Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters – Seanad Éireann (27th Seanad) – Tuesday, 7 Jul 2026

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Women's Health

Senator Maria McCormack

I welcome the Minister and thank her for coming here to take this matter regarding the important issue of endometriosis. It has been almost a year now since the publication of the national endometriosis framework. I acknowledge that publishing the framework was an important step forward. I really appreciate the constructive engagement I have had with the Minister on endometriosis care over the last year.

Today is about taking stock. Patients want to know what has actually changed since the framework was published. As we know, endometriosis affects one in ten women in Ireland. If we had proper data, it would probably show that one in six or one in seven is affected. It is not just a painful period. It is a chronic inflammatory whole-body disease that can affect the bowel, bladder, diaphragm and other vital organs, including the lungs. It impacts every aspect of a woman's life, including her education, employment, fertility, relationships and mental health. For many years, women living with endometriosis have told us the same story. They wait years for a diagnosis. They are often told their pain is normal. They struggle to get access to specialist care. In many cases, they are forced to travel abroad for treatment because we simply do not have the proper treatment here.

When we met earlier this year, the Minister outlined a number of important commitments. I would appreciate an update on these today. With regard to education and training, the Minister advised that additional training would be provided for GPs and consultants to improve awareness, diagnosis and referral pathways. Will the Minister provide an update on the progress that has been achieved? Has this training commenced?

How many healthcare professionals have participated?

We discussed the importance of improving specialist imaging. Too many patients continue to tell us they have had MRIs or ultrasounds reported as normal here only for extensive endometriosis to be discovered during surgery. The Minister committed to improving specialist training for radiographers in identifying endometriosis on imaging. Will the Minister outline what progress has been made in implementing this commitment and how the Department intends to measure whether diagnostic accuracy is improving?

We also discussed the endometriosis interim surgery abroad scheme. While I welcome the establishment of the scheme, patients continue to raise concerns regarding access. Gatekeeping from consultants has been commonly described to me, whereby consultants refuse to refer people abroad. A question I am constantly asked is about the exploration of adding additional countries to the scheme, in particular Romania and Greece. Is there an update on these countries being considered, particularly given the significant number of Irish women who travel to seek treatment there?

I also welcome the fact that endometriosis now has its own HSE clinical code. This is an important step in understanding the true scale of the disease. Will the Minister provide an update on how this data is being collected and how it will be used to improve future planning and service provision? While progress has been made, patients need to see the progress reflected in their own experiences. They need shorter waiting times, earlier diagnostics, access to specialist imaging, multidisciplinary teams, on which I hope the Minister will elaborate more, and timely treatment. The framework gave hope to thousands of women living with endometriosis in Ireland. I hope that today the Minister will outline how these commitments are being translated into tangible improvements in services. Ultimately, this is how the success will be managed for the women out there.

Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

I thank the Senator and I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss our ongoing work in improving endometriosis services for patients. So much has happened, as she is aware, since October but so much more is needed. As I look around the Seanad today I see so many women here of so many different ages and experiences. I am well aware that women here may have endometriosis or may have family members who have endometriosis but it has not been a conversation that has been had as loudly as we are all trying to amplify, to drive awareness about endometriosis. It is a significant health issue affecting as many as one in seven women, as the Senator has said.

As the Senator is aware, in October I launched the national framework for the management of endometriosis. It sets out for the first time a defined clinical care pathway for women and girls with endometriosis. It reflects better many of the voices of patient advocates and aims to transform how endometriosis is recognised and treated across the country. We made as many changes as we could and as were appropriate after our first patient voice forum in September, on which we followed up in March 2026. We have had quite good engagement with many more patients than we ever would have before. Although it is not perfect, it is so much more than has ever been the case before. We have an endometriosis priority action advisory group that meets regularly to support the ongoing development and implementation of priority actions.

The HSE at my request has allocated additional funding to increase services and I have mandated an action plan to raise awareness and improve services for women in the longer term. In quarter 4 of 2025, I allocated funding for the provision of 100 extra surgeries to be done in that quarter and I am pleased that 142 were done in that period. This required considerable effort but it had to be done. These surgeries were carried out over those three months.

Our work on recruitment has resulted in the successful recruitment of an additional colorectal surgeon in Cork University Maternity Hospital and in Tallaght. This is so important because they need to work alongside other surgeons to be able to do work on the bowel. These are complex cases requiring more than one surgeon.

