Dental Services
As if the crisis that exists in the provision of ophthalmology services across the south-east was not enough, we have an even greater crisis in the provision of orthodontic treatment for children across the region. I can only describe the state of orthodontic services in County Tipperary, in particular, as deeply worrying and shocking following new information that I received from the HSE. Figures reveal that 546 children are waiting for critical orthodontic treatment, some of whom have been waiting for up to 82 months, or almost seven years. There are another 312 children waiting for an initial assessment. Children in my constituency of Tipperary South are being left to wait for the best part of their childhood for essential orthodontic care. This is not a delay but a systems failure. The HSE has confirmed to me that there are no waiting list reduction targets for 2026 or 2027. The service is operating with just 0.1 whole-time equivalent consultant orthodontist cover for assessments in Clonmel. A specialist orthodontist post has effectively been reduced from full time to 0.6 whole time equivalent and vacancies remain unfilled dating back as far as 2021.
It is extraordinary that in the face of such extreme waiting lists the HSE has set no targets whatsoever to reduce lists. This points to a lack of urgency and a lack of accountability. Even more concerning is the admission that waiting lists will continue to grow over the next two years. This means children who are now only being referred may not be treated until they are well into their teens. The HSE acknowledged to me that demand is exceeding capacity, with more patients joining the waiting list than can be treated. Urgent action is now required. We need immediate recruitment to fill long-standing vacancies, a clear recovery plan with measurable targets and additional capacity put in place without delay.
I am sure the Minister of State will agree that no child should be left waiting years for care that is critical not just to their health but also their confidence and development. What we are looking at here is not just pressure on a service but the effective absence of a functioning orthodontic service across the south-east and particularly in my constituency. Seven years is not a waiting list but a denial of care. The most shocking element is not just the delays but that there are no targets at all to reduce them. The HSE has openly admitted that waiting lists will continue to grow over the next two years. We are talking about children missing the critical window for treatment that can have life-long impacts on their oral health and confidence.
Parents are being left with an impossible choice: either pay privately or watch their children wait for years. By the time some of these children are seen, the clinical need may be more complex and, indeed, more costly. This is a classic example of a service where demand is known and predictable but not planned for. There is no credible explanation for having no reduction targets in the face of such a crisis and such extreme delays. If this were happening in any other part of the health service, it would be treated as an emergency.
I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of the HSE's public dental and orthodontic service in south Tipperary. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health.
The HSE oral healthcare service aims to provide an oral examination and necessary treatment for children at ages approximating to second and sixth class and, in some cases, fourth class. Emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16 and for those with complex and additional needs. The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to patients with the most severe and complex treatment needs.
The Minister for Health is aware that there are currently backlogs in the HSE's child oral health examination programme, which have meant that the sixth-class groups are being prioritised. In relation to orthodontic services, targeted investment is delivering meaningful improvement. On top of the €240 million that the Government invests annually in oral healthcare, over €20 million has been allocated to waiting list initiatives for contracted orthodontic care, resulting in more than 5,200 removals from waiting lists since 2020. This includes a dedicated orthodontic surgery programme that has delivered treatment for an additional 266 patients to date. This funding will continue in 2026 with a further €2.8 million being provided.
The HSE has advised that there are staffing challenges in the public dental service in south Tipperary and that the healthcare area manager for south Tipperary is currently reviewing staffing levels and waiting list times to replace one specialist in orthodontics based in south Tipperary. To support capacity nationally, €2 million was awarded in 2025, increasing to €4 million in 2026 for an additional 15 HSE dental staff to deliver oral healthcare in the community. The HSE advises that Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary have been allocated one of these posts, which have been difficult to fill.
With regard to immediate and long-term reforms, the Minister acknowledges that the current system, which was developed in the 1990s in response to the identified oral healthcare needs at that time, must be modernised and aligned with current needs. The Government is committed to addressing the immediate difficulties that patients are experiencing in accessing oral healthcare services. The Department of Health is working with colleagues in the HSE and other relevant stakeholders to address the immediate backlogs in the public dental system while long-term reform is under way.
The national oral healthcare policy sets out the vision for oral healthcare services in Ireland and has two key goals: to provide the supports to enable every individual to achieve their potential best oral health and to reduce oral health inequalities across the population by enabling vulnerable groups to access oral healthcare and improve their oral health. Reform of our services is vital and I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter to ensure that people of all ages can have access to modern, prevention-focused care.
I thank the Minister of State for the reply, but there was nothing in it to give any comfort whatsoever to those children on the waiting list across the south-east, and in particular south Tipperary. I am thinking of those children who have been waiting for up to 82 months for a critical intervention. The solution is not complicated. It is about filling those posts that have been vacant since 2021. We need a targeted recruitment drive for orthodontists in the south-east. We need them now. Relying on staff travelling from Waterford to Clonmel a few days a month is not a sustainable model of care. What is needed now is a clear recovery plan with timelines, targets and accountability. It is important that we look at interim measures, including outsourcing or additional clinics, accessing capacity that is in the private sector in the same way we are doing in the context of ophthalmology to bring waiting lists down quickly. This has to be treated as a priority within the regional health structure. The Department of Health needs to intervene. This is beyond a local staffing issue. I want to see a clear plan published for how we can bring down these waiting lists. We know there are pressures nationally, but the situation in south Tipperary is more than acute and cannot be normalised. Even in a stretched system, a seven-year waiting list for a young child awaiting critical orthodontic care is indefensible. No child should spend his or her time on a waiting list. That is the bottom line.
