Colm Burke
Cork North-Central · Fine Gael · Ireland
“That is not the Department's fault but the FAI was not asked any questions about bringing this land back into use for sporting activities in Glanmire. There are 30 acres lying idle. Not a sod has been turned and no planning application has been made. We are now getting mixed messages about what is actually going on.”
“The Department is still giving out money to the FAI and not calling it to account for getting the land from a Government agency, the local authority, and leaving it to sit idle, while clubs are now refusing to take in new members because they do not have capacity for them. It is time for the Department to step in.”
“It is ten years later and not a sod has been turned. I got then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, to come to Glanmire in 2023 where we met 18 of the sports clubs. As a result of that meeting, the FAI started negotiations again with the county council.”
“The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport provides funding to the FAI on an annual basis. I understand it is more than €6 million. Can the Minister of State ascertain why 30 acres of land in Glanmire, Cork, which was leased to the FAI by Cork County Council in 2017, has remained idle?”
“I am absolutely astonished at that reply. The county council told councillors that it was leasing 12.5 acres to Riverstown FC rather than the full site. What the FAI is telling the Minister is totally different.”
“There has been a substantial delay in issuing Irish residency permit, IRP, cards. Quite a number of my constituents have been let go from employment because they did not get their cards within the 12-week period.”
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“In Australia, there are high numbers of people affected by flu. Likewise, the UK is expecting the same thing to happen. Here in Ireland, the take-up of the vaccine is very low. For instance, take-up of the vaccine stands at 17.5% of healthcare workers, 53.7% of fair deal residents, 42.6% of adults 60 and above, and 11% of those aged between two and 17. As we face into the winter months, there is always a new strain of flu. Taking the flu vaccine is important. When it comes to the Covid vaccine among healthcare workers, for instance, there is only a 5% take-up. What are the Tánaiste's Department and the Department of Health going to do to raise the importance of taking the flu and Covid vaccines in order to avoid adverse outcomes? Now is the time.”
“It is interesting how, by the local authorities - the city and county councils - IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Minister's Department and other Departments working together, we can make sure land is available and the infrastructure is developed so that companies can come in, create employment and grow the local economy further.”
“There is continued expansion. I visited one company recently that was doing a €60 million expansion and a number of other companies have plans to grow. The challenge is that some of them need to move to bigger sites. I welcome what the Minister said about a land bank because it is extremely important and also because of the port facility. The Ringaskiddy bypass road is now being built. It will take another two years. With the development in the Tivoli Docks area, the port facilities will move to Ringaskiddy and while land will be opening up there, it will be for residential development and other potential development. There are a lot of opportunities in Cork now.”
“Where I am coming from is that in the Cork area, the land bank IDA Ireland has in Ringaskiddy is now totally built on and there is very little space available for new companies to come in. Likewise, many of the private business parks have been developed, such as Blarney Business Park, which has seen huge growth in the past five to eight years and is running out of space. My question is about the Cork region and the identification of a land bank that could be made available for new companies to start up on or for companies coming from abroad to start up on. It is extremely important. We have had huge growth in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors, and in a lot of other sectors, in Cork. That is because we have the support of the third level colleges, which are producing the graduates to work in those companies.”
“They have grown gradually over the years and have made a contribution to local economies and to the national economy. They want to continue to do that. Japan has one person employed for every person who is retired. As a result of its work abroad, Japan is able to get money in to support that system.”
“This is an important matter, because these companies create a huge amount of employment locally, especially in rural areas. It is important that we help them to expand further, particularly where they already have access to markets but are restricted because they need access to finance in order to expand. One of the companies I know has more than 800 employees, is operating outside Ireland and is bringing finance back into the country in the context of what it is doing. It is also giving employment to people who are working here but who also work abroad for certain periods. There is a huge opportunity here. Many of these companies are not based in the major population centres like Cork city or Dublin city; they are based in rural areas.”
“The gap slows down the scaling growth of Irish companies outside Ireland despite the success of some notable exceptions. The lack of direct State equity backing invariably means most end up using private equity. The opportunity for Ireland to cover it is lost and foreign ownership is the ultimate outcome. That is basically where I am coming from on this. These companies want to expand. There is an opportunity for them to expand but they cannot do so. If they get the equity, it is extremely expensive. In order to expand, they end up getting into ownership from abroad.”
“Ireland has a significant number of indigenous companies that have successfully scaled €100 million in revenue and turnover and 250 employees, creating essential local employment and economic prosperity across the country, especially in rural areas. Despite the efforts of many, the majority of the current State supports treats such companies as too large to be SMEs and too small to be public limited companies, PLCs. While Revenue currently provides direct equity to start-ups and high-potential start-ups, HPSUs, larger Irish companies lack the opportunity for direct equity investment to support international expansion, especially through mergers and acquisitions. I have already outlined that Denmark and Germany are providing support to companies to expand outside their jurisdictions.”
