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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Jan 2018

Vol. 964 No. 3

Topical Issue Debate

Traffic Management

I thank the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, for being here. I appreciate it. I flagged this issue of traffic in College Green as far back as the summer of 2017, and previously, in the context of a directly-elected mayor of the city, that the role of director of transport for Dublin would be a function that would form part of a directly-elected mayor's office. We have discovered, subsequently, with the introduction of the Luas cross city, which I wholeheartedly welcome and which is a considerable asset to the city, that the College Green area is a significant pinch point in relation to traffic.

The introduction of Luas cross city has seen it become a victim of its own success but the Minister will have to agree that it is also a victim of horrendously poor forward planning. As an ordinary citizen, as a layman, I have been able to see the kind of challenges that the city would face pending the introduction of the Luas cross city and there does not seem to have been any significant forward planning, in terms of modelling to understand the kind of numbers that Luas cross city would take up and in terms of its impact on bus users, car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. I wonder how come this was not envisaged because it has left a glaring gap. What has happened is that all the authorities within the city, the National Transportation Authority, NTA, Dublin Bus along with Luas cross city, and Dublin City Council, are now reacting, as is always the case in this country, in particular, in regard to Dublin, and are trying to plan their way out of what has become a chaotic and congested city and suburbs.

Last year my Private Members' motion calling for a Dublin city traffic advisory council was passed unanimously by the Dáil but there has been no movement on this. That was guaranteed to give every stakeholder in Dublin an input into traffic management and the design of traffic solutions in Dublin.

The city clearly needs, and this College Green issue has highlighted it, a director of transport and an office of director of traffic to set out plans and to help address congestion from the suburbs, for example, from my own constituency, Ballycullen, Knocklyon and Scholarstown, right into the city and the College Green area. The absence of a directly-elected mayor feeds into that, in spite of the fact the former Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, promised that the city, if Dublin so decided in a plebiscite, would get to directly-elected mayor to coincide with the local elections due in 2019.

Clearly, as far as Dubliners are concerned, there is no vision for traffic management in the county or in the city. There is no vision for how trams, buses, cars, commercial vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians are to share the public space that we all, in various shapes and forms, use and absolutely no plan for and no input from those with disabilities or special needs.

The College Green area involves specific challenges. Three hundred buses an hour at peak time, or 3,000 buses a day, use College Green. The NTA and Dublin Bus announced certain changes to 17 routes, redirecting them around by either Westland Row or Tara Street, and that the NTA will give additional priority to buses on Tara Street, and I cautiously welcome that.

We will have to wait and see what the ultimate impact will be on the west of the city, but what will we do with the quays? For example, some mornings it takes 40 minutes to get from Heuston Station to O'Connell Street and it is quicker for those who use the bus to get off at O'Connell Street and walk rather than wait for the bus to bring them to Dawson Street. There is a huge problem crying out there.

There are pedestrians facing significant delays crossing at major traffic pinch points. While there may be some offering as a solution, I, as Dublin spokesperson for Fianna Fáil, have highlighted this issue going back a year.

This is also in anticipation of when the longer Luas trams come into operation. As the Minister well knows, while they will bring a welcome increase in capacity as the existing trams accommodate 320 passengers and the longer trams will accommodate 380, the longer trams will cause significant pinch points at O'Connell Bridge and in other areas. I do not see any plans to anticipate what might address the problems that will be caused by the additional length of the Luas cross city.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I fully acknowledge the problems which Deputy Lahart has put is finger on and I am grateful to him for doing this. It is right that he should do so. In acknowledging it, the Deputy also pointed out the considerable success of the Luas cross city and the fact that it is in enormous demand.

As well as that, the Deputy said something which I thought was significant when he was talking about the number of buses that have been put on to try to remedy some of the problems and the changes that have to be made because of Luas cross city. The Deputy stated that we will have to await the impact of them to see whether they are successful or not. He is right. We will. When we introduce very significant changes, as we have done on the Luas cross city and with other major changes, there are always some impacts which one cannot completely anticipate, in terms of pedestrians' habits in terms of their familiarisation and how they will behave when changes such as this are introduced, and one cannot except to have a massive benefit of the sort that Luas cross city and the additional 10 million journeys a year that will be taken as a result provides, without it having teething problems, and those are being addressed.

One never achieves absolute perfection when one introduces reform. We will not achieve absolute perfection when we introduce a major benefit to the city, to public transport and to the travelling public here. I admit readily that the problems which the Deputy has pointed out are there but let me say this. As they emerge, they are being addressed.

