Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:1. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [21327/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraCabinet Committees
Ceisteanna (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Aindrias Moynihan
Ceist:2. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [22344/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:3. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [22348/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:4. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [22349/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Paul Murphy
Ceist:5. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [22695/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:6. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will meet next. [22709/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Mick Barry
Ceist:7. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [22817/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:8. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [23653/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Christopher O'Sullivan
Ceist:9. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [23895/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Rose Conway-Walsh
Ceist:10. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [24104/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on health last met on 12 February 2024 and is scheduled to next meet on 1 July. In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and of Cabinet committees, I meet Ministers on an individual basis to focus on different issues. I meet regularly with the Minister for Health to discuss progress and challenges in the area of health, including the Sláintecare reform programme.
Sláintecare is about four main things: making healthcare more affordable; making healthcare more accessible; ensuring better outcomes for patients; and reforming our health service. We are committed to expanding the core capacity of our acute hospitals, with more health professionals and more acute hospital beds. We have added more than 1,000 permanent hospital beds since the Government came into office in 2020. We have increased the total public health sector workforce by more than 28,000 since the beginning of 2020, which includes 9,000 more nurses and midwives, over 4,200 social care professionals and over 3,000 doctors and dentists. These are very significant additional numbers of people working in the health service who are working hard every day.
There is a strong pipeline of capital projects, including several new hospitals and significant new facilities for existing hospitals. Our multi-annual approach to waiting lists resulted in an overall reduction in the number of patients exceeding the Sláintecare targets by 25% since the pandemic peaks. Waiting lists in the Irish health service fell last year for the second year in a row. The figures that matter most are the number of patients waiting longer than the agreed Sláintecare maximum wait time targets of ten to 12 weeks. We had a cross-party consensus, or what was largely cross-party consensus, around health reform in this House, called Sláintecare, that said that people’s wait times should be around ten to 12 weeks. It is, therefore, appropriate that we measure progress in relation to that. We are seeing significant progress on that. The core target of achieving a 10% reduction in patients breaching the Sláintecare wait times was exceeded, with 11% achieved. This covers inpatients, day case, outpatients and GI scopes.
The enhanced community care programme continues to improve healthcare at a more local level and alleviate pressure on hospitals. The majority of community healthcare networks, community intervention teams and community support teams are now in place with the aim of providing care closer to home.
We are also making healthcare more affordable at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone through the removal of hospital inpatient charges, widened eligibility for the GP card and a reduced drug payment scheme threshold, among other things.
The last budget provided funding for hundreds of millions of euro for waiting lists and action on urgent and emergency care; investments in our workforce such as advanced practice, more college and training places and more hospital consultants; the first full-year programme of publicly funded assisted human reproduction services including in vitro fertilisation, IVF; further expansion of the free contraception scheme to include women aged 31; and additional staffing for CAMHS teams to improve access to services and reduce waiting lists.
We all know our health and social care service has its challenges, that is also a global phenomenon, but our systems are responding and have expanded dramatically in recent years. We are treating more people with better outcomes than ever before. Ireland has the highest self-perceived health status in the EU, with 80% of people rating their health as good or very good. Our life expectancy is continuing to increase and is above the international average. Ireland is among a group of seven EU countries where life expectancy is above the age of 82. We continue to reduce mortality rates for stroke and many cancers and report positive trends in preventative health. Our age-standardised mortality rates have declined for all causes over the past decade by 10.3%.
I have raised this issue with the Taoiseach before but I would like to repeat it so that action follows.
I am listening.
It is the issue of medical evidence being provided to local authorities on the question of medical priority housing allocation. Something needs to be done about this. Medical adjudicators are second-guessing specialists, whether they are consultants, OTs, psychologists or psychiatrists. They are often people who do not have these specialties but they are second-guessing them and putting families where there are often very severe, extreme medical conditions through the ringer. It has to stop and a circular needs to be issued. This is a health issue but it intersects with housing.
