I was listening to “Morning Ireland” this morning, and I encourage everyone to listen back to it. From it, I learned that the Minister for housing does not believe in housing targets. He does not believe in housing forecasts. I always knew he did not believe in delivering affordable housing. What I also heard is that he went on to describe the increase in house prices as “a little thing”. How arrogant can he be to describe it like that? They are his words. I ask the Taoiseach to listen back. House prices have gone up by €200,000. They have doubled under the Government’s watch in the past ten years. Maybe that is a little thing for Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and all their buddies with loads of money, but for all the hard-working people, it is not a little thing. Does the Taoiseach agree with the Minister for housing or does he believe that €200,000, and the doubling of house prices in ten years, is a little thing?
Wednesday 21 October 2026
Questions on Policy or Legislation
67 contributions, as the Official Report records them.
The time is up. I call the Taoiseach to respond.
I listened to the interview as well, so I do not have to. I thought it was a very calm but determined presentation by the Minister.
Did you?
I did, actually, particularly in terms of the achievements in social housing, which the Deputy ignored. I mean, 60,000 social houses in the past five years is no mean thing. It is a significant, dramatic change from what we were doing previously. Close to 60,000 social houses have been built since 2020, and that takes in the Covid period as well.
House prices have doubled.
I cannot command the answer but I can ask the Deputy to stop interrupting.
The Deputy is endeavouring to undermine the sincerity-----
I asked a straightforward question.
Irrespective of his political view, he should acknowledge the integrity, sincerity and commitment of the Minister to increase housing supply, which was clearly what he said throughout that interview. Supply, supply, supply, and I really want the Deputy's support when it comes to various projects.
Is the doubling of house prices a little thing? That is the question I asked. I did not get an answer.
Deputy Rice is on his feet. Please have respect for Deputy Rice.
I again raise the issue of healthcare workers with long Covid whose payments are about to be cut off and who have been repeatedly failed by the State. As the Taoiseach knows, I raised this previously and I wrote to him about this. This is a small group of workers who got Covid at the peak of the pandemic and have debilitating symptoms which mean they cannot return to work. The special scheme ended on 31 January. It was extended for some people on sick leave, but payments been cut off today for some of those people. The Government is going to plunge them into poverty. Two women drove from Laois to Cork to meet me recently. Rose got Covid during the meaningful Christmas. She is a single parent living at home with her child. Her mortgage is €800 a month. She is now going to be on a social welfare payment of €254 per week. She is worried about losing her house, Taoiseach. She said that she went from the front line to the bread line. These are decisions that the Taoiseach and his Government are making. We urgently need a permanent solution here for these workers who served the State so well.
I have responded on a number of occasions and I have met with survivors of long Covid. We have responded at every juncture, as the Deputy has kind of acknowledged there. This issue has been through the WRC, as the Deputy knows. It is not as if consideration has not been given to the issue. I have met trade unions in respect of this. We will continue to keep the matter under review, but it is not simple.
The people of Ukraine have endured nearly five years of Putin's brutal war of aggression, and I know the Taoiseach spoke on it earlier today. They deserve our unwavering solidarity, particularly with the growing hostility being shown to President Zelenskyy by US President Trump. It is terrifying that lives in Ukraine are so dependent on Trump's volatile temper. At a time when our solidarity is needed more than ever with the people of Ukraine, Ireland cannot be silent or complicit for that matter. That brings me to the question of Aughinish Alumina, which I have raised before in this House. In July, the Minister, Deputy Burke, announced that his Department's review into the exports to Russia from that plant had been completed and sent to the European Commission. We saw a summary of that report, but we have not seen the full report. We know that the Government is likely to face increasing pressure at EU level over coming months over what appears to be a light touch on Aughinish. Will the Taoiseach condemn Trump's approach to Ukraine, in particular his lifting of sanctions on Russia? Where is the report? Will the Taoiseach publish it in full? Can we be sure that Irish-produced materials are not being used to fuel Russia's war machine?
I discussed the recent issues along with others with President Zelenskyy on Friday. I welcome the Deputy raising this issue because, to be fair, she is correct that Ukraine deserves our unwavering solidarity and support. I was extremely disappointed when the Sinn Féin Party and others, not Labour, opposed the €90 billion financial support to Ukraine that the EU decided on. Sinn Féin said that we were wrong to support that. If that funding does not go to Ukraine, it will be completely defenceless, so we have responsibilities too. On the Aughinish Alumina question, the fundamental issue is the supply chain into Europe itself. Where does Europe lie, particularly in the supply of product from Aughinish to France and to Sweden? I will talk to the Minister in respect of the full report and what he can make available to the Deputy. The bigger issue with the USA was the Starshield and Starlink issue. I think Ukraine has engaged again with the USA to try to maintain a consistency of support on that front.
