I welcome the Minister, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to the Chamber. She is most welcome, and I thank her for being here.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Schools Building Projects
I thank the Minister for coming into the House to speak about a project that I know she is very familiar with. I acknowledge the significant announcement last January that included Scoil an Chroí Naofa among the 105 school projects prioritised to progress to tender for construction during 2026-27 as part of an initial investment of more than €1.6 billion by the Minister and her Department. I welcomed that announcement then, and I welcome it again today. I thank the Minister for her involvement in progressing that undertaking and making that announcement in January.
I also acknowledge another important development for the school this year, which was the inclusion in the DEIS plus programme. I have seen and heard about the impact the additional supports have already had on the children in Scoil an Chroí Naofa. This is a school dealing every day with the reality of socio-economic disadvantage and DEIS plus recognises that some schools face particularly concentrated levels of disadvantage and need additional supports to respond to that situation. I thank the Minister for recognising that need in Ballinasloe and, importantly, for giving the principal, Christine Connor, and her staff additional resources to support the work they are already doing for the children.
It also reinforces the argument, however, that the physical infrastructure in Scoil an Chroí Naofa needs to catch up with the investment we are making inside the classrooms. Today, approximately 300 students attend this DEIS plus school in the heart of Ballinasloe. It is an incredibly diverse and inclusive school community. I know the Minister is familiar with it and that she has seen the benefit of the environment the teaching staff have created in Scoil an Chroí Naofa.
The school is currently educating 21 nationalities. The staff are dealing with children from the Traveller community and with students who have autism and developmental language delays. Unfortunately, the staff are trying to do this in a building not currently fit for purpose. The school operates from two separate sites on opposite sides of the road. Children and staff have to cross a road during the school day, which I know the Minister saw first hand when we visited the school recently. As we were waiting for the students, we saw a full classroom of them crossing that road and coming over to the assembly area.
One of the buildings the school is operating from was built in 1937, and the other is from 1972. It was originally intended as a temporary building. Its inadequate insulation and ageing infrastructure mean that the capital costs of running the school are putting it at a distinct disadvantage. The school has done what it has been asked to do. The planning permission is in place and the project is designed. A new 16-classroom primary school with additional special education classrooms has been at stage 2B for quite some time. I know the Minister's Department has it down as dating from March 2025 but the history of this project goes back much further than that.
I acknowledge the work of the previous Senator from Ballinasloe in this House, Aisling Dolan. I acknowledge all the public representatives who have made representations on behalf of the school. Once again, I also acknowledge the Minister for listening, delivering on the DEIS plus inclusion and moving this project to the next stage. More importantly, however, I acknowledge Christine Connor, the board of management, the parents and the staff for their patience in respect of this matter.
The announcement in January gave them something they had been waiting for for a very long time: the certainty that the school was finally being prioritised. The Minister gave them that reassurance. We are now eight months further along, so my purpose this morning is to seek to provide a little bit of clarity to the school. It has won the argument and does not need to convince the Minister of this need for the project to go ahead.
The Government recognises the need. The Minister recognises the need. Even the Taoiseach has visited the school and recognised the need. The DEIS plus status is recognition of that, but we now need the building. What has happened since the project was announced in January? What remains to be completed before it can proceed to tender? Is there anything outstanding from the school or its design team that is preventing progress? More important, when can the pupils, parents and staff of Scoil an Chroí Naofa Galway expect the project to go to tender?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as aird a tharraingt ar an ábhar seo. Tugann sé deis dom plé a dhéanamh ar stádas reatha an tionscadail seo.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue regarding Scoil an Chroí Naofa in Ballinasloe, County Galway. I recently visited the school with the Senator and other Oireachtas Members and elected representatives. I saw first hand the fantastic work happening there, through principal Christine Connor, her leadership team, the staff, the board of management and parents. A huge amount of work, dedication and commitment was on display to me and I want to commend them on the great work they are doing.
