Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022

Vol. 1030 No. 2

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Health Services Staff

Deputy Jackie Cahill

I want to raise the issue of the number of psychologists on the north Tipperary children's disability network team, CDNT. I recently received a response to a parliamentary question I submitted to the Minister for Health in which I was informed that there are currently seven whole-time equivalent psychology posts in the area. Following further inquiries, however, I came to learn that two of these posts are currently unfilled. As things stand in north Tipperary, we have two senior psychology posts and two staff grade psychology posts filled, two vacant staff grade psychology posts and one psychology post that has been filled. Furthermore, the north Tipperary CDNT currently has a caseload of 1,473 children, 339 of whom are on waiting lists for supports.

North Tipperary also has 42 children requiring an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, assessment. Until this assessment is carried out, it is next to impossible for parents to get the supports and early intervention and help they need for their children.

The HSE was unable to tell me how many additional psychology posts will be necessary in the north of my county to clear the waiting list of 339 children as it currently stands. The HSE was also unable to tell me the caseload figure for each psychologist in the area as the number of clients requiring psychology input changes on a daily basis.

I have serious concerns that the HSE is failing to fill these two vacant posts, one of which has been vacant since March 2022. As long as these posts remain vacant, the waiting lists will continue to grow and families and young people will be left without the intervention supports and attention they need and deserve. The psychologists in the filled posts are doing their best. I am by no means criticising their work but they are under too much pressure.

They are being assigned too great a workload and those in need are not being seen in a timely manner to get the assistance and the interventions they need at a young age. From speaking to numerous families affected by this across north Tipperary, I know there is a deep cause of frustration and concern from a very significant number of people, particularly when one looks across county boundaries or even parish boundaries, where other areas are served by a better service under a different healthcare region.

I see in Tipperary that there is a divide between the north and south in disability services for children as the county falls into separate healthcare regions. A person's Eircode should not determine the level of care they get. A parent certainly should not have to see their child waiting and not progressing in life as they should, while they wait for these essential services and while children in other areas are receiving interventions much sooner. That is unfortunately the case for early intervention services all too often in north Tipperary. The postcode lottery needs to be tackled.

With 339 children on waiting lists in north Tipperary and with a team of five whole-time equivalent psychology positions expected to cover this workload, this is only going to see this issue exacerbated.

What plans does the HSE have to tackle the growing waiting lists in north Tipperary for children's disability network team supports? When will the vacant positions be filled? How long will it take to clear the backlog of patients waiting for appointments with psychologists? Why has the HSE failed to fill these two vacant positions to date? If it is a case of additional remuneration required to fill these positions, or better administrative supports so that the psychologists can be freed up to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, then packages need to be put in place. The children of north Tipperary need better, more efficient, and more reliable supports in this area.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity to discuss it in the House this evening. He raised some very valuable questions in his contribution. As Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I recognise and acknowledge that the Progressing Disability Services, PDS, programme has been challenging for many stakeholders, but especially so for families, the children, and the young people using the service. It is also important to acknowledge the challenges that are there for staff because they are working under tremendous pressure. These challenges have resulted in unacceptably long delays for families to access much needed therapies for their children.

As Minister of State, I once again want to put on the record my sincerest apologies to any family experiencing such delays. Prior to the introduction of the PDS programme, children in different parts of the country with the same needs could be given much more, or, much less service, based on geography rather than need. This was clearly unfair and needed to change. The core principle of PDS is to achieve fairer and more equitable access to services for all children with disabilities, based on their needs, and not where they happen to live.

Regrettably since PDS was rolled out, there has been a levelling down of services to children and families. As I said previously in this House, the reconfiguration of children's disability network teams, CDNTs, by the HSE across the country has faced particular challenges with regard to recruitment. There is currently an average vacancy rate of 28% across the 91 CDNTs, which equates to approximately 524 vacancies out of a total allocation of 1,892 staff members. Notwithstanding these challenges, it is important to acknowledge the significant work involved in establishing the CDNTs.

Approximately 35,000 children are currently receiving services and supports provided by these teams. The underlying vacancy rate in CDNTs is not because of a lack of Government resources. In that regard, I have secured funding for the HSE for additional posts in recent years to strengthen the capacity of CDNTs to ensure services can be provided.