Last week, a grieving mother and formidable online safety campaigner visited Leinster House. Maria Raine is campaigning for stronger regulation of AI chatbots after ChatGPT drove her beloved 16-year-old son, Adam, to take his own life. ChatGPT advised him on suicide techniques, encouraged him to drink alcohol so that he would go through with it, and isolated him from his family. It told him not to talk to his mother or his brother. It said no one understood him like it did. In Ireland, more than half of eight- to 12-year-olds and over three quarters of 12- to 15-year-olds use AI. Some 16% of eight- to 12-year-olds and 20% of 12- to 15-year-olds use AI chatbots to chat or get advice rather than look up information, but the boundary between these is blurred. Adam began using ChatGPT for homework and ended with it writing his suicide note. Maria believes, and I agree, that AI chatbots should be banned from discussing mental health with children. Does the Taoiseach agree and will he introduce legislation to prevent ChatGPT from killing any kids in Ireland?
It is a shocking situation and our heart goes out to the family. We support restrictions, particularly at a European Union level. President von der Leyen, in her recent state of the Union address, announced that the Commission will publish a proposal in respect of restrictions on access to social media for children. An EU-wide report would have far greater impact with regard to enforceability and protecting children than just one member state by another member state, because the services are cross-border. I am in favour of everything that we can do to protect children. The legislation at the European level will be known as the European Union Kids Act. It will take a graduated, differentiated approach to age restrictions. There will also be new obligations on platforms to design safe services in line with what the Deputy is saying, that are safe for minors and for children in particular.
I have raised this multiple times and am flagging it with the Taoiseach again. New figures from EirGrid show that more than 13% of available wind and solar electricity could not be used in the first nine months of this year. That is enough energy to power almost 500,000 homes. It is concerning that we are losing vast amounts of clean, renewable energy because our grid and storage capabilities are not up to pace. At a time when households face high electricity costs and data centres are increasing our dependence on gas, which sets the price, Ireland is exposed to imported fossil fuels. It is a missed opportunity. We need urgent investment in battery storage and green hydrogen conversion and greater system flexibility and we are doing it too slowly. Can the Taoiseach give a commitment that we are going to increase our efforts to be more self-sufficient?
I can indeed. The day before yesterday, at the Cabinet sub-committee, we met EirGrid. We discussed the €18 billion investment to 2030 to enhance the capacity of the grid, which is important, but also storage. We have had some good developments, particularly in the midlands, on battery storage and so forth, but we have to move at pace. I get frustrated that some of the renewable projects are still with An Coimisiún Pleanála, for example. We have an energy crisis. Our dependency on fossil fuels creates unreliability in energy supply that is really problematic. Anything we can do to make sure that we optimise the energy generated by renewables and do not lose it is something that we are focused on. The discussion at the Cabinet sub-committee was looking beyond 2030 as well, at further investments to expand the grid. I certainly do not disagree with what Deputy Gogarty is saying.
I want to ask the Minister for Health about the National Orthopaedic Hospital, which is located in my constituency, but based on the number of parliamentary questions, one can see it is used by constituents right across the country. In recent months, the hospital has been informing constituents that their waiting time for orthopaedic surgeries has increased because of a change in funding to the hospital. As a member of the Committee of Public Accounts, I know the end of insourcing by the Minister was a positive measure because it was not giving good value for money for what the taxpayer was investing in our hospitals. Can the Minister ensure that those people waiting on the waiting list will get access to the orthopaedic surgeries that they need?
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Fine Gael recorded as Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill) As a minister Link to thisThe Deputy is quite right. Insourcing was a wrong use of public funds and created the wrong incentives. There has been significant investment in Cappagh hospital in recent years. Its budget has gone from €41 million to €63 million over the past five years. Staffing has increased by 130 in the same period. There is very significant investment but it is also true to say that as we build surgical hubs and other elective capacity, the State will not be using national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, funding to purchase that in the private market. It is appropriate that we wind down the NTPF budget in that way because we have invested in other elective capacity.
The town of Birr has a population of 5,000. We have had nine outages across the town this year so far. Right now, Uisce Éireann has nine outages right across the town.
These are lasting for two, three, four, five consecutive days. It is simply not good enough. One might expect me to come in and ask for the investment to upgrade this, but that has actually happened. In 2023, we got €10 million to upgrade a water treatment plant. This is simply not acceptable from an infrastructural delivery perspective. I ask the Taoiseach to ensure that there is some element of review of delivery, management, accountability and oversight of all of our semi-State utilities.