To give an example I have mentioned a couple of times, there is a young woman who has had a shocking, life-changing situation where her two children were born with muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. These are two life-limiting conditions and this case is unique in the world but there is still this constant back and forward with the local authority over the medical evidence because there are multiple consultants involved. As we can imagine, this creates unique requirements in relation to housing. I also had a case recently of someone with scoliosis who is getting into a bath which is dangerous but the council stated the person would have to find a HAP tenancy that would suit their medical needs, which is impossible. We need to do something where we do not have second-guessing of medical professionals, mental health professionals or allied health professionals when it comes to ascertaining what someone’s housing needs are. It should not be determined by the question of resources. I understand that local authorities are under pressure but we have to start with the needs. We have to trust the medical professionals and the people who have health issues themselves and establish objectively what the medical needs are rather than second-guessing them because of resource questions.
I raise the issue of nursing homes. I was contacted recently by a nursing home because residents who need to see a doctor to have their ears syringed are being charged €35. These residents have medical cards and they are on the fair deal scheme. They must also pay for a taxi which costs between €65 and €75 and, furthermore, the nursing home has to get a member of staff to go with them in the taxi.
I welcomed what the Taoiseach said about people living longer and he is right that it is good news but as people live longer, it brings challenges. As I said, residents of a nursing home who have medical cards and are on the fair deal have to pay this money. It is too much money and they do not have it.
Another matter I have raised several times is that people on medical cards are being charged for having their bloods done. Some of them have visited my clinic. People are struggling, particularly those who are on a pension, and then there are all these extra charges. We need a proper system. Whether we review doctors' contracts or do something else, something needs to be done. These residents are concerned and have contacted me.
I read an article last month which reported that the European Commission is considering giving pharmaceutical companies financial incentives and enhancing their market exclusivity in the way they produce drugs, particularly in the niche area of orphan drugs and rare diseases. I found the article welcome but in another way it was amusing in the context of the access patients here have to drugs for rare diseases. Some 80% of all diseases identified these days are actually genetic mutations. I note the importance of clinical trials and research in gaining better treatment for patients in that sphere, and sometimes even cures. If we compare ourselves to any EU counterpart by any metric, particularly in terms of access to orphan drugs, we fail abysmally. Those league tables are well documented and are published for all to see. Given what the Commission intends to do in terms of offering incentives to pharmaceutical companies to enhance research, clinical trials and so on, what will we do here to do the same because we are failing?
I raise a particular issue related to the health of those who live in the shadow of the Aughinish Alumina plant in Limerick. It dates back to 1989 when animals began dying on farms in the area, after which there were increased incidences of serious human health problems, including increased rates of fatal foetal abnormalities, cancer, upper respiratory tract issues, eye inflammation and so on. Later, there was an investigation into this involving the Environmental Protection Agency, Teagasc, the Department of agriculture and others.
Later on, there was an investigation into this involving the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Teagasc, the Department of agriculture and others. The crucial problem in that investigation was that the human blood samples went missing, which meant that the investigation was not really able to be comprehensive and independent.
In 2018, while the Taoiseach was the Minister for Health, he was given a 26-page dossier by the former Deputy, Dr. Harty, who was a representative of the area, as well as by Deputies Connolly and Catherine Murphy. They asked him to appoint an independent health expert, as he did for the cervical cancer scandal, to investigate the dossier outside his Department because new information was contained within. As I understand it - and the Taoiseach may not remember this, which is fine - the Taoiseach refused to have any independent review of it. Instead, he simply went back and said that there was nothing new there, etc. I am asking the Taoiseach to look at this dossier again, which I can send to him, and agree that there will be an independent investigation.
I ask for the Taoiseach for an update on the Covid-19 inquiry, its terms of reference and its individual modules. I am incredibly interested in the families that lost loved ones in Dealgan House Nursing Home at the beginning of Covid-19. I think the Taoiseach met with one of the family members when he was recently in Dundalk. At least 22 lost their lives in a really desperate set of circumstances. When the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, met with them recently, he spoke of how they need some sort of mechanism to provide them with the necessary answers. They have done a huge body of work through freedom of information, FOI, requests. At times, they have been pushed back by every agency, but they have put a huge amount of information into the public domain. We have to provide them with truth, justice, and the learnings needed in relation to elder care, in case we have to deal with circumstances such as these ever again. I ask for an update on that, which would be really useful.
