Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Apr 2026

Vol. 1084 No. 4

• Díospóireachtaí
• Aimsigh díospóireacht
  • Díospóireachtaí na Dála
  • Díospóireachtaí an tSeanaid
  • Díospóireachtaí Coiste
• Aimsigh vótáil
  • Vótálacha na Dála
  • Vótálacha an tSeanaid
  • Vótálacha Coiste
• Ceisteanna Parlaiminte
  • Ceisteanna scríofa
  • Ceisteanna ó bhéal
• Leideanna cuardaigh
• Nuair a bhíonn tionchar tromchúiseach ag aithrisí

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

I will give the Minister of State some of the context in a moment but the simple ask is that the children, staff and parents connected to Owenabue Educate Together National School want to know what the plan is and when their project will go to stage 2. The current situation is totally unsustainable. The school was opened in 2020. To give some context, Carrigaline is probably a bit like places in the Minister of State's constituency. The town has grown rapidly, from about 12,000 people in 2006 to 15,000 or 16,000 by 2016, and the population will quickly reach 20,000.

There are huge numbers of young people and children and a massive need for additional school places in the area. In 2020 or earlier, the Department proposed a new school and the new Owenabue Educate Together National School was opened in 2020. A site was soon identified for the school's permanent location but the building in question was reallocated to another school in March 2021. Owenabue national school had been due to move into that building the following September. That was a huge setback for the school but, at the time, it was given clear assurances by the Department of education that it would be treated as an urgent priority. It was confirmed in 2021 that the permanent accommodation would be a new-build. A site was identified over three years ago and subsequently purchased in Janeville, a new, large housing estate built on the northern end of Carrigaline. Since then, the board of management and school leadership have been trying to engage with the Department of education.

The project was commenced and meetings were held in May 2024. These indicated the school could possibly move in 2027-28, which is potentially as soon as the school year beginning next September. Stage 1 - design and review - documentation was submitted in June 2025, which is eight or nine months ago at this stage, but as of now, the project has still not been signed off to go to stage 2. It has not progressed beyond stage 1 during that period. No communication has been received by the school or patron in relation to when the project will progress.

This has clear implications. There are a number of schools in the area and parents are trying to evaluate the future prospects for the school and the children. This is hindering the school's growth. It is a fantastic school with a strong school leadership and a fantastic school community around it. People are obviously concerned about the future given the school's inability to plan.

The school is also split across two sets of buildings. I am sure the Minister of State has come across this before. It is far from ideal for a school in terms of planning, staff, supervision of children during breaks and ensuring the whole school community stays tight together. That it is currently split is not good enough.

The Minister of State will be familiar with the need to ensure there is adequate provision of special autism classes. There are currently two autism classes. The plan for the design of the permanent building includes approval for five autism classes, recognising local need given the very young population in the area. Obviously, those classes cannot be delivered until the school building is delivered.

The school is not getting any answers. Everything asked of it was submitted before June 2025. The target of 2027-28 is not much more than a year away. The school wants to know when the project will go to stage 2 and whether it is possible to achieve the deadline. Its ability to grow and prosper as a school community is being undermined by the lack of answers and lack of a clear plan for the school.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Neale Richmond)

I am very grateful to Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this very pertinent issue in relation to Owenabue Educate Together National School in Carrigaline, County Cork. The Deputy is right that he could be reading this about at least seven different schools in my constituency. I have, therefore, great empathy for the case the Deputy raised and for the entire school community.

As alluded to, this school building project will deliver a new 16-classroom primary school and additional accommodation for children with special educational needs at Janeville in Carrigaline, County Cork. The project is currently at stage 1, preliminary design, assessment of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme. As part of the stage 1 process, the design team submits a stage1 report to the Department. A preferred design option, including the scope and extent of works to be carried out, forms part of this report. The stage 1 report was received in the Department in January 2025 and upon completion of the Department of education's due diligence review, the stage 1 stakeholders meeting took place on 24 March 2025. The principal, a representative from the patron body, Educate Together, all design team members, the project manager and Department officials were in attendance. The meeting concluded with agreement that the design team would explore further design layout options. On 30 April 2025, an architectural workshop took place between the design team architect and the Department senior architect. The Department received the full design team stage 1 addendum report in August 2025 and this report is currently under review by the Department of education. On completion of this review, the Department will be in contact with the school and patron with regard to the further progression of the project.

For wider context, as the Deputy is aware, the Government recently published the €7.55 billion national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan for education. Of the total €7.55 billion investment, it is envisaged that circa €5 billion will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. The Department has also published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over 2026 and 2027. This list includes 12 projects in County Cork. The first tranche of 105 school building projects includes 80 large-scale and additional school accommodation scheme projects.

To be frank, I think this will be a slightly frustrating reply for the Deputy and those on whose behalf he raised the issue. It is, however, typical of a process that is in the middle of the weeds. It would be irresponsible of me, on behalf of the Minister, to provide false information at this stage, other than to say that this is the review that is in place. What I would humbly suggest is that the Deputy consider bringing a deputation from the school for a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Naughton. I would be more than happy to play my part to ensure that is delivered as soon as possible.

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

If that is something the Minister of State could facilitate or help to facilitate, I will take him up on it. This is, of course, frustrating. The schools is looking for answers. When will the project go to stage 2? We can say the school delivery team has so many projects and it is hard to get through them all, but if the Government, at the highest level, is setting a target for the delivery of that many schools, it clearly needs to ensure the team is resourced enough to get through them. There are many other schools as well, as the Minister of State has alluded to, that are waiting for answers. That is not good enough. This is imposing a huge constraint on the ability of the school to operate.

It is under a lot of pressure. I have acknowledged, and I hope the Minister of State will also acknowledge, that it is never ideal for a school to be split across two sets of buildings. It is a difficult situation to manage.

When we talk about prioritisation, it should be taken into account that the school was given a commitment that its project would be prioritised. The context was that five years ago the school was told the building that had been clearly identified for the new school would no longer be available to it. The roadmap changed. The goalposts were shifted right at the last minute. The school was due to move into that building in September 2021. That option was removed and it now looks like it will be September 2027 at the earliest before the school moves.

The Minister of State will not be able to provide a date right now. However, I urge the Department to provide a date - even an approximate one - by which the school will get stage 2 approval, so that it can understand when the project will move on.

I make the point again that the school will not be able to deliver the number of autism classes it wants to deliver. The school leadership has the appetite and desire to deliver as many autism class places as possible. It will not be able to do that until such time as the school has the permanent school building, its permanent home, for the coming decades and generations.

Deputy Neale Richmond

That is a perfectly valid request. I advise having a deputation meeting and writing a formal letter to the Department of education on foot of this Topical Issue debate. The Deputy has been in this House longer than I have, and he and I know that Topical Issue debates are only a step in the process by which constituency TDs provide good advocacy. I will not insult the Deputy by giving out the departmental lines that this is obviously a process, there is continuing prioritisation and that prioritisation will move forward. Ultimately, the school community in Carrigaline - the current parents, the prospective parents and, most importantly, the children who rely on the Deputy to be their voice - expect better answers. I will have no hesitation in meeting the Deputy afterwards to see how we can facilitate such a deputation meeting as quickly as possible and ensure it gives as clear a timeline as is possible, recognising that any new school project or, more likely, school expansion project will be evaluated.

I take on board the two factors the Deputy raised, namely, growing demand, first and foremost, for what is needed and that this school is split over two sites. Having two campuses and two buildings is never the optimum or ideal. I make that undertaking to the Deputy in good faith.

Special Educational Needs

Deputy Shane Moynihan

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo tráthnóna.

I start by acknowledging the significant strides made in recent years, especially in the expansion of special classes for children with autism which has improved access to the appropriate supports for so many children. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, are still working to continue to make sure that provision is rolled out across the country. However, concerns have been raised with me that this progress has not necessarily been reflected in the provision of dyslexia and speech and language needs. Associated with that are needs around dyspraxia and apraxia of speech as well, especially where there is a co-occurrence of autism. Access to specialist supports, such as reading classes, needed for these sorts of conditions remains quite limited in scope and availability. For example, there are no reading classes or specialist reading schools in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West. There are only a handful of these in Dublin and, indeed, in the country.

