I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to the House.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is our first engagement since his appointment, so he is very welcome to the House. The 2020 programme for Government committed to delivering on our global commitment to protect 30% of our marine area through marine protected areas. This was in line with the Montreal Declaration on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities, with the EU biodiversity strategy, with what would be our fourth national biodiversity action plan and with objectives in the marine strategy framework directive. A lot of the preliminary work that had been done in 2019 was presented in a really excellent report by Professor Tasman Crowe on how we get there and how we deliver this. This is an internationally regarded means of achieving marine biodiversity protection by getting a coherent network around Irish waters. Irish waters are the most significant and important in the EU under the EU biodiversity strategy and this was the means outlined to get there.

Despite the Covid pandemic, we embarked on a public engagement process, travelling to meet fishers and communities in Killybegs and other coastal areas around the country during my time as Minister of State. We had some fantastic engagement, sometimes outdoors in car parks, and it was important that we did that. The one thing that the fishers had been saying to us was that they wanted these marine protected areas. They wanted to protect fish stocks for their own livelihoods but also for coastal communities. From a heritage perspective, these marine protected areas were hugely important. When we look at other countries that have developed marine protected areas, we see positive spillover effects, not just for areas where there are no-take zones but where there are management systems in place to take care of features or species that are within those designated areas.

Last year I attended the basking shark conference and met delegates from all over the world who were very impressed by the fact that the Irish Government had protected basking sharks in Irish waters and how that protection can connect into protections in the North Sea that have been delivered through the Scottish Government. There is an interconnectedness in all of our marine biodiversity and it is vitally important that we support that. The COP is starting in Brazil this week and we are seeing that marine biodiversity is under significant threat from various sources.

Unfortunately in the previous Government, we ran aground with the marine protected areas Bill for various reasons, primarily to do with drafting.

This is significantly challenging legislation to deliver. Notwithstanding that, we had hoped the current Government would continue the trajectory the legislation has started. It had in it very significant elements regarding public participation. To do that correctly and design it in a way that communities and fishers, in particular, are involved in an iterative process that is ongoing and continues to ensure the effective management of our MPAs is hugely important. Unfortunately, that legislation did not make it. I had hoped the Government would continue that piece of work. It was 95% there, but I would love to see a renewed commitment from the Government. We have heard different soundings from the Minister of State and the Minister, when he was with us in committee, about the various approaches, whether they are going to renew this legislation or put an amendment into the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021. What I want to hear from the Minister of State today is what direction of travel the Government is going to take in delivering MPA legislation and to meet our international obligations for marine biodiversity.

I welcome students from Sacred Heart Secondary School in Cork who are guests of Seanadóir Noel O'Donovan. They were finalists in the certified Irish Angus competition and they met the Minister for agriculture, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. Lucy, Ellen, Ciara, Niamh and their teacher Mary are most welcome to Seanad Éireann. I note that Senator O'Donovan had a question in about the Sacred Heart Secondary School and the renovation and construction work, so I will make sure we get around to that Commencement matter in the coming days.

I offer my warm words of welcome to the students from Cork. As somebody who served in this House for quite some time, I will say that the Chair kept the good wine until last. The students have come to the rarefied place where things get debated in a fulsome way.

I thank Senator Noonan for raising this important issue. I know of his personal interest and his time in the Department, and how much work he did on that. I have had an opportunity to review it. The Senator was a long way along and significant credit will be due to him when we finally get a legislative framework in place that seeks to address the MPA legislation. I am pleased to have an opportunity to update all Senators on the Government's progress towards the introduction of marine protected areas legislation. This is a key step in protecting our seas and ensuring a healthy, productive and sustainably used marine environment. On foot of the transfer of the marine environment functions from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Department has undertaken a review to identify the optimum legislative vehicle to designate effectively and manage MPAs.

