Christopher O'Sullivan
Cork South-West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The aim of the hierarchy of the plan-making, as set out in the Act of 2024, is to improve scope for the various tiers of the planning system to more closely relate to one another, therefore providing greater clarity and consistency for all involved, from individual citizens and residents' groups to landowners and developers and ultimately…”
“My understanding is that a ten-year modernisation programme has already been undertaken by the Courts Service and significant progress has been made in improving the availability and use of court data.”
“Under the Act of 2024, the national planning framework continues to spearhead and explicate the planning agenda and sits at the pinnacle of the plan-led system and structure, whereby all tiers of planning from regional to local align with strategic objectives set out in the national planning framework.”
“The Senator has suggested that such plans would identify strategic development priorities, including settlement hierarchy, infrastructure corridors, climate adaptation measures and areas for regeneration; set out indicative phasing for major infrastructure and public investment; include spatial mapping of long-term development objectives;…”
“The Bill also facilitates the completion of the work of the Valuation Tribunal and the facility for the local authority to issue the levy demand and, where necessary, for An Coimisiún Pleanála to deal with any appeals to the demand that may arise in those existing cases currently with the tribunal.”
“As the system of plan-making in the State has just been revised and is being implemented for the first time, the introduction of another layer of plan-making could undermine the new hierarchy that was carefully arranged and agreed following extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders, including the Office of the Attorney General, an…”
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“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I know the LauraLynn foundation is something he has always advocated for and fought for. I agree with him 100%. The merit and support provided by organisations and foundations like the LauraLynn children's hospice represent unbelievable value for money. The service they provide is incredible. I liken it to Cancer Connect or ARC house, which are organisations we should really be supporting financially. Children’s palliative care is provided through a shared care approach involving GPs, paediatricians, community specialist palliative care teams, clinical nurse co-ordinators and the Children’s Health Ireland specialist palliative care team. All these teams work collaboratively in caring for the child and their family.”
“I appreciate the Deputy bringing it up. If there is positivity to be taken from the response, it is that Iarnród Éireann is working towards a strategy of enhancement of services on InterCity routes in the short to medium term, but this will all be dependent on funding. I know that Deputy Canney is fighting hard for extra funding for public transport.”
“That is a point well made. Athy is obviously a growing town. It is an important commuter town, not just for people to work and commute but also for people to study and commute, so it is important that we facilitate that, take cars off the road and provide as much public transport as possible. The investment in the extra carriages, as outlined, on the Drogheda line will free up carriages. Deputy Wall has made the case well that much of that should be put on the Waterford to Heuston line, thereby enabling greater capacity for Athy. He is right that the numbers speak for themselves. An impressive number of journeys are taken on that line, in that area. We have to support that. If we are serious about reducing emissions and about climate action, wherever possible and where we have demand we need to facilitate this type of journey.”
“There should be situations where people have to get into their own car to pick people up. I know that Deputy Canney will take this request seriously. He is not involved in the day-to-day running but I know that he can certainly relay messages to the NTA.”
“It is intended that the new battery electric sets will be initially deployed on the northern commuter line, serving Dublin from Drogheda, which does not necessarily help Deputy Wall's situation. The point is that efforts are being made to expand services. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is making every effort to increase available funding. Every time that a Deputy comes in here and looks for extra public transport services, that has to be taken seriously and delivering that should be encouraged as much as possible. It is incredible to see the demand for train services. I am noticing lately that there is more and more demand for even the big intercounty train services. We need to accommodate that. It should be a given that public transport is available.”
“However, it must be noted that these enhancements will be subject to agreement and funding by the NTA, as well as the completion of other projects in order to release rolling stock to realise these service enhancements. To meet growing demand, larnród Éireann is deploying all available fleet during peak times. In 2024, 41 additional InterCity railcar carriages were introduced, boosting capacity on key routes, including Sligo, Galway, Westport and Belfast. As part of DART+, two fleet orders have been placed, for 185 carriages, largely battery electric with some electric units. The first order for the purchase of 95 additional DART carriages, comprising 65 battery electric carriages and 30 electric carriages, has started arriving and is undergoing certification and safety tasting.”