I take on board what the Deputy is saying in respect of the remuneration to retain the staff, where if a person has been there for a certain number of years, he or she should be moved to a senior post, so that we can at least backfill into the more junior grades in order to retain that skill set so it is there. I am very clear in my saying that to the HSE. We need to flush through our panels to ensure we fill as many posts as possible between now and the end of the year and the start of January. Where do not fill them, we need to ensure our senior posts are protected. If people have worked on those teams for a number of years, those staff members need to be given the opportunity to apply for positions, so that at least we have a senior clinical grade on the team.

There are two senior posts, which the Deputy outlined. There are two staff grade posts that are filled and a psychology assistant post that is filled. Currently, there are two vacant staff grade posts that, despite repeated efforts, the CDNTs have been unable to fill. It is regrettable that one of these posts has been vacant since March 2022, and the other since May 2022. The challenge to recruit staff grade psychologists is echoed across the mid-west and nationally. Even in CHO 2 in Mayo, where there are three CDNTs, it does not have one psychologist between the three teams. We need to look at a far more agile approach.

The proposal, which from the Psychological Society of Ireland, PSI, is a very good way of remunerating people and giving them the opportunity while they learn their skill to have clinical oversight and perhaps giving us the opportunity to retain them for the four or five years.

Perhaps if I had not had a more challenging budget, this would have been one of the priorities I would have ensured happened. The two other Deputies in the House are from CHO 4 which this year adopted that exact model in regard to four positions because it was failing to recruit. This is something that needs to be mirrored right across the country. I will deal with the rest of the Deputy's questions in my next response.

Deputy Jackie Cahill

I thank the Minister of State and I acknowledge her efforts in the area of disability. I also acknowledge the work the staff are doing. No staff working in this service want to see waiting lists. When parents who are waiting for an assessment and services for their child ring me, their frustration is so palpable. They very much feel they are letting down their child and not giving them the best opportunity to fulfil his or her potential. That is regrettable.

The figure in the Minister of State's reply that nationally 28% of posts are not filled is very worrying and serious. We have a critical problem here.

The Minister of State referred to the fact that recruiting staff is one thing but retention is another. If the remuneration package is not at a level that is needed to ensure retention of staff in the future, it must be looked at as a matter of priority. We cannot let these young children and parents down. Whatever extra resources the service needs to ensure we recruit and retain staff in these positions have to be provided.

In my county, we have a problem in the north of it. The south of the county is far better served. That brings its own frustration as people see, as I said in my original contribution, that it is their postcode which is resulting in a lack of services. That is very frustrating for parents. I acknowledge the efforts being made but I urge the Minister of State to use her persuasive powers, which are very strong, with the HSE to ensure the remuneration packages in place allow for the retention of staff when we fill posts and that we try to fill those posts as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank the Deputy. I reassure him and the House that the HSE continues to explore a range of options. The targeted national and international recruitment for CDNTs is what I am talking about in terms of the end of the year. There is the sponsorship and the apprenticeship programme, the targeted international recruitment, with an agreed reallocation allowance, a sponsorship programme for therapy grades, an apprenticeship programme for therapy grades, employment of graduates as therapist assistants as they await their CORU registration, and an expansion of the therapy assistants in the system.

Only this week I met with Mr. Maurice Hoare from CHO 3. Believe it or not, while north Tipperary is an outlier in CHO 3, the vacancy rate in CHO 3 in children's disabilities is the lowest in the country at 10%. That is poor comfort for the people for north Tipperary but that is what it is. When I look across the border to CHO 5 the vacancy rates in some of its teams are at 54%. When I look to Kells in CHO 8, it has a vacancy level of 60%.

Talking and scoping are no longer acceptable within the HSE. Exploring has to be a thing of the past. Action is required as the funding is now there. Having that recruitment campaign is one thing, but it can only be measured on what can be converted into a person delivering a service. I again implore the HSE to be agile and pragmatic with the funding it has and to use it to attract people to disability services.

I say again that retention has to be our key objective in disabilities. By not having retention, the gap gets wider. The lists in other primary cares and mental health are driving down while in disabilities, they are going in the wrong direction.

