Cathal Crowe
Clare · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The Oireachtas education and youth committee, which I chair, recently compiled a report on school meals. It is a fantastic scheme led out by our colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and was hugely supported by the Minister, Deputy Foley, when she was at the Department of education.”
“If I can illustrate what imbalanced regional development looks like in the aviation realm, tomorrow, starting early in the morning and right up to about 9.30 p.m., 13 direct flights will depart from Dublin Airport heading to Amsterdam Schiphol, which is recognised as one of the principal and most important European airport hubs.”
“Although it is not in the spine of this legislation, I think there need to be addendums and a new national aviation strategy brought in in the autumn, because the current one is outdated and deals with a time, pre-pandemic, when aviation was going well. It has floundered since and recovered since.”
“There have been some major events in Irish aviation over the past four or five months while this legislation was evolving. I believe there was scope for those to be added in by way of miscellaneous provisions. Perhaps the Minister might bright other legislation before the House in due course.”
“We now need to get to a point where Shannon Airport's and other airports' primary radar and secondary radar are protected by insisting that all wind energy zonings within a five- to eight-kilometre radius must be removed. It is not safe. It has been deemed that by the aviation regulator and by AirNav Ireland.”
“In nearly every Government decision, whether it is on the provision of healthcare, housing, water or sanitary services, there is usually a reference to balanced regional development and other hubs outside of the capital. There is not in this legislation.”
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“We cannot eat up all the school’s open space when we eventually build the new building. Overall, however, the development is positive. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister, but I thank the previous Minister, Deputy Foley, in particular. On 13 September last, she met me and two representatives of the school in Mungret, County Limerick. Subsequent to that, there were visits by the Department. It is going well. The school will be delighted to accept the brief but acceleration the project is key. I thank the Minister of State and Minister and wish them the best of luck in their new positions.”
“I thank the Minister of State. This is really good news. I am aware that representatives of Clonlara school are watching this morning. This amounts to a new school, but, for all the reasons I have outlined, it is desperately needed. There is also an inaccessibility issue because, as one notes if coming in the main doors of the school or going down the corridor, the school is built on two levels. It is a split-level building and there is a very precarious ramp. In the past, there were children who had to use wheelchairs to get up and down it. That is not the case within the current enrolment but the ramp is precarious and nowhere near compliant with building regulations. It needs to be addressed. There are other issues also, including accessibility to the PE curriculum.”
“Some of the windows have dislodged from where they were first fixed. The classrooms need to be replaced. What we are hearing today is really positive but there needs to be an acceleration because, when I think of the beautiful new schools I see around the country, I note Clonlara school is not one of them. Its classrooms are not fit for teaching in and the staffroom is not fit for the staff. It does not fit the modern curriculum. While there is good news, acceleration is needed.”
“I thank the Minister State for that. That is indeed a very positive update. The school has applied for the replacement of its old prefab classrooms. In total, there are five classrooms in an older block of the school that was built in 1968. The school has applied to the Department to replace these and provide a new staffroom and entrance area. The classrooms are small, draughty, cold and damp. The walls are decaying on the roof has perished. I have first-hand experience of some of these classrooms because, as the Minister of State knows, I taught for 16 years prior to my election to the Dáil. During the Covid pandemic, when there were staff shortages due to illness, I did a couple of unpaid subbing days in the school. I was in one of the old classrooms. The wind howls around it and the walls are actually buckled because they are so old.”
“I want to make a big push in support of the additional school accommodation application that has been made to the Department by Scoil Seanáin Naofa, better known in my locality as Clonlara National School. Last September I brought the principal, Donnchadh Kelleher, and the chairman of the board of management to meet with the then Minister, Deputy Foley. Subsequent to that, there has been correspondence over and back with the building unit in the Department. Now is the time to approve it. The school is in a decrepit state. It is desperately in need of new accommodation. I hope the Minister can try to progress it.”
“There are half a million people living in the mid-west and they all go through one accident and emergency Department. There are 1 million people living here in the greater Dublin region. They have a choice of eight accident and emergency departments. There is no equality here. We need to grasp the nettle in the coming months. In the Minister's tenure in this Dáil term and this Government term, there will not be a new hospital built in the mid-west. We could start bricks and mortar but it will not be built or completed. Someone has to throw the ball in, however. I am asking that when this report comes before the Minister's desk and when it comes before Cabinet., she gives it the best possible shot forward. This hospital has to be in the mid-west, and I believe it has to be in County Clare.”