I have listened to the Deputy and taken on board the points he has made. I will bring them back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The Deputy has advocated for his constituents to ensure they have better dental and orthodontic treatment services. I assure him that improving access to dental care for children is a priority. We need an accelerated response to the staffing deficit that Tipperary is experiencing. We must also ensure that waiting lists are reduced significantly over the time ahead.
The Government is investing heavily in oral health policy. This is part of the modernisation of our health service. We need transformation in how we deliver the care at a regional level and not just at national level. Sometimes that is forgotten. There should not be inequality across the east, west and south. Everyone should be on this journey at the same time. We are committed to ensuring that patients who are experiencing real difficulties have access to services.
I will take this issue back to the Minister and thank the Deputy for raising it.
Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
Deputy Paul Murphy is down to share with Deputy Quaide, who has not arrived. The floor is his.
Deputy Quaide sends apologies. He was able to make it on Tuesday but not when it was rescheduled. He has been raising this issue consistently so I thank him.
We all clapped in this Chamber, or perhaps it was in the convention centre, for our healthcare workers. I recall going outside my house, like people all across the country, to clap for our healthcare workers and thank them for standing on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic, for putting their own health at risk for the rest of us and telling them we had their backs. However, it turns out we did not have their backs. Those workers are being abandoned by the Government. It is absolutely shameful. Healthcare workers got Covid and then long Covid, likely because of the work they were doing. They have had serious impacts on their health, which I will go into, and have been abandoned by the Government. The special payments they were on were discontinued in December. They are now on standard public service leave, which gives them full pay for three months and in April, their payments will be halved. They will be left unable to pay their mortgages and their basic bills because the Government refuses to recognise long Covid and Covid as occupational illnesses. That is the answer here. If nurses were to get hepatitis or HIV as a result of their work, they would go on the occupational illness scheme. That is what should be happening to those healthcare workers who got long Covid.
I will give some testimony from a woman, Fiona, who was in touch with me. She is a healthcare worker who has long Covid. She said:
I can not put into words how debilitating Long Covid is. I will be sick 5 yrs come January. 3 ... friends will be sick 6 years come March. My life as my knew it has changed dramatically. My career and health is now in ruins. I suffer from severe debilitating fatigue. Some days it is choosing between going for shower or cooking dinner as well as fatigue I have tachycardia, brain fog, joint pain, muscular pain ,nerve pain, shortness of breath,headaches, nausea [and] vomiting, recurring mouth ulcers and tinnitus. I am doing my best to recover but unfortunately I'm not there yet so I need my pay protected till I am able to return. As well as being physically unable the brain fog a huge barrier. Right now I couldn't provide safe care to patients. As nurses we are accountable for our practice. If I return to work and made a error or omission that caused harm to a patient that would be entirely on me. And I dont think anyone wants a nurse with brain fog looking after them!
I have dealt with a number of people and campaigned on the issue of long Covid in general as well as on the issue of occupational illness. It obviously has a hugely debilitaring impact on people. The costs are immense. Again, to quote Fiona, she said: "I travel to Dublin from Cork every 6 months to see Prof Lambert. All these appointments are between €200 - €250. I am grateful I have health insurance but all these consultant fees add up.My monthly meds are €80 every month. I'm very grateful though the DPS cover all my meds so there capped at €80. Gp visits are up to €75 a visit."
What are these people supposed to do? What is the idea here? Is the Government trying to force people who are still very sick to go back to work when they are incapable of working and when, as Fiona pointed out, they could make mistakes in their work as a consequence of that illness, due to brain fog in particular, which would have negative consequences for patients? Does it want to force them to live in poverty by not providing them with a living income? We should remember all the thanks we had for healthcare workers and all the sacrifices they made for keeping our health service afloat, and support them by the simple measure that is in most European countries of recognising Covid and long Covid as an occupational illness. Why does the Government not agree to do that?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Health. It is great to get an opportunity to provide an update and acknowledge the extraordinary role played by healthcare workers in protecting us during the pandemic.
In recognition of those exceptional circumstances, a special scheme was introduced in July 2022 to support eligible public health sector staff who developed long Covid. This was a temporary and exceptional measure, unique to the health sector, designed to acknowledge the particular risks faced by staff working in high-exposure environments before PPE, vaccination and widespread community transmission were established. While the scheme was extended on several occasions at the request of the Minister for Health, the Labour Court recommended a final extension in June 2025 and the scheme concluded on 31 December 2025. By that point, employees remaining on the scheme had received support at full pay for almost five years through a combination of special leave with pay and the special scheme itself.
