Education and Training Provision
1. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for clarification on local training initiative operating guidelines, which state that any income received towards the running costs of an LTI , whether from earned income or secondary grant aiding, must be offset as income in the LTI monthly claim form. [56420/25]
The local training initiatives, LTIs, operating guidelines states that any income received towards the running costs of a LTI, whether from earned income or secondary grant aid, must be offset as income in the LTI monthly claim form. This clearly demonstrates that LTIs are not financially independent and cannot generate or retain income to improve wages or conditions as all funding is fully controlled and accounted for through the education training boards, ETBs, and SOLAS system. This appears to contradict the view that LTIs independently set their own pay and conditions. Will the Minister make a comment on that?
I thank the Deputy for her ongoing interest in the further and higher education sectors. The Deputy is right there is a need to revisit some of the operational parameters of the LTIs. LTIs are community-based training programmes designed to support individuals who face economic, social or educational disadvantage. This is incredibly important work. The training programmes offered are tailored to meet specific local needs, ensuring relevance and impact within their communities which they serve. They are also independent organisations. They have their own independent boards of directors. The relationship with their grantors, the ETBs, is governed by the Department of public expenditure guidelines Circular 13/14 entitled, Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds. That circular guides the management, accountability and reporting of public funds allocated through grants. It applies to all bodies receiving such grants, including agencies, charities and other entities.
The operational guidelines also apply and were developed by SOLAS in 2013. A need to update those guidelines has been identified. Education and Training Boards Ireland, ETBI, is currently work on such a project leading the development of new operational guidelines to manage the relationship between ETBs and grant-funded organisations that provide education and training.
I have recently written to SOLAS seeking an update on that work to see where it is at with that because it is an important piece of work. The guidelines need revisiting at this stage. I expect those updated guidelines will be published in the coming months. I hope to be in a position to receive that further update following my correspondence with SOLAS. I hope it will be soon as well. It is part of a substantial work programme to make sure all of systems of processes are fit for purpose and up to date and that there is robust governance with public funds but also sufficiently versatile and flexible to deliver for the end user and ultimately the people using the services, and indeed providing the services. I agree with the Deputy. It is under way. I have recently corresponded with SOLAS on it. It needs to be done.
I welcome that. I agree with the Minister that they are well needed and well placed. They help people get their foot on the ladder. They are in communities. There is a real issue with the lack of transparency, which the Minister has pointed out as well. The pay and conditions for staff in both LTIs and community training centres, CTCs, are determined through a central process involving negotiations with unions and the Government rather than being set by each individual initiative. Surely there should be a mechanism in place to offer anatomy to LTIs in terms of overall responsibility. The pay disparity is an inequality that can no longer be justified. Instructors working at CTCs have increments from the start while LTI co-ordinators have a set scale salary with no increments. This cannot continue. I am the glad the Minister is going to work on that.
I will share some of the processes that are under way under the ETBI's direction. The new operational guidelines should encompass at least but not limited to the following objectives. They should simplify the grant management relationship between ETB and third-party providers. It is complex. One thing I have learned in this role is that particularly the further education landscape is complex and labyrinthine at times. There are many different organisations, including voluntary, community and statutory, interworking and intertwining with each other. It is not always simple to navigate those frameworks. We need to simplify those relationships. We also need to streamline the approval and claims structure that applies to them. We need to provide clearer accountability lines. The Deputy referred to the transparency. I agree that accountability is very important. The role of the individual ETBs in relation to oversight, monitoring and reporting needs to be clarified and made clear. The grantee's responsibility in relation to daily operations - that goes to some of things that the Deputy is talking about - and staffing are important. As always with public funds, the independence and the proper usage of those funds have to be paramount as well. There are number of things that need to be looked at, but those are the kind categories that the ETBI are currently working towards with the review of the guidelines.
I appreciate those words. I am glad to hear that this will all be worked out. As the Minister said, it needs to be simplified and streamlined. The last letter that went out from the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin's office in 2025 states that LTIs are independent. This needs to be clarified for those LTIs out there that are trying to work through this. The fact the Department instructed SOLAS in 2023 to award 5% pay increases shows that they are not independent. That needs to be clarified.
There is always a degree of autonomy within the educational landscape, be it further or higher education. The Minister of State did correspond with the Department and the relevant bodies in terms of pay scales and around community training centres and youth reach centres, but the Department is not the employer. There is a remove. There can be several stages in that remove. It is not direct reporting lines. I would liken it to more of a dotted reporting line in some cases. These are all things that would benefit from clarity and some reorganisation or certainly some visibility of the different structures that pertain.
I am not going to comment much on the pay side because there are various Labour Court recommendations that are being worked through. They are being funded through my Department, but that is an ongoing piece of work. There have been some significant increases. For example, the CTC staff were awarded a 5% pay increase from recent Labour Court findings. That is progress.
Technological Universities
2. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when he expects specific capital funding to be allocated and announced to establish a new constituent campus in Wexford town for the Southeast Technological University; when the masterplan for the site will be published; when he expects SETU to have access to the new site and construction work on the new campus to begin; if he will outline the discussions he has had to date with the board of SETU and the HEA on the faculties to be sited in Wexford and when an announcement will be made on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56050/25]
Having regard to the firm commitments made to establish a new constituent campus in Wexford town for the Southeast Technological University, when does the Minister expect specific capital funding to be allocated and announced for this project? When will the masterplan for the site be published? When does he expect SETU to have access to the new site and construction work on the new campus to begin? Will he outline the discussions he has had to date with the board of SETU and the Higher Education Authority on the facilities to be sited in Wexford? When will an announcement will be made on this issue?
Is the Deputy subbing for Deputy Kenny?
No. It is about Wexford.
Yes. He is subbing for the Deputy.
I apologise. I thought the Minister said Kilkenny.
No, I know the difference between Wexford and Kilkenny very well and all too well from suffering at their hands for many years in Leinster finals.
Absolutely.
I am a strong supporter of this project as I think and hope the Deputy and other Wexford stakeholder know. I share ambition of the region and Wexford town, in particular, to develop a customised significant third level campus in Wexford town. The educational needs, level of educational attainment, industrial base and the demographics all support that strongly. I am very much on board with that.
The proposal to develop that Wexford campus is being progressed under the technological sector strategic projects fund. It is a particular within the Department to assist the technological universities with putting together these types of proposals. On the engagement I have had on it, I met with the president, Professor Veronica Campbell, and the chair, Professor Patrick Prendergast, of SETU in July in my office in Government Buildings. I also met with the president, Professor Campbell, again in late August on the matter. I have had ongoing engagements with the HEA, both directly and through my officials. They will be ongoing. My message to all of them has been of encouragement and that I am keen to see this project move along through the different stages.