I do not say this lightly, but when it comes to our islanders and healthcare, they are treated as second-class citizens. This is especially the case in the west Cork islands and I will explain why. On Bere Island, which is near Castletownbere, at one point they had two full-time nurses. They had nursing cover on the island for 24 hours a day, seven days per week, but they now only have one nurse, whose nursing cover has been reduced to the hours of 9 to 5, five days per week. It is simply not good enough because of the unique geographical nature of an island and access to healthcare. Similarly, on Cape Clear Island, which is not too far away from there and is off Baltimore, they also had full-time nurse cover, but that too has been reduced. The nurse comes in on a Tuesday and leaves on a Thursday, so there are large portions of the week where there is no nurse cover. That is a pretty distant island and it takes approximately 40 minutes to get there by boat. We need 24-hour cover for nurses on our islands. It is the least that our islanders deserve.
I will raise a slightly related issue, which is that Bantry General Hospital had a neurology service for four days per week in the mornings and afternoons. That has now been cut to two sessions per month. That will be a serious issue for people with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, MS.
What measures does the Taoiseach propose in order to urgently fix the systemic problem at University Hospital Galway, UHG, to fulfil its mandate to operate as a centre of excellence? That question comes from a man in Mayo who is currently undergoing chemotherapy at University Hospital Galway. He has an aggressive form of lymphoma cancer, he requires urgent and intensive treatment and, devastatingly for him and his family, there has already been a delay of 17 days to his treatment simply because there was no bed for him. He says: "It is ethically and morally wrong that my prospects of survival are currently in the hands of hospital administrators who have to try to decide when I am allocated a bed for my treatment. It is wrong that I am forced to advocate for the repair of a broken system at a time when all my energy should be directed towards recovering."
This is a fact of life for many people living in the west who are really seriously ill, and the Taoiseach’s Government has failed them. It has failed them for the last 13 years. The Taoiseach was in that position himself. This is something as simple as a bed. We have hugely expensive equipment and we have the best expertise in the world, but we do not have a bed. I think the Taoiseach and his Government owe this man an answer, as well as others in the west of Ireland and Mayo who are in a similar position.
I thank the Deputies for raising a range of issues. Obviously, Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, were about when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet, so Members will have to excuse me if I must come back to them on some of the specifics because quite a few of the questions strayed very significantly, I would imagine, from the Standing Orders, although they are valid and important questions in and of themselves.
Deputy Boyd Barrett's question, which he has raised on a number of occasions, is a serious point about medical prioritisation and the local authorities. He has requested a circular on this. The disadvantage I am always at on this is that I do not have the benefit of having the line Minister here with me. Let me speak directly with the Minister for housing about that issue because we do not want a situation, such as the one the Deputy outlined, whereby somebody who has two children with muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis must have a back-and-forth debate about the status of their healthcare with their housing authority. While the Deputy and I might hold different views, we both know the housing constraints that people face. Parents of children who are sick, or indeed people in general who are sick or have a disability do not need to be going back and forth. Let me look into that, as will my own officials who are watching this. We will engage with the Minister for housing on that issue and I will come back to the Deputy directly on it.
I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising some important issues about nursing homes and nursing home care. She has made a request for clarity and transparency around what is and is not covered through the fair deal scheme, the nursing home support scheme and the medical card. She gave the examples of the ear syringe costs, the staff burden that is being faced by nursing homes and how people are being charged for bloods when they have a medical card. I will raise both issues with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. We will come back to her about that.
Regarding Deputy Padraig O'Sullivan’s point, I just met some people earlier today at the DART station who were on their way to an important conference about rare diseases. This is a very important issue. Again, I want to speak with the Minister for Health about this, but it is a fair point that the Deputy makes. We have some very large pharmaceutical companies here. I think that nine of the ten biggest pharma companies in the world are based here in Ireland. We have incredible universities and research infrastructure and we have a health service that we are now funding with the sum of well over €22 billion per year. Can we do more on access to orphan drugs and learn from the European example? I think we can and I think we have to. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, about the Deputy’s suggestion and I will come back to him.
Deputy Paul Murphy spoke about Aughinish Alumina. I thank him for offering to send that on again, because I do not want to reference something on the floor of the Dáil when I do not have the documentation before me. I would appreciate it if Deputy Paul Murphy sends that to me again. I am happy to look at that and speak to the Minister for Health and the Department of Health about it.
