2026-01-21

I remind Members that if they cannot make their point in 60 seconds, they have asked the question in the wrong forum. There is one question per TD. I call Deputy Mary Lou McDonald.

You might stop the clock and put it back to-----

We will reset the clock.

Thank you. I am obliged.

Questions will be taken by the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. The Taoiseach is leaving.

The State not alone failed Garda Margaret Loftus; it actively protected her abuser, Garda Trevor Bolger. Margaret was subjected not alone to a prolonged, sustained and violent assault, as has been commented on in the public domain, but also to a sustained campaign of threat, intimidation and menace by Trevor Bolger. Yet, this man was promoted, given a firearm, given more responsibility and protected. This raises the most serious questions for An Garda Síochána, including its failure to investigate, its promotion of this individual and his ongoing employment by the State. It also raises a very serious question for the Director of Public Prosecutions. This man was charged with a section 2 assault, which is the most minor assault. He walked away with a suspended sentence of three months, not even a rap on the knuckles.

I also commend Margaret Loftus on her courage in coming forward in public and on securing a conviction, which is a very significant achievement that she achieved. We also need to recognise that Margaret Loftus commended the investigating gardaí. There has now been a conviction. Once a member of An Garda Síochána is convicted of a criminal offence, there is a process under the Garda conduct regulations, which will be a matter initiated by the Commissioner. I have no doubt that those conduct regulations will deal with issues in respect of the garda's continuation within An Garda Síochána or not. That is a matter for the disciplinary process that will be put in place. I commend Margaret Loftus on her bravery. It was a very significant achievement for her to gain a conviction of assault against her abusing husband. She is an example to others as to how we can stand up to domestic violence.

The Minister will be aware that in 2017, I introduced legislation to provide for an exoneration for men who were convicted of engaging in consensual same-sex sexual activity prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993. As he will recall, the first part of that process was the historic State apology issued in both Houses of the Oireachtas in July 2018 for the way in which this State and this society treated their LGBT+ citizens. The second element of that process was the initiation of a process to set aside pre-1993 convictions. There are old men in this country who have criminal records only because of who they are, of who they love and loved, and when. That is plain wrong. Will the Minister update the House, nine years on from the initiation of the original legislation in my name, as to what the status of that proposition is?

I thank the Deputy for the question. I acknowledge his work in this area in respect of the publication by him of the Bill in 2017. His question is opportune. When I came into office, one of the issues I wanted to expedite was "disregard legislation", as it is referred to. The information I got back was that a lengthy process was ongoing in respect of the preparation of a Bill. I am pleased to say I have managed to expedite that process. I will bring forward an amendment, hopefully in March, to the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which will start in this House tomorrow, that will include amendments in respect of disregard legislation. I am very conscious that these men, and they are predominantly men, have waited a very long time for the exoneration to which they are entitled. I do not want to delay the process any further. I look forward to the Deputy's support and the support of others when that amendment comes in on Committee Stage.

The handling by An Garda Síochána of a domestic violence complaint against Garda Trevor Bolger is hugely concerning. When his ex-wife, Margaret Loftus, first disclosed Bolger's attack on her, she said it seemed impossible to get anyone to take it seriously. She even had to watch as Bolger was promoted to detective and issued with a firearm after she had raised the issue. Ms Loftus had to compile her own case file before an investigation started. Bolger was eventually charged in 2019 and on Friday pleaded guilty to assault. However, it has now been revealed that a Garda investigation was launched when the media first reported the details of the case in 2020. The security and crime editor of The Irish Times, Conor Lally, was interviewed as part of this inquiry. Having dragged their heels in investigating Bolger, no such reticence was shown by gardaí in investigating journalists. This is despite the fact the case had been mentioned in open court and the media were fully entitled to cover it. Is the Minister concerned about the case? Has he asked the Garda Commissioner why an investigation was launched into the media? Is he satisfied that domestic violence complaints made against gardaí are treated appropriately?