As the Deputy knows very well being on the ground, it has not always been straight forward. There has been a site identified by Wexford County Council. It is in the region of 48.5 acres. There was a proposal for the council to compulsory purchase order, CPO, that land. That became complicated. There were challenges to it. Those have thankfully fallen away through the court system. However, the latest is that a sum has to be agreed in terms of what the purchase price is going to be. That is ongoing. There is a risk that if it cannot be agreed, it could be referred to arbitration, but my understanding is that has not happened, and the negotiations are proceeding. I will not say that they are going well because I do not know. However, I have not been told that they are going badly. That is under way. I expect that to be completed in the near future.
As the Minister stated, the site at Killeens has been CPOed but is subject to an ongoing arbitration to agree a final price. While Wexford County Council can access the site immediately, it cannot give a sale price to SETU for its portion of the land until the arbitration process is concluded, which may take many months. This will give a further excuse to SETU to sit on its hands, claiming it can do nothing until all the issues on the site are resolved. It is imperative that the masterplan be concluded and published as soon as possible. The design and composition of the new buildings for the campus should proceed immediately and planning permission lodged with the council. It should be in a position to tender for the buildings as soon as planning permission is received. This will require a specific allocation of funding to the project by the Higher Education Authority from the Department of further and higher education. The Technological Universities Act 2018 was enacted specifically with the SETU in mind. Wexford is a central component of that. We have a facility in Wexford. We need a state-of-the-art new campus to fulfil the aspirations of that.
SETU, in terms of technological universities, has received significant support from my Department. Most recently both Waterford and Carlow were included in bundle two of the PPP projects delivering significant additional learning spaces and physical buildings. The Deputy and I want Wexford to benefit from the same. The next stage of the process is for the notice of entry to enter onto the lands, which would give Wexford County Council the right to take possession of the site. Ordinarily that takes place after the compensation amount has been agreed - in other words, when the price has been agreed. It can then move to notice of entry. That allows it to go on site and begin to make further plans. I am told that SETU requires access to the site to finalise the masterplan. It said that without access to the site there is a limit to how far it can go with its detailed designs. It has a submitted a preliminary business case for the infrastructure, but it has caveated that by saying there is a need for it to go on site, enter the site and walk the land to get a better handle on it and finalise that. The next step of notice of entry rests with Wexford County Council. It may not wish to serve it until the price is agreed and things are finalised because it will become liable for interest from the minute it issues that.
I can understand why there might be some hesitation but if Wexford County Council moves that forward, then everything else begins to progress.
There can be no hesitation at this stage. In 2015, ten years ago, the money was made available for the purchase of a site in Wexford town for the campus of the SETU. Wexford County Council can access the site as it stands. The only thing outstanding is the decision on the actual price of what is going to be sold to the SETU. It is imperative that this progress. The biggest county involved in the whole of the SETU process, County Wexford, with a population heading for in excess of 170,000 people, appears to be the one that is left behind consistently in the process of the establishment of the SETU. It is imperative that this Wexford campus be constructed as a matter of urgency. Any delay or hold-up that appears on the horizon seems to be seized upon and grasped by SETU. There are some fine people involved in this but I have to say progress has been less than satisfactory, if not tardy. I ask for the Minister's personal intervention in this. He is a proud Wexford man by birth. I ask for his intervention to ensure that this campus moves along as rapidly as possible and that the master plan is proceeded with.
I absolutely support the project and have made that very clear to the executive and all stakeholders. In terms of funding from my Department, we have a confirmed budget to purchase our part of the site. There is a masterplan for other things as well but certainly the funding is there for the educational piece. The business case is progressing. However, the decision on when to serve the notice of entry, which is what is causing the frustration and possibly the delays, is for Wexford County Council to make.
I ask the Minister to intervene in that also.
The Deputy has good offices in Wexford town himself. He has agency, a relationship with the county manager and so forth. I do not know how usual it would be for a Minister to engage with a local authority to ask it to accelerate a CPO process. It is probably better that I continue to work on the educational piece and local representatives like Deputy Lawlor can engage with the council. I agree that it needs to happen but I also understand that public money is at stake and the council needs to be satisfied with the finally agreed figure before it enters the site. It is in all of our interests to move this project forward as quickly as possible.
Student Accommodation
3. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science research, innovation and science the details of the missed targets in the last accommodation strategy; the reason this occurred; the reason no mention was made of this in budget 2026; the targets currently; and if new funding will be put in place for same. [56421/25]
I looked through the budget documentation but found no mention of student accommodation, which was quite shocking to me. I still have not received information on why the shortfall in student accommodation has happened. The strategy missed it targets but there has been no explanation for this. It is no secret that there is a crisis for students and families who are currently in distress trying to find accommodation. I ask the Minister to outline the current targets and whether new funding will be allocated for this.
The strategy to which the Deputy refers is the National Student Accommodation Strategy 2017-2024, which was the first national strategy of its kind. The aims of that strategy were to meet rising student housing demand, ease pressure on the private rental market and, ultimately, increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation, PBSA. Two key goals were set out, the first of which was to deliver 7,000 new PBSA beds by 2019. That goal was met. In fact, it was exceeded, with over 8,000 beds completed by the end of that year, or 1,000 beds ahead of the target. The second target was to add an additional 21,000 new PBSA beds to the existing stock of 33,500 by 2024. That target was 91% delivered. Roughly 49,000 beds were delivered out of a goal of approximately 54,000. The reasons for falling 9% short of the target include factors like Brexit, Covid, the Ukraine war, inflation, global supply chains and the Suez crisis. I do not think any of us would disagree that the years 2021 to 2023 were challenging for the entire economy but particularly for construction and supply chains. I looked into this issue myself and in the context of everything that happened in those years, achieving 91% of the target is not bad.
Looking forward, I am actively pursuing a new student accommodation strategy, which I hope to publish later this year, that will look at a number of items related to student accommodation. The Deputy asked why it was not mentioned in the budget speeches. I was surprised to hear that because in my own budget 2026 speech, I talked about additional moneys for maintenance grants for non-adjacent students, with a particular focus on those students who are travelling or paying rent. I mentioned that very specifically. The Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, also specifically referenced student accommodation in his speech on budget day. I do not quite understand why the Deputy made that suggestion because I checked both speeches and we both spoke to the issue.
What the Minister, Deputy Chambers, talked about was accommodation that was already delivered. He spoke about Maynooth, which is already delivered, and UCD, which is already in the process of being delivered. He did not mention anything new.
How much later in the year is the Minister talking about for the publication of the strategy? We are now in October and people are anxious to see it. I have students coming in to me every week who are in despair and distress. They are facing the unrelenting task of trying to find suitable accommodation for their studies. A huge percentage of them are being forced into unregulated digs.
We also have technological universities that cannot borrow even though they have land available. This needs to be expedited because it is a matter of inequality.
