I thank Deputy McGrath. I am happy to respond on behalf of the Minister. The social welfare appeals office is an office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals officers are independent in their decision-making functions. The overall average processing time for all appeals at end of March 9025 was 20.9 weeks. The time taken to process an appeal includes all aspects of the appeal process. This includes an initial validation of the appeal to ensure that adequate grounds have been provided, followed by a referral of the appeal back to the relevant scheme area of the Department for review. Where the first instance decision is not revised in favour of the appellant, the appeal is then considered by the appeals officer, which may require the holding of an oral hearing. A significant proportion of cases are revised by the Department in favour of the appellant during the review process. This does not mean that the initial decision was incorrect. A decision can be revised because the person making an appeal provides additional information which was not made available when the decision was first made. Where new information, in particular medical information, is provided on appeal, this may require further investigation which can add to the time taken to process an appeal. Despite all of this, the overall average processing time for all appeals at the end of March was 20.9 weeks. Deputy McGrath will be pleased to hear that new appeal regulations, which have come into effect from 28 April 2025, have increased the time a customer has to submit their appeal from 21 to 60 days, with provision for the chief appeals officer to accept late appeals for up to 180 days in certain circumstances. This will allow customers a longer period to prepare their appeal and gather relevant documentation. The new regulations also provide, for the first time, statutory time limits for key stages of the appeals process, including the length of time the scheme area in the Department has to review an appeal. This is now set at 21 days. The new regulations have also introduced the right to seek an oral hearing. These measures are intended to provide greater transparency and certainty to people making appeals and should help to improve the processing times for appeals. In addition, a new appeals business process and IT system have recently been implemented. The new process and system have significantly reduced the use of paper in the appeals process. The new system provides online capabilities to provide a more efficient and streamlined service for people availing of services. In tandem with the introduction of the new system, the number of staff processing appeals has increased significantly. As Deputy McGrath alluded to, an additional 20 appeals officers were appointed at the end of last year. These officers are in addition to the team of 44 officers already in place. Following a period of training they are now actively processing appeals. This is a significant increase of 45% in staffing levels and will, in time, reduce processing times. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, has met with the appeals team to discuss the measures to reduce appeals processing times and will continue to engage with officials on a regular basis.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I thank Deputy McGrath. I listened with interest to the points he has made. I thank him for highlighting this issue. It is important the appeals process not only works quickly but with due regard to ensuring each case is properly considered. In the first instance, each appeal is referred back to the relevant claim area of the Department which reviews the appeal, including taking account of any new information that may be furnished. This is an important step, as many appeals can be determined quickly upon review by a scheme deciding officer. In order to ensure this process works quickly and transparently, the new appeals regulations set, for the first time, statutory time limits of 21 days for consideration of the appeal by the Department. Where the scheme area does not change the decision, the case is then considered by an appeals officer. This, of necessity, requires a full consideration of all information, including, in some cases, the use of oral hearings. The chief appeals officer continues to closely monitor processing times and every effort is made to reduce the time taken to process an appeal. However, the drive for efficiency must be balanced with the competing demand to ensure decisions are consistent and made in accordance with the provisions set out in primary legislation and regulation. Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming and streamlining the appeals process in recent years. The chief appeals officer has put in place measures to improve processing times. Twenty additional staff were assigned and attended training in December 2024 and January 2025. They have now been appointed as appeals officers and are making appeal decisions. In addition, a new appeals system, incorporating online functionality for people wishing to lodge an appeal, has been implemented. Together with the implementation of the new appeals regulations, this should reduce processing times.
