Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 May 2024

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Recycling Policy

Senator Paddy Burke

I welcome the kids from sixth class, rang a sé, from County Meath to the House as well. I welcome my colleague from Mayo, the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon. As I think this is first session in the Seanad, I wish him a very long and bright future as a Minister of State, and that he would be back many times to this House.

I first put this issue to the Department of enterprise.

This is where it should be. I do not think it is suitable for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It seems there is no funding at all from that Department for recycling. This is more than recycling. We have recycling centres, bottle banks, glass banks and the recycling of steel, among other things, and it all goes into a bin where it is mashed up and then it is reused again. The dismantling of cars and the recycling of the components is completely different. I wrote to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications about it.

I recently visited Naughtons Car Dismantlers just outside Castlebar. The Minister of State is well acquainted with it. It provides a great service for our county in getting rid of old and unused cars. Ian Naughton runs a magnificent show but he is getting very little funding. The work is very labour-intensive and requires massive warehousing and specialised computer software. There are not many grants available for this work. Mr. Naughton has to build an enormous warehouse. These warehouses have to be computerised. The warehouse can also be automated so that if a person goes in looking for a part he or she can get it by going through the computer and it comes down online. What he is doing there is completely different to recycling and there is no grant aid towards it. He has developed software that puts a carbon credit on every part taken from a car or other vehicle that can be reused. When someone in the motor trade goes in and buys a second-hand part from Mr. Naughton - he sells online as well as allowing people to come in off the street to buy parts - the buyer gets a certificate with the carbon credit for the part. That tells how much a person is saving by using a second-hand part rather than buying a new one. All this costs an enormous amount of money.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications cannot do anything for him but I think the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is the proper place for this. The Government should provide grant aid to such people to put proper facilities in place for this purpose right around the country.

I will listen very carefully to the reply from the Minister of State. I am sure part of it will be the same as the reply I already received from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Minister of State should bring back the message that this area should be looked at because it is a growth area. As we progress towards electric vehicles and so forth, there will probably be more recycling of parts as they are not all thrown into the skip. This is completely different from recycling as we know it. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. It is his first time here. I look forward to his response. I thank him very much for coming in.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Eileen Flynn)

Before the Minister of State comes in, I officially welcome him to the House. I am really looking forward to working with him in the future. I wish him every success in his new role.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Alan Dillon)

Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. I also thank Senator Burke for his warm welcome. I look forward to working with them and their colleagues in Seanad Éireann.

This is an important matter and I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth. Over the past two decades Ireland has made significant progress in moving away from disposal as our primary treatment option. Ireland's national Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy provides a roadmap to transition to a circular economy in the decade ahead. One of the key objectives in this action plan includes making producers who manufacture and sell goods for profit environmentally accountable for the products they place on the market. Ireland uses the extended producer responsibility, EPR, model to deal with the end-of-life vehicles waste stream. This model is based on the producer-pays principle. In a circular economy, producers must be held to account for the sustainability of the products they place on the market.

The extended producer responsibility, EPR, scheme has an effective method to achieve this. The compliance scheme for end-of-life vehicles, ELVs, is operated by End-of-Life Vehicles Environmental Services, ELVES, a non-profit company that was set up by vehicle manufacturers to help them to deliver their obligations under the end-of-life vehicles regulations.

ELVES received approval to operate as the compliance scheme for the vehicles sector from my Department in 2017. It is funded solely by its producer members. Fees paid by the producer members are spent on reuse, recycling and recovery of end-of-life vehicles. In 2022, €2 of every €3 of its income were spent directly on these costs. It is important that end-of-life vehicles are recycled to extract valuable materials from them, which contribute to the EU's self-sufficiency in the area of critical raw materials. Critically, appropriate disposal and recycling is necessary to ensure end-of-life vehicles do not harm the environment.

ELVES has a network of authorised treatment facilities, ATFs, which facilitate the dismantling and recycling of end-of-life vehicles. It provides training, education and guidance to ATFs and operates a programme of sector education awareness-raising activities. ELVES delivers and financially supports projects to improve car recycling in Ireland. The EPR scheme has operated successfully, allowing attainment of EU targets for end-of-life vehicles. In 2021, Ireland achieved the EU target for both recovery and recycling of end-of-life vehicles. However, as the automotive industry continues to evolve, so too does the need for effective management of the waste streams to minimise environmental impact and promote the circular economy.

The European Commission has made proposals for a ELVs regulation and the new rules for the design and management of these vehicles with stronger producer responsibility. These regulations are under consideration and Ireland has made a positive and proactive contribution as negotiations progress. I welcome this significant initiative which aims to establish a comprehensive framework for the environmentally sound treatment and recycling of ELVs, placing greater responsibility on vehicle producers, from design to production to treatment at end of life. We will seek an appropriate balance in the negotiations between achieving real and meaningful environmental outcomes, on one hand, and getting buy-in from producers and those involved in the treatment of end-of-life vehicles, on the other.

