2026-05-07

Some €78 million was collected in car parking charges in hospitals over five years and a record €17.5 million was collected last year. In 2018, Simon Harris was so concerned about hospital car parking charges that he promised a review and that action would be taken. Here we are in 2026 and no action was taken. In fact, hospital car parking charges have increased. The programme for Government gave a commitment to examine again reducing the cost of car parking charges at hospitals but it simply has not happened. We have seen them go up and up. It varies from hospital to hospital and site to site. Where is the programme for Government? Why is it taking so long for any action to be taken? Patients who have recurrence and repeat appointments and people who visit sick people in hospitals are paying more and more. It is not fair. It is an out-of-pocket expense on people being sick and the Government simply has to do more.

I would again stress that the programme for Government is a five-year plan. We want to make sure that we can get to as many of our commitments as soon as possible. I appreciate that for many hospitals, it raises revenue. However, like the Deputy, I have constituents who have raised concerns with me, particularly when they have to attend hospital on a regular basis and the impact and the cost that is having on them. We need to find a way to reduce the costs for people overall. I will come back to the Deputy with an exact timeline from the Minister for Health as to where that is at.

Will the Minister explain why the Government has chosen to impose expenditure levies on Departments given that the State is currently running a surplus of more than €9 billion? The State has run surplus budgets for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, all while the top 10% hold nearly 50% of total net wealth in this country and the number of super rich has doubled in the past five years. Successive Governments did not apply this approach to the Department of Health, despite repeated overruns and Supplementary Estimates year after year. Yet, now Departments such as the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are being required to absorb levies and make reductions, including the pay and pensions levies. Can the Minister explain the rationale for imposing cuts when the Exchequer has the resources available? As a Cabinet Minister who has been in many Government Departments, can she confirm whether all Departments are being treated equally under this approach or whether some Departments are receiving exemptions that others are not?

I think the Deputy would agree that our budget year on year has increased. We had a budget last year of €105.4 billion. Within that, each Department is given a specific budget and within each Department, we are all expected to work within that overall budget. In terms of health, it is the case, and has to be the case, that if the HSE is given a particular budget, we work within that and where there are overspends or changes that are required, that is all done in line with that overall budget because if we overspend in one area, there are potential implications for a patient in another part of the country and we start to see that impact. Irrespective of what Department it is, we are all given budgets that are set for us. It is always important to try to stick within those budgets. However, we have a process in place where if there is a need or demand, Departments can engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. We have a process later in the year when it comes to our budget if there are overruns or there is need for overspends. Insofar as possible, however, Departments have to stick within our budgets. The Deputy will see that our budget was €105.4 billion last year. That is to cope with the increased demand and the need for increased services, including in health.

I raise the issue of the failure to regenerate social housing flat complexes. The Government is giving billions of euro away in tax breaks to wealthy investor funds, yet it has turned to our most disadvantaged communities living in substandard housing conditions in social housing flat complexes and told them it cannot fund their regeneration. Does the Minister have any sense of embarrassment or shame that after being in government for 15 years, Fine Gael has failed to address the housing conditions of the most vulnerable in this country? The community of Oliver Bond flats are devastated. Similarly failed are communities in the north inner city like Greek Street and Henrietta House. Social housing tenants across this city, from Ballymun to Ballybough House, have been left living in unacceptable conditions, with mould and damp. They were promised improvements by the Government, but all they got was a rent increase this year, pushing them over the edge in a cost-of-living crisis. I have met families with children growing up in mould and damp, which is making them sick. Babies are being hospitalised because of respiratory illness caused by mould and damp. This is the Government's legacy. This is Fianna Fáil's and Fine Gael's legacy. Why should anyone living in a social housing flat complex believe the promises of a better future from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael?

We need to understand fully what has happened when it comes to the Oliver Bond complex. I appreciate that there is a huge amount of frustration and anger when it comes to this specific project. We need to understand how we have got to this point and how the direction has suddenly changed and the project has not been approved. More broadly, in terms of social housing, between July 2020 and the end of last year, almost 60,000 social houses have been built. There is an absolute commitment there to make sure our local authorities are not just acquiring and taking on-----

These are existing social homes.