As the Senator knows, the building project for the school is a 16-classroom primary school with three classrooms for special education needs. The major building project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, that is, stage 2B, detailed design. It includes an application for statutory approvals, which have been secured, and the preparation of tender documents. My Department received the stage 2B submission report from the design team in March 2025. A detailed review of the report by the multidisciplinary team commenced and comments subsequently issued to the design team requesting clarification. These comments have been addressed by the design team and the responses are currently undergoing a detailed review in my Department. Once the Department's due diligence and governance review has been completed, the project can be authorised to progress to the next stage, that is, stage 3, tender action and reward.
As part of the NDP implementation plan for the education and youth sector, a first tranche of projects to progress to tender or construction during this year and next was published in January 2026. The school was included as one of those 105 projects to proceed to tender. All school building projects over €10 million must be submitted for approval to the Department of public expenditure and reform before proceeding to construction. This school is one of a number of projects that will shortly be under review by the Department.
Since 2020, my Department, as Senator knows, has invested over €7 billion in our schools throughout the country under the NDP. Over 1,600 school building projects have been completed, along with 4,300 small scale improvement works to meet priority maintenance needs and advance energy efficiency climate goals. A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for 2026 to 2030. As previously mentioned, the school is among the first tranche of 105 projects to progress to tender and construction in 2026 and 2027. As part of the NDP allocation, my Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with additional needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. The project the Senator has raised caters for children with additional needs.
Since 2020, the Department has provided over €283 million in capital funding for schools in Galway. Over this period, a total of 98 schools have been upgraded through the provision of a new school building, extension, modular accommodation or a climate pathfinder. There were ten school projects included in the NDP implementation plan to progress to tender or construction, including this school. There are currently 17 large scale extension, modular or climate pathfinder projects under construction in Galway as well as other projects.
I thank the Minister. I have seen by her actions that she has prioritised this project. From working with her Government colleagues, we know they have prioritised this project.
We all know the need and this is a programme that the Government needs to deliver for Ballinasloe.
The Minister mentioned that the project is valued at over €10 million. Has the necessary approval from the Department of public expenditure been secured to allow the project to proceed to tender? If that approval has not yet been secured, what specifically needs to happen now to get the sign-off and move Scoil an Chroí Naofa to tender as quickly as possible so that Christine Connor, her staff and the students of Scoil an Chroí Naofa can see their new school realised as quickly as possible?
As the Senator will be aware, all schools over €10 million must be submitted to the Department of public expenditure and reform and that is where it is at at present. There is an absolute commitment by me, as Minister for Education and Youth, to ensure that Scoil an Chroí Naofa can move to tender and I expect that will happen shortly. The engagement with the Department of public expenditure and reform has been positive. I absolutely recognise the need and the urgency around this going to tender. The Senator mentioned the DEIS plus status, which is so important for schools such as Scoil an Chroí Naofa to complement and support the fantastic work that is happening by the school leadership and staff. This new state-of-the-art building is the next step in their journey. It is with the Department of public expenditure and reform, but I expect it will go to tender very shortly.
North-South Interconnector
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, here this morning and I thank him for coming. However, I am disappointed that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is not here. I thank the Minister of State for taking this important debate. I want to raise the North-South interconnector again because, for farmers and landowners, this has been ongoing for so long. This project affects communities across Meath, Cavan and Monaghan, and, in the North, Armagh and Tyrone. There are people who have had this hanging over their heads for the past 15 years and it has been a consistent and persistent stress to the people who are involved along the route.
Planning permission for pylons was granted almost ten years ago, but here is the problem: EirGrid never sought approval for the access routes it would need to get onto the land. Now, ten years later, they are trying to sort those access routes out. One of the conditions of the planning permission was that the local authorities would approve the access arrangements. The Government is now putting huge pressure on these local authorities to get the conditions dealt with.
The worst part is that the people who are directly affected, the landowners, still have no clue where the planned access routes are. ESB and EirGrid have now submitted their finalised routes to the local authorities but many farmers who could be directly affected have not been given that information. They have had to use freedom of information requests to try to find out what is being planned on their own land. That is an absolute scandal and it should not be.
