The Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, is welcome to the House.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Defence Forces
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chathaoirleach as ucht an ábhar seo a phiocadh amach. Tá sé iontach tábhachtach. Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Browne. Is deas é a bheith linn agus ar ndóigh, cuirfidh sé an méid seo in iúl don Tánaiste.
I thank the Minister of State for being here.
I rise to address an issue facing our Reserve Defence Force, namely, recruitment and retention. As it stands, our Reserve Defence Force, RDF, faces significant challenges in both attracting new recruits and retaining existing members. With only 1,322 personnel in the Army Reserve, 89 in the Naval Service and 282 in First Line Reserve, it is clear we need urgent action to bolster our Reserve.
One of the biggest barriers to RDF recruitment is the time-consuming and cumbersome process that prospective recruits must go through. Recruits regularly face extensively long waits for medical and security clearances, discouraging many from considering a career in the Reserve or causing them to lose interest. Furthermore, the absence of recognition for RDF qualifications under QQI creates a hurdle for anyone wishing to enhance their skills and certification within the RDF. This is perhaps the most important point that I have made so far and I appeal to the Minister of State to have that looked at.
Regarding retention, current RDF members complain about the lack of training sessions and interesting activities, which leaves them feeling detached and under-appreciated. They are not active enough and there is not enough going on, in simple terms. Furthermore, the lack of real rewards exacerbates the difficulty of retaining skilled members of the Reserve. These concerns not only reduce morale within the RDF but also degrade the overall efficiency of our Reserve Defence Force.
Turning to answers, we must investigate innovative approaches to streamlining RDF recruitment processes and make them more appealing to potential recruits. This might include working with the private health sector - something is being done but more needs to be done - to conduct the medical exams to not have waiting lists; reducing waiting periods for getting in; and making it easier to enter the Reserve all the time. As I said, significant average wait times for medicals have been reported. I also advocate that we liaise more with employers to ensure that there is leave and a sensitivity and flexibility in the work programme to allow people to take part in this important patriotic work. The latest rise in age to 39 is a good start but I do not see why it could not be increased more, at least for a Reserve member.
We must also prioritise the creation of effective retention strategies within the RDF. This could include providing more opportunities for ongoing training sessions and fostering a sense of community through engaging activities and events. By investing in our RDF members' well-being and professional development, we can foster a greater sense of loyalty and commitment among our Reserve members and make membership more appealing to young people.
Further, we should look at targeted campaigns within schools and communities to raise awareness of the opportunities and benefits, and make sure the benefits are there by creating more pathways for direct progression into the Defence Forces, emphasising the rewarding nature of Reserve service and trying to link into the apprenticeship programmes. We can inspire a new generation to join our ranks. It was very popular in my youth. Additionally, enhancing the recognition of RDF career courses under the QQI framework – this is important – would incentivise professional development and bolster retention.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence. To finish, this is important patriotic work and important civic activity. It is also hugely important for the individual. The personal development of the young fellow or girl who joins the Reserve Defence Force goes way up.
I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising the important matter of the recruitment and retention of Reserve Defence Force members. I am responding on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, who unfortunately cannot be here. The Tánaiste asked me to pass on his apologies to the House. On his behalf, I welcome the opportunity to respond on this matter and thank Senator O’Reilly for his question.
I reiterate the Government’s commitment to the RDF. The immediate focus for the Tánaiste as Minister for Defence is on stabilising the numbers of personnel and facilitating capacity for further increases. An important enabler in this regard has been the extensive work undertaken to update the Defence Forces regulation, DFR R5, underpinning the Reserve, as well as the 2021 amendment to the Defence Act which provides for the deployment on a voluntary basis of RDF members both on-island and overseas in support of the Permanent Defence Force.
The strategic objective for the Reserve Defence Force, RDF, is the development of a reserve force which can seamlessly train, operate and deploy on a voluntary basis with the Permanent Defence Forces both in Ireland and overseas. This is an underlying message in the 2022 report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, CODF. This report contained a number of recommendations on the Reserve Defence Force. Two recommendations from that report, denoted as early actions, related to the establishment of the Office of Reserve Affairs, ORA, and the development of a regeneration plan for the Reserve. Following the establishment of the ORA the director of ORA has advised that his immediate focus is in the development of a regeneration plan. In addition to focusing on general recruitment into the RDF, a recruitment drive for the RDF was launched in October 2023 which was advertised across a number of media channels. To date, work continues on the 674 live applications currently proceeding through the system with more than 360 interviews now concluded; 317 fitness tests; 191 part one medicals completed; 129 part two medicals complete; and 56 applicants already attested.