Importantly, and I want to be very clear on this point, the conclusion of the special scheme does not mean that supports have ended. Staff who remain unfit to return to work have moved into the public service sick leave scheme, ensuring continuity of both care and financial protection. Since the conclusion of the special scheme, 104 employees have transitioned to the public service sick leave scheme, while a further 57 have returned to work, including through phased return arrangements. Under the public service sick leave scheme, staff may receive full pay for three months, followed by half pay for a further three months. They then have the option to apply for temporary rehabilitative remuneration, which can provide up to an additional 547 days of paid leave. In addition, the critical illness protocol may provide supports for up to three years, where the relevant criteria are met.
Beyond financial supports, staff are also entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations to assist with their return to work. This may include modified duties or adjusted working patterns during rehabilitation. These measures are intended to ensure that staff are supported, not only financially but also in practical terms, as they recover and reintegrate into the workplace. All illnesses are treated equally under the public service sick leave regulations. This equity is a fundamental part of the public service sick leave scheme and avoids any perception that one illness or condition is more serious than others.
The Minister for Social Protection has responsibility for these regulations and schemes. He has reviewed the EU recommendation on recognising Covid-19 as an occupational illness and has determined that it does not meet the criteria required for recognition under the social welfare Acts. While many other countries did recognise Covid-19 as an occupational illness, this related to Covid-19 itself rather than long Covid. From the information available, it is not clear that any country provided sustained full-pay supports for long Covid comparable to Ireland’s special scheme.
While many staff members have already returned to work, the Minister is conscious that others continue to face difficulties. As such, she will meet with the Minister for Social Protection with a view to exploring what supports, if any, may be accessed by those facing long-term challenges in returning to work.
The Minister responded by saying that this does not mean the Government will not support workers. He said that staff may receive full pay for three months, which is correct but we are coming to the end of that, followed by half pay for a further three months. People have their childcare bills, their mortgages and the costs of just existing in this cost-of-living crisis. They have a lifestyle based on their pay and will not be able to survive based on half pay. The Minister went on to say that they have the option to apply for temporary rehabilitative remuneration. That is capped at 37.5% of salary. You go from full pay to half pay and then down to just slightly more than a third of pay.
There was a reference to the critical illness protocol, which "may provide supports for up to three years, where the relevant criteria are met." The problem is that many healthcare workers have been turned down for the critical illness protocol, with the HSE citing that long Covid does not meet the criteria. The employer needs to approve it. It can be dressed up in whatever way the Government wants but by shutting down the special scheme and not doing the long-term solution, which is making long Covid an occupational illness, it is throwing these workers who were on the front line, whose health was sacrificed for all our benefit and who put themselves at risk, to the wolves. We really are putting them in an awful situation.
On the rationale for not recognising long Covid as an occupational illness, it seems the Government makes a distinction between Covid and long Covid. The reason people have long Covid, however, is they got Covid, likely in the workplace. All illnesses are not treated equally. We have an occupational illness scheme that is different. As I said, if you contract HIV or hepatitis as a result of your work, you are treated in a certain way, as these are occupational illnesses. Long Covid should be treated the same.
I acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during the pandemic. The temporary special scheme for long Covid was an exceptional measure that was introduced in recognition of the unique risk faced by staff in those early days and uncertain times. It provided sustained support for nearly five years, which was a level of protection unmatched in any other sector. The Deputy is dressing this up in another way that is not reflective of the level of support that has been provided to date. Although the scheme has concluded, it is important to reiterate that staff will not be left without support. Those who remain unfit to work will transition into the public service sick leave scheme with continued access to a full range of supports, including temporary rehabilitation remuneration, the critical illness protocol and reasonable workplace accommodation. This approach ensures that there is fairness and equity across the public service and that we continue to provide meaningful and appropriate support for those affected.
I want to reassure the Deputy and the House that the Department of Health will continue to work with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in the Department of Social Protection and the HSE, staff representatives and those across Government to ensure those supports are delivered effectively and compassionately to those who are affected.
Electric Vehicles
I raise the issue of charging points in Laois - or the absence of the charging points in most of the county. We have a situation where there are 21 publicly available charging points in the county. That is the latest information I can get. I have a map of Laois which shows the charging points run down the centre of the county. That is fine because there is the N7 and N8 but there is the N80, the R44 and many other roads. The whole east and west of the county have been left out of it.
The biggest barrier to getting people to move to electric cars is range anxiety and access to charging points. If drivers have to travel to charge or they have to queue, that deters them. Laois has them in the middle of the county. It is a county with a population of almost 100,000. There are none in the east of the county. There is nothing the whole way from Portlaoise to Carlow town. There is nothing in Stradbally, Ballylynan, The Swan, Newtown or Graiguecullen. In the south and west of the county, Durrow has none along with Borris-in-Ossory, Castletown, Camross, Errill and Clonaslee. In Rosenallis, there are none. Mountmellick has a population in the region of 5,000 and has just one charging point.
While 75% to 80% of charging will be done at home, I think the Minister of State will agree that we need public charging points. I welcome the chargers that have been put down through the middle of the county and there is a need for more. However, the east and west of the county is completely blank, according to the map and the documents I have.