As the Senator is aware, I prioritised the recruitment of an additional 65 whole-time equivalent positions in the 2026 service plan. These are being recruited and include consultants, nurse specialists, psychologists, physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists, medical scientists; a whole team. Recruitment is ongoing across the regions. For example, in our supra-regional centre in Tallaght, five additional consultants will be in place by September. It takes a while to recruit a consultant because not only do we have to find and recruit them but they have to give notice elsewhere. It takes time but they are in place. These specialist posts will enhance services for the most complex patients.

The Senator mentioned, however, that services have not been what they have needed to be and that women have had to look abroad. As the Senator is aware, we try to fund that for them proactively through the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme. This is a specific two-year scheme established by us to support patients waiting for surgery for endometriosis who do not have a date in Ireland or whose cases are too complex. Since the launch of that scheme in October, it has engaged with over 150 patients and received 50 applications. We are working to approve additional centres, including in Greece, which has been a request for some time. That is in development. I fear, however, that Romania is not possible for very specific clinical reasons that I think we discussed.

The clinical community has leaned into this in a big way. The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists held its annual conference on 6 March, focused on endometriosis, with participation from experts across Europe and advocates from Ireland. Endometriosis is now included in GP training, with additional education resources being developed. I can get the Senator more details. Our clinicians are working with specialist services across Europe. They have attended endometriosis intensive courses across Europe. Several HSE clinicians are now undertaking fellowship training in complex gynaecology in Europe. Two fellowship posts are also funded across our two supra-regional services to train professionals for future service delivery. The first two candidates will complete their fellowships this month and recruitment for the next cycle is ongoing. We are also supporting trying to get British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy accreditation, which is an important step. This is a big and significant body of work undertaken by our clinical community.

We are also trying to promote awareness of endometriosis. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to discuss it here today. A national menstrual awareness campaign is being developed, to which, of course, endometriosis is not limited, but it must be understood in that context. It will have a particular focus on endometriosis and improving public understanding of symptoms and available supports. Just last week, I spoke with a girl whose position in a bar in Cork was not advanced because she had taken so many sick days when she was in the accident and emergency department in desperate pain, and it was not well understood. This is why we now have two education officers recruited to deliver the menstrual information specialising in endometriosis, MISE, programme that promotes mental health, education and awareness of endometriosis in schools, workplaces and sports clubs. I ask everybody to ask their local community to bring MISE in to try to tell the story better.

Finally, as the House will be aware, Ireland took up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I get four ministerial conferences on everything to do with health, and I have prioritised one of them specifically for endometriosis. It will be on 3 December. We are inviting specialists from all over Europe and patient advocates to discuss this issue in Ireland. I am sorry, I realise I have gone way over time.

An Cathaoirleach

No, the Minister is grand. She can continue if she wishes. No. I call Senator McCormack.

Senator Maria McCormack

Go raibh maith agat. This is fantastic. So much good work has gone on here. The two education officers recruited, Kathleen King and Cate O’Connor, are absolutely fantastic. The MISE programme is outstanding. Ms King is a medical scientist who has 30 years' experience researching endometriosis. MISE is a fantastic initiative. There are so many positives here. Education and awareness is massive, and it is great that one of the ministerial conferences is being used for endometriosis. We have come so far on this journey.

I have one other question. Does the Minister have a date or some sort of a timeline for when we might know about the addition of Greece? I understand the situation with Romania. A lot of people ask about the timeline for Greece, however. With everything else rolling out, it would be good if we could get an update again when we are back in September. It seems, though, that the progress the Minister has been promising is really under way. The extra colorectal surgeon and all the additional surgeries mean we are on the right track. Hopefully, we can keep making progress.

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

I am so grateful to the Senator and to everybody who has raised awareness of endometriosis. I thank Senator McCormack as well for highlighting Kathleen King and Cate O’Connor.

We are now better and more profoundly aware of the impact of endometriosis on women’s lives and we really are trying to expand the specialist services. I might come back to the Senator with information on Greece, because it is the subject of particular work at the moment. I hope, though, that the Senator can see the authenticity and sincerity with which we are trying to approach this work.