The Government decision was to try to bring the whole marine function under one Minister of State, and I was fortunate enough to be given that opportunity. One option was to continue with a stand-alone Bill, creating an entirely new and separate statutory designation process in the Irish marine area. The Senator advanced the legislative elements of that very well. The other option considered was to align the designation of MPAs with the provisions of the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, which provides for forward planning, occupancy management and enforcement within a maritime area. In determining which option is optimal, consideration has been given to the opportunity to consolidate marine legislation and not duplicate or reproduce similar procedures in a separate Act.

We have to be mindful of the most efficient way to ensure we meet Ireland's target of protecting 30% of the maritime area by 2030. Anything I have done since coming to office has been aimed at trying to achieve our stated ambition of designating 30% of the maritime area protected by 2030. For me, it was about trying to ensure that we get there as quickly as possible, through an ecologically coherent network of MPAs, and achieving this by empowering us to use the existing spatial planning tool, namely, the DMAP process of designated marine area plans and that is currently under consideration. MPAs could fit well, I believe, into the DMAP structures and their inclusion in the MPA, if decided, would further embed environmental matters in planning legislation, supporting sustainable planning of human activity in our seas, thereby integrating the ecosystem-based approach to management of our maritime areas. Accordingly, it is intended to bring a proposal for Government's approval shortly on the preferred approach. I have a view, which I have expressed and with which the Senator is familiar, but it will ultimately be a decision of the Government. I am hopeful that this will progress in the very near future and I expect that it will be at Cabinet before Christmas.

However, I assure Senator Noonan that the extensive work that has already been undertaken on drafting, and he was very much part of drafting that marine protected area legislation, will certainly not go to waste. It certainly informed me along the way and continues to inform our officials.

On the legislation - regardless of whether it will be an amendment to the Maritime Area Planning Act or the continuation of the existing, if that is what is ultimately decided - I assure the Senator that if it is a bolt-on piece to the Maritime Area Planning Act, it will include: extensive and meaningful public and stakeholder engagement; the identification of species, habitats and ecosystem services that are at risk and which require protection and-or restoration - an ecosystem service being a benefit achieved from the environment; the identification of optimal locations to protect these features and designation of marine protected areas with clear conservation objectives; the appointment of a management authority for MPAs; a requirement for management plans for MPAs; a requirement for bodies authorising, licensing or permitting an activity in an MPA to have regard for its conservation objectives; and, where necessary, the regulation of harmful activities in an MPA, with associated offences and penalties as appropriate.

To help inform the future designation of MPAs once legislation is in place, two ecological sensitivity analyses were commissioned from an independent expert MPA

advisory group. These studies of the western Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea identified possible suitable areas for potential MPAs in these parts of Ireland's maritime area. They also developed methods, approaches and standards for identifying such suitable areas. Such analyses of our western and northern maritime area are planned in the future. Additionally, EU LIFE funding of €15 million has been obtained to aid in developing Ireland's MPA network. The State will add a further €10 million in matched funding to this, making a total project fund of €25 million over the period from 2024 to 2033. The MPA LIFE Ireland project and ongoing wider MPA process will ensure the codesign, development and roll-out of MPAs as well as effective ecosystem-based management.

I welcome that update. The word "codesign" is critically important here. It is not to say that we had not made significant progress. Notwithstanding the legislative piece, we got close to the 10% strict protection through the east coast and seas off Wexford special protection areas, SPAs, for marine birds. That was hugely important. Separately, the two ObSERVE programmes in mapping the ocean and marine biodiversity have been hugely significant, so I welcome the update. I am not sure if it is the correct approach, but I hope it is. I welcome some of the measures that the Minister of State has put in there and that he has given acceptance to what was in the previous Bill using the DMAPs approach. Critically, the main thing is that the State will get there as quickly as possible now. We have had significant delay in drafting. This is not through anyone's fault; these things happen. However, it is critically important that we meet our 30% by 2030 targets given the challenges that our marine biodiversity is facing, but again I welcome the update.

