between the school authorities, the design team, the project manager and the Department was held in January last year. The meeting concluded with a request for the design team to submit a stage 2a addendum report addressing issues raised by the Department at the meeting. The Department has received this report. Upon review of the report, the Department will advise all stakeholders regarding the progression of the project.

I have been informed by the Minister that she has published a €7.55 billion NDP sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors. This plan places a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and the prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong emphasis on special education throughout project roll-out. Of the €7.55 billion, it is envisaged that around €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the large-scale, additional accommodation, modular and annual September accommodation needs programmes.

I am told the Department will continue to build on the progress made with the continued roll-out of these projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. The Minister has informed me that she has published a list of 105 school building projects to proceed to construction or tender this year or next year. This includes 80 large-scale and additional school accommodation scheme projects. There is a strong focus on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project roll-out to meet the most urgent needs and particularly to support special education needs provision. Those projects that are at tender stage, stage 3, will be facilitated to progress to construction over the course of this year and next year. Some 35 projects that currently have planning permission and that are at pre-tender stage will also be facilitated.

I will take the views and remarks of both Deputies back to the Minister. I know the reply I have given is not what they wanted to hear as regards where we are going and the provision of additional capacity to cater for the demographics they have described clearly. On foot of what we have heard tonight, I will bring their remarks and views back to the Minister.

Deputy Dessie Ellis

Tá díomá orm an rud atá ráite ag an Aire Stáit a chloisteáil. Níl sé soiléir go bhfuil aon dul chun cinn á dhéanamh. Tá sé scannalach nach bhfuil aon rud le tabhairt ar ais don scoil mar gheall ar an bhfoirgneamh nua a thógáil. Tá sé de dhualgas ar an Rialtas fás ár dteanga a chur chun cinn. Níl ach scoil Ghaeilge amháin i bhFionnghlas cé go bhfuil líon mór scoileanna Béarla ann. There are lots of English schools all around Finglas. We see seem to be the second class. We do not seem to be taken seriously. This has been hard work. The principal, the pupils and the people in the area have done huge work to get this school running. There is massive demand in our area. This is a kick in the teeth to people trying to get their children into Irish schools and trying to put our language first. That should be the priority of the Government and of the Minister. I am so disappointed in the response.

Deputy Paul McAuliffe

I have to agree. The fact that both Deputy Ellis and I are putting this Topical Issue down together should show the Minister for education how important public representatives in our area consider this issue. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a fhreagra. Tá na páistí, na múinteoirí agus an príomhoide ag obair go dian. Is pobal scoile iontach iad. Tá teach scoile maith tuillte acu. Impím ar an Aire Stáit gach gur féidir leis a dhéanamh chun an scoil nua a thógáil go luath. We have to press ahead with this. The Minister of State has spoken about €7.5 billion and 108 schools. Previous Ministers were often accused of talking about millions and billions. All of that means nothing to people if they do not have a new school building in their own area. I again ask the Minister of State to communicate to the Minister the joint determination of the public representatives in this constituency to support Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin. I ask him to do everything in his power to deliver it within the capital budget.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

Táim ag éisteacht leis na Teachtaí McAuliffe agus Ellis. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil díomá orthu leis an bhfreagra. Táim ag tógáil an t-ábhar seo thar ceann an Aire. Mar a dúirt mé, tabharfaidh mé freagraí na beirte don Roinn agus don Aire. I will disagree with Deputy Ellis on one thing. This Government is committed to the Irish language. Táimid ag méadú an líon scoileanna, buiséad Roinn na Gaeltachta agus úsáid na Gaeilge sna scoileanna agus sa phobal. I understand the frustration and the depth of disappointment of the Deputies. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister. I will relay the concerns the Deputies have expressed tonight to her. As a former teacher and someone who understands the need for scoil nua a thógáil do Ghaelscoil Uí Earcáin, tá a fhios agam go bhfuil fuinneamh ag na Teachtaí i leith an chláir seo. I recognise that the school building project is important to the Deputies. It is an important part of what we do in expending the education budget. I recognise that the reply tonight is not what the Deputies want to hear. I will certainly bring their remarks back. I will definitely relay their concerns as to the advancement of the school building programme to the Department and the Minister. I thank them for their courtesy to me tonight.