“There are many good, positive outcomes in UHL every week but there are also very negative outcomes and there have been deaths. If you ask me, those deaths underwrite the need to have a new accident and emergency department in the mid-west region. I am fully supportive of the campaign for that at grassroots level. I commend in particular the friends of Ennis general hospital group, led by Ms Angela Coll, who have been briefing the Minister's officials and HIQA on the need for this to happen. We all know the mid-west region comprises counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, which my colleague, Deputy O'Meara, represents. It is a huge region. That region had five accident and emergency departments until the 1980s. Now, all of that population goes to one accident and emergency department and yet the population has increased.”
“To reiterate, people are afraid to present at UHL because they will probably end up on a trolley and many are not even that fortunate. They could be left overnight, sometimes for a 24-hour period in an armchair. It is not right. At the moment, what exists in the mid-west is a healthcare apartheid. It is not fair. It is not comparable to any other region in this country and it is going to need to be fixed. I am glad that the previous Government of the Thirty-third Dáil commissioned HIQA to look at the UHL scenario to see if the region needed a second accident and emergency department. It does, and in my belief, I have heard this said by many Deputies in the House in recent weeks, there is no need for some in-depth HIQA analysis of this. The proof is in the pudding several times over.”
“At the outset, I want to congratulate the Minister on her new role and, indeed, the Minister of State. I have full confidence she will do a great job in this Department. It is a tricky Department but it matters to all of us. Everyone goes through life's processes and as we all care for older people and for communities, it is a very important Ministry. Unfortunately, in my county, far too many older people fear entering the acute healthcare system because University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is the point of access to all of that. In 2009, a woeful political decision was taken to close 24-hour accident and emergency care in Ennis general hospital, Nenagh Hospital and St. John's Hospital in Limerick city. That has haunted that region ever since.”
“There needs to be some mechanism whereby if they are that embedded in society, working or being educated here, they can remain here and contribute to our country just as we have contributed to their welfare. It is so important at a time when there seems to be loud-hailing of democracy and talking down President Zelenskyy and his people, that this Government and Parliament has faith in the Ukrainian people and in President Zelenskyy and says "Slava Ukraini".”
“It is a source of hurt for this country even a century later that Northern Ireland exists as an entity. I want to welcome in particular Misha Yerhidzé from west Kerry who is in the Public Gallery. My colleagues want to pay particular tribute to you in a moment, but we are particularly proud of you. I saw you on the news the other day. Tá tú go hiontach ar an mbosca ceoil, agus cuirim fáilte mhór romhat chuig Dáil Éireann inniu. Is fear iontach thú. Go raibh míle maith agat. I want to pay tribute to the many communities that have fantastically welcomed the Ukrainian people; true friendships have been born. It is important that the Government in the coming months reflects on how some of the Ukrainian population are in full-time employment and full-time education here.”
“A comparison can be drawn with what we are seeing in Russia and Ukraine with Operation Barbarossa of 1941 the same way tanks rolled over the Ukrainian border. Ireland, as a member of the European Union, needs to stand resolutely with the Ukrainian people so that they get peace but more importantly, that their territorial boundaries are retained. Anyone who studies Irish history - we are all experts on it down here, but maybe our Ukrainian friends do not know Irish history so well - will know that Ireland endured 800 years of invading forces and plantations. In 1921, it was believed that in 1922 a deal could be brokered, and it would lead to peace and we could still have territory. It did not, because there is still a corner of our country occupied. We had the Good Friday Agreement, but it is only a stepping stone to unification.”
“He broke down in tears to think that the army he believed in, the army that liberated Europe, could 80 years later be the same army to invade his homeland, kidnap children, bomb hospitals and murder civilians. Shame on Russia. Shame on Putin. It is Putin who is the dictator in Europe, and the Russian people eventually through election or whatever means will need to elect a democratic leader to rule their country in the proper way. The Russian Embassy across town is keeping an eye on us today. There are 52 of us - I am one of them - on the Kremlin blacklist, and I have no problem remaining there for as long as I am alive because we can be proud as a Dáil and as a Government for standing in the many ranks of politicians globally who have stood up against the dictatorship and bullying of the Russian state at this time.”
“In another political arena, President Zelenskyy is now perversely being dubbed a dictator. He is a hero, and that needs to be on the Dáil record. He is a bastion for democracy in a region of our world where the strongman, the Kalashnikov and the missile are seen as the tools to subvert a people, invade a country, kill 46,000 people, displace 12 million people and kidnap thousands of children. These are the actions of a dictator. These are the actions of Vladmir Putin. In the early days of the Ukrainian war, I remember seeing on the news on television one night a Ukrainian man who had fought in the Red Army that had liberated Europe. He was almost 100 years of age, and he had medals across his chest to prove it.”