As the Minister of State and I know, people in rural areas are car-dependent. There are a few Local Links but for work and at other times, people need to use a car. This week has shown that we need to try to move away from fossil fuels. They will become more expensive so people will go electric. We have to make it easier for people to get children to school and to get work, get to hospital appointments and do their business in local towns and villages. There is not a bus going up every road, even though rural transport has improved. You cannot have one on every boreen and I think we accept that.
As I understand it, the number in the State is in the region of 2,500 but we have only 21 public charging points in Laois. According to information given in answer to previous parliamentary questions, I see the aim is for between 3,200 and 6,210 public chargers. That is a huge variation and the Minister of State might just address that. Is there a target and timeframe for that? They need to be better distributed.
We cannot have a situation where the price of petrol and diesel will go up and up in the coming years. We know that with Donald Trump and Israel's crazy war in the Gulf fuel prices will not go back down to what they were at before that. We know that. It was the same in Covid. Prices went up but they never went back to pre-Covid levels. It will be the same with this.
We need to provide the option and make it easier for people to move to electric vehicles, including people in rural areas. The Minister of State is from a rural constituency and so am I. He understands what I am saying to him. If people in the far corners of the county have to travel to work or beyond that, we need to ensure there are those charging points. What is the plan to increase the number in the State? What is the plan to increase the number in County Laois?
I thank Deputy Stanley for raising this important matter of EV charging points in Laois. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years. Having an effective and reliable charging network is an essential part of enabling drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles. A significant challenge to EV uptake by consumers is perception around availability and suitability of charging infrastructure. While over 80% of charging is expected to happen at home and will address most users' charging needs, there is a need for a streamlined public charging network to provide for situations or instances where home charging is not possible.
Currently, there is an obligation on charging point operators and owners to publicly share charge point data under the EU alternative fuel infrastructure regulation. Data from January 2026 shows that in County Laois, there were approximately 20 publicly accessible charging pools - locations with at least one charging point - with 67 charging points across these pools. There is an aggregated power output of 5 MW across these pools. It should be noted that this data is provided by charge point operators, CPOs, and there are some small differences in approach across CPOs in relation to the format of data provided. Zero emission vehicles Ireland, ZEVI, an office in the Department of Transport, is finalising a data strategy and associated data platforms that will, once in place, enhance the Department's ability to monitor this infrastructure more accurately. This strategy is being finalised following consultation and will be published shortly.
The system will enable measures to be put in place to enhance accuracy of data provided by charge point operators in relation to charge points in near real time and provide this comprehensive data on an open data basis. The new draft national EV charging infrastructure strategy 2026-2028 was published on 26 February and aims to further accelerate the delivery of EV infrastructure across lreland. It includes a comprehensive plan to expand and future-proof the national EV charging network, ensuring that charging infrastructure continues to keep pace with the growing demand for electric vehicles. The strategy will build on previous ZEVI publications, such as the regional and local EV charging network plan and the national road EV charging network plan.
The national road EV charging network plan sets out targets for en route charging across the national road network, whereas the regional and local EV charging network plan focuses on neighbourhood and destination charging locations that will be led by local authorities in partnership with both public and private sectors. Laois has been identified under region 2 with counties Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath and regional lead Offaly. Local authorities will be funded to develop local and regional EV charging network strategies and implementation plans. This process will identify the number of charge points required in each area, including on-street chargers to serve residents without access to private off-street parking.
I thank the Minister of State for his answer. The strategy being developed needs to look at the reality on the ground and at the geographic locations. You cannot have a situation where there are chargers down the middle of the county but nothing either side of it. If you travel the 28 miles to Carlow from Portlaoise, there are none. On the other side of the county, if you travel down the Slieve Bloom side of it and into Roscrea, there are none. I am highlighting the fact this needs to be included.
I agree with the Minister of State that up to 80% will be done at home and I understand that. In a lot of the locations where there are chargers, such as in towns like Abbeyleix, Mountrath and Rathdowney, there is just one charging point. Mountmellick with its population only has one. That needs to be looked at. They are all expanding towns. In all of those towns, the population has gone up in recent years. It is important there is that service.
I listened to the Minister of State's response and Departments will talk about strategies, phases and all of that.
Some things need to be kept simple or they do not happen. In short, what I am saying here is that this does not take a genius to work out. When you have large geographical rural areas, like the east and western sides of Laois and parts of the south of the county, left out, we need to fix that. I think the Minister of State will agree, given the debates we had in the House this week around fuel costs and the challenges we are facing there, we are going to be moving more to electric and the easier we make it the better. Let us try to make it easy for the motorists, the people in rural areas, who will continue to have to use their cars. Rural transport is shown to be a success. We need to make this a success as well. It will not happen if we leave out rural Ireland.