As part of my St. Patrick’s Day visit to Germany, I made a special effort concerning endometriosis, along with my counterpart, the German health minister, who is the minister for health for 80 million people, an enormous position. I was there to meet her as part of the St. Patrick’s Day programme. Instead of our meeting happening in a government office, she and I went to an endometriosis clinic in the Charité hospital in Berlin, which is a specialist service. We had our bilateral meeting there, with our two flags on the table. We had our meeting in a women’s health clinic, in an endometriosis clinic, at the Virchow clinic, which is a part of Berlin's Charité hospital.

Then we had a meeting with the wonderful Professor Sylvia Mechsner, together with advocates and patients. Professor Mechsner, who I hope is coming in December, has developed an endometriosis treatment pathway that is a real multimodal approach. Despite this technical capacity the Germans are, like us, struggling with costs and capacity. We are not on our own in terms of the needs to improve services. The Minister, Ms Warken, and I were determined to try to use our platforms as women ministers for health in Europe and the platform of St. Patrick's Day to amplify the experience of endometriosis not just in Ireland and Germany but on a pan-European basis. I have of course invited the Minister, Ms Warken, to the endometriosis ministerial conference in December.

I do not have time to speak further but this is a body of work the Oireachtas has leaned into in a huge way, as advocates have done many times. I really want to acknowledge and apologise again that before now, the services were not the way they should have been and the reaction was not always what it should have been. Many women were cared for and cared for enough but there are so many who were not. I really acknowledge that in everything we do. I hope the Senator can see every effort is being made to try to genuinely turn the tide on that and turn it forever.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Minister for being with us to take that important Commencement matter.

Disability Issues

An Cathaoirleach

The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is most welcome to Seanad Éireann.

Senator Eileen Lynch

I thank the Minister of State so much for being with us to discuss this important issue. It is one that affects many families countrywide, namely, the lack of a clear plan for provision of accommodation for those with intellectual disabilities. Many families, parents, siblings and guardians provide care at home for loved ones with intellectual disabilities. This is saving the State millions in service costs ever year, but the question that has been asked for quite some time is what happens when the carer can no longer care. These people have been failed by successive governments due to lack of planning for something that is entirely foreseeable. I appreciate we cannot come up with a solution overnight but recently I met a group called Before We Die. The Minister of State has met them, as have an Tánaiste and an Taoiseach, and the Minister of State is aware of their recent survey, their report and their eight demands. This group represents concerned parents and caregivers all over the country who do not know how or where their children will be cared for when they can no longer care for them.

There are currently over 110,000 people with intellectual disabilities. Almost 30,000 of them are aged 15 and over and live in the family home. Based on CSO figures, 2,314 carers are over 70 and at least 500 of them are over 80. Almost 300 of those are based in my county of Cork. According to a survey carried out by Before We Die dealing with the families they represent and the members of their organisation, 78% of families have no formal housing plan, 20% are progressing informal conversations about housing and only 2% have a formal written housing plan in place. We need a cross-departmental approach to ensure a functioning housing plan is in place for those with disabilities. A record of those seeking accommodation provision needs to be created and I am aware that is something the Minister of State is working on but the vast majority of families are unaware they need to ensure their child is on the housing list in order that they can be provided for and that those in the Department are fully aware of the need and the level of need they are dealing with.

Simple issues like how long it can take to get a HMD form 1 filled out can delay applications.

I acknowledge that we have seen progress recently in the joined-up approach and initiative that has been taken by Cork County Council and Cork City Council in relation to providing social housing for those with intellectual disabilities. One fairly basic thing they have done is appoint a dedicated liaison officer for social housing in each council for those with intellectual disabilities. This is something that needs to be rolled out in local authorities across the country.

This is not an easy problem to solve and we need a multifaceted approach. In the very short term and in the upcoming budget, we need to introduce an emergency funded plan for carers aged over 70. These families simply cannot wait. If we do not deal with it now, we will be dealing with it in a crisis situation where we have no choice but to provide. Ireland’s residential provisions for adults with intellectual disabilities, IDs, cost significantly more per person than comparable systems across the EU because our current model is inefficient. The cost of a new residential placement rose from 284,000 in 2019 to 332,000 in 2022, and 63% of placements were done through for-profit businesses. I accept that the Government is putting money into this but I question whether it is being put into the right places. I am not sure it is economically efficient, but it is certainly not working for caregivers and service users. It is also vital that we listen to carers and those who have the lived experience. They have to be involved in this process. We need to look at the needs of the individual. We previously had a policy of decongregation but that does not necessarily work for everyone. There are certain people with high-volume care needs who will work better on their own whereas those with a lower care need will work better in housing where they are not isolated and they have shared services, and where integration is a better option. We need to take all of those things into account. Fundamentally, though, we need a place right now.