“I would like to welcome ambassador Larysa Gerasko and the Ukrainian population to our Dáil Chamber this evening, and all those who are in the Public Gallery. It is very hard to believe it is now three years since the war in Ukraine began. I remember the morning it began. I was in my office watching "Sky News" and there was huge fear for the capital that Russian troops would advance on Kyiv. People said it would not last two or three days. There was talk that President Zelenskyy may have to flee to America - can we imagine if he had fled there? - but he stood his ground, and the Ukrainian people stood their ground. It is a testament to the resilience of President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian armed forces that they have withstood three years of Russian invasion and aggression.”
“Rape and violence against women are depicted in pornography. As a country, we should follow the lead taken by other nations in banning that. Just as child pornography is absolutely banned across the world, we should be banning this type of pornography. There is nothing normal or mainstream about it. It is sick and anyone looking it up should get their head checked. An Garda Síochána would also be quite interested to see what kind of shady characters are looking this up. There is work to be done in that space and it is something I hope to do by way of a Bill.”
“If she were to come down to our region, the mid-west, and present to one of our hospitals, none of her digital files or patient information would be available. This should be a centralised national system. In the little time I have left, I will speak on a slight tangent, although I am sure the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will give me a bit of liberty. I am hoping to bring in a Bill from the back benches relating to pornography. I recently met with a group of parents. They are all brought into school at this time of year to talk about Internet safety. I was a teacher myself for long enough. There is one thing that really bothers them. Pornography is there and probably will be there forever. I do not think anyone could really and fully control that. However, there are elements of pornography that are absolutely sick and disgusting.”
“If you go into the Department of Transport, you can scroll through screen after screen of NCT reports. These will tell you how much wear there is on the front bushes or rear axle of my car. They can tell you everything but there will be no record of my heart, lungs or whatever. If such records do exist, they will be in a paper file, with some in a GP practice filing cabinet, others in a local health clinic and some in the hospital. It is important that we develop a collated digital database so that, when we present anywhere, a digital file goes with us. It is also important to say that, where those digital files do exist - there are not many of them - they are specific to hospital groups. The Minister of State is from Bailieborough.”
“There is a company in Shannon, MeiraGTx, that takes tiny vials of DNA and alters the genetic path of a person. Some women will unfortunately have a genetic predisposition towards breast cancer. Others may be predisposed to bowel cancer or have another family medical history. This company has a way of detecting that early on and providing genetic treatment for those people. I would love to get us into that sphere, where not all drugs are generic but some are actually tailored to one's family history and propensity to develop certain illnesses and diseases. That is important. However, before we get to the 21st century of AI in healthcare, we first need a digital records system for all patients. More is known about the health of my car than about my own personal health.”
“We have only scratched the surface with AI. It is going to get deeper and deeper. This is the best and worst time to be a young person in this country. The opportunities are immense but the distortion of what is real and what is fake or artificially generated poses a risk. I also think about job security. This Government and the previous Government have a proud record. This country is doing well with job creation and retention. It is important that we do not foster a culture in which jobs are displaced by artificial intelligence but we do have to move with the times. It is very important to strike a balance. There is a national strategy on artificial intelligence. The programme for Government commits to a national strategy on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. That is absolutely crucial. It could be transformative.”
“They are dictating policy on AI and all things digital at this time. It is important that this debate is happening not just in Ireland, but across the European Union, that we are keeping pace and that we are doing so in a safe fashion. There are great advantages to AI and I will speak to them in a moment. However, there are also some risks. One of these is the risk to citizens' rights. There are very fine lines to be drawn here and balances to be struck. There is also a digital divide. There is an advertisement on TV at the moment in which a walrus rides in a speedboat. I was doing an advice clinic in a bar the other day and this came on. I was meeting an elderly person and helping with an issue and this person asked how that was done. I said it was AI. There are all sorts of distorted content and information going out there already.”
“I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth. How wonderful to say "Minister" before her name. I am delighted to see her elevated to this position. This is a proud time for her family and for County Cavan. I believe she is from Bailieborough. I often see it on her social media. It is a proud day for her community to have one of their own not just in the ministerial ranks but holding the seat of Government during this session. It is a proud day and I am delighted to see her in that position. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this debate. It is really important that Ireland has a stronger position insofar as artificial intelligence is concerned. Whenever we see the Head of State of the most powerful and richest nation in the world, America, he is surrounded by the so-called tech brothers.”
