I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health last met on 17 July and is due to meet again soon. The committee oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers health reforms including Sláintecare, the reform of public health and health system preparedness for future health threats. It also receives reports in relation to programme for Government commitments in the areas of mental health and drugs policy. Sláintecare 2025+, our latest Sláintecare strategy published in May 2025, aims to forge the way forward towards accessible, affordable and high-quality healthcare for the people of Ireland when they need it and where they need it. We will deliver faster access to care. Funding of €420 million has been allocated for the waiting list action plan this year. The new regional structures within the HSE have been established, with six new health regions and 20 integrated healthcare areas. Health and social care services are planned and delivered around the specific needs of local populations, leading to better co-ordination of care and access to services. We will continue to review capacity in emergency departments, increase the number of public-only consultants in emergency medicine and ensure more senior staff are rostered in emergency departments during weekends and public holidays for better decision-making. We will continue to build our workforce through the recruitment of key roles, retention measures and additional college places for key disciplines. We will continue to invest in a healthier future, with a national physical activity framework and action plan due to be published in 2025 and a new obesity policy and action plan to be published in 2026. We are launching a new era of innovation and digital transformation in health. The national patient app has been rolled out. The national shared care record is being developed and the electronic health record will also be progressed. Additional projects which are key to the increased digitalisation of the health service include a national system for electronic prescribing and remote health monitoring and virtual care solutions. In mental health, we will continue to build the mental health workforce and infrastructure and support community-based services. In older people’s services, we will support people to live at home within their own communities and strengthen the nursing home sector. The forthcoming national policy on adult safeguarding for the health and social care sector, a programme for Government commitment, will set out how existing protections will be strengthened. All of these commitments build on the investment and reforms undertaken over the past number of years, including the delivery of approximately 1,330 acute beds, an increased workforce of over 29,000 whole-time equivalents since December 2019, more affordable healthcare through a reduction in the drugs payment scheme threshold to €80, the removal of hospital inpatient charges, the extension of the eligibility for free GP cards for all children under eight and to all earning no more than the median income, State-funded IVF, free contraception for women aged 17 to 35 and free access to HRT. From September 2021 to the end of August 2025, there has been an almost 56% reduction in the number of patients waiting over 12 months. The surgical hub for south Dublin opened in February this year with additional hubs becoming operational in 2026. Care is being delivered closer to home in 180 primary care centres through 96 community health networks. Twenty-seven community specialist teams for older persons and 26 community specialist teams for chronic disease are now operational and 23 community intervention teams are operational, with national coverage secured. We will continue to invest and reform, changing the way our services are delivered this year and into the future
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank the ambassador for her work over the past number of years. We enjoyed our engagement with her and I really appreciate that. Deputy McAuliffe raised the issue of Beaumont Hospital. There are four major projects under way there. The national development plan has allocated very substantial funding to the Department of Health and the HSE for the realisation of those projects. The key is to keep the pressure on to get them through the various stages. Health capital tends to be slow and health projects tend to be slow moving. We need to accelerate some of these projects and get them delivered. They are well under way in some respects, with planning going on and so on. I appreciate the point the Deputy made. Beaumont is a national centre for key disciplines and a very important centre. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of access to and coverage of GP services. In terms of the budget, Estimates discussions are going on. I recall her colleague Senator McDowell saying the Government is being fiscally reckless. He thinks we are spending too much. On the other hand, Deputy Bacik and others will come along and say that we should spend more on health services. Expansion of eligibility and so on will have a cost attached to it. Public expenditure will grow significantly again this year but we have to watch the rate of growth, without question. That will limit what is possible within the health budget in the next couple of weeks and in the announcement in the budget itself. We are endeavouring to have a sustainable health budget along the lines of what we planned over the past two years, which has worked effectively enough in terms of outcomes and improvements and also in terms of fiscal sustainability for the health service. The increase in the budget has been exponential over the past number of years. In my reply, I went through all the various initiatives we have provided in terms of reducing costs for patients. Capacity is very important. Regarding the inquiry we spoke about earlier into CHI and the publication of reports, I will talk to the Minister in respect of timelines. My understanding is that the Nayagam report will be ready before the end of the year. It needs to be published and it will be important in terms of feeding into any inquiry that will be established. Deputies Cahill and O'Sullivan referred to the elective hospitals. I will pursue that