Families in my constituency have reported to me that the early signs of dyslexia are not always recognised or acted upon in a timely way. There are many reasons for this. One is that there are capacity constraints in the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, which impact on access to psychological assessments. While diagnosis is not necessarily required for the continuum of support framework, we know that standardised test scores are used at school level to inform decisions on additional support. While these are valuable tools, they primarily measure attainment rather than the underlying learning difficulties and may only highlight the issues once a child has already begun to fall behind.

International best practice suggests that early screening of key indicators, such as phonological awareness and letter sound knowledge, are the sorts of things that we should be zeroing in on. We see examples of this at play in some of our schools.

Looking at the evidence for what needs to happen with regard to the identification of dyslexia and then the response to it, we need structured systematic literacy instruction or targeted small group or individual intervention delivered by trained staff, appropriate classroom accommodations and timely access to assistive technology. It is important at this point to thank all the teachers in schools who work with children who have dyslexia, dyspraxia or apraxia of speech. We need to make sure they have supports in place in their classroom and school settings, but also that they have access to the necessary training, especially with regard to structured literacy, and have the best-in-class, evidence-based teaching approaches to how they address this. As fathers, the Minister of State and I both know that without appropriate and timely intervention, dyslexia-related difficulties do not improve and children can experience reduced confidence, increased anxiety and ongoing academic challenges.

My question is to ask, given the limited number of reading classes available around the country and the limited number of appropriate speech and language supports for children who have autism and may also have an underlying need with regard to dyslexia or some other speech and language issue, are there plans to consider expanding dyslexia-specific classes or to better incorporate specialist provision through the provision of reading classes in schools using the same model as the autism classes in schools? Where the continuing support, as we know, reduces reliance on diagnosis, are there plans to apply a national standard and to provide support for teachers in terms of more consistent early-screening approaches at primary level?

Does the Department intend developing a national framework around guidance or standards for dyslexia intervention that is aligned with international best practice and the evidence I have set out? Another issue I have raised in this House, and I am sure the Minister of State, as a constituency TD, has also raised it, is the need for the expansion of NEPS provision across all schools to ensure timely diagnosis is made, as appropriate. I would appreciate the Minister of State's insight on that.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this pertinent issue, which is one that resonates with many of us in the House in many regards. I am replying on behalf of the Minister.

It is the policy of the Department of Education and Youth, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that students with additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes, along with their peers, with additional supports provided as necessary. The Department has invested considerably in ensuring that all recognised mainstream schools have been allocated additional special education teaching resources to support children with special educational needs, including students with literacy difficulties. Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on the Department's website. There are 15,000 special education teachers allocated to primary and post-primary schools to enable them to support children with special educational needs. I know that, as my wife is one.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has the responsibility for planning and co-ordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.

Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers or software to assist children with special educational needs, including children with specific learning disability, where relevant professionals recommend the equipment as being essential for the provision of education. Schools apply to the NCSE through their local special educational needs organiser, SENO, for such support.

A continuum of education provision is in place covering the full range of need spanning placement in mainstream classes, with supports through to more specialist placements either in a special class or a special school, depending on the complexity of need.

It is important to note, though, that the majority of students with literacy difficulties currently receive additional teaching support from a special education teacher in a mainstream class. This is provided on the basis of the individual student's learning needs identified in schools, as opposed to being based on a requirement for a child to have a diagnosis or an assessment of a particular disability.

There are four schools dedicated to supporting students with specific learning disability, SLD. There are also 14 SLD classes in 11 mainstream primary schools located across the country, in counties Dublin, Clare, Louth, Galway, Kerry and Wexford, although, I acknowledge, not in Dublin Mid-West. These settings have a student-teacher ratio of 9:1 and are attended by students normally aged between eight and 12 years for a maximum of two years. Students will have a diagnosis of dyslexia and score at the 2% percentile or lower on literacy standardised tests. They will also have an average or above average level of intelligence.

In May 2021, the inspectorate was requested by the Department's special education section to evaluate provision in special classes for children and young people with an SLD. The purpose of the evaluations was to examine the quality of provision for children and young people with an SLD, with particular reference to understanding the placement of children and young people in these classes and to identifying the strengths and areas for improvement in learning and teaching in these classes. The inspectorate's report will inform the Department's development of policy and the overall effectiveness of SLD classes in the context of emerging international trends for inclusion. This is an area that the Minister is keeping under close review.

The Minister is also working on a new measure which will see the provision of enhanced supports in mainstream schools for students experiencing literacy difficulties.

The Minister hopes to be in a position to update the House on this soon. The Minister and the Department of education will continue to consider the findings and recommendations of the inspectorate report and may in time request the inspectorate to review provision for children with specific learning disabilities, SLDs, in special schools. I undertake to ask the Minister to engage directly with the Deputy given his interest in the area.

Deputy Shane Moynihan

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin.

I appreciate the good faith of the response and thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister for education. One immediate point I will make, which I am sure the Minister of State's wife would empathise with, is that the application procedure for additional resources for SEN in a school is extremely onerous. Our focus should be on ensuring the resources and hours required are made available in a targeted and timely way, in the best interest of the child, especially where the school has demonstrated a need that can be met.

I will delve into a few other things the Minister of State referred to in his answer and I would like him to take one or two other things to the Minister. The first is around the national framework and national guidance for an evidence-based approach to how we address dyslexia and associated speech and language difficulties in our schools. It is important it be evidence based. It is important teacher training be made available on a consistent basis. While I welcome that some specialist supports are provided in schools, there is also a need for an expansion of the reading classes the Minister of State mentioned in his reply. They do not necessarily need to be in a school setting, but the provision of more reading classes in schools is an important step in addressing the medium level of difficulty some children might have.

Above all else, the reason I want to centre the importance of the national framework is that there are instances in my constituency where children in an autism special class are not able to access speech and language supports because it is not seen in the overall suite of supports provided to children in an autism class. While I am not for a second suggesting we should stop our roll-out of autism classes, I am concerned that we need to give the same level of attention to speech and language difficulties that in many cases coincide with a diagnosis of autism, but in many cases merit proper specialist supports that might be more than the SEN hours allocated to a school, that might require the opening of a reading class or, in some instances, the expansion of the reading school. Those disabilities are as important as the ones we are rightly responding to at the moment.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I appreciate the Deputy's supplementary question and, where relevant, will bring it forward to the relevant line Minister. He raised a few key issues that are absolutely understandable, but go to the nub of the complexity of providing special education that is sometimes blanket and misses certain aspects of a child's development in education or what their need or want is. It is hard to put that into a straight column.

The Department will continue to engage intensively with the NCSE on forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a place in an educational setting, which, where possible, best fits their special needs on the back of the 15,000 special education teachers and 12,500 SNAs already in the system. For children with more complex needs, special class or special school places are still important. That is in keeping with the policy. Crucially, there is a need for a degree of flexibility to allow children to adapt to settings to allow them flourish to their best, particularly at the key ages of between eight and 12 when diagnoses are made. It is about putting in a learning support plan that is appropriate to the child's needs and the setting.

There is no perfect answer to any of the issues, which on an individual basis I have no doubt are coming into the Deputy's constituency office, as they probably come into all our constituency offices. However, the issues the Deputy raised provide me with great material, which I will put directly to the Minister and I will ask her to respond to the Deputy with additional information in due course.

Schools Building Projects

Deputy Louis O'Hara

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise the proposed extension of Gort Community School in south Galway. The principal of the school, Brian Crossan, is passionate about this project and the future of the school. There is no doubt that it is badly needed. Gort Community School is holding celebrations tomorrow for its 30th anniversary. It is an important milestone for the school. I congratulate the school on 30 years.

In recent years, the school has grown from 780 to 1,050 pupils and will continue to grow. It has been working on this extension project for many years now. It first received approval from the Department back in 2019, so it has been in the pipeline for quite some time. After that approval, it is my understanding that the Department came back a few times and asked the school to make changes to redesign the project. As a result, the school is probably two or three years behind where it should be with this project.