-----accommodation but also delivering new accommodation. A group has been established specifically to make sure the process by which local authorities can build and develop new homes is sped up and that authorities understand it and know how to use it. That forum has brought together all our local authorities to make sure that everybody is delivering more social housing as well as making sure we are investing in private, affordable and rental accommodation as well. We are committed to that. We see that in the figures, with over 60,000 houses in the last few years alone.

I suspect quite a few people voted for Fine Gael in the most recent election because it promised that it would reduce childcare costs for everybody to €200 per month. It has spectacularly failed to deliver on that promise, which is a very serious cost-of-living issue for many. To give the Minister one instance, this week, in my area, I have been inundated by emails from parents whose crèche provider has pulled out of core funding. To cite one case, their monthly fees have gone from €1,500 up to €2,400. They are already paying a mortgage; that is now a double mortgage. There are many others like them. The Government said it is going to deliver 800 State-led crèche places. One of those crèches is in my area of Shanganagh. It is now very clear that those places are not going to be €200 either, despite the Government's promise. When is it going to deliver childcare costs of €200 per month for everybody? At the moment, it is failing a lot of parents very seriously.

We have over the last number of years, in particular in previous Governments, invested hundreds of millions of euro in childcare and making sure we can provide early childhood care and education, ECCE, spaces for children to which every child has access. About 96% or 97% of children are accessing the ECCE programme, which is available to parents. Beyond that, we have set out a very clear commitment in the programme for Government not just to make childcare affordable but to make sure that, with a growing population, there is access to places as well. That has become a much more significant challenge in areas with a growing population. We have a five-year programme for Government. We have made very clear commitments that we will provide the places and reduce the costs for parents. The plan and intention are that, over a series of budgets, we will be able to deliver that for people. We have not moved away from that commitment. That commitment is there.

What about the people I mentioned?

The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality is setting out and working on a plan as to how we can achieve that overall.

What about these people? How are they going to pay?

Early years providers across the country are contacting me in distress after receiving commercial rate demands from their local authority. These are essential community services already under enormous financial pressure and now they are being hit with unexpected bills that threaten their very viability. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has stated that rates decisions are a matter for Tailte Éireann and the local authorities, yet she also acknowledges the critical importance of early learning and childcare for families and communities. The Minister met the Minister, Deputy Browne, and said they were seeking a resolution. The providers need clarity now, however. Will the Minister tell the House what concrete steps this Government is taking to ensure early years services are not forced to close their doors because of commercial rates liabilities? When does she expect a definitive solution to be delivered?

It is the case that commercial early years providers have always paid rates. However, there is a long-standing agreement or exemption for community not-for-profit services, that is, those that solely offer early childhood care and the ECCE programme. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is aware of a small number that are now starting to be charged and where issues are emerging. She wants to respond, given the importance of early learning and what the Deputy has raised, and she is giving her full attention to the matter. She has met the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, specifically the Minister, Deputy Browne. She is hoping to be able to come to a conclusion or find a solution to this. She is very aware of the problem and obviously wants to address it. It is a long-standing practice that where a not-for-profit body is solely providing this service, it would not be included in rates. We just need to work through this.

There was widespread relief among the general population in Galway, and particularly among the local authorities and transport authorities, following the recent decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant approval for the Galway city ring road. This will obviously allow for the development of the road but also enable the city to develop a new metropolitan transport strategy. One group of people for whom the road development has had a direct and probably greater significance are the 54 homeowners who will be subject to compulsory purchase as part of the process. These families were first advised in the winter of 2015 that their homes were along the preferred route corridor of the new road. There has been a long period of uncertainty for these families. We are at a point now where we need the transport authorities to engage proactively with the families in a sympathetic, purposeful but definite and direct manner to reduce that uncertainty and give clarity to where they currently are and also to recognise the challenging circumstances these families have endured for the past decade. This was the second time planning was granted for the road. These families require some certainty.

I agree with the Deputy. Most of us are not from Galway, but we see the importance of the road and its approval recently. It is, however, important that any new project engage with families locally in a sensitive way. I will relay the Deputy's concern directly to the Minister and ask that the transport authority engage directly and as quickly as possible. I know people locally want to see the project move as quickly as possible.

