2026-04-22

This morning, we hear of another scandal involving the care of vulnerable children in this State. Forged references were provided for staff at special emergency accommodation for children, putting vulnerable children in harm's way. These settings, as the Taoiseach knows, are unregulated, poorly resourced and unregistered facilities not inspected by the authorities, yet more than 1,000 children were placed in these settings last year. The State pays out literally millions to private operators to run them, all because of a severe shortage of foster carers and regulated care home placements - a shortage, by the way, that the Taoiseach's Government allowed to develop. What is the Taoiseach's response to this scandal and how will he ensure accountability for this, which is just the latest in a long line of such scandals?

As I said earlier to Deputy Bacik, who raised this issue on Leaders' Questions, we are extremely concerned about this issue of forged letters, which is completely unacceptable and very serious for the care of young people who are taken into care. The numbers referred to Tusla have expanded to an extraordinary degree, which reflects wider issues within society of different kinds. We have substantially increased the current and capital funding, doubling capital funding and so forth. The recruitment of qualified staff is key. A lot of work has happened in that area in terms of investment in additional grades, improvements and so on, and we are going to have to do more on that front. I would pay tribute to a lot of Tusla staff out there who do an awful lot of good work looking after a lot of people who need that care and assistance.

Last Thursday, I was in Westminster with Lisa Phillips, the courageous campaigner and survivor of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. We met with British MPs who are supporting Lisa in seeking access to information about the extent of Epstein's criminal activities. Survivors are campaigning for full disclosure of all information held by the US Department of Justice on Epstein's global trafficking network. We know there are hundreds of references to Ireland in the Epstein files held by the US Department of Justice. We know he visited Ireland several times and that he had business interests here. Deputy Duncan Smith and I have asked the Taoiseach about references here to Epstein's activities. I think he said the Government here has no files related to Epstein. What I am asking now is, to ensure justice for survivors, would the Taoiseach consider taking a proactive step by appointing a senior counsel or a Government official to carry out a scoping exercise into the US Department of Justice files to see what information there relates to Epstein's activities in Ireland?

The Taoiseach to respond. The Deputy's time is up.

We need to get more information on this.

I know the Deputy has raised this on a number of occasions and I commend the survivors on the work they are doing. It is very courageous. We do not have access to the State Department files at all but we would encourage the full release of all documentation and files in relation to Jeffrey Epstein and, if there are files referencing Ireland, that those would be released.

There are.

I will discuss it with the Minister for justice again. I also received a very late request to meet, when I was in Washington. It was very late in the day that I received that request. People said I did not bother meeting. I will say no more. I can talk to the Deputy about this but the Government has no files. To our knowledge, there is nothing in the Department of justice and so on. I will discuss with the Deputy what mechanisms there are to do this.

Yesterday, the window for submitting observations on the development in Bessborough expired but the window for this Government to act has not. Behind those stone walls, women and children were put through hell and for 76 years the State turned a blind eye. Today, the Government is doing the same, as if the grim legacy of Bessborough can be buried under apartment blocks. It cannot. Eight hundred and fifty-nine babies who died there have never been found and are likely in unmarked graves on the estate. There has never been a comprehensive investigation. Survivors have been consistently retraumatised by the State. The Government has an opportunity to change that legacy and to fulfil not just the legal but moral obligation to find the bodies of these babies and provide a dignified burial and memorial site. If we do not act, we are complicit in further injustice. We owe survivors more than that. Will the Taoiseach act?

I take a different perspective in terms of how the Deputy put it. I do not think the State today or the Government today is complicit in anything that happened over 50 years ago and right throughout that period. I actually do not. It is easy language to throw out there or to say that we are ignoring-----

I said for 76 years the State was complicit.

There is no right to respond, Deputy. That was rhetorical.

Personally, I think what happened is reprehensible. I have never understood it. What happened in earlier eras is that the poor homes evolved into the county homes, which evolved into the mother and baby homes. Some people-----

What about what is happening now?

I have already addressed that, Deputy, thank you. Now, Deputy Coppinger.

On 8 April, four gardaí with a search warrant barged into the home of a therapist. They shouted at her and her daughter to put down their phones, not to move and to tell them where her files were. They would not let her take a photograph of the warrant or talk to her solicitor. They said they would seize her phone and laptop. They did all this in front of her daughter, who has health conditions, and said her mother knows what she has done. The therapist had to ask them to stop shouting, such was the level of aggression. What were they looking for? They were looking for the counselling notes of a client. They were not looking for drugs or guns but the counselling notes of a client she was trying to heal. The therapist had arranged with the client to hand over these notes when she returned from being abroad. I do not have the time to go into all of the dates and details here. The key issue is why was a therapist treated like a criminal in her home? Why has the Taoiseach and his Government allowed therapy notes of sexual assault survivors to become such an integral part of trials in the first place?