issue. It is annoying in that going back to 2016 or 2017, there was a different Government planning a second hospital for Cork. We correctly looked at that when we came in after 2020 and we agreed on elective hospitals in Galway and Cork initially and in Dublin subsequently. Those projects have been progressing and are in planning, design and all of that, but they need to get a move on. We have a site in Galway and a site in Cork. The surgical hubs are moving as well. I have made it very clear to officials and to the HSE that these are commitments the Government has decided on and they need to be delivered and implemented. Sometimes, notwithstanding Government decisions, there can be elements in the system who think these things do not have to be delivered. It is my job to sort that out. Deputy Cahill raised a very difficult and sad situation. I ask that we do everything we can to ask those people to come off hunger strike, which can be very damaging to people's health. There has been a long history of institutional abuse. There have been a lot of supports over the years for survivors of institutional abuse, going back even prior to the report of the Ryan commission being concluded. Redress happened for quite large numbers much in advance of any inquiries. Other initiatives were taken in terms of housing and so on. The Government will engage with the survivors but for their own health and well-being, it is important that they would come off the strike. I understand the Minister met with some of the survivors. I will follow up with her to see what can be done. Deputy Tóibín spoke about the public inquiry into CHI. I used the words "timely" and "effective" and the Deputy made the point that he would prefer a permanent office of inquiry. He said inquiries can go on, which they can. We have had statutory public inquiries that have gone on for five or six years. I hope that will not be the case here. The Minister is endeavouring to work with the parents and advocates to see whether we can get a bespoke inquiry that will meet the needs and objectives of such an inquiry, which have to be to improve services and have a sustainable improvement in services for children with spina bifida and requiring spinal surgery. Because of our Constitution and people's legal entitlements, very often these inquiries can evolve into adversarial-type inquiries. One concern we have, which we need to be very clear-eyed about, is the impact on current services. Presumably any inquiry would involve personnel working in the service. We have got to be very clear-eyed and ensure we design this in such a way that we maintain current services, and that we do not have any negative impact on the provision of services on an ongoing basis. A three-week timeline has been provided for work on this. I am confident that we can arrive at a conclusion to this that would be satisfactory all round.
Sentiment score: 0.11
I have the reply to Deputy Cullinane somewhere.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I apologise. They relate to mental health, early intervention and Jigsaw. I will talk to the Minister. There has been a significant growth in Jigsaw services across the country. I will talk to the Minister in respect of Waterford. I agree with the sentiments the Deputy has articulated. Jigsaw is a very good organisation. It has got a lot of good State support in recent years. A decision has been taken on 24-7 cardiac services. Deputy Cullinane asked about the implementation and delivery of it. A lot of progress has been made on this agenda. I can see that all of the Deputies in Waterford work together. I appreciate that. We will keep the pressure on to get this done in a reasonable timeline. Deputy Currie raised shingles. Again, we are now into costs. The health budget was €1.3 billion last year. It is an enormous budget. We have done a lot in recent years. I am a great believer in vaccines. They can save money too in terms of people having to be treated subsequently in the acute care system if they develop something like shingles, which can be very serious in its effect on the immune system, elderly people, and those with RSV in particular. Deputy Conway-Walsh referred to the shortage of beds in Beaumont Hospital. I will speak to the Minister for Health. I ask the Deputy to send the details in respect of Mr. Keane to the Minister. It is shocking that he is waiting since 17 September. He obviously requires specialist care in Beaumont. We will see what can be done in that case. I take the Deputy's point. That relates to the first question I was asked by Deputy McAuliffe about projects that are under way in Beaumont to increase bed capacity and to get a greater flow of patients.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 20, inclusive, together. Ireland has accepted challenging emissions reduction targets at EU and national levels. Our programme for Government has reaffirmed the Government's determination that Ireland will play its full part in tackling what is a global issue. We are seeing encouraging signs. Ireland's emissions have been falling for the last three years, and we now have lower overall emissions than at any point in the last 35 years, despite our population growing by 50% over that period. Change is under way across our economy and society to realign ourselves to a low-carbon future. Reducing emissions is now at the heart of all our policies and sectors. We are seeing real progress in the areas of energy, transport, and agriculture; however, EPA projections make clear one thing: we must move faster and do more if we are to meet our targets for emissions reduction. The Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments on the environment, climate action, energy and emergency planning. It considers the wide range of issues that require action in Ireland's transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and sustainable future: a future in which we take full advantage of the renewable energy potential that we possess, while ensuring that energy policies contribute to energy security, affordability and competitiveness. The Cabinet committee also oversees implementation of the climate action plan. The committee meets quarterly. The last meeting took place on 7 July. The next meeting will be scheduled in due course.
