Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Postal Services

Deputy Ciarán Ahern

We are here today to register our strong disapproval of the proposed move of an An Post sorting office from Edmondstown to Lucan across the city. This is an issue of serious concern across parties. As the Minister of State can see, there are three Deputies here from the constituency but I know the two other Deputies will have similar feelings about this. This sorting office serves people in Dublin South-West as well as Dublin Rathdown and there are Deputies and councillors in both constituencies who have serious concerns about this.

This sorting office has been a prized local asset for decades. It is an issue as it is a public service in the area. People locally see this as a degradation of services in our area. In practical terms, it would be asking people from Rathfarnham, essentially, and that area to travel across the already congested M50 to pick up parcels in Lucan rather than being able to do it locally. The staff and the local people are really concerned about it. We have heard rumours. We have not heard anything formally from An Post about this yet. The Minister of State has written to me about it and said that this is still a proposal but we would like to get some facts and we would like a meeting with An Post. That is what I am asking for today.

Deputy John Lahart

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter, which should have included our colleague, Deputy Paul Murphy, as well. I ought to say that. The four non-officeholders in Dublin South West come together when there is an issue of serious concern to all of us, and this is one such issue of concern. It is to raise the reported proposal by An Post to close the sorting office at Edmondstown in my own parish and relocate its operations to a centralised hub in Grange Castle in Lucan. As the Minister of State knows, the proposal has caused significant concern across a wide area of south Dublin, including Rathfarnham, Knocklyon, Ballycullen, Ballyroan, Ballyboden, Butterfield and those areas. The Edmondstown facility currently provides reliable, accessible and community-focused services. It allows residents to easily collect missed deliveries and engage with a local service that is clearly valued and has employed a lot of local people historically.

As was mentioned, the proposed location would require residents to travel across the M50 to Lucan simply to collect a parcel and for many, this is a significant and unreasonable burden. We have been contacted by constituents with no access to private transport or who may have significant needs and are not able to use public transport. Postal workers are also concerned about significantly longer commutes for them. Is the Minister of State aware of the plans? Has any impact assessment been carried out? What engagement has been taking place? Will he intervene to protect local services?

Deputy Seán Crowe

We know that An Post has a plan to relocate these sorting offices. It is not only Edmondstown. It is also talking about closing one in Tallaght and relocating the one in Churchtown, which is in Dublin 14, to Edmondstown. There is a demand in relation to the levels of parcels. It is at Christmas levels at the moment, and it is growing all the time. We accept that there needs to be efficiencies in relation to that but the distance involved is considerable. Travelling from Rathfarnham to Lucan is not straightforward, particularly given chronic traffic congestion across south and west Dublin. Second, public transport options in Rathfarnham and Lucan are limited and indirect for many residents, particularly older people and those with disabilities or those without access to a car. Collecting missed deliveries would become extremely difficult. Many of the people who are impacted by this would have to go the M50 route with all the challenges in relation to that. Part of the challenge is that we have not got the information from An Post of exactly what it is going to do and staff or local customers have not been informed either.

Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (Deputy Charlie McConalogue)

I thank Deputies Ahern, Lahart and Crowe, and Deputy Murphy as well, for bringing this matter to the Chamber and raising it with me. The Deputies will already be aware of the statutory structure of An Post. It is an independent commercial State body and makes its decisions in this regard. These decisions are operational in nature. I know Deputies are aware of that. As they have outlined, it is an important issue in their area and they are bringing it to the floor of the Dáil. They are seeking particular engagement with An Post. Coming out of this debate today, I will engage with An Post informing it of the concerns Deputies have raised on the floor of the Dáil as public representatives in the area and ask that the relevant management of An Post meet with them to discuss the matter. Obviously, whenever there is change such as this, it is really important there is engagement with the staff and the unions, which An Post has informed me is ongoing. It is really important that is the case but it is also appropriate in this case that it should meet with the Deputies, who have expressed concerns, to discuss the plan and where it is at and how everyone can be consulted and engaged with and that change is managed in a way that works for everyone.

An Post has advised me that it is considering moving the An Post delivery office - not the post office but the delivery office - from Edmondstown, Dublin 16, to a new Dublin west delivery hub later this year. It has noted as well that it is in consultation with its union and staff and that the company will be working hard to ensure local customers are not disadvantaged. This work includes securing local post offices to enable customers to pick up missed mail. As noted, it is a matter for the company directly as opposed to the Government. Neither I nor the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, as the shareholders, are in a position to make these decisions. It is an operational matter for it. An Post has noted that it is consolidating its national network of local sorting offices, also known as delivery service units, DSUs, on the basis that it needs larger and purpose fitted premises to manage increased parcel volumes. It is also in the process of hiring and will be hiring 300 additional postmen and women across the country, some of whom will be working in this area to manage the massive growth that we are seeing in volumes.

We are seeing a transformation in relation to postal services. Obviously, the number of letters and how people conduct their lives is changing. It is really important that An Post is in a position to be able to adapt and be at the forefront of that change, particularly being able to accommodate the demand in terms of parcels, online sales and business that is happening, and it has been. It is very much at the forefront of that and is doing a really good job. For it to be able to continue to be a strong company, serving the public of this country into the future, it is really important that we work with it in enabling it to be able to deal with that demand and work with all of its staff in a way that serves the public well.