I have to ask the Minister - he is not here but maybe the Minister of State can answer - why has he not met with the North-East Pylon Pressure campaign group. These people have been raising concerns for the people affected for the past 15 years. They represent these landowners and they deserve to sit across the table from the Minister to get their questions answered and their concerns heard. The Minister met with the chief executives of Cavan County Council and the Monaghan and Meath local authorities, but refused a meeting with the councillors of Monaghan County Council who represent the people who are affected. Is the plan of action to pretend these people do not matter or the issue that they need to be listened to does not exist? Their rights are completely steamrolled.
For years, we were told that undergrounding was simply too expensive but if the Government tries to push this through without discussion, it will end up spending years in legal disputes with landowners. That means more delay and more cost. We have already seen legal challenges from landowners in the Supreme Court ruling on compensation in the case with a family in Cavan.
The focus seems to be on whatever is the cheapest way to build the line, but real focus should now be put on whether this infrastructure can be built without creating another decade of conflict, delays and court proceedings. I believe the Minister has not properly considered the undergrounding, and before we hear it is too costly or impractical, I point him towards the Kildare-Meath grid upgrade. EirGrid is proceeding with a 400 KW underground connection there. It is clear undergrounding is an option, but the Government expects farmers in Cavan and Monaghan to just put up and shut up.
I understand the Government's argument that the grid needs to be strengthened, which is reasonable and we all agree with that, including the landowners. However, I also know the people affected have been very badly treated and deserve a hearing, as well as to be across the table from the Minister and the organisation that represents its point of view.
I thank the Senator for raising this important topic. Unfortunately, as she is aware, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is currently chairing a European Council meeting of his own format. However, I am extremely familiar with this, not just as the son of a Cavan woman, but also as someone who has a considerable number of family members still farming across both Cavan and Monaghan who have been very active in this campaign for the entirety of its duration, even appearing in national newspapers at times. As the Senator can imagine, this has always made for interesting family dinners.
The North-South interconnector is one of the most important transmission projects we are currently undertaking as a State. Once complete, the project will provide a critical cross-Border connection point for our electricity system, further strengthening and integrating the electricity systems between the North and South. The project, once delivered, is estimated to deliver cost savings of €100 million per annum to households and businesses across the island.
As a transmission project, the North-South interconnector is being undertaken by EirGrid, which designs and operates the system. EirGrid is independent of the Government and the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, in the exercise of its functions. However, it is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, which in turn is accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas. In accordance with the 2012 Government Policy Statement on the Strategic Importance of Transmission and Other Energy Infrastructure, "The Government does not seek to direct EirGrid and ESB Networks or other energy infrastructure developers to particular sites or routes or technologies". EirGrid, as the project developer, has determined that the project must be delivered as an overhead line, and the Government has accepted this expert opinion.
The notion of "undergrounding" the project has been comprehensively assessed on several occasions dating back to 2008, with corresponding independent reports published finding that an overhead line is the appropriate means of delivery. Most recently, in March 2023, the Government noted and published another independent report into the project which concluded that it would not be feasible to run the North-South interconnector underground, confirming that the findings of the 2018 report remained valid. However, public support is key to enabling delivery of the project and that is why it plays such a central role in EirGrid’s plans.
EirGrid, as project developer, has been and continues to engage with affected landowners and communities along the route. This is in line with what the Government expects of it and aligns with the 2012 Government policy statement. As Minister, Deputy O'Brien must operate within the regulatory and policy framework regarding the delivery of electricity infrastructure and as such, community engagement is a matter for EirGrid. This is a key point; it is the organisation’s responsibility. We often hear about how we need direct ministerial intervention, but sometimes Ministers have to have the ability to let a process go forward and get to conclusion in a proper way and as agreed. We cannot just tear up the rules every time we want to. We agreed the framework and we now have to let it take its course.
That is why in March of this year, EirGrid wrote to affected landowners along the project route, updating them on the project and offering compensation to those who will host the infrastructure on their land. It is, of course, vital that landowners engage with EirGrid on this process, and the Minister has asked all those who have received such letters to seek that engagement. However, while community engagement is a matter for EirGrid, that does not take away from the concerns of the local community. Local representatives have raised the concerns of the community with the Minister through representations, parliamentary questions and other democratic processes such as this debate.