“In relation to the Dublin to Waterford line, Iarnród Éireann has informed the Department of Transport that all services on this line stop at Athy Station. I understand that there are ten weekday services daily serving Athy, Waterford and Heuston, with additional services on Fridays and Saturdays. Athy has a typically reduced Sunday offering of five services on the Waterford-Heuston line. In 2024, 154,449 passengers boarded the train at Athy station and 117,067 alighted, for a total of 271,516 trips to or from Athy last year. larnród Éireann is working towards a strategy for enhancement of services on InterCity routes in the short to medium term.”
“To support this objective, under budget 2025, the Department of Transport secured over €658 million of funding for public service obligation and TFI Local Link services, an increase from over €613 million in 2024. This package included funding for the continuation of the various fare initiatives, such as the young adult card and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding has also been provided to extend free child fares on public service obligation, PSO, services to include those aged five to eight years old and to support the roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services under programmes such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland. As is the case with all such measures, all funding matters are being considered as part of the ongoing budget 2026 discussions.”
“I thank Deputy Wall for raising this issue. I have taken a couple of Topical Issue matters from him and Athy seems to feature fairly prominently. Fair play. He is representing the place well. It is interesting that he is providing a bit of a taxi service for anybody who misses a train. That is the right thing to do. Fair play to him. Funding and policymaking for public transport is down to the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, but as the Deputy knows, the day-to-day operation is for the NTA, in conjunction with Irish Rail and so on. I reassure the Deputy that, as outlined in the programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, the Government is strongly committed to enhancing transportation networks and infrastructure development, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal.”
“However, on amendments like this, where we are trying to cater for someone who is very vulnerable or has experienced extreme loss, I do not believe the cost and significance would be detrimental to the overall State coffers. That, again, is a message I will bring back to the Minister and, as the Deputy said, a lot of these schemes are always under review.”
“I emphasise that I fully recognise the challenges that widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and qualified cohabitants, especially those with children, face. As I have said, and this is the important point we need to take away from this discussion, the Department of Social Protection will continue to keep its range of supports under review. Any changes to the current system would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, taking account of the social insurance contribution rates and the overall sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund. That being said, I outlined in the earlier statement the overall costs of a lot of these schemes, with the bigger scheme costing about €1.9 billion. I am not the Minister but I will certainly bring this feedback to the Minister, Deputy Calleary.”
“As I referred to in my opening statement, the social system operates on the general principle of one person, one payment. This approach is a standard feature of social security systems throughout the world. It means that, generally, the bereaved partner's pension cannot be received at the same time as illness benefit. I know it is probably no comfort, but my earlier contribution also referred to the option of the supplementary welfare allowance. If an individual is struggling to make mortgage repayments or if the cost of rent or other household goods exceeds income, there is that option, but I get the point. That is very much a last resort, which we should be trying to avoid in all cases, and there should be some safety net in place.”
“The Department will keep its schemes under review. As the Deputy can see, there is a principle of one payment per person, a principle that has long existed. In fairness, the Deputy has highlighted a situation very few would find themselves in. I would imagine it would not be a significant or massive cost to the Exchequer to expand it for those types of situations, especially considering the hardship someone like the Deputy's constituent has been through. I will certainly bring that feedback to the Minister for Social Protection.”
“The supplementary welfare allowance is a means-tested payment for persons struggling financially and can be accessed by customers through their local Intreo office. An exceptional needs payment may also be available to help meet essential, once-off expenditure a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. There is also statutory sick leave for persons in employment. Workers have an entitlement to five statutory sick pay days in a year. Under the scheme, sick pay may be paid by an employer at 70% of a person’s normal pay, up to a maximum of €110 a day. The Department of Social Protection will continue to keep its range of supports under review to ensure that they meet their overall objectives. I guess that is the chink of light Deputy Butterly might take from that.”
“With regard to persons in receipt of the bereaved partner's pension being also able to access iIIness benefit, there is a general principle of one person, one payment, which applies across the social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time but, generally, they can receive only one payment. This principle is common to social security systems across the world. Therefore, in general, illness benefit is not payable concurrently with these pensions. However, if a person is getting a reduced rate of the bereaved partner's pension, they may also get a reduced rate of illness benefit so that the combined amount of both payments reaches the maximum rate of illness benefit to which they would otherwise be entitled.”
“The bereaved parent grant is a once-off payment designed to assist with the income support needs of a bereaved partner with dependent children immediately following the death of his or her spouse or partner. The current rate of payment is €8,000. Illness benefit is the primary short-term income support provided by the Department of Social Protection to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. As of August 2025, approximately 52,600 people were in receipt of illness benefit. The estimated expenditure for 2025 is approximately €700 million.”