That does mean, I know, that in many parts of the country - I have the same in my county - they are having to change their sorting offices and to consolidate them into delivery and sorting offices which are capable of meeting that increased demand and the increased demand that will be there in the future.

There has been a lot of change already in relation to this. I note the issues the Deputies have raised. I will facilitate and ask for a meeting with them. From the point of view of the Government, we want An Post to be strong and, in particular, we want its services to the public, whether in relation to letters or parcels, to be effective. We also want the post office network to be maintained. That is why the Government has increased funding to the post office network from €10 million to €15 million this year to make sure we can maintain a strong post office network in the midst of that change.

Deputy Ciarán Ahern

We all want to see a strong An Post, but it is important that I also recognise that it is not an entirely commercial body and that it does have a public service mandate as well. There is a lot of uncertainty around the area, whether it is staff or locals, about the future and we are getting a lot of our information second-hand. We would like to see the plan, to the extent that there is one. There are concerns about what we have heard, that collection points might be in local post offices from now on. They are located in SuperValu stores and so on, but they do not have the same opening hours as the sorting office would have. They would not be open before or after work. We would like an end to the uncertainty and to see the plan. We would like to meet with An Post, if the Minister of State can arrange that, please.

Deputy John Lahart

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State will do his best to facilitate engagement directly between An Post and the public representatives who have raised this matter. I also welcome the news about 300 additional postmen and postwomen, some of whom will be employed in the local area. That is really good news. As regards the talk about dispersing what Edmondstown sorting office does to other local post offices, we have lost Templeogue post office and we lost Rathfarnham post office. They were never replaced despite great efforts by local public representatives. As for the last remaining local post office in this area, in Ballyroan, I do not want to comment on it because I do not own or run it, but just from going in and out and engaging, I just wonder about its capacity to store material. I acknowledge that An Post is growing in terms of deliveries, but this is local, it is a service issue, it is about local people and it is about workers now potentially having to engage in much longer commutes and, certainly, older people and people with disabilities having to engage in cruel commutes just to collect parcels.

Deputy Seán Crowe

My only experience is going into the Tallaght sorting office, and I have never gone in without other people being there. There are always queues there, which highlights the fact that it is being used. We are told that there is a plan in place. We do not know what the plan is so we are looking for information about that plan. At the end of the day, we need to know where the parcels will go, if they are not delivered to households. A lot of people living in apartments cannot get access to their parcels and so on. Where do they have to go? What is proposed in relation to the location in Lucan is unsuitable. We are looking for a compromise on that. There is also the issue of staff. Most of the staff live locally and are from the locality, whether it is Edmondstown, Tallaght or some of the other areas. Again, this will move people, create extra traffic and so on. What is being talked about is unsuitable.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

The most important engagement here will be between An Post and its staff in relation to the proposal and the management of that, and taking on board any concerns that are there. It is important that that continues and is detailed and respectful of everyone. The Deputies, as public representatives, are raising how this issue will impact on the wider public and the importance of staff engagement. I will request that a meeting be organised with them to discuss these issues further.

We all know and accept, I think, that significant change is happening. It is important that An Post is in a position to respond to that, has the capacity to deal with it and is at the forefront of that change to ensure our commercial semi-State body is at the heart of the postal service and commercial delivery in the future, also because it has a public service remit. Considering how the public is served and considering letter delivering capacity, we need to continue to have a good postal letter service in the future. With An Post at the forefront of the online commercial side, it can also make sure that it will be in a position to provide the best possible letter delivery service because of the financial strength of the company.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I will certainly take it up and have that meeting facilitated. I hope, in terms of their input and particularly the ongoing appropriate engagement between An Post and the staff, that this is stepped out in a way that works for the staff and particularly for the public, whom we all want to see properly served in their local communities.

Rare Diseases

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)

Since this relates to an individual, I am conscious that we should be mindful of their privacy and their family.

Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin

I once more raise the case of a young Arklow Gaelscoil teacher, Eímear Byrne, with the Minister of State and the Government. As the Minister of State knows, Eímear urgently needs life-saving treatment in the US that costs €600,000. Recently, Eímear received devastating news. Doctors discovered three more aneurysms and she now needs a third open-heart surgery procedure. This one is even more complex and urgent, so time is critical and the family and the community of south Wicklow need and want the Government to intervene to get Eímear to the USA as soon as possible. Life-saving treatment can be done there immediately if the money is available. I plead with the Government again to make an intervention under the exceptional circumstances clause, which does exist.

Considering the complexity of Eímear's condition and the risks involved, the surgery needs to be carried out urgently in a specialised clinic such as Johns Hopkins in the US, which has the necessary medical experience and the facilities to treat patients like Eímear. Surgery in this hospital will reduce the rate of mortality during the procedure and reduce potentially life-altering complications such as a second stroke. The operation and rehabilitation in America will give Eímear the best chance of survival so she can live a long, happy and fulfilling life and continue educating the children of Arklow in their native language, as she loves to do.