Of course, what Deputy Lahart calls the victim of its own success, Luas cross city, has, in fact, attracted an enormous number of people and the remedy for that, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, is that additional trams will be purchased, trams will be lengthened and we will see if that suffices to resolve the problem of over-capacity. The problems of success are the problems we are talking about here and those problems are being and will be addressed seriously. However, the benefits of its success are more substantial. We will respond to both of these particular features of what has happened because of the introduction of the Luas.

The new line has placed an increased demand on the capacity of the College Green area, as the Deputy has pointed out, to cater for the volume of vehicles seeking to travel through this area and I am aware of the congestion issues which have been causing delays to some commuters during peak periods. The introduction of a completely new tram service in to Dublin city centre obviously requires a period of bedding in while all road users get familiar with, and adjust to, the new trams travelling on the central streets. We are not denying the problems the Deputy has pointed out. We are saying we are addressing them but that they are the problems of success.

Car drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, cyclists and pedestrians all have to acclimatise to the new street environment and the new traffic layouts. Teething difficulties are to be expected while that familiarisation process takes place.

As the Deputy may be aware, there is a proposal currently under consideration by An Bord Pleanála for a civic plaza at College Green to help relieve traffic congestion in the area. In the interim, the National Transport Authority has undertaken consultations with Dublin Bus and Dublin City Council on measures that could be undertaken to facilitate the more effective movement of traffic through College Green in advance of the determination by An Bord Pleanála of the College Green plaza proposals.

The NTA announced this afternoon the outcome of these consultations which involves a number of changes to Dublin Bus routes in the College Green-College Street area.

The purpose of these changes is to reduce the number of buses passing through these streets and enable the more effective operation of this area. Therefore, from next week a number of Dublin Bus routes which currently travel through College Street and Westmoreland Street will instead be rerouted via Tara Street and Burgh Quay. None of the stop locations on these routes will change, so bus passengers will be unaffected. Also from next week, a number of limited stop services, known as X services, will be assigned to alternatives routes and removed from the College Green area. Some other routes will be assigned to other alignments. Details of the exact rerouting will be provided at the relevant bus stops and on the Transport for Ireland and Dublin Bus websites. The combined impact of the above two changes will reduce the number of Dublin Bus vehicles travelling through College Green by approximately 20%. This reduced volume will enable the traffic signalling system and junctions in this area to operate more effectively.

I am informed by the NTA that it is intended to monitor the above changes after their implementation to confirm they achieve the intended outcome. Following this review, should a further reduction in the number of vehicles travelling through this area become necessary, a number of other measures will be considered for implementation. I am confident that these initiatives will go a long way towards alleviating the congestion issues at College Green.

I thank the Minister for his reply. He talks about the benefits of the success of the Luas cross city. Those benefits do not spread out to constituents of mine in Ballycullen, Scholarstown and Knocklyon because we are sandwiched between the red and green lines. That is a matter for another day but it is of significant and equal urgency. The Minister said the relevant authorities "are reacting". That is exactly what the Government is doing. It reacts and addresses the problems as they arise.

I am just a Joe Soap, an ordinary citizen. When the longer Luas trams are introduced, they will cross O'Connell Bridge every three minutes. Because they must clear the bridge, since they are longer than it, as the Minister knows, it will take between 55 seconds and 90 seconds for the Luas to cross O'Connell Bridge. If it takes a full 90 seconds to cross the bridge, that leaves one and a half minutes for all the traffic on both sides of the quays - including buses, which will have priority along with bicycles - to make its movements either across O'Connell Bridge or down the other side of the quays. That is even before private cars get to move. I therefore predict - I wish it were not so - that well in advance of 31 March, when longer Luas cross city trams are introduced, there will be chaos along the Dublin quays. This chaos is stretching right back and having a consequential impact on traffic coming from the suburbs north, south and west. Therefore, that the Minister says the authorities "are reacting" once problems arise is the very kernel of the issue.

One need not be a rocket scientist to have predicted that the success of Luas cross city, which I absolutely acknowledge, would have significant knock-on effects on pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, car users and buses. This simply does not seem to have been anticipated by the people who make plans for this city. This is before we even mention the chronic traffic congestion and gridlock building up on the M50, in the suburbs and in places such as I mentioned because of a chronic shortage of bus services in some cases, as in Ballycullen, Scholarstown, Knocklyon and other such areas. The situation cries out for forward planning, which is why I mention the Dublin transport advisory council. Given the fact that the Minister's Government has stated it will be six years before we get to consider a directly elected mayor, a director of traffic for Dublin, both city and the county, is very seriously and badly needed.