I thank the Deputy. He might be aware that a mechanical issue arose at the Birr water treatment plant last weekend, which was repaired on Sunday. Water supply was returned to affected areas on the morning of Monday, 19 October. There are leakage reduction programme works taking place daily from 20 October until 23 October in the area, which may have impacted some supplies. All of the works in progress should be completed by the end of the week and customers should see a return to normal supply, notwithstanding a three-to-four-hour window for supply restoration.
Deputy Clendennen is correct that there has been significant investment by Uisce Éireann - by the Government, really - but that is what happened.
On 7 November, Wicklow County Council will bring forward and enact a new differential rent scheme for its 6,500 tenants. Of those tenants, 87% will see substantial rent hikes of 100%, 200% or, in some cases, 300%. That would be fundamentally wrong at any time, but given the huge cost-of-living crisis that is impacting people right across the board in terms of putting food on the table and paying for energy and electricity, this is coming at a time when people simply cannot afford to pay those grotesque, substantial rent hikes. I have had many people, including elderly people and old age pensioners, crying down the phone to me saying that they have been put in the situation of making an impossible choice between putting food on the table, looking after their sick or, in some cases, dying family members, wives or husbands, and paying this substantially increased rent hike. There needs to be an intervention here. This is coming about because of a failure to put in place a national harmonised rent scheme, so it is up to local authorities to bring this forward.
The Taoiseach to respond. Your time is up, Deputy.
There needs to be intervention. I am calling on the Government to intervene to stop these grotesque rent hikes proceeding.
Deputy, finish within your time.
I call on the Minister for housing and local government to intervene and stop these hikes from going ahead on 7 November.
In future, prepare your question to finish within the time, Deputy Brady.
The Government cannot be intervening in every local authority and there has to be sustainability in social housing so that we can provide for the long-term and so that people on the lists and so on have some opportunity on a continuing basis to access social housing. I am not familiar with the specific details in Wicklow County Council, but rent schemes should reflect incomes, they should be fair, and they should also enable some degree of sustainability in terms of social housing well into the future.
I want to raise a local school project, namely, the Owenabue Educate Together National School in Carrigaline. I know it is a project that the Taoiseach is familiar with. It is currently operating in temporary accommodation across two buildings in Heron's Wood estate. Fourteen months ago, the stage 1 design team addendum report was issued, but we are still waiting for stage 1 to be finalised. The current accommodation is unsuitable but every year it becomes more unsuitable because the school adds an additional class year. I ask that the Taoiseach follow up with the Department to try to ensure that stage 1 is closed out so that we can progress this project and give some certainty to the parents, teachers and all others involved in this school.
I thank Deputy McGrath for raising a very important issue in Carrigaline. We have had a lot of investment in quite a number of schools but this situation is pressing on this school. I acknowledge that and I will engage with the Minister for education in respect of it.
The collapse of Clearwater Construction, a company specialising in sports infrastructure based in County Wicklow but covering a lot of Wexford, Wicklow and the wider south-east region, has already led to devastation and will lead to more among clubs. Many clubs have handed over tens of thousands of euro, and some hundreds of thousands of euro. Indeed, one soccer club in Wexford has handed over €313,000, much of which is sports capital funding, to this company.
While I appreciate that the Government has no role or function in contractual interactions between a company like this and the sports facilities, given that these clubs are run by volunteers across the board, can the Taoiseach ask the Department to intervene and assist these clubs in whatever way possible, be that advice or interaction? They really need it.
My understanding is that the Minister and the Department are endeavouring to help the clubs in terms of mentoring, advice and so on. I will talk to the Minister for sport in respect of this development. The situation that has emerged is clearly very difficult for the clubs. I thank Deputy Lawlor for raising it. We do not have mechanisms where the Government intervenes in every case a construction company collapses or whatever, but I do hear what the Deputy is saying in terms of the impact of this on the clubs themselves. I will talk to the Minister about it.
It has been 20 years since the planning guidelines for wind turbines were updated. Since then, these turbines have doubled in height. This is a cause of great concern right across Carlow and Kilkenny in communities like Inistioge, Castlebanny and Old Leighlin. I could go on. It is not right that private developers are allowed to exploit outdated guidelines to line their pockets at the expense of communities and taxpayers through curtailment payments.