“The bereaved partner’s pension is a weekly payment to those who have lost their spouse, civil partner or qualified cohabitant and are covered by social insurance. To qualify for this pension, either the person claiming or their late spouse, civil partner or qualified cohabitant must have a certain number of PRSI contributions and they must not be in a cohabiting relationship. As of August 2025, there were approximately 127,400 people on the scheme. The estimated expenditure for 2025 is approximately €1.9 billion. The bereaved partner’s non-contributory pension is a means-tested payment payable to a person who does not qualify for the contributory version of the scheme. As of August 2025, there were approximately 1,000 people on the scheme. The estimated expenditure for 2025 is approximately €12 million.”
“I thank the Deputy for addressing this. She has certainly outlined a hardship case. It is hard to disagree with her description of it as a gap in the system that needs to be addressed. I will just outline the current situation and then perhaps from there we can bring this back to the Minister for Social Protection to ensure he is aware of anomalies. I will first provide an overview of the supports available to widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and qualified cohabitants, and the Illness benefit scheme. The widow’s, widower’s, and surviving civil partner’s pension was renamed as the bereaved partner’s pension on 21 July 2025, the date of enactment of the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025. This Act extends eligibility to a qualified cohabitant of the deceased person.”
“I completely appreciate the efforts of the Labour Party in publishing a costed budget with a focus on education, on trying to remove those gaps within education, and on the supports for disadvantage areas while also continuing a lot of the supports that were introduced by the previous Government, including the hot meals scheme. I appreciate that. It is really important we are having this discussion. We are all behind the establishment of DEIS plus and the expansion of those DEIS services. As the Deputy and the Minister have said, education is the key tool in addressing any of those socioeconomic issues that we have.”
“The new DEIS plan will set the long-term direction on supporting children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage and on empowering them to achieve their potential. The plan will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. It will also look to develop more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage and to work towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time. The DEIS plan will be published this year.”
“I reiterate that the Government is committed to tackling child poverty and it sees education as a key enabler to achieve that. The development of the DEIS plus scheme will be a further positive step in this commitment to lifting more children out of poverty to give them the futures they deserve. Since its introduction the DEIS programme has tackled the impact of poverty through supporting the improved attendance and progression of children and young people experiencing poverty. It has also improved education attainment levels, which create greater opportunities for employment and enhanced career pathways. The development of the new DEIS plus scheme will be a key part of a new DEIS plan, which will be published this year.”
“The culmination of all this work will see the achievement of the programme for Government commitment to deliver a new DEIS plus scheme, to provide targeted support for schools with the highest levels of educational disadvantage, and improve outcomes for children and young people. As Deputy Kenny can see from this response, a whole lot of work and effort has already gone into designing DEIS plus. It is well advanced and there has been significant stakeholder engagement. The Deputy asked specifically when it can be rolled out. We do not have an answer to that right now but, in fairness, by the Deputy highlighting it and highlighting the importance of it this does accelerate and put the spotlight on the need to roll out DEIS plus as quickly as possible.”
“The needs of the children and young people drove the development work. The group includes school principals, home school community liaison officers, and school completion programme co-ordinators. These are professionals who work directly with children experiencing high intergenerational disadvantage. The Department has also engaged directly with children and young people to inform this work. The focus is on shaping a DEIS plus scheme that will support schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage to meet the needs of the children. The Department is also actively engaging with other Departments and agencies, education partners, and stakeholders across the education sector to develop the DEIS plus scheme and aims to integrate and build on existing whole-of-government supports.”
“That is why the Government is committed to providing a DEIS plus scheme to support schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. To meet this commitment, the DEIS plus scheme will provide additional support to schools with the highest levels of educational disadvantage and seek to improve education outcomes for children and young people in these schools. The scheme will provide very targeted supports to those who most need it, to tackle the impact of intergenerational disadvantage and to empower them to achieve their potential through education. Work to develop the scheme is well advanced and the Minister is engaging with Cabinet colleagues to secure the necessary funding for the scheme through the budgetary process. A DEIS plus design advisory group worked with the Department officials to develop the proposal for the scheme.”
“The Department spends over €180 million annually, providing additional supports to almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme and reaching approximately 250,000 children. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is committed to narrowing the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introducing innovative solutions to address disadvantage. Recent research, including the OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland have highlighted the role of the DEIS programme in providing an education system that consistently outperforms many other OECD countries but also exhibits relative socioeconomic fairness, making it one of the stronger performers globally. This research has also highlighted, however, important differences in outcomes persist for students who experience very high levels of deprivation.”