It is clear that our objectives are aligned. We know the importance of designation of at least 30% by 2030. We come at it for the right reasons. The Senator has rightly identified that fishermen and women in particular recognise the importance of protecting these habitats. We see scientific information coming this month from ICES, which sees significant cuts to our fishing opportunities for next year, particularly in the pelagic stocks. For example, mackerel is 70%, 40% for blue whiting and 20% for boarfish and equally for nephrops up to 40%, which is a 38% of a reduction. That clearly shows that if we just take it on fishing alone, let alone the other elements that we want to protect, it is under enormous pressure. By identifying suitable locations to protect and preserve what is an important feature of our maritime space, that is what it is about. I do not have an ideological hang-up in terms of what the most appropriate ways are other than to get there as quickly as possible. By using the existing legislative basis that is there in the Maritime Area Planning Act, which has been tried and tested in terms of the DMAP that has been organised off the south-east coast for offshore renewables, the same principle can be applied. We have to be mindful that whatever legislative approach we put in place is not subject to further challenge, particularly in the courts. The route we are going has the capacity to do that. If we can get there, it is about the end result rather than the means by which we achieve it.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to take this question on the urgent matter of continued and ongoing funding for CCTV cameras in Limerick. The Minister's presence signifies his appreciation of the seriousness of the matter and his commitment to policing and security in Limerick. Before I get to my question, I thank him and acknowledge the work he has done on the criminal law Bill, which he brought forward just before the recess and which, once it has completed its journey through the Houses and been enacted, will do a huge amount in the context of providing protection from domestic violence, gender-based violence and violence against children. As a mother of daughters and as a woman, I thank the Minister for that. I acknowledge his work in this regard. We look forward to debating the Bill in this House.

This matter relates to a significant safety and policing matter in Limerick. I refer to our 24-7 CCTV monitoring service, which is at risk due to the phased winding down of Government regeneration funding. This service is operated by Moyross Community Enterprise Centre in partnership with Limerick City and County Council and An Garda locally in Limerick. It is central to keeping our communities safe. It supports Garda operations and deters crime. Where it does not deter crime, it helps those involved to detect it and pursue prosecutions. As a result, it is crucial. It is deeply concerning for all Oireachtas Members across Limerick that staff at the monitoring centre have been issued with protective notice because of the uncertainty about ongoing funding.

As the Minister knows, Limerick faces unique challenges. It has some of the most deprived communities in the country. The two most deprived parts of the country are in Limerick city. When the Minister visited Limerick earlier this year, he and I met with the representatives from the prison, gardaí, people from a domestic violence refuge and those who provide family supports for prisoners. He was briefed at first hand on many of the issues we are contending with. Poverty and extreme deprivation have serious knock-on effects across society. They impact on health, life expectancy, school attendance, employment prospects and mental well-being. They lead to addiction and leave vulnerable people and children open to exploitation by gangs. Communities in such circumstances need more rather than less Garda support.

This year alone, we have had over 17 shooting incidents in Limerick. We have also had approximately 11 explosive incidents in Limerick. Gangland feuds are simmering in Limerick. In that context, our Garda numbers and supports, including the CCTV unit, have to be strengthened rather than diminished. The loss of this CCTV service will have a serious impact on public safety in Limerick. Since becoming a public representative, I have consistently pressed for greater investment in Garda resources and supports in Limerick, including more CCTV cameras as an essential tool for gardaí and an effective deterrent against crime. I have made representations to the local authority for further cameras on the greenway in Castletroy and in particular areas I am familiar with, such as the graveyard in Scanlon Park in Castleconnell. Both of those locations are known for antisocial behaviour. Drug dealing and other criminal activity takes place at the graveyard in question. I have spoken with local gardaí about these issues. They are supportive of further CCTV cameras being installed.

I thank the Minister for being present and for the direct approach he is taking on this issue. I look forward to his update.

I thank Senator Ryan for raising this important matter. I am fully aware of her interest in CCTV cameras in Limerick. The matter is extremely important, as she stated.

One of the things I, as Minister for justice, am seeking to do is ensure that people feel safe in their communities, whether that is in Limerick or in any other part of the country. It is unquestionably the case that where people have CCTV cameras, they feel a greater sense of security. It is unquestionably the case that the presence of cameras deters criminal activity and antisocial behaviour. I am well aware of the important role CCTV cameras play in trying to combat crime and antisocial behaviour. As the Senator is aware, there are a variety of CCTV cameras that operate throughout our communities, and not just in Limerick.