Does the Taoiseach accept that these guidelines are outdated and not fit for the current height and size of modern wind turbines? I, along with so many across Kilkenny and Carlow, want to see a moratorium on wind farms until these planning guidelines are updated to reflect present-day wind turbines.
The guidelines are being worked on. I believe there will be new guidelines brought forward by the Minister for climate and the Minister for housing, who are working together in respect of the planning statement to cover this. I would be cautious of a moratorium. We are in the middle of an energy crisis at the moment, brought on by our dependence on fossil fuels.
Should we ignore the people?
No, I am just making the point. We have great debates in here about giving another billion euro to reduce energy prices and so on. There is a balance needed, certainly, and there will be guidelines produced. Invariably, from across the House, people will come in and say they do not want a solar farm, they do not want wind energy, they do not want gas generation. Where does all of that lead us?
Some communities are overrun with them.
I want to bring up the issue of name-calling that I have witnessed in this Chamber. It is an unwelcome and unnecessary part of debate. It actually is a reflection on the person themselves who does the name-calling and demonstrates that they do not have the language to deal with the issue. It shows a total lack of respect for the other person and, hence, a lack of respect for our democracy. It also lessens the authority of this Chamber, contributes to bringing politics into disrepute, and sets a bad example. I ask that people think before they speak, before they resort to name-calling.
We could all answer that, but it is the Taoiseach's turn.
It is not quite within my domain, but I agree with Deputy Timmins and support him in his endeavour regarding the avoidance of name-calling.
I thank the Deputy and I hope everybody has that answer in their head. I call Deputy Ken O'Flynn.
I am sure the Taoiseach will join me in welcoming James Good and Abbie Marsh in the Public Gallery, who come all the way from Ballincollig.
At 8 a.m. today, 635 patients were awaiting beds in our hospitals. Of those, 394 were on trolleys. We now have over 1 million people on hospital waiting lists. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has stated that we need up to 7,780 more hospital beds and 1,200 more GPs by 2030. The Government's plan, as I understand it, is to deliver 3,378 beds by 2031. Earlier this year, the Taoiseach announced 268 extra nursing places throughout the country, as one of the largest expansions in the history of the State. I agree that that was wonderful to hear, but I have to note that not one of those is going to the Mercy University Hospital, the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital or Cork University Hospital. They are in the Taoiseach's constituency.
We are now entering the winter, which is going to be very challenging. My understanding is that we had about 491 patients waiting for admission to an inpatient bed at 8 a.m. today. The Minister has, for example, completed a national procurement in terms of short-term therapeutic beds with a view to aligning with the winter emergency planning for our hospitals to try to provide additional short-term capacity that will be required over the winter period. There was also a meeting with all the regions recently in respect of the winter surge and winter plans.
The people of Ballyheigue - over 3,000 people - are still without drinkable water in their taps two weeks on. It is not good enough. Glenderry water supply was closed down in early July and all of the pressure was put on Ballyheigue then and it has been operating at a much lower level. It needs to be closed down completely for at least two weeks to see if this will clear. If it does not, it will have to be replaced in some other way. I am asking that a pipe be laid from Ardfert to Ballyheigue to bring water to those people from Killarney, which comes from Lough Guitane. In the meantime, open up Glenderry and treat it. It is a fine supply that has worked grand for 65 years. I also ask for-----
The time is up, Deputy. We have to be respectful of everyone's time. The Taoiseach to respond.
-----a tanker to provide water because what is going on is not fair and it is taking to long too sort out.
I dealt with this issue in the House yesterday. My understanding from the presentation I received from the Department and from Irish Water is that there has been salt water ingress to the system, which is a very serious issue and requires serious investigation as to what has transpired here. All engineering options are being considered by Irish Water, such as the ones referred to by the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has been in touch with me, as was the Deputy yesterday. All these ideas are being worked on but the more fundamental point is that they need to ascertain what has happened here because it is breaking new ground in terms of the challenges facing Irish Water in Ballyheigue. It is very difficult for the people of the area. I acknowledge that, absolutely.
When Cork University Hospital, CUH, CEO, Jennifer Kearney, raised serious staffing and patient safety concerns in August, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, lashed out, accusing the hospital of mismanaging its budget. She dismissed those concerns and repeatedly held up the mid-west as an example of sound financial management.
On Monday, mid-west TDs and Senators were briefed on a similar staffing crisis in their hospitals, with patient care seriously compromised by recruitment restrictions. Those restrictions imposed by the Ministers, Deputy Carroll MacNeill and Deputy Chambers, are having devastating consequences for patients and staff. South-west Oireachtas Members have received no such briefing, only positive news stories about CUH. The Minister has created a climate in which our regional managers are afraid to publicly acknowledge the crisis in CUH. Meanwhile, hospital managers and senior clinicians who courageously raise patient safety concerns risk being undermined, scapegoated and even sanctioned.