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

I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue and offering me the opportunity to respond. Supporting people with disabilities and their families is a key priority for the Government. My Department, together with the HSE, is committed to improving disability services so that people can access the supports they need when they need them. This commitment is reflected in both the programme for Government and the new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was co-designed with disabled people and their representative organisations. It was done that way to ensure that their voices and priorities were the heart of policy and service development. The Senator referred to how the lived experience must be taken on board, and that is exactly what has happened in terms of our strategy.

It is also reflected in the significant investment being made in disability services. The overall budget for specialist disability services has increased from €1.7 billion in 2017 to almost €3.9 billion this year, with specialist disability residential services accounting for almost 60% of the HSE's total disability budget spend. This year, €65 million has been allocated to support new developments in disability residential services. This includes €14 million to deliver approximately 199 residential responses and 152 new residential placements. Funding will also support new residents in existing placements that have become vacant and require enhancements or, in limited circumstances, placements in nursing home settings. The remaining €25 million will support residential packages for children with complex needs, enhanced supports for existing residents in decongregation transitions and the under-65s programme, which is important. These investments are helping to expand residential capacity and improve outcomes for people with disabilities across the country. As of April of this year, 9,031 specialist disability residential places were being delivered by approximately 90 service providers nationwide. Since 2020, additional funding has supported the creation of more than 1,000 new residential places for people with disabilities.

More broadly, the programme for Government commits to investing in residential and independent living options for both adults and children while reducing waiting times for specialist disability services. In support of these commitments, the Ministers, Deputies Browne and Foley, and I have been working with the HSE, local authorities and other partners to improve access to independent living supports and take a more planned approach to the delivery of residential services. There will be an update of this work shortly.

A key objective of this is ensuring people with disabilities can access suitable housing and the supports they need to live independently in their communities, as the Senator has asked.

While housing policy is led by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my Department funds the disability supports that enable people to live in their communities, including community living and specialist residential services. Working together through the national housing strategy for disabled people, we will strengthen co-ordination between local authorities, the HSE and service providers to better understand the need and to be able to put together better plans for future housing and residential supports.

The Senator referenced Cork County and City Council and the appointment of a new dedicated liaison officer. I met two of the women involved in that campaign only last week and I commend them. I want to let the Senator know that this is something we and the HSE are also doing. New housing co-ordination and residential placement planning and review teams are being established and new housing co-ordinators are being recruited within the HSE. These new roles will be filled by people whose jobs will be helping to support families in this situation and to help increase delivery of appropriate homes.

This work is informing the housing delivery action plans and local disability housing targets. It is also helping to ensure future investment reflects identified need. Alongside increasing capacity, we are focused on ensuring residential services are planned and delivered in a more strategic and sustainable way. That is where many of these new roles will also come in, because they will help us put that more strategic focus on ensuring we are planning ahead for the families the Senator has mentioned.

Looking ahead, my Department is updating the disability capacity review and developing a new policy framework for specialist residential services to help ensure future supports continue to meet the changing needs of people with disabilities. These initiatives will support a more planned approach to service development, thereby ensuring people can access the right supports in the right place and at the right time.

Senator Eileen Lynch

I thank the Minister of State for such a comprehensive reply. I welcome that there is a lot of positive news as regards investment, and I am delighted to see there is progress being made. As I said, it is maybe not as fast as we would like. I commend the Minister of State; I know the volume of work she has been doing on this, particularly when she has been in this particular ministerial role for such a short period. I know she is doing a lot of work on this issue.

I am concerned about the €40 million to deliver 199 residential responses, and 152 new residential placements. This year, there were 250 residential placements but 72 of those only went to planned placements; the rest went to emergency crisis situations whereby a carer became incapacitated or passed away. When that forward planning is not there, somebody who has been on a list is going to be superseded by somebody who is in dire need because their carer is no longer with them or no longer has any form of capacity. That is something that should be highlighted.