It is clear that a more robust and streamlined recruitment process lent itself to the CODF recommendations relating to the structure and strength of the RDF. The measures which have been taken to improve the administration of medicals are a clear example of this. I am advised that a broad spectrum of initiatives are currently under development to enable the RDF to deliver enhanced military capabilities when and where required in support of the PDF. These initiatives and the enabling actions will be outlined in the Reserve Defence Force regeneration and development plan which is being drafted by the ORA. The plan which is to be submitted to the Tánaiste in the near future is due for publication in the early third quarter of this year and, as I have already confirmed, the Government remains committed to bolstering the numbers of the RDF.
In that context, the upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages for the RDF were recently increased to match those for the Permanent Defence Force and a budget of €2,050,000 for the RDF was exceeded last year by nearly €190,000, due to an increase in training days completed by RDF members in 2023. This is a clear example of positive growth and of a regeneration of the RDF in 2023 and, as a result, an increase in the budget has been provided for 2024.
While the majority of measures supporting recruitment and retention will inevitably incur some overheads, all options to bolster recruitment and retention will be considered. I would add that there are regular informal meetings also between the association which represents the Reserve, departmental officials and military management where issues affecting the RDF are discussed.
I thank the Senator again for raising this matter and assure him that it is the intention of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to ensure that the momentum behind the regeneration of the RDF will be maintained throughout 2024 and in the coming year. I thank the Cathaoirleach.
Before I call on Senator O'Reilly to reply, I formally welcome Congressman Eric Swalwell who is a member of the 14th or 15th, I cannot remember, District in California. I know that there has been a bit of re-districting in his area. Congressman Swalwell is very welcome. I met him in Dublin, California, which is twinned with Bray in Wicklow and he is a very good friend of Ireland. He is here with the Leas-Chathaoirleach and he is co-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. The Congressman is very welcome, I thank him for being here, he is a great friend of Ireland and we look forward to working even more closely with him. I ask him to enjoy his visit to Leinster House. He is in good company with the Leas-Chathaoirleach. Céad míle fáilte roimhe.
I thank the Cathaoirleach and I welcome Congressman Swalwell.
I will make a number of further comments. It was a recommendation, as pointed out by the Minister of State, from the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022 that there would be a regeneration plan for the RDF. It is in the works but my frustration with it, and indeed the frustration of many other people who know a great deal more about this than I do, is the slowness of it. I say that with great respect to the Minister of State as this is not his brief but I ask that the Minister of State please say to the Tánaiste that we are very anxious this would be accelerated. Even the third quarter of this year is a bit far away and I am not being facetious when I say that I do not believe it is rocket science to produce this plan quickly and get it up there. It is well known what needs to go into it and, like I said, we can make the RDF an exciting group to be in and can work with employers to be facilitative. We can create an environment where Reserve members can do many things particularly with apprenticeships, etc., and to just make it better.
I welcome the presence of the Minister of State and thank him for his response.
I am concerned that we get real action here soon across the whole area. I ask the Minister of State to point that out to the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. This needs to be done for the young people concerned but also given the current geopolitical climate. We need to do it for 110 reasons. I thank the Minister of State.
I hear Senator O'Reilly's concerns. I again thank him for raising this important matter. I know the Defence Forces are very important to him and I assure him that the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence shares those concerns. That is why he has implemented the regeneration plan, which he intends to advance as quickly as possible.
The ongoing staffing challenges in the Defence Forces with regard to recruitment and retention are fully acknowledged and well documented. In this, however, we are no different from other international military forces which, in a competitive labour market, are also experiencing similar difficulties. I reiterate that the immediate focus for the Tánaiste, as Minister for Defence, is on stabilising the numbers of personnel and facilitating capacity for further increases. In light of the CoDF report and the report of the independent review group, IRG, a significant programme of reform and culture change within the Defence Forces has been prioritised to ensure that it is an equal opportunities employer, reflective of contemporary Irish society and providing a workplace underpinned by dignity, equality and mutual respect.
The strategic framework for the transformation of the Defence Forces, which was published in September 2024 by the Tánaiste, sets out clear targets for the vital work that is under way relating to the transformation of the Defence Forces. The targets are important to drive the reform sought by the Senator.