I will not be repetitive but I will tell the Deputy that we acknowledge the problems he pointed out. What we dispute is the way he lays out the facts. He talks with great alacrity about predictions of chaos. "Chaos" is the word he used. That is great drama.

It is not drama. It is factual.

The Deputy's definition of chaos and mine may differ. He then throws in the kitchen sink. We get from the subject of this Topical Issue matter-----

It is connected.

-----which is to discuss College Green, to his own constituency, which he cannot leave out, and which is quite a long way from College Green-----

It is connected.

-----and then to the M50 and everywhere else. I do not blame him for doing this. It is his job.

It is all connected.

His job is to bring services into his constituency. However, we are talking about the congestion at College Green. Then he says there is no vision. I do not know what he means by that. Part of the vision is the Luas cross city. It is not a bad vision and it is also a reality. I do not know whether the Deputy has heard of BusConnects. Perhaps he has not.

Some €790 million is promised for BusConnects-----

-----in the coming four years. That is a huge amount of money. That is part-----

Tell that to the people in Ballycullen.

Deputy, please.

Deputy Lahart said there is no vision. The vision is there. The Deputy should tell it to the people of Ballycullen because BusConnects will happen.

The money is committed-----

-----and the project has started. There is a cycling budget. Is the Deputy aware of that?

I am very aware of it.

Cycling infrastructure has been enormously improved and enhanced.

Some €110 million is promised for cycling in the coming three or four years.

In the coming-----

That is a huge amount of money and a huge commitment.

A huge commitment?

That is part of the vision, but I do not-----

I ask Deputy Lahart to show a little respect.

Perhaps the Deputy could stop interrupting every sentence. Perhaps he could leave me two sentences-----

-----for every one he interrupts. Would that be all right?

I apologise, a Cheann Comhairle.

Elsewhere, has Deputy Lahart heard of metro north?

That is part of the vision. It is a big vision. It is a vision of over €2 billion and it is a commitment. Has the Deputy heard that we will introduce a DART expansion programme?

That is part of the vision. These things will not come tomorrow morning-----

They certainly will not.

-----but visions do not come immediately. That is part of the vision, and another part of the vision is already there in the Luas cross city. When part of the vision is actually implemented, the first thing I will hear the Deputy come back and say is that there is something else happening that I did not anticipate and that it is all a complete mess. It is not. It is co-ordinated, it is integrated and it will work.

That concludes the debate on that matter.

It is clearly not co-ordinated.

Deputy, please.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle.

It is great to see Deputy Lahart's enthusiasm for these topics. Deputy Clare Daly wishes to discuss the outsourcing of work and the loss of jobs at Aer Lingus.

Aer Lingus Staff

When Fine Gael and Labour took the very short-sighted step of selling the State's remaining shareholding in our national airline in 2015, we were told unambiguously that the jobs and conditions of Aer Lingus workers would be protected. We were told at the time by the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Paschal Donohoe:

I want to assure the House that IAG has confirmed that existing employment rights of the employees of Aer Lingus will be fully safeguarded upon completion of the offer ... Aer Lingus will engage in a process of consultation governed by agreed structures with staff and its representatives when any restructuring is required and ... it does not foresee a likelihood of either compulsory redundancy or non-direct employment.

That vision has not come to pass, sadly, because the reality, as I warned at the time, has been the opposite.

On Thursday, 16 November of last year, 20 staff members of Aer Lingus's guest relations were summoned to a meeting in Aer Lingus's head office. They were told it was a business briefing and that they did not need union representation. Despite this, they were told at that meeting that their jobs would be outsourced to North America from the end of February. This has been the strategy under way since 2015. In February 2016, the procurement department was outsourced to Poland, with the loss of 15 jobs. IT was then outsourced to India and the UK, part of the finance department has been outsourced to India, and now guest relations is going to North America, while most customer relations work has already been outsourced to Manila in the Philippines. On top of this, there are very serious rumblings about the outsourcing of catering and ground operations. We know operations such as Menzies Aviation are waiting on the sidelines to franchise the operation that is there. We are also informed initiatives are taking place in this regard, with no guarantees for the jobs or conditions of the workers there. Bad and all as that is, on top of that, the Aer Lingus chief operating officer told staff of the need to cut costs because of Norwegian Air and WOW Air. If that was not enough, Aer Lingus has come up with its own low-cost airline level which it is using to threaten workers with their own jobs and conditions. Aer Lingus claims it will set up a new company to compete with itself. You could not make this stuff up. It is an absolute race to the bottom.