“We witnessed a significant amount of incredible stuff going on such as electric aircraft, vertical take off and landing and drone technology and I think Shannon could play a massive role with regard to developing some of this in Ireland. Regarding the future mobility campus testing all forms of new vehicles and AI-powered vehicles, it could also have a role in testing some of the new Garda fleet when it is provided.”
“As the Taoiseach knows, I speak a lot in this Chamber about Shannon Airport and advocate for it. I was delighted to see the Government take on my proposal that Shannon be a test bed for new forms of aviation over the lifetime of this Government. Indeed, it is in the programme for Government. I would like to hear some expansionary thoughts from the Taoiseach as to what that role could be. The future mobility campus in Shannon, which many Ministers have visited, could play a major role in this. A few years ago, I travelled to Rotterdam Airport with the then Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell and former Deputy Joe Carey.”
“It makes sense for children to be seen by a professional down the corridor on the school campus who knows the child better than a stranger in CAMHS via a list that is taking far too long.”
“I am glad to see that more therapeutic supports will be offered in schools. I would like to see teachers at both primary and secondary level who give hours after school for sports, choirs, chess clubs and so forth rewarded in some way. All teachers can do courses during the summer that entitle them to extra personal vacation, EPV, days. The Government should reward the volunteerism of teachers, remove the awful Croke Park hours, acknowledge what they do, incentivise more volunteerism and reward them with additional EPV days each year. I would like the Government to examine that. Overall, the idea that therapeutic services are provided in schools, instead of children being referred onto lengthy child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, lists on each and every occasion will make a huge difference.”
“Of course, I am parochial and believe Clare more than any county in the mid-west needs 24-hour emergency care but, looking at Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's, I cannot see how you can shoehorn an accident and emergency department into any one of those hospitals. This will require a new hospital building. It will require a seismic change and I hope this Government will lead us in it. We were promised the HIQA report would come out in February. I am hearing mutterings that it is delayed. We needed it yesterday. I do not expect there will be anything massive in it that we do not already know. The hospital has many good things, but there are also huge failings and lives have been lost in that hospital. What more evidence do we need? I am a teacher by profession. I spent many years in the classroom before coming here.”
“Airports like Heathrow have a finite number of slots and they are managed effectively to ensure airlines can land and take off without disrupting the overall operation of the airport. Slots could be managed in Dublin and anything exceeding the slots of a particular airline could be allocated to the regions to ensure our other airports and, ipso facto , other regions can grow strongly. In terms of healthcare, there is a HIQA review into UHL and whether there should be an additional accident and emergency department in the mid-west. That will be key for the Government going forward. I have long held the view the 2009 decision to downgrade Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's hospitals and close accident and emergency care was an absolute failure. We can only address that issue by reversing it and reopening an accident and emergency department.”
“I have already travelled to a number of airports around Europe, including to Rotterdam with then Deputy Joe Carey, to see what they are doing. I can see many new roles for Shannon in testing new technology. It is not all about jet engines and new fuels; so much more can be done with aviation, including vertical take-off and landing, new small aircraft, drones and hydrogen-powered and even electric aircraft. It is great to see Ireland embracing that new technology and that Shannon in my home constituency will be the test bed for all of that. The regional airports programme needs to be expanded so the likes of Shannon Airport, and indeed Cork and Knock airports, are not left behind. There is a suggestion the cap on Dublin Airport could be lifted. I believe that cap does not have to be lifted if slots are better managed.”
“They have had to prove time and again a real disability and care need and a financial need in the house. That is not the way it should be. If someone is caring, the payment should not be means tested and I am glad the Government will abolish that. I would like the abolition of the means test to be sooner rather than later. The threshold should not be incrementally brought back each budgetary year. We should front-load it and try to remove it in the first budgetary cycle of the Government. In the programme for Government, there are some very positive things relating to aviation. I am delighted to see Shannon Airport has been selected as a hub for testing new aviation technology. This was an issue I raised from the backbenches of Government over the past few years.”
“I do not think I have ever praised Deputy Michael Healy-Rae but it is great to see him on this side of the House. After the election, everyone had a mandate to sit here. Some chose to come over here, make a difference and not speak out of both sides of their mouths but only from the side that could deliver and lead on policy. I welcome hearing the Deputy speak as a Minister of Government. Fair play to him. One of the big positives in the programme for Government is the abolition of the means test for carer's allowance. Carers do so much work and save our country so much Exchequer money each year by caring for loved ones in the home environment, where people are cared for best. They do all of that for a pittance. For far too long, the wry eye has been cast over them and their finances have been examined.”