I thank the Deputy. Her time is up.

Will the Taoiseach tell his Minister to outlaw this practice in trials entirely?

The Taoiseach to respond. The Deputy's time is up.

The Deputy knows the Minister is bringing in six substantial-----

He is not ruling it out, though. They can still be-----

This is not the forum for back and forth, Deputy.

If the Ceann Comhairle had let me finish the sentence, the Taoiseach would have heard that.

I was not able to speak more than four words and the Deputy interrupted me. This is ridiculous. The Deputy is either serious about raising an issue or not.

The Taoiseach needs to answer the question.

The Deputy needs to refrain.

The Deputy knows the answer to it. She has made assertions that are false about the Minister for justice. He is going far as the Constitution allows in terms of access to counselling notes. The Deputy knows that.

The Minister is not ruling it out.

Do not be so disparaging and negative about the bona fides of the Minister for justice on this issue.

What about the therapist? Is the Taoiseach okay with that?

This is the wrong forum, Deputy. Do not ask follow-ups at Questions on Policy or Legislation. Deputy Paul Lawless.

Why do we bother?

I want to raise my concerns about the retirement age for emergency personnel and particularly for the retained fire service. Every year, very valuable members with huge amounts of experience leave the force - the retained fire service. In one station alone, 100 years of experience will be lost over the next number of years. These are individuals who undergo medical examination every year after the age of 50. My view is that if a person wants to continue to work and if they are eligible and passing their medical examination, they should be allowed to do so. It is particularly in the context of the Workplace Relations Commission proposals in 2023. There was a major issue with recruitment in the retained fire service. I welcome the fact that has changed but there are a huge number who will have to leave. The new recruits need to have experience.

The Taoiseach will respond. The Deputy posed the question and his time is up. The Deputy must now allow the Taoiseach to respond.

The retirement age was 55 and it is now 62. We actually have made very significant progress on extending the age at which somebody retires in the Garda, the Army, the fire services and across the board in emergency services. The original reason was the nature of the work. Obviously, because of the investment in health services over the past two decades and better lifestyles and so on, people are living much longer, people's quality of life is much better and people are fitter at older ages than they would have historically been. That is why the age limits have increased and we will continue to keep all of that under review. However, there will always be an age of retirement in emergency response services. That is clear. Obviously, the authorities concerned specifically with this area will do their research, analysis and assessment.

Child and adolescent mental health services, or CAMHS as we know it, supports young people up to 18 years of age with moderate to serious mental health difficulties. At 18, they are expected to move to the adult mental health services, AMHS. While, logically, we know that these young people are adults, many still need our help and particularly the ones who are in the care of CAMHS. They can be so incredibly vulnerable, yet they and their parents appear to be facing a cliff edge in care in some cases. When they push for the transition from CAMHS to AMHS, they are put off, in my constituency anyway. They have been told to wait until the person is 18 and then AMHS will get involved. A mother has been in touch with me about her son who is suicidal. Another mother has been in touch about her daughter's eating disorder. We cannot stop the care with CAMHS today and start with AMHS tomorrow. It is not feasible for these people. Can we change that recommendation to a requirement?

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. As she knows, most children and young people receive the care they need from CAMHS and are discharged. However, some young people may need to transition to adult services. I accept and acknowledge that transitions between services can be difficult, and that is why I established a specialist group in the Department of Health policy oversight structures to examine the process. The recommendations of the group were informed by feedback from over 200 young people who transitioned between CAMHS and adult mental health services. It included listening to the voices of young people, using electronic files and the appointment of co-ordinators. It has produced a report, which is being implemented by the national child and youth mental health office. I would be happy to talk to the Deputy about those too. It is something I am acutely aware of and it is raised a lot. I thank the Deputy for raising it today.