In terms of fund-raising, Eímear states:

I have been looking for help with the Government for funding since October 2025 and to no avail. This is why my family have had to look for community support by setting up a GoFundMe page.

There is a GoFundMe page for Eímear Byrne in Arklow. Dozens of fund-raising events around the town over recent months have so far raised €230,000 of the required €600,000. People had to dig deep because the Government just was not doing anything. Last Friday, I attended an event in Pearse Park, Arklow. It made the Guinness Book of Records. There were 254 people patting each other on the back as a reference to the community having Eímear's back because the Government has not had her back to date but the community has. Local people have been tremendous, absolutely inspiring. However, they can only be expected to do so much. They have done their bit.

Will the Department of Health and the Government now do their part and make up the shortfall for an Irish citizen in her time of need for life-saving surgery? We got answers about the treatment abroad scheme. I realise that the treatment abroad scheme covers only the European Union and the European Economic Area. I know that. However, there is the facility for the Department to fund treatment in the US under exceptional circumstances if it cannot be done in the EU, which is on guidance from Eímear's consultants. The Government already funds patients to travel to the US for specialised medical treatment but on an exceptional basis. An exceptional basis, as the Minister of State knows, can be made under three specific conditions. There is the high-cost drugs treatment protocol. Second, there is the out-of-State policy application. Third, is the exceptional circumstances clause, which is what I am asking about. Patients have historically received and secured funding to go to US-based medical centres for rare conditions and for extremely complex procedures when an Irish public consultant provides strong clinical justification that this care is essential and proven. Eímear's case fits the criteria. I have gone through it with HSE personnel.

It fits the criteria. All I want to know is whether the Government will step in. It is small money in the greater scheme of things in terms of expenditure. This has to be done as a matter of urgency. I hope the Minister of State and the Department will have a positive answer for us, the people of Arklow and the family.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

I thank Deputy Ó Súilleabháin for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Minister is aware of the case the Deputy referred to and acknowledges the very difficult circumstances outlined by him and how difficult the situation described is for this young teacher and her family.

In relation to the EU treatment abroad scheme, the HSE operates the scheme for people entitled under EU Regulation No. 883/2004. The Minister for Health has no role in directing treatment. Section 6 of the Health Service Executive (Governance) Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

The treatment abroad scheme is a consultant-led scheme and allows for a public consultant based in Ireland to refer a public patient who is normally resident in Ireland for treatment in the public healthcare system of another European Union or European Economic Area member state, the UK or Switzerland. Under the EU regulations and guidelines, the EU treatment abroad scheme provides for the cost of approved public treatments in another EU-EEA member state, the UK or Switzerland, through the issue of form S2, where the treatment is among the benefits provided by the Irish legislation and where it is not available in Ireland, or not available within the time normally necessary for obtaining it in Ireland, taking account of the patient's current state of health and the probable course of the disease. It is important to note that there is no statutory framework for referral of public patients outside the EU-EEA member states, the UK or Switzerland, or for the funding of any such treatment.

The HSE has informed officials in the Department of Health that it received an application under the treatment abroad scheme, seeking funding of treatment in the USA, in this case on 1 April 2026 and that it has engaged with the applicant and her family regarding this matter. The HSE has advised that at this time the applicant did not meet the criteria of the treatment abroad scheme, which the Deputy mentioned, on two different grounds, namely, that the treatment sought was not to be provided within the EU-EEA, the UK or Switzerland, and she was not a public patient. The applicant is attending a consultant in a private capacity. The HSE treatment abroad scheme has advised that it suggested to the applicant's referring consultant that he engage with the relevant European reference network, ERN, the European reference network on rare multisystemic vascular diseases. The ERN enables specialists in Europe to discuss cases of patients affected by rare, low-prevalence and complex diseases, providing advice on the most appropriate diagnosis and the best treatment available. Ireland is an active participant in ERNs, with 18 recognised centres involved across a range of networks. Engagement with ERNs is an important step in ensuring that all appropriate EU-based expertise and treatment options have been explored.

I assure the Deputy that officials in the Department of Health will continue to engage with the HSE to seek further updates that all avenues within Ireland and the EU that may be open to the young woman in question and her family have been fully explored in response to the very difficult circumstances outlined by him. I will also take on board and discuss with the Minister the clause the Deputy raised in relation to exceptional circumstances which fall outside the scope of the current support that can be provided and to see whether that can be looked at as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin

With respect, that is very similar to a stock answer the family has been given over the past few months. I will not accept the answer and I know Eímear, her family and the community in south Wicklow will not accept this answer from the Government or the Department. It is a stock answer and it is simply not good enough. This involves tiny money. The Minister of State said I referenced the EU and the EEA. I did not. I know that the treatment abroad scheme has certain confinement. What I am talking about is the exceptional clause circumstances for going to the USA. That clause exists, and it is within the power of the Minister to implement it. That can happen if the will is there. I am just not sure the will is there and I want to know if it is on the part of the Department.

I am somewhat reassured that the Minister of State indicated that it was at a particular time that the applicant did not meet the criteria and that she will continue to engage with the HSE. I would hate to think the door is closed on this because it is very much not closed. This is time sensitive and I am pleading with the Minister to act on it. The family and community are also pleading with her to do so. They cannot waste more time waiting. Who knows when they are next, if they wake up the following morning. I will not embarrass the Government by going through a list of projects in the country, or even in County Wicklow, where State money has been wasted. This is most definitely pin money to the Government, which could save someone's life and make a massive difference. I plead with the Minister to use the power she has to see that this can be done as soon as possible.