The proposed scrapping of the 70 bus service under BusConnects represents a downgrade in public transport for Littlepace residents. This is a direct commuter service into the city centre, operating with reasonable frequency at peak times and then once per hour during the day. Under BusConnects, peak-time services would remain direct but during the day, they would be replaced with a connection at the Blanchardstown centre. I met the National Transport Authority, NTA, a month ago and it said the community will have access to a more frequent service. However, this is coming at the cost of a direct service. The community should have the final say on this. It is its service, not the NTA's. The NTA should learn from similar outcries in communities such as Chapelizod and Finglas and meet the residents now. Otherwise, we are heading towards the same pattern of community resistance and frustration at decisions being imposed instead of discussed. I ask the Minister to encourage the NTA to meet residents now while trust and goodwill remains, not after they have been lost.

A core objective of BusConnects is to have a better network, with a more frequent service that reduces journey times and provides better service for people. My understanding is that under BusConnects, the 70 route will be replaced by other bus services, including the L64, which will provide an all-day frequent service to my constituency, in Dunboyne, Clonee and Blanchardstown, and the peak-hour P64 service, which will provide a direct service between those places and Dublin city centre. It is being launched among other services. Where this has applied in other areas, we have seen that it means people having to change buses and not having direct routes. I appreciate the challenges that might create for constituents who do not have a direct route and I will ask the Minister for Transport to engage with the Deputy, with a view to perhaps engaging with the NTA. The service is not due to be introduced until 2027, so obviously there is time to engage further with it.

I raise with the Minister the case of Oisín Pollard. At nine years of age, Oisín was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia. For the past 18 years, he has battled on. For most of those 18 years, he was told there was no treatment. Now, for the first time, there is hope. Skyclarys has been rolled out by other EU states with great effect. It is life-changing. However, little progress has been made here. The HSE remains locked into a haggling war over price. For the small number of people suffering with this rare condition, time is precious. It has been nearly two years since Biogen applied to the HSE for reimbursement of this drug. I ask that the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health engage with the HSE to ensure that a solution is found so that Oisín and others get the urgent support they need.

I am really sorry to hear about the particular case. Where possible, where there are particular rare conditions, we need to support people insofar as we possibly can, with the HSE working closely with the companies as well. If the Deputy passes on the details of the specific case, if that has not already been done, I will certainly raise it again with the Minister for Health.

It relates to the reimbursement of the money. It has to be done.

I will engage directly with them.

I welcome recent comments in this Chamber by the Taoiseach in which he acknowledged that the abolition of town councils was a huge mistake. My home town of Clonmel was one of five former boroughs established by royal charter in 1608. It was self-governing for more than 400 years and that 400 years of history was wiped out by pen in 2014. I am conscious of the consequences for those representing a region in Spain who flirted with independence recently. I make a similar call for independence for Clonmel - independence from Tipperary County Council and financial independence from the power base that is Nenagh. When the local democracy task force report comes before Cabinet, will the Minister be a strong voice for the restoration of town councils above a certain population threshold, in particular, the restoration of borough status for those five towns, including Clonmel?

I commend and acknowledge the role of town councils. We had some in my constituency in Meath. I have worked with councillors since then who perhaps share the same view as the Deputy and would like to see things resumed as they were. I understand the local democracy task force is due to make recommendations or findings on this matter soon. When we are presented with those findings, I will be happy to engage with colleagues to see what is the best way forward.

The Minister might get a sense of déjà vu because I spoke on this matter during Questions on Policy or Promised Legislation last May. For those who need these vital services in Louth, it is Groundhog Day. I raise the need for additional funding and resources for the three housing adaptation grant schemes in Louth. On 1 May, just over a third of the way through the year, Louth County Council had to close its applications for anything other than priority one applications. As the Minister will be aware, very few applications are categorised as priority one. This is not the first year that Louth County Council had to stop taking applications for these scheme only a fraction of the way into the year. Every application represents a person struggling to stay in their own home with the support of loved ones and, in many cases, in horrendous and substandard conditions. The fact remains that local authorities are under-resourced and citizens are suffering. Under-resourcing these vital schemes not only leads the elderly and vulnerable struggling, but pausing them also strips them of any viable pathway for a more comfortable life in their home for the rest of their days. The Minister for local government urgently needs to release more funding to Louth County Council for the housing adaptation schemes. I ask the Minister to take that message directly back to him today as a matter of urgency.

The Department's budget for this year has been set. The housing budget has been set. At the same time, we have a new budget coming up. All of these different matters have to be taken into consideration, to make sure funding can be most impactful and support people who need it most. I will certainly raise this issue with the Minister.