We cannot go into the details of the case, but the Minister may be aware that groups of workers in guest relations at Aer Lingus have a respect and bullying case before the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, next month.

The point is that very serious push factors are under way in respect of working conditions. Overnight, the employment conditions of 20 workers in that section, some of whom have been there for decades, went from a five-day roster to a seven-day roster. The only day off guaranteed is Christmas Day. Their conditions have been stood on their head without any meaningful engagement whatsoever. Then, advertisements are placed for jobs to be outsourced and they are gone. It is absolutely traumatic for these workers.

I suppose the issue revolves around what the Minister can do. In some ways, he is the Minister who has arrived after the product has been sold and our national airline hived off. I presume, however, that, in the context of the guarantees given by his predecessor to the House - and the utter failure of Aer Lingus to honour them - he has a role to play in the context of intervening urgently with IAG to stop it undermining and pushing workers out of decent jobs and working conditions and to stop outsourcing jobs to outside the country.

I thank Deputy Clare Daly for bringing this matter to my attention. The aviation sector has been an important employer in Ireland for many years. It supports 26,000 jobs directly and a further 16,000 in the supply chain. Ireland's tourism industry, which is heavily dependent on aviation, accounts for a further 180,000 jobs. Aer Lingus itself, now a fully privately-owned airline within the lAG group, employs in the region of 4,000 people.

At the time of the takeover offer, IAG anticipated that, under its ownership, there would be significant job creation opportunities in Aer Lingus's business, predominantly located in Ireland, with net employment growth However, in the context of the Deputy's reference to promises made by lAG regarding jobs, I would like to make a number of clarifications. The legally-binding commitments made by IAG as part of its offer for Aer Lingus relate to Heathrow slots, the location of the headquarters and the Aer Lingus brand. These commitments from IAG are enshrined in Aer Lingus's articles and are enforced via the single Aer Lingus share retained in the name of the Minister for Finance. At no point did IAG make legally-binding commitments to the Government on Aer Lingus jobs as part of its offer. Furthermore, the Government has no role in making or seeking commitments regarding employment in private companies.

The role of the Government at the time was to accept the offer from lAG and to accept the conditions under which the Minister for Finance would retain a single share in the company. My functions, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport on Aer Lingus, are now essentially the same as with any Irish airline.

Any statements made by the companies at the time of the offer concerning growth, jobs, new routes and industrial relations would all be regarded as forward-looking in nature. Such statements were made in good faith by IAG and were based on the available information at the time. However, I reiterate that such statements were never presented by the companies concerned or by the Government at the time as promises.

Having clarified this matter, I can state that since IAG's takeover, Aer Lingus's business has progressed broadly in line with the plans outlined in the offer documentation. In terms of passenger growth and new routes, the company has outperformed what was envisaged at the time of the offer. For example, the offer envisaged two additional transatlantic routes in 2016, whereas three were launched, with a further new service to Miami announced in 2017 and new services to Philadelphia and Seattle announced for 2018. Aer Lingus now offers direct connections between Ireland and 13 major North American airports, and the significant part of this growth has occurred post the 2015 acquisition of Aer Lingus by lAG.

While matters concerning workforce planning are entirely for the company, one would expect that the significant growth in Aer Lingus's passenger numbers, routes and fleet has resulted in a net increase in employment in the company. In this context, it is noted that Aer Lingus recently announced that, since its introduction in 2014, its new strategy created more than 600 new jobs to the end of 2017. It was also announced that the airline will add eight new Airbus A321 long-range aircraft to the fleet. It is understood that this expansion will see the airline add approximately 800 new jobs between 2019 and 2020.

I also welcome the increased connectivity provided by Aer Lingus, particularly in the transatlantic market, which has positive knock-on effects for employment at our airports and in the tourism sector and the wider trading economy. In particular, the stand-out tourism statistic for recent years has been the rapid increase in the number of tourists visiting Ireland from North America, which increased by more than 15% again last year. The commitment and investment which IAG has made, through Aer Lingus's transatlantic services and the growth of Dublin Airport as a transit hub for such services, has certainly helped facilitate this growth in the number of tourists to Ireland from that market.

