I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to the Seanad.

I thank the Minister of State for attending today. I raise this matter because I have encountered its real-life impact. The issue concerns the application process timeframe for the partial capacity benefit. This scheme allows people to return to work if they have reduced capacity while continuing to receive support from the Department of Social Protection. The Department sets out that people must apply for partial capacity benefit before they start work, or within 21 days of starting work. This creates a scenario that can affect a person who returns to work after illness with the intention of resuming full-time work, only to find out that they do not have the capacity to do so. By this time, the 21-day window has elapsed and they are unable to access partial capacity benefit, despite being unable to work full-time. They are left working reduced hours with a lower income and without that additional support.

Because the partial capacity benefit payment is lower than full illness benefit or invalidity pension, and because income may also be lower, the individual faces a double hit of reduced hours and missing benefit support. A submission by the Citizens Information Board in 2015 described cases where people were worse off returning to work through the partial capacity benefit scheme than they would be remaining on the social welfare payment.

The rigid timeframe and the risk of losing other payments before they even know their capacity means people may delay returning to work, may continue claiming benefits when they might wish to work, or may accept reduced hours without any support. This is a poor outcome for individuals, employers and the economy. I ask the Minister of State to engage with the Department to undertake a review of the partial capacity benefit application timeframe and process. First, the application deadline should be extended to recognise that an individual's capacity to work may change after they return to work, rather than solely before. Second, a transitional window should be introduced to allow applications after the person realises their reduced capacity and moves to reduced hours without penalty for missing that initial 21-day window. Third, information and guidance should be improved in order to ensure people returning to work are aware of their partial capacity benefit rights, of the deadlines and of the implications for earnings and benefits. Social protection schemes must be responsive to real-life trajectories of illness, recovery and returning to work. The current partial capacity benefit application timeframe places unnecessary risk and undermines the very objective of the scheme, which is to support people who can work some hours but not full time.

I thank Senator Costello for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary.

Partial capacity benefit is a social welfare scheme that is open to people who are in receipt of invalidity pension or illness benefit for more than six months, and who have a reduced work capacity. The scheme allows them to work or return to employment or self-employment while retaining a portion of their previous payment. The personal rate of payment of partial capacity benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person's restriction regarding their capacity for work. After the medical assessment, if a person's disability is rated as moderate, severe or profound, their payment continues at 50%, 75% or 100% percent of their existing rate, respectively. If a person's disability is rated as mild, they will not be entitled to partial capacity benefit.

There are no restrictions on earnings from employment or the number of hours worked under the partial capacity benefit scheme. There is, however, a requirement under legislation that people must claim their entitlement within a specific period from the date on which the entitlement arises. In the case of partial capacity benefit, this is set out in section 241(2)(ba) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, which sets out the position "where the claim is made before the person commences employment, in respect of any period more than 13 weeks before such commencement" or "where the claim is made after the person commences employment, in respect of any period more than 3 weeks after such commencement". There is a two-stage application process involved.

The applicant first notifies the Department of their intent to take up employment and applies for partial capacity benefit. The Department will determine whether the applicant is eligible, and if so, at what level the partial capacity benefit will be paid. Once that decision is made, the applicant must then confirm that they wish to proceed on that basis and confirm the date their employment is commencing. The partial capacity benefit team will then put the relevant payment in place. The purpose of this is to allow a person to make a claim for partial capacity benefit in advance of the intended date of commencement of employment. It is also to allow a person to plan and organise their finances and decide if they want to start work.

The three-week window allows for late applications. It enables a person to remain eligible for partial capacity benefit for three weeks after they start employment. However, the deciding officers may award partial capacity benefit outside of this application window in exceptional circumstances. An internal audit conducted in 2021 revealed that only one person who had applied for partial capacity benefit was outside this application window. I am pleased to say that the average length of time for the award of the partial capacity benefit claim is now under three weeks, which is well inside the targeted processing times for this support.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I appreciate the points she made about the three-week timeframe but, as she will have seen from my response on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, the review conducted in 2021 shows that there was only one claim outside this window, and they can be looked at on an exceptional basis. If the Senator has any individual cases, I am sure the Minister would be willing to look at them.

Before I call on the Senator, I welcome students from Lucan Community College to the Seanad. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I thank the Minister of State for that answer. I would argue the point about the three-week window. I do not think it is acceptable. People are living with cancer at the moment. Someone with stage 4 cancer could have returned to work six weeks ago and then realise they are exhausted. They would be in active treatment and cannot plan for when fatigue hits and when they cannot work at full capacity. I urge the Minister to look at this. I welcome the timeframes and the timely manner in which claims are being processed. We do need efficiency in such circumstances, including the manner in which exceptional circumstances are dealt with. I think that maybe only one person applied because people are not aware of the benefits of partial capacity and their right to it. That was why I included the information piece in my Commencement matter.

It is an important matter. I am aware of people in my constituency of Waterford who avail of partial capacity benefit. It is there to support people who are looking to return to the work environment even though they have had or continue to have significant challenges. It is an appropriate scheme. I will feed back the points the Senator made about three-week window, but I again stress that the Department will look at any individual case on an exceptional basis. The purpose of it being front-loaded is to try to ensure that constituents have certainty when they re-enter the workforce and that they do so in the full knowledge of what their entitlements are. That is a positive on the front end, but I acknowledge that the Senator is referencing the challenges that could exist on the back end.