ELVES, as the compliance scheme, will continue to plan for the implementation of the new regulations and adopt policy directions in relation to end-of-life vehicles, as appropriate. The transition to a circular economy offers an alternative to our make waste linear economy. In a circular economy, waste and resource use are minimised and the value of products and materials is maintained for as long as possible. In a circular economy, when a product has reached the end of its life, its parts can be used again and again to create further useful products, such as in the car recycling industry.

Senator Paddy Burke

I thank the Minister of State for the response. However, there is no great light at the end of the tunnel in this. It seems that the Department does not mind what is thrown into the skip. The value of all this is that parts are recycled. For parts to be recycled and a carbon footprint to be attached to them, they have to be physically taken out of the car that is being recycled. That costs money and labour. The Minister of State has to bring back to the Minister and Government the message that they do not seem to care what goes into the skip. There has to be a better way. Grants need to be made available to these people. Otherwise, they will not be able to afford to invest because it takes an enormous amount of money to do what they are doing, taking those parts out of cars and other vehicles, attaching a carbon footprint to them, logging them, putting them up for sale and having a system where people can get them easily when someone comes looking for them. Will the Minister of State bring that message back to the Government and Minister?

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank the Senator. The points he has made about ownership and which Department is most responsible and most effective in the implementation of this are very valid.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication has run a circular economy innovation grant scheme for a number of years. I understand an announcement is expected shortly regarding this year’s call for applications. This scheme is specifically aimed to support innovation and demonstrate circular economy projects by small and medium enterprise and social enterprises. It is a key objective of the scheme to support projects that will have a direct impact on operating environments and act as a demonstrator for others.

A further €650,000 has been allocated to support the scheme in 2024, bringing the total funding to €1.8 million since the scheme was launched in 2021. Similarly, the Environmental Protection Agency’s circular economy programme promotes circularity as an economic model to enhance coherence and alignment among national, regional and local activities. The desired outcome is to mobilise businesses.

As the Senator said, Naughtons Car Dismantlers outside Castlebar is one of the premium dismantlers in County Mayo and should be supported. I certainly support the Senator in that regard. While I know Mayo local enterprise office does fantastic work, it is important that our network of enterprise support agencies expands to provide individualised supports for businesses of every size. I encourage people in businesses who have ideas, including those the Senator commendably raised, to speak to the local enterprise office which can direct them further on where the expertise and funding may become available.

Cybersecurity Policy

Senator Malcolm Byrne

Like others, I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him the best in his new role. I know he will put his heart and soul into it.

The issue I raise is the HSE cyberattack. Next week is the third anniversary of the detonation of the Conti ransomware, which caused widespread disruption in the health service at the height of the pandemic. This was the result of a malware infection that gained unauthorised access to the system on 18 March 2021. It remained there for eight weeks, at which point the Conti ransomware, which emanated from Russia, was detonated. There has been a global increase in cyberattacks and ransomware in recent years. On the basis of information provided to me at different stages or in the public domain, we know the immediate cost to the State of the cyberattack in May 2021 was €37.5 million. A year later, the cost to the taxpayer had risen to an estimated €101 million, although it was acknowledged that the full cost had not been quantified. When I asked about this last year, the running cost to the State stood at €144 million. That is not the entire cost because the personal details of 100,000 staff and patients were compromised and I have no doubt the delays to patients being seen also had serious consequences for their health.

In December 2021, the HSE commissioned PwC to conduct an independent review of what happened in order to establish the facts and identify lessons for the HSE and other Government agencies and Departments because if this were to happen again in any other area of society, it could be serious. I appreciate the Minister of State is taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I would be grateful if he could indicate the most recent cost to the taxpayer of remedying the challenges and how far the HSE has gone in implementing the recommendations in the PwC report. These included implementing minimum cybersecurity requirements, establishing a cybersecurity oversight committee and establishing a transforming IT and cybersecurity committee at board level in the HSE to oversee this serious issue.

I also have a specific concern.

The PwC report, which the HSE accepted, recommended that there was need to appoint both a chief technology and transformation officer at very senior level within the HSE and a chief information security officer. In March 2022, the HSE said that both of these posts would be filled by the end of 2022. The posts had been filled on an interim basis but they were not filled by the end of 2022. We were told the search was delayed until 2023 as a result of a review of the job descriptions. One of the concerns I have is that those posts are still being advertised. I appreciate the successful candidate for the chief technology and transformation officer role withdrew after being made an offer, but I am concerned these two vital posts have still not been filled by the HSE. I realise there is a difficulty with regard to getting staff in cybersecurity but it is critical they are filled. While I appreciate the Government has invested in the National Cyber Security Centre and bumped up both personnel and resources, an attack like this on any aspect of Irish society is very serious.

Deputy Alan Dillon

First, I thank Senator Byrne for raising this matter and I welcome the opportunity to address the current position on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. The Senator is, of course, referring to the criminal ransomware attack on the HSE in May 2021. The cost of the response and recovery from the cyberattack to the taxpayer in 2021 was to the tune of €102 million. It must be recognised that all organisations that operate online are operating in a threat landscape of cyberattack given the global, economic and geopolitical uncertainty that exists. Finance and health are two areas that are of particular interest to cybercriminals given the sensitivity and inherent value of data managed within these sectors.