I am satisfied that An Garda Síochána now takes seriously complaints of domestic violence. I am concerned about the detail provided by the brave Margaret Loftus in respect of how she was concerned that her complaint was not initially taken seriously. However, I recognise that she acknowledges the excellent work done by the investigating gardaí, who got her case and then pursued it relentlessly. In particular, the garda involved in that is the current Commissioner, Justin Kelly. I acknowledge her concerns, but I have to say that when you look at the top of the organisation of An Garda Síochána, it is an organisation that takes these complaints-----

What about the case against the media?

-----extremely seriously.

Why does the Government have it in for disabled people and carers? It had a budget where disabled people were singled out for a particularly cruel set of cuts, amounting to more than €1,400. Now we have carers being faced with substantial tax bills. One man in his 80s is facing a bill of more than €6,000. These people are not tax dodgers. They are saving the State billions of euro because of the work they are doing in caring for a loved one at a tiny fraction of the cost it would take for the State to pay for it privately. Will the Government leave the carers alone and instead focus its attention on the Ministers who owe tens of thousands of euro to the State and have not made any attempt to repay it over seven months after they found out about it?

I thank the Deputy for his question. He is incorrect to say this Government has it in for disabled people and carers. That is simply incorrect, and his categorisation of what happened in the budget is not accurate. In terms of what he states about tax bills, the laws in respect of taxation of carers have not changed whatsoever. A letter was sent out by the Revenue Commissioners in November 2025, but the law itself has not changed. The law now is the same as it was prior to the letters going out in November. This Government very much recognises and appreciates the excellent work done by carers. If you look at the measures introduced by the Government in respect of carers and disabled people, you will see that its support for them is evident in what it does. It is not the case that the Government is targeting disabled people or carers. That is not correct.

In the case of Jessica Sheedy and the then CEO of UHL, will the Department of justice do an investigation into somebody who withheld evidence, misled an independent inquiry by not providing the relevant information at the time, and put people's lives at risk through the delay in providing the information? This independent inquiry has been done twice. It has gone to the UK twice. The final information was given in the UK. The real file was given in the UK recently, which has brought the case against Dr. Lal. There were people silenced under agreements. This was all done under the management at the time and that stands with the CEO. That means they misled an independent inquiry. Justice needs to be served, and people held to account if there is to be any learning in this case.

I thank the Deputy for raising this. I also thank him for acknowledging the different management that is there now, Sandra Broderick and Ian Carter, who represent a different management culture from that which has gone before. I also recognise the considerable work that Bernard Gloster has done in taking disciplinary proceedings of the kind we have never seen in the health system in respect of some of the senior management in Limerick who predate Mr. Carter and Ms Broderick. Those proceedings continue and are at different stages in the court process at the moment, so I want to be careful in what I say about them. However, I acknowledge there has been an effort in respect of the previous senior management in UHL to have a level of disciplinary process that has never been achieved in the health system before. It is important that those proceedings are let be carried through by Mr. Gloster and his successor and to allow those proceedings to take place.

I raise the importance of having our Garda stations across the country open and accessible to the public. I acknowledge the outstanding work the Minister is doing in relation to garda recruitment and retention. Increasing garda visibility is critically important but so is access to Garda stations across our communities. I represent Cork South-Central, as the Minister knows, and the only Garda station in that five-seat constituency that is open reliable hours is the district headquarters in Togher. I know he visited there recently. We have urban areas with Garda stations located in them, but they are not open in a reliable way to the public. I think the Minister will agree that members of the public want to be able to walk into a Garda station, meet a garda, raise an issue with them and discuss a local issue of concern with them. Suggesting that they should call 999 to contact An Garda Síochána is not acceptable and it is removing gardaí from front-line policing and dealing with the community face to face. I ask the Minister to redouble his efforts in consultation with the Garda Commissioner to ensure that our Garda stations are open better and more reliable hours for the public.

I thank Deputy McGrath for his question. Like every other Deputy in the House, the one demand he wants to see met is to see more gardaí in his constituency. I know everyone in this House wants to see the same. That is a good reflection on An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will know that the number of gardaí in Cork city increased significantly after the most recent attestation in Templemore. I am pleased to see positive reports on the presence of gardaí in Cork over the Christmas period. I will discuss with the Garda Commissioner the issues the Deputy raises in respect of Garda stations. Just as people like to see gardaí, they also want to know there are Garda stations there. Ultimately, if I have to choose between stations or gardaí on the street, I want to see gardaí on the street. There is no point having stations if the gardaí are in there. I will talk with the Commissioner about trying to make sure that other stations in the Deputy's constituency are open on a more full-time basis.