Deputy Ó Murchú spoke about Dealgan House. I did have the opportunity to meet a woman when I was in Dundalk in recent days in relation to this. The Deputy used a very important word there, which was "mechanism". I do not want to speak for the families, but it is my sense that that the families want to know about what mechanism can be put in place so that they can get truth, justice and answers. I share that view, as I know Deputy Ó Murchú does. It is a matter of deciding what is the best mechanism. Will that be the Covid-19 review or will it be a particular pillar of work? Some suggestions were made to me when I met with her, and I also exchanged contact details with a family member. I am happy to engage with the Minister for Health on this and come back to the Deputy about it, but I do fully accept that answers are needed about what happened in Dealgan House. It is the very least that the families deserve. I will work constructively with the Opposition to work out what the best mechanism is to bring about those answers.
Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan raised islander healthcare in Bere Island and Cape Clear Island, as well as the nursing resources and the importance of supporting island healthcare. I will speak with the HSE and the Minister for Health. I take the point the Deputy makes. We want to see the offshore islands thriving. Access to healthcare is an important part of making sure we have sustainable communities. Similarly, I will follow up about Bantry General Hospital and the neurology service there and the importance of the department to patients. I will ask the Minister for Health to come directly back to the Deputy.
Deputy Conway-Walsh spoke about University Hospital Galway, its importance as a centre of excellence, and the traumatic experience that one of her constituents has encountered there. The Deputy said she believes it is being replicated by many more. I was in Galway recently and I met some of the leading doctors working in this area. I know the Secretary General at the Department of Health was there, as was the Minister for Health in relation to the development plans for the hospital services for centres of excellence.
I will get the Deputy a detailed note that he can share with her constituent.
Urban Development
Ceisteanna (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Jim O'Callaghan
Ceist:11. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach to provide a report on the task force for Dublin city centre that he announced on 9 May 2024. [22005/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:12. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach to provide a report on the task force for Dublin city centre that he announced on 9 May 2024. [22006/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Mary Lou McDonald
Ceist:13. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach what level of engagement his Department will have with the Dublin city centre task force. [22484/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Alan Farrell
Ceist:14. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Taoiseach the level of engagement his Department will have with the Dublin city centre task force [22758/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Bríd Smith
Ceist:15. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach what level of engagement his Department will have with the Dublin city centre task force. [23877/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:16. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach the level of engagement his Department will have with the Dublin city centre task force. [24003/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (8 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 16, inclusive, together.
On 7 May 2024, the Government agreed to appoint a task force to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south. The goal is to make Dublin city centre a more thriving, attractive and safe cityscape, and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit.
The task force is taking an evidence-informed approach in its work and will provide recommendations to improve the city centre's public realm, safety and experience. It will harness efforts and initiatives under way, including within the Dublin city co-ordination office, as well as existing initiatives such as Dublin's north-east inner-city initiative and the Dublin north inner city local community safety partnership. The task force will not duplicate efforts already under way, which is important, but will instead consider what additional co-ordinated activities could galvanise actions to return Dublin's city centre to the vibrant destination we know it to be and deliver on a shared vision of central Dublin's public space.
The task force is led by an independent chair, Mr. David McRedmond, chief executive officer of An Post, who brings his wealth of insights and experience to the role. Membership of the task force includes representatives from the public service, including An Garda Síochána, the local authority and the National Transport Authority, representatives of city centre businesses, a trade union representative, and representatives from the community and service provider sector and the cultural and arts sector. The task force is being supported in its work by Dublin City Council, for which I acknowledge its chief executive, An Garda Síochána, the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Justice. The Department of the Taoiseach will bring together a senior officials group as required by the task force to inform the work.
The first meeting of the task force took place on Tuesday, 21 May 2024. It has been requested to deliver its recommendations for consideration by the Government within 12 weeks.
I welcome the establishment of the task force and commend Mr. David McRedmond for taking on this important role. However, I think he is going to have a very challenging task in terms of trying to change the status and make-up, and deal with the concerns that we all see when we travel through the city centre at present. I have no doubt Mr. McRedmond and the other people on his committee will be able to describe the problems that are present in Dublin city centre. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of Covid and the restrictions that were introduced appears to be that quality of life in the city centre has declined quite significantly.
