I thank the Deputy very much for raising this very important matter. I am very conscious that before this report was made available, many families had very deep worries about surgeries their beloved children had undergone. They were raising questions about the need for and impact of these surgeries. They will at least have questioned their trust in our health service and health professionals. As the Deputy raises this very important issue, I am also conscious that our nurses, doctors and consultants work very hard to provide the best possible care to those with whose care they are entrusted. This is why it is so vital that when issues are raised regarding the need for surgeries or any other medical interventions, their impacts and why they occurred, those issues are taken very seriously and acted upon. As Deputy Doherty has already acknowledged, a clinical audit is now taking place with regard to this issue. I emphasise that this audit is taking place in recognition of the seriousness of this matter and what it means for families' trust and confidence in health services that are designed to look after them and to support their health. That audit is being conducted at the moment. As to where that process now stands, the report is now being looked at. Clinicians are providing final input into it. That final input will be available to the author of the report very shortly, if it has not already been shared. I am certain that when the process is complete, this work will be shared with the Department of Health, the hospitals and those who lead them. At that point, a number of further priorities will then become urgent. The first will be to communicate clearly with the families of children who may have been affected and to share with them, in a transparent and open way, the conclusions of this report, acknowledging the distress and worry that many face. The second will be to look at what further actions, if any, are needed to respond to the consequences of any operations that took place. The third relates to a core theme of the audit that will have taken place. We will need to understand if and why this happened in the first place and what the consequences of it are. The hospitals, the Minister and the Government will take this as seriously as the House would expect. It is important to emphasise that this work is under way. It is all about ensuring that any surgical practice that took place during that period was carried out in a way that was consistent with international standards and the care that any family would expect when entrusting our health professionals with a child's care.
Sentiment score: 0.19
The Deputy does not need to remind us of the impact this can have on families and those who have been affected by the issues now being raised. We know how important it is to maintain trust in our health services particularly for our very youngest who could be dealing with complex health needs. There is a need to ensure they trust those whose care and expertise they depend on. It is equally important in dealing with all of this is that we assemble the facts in a clear and authoritative way and that we are in a position to communicate to those who have been affected by it when there is greater clarity on exactly what happened. That process is coming to an end. The report to which the Deputy referred, which has been published elsewhere, has been assessed by the author involved in doing it. He sought further clinical input. When that report is then shared with the Department and the work is concluded, of course, contact will take place in as comprehensive and honest a manner as possible with all who fear they could have been affected by this. I underline again the seriousness with which the Government, hospitals and the Minister take this matter.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank the Deputy for, ultimately, during this week raising a serious economic challenge that confronts this country. I note he raised it in a very political context so let me respond first on that before I deal with the substantive issue regarding the threat and difficulty our country could face and our response. I have in front of me the alternative budget of the Social Democrats. I attempted to see what reference or recognition the Social Democrats gave to jobs and the competitiveness of our economy. I looked at section 1 – I could not see it. I looked at section 2 – I could not see it. I had to go all the way down to section 15 of the Social Democrats’ alternative budget to find any reference to jobs and how we support our economy. Having scrolled all the way down through to section 15, I saw a reference to jobs – a simple, “increase funding for Enterprise Ireland”. I did not see any reference to the IDA, the organisation involved in helping us combat all of this. I looked at the tax changes the Social Democrats proposed. I will remind Deputy O’Callaghan of them before I deal with the charges he made against us. It referred to the “Removal of the refundable element for unused R and D tax credits” – the very research and development tax credits that play a role in supporting businesses in our economy. It referred to “Abolishing entrepreneur relief on capital gains tax” at exactly the time when we want our entrepreneurs to do more. It referred to phasing out the special assignee relief programme which many of the decision-makers who lead the companies based here are on. That is the political commitment of the Social Democrats. That is what it indicated. On what I, my party and the parties that make up this Government said, we were clear during debates and in our manifestos and crystal clear in the programme for Government that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Independent politicians negotiated. It is laid out in black and white. We outlined what we would do in the event that we could avoid exceptional economic difficulties but we were honest in indicating what could happen. We went on to say that in this context – this was made crystal clear in a number of debates – the State and the Government would act to protect public services and our tax base and look at how we could support jobs in our economy. We showed honesty in answering that question. I wish the Deputy could show the same in putting his question to me.
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I stood up and was willing to defend my record. I notice the Deputy was not willing to do the same in his points to me. That is very clear.