It is important to say this is a fantastic school. People only hear good things about it, but there is a need for better facilities and investment in the school. The three ASD units are working out of ordinary classrooms. They are cramped and inadequate facilities. This is a real issue with the level of need the school is experiencing. Given enrolment trends, there is significant demand for ASD provision in the area and waiting lists for a place in these classes will only increase. The school is at capacity as it stands.

I mentioned the growth in pupil numbers, which is only going in one direction. The school is struggling for space and facilities and is reliant on prefabricated buildings. The extension will result in a 1,200-pupil school. It involves a purpose-built autism unit with three classrooms, 19 general classrooms, specialist rooms for art and home economics, science laboratories, a new staff room, a general purpose and dining area, a fitness suite and much more, as well as alterations to the existing building. This is an exciting project, but also an essential one, if the existing and projected demand at the school is to be met and education delivered at an appropriate standard. These are the type of facilities children and young people in the south Galway area need and deserve.

Gort and the wider south Galway area is growing at a fast pace. Planning permission is in place for hundreds of homes and the school has a wide catchment area extending into north County Clare. Planning permission for the extension was granted in 2024. I understand the stage 2b report was submitted in March. The school wants to get on with this project now. It wants to build it, but it needs the go-ahead from the Department and it was not included in the NDP sectoral investment plan. It needs to be added to the priority list as soon as possible. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, visited the school recently. She is aware of the urgency of this project for the school, but it needs to be pushed on. I urge the Government to ensure that happens and to provide clarity on a timeline for when it can proceed to the next stage and issue a tender for construction.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this important issue and join him in celebrating the 30th anniversary of Gort Community School's foundation. As the Deputy will be aware, the school was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme. The project will provide 19 general classrooms, seven SET rooms, two meeting rooms, one deputy principal's office, three classroom SEN bases, one art room, one home economics room, one graphics room, three science laboratories with two prep areas, one construction studies room with a prep area, one engineering room and prep area, three project stores, one staff room, one general purpose or dining area and other ancillary accommodation. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. It is currently at stage 2b, developed design. The stage 2b report was submitted to the Department in April 2026 and is currently being reviewed from a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the public infrastructure guidelines.

Although this project is not in the first tranche of school building projects recently published in the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department's overall pipeline of school building projects. The NDP school sectoral plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out. The Department of education will continue to build on the progress made in recent years with the continued roll-out of projects on a prioritised basis to meet the most urgent needs in terms of provision of additional capacity and modernisation of existing facilities. As part of planning ahead for the progress to tender of the next tranche of projects, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs going forward. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and ultimately inform the next tranches of programme roll-out to tender.

The Department-led energy and conditions survey of the school estate, which will be finalised later in 2026, will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities. Based on this ongoing prioritisation process, some projects may be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and urgency of need and taking account of the ongoing ability to progress them to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding.

Where appropriate, the Department of education will also assess opportunities to undertake advance enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth progression to construction in 2028 and beyond. Any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis to determine the prioritised needs and the best approach for addressing same.

Deputy Louis O'Hara

I thank the Minister of State. This has been going on for many years at this stage. Of course, I understand that these projects take time but there is a pressing need for this project to be accelerated and delivered. I mentioned the pressure on ASD provision in the school. That is a real and immediate need that has to be met. Further delays with this project just makes it more difficult for the school to meet the demand that exists and provide an inclusive learning environment. I also mentioned that Gort and south Galway is a growing area and it is inevitable that significant additional school capacity will be required in the local area. Indeed, it is already required and the young people attending school there deserve top-class facilities, the same as one would expect to find in any other school. There is a clear need and that is the message that I want to get across today. We have to meet the demands of a growing community. It is the Department's own land and buildings. The Department has asked the school to upgrade the plans to build for 1,200 pupils and everything is in place now. The school has done all that has been asked of it but the project needs to start so that the school is ahead of the curve and can avoid significant issues in terms of school places, ASD provision and so on. Again, I urge the Government to ensure that this happens, that the project is made a priority. I also ask the Minister of State to provide clarity on the timeline for when the school can proceed to the next stage.

Deputy Neale Richmond

Once again, I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to provide, on behalf of the Minister for education, an update to the House regarding the accommodation at Gort Community School. The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project on the school building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the Government's infrastructure guidelines.

Since 2020 the Department has provided €256.55 million in capital funding for Galway schools. Over this period a total of 88 schools have been upgraded either through the provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or modular accommodation. There are currently 17 school projects in Galway under construction and another ten school projects will go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027. This summer, 20 schools are approved to undergo works as part of the climate summer works scheme. In addition, since 2020 a total of 101 special classes have been opened in Galway, of which 23 were sanctioned for September 2026.

The accommodation needs at this school in Gort will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department-led prioritisation process in consultation with the school's patron and school authorities. The current status of all projects continues to be set out under item 10 on the Department's website under building works for the construction, extension and refurbishment of schools. This is updated regularly to reflect progress through the capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction stages. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is aware of the situation in Gort, not just from having visited there personally but from Deputy O'Hara's ongoing advocacy and that of other Members in the area. I will bring the contents of this debate to her attention and ensure that the pertinent points are made. I thank Deputy O'Hara again for raising this issue.

Traveller Education

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue for discussion. Every child is innocent and should have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential but the education system and the State are failing Traveller children. We have statistics showing that only 27% of young Travellers complete post-primary education compared to 97% of the wider population and less than 1% of Travellers go on to third level education.

This issue is particularly topical in the context of a report from UCC entitled Traveller transitions - Racialised inequalities in education, which was launched today. It is qualitative research so it is the voice of young Traveller people themselves. One of the key findings was that young Traveller people find the loss of tailored supports in the transition from primary to post-primary school extremely difficult. Relationships between Traveller young people and school staff are crucial but most Traveller young people in this study reported negative relationships with teachers. There were a number of other findings and recommendations for Government, schools and for policymakers. Recommendations include ensuring that: Traveller young people are supported in the transition into secondary school from primary school; ethnic segregation practices are not happening at school; discipline practices are not disproportionately affecting Travellers; and practices of inclusion are informed by Traveller young people themselves. These recommendations reflect some of the key findings.

Does the State have a strategy? It has a Traveller and Roma education strategy. I looked at the third progress report from December last year which is only a handful of months ago. It shows that a significant number of measures were only partially implemented or not implemented at all. We have been over this ground previously and have identified the barriers and what needs to happen but the necessary progress has not been made. What measures is the Government taking to support young Travellers and to increase the number of young Travellers who are completing primary and secondary school?

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. This week there has been a lot of focus, correctly, on the areas raised by Deputy O'Rourke. Delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach his or her full potential is a key priority for the Government and the Minister. In that regard, supporting the education of Travellers and Roma children is one of the key objectives of the Government.

Currently action to address Traveller and Roma education outcomes is progressed through the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy 2024-2030 and its associated plans for implementation and action which were developed through the strong collaboration of Traveller and Roma organisations with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The strategy acknowledges that Travellers and Roma are among the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups in Ireland. While educational outcomes have improved in recent years, they remain significantly below those in the general population, as outlined by Deputy O'Rourke.

Key actions contained in the plan for implementation and action include increasing the number of Traveller and Roma young people who are completing post-primary school and achieving the leaving certificate; embedding Traveller culture and history into the curriculum; promoting workforce diversity; and providing teacher training on inclusion, cultural competence and anti-racism. The Minister is committed to promoting positive relationships and supporting the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people. In this regard, funding was provided for 15 community link workers to work across a number of schools in areas where there are high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Their roles will focus on fostering greater engagement with Traveller and Roma families to facilitate successful communication, promote positive relationships and support the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people by linking them to resources within their area. The link workers will provide vital engagement on the ground between schools, families and communities.