“I thank the Deputy for speaking on this issue with such passion. He has a lot of knowledge in this area. He has seen the benefits that DEIS has provided with those extra supports in terms of schools where there are a variety of challenges. There are disadvantages areas and students from all different backgrounds. I have also seen first-hand in my own constituency the benefits those extra DEIS supports can bring. This is why, in the previous Government, we committed to the roll-out of DEIS plus to increase those supports and increase the number of students who would benefit from them. Fair play to the Deputy; he has quite accurately highlighted the benefits of it and also the incredible work that teachers, SNAs, principals and staff do right across the board.”
“This multiyear pathway will focus on specific measurable deliverables that ensure service sustainability, expand patient care and enable community pharmacists to practice to their full scope. This landmark agreement sets a pathway forward for a strategic approach to shaping the future of community pharmacy in Ireland, all with the intent of improving healthcare service delivery and patient outcomes.”
“The Department will also progress a number of regulatory reforms over the coming months to improve efficiency and free up capacity in community pharmacy. The Department, the HSE and the Irish Pharmacy Union are committed to a process of ongoing structured engagement to support the future development of community pharmacy. The continuation of a high-level, enduring, strategic relationship is designed to support the shaping and implementation of the role of pharmacies in a more integrated, efficient and patient-centred health system. It is recognised that ongoing collaborations, some already under way, on key operational-related matters will also continue. Furthermore, it is recognised that, from time to time and as required, specific programmes of work will be established with their own governance arrangements as appropriate.”
“This is being done in a way which puts patient safety first and allows the State to repurpose €20 million of funding to be used to implement new patient-centred services. It remains open to pharmacies to charge patients for the use of monitored dosing systems as a private service. In the context of the overall agreement and settlement package, the State has also secured key commitments from community pharmacy in relation to reform, modernisation and the digital agenda. The agreement will provide the basis for community pharmacy and IPU co-operation with the full ehealth agenda, including national eprescribing programme, shared care record, HSE app, electronic health recording, etc. As these programmes advance and roll out, the co-operation of community pharmacies will be crucial to the success.”
“The approved list of medications will be provided by the HSE in due course. For reason codes 1 and 4, by focusing phased dispensing reimbursement on the medication categories on the approved list, phased dispensing payments can be targeted to medications with the highest risk or potential for misuse. Phased dispensing fees will remain payable as per current arrangements under reason codes 2 and 3 and will not be subject to the approved list. The HSE estimates that this will free up over €20 million in funding within community pharmacy. This funding will be primarily redirected towards valued added services. The salient point here is that appropriate phased dispensing is not being removed in this agreement. The current funding of blister packs when claimed as phased dispensing, which the State has never supported, will be suspended.”
“Phased dispensing support is currently available under the GMS medical card scheme for the following reasons: reason 1 - at the request of a patient's physician; reason 2 - due to the inherent nature of a medicinal product, that is, product stability and shelf life; reason 3 - where a patient is commencing new drug therapy with a view to establishing patient tolerance and acceptability before continuing on a full treatment regime; and reason 4 - in exceptional circumstances where the patient is incapable of safely and effectively managing the medication regimen. Under the community pharmacy agreement, from January 2026, phased dispensing under reasons 1 and 4 will be limited to a defined set of high-risk medication classes. These are psychotropics; opioids; codeine; and pregabalin and gabapentin.”
“The State has never agreed to this. Phased claiming was never intended to be used to submit claims in lieu of the provision of monitored dosing systems. While monitored dosing systems may have a role for some patients there is significant uncertainty around the robustness of the evidence supporting their use. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics carried out an evidence assessment which indicated that the evidence was, at best, equivocal to support such a programme. Significant expenditure is therefore being incurred where it was never intended by the State. It has been agreed to introduce improved controls in this regard and to limit the use of phased dispensing to specified high-risk drugs, where a patient safety concern may exist.”
“The supply of medication in instalments can support patients prescribed certain high-risk medications who are at risk of medication misadventure if these medications were to be supplied on a monthly basis, as is the norm under the community drug schemes. Where a phased dispensing claim is submitted, the current requirement is that an item must be dispensed across multiple supply occasions. Community pharmacies receive additional payments in respect of phased dispensing. Monitored dosing systems are systems that enable the individual medicine doses to be organised according to the prescribed dose schedule. These are sometimes referred to as blister packs. The State has never agreed to fund monitored dosing systems. However, a practice has built up whereby the use of monitored dosing systems is charged as if for phased dispensing.”