Sports Facilities

Deputy David Stanton

I thank the Minister of State for being here to respond to this topic, which is something I feel strongly about. A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, with all due respect to the Minister of State, I did not receive notice that the housing Minister would not be here but that is something you might come back to me on, please, at some stage.

The issue I raise has to do with clubs, organisations and communities trying to find land for football, hurling, camogie, running or whatever activity it is. Across the country there is a problem with that. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, and the Government on what is happening with sports capital funding. The amount of money made available in the last tranche is fantastic and I hope that continues into the next tranche. We have the economy going well to make that happen. The Minister of State said to me recently in the House:

There is an issue in certain parts of the country concerning land. Through the development plan process, it is incumbent on local authorities to ensure land is allocated for recreational use. Many local authorities are doing that.

He said the role of his Department is "to facilitate grassroots and local authority applications to fund specific projects. As a Department, [they] are not presently in the space of purchasing land or owning a significant land bank...". We have a situation where it falls back to volunteers to find and purchase the land, make sure it is zoned properly and that planning is on it. That is an awful lot of stress and pressure on volunteers.

I am sure the Minister of State and Leas-Cheann Comhairle will agree that sport, recreation and such activities are vital for young people, and maybe people who are not so young as well. Young people's involvement in sport develops physical and mental fitness and builds community. They learn how to win and lose and we have many policies around sport. The one thing we do not have at national level is a clear direction to local authorities to zone land and make it available.

We also have the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA. I put down a question to the Minister for Finance about NAMA and he said the agency can facilitate the sale of properties for social purposes where it is commercially practical to do so. We are back again to local volunteers having to raise money to purchase land, and land is in short supply. I had the idea that we could mandate NAMA to make land available in communities where it is properly located.

Deputy Sherlock will be aware of Kilworth and what has been done up there. They have football, hurling, soccer and the whole lot together in one area at the edge of a village. Everyone can walk there and get involved. In my town of Midleton, we are trying to find land for a running track but without success. They are now talking about building 2,500 units on the edge of the town and no recreational facilities are available for that kind of activity. The GAA in our town had to raise a lot of money to build its own facilities. We have hundreds of young people who want to take part but they cannot do so. It is the same with swimming facilities, as I highlighted in the House recently.

We need a strong, coherent policy from central government. For mental and physical health, this would be a win-win situation. It builds communities and helps everybody in the long term. I was Minister of State in the Department of Justice for a while and dealt with youth justice. I can say strongly that nothing works better than having facilities for sport and activities for young people to keep them away from trouble, bother and all the ills and attractions out there. I implore the Minister of State to go back to her colleagues and develop a national policy whereby we direct the local authorities to make sure land is available for these kind of activities.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)

I thank the Deputy for his question on the need to make land available to sporting clubs and organisations for the development of sporting and community facilities in villages, towns and cities. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues to support the enhancement of amenities in cities, towns and villages and there have been important policy developments in recent years, as well as considerable funding secured for such enhancements. There are also important planning principles that inform the provision of such spaces. Section 67 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, provides that "a local authority may take such measures, engage in such activities or do such things (including the incurring of expenditure) as it considers necessary or desirable to promote the interests of the local community", including in relation to sports, games and other such activities. Schedule 13 of that Act identifies that such measures taken, activities engaged in or things done by local authorities shall include "the provision (both indoor and outdoor) of playing fields, athletic tracks, swimming pools and other bathing places, sports centres, gymnasia and other facilities and the holding of sporting events". The reservation of lands for recreational and amenity purposes is a matter to be addressed as part of the review of a city or county development plan.

The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requires that a development plan include objectives for the zoning of land for use solely or primarily for particular purposes, including for recreational and open space purposes, to such an extent as the proper planning and sustainable development of the area requires. The requirement to make land available for public use is also addressed within guidelines, as follows.

The development plan guidelines for planning authorities highlight the role of the city or county development plan in the provision of public open space. It is recommended that the development plan incorporate a public open space strategy that addresses open space provision as part of a wider assessment of community facilities and amenities. It is envisaged that the development would take a strategic view, including identifying any need for local, town or regional parks, with local area plans and other strategies providing greater detail. The guidelines recommend that when making zoning decisions, consideration must be given to the open space required to serve the community, and that lands should be zoned accordingly. The guidelines also note that the development plan can support a structured approach to open space provision within new developments by including requirements and standards to be applied through the planning process, noting the distinction between open space that is required to serve an individual development and that required to serve the community more broadly.