The HSE has invested significantly in cyber remediation since the cyberattack in May 2021. The HSE manages and responses to thousands of cyberattacks annually and takes appropriate action to ensure awareness of current threats. The continuing threat will need to be mitigated by ongoing and sustained investment to strengthen cyber resilience and ensure a secure foundation of our technology, data and health information infrastructure.

Cybersecurity, therefore, is an important priority for the Government and it has allocated funding to the HSE to strengthen its cyber resilience. For example, a specific allocation of €55 million was provided as part of the national service plan in 2024 to enable the HSE to act on the recommendations of the independent post-incident report. The report was commissioned by the board of the HSE in the immediate aftermath of the cyberattack.

A commitment for further investment in the coming years is required to ensure the HSE continues to build the cyber resilience necessary to reduce the impact of further cyberattacks. A clear plan is in place for the work to be done in 2024 and progress is actively monitored by the Department of Health. The National Cyber Security Centre is also engaged directly with the HSE to support, advise and ensure compliance with appropriate national infrastructure security directives.

There are multiple ongoing programmes of work focused on addressing the issues highlighted by Senator Byrne in the wake of the attack, reducing risk, building cyber resilience, and building additional cybersecurity capability and capacity through the establishment of a dedicated cybersecurity function under the leadership of a chief information security officer within the HSE. The HSE continues to invest significantly in multi-layered cyber defences, including technology, processes and people in order to fend off cyberattacks. The investment that is being made building cyber resilience covers a wide range of actions, including staff training, process change, upgrades to technology and equipment and funding of a significantly enhanced cyber security operations centre. Some practical examples of these actions taken by the HSE include the following: ongoing training of staff, so they are aware of the risks associated with opening unsolicited emails and clicking on links that are not verified; simulated phishing and other cyberattacks and monitoring of the effectiveness of training programmes and communications with staff to deal with this type of attack; replacing and upgrading of legacy applications that had exposure to cyberattack; elimination of the Windows 7 estate, with active monitoring of those remaining devices that cannot be eliminated yet because they support applications that are still needed.

The HSE has also introduced an important change in relation to the governance of cybersecurity across the organisation. Members of the HSE's executive management team form the oversight committee for the implementation of the recommendations of the post-incident report. Finally, the board of the HSE has established a subcommittee for transformation and technology with responsibility for

oversight of ICT and cybersecurity.

Again, I thank Senator Malcolm Byrne for raising this important matter and assure him and the House that it is being closely monitored by the Department of Health.

Senator Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State for the response but I am afraid it does not tell us a lot more than we already knew from the reply I received this time last year. I am worried that issues like the elimination of the Windows 7 estate are still appearing as part of the process. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the leadership of a chief information security officer within the HSE but if one visits a jobs website one will see that post currently being advertised at a new national director level. That post has still not been filled, although I appreciate that somebody was filling in on an interim basis.

One of the questions I asked was about the total cost to the taxpayer to date but that is still not clear from the answer. In 2021 there was an immediate cost of €102 million. We have been told that there has been additional allocation in 2024 of €55 million but we have not been told the running cost to the taxpayer. Given some of the recommendations that were made, I am very concerned that, as of this moment, there is neither a chief technology and transformation officer nor a chief information security officer in place within the HSE.

Given the seriousness of this issue, there is very little in this reply. It is essentially the same reply that I received last year. The Minister of State will be aware of the implications of another cyberattack on our health service but his reply does not give me a great degree of certainty that it could not happen again. I ask the Minister of State to relay my concerns to the Minister for Health, particularly with regard to those senior posts. I am also still looking for the final running cost to the taxpayer.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to address it. I will take the questions he has raised today back to the Minister and departmental officials. As I outlined previously, the HSE has implemented additional controls to monitor and manage threats to the HSE network, including additional staff training and a strengthening of identity and access management processes and controls. There has been an additional allocation of €55 million in the service plan for 2024 to enhance cybersecurity.

The Department of Health is informed that the HSE has worked with international and national cybersecurity experts to protect against future attacks. It should be remembered that the HSE has also obtained a High Court order following the ransomware attack in May 2021 restraining any sharing, processing, selling or publishing of data illegally accessed and copied from computer systems. This order remains in place to prevent anyone from using any of the illegally accessed and copied information. HSE cybersecurity experts have also been monitoring the Internet, including the dark web, since the cyberattack back in May 2021. This continuing threat will need to be mitigated by ongoing and sustained investment to strengthen cyber-resilience and ensure a secure foundation to build our technology, data and health information on.

Again, I will take the questions the Senator raised with me today back to the Minister for a further response.

Hospital Facilities

Senator Róisín Garvey

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh. I congratulate the Minister of State on his new appointment. It is nice to have him on side. I have always found him to be well able and most respectful. I wish him luck in his new role.