I welcome the allocation of additional gardaí. Of the 140 allocated for Dublin, 113 will go to Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, north and west. In particular, so far this year, 37 new gardaí have been allocated to Finglas and to Ballymun. While I welcome that, I also want to see the roll-out of high-visibility policing. It has made a difference in the city centre. It has been rolled out to some other urban villages. People in places such as Santry, Whitehall and Beaumont want to see that high-visibility policing on the ground. I hope those new numbers will make that difference. I also note the request by the chair of the implementation board for Ballymun, which the Minister established in her time in the Department of justice, to meet the Taoiseach has been dealt with. However, we need more gardaí beyond those that have already been allocated.

I will sound like I am taking on my previous role, but the deployment of An Garda Síochána is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The most important thing is that we are starting to see, in all of the changes that have taken place in recent years, the numbers of recruits coming through at the high level that we need and, most importantly, that they are now flowing down to various parts of the country, including Dublin which has a huge population. I have no doubt that the chief superintendents on the ground will ensure these gardaí are deployed in the best manner possible. From my time engaging with many of them, I know that community policing and visible active policing are core to their overall objective of keeping people safe.

Paramedics and emergency medical technicians, EMTs, play a crucial role in the healthcare system, despite the fact that they are incredibly stretched, with personnel numbers approximately 1,800 short of the target. They are often running on fumes as they try to respond to situations. They are going on strike on Tuesday, as things stand. They do not want to be on strike. They want to be out there responding to emergencies but the reality is they feel that they have no other option because the report that has been sitting around for six years with recommendations to ensure they get basic pay that reflects their responsibilities and duties has not been implemented. Will the Minister for Health intervene to ensure this strike is prevented, there is dialogue and paramedics and EMTs get the pay and conditions they deserve?

Nobody wants to see the National Ambulance Service or paramedics on strike. I commend the fantastic and unbelievable work they do. The Minister for Health has assured me that she, the HSE and the Department are open to further engagement with the National Ambulance Service and want to engage with them through the industrial relations mechanism. That offer, I believe, is there and it is open to the NAS to engage. The Minister very much encourages it to do so before next week.

I raise a serious issue regarding access to dental care for medical card holders. Corporate dental providers are withdrawing from the medical card scheme because, under current legislation, they cannot legally hold contracts directly with the HSE. The legislation governing this area has not been substantially updated since 1987 despite the fact that the structure of the dental profession has changed significantly in recent years. As a result, more than 200,000 medical card procedures that were previously carried out annually in these practices will now have to be provided elsewhere. These patients are finding it difficult to find replacements, as many traditional dentist practices are already operating at full capacity and cannot take on additional medical card patients. Will the Minister raise this with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Health as a matter for urgency and examine the need for legislative reform to protect access to dental care for medical card holders?

I am happy to raise the matter directly with the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and, in particular, the Minister. It is essential, whether through legislative means or financial support that is required, that people have access to dental care. I am happy to raise that directly.

Fingal is one of the fastest growing areas in the country but transport needs to keep pace with housing delivery. We need buses that connect the new developments in sprawling towns like Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk to the town centre and, crucially, also to our rail links. Rush and Lusk train station is actually in the middle of nowhere and is surrounded by fields. The car park is at capacity. When I brought this up with the NTA I was told all the focus is on the eastern rail corridor, but the reality is there is no bus to connect people to the train station. We need to have local public transport that moves people around our towns and villages and connects them with the rail infrastructure.

Overall, the Government fully recognises the need to create more connectivity to make sure that people living in rural and not-so-rural areas are able to use public transport and that there is greater investment. A huge focus of the €102 billion investment in our infrastructure plan is for public transport, investing in our roads, railway networks and bus networks to ensure that they are joined up and connected insofar as possible. Obviously, it is about making sure that we are working directly with the Deputy on the area that she outlined. The Minister for Transport, the NTA and our agencies are working directly with the community to identify where the gaps are and how we fill those gaps and that plans are in place and ready to progress as funding is allocated.

The pupil-teacher ratio currently stands at 23:1. The programme for Government contains a commitment to reduce it to 19:1, which would be more in line with EU averages. We all know the importance of having a low ratio. With the multiplicity of needs that teachers now face in the classroom, having a lower ratio leads to a better learning environment, more individual engagement with pupils and better outcomes overall. Unfortunately, I am aware of a school in my constituency where two senior infants classes will have to merge, increasing the overall class number to 33, which I think we can all agree is not acceptable. I urge the Minister to convey to her colleagues in Cabinet the urgent need to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio. It is something we have to do and we need to press ahead with the commitment in the programme for Government.