On the short-term activation programme, the Minister, Deputy Chambers, did indeed reference it, as have I several times. We have 116 new beds delivered in Maynooth, which are now open at Teach Ui Buachalla or Buckley House. I approved funding of €67 million just last month and turned the sod at UCD for its new accommodation project, which will deliver 493 new beds. As I already mentioned, I also significantly increased all four bands of the maintenance grant for non-adjacent students to reflect the extra pressures. We have also extended the rent tax credit for a further three years and that will make some difference to student affordability.
One of the issues here is planning and getting projects through the planning process. I completely agree with the Deputy that we are in crisis, to use her words, and that we need as much student accommodation delivered as possible. In that context, I would ask her to speak to her own party councillors, including Councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair in the Blackpitts area of Dublin, who recently announced to his constituents his opposition to student accommodation developments. It is very unhelpful, in a situation where I am trying to build as much student accommodation as possible, to have local Sinn Féin councillors opposing developments. I have written to Deputy McGettigan's party leader, Deputy McDonald, about this but she has not replied to me to date. I do not know what her position or that of the Sinn Féin party is on this. Deputy McGettigan might clarify that for us today.
I will have to look into that.
The Minister said he recently approved funding of €67 million but that funding was announced in April 2024. It is not new funding. There is no mention of DCU, which has gone to tender and already has plans in place. All it is waiting for is permission to go ahead. This fund of €100 million was announced back in 2024; it is not new funding. Is there going to be new funding for student accommodation? I accept that giving extra money for accommodation and travel is a good thing but these people do not want to have to travel. Long commutes are causing huge issues for their mental health and are interfering with their studies. They want to be able to live on campus.
Regarding UCD, the cost of on-campus accommodation there is an eye-watering €11,888, the dearest in the State. Something needs to be done about this.
The overall figure of €100 million was indeed announced but individual projects required ministerial approval. I sanctioned UCD very recently and was glad to do so. DCU has a project that is currently under evaluation with the HEA. Trinity College also has a project that has undergone due diligence and is progressing through the system. There are some other projects which are at different stages.
In terms of the technological university sector, funding was given to that sector to accelerate its student accommodation programme and to assist with logistical issues and formulate proposals. A borrowing framework to allow technological universities to finance such developments or to access finance for same is a work in progress. That will all be contained in the student accommodation strategy. Ultimately, this comes down to two things, viability and affordability. We need to increase supply and encourage investment and ensure that students can actually afford to rent the units when purchased. In the finance Bill there are some measures around VAT on apartments and I have engaged with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to ensure that those measures would apply equally to student accommodation. I already mentioned the tax credit on rental payments. It is a complex area but a combination of measures is being adopted.
Third Level Costs
4. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the assessments that were carried out in relation to the impact the €500 increase in third level fees would have on accessibility to third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56129/25]
I want to ask about the cost of going to college, particularly following the budget. In effect, people are now paying €500 more in third level fees. We have a cost-of-living crisis and this is impacting the ability of students and families to afford these costs.
The poverty rate has actually increased after the budget by all of the metrics the ESRI has used. People are 2% worse off and it is inhibiting people from going to college.
I thank the Deputy. I welcome the opportunity to make a few remarks on this issue. I hope it is well understood, but I will restate it, that the starting point for this year's budget was that no provision was made for a continual reduction of student fees. There was a once-off measure in last year's budget, which did not carry over to the following year. It was once-off funding that was there during the cost-of-living crisis. It was understandable at times of extreme pressure that this was advanced but I was determined when I came into the Department and was raising my first budget to put measures on a permanent, sustainable costed basis. That was in the Department baseline. That would be repeated year on year and we would avoid the uncertainty and anxiety of students and families every summer wondering if the Government would or would not do this.
With that, I have managed to achieve a €500 permanent reduction in student fees, starting this year. That is accompanied by targeted measures such as increasing maintenance grants at all levels of non-adjacency from the special rate up, increasing the thresholds so that more people than ever before are now eligible for grant support, additional moneys for students with disabilities and into mental health support, and a variety of other new measures targeted to give the most support to those who need it most. We now have a situation where households earning up to €120,000 can benefit from some form of fee support or grant support. Indeed, many students have their fees paid in full already. It is worth saying that under the system, which is a means-tested and progressive system, families with low incomes or those at risk of poverty should not be paying any fees at all. If they are, something has gone wrong. I have invited any individual circumstances to be brought to my attention and we can investigate what might be going on there. Fees are a challenge for middle and higher income families. I absolutely accept that. That is why I have cut fees by €500 this year and raised the threshold to €120,000 so that a family on €119,000 will now have a €500 fee permanent cut and a €500 fee grant, meaning that they are paying €2,000 this year, the same as they did last year.
I will come back to the Deputy with supplementary comments.
We can all do what we will with figures but the reality is that families and students now are paying €500 more than they were for the last two years. That is the reality because of the removal of the once-off measures and when we take into account the increase in costs, in rents in particular. The average cost of going to college in Dublin, for example, increased this year to €20,777 a year, a 3% increase on last year. The main reason is the huge amount of money people have to pay in rent. On average, in Dublin, the rent that students pay is €1,200. It is roughly the same as the minimum wage in a full-time job. Some 83% of student accommodation is in private hands and that is the reason. There is profiteering and profit gouging going on and students are paying the price. A huge number of students have had to take on part-time jobs. Although the grants have increased, the reality is that students who are on SUSI grants are much more likely to drop out of college and not finish their degrees.
To summarise, grants have increased, thresholds have increased, student supports have increased and student fees have come permanently down. That is progress. This is the first budget of a term. I repeat that low-income families and households at risk of poverty should not be paying fees at all. While I absolutely understand that fees are an issue for the squeezed middle, those households at risk of poverty to which the Deputy refers should not be paying fees at all. That is another reason we have continued to raise the thresholds and, indeed, to pay fees.
The Deputy asked in her written question what assessment was carried out. That is a question I also asked earlier this year and I have commissioned a piece of research. It is really important that we understand the impact of interventions. There is very little research in this area but there is a very useful paper by an academic by Kevin Denny in the department of economics at the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy. It sets out the impact of the free fees initiative and what it means and how it helps. Ultimately it concludes, unfortunately, that if the goal was to lift more people out of poverty and provide educational equality, it did not do that. It actually gave an additional bonus to the middle classes by allowing them to spend money on grinds and private schools etc. instead. There is a policy discussion around that and I have commissioned a piece of research on that, which I will share and publish when it is received.
The Minister is suggesting he might take away the free third level education with his comment there.
Yes, there are a couple of issues. It is a bad situation when Young Fine Gael was asking for a €1,500 reduction in fees and only a €500 reduction was given. The union of students in Ireland, AMLÉ, asked for a lot more and has expressed huge disappointment at what the Government has done. The dropout rate in college has increased by 15% in two years and 23% for students who are on the lower income levels. As I said, they are much more likely to drop out. The mental health toll on students is incredibly high. The increase in the fees will affect working class families and people on lower incomes more, as the Government has indicated itself. The SUSI grant eligibility will do very little to rectify that. One concrete thing the Government could have done was to maintain that €1,000 increase and it did not do it.