I thank the Cathaoirelach for selecting this Commencement matter. It is timely and perhaps even a bit premature given that Cabinet is today considering the Delivering Homes, Building Communities document, but that is for another day. We may hear something tomorrow.

I welcome the Minister of State. I appreciate his coming here because this is an area in which he is directly involved and has vast experience. Also, he is a Minister of State in the relevant Department, which I appreciate and acknowledge.

This Commencement matter really arose from correspondence I received from the Minister, Deputy James Browne, dated 1 October 2025. It is a very positive letter. I thank the Minister for it and for his ongoing engagement. I have found him to be most effective and engaging regarding anything I have raised with him concerning his Department, just as I have found the Minister of State to be such. The Minister states in the letter that the programme for Government commits to introducing a new voids programme and that work is under way in the Department to roll out that programme. That is very important.

I am conscious, of course, that the Minister of State is going to launch, in the next day or two, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, with the aim of providing 90,000 starter homes over the five-year period. However, I am also conscious that there are thousands of social houses empty. I like to call social housing “public housing”, a phrase I prefer to use. The housing is a public asset. The homes are provided from public funds. It is important. There is not a day on which, like many Senators and councillors around the country, I do not receive calls to state there have been voids for a year, two years or three years. I walked the streets of Waterford, our beloved city, and was amazed by the voids and also empty private properties. Waterford is a classic example of a city that is really tackling the problem head-on. The Minister of State is a strong advocate in this regard, which I acknowledge.

When you have been years on a public housing list, you know every social house in the place because your hope and aspiration is that you will be in one of them one day. What is happening is unacceptable. There is a chronic lack of social housing, and social housing lists are continuing to grow. People are told they are put on a waiting list based on priority, and that is a matter for each local authority according to its social housing allocation plan. There are thousands of people in council houses up and down the country. We effectively have a housing assistance payment, HAP, that has been rendered useless. In the national press today, there is a story that in the past four weeks, only one of the 50 people approved for the HAP in the Meath County Council area was able to secure a HAP property. That is the scenario. I know that no one is here to vindicate or commend it. We all know we have a housing crisis and we look forward to the plans tomorrow.

My concern is about the number of vacant properties, the unoccupied units, the underused housing stock and the planned maintenance or lack thereof. The Minister of State will be aware that some local authorities are not maintaining their housing stock. I can confirm for the Minister of State, if he does not know it already, that some local authorities have not had officials visit their houses for over 30 years. Tenants I identified and spoke to in three local authority areas told me that although they have had tenancies for over 40 years, not once has any official entered their properties. Since it entails a landlord–tenant arrangement, this sounds very unsatisfactory to me. It would not be tolerated in the private sector. The Minister of State will be aware that I tried to bring in changes in this regard but did not have a lot of support. How and ever, let me refer to the refurbishment programme and the lack of funding. The city and county managers tell me there is a limited amount of funding per unit. What the Minister of State launches tomorrow may address some of these issues. Addressing them may be part of the plan or it may not, but I realise there is a Government commitment to tackle voids. I would really like progress on what the Minister referred to as the development of the programme in relation to voids. Where are we with that?

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising what is an important matter. The programme for Government, as he rightly pointed out, commits to introducing a new programme to support the effective and speedy turnaround of vacated local authority social homes. My Department has been working on this matter and I expect a new programme that will further support the transition to a planned maintenance approach and the quicker turnaround of casual vacancies, to be rolled out early in the new year.

The new programme will build on the strong progress made in tackling local authority vacancy levels. This was supported and enabled by significant Exchequer funding in the past ten years, particularly since 2020. More than €360 million has been provided to local authorities since 2014, supporting the refurbishment and re-letting of some 26,000 social homes. This year alone, some €31 million was provided, targeting the turnaround of 1,900 social homes.

The programme focuses on the prompt turnaround and re-letting of vacant homes.

It supports only those works necessary to comply with the housing standards for rented houses guidelines 2019. Non-essential works are not supported and should be carried out under the local authority's own planned maintenance programme, informed by stock condition surveys where all housing components are on an inspection, repair and replacement cycle. Local authority officials and elected members must ensure there is adequate funding provision for repairs and cyclical maintenance, using the significant rental income available to them, as part of their annual budgetary process. There is no upper cap on the amount that can be spent per home, providing the total amount averaged across all homes submitted by local authorities does not exceed €11,000. Where a local authority chooses to do works over and above those that are necessary to comply with statutory rental standards, it invariably impacts relay times and increases costs for the local authority. At a time of such need, this approach must be interrogated by local authority members.

In my work as Minister of State with responsibility for planning and local government, this is an area on which I place significant focus. Being frank, there are unacceptable discrepancies in local authority performance in this area. I have had some frank and honest conversations with executive teams in local authorities around the country. The NOAC performance indicators report for 2024 bears out this fact. It simply should not be the case that local authorities in Roscommon, Monaghan and Carlow are able to re-let local authority homes in under 16 weeks while local authorities such as those in Limerick, Kerry and Louth take over a year. The average re-letting time now stands at 35 weeks nationally and I am sure the Senator agrees that this must reduce. Every local authority has a responsibility in this area.