What the Taoiseach will have to do when he gets the report, hopefully at some stage in mid-August, is give an indication as to how it is going to be implemented. I will give my own assessment of why there needs to be a strong implementation project in this respect. It is clear that we have decided, for very legitimate reasons, no doubt, that for many of the societal problems that exist in Dublin at present, whether it be homelessness, drug addiction or people seeking international protection, we have focused all of the services in the city centre. That puts an undue burden on the city centre. We need to recall that Dublin city centre is not like the city centre of London. Dublin city centre has a vibrant residential community. I represent a significant part of it in Dublin Bay South and colleagues in Dublin Central also represent that area. We need to recognise that if we want to alleviate some of the issues that are affecting the city centre, we will have to look at sharing out those services across the city and county in respect of people who are in need of these challenging and important services.
My big fear is that, otherwise, we are going to see a very divided city. Some parts of Dublin are excellent at present and are vibrant and thriving, but we can see that other parts have a very challenging and difficult environment. What we do not want to happen is that the city in some way becomes segregated or divided and there are parts that people just do not want to go to, whether they are tourists or people going out at night-time. That will be a central task, not just for Mr. McRedmond but for the implementation of his recommendations when they come.
I call Deputy O’Reilly for Deputy McDonald.
I welcome the establishment of the task force. If it is done right, it could represent an important marker in the development of the city. As our national capital, Dublin has a responsibility to serve as an example for the rest of the country and to be a safe, attractive, vibrant and flourishing city, one that cherishes and celebrates its past and fearlessly embraces the future and its potential. The new Dublin task force is the opportunity to foster and support appropriate and imaginative regeneration of the city but only if it is done right. The project is a valuable opportunity to create jobs, deliver new opportunities, foster social progress and grow the local economy and tourism sector.
I have four questions. When will the terms of reference be announced? What will be the geographical area covered by the task force? What financial and staffing resources will be allocated to its work? What mechanism of engagement will be employed to ensure all community voices can be heard? That last question raises an essential point. It is not enough that people will just have a chance to input once or twice. It needs to be a comprehensive strategy to ensure that all voices are being heard.
I call Deputy Murphy for Deputy Smith.
Last week, during this session, I raised with the Taoiseach the arson attack on St. John's House, which was due to house families who are seeking international protection here, and the Taoiseach correctly condemned that. Unfortunately, there was another arson attack on the same building this morning, which is two arson attacks in a week. Last week, I raised with the Taoiseach the need for private security for these buildings to ensure they are not targeted because there is clearly an orchestrated campaign of terror to try to prevent us from taking and welcoming those who are seeking international protection. Clearly, there was some security because it emerged, for example, that there was a woman in the building last week, and it is thankful that the fire did not take off because she could have been killed, and that is obviously where this can go. The State needs to take this more seriously in terms of protecting these buildings.
It was also the scene of a quite horrendous incident - it is interesting that the far right chose to promote it - where a female garda was called every possible thing under the sun, including some really disgusting, abusive stuff. I would say that the impact of people seeing that sort of language and abuse, and the violence of the arson attacks, has been to turn people in the area against the far right. Whenever there are these crazy rumours about 3,500 unvetted men, it is an attempt to create fear. When the truth gets out and it turns out to be 350 people, including families, who are seeking international protection, many people want to welcome them. However, people are also rightly horrified and repelled by the violence, the abuse and the misogyny represented by those who would just seek to divide, spread fear and tear down our communities.
Not a week goes by that a constituent of mine in the leafy suburbs of north Dublin does not mention the inner city and the issues and concerns they have with it. I would highlight, in particular, young women who have raised it with me as a concern in terms of their night-time plans and visiting and meeting with friends in the city centre, among other things. I know a lot has been done. I know 101 recently attested gardaí were assigned to Garda stations around Dublin in recent weeks but, as I am sure the Taoiseach can appreciate, there is no substitute for experienced members of An Garda Síochána being appropriately allocated to the appropriate stations in order to police our streets and make people feel safe on our streets.