The local area plan guidelines of 2013 state that there should be an emphasis on providing conveniently located neighbourhood facilities commensurate with the projected population for a local area, including play areas. Public open spaces should be easily reached and take biodiversity issues into account in their design.

The sustainable residential development in urban areas guidelines of 2009 state, in section 4.16, that the provision of public open spaces at district and local level will be guided by city or county wide policies. In new development areas, local area plans should identify the preferred location of larger open spaces, including locations in adjoining non-development areas that may accommodate playing pitches and larger recreational facilities. A more flexible approach is envisaged in housing schemes, with spaces suitable for smaller children's play, informal kick-about and passive amenity. Further detail in this regard is provided within the urban design manual, which supplements the guidelines.

Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments 2020, in section 4.13, states that the recreational needs of children must be considered as part of communal amenity space within the apartment scheme. The apartment guidelines also provide further details with regard to the forms and location of such facilities.

The guidelines I have cited are issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Planning authorities must have regard to the guidelines when carrying out their strategic planning or development management functions. This means that planning authorities are required to demonstrate how the policies and objectives of the guidelines have been applied.

It should be noted that the Department is working towards developing detailed guidelines in relation to sustainable settlements, which will incorporate elements of the 2009 guidelines. It is intended that the proposed sustainable and compact settlement guidelines will be issued under section 28 of the Act and will seek to address key issues in relation to the design of open space, which provides a range of active and passive spaces to support the development of amenable neighbourhoods that promote high quality of life for residents.

Deputy David Stanton

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive and well put-together response. I will pick one or two things out of it. Her written response states that a "local authority may take such measures" and, subsequently, that the "local authority shall include" provision of both indoor and outdoor playing pitches and so on. When this does not happen, who pulls the local authority up on it and says it should do it? Is it is the Planning Regulator or the Minister? Is there any recourse when it does not happen?

I draw the Minister of State's attention to today’s Irish Examiner. The editorial refers to the National Building Agency, a semi-State body set up to build a lot of houses quickly. It did that but ended up with developments in certain areas that did not have services such as shops, playgrounds or sports facilities, which can bind communities and help them develop. Many of these areas had social problems afterwards because there was nowhere for the children to play.

I am all for having open spaces, parks and green areas, but we also need sporting and community facilities where organised events such as running, swimming, various field games, indoor games and so on can take place. Some areas in the country have no community hall, for instance. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is doing some work on that at the moment. It falls back on the local community and local volunteers to provide these.

Community work is quite advanced in Mayo. I call on the Government to discuss this with all local authorities to ensure that in places where there are no community facilities, land is zoned to make it happen. It can also happen through NAMA. Otherwise, we are stirring up trouble for the future leaving young people with nothing to do and all day to do it. When I was Minister of State, I visited some communities that were in chaos because they did not have any facilities. The volunteers and local people were crying out for them. I am doing that again this evening. I hope the Minister of State and the Government will listen.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I will raise those specific comments with the Minister. It is clear to me and to Government that having amenities and supporting community and social infrastructure are critical to planning for sustainable communities. The provision of sufficient sporting, play and cultural spaces in our towns and cities for the residents of a neighbourhood provides significant social dividend in terms of community engagement and public health. This is recognised in Government policy, such as Town Centre First, and the national planning framework and in the publication in June of Development Plans - Guidelines for Planning Authorities.

It is the Minister's intention that the sustainable and compact settlement guidelines currently being developed will support the provision of these amenities by setting out core principles of design and place-making to be applied to create places of high quality at the level of district or neighbourhood, housing schemes and individual well-being.