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The Government laid out last week our analysis of what the impact could be on our economy. On many occasions, both in the Dáil and elsewhere, we have outlined three priorities. Our first priority is how we engage with the United States of America and we acknowledge - as does Deputy O'Callaghan, in honesty - the difficulty of that engagement. Second, what we have made very clear is that engagement is now under way between Ireland and our partners within the European Union on what an appropriate response could be. Third, what the Government has been doing for many years, and will continue to do, is look at the measures that can be put in place to strengthen our budget, our jobs and our enterprise economy. I can only say that we approach all of this with budget surpluses, which Deputy O'Callaghan's party was always against, the set-up of funds and the use of those funds-----
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I answered the Deputy's question very clearly regarding what we would do.
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I welcome the Social Democrats finally recognising the value of an enterprise economy.
Sentiment score: 0.66
I hope I get this right; I think the Deputy referred to Michael and Neil in his question. I am very conscious that they are very young children who are very special to their families and communities and who need additional help in getting the start they need in life. All of us, whether in government or in opposition, are aware of those within the communities that we are lucky enough to serve who have young children who need better support as they begin a journey in life in which they will face more challenges and in which their needs are additional and more complex. The Deputy asked a question about prosecution and action that could be taken against the Government. That does happen but I can assure the Deputy that we do not need the threat of prosecution to do more or to act more. Our urgency to do that is driven by an appreciation of the needs that young children have and by an appreciation that we need to, and want to, do better by them. The Deputy asked what actions are being taken by the Government in relation to this. From a healthcare, therapist and staffing point of view, the number of health and social care professionals now employed by the HSE has increased by nearly 4,784 whole-time equivalents, that is, people who are doing the equivalent of a full-time role, which is up 28.5% on where we were in 2020. I am really conscious that when I stand up and talk about figures, it feels very hollow at times in comparison to the individual experience of a child and their family but the people I am referring to, who have been hired, are making a difference to families and children. That is why we need to continue in our efforts to put in place the therapists, special schools and special classes these children need. The Deputy will also be aware of the work that the Minister for Education is doing with the aim of making more special classes in schools available across the country. The plans that we have in place to do that recognise that the last thing families and their beloved children need, on top of everything else they are confronting in life, is not knowing what school their lovely child, the child they love, will be in. We recognise the huge anxiety that can cause and we know that September after September, this is an issue for too many families. In the time that is available to us, we will work hard to make those classes available and to continue to build on our efforts to have the right number of therapists available in the right places and settings to provide the support we know is needed.
Sentiment score: 0.42
The opening line of the Deputy's answer was glib and does little justice to the importance of this issue. I stood up and gave the Deputy the best answer that I can-----
Sentiment score: 0.66
-----to the two questions that he put to me.
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He asked me two questions.
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He asked me a question in relation to prosecution and I answered that question. He asked me a question about what we are doing in relation to schools and therapists.
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Again, I answered that question.
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If the status of an individual school mattered enough to the Deputy, he would have let me know about that individual school before I came into this Chamber. Deputy Healy knows that I cannot be aware of the status of every school in this country.
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If it mattered to him in the way he suggests it does-----
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-----he would have let me know so that I could have, for both Michael and Neil, given them the justice of the answer they deserve.
Sentiment score: 0.53
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. He probably knows better than I do that there are challenges in regard to the emissions from private transport. This is one of the really big issues we have in ensuring our country can move closer to the climate commitments we have to each other, not to mention those enshrined in law. Public transport and its greater availability will play a big part in that but the question of how we can change how private transport is used and how car journeys can be made in a way that reduces their carbon emissions is critical. The Deputy corrected some of the misinformation that is out there. Electric vehicles have an important role to play in our efforts in this area. As their technology improves, we must look at what we can do in regard to the charging network. The local and regional electric vehicle charging networks are rolled out through the local authorities and are funded by zero emission vehicles Ireland, ZEVI. A lot of important work is being done in this area. For example, a contract has been awarded to deliver an additional 200 charge points at 50 different locations across Dublin, the majority of which will be located in local authority public car parks and will be rapid in nature. That sets the background for the Deputy's question. He asked where we stand in regard to apartments and underground charging lines. He referred to the apartment charger grant and the kinds of changes we need to make. Work is under way on a regional and local EV charging network plan, which is currently at draft stage. I will ensure the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is aware of the specific but important issues Deputy Gogarty has raised with me and ask him to look at whether or how they can be included in the plan that is being prepared.
Sentiment score: 0.24
The Deputy's point about home charging is important. Another really important feature of home charging is convenience and certainty. If people know they can charge their car at home before beginning a journey, that will give them the confidence that is needed. There must be confidence that a charging network is in place if we are to facilitate a change in how cars are used. There are lots of other issues in regard to the use of EVs, including their costs. We have had debates regarding the supports the State makes available to their owners. I take on board the issue of confidence in the charging network as an important one. I will make sure the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is aware of the issues the Deputy has raised to see whether they can be accommodated in the charging network plan that is being drafted.
Sentiment score: 0.38