Sentiment score: 0.25
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding the availability of dental training places, which I will take on behalf of the Minister. This Government is firmly committed to ensuring our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. The Department, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and higher education institutions, HEIs, plays a central role in delivering the education and training infrastructure needed to meet the evolving demands of the healthcare workforce, including in critical areas such as oral healthcare and dentistry. Ensuring adequate capacity to train future dentists is part of our broader commitment to workforce planning that supports the health and well-being of our population. Until this year, approximately 60 places were available each year to Irish and EU students on dentistry courses. The Department recognises that this represents a limited training pipeline at a time when the demand for oral healthcare, both clinical and preventative, is increasing nationally. The number of places offered is a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However, I acknowledge that due to a high level of practical work, there can be material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto dentistry courses. While the Department does not set quotas for student places, we work closely with the Department of Health and the HEA to explore how capacity can be sustainably expanded in key health disciplines, including dentistry. In 2023, the HEA carried out a targeted capacity expansion exercise across priority healthcare areas. One key outcome was the establishment of new dentistry programmes, including a new bachelor of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, commencing in 2025. This new programme will follow a community-based model of dental education and will provide at least 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish and EEA students, significantly enhancing national training capacity. This expansion represents a landmark 33% increase in student intake and clearly demonstrates the Department’s and this Government’s firm commitment to strengthening the oral healthcare workforce and supplying the graduates needed for a modern, accessible health system. I reaffirm the Department’s commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure any future expansion of dental education is grounded in evidence, responds to national needs and is delivered in a sustainable manner. It is my understanding that the Department of Health is conducting a scoping exercise to support a skills assessment workforce census across the oral healthcare sector. This will form the foundation for future policy and programme development. The Department stands ready to work with HEIs and the Department of Health to ensure any changes to professional scope are matched with appropriate and high-quality educational provision. I have been informed that the Department of Health is also examining the feasibility of a new mid-level oral health professional grade. The outcomes of this work, which is due to be published shortly, may have further implications for the number and type of training places needed in the coming years across oral healthcare.
Sentiment score: 0.25
With regard to the Deputy's question on the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, I will have to look for further information on that. I only have the information in front of me, which I have already presented to him. I will ask the Minister to follow up with the Deputy on that specific question. With regard to the dental workforce, the Deputy quoted some figures but I can only quote what is in front of me. It is my understanding from the Department of Health that the Dental Council has reported a steady increase in the number of registered dentists since 2016, from 2,949 to 3,823 today. This reflects positive progress in strengthening our dental workforce. As of 2022, there were 2,420 practising dentists in Ireland, marking a 3.9% increase from the previous year. The number of registered dentists per 1,000 population has risen from 61 in 2019 to nearly 72 today. The Deputy also mentioned something earlier about an outreach centre in north Cork. The Department of Health has received a strong proposal from University College Cork, requesting €4.7 million in capital funding to establish a dental outreach centre. This would enable training of an additional ten undergraduate dental students annually, particularly benefiting Irish and EU students. While the proposal is promising, it currently delivers limited increases in domestic student places. There is a clear opportunity for both Departments to collaborate further to maximise investment and expand domestic training capacity to meet Ireland's dental workforce needs. Discussions are currently ongoing between the Department of Health and my Department to try to progress this proposal with a view to maximising Irish and EU places to obtain value for money for this proposal.
Sentiment score: 0.30
I thank Deputy Gogarty for raising this matter and I am responding on behalf of the Minister. Public procurement is governed by EU and national rules. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers transparency and value for money outcomes, which the Deputy referred to. With respect to public works, the capital works management framework, CWMF is the structure that has been developed to deliver the Government’s objectives regarding public sector construction procurement reform. The CWMF suite of contracts contain clear requirements with respect to performance and delivery, whereas the project-specific aspects such as scope, design and technical specifications are matters for the contracting authority to determine. The CWMF also provides a suite of guidance material covering all aspects of project delivery. Other contracts, such as the NEC, might be used on larger infrastructure projects. An applicant's eligibility to participate in public procurement competitions must be determined in a manner that meets the principles of transparency, non-discrimination and mutual recognition. Criteria for qualitative selection are defined in the EU procurement directive. When carrying out procurement procedures, contracting authorities already have discretion to exclude tenderers from competing in a public procurement competition for reasons set out in Regulation 57 of SI 284 of 2016 - European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. This includes poor past performance where the tenderer has shown significant or persistent deficiencies in a prior public contract which led to termination, damages or other comparable sanctions. However, suppliers must not be excluded if they have provided sufficient evidence of reform, for example, payment of compensation, co-operation with investigating authorities and changes in organisation or personnel. The management of the tendering process for a public contract including the application of certain exclusion grounds and selection criteria is a matter for each contracting authority. It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to ensure that tenderers comply with all the requirements of the process. There are a number of elements already present in CWMF contracts that provide contracting authorities with the ability to manage poor performance. A consistent contract management regime is critical and clearly defined milestones should be set down for evaluation purposes. The public works contracts require payment to be made on a monthly basis for work completed to the standard specified in the contract. Where the works completed do not meet the required standard, the value of the defective work may be deducted from the payment due until the matter is rectified. Many of the larger projects also carry performance bonds which may be called upon in the event of a breach of contract. Persistent failure to comply with an instruction under the contract is a breach and may result in the bond being called upon to pay for the work necessary to make good a defect. Deputy Gogarty mentioned one or two companies but he will understand that I cannot comment on particular companies. The rules apply to all companies.