I very much welcome the Minister of State's news regarding co-ordination with local authorities and the HSE. Does she have an update relating to the recruitment of the HSE housing co-ordinators and the residential placement planning and review teams? This is very good news, and hopefully it is something that will have a big impact on this area.

Deputy Emer Higgins

To be clear, we are absolutely focused on making sure there is progress in this area, but we know there are huge challenges. We need to work through those challenges to improve access to disability services but also in being able to expand residential capacity and strengthen the supports that enable people to live independent and fulfilling lives.

The Senator mentioned the figure regarding planned placements, and she is correct. However, she might not be aware that this is the first time ever we have had planned placements as a target. This is something we have introduced this year that we want to build on next year. It is a figure we want to see moving in the right direction, because it is absolutely needed. As I mentioned, we had a significant increase in the disability budget for this year, which shows Government's commitment to making a real difference to the lives of people with disabilities and to the lives of their families as well.

My Department will continue to work across Government, which was one of the Senator's asks in her opening remarks. We will work cross-government with the Department of housing and local government, the HSE and other partners, including local authorities, to respond to what we know is growing demand and to ensure that residential services are planned and are delivered in a way that will become a way that best meets the needs of people with disabilities.

The Minister, Deputy Foley, the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and I have all met the Before We Die group that the Senator mentioned. There is commitment at the highest political level on this issue. The group has done amazing work. I met its members only last week with the Tánaiste to go through the results of its surveys and its requests. I will continue to work with it to deliver improvements in this area.

We need to get to a point where there is a more planned and sustainable approach to this issue. I am determined to do that. I will continue to work with the Senator, her colleagues and advocacy groups.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Minister of State for being here.

Electronic Tagging

Senator Dee Ryan

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, to the Chamber. I believe this is my first time addressing her since she got her new role. I congratulate her. We look forward to working with her over her term. I have no doubt she will do great things in her new role.

I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to raise this important Commencement matter and for coming in to take it. I seek an update on electronic monitoring. What progress had been made? We have a commitment to it in the programme for Government. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is personally very committed to delivering it.

Public safety and security in people's homes is a live issue for us in Limerick. I am on the doors every week in different parts of the constituency. The issue of personal safety, the safety of people's property in their homes and safety in their cars comes up repeatedly throughout the constituency. Likewise when I meet the business community, as I do regularly, the issue of shoplifting and the crippling cost to retailers already much challenged in our city centre comes up again and again. The Garda works very well with private individuals and businesses in trying to tackle these issues but I see the potential for a great role for electronic monitoring in supporting the work the Garda does in those areas. I am eager to get an update from the Minister of State because of its potential for enhancing public safety.

Limerick and, indeed, all communities across the country deserve every available tool that can help to protect people, strengthen their confidence in the justice system and ensure court-imposed bail conditions can be properly enforced. Electronic minoring will be a tool for the Judiciary when considering who among those before it may be suitable for bail and will also give us reassurance of greater safeguards for the public. The tragic death occurred in Limerick in 2023 of University of Limerick student Joe Drennan, originally from Laois, who was standing at a bus stop in Castletroy after finishing his shift working in a nearby restaurant. He was mowed down and killed by a driver who was out on bail. While I understand and appreciate that electronic monitoring or no other single measure can prevent a tragedy such as this, the public is entitled to expect that every reasonable safeguard is in place to monitor compliance and reduce risk.

There are also many cases where a prison sentence is neither necessary nor appropriate. However, where individuals might be granted bail or offered temporary release, protecting the public has to remain the overriding priority. Electronic monitoring can help us to strike that balance while allowing suitable individuals to remain in the community but providing greater confidence that they are complying with the conditions imposed by the courts.

Limerick is particularly well placed to host any pilot or trial of electronic monitoring. I call for that to be done. We have a strong track record in our city not only in tackling crime, supporting victims and improving community safety but also within the Garda in rolling out trials. We recently finished a community access support team, CAST, partnership pilot between the Garda and the HSE mental health unit. We finished a trial on body-worn cameras and are due to start one on tasers.