The Minister just mentioned the allocation of gardaí to Cork. Maintaining law and order is not just a challenge for Cork or Dublin; it is also a challenge for every town and village across Ireland. The absence of a Garda presence has become normalised rather than exceptional in my constituency of south Tipperary. A town without order is a town that shuts down socially and economically. The Minister mentioned the most recent intake of 251, with 154 gardaí allocated - two thirds - to Dublin and Cork. What are we to conclude from that? Will the Minister engage with the Garda Commissioner to ensure we have a balanced regional allocation in terms of the four intakes for 2026?

Again, the Deputy wants to see more gardaí in his constituency. I do not get involved in directing the Commissioner as to where I think he should send gardaí. That would be far too political. What I say to the Commissioner, and it is something he agrees with, is that I want to see high-visibility policing. That means high-visibility policing not just in our urban areas and cities such as Dublin, Cork and Limerick, but throughout the country. When it comes to rural constituencies like the Deputy's constituency, it is more difficult to have the visible presence of gardaí in every area because of the size of the constituency. However, I assure the Deputy that the Commissioner and I are committed to ensuring we get more gardaí out around the country and visible to the people in the area. That will be achieved through garda recruitment. The numbers are looking better at present. We have 14,400 members of An Garda Síochána. I am looking to get to close to 15,000 by the end of the year. Once we get those numbers, we will see more gardaí going to the Deputy's constituency and to everyone else's constituencies.

I raise the issue of the Mercosur trade agreement, which has certainly not gone away. We are in a position over the weekend where we see that Larry Murrin, the chair of Bord Bia, is also the CEO of a company that was providing Brazilian beef. It is simply incompatible with his role in the promotion of Irish food products to remain in that position. That is the first point. We also had good news from the European Parliament this morning because the Mercosur trade agreement has been referred to the European courts because of the undemocratic nature in which it went forward. This vote happened today. It was The Left group in the European Parliament, with which Sinn Féin is affiliated, that initiated this proposal to bring this forward. We are now in a position where the Mercosur trade agreement will have to go to the courts and the undemocratic way in which the Commission put this forward will have to be dealt with. However, all is not lost. The cute boyo routine that this Government went into over the past number of months - they were saying at home that they were opposed to it and yet they were doing nothing about it - is now very clear. We are in a position where the Government has an opportunity to support what is going on in the European Parliament and to hold to account the Commission that has done this in an undemocratic way.

The vote this morning is welcome because it gives a chance for what I call intensive canvassing to take place before the next vote, which is of paramount importance. One thing I take grave exception to is the comment the Deputy made about the stance of this Government. The stance of this Government over the past 12 months has been clear. It could not be clearer than in writing. In writing it said in the programme for Government that this Government was going to oppose the trade deal as it was presented and work with like-minded countries-----

Which it failed to do.

-----to try to get a better deal for Ireland. Whether or not the Deputy realises or acknowledges it, that is exactly what happened. The Government voted the way it said it was going to vote. It could not have been stronger or clearer. I take grave exception to people who tried to undermine the good work of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, over the past 12 months when he was engaging on an extremely regular basis not just with the ministers for agriculture throughout Europe but also at all levels of officialdom-----

It failed.

-----where we worked diligently on this.

It failed totally.

If the Deputy did not know that work was going on, it was his fault.

I call Deputy Timmins.

If he does not know what is happening-----

I thank Deputy Healy Rae. I call Deputy Timmins.

-----we cannot be responsible for that.

Recently, Ireland was ranked the second most successful economy in the world for 2025 by The Economist. This did not warrant a mention in any of our media or here in this House. It shows the extraordinary progress we have made but we cannot take this huge success for granted. One of the main factors in future economic success is economic confidence. We must be careful not to rundown this country, especially with false claims. Of course we have challenges; every country has challenges, and we must deal with them. Confidence and expectations are at the heart of economic outcomes. This leads to investment and success in the future. The challenges we face will not be dealt with by negativity. A successful economy is central to funding the increasing demands on our resources and is especially crucial for our young people. Finally, does the Minister agree with me that all Members of the House have a duty to speak the truth about the Irish economy and not engage in continually bashing our country?