Of course, that is not a means in and of itself. As the Taoiseach has highlighted, there must be a multi-agency approach to dereliction, drug addiction and the general demeanour of the community. To be fair, the city council is doing good work in that regard but it is not doing it fast enough. A number of streets in the north inner city should look so much better. We are one of the richest nations in the world and it is time that we showed it, in particular in Dublin 1, by caring for those who need our help the most and making sure the community in which they wish to live, and where they have been reared for generations, is appropriately supported by the Government and the agencies of the State.
I wanted to raise that point because while policing is fantastic, it is not the solution to every problem within these communities.
I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for his comments on the task force and for welcoming it and welcoming the appointment of David McRedmond. I, too, thank Mr. McRedmond for the work he is doing. It is interesting that the Deputy mentioned the impact of Covid. He is correct that in looking to establish this task force, it was looking at examples of capital cities and the impact Covid has had on them. It is very real and it is an issue that many capital cities are trying to grapple with. I mentioned that to the chair when I appointed him. I agree with the Deputy that implementation will be key. One of the things I am asking the chair and the task force to do is to recommend, in their view, the appropriate implementation structure. I am absolutely sure we will get from them innovative thinking and I know Mr. McRedmond to be of that sort.
I have also asked that we get actions with clear owners of the actions. I do not say this to be confrontational. The new chief executive of Dublin City Council has really embraced this and I thank him for that. He sees the value in it. I have no doubt, however, that many of the actions that will flow from this will be for local government. Many will have a funding requirement from the national Government too, and we need, a little like with the Action Plan for Jobs and the likes back in the day, an action plan-type approach to implementation. My Department stands ready to help with any sort of implementation structure, senior officials group or the likes that need to be convened. I will keep Members informed and engage with them as we get towards that.
I thank Deputy O'Reilly for welcoming this and I take the point she makes. She is entirely right - "if it is done right". That is fair comment. I have seen the terms of reference. I do not seem to have them in front of me, but let me send them to the Deputy. My understanding was that they were being finalised. We are giving the group the flexibility to finalise them. My understanding is that the group had its first meeting on 21 May. It was an introductory online meeting but it is due to have a full-day session in An Post next Wednesday, 5 June. That will be the first substantive meeting.
Similarly, I discussed the geographical area with the chair. What is Dublin city centre? In my layman's speak, it is largely from just beyond O'Connell Street right down to Grafton Street and the streets off it. The group will clarify and speak to that because there is a view, and since we have established this, lots of other parts of Dublin have said, "We would like that too." One of the terms of reference is that if there are lessons from this, there is no reason this model could not be replicated in other places, but we have to start somewhere and have a clear, defined understanding of that.
As regards budget and staff, currently, the secretariat is being provided by Dublin City Council but also being supported by officials in my Department, with the Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána ready to assist as well. A budget will be required for this. Where that falls will depend on the actions, but I understand that my responsibility in setting this up will obviously mean that we will have to follow through in budget 2025.
On engagement, I know that is something the chair is very much thinking about as to how best to do it. It has to be real and meaningful. I also have to be honest. The group has been asked to do this in 12 weeks. What can you meaningfully do in 12 weeks? I think you can do a lot, but how do you use that time well? I know the chair and the group are very open to engaging with public representatives, and I might ask them to provide a briefing to representatives of the Dublin constituencies if that would be useful.
I am sorry. I am getting used to Taoiseach's Questions. I forgot about Deputy Murphy's and Deputy Farrell's questions. I join them in condemning the arson attack and I am very frustrated and disappointed to hear of another one. I am interested in what Deputy Murphy said because it is my experience as well across the country that communities are calling out and very much rightly distancing themselves with great vigour from the disgusting actions of a few. In fact, I was recently in a community where decent, legitimate people who were not racist or anything else had questions they wanted to ask the Government about what was happening in their town, and as soon as they saw the far right try to hijack it, they called off any form of meeting or engagement because they did not want to be used as pawns by the far right. What I would say to communities is that I accept that we need to do more and to do better in terms of community engagement, but do not allow yourself be hijacked or exploited by the far right in this regard. We are very conscious of security. We discuss it regularly at Cabinet committees and other meetings, as well as the role of An Garda Síochána.