“Fundamentally, this is a forward-looking agreement that will make it easier for people to access care in their communities. It reflects our shared commitment to innovation, public health, and sustainable investment. It will further support community pharmacies in diversifying their health service offerings, business models and revenue streams. On phased dispensing, there is one important element of the agreement, changes being made to the rule set around phased dispensing, which I would like to outline to the House. This agreement does not remove phased dispensing. Phased dispensing was introduced in 1996 for patient safety reasons.”
“On digital integration, pharmacies will actively support national eHealth reforms, including the national e-prescription service and national electronic health record. There will be new funding, and €25 million in 2025 and €50 million in 2026 will support fee adjustments, service development, and training. On strategic collaboration, a new collaborative framework will be established to support the shaping and implementation of community pharmacy’s role in a more integrated, efficient, and patient-centred health system. The agreement also introduces new fees and allowances for participating pharmacies, supports training and development of pharmacy teams, and a programme of work aimed at reducing the community pharmacy administrative burden.”
“Key achievements of the agreement which the Minister for Health outlined earlier include expanded services. Community pharmacies will play a greater role in the management of common conditions, immunisation, bowel screening, and the safe return and disposal of unused medicines. There is a fee for this for all patients, but of course medical card holders can still go to their GP for free, as they do today. The introduction of this scheme means that anyone can go the pharmacy instead, for a fee. Anticipating that many private patients might go to a pharmacist instead, it may make more appointments possible at the GP, enabling a quicker free appointment for medical card holders. This agreement makes it cheaper for some but increases access for all for a prescription for a common condition.”
“The agreement will support the delivery of safe, equitable, and efficient healthcare, and ensure that community pharmacists are better equipped to contribute to national health priorities through engagement, sustainable funding, and integrated service delivery. The agreement will be implemented on a phased basis and will be supported by ongoing, regular structured engagements between the Department, HSE and the IPU. Under the agreement a strategic collaboration group will be established which will provide a structured forum for dialogue and joint consideration of strategic issues shaping the future of community pharmacy in Ireland. The agreement is comprehensive and extensive, covering a wider variety of key issues in community pharmacy.”
“They must have been over for the Steelers game. To answer Deputy Toole's question at the outset, the chief pharmaceutical officer commitment will be fulfilled. I do not have a timeline on that but it is absolutely a commitment that we will follow through and fulfil. I would like to thank the Deputies for their contributions today, especially those who spoke in support of community pharmacists and the work they do in delivering a more accessible and integrated health service in Ireland. The community pharmacy agreement marks a significant milestone in the strategic collaboration between the Department of Health, the HSE, and the IPU. It sets out a comprehensive and ongoing pathway to modernise and expand the role of community pharmacy in Ireland’s healthcare system.”
“Before we move on to Leaders' Questions, it has to be noted that I sat next to the Minister, Deputy Burke, during the debate. He offered full respect to each and every one of the Opposition speakers without interrupting once, yet in the single ten-minute slot in which he had to speak, he was interrupted and heckled. That is absolutely ridiculous. This is an ongoing trend and it has to be stopped because it is completely disrespectful.”
“That is my understanding of the treatment process Uisce Éireann is incorporating in what it is doing in the Mahon area and in this instance. It may be the case, however, that the approach is not going to work and there may be a case for an extra pumping station to increase the flow so there is not the septicity and stagnant water. The Deputy is looking for clarity, more accurate answers and timelines, and I undertake to get those timelines for him.”
“The Minister, Deputy Browne, apologised that he could not make it here to deal with this question personally, but we work collaboratively within the Department anyway. I will absolutely undertake to try to get more detail and a timeline. Regarding the cause of the issue, septicity is the cause of the odour. The untreated sewage at this point remains stagnant en route to the treatment plant, so it is not necessarily a situation where the treatment plant is not working. I am sorry to keep harping back to my own example, but the treatment plant in Courtmacsherry is working perfectly. The flow stops, though, where the raw sewage is being transported to the treatment plant and that is where we get the septicity. The chemical being added is the way of treating and trying to remove the odours.”