I thank Deputy Timmins for that question. It is important that we acknowledge that reference in a very prestigious magazine such as The Economist that Ireland is the second most successful economy in the world. It also has to be acknowledged that did not happen by chance. It happened because of political decisions made by previous governments in this country to adapt our economy to be in such a way that it attracts outside investment while at the same time supporting indigenous industry in the country. Sometimes listening to people in this Chamber one would not think that was the case in respect of the country but it is an extremely successful country. Economic confidence in this country exists inside it and outside it as well. The Deputy makes a point about it being the second most successful economy but it has also been publicly reported in the Global Peacefulness Index that Ireland is the second most peaceful country in the world. That was for 2025. Only Iceland was ahead of us. Sometimes we need to look at how people outside perceive us in order to get an accurate assessment of how successful the country is.

I apologise to Deputy Moynihan, I skipped him by mistake.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I raise the matter of Garda visibility, which the Minister has alluded to in the House already. He has, in tandem with the Garda Commissioner, worked to increase Garda visibility on the streets of Dublin city, and certainly in villages such as Rathcoole and Saggart in my constituency we have seen an increase in Garda visibility. Are there plans to continue the deployment of these high-visibility patrols across the suburbs of Dublin? Villages like Lucan and Clondalkin in my constituency would very much benefit from increased Garda presence and visibility. In tandem with that, we need to see further rollout of the youth diversion programme. High Garda visibility is important but the youth diversion programme is also very important for engaging with young people and diverting them away from a path in criminality. Particularly in fast-growing areas like Newcastle, Saggart and Rathcoole, where there is no youth diversion programme cover at the moment, I would be very keen to work with the Minister to ensure we up that coverage and prevent this issue rather than have to deal with it in the future.

I thank the Deputy for his question. Obviously, I agree with him about Garda visibility. That is not happening by accident; it is happening because we are getting the number in An Garda Síochána up and a decision has been made by Government, and implemented by the Commissioner, to have high-visibility policing. I am very pleased to hear there is apparent visibility of gardaí in Rathcoole and Saggart. As I said to Deputy Murphy, the plan is to try to roll it out throughout the country. The Deputy also mentioned youth diversion programmes. In fact, there is a great link between An Garda Síochána and youth diversion programmes. One of the reasons An Garda Síochána is so popular in this country is that it is not regarded or viewed as a law-enforcement agency. It is part of the community. We now have youth diversion programmes throughout the country. The gardaí play a huge role in them and are hugely supportive of them. We are never going to solve issues in terms of young people involved in crime by incarcerating them or just bringing them through the criminal justice system. We have to try to divert them as otherwise we are failing in our responsibility to them.

I have been contacted by a very distraught principal of a primary school in County Wexford. The principal has two vulnerable pupils with complex additional needs. Both pupils received confirmation of a diagnosis after the NCSE portal closed on 1 October. Therefore, the pupils have no formal letters for the special educational needs organiser, SENO. I understand this is a position many principals are finding themselves in. They are asking for a definitive response from the Department and the NCSE and an unequivocal confirmation of whether these pupils meet the criteria for admission to autism special classes. If so, can this confirmation immediately be made so they can proceed with admission plans in a timely, lawful and child-centred manner? If not, will the Department outline how the school is expected to meet the level and complexities of need presented in a mainstream setting? This needs immediate ministerial intervention on the assessment timelines which are beyond the control of families or the schools concerned. These must be addressed, extended and made more flexible.

I thank the Deputy. I am aware from my constituency, and throughout the country, the stress it can put on a parent of a child with special needs in terms of trying to get the child admitted into a school, whether primary or secondary. I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, dealt with these issues last week. There were reasons deadlines were put in place. It was to give people some level of certainty. However, my understanding is that applications are now being dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I will raise the issue the Deputy has identified with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.