The RDF has a significant role to play in that transformation. The development of a regeneration plan for the Reserve is a key step in this endeavour. I assure the Senator that the recruitment and retention of Defence Forces personnel continues to be a key priority for the Tánaiste, just as it is for the Senator.
Early Childhood Care and Education
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne. I know he is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I thank the Minister, who I know is involved in Government business today. He communicated with me yesterday that he could not be here. I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to take this Commencement matter, which relates to early childhood care and education. I suppose that says it all. That is the kernel of the case that I am going to make.
The matter I raise is the early childhood care and education provided at Taney Playschool in Dundrum. There are concerns that the service is due to close because of a lack of core funding. Funding is an issue. Councillor Anne Colgan, who represents that area, raised this with me. We now find that Taney Playschool is going to have to close because of a lack of core funding. I will explain why.
I asked the Minister to make a statement on proposals for funding for the community early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme. That ties in with the Government's commitment to the Equal Start programme. I understand that within a matter of weeks a policy document will be published on the Equal Start programme. We all know the benefits of an equal start for children in terms of education and learning, including learning through play and interaction. The benefits of the ECCE scheme are amazing. It is brilliant. Everyone talks about how positive it is and how it impacts and assists families who wish to see their children being nurtured in the community in which they live.
In the long term, I would like to see the further expansion of early childhood care and education because it is the right way to proceed. The Government is to be commended on its work but today I want to hear about the core funding. I want to hear why the facility in Taney is now faced with closure. Part of the reason the service is faced with closure is that it cannot offer services outside the current operational hours as it is located in a community facility that has guides, scouts and other community groups coming in later in the afternoon. It cannot subsidise its core activity by providing extended play facilities because there are issues relating to catering and health and safety, and rightly so.
The single funding model does not fit all. Taney Playschool is an example of a private playschool serving local people for many years. The current manager, who has been working there for 11 years, has to tell parents she cannot enrol any more children in Taney Playschool in Dundrum. She is responsible and she cannot enrol people and then not have the core funding to get the facility up and running for September. The line has been cut and nobody else can do anything about it.
This playschool is entirely dependent on ECCE core funding and capitation, and we need to know how we can address that. The big chain models serve three or four units offering full-day services across a range of services. They can cross-subsidise their activities with other services but these services cannot. The question Councillor Anne Colgan, the people of Taney preschool and the people of Dundrum are asking is why they cannot have core funding to allow the playschool's particular set of circumstances and excellent services, for which there is a demand in the community of Dundrum, continue. Taney preschool wants to continue. The Government is supportive of the concept.
I would like the Minister of State to address the issue. If he cannot do so today - I appreciate that this does not come directly under his Ministry - he might give a commitment today that he will take it away and raise it with the Minister. I hope we can give some hope to the people in Dundrum and Taney listening in to this, that they will continue to have an early childhood care and education service, which they rightly deserve and to which the Government says it is fully committed. I do not doubt that; I believe it is committed to this. We all know the benefits of early intervention. I ask that the Minister of State respond or at least give a commitment today to take this up with the Minister.
I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this very important matter relating to the increase in core funding for ECCE services and, in particular, concerns about Taney Playschool in Dundrum.
Investment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels, with public funding for early learning and childcare for the first time reaching more than €1.1 billion in 2024, a clear demonstration from the Government of the value of the sector. The overwhelming majority of this funding is allocated through Together for Better, the new funding model, which comprises the ECCE programme, including AIM, the NCS and core funding, with a fourth strand, Equal Start, currently under development.
In year 1 of core funding, some €259 million was allocated to services. Some 99% of all services benefited from increased funding, and approximately 1% benefited from a funding guarantee that ensured that no service received less in core funding than it received in the previous funding model. For year 2 of core funding, the overall allocation to the scheme increased by 14% to €287 million. Arising from that, all services will have seen an increase to their core funding allocations due to the increased allocations towards non-staff overheads and administrative staff and time.
In addition, a number of targeted supports for small and sessional services were introduced in order to improve sustainability of these services, specifically a flat-rate top-up of €4,075 for sessional-only services and a minimum base rate allocation of €8,150, which will benefit small, part-time and school-age services. These measures saw the average allocation under core funding for sessional-only services, similar to Taney Playschool, increase by 32% this year.
Core funding will increase again for year three of the scheme, by €44 million, or 15%, to €331 million. This will support the delivery of a range of enhancements to the scheme to support improved affordability and accessibility for families, improved pay and conditions for the workforce and improved sustainability for providers.