An Garda Síochána has certain cameras that it puts in place and that it requires. They are of great assistance to it in combating crime. The particular type of CCTV camera the Senator referenced is one that was established under the regeneration programme in Limerick around ten years ago, which was part of a much broader initiative to improve the quality of life of local communities in Limerick. I note what the Senator said about the communities in Moyross and other areas, about how they are very dependent upon these CCTV cameras.

As the Senator will be aware, the day-to-day funding of those CCTV schemes has, for many years, come from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and is part of the regeneration projects in Limerick, with a significant contribution also being made, I have to say, by Limerick City and County Council. I understand the CCTV system concerned consists of approximately 240 cameras, which is a very significant number of cameras, and that operating costs for 2024 were over €800,000. As such, the infrastructure in place in Limerick is well outside the scope of the grants administered by my Department. The type of CCTV funding that is provided by the Department of justice is for community-based CCTV cameras and schemes that have got grants of up to €40,000 for capital expenditure and up to €5,000 for maintenance under the scheme.

I am fully aware that CCTV is important. It is very much going to be centrally part of the local community safety partnerships that have been established throughout the country. It is also the case that under the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, the Garda Commissioner will have a significant role to play in the approval of CCTV schemes into the future.

I am aware that many public representatives in Limerick are concerned about the issue the Senator is highlighting here. For instance, I had a meeting earlier on today with the Mayor of Limerick, Mr. John Moran. I thank him for coming up. There was a meeting between Mayor Moran, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and me. I hope it will be possible for the CCTV scheme to continue to operate as it has done over the past decade. As I said, we had a very good meeting with Mayor Moran. He is fully aware and, I think, committed to ensuring that it stays there. I also agree with him that An Garda Síochána wants these cameras to remain, as they are of significant use to it.

All I will say to the Senator at this stage is I hope a solution will be found to ensure the ongoing funding. I cannot give her a commitment in respect of that yet but I know Mayor Moran is very much engaged in that issue. We had a meeting today and I would like to see a resolution agreed in respect of the matter.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. It is reassuring to hear that our first citizen and the first directly elected mayor in the country, Mayor Moran, has engaged directly with him and the Minister, Deputy Browne, on this matter. I wish the Minister and him well in their ongoing discussions and negotiations on this. I hope a temporary solution can be found for funding to prevent the protective notices having to be executed on this occasion and to ensure the service can be maintained. I look forward to engaging further with the Minister to ensure this vital tool for the Garda in Limerick is built into ongoing budgeting for future years in the Department of justice.

I note the Minister said that the local authority contributed significantly to it. I know the Minister might expect me to say this but, for €800,000, it sounds to me like a hell of a great return on investment for security and assistance in detecting and prosecuting crime in Limerick.

I appreciate the importance of it. I certainly want to see it continue. With regard to what has happened with the funding, the funding had originally been provided, and is still being provided, by the Department of housing under the regeneration projects in Limerick. In fairness to the Minister, Deputy Browne, his Department indicated a number of years ago that it would be gradually reducing the moneys provided for the scheme, so it was flagged a number of years before now. As Minister for justice, I obviously want to try to ensure that the wishes of the Garda continue to operate. I know the Garda wants the cameras to continue and I know the Mayor of Limerick wants them to continue but, at present, I cannot identify a funding source within the Government that is available.

We had a good meeting with Mayor Moran, however. The fact that he came to Dublin today for a meeting is indicative of how seriously he takes it, and the fact that I and the Minister, Deputy Browne, met him is indicative of how seriously we take it. I hope there will be a solution in the short term, and we can look at other matters in the longer term in due course.