In recent days, sika deer have been declared an alien, invasive species and must be culled. I have been highlighting the damage these deer do for more than 25 years. Every day, they cause carnage on roads. Many people have been killed, injured or maimed and cars have been damaged and broken and are no longer any good. Farmers are adversely affected. Sika deer are spreading TB, damaging and devouring crops and breaking fences. Farmers are being robbed daily by these deer. When will this Government - and the Minister is a part of it - begin the complete cull of the sika deer as has been ordained by the EU? It is our duty. We have to comply with all the other things the EU brings forward and we have to contend with them.

I thank the Deputy.

It is now saying the sika deer will have to be culled. When will the Government begin the cull?

I call the Minister, Deputy Healy Rae to respond.

The Deputy is 100% correct in raising this very serious matter because it is a matter of major concern from the point of view of road safety and the spread of TB, although the Department does not acknowledge it to be the major cause he and I would agree it is. We have situations where we did not have TB before and we did not have deer. Now we have deer and we have TB. To answer the Deputy's question, as he knows, the Department has engaged a contract with regard to the culling of deer, which is ongoing. We would like for it to be going ahead at an accelerated rate and quicker than it is at present. We both have our personal views on what the total cull should be because it should be up to 70%. We have a bit of a battle on our hands trying to convince everybody else it should be at that figure. The Deputy’s concern is right-----

I thank the Minister of State.

-----and it is a matter this Department and Government will continue to keep on top of. If nothing else-----

The Minister of State’s time is up. I call Deputy Kenny.

-----in the interests of road safety and the number of accidents we have on our roads every day because of deer straying on to public roads.

According to the EU-----

I call Deputy Kenny.

Last November, Inland Fisheries Ireland appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts. On Friday, members of the committee received a 137-page document from Inland Fisheries Ireland answering queries raised at the meeting. At the meeting, I raised a very serious matter regarding August of 2021. A staff member of Inland Fisheries Ireland was involved in a car crash while driving an IFI car. He produced insurance documentation for the gardaí that he received from the IFI executive. This documentation was false, which the IFI knew officially on 16 November 2021. He was told for more than a year and An Garda Síochána was not informed until it came asking two years later. The former Minister, Eamon Ryan, commissioned a report into this which was presented to the board of the IFI and the audit and risk committee in February 2025. I asked at the Committee of Public Accounts whether the acting CEO and head of finance were aware of the report. They both denied ever seeing the report. I have the minutes of the meeting from February 2025 right here with me. Both officials were at this meeting.

I call the Minister to respond.

I believe both officials misled the constitutional committee and members of the public. I want to know whether this has been brought to Cabinet-----

The Deputy’s time is up. The Minister will respond.

------and if the Minister believes the deputy CEO and head of finance should step down.

I thank Deputy Kenny for his question. I am not aware of the full details he has outlined. I am aware it is an issue that is being considered by Government. I am conscious that what the Deputy said happened did happen at the Committee of Public Accounts when there was an examination of the report. The report provides a detailed assessment of governance and control weaknesses within the IFI over the period 2019 to 2023. The Government believes that the C and AG findings are entirely unacceptable and it is appropriate that the IFI is subject to rigorous examination on these matters. I cannot answer the specific issue the Deputy raised about a driving licence in respect of an individual but I will raise it with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Timmy Dooley, who has responsibility in this area.

In 2023, the CSO reported that 52% of women had experienced sexual violence in their lifetime and this figure was increasing year on year. I recently met a fantastic group of women from Wexford who were in visiting the Ceann Comhairle in the Dáil. This group established the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre. I had really good conversations with them but they made it clear to me that there were quite a number of women from Wicklow who were going to Wexford to avail of the services of the rape crisis centre because we did not have one in Wicklow at all. Is the Minister looking to establish a rape crisis centre in Wicklow? How is something like that achieved and how can I go about working with women across the county to ensure that the services they need are available and that they do not have to travel to other counties?