The funding that has been provided in the past decade or so has tackled a large number of long-term vacant stock and brought those properties back into use, paving the way for the transition to a more appropriate approach to housing maintenance, which is the planned maintenance approach the Senator referenced. Some €10 million has been ring-fenced for local authorities to commence and continue this transition from a largely response and voids-based approach to a planned maintenance approach based on planned work programmes informed by stock condition surveys. Given the significant level of funding over recent years, the vast majority of legacy vacancy issues should be addressed at this stage. Accordingly, local authorities should be better positioned to address casual vacancies and further transition to that planned approach to housing maintenance. We will continue to support local authorities in those endeavours in the time ahead.

I thank the Minister of State. He has demonstrated the benefit of having a line Minister with expertise and knowledge. I thank him for his robust, honest and frank response. There was a lot of meat and honesty in it, which is to be welcomed. I thank him. That again illustrates, as I have said previously, the importance of having the relevant Minister from the relevant Department before the House. This is a clear example of an excellent response. This is clearly a Minister of State who knows what he is talking about. I acknowledge that because it is important.

My one takeaway for the Minister of State relates to the lack of a cap. I note the point he makes. However, there are county managers saying they are controlled by the €11,000. The Minister of State has clearly stated the parameters and clarified the position. There may be a need for further guidance to the county councillors. They are hearing one thing and the managers are saying another. The Minister of State might consider whether it is appropriate to send an additional circular or provide further information. I would undertake to circulate such a thing. It is important that the Department has clarified that point.

I genuinely wish the Minister of State and the Government well with the new national housing plan, which is being discussed at Cabinet today. It will be launched tomorrow. It is entitled Delivering Homes, Building Communities. I recognise that all of us, as policymakers in these Houses, must unite and come together with one voice to deliver new homes for our communities. I wish the Minister of State well.

I thank the Senator for his remarks. I appreciate them. As he knows, it is an area I know well from my 11 years having served on local authorities and the five years I sat on the Oireachtas joint committee with the Senator. I am being honest here.

The performance by some local authorities in this space is unacceptable to me as Minister of State. I have had the honest and frank conversations. I have called out the best and worst performers in that NOAC report, but there are plenty in the middle as well that also need to up their game because an average relay time of 35 weeks at a time of such need for the public outside of these Houses of the Oireachtas is unacceptable. Local authorities have to drive efficiencies and performance in this space. They need to reduce their relay times. While they must ensure, obviously, that those properties are to an acceptable standard as per the regulations, if it is a weigh-up option between going over and above what is required and taking an extra 20 weeks to do so or doing what is required under the regulations and getting someone into that property at a time of such need, for me, the latter is my priority and that of the Minister, Deputy Browne. It is a message that I am delivering and will continue to deliver in local authorities around this country because it is what the public and politicians in this House and chambers around the country expect. I will support them in that.

The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is very welcome. I thank him for coming to the House.

I welcome the Minister of State. It is nice to have him back here. My Commencement matter relates to wind turbines and the effects they have on rural communities. Two wind farms are being proposed in County Limerick, one in Coolcappa and the other in the area of Bruff and Dromin-Athlacca. Both of these wind farms will have wind turbines of 158 m, which are extremely high wind turbines similar to the ones seen on the main motorway from Limerick to Dublin, so you can imagine the height of these near houses. These wind farms are causing unbelievable problems in the area because the proposer of the wind turbines has given his land, where these wind turbines are proposed to go, but the people in the houses, schools and communities nearby are completely opposed due to the distance and proximity to their homes. They reckon they will completely lose the value of their homes if these wind turbines go up. They will not be able to sell when it comes to it, nor will they even want to pass them down to their children because of the flicker effect and the noise of the wind turbines.

It is really frustrating that we are working off guidelines from 2006 when new guidelines were drafted in 2019. We are in 2025, six full years since these guidelines were drafted, but they have not been published. Local authorities are completely inconsistent with their plans and procedures for wind farms. They are working off old guidelines. They do not know if the wind turbines going up at the moment will be within the new guidelines. If the new guidelines come out and stipulate that we cannot have turbines at a height of 158 m, these new ones that go up will not be pulled out. They will not. Realistically, once something goes in, that it is it; it is in.

Another big issue for our rural communities is that when these wind turbines go in, people will not be able to get planning permission to build a house on all the land in the surrounding area. We are going to end up depopulating our rural areas. It has happened in the past. Two wind turbines went up and I know the family who lived in a house near the turbines. They were far enough back from the house that no one objected because they were not going to be in the way, but when their son came of age and wanted to build a house on the land they owned next to the house, he could not build there because it was too close to the turbines. We are stopping future planning permission by putting these turbines in the middle of these rural areas. We need to be protecting our future planning for our rural areas. I ask that these guidelines be published immediately.

I thank Senator Collins for raising what is an important issue. It is an issue that is regularly vented in both Houses.

I come across it regularly in my constituency, as does the Senator. It is important that we try to put in context why we as a State are encouraging renewable energy, and the importance of it.

It is important that people in communities engage collectively and also with the developer in the first instance. Some of the developers do not make enough effort to engage with the local community and that is regrettable. Of course, it is, as set out in law, available to any citizen or group to make submissions to the local authority or, indeed, to An Coimisiún Pleanála in relation to issues so that proper planning is followed. That is part of the process generally.