A number of weeks ago the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the CEO of the HSE, Mr. Bernard Gloster, visited the infamous University Hospital Limerick, UHL.

They made announcements about beds, recruitment and so on. As luck would have it, and it was unlucky for my friend, by accident I ended up visiting a friend who was in hospital that day. When I went to visit her, she was in serious back pain and in serious agony, with an official pain level of nine out of ten. She had been waiting in a hospital bed for an MRI scan for a number of days. She ended up waiting 15 nights in hospital for that MRI scan. I asked her whether I could advocate for her and spoke to the consultant on call who was in charge of the ward that day. I spoke to the head of nursing on that ward that day as well. They both categorically informed me that there was only one working MRI scanner in the entire hospital.

I found this deeply worrying because beds are tied up as a result. People do not want to go home because they are in pain and if they go home, they will not get resolution. People want to know what is wrong with them and what they can do. MRI scans are very useful for that. They also do not go home because if they do, if they are told they can wait as there is a waiting list, there is no waiting list. If they go home, they fall off the list. That is why people sit in the accident and emergency department for hours and hours and days and days, and are in beds and on trolleys for days. They know if they go home, they will go back to the bottom of the barrel again. First, there is no system for people on a list to get priority based on when they entered the hospital. Second, why the hell is there only one working MRI scanner? What is going on?

This hospital is a centre of excellence. It covers a whole region. We know about the problems and the trolley numbers; they are infamous. People are literally dying as a result. I always try to look at solutions. Why is it so bad in UHL? One of the reasons must be the fact that one working MRI scanner means that people are locked into beds. To spend 15 nights in bed waiting for an MRI is absolute insanity. That woman did not want to take up a bed, but she needed to be seen to. All these people on trolleys downstairs are waiting to be seen, but they cannot come up because others are waiting in beds for an MRI scan for more than two weeks. It is absolutely barbaric. You would not get it in India.

I have a very specific question. Will the Minister for Health ask the HSE why there is only one working MRI scanner in UHL? It leads to patients taking up many extra bed nights while waiting for MRI scans. There is no list system. I can write a computer programme. I could come up with a system to have people on a list, even with just a ledger. This is not 1940 when we did not have computers and filing systems. As no list is in place to keep people's MRI scans in order, patients are reluctant to go home because if they do, they go to the bottom of the waiting list. Will the Minister please raise this matter with the acting manager of UHL, who was absent on the day we were there with him and the CEO of the HSE? There was no sign of the acting manager. Will the Minister insist that this is rectified as soon as possible or please give some explanation as to why this is the situation in our centre of excellence?

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Health on this important issue for the people of the mid-west region. He recognises that there are significant pressures at UHL. He and the Government have undertaken sustained investment in this hospital and in capacity across the entire mid-west region's health system.

There are currently two MRI scanners in UHL, one owned by University Limerick Hospitals Group and a second operated by Alliance Medical, which serves patients in the hospital and also provides a GP service out of hours. Through this service, a certain number of MRI slots are available at the weekends for patients who have been discharged from UHL during the week to return at the weekend for their scans. Without this service, these patients would remain in hospital. There are challenges in the provision of diagnostic scans in UHL as demand for radiology tests exceeds available capacity. I am advised that priority is being given to inpatients and to oncology outpatients.

Work is currently under way at the hospital as part of the HSE capital plan to reconfigure and extend the current radiology department. This project will deliver an additional MRI at the hospital. The overall investment in extending the radiology department will provide a much-needed and welcome increase in diagnostic capacity for the hospital. A tender for enabling works for this project issued in November 2023. The detailed design planning is in process and will go to tender shortly.

The project is expected to be complete in quarter 1 2026. The extension and improvement of the radiology department will also accommodate consultant radiologist offices, on-call facilities,

teaching space and changing room facilities.

Currently for patients in the mid-west, GPs can refer directly to a community radiology diagnostics service. These services facilitate access to X-ray, CT, DEXA and MRI scans for patients. In 2023, more than 19,000 radiology scans, including MRIs, were carried out in the HSE mid-west under the GP access to community diagnostics scheme, reducing referrals to emergency departments, acute medical units and outpatient departments. This record activity for the scheme surpassed the 15,755 radiology scans completed in 2022.

All MRI referrals are vetted by a consultant radiologist and patients are prioritised based on their clinical need. The Minister is aware of, and has been engaging extensively to relieve, the significant pressures on the broader health system within Limerick and across the region. University Hospital Limerick has received substantial investment in recent years. In 2019, the hospital had a budget of €265 million. This year, the budget is €382 million, meaning it has grown by €117 million, or 44%, in just five years. We are also investing in additional bed capacity. Since January 2020, 150 new beds have been opened across the University of Limerick Hospitals Group, of which 98 are in University Hospital Limerick. On top of this existing investment, in April 2024, the Minister announced a package of additional measures to address the ongoing issues within the hospital. I know the Minister will continue to work with the HSE to ensure that the new regional executive officer for the mid-west is fully supported in delivering improvements for the region.