That is why I am very grateful that the Senator has highlighted these concerns here today. I can confirm they have been heard by the Minister. However, these concerns cannot take away from the independently assessed position that an overhead line is the most appropriate means of delivery. Construction of the project as an overhead line has already commenced in Northern Ireland, with several of the required pylons already built. The Northern Ireland minister for enterprise, Caoimhe Archibald, and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, have committed to delivering this project as an overhead line and it is the hope of the Irish Government that construction in the South will commence imminently.
The issue of undergrounding the project has been debated, assessed and determined not to be possible. Now, we must continue to move ahead with delivering the project, the savings and the improvement to our energy infrastructure it allows for.
The Minister of State said it was a necessary project. I do not think anybody disputes the importance of the infrastructure but it is about how it is delivered and how the landowners whose land it goes across are treated. Does the Minister of State accept that expert opinions differ? Doctors differ and patients die. There are expert opinions on both sides. Would the Minister of State agree it is unacceptable that farmers have to submit freedom of information, FOI, requests to find out where the access routes are on their land? That is not acceptable. I do not think any Minister could stand over that.
The organisation that represents the farmers and the people whose land this infrastructure goes over have not been sat down with or listened to. Nobody is listening to them. Everybody is talking to the councils, the councils talk to the Government, Ministers talk to EirGrid and EirGrid talks to ESB but nobody is speaking to the landowners this affects. The problem is the overgrounding. It can be undergrounded. Nobody is against the project. This is about how it is being delivered.
There are two or three critical issues to this. The Senator mentioned different expert opinions. If this was just a one-off, it was the first time we were discussing it, there were simply two different opinions and you would choose between the two, that would be one thing but this has been going on for 14 years. There has been repeated independent expert opinion, which has been accepted. That is the stage we are at.
When it comes to the level of engagement, community engagement is deliberately in place for EirGrid. It has written to all affected landowners and is happy to meet and engage with them. That is its responsibility. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has tasked it with that and that is what the legislation allows for.
The solution to this discussion lies in that level of community engagement. It is not about reopening the debate, but making sure that the project is done properly and appropriately, answers the questions the Senator highlighted and makes sure that compensation is delivered. There are a couple of matters we are still waiting for in terms of discharge of agreement from the local authorities. I am happy to write to EirGrid to say that is where the level of engagement must happen.
Environmental Policy
I thank the Minister of State for being in the House this afternoon to take this Commencement matter in relation to Merlin Woods in County Galway.
Merlin Woods is a place of sanctuary for many people, both physically and mentally. It is also the habitat of many animals. It is regrettable that, in the past few weeks, Galway City Council has commenced the felling of 3.5 acres of trees in Merlin Woods. We understand that a number of the trees fell during Storm Éowyn and the removal of those trees is essential but felling 3.5 acres is beyond belief. It is not going to stop at 3.5 acres - 8.5 acres of felling will take place. It is hard to believe those trees were planted in 1960 by Coillte. It was a commercial decision to plant them. It then fell under the remit of Galway County Council and afterwards the city council. When it came to the decision process and communication, it all fell to Galway City Council.
Councillors in the local area have no say whatsoever in relation to the felling of the trees. I understand about the fallen trees from a health and safety perspective. Coming from Portumna where there are 1,500 acres of forestry at my back door, I completely understand. However, I do not understand the idea of felling trees when any of us who know Merlin Woods know that it is a sanctuary for walkers, runners and those who just need a quiet space.
In that regard, it was disappointing that, when the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, was called upon to take responsibility and flex its muscles when it came to statutory powers, it had none because the response of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was that the NPWS did not have any statutory responsibility in relation to the management of Merlin Woods. At the end of the day, if a farmer was cutting down trees or burning at the back of their field, the NPWS would not be long finding its statutory responsibility.