CUH is in the Taoiseach's constituency. It is our regional hospital. Almost every family in Cork has a connection with it. When will the Taoiseach stand up for CUH and put an end to these unworkable and unsafe recruitment restrictions?
The Deputy has some nerve. He has some nerve to ask when will I stand up for CUH. No one has overseen more investment in CUH than I have, particularly when I was the Minister for Health.
Have you talked to any of the doctors?
Deputy, please, allow an answer.
I am just saying to the Deputy that there is a new maternity unit. It is there a good while now but that did not happen by accident. There are the cardiac and renal centre. There has been huge investment and the population has grown and all of that. Let us not get into whether I will or will not stand up for CUH.
No, but the recruitment freeze-----
I will make this point. There have been huge funding increases for CUH. It has increased by 109% over the past five years. It has gone from €306 million to €636 million over the past five years. That has driven notable growth in staffing numbers.
Is this just imaginary?
There has been an expansion of the workforce and there will be continuing investment. On the safety issue, the Minister did not lash out. The Minister asked Dr. Colm Henry, the chief clinical officer of the HSE, to go down to CUH because safety is important. Nothing has emerged from any examinations that there is a safety issue. Of course, there are pressures. There are real issues there and we have to manage those.
I thank the Taoiseach. Deputy Charles Ward is next.
You have to work with people to ensure there is good management in those situations.
I want to raise again the ongoing concerns of the nine homeowners in Elm Park, Buncrana, who are living with the combined threat of defective concrete and flooding. It has been repeatedly stated that legal advice from the Attorney General's office is being considered and that discussions are ongoing with the OPW. However, these responses have been repeated over several months without anybody providing any definitive answers and meaningful clarity for these residents. I want to ask the Taoiseach three questions. First, has a decision been made whether relocation options will be provided? Second, if not, what are the specific issues remaining? Third, when will a decision be reached?
These residents cannot be left without a timeline, waiting for legal advice and interdepartmental discussions. They have been waiting for years and the decision needs to be made. Will the Taoiseach commit today to providing a definitive update and a timeline for these people in Elm Park in Buncrana?
I will engage with the Minister for housing in respect of this. In terms of a timeline, I do not have a specific one here. If legal advices have been sought, they need to be sought. The Government has responded to the overall defective concrete blocks debacle and scandal very comprehensively, in an unprecedented way. That does not often get acknowledged. There is a suite of schemes. Approximately €400 million is being provided for pyrite, apartment defects and defective concrete blocks. I will come back to the Deputy on the specifics of the nine houses he referenced there.
Yesterday was a big day for us. It was a historic day where we saw huge parts of the Narrow Water Bridge sail up through Dundalk Bay and into Carlingford Lough. I thank the Taoiseach for his commitment and making sure this project happened for us in County Louth.
I will turn to another historic project, namely, the very first all-Ireland university in Dundalk and the partnership with Queens that is huge not only for County Louth but for the region and indeed the country. There is a proposal in the shared island unit for funding to push forward this project. Will the Taoiseach update me on that proposal so we can continue to make history on shared island projects in County Louth?
I was delighted to see a BBC report this morning showing the excitement in the locality at the arrival of the key component parts of the bridge through Narrow Water. The shared island unit has been the key funding enabler to make that happen.
Queens University and Dundalk is a very exciting partnership that will create the first all-island university and that is something we will proactively support. My understanding is that the Minister for higher education is working with his counterparts and that they are working on the various aspects around the partnership agreement, doing an analysis and so on. The legislation is being drafted to give effect to this and this will be a game-changing initiative which will assist in the mobility of students and will be of great benefit to Dundalk, and to Queens in respect of the all-island dimension.
A parent in my constituency has concerns with me regarding the Cumas disability day service in New Ross. This service plays an important role in supporting people with disabilities, providing opportunities for personal development, social interaction and greater independence. These concerns were brought to the attention of Deputy Higgins, the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, in June but a meeting has not yet taken place. Given the importance of the service to the individuals who attend it and their families, I ask that the Minister of State, or her officials, meet directly with this parent to hear their concerns in more detail and discuss the genuine issues they have raised. Would the Taoiseach be willing to arrange a meeting between this parent and the Minister of State to discuss these concerns and explore what steps can be taken to address them?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I will engage with the Minister of State to see if a meeting can be organised with those who have raised this issue and who are concerned about it.
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