Special supports are available from the Department where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about its viability, accessed through the local city or county childcare committee. This support can take the form of assisting services with interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, financial support for partner services, or more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.
The Minister is aware that the CCC has reached out to this service on two occasions to offer this support. The Minister has asked officials in his Department to advise the CCC to make contact again with the service.
I appreciate that. We are all on the one page. We all know the significance and importance of early childhood care and education. It is a wonderful service. It needs ongoing money and support. The benefits of an equal start and support for families and children in their communities are enormous.
I take on board what the Minister of State has said about the CCC and that it will now reach out to the Taney preschool to see what can happen. I ask that the Minister of State bring the matter back to the relevant Minister and that a meeting be set up in a matter of days, not weeks, with the Taney project to see how we can avert its closure and how we can give it the necessary support, whatever that support is. Let us not precondition anything.
I ask that officials and the CCC meet representatives of Taney preschool in the hope of securing the future for the people of Taney and Dundrum, south County Dublin, who want the service to continue. We are all supportive of it and see its benefits. I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue today and giving us his response.
I thank the Senator again for raising the important issue of ECCE funding. I noted his passion and concern for Taney playschool in Dundrum and I will certainly relay his concerns to the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and ask him to have his officials engage with the organisation.
Medicinal Products
The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I understand he is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health.
As the Minister of State well knows, Ireland has nine of the ten leading pharmaceutical production companies in Europe. It is a leading exporter of new medicines and medicines in general, not only throughout Europe but also the rest of the world. During the Covid pandemic, we played a leading role in exporting medicines. Sadly, however, when it comes to Irish patients accessing new medicines, our record is one of the poorest in Europe. Although we are one of the best in Europe at producing new medicines and pharmaceutical products, we are one of the worst when it comes to facilitating access to them by our own citizens.
A Mazars report commissioned by the Government some years ago and published only in recent years outlined a framework with recommendations to address this issue. To be fair to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, an implementation working group on the recommendations of the report has been set up, but sadly it is very slow-moving. In 2021, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, IPHA, entered a four-year agreement with the Government on the basis of which efficiencies in terms of medicines were to be achieved and the Government, for its part, was to make financial contributions to the fields of orphan and new medicines. In the first year, €50 million was made available. That went down to €30 million in 2022 and to €18 million in 2023, and sadly there was no provision in budget 2024. Owing to the outcry from advocates and people who need new medicines, the Minister eventually made €20 million available towards the end of last year and requested that the HSE find another €10 million through efficiencies and make it available for new medicines. New medicines, when available, greatly benefit patients. Apart from the quality-of-life gains people can experience on new medicines, those medicines represent a significant saviour in terms of hospital stays, hospital beds, illness and so on.
This is an area in which we have lagged behind and in which we could and should do a whole lot better. As a First World country, a country that did so well during the Covid pandemic, when we had one of the lowest mortality rates in Europe, and as a country that is one of the wealthiest in Europe per head of population, we should have access to the best medicines available, which are being produced in our country. Given that our patients live in a country with a proud record of producing new orphan medicines that make life so much better for other citizens in other countries, it is very frustrating that they are among the last who can access many of the medicines produced here. I hope the Minister of State will have a positive reply from the Minister for Health whereby we can at least create a pathway towards improvement and be on par with our European colleagues.
I thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue, which I know he is very passionate about. I am answering on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.
The State acknowledges the importance of access to medicines and has made considerable investments in new medicines in recent years. Last year, a record of more than €3 billion of public funding was spent on medicines for patients in Ireland. This represents almost €1 of every €8 spent by the State on healthcare. This is in the context of a total allocation for the health service in 2024 of €22.5 billion. This level of investment is unprecedented in supporting patients by making available a wide range of the latest medicines. Budgets 2021 to 2023 have included dedicated funding for new medicines of €98 million. This has enabled the HSE to approve reimbursement for 148 medicines or licence extensions, including 61 for treating cancer and 39 for treating rare diseases.
However, expenditure has grown rapidly and we must ensure the sustainability of medicine expenditure. We must strive to maximise the available investment to provide as many people as possible with access to the medicines they need. In this context, policy and operational options are being pursued and they will be intensified including, for example, maximising the use of generic and biosimilar medicines across community and hospital settings. In 2024, the Minister asked the HSE, his Department and all relevant agencies and stakeholders to place a priority focus on achieving the most efficient and effective use of available resources. This will require opportunities for savings to be identified and implemented. Some €20 million of dedicated funding was allocated for new medicines in 2024. The Minister has also asked the HSE to ensure it realises at least €10 million in new additional efficiency gains. This money will be reinvested in new drugs. There will also be investment to enhance the HSE’s pricing and reimbursement process for medicines. This is a recommendation of the working group established after the publication of the Mazars report, which the Minister published in February of last year.