This has a lot to do with biodiversity as well. While I have talked about the humans, I will also talk about a lot of the nature that lives within Merlin Woods. There is the red squirrel, which is a protected species by any manner or means. A cricket cannot normally move when you cross the Shannon, but there was no problem here in tearing into taking down the trees, with no consideration whatsoever for the natural habitat. I find it a little bit irksome that the NPWS could not have worked with the local authority and supported the local community as well as listened to the elected representatives on the ground. The fact that the voice of local representatives was null and void in this whole transaction is very disingenuous.
This morning when I was coming up, I noticed that the traffic had gone beyond Bóthar na dTreabh. It has gone out to the N6 today. When the ring road is built, this will be people's only sanctuary. People have to realise that, in Galway, the sea is to our back. Galway is built up in the middle and there is only one green space. That is Merlin Woods. What we are doing today is just carving it down. Where are people going to find their sanctuary?
I thank Senator Rabbitte for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.
Ireland's National Biodiversity Action Plan 2023-2030 provides the overarching framework for the protection and restoration of biodiversity. The national biodiversity action plan, NBAP, sets out Ireland's whole-of-government approach to halting and reversing biodiversity loss and fulfilling our national, European and international commitments on nature conservation. The plan includes a comprehensive suite of actions aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing habitats and species across the country, including native woodland habitats and the biodiversity they support. Its implementation involves Departments, State agencies, local authorities and other stakeholders working together to improve biodiversity outcomes and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems.
Ireland is also progressing with the implementation of the EU nature restoration regulation, which establishes legally binding nature restoration targets across a range of ecosystems. A draft national nature restoration plan has recently been submitted to the European Commission. The nature restoration plan, developed on a whole-of-government basis under the co-ordination of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, sets out the measures through which Ireland intends to meet its restoration obligations and improve the condition and resilience of ecosystems. The draft nature restoration plan sets out proposed measures for the restoration of a range of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, including forests and woodlands. These measures are intended to contribute to the recovery of nature, improve ecosystem resilience, support climate adaptation and enhance the ecosystem services upon which society and the economy depend.
Ireland has an extensive network of protected areas designated under national and European legislation. Our network of terrestrial special areas of conservation, SACs, and special protection areas, SPAs, has been assessed as sufficient to fulfil Ireland's obligations under the EU habitats and birds directives and to contribute to the European Natura 2000 network. In addition to sites protected under EU legislation, Ireland has a range of national nature conservation designations under the Wildlife Acts, including natural heritage areas, NHAs. The designation of NHAs is guided by scientific assessment and established selection criteria, and these national designations complement Ireland's wider network of protected areas and broader biodiversity conservation measures.
The focus of nature conservation policy is therefore on maintaining and improving the condition of protected habitats and species and supporting wider biodiversity conservation and restoration measures across the landscape.
With specific regard to Merlin Woods, which the Senator referenced earlier and in the title of her Commencement matter, the site is owned and managed by Galway City Council, as the Senator said. The council, therefore, has a key role in the stewardship and day-to-day management of the woodland, including the protection and enhancement of its biodiversity, natural heritage and amenity value. The local biodiversity action fund, LBAF, operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of housing, provides support to local authorities in delivering projects that contribute to the objectives of the national biodiversity action plan. Through the LBAF, funding is provided to local authorities across the country, including Galway City Council, to develop and implement projects that protect, enhance and restore biodiversity at a local level.
I will bring the specific points the Senator raised to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.
I thank the Minister of State. His closing lines summed it up. It is the role of the NPWS. Unfortunately, in its commentary and that of Galway City Council, no engagement seems to have been done by either of the two organisations locally. I appreciate the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will bring it to the attention of Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, but I ask the latter to intervene and to talk to the NPWS and, in his role in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to the city council. I ask that communication and dialogue be immediately stood up.
At the end of the day, the Minister of State's reply is exactly the answer I hoped he would give today about biodiversity. He gave chapter and verse about why I am standing here talking about biodiversity because that is absolutely what I understood the role of the NPWS to be. I am grateful for the Minister of State's answer today and I absolutely applaud him for bringing back my concerns and looking for the intervention of the other Minister of State with the two authorities.