I thank the Minister of State. I really appreciate him coming in. This is really an urgent matter. I am going to explain to him a little bit about the fire station in Rathdowney and a little bit about the history of it and where it is at now so he can understand how urgent this situation is. Rathdowney fire station is one of the oldest fire stations in the country. It was built in 1954, so that is about 70 years ago now. The site for a new modern station was purchased in 2009, yet 16 years later, it is still idle, undeveloped, unused and gathering dust. Meanwhile, the firefighters of Rathdowney continue to operate out of a building that is completely unfit for purpose. I have been to this building, and it is completely unfit for purpose. The current situation was designed for a single jeep and a small mobile pump, but today it houses three vehicles, including two large fire tenders. The building is cramped, outdated and located on a narrow street that makes it extremely difficult for crews to respond quickly to calls. It literally takes skill and precision just to manoeuvre the engine in and out of the building, something no firefighter should have to contend with when every second counts in an emergency. The situation inside the station is equally unacceptable. The changing area is 3 sq. m. We have four female firefighters there and six men, and we have two vacancies as well. The Minister of State can imagine 3 sq. m, with one shower and one changing area. This is just totally unacceptable in 2025 for dignity and respect for the women in the station, given we have a new site purchased since 2009 sitting there waiting to be refurbished. In this day and age, it is just not acceptable. The station does not even have car parking spaces, so people have to go there and park on double yellow lines, if they can get parking. These people are supposed to be responding to emergencies, when they can be delayed because they cannot park their cars to literally get out the fire trucks to get on the way.

Rathdowney serves a vast rural area covering south Laois and responding into parts of counties Offaly, Tipperary and Kilkenny. The service they provide is critical to rural safety and community resilience. Laois County Council has repeatedly made this project its number one priority for services, submitting applications every year. It submitted an application last year and again it was refused. We know Stradbally is getting refurbished at the minute, but every time they submit an application for Rathdowney, it is just pushed back. Today, I just want to get answers. It is shovel ready. It is ready to go. I visited the site, the warehouse that is with the site and the very small fire station these firefighters are working out of, so I just want to know when this long-promised commitment is going to be delivered, and why, 16 years after a site was purchased, our firefighters are still working out of a building that is no longer safe. It is not as if we do not have a site or funds for the site. It is metres up the road from the other fire station. Laois County Council and the people of Rathdowney deserve clarity and commitment. I ask that the Minister of State's Department prioritises the Rathdowney fire station project as a matter of urgency within the fire services capital programme and that construction will finally begin. These firefighters protect our communities, and it is time now that we protect the facilities that they deserve.

I thank the Senator very much for raising this important matter. At the outset, I acknowledge the fantastic work that is done by fire service personnel across this country day in, day out. When there are emergencies that most people run away from, they run towards them.

I put on record my thanks to them for their fantastic work. Obviously, ensuring firefighters have the appropriate facilities is a priority of Government.

I will add a few pieces later but, to give context to my response, the provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual local authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for equipment and priority infrastructural projects. Project consideration stages from a Department perspective include: submission of preliminary and detailed appraisals; submission of a design brief; selection of a site; application of approval in principle; appointment of design consultants; submission of a preliminary design planning application; submission of a preliminary cost plan; detailed design and cost plans; and a tender process. As the Senator will appreciate, there are a significant number of stages to progressing a project.

In December 2020, the then Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, announced the fire service capital programme for the period 2021 to 2025, with a funding allocation of €61 million. Following an extensive engagement with fire authorities, a number of proposals for station works were received. The proposals were then evaluated and prioritised on a basis of area risk categorisation of the fire station, which includes population, fire risk and so on, established health and safety needs, the state of the development of the project, value for money offered by the proposal and the totality of requests from all local authorities.

The Senator said in her initial comments that Laois County Council has consistently put the Rathdowney fire station forward as its number one project but the information I have to hand here is that, at that time, Laois County Council put forward the Stradbally fire station as its number one priority, with the replacement of the Rathdowney fire station as its second priority. While the fire station in Stradbally was not initially included in the Department's fire service capital programme for 2021 to 2025, it subsequently was included following a reappraisal. Since then, approval in principle for a new fire station at Stradbally was conveyed to the council in November 2022. The council was approved to tender for design consultants for the project in March 2023 and, in September of this year, the council was approved to invite tenders for the construction phase of the Stradbally fire station project. My Department officials are working with Laois County Council to progress that fire station in Stradbally and I understand the council's intention is to publish that tender request before the end of the year.