Investing in capacity will support the agencies involved to operate to the fullest of their abilities. This will enable them to conduct timely and efficient evaluations of medicines for reimbursement. Importantly, it will further support efforts to improve the sustainability of State pharmaceutical expenditure. It also will maximise the use of this substantial public investment to support access to more medicines for more people. The State cannot increase the level of savings without additional capacity in this area. An element of this is quicker assessment of biosimilar and generic medicines, which will drive sustainability in the medicines budget. The measures I have outlined will form an essential tool for the State to deliver sustainability in the medicines budget. Sustainability is essential to ensure that patients in Ireland can benefit from the best available treatments.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply, most of which I already put on the public record in my opening contribution. While I acknowledge that €1 in every €8 is spent on medicines, medicines are what cure people. Therefore, that is not necessarily a huge spend. What was disappointing in budget 2024 in the area of health - and there was a lot that was disappointing - was the fact that no provision was made for orphan and new medicines. It was only when there was an outcry that the Minister suddenly found €20 million and instructed the HSE to find another €10 million.
I want to see a change in attitude. I want to see this working group implement the recommendations of the Mazars report, but I also want a mindset change when it comes to budgets. We started with great guns in the four-year agreement with €50 million. It was fantastic and great statement of intent but we have ended up four years later with nothing being provided in the budget. I want a commitment from the Minister that there will be multi-annual funding of €30 million to €50 million going forward because ultimately it will achieve efficiencies and longer lifespans for our citizens. It will keep people out of hospital and, more important, it will give people quality of life. We have all seen campaigns for certain medicines to be recognised and the difference they make in the quality of life of really sick people. This is what it is about. It is not about money or whether €1 in every €8 of the health budget is spent on medicines. It is about quality of life and investing in the health of our nation and our citizens.
Investing in the health of our people is exactly what the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is doing. That is why the Minister has put record funding into medicines and he continues to do the important work he is doing in this area.
That funding was not always made available by previous Governments. A medicines sustainability task force has been established as a priority work stream of the joint HSE-Department of health savings and productivity programme. This task force is a joint endeavour, co-chaired by senior HSE and Department officials. Membership includes pharmacists, clinicians, and officials from each organisation. Its primary objectives are to support the HSE’s examination of medicines expenditure in the health service and to identify measures to maximise the efficient use of the substantial resources within the medicines budget.
The task force will identify the structural and operational requirements necessary to enable long-term sustainability of medicines expenditure. The task force will have due regard to the security and sustainability of supply of medicines to the State. It will provide regular reports on its progress to the HSE-Department productivity and savings task force.
Rail Network
I am raising an issue with which the Minister of State will be familiar, namely the Rosslare rail line and the continued failure by Irish Rail to invest in the service. I appreciate the Minister of State is taking this on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The Minister of State will know only too well that the Rosslare rail line has suffered from a long period of under investment. The only positive change that has been made was the introduction of a later evening service recently, which does serve Gorey. If I get on the train in Gorey, there are only six trains to Dublin every day. If you get on in Enniscorthy, there are only five trains to Dublin every day.
Let us consider locations around the country that are a similar distance from the capital. Carlow has 11 services daily while Dundalk has 16 but if someone is getting the train in Portlaoise, which is roughly equidistant from Dublin, there are 32 services. Recently, there was a very welcome announcement of €165 million to enhance the Dublin to Belfast service, which I welcome. It is something that needs to be supported. However, it was stated that one of the objectives was to ensure that the Dublin-Belfast train would take less than two hours. The distance between Gorey and Dublin is approximately half that of Dublin and Belfast and I would love a commitment from Irish Rail that a train from Gorey to Dublin would take less than two hours. We continue to hear about the need to invest in our rail infrastructure but it does not happen on the Rosslare route. None of the new 40-plus carriages planned in rolling stock for Irish Rail will be provided for the Rosslare line and, therefore, we will continue to see people being driven to use the M11 rather than use the railway line.