Deputy Mary Butler

I reiterate that the HSE has advised that it suggested that the applicant's referring consultant engage with the relevant ERN, the European reference network on rare multisystemic vascular diseases. The ERN enables specialists in Europe to discuss cases of patients affected by rare, low-prevalence and complex diseases, providing advice on the most appropriate diagnosis and the best treatment available. Ireland is an active participant in ERN, with 18 recognised centres involved across a range of networks. Engagement with ERNs is an important step in ensuring that all appropriate EU-based expertise and treatment options have been explored.

That said, the Department recognises, and I recognise, having listened to the Deputy, how difficult this individual case is for the applicant and her family. I assure the Deputy that officials in the Department of Health will continue to engage with the HSE and seek updates to ensure that every possible avenue within Ireland and the EU that may be open to the applicant and her family has been fully explored. As I said, I will bring to the attention of the Minister the exceptional of circumstances clause. I have no doubt she is well aware of it, but I will take that to her today and see if any further supports can be provided.

Mental Health Services

Deputy Sorca Clarke

There is a deeply concerning and worrying direction of travel here. We have around 50% of the recommended beds nationally for CAMHS. That recommendation is contained in the Department's own mental health strategy. We know that CAMHS is already operating at half the capacity that experts said was needed almost 20 years ago. Against that backdrop, the proposed closure of the CAMHS unit in St. Vincent's Hospital in Fairview makes absolutely no sense. Quite frankly, it is alarming. That the CAMHS unit in Linn Dara is due to reopen after four years being closed due to staff shortages is of course welcome. The problem, however, is that the proposed closure of the function of CAMHS in St. Vincent's Hospital in Fairview is being done to staff Linn Dara. Instead of genuinely expanding services, the Department is effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul. I know the Minister of State will tell me about the new children's hospital but there is no timeframe for that, and nor have the 20 beds been budgeted for. The Fairview unit is operational, staffed and delivering care. The families know it and they trust the service there. Yet, there seems to be an intention to redeploy staff from Fairview to Linn Dara. I am informed that so far only two members of staff have agreed to this. We must also remember that St. Vincent's Hospital is a section 38 hospital, while Linn Dara is directly managed by the HSE, and those workers cannot be compelled to move. At a time when recruitment and retention is already at crisis point, this approach is reckless.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Linn Dara closed in 2022 for what was supposed to be four months. It has still not reopened with the beds that are due to open again. That was a crisis at the time and it has been a crisis since. It is welcome that the facility is to reopen but will it reopen with a full complement of staff? When Linn Dara opened, the problem from day 1 was that there was never a full complement of staff. Then there were staff changes because of the pressures that were put on staff. The unit eventually closed because it was no longer safe as there was not a full complement of staff. Linn Dara is needed, St. Vincent's Hospital is needed and the children's hospital, which is also in the area, is needed. Nobody is saying that they should not all be open.

We know we have a crisis in this country and in this city. We need all of those services. The fact that one service is closing to facilitate the opening of another is absolutely ridiculous. We need to know about the planning and where the funding for the CAMHS services in the children's hospital is going to come from because in two years' time we do not want Linn Dara to close again to facilitate the children's hospital.

Deputy Máire Devine

This decision is inconceivable. As a long-time member of the Psychiatric Nurses Association - I stopped nursing at the last election - I am well aware of the shortages on the ground and of the crisis management we are forced to do - dissipating some of the therapeutics and trying to keep patients safe. It is inexplicable that it has been decided to shut the section 38 and to transfer everybody to Linn Dara and that it will be happy days. That is not going to happen and it will not be as smooth as people think it will be. From talking to nurses on the ground, who are my colleagues, two are in favour moving while the other 20 fear they will be lost to the adult services because they are desperate. We are short 6,000 nurses across the Twenty-six Counties. They will be lost to the adult services as will their expertise with young people. There is also the waiting list. We know we have failed in terms of CAMHS. We also know we have failed our children in the past. Look at Kerry and at lots of issues. Linn Dara closed in 2018. I was on the Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care with former Senator, Joan Freeman, and we visited it. It opened again and then it closed again. I would like clarification.

Deputy Mary Butler

I thank all three Deputies for raising this really important issue. First, I want to make absolutely clear that neither my Department nor the HSE is closing any beds. In fact, this year, in budget 2026, I have provided over €4 million to open 18 HSE CAMHS beds. I have allocated €2.7 million to open the first phase of the new acute CAMHS wing of the national children's hospital and I have also allocated over €1.3 million to hire the staff to reopen 11 CAMHS beds in the state-of-the-art Linn Dara campus. As a result of this funding, the HSE has made the sensible decision to discontinue the purchase of ten CAMHS beds from a voluntary provider, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview. These are not HSE beds but these are beds within the HSE that the HSE has been buying as additional capacity while the Linn Dara beds have been out of operation due to safe staffing.