To Deputy Farrell, who is now in the Chair, I think he has highlighted in many ways one of the reasons we need a task force. Safety in Dublin city, as he said, is not just a matter for any one agency. Obviously, the Garda has a major role to play. I am very pleased that we have been able to allocate more gardaí to Dublin Garda stations. I expect more gardaí to be allocated to all Garda stations as numbers continue to attest from Templemore. Also, I know from talking to people, as the Deputy does too, that safety at night does relate to the lighting, the cityscape, the role of the local authority, the availability of public transport and the availability of taxis. It is that idea of trying to pull together what creates a safe city and how a man or a woman can, particularly when they have finished their night out, safely get themselves home. That is something on which I really hope the task force can provide us with a clear to-do list for all the various agencies that have an important role to play in that regard.
Cabinet Committees
Ceisteanna (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Bríd Smith
Ceist:17. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with defence will next meet. [21748/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Brendan Smith
Ceist:18. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with defence will next meet. [23693/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraRichard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:19. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with defence will next meet. [23880/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraPaul Murphy
Ceist:20. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with defence will next meet. [23883/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraChristopher O'Sullivan
Ceist:21. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee that deals with defence will next meet. [23897/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (13 píosaí cainte)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 21, inclusive, together.
At its meeting on 10 April, the Government established ten Cabinet committees as follows: children and education and disability; economy and investment; environment and climate action; EU and international affairs; Government co-ordination; health; housing; migration, integration and Ukraine; Northern Ireland; and social affairs and public services. I am a member of all Cabinet committees, as are the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy Ryan. There is no Cabinet committee dedicated specifically to defence matters. The Deputies will appreciate that it would be neither possible nor practical to have a dedicated Cabinet committee for each and every policy area.
Defence policies are handled by the Tánaiste and his Department. Matters relating to the Defence Forces and defence policy matters appear frequently on the agenda for Government meetings. They may also be addressed and are addressed, as the need arises, in the framework of other Cabinet committees, including, for example, the Cabinet committees on EU and international affairs; social affairs and public services; and Government co-ordination.
There are also a number of interdepartmental and senior official groups that consider matters relating to the Defence Forces and defence policy, including the implementation group overseeing the commission on defence recommendations, and, as Taoiseach, I am kept apprised of defence and security matters.
I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. Unfortunately, the security situation worldwide has deteriorated drastically since 2022 and, of course, our country is not immune from those difficulties and those challenges. We never pay enough tribute to the work of the emergency services in this country, including how they protected us and our State during a very troubled era. I am thinking of An Garda Síochána, the Permanent Defence Force, the fire services, all the health services, including emergency health services, the Civil Defence, our local authorities and many others. At that time there was a huge knowledge built up in the Border area among those personnel who were based locally.
Recently, I have been raising constantly with An Tánaiste the possibility of having the former Dún Uí Néill barracks in Cavan reopened. At the moment, the Army structure in our country is such that we have Finner Camp in south Donegal and Aiken Barracks in Dundalk. The central Border area does not have a barracks. That is a huge land border, as the Taoiseach knows, with a neighbouring jurisdiction. I believe that the Dún Uí Néill barracks, which the Taoiseach visited from an ETB point of view some time ago, when most of the barracks was still intact, should be used, at least initially, as a forward operating base prior to its re-establishment as a full barracks. There was animal disease in this country. We had to deal with the security situation. The knowledge of the personnel based locally is not on any file. It is being lost now because we do not have those personnel based in that area. We can never factor enough into our thinking local knowledge or the people locally making decisions in barracks, Garda stations or whatever.
I would like the Taoiseach, along with the Tánaiste, to consider the reopening of Dún Uí Néill, initially as a forward operating base, because of the particular challenges that face us in that area with a long land border with a neighbouring jurisdiction. Unfortunately, paramilitarism has not ceased entirely.
I have raised this issue once or twice over the past few weeks but I would like to raise it with the Taoiseach because I am not satisfied with the responses I have got. I was contacted by a Sergeant Patrick Gorman, who served for 35 years in the Naval Service. He had a conduct rating that was exemplary. He had an active service record: 1986 in Lebanon; 1993, Somalia; 2004, Liberia; 2005, Liberia; 2006, Liberia; 2008, Chad; and 2010, Chad. He is therefore someone who served for a very long time this country on those missions, and he tells me that he was denied what is called a presentation when one retires.