In addition, two Traveller and Roma strategy national co-ordinators and a Traveller and Roma education strategy general manager were appointed to support the implementation of the strategy and to lead on specific actions outlined in the initial two-year plan for implementation and action. The implementation of the strategy is supported by action plans, governance and consultation structures, including the Traveller and Roma education strategy plan for implementation and action and associated progress reports. The strategy's oversight group and the Traveller and Roma education forum are ensuring ongoing engagement with communities and effective monitoring of progress.

Work is currently under way on the development of the next plan for implementation and action, running from 2026 to 2028, which is due to be published in July of this year. To inform the plan, engagement is ongoing with the Traveller and Roma education strategy oversight group, the Traveller and Roma education forum and other Traveller and Roma organisations, communities, children and young people. I know that any contribution to that by Deputy O'Rourke would be welcomed by the Minister.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

This is really important. I welcome a number of recent announcements by the Government related to DEIS plus and the DEIS plan. I will contest every inch of it but the principle of the transformational power of education and a specific focus on educational inequality is hugely important.

Within that, there needs to be a particular focus on the Traveller population because the figures are absolutely shocking. I referred to the completion rate for the leaving certificate, but if we consider those on reduced hours or timetables and the rate of absenteeism, the potential is being ripped from the lives of these young people. The State can take significant steps through the education system and other services to support these young people. They deserve that opportunity the same as every other child. I will be happy to engage with the further consultations and progress reports. A wealth of effort has been put in to date. There is a roadmap but it needs to be actioned and implemented. The stakes are high here. The number of children that are being failed, falling through the cracks and are being left behind by dint of the fact that they are Travellers is a stain and a shame on the State.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I want to underline, without any degree of uncertainty, that the Government, just like everyone else in the House, is absolutely committed to increasing the number of Traveller and Roma children who complete primary and secondary education. The vision of the Traveller and Roma education strategy is that we want a high-quality, inclusive education system that is open and welcoming to all, irrespective of background or ability and that meaningfully engages learners of all ages in a positive learning environment where quality is upheld, diversity respected and where every individual is valued and actively supported to reach their full potential. The next two-year TRES plan for implementation and action will be published in July. The new plan will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of Traveller and Roma children and young people and in addressing racism and discrimination by developing more targeted cultural competence in training and teaching Traveller culture and history through the curriculum. The TRES and its associated plans for implementation and action reinforce the Government's commitment to supporting and nurturing Traveller and Roma children and young people to reach their full potential in education and making up for lost decades of missed opportunities from successive Governments in the political system and the education system as a whole.

Library Projects

Deputy Colm Burke

Will the Department provide the necessary funding to Cork City Council to enable building work to be carried out on Mayfield library and community centre in view of the fact the council has submitted an application for funding for this project? Will the Minister of State make a statement? Mayfield has a large population on the north-east side of Cork city. It has many retired people but the population in the area is growing as well, with over 1,500 houses being built within a 1 mile radius of the library. It also caters for residents in Dillon's Cross, St. Luke's and upper Glanmire and the Glanmire area, which was an area previously in the county, which has now come under the city council's jurisdiction. There is a very big population in this area. A Part 8 planning notice was filed on 22 April 2024 by Cork City Council setting out what the proposals were. The proposals set out the changes that are required in the facility there. It is very detailed. The council, I understand, prior to putting in that Part 8 planning notice in 2024, made a submission to the Department as far back as 2023. We are three years on and nothing has occurred.

This is an important facility for the community. As well as a library, a community centre is attached to it, providing a lot of essential services for the area. The proposal included reconfiguration internally in the building itself, but also an extension to the existing facility to cater for the growing population of the area. It is an essential facility for the north-east side of Cork city, but also for the new housing that is being built in the immediate area. The housing is being built at a very fast pace. Over a three-year period, it is expected that at least 1,500 additional houses will be in place, with a new population moving in there. There will be people who are retired and new young families. It is important that the service provided by Mayfield library is up to date and it can provide for the population of the area. Will funding be provided to Cork City Council by the Department in order that this project can progress?

Deputy Neale Richmond

I am very grateful to my dear friend, Deputy Burke, for raising this matter, as is the relevant Minister. Public libraries are at the heart of all our communities. The Deputy and I were in the Chamber when our former colleague, Paschal Donohoe, made that very clear appeal as part of his closing salvo to this House. Public libraries are multi-purpose social, cultural and educational spaces for the whole community to enjoy. There are 330 public libraries nationwide providing an excellent service throughout the country.

As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of library services, including buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the funding and delivery of the Frank O’Connor Library in Mayfield project is primarily a matter for Cork City Council. In April 2023, the Department invited proposals for funding under the current Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027. A total of 33 proposals were received for library capital projects and 15 for next generation mobile library vehicles. Each proposal received was evaluated thoroughly using a scoring matrix published with the initial call for proposals document.

Cork City Council's application in respect of Mayfield library unfortunately did not score or rank high enough to receive funding approval or to merit inclusion on the waitlist. One of the key factors in the failure of this project to secure funding was the lack of progress regarding planning approval at the time. The Minister has been informed by Cork City Council that the library project at Mayfield Is categorised as a priority project in the council's development plan 2022 to 2028. I have also been further advised that the Part 8 planning application, as per the requirements of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, was approved by councillors in October 2024, allowing the proposal to be progressed through the standard planning approval process.

With Part 8 approval secured for Mayfield library, the project is now positioned to provide a modern multi-use facility for the north-east suburb of Cork city and its surrounding area. This places the Mayfield development a strong position to compete for future funding developments as they arise. The Department’s current libraries capital programme is fully committed. This ambitious €25.2 million investment includes €22.6 million in 11 state-of-the-art infrastructure projects nationwide and €2.6 million dedicated to 12 next generation mobile library vehicles to improve rural and community outreach.

I am delighted that later this year, the Department will begin planning for the next iteration of the libraries capital programme and a successor to the current national library strategy. Since 2019, the Department has demonstrated a strong commitment to library services in the region, providing €8.3 million in funding to Cork City Council and Cork County Council public library services, through the libraries capital programme and the rural regeneration and development fund.

Deputy Colm Burke

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The issue is the new development that is going on. That was not part of the submission made in 2023 because it had not even gone through the planning process. There has been a huge growth in population. It is an area that needs to be prioritised. The library facility in Mayfield, which has very good staff, is not adequate for the demand that is there now. There is also the whole issue about community facilities as well, which is attached to the library and part of the library building. They also need to be upgraded. I was there earlier this week for the AGM of the community association. There is an active community association there. They are trying to assist in various projects in the immediate area, but they also need to have the infrastructure in place. For instance, one of the projects within the community facility is a preschool facility for a small number of children.

That is already in place there. However, there is a whole lot of services that need to be developed. In particular, we need to ensure we have a library that is adequate for both the existing population and the growing of population. It is important it is prioritised. I ask that the Department makes sure it is considered in the next round of funding when it is dealing with it with Cork City Council.

Deputy Neale Richmond

While I agree with the Deputy it was a shame that the Mayfield library could not be considered in the most recent tranche, I do think the Department's response and the developments from a planning point of view and more widely in the local community in that part of County Cork illustrate the need and merit for the library to be considered in the next round. I have no doubt the next time a funding round becomes available, a strong submission will be made by Cork City Council. The Deputy may rest assured that I will raise with the relevant Minister the strong case he has put forward this afternoon. A common-sense approach to this would be valued not just by the locals and patrons in Mayfield but more broadly by all those projects and potential projects that will be seeking funding under the next scheme. I fully believe Mayfield will be in a very strong position. I look forward to providing Deputy Burke with whatever supports I can, along with the Minister, to achieve that development.

Food Prices

Deputy Martin Daly

I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue which has been felt in households right across Roscommon-Galway and, indeed, across the country. People are very clear about what they are experiencing. The cost of the weekly shop has risen significantly and it continues to rise. For many households, particularly those on low and middle incomes, this is not an abstract issue; it is a real and immediate pressure.

Families are noticing it week to week. They are adjusting what they buy, where they shop and how much they can afford to spend. What was once routine has now become a careful calculation. We know this is not just anecdotal. Food prices have risen by over 20% in a relatively short time. That represents a very real and sustained increase in the cost of living. For lower income households the situation is even more stark. A healthy weekly shop can take up to one third of disposable incomes. When we talk about grocery prices, we are not just talking about marginal changes but we are talking about a structural shift in affordability.