Senator Róisín Garvey

I thank the Minister of State. My question was why only one MRI scanner was working. I presume, therefore, that the second scanner, which the Minister of State indicated was available, was broken on the day. The response did not answer that question but that is not the Minister of State's fault as he did not write it. He stated that one MRI scanner is owned by the UL Hospitals group and the second one is operated by Alliance Medical. Is that part of the insurance company? Does that mean it is a privately-owned scanner and that private patients get priority? As a public patient, I would find that appalling, as would many others who cannot afford private healthcare.

The response also stated that a tender was issued in November 2023 for a third scanner for the radiology department. I wonder why the hell it took so long. Last November the trolley crisis was still appalling and had been for years. Why did a tender only go out last November, meaning we will have to wait almost another year, if it is provided on time? There seem to be mountains made out of molehills at every turn in the HSE, especially when it comes to UHL.

The Minister of State said that GPs can refer patients directly to a community radiology diagnostics service. Is he referring to the primary healthcare centres or where is that service available? If it is available in the community, why are GPs sending people to accident and emergency departments? Are there not enough community radiology diagnostics services in the community? There is obviously something else going on there as well.

While I appreciate it is not the job of the Minister or Minister of State to manage UHL, there are serious questions still to be answered about what the hell is going on in that hospital.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank Senator Garvey and recognise the concerns she has raised on behalf of people in the mid-west region who are trying to access these essential services. I will bring the questions she raised back to the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and his officials.

As already advised, significant capital investment has been made by the Government to expand the radiology department at University Hospital Limerick. Work is under way to deliver the much-needed capacity, including an additional MRI scanner. Enabling works have started and the procurement phase has commenced. The Minister continues to work closely with the HSE and University Hospital Limerick to deliver much-needed improvements for the people of the mid-west.

A new regional executive officer has been appointed to support the Minister and the CEO of the HSE to ensure the expert team de-escalates pressures on the emergency department and manages patient flow at University Hospital Limerick. Many of the changes the Minister has sanctioned are having an immediate effect on patient flow. These include the implementation of the GPs on the door at the emergency department and the rostering of senior management on the floor. Other changes will be brought into effect in the medium term and in time for the winter surge later this year.

Those also will include 16 additional fast-build beds, which are to be commissioned on the hospital site, the procurement of 20 permanent step-down and rehabilitation beds in Clare and the temporary procurement of 50 step-down beds in Nenagh, pending delivery of the new 96-bed block. Other measures will address long-term challenges to provide enduring stability to the area. These include developing the capacity of the model 2 hospital in Ennis, of Nenagh and St. John's hospitals, and the provision of a second 96-bed block by 2028. The Minister is committed to working closely with the Oireachtas, elected members in the mid-west and the HSE to ensure the delivery of improved services for the people who much need them.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Eileen Flynn)

Before we move on to the next Commencement matter, I welcome to the Chamber members of the Seapark Residents Association of Malahide. It is lovely to see young people in the Gallery and they are very welcome.

Immigration Policy

Senator Sharon Keogan

Is the Minister of State taking this question?

Deputy Alan Dillon

I am.

Senator Sharon Keogan

I thank the Minister of State. After the two recent referendums, we know we cannot trust the Government to be honest about the legal advice it is receiving. To quell the concerns of the Opposition and the public, will the Government publish the Attorney General's advice on the EU migration pact? It is a comprehensive document that runs to over 1,300 pages. It contains various categories of regulations that need to be followed in respect of future migration, the Eurodac regulation and changes that will made to it. We in Ireland currently have access to that Eurodac system but we are told we will not be able to access it if we do not opt in.

The screening regulation is another document with approximately 200 pages. There are also the asylum procedure regulation, the asylum and migration management regulation and the crisis and force majeure regulation, which is a solidarity fund put in place to deal with crises in member states. As this is the second time I have submitted this question, I look forward to hearing the response from the Minister of State.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank Senator Keogan for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. As the Senator will be aware, the Attorney General provides legal advice to the Government and this advice is subject to legal professional privilege in the same way as the legal advice provided to a private client by any solicitor or barrister. The proper operation of Government and, thereby, the public interest is served by this privilege as it facilitates the confidential consideration by Government of sensitive matters. I assure the Senator that the Minister is fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s international protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected.

The new EU asylum and migration pact is a game-changer for Ireland. It was agreed last December and recently approved by the European Parliament. The pact was carefully negotiated over several years since 2016 to significantly reform the current approach to migration and asylum both in Ireland and across the entire EU. It will do so by providing a strong and cohesive legislative framework to address the challenges we all face in this area.

The pact will speed up the processing of international protection applicants in order that we have a firmer and fairer system. It will do this through the provision of mandatory processing times. It will make it easier to return those who are found not to be entitled to protection and will introduce greater security checking of applicants, including screening of applicants at EU borders.