I was not aware of this but it is a ceremony where a person is brought back in with his or her family as a "thank you" for service given. He and a number of his colleagues were denied this presentation because he had made a protected disclosure. That is his belief. He had made a protected disclosure about health and safety issues and other things, as he felt obliged to do. It was particularly about the use of dangerous chemicals and lack of proper safety precautions putting the health of Defence Forces personnel in danger. I do not have time to go through the details but he disclosed some quite shocking facts or certainly things that needed to be investigated. He was denied his presentation and was also denied being able to go to the WRC because apparently there is some obscure distinction between being a worker and an employee. When you are a member of the Defence Forces, you cannot go to the WRC over penalisation.
I am going to have to move on.
I would like this looked into.
I do not think this is fitting for-----
It is Defence Forces.
I know but it is also talking about an individual. I should have said it to you at the start.
He gave me permission.
That does not necessarily qualify under Standing Orders. The clock is running down and I have two other Members I would like to let in.
We had a debate this morning on our motion to defend the triple lock and will have a vote this evening. Is the Taoiseach still committed to scrapping, ending, modifying, getting rid of - whatever you want to call it - the current triple lock in the term of this Government, without a new democratic mandate and without going to the people to allow them to decide through an election or referendum? If he is, will he admit the idea the triple lock allows a veto of Security Council members is a red herring? That is not true. That is not what the triple lock does because the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 is clear this is not just about peacekeeping missions authorised by the UN Security Council but also includes other peacekeeping missions, including regional peacekeeping missions, supported, approved or otherwise sanctioned by a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Any mission that has majority support in the United Nations can be covered by the triple lock. This is actually about enabling future Governments to send troops abroad on missions that do not have the support of the majority of the United Nations - forget about the General Assembly and Security Council. In other words, these would be the sorts of missions we have seen in the Middle East led by the US and NATO.
In a slight departure from the triple lock, I will bring the Taoiseach back to Bere Island off west Cork. The Department of Defence has an important training facility there for naval personnel. Unfortunately, there is an issue with Department of Defence-owned infrastructure there, namely, a slipway at Lawrence Cove. It is an important slipway used by naval personnel but also by a car ferry operating between Castletownbere and Bere Island. It is in a really bad state. I brought it to the attention of the Tánaiste already. There is Department of Defence infrastructure there, slipways and piers, that could do with a fund to upgrade them and bring them up to standard. I would really like if the Taoiseach would raise that.
I thank colleagues for the range of questions. I join Deputy Smith in thanking all our emergency and uniformed services who have kept the country safe on many occasions in different ways. The Border communities the Deputy represents are particularly acutely aware of the huge level of service provided by those people. I echo those words. I know Dún Uí Néill barracks because I have been there with the Deputy. Cavan Institute is benefiting from a small piece of it. I take that point and the Deputy's view that the former barracks needs to be reopened in some capacity, given the benefit that would provide to the region. I will discuss that with the Tánaiste, seek his views and those of the Defence Forces and revert back to the Deputy on the issue.
In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I am happy to explore what is going on there. I do not have a direct role in this or an understanding of the situation but if the Deputy passes on the details, I will seek the views of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence on why the presentation was denied to some people in the Defence Forces.
On Deputy Murphy's point, there has been a lengthy debate on the triple lock through the Private Members' motion. We will vote on it later today. I see this as amending the triple lock in the sense there will still be three elements, namely, the UN Charter, Government approval and Dáil approval. As I have said on a number of occasions, it is important we allow the Minister for Defence to bring forward legislation - it is our intention to do that in the lifetime of this Dáil - and to allow that to be scrutinised at an Oireachtas committee and considered. When people see the detail of the legislation, I think it will show it is not intended to do what the Deputy fears it will. It is time to refresh the situation regarding the triple lock and I look forward to a debate in due course.
Deputy O'Sullivan referred to Bere Island. That island is getting a good run today. We did its health services a while ago; now we are rightly talking about the issue in relation to the slipway and the need for a fund for slipways and piers. The Deputy made the point there is a defence facility on the island. I will discuss it with the Tánaiste and, perhaps, the local authority and revert to the Deputy.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 1.56 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.59 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.56 p.m. and resumed at 2.59 p.m.