In 2025, the HSE child and youth mental health office completed a national review of HSE-funded CAMHS inpatient services focused on referrals, admissions, diagnoses, staffing and bed capacity. The review recommended the development of a national commissioning model and service specification in line with, and complementary to, the new CAMHS operational guidelines to ensure consistent access, service delivery and care standards across all inpatient units.

The report made specific findings, which none of the Deputies referred to, regarding the current inpatient unit at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview: first, the unit's restricted age cohort as it only accepts 15 to 17-year olds for admissions; second, the lack of an appropriate eating disorder pathway and no out-of-hours or weekend admissions; third, concerns raised by the Mental Health Commission regarding governance; fourth, staffing constraints, including reliance on a single full-time consultant dedicated to the unit; and, very importantly, unsuitable physical infrastructure where the current building is no longer fit for purpose. I understand the two floors above the CAMHS unit in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview, are derelict or uninhabited.

As these limitations result in inequitable access and service inconsistency when compared to other CAMHS inpatient units nationally, the HSE decided to discontinue the use of the beds at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview, and to streamline the provision of HSE CAMHS inpatient beds across the Dublin region in line with the recommendations from the review report. Consequently, CAMHS inpatient beds will be provided through an expanded service at Linn Dara in Cherry Orchard and the newly commissioned beds in the Children's Hospital Ireland, CHI, campus to best meet the future needs of the HSE Dublin North East, HSE Dublin Midlands and HSE Dublin South East health regions.

The HSE aims to reopen the 11 beds in Linn Dara by the end of September and has therefore advised St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview, it will no longer need the ten beds from the date it was paying for privately. There will be, of course, flexibility on both sides in relation to this timeline to ensure no reductions in overall capacity. Importantly, this approach will place all CAMHS inpatient units under a single, standardised HSE clinical governance framework and address current service limitations.

There will be no staff redundancies arising from this decision. The HSE expects the transition to create opportunities for the experienced and dedicated staff working in St. Vincent’s within the newly commissioned CAMHS inpatient services at Linn Dara and CHI. I want to acknowledge the work done by the Psychiatric Nurses Association working in St. Vincent’s. It is of course a personal decision for staff whether or not they wish to transfer to either the new hospital or to Linn Dara.

I was surprised to find the reconfiguration of beds was the main theme at this year's PNA annual conference. We face many challenges in our public mental health services and I did not expect keeping ten voluntary non-HSE CAMHS beds with the limitations I have described to be the key concern of the body for a profession for which I have the upmost admiration and respect.

Deputy Sorca Clarke

I have read some statements on this issue which are quite frankly very concerning such as "It will reopen if staff can be recruited". That is literally the job of the Minister of State and her senior Minister. I do not think it is reasonable to expect anybody whose child needs a CAMHS bed to accept that the Ministers may have woken up and suddenly realised they are in government. This is actually their job. Families across the State have endured scandal after scandal when it comes to CAMHS. The Psychiatric Nurses Association described the proposal as inconceivable and I agree. I ask the Minister of State to please look at this. There is something fundamentally wrong when the State is reliant on beds in a hospital that is not even completed.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

As a TD in Dublin South-Central where Linn Dara is based I welcome the fact it is going to open but it is not additionality. This is something that was closed in 2018 and 2022. It was supposed to be for three or four months. Here we are how many years later? It is four years later and the Minister of State says it is an expanded service. It is not expanded - it is a reinstatement of service. If it was expanded, the Minister of State would be announcing 20 extra beds in Linn Dara or she would announce the capacity would increase based on St. Vincent’s. That is not the case.

Deputy Máire Devine

Respectfully, this is not a sensible decision being made by the HSE. The Minister of State's response will be used in the WRC. The PNA is to meet and to discuss this with the HSE on 24 or 25 May to try to get a resolution. Keep the ten Fairview beds open and keep Linn Dara and the 20 beds in the National Children's Hospital. She should engage. There has been no engagement with the PNA or its members who are the experts on the ground.

Deputy Mary Butler

There has been.

Deputy Máire Devine

There has been very minimal engagement. The section 38 thing is bit muddying the waters a little bit. We are looking at the number of beds and services available in totality.

Deputy Mary Butler

My team spoke to the PNA in advance of the conference and indeed spoke to some of the nurses in St. Vincent’s about this change. If anything the nurses' main concern was the way in which the decision was communicated to the staff at St. Vincent's by their CEO, by email on a Friday evening with no detail about the opportunities to transfer. That was completely wrong. This is no way to treat hard-working and dedicated staff who deserve our respect and to be communicated with properly about such a significant change.

By way of background context, CAMHS inpatient bed capacity is 72 beds nationally but due to a range of issues, there are 45 beds in operation. As of 12 May 2026, the waiting list nationally to access CAMHS inpatient units was one. Of the available 45 inpatient beds, 36 were occupied on 12 May, leaving nine beds available to accommodate an admission. It is important to stress that there has not been an occasion since the reduction in operational beds nationally to 45 when all available beds have been occupied.