For clarity, I am absolutely not talking about bringing in extra fees. Fees will only go down on my watch. To be crystal clear, fees will go in one direction, and that is down, as long as I am in office. However, it is important to discuss the academic work and the research that has been done. That is what the Deputy asked about in her question. She asked what assessments had been carried out. I put an assessment before her. She does not like it. That is fine but she cannot ask the question and then not like the answer. If she has access to other research or assessments, I would welcome it if she wanted to share them with me. I will take them on board. There is a dearth of assessment on this issue and a very limited set of publications. Those that do exist would suggest that targeted measures are preferable to universal measures in getting money to people who need it most, namely, the low income families and the working class families the Deputy mentioned. If we were to do more on fees this year, in the scope of a limiting pot of money and a limited pool of resources, we could not have done other things. Is the Deputy suggesting I should not have not increased maintenance grants and thresholds, should not have put money into students with disabilities and student supports and instead did a bit more on fees for higher and middle income earners? I am not sure if that is her position. If it is, I would be interested in hearing about it.
I believe we have tried to do both. It is what we call progressive universalism, which people like Gordon Brown have espoused. I subscribe to it myself. We tried to do both. We have a twin track whereby we have given universal supports to everybody but we then layer that on top of targeted measures that activate people who would not otherwise access education.
Apprenticeship Programmes
5. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the further actions he intends to take to increase craft apprenticeship participation given the additional funding announced in budget 2026 and the urgent need to increase the number of people qualified in the trades; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56315/25]
The Government remains firmly committed to apprenticeships and has significantly expanded the opportunities for learners in recent years. We fully recognise the vital role that apprentices play in equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills needed to meet national priorities. That includes infrastructure delivery. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, and I have prioritised this area and in budget 2026 we secured an additional €79 million investment in apprenticeships. That is the largest investment since the formation of the Department. This investment will directly support the expansion of the craft apprenticeship system and support key trades such as plumbing and electrical, which are essential to delivering the national development plan 2025.
To further support apprentices, €2.5 million was also secured to reduce the cost of attending higher education. Generally we are talking here about phase 4 and phase 6 apprenticeships. What is important is that this will permanently lower fees by 17% for over 14,000 apprentices in the 2025 to 2026 academic year, including more than 11,000 craft apprentices. As can be seen, the Government not only recognises the need to increase the number of apprentices, especially in the craft trades, but we are supporting this objective by ensuing additional funding.
The evidence is there. In recent years, the apprenticeship system has grown significantly. For example, annual craft apprenticeship registrations rose by 63% from 2020 to 2024 and the number of apprentices in construction has risen by 50% between 2020 and 2025.
I welcome the recent announcement of funding of €339 million for craft apprenticeships for 2025. It is my understanding that this funding will be used to support the expansion of training places, the recruitment and retention of instructors, and the provision of more places, especially in trades needed for housing infrastructure, including, as the Minister of State said, plumbers and electricians. The recent documentary "Who's Building Ireland?" explored the construction industry and who is building the 300,000 new homes needed by 2030. There are 170,000 people working in the construction industry in Ireland. We need between 30,000 and 40,000 skilled workers to build these homes. How does the Minister of State propose to incentivise the fully trained craftspeople to remain in Ireland once they have finished their apprenticeships?
As the Deputy said, this funding will increase the numbers of apprentices already here. We see that phase 2 training capacity has increased from 5,600 in 2023 to over 7,000 in 2025 across the country.
He also mentioned the fact that more instructors are being put in place. Over 80 instructors were converted from fixed term to permanent, and that supports retention, which is the question the Deputy asks: how we will retain apprenticeships in this country? It is also worth noting that over 130 new instructors have been recruited.
He can see from that that the Government is determined to grow this sector. Retention of apprentices obviously depends on the work being there. We can see that. There is full employment in the sector. We need more apprentices, and the objective of this Government is to see that that pipeline of apprentices continues to grow.
We are depending on migrant workers to build these houses. These workers have come from Poland, Latvia, Moldova, Bolivia, South Africa and other places across the world. As I said, there are 300,000 new homes needed by 2030 and there are 170,000 people working in construction, but 30,000 to 40,000 is a lot of people to be found between now and 2030. All these workers need to be trained. How many years will it take to achieve the number of qualified craftspeople necessary to meet the demand for housing supply?
The Government's objective is that by 2030 we will have 12,500 apprenticeships in the system. We are already well on track to achieving that, with, I think, about 9,300 last year. The Deputy said we are relying on migrant workers. Certainly, they play an important role in the sector. We are pleased to see that the sector is working but we also have a responsibility to grow the number of apprenticeships. There is our action plan for construction, which is there up to this year, and we are launching a new action plan. Our objective is to ensure that more people, especially women, see apprenticeships as a viable, exciting, interesting career pathway. I use the word "pathway" because it is not just an end in itself; an apprenticeship is a pathway into so many different areas in the construction sector, some on site, some off site. We are working very diligently to get that message across.
Oideachas Tríú Leibhéal
6. D'fhiafraigh Deputy John Connolly den Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science cad iad na beartais agus gníomhartha atá á ndéanamh ag a Roinn chun cur le líon agus raon na gcúrsaí trí mheán na Gaeilge atá ar fáil do mhic léinn sna forais ardoideachais; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [56314/25]
Cuirim ceist ar an Aire faoi na hiarrachtaí ar siúl ag an Roinn chun cur le líon agus raon na gcúrsaí trí mheán na Gaeilge atá ar fáil do mhic léinn sa chóras ardoideachais. Is léir nach bhfuil mórán acu ann. Níl faoi láthair ach 1,779 mac léinn i mbun staidéir i nGaeilge amháin, agus tá formhór na mac léinn sin ag déanamh staidéar ar Ghaeilge mar ábhar é féin. Is beag deis atá ag mic léinn staidéar a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge sna hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal.
Freagróidh mé an cheist i nGaeilge, ach ós rud é nach bhfuil mo chuid Gaeilge chomh láidir is atá Gaeilge an Teachta Connolly, freagróidh mé aon cheist bhreise i mBéarla.
Is prionsabal bunúsach inár gcóras oideachais é go bhfuil leibhéal ard neamhspleáchais ag institiúidí ardoideachais. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas a rá leo cad é atá le teagasc ná an chaoi le dul i mbun teagaisc. Ina áit sin, oibríonn an córas ar bhonn freagrúlachta do riachtanais agus éilimh i gcomhthéacs an chreata maidir le córas feidhmíochta an Údaráis um Ard-Oideachas.