Last night, in Baltinglass in rural west Wicklow, I met a group of 12 people. These were small businesspeople ranging from contractors to farmers. What they all had in common was the massive impact of the fuel crisis on their livelihoods. These were very reasonable people whose livelihoods are under threat. The package announced ten days ago will not solve their problem. It does not cover all contractors, such as those working on building sites, and there is little confidence the rebates proposed will happen quickly. I urge the Taoiseach and his Government officials to do two things. First, will they engage with the contractors not benefiting from the scheme to ensure they are included? Many of these are working on house building sites, which we know is so important in this country. Second, will they ensure the scheme is simple and pays out quickly so that those who are suffering see an immediate benefit?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Material hauliers are covered but I accept some contractors in specific sectors may not be. I will engage and ask Ministers to engage with the relevant groups there because we want the packages either for transport or for the agricultural contractor area to be inclusive. We do not want people excluded. The proposals have been worked up in the Department of Transport and they are being worked up in the Department of agriculture. We are very conscious of the need to get this formulated as quickly as possible so that people can benefit from the rebate, which will be quite significant going back to March for the agricultural areas and for contractors more generally. I will take on board what the Deputy has said, particularly about any gaps for any particular group that might be unwittingly or unintentionally excluded.

I welcome the Fermoy active retirement group to the Visitors Gallery. They are guests of Deputy Noel McCarthy and are very welcome.

Cuirim fáilte. I am really worried about the number of families I am meeting who are struggling with their energy bills. We know 315,000 households are currently in arrears but there are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of others who are literally struggling just to pay their bills every month. The Taoiseach has to acknowledge that what his Government has done is not enough to help them. There is a growing divide between those who have the resources to be able to retrofit or put up solar panels and those who do not and who are meeting ever rising bills. It is especially in the context of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, suggesting there could be increases in energy costs of 8% or more. Does the Taoiseach accept now that the Government has to do something to support ordinary families with the cost of electricity? Sinn Féin has advocated for the reintroduction of energy credits but it is not good enough and it cannot be good enough for the Taoiseach to tell people to wait until next year's budget or to say what we are currently doing is enough. Families are under huge pressure and they need the Government's help.

The Deputy said he was concerned about a growing divide. His solution would actually widen that divide for those on the lowest incomes. We have taken measures. The excise duty reductions help everybody by definition.

What about electricity costs?

We will deal with electricity costs. Three tankers were attacked this morning in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a very serious war. The Deputy keeps talking as if the war did not exist. We do not know where this might lead to. We were all hoping, two or three days ago, that we were heading for a peaceful resolution of this war. Three ships were attacked this morning in the Strait of Hormuz so nothing can get through. Imagine the impact that will have on prices. The Deputy's view is to spend everything now. We want to support families. We have to make sure we can support families and support them substantially in the latter part of the year as well.

On the last sitting day here before Easter, I raised the very serious difficulties confronting farmers and agri-contractors due to the enormous increase in the price of green diesel at that time. I also referred to the increase in farm input costs, such as fertiliser. Combined with those additional costs has been the reduction for some time in the prices paid to farmers for farm products, namely commodity prices. Following the Government announcement of a scheme to help offset some of those costs. It is essential that the details be announced at an early date. The scheme needs to be as straightforward as possible and not tied up in paperwork. There also needs to be some flexibility on timelines. Farmers and contractors need those payments issued as quickly as possible. For many of those hard-working people there are real cash-flow problems at present and the Department has to act with the utmost urgency to ensure these essential payments issue to eligible applicants as quickly as possible.

I appreciate that the Deputy raised this issue of the impact of the war and increased fuel prices on farmers and agri-contractors more generally. I welcome the people of Fermoy, who are right in agricultural country as well. The need for a detailed package to be announced quickly is accepted. My understanding is that within the next week or so a package will be outlined by the Department of agriculture in respect of farming and contractors. Then we may have to look at the construction sector. Some will be covered by the haulier and transport provisions but others may be outside. We will see if we can close that gap.

I am raising childcare again today. There are not enough places and we have poorly planned spaces. Dublin West is peppered with either unused crèche buildings or sites where crèches were supposed to be built but were not. I know this is happening in other parts of the country too. Developers are currently required to supply crèche facilities in large housing developments but not to industry viable specifications. The result is that some crèches are built too small, are poorly designed or are badly located and they can often be left empty for years. We also have sites where crèches have not been built even though the developments are complete. During a childcare crisis, we cannot have childcare places going to waste. We must have a planning system that prioritises and designs for childcare.

For the first time the State is moving beyond funding alone and directly supporting the creation of childcare places. Under the early learning and childcare capital programme, up to eight facilities will be delivered this year, providing about 800 additional places, focusing on under threes as well as rural and disadvantaged areas. There are very significant planning frameworks governing the development of childcare more generally. Budget 2026 marked the highest ever level of State investment. It is now at €1.5 billion, which is a 12% year-on-year increase but there are still significant issues. There is significant demand on places and we will continue to work on those. I encourage the Deputy to talk to the Minister for children in respect of this. Hopefully, in the forthcoming budget, we will in a position to do more in respect of childcare.