I am really concerned, especially about Deputy Clarke’s narrative. There is a reason this has been looked at and she did not refer to that at all, that is, the unit's restricted age cohort of 15 to 17 years; the fact a child can only be referred to the unit on a Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the lack of an appropriate eating disorder pathway; the concerns raised by the Mental Health Commission; staffing constraints, including reliance on a single full-time consultant; and, most importantly, unsuitable physical infrastructure where the current building is no longer fit for purpose.

I am trying to open public beds here. I am trying to stop spending money on private beds. I look forward to staff being hired. I hope some of the staff will move across to the excellent Linn Dara site. Please God, we will get the beds open as soon as possible.

Proposed Legislation

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

We should all recognise the value of short-term letting to rural economies. Of course, the Government should also recognise this. I appreciate the work that has been done in this regard by the Ministers involved. There are 1,800 short-term lets in Kerry worth over €17 million to the county's economy. On the Wild Atlantic Way between Kerry and Donegal, there are over 6,800 short-term lets all in rural counties across the west coast, which is worth €256 million to our economy.

Over the weekend, the Minister, Deputy James Browne, stated that regulations around short-term letting will be among the most stringent in the EU. I have worries about exactly what that means. I do not want it to seem or to be that this Government is attacking people involved in short-term lettings because that is not what we should be doing. Of course, we should be doing everything we can to provide housing but in doing that, we have to recognise that people who have been involved in short-term lets for years and years are providing a service in the local economy. They are keeping the local shop, the local pub and the local restaurant going.

The register is very welcome. The industry welcomes it but the delays and the lack of details and clarity are not helpful. There is nobody involved in short-term letting who says they do not want a register; that is not the case. The whole issue of planning is terrifying business people who operate in the sector and it should not be so. Of course, for people who are established and have been there for a number of years there should be a grandfather clause in place. Their planning permission should be the fact that they have been at it for a certain number of years. That is the answer to that and it would tick the box on that issue.

I have no sympathy for a person who comes along now and wants to buy a house here in Dublin, in Kerry or anywhere and they want to change that house and make it into a short-term let. Of course, they should have the opportunity. They can apply for planning permission. They can go through all the rigours that we put in place and I have no problem with that because we want to stop accommodation going out of long-term residential into short-term letting. However, the poor person who has been at it all along should really be left alone.

My main questions for the Minister would be as follows: what does he mean by the most stringent regulations in Europe? I see that as an upset and, being mild about it, a worry to the people involved in that business. Will the Department of housing commit to publishing a national planning statement, NPS, for short-term letting as soon as possible to be helpful to the sector? Will the Minister ensure that planning exemptions will be in place for those who have been operating for seven years or more? Most importantly, will those properties be deemed planning compliant by having a grandfather clause? We have to do something like that to protect the people. What about someone with a property at the back of their house, farm or wherever who was never going to change that from short-term letting to long-term letting? Instead of helping we would actually be hurting because we would be taking a viable business out of a community.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor)

I thank the Deputy for highlighting this important issue. I am taking this on behalf the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has drafted the general scheme of the short-term letting and tourism, STLT, Bill in full alignment with the EU short-term rental regulation, which is what the Deputy is talking about. We have a collaborative approach between enterprise and tourism. The introduction of the STLT Bill will provide a more effective legal and administrative basis to regulate short-term lettings.

The Bill, when enacted, will provide a statutory basis for the introduction of a register for all short-term lettings in Ireland, which will be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland. All short-term letting accommodation providers will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland. As part of the registration process, accommodation providers will need to confirm that they are planning compliant, one of the issues the Deputy mentioned.

The Government has approved a threshold-based approach to generally preclude new planning permissions for short-term lets in larger towns and cities where, often, long-term residential housing need is significant. Further to this, the Cabinet committee on housing has proposed that the threshold be set at towns and cities with a population of more than 20,000, amounting to 25 towns based on the most recent census of population. It is intended that accommodation providers in all other locations outside the largest towns and cities will be able to avail of an extended period to meet planning compliance requirements.

To ensure that there is a clear view, at national level and local authority level, as to the overall policy approach to determining planning applications for short-term lets, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently finalising a national planning statement on short-term letting to supplement and support the introduction of the STLT Bill. The NPS will ensure a transparent, consistent overall policy approach, both nationally and at local authority level, to determining planning applications for short-term letting that will complement and support the introduction of the STLT Bill. It considers various factors such as existing planning legislation, the location and potential benefits of the proposed short-term letting property and the overarching aim to balance housing need with the potential impact on tourism and economic development. The NPS is being finalised as a priority and a draft will be brought to Cabinet shortly. That was one of the Deputy's questions. I will go back to the Minister today to find out when this will be brought to Cabinet and signed off.

Tourism is important to the economy and the Government is mindful of concerns in both rural areas and in major tourism regions where short-term lettings provide much-needed accommodation for visitors. However, meeting local housing need across Ireland is a critical consideration and Government must use every lever available to assist in providing homes for our people, including returning properties to the long-term residential market.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

I acknowledge that the minimum figure of 20,000 for towns was a put in place. I had lobbied strongly for that because we want to protect the tourism capital of the western world, which, as everybody knows, is Killarney, County Kerry and there is no doubt about that. However, I am worried about people in towns and areas with a population of less than 20,000 where the planning guidelines will be put in place for short-term letting who have not been operating for more than seven years. The people need to see as soon as possible what will be put in place. The can has been kicked down the road a number of times and I do not want to be fighting about that. All I am saying is that people need clarity.