I thank Deputy Stanley for his advocacy and for raising this matter on the floor of the Dáil. It is not the first time he has raised it and it is an important issue for those who have EVs. They do need more security and predictability in regard to charging networks and facilities. There are three ongoing schemes, LDV1, LDV2 and LDV3, being administered by the Department of Transport and these will ensure Ireland meets its EU targets for a publicly accessible EV charging network. For LDV1, a total of 131 high-powered recharging points will be built across 17 charging pools providing over 24 MW recharging. One of these is located in County Laois at Portlaoise Plaza on the M7. Regarding LDV3, which comprises of 192 high-powered recharging points, there will be three locations in County Laois under this phase, each location with the minimum capacity of 100 KW that will be installed. The majority of the EV infrastructure delivered under each of these schemes is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
In addition, ZEVI is also running a scheme in conjunction with the Department of the Taoiseach and using funding for the shared island fund. Deputies may be aware that this scheme provided funding to install a network of publicly accessible chargers in communities nationwide and there were five eligible clubs in Laois for new charging points, namely, the Heath Golf Club, the Heritage Golf Resort, Park Ratheniska GAA club, Clonaslee St. Manman’s GAA club, and Annanough GAA club. I will take the Deputy's points back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, as regards an accelerated programme to try to meet our EU targets with an emphasis on ensuring the Deputy's constituents in County Laois are supported.
School Facilities
I wish to raise with the Minister of State the situation of Cloontagh National School in County Longford. This is a rural DEIS school between Ballymahon and Longford town where the children and the staff are being asked to learn and work in conditions that are simply not acceptable in 2026. I visited this school recently and I was struck by the artwork on the walls, the colour, the kids out in the yard having the craic as all kids should be, and the passion that the teachers and the staff brought. However, that could not and will not hide the reality of the condition of the buildings in which the children are being taught. There is constant damp. There is mould on the walls, the ceilings and even on the floors. Dehumidifiers are running constantly. Equipment and laptops in use by the teachers have been replaced due to moisture damage.
The principal wrote to the Department in November outlining how the school was in crisis mode and had genuine health, safety and well-being risks. A photograph I am showing here from an engineer's report was also sent to the Department. It shows glue sticks black with the mould from being in that classroom. This is simply not good enough from any school, never mind a primary school.
The biggest concern that was outlined to me was the prefab structure that is also on-site. It is decades old and it is clearly failing. That engineer's report from February of this year shows visible deterioration of the external walls, mould growth inside the toilet area, water ingress through the ceiling, and even lifting floors and peeling walls inside the teaching space. The accommodation itself in the prefab is a small lobby, a toilet and a classroom and the only way I can describe the floor in certain areas of that prefab is that it is squishy when you walk on it. No prefab floor should be squishy when you walk on it but that is exactly what is happening. There is also significant and concerning signs of structural instability in that prefab and that is the reality for those kids today.
The principal wrote to the Department last year describing persistent damp mould, maggots and flies appearing inside the classroom, heating that cannot keep the building warm and the damage to the ICT equipment because of the moisture level, clearly stating how the school was in crisis mode and that the building is no longer fit for purpose. She is not exaggerating. She is pleading for help because this school was already approved for a new building in 2022. The agreed designs were of the Department's standards and were well above what the school itself had originally asked for. Land has been purchased, designs prepared, engineers paid and plans drawn up but today those children are still in that same prefab and the building is simply not fit for purpose.
I asked a parliamentary question as to where this school was on the timeline for additional school accommodation and I was told that no timeline can be given for when construction will begin. That answer may satisfy a file but it certainly does not satisfy the parents and the staff nor does it meet the needs of the children who have to sit in that school every day. This is not a luxury project by any stretch. This is not a wish list. This is a basic requirement for a safe, dry and modern school building.
Cloontagh National School may be a small school but the children who attend that school deserve the same standard of facilities as any child anywhere else in the State. Will the Department recognise that this case is urgent? Will it be prioritised? When will the project move to construction and, in the interim, will a full health and safety audit be carried out on the exiting facilities? This current situation cannot continue.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to update the House on the current position regarding Cloontagh National School in County Longford. Cloontagh National School is a two-teacher school based in Killashee parish. The school is under the patronage of Bishop Paul Connell and a Catholic ethos is upheld. School enrolment has decreased from 23 in 2021 to 2022, to 14 in 2025 to 2026, reflecting the national decline in primary demographics. At a national level, primary enrolments are projected to decline by 100,000 over a ten-year period. In 2022, on foot of an application, accommodation was approved for this school under the additional school accommodation scheme. This project will provide one mainstream classroom, one special education needs classroom and ancillary. A stage 2 report was submitted to the Department officials in quarter 3 of 2025. This report is currently under review from both a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the infrastructure guidelines. Given the detailed nature of the evaluation process, the need to ensure full cost compliance, and the requirement to align the project with the prioritisation framework under the national development plan, this review process is necessarily thorough.
In July 2025, the Government announced an allocation of over €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for a period up to 2030 under the national development plan. As part of the NDP allocation, the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. Regarding project roll-out for large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and also provide the necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
The sectoral plan for the education and youth sector will be published shortly. The first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published at that time.
This national development plan, NDP, implementation plan will optimise ongoing outputs from the NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money and meets functional needs. All existing school building projects and applications for accommodation will be considered in this context, with a particular focus on ensuring existing capacity is maximised.
The Department had recent engagement with the school and will continue to work with it to ensure current and future school place needs are prioritised.
I thank the Minister of State for his response, which is very similar to a response to a parliamentary question I received. He emphasised special educational needs. The school in question has a child waiting to start in the special class promised in 2022. The class has not materialised and the child is still waiting.
The Minister of State also referred to cost capacities and value for money. Department officials came to the school and told it what should be built, which was far in excess of what the school itself had asked for. Today, there are children sitting in a classroom with walls that show signs of structural instability. I certainly would not accept one of my children being in a school like that. Would the Minister of State? I do not think any parent should have to do that.
I will give another fact about this school. In the concrete part of the school, there is one classroom and a multifunctional room, and I use that term lightly. This multifunctional room is the principal's office, the secretary's office and the staff room. It is also where children with special educational needs are taught. That part of the room is divided from the secretary's workplace by a row of filing cabinets.
The school build, as it stands, is simply not fit for purpose. The school was given a commitment that this build would be done. Now, almost four years later, there is still no sign of it. The staff are doing the best they can in inappropriate facilities. Pupils are learning in unsuitable conditions and members of the school community feel they have been left behind. I am very disappointed that there is nothing in the Minister of State's response that would indicate they are wrong to feel that way. The €7 billion announced means nothing to them; they are not included in it. Their children are still going back to a cold, damp, squishy floor in a mould-covered school tomorrow and after the Easter break.
I want to bring it back to this issue because it is what is important here. This school is in the children's community. It is the local school, and the six teachers and staff are doing fantastic work. These are not just my words that I am putting on the record here. Everything I have said has been confirmed by an engineer's report and in correspondence sent to the Department.
I thank the Deputy again for raising important points regarding a school in her constituency. I will ensure I take those points back to the Minister for education, Deputy Naughton. I emphasise again that the Department is fully committed to ensuring there is appropriate accommodation available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context, continue to engage with Cloontagh National School and ensure the building project for the school is subject to the required diligence under the Government's infrastructure guidelines.
We all understand that the construction environment is challenging across all sectors, not just in education but also in housing. The Department is required to manage the timing, scope and cost of individual projects within its budgetary requirements. As I said, further engagement is required and I am sure the Deputy and many of her Oireachtas colleagues in her area will engage further with the school management on how we can progress and enhance the school environment to ensure that pupils have appropriate conditions and that any refurbishment or existing emergency works are implemented in a speedy manner, while progressing the project itself as required and approved.
Schools Building Projects
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important Topical Issue. I raise the issue of the need for a new school building for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools. This is, in the first instance, an excellent school. The principal there is J.J. Brennan. There are 470 pupils in the senior school, while the junior school has in the region of 450 pupils, so it is a large school. The principal says the staff are very dedicated. It is the only school in Meath that has a platinum STEM award for science and technology. It is one of only 25 schools in the State with that award. The school is involved in local history projects, and clean air and pollinator projects. It also has a tremendous new drama club, with over 80 people involved. However, the condition of the hall has recently been commented on.
The staff are absolutely excellent and dedicated, but the building is letting them down. The principal stated that while the school has a large number of accolades and awards, staff are working in terrible conditions, which is bad for the morale of staff and not fair on students. The chair of the senior and junior national school parents association, Karen Gunning, stated that while the staff handle the situations with professionalism and calm, the stark reality is that young children are being educated in infrastructure that is visibly failing. Hundreds of children continue to learn in an ageing building that no longer meets the needs of a modern primary school. The staff are excellent, incredible and innovative, but they do not have the facilities to match.
The junior school is 30 years old but the senior school was built in 1971 and some of the prefabs are 20 years and older. The conditions are dire. The school has leaking roofs in five classrooms and uneven flooring. In one portacabin, the floor collapsed recently and the class had to be relocated. There are infestations of rodents - rats, mice and more. It is simply unacceptable. There are nine portacabins housing ten classes, and there is an autism class in one of the prefabs. There are proposals for another autism class in the senior school but there is a question regarding what space will used to accommodate it.
Since the announcement of the first tranche of NDP funding, we know there are many disappointed schools which are not on the list. I make the case to the Minister of State that not all schools waiting to get onto the list for the next tranche of funding, or even the existing one, are equal. I make a specific case for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools. This project has been in the offing since 1995 and in planning, in some shape or form, since 2008. Its ten-year planning permission for works will expire in August. I have told the Minister of State this is an excellent school. I have also told him about the conditions staff and pupils are living with at the minute. The school's ten-year planning permission is about to expire and we need to get works commenced on this school before it does.
I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, to outline to the House the current position regarding the school projects for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools, Station Road, Dunboyne, County Meath.
These school building projects will deliver a new 24-classroom primary school, with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for the senior school, and the construction of an eight-classroom extension planned refurbishment, with classrooms for children with special educational needs for the junior school.
The school was authorised to proceed to stage 3, tender, in December 2020 and in May 2021, it was authorised to issue a letter of intent.
The tender report relating to reserved specialist contractors was received from the design team and sent to the Department for review in July 2021. Due to the passage of time and in light of the increased construction costs, a decision was made in November 2021 to reprice the tenders. These were returned in quarter 1 of 2022. Following a review of the tender report, the authorisation to issue the letter of intent was issued in October 2022. In June 2024, a decision was taken to collapse the tender to allow for an increased scope of works, which, following consultation with the design team, was deemed necessary. Decarbonisation measures were included in the revised project scope in line with climate action objectives.
The Department of Education and Youth received the revised stage 2b submission report for the senior school from the design team in June 2025. Department officials will carry out a full review of the stage 2b report, and the school and design team will be kept informed of the next steps. The Department is currently engaging with the design team regarding the process of removing and replacing the temporary accommodation at Dunboyne Junior National School. In July, the Government announced its largest capital allocation of over €7.5 billion for the Department of Education and Youth under the national development plan, NDP. As part of that allocation, we will see a strong emphasis on the provision of accommodation for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school placement needs.
In relation to the roll-out of largescale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance, and to provide necessary additional accommodation through targeted and prioritised projects. The NDP implementation plan for education has seen its first tranche announced, and that will be progressed this year and next. It will be revised on an ongoing basis.
I think the Minister of State has made my case for me. One TD after another will say that their local school or a school in their constituency should be included when it comes to funding under the NDP. Very few - I would suggest none - would say that the planning permission is about to expire and that the project, through no fault of the school, has been to the brink and back on two occasions. Covid interrupted this project. It was interrupted again in light of other circumstances. This school is in desperate need. Very particular circumstances obtain in the context of Dunboyne junior and senior national schools here. Will the Minister of State bring those circumstances to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton? The Minister of State has the details of how far advanced the project was before it was pulled back and of how far it was advanced again before demands were made by the Department in relation to decarbonisation. It is almost back to square one again. If this project does not proceed, there is a risk that the planning permission will expire in a handful of months.
I have a written response from the Minister which states, "My department is conscious that the planning permission for the project ... will expire in August 2026 and the Department will work with the school authorities to identify an appropriate pathway forward". Will the Minister of State please explain what that means? As he will appreciate, the real concern is that the planning permission will expire, and then the whole school community will be back to square one. In the context of all the additional information on how we are going to spend funding in the future and identify priority projects for further tranches, this project will not be considered. I am asking that this project be put on the list of tranche 1 funding in light of the particular circumstances involved.
I again thank Deputy O’Rourke for bringing this important matter to the floor of the Dáil. I certainly agree with him regarding the time dependency relating to this project. I will take the points he has raised back to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in the context of her consideration of the needs of Dunboyne junior and senior national schools and ask that they be considered as part of the ongoing Department-led prioritisation process. The consultation with the school patron and the school authority will continue.
Notwithstanding that, any interim accommodation requirements will continue to be assessed and considered by the Department on a case-by-case basis. This project certainly deserves merit in that regard, particularly if it is at stage 2b and planning permission is already in place. The level of need has been identified, but there is then the prioritisation need and the approach the Department has taken in selecting the initial projects to progress. It is no different in County Mayo. Many schools there were not selected. I am sure many other Deputies would reflect the same situation in their constituencies. It is certainly reflected in the number of education Topical Issue matters that have been raised today. I will take the points raised by the Deputy back to the Minister.
Energy Prices
As I said earlier this week, people understand that the Government is not responsible for the international energy crisis that has emerged. What people hold the Government responsible for in the first instance is the framework it had in place in advance of the crisis. In the second instance, they hold it responsible for its response. I contend that said response has been delayed, minimal and not of sufficient substance to meaningfully protect, as best we can, the people in our communities who need support.
Ordinary families, workers, businesses and farmers have been struggling with out-of-control energy prices. More than 320,000 households are in arrears with their electricity bills. One in four households are in arrears with gas bills. When the Government withdrew the energy credit supports as part of budget 2026, it justified its action on the basis of a projected inflation rate. That rate has proven to be 50% lower than projected. The decision it made was based on fundamentally wrong information. As a result, I contend that the Government made a clearly and undeniably the fundamentally wrong decision. Does the Minister of State dispute that inflation projections were wrong and that the Government’s decision to withdraw energy credits was fundamentally flawed? If so, what is the Government going to do to redress the terrible impact of its clearly ham-fisted decision?
I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could give an explanation as to why nothing seems to have been done more than 400 days after the Government gave a commitment to divert surplus renewable energy to households living in energy poverty. In that period, the Government has allowed surplus renewable energy valued at €560 million, or €1.3 million, to go to waste every day. This is equivalent to 512 million tanks of hot water that could have been used by households.
The Government has been very prone to saying that it would welcome constructive ideas from the Opposition. My party colleague Deputy Pa Daly, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on climate, introduced legislation to enhance the power of the energy regulator to hold energy companies to account and to tackle price gouging. Will the Government commit to supporting that legislation? Sinn Féin has brought forward proposals to ensure that data centres pay their fair share through a restructuring of the PSO levy. Is the Government content that households pay six to eight times more than data centres? If the Government is not content with it, will it agree to support the Sinn Féin proposal? I ask this because, to date, it seems that the Government’s policy on energy is predicated on supporting data centres at all costs while ensuring that any measures to support ordinary families are minimal and as temporary in nature as it thinks it can get away with.
I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic. The irony here is that Sinn Féin voted against yesterday’s cut in excise duty, which will make the cost of fuel at the pumps cheaper and reduce the cost of energy and fuel for households and families. The Deputy is about blaming the Government for its lack of action, when we actually took action. Sinn Féin was the only Opposition party to vote against the cut.
It looks like Sinn Féin is making it up as it goes along every single day. Even the Private Members' Bill it brought forward last week had no mention at all of the fuel allowance with regard to the 470,000 households impacted, or the measures we have introduced which are targeted and supportive of those who are at risk of fuel poverty and on the lowest income deciles.
Energy affordability is a priority for this Government. The increase in energy prices in recent weeks is a real concern. What we have seen are not just normal price fluctuations, but a real geopolitical shock that has immediate consequences across the world. Military action in the Gulf is impacting crude oil prices significantly, and market volatility is certainly causing a risk of supply and huge disruption. The energy security group met on 8 March to assess the implications of the conflict, and that ensured the Government is fully informed of the ongoing developments as regards global energy markets. The group reviewed the current supply and price conditions across oil, gas and electricity, and heard from fuel industry representatives. On 11 March, Ireland agreed to participate in the International Energy Agency to release international strategic reserves to address any supply issues which may result from the conflict. Indeed, Ireland has contributed to the IEA 400 million-barrel release, with 1.6 million barrels in place. The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is also liaising with the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, on the operational element of that release.
The Minister, Deputy O’Brien, chaired a meeting of the national energy affordability task force on 15 March. That focus was very much on ensuring that the Government is informed of the ongoing developments. We also had a subsequent meeting on 26 March, this afternoon, with regard to the Government taking action to help households and businesses in respect of the fuel and energy crisis. Earlier this week, the Government introduced temporary and targeted measures, as I outlined earlier, cutting diesel by 22 cent, petrol by 17 cent and marked oil by 5 cent. These measures will have a significant impact in terms of the diesel tax rebate scheme, supporting the haulage and bus passenger operators who are also exposed. We are very worried about heating oil and have extended the fuel allowance for those who would have seen an end to it at the end of this month. That has been extended by an extra four weeks, with an additional €152 to support those in receipt of it. We have allowed those on the family working payment to be included in the fuel allowance, which affects an additional 50,000 households. Overall, the Government will continue to actively monitor the geopolitical situation and continue to make adjustments as we see fit over the weeks and months ahead.
Sinn Féin voted against Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s tax reduction-----
Sinn Féin voted against the cut.
-----because it did not do enough. The Minister of State knows it did not do enough. He is fooling nobody; not the families, farmers or haulage workers. Everybody knows.
People will see.
The limited resources the Government did introduce via the National Oil Reserves Agency will see the cost of home heating oil reduced by only two cents per litre. Is that a joke? This was wholly inadequate in terms of households reliant on home heating oil in and of itself, but it will also be negatively affected by the Government’s planned increase in carbon tax on 1 May. Why in the name of God does the Minister of State think it is a good idea to increase the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil in the midst of an energy crisis? Government Ministers are fond of saying it is funding needed for farmers, but I suggest the Minister of State go back to the Comptroller and Auditor General who makes it patently clear it is not farmers who are getting paid from that fund.
The carbon tax was meant to be a behavioural tax to encourage people to change behaviours, but people do not have the choice of public transport or any alternatives to using their car to drop their kids to school, go to work and about their daily life like many others. Many people in my constituency of Cavan and Monaghan do not have choices and cannot change behaviour. All this tax can do is screw over people who are already struggling. My final question to the Minister of State - I appeal to him to answer this - is will he postpone further planned increases in carbon taxes on petrol, diesel and home heating oil while the energy crisis persists? He said that tax is to happen on 1 May. I hope the Government is not going to do it.
I thank the Deputy for raising the points she has. On this side of the House, we do not agree with them. The carbon tax has been one of the most progressive taxes we have introduced. It has contributed-----
Farmers have not seen it.
-----more than €4.7 billion to the Exchequer.
I asked the Committee of Public Accounts. Farmers have not seen it.
I ask the Deputy to let the Minister of State respond.
It has allocated more than €170 million-----
It was not used for farmers. It was put into the central pot.
------to the ACRES scheme. That is a programme that has a direct impact on rural communities across the country. It is the Sinn Féin model to spend fast, wide and worry later. How would we replace the revenue streams that support these vital programmes-----
Look after the most vulnerable.
-----not just ACRES but also the fuel allowance and the expansion of the fuel allowance? It supports the fuel allowance. How would we generate the revenue that supports 470,000 households and indeed the likes of the home retrofitting programme? It has made a substantial difference. That is why we have expanded it for four weeks. It is targeted to those who are most impacted. We have also put in measures to reduce the cost and we have been very upfront that we cannot cover all sectors and households-----
Cover the data centres.
-----but the €250 million package announced on Wednesday will be of enormous benefit by any yardstick.
If we look at what Sinn Féin is doing up the North, it is introducing a measly €30 that will not be introduced until 1 July. Its hypocrisy in telling us down here when it stands still in the North when it has a Minister for the economy and finance doing absolutely zero, shines in the face of its lack of responsibility or urgency in regards to these needs. We have put the measures in place and legislated for them, and we will see that reduction at the pumps over the next 24 hours.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar fionraí ar 5.08 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 5.13 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 5.08 p.m. and resumed at 5.13 p.m.