The pact will reduce the volume of secondary movement and will make it easier to transfer applicants to the member state responsible. This is particularly important for Ireland because of the volume of international protection applicants who have already applied for protection somewhere else in the EU. It will reduce the time people spend in State-provided accommodation and will support the return of people found not to be entitled to protection.

Any delay in opting in would see Ireland continue to operate under our existing systems, while other member states begin to implement the new law. This will likely result in Ireland becoming a more attractive destination for individuals seeking protection, as Ireland would be operating less extensive measures and would not be able to return people to other EU member states. Indeed, if we do not opt in, existing measures in which we participate, such as the Dublin III regulation, would become defunct and we would have no legal tool to return people to other EU member states. The pact offers us all in Europe a real opportunity to work together to design a system that is firm but fair, based on a fair sharing of responsibility that works for everyone.

It is for this reason that Ireland has participated in the Common European Asylum System since the beginning. We are already part of the Common European Asylum System, and the pact is a reform of that system. As measures governed by Protocol 21 of the EU treaty, the request by Ireland to opt in requires the prior approval of both Houses under Article 29.4.7° of the Constitution. Following the Dáil and Seanad approving Ireland's request to opt in to the EU migration pact, the Minister will start to prepare the general scheme of new legislation to replace the International Protection Act 2015. This Bill will be subject to full pre-legislative scrutiny in the usual way. It will then be drafted as usual and fully debated in the Dáil and Seanad. A core part of the role of Minister for Justice is to uphold the Constitution and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, will always do so.

Senator Sharon Keogan

I thank the Minister of State. To be quite honest, I am very disappointed. While the Minister of State said that legal advice is provided to a private client, the citizens of Ireland are his clients. The citizens of Ireland need to know what the Attorney General's advice is. The Minister of State is the servant of the people of Ireland. They are the most important people when it comes to the Attorney General's advice. The Government let the people of Ireland down on the referendum on 8 March. It did not publish the advice and we subsequently found out that it misled the public. Here we are again, with another refusal to publish the Attorney General's advice in relation to this EU migration pact.

The tone of the debate will remain respectful. I am talking about illegal immigration and migration into this country. We all know the benefit when people come to this country on work permits and the contributions they make. Do not muddy the waters with that last line.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank Senator Keogan. I appreciate the points she raised. On behalf of the Minister, I assure her that the Irish Constitution requires that the pact will come before both TDs and Senators, and that is exactly what is going to happen. There will be full debates in the Dáil and Seanad and it will also be discussed at the joint committee. As with all new legislation, the Bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny and the full legislative process in both the Dáil and the Seanad will take place as usual. The EU asylum and migration pact will ensure, as I said, that Europe acts as a collective in terms of how migration, asylum in particular, is managed to ensure the system is firmer and fairer. I look forward to further debate in this regard.

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Senator Robbie Gallagher

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. The most recent statistics from the Garda on domestic violence reports show that in excess of 54,000 reports were made in 2023. That is an 8% increase on 2022. I will share a few other statistics I found truly shocking. It is estimated that one in three women has experienced psychological violence from a partner at some point in her life. One in four Irish women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner from the age of 15. As a male, I am truly shocked, embarrassed and sickened by those statistics.

The men of Ireland need to take a good, long hard look at themselves.

Unfortunately, when women find themselves in situations like this, they need refuge and protection from the State and need society to put an arm around them. Counties like Monaghan and Cavan are among the nine counties that do not have a dedicated refuge centre to cater for victims who find themselves in these shocking circumstances.

I would like to give a shout out to Siobhan McKenna from Tearmann, the domestic violence service which looked after women and children in Monaghan and Cavan for a long number of years. I would like to say a big thank you to her team for the services they have provided to the women and children of Cavan and Monaghan. I know Tearmann has now been subsumed into Safe Ireland. I wish the organisation well in that regard.

In a situation where women find themselves in need of refuge, it is important that is provided as close to their home as possible and, at the very least, in their own county where they and their families live, close to the services they avail of, be it schools or whatever, and where wraparound services can be provided to them. That is why it is vitally important that services are provided within a county, rather than there being one service for Monaghan and Cavan. A lot of people would share that view.

To those victims find themselves in that position, I say that the quicker we get to a point where we can provide the refuge, the better. I pay tribute to the housing sections of Monaghan and Cavan County Councils for the work they have done with the new organisation, Cuan, in conjunction with Safe Ireland in trying to identify sites in Monaghan and Cavan for refuge centres. Ultimately, we need to get to a point where the service will be available as quickly as possible.

I know work has taken place and I look forward to the contribution of the Minister of State. It is to be hoped he can give me a progress report on the current situation in respect of finding a site for victims of domestic and physical and sexual abuse in counties Cavan and Monaghan.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank Senator Gallagher for bringing this Commencement matter before the House. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee.

A central element of delivering on the zero tolerance goal of the third national strategy is the establishment of a statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV, agency, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was delighted to establish Cuan at the start of the year. Cuan has a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the strategy across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. Under budget 2024, in excess of €7.9 million in additional funding for combatting DSGBV has been allocated. This represents a significant increase and will support the implementation of the zero tolerance plan, including through the new agency, which has an overall budget of €59 million for 2024.