Job Losses

Deputy Sean Sherlock

The union SIPTU has brought to our attention a notice of strike action at Zenith Energy Bantry Bay Terminal Limited. That strike is to take place on Tuesday, 13 December. The Whiddy Island terminal has 17 oil storage tanks with a capacity of almost 9 million barrels and stores a significant portion of the State's oil reserves. It is a key reference site nationally. The National Oil Reserve Agency, NORA, is the State body with responsibility for maintaining our strategic supplies of oil and is one of the Whiddy terminal's largest customers. Whiddy Island was originally built in the late 1960s by Gulf Oil to accommodate ultra large crude oil-carrying vessels. We all remember the tragic accident where 51 people died in January 1979 when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded.

In July 2001, the business and commercial assets of the Irish National Petroleum Corporation were sold to Tosco corporation, now Conoco Phillips, and NORA did not form part of that transaction. Tosco was later acquired by Phillips 66. NORA was established as an independent statutory body in 2007 upon the introduction of the National Oil Reserves Agency Act. The Whiddy terminal was then sold to Zenith in 2015. In 2020, there were reports that Zenith intended to sell the strategic facility. At the time up to 50 staff were employed at the facility in January 2020, but no sale occurred.

I will quote directly from the statement issued by SIPTU. Willie Noone, the sector organiser, stated:

A ballot for strike action was supported unanimously by our members and is scheduled to commence at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday, 13th December. This action results from the decision of the company [Zenith] to dismiss workers with long service on Wednesday, 30th November, while planning to employ contractors on an ongoing basis to do their work.

The union, and the workers to their credit, see this as a last resort. The company is seeking compulsory redundancies. Efforts by the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, to resolve the dispute were unsuccessful as the company remains insistent that contractors be used to cover the work previously done by the workers being made redundant.

I am asking for the Government to intervene on the basis that Zenith is housed within a key reference site that ensures the security of energy supply of the State. I call on the Government to intervene now with Zenith to at least bring the company to a hearing of the Labour Court so that the matter might be resolved. No company on this island should seek to drive a coach and four through the industrial relations architecture that has been built up successfully over years, particularly at a time security of energy supply is so vital and particularly given that these people have a combined service of more than 100 years. We want to get them back to the table. I call on the Minister of State to use her good offices and those of the Government to intervene on this matter to encourage people back to the table.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

As the Deputy has stated, SIPTU members have served notice of strike action at Zenith Energy Bantry Bay Terminal Limited, located on Whiddy Island in County Cork. The strike action is due to commence on Tuesday, 13 December, in a dispute over redundancies at Zenith Energy.

While the Deputy's question refers to the strike at the Zenith storage facility in Bantry, he also makes reference to NORA and the need to ensure the terms and conditions of employment of all employees at the agency are protected and the need to ensure the employer engages with the architecture of industrial relations. In this regard, it is important to clearly state that while NORA holds stocks of petroleum products on the site, NORA employees are not employed on the site nor are they in any way involved in the aforementioned industrial dispute. The employees of Zenith Energy are not NORA employees, NORA merely holds stocks on the site as part of its obligations under legislation.

Under the National Oil Reserves Act 2007, NORA was established as a non-commercial State body with responsibility for the management of Ireland's strategic oil reserve. NORA is Ireland's stockholding agency and currently holds approximately 85 days of oil stocks, with approximately 85% of these stocks stored on the island of Ireland.

NORA stocks are balanced to match the end-use domestic consumption of the various oil products, petrol, diesel, and kerosene. NORA, having released stock to meet Ireland's obligations under the recent International Energy Agency, IEA, collective actions, is scheduled to increase its stockholding to 90 days in early 2023 as required by Ireland's membership of the European Union and the IEA. NORA holds 85 to 90 days of oil reserves to cover any emergency for resupply through the commercial system. Ireland's policy of holding a strategic oil reserve equivalent to 90 days of net imports is required by both its membership of the EU and the IEA, and is provided for by the National Oil Reserves Agency Act.

NORA has operational responsibility for the day-to-day management of the State's strategic oil reserve. This includes the purchase of refined products and entering into agreements with third parties to lease storage capacity, as required.

In line with Government policy, the 90-day obligation is met almost entirely by the holding of refined product in Ireland, ready to be placed on the domestic market in the event of a shortage of petroleum products arising in the commercial supply chains or released to the international markets as part of an IEA collective action.