Cinntíonn mo Roinn go dtuigeann an earnáil tosaíochtaí náisiúnta. Tacaíonn sí le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais a n-oibleagáidí maidir le húsáid agus cur chun cinn na Gaeilge a chomhlíonadh agus oibríonn sí i gcomhpháirtíocht chun dul i ngleic le baic ar dhul chun cinn. Chuige sin, tacaíonn mo Roinn le hinstitiúidí ardoideachais, tríd an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas, trí bhunmhaoiniú a sholáthar, mar aon le maoiniú ar leith chun tacú le tionscnaimh Ghaeilge. Mar sin féin, is gá níos mó a dhéanamh chun tacú le teagasc agus stádas na Gaeilge, go háirithe i gcomhthéacs na sprice gur cainteoirí Gaeilge a bheidh in 20% d'earcaigh nua sa tseirbhís phoiblí. The Teachta will be aware of the targets.
Ní mór don obair sin a bheith ag teacht le cuspóirí an phlean náisiúnta um sheirbhísí poiblí Gaeilge. Chuige sin, tá treoir tugtha agam do m'oifigigh dul i mbun oibre go gníomhach ar fud an Rialtais chun an obair sin a chur chun cinn. Ciallóidh sé sin, ar dtús, nach mór dul i gcomhar leis an Roinn Oideachais agus Óige chun scrúdú a dhéanamh ar aistriú scoláirí ó iarbhunscoileanna lán-Ghaeilge go dtí an tríú leibhéal.
Molaim iarrachtaí an Aire an cheist a fhreagairt i nGaeilge. Tá mé fíorbhuíoch dó as sin.
To put things in numerical perspective, 8% of children can attend primary school through Irish, and 3.8% of those proceed to attend secondary school in Irish. However, titeann sé sin go dtí níos lú ná 1% sna hinstitiúidí tríú leibhéal. That falls to less than 1% of students who complete their tertiary education through Irish. Ar bhealach, in a way, it is a matter of rights. D'aon pháiste nó d'aon duine óg, for any young person who comes from the Gaeltacht and who wants to continue their education through Irish, the options are very limited. We need to look at this in terms of the rights of the student.
Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to attend a workshop that happened in the University of Galway during the summer, but I have spoken to people who were at it. The issue was the role of minority languages in third level institutions. It was also attended by people from Scotland and Wales who spoke about their experiences. The Welsh example is one we should look at.
Yes. The Welsh example is interesting. I attended the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly on Monday outside London in Surrey, and engaged with members of the Welsh Parliament and we discussed apprenticeships as Gaeilge and apprenticeships in the Welsh language. It was one of the topics we engaged on. The Deputy is right that the Welsh have made a success of it. Ach tuigim an fhadhb sa tír sin and I am aware of the issues the Deputy raises.
One of the points he made is the percentage of students in Irish universities being less than 1%, perhaps. That figure has been suggested. It is hard to verify a figure. My officials tell me that determining the number of students studying Irish at third level can be challenging because Irish is offered as an optional component on many programmes. It is therefore not necessarily a full programme through the Irish medium; it could be Irish as a component of another programme or elective module. There could be many students who are líofa participating in courses but just not pursuing them through Irish.
I agree, however, that we need to do more and I absolutely agree to do that. We need to work towards the targets. As the Teachta has rightly said, the number of students coming through the coláistí, the Gaelscoileanna, the naíonraí, etc., needs to be reflected at third level.
We should look at that Welsh model. It is a state framework for the promotion of courses through the Welsh language across their third level institutions. It has doubled since 2011 the number of students completing their third level education through Welsh. It offers additional grants to the institutions to offer courses through Welsh and scholarships to students. Those people from Conradh na Gaeilge who attended the Irish language committee recently spoke about the real impact it is having on the Welsh language and the young people's spirit in trying to make sure they go on to live their lives through use of the Welsh language as their first and primary language.
I stress that we are reducing the option for people for whom Irish is their daily language to study at third level.
I would like us to look at this in a broader context than just those who wish to study Irish. We should be looking at people who want to study medicine, engineering, commerce or whatever. We should be offering them the opportunity to complete that through Irish.
I do not disagree at all. The Deputy mentioned University of Galway and a seminar that was there over the summer. It has some work under way with the Higher Education Authority and my Department on demand for Irish courses. The HEA is engaged in using the university as the lead on it to research the demand for Irish-language courses in third level institutions to inform the planning, development and offering of such courses. There have been some initiatives such as "mo thráchtas i mbeagán focal", the three-minute thesis competition, which launched this autumn. It invites postgraduate students to present their research in three minutes, using one slide, as Gaeilge. That is promoting the use of language in postgraduate studies but we need a lot more than that. That is one welcome initiative but I agree that we need to go further.
I am committed to exploring this, taking it further and advancing it. The Welsh model is certainly one we can look at and learn from. I am happy to take that away and engage with the Deputy further on it.
Forbairt na Gaeilge
77. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail, agus Gaeltachta an féidir leis a dheimhniú nach bhfuil sé beartaithe aon airgead breise caipitiúil a dheonú do Rannóg na Gaeltachta anuas ar an airgead a bhí socraithe cheana féin faoin bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta.. [56049/25]
Is é an fáth leis an gceist seo ná go bhfuil an cuma ar an scéal go bhfuil athrá á rá, nó beagán cur i gcéill, maidir leis an airgead breise caipitil a dúirt an tAire go raibh á thabhairt do Roinn na Gaeltachta laistigh den bhuiséad, airgead a bhí geallta nó fógartha cheana féin sa phlean forbartha náisiúnta.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. Tá leithdháileadh iomlán de €611 milliún faighte ag an Roinn ar fad i gcáinaisnéis 2026. Leis seo, cuirfear €192 milliún ar fáil don chlár fhorbartha tuaithe; €260 milliún don chlár forbartha pobail; agus €159 milliún do réimse clár na Gaeltachta, na Gaeilge agus na n-oileán. Fuair mé méadú an-suntasach sa mhaoiniú do chlár na Gaeltachta, na Gaeilge agus na n-oileán. Tá méadú 29% ar an leithdháileadh, ó €123 milliún go €159 milliún in 2026. Is é seo an méadú is mó sa réimse seo le blianta fada anuas.
Tá pleananna fíoruaillmhianacha againn chun tacú le pobail Ghaeltachta agus leis an nGaeilge araon. Leis an maoiniú, cinnteofar gur féidir linn dul chun cinn suntasach a dhéanamh chun na pleananna sin a chur i bhfeidhm in 2026. Is léir do chách an dearfacht atá mórthimpeall na teanga anois agus bainfidh muid lántairbhe as seo trí infheistíocht i réimse maoinithe reatha agus caipitil araon.
Maidir le maoiniú caipitil don earnáil, beidh sé ag méadú ó €30 milliún in 2025 go beagnach €55 milliún in 2026. Leis an maoiniú seo, beidh muid in ann oibriú ar thrí phríomhthionscadal infheistíochta a sheachadadh, is iad sin, Céibh Inis Oírr, an tIonad Gaeilge agus Cultúir ar Shráid Fhearchair i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus athfhorbairt suímh Choláiste Lurgan in Indreabhán mar mhol oideachais agus óige do Ghaeltacht Conamara. Rinneadh gealltanais i leith na dtionscadal seo sa phlean forbartha náisiúnta agus is cúis áthais dom an maoiniú a fháil chun iad a thabhairt chun críche anois. Gan airgead, ní bheadh muid in ann iad a dhéanamh. Tá an t-airgead sin curtha ar thaobh le haghaidh 2026 chun iad a leanúint.