Regarding Rathdowney, I will go into further details in my follow-up comments but my understanding is Laois County Council has indicated this is now its number one priority to progress and that, in December of last year, it submitted an updated preliminary appraisal for the proposed new fire station at Rathdowney, noting several issues with the existing station, some of which the Senator identified in her opening comments.

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate his in-depth response. Rathdowney would have been the number one priority and then things changed and Stradbally became our priority. Stradbally is very much a done deal now, as the Minister of State said, with approvals having been granted in 2022 and 2023. We are very much waiting for that process to happen. In the meantime, however, Rathdowney has remained a health and safety risk for the workers there and for the women in the station, which has one changing area of 3 sq. m for the four women and the men. As one can imagine, they are emergency services and there is not a lot of time when they are getting changed and going out.

I ask the Minister of State to put extra consideration into the urgency of this matter. I understand all the processes he has talked about there - I do not understand all the different processes - but he might look at it a little bit further to see how we can push things along with regard to the 2026-30 plan and the proposal Laois County Council submitted last year. As far as the council is concerned, it is not sure there is going to be funding there in the next cycle.

I would love to see a commitment that these firefighters in Rathdowney are not going to be left behind this time round.

The Senator has rightly pointed out the limitations of the existing facility in Rathdowney, such as its poor layout and the additional requirements from a welfare perspective for staff given the additional crewing elements. Laois County Council has now indicated this is its priority one project for the capital programme that will run from 2026 to 2030. It has the site the Senator identified, which will be a better site to allow for tenders to navigate the streets. I can assure the Senator my officials will work with Laois County Council to progress its identified priority infrastructural projects within the context of the totality of the budget that will be available for the 2026 to 2030 programme. We are working on that within the Department and what the capital envelope will be for that programme.

I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, to the Chamber.

I want to raise speech and language services and a specific family, whom I will not identify, that have contacted me regarding services in the Connemara area. A child, soon to be four years old and due to start school in September 2026, was referred to the HSE for speech and language in August 2023 before he turned two years old. He was diagnosed with an expressive language delay. He had certain developmental issues, and it was advised that he would benefit from a place in a speech and language class in Rinn Mhór in County Galway. North Connemara to Rinn Mhór is about an hour-and-a-half drive each way of over 80 km. Indeed, to reach a class on time would mean the parents having to leave the house at 6.30 a.m. to get to the school. The Department looked at opening a speech and language class in Connemara but was told they did not have enough for it. It is not good enough that any parents would be expected to drive a four-year-old child over 80 km and an hour and a half each way to a class, not only into Galway city, but crossing Galway city into Rinn Mhór to avail of services.

Tá rud éigin mícheart leis an gcóras nuair a chaithfidh tuismitheoirí de ghasúir ceithre bliana d'aois atá ag tosú ar scoil i Meán Fómhair 2026 taisteal ó thuaisceart Chonamara an bealach ar fad go dtí an chathair agus trasna na cathrach go dtí an Rinn Mhór chun teiripe urlabhra agus teanga a fháil. Níl sé sin cóir nó maith go leor. Ní mór go mbeadh rochtain ag gach duine ar sheirbhísí. Tá sé mícheart a bheith ag súil go mbeadh tuismitheoirí agus páistí ag tiomáint ar feadh uaireanta chun seirbhísí riachtanacha a fháil. D'fhéadfadh tuismitheoirí ó thuaisceart Chonamara a bheith ag tiomáint os cionn uair go leith go dtí an Rinn Mhór agus ar ais, ag brath ar an trácht ar aon lá. Dúradh liom go bhfuil seirbhísí ar fáil i gContae na Gaillimhe sa Rinn Mhór agus i mBéal Átha na Sluaighe. Tá gá le seirbhísí ar an taobh thiar den Choirib freisin. Cad iad na pleananna atá ag Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte na seirbhísí sin a sholáthar i gConamara?