The core issue I raise here today is not simply that prices are rising but how those prices are being monitored and understood. We have a number of bodies with roles in this space, including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Agri-Food Regulator. There is no single body with a clearly defined role in monitoring grocery price trends, examining retail pricing practices or providing a consistent, consumer focused view of what is happening in the market. That raises a fundamental question about whether the current framework is sufficient. If prices are rising at the pace people are experiencing, who is tracking them in a structured way? If there are issues around pricing practices, who is examining them from the perspective of the consumer? If pressures are building, where is the clear line of accountability?

In rural areas such as Roscommon-Galway, this issue is particularly acute and was brought to the fore during the recent fuel crisis, which expanded into a cost-of-living issue for people in that area and many other areas. Choice can be more limited and households can be more exposed to rising costs. What assessment has been made of grocery price increases and their impact on consumers? Does the Minister of State accept there may be merit in a more clearly defined stand-alone mechanism or watchdog with the responsibility for monitoring grocery pricing, transparency and affordability from the consumer perspective?

Deputy Neale Richmond

I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue, one that I have absolute familiarity with having previously been a Minister of State in the Department with responsibility for retail during a period when we had 16.9% grocery inflation on the back of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which massively increased food and energy prices across western Europe. Global inflation will see grocery prices increase. At the time, we would have seen grocery stores reduce their prices on about 700 products in the interim but there was a range of different proposals suggested. The opportunity I have this afternoon, given the directness of the points raised by Deputy Daly, is to outline the existing situation.

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is responsible for policy in relation to competition and consumer protection. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is the independent statutory body responsible for enforcing competition law and consumer protection legislation. The CCPC is not a price-monitoring or price-regulating body. The collection, compilation and publication of official price data is a statutory function of the Central Statistics Office.

Businesses in Ireland are generally free to set their own prices, provided they do so independently and in compliance with competition and consumer protection law. The CCPC has engaged with public concerns about grocery prices within its existing remit. In August 2025, it published an updated high-level analysis of the Irish grocery retail sector, updating its 2023 work. This analysis examined market concentration, entry and expansion, national and international price trends, and the profitability of major grocery retailers.

The CCPC concluded that while grocery prices have risen significantly since 2021, there is no evidence of a failure of competition or of excessive pricing in the sector. The CCPC plays an active and enforcement-focused role in protecting consumers. It enforces competition and consumer protection law across the economy, including in the retail and grocery sectors, and takes action, for example, where traders mislead consumers, fail to display prices correctly, or breach pricing transparency requirements. This includes inspections, prosecutions and enforcement actions in the grocery and wider retail sectors. In parallel, the CCPC protects consumers by preventing anti-competitive outcomes that could lead to higher prices or reduced choice, including in rural areas. For example, the CCPC approved a proposed supermarket acquisition by Tesco only after the company agreed to divest an outlet in Oranmore, protecting local competition in Galway.

The Central Statistics Office continues to publish detailed and independently-verified data through the consumer price index, including on food and drink prices. This data provides a transparent and authoritative basis for understanding price movements across the wider economy.

Deputy Martin Daly

I appreciate the response but the concern remains around how this is being experienced by people on the ground. People are telling us that the value of a euro in the shopping trolley has fundamentally changed. There was a time when people could shop around. They might do a core shop in one retailer and then top up in other retailers for choice. However, we are increasingly hearing those price differences have narrowed significantly, suggesting a lack of competition in the retail sector. The sense of being able to shop strategically and save has reduced and people feel they are paying more regardless of where they go.

At the same time, the evidence is clear that healthier food can be up to three times more expensive per calorie than less healthy alternatives while cheaper more processed options continue to offer more for less. People with the least resources eat the unhealthiest food and that has ramifications right throughout our health system and our State. When households are under pressure, they are not making lifestyle choices, they are making budget decisions.

That brings me back to the central point. People are seeing prices rise, but they do not see who is actively tracking those increases, analysing them or holding the system to account in a clear and visible way. The question is not whether structures exist but whether they are sufficient or coherent enough for the reality that people are now facing. It has to be put in the context that this is not simply an Irish problem. This is about the lower-middle class people - people who get up for work every morning and pay for everything in this State but who are being squeezed and crushed. As Senator Teresa Costello said to me, there is no fun in their lives. That means they go out for work every day and by the time they get to the end of the week, they just about make ends meet. These are a group of people who do not want to be radicalised but are going to be radicalised. It was clear they were targeted during the recent fuel crisis.

Does the Minister of State accept there is case for a more focused and visible approach to monitoring grocery pricing so consumers can have confidence that what they are experiencing is being properly examined and understood?

Deputy Neale Richmond

To be honest, I do not necessarily accept that. Perhaps this is a communications issue. As the Deputy said, the structures are there. The CCPC enforces competition and consumer protection law, and the CSO independently collects and publishes official price data through the consumer price index. This means two bodies are doing the key things the Deputy is asking for.

The CCPC is not the price monitoring or price regulating body; it just enforces the law. The CSO is the price monitoring body. The Deputy is right, equally, that grocery prices are not a uniquely Irish issue. We do not perhaps have the competition in the grocery sector that I would like, but let us not forget that there were only three major grocery retailers in the country up until about ten or 15 years ago. The addition of two other grocery retailers has provided other options. When we look at consumer spending, purchasing power went up by 2.9% last year compared with the year before. This is something that has, unfortunately, bedevilled economies across Europe. Croatia and Hungary introduced price caps on groceries and that had a disastrous consequence, with a lack of affordability and availability. The left-wing Government in Spain proposed to introduce price caps, only to reach the conclusion that isolated, rural supermarkets and smaller stores would simply have to close.

To get to the nub of the Deputy’s point, I do not for an instant hesitate to accept that people are very much feeling the pinch at the supermarket tills at the moment, and they are rightly concerned. The key to this is that we are in the grips of an energy crisis that leads to issues with costs and food provision. In turn, we need to make sure the systems already in place in this regard, through the activities of the CCPC and the CSO, perhaps communicate more clearly and directly to allow that level of consumer confidence to be in place and ensure people are aware that even though things are very tight, the Government has genuine plans, be it through changes to income tax rates or targeted supports and social welfare, to make sure a little bit of a break is given to what I accept is a very hard pressed part of our society.

Land Development Agency

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

The Land Development Agency, LDA, is building up a great head of steam now in starting to produce homes at scale all around the country, but particularly in the urban areas where they are badly needed. There are two projects in my area, Clongriffin Central and, just this week, Richmond Village. Some projects the Minister of State will be familiar with in his own area or generally in his neighbourhood are Shanganagh and Dundrum. These are big projects. The planners are saying that apartments are what are required now in terms of the use of land, the intensification of land use, transport-oriented planning, etc., and that is welcome. When I look at the LDA, however, and taking Richmond Village as an example, the tenure mix is not yet hammered out on that development of nearly 800 units. The LDA says it will do it over the next while.

Affordable purchase, which is where citizens and families get to own their own homes, is a relatively recent thing for the LDA, as I understand it. The point I want to make is that I would like to see the LDA going with affordable purchase first. There should be a lot more emphasis on affordable purchase, giving people a chance to buy the units the LDA is building. I appreciate they would likely be subsidised based on the cost of these in the context of modern-day construction, but it is absolutely vital that we empower the LDA as much as we can to build quality homes that citizens can then buy in whatever way. Affordable purchase first should perhaps be the strategy for the LDA. I will come back to cost rental because issues with that were mentioned.

In my experience, and taking Clongriffin Central as an example, the LDA is not necessarily funded or empowered to deliver community facilities. We have that issue out in Clongriffin Central. An area left underdeveloped and unfinished for 15 years after the crash needs community facilities. The LDA is in there, buzzing along and actively delivering phase after phase of residential units, very welcome homes, but community facilities have to be put in as well. They are vital. I ask that we would look to broaden or maybe re-emphasise the strategy of the LDA towards affordable purchase first as a key part of any of its developments and also look at how it will deliver, and be empowered to fund and deliver, vital community facilities, including community centres, pitches, outdoor parks and all the other facilities that make communities in Dublin so great.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue. I think Richmond Village is a brilliant name. There should be more of them, needless to say.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

Quelle surprise.