I thank Deputy Whitmore for her question. Like her, I also had the pleasure of meeting the women from the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre when the Ceann Comhairle invited them to the Dáil a number of months ago. I will raise within the Department the fact that there is not a rape crisis centre in Wicklow. Obviously, the Department does not directly employ individuals and put rape crisis centres into counties. We are very much dependent upon the courage and diligence of volunteers who come forward and start it as a voluntary enterprise and then can gain access to State supports, but I will raise it in the Department. I certainly will look to see whether we can identify anyone who would be prepared to play that important role. As a representative from Wicklow, Deputy Whitmore would probably have a good indication as well as to whether that can be provided.

Drug-related intimidation is one of the most cruel and controlling crimes operating in all our communities. It does not just target the person with an addiction. It terrorises families. Parents and children are being threatened, coerced and forced into constant fears. We have heard victims say that fear never leaves them. Over the past five years, as the Minister knows, 2,500 cases have been recorded with 150 arson attacks due to drug intimidation. In Dundalk, the Family Addiction Support Network, FASN, is doing critical front-line work with these families. The network provides confidential support, safety planning and practical guidance for people being exploited by drug dealers, who abuse their vulnerability. The network works hand in hand with An Garda and national response agencies, yet it does so with insecure and limited funding. If we are serious about tackling drug-related intimidation, we must fund the services that families trust. I am asking for sustainable, ring-fenced funding for FASN in Dundalk and other similar organisations, because that is real and effective preventative justice.

I thank Deputy McGreehan for raising this issue. She is correct in stating that drug-related intimidation is a scourge on our society. As the instances of drug taking increase, there is regrettably more drug intimidation. The model behind drug dealing is generation of profits for drug dealers. As a society, we all need to recognise that and people need to understand when they start experimenting with drugs that the consequence of it is that they can expose themselves to this drug-related intimidation. An Garda Síochána is very aware of it and has responded to it in many instances. We saw some horrific arson attacks in recent times. I want to ensure that the services are funded, because the best way of ensuring we do not have drug-related intimidation is if we can get people off drugs and we get people to realise that drugs have a very negative impact on their lives.

A significant number of children in Longford are on the waiting list in primary care for occupational therapy, OT. The senior OT post has been vacant since January 2025. Despite all the necessary paperwork having been submitted to the integrated healthcare area, IHA, manager who is responsible for approvals, a recent staff grade position has been approved. The complexity of needs of children on the primary care list requires experienced clinicians to support staff grades. When will we be in a position to fill this role, which is needed? As I say, there has been a 12-month delay in the recruitment for this essential post, which is there to address what is a substantial, long waiting list and, indeed, long waiting times for families.

I thank Deputy Carrigy for raising this important issue in relation to Longford. I cannot speak about the individual position because I have only just become aware of it but I will find out for the Deputy. More broadly, it is not acceptable to have vacant positions. We have vacancies in the health service and we need them to be filled. We need that for the supports that children in particular need. However, I would point to the fact that I asked the CEO of the HSE to put specific measures in place to address OT, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy waiting lists and reduce them to less than ten months. We started that initiative in quarter 4 of 2025 and I am pleased to say that the primary care therapies lists declined by approximately 15,000 between September 2025 and November 2025. This is an important reduction but that can only be expedited and augmented if we are recruiting for positions such as the one the Deputy described. I will follow up on it and find out what is happening.

Some 85% of women affected by pregnancy loss before 23 weeks experience difficulty in returning to work. The need for appropriate workplace supports has been well established and a previous Government commissioned the PLACES report, published in 2004, which set out the social, health and employment impacts of early pregnancy loss. The new women and girls strategy committed to advancing reproductive healthcare and related leave entitlements. However, deliberations on two Private Member's Bills in these Houses to provide for that statutory leave have stalled in both Houses. The Government said that it needed more time to develop its own plans. Will the Minister clarify the current status of Government proposals to introduce statutory leave for pregnancy loss under 23 weeks and when will legislation be expected to be brought forward?

I thank the Deputy for the important question. I recognise that it is a very different Department in respect of statutory leave but I do want to say how we are looking towards a new maternity strategy and how we are trying to recognise all stages of pregnancy and the impact on women of the different adverse pregnancy outcomes that can happen. I will speak with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, more broadly about what the Deputy has specifically raised.