Rail Network

Deputy Ryan O'Meara

I will raise with the Minister of State the issues my constituents are facing in relation to the Limerick to Ballybrophy rail line, which travels through north Tipperary and stops in Birdhill, Nenagh, Cloughjordan and Roscrea. I will begin by acknowledging the North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership, which has highlighted the potential of this line and the issues facing it for many years.

I will start with some of the issues facing the line. According to local media, commuters in Nenagh were recently locked out of the railway station because the gate to the station was locked. The gate is locked when the station is not in use. The station is actually rarely in use, which is one of my biggest issues. Those trying to travel that day missed their train and their connections.

There are also other issues. No real-time information is provided. Services are cancelled and replaced by buses. Journey times are excessively long and travel times on this regional line are mind-bogglingly inconvenient. It is now 10.30 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Before I came down to the Chamber, I decided to look at what my travel times would be like if I were travelling on the rail line tomorrow. If I wanted to depart Nenagh for Dublin tomorrow, the earliest I could arrive in Dublin, if using local rail, is 9.53 a.m. That is not much use if you are commuting for work. If I wanted to depart Dublin tomorrow to get home to Nenagh, I would have two options. I could choose the 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. service.

The 6 p.m. brings me back by the Ballybrophy line but the 3 p.m. brings me from Dublin to Limerick Junction, Limerick Junction to Limerick Colbert and then Limerick Colbert back out the Ballybrophy line. If I wanted to travel from Cloughjordan or Roscrea to Limerick, the earliest I could arrive in Limerick in the morning is 10.08. Again, that is not much use if you are trying to commute for work. If I wanted to depart Limerick, the only time I could leave that is any bit convenient, but not really, is 5.10 in the evening. My other option is to leave at a quarter to six and travel from Limerick to Limerick Junction, Limerick Junction to Ballybrophy and then back out again. I say that at the risk of sounding like one of the D'Unbelievables while I give that example.

The programme for Government states many things about public transport, particularly on rail lines. One of those points is a commitment to develop additional track capacity, electrification, increased line speeds and new routes to enhance and develop rail services. We already have the track in place on the Ballybrophy line but we want increased speed times and faster journey travel across north Tipperary, and that is a very reasonable request. We do not need a new route. The route is already there. We need faster travel times, more frequent services, more reliability of services and better infrastructure at our stations. That infrastructure point is important because Nenagh could have a transport hub at Nenagh railway station if we could get the investment. It is key to all of this, to getting the station open when it should be open, getting the physical station open and so that those commuting are not facing that locked gate as we saw previously. On top of that, a transport hub in Nenagh railway station would allow the bus stops to move out of the centre of the town and up to the train station to create a real transport hub for Nenagh.

Back in January, Councillor J.P. O'Meara and I met the NTA in its headquarters in Dublin to discuss that transport hub. One of the key points to that is funding. It is a large investment, but Tipperary County Council has the plans, and we deserve that investment in north Tipperary for a key transport hub.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport, who sends his apologies. The Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable sustainable mobility options. Public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving all people's quality of life. As the Deputy mentioned, the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy sets out the framework for the delivery of the transport system required to further develop that whole Limerick region. A key principle of the strategy is to reduce dependency on the car while increasing the appeal of sustainable transport options. Proposed projects such as double tracking the line from Limerick Colbert to Limerick Junction and improving the frequency of services on the Limerick-Nenagh-Ballybrophy line as demand for travel increases will help to achieve this.

