Two of the largest supertrawlers and factory ships in the world have been hoovering up vast amounts of fish in Irish waters over the past two weeks. The 470-foot Annelies Ilena and the 470-foot Margiris were joined by another supertrawler, the 383-foot Helen Mary . All three vessels are owned by a Dutch corporation. The presence of these monster vessels in Irish waters is a real kick in the teeth for our struggling Irish fishing industry, which is facing further quota cuts, tie-up schemes and the decommissioning of dozens of vessels. This has to stop now. Will the Government commit today to a campaign to ban these supertrawlers and factory ships from fishing in Irish waters in the way they do?

The Deputy needs to give the Government a more specific proposal. Fishing quotas are covered by the EU, as the Deputy knows. He also knows the decommissioning is because of Brexit. It was a decision because of Britain leaving the European Union. We avoided a no-deal Brexit, which would have been calamitous for our fishers, as one can understand. Deep down the Deputy knows, even though he says something else more publicly, that we cannot just ban a particular thing.

I asked for a campaign to ban.

A campaign to ban, but we need honesty when dealing with people. I will engage with the fisher organisations but will not make promises on the hoof that the Deputy and I know will not be delivered upon any time soon.

Will the Government campaign to ban the vessels?

We need to focus, in negotiations at European level, on trying to get more gains for our fishers.

Would the Government like to stop these monster ships?

The decommissioning scheme is because of Brexit but it does involve the making available of significant resources to compensate the fishers for losing out.

Waffle, waffle, waffle.

I want to raise yesterday’s devastating news for Waterford, namely the announcement that the Cartamundi plant there will close with the loss of 234 jobs. The factory has been manufacturing board games and cards since 1977, meaning nearly half a century of good, local, unionised jobs. On a recent visit to Waterford with our local councillor Mr. Séamus Ryan, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the union representatives from Cartamundi. The news is really devastating for Waterford. It follows on from confirmation yesterday of 240 compulsory redundancies at Google, an issue I raised already this week. Other job losses have been announced in the tech sector also.

With the number of job losses mounting, what efforts were made in particular to save the Cartamundi jobs and what supports will be put in place for workers, given the devastating news for Waterford this week? The people of Waterford will want to know what IDA Ireland is now doing to secure alternative employment opportunities for the city in light of such a big loss of good jobs.

Our first thoughts are with the workers of Cartamundi and their families. This is very bad news for them. It is obviously completely out of the control of the Government. There are macroeconomic factors. Lower consumer confidence in 2022 resulted in a sharp reduction in demand and significant excess product in the market, so the company decided to close its Irish operation. Our agencies will work with the workers and we will do everything we possibly can to help them to come through this period and, if possible, to secure alternative employment.

The economic recovery since Covid has been substantial and very significant. We now have about 2.6 million people at work. Our target was 2.5 million. The unemployment rate is 4.3% and the rate of youth unemployment is the lowest on record. We will work with the workers to see whether we can secure alternative employment for them.

Contained in the programme for Government is a commitment to have a referendum on placing a right to housing in our Constitution. I believe it was last March, a year ago, when the Minister responsible for housing, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, announced that the wording of the referendum was due in the early part of this year. While I understand the wording is tied up in legal argument at the commission, the Government’s actions have inevitably resulted in homelessness rather than a right to housing. Will the referendum on the right to housing be delivered upon during the term of the Government – over the next 15 months, for example?

That is the intention. I understand the Minister is awaiting proposals from the Housing Commission, which has been tasked with coming forward with wording.

I call Deputy Boyd Barrett.

I am waiting for the microphone to be turned on.

We hear you anyway; do not worry.

I have just come from a protest by hundreds of postgraduate researchers, organised by the Postgraduate Workers Organisation. The slogans at the protest, which was very angry, were “Research is work”, “Researchers are workers” and “We demand a living wage”. It is shocking that 7,000 to 10,000 PhD researchers in this country, who do innovative and often ground-breaking research and teach in our universities, and without whom our further education and university systems would grind to a halt, are paid less than the minimum wage. I am referring to the average stipends available to them. They are not treated as workers and do not get PRSI contribution credits. The non-EEA postgraduates are treated in the most despicable fashion. Many of them are landed with fees. The researchers want to know whether the Government will accede to their demands that they be treated as workers, that they be given a living wage and that all researchers be treated properly.