The industry has worked hard to boost stock levels since the onset of the war in Ukraine and industry is confident of maintaining supply levels with inventory levels strengthened.

Deputy Sean Sherlock

I am disappointed with the answer. The Whiddy Island terminal is fixed firmly in the consciousness of every citizen's mind as key in the security of energy supply.

There would have been a time when somebody like me would have gotten up as a member of the Opposition to call on the Government to use its influence specifically in relation to a site like this. Zenith has a contract and owns the site. If they were driving a coach and four through the industrial relations architecture, an Opposition Deputy would have at least received a response that expressed sympathy with the workers down there. We do not want workers who have had long careers, have excellent skill sets, are highly competent and are highly trained to be replaced while they go out on strike by contractors who are coming in and ultimately are designed to take their place. There was a time in this House when a Minister would have stood opposite me and not given me the answer I have received tonight.

I know what NORA does. The dogs in the street know what NORA does. The dogs in the street can make the distinction between NORA and Zenith in this regard. I want to protect the rights of pre-existing workers who are being shovelled out the door by stealth. They are key workers for this island, given what they do at the terminal. I worry that if we lose their skill set, it will be gone and lost forever. I am merely calling for some sympathy and empathy on the part of the Government for the workers. There should be an acknowledgement by the Government of the need to call on all sides, particularly the owners of the company, to come back to the table - at least - as a starting point.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I call on the Minister of State to conclude.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

Of course the Government expresses its sympathies. We want to ensure that a resolution is found and that employers engage with the industrial relations architecture. That is clear. As I indicated in my initial response, the industrial dispute which was reported in the media today is a dispute over redundancies at Zenith Energy. NORA is not in any way involved in the aforementioned dispute. While NORA holds stocks of petroleum on the site, NORA employees are not employed on the site. The employees of Zenith Energy are not NORA employees.

In relation to Ireland’s security of supply, Ireland is reasonably well insulated from direct supply shocks because few imports of crude oil and a comparatively small proportion of Ireland’s refined product imports come from Russia. Given that the supply of some products on the international oil markets is currently tight, particularly in the case of diesel, the oil supply position on the Irish markets is kept under review by the oil security subgroup, consisting of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of Transport, NORA and the importing oil companies. The group meets frequently to assess the security of oil supplies into Irish terminals which are purchased on a commercial basis one month in advance. As things stand, the supply outlook in January looks positive. Given the just-in-time nature of oil supply, issues can manifest at short notice, perhaps within four or five days. As a contingency, NORA holds approximately 85 days of reserve stock and can place stock onto the domestic market to meet shortfalls. Currently, no substantial difficulties in maintaining supplies to the domestic market are forecast, including subsequent to the full implementation of the EU sanctions on Russian crude and refined product on 5 December 2022 and 5 January 2023, respectively.

National Car Test

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for selecting this matter for Topical Issue debate. I thank the Minister of State with responsibility for transport for taking it. I raised this issue briefly with the Minister of State during Priority Questions a couple of weeks ago. There is a significant backlog with the national car test, NCT, and there is a shortage of mechanics and inspectors. I want to raise the types of changes in work and testing practices that are being proposed and implemented in response.

I have previously raised the issue of the Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, level 6 and level 5 qualifications. Some of the issue relates to internal transfers of staff from Spain and elsewhere to Ireland within the Applus+ group. At Christmastime, there will be the prospect of workers coming in from the Philippines. This is nothing at all to do with where workers are originating from. There is a shortage and there is more than enough work to go round. Rather, this is an issue of standards, qualifications and quality related to that. There is an issue in relation to QQI level 6 and level 5.

The response I have received from the Department on this matter confirmed that the Department was apprised of the proposal by the Road Safety Authority, RSA, that the RSA has responsibility in this regard and that assurances have been received. I want to drill into that with the Minister of State. In addition to that and subsequently, there was a Labour Court recommendation last week for a pilot to run in five Dublin centres for 12 months, as well as for new staff at the grade of inspection support personnel to become involved in the testing process, with responsibility for an initial part or one of the stages of the testing process. There are serious concerns. It has been suggested that a €250 One4All voucher could be given to workers as part of this agreement.