“In County Clare, I estimate between 3,000 and 4,000 home owners in Ennis, Shannon, Sixmilebridge and Shannon Banks cannot get flood cover. It is worse than that though because when someone tries to sell one of these properties, conveyancing invariably happens and people are advised not to buy or give a mortgage for the property. Therefore, the sale of properties collapses far too often. It is will require Government intervention.”
“I wish to raise the issue of homes and businesses in County Clare ,though it is also a national issue, who cannot get flood cover on the insurance policy. Those that can, pay a huge amount for it. The industry tells us it is all about the principle of risk equalisation. One house gets flooded so all must pay. That is fundamentally wrong. There has been a lot of remedial work undertaken in the lower Shannon and elsewhere in this country to ensure flooding does not occur but the industry continues to penalise homeowners and business owners. It will require intervention from the Government and the Central Bank. I do not have trust in Insurance Ireland to do something on this because this has repeatedly been raised with it.”
“I am a former schoolteacher, like Deputy John Connolly and others in the House. That certainty needs to be brought to this issue because the school calendar needs to be nailed down. With regard to the undergrounding of cables, I heard an expert in this field say recently that it could cost 15 times more to underground them, but it should certainly be a condition of planning. I am glad everyone was safe and I am grateful for my speaking time today.”
“Many businesses suffered a loss of income and I have helped many people in my constituency office in this regard. I believe the terms of the scheme could be broadened further to ensure businesspeople and farm owners are assisted. It is still unclear what status applies to someone who has lost food in their deep chest freezer, and whether that is covered. There is still some ambiguity in that regard. I believe one of the things we will rue following this storm is that Uisce Éireann had to source generators to power some of the water treatment plants, water pump stations and sewerage treatment plants. There needs to be a national stock of generators that is more readily available to Uisce Éireann. With regard to school closures, we need clarity from the Minister for Education as to whether schools will have to make up those days.”
“It is important that, retrospectively, we begin to call this a hurricane. I studied the wind speeds. The gust speeds recorded in Carna and parts of west Galway far exceeded anything in recent storms and they are classified as force three hurricanes in other jurisdictions. I believe we need to start calling Storm Éowyn a hurricane in the same context. I wish to make some other points. We need to look at the importation of leylandii cypress trees. They are not native to this country, do not offer anything great in terms of habitat and are certainly wind traps when high-gust winds are passing through this country. Most of them fell during the storm. As a country, we need to look at whether it is right to import them. Most deciduous trees withstood the gusts but they did not. The humanitarian assistance scheme needs to be broadened.”
“Beyond what is normally in TAMS and beyond normal investment or capital schemes, we need a scheme to help those farmers during the year. The horticulture sector, in particular in the case of polytunnels and similar structures, was decimated during the storm. The Department will have to step up in that regard. I pay tribute to the ESB and Clare County Council, which were outstanding in my county. Day and night during this crisis, they worked to ensure that, as quickly as possible, communities could get power back and the community hubs were in place, and they have to be commended on that. I know there is frustration and upset because many people waited more than a week to get power. This was an unprecedented storm, certainly unprecedented in the lifetimes of most of us.”
“I know there is a good database but during the time of the storm, with trees falling, there was confusion. For example, does a forestry plantation belong to Coillte, is it greenbelt or is it private forestry? Who owns it? It would be good if local authorities had an accessible database of forestry that defines the boundaries and ownership of all of those forestry plantations. I welcome some of the commentary from the Minister of State with regard to the horticulture sector, in particular those who have polytunnels and those who grow products. Their infrastructure was devastated during the storm and they are going to need help. I farm myself. A few sheets of galvanised steel on our roof went a bit wobbly and we had to fix them, but that was minor stuff whereas some farm roofs were decimated.”
“I congratulate the Ministers of State, Deputy Martin Heydon and Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, on their appointments. Deputy O'Sullivan is a good friend of mine and while I am delighted to see both Ministers of State in their positions, I think Deputy O’Sullivan is going to do a particularly good job. People often get appointed to roles they have half an interest in, but anyone who knows Deputy O'Sullivan knows he has a colossal interest in the natural heritage of this country, particularly offshore habitats and onshore bird habitats. Best of luck to both of them. While the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, is in the Chamber, I will deal with agricultural matters. It is important that we properly map out forestry in Ireland in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.”