There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government. We have seen a reduction in recent years, in particular under the previous Government. We know the impact it has on students and on teaching, coupled with the significant increase in the number of teachers, including special or additional needs teachers who are supporting our mainstream classes. We know when we walk into a classroom now there are more teachers there and more support there at the same time. We need to make sure that no classes go beyond the number that we have clearly identified. We all know there are some schools where the numbers are higher than they should be. We want to do everything we can to reduce that overall number. That will take time and will have to happen over a series of budgets, but it is something we are committed to.

The waiting time for occupational therapy, OT, services in Kildare and west Wicklow is now 169 weeks, or 3.25 years. I have received replies to a number of parliamentary questions related to constituents who have to wait that long to see an occupational therapist. They are waiting for motorised scooters, chairs and simple rails to help their quality of life. Some of these people cannot wait three and a half years; they are in their golden years. I ask the Minister to talk to the Minister for Health and the HSE to see what we can do for OT services. This is a quality-of-life issue. These people need assistance. They cannot wait three and a half years. I ask the Minister to ask the Minister for Health to look at this urgently for those people who need it most.

I am happy to raise this matter directly. There are a number of things we need to do in response. We need to ensure we have enough qualified people and ensure we have enough courses and training opportunities working with our universities. That is happening already through the Department of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, working with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. We also need to consider where legislative changes are required, in particular when it comes to assessments where more OT time is being spent on assessments as opposed to providing services, not just for children but for people more broadly. Those changes need to come into effect soon and I know the Minister is working on that. We also need to make sure we have the funding to be able to support the hiring of new staff to provide these services more broadly. I will raise the matter directly.

There is currently a capital advance leasing facility application for 60 new homes in Carndonagh in County Donegal. I cannot overstress how important this development is for Carndonagh. Families across Donegal are desperate for the opportunity to secure an affordable home and build a better future for themselves. The cost of houses has risen, soaring rents have left many unable to afford suitable accommodation and thousands remain on the social housing waiting list. New housing development can play a vital role in easing the housing crisis and provide people with a safe secure place to live. I ask the Minister to encourage her colleagues to look at the 60 applications in Carndonagh and to review the 17 houses in Milford that have already been refused.

Obviously, if this is a planning matter, it is something for An Coimisiún Pleanála. If it is about any scheme, the need for funding or investment, I can raise it directly with colleagues. Some €40 billion will be provided over the next number of years directly for housing development and water infrastructure. There will also be additional funding to make sure that grid access or any other type of infrastructure to open any new housing development is developed as quickly as possible. If the Deputy provides me with details of the specific projects, I can relay those. If it is planning related, that is obviously a matter for An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Will the Government back a plan to introduce nuclear power? Who and what are behind this latest kite the Government is flying? Is this pandering to vested interests, tech companies which want to expand data centres even further in this country? Those data centres are currently consuming about 25% of all our energy. We should not be introducing nuclear power to power data centres. I just want to nail a few lies. Nuclear is a dangerous option; it is not safe. It takes 200,000 years for the waste to become safe. Mining is dangerous. It is not carbon neutral and not sustainable. Accidents are not in the dim and distant past. There have been 57 serious nuclear accidents since 1986. Nor is it cheaper; nuclear energy is three times more expensive than renewables. The small modular reactors may lower the construction costs but they do not deal with the issue of waste. The Government is not able to build housing in this country, yet it is willing to undertake potentially going nuclear to fund multinationals and their data centres. This is a bogus argument. The Government needs to lower electricity costs and there are other ways of doing it without introducing nuclear power.

Our laws are very clear: it is illegal to create nuclear power in Ireland. Any proposal to change that would have to be done with agreement and debate, not just here in the Houses but more broadly. At the moment, there are no direct plans but given the situation in which we find ourselves on a global scale, we should not rule out discussions about things. However, the law is very clear at the moment: nuclear power is not allowed and not applicable. I know this came up yesterday. Whether it is the French interconnector which will be connected soon or even the UK interconnector, there is an element of nuclear energy that comes into Ireland. However, from an Irish perspective, I think we are a long way off even having that overall discussion.