Deputy Neale Richmond

More pertinently and directly to the Deputy's point, on behalf of the Minister, we all know why the LDA was set up and the ambition it has. The Deputy is right that it is really ramping up. We can see that in sod turnings, on one hand, such as in Richmond Village, and in site clearings, such as at the former Central Mental Hospital, or Dundrum Central as we know it, but also, crucially, in people moving into homes, as we see in Shanganagh and Shankill.

In terms of affordable purchase homes, LDA-sourced or -built affordable purchase homes are delivered in partnership with local authorities, funded by the Department via the affordable housing fund and sold through the local authority affordable purchase scheme. Under this scheme, newly built homes are made available at a reduced price for first-time and other eligible buyers who cannot afford to purchase these homes at the open market value. These homes are made available at a sale price of at least 15% below comparable housing market prices.

Since 2022, the LDA has delivered over 400 affordable purchase homes through partnership arrangements with local authorities, on State lands or sourced through Project Tosaigh. This delivery includes the LDA working in partnership with other bodies, such as at Shanganagh. A total of 597 homes were delivered there, of which 91 were affordable purchase, with the remainder being delivered as 306 cost-rental homes and 200 social homes across 2024 and 2025.

In addition, the agency has partnered with Kildare County Council to deliver 66 affordable purchase homes last November at Barracksfield West in Naas. More recently, the LDA has launched Priory Fields in partnership with Fingal County Council, as Deputy Boland will be aware, to deliver the first phase, comprising 36 affordable purchase homes of a total of 345 homes at Hackettstown in Skerries. A further phase of 91 affordable purchase homes is planned, with the remainder being delivered as 117 cost-rental homes and 101 social homes. Furthermore, the expanded role and remit of the Land Development Agency, as outlined in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, will help to further accelerate its delivery of affordable homes. Key measures include the expansion of the LDA’s geographical area of operation, which will enable the agency to partner with more regional-based local authorities and bring forward developments on local authority-owned land.

I could not agree more with the Deputy, and I think this matter is going to be a precursor to Deputy Hearne's Topical Issue question to the Minister. Prioritising affordable homes first and foremost should be the aim of the LDA, and I will make sure this point is brought directly to the relevant Ministers.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

As the Minister of State said himself, even the affordable purchase element of the Shanganagh scheme is about 15% of the overall project. We hear about the challenges with cost rental and concerns around mounting maintenance costs. Uncertain costs like that will, of course, upset mandarins in all the various Departments. The benefit of affordable purchase is that whatever discount or subsidy is given, the Government locks it in upfront. It goes to the homeowner, and is crystallised there and then and there is no long-term risk. The Government picks up part of the tab. I do think affordable purchase first should be the direction in which the LDA is headed. Without a doubt, there will be issues with cost rental in the future. They are being raised in the media, with various schemes having challenges with maintenance.

In relation to community facilities, local authorities, including Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council, collect development levies from private development and use those development levy funds to deliver the parks, playgrounds and various community facilities. The LDA does not have that funding stream. It is vital that this is acknowledged by the Government and that the gap is plugged in some way for the LDA. Residential developments are fantastic, but the community facilities have to be provided as well while these projects are being built. I encourage the Minister of State to consider this issue from a Government perspective. I thank him.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I will make two points quite clearly. In relation to affordable homes, that is the sort of prioritisation the LDA should be looking for. I am more than happy to bring this point forward on the Deputy’s behalf to the Minister. Perhaps there will be scope for further discussion at the next round of oral parliamentary questions.

The Deputy has raised a point that is not being raised enough in relation to the collection of development levies and the ability to use those funds for community facilities.

The part of Dublin where I lived was very much a project of the Celtic tiger era where land that was once rural was rezoned rapidly, and housing of all forms – apartments, duplexes and three-, four- and five-bedroom houses - were built at pace, but it took approximately ten years for the schools to open, for roads to be finished off and even for the basic, more commercial entities such as supermarkets and shops to come on stream. We see where development has got this right, such as in Cherrywood, just up the road from me, where the roads and parks are already in. It is only now that we are starting to see the large-scale housing accommodation provided. The three school sites have not only been identified but groundwork has started, and they will be open for the children of that area to be educated in. It is similar with Clonburris in South Dublin County Council's locality.

I would argue that many of the mistakes made before have been learned from, but there are a heck of lot more that need to be learned from, and that requires our diligence to make sure those mistakes are not repeated. We need to make sure that, absolutely, we crack on and massively ramp up the delivery of new homes, but that those communities and, indeed, the scope for commercial facilities that goes with that are prioritised as well. Again, these are points I will be more than happy to make to the Minister on the Deputy’s behalf.

Deputy Rory Hearne

People across the city who are looking to buy a home are despairing. The prices of houses and rents are way beyond what they can afford. They are looking to the Government for hope to be able to buy a home. We have reached the point where no ordinary people can afford to buy a home in our capital city. It costs €500,000 for the average home in the city. That is ten times the average salary. In the main, new supply being built is investor fund apartments being rented out at €3,000 and €4,000 a month. A shocking 50,000 adults over the age of 18 are stuck living in their parents’ home in Dublin city. They need the State to build genuinely affordable homes they can buy to allow them to start their lives and families.

In Dublin city last year, however, not one affordable purchase home was delivered by the State - not one. In my constituency of Dublin North-West, over 7,000 adults are stuck living in their parental home in Finglas and Ballymun, and there are over 6,500 in Artane and Whitehall. How many affordable purchase homes does Dublin City Council plan to build for these 13,000 adults? Just 291 between now and 2030. Fianna Fáil's and Fine Gael’s plans for affordable housing for sale will only meet the need of 2% of the adults living in my constituency between now and 2030. That is not to mention the thousands of renters stuck looking to try to buy a home as well.

Why is affordable housing so inadequate? It is because the starter home programme is not about delivering actually affordable homes but keeping house prices inflated for developers and investor funds. The Government does not want to undercut market prices. It refuses to set up a State construction company that could build tens of thousands of genuinely affordable homes for sale and rent. Will the Government take radical action? We need to see radical action for a generation of young people in their 20s, and increasingly their 30s and 40s, who cannot start their lives. They cannot buy a home in our capital city. Workers, young people and families cannot buy a home in this city. What is the Government going to do to change this and ensure there are affordable houses that people can buy in our capital city? It is beyond a crisis or a disaster. We need to see a significant change beyond what is planned.

I can go through the figures for the Minister of State. They are terrifying in terms of the low numbers of planned delivery of affordable purchase homes in Dublin city. In my own area of north central Dublin, zero affordable purchase homes were delivered last year, and 73 are planned for 2026. There are zero planned for 2027, 95 for 2028, zero for 2029, and zero for 2030. If the houses are not planned to be built and are not in the city council’s plans, where are they going to come from? I am absolutely terrified. Not only is there poor delivery of affordable purchase now, but there is no sign of it coming.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to reply on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne, who unfortunately is not here today.

Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied in the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Government is continuing to invest an unprecedented level of funding to support housing delivery, which will underpin the new starter homes programme, delivering an average of 15,000 starter home supports annually to 2030.

In terms of starter home delivery, over 22,000 starter home supports have been delivered since the launch of the previous housing plan, Housing for All, including nearly 1,000 in Dublin City. Dublin City Council has established a significant pipeline of starter home delivery and continues to work proactively with all delivery partners to ensure the successful delivery of these homes.

Dublin City Council currently has an affordable housing delivery programme that includes a total of 789 new starter homes, which will be available for affordable purchase by eligible, approved housing candidates by 2028. These homes will be located at Ballymun, Montpelier, Oscar Traynor Road and Cherry Orchard. Twelve homes have been delivered at Ballymun to date, with the schemes at Montpelier and Oscar Traynor Road at an advanced stage. We will see significant delivery during the year.