This is an incredibly important discussion, not least for the people whose livelihoods have been jeopardised. I fully accept the point made by the Minister that IAG made no legally-binding commitments at the time. It is a point I made in the Chamber when the deal was done, but the problem is that the Government parties at the time, namely, Fine Gael and the Labour Party, sold them, in this House and beyond, as commitments. At the time, the chief executive, Stephen Kavanagh, said he did not foresee compulsory redundancies or the use of outsourcing at Aer Lingus.

From the moment the deal was done, outsourcing escalated. A new job is not an additional job. There have been new jobs created at the expense of existing jobs, not to mind that when we take in all the jobs that have been lost it does not compensate. When we take the expansion of the routes and service, and the proportionate increase in workers coinciding with that, the sums do not add up because the work is being done on the shoulders of outsourced providers under much lower terms and conditions of employment.

There has to be a role for the Government somewhere to say that a company which used to be a semi-State company actively using push factors - and deliberately orchestrating conditions and changing people's long-accepted work practices - is really, in essence, driving people out of their jobs. For those jobs to end up in India, the Philippines and North America is utterly tragic for what was a beacon service and company in our area.

The Minister is right that the airport is a key employer. We must ask what type of employer it is, however. We have to stop the rot and this race to the bottom. I put it to the Minister that it is private, but it is private because it was sold on the basis of lies and commitments. The door is open for the Minister to go back and say that we do not think it is acceptable for anybody in our aviation sector to treat people in the way that those in the guest relations department and other departments are being treated. Not only that, the company should be engaging with its staff and should not be going down the road of outsourcing in any event.

I understand what the Deputy is saying. When I was in opposition and this deal was taking place, I would have had views which were sympathetic to hers at the time. We are now in a situation where Aer Lingus is a private company, and the managing director to whom the Deputy referred, Stephen Kavanagh, said he did not foresee any outsourcing when he was taking over. We have to take that as a statement of good faith at the time, but it is not binding as we know, and commercial companies of this sort are no longer semi-State companies. To ask me now to intervene in the activities of a private company, which is acting perfectly within the law, and which is of great benefit for many other jobs, is unrealistic and the Deputy will accept that. Whereas I agree with the sentiment, legally I am not in a position to do anything in the way of a direct intervention. I am sorry about that but I cannot do it.

The next item is in the name of Deputy Lowry, who wishes to discuss proposals for the return of services to Our Lady's Hospital in Cashel.

On a point of order, I have another item on my list in the name of Deputy Rock. Has that been removed?

It has not been removed but he is not here.

Okay, I had it down as the second item.

Deputy Rock is not present. Will the Minister deal with Deputy Lowry's issue?

Hospital Facilities

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise an issue relating to medical health care in Tipperary, particularly the position regarding the former acute hospital, Our Lady's hospital in Cashel. The position in respect of Cashel is that many people in Tipperary are baffled and bewildered as to why we have a magnificent building, on which the HSE spent €20 million since 2007 and which is under-utilised.

We have three floors that are empty that could take 30 to 35 beds. They are in excellent condition. I am asking that the unit be re-opened and developed as a primary and community care centre. It is lying idle, which is shameful, and it is mind-boggling that the Health Service Executive, HSE, is not getting on with utilising the building to its maximum potential.

Since the last election, I have focused much of my attention on ensuring this unit can be properly utilised in the interests of delivering health care in Tipperary. We have had numerous meetings about it and the Minister, Deputy Harris, visited the hospital. He said he was bewildered by the fact that the unit was not being used to its full extent. He committed to establishing a working group within the HSE to consider ways and means as to how best to avail of facilities in the interests of the patient public in Tipperary. The HSE has since carried out a thorough evaluation of the necessary structures and supports to enable Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel to function as a day hospital and community care centre with particular emphasis on the medical needs of older people.

The HSE must accept that utilising community hospital facilities to support and care for non-acute patients is the way forward. In Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, we have an ideal and top of the range facility that is there to care for patients and, in particular, people who do not need intensive and acute support. I have discussed this with the Minister, Deputy Harris, on numerous occasions. I ask the Minister opposite, who speaks on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Government to outline the plans for the future of the hospital. We have been waiting in expectation of a response to our queries for a considerable period. A number of weeks ago, the Minister told me he would be in a position shortly to make a decision so I hope the Minister opposite will be able to communicate that decision to me this evening.

I thank Deputy Lowry for raising this matter. I apologise to the Deputy as the Minister of State with responsibility for older people is not present but I will convey the Deputy's remarks to him. I will also convey the remarks to the senior Minister. I am well aware of the Deputy's long interest in this hospital in Cashel. I seem to be on the opposite side from people from Tipperary all week but I hope I will be able to give the Deputy a satisfactory answer on this occasion.