Apart from the fact that anyone who travels on the trains will see that they are regularly overcrowded at peak times and passengers regularly will not get a seat, the National Transport Authority, NTA, recently decided that it will try a new wheeze and introduce an interchange on services at Wicklow and Greystones. If there are additional services to Wicklow and Greystones, that will be welcome, but there is no discussion of additional services further south along the line. Indeed, the NTA has been intimating that the only services that they will provide south of Greystones or Wicklow are where passengers will have to change. This is particularly annoying for commuters but for those with mobility difficulties or disabilities are expected to have to change trains at Wicklow or Greystones, particularly on a cold wet morning, it is not acceptable.
There are significant problems with coastal erosion. There has been much talk about investment to try to address that. However, I do not know why the Minister for Transport and the NTA cannot be more ambitious and I am disappointed that they have examined idea of double-tracking the track the whole way down from Dublin to Rosslare. I appreciate this is a long-term objective but if we are to get people out of their cars and onto the trains, this is the only long-term solution for the Rosslare rail line. I would be grateful to hear the Minister for Transport’s recommendations on improvements.
I apologise to Senator Byrne. I prematurely hit the bell during his contribution.
The Minister for Transport sends his apologies. He would like to thank the Senator for the opportunity to address this issue.
Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge, and this Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. The Minister for Transport has seen the media reports of recent weeks with regard to a planned proposal related to the DART+ coastal south project and considers it useful to clarify what the current position is with the proposal.
Modelling undertaken by the National Transport Authority for the DART+ programme is related to facilitating increased rail services on the Rosslare to Dublin line. This includes an option to be considered that would allow Rosslare services interchanging at Wicklow or Greystones to connect seamlessly to DART services into the heart of Dublin. It must be stressed that this was an infrastructural modelling exercise. The NTA has advised that no decision has been made to alter services on the Rosslare line.
The Government has to provide more options to people so they can make the switch to sustainable mobility and within the greater Dublin area, GDA, work on the DART+ programme is continuing so it can become part of those options. As the Senator may be aware, under the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042, which was adopted last year, it is intended to further expand the DART system to Wicklow town. Design work is ongoing at present on the DART+ coastal south project to plan for the enhanced DART service level to Greystones. A public consultation will be undertaken with regard to those proposals later this year.
In addition, initial planning and design work is currently ongoing by the NTA to establish the feasibility of operating an hourly DART service to Wicklow town using battery electric train sets that could operate along the unelectrified section of the railway between Greystones and Wicklow. Under this arrangement, one DART per hour arriving at Greystones would be a battery electric train, which would be able to continue further south along the unelectrified line and terminate at Wicklow town train station, with the same approach in the opposite direction. South of Wicklow, the provision of a diesel train shuttle service between Rosslare and Wicklow would provide the potential for a much more frequent train service along the southern sections of the south-east line.
With regard to the issue of coastal erosion, coastal railway construction and maintenance has always been challenging. Throughout its history, interventions have been required to protect the east coast railway line from impacts on embankments, water coming over the line and coastal erosion. The Minister for Transport understands that Iarnród Éireann has over many years managed the coastal defence of the east coast Dublin to Rosslare line and monitors the coastline erosion rates at key points along the railway on an ongoing basis. The east coast railway infrastructure protection project was established to deliver the necessary enhanced coastal protections. The primary focus of this project is to address and implement protection of the existing railway and coastal infrastructure against the further effects of coastal erosion due to climate change. The Minister for Transport assures the Senator that this matter is taken seriously and that appropriate remedial action will be under way.
I thank the Minister of State. I really am disappointed at the lack of ambition in the long-term development of the Rosslare rail line. There is no discussion here around a significant number of additional services going from Wicklow south. There is no discussion around new rolling stock being made available on the existing line. While it is a very beautiful train line - one of the most spectacular in the world - it is critical for commuters that there is a reliable and quick service and we do not have that at the moment. I really ask the Minister of State to take this back to the Minister for Transport. If he is serious about getting people to continue to use the Rosslare rail line, particularly from points south of Wicklow, Rathdrum, Arklow, Gorey, Enniscorthy and so on, we have to have investment in that space. If, in the long term, he wants to get people out of the cars transferring on the M11, however, then we really need to have an enhanced service.
I thank Senator Byrne very much. As somebody who uses the trains on a regular basis, including this morning, the train from Limerick to Dublin was absolutely overflowing by the time it got to Heuston station. Investment in railways is, therefore, extremely important. The Senator is right; it is one of the most beautiful railways in the worlds. A very beautiful television programme was made on that particular line. Well done to the Senator for raising the issue. I am sure the people of Gorey will be delighted with that.