The delivery programme continues to be expanded and accelerated. Two additional schemes with the potential to deliver a further 240 affordable homes are under assessment. The first home scheme, which supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, is also available to support eligible new home purchasers. It has been availed of by 93 affordable home buyers in Dublin city up to the fourth quarter of 2025, the latest period for which statistics have been published.

The Department of housing is funding 12.5 dedicated administrative and technical staffing posts in Dublin City Council to support the resourcing and development of these starter homes schemes. In addition to this, we look at cost-rental delivery, the croí cónaithe scheme and, crucially, the vacant property refurbishment grant and other available opportunities.

In conclusion, in order to further drive the required delivery of 90,000 starter homes under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, local authorities including Dublin City Council will shortly commence the preparation of new housing delivery action plans for review by the Department, setting out how the starter home programme will be implemented within their area. These plans, replacing those previously drawn up under Housing for All, will be informed by affordable housing need within the local authority area and will involve collaboration with the delivery partners, including the Land Development Agency, approved housing bodies and the wider development sector, as applicable. The plans will be published on each local authority's website following engagement with the relevant Department.

Deputy Rory Hearne

I appreciate the Minister of State’s response and setting out of the detail, but surely he can see it is completely inadequate. In terms of the numbers I gave earlier, 13,000 adults over the age of 18 are living in their parental home in my constituency alone. There are 50,000 people in that situation across Dublin. Where are young people, and as I said, increasingly those in their 30s and 40s, going to be able to buy a home in Dublin city? It is a disaster that is hitting now and is going to get worse in the coming years. It is a breakdown of the social contract.

The Minister of State said Dublin City Council is talking about 789 starter homes, which is higher than the figure we were given, but it is still a drop in the ocean of what is actually required. I do not see where the change in the plans is. What is going to change? Where is the step change that is going to deliver tens of thousands of affordable purchase homes in Dublin city? That is what is needed, but it is not set out. There is no answer to the question I have asked about actually providing a step change in policy. Surely the Minister of State sees that. I know Fine Gael agrees with affordable purchase, as does Fianna Fáil, but in what has been brought forward in housing plans and policies, I do not see any step change of delivery of actually affordable purchase homes. The main schemes of delivery of affordable purchase homes in Dublin are coming through various market subsidies, including the first home scheme. I am surprised Government TDs such as the Minister of State are not extremely concerned about this. The Government’s own policy, which I do not agree with, is only delivering 93 affordable homes in Dublin city under the first home scheme. It is a tiny number of people being supported to buy a home.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I greatly appreciate Deputy Hearne’s contribution. Delivering Homes, Building Communities is a clear priority for Government and we are committed to delivering on the targets across all pillars of the plan. The strategy delivers on the programme for Government commitment to increase housing supply and tackle homelessness with an ambitious target to deliver 15,000 starter homes annually to 2033 via local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency, the first home scheme, the vacant properties refurbishment grant and the help to buy scheme.

The next iteration of the local authority housing delivery action plan will shortly commence outlining local authorities plans to deliver in their areas over the next five years.

The LDA has also been tasked with taking over State lands in addition to unlocking stalled private planning consented developments in the shorter term through its market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh, to facilitate additional starter home delivery. We will continue to work closely with local authorities, approved housing bodies, the LDA and other key stakeholders to support delivery of the starter homes programme and I will undertake to bring the points made eloquently by Deputy Hearne to the Minister in due course.

Renewable Energy Generation

Deputy Gillian Toole

I will give a little context in advance. It is in the same vein as Deputy Daly’s Topical Issue in relation to the cost of living. The current electricity pricing is between 28 cent and 37 cent per kilowatt hour, including VAT, and the night time rate is 14 cent. If we take an average annual consumption of 4,200 kilowatt hour, that works out at about an average of €1,700 per annum, equating to €142 per month. However, I think every Member of this House and every consumer outside this complex is well aware that in many cases, the prices are approximately 50% higher and at least €200 per month and upwards.

The majority of our renewable energy is now wind derived but solar renewable energy is fast on the catch-up. In the past five years, my home county of Meath has nearly become the solar renewable energy capital. It is probably on a par with Cork. It is certainly is well up there. Areas such as Batterstown, Culmullen, Duleek, Kilbride, Ratoath, Kells and Kentstown either have solar developments planning approved or pending with gas peaking plants and battery storage facilities at planning phase or some point along the line.

I have some concerns which have been reiterated to me by residents. The first is the absence of the second land use review. Then there is the solar development guidelines. Currently, planners have no reason to refuse a valid planning application but the residents are very concerned about a number of things, including the food producing integrity of these soils; the impact on visual amenity and heritage of these commercial developments and most recently; and, most importantly, their personal community and business concerns about the price of energy given that it is now majority renewable energy.

We know from EnergyCloud that there is a surplus of renewable energy. Its report for 13 months to 31 January shows there is an availability of approximately 1,500 GW, which equates to €559 million of monetary value that could be redistributed. The Minister of State might ask where I am going with all of this but hopefully it will make sense.

I will factor in the Irish Grain Growers group. It has flagged the availability of tillage land with me over the past two to three years. That is land its members would have leased for native local grain growing and food production. That land availability is diminishing because that land is being sold and leased for solar energy production. In those areas I have highlighted, there has been a pattern of leases being sold on after planning or after the renewable energy auctions. If you are trying to compile a risk benefit or take a cost benefit analysis approach, in a time of severe grid fragility and price volatility, what impact, if any, the transfer of leases from solar development may have on the price of renewable energy for domestic consumers if we take that gap between the average energy price and the real energy price?

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank Deputy Toole for her forensic Topical Issue. I appreciate the detail and I will endeavour to respond as best I can on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Brien. Ireland’s energy security has moved from being a long-term ambition to becoming one of the most pressing challenges facing our country. I think back to the formation of the Common Agricultural Policy which was based on the basic need that Europe did not starve again. We are now in a situation where the basic need is that we cannot allow the lights to go out again in Europe because recent geopolitical tensions and volatility in global energy markets have proven that energy security is not just an environmental issue but it is essential for delivering long-term energy security and price stability for Irish households and businesses. It is now more important than ever that we reduce Ireland’s exposure to imported fossil fuel price shocks.

The programme for Government has reaffirmed Ireland’s targets of 80% of electricity demand to be met by renewables in the near term with plans to move to net zero by 2050. We are fortunate here in Ireland to have extraordinary renewable energy resources. Our wind is among the strongest in Europe. Our solar sector is growing at speed, particularly in County Meath but, indeed, beyond, and it is already the third highest share of electricity generation for the country.

Ireland currently has over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network, a remarkable achievement as it means we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity in just ten years, including doubling our wind capacity and establishing solar energy as a major pillar of our energy supply. In a few short years, solar has become a major component of our electricity supply. Solar is now the third-highest supplier of indigenously generated electricity, behind natural gas and wind, to the electricity grid. Solar is not only reducing electricity bills for households and businesses but it is also easing pressure on the grid by lowering peak demand and supporting a more resilient energy system. The accelerated deployment of both rooftop solar and solar farms is a critical part of meeting the Government’s commitment to deliver 80% of Ireland’s electricity demand from renewable energy sources in the near term, including 8 GW of solar energy alone.

The design of our renewable electricity support scheme auctions ensures that the new renewables capacity is delivered in as cost effective and competitive a manner as possible. Solar has featured strongly in each scheme auction to date delivering real benefits to Ireland’s electricity network and Irish electricity consumers. Indeed, at times of high electricity prices the two-way scheme design ensures consumers benefit directly from the claw back of any revenue in excess of scheme strike prices. For the 2025-2026 PSO levy year, it is expected that over €11 million will be returned to Irish electricity consumers via the PSO levy as a result of operational scheme projects. It is worth noting that all renewable electricity developments are subject to careful independent scrutiny at the planning application stage by the relevant planning authority when reaching a decision on an individual planning application.