Sentiment score: 0.12
Deputy Gogarty raised a number of issues in response, some of which I do not have any information on here. I know he appreciates that. One of the points he raises is the discretion of local authorities. For clarity, I will reiterate the discretionary exclusionary grounds that contracting authorities may choose to apply in cases of procurement. I am aware that I used the word "may", which chimes with the point the Deputy raises. The local authorities have the authority to do so if they wish. The grounds are: poor past performance where the candidate has shown significant or persistent deficiencies in a prior public contract which led to termination, damages or other comparable sanctions. Suppliers must not be excluded if they have provided sufficient evidence of reform, that is, the payment of compensation, co-operation with investigating authorities and changes in organisation and personnel. The maximum period of exclusion allowed is three years for discretionary exclusion grounds. I understand what the Deputy says. If there are specific questions he wishes to ask, I will ensure they are passed on to the Minister's office. Some of the issues he raises are of importance. I can see why he feels that even if the discretionary exclusion grounds are used, they might not always be as effective as we hope they could be, and that perhaps they should be used more frequently. I will not comment beyond that because these are individual cases about which I have no information.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I thank Deputy Farrelly for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister. Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of the Government. I heard what the Deputy said about County Kildare and the specifics of the age profile in the county. In fact, at one point, I was privileged to represent County Kildare in the European Parliament and I know about some of the issues raised. I understand from what the Deputy said that this creates certain issues that perhaps are not as obvious in other parts of the country because of the age profile. We are here to discuss early learning and childcare capacity, which is increasing under this Government. Data from the annual early years sector profile 2023-2024 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by 19% from two years previously. The Tusla register of services demonstrates a net increase in the number of registered early learning and childcare services in 2024. However, as we know, demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply, particularly for younger children and in certain parts of the country. I accept the Deputy’s point in this regard. Demand for early learning and childcare beyond sessional preschool provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families' individual composition, circumstances and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services. Last year, a supply management unit was established in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, and the programme for Government articulates an intention that it be resourced and transformed into a forward planning and delivery unit to identify areas of need, forecast demand and deliver public supply where required. A forward planning model is in development in the unit and will be central to the Minister’s plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system, with State-led facilities adding capacity. The Government continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of core funding, which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core funding, which is in its third programme year, funds services based on the number of places available. This provides stability to services and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The building blocks extension grant scheme is designed to increase capacity in the one to three-year-old, early childhood care and education age range for full day care. Core funding partner services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or to construct or purchase new premises. The Minister was delighted to announce earlier this month the 49 applications that will be progressing to the next stage of the building blocks extension grant scheme. These 49 applications come from a mix of community extension, private extension, community purchasing and community construction projects. When completed, these projects will deliver almost 1,500 additional full-time childcare places for one to three-year-olds. Three services in County Kildare were among those that were successful and will progress to the next stage of the process.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank the Deputy and I hear what he has said. He spoke about vision. What I can say is that the Government is committed to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. Although the Deputy said it is not enough, the programme for Government commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned early learning and childcare facilities to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. Some early scoping work has been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision. This will require much more detailed and extensive policy development and design in order to progress to implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the programme for Government. The Department funds 30 city or county childcare committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 city or county childcare committees can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need. Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local city or county childcare committee for assistance. I hope the response has been of some assistance to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.30