Once again, I thank Senator Rabbitte for bringing forward for discussion this issue, which I am taking on behalf of Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, the Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity. Conservation of biodiversity requires action in protected areas and across the wider landscape. Under the implementation of the national biodiversity action plan 2023-2030 and the forthcoming national nature restoration plan, the Government is pursuing a range of measures to protect, restore and enhance habitats and species throughout the State. These efforts are supported by partnership between national and local government, community groups, landowners and other stakeholders. The Department, through the NPWS, will continue to work with the relevant bodies to advance biodiversity conservation objectives and to support the long-term protection and restoration of Ireland's natural heritage. No doubt, the Department and the Minister of State will be keeping an eye on the debate today and on the particular matters the Senator raised. As I said, I will bring them to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, and the Department.
While we wait for the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, I welcome our guest, Mr. Chandy Oommen who is a member of the Kerala legislative assembly in India and a guest of Senator Joe O'Reilly. It is nice to meet him and I hope he enjoys his visit. It is good to see other public representatives visit our Parliament.
Family Resource Centres
I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, for coming to take it. It is an area she is passionate about and fiercely committed to.
I join in welcoming our guest from Kerala. It is great to have people from other jurisdictions and representative groups. That is very much part of the spirit of our Parliament, one that is diverse and inclusive, and that engages and welcomes. I therefore wish Mr. Oommen great Irish hospitality and welcome him to the Oireachtas.
Unlike many Members of the Oireachtas who raise stuff about the 2027 budget, I am raising this because it is important, fair and appropriate that we track promises made in the budget announcement for 2026.
Sometimes, we get lost in everything that is ahead of us and do not measure or check the deliverables that were promised in budget 2026. Last year, the Minister announced the establishment of ten new family resource centres, with one each for counties Kerry, Mayo, Wexford, Tipperary, Donegal, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Longford and Dublin. Those new centres are in addition to existing centres. This was made possible based on the funding that the Minister and her Department secured as part of the budget 2026 negotiations. It is important to acknowledge that, despite what the public or, sometimes, people in here think, all Ministers bat hard for their sectors and Departments.
Life is a long learning curve for all of us, and I am still learning. We do not all think the same and we do not all have the same hierarchy of priorities. Although we have priorities, there clearly are resource issues and implications. I want to acknowledge the very significant contribution that budget 2026 made to the Minister of State's Department, as it resulted in the number of family resource centres being increased from 126 to 136, which is a steady incremental improvement. As part of budget 2026, the Department also secured minimum funding for all family resource centres, with the amount increased from €160,000 to €180,000, which was welcomed by all of the family resource centres. The trajectory is going the right way. It is not going back or down. It is forward, and that is positive.
I will quote what the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Foley, said after she, the Minister of State and the Department had secured this deal in budget 2026. She said:
[Family Resource Centres] are of the community and for the community and by the community and they represent our ongoing investment in children, families, and communities across Ireland. I intend to continue via the Budgetary process the expansion of the network of Family Resource Centres over the lifetime of this government.
Clearly, budgetary matters are a matter for the Government and Departments, but the Minister clearly indicated that she would look favourably on this area. I hope that we will read something of that next week.
Supporting families with the appropriate services and supports they need, close to where their communities are, is very much central to the ethos and objectives of the family resource centre programme, so I welcome that. Each family resource centre brings its unique local strengths and a spirit of partnership, enabling support for local people and local communities. Each one is different within the context of family resource centres. It is important that we continue to strengthen communities and see greater inclusion and integration and early intervention because all of those have massive long-term effects. More importantly, they bring cohesion and support to our communities, including for the children and the families who benefit from the family resource centres.
Céad míle fáilte roimh and a huge welcome to our dignitaries, who join us from Kerala in India. My council area is that of South Dublin County Council. Its former mayor, who was elected for the Tallaght South electoral district, is from Kerala. I thank the dignitaries for being here.
I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I also thank him for acknowledging the process behind the budget negotiations and the amount of work that goes into that. I take this opportunity to thank the officials in my Department who are working as we speak on negotiations for the upcoming budget.
I agree with the Senator from both governance and performance perspectives that we measure the progress that is achieved year on year and measure the progress against the goals for which we sought and received funding. I am delighted to have the opportunity to do that here on the floor today.