Limerick would be particularly well placed to put in place an effective trial and to do the monitoring and reporting that would be necessary to help inform any future decisions on where electronic monitoring may be suitable. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)

I thank the Senator very much for her kind words. I also thank her for volunteering Limerick for the trial. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is pursuing a dual approach to address the issue of prison overcrowding by increasing prison capacity and pursuing further measures to support increasing the use of non-custodial sanctions like the Senator mentioned. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is leading a cross-agency project to introduce electronic monitoring of specific categories of individuals, as committed to in the programme for Government and in line with existing legal provisions. A number of scenarios are covered by the legislation currently which allow for electronic monitoring, in particular provisions which allow for the tagging of people on temporary release and in some circumstances people on bail, as the Senator outlined. My thoughts are with the victim of the crime that was committed while the assailant was on bail. Electronic monitoring has the potential to act as another avenue to tackle overcrowding in our prison system.

Existing legislation, including the Bail Act 1997, as amended, and the Criminal Justice Act 2006, as amended, provides for electronic monitoring in certain circumstances. A steering group is in place made up of sectoral representatives who are driving the delivery of this project to operationalise electronic monitoring. This includes consideration of technology, data protection, procurement, implementation and an operating model design. The electronic monitoring pilot will focus on individuals on temporary release nationally and those admitted to bail in the pilot area. It is proposed to utilise up to 50 electronic tags during this phase. This is expected to provide capacity to monitor between 90 and 150 people in a year, but exact numbers monitored will depend on a range of factors including the individual's length of time on bail or on temporary release, and an individual's personal circumstances, including ongoing suitability and compliance with conditions.

The pilot approach will allow for processes and procedures to be tested for a wider scale national roll-out, while also supporting the agencies involved to build capability and knowledge of the electronic monitoring system. Insights from the pilot will inform any future national roll-out procurement. Under budget 2026, funding of €2.1 million was allocated for the project to allow for staffing, procurement and other set-up costs. The electronic monitoring project is progressing and is expected to be operational in 2026. The request for tender closed on 14 April and I am advised that a number of tenders were received by the deadline. As this is a live competition, I am precluded from making further comments on the process. All updates regarding this competition will be made through the national tendering portal - eTenders.

I note that, as of March, 12 probationary gardaí were assigned to the Limerick division. They are having a huge impact. People have commented to me as a public representative that they are feeling safer. They have been quite successful. Operation Thor has been ongoing for quite some time. It combats burglaries and organised crime in more rural areas, especially where the national road network is being used.

As Senator Ryan is aware, a lot of progress is being made by the Department when it comes to retail crime. When combined, all of these will hopefully have a huge effect on businesses and individuals in Limerick. Obviously I cannot commit to saying where the pilot will be, but I thank Senator Ryan for her suggestion.

Senator Dee Ryan

I thank the Minister of State for that excellent update. It is great to hear that the Department envisages that the pilot will be live before the end of this year. That is a testimony to the commitment of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State to modernising our justice system, and all of the other measures that she mentioned, including the high-visibility policing in Limerick, which has been hugely successful. We are very pleased with it. It gets commented on by people when I call to their door. That is why I am really eager for this to be trialled in Limerick. I have confidence in our gardaí. They have the capacity to manage it very well. They will give back great information. I am also keen for the benefits of electronic monitoring to be rolled out in Limerick as soon as possible. I acknowledge the important impact it will have on overcrowding in prisons and, as the Minister of State outlined, also supporting the Judiciary in making a decision, where suitable, to have someone on bail or temporary release, as opposed to being on remand. We look forward to trialling it for the Minister in Limerick if possible.

Deputy Catherine Ardagh

I thank Deputy Ryan. She makes a great case for the pilot. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is committed to implementing electronic monitoring in line with the commitments set out in the programme for Government.

The electronic monitoring project is progressing and is expected to be operational this year. We are quite far down the road with it.

The Minister is also committed to progressing other commitments in the programme for Government relating to the expanded use of community sanctions that will contribute to reducing prison overcrowding and improving efforts to rehabilitate offenders. Non-custodial penalties, particularly supervised community sanctions, can play a significant role in addressing criminality, reducing reoffending and protecting the public. They also help with the management of prison numbers, providing a more cost-effective criminal justice response to minor offences.

The Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, which completed Report and Final Stages in the Seanad on 2 July, includes amendments to the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act 1983, aimed at encouraging greater use of community service orders, CSOs. The amendments will allow a court to order up to 480 hours of community service, the current statutory maximum being 240 hours. They will also oblige the courts to consider a CSO in lieu of a prison sentence of up to 24 months' duration, the current statutory threshold being 12 months, and to give reasons where they consider that a CSO should not be imposed in such a case. It should be noted that, at present, the Judiciary is already permitted to consider a CSO in lieu of a custodial sentence of more than 12 months. The amendment will create a statutory obligation on judges to demonstrate that they have considered a CSO as an alternative to sentences of up to 24 months.

In June 2026, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, published a policy review of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014. The purpose of the proposed Bill is to update the Probation of Offenders Act 1907 with modern provisions dealing with community sanctions and the role of the Probation Service in the criminal justice system. The policy review proposes changes to the 2014 Bill's general scheme to reflect more recent developments in Irish penal policy. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will now progress work on the revision of the general scheme of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014.

I thank the Senator again for giving me an opportunity to explain the progress on electronic monitoring.

Sports Facilities

Senator Robbie Gallagher

The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, is very welcome. I am going to discuss a topic that the he and I have discussed on many occasions, namely the development of St. Tiernach's Park, Clones. As he knows, it is much more than a stadium; it is the spiritual home of Ulster football. For generations, supporters from every corner of the province have travelled to this unique Border town to witness some of the greatest days ever in Gaelic football. The atmosphere in Clones is unlike anywhere else. The narrow streets, the packed terraces and the sense of history surrounding the grounds create an occasion that simply cannot be replicated.

As the proud home of Ulster finals, St. Tiernach's Park has repeatedly shown its ability to stage major sporting events, drawing huge crowds and generating a special intensity and atmosphere that players and supporters alike speak about with such affection.

With Casement Park now rumoured to be downscaled to a capacity of approximately 15,000, a significant opportunity has emerged for Clones. This is the moment for everyone to come together and make the case for the redevelopment of St. Tiernach's Park to modern-day standards. Today is a fitting occasion to highlight the exciting plans for the continued regeneration of Clones and the areas surrounding St. Tiernach's Park. Monaghan County Council was delighted to secure €664,668 under category 2 of the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, for the Clones Community Hub and Public Realm-St. Tiernach's Quarter Regeneration Project.

I was delighted the Minister, Deputy Calleary, provided that funding. This investment recognises the unique importance of Clones, not just as a thriving local community, but also as one of the GAA's most iconic venues. The council is currently preparing to appoint a specialist design team to develop an ambitious regeneration project for the area. The project will include the design of a new multi-purpose community hub adjacent to the Gerry Arthurs stand, together with significant public realm improvements that will strengthen the links between St. Tiernach’s Park, the town centre and the Peace Link campus.

Projects like this are about much more than buildings and landscape. They are about ensuring Clones continues to thrive as a place to live, work and visit and enhancing the experiences of thousands of supporters who travel there each year for major occasions such as the Ulster final. By investing in the town and its surroundings, we are safeguarding the future of one of Gaelic games' most historic venues and ensuring Clones remains at the heart of Ulster football for many years to come. Investment in the ground means Clones can strengthen its position, not only as a natural home for the Ulster final, but also as a venue capable of hosting other major inter-county games, provincial events, concerts, community occasions and large-scale gatherings for decades to come. St. Tiernach’s Park has served Ulster football with distinction for generations and with vision, ambition and unity it can continue to do so for many years to come.

Clones is a unique venue. The Minister of State has been there on many occasions and with the rumoured downscaling of Casement Park, this provides a unique opportunity for us to develop Clones to its full capacity, which remains to be achieved. I am looking forward to the Minister of State's contribution this afternoon. He is committed to the redevelopment of Clones.

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

I thank the Senator for raising and the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. Senator Gallagher and I have discussed it on many occasions. I am thankfully a Donegal man. The Senator has had two bites of the cherry in recent years representing Monaghan so well. We have discussed the place of Clones in Ulster and Monaghan football, as the sporting heart of Monaghan and of Ulster and the need for what has been a great facility over the years to continue to evolve and be redeveloped. This is a good opportunity to be able to discuss it. I plan to outline the potential different funding options so the work Monaghan is putting plans together for can be stepped out.

As the Senator will be aware, the programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding so that, collectively, we can get more people participating in all levels of sport. The Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the community sport facilities fund, CSFF, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The CSFF provides grants to assist in the development or refurbishment of sports facilities and the provision of sports equipment. More than €250 million was allocated in the most recent round announced in 2024 to more than 3,000 clubs.