Sentiment score: 0.20
Deputy Cleere was the first into the fray, regarding flood schemes in Kilkenny. He gave a very articulate presentation of the challenges and complexities of flood schemes. They take a lot of time and consultation. Given the frequency and ferocity of storms today, we need to move faster with some of these schemes, because the devastation of a flood on a household or on a town, or on shops and businesses, is huge and shocking for people. The national development plan, NDP, has allocated substantial money and capital. We want to get all of those schemes approved. I do not have clear details as to where each scheme is right now. I have no doubt Deputy Cleere does, as he is a local TD for the area. He has listed six schemes. I will work with him to ensure those schemes are approved, fully funded and delivered. A lot will depend on the progress in terms of the execution of the issues. Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised the issue of a private wires Bill. I think it is good legislation and I welcome the fact the Government has accepted a memorandum outlining the legislation and proposals and that we have agreed it, in that respect. We have challenges in terms of data centres, as Deputy Byrne knows. He has been specialising in AI for quite some time. AI will mean a much greater need for energy. It will be energy intensive. Data centres are going to be important in that regard. Offshore wind energy is critical for this. That is why I have convened a clearing house, involving industry and the Government, to deal with macro issues around delivering offshore wind generation as quickly as we possibly can to enable us to be adopters of AI and to maximise the potential of AI into the future. It will also allow us to deal with future industry needs in terms of major, larger sites the IDA will be acquiring to provide for industry well into the future. We have been working with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, the Department of enterprise and others on that specific issue. I will come back to Deputy Byrne on the timeline for the legislation. My understanding is that it should not take that long. On nuclear, we may very well import nuclear through various connectors. We are putting a lot of funding into wind energy, offshore wind in particular, and some onshore wind and some solar. It is interesting. There are people who have come to me in the House saying they are against solar energy, wind energy and fossil fuels. I do not know where we are going to get our energy if we do not have a combination of all three in the short term. We will need a combination of all three. From a State perspective, nuclear would entail a lot of capital investment. We are putting a lot of capital investment into the wind energy side. A lot of it will be private sector developed, but we have to do the ports and a lot of other stuff with that. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked a question around premature deaths. The last Government did enact comprehensive legislation in respect of towns, and to make fully nationwide the ban on solid fuels. A lot of it was coming in from the North, actually, and it was leading to a deterioration in health quality. It was way back in the early 1990s that Mary Harney, the then Minister of State, brought in a ban in cities. People may not remember, but at 5 o'clock on a winter evening in Dublin you could hardly walk through Dublin because of the smog. You were breathing in awful stuff, and it was a radical move that improved health quality in cities. The issue will be enforcement. Local authorities and others need to do more on enforcement regarding air quality in towns across the country. Up to a couple of years ago, Enniscorthy had poor quality air on a par with some towns in India, because of the penetration of imported smoky coal getting in under the radar, not being properly monitored and a lack of enforcement. That is critical for health. Deaths, lung injury and COPD can be avoided if we just do the sensible thing. Deputy Tony McCormack asked about the delays in delivering the SEAI, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, grants and the better energy warmer homes scheme. I take his point. The Minister is reviewing these schemes to see if he can get simpler grant schemes in place and maybe fast-track some of this. We will work on that. I appreciate the point Deputy McCormack has raised. Deputy O'Rourke raised retrofitting heat pumps and an insufficiency of money. Again, huge money has gone into this in the last five years compared with what went on for the previous 20 years. There are limits to what the State can do with public expenditure, to remind the House of that every now and again. I am sure the Deputy reads the comments from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and the Central Bank. They are suggesting - even a Deputy from the Labour Party has been very conscious about this - that we are spending far too much money on all of these schemes. We do need to be fiscally sustainable. That said, these are important schemes because they save energy in the future and save on household bills for people. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of the natural environment. In the last five years, we have doubled the budget of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. I involved myself five years ago and met the NPWS. A board was created within the Department. It is an agency within the State. It has had lots of successes. For example, there has been good progress with the corncrake and the white-tailed eagle. We have created new national parks in the last number of years in the north east, and acquired the Conor Pass and marshes around Clonakilty. A lot of good progress has been made. We are dealing with the previous 20-odd years of progress and so on. The Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund needs to allocate money specifically for nature restoration and, in my view, for the acquisition of more land for rewilding and for national parks. We will continue on that track. Obviously, I am concerned about the report, and we need to respond to it. Deputy Murphy raised the issue of the fish kill in the Blackwater, which is absolutely shocking but the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, has not come up with a culprit for this. It is wrong to just throw up the charge of a cover-up. I do not think that is fair. I do not think it is fair on the EPA because I do not believe the EPA would cover it up. Equally, however, if the EPA cannot pinpoint the exact source of this pollution, it needs to be honest about that too. There is no point in getting ahead. Deputy Murphy would be the first person, in other walks of life, attacking the Garda or the justice system for getting ahead without any evidence. We have to have an evidence-based approach to this. North Cork Creameries has been involved in other compliance issues but not this one. There has been no tracing of it to this fish kill. It employs a lot of people and has been a very successful industry at other levels in that area, which is an area that has not been blessed with multinationals or with other industry. We have to balance the perspective. There is no evidence this fish kill was caused by the agriculture sector either, in terms of farming or anything like that, which the Deputy might have been suggesting, or maybe he had other targets in that regard. That said, it is not satisfactory that we do not know how such a large fish kill happened. That is a worry. Is our scientific capacity up to speed? This is a major kill and will have major repercussions for biodiversity along the Blackwater and that area in its entirety.
Sentiment score: 0.07
I was up late last night preparing for the third grouping after watching the presidential debate.
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It is fine.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I watched it and then I worked on the parliamentary questions.
Sentiment score: 0.00