The agency works in collaboration with the NGO and DSGBV services sectors to ensure that the best possible services are in place to meet the needs of victims and survivors, including safe and accessible accommodation. One of the key actions in the third national strategy is doubling the number of refuge spaces available during the lifetime of the strategy to 280. The 2024 implementation plan sets out the following deliverables for safe home and refuge delivery by quarter 4 of 2024 - to have active planning and engagement under way for the delivery of 150 additional family refuge units; the delivery of eight new family refuge units; ensuring 25 additional family refuge units are under construction; and increasing the number of safe homes by a further 35%.

As well as delivering on supports such as accommodation, Cuan is tasked with putting in place a robust set of national service standards and governance arrangements to ensure adherence to the appropriate standards for these supports.

As the Deputy is aware, the Cavan-Monaghan region has been identified as a priority area for refuge development. Cuan has a dedicated team in place to support the development of domestic violence refuges. This team has been engaging with the local service provider in the Cavan-Monaghan area and has supported the organisation in terms of its capacity and governance. Following significant engagement, this local service provider will work with Safe Ireland, which will now lead out on the development of refuge accommodation in the Cavan-Monaghan area. As an identified priority area, every effort will be made to ensure that supports are put in place to achieve delivery of refuge and support services in Cavan and Monaghan as quickly as possible.

Senator Robbie Gallagher

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I am delighted that his contribution mentioned the word “priority” and the fact Cavan and Monaghan were being prioritised for this refuge centre. That is a positive development and I am delighted the Department is very much behind it. I know work is actively taking place between Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council to progress this matter. I am heartened by the fact the Minister of State is telling me that, as far as the Department is concerned, this issue will be prioritised. That is very welcome because the quicker we get this service, the better. Unfortunately, the service is much needed, which is a sad thing to say.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank the Senator. The core, overarching goal of the zero-tolerance strategy is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and we continue to work towards that. The Senator will be aware of the Tearmann Domestic Violence Services based in Monaghan, and he mentioned Siobhán McKenna and her team, who provide the services in counties Cavan and Monaghan. That has now merged with Safe Ireland, which allows Safe Ireland to be the lead organisation taking forward this development in the Cavan-Monaghan area through engagement with local stakeholders. It is very important that Cuan is engaging with Safe Ireland, as well as with Cavan and Monaghan county councils, to provide the supports to progress this development as a matter of priority in 2024. I will certainly take the point the Senator has raised back to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to ensure we have an update on this development and that both Monaghan and Cavan are supported with regard to accommodation provision.

Public Transport

Senator Aisling Dolan

With the withdrawal of Aircoach from 8 April 2024, and the X20 service in 2021, on the Dublin to Galway route, those services have been stopped. We currently only have Citylink, which goes every two hours between Dublin and Galway and services the towns between those two cities. This Commencement matter was intended for the Minister for Transport. I am frustrated. I raised this in 2021 and again last year, when I said there is definitely a need for more services. What happens? The commercial provider, Aircoach, stops the service in April of this year.

I went onto the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan website. When that plan came out, I had a campaign in Galway and Roscommon and I talked about the need for additional public transport services in our rural areas. I did videos and I linked in with community groups in the region. It is great to see some of our Local Link services going from Castlerea to Mountbellew to Ballinasloe, but we have a Local Link service that goes from Ballinasloe to Loughrea when there is no connectivity from Loughrea to Galway.

We do not have a Local Link that goes from Ballinasloe to Athlone. Does the Minister of State know the hospital, the emergency department and the maternity service for the city of Athlone? It is Portiuncula University Hospital, which is a level 3 acute maternity hospital. The Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, on the very first page of the lovely slide on its website, refers to connecting medical and educational establishments.

That is well and good but how is it getting done? I want the Minister of State to take this message back because I have had it with the fact that I call for additional services and that the Government is supporting additional public transport but yet the commercial provider has removed a service it was providing. Now the Citylink service is every two hours. We have a train station - are we not fortunate? The train station is 2 km from the hospital. If you are expecting and going for a maternity check-up, you have the joy of making your way to the train station in Athlone and the additional joy, if you do not meet the Local Link bus to bring you to the hospital, of walking those 2 km.

I received an email from the assistant director of nursing in Portiuncula. She expressed concern around student nurses being able to get to work. These young people may be trying to get from Galway. They may work in UHG or Merlin Park and are trying to get to the hospital in Portiuncula to do their shift. Maybe they make their way into Galway, get the train from Eyre Square to Ballinasloe and have to walk, if they do not get the Local Link bus, another 2 km. They are on their feet all day long.

I do not know what else to say except there is a lack of investment in the west. I was in Raheny station at quarter to nine last Thursday in Dublin city centre. Four trains passed me by in three to four minutes. How can we say we have equal access to public transport? It is not the case. When we look at every parameter that needs to be considered here, including CLÁR and areas of deprivation, I can point to communities that have no access and cannot get into town to collect their pension or for social activities.