Tá mé den tuairim mhaith go mbeidh an liúntas caipitil atá faighte ag mo Roinn leordhóthanach
le freastal ar riachtanais chlár na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge.
Dar ndóigh, fáiltím roimh aon airgead breise a chaithfear ar thograí Gaeilge. D’fháiltigh mé roimhe seo nuair a tugadh an gealltanas sa national development plan, nó an plean forbartha náisiúnta, go gcaithfí an t-airgead seo. Is í an cheist ná cén fáth a bhfuil athrá á dhéanamh, amhail gur stuif nua iad seo? Is rudaí iad a bhí geallta cheana féin, go háirithe na trí thogra atá luaite ag an Aire. Ní fhaca mé fós aon bhriseadh síos den airgead caipitil atá á chur ar leataobh. Cá mhéad den sciar sin a chaithfear ar an ionad cultúir ar Shráid Fhearchair, ar Choláiste Lurgan agus ar an gcé, dar ndóigh, atá le hathtógáil, nó a ndéanfar athstruchtúrú uirthi?
An cheist ansin ná cad atá fágtha d’Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Tá sé deacair ag an bpointe seo sonraí don breakdown sin a thabhairt don Teachta. Beimid in ann sonraí faoi Ché Inis Oírr a thabhairt dó ach táimid fós ag obair leis an OPW ar Shráid Fhearchair. Tá an OPW in éineacht linn. Táimid ag lorg tender le haghaidh cúrsaí in Indreabhán. Beidh na sonraí agam tar éis an phróisis sin. Tá dúshlán mór ann d’aon tógálaí faoi láthair mar gheall ar chostais. Bhí sé sin soiléir san obair a rinneamar ar Ché Inis Oírr. Tugadh airgead caipitil breise don údarás agus le haghaidh gnáthchúrsaí. Tá mé ag cur béim ar chúrsaí digiteacha le haghaidh an údaráis freisin le go mbeidh sé in ann deiseanna digiteacha a bhaint amach do chomhlachtaí sa Ghaeltacht agus do mhuintir na Gaeltachta agus go mbeidh siad réidh le haghaidh na dúshláin atá ann sa bhealach atá cúrsaí digiteacha ag dul.
Tuigim nach bhfuil an tAire ag iarraidh méid an sciar a chraobhscaoileadh ag an staid seo má tá tenders ar siúl nó a leithéid, ach más €54 milliún de chaipiteal atá i gceist san iomlán, cé mhéad de sin a bhéas fágtha d’Údarás na Gaeltachta tar éis an trí togra eile? Tá an tAire tar éis a rá go bhfuil a fhios againn cé mhéad atá ag dul nó a bhéas ag dul d’Inis Oírr. Faoin staid seo, ba chóir go mbeadh tuairim éigin ann maidir leis an méid den sciar a bhéas ag dul ar 6 Sráid Fhearchair mar bhí sé sin tuartha nuair a tosaíodh an project ar an gcéad dul síos. Tuaradh é nuair a bhí an plean forbartha náisiúnta á phlé agus an rud ceannann céanna faoi Choláiste Lurgan. Tá tuairim ann cheana féin faoin gcostas mar ní bheadh an figiúr anseo ach amháin go bhfuil an briseadh síos sin ag an Aire agus gur lorg sé méid áirithe do gach ceann de na tograí sin. Tá briseadh síos ag teastáil ionas gur féidir linn fios a bheith againn cé mhéad airgead caipitil atá ar fáil sa bhreis ar an méid don trí togra sin agus an mbeidh sé ar fáil don údarás.
Tá méadú difriúil le haghaidh Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tá €2.5 milliún i gceist, lena n-áirítear méadú €1 milliún ar leithdháileadh caipitil le haghaidh an údaráis leis féin. Tá obair eile le déanamh le airgead caipitil sa Ghaeltacht freisin. Tá tograí nach bhfuil chomh mór leis na tograí atá sa phlean forbartha náisiúnta. Tá an ghnáthobair a dhéanaimid gach bliain maidir le cúrsaí Gaeltachta agus na cumainn spóirt ag teacht as sin. Tá mé sásta a rá go bhfanfaidh mé i dteagmháil leis an Teachta agus leis an gcomhchoiste mar gheall ar sonraí an trí togra sin. Tá siad thar a bheith tábhachtach agus beimid ag cóiméad súil ghéar orthu chun go mbeidh siad ag fanacht faoi bhun an bhuiséid atá acu. I ngach cás, tá sé deacair ag an bpointe seo a bheith cinnte cén saghas caiteachas a bheidh i gceist in 2026 ach beidh na sonraí sin agam i mí Eanáir nó mí Feabhra 2026 agus fillfidh mé ar an Teachta ansin.
Question No. 78 taken with Written Answers.
Housing Policy
79. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to detail his formal engagements with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and the outcomes of those engagements. [56317/25]
The rural housing crisis is the biggest single issue impacting rural communities and the long-term sustainability of rural Ireland. Previously, I asked the Minister about his engagement with the Minister for housing on this issue. To be fair, it was a number of months ago, and at that point the Minister had not been in the job all that long. Meetings had not taken place, although he indicated that engagement would follow. We also discussed the need for housing to be the cornerstone of the new rural development policy, the successor to the Our Rural Future scheme, which had very little to say about housing. Will the Minister update the House on that engagement, confirm whether a cross-departmental working group on rural housing has been established and outline what formal engagements he has had with the Minister for housing in a formal sense about the issue of rural housing?
I agree with the Deputy about the importance of housing. My Department works closely with colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage across a range of areas. Officials in both Departments are in regular contact about a number of areas that cut into housing, including town centre first, local economic and community planning, planning for and the provision of housing for Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas, input to the successor to the Our Rural Future policy, the local democracy task force, Dormant Account Fund measures and emergency response work, particularly around storms.
I have had three formal meetings with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne, since my appointment, the most recent of which was yesterday. We have been discussing a number of key issues. A particular focus and priority for me is the planning and provision of housing for Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas and to ensure that there will be provision for this in the forthcoming housing plan. We have been discussing how we engage on that. We have discussed the development of our new rural development policy, which there will be questions about later. We will be moving into the final stage of consultation on this in the coming weeks and I will engage with the House on that. We have also had engagement on emergency storm responses, the Údaras na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the role of that body.
Official in both Departments continue to engage on the Gaeltacht planning guidelines. The Minister and I have asked for this work to be accelerated. I want the guidelines to be published as soon as possible. We are also ensuring that the Department of housing is central in both the plan and the actions of the new Our Rural Future policy. We continue to work with the Department in its work on storm response. We have a number of proposals to bring forward in that space.