I want to raise the planned Garda headquarters at Northern Cross. As the Taoiseach will be aware, this was announced eight years ago. I and many people in the constituency are getting frustrated because we are getting mixed messages. Last week, the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW said he hoped that this would commence in 2028 but then he went on to say that no site has been identified. The elected representatives for the area have been told for the past seven years that a site had been identified and is being progressed. I am asking the Taoiseach to get us some clarification because the last thing we need is mixed messages.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Minister of State responsible for the OPW is solid citizen. When he says things, he generally means them. I will discuss the issue with him and try to get clarity. In all of these developments, site acquisition is always the key enabler and sometimes the absence of a site can be the cause of a project not developing. I will ask him and come back to the Deputy.

I want to ask about drugs policy. On-street drug use is a significant issue in Cork city. Local residents feel unsafe and intimidated. Needles have been found at bus stops, at playgrounds and outside schools. Problem drug users have been pushed from one part of Cork city to another. They were in the city centre and now, as the Taoiseach will know, they have been in Turner's Cross and Ballyphehane in recent weeks. We are next. The Government's drug policy has failed with devastating consequences for individuals, families and communities. A UCC study shows that 35 people a year die from problem drug use in Cork city. These are preventable deaths. We need an enhanced community policing response but crucially we need a long-term solution. We need a health-led approach, greater addiction services, decriminalisation and a safe injection facility. We should not have to wait for the review of the service in Dublin. Last night, the drugs committee heard that 40 years of evidence shows that these are effective. They reduce on-street drug use, reduce the spread infectious disease, prevent overdoses and connect people to services. I have one simple question. Does the Taoiseach support a safe injection facility for Cork city and what will he do to make it a reality?

That is not the panacea for this issue, but there is an issue here. Of that there is no doubt. I have been in touch with the Garda on the specifics of the areas the Deputy has identified because there is a lot of concern and anxiety among residents. It is not because of Government failure on drug policy, by the way. There is individual responsibility here too. There are bad actors as well in terms of the drug pushing and so on. I am fully in favour of a health-led approach to addiction. That is what we have in essence. There have been different manifestations of that over the past number of decades but we essentially have a health-led approach and will continue to have that. We also need an enforcement and policing response to protect people in communities from unacceptable behaviour or any violence that may result from certain people behaving badly.

I want to raise a very practical measure that could support families and community sports. Will the Government consider introducing targeted tax relief for households and families on their memberships of sporting organisations? Many families in my constituency are under serious financial pressure to give their children the opportunity to be members and join multiple sporting organisations, whether it be soccer, hurling, camogie, athletics or swimming. The list goes on and on. If they want to play additional support such tennis, golf, basketball, volleyball or cricket, there are additional specific membership costs for all of these. Providing a modest tax relief for membership of sporting organisations would help put money back in the pockets of individuals and families. Importantly, this measure would not only support families, but it would also strengthen local clubs by boosting participation and membership. It is a simple targeted initiative that would promote health, community engagement and well-being, and the sustainability of grassroots sports. It is an idea worth serious consideration in the context of budget 2027. I am looking for the Taoiseach's support on it.

Is it all sporting organisations?

Yes, all sporting organisations.

I recall that about two years ago we looked seriously at tax relief for gym membership. As part of the budget preparations, I will discuss what suite of taxation measures we will adopt to try to alleviate pressures on people. There had also been tax relief in respect of philanthropic donations to clubs and so on, but that all sporting organisations would be covered by a tax relief is a new one. Some charge low enough fees; some charge high fees. I do accept that in the current climate, with fuel costs and everything else, there are a lot of pressures on people, and inflation is at elevated levels because of what happened following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. It had been coming down before that war. We will examine this in the context of the budget.

I have serious concerns about a proposal by An Post to relocate a sorting office from Edmondstown in Rathfarnham to Lucan later this year. This facility has served people in Knocklyon, Whitechurch, Firhouse and Rathfarnham for decades. Closing it would be a particularly bad blow, given the recent closure of the much-valued and much-used post office in Rathfarnham village. It will impact postal services in our area. It will have knock-on impacts with regard to delivery times and general service levels. Instead of having a relatively short and convenient journey, people in Rathfarnham will have to travel across the congested M50 all the way over to Lucan to pick up their parcels, and that is if they have a car. If there were to use by public transport, it would be a two-hour journey each way. An Post is a public service. Accessibility has to be one of its guiding principles, and this proposal is contrary to that. I ask that the Taoiseach ensure that An Post invests in the services locally in the Rathfarnham-Edmondstown area rather than forcing people to travel across Dublin South-West to get their parcels.