Investment in the Ballybrophy line is provided for under the infrastructure manager multi-annual contract, the contractual arrangement between the Minister for Transport and Iarnród Éireann for the protection and renewal of the rail network. The current contract runs for four years from 2026 to 2030 and will see over €2 billion invested in the rail network over this period. The funding will increase service reliability and punctuality, improve journey times and ensure continued safety of rail services across the network. As an example of the type of works funded, in 2021, an enhanced programme of track re-laying on the Ballybrophy line was supported by this programme. Iarnród Éireann invested €22.8 million between 2011 and 2020 on improvements and upgrades to the infrastructure on the Ballybrophy to Limerick rail line. The upgrades were made up of a range of infrastructural improvements across the track, bridges, signalling systems and other structures that comprise the assets on this route. Irish Rail has invested further in the line between 2020 and 2022, which ha seen the route upgraded from jointed track to continuous welded rail, yielding journey time improvements of 15 minutes. Any further journey time improvements would be dependent on further investment in level crossings and other infrastructure. There are 12 staffed level crossings on the Limerick-Ballybrophy branch and there are no plans to automate these in the short to medium term. A re-signalling scheme for this branch will likely be required to facilitate the automation of these level crossings.

An estimate in 2023 suggested it would cost in the region of €58 million to re-signal the line and automate these level crossings, but further studies would be required to produce a definitive current estimate. The high number of user-operated crossings, including farm crossings, would also need to be addressed to further improve journey time. As well as addressing gatekeeper resources, one of the most significant issues currently is fleet availability. While new trains entering service from 2027 onwards as part of the DART+ programme will initially have direct benefit within the greater Dublin area, the secondary effect of these new trains will be to free up intercity and commuter trains currently operating on the northern line to be used on other routes around the network. Their deployment will be subject to review with, and the approval of, the National Transport Authority, subject to demand and infrastructure capacity at the time. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, the Minister and I look forward to working closely with the NTA and Iarnród Éireann in the coming years to increase the number of trains in operation on regional lines across the country.

Deputy O'Meara's points are well made about the commuter line, the servicing of it and the need for a uniformity of approach. I will bring his remarks back to the Minister. I thank the Deputy for meeting with the NTA and for his ongoing advocacy and the work he is doing. His points are well made and are part of what we will be the national rail framework in the coming years.

Deputy Ryan O'Meara

In his answer the Minister of State touched on a number of points I had intended to raise. There are the issues concerning the amount of time it takes to travel the line or the limitations on the speed of trains in the line. The first is level crossings and the second the signalling system, which is not out of the past century but the century before that. Some Members in the House might know but the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis is on this coming Saturday, and it will be 100 years old on 15 May. One hundred years ago, when Countess Markievicz, Eamon de Valera, Seán Lemass and others were planning the foundation of Fianna Fail, the signalling system on the Ballybrophy line was not new technology then, and yet we are still using that technology today. The answer to the issues facing the Ballybrophy line is investment. It is serious investment, but it is long-term investment with a long-term vision for north Tipperary and commuter accessibility to north Tipperary.

The argument for many years for people in Birdhill, Nenagh, Roscrea and Cloughjordan was about keeping the line open because there was so much discussion about closing it. That argument is over. It is done. The line is open and it is not going anywhere, but the argument now has to be on future investment and future viability of the line. It is only viable with major investment from the Government. We have to have ambition for our future and ambition for the future of north Tipperary. There is major potential for commuter transport in north Tipperary out of Birdhill, Nenagh, Roscrea and Cloughjordan. Nenagh is already a satellite town of Limerick. Roscrea has huge potential to be that and so much more. Birdhill is already close to Limerick and Cloughjordan, while being a rural village, has major sustainability principles with the eco-village there. However, Irish Rail has said it is going to invest massively over the coming 25 years, with billions going into the rail infrastructure across this country. In north Tipperary, Nenagh, Cloughjordan, Roscrea and Birdhill deserve their fair share of investment in our regional line.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I share the Deputy's point that the Department and the Minister and Minister of State are fully supportive of investment in rail. The Deputy's ambition for north Tipperary and the areas he has mentioned is correct. The All-Island Strategic Rail Review will be the pillar on which we will outline our approach, that is, the Department's approach, to sequencing and optimising the recommendations in the coming years. The important point is that, in the short term to 2030, the prioritisation strategy specifies a number of early interventions to be delivered in the coming years, which include a new platform at Limerick Junction, which will support through services between Cork and Galway via Limerick and more movements from Cork to Limerick. It also includes a passing loop at Clonmel, which will achieve that two hourly service between Limerick and Waterford. In addition, there are the pieces around electrification and line speed on the Dublin-Cork, Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Limerick Junction lines. Under the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, in the context of Limerick-Ballybrophy, the ambition is to increase the service frequency to a two hourly service in each direction on that line. It should also be noted that projects referred to in the rail review and prioritising strategy will be advanced by Government in the context of the infrastructure guidelines.