I will have further meetings with the Minister and he has also joined me, since the Deputy and I last discussed this, in meetings with BÁNÚ agus Tintéan last June. We had a very good engagement. Bhí crinniú an-láidir againn, idir mé féin, an tAire, an Teachta Browne agus BÁNÚ agus Tintéan faoi chursaí pleanála sa Gaeltacht.
Is iontach é sin a cloisteáil, i ndáiríre, mar bhí an bhuairt ann nach raibh cainteanna ag dul ar aghaidh. Mar sin, cuirim fáilte roimh sin, ar a laghad. It is great that those engagements have taken place and I thank the Minister of State for his answer and for detailing the level of engagement and the issues that have been discussed by the Minister with the Department of housing. There are two big pieces of work under way in the Minister's Department in the successor to Our Rural Future and the Government's housing plan. Forgive me for being cynical, but I think most people would have a fairly sceptical approach to these plans, particularly on the housing side, given the failure to action any of the proposals contained in them. It is really important that those two plans would, at the very least, be conversant with each other and would have joint sets of objectives, key metrics and key actions that have very specific timelines to them. This would ensure that the two Ministers and their officials can keep tabs on it and that those of us on this side of the House can ensure progress is happening. These are existential issues both for na ceantair Gaeltachta and for so many rural communities across this country.
I would encourage the Deputy to put his cynicism to one side and look at budget 2026. It contains a record allocation of over €9 billion for housing capital investment. This has been a major issue that has come back to us in the consultation on Our Rural Future. The vacant property refurbishment grant provided by the Department of housing is really important in rural areas. A sum of €165 million has been allocated for the vacant property refurbishment grant for 2026.
Generally, in terms of our work on Our Rural Future, there was a 7% increase in the population of highly rural, remote areas between 2011 and 2022. There are serious disparities within that and I am trying to get in under that bonnet to ensure we assist those areas. Planning permissions have been granted for almost 6,000 one-off homes, on average, each year since 2020 and 90% of those are in rural settings. We will continue to work with the Minister, Deputy Browne, particularly on the necessary infrastructure for house building, such as water and sewerage. Is iad cursaí uisce agus cúrsaí séarachais go háirithe sna ceantair Gaeltachta na dúshláin gur gá duinn a réiteach le haghaidh infreastruchtúir. We will work closely with the Minister on that, the planning guidelines and the other issues I have discussed.
Chun mo cheart a thabhairt dom féin, níl sé i mo nádúr a bheith soiniciúil ach tá sé deacair gan a bheith i bhfianaise an méid nár thit amach thar na blianta. Mar is eol don Aire, tá géarchéim tithíochta sna ceantair Ghaeltachta agus níor sholáthar an buiséad, in ainneoin an méid atá ráite ag an Aire anseo, an maoiniú breise nó na cumhachtaí breise atá riachtanach chun dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb. Feictear dúinn nach bhfuil na cumhachtaí ná na hacmhainní ag an údarás chun tithe sóisialta, tithe inacmhainne, tithe i suíomhanna seirbhíse inacmhainne nó tithe príobháideacha a thógáil inár gceantair Ghaeltachta nó ar fud fad tuath na hÉireann.
In ainneoin an mhéid a fógraíodh an tseachtain seo caite, ní fheictear dúinn go bhfuil na hacmhainní cuí, na cumhachtaí cuí nó an toil pholaitiúil ann chun dul i ngleic leis. Beidh le feiscint. Guím gach rath ar an saothar ach fós féin níl na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta ann. Cé go bhfuil sé casta, is rud bunúsach é atá á dhéanamh le blianta anois agus tá éileamh mór ag teacht ón bpobal faoi sin. Níl sé i mo nádúr a bheith soiniciúil ach tá sé an-deacair gan a bheith.
Táim ag iarraidh obair leis an Teachta. Tá an t-airgead ann. Tá na figiúirí ann ón CSO a léiríonn go bhfuil ardú mór sna ceadúnais tithíochta, tithe aonair go háirithe. Táimid ag obair leis na húdaráis áitiúla. Bhí cruinniú agam freisin le príomhfheidhmeannaigh na n-údarás áitiúil a bhfuil Gaeltacht ann chun plé leis an dream sin faoi na rudaí is tábhachtaí. Leag siad béim ar an tábhacht a bhaineann le cúrsaí infreastruchtúir. Sin an fáth gur chuireamar béim sa phlean forbartha náisiúnta go mbeidh Uisce Éireann in ann obair ní hamháin ar chathracha agus ar bhailte móra ach ar cheantair tuaithe agus Gaeltachta freisin. Beidh mé ag cur brú.
Tá a fhios agam ón phlé a bhí agam leis an Aire go dtuigeann sé cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an t-infreastruchtúr sin. Tá samplaí agus scéalta agam faoi dhaoine atá ag iarraidh tithe a thógáil i sráidbhaile Gaeltachta nach bhfuil séarachas ann. Táimid ag díriú ar fhadhbanna cosúil leis sin agus na treoirlínte pleanála.
Rural Schemes
80. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will outline the new RAPID programme announced in budget 2026; and when he expects the programme to be operational by. [55400/25]
Will the Minister outline the details of the new RAPID programme announced in budget 2026? Communities have been eager to see renewed investment in their areas and clarity about how the programme will operate is really important. Will he outline the main features of the new scheme and indicate when he expects it to become fully operational?
The Minister of State and I were delighted to have secured funding of €5 million in budget 2026 for the introduction of a new programme for urban areas in line with the programme for Government commitment. RAPID stands for revitalising areas by planning, investment and development. Established in 2001, it was an area-based approach to disadvantage representing a focused initiative to target the 25 most concentrated areas of disadvantage in the country. The original RAPID programme closed to new applications in 2011, although it should be noted that my Department has continued to honour legacy commitments. These included my Department’s contractual commitments under previous RAPID projects, predominantly under the sports capital scheme.
A number of guiding principles underpinned the old RAPID programme and its activity. These are community participation and local ownership, which were crucial, promotion of strategic planning, co-ordination of provision of State services, building on existing structures, complementing existing initiatives, flexibility, and targeting of additional services, investment and facilities.
RAPID leverage schemes were previously introduced to support small-scale projects identified locally. These schemes were co-funded by other Departments and agencies and funded projects that focused on estate enhancement, graffiti removal, traffic calming, community closed-circuit television, health and sports facilities and the provision of recreational facilities. The schemes were also extended to co-fund the provision of facilities in schools located in RAPID areas.
The Minister of State and I are working with departmental officials on the potential formulation of a new scheme similar to the RAPID scheme. Considerations will include the changed demographic and socioeconomic landscape since the previous programme, potential geographical areas to be considered for targeted support and the levels of funding already available through other schemes in my Department. We have both been engaging with communities around the country in towns and cities in recent months to get an understanding of what communities want from such a programme.