Priorities around the development of individual facilities are primarily a matter for individual sporting organisations applying for funding. The Senator mentioned the redevelopment of Casement Park, which is a strong commitment of the Government and has been supported with funding under the shared island fund. The Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, the GAA and the UK Government have made significant funding commitments to support the delivery of a redeveloped Casement Park. Officials from my Department, the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and the GAA met recently to discuss how best to move forward the project. I understand the GAA has stated it is currently reviewing options for a phased delivery of the new stadium following the recent completion of pre-enabling works.

St. Tiernach’s Park in Clones has been allocated €870,154 over the last three rounds of the CSFF. In addition, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht recently provided grant funding of more than €660,000 towards the development of a major regeneration project centred around St. Tiernach’s Park.

In line with previous rounds of the community sports facilities fund, I have asked my Department to prepare for a further round. We will be opening that shortly, and it will be open over the summer. There will be an opportunity there for all clubs, including St. Tiernach's, to consider how the fund might support any works it has planned. The scale of the community sports facilities fund is small compared with the wider plans of Monaghan GAA and the county council for St. Tiernach's Park. In that light, the large scale sports infrastructure fund would be more in line with the type and scale of plans that would be necessary for the redevelopment of St. Tiernach's Park.

We have so far had two rounds of the large scale infrastructure fund since its establishment. There were announcements in 2020 and again in 2024. We will have one round of the large-scale infrastructure fund during the course of the lifetime of this Government, as provided for in the national development plan. The outline expectation is for the large-scale infrastructure fund to open in early 2028, with announcements to follow later that year. That is what we are expecting for the next round, which I know will be of significant interest for funding the plans that are there and their being considered during a round of that funding pot. We can all agree on the importance of keeping St. Tiernach's and Clones at the heart of football and sport in Ulster and the country, and making sure that the ground is of a standard that is suitable for the future in the same way as it has served the needs of the GAA and sport so well in the years and decades until now.

Senator Robbie Gallagher

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I also thank him for his commitment to the development of sporting infrastructure in Monaghan and Cavan. I have seen that commitment at first hand. I thank his colleague the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for his commitment to the development of St. Tiernach's Park.

The Ulster final is hugely important to Clones town. A study from 2024 estimated that the match day was worth approximately €1.5 million to the local economy and €2.1 million to the economy of the county. It is important. Clones is a unique and special place. It has so much to offer. Many people would be familiar with St. Tiernach's Park, but the Government has invested huge money in the development of the Ulster Canal. Some €127 million has been committed by the Government for its development, much of it through the shared island initiative which the Taoiseach developed and a lot through the Minister for the environment, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the previous incumbent in the Department of the environment, who provided significant funding. It is an exciting development. The most recent announcement of €30 million is welcome and we look forward to that development. We also have the Peace Link, which is another important piece of infrastructure. Clones is a special place. We are now looking for the development of St. Tiernach's Park not just to host large football matches but to host other community events.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Senator on our shared objective of seeing St. Tiernach's Park continue to evolve and be renewed. There has been significant funding towards the GAA from the two rounds so far of the large scale infrastructure fund. The 2020 round saw funding for 14 projects to a value of €30 million. Those included projects backed by the GAA or which incorporated GAA elements of significant projects, including those at Walsh Park, Páirc Tailteann and St. Conleth's Park. In the 2024 round, 11 GAA-backed projects were awarded funding, including, for example, the Clare GAA centre of excellence and the Wexford GAA centre of excellence, as well as €1 million to Killeevan Sarsfield GAA Club in Monaghan.

There will be significant demand now that the large-scale infrastructure fund is an established part of our sports funding infrastructure. Sporting organisations are looking towards projects of scale to see how they can avail of the fund. St. Tiernach's Park would meet the criteria. It is the type of project that would be suitable to be funded through that fund. There will obviously be a competitive element to the applications that are received. I look forward to working with the Senator to support Monaghan County Council to make an application that will be considered in the context of that next round. I suggest the council should look at the community sports facilities fund to see if such funding could help St. Tiernach's to do smaller scale work in the meantime.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.25 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 1.32 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 1.25 p.m. and resumed at 1.32 p.m.

Seanad Éireann díospóireacht - Tuesday, 7 Jul 2026