I thank the Deputy for raising this. That sounds like an excessive journey across. I do not know whether he has engaged with An Post on this, but perhaps he should. I certainly will alert An Post to the fact that he has raised it here and get its plans and background. Normally it does not do stuff that would result in a deterioration of a service. We had similar issues in another location and it worked out okay. I do not have the full background to this but we will raise it with An Post.

I want to ask the Taoiseach about a situation in the mid-west at the moment. I am one of the first people who would be out defending the rights of people to come here under international protection and beneficiaries of temporary protection coming from the war in Ukraine. They have a right to be safe and a right to be looked after. However, I want to tell the Taoiseach about someone who has been in this country three months and who at the weekend committed his eighth crime. He has been charged with his eighth crime. This is a man from Ukraine. Many people have that right, and I would defend the right of people to be here, but this is somebody holidaying here and on a crime spree at the expense of the taxpayer. We have to give space to the criminal justice system, but for someone flaunting our laws, abusing communities and being a thug, what mechanism is there to send him back? I think he has lost all right to be here in this country. The quicker we get him back the better. People have a right to be here, but this is not a right. This is an abuse of a right. This is criminality.

I do not believe it is necessary to name the nationality in our forum. I just do not think it is in any way helpful to-----

How else do I convey a situation, a Cheann Comhairle?

You conveyed it well without having to name any nationality, and people understand-----

I respectfully disagree. I have a representational role here for my constituency.

More generally, my understanding is that the Minister for justice has powers, and the Deputy should raise the case with the Minister because the Minister for justice has the capacity to deport people who have been convicted by the criminal justice system of crimes. I understand quite a number of deportations have happened in respect of others, but, again, that is all subject to clarity. That is my understanding, and I encourage the Deputy to raise the specific issue with the Minister for justice.

I wish to raise the issue of payment terms applied by State and semi-State bodies to contractors. I welcome that payments are guaranteed but I have been told that payment terms can stretch to four months, which is simply not acceptable. These are small and medium-sized operators, the backbone of small enterprise across Ireland, who must cover fuel, machinery, wages and other overheads all upfront. They cannot wait months to pay staff or creditors. Payment delays are placing real financial strain on otherwise viable businesses. I respect that commercial contracts are not for direct interference but it is reasonable to question why State agencies, which should set the standards, are imposing such lengthy payment terms. I ask that the Government examines this issue and ensures fair, timely and responsible payment practices for small contractors across Ireland. Will the Taoiseach send a memo to all the Ministers asking them to talk to and engage with all the agencies?

I thank the Deputy for raising a very fair question. I would be equally intolerant of overly lengthy periods for paying contractors, particularly small to medium-sized enterprises, which need to be paid in a timely manner. I know that in the recent discussions with the Irish Road Haulage Association in which the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, were engaged, issues around payments and rebates, and the timeliness of those, were raised. Undertakings have been given to try to speed up some of those repayments, rebates and so on. It is a very fair question, and the State should act honourably and reasonably in these circumstances.

We have two final Deputies. I will give them 30 seconds each. I call Deputy Cathy Bennett, to be followed by Deputy Charles Ward.

In recent months, the Irish Government launched an advertising campaign in Australia encouraging those who built Australia to return home. Emigrants, however, face significant challenges returning home. While appreciating recent efforts to expand countries with which Ireland has reciprocal recognition arrangements regarding driving licences, will the Government ascribe equal priority to Irish citizens who are returning home in order that they can get driving licences?

I have an issue regarding the Minister for children not answering a question. The Ceann Comhairle ruled that the question was okay. It feels like we are being silenced here. I need the Taoiseach to ensure that the Government will take a whole approach to addressing children in support hubs with defective concrete.

In relation to the drivers' licences and the reciprocation between countries, we are acting on that with a number of countries, including the US. Last week we signed an agreement with Moldova, and we are looking at how we can speed up the process and give equal recognition between Australia and ourselves. Just this morning I read a report of a review I got. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I are working on this.

And the USA.

And the USA, yes.

I did not quite get the specifics of Deputy Ward's contribution, but the mica scheme is progressing fairly significantly now. Hundreds of millions of euro have now been successfully allocated and invested. The Deputy says in respect of children but-----

It was to do with a support hub for children. The question was tabled and the Minister refused to answer it.

I will have a chat with the Minister about that.