The Minister outlined quite succinctly that the RAPID programme has been really important over the years in tackling disadvantage and dereliction and breathing life into new towns. The previous scheme made a real difference in places like Athy, where that targeted investment helped communities deal with deprivation and improve local facilities. As the Minister moves forward with the new RAPID programme announced two weeks ago, I urge him to make sure that towns like Athy and Newbridge in Kildare are again included. Both continue to experience high levels of deprivation and could really benefit from focused community-driven support. These towns have great energy and strong local groups doing fantastic work. They just need the right backing from the Government to help them.
I agree regarding the impact it has had. There were 25 designated disadvantaged urban areas, which included areas in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Drogheda and Dundalk. More provincial towns were added. At the end of the programme, the number of designated RAPID areas was 51. We may not be able to reach this figure but we want to get started in 2026. The Minister of State and I have been struck by the passion of communities in these areas. While there are a range of supports for communities in rural areas, we need to focus now on communities in urban areas.
As the Deputy referred to Athy, I want to thank everybody involved. I was in Athy in Friday and we launched the new rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF. As part of that, we saw the fantastic Shackleton Experience, which is funded through our Department's RRDF programme and Kildare County Council. With the recess approaching, I would encourage any Member to visit it. It is an example of how an historic 300-year-old building can be refurbished, repurposed and used as a driver of economic development. This, along with the food campus in Athy, will drive the transformation of that town.
I am taking this question on behalf of my party colleague Deputy Mark Wall so I might as well use the opportunity to give my constituency a plug in the hope we can secure funding for local projects that make a difference. My hope is that the new RAPID scheme will be a funding model that will also allow smaller grassroots projects for local groups, volunteers and small-scale interventions to take place. They need State funding to keep this going. It is much appreciated.
I agree. The Minister of State and I are very focused on making sure this is effective and community led. The Minister of State works on a daily basis with the teams in SICAP and community development organisations and we want to make sure they have an input into this. We want to keep what was good about the previous RAPID programme and keep the direction, focus and delivery. It may have been diluted over the years, spread too thinly and lost effectiveness. We want to get back to the effective results-driven programme with boots on the ground who live in, participate in and have businesses in an area. People who have a stake in the area should lead this programme. The Minister of State and I are very focused on delivering that kind of programme.
81. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if there are plans to move panic alarms administered by Pobal under the seniors alert scheme from copper phone lines to more robust broadband lines and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55509/25]
Storm Éowyn highlighted how vulnerable our older constituents with panic alarms and pendants are. Are there plans to move the seniors alert scheme away from copper phone lines?
I thank the Deputy for her question and her ongoing advocacy, particularly post Storm Éowyn. The Department is responsible for the seniors alert scheme, which encourages community support for older people through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme for the purchase by a registered community based-organisation of a personal alarm or pendant. While the provision of the monitored alarm under the scheme is vital, so too is the engagement between the local community groups that sign people up to the scheme and the connections made between local people and local support structures. Since the scheme was launched in 2015, 153,023 participants have been approved for the alarms, including over 18,200 in 2024.
With regard to the issue of copper lines, when a person has been approved for an alarm under the scheme, a technician will install the correct device depending on the connectivity options at the person’s home. Currently, devices provided under the scheme connect to monitoring services via landlines, including copper, or via broadband and mobile networks. I understand that a small number of seniors alert scheme devices still operate over copper telephone lines at premises where no other option presents itself or where the participant has not requested a replacement. I am assured that where viable, a broadband or mobile device will always be recommended to participants over the older landline devices.
Officials at my Department have been engaging with Pobal, representative groups and the relevant telecommuications operator on the potential impacts of the replacement of copper infrastructure and plans to phase out the use of remaining legacy devices.
Our Department is currently reviewing all aspects of the seniors alert scheme, including the technology and services available. I hope we will be in a position to launch a new iteration of the scheme some time next year. I thank the Deputy for this important question.
It is welcome that a review is taking place. All of us, including my colleague from Mayo, are scarred by what we witnessed during Storm Éowyn. I would like to know how many people on the alarms are still on the old copper telephone lines. We need to look at this retrospectively. I understand the review is not supposed to be finished until next summer and I am worried about our preparedness for this winter. This relates to vulnerable adults in their nineties whose panic alarms go down. First the ESB goes down. They wait for the electricity to come back and then realise the problem is the telephone line, and Eir does not have the wayleave rights necessary to get onto properties. Following Storm Éowyn, it was weeks and sometimes months before an alarm was restored. If there is family nearby, they have to move in for days and communities try to rally around. I was awake in my bed at night thinking something was going to happen to a 90- or 100-year-old on their own in their bed.
Both the Minister and I are acutely aware of that. We have been anxious to ensure the distress many people felt is not replicated. That is why the review is taking place. There has been extensive engagement by our Department, and by the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, with the telecom companies. As part of that review alternative technologies are being examined and considered, because the Deputy is right. Any iteration of the scheme must take technological advances into account. Deputy Calleary and I are acutely aware. Both he and Deputy Keogh come from County Mayo, which was badly affected by Storm Éowyn. The key point is that the seniors alert scheme gives security to older and more vulnerable people at a critical time, especially in storms. If that confidence is gone, we will work with whoever to ensure we do not lose that important connectivity. Obviously, the storm has an effect on the cables and networks and that is a different matter, but the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is engaging with the telecom companies on that.
Cross-government action is needed. We see the fantastic roll-out of the national broadband plan, which is having great results in Mayo. As the Minister of State said, broadband alarms are being recommended, but we have to go back retrospectively. More than 1,000 people in Mayo are using these alarms. I think of the people in Binghamstown, Belmullet, out in Leenane and in some of the rural black spots. Where we have been successful in putting in rural broadband we should get community groups to go out retrospectively, right now, ahead of winter 2025 to see the people whose panic alarms are attached to copper telephone lines, and see if we can get them switched over to the national broadband plan where it has already caught up. I acknowledge that there are ongoing reviews following Storm Éowyn and into panic alarms. However, if we are in this situation in December and the telephone lines go down again, I do not think we will be accountable to our constituents if we leave them.
We must take learnings from every storm and apply them in the round to what we can do better. The Deputy is right that there was huge success. There is merit in her suggestion about community groups being involved because they are critical to connectivity. However, the Minister and I have been clear with the officials in our Department that there must be extensive engagement. Pobal staff are involved, as are the telecom operators and the technology consultants. It is also imperative that representatives of groups for older people are involved because they bring learnings and outcomes back to people and from people. Equally, as the Deputy knows, the replacement of copper networks with fibre is the responsibility of Eir and ComReg and that lies under the remit of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. We have been speaking and engaging with him. To be fair, he is driven by this as well because it is important that we instill security and confidence. Any iteration of the new scheme must take into account technological advancements, even accepting that we have made huge strides with our national broadband strategy, which has proved successful. I will take the Deputy's points back.