Again, the points made by the Deputy are pertinent.

The ambition the Deputy speaks about is one that we have as a Department. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I look forward to the progression of the recommendations of the rail review over the coming years in the Limerick region. I certainly hope that our successors here, whether they are celebrating 200 years of Fianna Fáil or whatever, will not have to have this conversation about the important point the Deputy makes. The argument has been won. He is right, and I thank him for his contribution. It is our job to make sure that we make improvements on the line, for increased travel and shorter times, so that the next generation and this generation can have commuter rail, which is what we all badly need.

Nursing Homes

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise with the Minister of State the proposed opening of the new Killarney community nursing home, which has been completed for over 12 months. There is a lot of frustration in the region, the town and all around it with the delay in opening it. As I said, it has been completed for over 12 months. The lights were on there every night through the winter. The heating has been on and everything, and people are wondering. Councillor Maura Healy-Rae brought a motion to the area meeting some days ago and she was supported by her fellow councillors. Each of them has often asked why there is a delay, what is happening and why it is not opening. There is a conflict in relation to the proposed staffing of the hospital. It will require a lot of extra staffing. The INMO said recently that the HSE has not engaged with it regarding the staffing issues. In recent days, a senior HSE official said the HSE is engaging with the INMO every week. Someone is right and someone is wrong, or maybe both are wrong, or maybe both are right, but at the same time, the hospital has not been opened.

So much is contingent on this hospital opening. The present district hospital in Killarney and St. Columbanus home are practically together. The long-stay patients in St. Columbanus home are to be moved to the new hospital to make way for a primary care clinic. The old district hospital is to make way for respite for elderly people and, as I understand it, elderly people in care are entitled to four weeks of respite. Many people did not get that in our area last year. We also have a minor injuries clinic. That is to be in St. Columbanus home, the respite is to be in the district hospital, and we do not yet know where the primary care clinic is going to be. They are all contingent on each other.

Does the Minister of State know when the hospital will open? Does he know if there is engagement between the nurses' union and the HSE? God almighty, the amount of money that the HSE has got in this year's budget alone. The worry is that it has come out in recent days to say there is an embargo on hiring staff in the south west. We are in the south west and I hope this is not going to hit or hurt our hospital opening. As I said to the Minister of State, there is ambivalence about who meets whom, but they certainly need to meet each other and we need to get the hospital open. I am asking the Minister of State to give me an answer about what is happening, if he can.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this important matter. Long-term residential care is a crucial part of the overall continuum of care and, across the country, our HSE community nursing units, CNUs, and community hospitals play a vital role in the provision of long-term care and other services. The Government is committed to continued investment in healthcare infrastructure that supports the highest quality care for our older population. This investment includes the community nursing home capital programme, which was launched to ensure that up to 90 of our public community nursing units and community hospitals would be refurbished or replaced to ensure the best quality environments for our older people.

The public private partnership aspect of the community nursing unit programme continues to progress and will deliver 528 beds in seven facilities across the country. The new community nursing unit in Killarney is part of the public private partnership project and will have a complement of 130 beds providing 50 long-stay beds, 30 dementia-specific beds and 50-short stay beds. The CNU will provide a high-quality living environment that will be in line with all regulatory requirements. I advise the Deputy that the new facility was handed over to the HSE by the contractor in December 2025. I accept that is over four or five months ago.