On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Senator again for his comments. As mentioned, no decisions have yet been made to alter services on the Rosslare line. Currently, three train services run from Wicklow to Dublin during weekday morning hours.
There are gaps of up to approximately five hours between consecutive services in the daytime. Instead of the current train pattern, the DART extension arrangements under consideration by the NTA would allow an hourly DART service from Wicklow town into Dublin city centre and significantly enhance the train service to and from Wicklow town. I am not sure that gives much succour to the people of Gorey, however. At a later stage, when infrastructure proposals are finalised and in development, detailed train operating timetables will be prepared. This timetabling exercise will consider both interchange services where passengers would change from diesel services to DART trains at Wicklow and the potential for some direct non-DART services running into Dublin city centre. The Minister for Transport assures the Senator that there will be a public consultation process undertaken at the relevant stage in relation to any new timetabling proposals and, as set out in the opening statement, Iarnród Éireann has been monitoring the east coast rail line and the effects of coastal erosion on it for many years.
Air Quality
I thank the Minister of State. My question today relates to the Government's clean air strategy. As the Government has told us, air pollution is the silent killer in our environment and our society. We know where air quality is poor that those with an underlying condition are at greater risk of stroke, lung disease, lung cancer, asthma and dementia and that those conditions are exacerbated. We also see a growing body of research that suggests that poor air quality has an impact on cognitive and mental health. While we may not be able to see or feel poor air quality, it has a very real impact on our communities, particularly those in which I am based which are very close to the city centre. These communities are effectively highways to the city centre carrying commuter traffic day in, day out. The Department of Transport acknowledges there are between 1,300 and 1,400 premature deaths in Ireland each year because of poor air quality and air pollution in our towns and cities.
My question today relates to the Government proposals to address poor air quality and our concerns about the growing deterioration in air quality that we are seeing in parts of Dublin and right across the country. There is a laid-back attitude on the part of the Government with regards to air quality. We have the clean air strategy, which was published in April last year, setting out 2040 as its deadline for committing itself to meeting the WHO air quality guidelines. There is an inconsistency here because there will be an updated set of EU guidelines by 2030. On top of that, we have a transport plan for BusConnects, which by and large I very much support because of the emphasis on greater bus and bicycle use, but there are very significant issues in certain areas such as in Phibsborough and in Drumcondra as well where we are seeing car and bus use prioritised over cycle and active travel. The NTA estimates by 2028, when the BusConnects plans for the Phibsborough area come into effect, the annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide will remain above existing EU guidelines. That is even before we consider the much more stringent guidelines of the WHO or the ones that are going to come in in 2030.
My appeal to the Minister is to get a clear sense as to what the Government's plan is. A number of weeks ago, a draft strategy was announced regarding transport for Dublin and a conversation was had about ultra-low emissions zones. I have concerns about those proposals and about how those who need to drive to work will get around, particularly our tradesmen and those who simply cannot get to their place of work, or indeed of education, without the use of a car. However, the reality is we have to do something and we have to do it fast. The current air pollution levels are simply not acceptable in our towns and cities. Again, to go back to the Phibsborough example, in 2021 air quality levels there exceeded the national and EU guidelines. They were four times higher than the WHO guidelines for safe levels of nitrogen dioxide in our environment and yet we are seeing a piecemeal and pedestrian approach by Dublin City Council and by the Government.
There has been a commitment to diffusion testing throughout 2024 into next year, but we are not clear as to what will be done with that testing. We need to hear clear answers from the Government as to their plans to clean up air quality in our cities.
The Minister for Transport, and for Climate, Energy and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, sends his apologies. Clean air is fundamental to our well-being and quality of life and is essential for the health of the environment on which we depend, hence the high priority given to improving Ireland’s air quality in the current programme for Government. Ambient air quality standards for Ireland are currently established through EU legislation which provides for a minimum level of health protection. New WHO air quality guideline levels published in 2021 provide greater ambition in terms of reductions to decrease health impacts. While they firmly highlight that there is no safe level of air pollution they are not legally binding. Ireland's ambition with regard to air quality was set out in the national Clean Air Strategy, which commits us to achieving the new WHO guideline levels by 2040. This will be challenging and will require significant legislative, policy and behavioural change. Determining the most appropriate policy measures required to bring about these changes will take time and we need to make sure that the measures introduced do not create unintended consequences. Through the implementation of the Clean Air Strategy this Government will ensure continuous reductions in air pollution levels.