I have had a long-standing commitment to research and have overseen very significant investment in a range of research programmes over the last two decades. Career pathways for young people in research are important. There is a wide spectrum of postgraduates, from MA students to those qualifying to become teachers, so one cannot just have one simplistic policy applying to all. At PhD level, particularly within certain science-related programmes, there is very substantial research work under way. It is an issue that the Minister will address.

There is a massive crisis in the education system. While the Department of Education seems to be more interested in culture wars against the will of the majority of parents in the country, most parents just want schools built in their local areas. Thousands of children are currently going to inefficient, rotten, cold school prefabs. In some cases, the second generation of the same family is going to school in the same prefabs. Other children are going to school in buildings that are over 100 years old and are a threat to their health. These schools have been battling for 20 years to be upgraded. Some of them were literally days away from having the ground broken for the required builds. The Taoiseach sat where the Tánaiste is sitting this week and said the school building projects in question will go ahead this year. The Minister for Education was questioned today and she could not agree with the Taoiseach. Who is right? Is the Taoiseach right that the school builds will go ahead this year, or is it the case that the Minister cannot confirm this, as she alluded to? Will the Tánaiste be clear and honest in answering the question? Campaigners and communities want to know the answer.

To be fair, there has been record building of schools. The schools building programme has seen a record high over the past two years, in particular. That is one reason a whole range of projects have reached their current status. Obviously, the Minister for Education has been working, including with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, to resolve the issues concerning these projects. They will be resolved.

Will they be resolved this year?

Yes.

Will all of those-----

One question, please. I call Deputy Michael Collins.

Kinsale has five busy primary schools in its surrounds and one of the finest community colleges in the country, with over 1,500 children attending. Community childcare facilities in Kinsale started in a living room 40 years ago but since 2011 have been run from a small Portakabin. The community playschool is full to capacity, with 45 children. It knows that it could cater for three times this number, at least, if a purpose-built facility were made available. Demand in Kinsale for community playschool places means those in charge of the community playschool have to turn away dozens of parents with children. The results of a recent survey, referring to 266 families in the Kinsale catchment area, speak for themselves, with 98.1% of those surveyed stating strongly that Kinsale needs a new community childcare facility. The council is looking favourably on giving the community-run playschool a site. Will the State, through the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or the Department of Education, fund the building of a community-run playschool in Kinsale? That is the very least that the people of Kinsale deserve.

Have they applied?

Yes.

As the Deputy knows, there is a national childcare scheme, with both capital and current funding.

The Deputy spoke about community childcare places in Kinsale. If the application has gone to the Minister, we will certainly pursue.

It is three weeks since the Government's latest mismanagement of the State’s finances resulted in the halting of 58 schools building projects. Yesterday I received a pathetic reply to a simple question to the Minister for Education that asked her to list the projects and the costs. She could not or would not do it. Why the secrecy? Why not tell the people what the Government has done? I know it should be ashamed but what is it trying to hide from the Opposition on this?

The reality on the ground in County Donegal is that these knee-jerk and badly thought-out delays are going to cost a fortune. For example, the Gaelscoil in Donegal town has been told to stop after having appointed a clerk of works and a contractor with shovels about to go into the ground. If the delay continues, the contracted price will wither and the school will be faced with re-tendering in an inflation-driven market. You could not make this farce up. Parents, teachers and children in Donegal want to know when this project will be sorted-----

This will be resolved quickly.

When?

More than 300 school buildings projects were under construction at the start of the year and most of them will be completed this year or in early 2024. This includes more than 40 new school buildings. In addition, approximately €116 million was invested in more than 1,000 small-scale repair and improvement projects throughout the country under the summer works scheme and the emergency works scheme so there has been significant investment in construction. The Minister has been in advanced discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and I believe that will be resolved very quickly.

There is an issue with the lack of enforcement regarding parking on cycle paths, footpaths and disability bays. Fewer than one person per day nationally was issued with a fine for parking in cycle lanes. I have the figures for 2021 and 2022 from the Garda Commissioner. A total of €360 million per year is spent on active travel to make those safe routes to school and provide accessibility. Better Garda enforcement is needed. I ask the Tánaiste to engage with the Minister for Justice to direct the Garda Commissioner to act on that. It is not just about road safety; it is about accessibility and protecting our children going to school, and it is climate action.

I agree with that. I am a very committed believer in active travel. We have made very significant progress over the past while in terms of the investment across the country. Enforcement must happen on an ongoing basis, particularly in terms of parking. I will bring it to the attention of the Minister.

A couple of weeks ago, we heard that 58 schools building projects would be delayed due to capital funding pressure. I raised the matter with the Taoiseach then and he said it would be sorted by Easter. I submitted many parliamentary questions to the Minister. The latest response two days ago stated that the schools building projects that are on hold due to capital funding pressures will be delivered. It is a question of timing. Therein lies the problem. Enfield is one of the fastest growing towns in the country. When Enfield Community College opened in 2020, a clear plan was set out with a new build completion date of 2023. In May 2022, the Minister announced that Enfield Community College would go to tender later that year. Unfortunately, this project will now be held up again with no completion date. Last year, there were 362 applications for 192 places in Boyne Community School in Trim, leaving out 170 pupils. This is putting a lot of stress on pupils, parents and teachers. Can the Tánaiste give me a start date and a completion date for Enfield Community College?

I dealt with this earlier. We expect the issue to be resolved very quickly. There has been a record level of school building. The proactive nature of the Department of Education is such that it has a huge pipeline of projects and that is where we are. The issue will be resolved.

This week, the ESB reported €650 million in profits with most of this coming from more than trebling of profits in its generation business. The ESB pays the Government a €327 million dividend but other companies in the generation business do not pay any such dividend. Does the Tánaiste feel measures such as a windfall tax and capping on renewables are adequate to address these very high profits that are being made in the industry?

The Government has taken an additional dividend from the ESB in respect of the significant profits it made on generation. The Minister will bring forward legislation in respect of the solidarity tax shortly and it will be adequate to release resources from excessive profits during the energy emergency of the past while to re-allocate to people requiring assistance.

Many properties cannot be developed because of defects in title. I raised previously the idea of local authorities using their compulsory purchase order powers to rectify title. The owner of the property would engage with the local authority, the local authority would serve a compulsory purchase order and this would entitle the local authority to rectify the title and sell back to the property owner. Has there been engagement with local authorities on the use of that system? If there are less than 70 years to run on a lease, no bank will give money to develop it. This is one of the key issues arising relating to property not being developed or, in many cases, not even being kept in a proper state of repair. It is about bringing such property back into use.

I will revert to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in respect of that proposal. It seems a bit unwieldy but perhaps it is one that could be developed. Essentially one would have to go through the legal process of a compulsory purchase order and then the rectification of the property so it is not a slam dunk by any means legally.

I have done it.

Exactly, but the Deputy also knows that not all people in the legal profession have his pace or application in terms of getting things done in double-quick time. The Deputy made a reasonable proposal and I will bring it to the Minister's attention. Anything that can be done to fast-track turning derelict properties into usable ones is something we should consider.

Returning to an issues that has been raised repeatedly on Questions on Promised Legislation this week, which highlights its importance, O'Carolan College in Nobber is one of the 58 schools where planning is due to expire in early February 2024 so it is time-sensitive. The school needs to have substantial works completed by that stage. It was at the point of approving a contractor when it received that notice along with 57 other schools. The Taoiseach has said that the projects will proceed. Can the Tánaiste reassure to parents and everyone affected such as students that this project will proceed and will not be delayed further? When will a decision be made? Will it be in Easter week?

I am not in a position to comment on individual projects but the broader issue of additional capital for the Department of Education to complete those projects has been a matter for engagement between the two Departments. As the Taoiseach and I have said, the expectation is that this will be resolved.

I attended the launch this morning of Rare Diseases Ireland's report, Ending the Wait: Actions to reduce the waiting list for Ireland's genomic service. I met patients who suffer from various retinal diseases, most of which lead to blindness, who hope a drug called Luxturna will be approved for reimbursement, an issue that has been raised in the House repeatedly. A total of 1,277 days later, we are still waiting for this process to conclude. I have repeatedly spoken to the Tánaiste and the Minister for Health about this. Any process that takes this time - 1,277 days as of today - is not fit for purpose. I ask the Tánaiste to give a commitment that the reimbursement process will be reviewed. We are miles behind other EU countries. Time lost is a diminution of somebody's quality of life and potentially his or her life. I ask the Tánaiste to take this issue up with the Minister and to address the problems concerning reimbursement.

My understanding is that the Minister for Health did address this issue at a conference recently and outlined initiatives he is taking, particularly following the publication of the Mazars report on this issue. There is a requirement for a review of this. That length of time is not optimal by any means.

Yesterday, in the audiovisual room, we were joined by players from Shelbourne, Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers football teams as well as Claire Hunt from Positive Period Ireland. They spoke with passion about their journey and the obstacles they overcame to play in the League of Ireland. One player, Jemma Quinn, spoke of how girls in her primary school were not allowed to play football until herself and her friend fought for the right to play. With the World Cup coming up this summer, it is vital that we put in place the supports and the facilities that will allow women’s grassroots football to flourish and grow. What specific measures will the Government put in place to harness the goodwill that will follow Ireland’s World Cup appearances? I am asking for a specific response rather than something general and vague.

The Deputy made a good general point about making sure that there is absolute equality in the treatment of women and girls playing all sports. When he was Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy Chambers took initiatives on that and the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, is going to address it through grant schemes and so on in the future. The participation in the World Cup by the Irish women’s soccer team is an opportunity and a watershed moment to encourage further participation among young girls and women in sport and particularly in soccer. We look forward to the World Cup with great anticipation.

What about facilities?

I am talking about facilities, yes. We had a record allocation of grants to sports clubs across the country last year. As the Deputy knows, one of the criteria is diversity and facilities for women and girls. It is a clear criterion in the grant scheme. We are also looking at the membership of boards which the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, had started and on which the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, is keen to focus. He knows the importance very well himself through personal experience and knows the need to advance this.

I raise again, as many others have, the issue of school buildings. That so many Deputies have stood up to raise this today shows that it is a very significant issue. The Educate Together Secondary School in Harold's Cross that the children of many parents in my constituency attend was included in lot 6, which was due to go to tender in December but that tender process has stopped. At the moment, Harold's Cross has substandard prefabricated classrooms, no PE facilities and no dining area. These works also need to proceed as a matter of urgency because there is a timeline for completing the school and taking applications for future years. How can the school authorities take applications from parents when building work has not started? It is supposed to be finished for September two years and they are promising that children leaving the Educate Together national schools should be able to have places in it. Can I get a commitment from the Minister to bring the tendering process forward? Many Deputies are raising this issue. It highlights the serious problem with school building at the moment.

I appreciate the Deputy’s point and the difficulties facing the Educate Together school in Harold's Cross that he identified. As I said earlier, we are very possessed of this issue in government. It is a matter of trying to work out a sustainable pathway for this school and all of the schools that need to be progressed. We are very conscious of it. It has been raised in the House and I fully accept the urgency attached to this.

I raise the issue of the backlog of assessments of need. I have asked about the use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to purchase assessments and interventions before on a number of occasions but was informed that it was not possible and it would require legislation. Even a reply to a parliamentary question this week stated that the NTPF can only be used to purchase treatment in a hospital setting. The use of the fund for assessment in the North was offered as an option to a parent of an autistic child who requires an urgent assessment. When the parent inquired further about using the fund, he was informed by a regional manager in the HSE that the HSE is using this scheme since last December and has sent children to Belfast and even as far away as Poland for autism assessments. I fully support this as a temporary measure to ensure that children who require assessment and intervention get those services now because parents should not have to pay privately for those when they are entitled to them in the public system. However, I am asking for clarification because I am being told one thing in the response to a parliamentary question from the Minister and another thing by someone from the HSE. Is the NTPF an option?

I will talk to the Minister about that. It is open to the NTPF to do outpatient treatment, for example, or appointments with consultants. Predominantly, it has been used for inpatient acute treatment. That has been the predominant application of the NTPF but the Minister has indicated in the past that it can be used for disabilities as well and to deal with the significant outpatient list as opposed to the inpatient list. I will alert the Minister to the point that the Deputy raised.

Nearly ten years ago planning permission was granted for the upgrade of the N59 between Maam Cross and Oughterard. An Bord Pleanála put a condition on the permission that the method statement would have to be approved by the Department with responsibility for heritage. In 2021, method statements were agreed for the first section of the road covering approximately 6 km and that was successfully completed. Since then, a series of method statements have been submitted for the other two thirds of the road. In particular, two method statements, one relating to ground conditions and the other to archaeological investigations, were submitted to the Department in September 2022. Despite repeated questions from me to the Minister as to when the Department will deal with these method statements and give the go-ahead for this road that is needed urgently, as it totally substandard and dangerous, there has been no firm reply from the Department. Could the Tánaiste come back to me with a firm date as to when this matter will be dealt with so we can proceed and get this road built to an adequate standard?

I will talk to the Minister about that the issue is in the progress on this road. The Deputy said that 6 km were completed after the method statement was issued and now two further method statements have been completed as far back as September on this. I will talk to the Minister.

I listened to the debate during Leaders’ Questions earlier, if it could be called a debate. The Tánaiste said the solution to the housing crisis is the provision of more accommodation. He also said that everyone in this House wants to do the right thing regardless of what they view the right thing is. I agree with him on both counts.

Clare County Council recently purchased six houses on Francis Street in Ennis. It is proposed to transfer them to a company wholly owned by Clare County Council, Ennis 2040 DAC, and they are to be knocked down. Some of the six houses were very recently lived in. They are in various states of repair. Some would require substantial work and others less substantial works. It is proposed to turn the site into a temporary carpark until such time as it will be determined what will be done with the site. There is talk of a mixed-use development, whatever that is. There is no firm decision on how many residential units, if any, will be there. Does the Tánaiste agree that is not the right thing to do with housing stock in a county town in the midst of a housing crisis? If he does, will the Government do something about it?

Again, I will engage with the Minister to engage with the county council on this. I have sympathy with the position that the Deputy is presenting. As part of the Housing For All plan, we have made it very clear that all state agencies must be involved in resolving the housing crisis. I have had similar conversations in my own Department where properties were going to be demolished and I said, "No, they are not going to be demolished." There has to be a mindset change in terms of the crisis. I do not know the full background to this and I do not want to be unfair to the council or anyone else but, generally, we should be making those houses fit for habitation and we should allocate them because development of the kind the Deputy mentioned will take a long time. The idea that we would demolish houses for a carpark is something that, at first glance, I would have a problem with.

The Irish Times published an interesting article by Conor Gallagher today, which highlights the 4,200 people who presented to Dublin Airport without travel documents in the past 12 months. From that there has been just one prosecution and no conviction. I fully recognise that the Geneva Convention provides that those seeking asylum do not need to present travel documents and I do not want to give the impression that I would in any way seek to send a person legitimately seeking asylum in this country away; quite the contrary is the case.

Does the Tánaiste agree that one prosecution and no convictions out of the 4,200 cases at Dublin Airport in a 12-month period is concerning? Does he accept it illustrates that we might need to review the Immigration Act 2004 to ensure the toolkit is available for immigration officials and An Garda Síochána to review such matters properly? The act of presenting without appropriate travel documents must be disincentivised, that is, if a person does so without a legitimate cause.

There are a number of issues. We are bound by international conventions, including the Geneva Conventions, and so forth. We are looking to deal with this issue at source in terms of the boarding of planes in the first instance. If people board with documentation that then disappears, there will be a problem at the other end. The Deputy is referring to enforcement and to more effectively prevent it from happening in the first instance by analysis of documents before people get on a plane. We are dealing with a global migration challenge now. Even within the European Union, people can come into a country and seek housing immediately and they end up in emergency housing. It is a much more complex and mobile world. However people present themselves when seeking asylum, under international laws, we are obliged to process their asylum application.

I will raise this matter with the Cabinet subcommittee. It is very challenging and the most effective way to deal with this is to ensure people have legitimate documentation before they board.