HSE South West has advised me that preparations for Killarney CNU to welcome residents are now at an advanced stage. The application for the registration of Killarney CNU has been submitted to HIQA and an opening date for the new CNU will be fully finalised once HIQA registration has been achieved, and this will allow for the opening over the coming weeks. Once HIQA registration is secured, the new unit will open on a phased basis, with a planned transfer of residents from St. Columbanus and the district hospital, as the Deputy already referenced, to the new building. HSE South West has assured me that there is ongoing engagement with residents and their families ahead of the transfer. I have taken a particular personal interest in the opening of this CNU. I have met the HSE on a number of occasions with Department officials to ensure that Killarney CNU is opened as quickly as possible. There is a process, and part of the process is that it has to be taken over by the HSE, which happened in December, and then there is an application to HIQA, which has happened. I have requested that engagement with residents and their families take place.

All current staff will transfer to the new facility, and I have been advised that the recruitment campaigns for the additional staff required are well under way to allow for the opening of the additional beds in Killarney CNU. The current two nursing homes have 101 patients. Those staff will transfer to the new CNU. There will be an additional 29 patients to bring it up to a full complement of 130.

Engagement with union representatives at a local level is also ongoing and I thank the staff representatives for their continued engagement. That is taking place. I have spoken directly to the HSE about it and have been assured that it is taking place. I thank the staff representative bodies for their continued engagement.

I advise the Deputy that HSE South West will continue to engage with residents, families, staff and the wider community on all updates in relation to the opening of the new Killarney community nursing unit. HSE South West advises that it does not envisage that the current delay in opening the new Killarney community nursing unit will have any impact on services or new developments. HSE South West is planning to set up an injury unit in the vacated St. Columbanus building to support the existing emergency department in University Hospital Kerry in Tralee and does not foresee any delay in these planned services. A process to appoint a design team to progress the proposal is under way and is expected to conclude in the quarter 2 of this year. The opening of the new community nursing unit in Killarney is an absolute priority for me, the Department of Health and the HSE, and indeed the Government. This state-of-the-art CNU will enhance the lives of older people in Killarney and the surrounding areas for many years to come by providing the highest quality health and social care services, and I look forward to seeing it fully operational.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I have worries and questions about how this will be opened on a phased basis.

Is the Minister of State saying to me that 101 beds will open at the start? When will the other 29 beds open? I can see right away that there will be a requirement for new staff if we are moving the staff out of the St. Columbanus home and then out of the district hospital. I do not know where the differences in the statements from the INMO and the senior official in the HSE came from but the Minister of State seems to be adamant that they have been talking.

It would be remiss of me if I did not mention this tonight but I want to thank the staff in the district hospital and who are in the St. Columbanus home at the minute for the great care and attention that they have given to patients in both places back over the years, including all the different members of staff who served there and did so well. I thank each and every one of them.

However, I am looking forward because, like I said to the Minister of State, there is deep frustration in the area as to what is wrong and why it is not open. It has been added to by the story from the HSE that there is an embargo in hiring staff in the south west for the rest of this year. It is true that it has come out and said that. I hope that it will not hurt us in Killarney in any way because we have waited long enough. We have waited for the minor injuries clinic. We have been asking for it for over ten years, as well as the primary care clinic and the respite that so many carers deserve. People could not go on a week's holiday last summer because they had no place to get their parent, or in some cases a brother and a sister, into. I am asking for special attention for Killarney because we have waited long enough.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae. I join with him in commending all the staff in both St. Columbanus and the district hospital in Killarney who provide such a great service to the patients who are there. As I said, the 101 patients will transfer over to the new community nursing home unit. All current staff will transfer to the new facility and I have been advised that the recruitment campaigns for additional staff are well under way to allow for the opening of the additional beds in Killarney.