As an island nation with one of the best wind resources in the world, Ireland is uniquely positioned to lead Europe's renewable electricity future. We are a world leader in onshore wind. As I said, we get a greater share of our electricity - approximately 35% - from onshore wind farms than anywhere else in Europe. That is important in terms of decarbonising our economy. Deploying onshore wind at scale reduces our reliance on imported fossil fuels, which are subject, as the Senator will be aware, to volatile global markets. By generating electricity domestically, it will stabilise and potentially lower energy prices for consumers. I set that out to put a context on why wind farms and solar farms are an important part of our energy mix.

Analysis that has been done by the ESRI suggests that early delivery of onshore wind this decade will drive down wholesale electricity prices by up to 10%. That is important for homeowners and it is important, from an Irish perspective, in terms of attracting jobs to Ireland.

Another clear advantage of offshore wind development, particularly for rural communities, as the Senator will be familiar with, lies in the opportunity it affords to meaningful community benefit. Under the renewable electricity support scheme, all projects receiving State support are required to establish a community benefit fund. These funds ensure that host communities share directly in the value generated by the wind energy. They enable investment in community facilities, educational initiatives and local energy efficiency measures.

I set that out in the full knowledge that somebody who does not want a wind turbine close to their home sees little benefit in that community gain because they see others benefiting from it and they feel there is an imposition on them. It is not for me to lecture anybody. I see some communities and people who have real concerns and then the wind turbines are there a while and they accept them.

There is a lot of concern about the devaluation of property but, in truth, it does not materialise. There is an initial shock to say, "Who would ever buy my home?" Most homes will never be for sale anyway, quite frankly, because they are people's homes. So long as there is proper planning and appropriate measures are taken, it generally works out reasonably well. It is still important that communities engage collectively, come together and seek the best professional advice in terms of making submissions - there is nothing wrong with that. I meet people who are supportive of renewable energy but say, "This might be a little bit too much for my community." The system is there to protect everybody. If people, first of all, look at the really positive benefits of taking out fossil fuels from the energy mix and of recognising that there is potential gain for the community and juxtapose that with what might be their objections and engage with the planning process fully, there is an opportunity to work through all of that.

Like the Minister of State, I see reducing energy costs as definitely a plus. However, if you cannot build on your land and you cannot get planning permission because your land is now going to be too close to the turbine that went in last year, it does not matter what the electricity cost is as you cannot live there. One without the other does not seem to work. That is my issue. These two policies, one trying to repopulate rural areas and the other trying to provide for wind energy, are going against each other. They are not going to work together. I again ask that the Minister release these guidelines that were done six years ago and have them published so that we have symmetry across all planning areas whereby you have the same rules for every county.

Loads of land in this country is never going to be used for building. We have plenty of bog land that could be used for wind turbines. Let us try and get them in the right place and at the right height in order that we do not underpopulate our rural areas.

I take the Senator's point about getting the right location. Any sites have to have the appropriate amount of wind. They have to be elevated or at least in a wind tunnel. Local authorities over the past ten to 15 years, through the development of county development plans, have identified areas - certainly in the county that I know best - suitable for wind energy development. In some instances, it was passed with the acquiescence of the councillors at the time and then the councillors took a different view when an element of opposition came into play. It is very difficult to get the matrix right.

I know from my experience in the Department that we have a real issue as a country in meeting future demand from an electricity supply perspective. It is significant. We see the concerns about the difficulty in attracting inward investment, data centres and how important they are to our economic development. We need more energy. It has to be clean, without oil, coal or gas. It is going to be a challenge for the years ahead; in the next five to six years we will have to grapple with that. I take the Senator's point into account and thank her for making it.

Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach seo ar maidin. I thank the Minister of State for his presence.

Earlier this week, as he knows, a case of avian influenza was confirmed on a commercial turkey farm in Clontibret, County Monaghan. This case comes after two last week, one in County Meath and one in County Carlow. There was also one in Northern Ireland. As the Minister of State may be aware, around three quarters of poultry produced in Ireland comes from the Cavan-Monaghan area. This is therefore a huge issue for us and one of major concern. It is a particularly stressful time for farmers involved in poultry. I express my sympathies and support to those who have been affected by these outbreaks. This is already the most stressful time of year, particularly for turkey producers, with the seasonal nature of their market.

We can only hope that the stringent biosecurity measures in place will mitigate further outbreaks going forward. The highly pathogenic avian influenza situation is distressing not just because of the measures affected farmers must take, but also because the financial worry and upset to the business, to the livelihood and to the family, especially at this time of year. Most poultry farms are family farms and as such there is a wider human factor to these outbreaks for both the families and local communities.

I have spoken to local farmers and their representatives about their concerns and they had many questions that need to be answered urgently. In dealing with the situation, clarity is vitally important. Clarity will reduce stress not only for those involved, but also for the poultry farmers in general. First, farmers want to know when poultry keepers can restock if they are within a 3 km protection zone and what procedures must be followed, including any required inspections or testing. They need to know whether restocking is permitted, how long the restrictions will remain in place and what compensation will be made available to affected farmers. Farmers in a 3 km and 10 km protected zone need to know when to expect a phone call from the local regional veterinary office and whether they will receive advice on-site and what level of follow-up will be there for them.

Given the recent increase of outbreaks, what contingency measures are in place to deal with potential staffing or resourcing shortages in the Department or among veterinary contractors? What measures are in place if the number of affected sites increases further? I understand that if the funding was announced in budget 2026 for the Department of agriculture to include a provision for a disease fund. This is vitally important. When will this fund be established? How will it benefit poultry farmers?

A farmer whose flock level gets influenza will get some compensation but other farmers within the 3 km zone are afraid they will be left empty-handed, with no income and no ability to generate income with the restrictions. They need to be looked after. These farmers have repayments to make and families to support, particularly at this time of year. I would also be grateful if some solace could be provided for these farmers and the poultry industry. What much-needed measures can we look forward to being in place, particularly for the farmers in the 3 km zone? They are sitting there at the moment and cannot restock. They fully accept why they cannot restock but they have bills to pay and houses to keep warm in the event of stock coming in. We need to know what is available for those farmers.

Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome to the Gallery the students from St. Joseph's secondary school in Lucan. They are exceptionally welcome, as are all who travel with them. We are dealing with Commencement matters now, which are topical issues that Senators raise. They have four minutes to raise them and then the Minister comes in and responds in four minutes and there is a small bit of engagement and debate. That is what is happening now while the students are here. I call on the Minister of State.

I, too, extend a warm welcome to the students form St. Joseph's and thank them for showing an interest in what we do here on behalf of the citizens of Ireland.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue. He has been in touch with me already about this and I know it is something he has a real concern about. I express my sympathy, and that of the Government, with the flock owners impacted at this really difficult time in counties Monaghan, Meath and Carlow. I acknowledge the impact this outbreak is having on the wider poultry industry. I come from a small farm myself and I know the impact the outbreak of a disease has on a family and community, and the flock owners in this case are no different. I also thank all flock owners for their ongoing co-operation and for adhering to the biosecurity measures the Senator talked about and the housing regulations that are now in place. By working together, we can help to protect our poultry sector during this really challenging time.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has moved swiftly to implement disease control measures in line with national and EU legislation. Following the confirmation of this disease, the Department is working closely with industry to protect the poultry sector. Restriction zones, as the Senator identified, of 3 km protection and 10 km surveillance, are established around the affected premises, with strict movement controls on the movement of poultry and poultry products. Veterinary investigations and surveillance are ongoing. A mandatory housing order for poultry and captive birds, with a ban on gatherings of different birds from different holdings, came into effect on Monday, 10 November. It is a dynamic and evolving situation, particularly during the current high-risk period for avian influenza due to the migration of wild birds and the extended survival of the virus in cold temperatures. Our Department continues to monitor the situation closely and is working closely with the industry and Northern Ireland colleagues to mitigate the risk and control the disease insofar as we can.

Unfortunately, Ireland has lost its highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, disease-free status on foot of these recent outbreaks. This does not stop trade but it does have some specific consequences for trade in poultry meat and eggs. The HSE has advised that the risk to public health from the strain of the avian influenza currently circulating is considered low for the general public and low to medium for occupationally exposed people.

In regard to the compensation measures, the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 provides that compensation to owners of animals may be payable if a cull of those animals is directed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and in the event of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. The compensation may relate to the animal that is culled or to an animal product, animal feed or similar item that is destroyed in relation to the outbreak. Compensation may not exceed the open market value of the animal or indeed the item and compensation is payable only to the owner of the animals or items affected. My Department will, of course, actively engage with the owners of the stocks impacted at this stage. As we are in the early stages, it is hard to quantify the impact. What I have outlined for the Senator is that legislation and what it provides for. The Department will engage with the herd owners through local officers, as it would already be doing. As we move through this phase we will work with herd or flock owners to identify what compensation is payable based on direction given by the Department.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I have a number of questions, the answers to which the Minister of State may not have but I would appreciate if he could get them for me as quickly as possible. Have the turkeys at the Clontibret site been culled yet? If not, when will that take place? What assurance can the Minister of State give regarding adequate and secure supply of CO2 gas to support humane culling operations, particularly if further outbreaks occur? Will the Minister of State share the evaluation tables with the industry? Which contractor gas-culling company currently holds the Department contract for emergency response in this instance? Will post mortem reviews from recent outbreaks be shared with industry stakeholders to ensure transparency and learnings from the response? What impact will these outbreaks have on our poultry trade in the medium and long term?

I come back to the farmers in the 3 km zone who are not down but who are in that zone because their neighbours are down. They are sitting on their hands, unfortunately, and cannot take in birds. They understand why that is the case and have no problem with that but they have no income at the moment. They need to keep houses warm in the event of getting some flock in. There is a cost attached to that. They cannot live on fresh air. Those people need to be compensated and it is my understanding that a fund was to be set up between the relevant stakeholders, including farmers, producers and the Department, so compensation would already be there in the event of a disease outbreak like this or some other outbreak. Where are we in relation to that fund? These people need to be compensated. We are talking about families at Christmas. It is a very sensitive time. People are under financial pressure, like many of us, but particularly these people. They need to be looked after.

I fully recognise the difficult and negative impact this is having on the lives and livelihoods of flock owners, particularly at this time of year. It is effectively their harvest period. They are heading into what would have been the time to make good on their year's work, recoup costs and make the little bit of profit that would allow them to exist into next year. That is really challenging. That is recognised.

From a Department perspective, what we have to do right now is limit to the greatest extent possible the spread of this disease. It is about containment in the first instance. In parallel with that, we have to support flock owners and poultry farmers through the compensatory measures set out in the legislation.

The Senator listed a series of detailed questions, the answers to which I will get to him insofar as I can. The information we can release, we will. They are very specific questions. The IFA poultry division is in regular contact with the Department on these matters. If it is a help, I am happy on behalf of the Minister to meet with the Senator and some representatives of the flock owners to help clarify issues. It is recognised by the Government and Department how difficult this issue is for all concerned. We want to work together to limit the spread, try to get this off our books, get a disease-free status and then get back to having unrestricted movement. It is important for us to work with the people most affected at this time. I leave it open to the Senator to come back to me if he wants to meet.

I thank the Senator and thank the Minister of State for giving us that extra time. It is appreciated. It is a very important matter. We are waiting for the next Minister. I thank the Minister of State for giving his time this morning.

The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is very welcome. I thank her for giving her time this morning to take the next two Commencement matters.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and thank the Minister of State for being with us today.

I am calling on the Minister for Education and Youth to make a statement on the delivery of a new multistorey secondary school in Coachford College, Coachford, County Cork. Being from the area and having gone to school there, I know first-hand how important Coachford College is to Coachford and the wider rural catchment and hinterland it services, stretching from Aghabullogue to Donaghmore, Rylane, Inniscarra and beyond.

It really is a vital service in mid-Cork. The school has been there since the seventies and it has served generations of families. The demand for places continues to grow, year on year. Currently, more than 850 students attend Coachford College and that number is expected to rise further in the years ahead. Both the staff and leadership of the school, under Cork Education and Training Board, ETB, have done outstanding work in maintaining high standards of teaching and learning despite the very real pressures on space and facilities.

Just this year, six students in Coachford College received the maximum 625 points in their leaving cert. This is something we have seen in Coachford year on year, with at least one student attaining the maximum number of points almost every year. The school's current building is no longer fit for the growing population it serves. It is no longer fit for purpose. The same prefabs that were in use when I started school there over 20 years ago are still in use. As I mentioned, the Department has already approved a major building project. Plans are in train and the community has been patient. Funding was granted in 2020. Planning was granted in 2023. We now need clarity and certainty. We need a statement on the current stage of the project and a timeline for when construction will begin.

First-year students who heralded the announcement of funding in 2020 are now in their leaving cert year. They will never see the benefit of the new school building, even though they were told at the time that they would. This project is essential for the educational future of mid-Cork. It is an investment in opportunity, in rural development and in ensuring that every young person in our area can learn in a modern, safe and inspiring environment. Across the country, we have seen that investments to deliver new schools can transform communities. We cannot allow Coachford to fall behind. Students, teachers and parents deserve to know when this long-promised new school building will become a reality.

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I appreciate it is outside of her Department but I am seeking clarity. When will the design and tender stage be completed? When will we see work commence on site? When will the new Coachford College open its doors to students? It is a very positive project and it is to be welcomed. It is one that will serve many generations to come. It has the full support of the local community and of Cork ETB. It is time now to see progress. We have seen funding allocated and we have seen planning granted but we do not see any progress on actual delivery. We need to ensure the young people of Coachford and mid-Cork have the facilities they deserve. Their future and the future of our region depends on it.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I know it is very dear to her heart. It was her own secondary school that she attended. It is very commendable that as a past pupil, she is here in the House and enabled to advocate for and represent her community and her former school. I will take this opportunity to welcome students from St. Joseph's College to the Seanad. I hope they find this debate an interesting one. Their school was in this situation a number of years ago. Thankfully, the Tánaiste opened a brand-new school recently. It takes a very long time, as the staff and students of St. Joseph's College will attest to, but it happens eventually.

This week's Cabinet meeting was moved from yesterday to today to facilitate the presidential inauguration and, for that reason, the Minister for education has asked me to take this matter on her behalf this morning. She has asked me to update the Senator and the House on the current position regarding the planned school building at Coachford Community College in Coachford, County Cork. As the Senator has said, it has been approved as a major devolved project to deliver a new school building for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils. I note she said there are 850 pupils in the school already and that figure is growing. When it is finished, this school will be able to accommodate that growth trajectory. It will also have a four-classroom special education needs base.

The project has been devolved for delivery to Cork ETB, which has appointed a design team to design the accommodation being provided through the various stages of architectural planning. Projects progress from stage to stage in accordance with the project brief and the Department's design guidelines. The project for Coachford Community College is currently at stage 2b. That is the post-planning process. As the Senator said, funding was approved in 2020 and planning was approved in 2023. At this point, the architectural process will allow for the detailed design and planning to obtain the necessary statutory permissions for the preparation of the tender documents. The next stage will be the tender.

At this juncture in the project, it is unfortunately not feasible to give an indicative time for delivery because it has not gone to tender yet. The Department will continue to engage directly with Cork ETB to provide assistance in regard to the project as required.

Since 2020, the Department has invested over €6 billion in schools throughout the country under the national development plan, which initiated in my own Department. It involves the completion of over 1,300 school building projects.

In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been a key enabler of timely and local provision of special class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration. About 80% of new special classes in 2025 and 2026 are being accommodated in repurposed classroom accommodation. In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.5 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period from 2026 to 2030 under the new NDP. As part of that allocation, the Department will place a very strong emphasis on the provision of education for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs.

In relation to the roll-out of large-scale projects, which the school referenced by the Senator is, and additional school accommodation schemes, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible, in the first instance, and then provide necessary additional accommodation through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of next year right up to 2030. It will be prioritised on the basis of urgent need. This school has been in the system a long time. It has its funding and planning. There is a very clear case, which the Senator again put forward and is on the record of the House today. I will absolutely feed that back to the Minister and ask that it be prioritised.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. It is great to see pupils from a school local to her here today to hear that these projects do eventually happen. It is good to know that some progress is being made. However, it is incredibly disappointing that the speed at which it is moving is glacial. As I said, planning was granted two years ago, for November. The funding was awarded five years ago. There was talk about this school for many years prior to that. The delivery of it is incredibly important. The school is a hub in mid-Cork. It is servicing the entire hinterland of Coachford, which is a massive area. It has fantastic staff and students. Their results speak for themselves and they deliver year on year. The importance of this development cannot be overstated. It should be expedited in any way that it can.

Coachford is one of the biggest villages in mid-Cork. A primary school is located very close to the secondary school. In fact, people have to drive past the primary school to get to the secondary school campus and they are across the road from each other. The primary school has been selected for Safe Routes to School. As part of that programme, the delivery of safer walkways and safer footpaths is being delayed because the school is being told that this cannot progress until the secondary school progresses. According to the Minister of State's reply, that is still quite a way off.

I thank the Senator for outlining that situation in relation to the primary school and safer routes. That is obviously a big programme the Government is investing in. We want to encourage more children to walk, cycle or be dropped safely at their schools. I am very disappointed to hear that any delays with the secondary school might be having an impact on the primary school. I will raise that directly with the Minister for Education and Youth. Surely, there is a way we can make sure that whatever footpaths will not be disturbed during the construction phase of Coachford, can at least be done now to protect and enable Safer Routes to School for those primary school children. I thank the Senator for raising that.

I fully appreciate her frustration with this. It is 2020 since funding was approved. That is a long time. It is very difficult for parents, students and staff to be caught in this loop where they are still waiting for the next phase. All I can say is I will absolutely raise it with the Minister and ask when the design will be finalised and when it will go to tender. Once it goes to tender, the Senator will have a much clearer indication of what that timeline looks like and will, at that point, be in a better position to be able to keep students, staff and parents informed. I thank her for her ongoing work on this matter. I know it is something that is very dear to her heart as a past pupil. It is something I will pass on to the Minister for education.

The Minister of State is staying with us for the next Commencement matter. I thank her again for that.

The Minister of State is welcome. I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. The Galway city ring road is a vital project, not just for Galway city but for Connemara and the region. It is something I have long spoken on. I have been a long-term supporter of not only the Galway city ring road but also its predecessor, the Galway city outer bypass.

It has had a long and chequered history in terms of commencements, judicial reviews and hearings in the High Court, the Supreme Court and different European courts, including the European Court of Auditors. There have been all sorts of issues over the years, going back for some 25 years.

The original bypass was a road-only project. It failed for a variety of reasons. Since then, Galway City Council and Galway County Council have adopted the Galway transportation strategy, of which the numerous projects, like BusConnects, have been vital parts. Central to the strategy as well has been the Galway city ring road. It has been accepted by many, certainly by me and those who support the ring road, that there is so much we can do in Galway city in terms of freeing up road space, but this is only possible if the Galway city ring road is built initially. It will allow for additional pedestrianisation and cycling and all that goes with those forms of transport. That is all very important, but it can only be done if we remove the traffic from Galway city that does not want to go through Galway city.

As part of the BusConnects roll-out, we saw planning permission granted last year for the cross-city link from University Road to the Dublin Road. In October this year, we saw An Coimisiún Pleanála grant planning permission for the BusConnects Galway-Dublin road project, which is a 3.9 km project running from the Moneenageisha Junction to the Doughiska Junction, adjacent to the Atlantic Technological University, Merlin Park Hospital and Bon Secours Hospital. All these are very positive in terms of the overall transportation strategy.

Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil cuarbhóthar na Gaillimhe i lár an aonaigh sa phlean náisiúnta don Roinn Iompair atá le foilsiú go luath. Tá an togra seo fós leis an gCoimisiún Pleanála chun cinneadh a dhéanamh. Tá súil agam go mbeidh toradh dearfach ar an iarratas pleanála don chuarbhóthar. Ansin beidh orainn fanacht ar an tréimhse dhlíthiúil do chás cúirte a thógáil a bheith thart. Tá sé tábhachtach nach mbeidh aon fhadhb ansin maidir le maoiniú don chuarbhóthar. Tá mé muiníneach nach mbeidh. Tá an bóthar seo lárnach sa straitéis iompair atá aontaithe ag an gcomhairle cathrach agus an chomhairle contae.

The review of the national development plan, NDP, in terms of each Department is due soon and it is absolutely vital that the Galway city ring road is at the heart of the transport strategy. It is absolutely vital that it is part of it. This was previously sanctioned at the Cabinet level during the Fine Gael-Independent coalition in 2018. At that stage, I think the cost was over €600 million. I suspect the cost now would be over €1 billion for this vital piece of infrastructure. It is absolutely vital that it is front and centre of the transport plan.

We know there is so much demand elsewhere, particularly in Dublin, in relation to infrastructure. It is absolutely vital for Galway city, however, because we have been left behind compared with Cork, Waterford and Limerick in terms of roads infrastructure. It is vital in terms of the day-to-day life of commuters in Galway, parents bringing children to crèche and those who live in Knocknacarra or Connemara and work in Parkmore or the industrial estates in the east of Galway city. It is vital for tourism in Connemara, for access, for accessibility and for bringing inward investment to Connemara and the west of Galway city. I look forward to the response from the Minister of State on behalf of the Department.

I thank Senator Kyne for tabling this important issue. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme and he has asked me to take this matter on his behalf.

I start by saying thank you to the Senator for his strong advocacy on behalf of Galway and Connemara over several years. He read out a huge list of areas where progress is happening, projects that are being delivered and funding that has been in place. This is down to strong local advocacy, so I thank the Senator for that. As he will be aware, once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993–2015, and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrade of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Ultimately, TII delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040 and the national planning framework as well as the NDP.

The Senator spoke about the review of the NDP and he is right that we had a very big review of it in July this year. We put additional funding behind a new and even more ambitious national development plan for our country. Part of that involves investing in our roads network and our transport and infrastructure networks.

Each line Minister has been given their capital funding allocation, and they are now putting together their priorities and their list. In the context of the national roads programme, the capital budget that is provided by the Department of Transport to TII is significant, and significant funding has been provided towards the development of the N6 Galway city ring road, which has been allocated €13.4 million since 2020, including €2.4 million this year alone. This is because it is a very important project. It acts as a gateway to Connemara and the western region, as the Senator pointed out, and that includes the large Gaeltacht areas.

The optimisation of transport connectivity within Galway city is critical to help the region chart a steady course for economic growth. Benefits that the project could bring include increased accessibility to the west, a reduction in traffic volumes on the existing city road network and safer journeys for all road users in the city centre. The Senator clearly outlined that in his contribution.

The Galway city ring road is a component of the Galway transport strategy. The Senator referred to the ring road as having a long and chequered history, and the Minister for Transport has provided me with the background to that. This scheme was submitted to An Bord Pleanála, which, of course, is now an coimisiún. It approved the scheme with conditions on 6 December 2021. Subsequently, there were three applications for judicial review submitted to the High Court, which imposed a stay on progressing the scheme. An Bord Pleanála subsequently took the decision not to oppose the judicial review taken by Friends of the Irish Environment against the decision to grant planning permission for the project. An Bord Pleanála stated that it took this decision on the grounds that the Government's most recent climate action plan was not taken into consideration before making the decision to grant permission. It was then for the High Court to decide whether to grant an order to quash the decision of the board. On 30 January 2023, the High Court quashed that decision to approve the scheme and remitted the application back before the board. An Coimisiún Pleanála will need to consider the application and make a new decision. I have recently requested further information from Galway City Council, including an updated environmental impact assessment report and a Natura impact statement.

Galway County Council submitted its response to this request by An Coimisiún Pleanála on 14 April. On 13 June, Galway County Council was informed that a further consultation would be required. A consultation period was held between 27 June and 1 August, and 28 submissions were received in response to that public consultation. As the Senator said, the next iteration of the NDP review means the Ministers now have to put their funding priorities in place and outline their plans for the coming years. The Minister for Transport is confident that Galway City Council and TII will continue to work together to advance the delivery of this really important road project in the Senator’s region.

I thank the Minister of State for that response from the Department of Transport, which provides a lot of information but, clearly, does not answer the question. I appreciate that. I am still confident that the Minister will look at this project seriously, and that it will be at the heart of the NDP review within the Department of Transport.

This response provides some of the history but, as I said, it goes back 25 years. The people of Galway city and Connemara probably raise their eyebrows when they hear about it because they say it will never happen, it is going nowhere, it is going to be stopped or there are going to be more court cases. Unfortunately, that is because of its history. There has been a long period in which people have had this uncertainty, particularly those who are going to lose their homes. I am not unaware of the issue that up to 45 people will lose their homes as part of this project. For them, there is a personal issue and a personal uncertainty in relation to their futures. However, this is a vital project for Galway city, Connemara and the region. It is vital that it is at the heart of the NDP review within the Department of Transport.

I thank the Senator for his understanding on this. I appreciate that the response does not answer the question of when it will start. As he outlined, it is a very complex project but it is something the Government is absolutely committed to. It is important to note that €10.5 million in Exchequer funding has been allocated this year alone for the national road network in Galway city and county. For example, Galway County Council received over €5 million for capital protection and renewal, over €3 million for new roads and almost €1 million for the protection and renewal of current roads. Galway City Council received €592,000 for capital protection and renewal and current protection and renewal.

There is a reason I outlined those statistics.

I really want the Senator and those living in his area to be aware that the funding is there and is being made available by Government. The reason it is being made available by Government is there is a huge willingness on the part of the Government to make sure we are investing in the Senator's region and in the transport network in his region as a clear priority. I again thank him for his advocacy on this and I will pass that on to the Minister for Transport.