The Minister greatly appreciates the advocacy of the Senator on behalf of the family resource centre programme. She knows that the Senator has done extensive work in this area.
As the Senator stated, last year's budget delivered the largest increase in funding for the family resource centre network in eight years. This additional investment enabled the Minister to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to strengthen the family resource centre programme by increasing funding and expanding both its capacity and network.
As the Senator said, funding was secured to provide an increase in the minimum core funding to a new base level of €180,000, up from the previous base level of €160,000. That benefited a significant number of family centre programme members. The Department allocates that core funding for the family resource centre programme through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla administers the programme, which supports members throughout the country. In addition to that increase in core funding, membership of the family resource centre programme in 2026 also grew. The Senator mentioned this in his own contribution. It has grown by ten members, from 126 programme members to 136. That followed the expansion the year previously from 121 members to 126 members. We doubled that growth trajectory from five new members in 2025 to ten in 2026.
Recent increases in the family resource centre programme membership have been very welcome developments for an additional 15 communities in need of this comprehensive range of services. As the Senator said, and as the Minister, Deputy Foley, said previously, these are for the community, these are of the community, and these are by the community. The Minister, Deputy Foley, understands that Tusla's national commissioning unit, along with the family resource centre national forum, have been working with the new family resource centres to integrate them. That growth has already been seen on the ground. This weekend, the Minister, Deputy Foley, officially opened the Áiseanna na hÓige family resource centre which is in Dingle. That is one of the ten most recently announced programme members. Earlier this month, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced €1.3 million in once-off capital investment in Ireland's network of 136 family resource centres. This will also provide each centre with a once-off capital allocation of €10,000 in 2026. That will support locally identified capital, premises, equipment, ICT and infrastructure priorities. It gives the family resource centres the flexibility to identify the investments that will make the greatest difference to the children, to the families and to the communities that they serve.
The benefit of community-based services such as family resource centres cannot be overstated. Many of us have seen first-hand the impacts that family resource centres have on the communities they serve. They engage with vulnerable families, they offer services to individuals across the whole life cycle, from early years to senior citizens, and crucially, they foster a positive and inclusive community spirit. That range of services can be extensive and can be determined by the needs of relevant communities. It is particularly important to note that many are delivered at no cost or low cost to families who may otherwise not be able to access these services.
I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. It is important that we track but also that we tell the good news. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I ask her to convey my thanks to the Minister, Deputy Foley. One thing I thought about as the Minister of State was speaking is that we have heard a lot about this budget in recent times, and Government policy's targeting approach, where we target the need most. Targeted services and development opportunities, as part of the family resource centre, also act as a focal point. That is important for onward referrals and mainstream services, because at that point, things are picked up at a local level, but they do not always have the capacity or the skill sets. This may not necessarily even be appropriate, but I suggest the Minister look at the interconnectivity in any future review of these family resource centres and how effectively they are integrating and linking in, in a holistic and a bigger way, with the national services.
I commend the family resource centre national forum, which prepared an impressive pre-budget submission for 2027. It is a collaborative document by all of the family resource centres across the country. I thank the Minister of State again. Well done to her officials. I join her in that too. This is a powerful, effective movement working on the ground, supporting local people and local communities. It is community, it is of our community and it is responding to our community. Well done.
I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It is fantastic that the last two budgets have allowed for 15 new family resource centres to be established. I thank the Senator for pointing out the pre-budget submission that was worked on. I will ensure that is brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Foley, in the course of budgetary negotiations. As the Senator is aware, the programme for Government has a commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of family resource centres. That will obviously be front of mind as we continue negotiations. To use the Senator's own words, they are a powerful, effective community movement, and our Department fully agrees, as does Tusla, which manages the project.
On a separate note, I know the Senator is organising an event for the Oireachtas to mark the 50th anniversary of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on Thursday.
I very much look forward to attending that event and recognising the remarkable work the organisation has carried out over the last 50 years.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.50 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.02 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.50 p.m. and resumed at 2.02 p.m.