We are very clear on what we are going to be saying to people: we do not want to hound or persecute fine respectable people who are operating very nice businesses, who are paying tax and who have invested heavily in their homes, in their accommodations, specifically for short-term lets. Even where they are located would not blend in with long-term letting because it could literally be putting two families up on top of each other in the same yard. An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach has them in his constituency, as do the Minister of State and other Deputies.

They know what I am talking about. At the same time, there is the whole question for the Government of whether it wants to stop places from having any long-term residential accommodation because everything would be short-term. Of course, we want balance. However, we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. We need to make sure we are protecting established businesses and try to give clarity as soon as possible, rather than upsetting people.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

This is an important matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has worked closely with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and is committed to developing a fair and balanced approach to the short-term letting question, which is crucial. As the Deputy said, as a proud Kerryman, he has always highlighted the needs in this area. I absolutely agree. It is about all of the different Departments working together. I believe this will have a good outcome.

With the approach outlined earlier, the need for rental housing stock is being balanced with the need to protect rural and regional tourism and jobs, which are important. The long-term development of tourism requires that an appropriate equilibrium is achieved in the short-term and long-term rental sector. Tourism is very important to the economy. The Government is mindful of concerns in both rural regions and major tourism regions, where short-term lettings provide much-needed accommodation for visitors, as the Deputy mentioned. However, addressing Ireland's housing needs is a priority, and the Government must use every lever available, including returning some short-term letting properties to the housing market, which may include longer-term rentals. The approach to be taken in the STLT Bill, as well as in the national planning statement, will balance greater housing supply with the need to protect rural and regional tourism jobs.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I am glad to provide him with as much information as I can. He is right that we need to get this finalised. We need to have the draft brought to Cabinet as soon as possible. I will go back to the Minister for housing. Clarification is crucial to provide information on what is happening for everyone. I will do that.

Budget 2027

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, VFI, AGM took place last week at Mount Wolseley in my constituency. The message coming directly from publicans is that rural pubs are under enormous pressure. Closures are accelerating year after year. Since 2005, more than 2,200 pubs have closed across the country. More worrying again is that the rate of closure is increasing, with approximately 128 pubs closing every year.

We have to be honest about what that means for rural Ireland. When a pub closes in a village or small town, we are not simply losing a business premises or a commercial enterprise; we are losing a meeting place and a venue for traditional music, fundraisers, sports clubs and community gatherings. In many communities, we are losing the last remaining social space where people can come together. For older people in particular, the local pub often acts as an important defence against loneliness and isolation. In many areas, it is one of the last functioning community hubs left standing. Rural pubs are not just businesses. They are part of the social infrastructure of rural Ireland.

Despite that role, many publicans face what the VFI describes as an existential threat to their survival. The cost pressures they are dealing with are extraordinary. Electricity costs have risen by 70% in the past five years, alongside insurance and every other operational cost facing small businesses. It is important to note that the restoration of the 9% VAT rate for food service is very welcome and will undoubtedly provide essential support for many hospitality businesses. However, the reality is that many smaller rural pubs do not serve food and, therefore, cannot meaningfully benefit from that measure. In fact, the VFI estimates that two thirds of smaller rural pubs are excluded from the benefit of the reduced VAT because they are traditional drinks-only establishments.

That is why the VFI proposal for the on-trade sustainability scheme deserves serious consideration ahead of budget 2027. It is a targeted, capped and structured tax credit proposal that is aimed specifically at supporting smaller pubs that are struggling with rising costs and declining viability. The proposal will provide support linked to verified draught product supply costs, with a cap of €20,000 per premises, ensuring the support is proportionate and targeted towards smaller operators. Importantly, there is a precedent for this type of support within Government policy. We already provide tax credits to support film and television production, digital gaming and unscripted television production.

This is about rural sustainability, protecting local employment, supporting tourism and maintaining social cohesion in communities that are already feeling under pressure from depopulation and loss of services. The OECD recently highlighted the importance of community infrastructure and social spaces in sustaining rural communities and local economies. The GAA has warned about the erosion of rural social infrastructure and specifically identified the loss of pubs as contributing to declining community vibrancy. This issue goes well beyond one sector. It is fundamentally about whether we are serious about protecting rural Ireland and the communities that sustain it. Will the Government seriously examine the VFI’s proposed on-trade sustainability scheme ahead of budget 2027 and recognise that protecting rural pubs is ultimately about protecting rural communities?

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and highlighting the role that pubs play in Irish life and culture by providing a central hub and meeting place in towns and villages across the country. The Government’s commitment to the sector was most recently demonstrated by the reduction in the VAT rate to 9%, recognising that the sector is highly labour-intensive. It forms a key part of the domestic economy and is expected to support over 150,000 jobs across the country. We can help to keep the doors open and the jobs going by providing clarity and certainty for these hospitality businesses.