The concern here is on a number of levels. First, this appears to me to be a significant change to the testing process itself; to how the test is conducted in practical terms; to who is conducting what part of the test; to their level of qualification, training and expertise; to who is signing off on the test; and to the level of accountability in relation to that. I want to ask a question about existing practices. Is the Minister of State satisfied that standards are being maintained and will be maintained? I also have a question about the sign-off. Are these new processes lawful and consistent with the regulations that govern these practices? I welcome the Minister of State’s response.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

The operation of roadworthiness testing, including the National Car Test Service, NCTS, is the statutory responsibility of the RSA. Applus+ Inspection Services Ireland Limited administers the test on behalf of the RSA. All operational issues, including the appointment of personnel are matters for Applus+ and the RSA, and it would be inappropriate for me, as Minister of State, to comment on specific operational matters.

The NCTS has been experiencing extraordinary pressure, due in part to a national and EU-wide labour shortage of qualified mechanics. To mitigate the risks associated with the testing backlog, work is under way to increase test centre capacity and to reduce the average appointment waiting time. A priority waiting list is in place for motorists to avail of cancellations, the contractor is providing 20 vehicle inspectors from its Spanish operation and the RSA has approved a pilot for additional inspection staff in automated elements of the test. These measures are in addition to the 53 new staff employed by the NCTS earlier in the year, and a significant increase in staff overtime, allowing eight tests per tester per day instead of seven.

My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy English, with my Department's assistance, has allowed for the recruitment of up to 100 non-EU testers. Some 44 additional testers have commenced training with NCTS and will be conducting testing before the end of the year. In relation to qualifications, I can confirm that the temporary vehicle inspectors from Spain are qualified to QQI level 5, which is the standard in many EU member states and in the UK. Until 2020, QQI level 5 certification was the minimum requirement for vehicle inspectors in the State.

Testers in Ireland are currently required to hold QQI level 6 qualifications but the RSA has confirmed that local applicants with QQI level 5 qualifications will be considered for a temporary period and that on-the-job training will be provided to bring testers to QQI level 6 standard. Additionally, I understand that Applus+ sought RSA approval to trial the use of inspection support personnel to assist the existing complement of vehicle inspectors with certain basic and highly automated test elements in stages 1 and 2 of the testing process. Vehicle inspectors will still decide whether a vehicle should pass or fail a test.

I reassure the Deputy that the appointment of these additional resources will not result in the loss of any existing jobs. The new employees will supplement the existing staff to increase testing capacity. The objective is to increase the overall number of testing staff to meet the high demand. The RSA has assured my Department that the high testing standard we expect from the National Car Testing Service, NCTS, will not be compromised in any way as it works to increase testing capacity.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I will pick up on two points in my supplementary statement. The Minister of State said "The RSA has assured my Department that the high testing standard we expect from the National Car Testing Service, NCTS, will not be compromised in any way as it works to increase testing capacity." To ask the straight question, how has that been assessed? The RSA provided the assurance. I await a response from it and I expect it will give me the same assurance but, for me, that raises a further question; how has it been assessed that the standards will be maintained? We do not yet know what the pilot use of inspection support personnel in those five Dublin test centres will look like, if it proceeds. I understand people who have a junior certificate and an interest in cars or vehicles are being invited to apply. The Department has been assured but how has the RSA or Applus+ assessed this?

I have another question, which is related to the first. Is this legitimate? Is this change in practice lawful? The test is to be broken down into different stages and inspection support personnel are to be given responsibility for one of these parts, although a tester must ultimately sign off on the test. In the regulations, it is very clear what a tester is and what his or her responsibilities are. Is this new testing process lawful? Does it comply with SI 415 of 2017, the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I reassure the Deputy that I have met with the RSA and conveyed the seriousness of the NCT backlog. My officials are meeting with the RSA weekly to monitor progress in reducing test delays and supporting any appropriate requests for assistance from it. I also assure the Deputy that the use of inspection support personnel will not result in any job losses in the NCTS. The RSA has my full confidence. The high testing standard we expect from the NCTS will not be compromised. As always, the safety of our road users remains a priority for me and my Department.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 10.44 p.m. go dtí 9.12 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 30 Samhain 2022.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.44 p.m. until 9.12 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 November 2022.