The overarching policy of the Government is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. This is clearly what older people want and only those in genuine need of residential care should go down that route. The HSE is responsible for the delivery of health and personal social services, including those at facilities such as Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel. Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel, was originally part of acute health service delivery in the south Tipperary area. In 2007, the former South Eastern Health Board decided that acute hospital services for the area should be centralised on one site, that being South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel. This led in turn to the redevelopment, over two phases, of the former Our Lady’s Hospital into Cashel health campus, a centre for non-acute health care services. There is, however, a compelling need to develop hospital avoidance and early discharge facilities in south Tipperary, particularly for the growing elderly population. That is why the HSE is focused on developing a range of diverse primary care and community-oriented services to best serve the people of Cashel and surrounding areas.

The services range from those operating on a 24-hour day, seven days a week basis to those that use the facility as a base to provide care in peoples' homes and communities. The health care professionals based in Cashel health campus provide services across a number of care groups to the population of Cashel and surrounding areas. The community intervention team located on the campus is a nurse-led professional team that provides nursing care to patients in a community setting. The service provides high-quality nursing care in the community for a short period by working together with patients, carers and other professionals. Thanks to the provision of this service, many patients can return to their homes earlier from hospital. It also provides GPs with another option of care within the community as an alternative to the acute hospital. Additionally, HSE community services provide support for people who are at home via the primary care team and home support services, which are based in Cashel health campus. These services continue to have a significant role in supporting older adults who are discharged from hospital with ongoing non-acute care needs and in preventing admission to hospital.

As part of winter funding measures for 2018 and 2019 introduced to improve access to unscheduled care, €450,000 has been approved by the HSE to further develop community services for older people in south Tipperary. This follows the commitment of the Minister, Deputy Harris, on a visit to Tipperary in September to a 40-bed modular extension to South Tipperary General Hospital and his support for a day hospital at Cashel. That was at the invitation of the Deputy. I know the Minister would wish to acknowledge Deputy Lowry's advocacy on this matter and the use of Cashel, and indeed he accompanied the Minister on his visit there. Discussions are planned for the development of further initiatives, working in an integrated way with South Tipperary General Hospital and existing community services, which will provide a continuum of care for the local population, with particular emphasis on the provision of a model of care pathway for older people in line with the integrated care programme for older people.

I thank the Minister. I welcome that an additional €450,000 is included by the Health Service Executive for the funding in 2018 and 2019. I am sure it will contribute to the enhancement of services, particularly for older people in south Tipperary. I also welcome that consultation and discussions have been taking place with consultants and key personnel in the general hospital in Clonmel with a view to outsourcing some of the services currently being delivered from there. As the Minister is aware, there is a problem in Clonmel with overcrowding and that is compounded by the number of people attending clinic consultations at the general hospital there.

I very much welcome the commitment of the Minister, Deputy Harris, to Tipperary and to resolving the problems we have at South Tipperary General Hospital. A new 40-bed unit has gone to tender and other measures include a community intervention team to be based at Cashel. The reality is we have a unit in Cashel that is modern and vacant and that should be fully utilised for the benefit of patients on waiting lists or who encounter delays at outpatient clinics at Clonmel. I welcome the Minister's commitment to re-opening Cashel and I hope the ongoing discussions can be completed in the short term. This building has for many years been associated with the delivery of health care in Tipperary and I hope it can be fully re-opened so the people of Tipperary can utilise it to its maximum potential.

I once again take the opportunity to apologise on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Jim Daly, and acknowledge the case made by the Deputy. We may have political differences but everybody in the House acknowledges the needs of older people and those with mental problems, as well as the underprivileged and vulnerable. This certainly comes into that category. I will certainly convey everything the Deputy has said to both the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, and the Minister, Deputy Harris, who has a particular interest in this hospital.

The Minister and the HSE recognise that Cashel health campus is vital for the provision of community based services that help people to stay in their communities and homes and that assist those people who require emergency department hospital admission to be discharged as early as possible from acute care back to their home environment. While the campus is being used for day and primary care services, the additional funding provided this year as part of the winter measures to improve access to unscheduled care will form a basis to allow local services to further develop an action plan for a range of services to support older people in the south Tipperary area. This will help both to avoid hospital admission in the first instance and also to facilitate early discharge should a stay in an acute hospital be necessary.

The Dáil adjourned at 7.30 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 30 January 2018.
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