We all accept that services need to be accessible for the people who need them. In this case, for a child aged four and for his parents, in terms of quality of life, management of time, and being able to look after other children within the family, services should be provided closer to the parents' home for the sake of the child. A child with developmental issues has enough going on without having to spend an hour and a half each way in a car. I am asking that the HSE, in conjunction with the Department of education, would ensure there are classes and equity provided to youngsters in the Connemara region around speech and language.

I thank Senator Kyne for raising this issue on behalf of his constituent's family. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Primary care therapy services such a speech and language therapy play a central role in the provision of early and cost-effective interventions. However, the HSE has advised that primary care therapy services such as speech and language therapy are experiencing increased pressure due to an increase in referrals, alongside increasing complexity of presentations which is leading to longer interventions, as well as challenges related to recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals working in general and specialist services in the community. Taken together, these factors have all contributed to an increase in waiting lists and waiting times for services across the country. Specifically, in Galway, the HSE advises that there have been challenges filling a number of maternity leave vacancies. A local recruitment campaign was carried out recently and a senior speech and language therapist panel was formed in order to address these vacancies. In addition, the HSE is managing vacancies locally through use of agency staff and ensuring that a service is provided to the highest priority children.

The Minister fully acknowledges the urgent need to improve timely access to services and consistency of patient experience, regardless of location, for all primary care therapy services, including speech and language therapy. To address long waiting times, the Department of Health and HSE have jointly developed a focused programme approach to put in place considerable standardised infrastructure to support systematic responses to primary care therapy waiting lists. As part of this programme approach and building on successful local initiatives focused on reducing primary care waiting lists, the Minister has asked the CEO of the HSE to put measures in place to scale up these initiatives at a national level to address three primary care services, specifically speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Beginning immediately, the HSE has been asked to reduce the waiting lists for these three therapies to less than ten months. Nationally, this will remove over 60,000 people from the waiting lists across these three primary care therapies. There will be a significant improvement on where we are now, as approximately one third of our patients are currently waiting over a year to access services. The Government has provided initial funding to the HSE to begin this work.

The Minister fully recognises the frustration of people in parts of Galway with long waiting times for speech and language therapy services. She also recognises that much more needs to be done to fill local vacancies, address waiting lists and ensure consistent, equitable and timely access to primary care services across communities. This Government is committed to building capacity in primary care, as outlined in the programme for Government, by recruiting additional staff numbers, promoting advanced practice roles in the community for health and social care professionals and increasing the number of college training places for health and social care professions. Together, these measures to reduce therapy waiting times to 12 months nationally, and to build capacity in our healthcare workforce, will bring about improvements in access to services across the country, including in Connemara.

I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Department of Health. It gave a lot of plans but did not give any specifics in relation to improved services or any timelines. It stated that these changes will bring about improvements to service across the country, including in Connemara, but where, when and what age will this child be when improved services are made available to him? I will engage further with the Department of Health and the HSE on this issue. I reiterate that it is not acceptable that a four-year-old child and his parents are expected to drive an hour and a half each way into and across Galway city to avail of an important service, namely, speech and language therapy. It is necessary to get those interventions early to ensure the child has the best chances in life. I appreciate the Minister of State is here on behalf of the Department of Health but I will raise this further to try to ensure there are improved services in the region and a quicker response time.

I appreciate the Senator's frustration. He raised a specific query in relation to his own area in Connemara. To be fair to the Department, it acknowledges that this is a problem.

It has adopted a national plan as to how to target this problem in relation to the systematic programme it will roll out across the three disciplines: occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy. If the scheme is improved nationally, it will have an impact across all regions.

I will take back what the Senator has raised specifically in relation to Connemara and ask if the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, can come back to him directly as to how this targeted approach will deal with the long waiting lists in Connemara. We experience this right across the country. Only yesterday I had a round-table discussion with service providers in my constituency about the challenges they face, and the big issue, which the Government will have to come to terms with, is how to ensure we can attract and retain critical professionals to provide these services, because we are not doing so. There is a high vacancy rate - maternity leave, people moving into the private sector - and we will have to try to address that because if we do not have the professionals to provide the services, we will not be able to bring down the waiting lists.