Monitoring and modelling of air pollution carried out by the EPA is essential to help us better understand where issues are arising so that we may ensure national measures are in place to deliver air pollution reductions and look to target policy measures to those areas with specific issues. Over the past number of years significant progress has been made in relation to air quality including the delivery of the Clean Air Strategy, the new solid fuel regulations and transport-related policy measures which are already starting to have a positive impact on our air quality. BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services across our cities. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State and is managed by the National Transport Authority. BusConnects Dublin will deliver 230 km of bus corridors and 200 km of cycling lanes providing safe, accessible, and efficient transport to many more people while reducing traffic congestion and noise and air pollution. No new diesel-only buses have been purchased for urban public service obligation bus fleets since July 2019, and the transition to a zero-emission urban bus fleet is currently programmed to take until 2035 based on replacement of non-zero-emission buses as they reach the end of their efficient service lives. The first order of 100 double-deck electric buses for the Dublin network was placed in 2022 and all were delivered by the end of last year. More than 30 of these buses are in service now using charging infrastructure at Phibsborough and Summerhill bus depots and all are scheduled to go into operation over the coming months.
On WHO air quality standards, the air quality at Doyle's Corner in Phibsborough is currently above the WHO guideline values, and the BusConnects programme will provide slight improvement to the air quality in this area through prioritisation of bus services along this route. The evaluation of the BusConnects project does not take all other transport-related policy measures into account and as such does not provide a substantial indication of future air quality levels along the routes. Overall, the Government remains committed to improving our air quality for the benefit of all and is taking a range of measures to do so.
There are two fundamental points we are not seeing here. There is a degree of urgency we are not seeing here. There is a lot of talk about the plans the Government intends to put in place and the Minister of State said it is a priority for Government, but the Government has millions of priorities. What is it actually going to do? I do not see the urgency here. We still have a target of 2040 to meet what he describes as the non-binding WHO guidelines. We are hiding behind non-binding WHO guidelines when we know the current levels are having an impact. I will bring it back to the communities I am speaking about. These comprise people of all ages. These are their communities. They happen to live on a highway to the city centre, but they need to be respected as much as the people who need to commute from north County Dublin or beyond to get to the city centre. We have a situation where a cycle lane is being lifted throughout the main thoroughfare of Phibsborough to make way for cars and buses.
I need to drive many a time. The key issue all that we are not prioritising, to the extent that we need to, those who wish to and should be using active travel across our communities. This is an appeal and plea to Government to ensure that there is a degree of urgency with regard to the projects that are currently being rolled out.
I again thank the Senator for raising this very important issue around air quality. I assure her of the Government's commitment to addressing the challenges facing Ireland in that context. The Government is committed to addressing this critical public health and environmental challenge through measures including the introduction of enhanced solid fuel regulations, increased support for local authority air quality enforcement and the implementation of Ireland's first clean air strategy. This further highlights the priority the Government has afforded to cleaning the air that we breathe to protect the health and well-being of the people we serve.
The clean air strategy describes how we will enhance and protect the quality of the air that we breathe and realise the full environmental and health benefits of cleaner air through a comprehensive cross-government programme of policies and measures that will tackle all sources of air pollution, including those in the transport, agriculture and residential sectors. The strategy also builds on the ambition of the national climate action plan, which includes a range of actions required to release the synergies between current air and climate policy. This includes the electrification of the road transport fleet, taking action in regard to ammonia, improving the energy efficiency of our homes and reducing our reliance on solid fuels. The provision of data from the EPA, including the annual inventory and projections, as well as our enhanced national ambient air quality monitoring programme, gives us a comprehensive evidence base to tackle the source of air pollution that needs to be addressed.
While Ireland now has a world-class ambient air quality monitoring network with real-time data available online, its effectiveness and potential can only be realised once the general public becomes more aware of and knowledgeable about how to access and interpret the data. The key measures projected to help reduce our overall annual emissions in transport are set out in greater detail in the national air pollution control programme, with taxation policy and an increase in the electrification of the national fleet delivering the most significant reductions. These will be complemented by increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards, fuel standards and a move to more sustainable modes of transport, in particular in our towns and cities. Overall, the Government remains strongly committed to improving our air quality for the benefit of all and is taking a range of measures to do so.
I thank Senator Sherlock for raising this very important issue. We thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to take all the Commencement matters. We are appreciate the demands on his time and the House acknowledges that.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.58 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2.30 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.58 p.m. and resumed at 2.30 p.m.