We had a motion here last week about loneliness, anxiety and isolation. The west of Ireland is one of our most deprived areas and this is a just transition area that has lost jobs through Shannonbridge but somehow, the Department of Transport is saying communities in the west do not need those services. I have talked to Local Link managers of services in Westmeath and Dublin that cover the Roscommon, Westmeath and Longford area, and to the Local Link managers in Galway. They would like to extend those services. They are willing to consider it but need funding. They need the nod. It is in the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan about having additional services between Athlone and Ballinasloe.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I thank Senator Dolan for raising this important topic. I know how passionate she is about advocating for the best interests of the local communities in Galway and Roscommon. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators who deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.

That said, I reassure the Senator that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays an important role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, under budget 2024 a funding package of €613 million has been secured for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services. This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the young adult card on both PSO and commercial bus services, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support new and enhanced bus and rail services next year.

I turn my attention to the specific issue raised by Senator Dolan.

While the majority of public transport in Ireland is Exchequer funded through the PSO programme, a critical part of the national public transport system is comprised of bus services run on a commercial basis throughout the country. The Galway to Dublin Airport service provided by Aircoach falls into the latter category. As such, any decision taken on the cessation of that specific route is a commercial decision solely for the operator, in which neither the Department of Transport nor the NTA has a role.

That said, if a commercial operator ceases to run a specific route, the NTA undertakes an assessment to determine whether, with the discontinuation of the commercial service, it is necessary for a replacement PSO route to be introduced to ensure no loss of connectivity to the public. This process includes an assessment of the level of demand for public transport services in the affected area, an evaluation of whether existing PSO services can be reconfigured to meet any shortfall and whether it is necessary to competitively tender for the provision of services.

As of April 2024, the NTA has determined that the removal of the routes 20 and X20 service will have limited impact on Galway to Dublin intercity journeys as Citylink route 763 continues to support the route. Additionally, there is currently no public service obligation to introduce new services to replace route 706. As outlined in the NTA’s assessment, public transport trips from Galway to Athlone and Athlone to Dublin will continue to be served by rail and bus. Route 763 provides eight return trips daily and Irish Rail provides nine departures on weekdays, eight on Saturdays and six on Sundays in both directions between Galway and Athlone. Athlone is included within corridor 23 in the Connecting Ireland plan, which specifies a minimum service frequency of two hours on all services between Galway and Dublin. Following the withdrawal of route 706, the remaining service provision exceeds the minimum service frequency identified by Connecting Ireland. The NTA will continue to monitor local demands for travel along this corridor to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

Acting Chairperson (Senator Eileen Flynn)

I ask Senator Dolan to bear in mind that the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, is standing in for the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

Senator Aisling Dolan

The Minister of State knows very well that he is standing in for the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Any Minister who comes in here to reply to any Commencement matter is speaking on behalf of the Minister that they represent.

It is unfortunate and I would like the clock to be reset, please.

What the Minister of State has provided me with here from the NTA is supposed to be the rural Ireland Connecting Ireland mobility plan. Maybe we should have somebody from the NTA in here talking to us about the four trains that went past me in Raheny. Maybe we should move the whole population of Ireland into Dublin. Maybe that would be the easiest thing to do. If we moved them all from the west of Ireland, maybe it would all be sorted. According to this, it is okay for people only to have a coach service every two hours. Somebody living in the middle of Dublin city centre can have four trains pass by with another three or four buses outside the train station and yet in the likes of Ballinasloe or Athlone people, cannot get to the hospital. I did not speak about TUS or the university. I did not speak about students trying to get to college or to work. This is not fit for purpose. This plan must be reviewed. The Government cannot stand over it. It is very clear there is no balanced regional development here.

Deputy Alan Dillon

I will convey the Senator's frustration, disappointment and anger back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on this very important issue. I wish to reassure the Senator that the Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators will work to ensure they optimise deployment of resources across the public transport network to match changing passenger demand patterns. This will be reviewed and looked at.

I ask the Senator to continue her engagement. While the level of service provided by Citylink route 763 is considered to be sufficient for towns such as Loughrea and Ballinasloe, the NTA has other considerations to assess and it has deemed it insufficient for a town of Athlone’s population and status as a regional growth centre.

Under Connecting Ireland, we have seen that a large number of regional and local routes are proposed to operate into Athlone, which will serve as a hub for the midlands, so consideration will need to be given to continue to provide high-quality intercity connectivity to both Galway and Dublin.

Looking at this collectively, I think these measures will provide not only further improved connectivity in the areas but also viable alternatives to private cars for those living in the region.

To the Senator's point about the route in question, it is a difficult situation as regards the commercial viability of the previous route. Responsibility lies with the actual operators, and I think that presents difficulties for the Department of Transport, the Minister and the NTA. I will continue to work with the Senator on this and ensure that the concerns she has raised are brought back to the Minister.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.41 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.03 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 1.41 p.m. and resumed at 2.03 p.m.