“Uisce Éireann is going to continue to monitor the situation there, but it is also talking about reviewing and updating operational procedures as needed to ensure a long-term resolution in the area. If I can give the Deputy and the residents of Mahon and the Blackrock area any chink of light, it is that Uisce Éireann is open to reviewing the situation so that a long-term solution can perhaps be built there.”
“The idea is to reduce that stale malodour during the summer months when flows are low and temperatures are high. In summary, Uisce Éireann is aware of the issues. The Deputy has asked for clarification in terms of getting a bit more evidence as to whether what Uisce Éireann is saying is producing these malodours is factual. I have seen in my personal experience where this has been the case. If further works are required in this case, however, I know that, in the situation where I am, an extra pumping station is the solution. Perhaps Uisce Éireann needs to go a step further and inquire if an extra pumping station is needed in this case, too, to increase the flow so there is not that stagnant sewage and malodour.”
“When wastewater becomes stagnant and oxygen levels drop, hydrogen sulphide gas is produced, resulting in strong, unpleasant smells. This is exacerbated by low flows and high temperatures, particularly during the summer months. That was the explanation I was given in terms of what we experienced locally in the Courtmacsherry-Timoleague area. I wonder if that is what is happening in this instance. The Deputy will know from the response he received that Uisce Éireann is making improvements and is carrying out early contractor involvement, ECI, works at Atlantic Pond and Ballinure to upgrade the sites there. As part of these works, Uisce Éireann will be introducing septicity dosing at Atlantic Pond. That is where specific chemicals are introduced that have an impact in terms of reducing the malodour.”
“That is pretty much the explanation Uisce Éireann is giving in this instance. The response is perhaps not much different from the one Deputy Ó Laoghaire received two weeks ago, but I will endeavour ensure that he gets clarity on the other issues he has raised. Uisce Éireann informs me that during the summer months, it is not unusual to see a seasonal spike in odour instances across the country. Odours can be more pronounced for a variety of reasons, including prolonged warm or dry weather, humidity, reduced wastewater flows, increased biological activity and seawater infiltration, wind direction and agricultural activities can also be contributing factors. As the Deputy outlined, the primary cause of the odour locally is septicity in the wastewater network.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this issue. I imagine that he experienced frustration during the summer and has probably waiting for an opportunity to highlight this matter in the Dáil. Perhaps he could provide some feedback on whether this malodour was at a heightened level during the summer months. We had a pretty dry June and July, with high temperatures and low rainfall. There probably was not much flow in the system, if that makes sense. I am not an engineering expert, but my understanding is that this can lead to malodours. We had a similar issue with a brand-new system in Courtmacsherry. What happened was that because the sewage had to travel such a distance from Timoleague to Courtmacsherry, the malodour was exacerbated in areas where it was settling and remaining stagnant.”
“If it is blatant and obvious and someone has been caught red-handed, I agree there should be serious consequences for the reasons the Senator outlined. It may deter people from getting involved in politics in the future, and it is a tough job as it is. I appreciate the Senator raising the issue. I cannot comment on individual cases for obvious reasons but I accept the general tenor of his argument.”
“I agree with the Senator about the impact of fraudulent voting. It strikes to the core of our democracy, has a serious impact on the candidates who put themselves forward and adds to the stresses associated with election time. We all understand that. There has to be trust in the process, and there is. If there is not, it undermines everything. I disagree, however, in that I do not think it is happening as widely and at the scale the Senator asserted. I commend polling clerks and officers at polling stations who give up their days, whether adjudicating at polling stations or at the counts later on. They do incredible work in local authorities across the country. They are vigilant. I do not think it is happening at the scale the Senator asserted but I agree with him that where it happens, the consequences should be serious.”
“It should of course be taken seriously. Anywhere fraud is happening, those cases should be taken seriously and there should be serious penalties for anyone involved.”
“It is not appropriate for me as Minister of State to comment on a specific case or cases. Separate to the role of returning officers and local authorities, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, which was established on 9 February 2023 and is independent in the performance of its functions, is tasked with carrying out post-electoral event reviews, oversight of the electoral register, conducting research on electoral issues and making recommendations on same. In combination with wider reforms of electoral registration, the work of An Coimisiún will strengthen our electoral system as a whole and help us to anticipate and respond to the challenges we face in an ever evolving electoral environment. I have set out the procedures. There are reforms and reviews. The Senator is right; electoral fraud cuts to the core of our democracy and damages it.”