I want to see the new community nursing home unit open in Killarney. That is a process. There is an application before HIQA and the way that will work is that the existing residents in St. Columbanus and the district hospital will transfer to the new nursing home when it is registered. I want to see the additional capacity of 29 beds in the CNU to bring it up to 130 beds to be in place as quickly as possible. As I said, it will provide 50 long-stay beds, 30 dementia-specific beds and 50 short-stay beds. It is hugely important and is a priority for me as the Minister of State with responsibility for older people. It is a priority for the Department of Health, the HSE and the Government. We will get the new, state-of-the-art community nursing home unit in Killarney open as quickly as possible. Everyone is working actively on that goal for Killarney. I will continue to meet the HSE, along with the Department of Health officials, to ensure that it continues to get the priority it deserves.

I again state that the opening of the new community nursing home unit in Killarney is an absolute priority for myself, the Department of Health and the HSE. I am committed to ensuring that the residents can move into their new homes without delay. It is their home and that is something that is very important.

I once again thank the staff representatives for their engagement. This is a collaborative effort and we all want to work to ensure that we get this new 130-bed state-of-the-art nursing home unit in Killarney open as quickly as possible.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I thank the Minister of State. I was asked to ask him if some official from the HSE could meet with the councillors from the Killarney electoral area?

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I will follow up on that request.

Hospital Overcrowding

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

The medical board at University Hospital Limerick has, as the Minister of State is aware, warned that the risks to patient care at the hospital remain intolerable and unacceptable. I have spoken countless times in this Chamber over the past decade of the challenges faced by patients and staff at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, and I welcome the intervention of Prof. Devlin of the UHL medical board.

Dr. Alan Watts, a consultant in emergency medicine and a member of the board as well, said on the Live 95 FM radio station in Limerick, "There are people on a trolley in the emergency department who should not be there." He said that they should be in a bed and that corridor care is not adequate healthcare. Today, there were 101 people being treated on trolleys and in hospital corridors at UHL. This strips them of their privacy and dignity, yet despite this and despite UHL consistently having the highest number of patients on trolleys in the State, there seems to be no immediate actions being taken to address this crisis.

Those who read about the trolley crisis may believe that it only pertains to those in the emergency department. It does not. A walk through the hospital's zones is a walk past numerous trolleys scattered across wards. I have seen this myself. Professor Devlin also has stated that "there are trolleys in corridors all around the hospital". This is a crisis, and it requires a crisis intervention.

I am sure the Minister of State will talk about some of the investments and additions that have been made in the last number of years at UHL and the wider mid-west region. There are commitments to open additional beds in Ennis, St John's Hospital and in Nenagh hospital by 2030 or 2031 but we need immediate intervention to tackle the ongoing risk to patient safety caused by the overcrowding at UHL. Put simply, recent Governments have failed to curb the crisis in healthcare at University Hospital Limerick.

The new bed unit opened in October last year. While very welcome, it has only reduced the numbers being treated on trolleys by approximately 2%. While any reduction is welcome, this leaves on average 94 people on trolleys every single day in UHL to date this year.

The new surgical hubs that could alleviate some of the pressure at UHL will now open at the end of the year and not this month as originally planned. Not only that but the HSE has advised me that it will receive only 50% of the funding needed and that level of funding will struggle to achieve half of the planned 20,000 annual procedures. Will the Minister of State intervene in this issue and speak directly to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill to make sure that we get the 100% funding that we need?

I have been advised by staff and patients at UHL that the MRI machines are often not working, which leaves patients taking up beds for longer than is necessary as they wait for their slot for MRIs that work. It is really appalling that in a modern hospital already plagued with overcrowding that such necessary equipment is often broken.

The next additional 96-bed unit at UHL is scheduled to open at the end of 2029. It was announced years ago and yet there has been no urgency to swiftly progress it. UHL is not receiving the support that it needs. For instance, if we compare UHL with University Hospital Waterford, despite UHL having double the number of people presenting at the emergency department, University Hospital Waterford has more consultants than UHL. This is a clear demonstration of years of underfunding for the mid-west region.

We have a commitment from the Minister that the three recommendations in the HIQA report will be implemented and yet no board of management has been established to deliver this commitment. The HIQA report, which was published on 30 September 2025, stated the mid-west needs 500 acute additional beds. Some 224 days later, the delays in progressing these recommendations is systematic of the lack of urgency, as usual, where UHL is concerned. A project board needs to be established swiftly to deliver these projects. The challenges at UHL stem from bad decisions taken in the 2000s that ignored the concerns raised at the time about capacity. The board at UHL has called for a suspension of staff ceilings and other staffing restrictions in the mid-west. This call needs the Minister of State's support, and we need to ensure that all resources requested are made available to contribute to the ending of the disgraceful situation at UHL.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for the opportunity to discuss the challenges and the ongoing developments to support University Hospital Limerick and our health services across the mid- west region. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.

I acknowledge that there are significant challenges at the UHL site, which are having an impact on patients, staff and families in Limerick and the mid-west region. I also recognise the dedicated and hardworking staff at UHL and throughout the health services in the region and I accept that the numbers on trolleys are too high.

The Government is working and is committed to addressing the challenges facing acute care across the mid-west.

Investment in the hospitals in the region has increased from €370 million in 2019 to €763 million in 2025. The budget for UHL has increased from €265 million to €569 million in the same period. Staffing at the university hospital has grown by 57% to 4,422 whole-time equivalents, WTEs, since December 2019, which is an increase of 1,608 WTEs from 2,814. This includes 319 more whole-time equivalent doctors, including consultants, 616 more nurses and midwives, as well as 199 more health and social care professionals. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has been advised by the HSE that recruitment of clinical front-line staff at UHL and throughout the region can continue as normal. Baseline implementation of the safe staffing framework has been funded in UHL. The framework was implemented on a phased basis between 2022 and 2024 in the emergency department and all 22 medical and surgical wards.

More must and will be done. The Government is fully committed to delivering the highest quality care in the mid-west. We have carefully considered all of HIQA’s recommendations following its review of urgent and emergency care in the region. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has listened carefully to the determined advocacy of people, healthcare professionals and public representatives across the mid-west. She has visited the region on a number of occasions and will continue to listen. The Minister remains focused on ensuring the recommendations arising from HIQA’s assessment are implemented in a timely and co-ordinated manner and that people in the mid-west have access to safe, high-quality and reliable care.

HIQA’s review identified three potential options for the region, namely, option A, expand capacity at the UHL site in Dooradoyle; option B, extend the UHL campus to include an additional adjacent site; and option C, develop a model 3 hospital in the mid-west to provide a second emergency department. In December, the Minister for Health received Government support to progress a blend of all three options. Work to progress option A is being rapidly advanced, including the delivery of a new 96-bed block at Dooradoyle in October 2025. There is also ongoing work to deliver a second 96-bed block and planning is under way for additional 16- and 66-bed blocks.

The ESRI projected that between 299 and 503 additional beds will be required across the mid-west by 2040 compared to 2023 levels. Under existing plans, we will deliver 420 additional beds by 2031, with 128 of these hospital beds already delivered at UHL. The second 96-bed block is getting under way, along with an additional 82 beds to be delivered. Furthermore, the 420 beds include 48 additional beds planned for delivery in Ennis Hospital, 42 for St. John’s Hospital and 24 for Nenagh Hospital.

To progress option B, the HSE has acquired a 44-acre site in Raheen, just 2 km from UHL. This site provides a significant opportunity to provide meaningful additional capacity and health services to the people of the mid-west.

The Minister visited Clare in the mid-west yesterday and met the public, patient advocates, healthcare professionals and public representatives from the region. The Minister has requested the HSE to deliver additional health services locally at Ennis, Nenagh and St. John’s hospitals where it is safe and appropriate to do so. The next step is to establish a project board to progress options B and C and develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the organisation of services and investment in the mid-west to ensure a balanced, sustainable and region-wide model of care. The Minister for Health is committed to advancing the establishment of the project board before the summer Dáil recess.

I assure the Deputy, the people of the mid-west and all public representatives that the Government will continue to pursue all measures to increase capacity and improve service delivery at UHL and across the entire region. I will bring to the attention of the Minister the two points the Deputy brought up about the surgical hub and the MRIs.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

I am deeply concerned by a part of the Minister of State’s response. He said that, “Under existing plans, we will deliver 420 additional beds by 2031”. He also said that 128 of those beds have already been delivered at UHL but HIQA said in September, when it knew these beds were there, that 500 beds were needed. That is what it said. I spoke to senior officials in the hospital before I came here tonight. I am deeply concerned about that.

I am deeply concerned that the mid-west has been left behind for years. We do not just need a small plan to go forward but an intervention. We must realise the mistakes we made in the past. People have been abandoned for years. As I said, Waterford has more consultants than UHL, but we have double the number of people presenting. The staff have been left in an impossible situation where presentations in January and February of this year have increased by 14%. The Government is not planning an extra 14% in its plans. It is actually talking about 300 beds when HIQA says 500 beds are needed. That is a concern.

People deserve to be treated properly. When people come to a hospital, they need to be seen, including those presenting at UHL. The people I talk about on trolleys are people who are deemed to be in need of a bed, but no bed is available for them. At UHL, since 2022, we have had 93,000 people on trolleys. I have been at the hospital recently. I am sure the Minister of State has been there as well with relatives and friends. As Professor Joe Devlin said, there are trolleys everywhere. They are all over the place. People are being treated in corridors. Unfortunately, I overheard people’s diagnoses and people in stress. I heard people talking to doctors and nurses, who are doing their very best in an overcrowded situation.

The answer is very disappointing. The Minister needs to get involved as a matter of urgency to appoint and get that board up and running. It is 224 days since the HIQA report was published. We need to get that board up and running. We need all three recommendations implemented. We must end the scandal of people in Limerick and the mid-west on trolleys.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and the concerns raised by the UHL medical board. Like the Deputy, I am local TD in Limerick and I am fully aware of the concerns raised. The Government is fully committed to driving significant improvements to the health service at UHL and across the mid-west. As the Deputy stated, UHL is one of the busiest emergency departments in Ireland. Increasing levels of activity in 2026 have attendance up 11% in January to March compared to the same period in 2025. Despite these attendances and a related rise in waiting times, we have seen some improvement in compliance but there are too many instances of prolonged patient waiting times. There are too many people on trolleys. I accept that. It is a capacity issue, as the HIQA report stated.

The Minister for Health and the Government are focused on increasing bed capacity. Staff numbers in UHL have grown by 50% since December 2019. As I stated, the Minister of Health has been advised by the HSE that recruitment of clinical front-line staff at UHL and throughout the region can continue as normal. That is an important point to make people aware of.

More than 53,000 patients attended the three mid-west injury clinics - St. John's, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals - during 2025. Those clinics do great work. The acute virtual ward went live in UHL in July 2024. This has been scaled up to now provide 40 virtual beds, assisting in freeing up hospital capacity. The surgical hub is expected to be in operation by the end of the year, as the Deputy referenced. This will increase theatre capacity and reduce day cases and the low-complexity surgical waiting list in the region. It will make an enormous difference. The purchase of the 44-acre site at Raheen represents a significant milestone and provides an opportunity to plan for delivery of healthcare in Limerick and the region for current and future generations.

Obviously, the Minister is committed to advancing the establishment of the project board before the summer recess. That project board will look at all aspects, including capacity and everything else that is required in the region. It will look at all aspects when it comes to options B and C. Option B is to look at additional capacity and the expansion of the UHL campus to include an additional adjacent site. Option C is to develop a model 3 hospital in the mid-west to provide a second emergency department.

I concur with the Deputy that it is very difficult for patients coming to UHL with the waiting times and trolleys. I join with him in expressing gratitude to the staff in UHL and the entire region for the fantastic work they do. The Government and the Minister for Health are absolutely committed to ensure that we continue to provide further investment in required staff to meet capacity requirements for UHL, Limerick and the entire mid-west region in delivering health services.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 11.10 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 13 Bealtaine 2026.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.10 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.

Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 12 May 2026