I assure the Deputy that while the Department of Finance receives pre-budget submissions from a wide range of stakeholders in advance of each budget, all are given consideration as part of the annual policy cycle. I am aware that the Department has received and acknowledged a submission from the VFI outlining a proposal for a payable tax credit for pubs. The proposed payable credit would be linked to the number of draught product kegs purchased by a business, and it would be subject to a per-premises cap of €20,000.

Proposals for new tax expenditures are examined by reference to the Department’s tax expenditure guidelines, which outline the Government’s approach to how tax expenditures are best used, noting that these narrow the tax base and how they should be evaluated. A number of issues at a European level will need to be taken into account during these deliberations, including state aid requirements. Measures that confer a selective advantage on a specific sector have the potential to constitute state aid and, therefore, could not be introduced unless compliant with an existing framework or by undertaking a full notification process.

It should be noted that the tax credits available for film and digital games are all approved state aids, largely under the terms set out in the EU’s Communication from the Commission on State aid for films and other audiovisual works, which would not have relevance to the on-trade sector. This is what the Minister for Finance has highlighted. Additionally, any tax credit given to rural pubs, or, indeed, to all pubs, and which is based on the supplies of alcohol products to those pubs, would have to be considered in the context of the alcohol structures directive if its effect, in practice, were to give relief from the rate of alcohol excise paid on alcohol products. This directive lays down a harmonised approach to excise duties on alcohol in the EU. It defines alcoholic beverages and sets out the basis on which excise duties on such products are to be established by member states, as well as the conditions for the application of reduced rates and special regimes. These are the issues Ministers are looking at.

It is worth noting that there has been no general increase in excise duty rates for alcohol since 2014. While the retail price of beer has risen over that period, the excise duty has remained unchanged and, therefore, the total tax as a percentage of the retail price of each pint is lower than it was more than a decade ago.

I assure the Deputy that the Government is conscious of the challenges facing all businesses in the current economic climate. The Cost of Business Advisory Forum is working to look at the structural issues that are driving up costs and the steps that could be taken to mitigate them. It is important to note that we understand the overheads and the way costs have risen for businesses.

It is also important to highlight that a number of existing tax supports are available to all business, including the on-trade environment, to encourage investment in the economy, particularly in indigenous SMEs. These supports include the employment investment incentive, the start-up relief for entrepreneurs and the start-up capital investment. A range of direct expenditure supports are available to business and details can be found online at the national enterprise hub. Notwithstanding what I have said, the matters raised in the Deputy's submission will continue to inform ongoing policy consideration in the context of the budget. It is with the Minister.

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere

I appreciate the response but this issue requires a stronger sense of urgency from the Government because the trend lines are moving in the wrong direction. We are seeing more than 120 pubs close every year in this country. Once these businesses disappear from rural communities, they very rarely come back. What concerns many publicans is that although Government policy increasingly recognises the cultural and economic importance of pubs in theory, that recognition is not translated into practical support measures that reflect the realities they face on the ground.

The VFI proposal is a measured and targeted one. It is capped and linked to verified supply costs. It is focused on the on-trade sector and particularly on smaller rural pubs. Importantly, it seeks to support those traditional pubs that do not benefit from the reduced 9% VAT rate because they are not food businesses.

There is a broader point here about parity of esteem. The State rightly supports sectors viewed as culturally or economically valuable through targeted tax credits and incentives. It is done for film, gaming and television production. Surely there is a strong argument for supporting one of the most recognisable parts of Irish social and cultural life, particularly when it plays such an important role in sustaining rural communities. Ultimately, this is not just about pubs; it is about whether rural Ireland continues to have a place where people can gather, connect and maintain community life. Once those spaces are gone, the social consequences are very difficult to reverse.

Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

What the Deputy has spoken about is really concerning. He can be assured I will go back to the Minister for Finance. I am aware of the importance of local pubs to Irish culture and the Irish economy, particularly in local and rural areas, which we are both from.

Recent years have been challenging to the hospitality sector as a whole, particularly through the period of Covid restrictions. We saw huge changes then. However, those years also demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of businesses. Premises enhanced their outdoor areas and introduced food offerings. It was a big thing to see all the new outdoor areas. Premises adapted to changes in socialising behaviour by introducing new ranges of non-alcoholic drinks, for example, embracing coffee culture.

Like all businesses, trade is facing challenges from increased costs. The Government is taking steps to alleviate these challenges, primarily through work co-ordinated by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on the cost of business and an action plan for competitiveness and productivity. It is important that the Government support businesses, particularly indigenous SMEs, in all sectors of the economy. Actions have already been taken to support the hospitality sector, for example, through the VAT reduction to 9%, which will come into effect from July and will be of huge benefit to pubs selling food and hot drinks. The Government is also prioritising measures to help businesses and households with increased energy costs arising from the conflict in the Middle East. This has included reductions in the price of diesel and petrol, extension of the fuel allowance season and measures to support hauliers, bus passengers, operators, farmers, agricultural contractors and fisheries. The Government will continue this focus on supporting businesses across Ireland, including pubs, as we develop options for budget 2027.

The Department has received and acknowledged the submission from the Vintners Federation of Ireland outlining a proposal for an on-trade sustainability scheme in budget 2027. I thank the Deputy for highlighting this. He can be assured I will go back to the Minister for Finance to highlight his concerns.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 20 May 2026