Operational functions of the planning system, including the process of planning applications are, of course, a matter for the relevant planning authority. The points made by Deputy Toole are particularly relevant and I will be more than happy to bring them directly to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien.

Deputy Gillian Toole

I thank the Minister of State. I always say here that every day is a school day. The €11 million PSO levy being returned is most welcome. I do not wish to be cheeky but I would welcome a response from the Minister of State on whether the transfer of leases has or does not have an impact on price? I appreciate that the Minister of State is deputising. I highlighted the average price versus the real price and the gap in the middle. I know the patterns in my area. In one instance, a farm was bought by a business person on the open market, and there was no problem there. The planning application was successful. Post-planning the parcel of land was sold on with a margin. I am not naïve in that my background is small business and margin is critically important. However, if you add a margin at various stages which, to the best of my knowledge, do not have a safeguard or control, you could end up with the retail price at the end having that factored in. For something as essential as energy, that is something that really needs to be looked into.

Again, I would draw attention to the EnergyCloud report for the 13 months where there is €550 million of spare renewable energy that would be most welcome to those 330,000-odd households which are in energy arrears.

That should be investigated. There should also be an investigation into where that differential may arise.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I thank Deputy Toole and the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to provide a response to the overarching points the Deputy made and the wider context of domestic renewable electricity generation, the substantial progress that has been made, and the opportunities to further improve the transition to renewable energy to make sure it is not just a climate imperative but is central to our energy security and, indeed, our economic development. I fundamentally believe that we are making crucial investments in renewable energy, our electricity grid and, importantly, in energy efficiency. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and, indeed, the continuing conflict in Ukraine underline again why we must accelerate the deployment of renewables, strengthen our grid and retrofit homes and businesses. The real issue raised by Deputy Toole about the transfer of leases is key. We have to provide that level of confidence in the system, not only for the consumer but also for those who are prepared to engage in this process to make sure there is balance and affordability.

I undertake to write to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on the Deputy's behalf to see if we can get a specific deputation meeting on this issue. Perhaps it might be more pertinent for oral parliamentary questions in the next round. Hopefully, the wider information will provide a good grounding for further discussion on this key area, which I am grateful to the Deputy for raising.

Primary Care Services

Deputy Grace Boland

The Minister of State has heard me say many times before that Fingal is the youngest, fastest-growing area in the country. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country and the fastest-growing, yet our D-Doc services are appalling. My understanding is that D-Doc was set up in 2006. Obviously, the population of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, and the rural villages of Garrettstown, Naul, Ballyboughal, Rolestown, Oldtown and so on, have all grown hugely since 2006, yet our healthcare services have not expanded in line with population growth. Census 2022 tells us that the north part of my constituency, Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, and the surrounding villages, has a population of 68,000 people. I have tabled many parliamentary questions for the Department asking what the criteria are to get the expanded D-Doc services, and I am getting no answers back about the criteria. There has been major housing growth and we are continuing to see major housing growth. The reality is that Fingal is the growth engine for housing in Dublin if not the country, yet we have not had the increase in health services, education, public transport, roads or other services that need to go with the delivery of houses.

I find it concerning that the HSE service planning is relying on historical data or telling me that what was established in 2006 is suitable in 2026. Something is seriously wrong. Regarding the D-Doc services that are available to us, the parliamentary question response tells me that I can go to Ballymun, Coolock, Hartstown in Clonsilla, which I am not sure I have ever visited before, North Strand Health Centre in Dublin 1, or, the closest, in Swords. The reality is that the Swords D-Doc only stays open Monday to Friday until 11 o'clock and, at the weekends, only from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. We simply do not have access to 24-hour healthcare. You absolutely have to have a car to access any of these health services. There is no direct public transport service to them except for Swords which, as I have just said, closes at either 11 p.m. or 10.30 p.m. It is not good enough and I would really like to understand what the Department of Health is going to do to meet demands in the area.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I have to be very careful with this reply because, needless to say, replying on behalf of our mutual dear friend, the Minister for Health, whom I spoke to subsequent to receiving the script, is a balance, because I could throw back to the Deputy many of the points she has raised and somehow that constitutes a reply. I sometimes question, when replies are being drawn up, whether people look at maps or live in the areas. I know where Clonsilla is. I also know where North Strand is. It is a long way from Balbriggan. It should not take a southsider to tell someone that. I could also talk about the responsibility of every GP to make sure they are providing a genuine option for out-of-hours care for their patients as per their contractual requirements and, increasingly, how those out-of-hours services have been developed and expanded over time, and how they are working extremely well in so many parts of the country. It is a real testament not just to the Department, the HSE and the Minister but to the doctors who provide that care. I had reason to be in west Cork just last week and I read the local paper. It talked about a doctor who retired after 27 years of providing out-of-hours care to the sprawl of west Cork. I know Balbriggan is a long way from Stepaside but west Cork is even bigger again.

Crucially, it is important to look at the population in the round. The latest population figure for the wider area covered is 690,000. It is covered by five treatment centres, which the Deputy has listed, two of which are only open overnight on weekdays, and those two are open 24 hours on weekends and public holidays. The geography is vast and the requirement for a car is quite obvious. The key thing the Minister would say, which I absolutely agree with her on, is about two things in the immediate area that require attention. The first is the sheer number of GPs in the system. Genuine and forceful efforts are being made on her behalf to make sure we have more general practitioners, both through the additional annual investment and through the conclusion of the GP GMS agreement.

Something that we talk about, which is particular to this issue and which is parallel, not the solution, but complementary to it, is to have a greater D-Doc facility that goes into the north county. That is obvious to the Deputy and me, and indeed obvious to the Minister. That is ultimately the direction of travel we are taking, not just because Fingal is the fastest-growing county in the country or that Balbriggan is the fastest-growing area. I remember once when it was Stepaside but obviously it has been overtaken two censuses later. One of the key areas to cover the wider north county area is the development of the Swords surgical hub, which will be operational from this summer. It will draw on and replicate the success of Tallaght and Mount Carmel elective surgical hubs. One is in my own constituency. Indeed, I was born in Mount Carmel hospital. It will implement the use of innovative patient pathways and have a real impact on reducing waiting times for patients. If waiting times for patients are reduced, it means they will have less chance to need that out-of-hours care. Once it is fully operational, that Swords surgical hub is expected to deliver additional annual activity of 8,000 day care procedures based on the four theatres, 5,700 minor operations procedures, and approximately 18,500 outpatient department appointments. The Minister also introduced greater regulations to strengthen that. That is all complementary to the issue the Deputy raised and needs to be addressed at source. Needless to say, I will bring that directly to the Minister following this debate.

Deputy Grace Boland

I appreciate that. As the Minister of State knows, the surgical hub will be a very welcome addition to the area but it will not deal with the critical issue of the fact that people get sick every time of day and night and need access to a GP. The infrastructure exists in Balbriggan. We have a primary care centre. The population demand is clear. The growth projections are clear. What I am concerned about is that the response to the parliamentary question I received told me there were no plans to expand the GP services in the area. I hope that I am hearing from the Minister of State that the HSE and Minister are open to expanding services. I have been that parent who has had to drive two premature twins to Swords to try to find GP healthcare. The reality is that I did not have access to a car at the time and had to ask a neighbour. That is simply not good enough. We have a huge population in the area. We need to have clear criteria from the HSE and the Department about when we can get a D-Doc service and a timeline for expanding the services, and access to 24-hour GP care.

Deputy Neale Richmond

Out-of-hours GP care is provided to the population in integrated areas. The Government is committed to the continued development of our general practice service to ensure patients across the whole country have timely access to GP services. As mentioned previously, work is ongoing to increase the GP workforce and therefore improve access to both daytime and out-of-hours GP services. Significant investment has taken place in general practice both in the 2019 and 2023 GP agreements but we need to do a lot more. The input from the Deputy makes a very clear geographic case for an increased need to service the wider Dublin Fingal and north county area, with a particular focus on the rapidly growing town of Balbriggan.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 3.40 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 3.47 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 3.40 p.m. and resumed at 3.47 p.m.

• Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters
• Ar ais chuig clár ábhair
• Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions