I welcome the Minister of State, Christopher O'Sullivan, to the House. He is most welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This is an issue I raised last week. This is a worrying and serious matter that has come into the public domain following a court case in Killarney, County Kerry. Voter impersonation at a Kenmare polling station at the local and European elections in June 2024 was caught on CCTV. A Cahersiveen man pleaded guilty but avoided a conviction for electoral fraud after he used a polling card not in his name that went missing from a vehicle. It was even more extraordinary to learn, as every dog and divil in Kerry knows, that the defendant works for the Healy-Rae Plant Hire company. He was cited in court as a farmer and a contractor, but his employer, the Healy-Rae firm, was unusually not identified, even though he has worked for it for years. I called for a thorough investigation into the facts of the incident last week, and we still need clarity as to how this was quietly hushed up. It has made a mockery of our democracy. There have been no answers as to how this man got the polling card before he drove 40 miles from his home to vote in another town. He did not acquire it himself, the court was told, so who exactly gave it to him? The electors of Kerry, and indeed the rest of the country, deserve to know.

Another case in Kerry centres on potential criminal wrongdoing in the form of irregular supplementary registration. This case centres on allegations that, ahead of the May 2019 local elections, a garda officer in the Killarney electoral area stamped hundreds of supplementary voter registration forms without the applicants being physically present, which is a legal requirement. An Garda Síochána launched a formal investigation led by a superintendent from outside Kerry and a file was prepared. As of April 2024, GSOC had forwarded a file to the DPP, with a decision still pending. This happened over six years ago. When will this case be brought to a conclusion?

I have stated that these cases have made a mockery of our democracy. Illegal voter fraud strikes at the very heart of our democracy. When individuals or groups manipulate electoral rules or cast votes unlawfully, they undermine public trust in the fairness and legitimacy of our elections. Every fraudulent vote cancels out the voice of a lawful voter. The fallout from these cases will massively impact people who want to get elected to represent their electoral areas without fear of any undercurrent that does not reflect a level playing ground when it comes to these irregularities being committed. I won a seat in the 2014 local elections in Listowel by two votes, so to say, as was said in the court that day, that this does not really affect the results is totally wrong. I call on the Minister of State to clean up the whole voting process, to review the cases I have mentioned and to make sure that everything possible is done to eradicate this kind of behaviour.

Before I ask the Minister of State to respond, I ask the Senator to be careful about naming individuals in his contribution.

A Aire, tá fáilte romhat.

I thank the Senator for raising the general issue of fraudulent voting. He will understand and will not be surprised to hear that I cannot comment on individual cases, but I will make some general comments because I agree with him that fraudulent behaviour in the voting process strikes at the core of democracy. There are other issues as well. We all, as the Senator said, have put ourselves up for election. It is a stressful time, including for our families and our friends, and one does so in the hope that we can trust the electoral system. If there is fear that fraud may be carried our or that votes are cast inappropriately, it undermines that. It undermines not only us as candidates but also democracy in general and means that people's voices, essentially, are not heard in the way they should be. I just wanted to make that general comment at the start and say that I cannot, as the Senator knows well, comment on individual cases.

The primary role of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in electoral matters is to provide an appropriate policy and legislative framework for a modern and efficient electoral system. Within that framework, local authorities, in their capacity as registration authorities, are responsible for the management and maintenance of the electoral register, and returning officers are responsible for all matters in connection with the actual conduct of elections and referendums. Electoral law provides for significant measures relating to voter identification and the prevention of personation in order to counteract voter fraud and to protect the integrity of the register. Substantial reforms to the Electoral Acts in 2022 brought about a significant modernisation of the electoral registration process, including the introduction of rolling registration and the use of PPSNs in the application process to enhance the integrity of the electoral register.

Local authorities are engaged in detailed work to improve the data quality of their electoral registers in advance of migration to a new national system in 2026. Electoral legislation provides that at the polling station, the returning officer or the presiding officer may, or if required by a personation agent shall, request any person applying for a ballot paper to produce a specified identification document. If a person fails to produce the identification required, they are not permitted to vote. In guidance prepared by the Department in advance of each poll, it is recommended that at least one in four voters should be asked for the required identification.

Electoral law also provides for a range of offences and penalties in this regard. Section 134 of the Electoral Act 1992 provides for the offence of personation. Section 35 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2004 provides that it is an offence to take or interfere with a polling information card or to use a polling information card at a polling station that is not addressed to the person presenting it. There are appropriate penalties for both offences. Similar offences are provided for in relation to all polls. The prosecution of offences is a matter for An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions. It is not appropriate for me as Minister of State to comment on a specific case or cases.

Separate to the role of returning officers and local authorities, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, which was established on 9 February 2023 and is independent in the performance of its functions, is tasked with carrying out post-electoral event reviews, oversight of the electoral register, conducting research on electoral issues and making recommendations on same. In combination with wider reforms of electoral registration, the work of An Coimisiún will strengthen our electoral system as a whole and help us to anticipate and respond to the challenges we face in an ever evolving electoral environment.

I have set out the procedures. There are reforms and reviews. The Senator is right; electoral fraud cuts to the core of our democracy and damages it. It should of course be taken seriously. Anywhere fraud is happening, those cases should be taken seriously and there should be serious penalties for anyone involved.

I remind the Senator to make general comments in relation to electoral form. As the Minister of State has outlined, it is not appropriate for him to reference specific cases.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I accept it in general terms of policy and decision-making. Electoral fraud is not a victimless crime and it is totally wrong. This guy was not even asked for identification. To say we are running proper registration on voting day is wrong. We do not know how many of these cases exist. I ask the Minister of State and the Minister for local government to review what we have in store. Otherwise, we are preventing the next crop of young people who want to represent their areas from doing so because if this continues, no one will seek election given that it is not a level playing pitch. We know it is going on. If we can do anything today to wake up local government and have a policy driven to stop it, that is all I wish for. If the Minister of State could do that, it would be a good day's work.

I agree with the Senator about the impact of fraudulent voting. It strikes to the core of our democracy, has a serious impact on the candidates who put themselves forward and adds to the stresses associated with election time. We all understand that. There has to be trust in the process, and there is. If there is not, it undermines everything.

I disagree, however, in that I do not think it is happening as widely and at the scale the Senator asserted. I commend polling clerks and officers at polling stations who give up their days, whether adjudicating at polling stations or at the counts later on. They do incredible work in local authorities across the country. They are vigilant. I do not think it is happening at the scale the Senator asserted but I agree with him that where it happens, the consequences should be serious. If it is blatant and obvious and someone has been caught red-handed, I agree there should be serious consequences for the reasons the Senator outlined. It may deter people from getting involved in politics in the future, and it is a tough job as it is.

I appreciate the Senator raising the issue. I cannot comment on individual cases for obvious reasons but I accept the general tenor of his argument.

I welcome the Minister of State. I would like clarity on the issue of student fees and supports. I was president of the national students' union, USI, ten years ago. Student fees, the cost of living, student housing and access to education were all issues then and are more prominent now than ever. It needs to be a priority for this Government. It is dismaying and alarming that the Minister for further and higher education, Deputy Lawless, went on the airwaves a couple of weeks ago and announced that there would be an increase in student fees of potentially €1,000 this September. There was previously a decrease in the fee but the decrease rowback is an increase. We have to call it out for what it is. What will the fee be for students going to college this September?

There has been a huge amount of miscommunication and a lack of clarity from the Government to students and their families. The Minister said one thing, while one of his colleagues in Fine Gael took to another radio show saying a different thing. In this Chamber, eight Fine Gael Senators consecutively said they disagreed with the Minister. They are in a Government party. We need clarity on what is happening. The people suffering are students and their families. They have been disrespected by this Government.

We need a plan for families. They need to be able to budget. The cost of living, rent and fuel costs are all rising. The cost of living is going up, not down, so I cannot see the justification for any change upwards in student fees. The programme for Government just six months ago committed to reducing the contribution fee over the lifetime of this Government. Increasing it is a poor start. I do not know how the Government will honour that commitment. It would be good to see a plan. To put it in context, the average rent in Cork city in €2,200 per month. UCC students' union in a survey last year found that 28% of students in UCC had gone to class hungry because of the cost of living. Student poverty is a real issue. We need more publicly owned student accommodation that is affordable. We are still waiting on the student accommodation strategy. We were told it would be ready before the summer and then that it would be the third quarter of this year. We need that concrete strategy in place. What will the fee be this September?

We need another Niamh Bhreathnach moment. We have surpluses. I do not understand why students and their families are the first in the firing line when we hear about things like tariffs. It was transformative to this society in the nineties when free fees were introduced. They were increased over a period but the late, great Niamh Bhreathnach had vision. It contributed hugely to the economic growth of this country in the nineties and into the noughties, much like free secondary level education did in the seventies. A third level qualification is now expected by many. It needs to be made as accessible as possible. We have among the highest fees in Europe. We are an outlier.

The Cassells report and the OECD report have said we have among the highest student fees in Europe. I welcome the fact that efforts are being made to change the SUSI grant for the better through looking at adjacency rates. We need to look at estrangement as well in respect of who can access that grant. Ultimately, a promise was made regarding fees in the programme for Government so I ask for a reply on what the plan is and what the fee will be this coming September.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

I thank Senator Harmon for raising this important issue and for the opportunity it provides to discuss the Government’s ongoing work to make further and higher education more accessible and more affordable. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, is today at an informal meeting of EU researchers in Copenhagen so unfortunately he cannot be here to discuss this topic himself.

The Government is acutely conscious of the financial challenges facing students. We are committed to easing the financial burden on students and their families by reducing the cost of education in a way that is sustainable, equitable and targeted. This is a programme for Government commitment. The current student support framework, such as student grant supports and fee supports, has played a significant role in facilitating access to and growth in higher education. We have already taken a number of significant steps to improve the support framework, including the elimination of participation fees for post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses from September 2022 and major permanent changes to the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, student support scheme, such as the introduction of a new part-time SUSI grant scheme in 2024. Over the past three budgets, temporary cost-of-living measures were introduced to support our citizens, including a once-off €1,000 reduction in the €3,000 student contribution fee. These measures were welcome and necessary at the time but they were never intended to be permanent.

It is important to consider that currently, under the free fees initiative, the State covers tuition fees for all eligible full-time undergraduate students. In the 2023-24 academic year, over 143,000 students benefited from this support. This is a universal scheme and therefore a means test does not apply. Students are, however, required to pay the student contribution. This Government acknowledges that for many, this contribution presents a significant financial hurdle. That is where SUSI plays a vital role. In the 2024-25 year, over 65,000 students received support from SUSI to help cover this fee. These supports range from full coverage to partial grants of 50% or €500. The €500 grant introduced in 2023 is now a permanent feature of the scheme.

From this September, we will increase the income thresholds for student grants by 15%, expanding access to even more students, but we must and will go further. While student supports have played a very significant role in facilitating access to and growth in higher education, we have to bring forward plans that recognise the wider costs of attending education and promote access through sustainable investment in support measures. As we look to budget 2026, the focus of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, is on long-term, structural solutions that can provide certainty and fairness for students into the future. He is conscious of the financial pressures students face, not just tuition fees but accommodation, transport, materials and day-to-day living costs. The Minister has spent the past few months listening to the views of key stakeholders. He has had multiple engagements with students, apprentices, access officers, student services staff and advocacy groups and in April he hosted a national cost-of-education event, bringing together key voices from across the sector. These insights have been invaluable.

In preparation for budget 2026, the Minister, Deputy Lawless, will publish an options paper, which will outline the costs and potential impacts of various policy choices. This paper will inform the national debate and guide Government decisions. At this juncture, as the Senator will be well aware, no final decisions have been made and the Minister remains open to hearing from all stakeholders, students, families, institutions and advocacy groups.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. First, I note the positive indications regarding the student grant and the Government seeking to improve that and improve those supports. That has to be noted. However, it is an extremely disappointing and disrespectful answer to students and their families that this Government cannot give clarity to students on what the fee is going to be this September. I have people calling me - students and families - who are worried about the cost of living. They are sitting around kitchen tables asking whether they can afford to send their son or daughter, or in some cases multiple children, to college. We had a case of triplets in Cork whose family were wondering how they were going to afford €9,000 in fees, potentially, for the upcoming academic year. This is a huge cost to families at a time when the cost of living is rising. I can see no logic as to why the fee would now be increased when it was implemented as a cost-of-living measure but the cost of living and the cost of accommodation are rising in this country.

It raises the question as to whether this was a vote-buying measure. Was it just a vote-buying tactic for the electorate from parties that are now in government? It is the first thing the Government is coming out now and saying it will change. The student movement seems to be very united on this and will continue campaigning to ensure we do not have a fee increase in this country. As I say, the programme for Government commits to this. We hear of options papers. We had the Cassells report previously. This stinks of a kicking-the-can-down-the-road decision to me while students and families need clarity right now. Trinity College Dublin has already issued invoices to students for €3,000 for the coming academic year. This is extremely worrying and is causing huge distress to students and their families all across the country. The lack of clarity simply cannot continue from this Government. We need clarity. What is the fee going to be in September?

I have been following and engaging in this debate for the last number of weeks, I think it is fair to say that this is just pure populism politics being playing by a lot of people in government and across the Opposition and I have no hesitation in saying that. When was there ever a budget announcement in July? The budget will be at the end of September or in October, the same as it has been for as long as I can remember, and I have been around politics a while. The Senator is standing up here saying she wants the Government to make an announcement now regarding the budget. She knows that cannot happen. She talks about wanting to have certainty and clarity. The Senator and I debated this on a radio programme about two weeks ago and I pointed out to her that with previous cost-of-living measures such as the energy payments, the fuel allowance, child benefit, the living alone allowance and a whole suite of other payments that were part of the cost-of-living package, she did not advocate for any of them. They were all part of the same package as that relating to student fees.

Why do Senator Harmon, the Fine Gael Senators and the Fine Gael TD who rang into the Joe Duffy radio show, or whatever talk show it was, not ask their party leader, who was Minister for further and higher education at the time? They should phone him and ask him. They should phone the subsequent Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. They brought it in as a cost-of-living measure. It was a Government decision, and the Government has decided there will not be a cost-of-living package on this occasion. The Senator will not get an announcement. What the Minister, Deputy Lawless, did when he went on radio and was trying to present it as being a big reveal was set it out factually as it is. The €1,000 reduction, and the Senator knows this well, was a one-off over a number of years. It was never baked into the base as a permanent measure. The Senator knows all this.

As regards the budget this year, let us see what happens. I imagine there will be a reduction. I would like to see a reduction and I will be calling for one. If people want to play politics with it and try to march the student body up and down to the top of the hill and make political capital out of it, they can be my guest. They can knock themselves out in doing so. However, the Senator knows, as do students, that it was a one-off. This time last year or the previous year, students were not asking for clarity, but this year everybody is looking for clarity. They will get it when the budget comes out.

I am here to speak about respite and care delivery. Respite is a crucial aspect of disability service provision and offers those with disabilities, elderly people and those who care for them critical and much-needed support. The role of respite service delivery within the disability policy has been labelled as a key priority for the Government and the HSE and improvements in this area in the latest programme for Government have included an action plan for disability services.

However, like many other areas in our health service, respite delivery is experiencing severe strain and increased pressure. The respite investment plan announced by the former Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte last year, stated that a 40% increase in provision would be needed for known unmet need according to the disability capacity review.

Transparency is needed around HSE respite data too. In January the HSE could not provide explicit data on the average number of overnight respite beds. It noted that data on respite beds is not routinely compiled by disability services. We need to compile this data. It is simply not good enough to say it is not available. That same month, the HSE stated there was no centrally maintained waiting list for respite services regarding individuals whose respite has been refused. How can this be? How can we know the real need if we are not recording the actual requests that are being made?

While the disability support application management tool is welcome progress, greater transparency on the patient data and available respite resources must be ensured. The absence of a formal policy on respite is also unseemly. It is clear that many of the shortages in respite service delivery could possibly be mitigated against policy oversight. Skills, Opportunities, Success Kilkenny, known as SOS Kilkenny, is one example of a respite provider to adults with intellectual disabilities and autism across Kilkenny city and county. It is a fantastic organisation. This week marks its 50th anniversary and demonstrates its role as a cornerstone in the disability sector in Kilkenny. Its services include offering community-based day locations and a part-time short-break service to individuals. This gives people the opportunity to experience increased independence and build lifelong skills.

SOS Kilkenny provides respite care in one home but it is fully booked for this year and the only other respite it can provide is on an emergency basis. The respite it provides enables families to continue their care role while ensuring service users receive appropriate and dignified care. It is really unfair that families rely on respite. They face long waiting lists, reduced availability and the increased stress on their household that comes with that. Many care givers are completely exhausted and risk burnout. We have spoken many times to caregivers, particularly during the election campaign, many of whom are elderly themselves. They talk about how increasingly difficult it is to manage their care responsibilities. They have been calling out for more respite as a way to transition their loved ones from the family home to independent living.

SOS Kilkenny, in particular, needs a second home to be able to provide a more comprehensive respite service. Could the Minister of State give an update on funding for Sycamore House, a dedicated respite facility in Kilkenny? I am aware that SOS Kilkenny had been promised an extra €1.5 million in funding. Can the Minister of State speak on that? Today is its 50th anniversary so it would be nice to have confirmation that funding is on the way.

In this context, will the Minister of State update the House on the plans to improve respite services for adults with disabilities, older people and children’s disability services? Can he commit to better data collection so that we know the scale of need in respite? Without knowing those numbers, I doubt we will ever get to the stage where we are properly resourcing the services.

The Minister would like to thank Senator Stephenson for raising this important issue and for offering her the opportunity to respond.

Respite is a key priority area for the Department and the HSE and we have seen significant investment in respite services. Respite services can play a crucial role in delaying and-or preventing moves into full-time residential placements, preserving the family unit and supporting family stability. There has been significant focus on respite provision in recent years, with additional funding to expand respite services provided in successive budgets. Between 2021 and 2024, €35.7 million in new development funding was provided to expand respite provision. This has resulted in the addition of tens of thousands of respite sessions for children and adults with disabilities.

The Department is aware that the demand for respite outweighs the current levels of provision and is committed to working towards meeting the high levels of demand. In the national service plan 2025, additional allocation has been provided to increase the occupancy of existing respite capacity where feasible and to increase alternative respite provision, including in-home respite support hours.

The Department and the HSE are working hard to ensure that respite provision expands around the country. Last year, the Department took the opportunity to examine in closer detail the level of respite provision and availability across CHO areas. The HSE data on the national distribution of respite has shown that there are significant variances in the levels of respite being supported across different areas. Consequently, a process has been initiated with the HSE to progressively move to a situation whereby respite services are more equitably distributed across the country. It is important to note that some areas may look to provide more respite and home support to maintain people with family, thereby delaying the pursuit of residential services, and vice versa .

The HSE is also committed, through the national service plan 2025, to undertaking an audit of respite services this year. This audit will provide further insight into how respite services are allocated and managed, allowing efforts to be focused where needed.

The HSE is operating in a very competitive global market for healthcare talent. There are significant shortages of qualified healthcare professionals across the globe. The HSE and specialist disability service providers are experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting and retaining staff across a range of disciplines and grades.

Ensuring that the disability sector is fully resourced is a key priority of the Government which has been reflected in the programme for Government. To address the high staff vacancy rate during 2025 across all disability services, the HSE is continuing to carry out sustained workforce recruitment and retention initiatives. These initiatives will support the HSE and service providers to ensure existing services are utilised to their fullest extent.

The Senator mentioned locations in Kilkenny. I do not know if she flagged when she put down this Commencement Matter that she required some detail. If she sends us an email about what exactly she is looking for, we will endeavour to get that for her.

I recognise there are recruitment challenges. The Minister of State might go into a bit more detail on the efforts being made. His remarks were quite general about how recruitment challenges would be addressed. The Minister of State might not be able to answer now on data and I might ask that the Department come back to me on this. Can we get a commitment for an audit of services and need? Can we start collecting data on the number of rejected applications for respite so we have a sense of how many people are on the waiting list? Without that data on how many people are applying, how many have been rejected, how many have been on the waiting lists and how long they have been there, we cannot really map the extent of the issue.

I note that plans for service delivery are contained within government initiatives including the programme for Government. However, as far as I can see there is not very much information on Gov.ie of the tangible work being done to achieve these targets. It would be great to have that uploaded so there is some accountability.

The development of a formal policy on respite was listed in the action plan for disability services 2024-26 but it was not in the programme for Government. Will the Department commit to do so in the lifetime of this Government?

The data the Senator wants to see flow from the audit is something we can alert the HSE on. There has been steady growth in respite since 2022 with 2024 seeing a significant increase in activity with nearly 10,000 additional overnight sessions and 20,000 day sessions delivered. This coincides with an increase in funding year-on-year. Great work is being done to identify the best use of our resources in the area of respite. New respite services are being commenced. Existing services are being expanded and gaps in provision are being identified. Respite can be delivered in so many different places and ways and what works best will differ from person to person and family to family, which I know the Senator will appreciate. We continue to increase the funding and prioritise respite service provision. That will increase comparatively. Expanded and additional respite supports are critically important to many individuals and families across the country. The importance of this service to the service users and those who support them cannot be overstated. As I stated, respite plays a key role in supporting people to stay in their own homes with their own families for longer. In the first three months of this year alone 6,600 people accessed some kind of respite service, a number higher than that of 2024 entirely. It is important to keep in mind this momentum. The HSE and the Department are working tirelessly to achieve that.

The urgent issue I am raising concerns 40 students who have secured places in Irish universities but are trapped in Gaza. These students have previously been told by the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv that their visa applications would be approved as they met all the necessary criteria and that they would be on the next evacuation flight. They have been waiting for over three months in the most severe and dangerous conditions without any updates or indications as to what the next steps are, what actions are being taken and why there are such delays in the evacuation process.

The students have shown formidable tenacity in the face of indescribable destruction and hardship, in the context of every university in Gaza having been destroyed, and have worked despite these circumstances to be accepted to Irish universities. This is deeply impressive. All of them have worked very hard during an ongoing genocide to earn these places. Their efforts are a testament to their steadfastness, their work ethic and the qualities that have already been noted and recognised by the corresponding universities and by the communities who are anxiously waiting to welcome them to Ireland. The application process required reviews of their transcripts, assessment of their English proficiency, letters of recommendation from living professors in order to qualify for the university places and to obtain scholarships in a number of cases. The visa application required that students demonstrate they would not be a financial burden to the State and they have shown this with support from scholarships and surrounding communities. They have met every single requirement for university placement and for visa applications and are now simply awaiting information on when those visas will be received and how evacuation from Gaza will be organised.

Even though there do not seem to have been Irish evacuation flights since April, other evacuation flights are still taking place. Just last Wednesday, another evacuation, including university students to other European countries, was carried out. The evacuees were taken via bus to the Karem Abu Salem crossing, through occupied Palestine and into Jordan, where they were flown to their respective countries. We know from this that evacuations are possible if the will is there.

Given that the academic term will start in September, I hope we can be provided with some useful information indicating that these students will be able to take up those places in September, especially given the unbearable uncertainty from day to day of their current living circumstances. What steps is the Department taking to ensure these students will be in a position to commence their studies in September? Is detailed information available in respect of evacuation flights or the steps being taken to arrange evacuation flights? Why have there been none since April? Are they scheduled? Are plans under way in relation to this? What are the necessary criteria to receive assistance from the Department? We have heard worrying references to a new layer for those who have already overcome such obstacles. It consists of additional criteria, different from what was in place in April, that they may need to meet in order to have basic assistance with this evacuation. Will be processes in place in the event of a ceasefire to expedite the evacuation from Gaza of these students and the others who are awaiting visas? As we know, it may be a very small window if it occurs. Have there been attempts to co-ordinate with other countries on shared evacuation flights or shared practices for same? Will any information be provided to the applicants to give them a sense of clarity? What has the engagement been between the Departments of foreign affairs and justice on these matters?

I thank the Senator. Ireland has consistently condemned the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and continues to urge all parties to do everything possible to support efforts under way to reach agreement on a new ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including Irish embassies and consulates worldwide, provides consular assistance to Irish citizens who get into difficulty abroad, in accordance with its consular assistance charter. The provision of consular assistance to Irish citizens is a cornerstone of the work of the Department.

I am acutely aware the situation in Gaza is appalling and deteriorating and I appreciate that those with a student scholarship for a higher educational institution in Ireland are desperate to take up their positions in the coming academic year. Ireland, as the Senator knows, has continued to steadfastly advocate for an urgent end to hostilities and for unimpeded humanitarian access. Ireland will continue to advocate on this matter on the international stage.

I appreciate the sentiments that have prompted the Senator to raise this matter but, as she will appreciate, the Department is extremely limited in its ability to provide consular assistance to non-Irish citizens. As she may be aware, exit from Gaza is dependent on receipt of permission from the relevant local authorities, both in Israel and, in certain circumstances, in neighbouring jurisdictions. Such permissions are outside the control of the Government of Ireland. Moreover, visa-required nationals wishing to travel to Ireland must apply to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for a visa. Each visa application is reviewed in accordance with Irish legislation. Officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including in the Irish Embassy in Israel and the representative office of Ireland in Ramallah, have provided advice and guidance to individuals on these requirements over many months. Since the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, that Department has supported 153 persons to leave Gaza and travel to Ireland, including a small number of students. Where necessary, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been in direct contact with the Department of justice, but the overall responsibility for engaging with the Department of justice on visa matters rests with the individuals themselves.

This morning, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, confirmed that nine Palestinian students had safely left Gaza yesterday and are due to arrive in Ireland today. They will take up scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year under the Government's Ireland-Palestine scholarship programme, which is supported through Irish Aid. The students will be supported by the Irish Council of International Students and the managing agency for the Ireland fellows programme in anticipation of their courses starting in September. Three other Ireland-Palestine scholarship fellows were supported to leave Gaza in April of this year, having been unable to exit in 2024. We also look forward to further fellows from the West Bank arriving in September. Currently, eight Ireland-Palestine scholarship fellows from Gaza from the 2024 intake are completing their master's degrees .

There are currently no plans to operate evacuation flights from Gaza. All Irish citizens who remain in Gaza and have contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade seeking assistance have been offered the opportunity to leave, but for a variety of personal reasons they have chosen to remain. I assure the Senator the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stands ready to assist all Irish citizens who remain in Gaza.

I am appalled. I realise the Minister of State has given us the text that people have been receiving in letters, which is that the Department is so busy it is limited in what it can provide to non-Irish citizens even if they have placements in Irish universities. I do not accept that. The idea that consular staff will deal only with Irish citizens, effectively, or those on a direct Irish scholarship is disgraceful in the current context. I ask the Minister of State not to bother talking about the position the Government claims to be taking on these matters. This is a direct shift in position from the kind of humane approach we took on Afghanistan and the kind of humane approach we were taking in April. It is clear the Government is now saying it is going to leave these people on their own, having overcome impossible obstacles and been told a few months ago that they would have access and support. They were told they could not apply for visas until the flights had been arranged and now we are hearing there are no plans for delivering any flights or working on any flights. They are on their own because the very busy embassy in Tel Aviv - I would ask what it has been doing for a long period in terms of the absolute silence from it over years of abuses in Gaza - is too busy to help 21 students not covered by a Government of Ireland scholarship. With all its means, it is too busy to assist them.

I do not accept that the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Department of foreign affairs with all of its resources are too busy and overwhelmed to help 31 additional students take up their placements. I do not accept that. It is disgraceful and a shift in policy. What has changed? Why has the Government changed from this position? Is it a new hard approach we are trying to take? Are we using the most vulnerable example we can possibly find to create a new hardline approach? I am shocked.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has assisted 153 individuals in exiting Gaza. Where officials in the Department have received requests for assistance, they have reviewed each case within the context of the Department's consular assistance charter, which guides its overall consular assistance policy on the ongoing situation in Gaza and provides clear advice and guidance to these individuals. Those individuals the Department was in a position to assist have been assisted in exiting Gaza and travelling to Ireland.

I appreciate that this may be extremely disappointing for those who have a scholarship for an Irish university and have not been able to travel. However, as the Senator will appreciate, the Department, and Irish embassies and consulates worldwide, are extremely limited in the assistance they can provide to non-Irish citizens. I reiterate that Ireland continues to both bilaterally and at a multilateral level call on Israel to comply with international law, stressing the universal applicability of international law, including international humanitarian law. The nine Palestinian students who safely left Gaza yesterday are due to arrive in Ireland today andl take up their scholarships for the coming academic year under the Government's Ireland Palestine scholarship programme, which is supported through Irish Aid.

Up to 30 students from the West Bank and Gaza have benefited from these scholarships each year since it was established in 2019. It is a competitive scholarship for students with a bachelors degree who are resident in the occupied Palestinian territories. The application process is rigorous and highly competitive comprising of application forms, essays and interviews. The scholarship programme is committed to providing equal opportunity to all applicants. I appreciate that this may be extremely disappointing for other students who have been awarded a scholarship for an Irish university and have not been able to travel. However, as the Senator will appreciate, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Irish embassies worldwide are extremely limited in the assistance we can provide to non-Irish citizens. I assure her that I will convey her sentiments to the Tánaiste.