“Do the Department and Enterprise Ireland plan to introduce a growth equity fund to help scale and co-invest in large privately owned companies with a view to expansion in other jurisdictions? Has the Department researched similar programmes which are operational in other European countries, such as Denmark, Finland and Germany?”
“However, what is really disturbing is the fact the dental places exist in both TCD and UCC but we are providing the training for people who are from outside of Ireland and outside the European Union. It does not make sense. The other issue I want to raise is the need to increase the number of training places for dental nurses and dental hygienists. There is no proposal to increase those, as I understand it, although I am open to correction. It is an extremely important area. We have over 5,000 people waiting for orthodontic treatment for over three years. This has to be dealt with and it needs to be prioritised. I would ask that both Departments sit down and see how we can fast track the delivery of dental care to young people and to adults who require dental treatment who have to go under the public scheme.”
“I thank the Minister of State. It still does not deal with the issue of 500 posts that require to be filled and the fact we have fewer dentists working in the public sector than we had in 2006, from over 330 down to 254. The number of dentists in private practice who are offering public care has dropped from over 1,200 down to under 600. That is a huge drop. I have given the figure of the number students who were reviewed. Some 104,000 eligible school children did not get access to dental screening and that is not going to improve over the next three to four years. There is an issue in relation to UCC, which has looked for the €4.5 million since 2022. It is looking to increase the number of places along with TCD, which looking for approval for an extra 16 places.”
“It is not just dentists, it is also dental nurses and dental hygienists. We have not increased the number of places available in third level colleges and we need to deal with it before the start of the academic year in September 2026.”
“The huge exodus...from the scheme is forcing patients to travel further to see dentists, to wait longer for appointments..." HSE figures from February 2022, show that there are 13,294 patients on orthodontics waiting lists, 11,088 of whom are waiting longer than a year, and 5,076 waiting longer than 3 years. This is what we are now facing, which is the reason I am raising the issue again. I will continue to raise it until we get co-operation between the Department of higher education and the Department of Health as regards how we progress the expansion of dental training.”
“I understand that the Royal College of Surgeons is going to take in extra people in 2026 and 2027, but that still does not deal with the issue we currently face. I will read from the Irish Dental Association report issued in September: In 2023, 104,000 eligible schoolchildren in Ireland missed dental screening appointments due to a shortage of HSE public-only dentists. This represents roughly half of the eligible cohort denied vital dental appointments. There are now barely 600 dentists actively participating in the medical card scheme nationally. Three or four years ago more than 1,200 dentists were working privately, who were also doing public work but they have all left. With less than 600 dentists actively providing public care, "this is equivalent to 1 dentist per 2,500 eligible patients.”
“At a time when there is a huge increase in population, there has been a 25% decrease in the number of dentists working in the public sector. The other problem in the public sector is that two thirds of positions advertised have not been filled. What is really concerning now is that we have a scenario whereby UCC applied to the Department of Health for €4.5 million to open a facility in Blackpool so that it could use it for training students, and to increase the number of students it could take in. That application was submitted in 2022. Three years later it has still not been approved. Likewise with TCD, which applied again in 2022 to take in an extra 16 Irish-EU students, but again that application has not been progressed.”
“I am again raising the lack of training places for dental students. I have given these figures before. UCC takes in 25 per annum and Trinity also takes in 25 but those two colleges are then taking in non-EU students. In Cork it is 36 and in Trinity it is 21. I know the RCSI has recently opened a dental college and it is taking in 20, but that does not deal with the issue. The Irish Dental Association identified more than two years ago that there was a shortage of over 500 dentists in the system. As the Minister of State is aware, the population has increased dramatically by over 40%. We are not able to provide the support and care that people require, in particular in the public health sector. The number of dentists in 2006 was 330. By 2022, it was down to 254.”
“The issue is about providing the funding for work to be done on the building to make sure it is adequate for the services that will be provided there. It is important the Department makes sure the HSE, the city council and the Department of housing deliver this within the next three to four months, which means prioritising the funding and then prioritising getting the work done. Quite a bit of work needs to be done on the premises but it could be delivered within a short enough period provided we make the decision now and not in six, nine or 12 months. I ask that this be conveyed back to the Department of Health and that the Department convey it back to the HSE and the city council.”
“I am a little concerned that we are 14 months on and we still do not have a shared funding model. People who are homeless are in the same position they were in this time last year; the question now is whether they will be in the same position this time next year. The issue needs to be prioritised. I met with the building owners recently. They are becoming concerned that this issue seems to be dragging on ad infinitum . They will not wait forever. This has been identified as the ideal location. In fairness to the HSE at local level and Cork City Council, they have worked hard together and the people in both organisations have put time and effort into identifying what is best for the people who need the support. We already have the staff in place so no additional staff will be required.”
“It is amazing that we do not have such a health hub in the city available for people who are homeless during the day. Obviously, our priority is to reduce the number of people who are homeless. This hub can help with that as well. It can help people to access housing that is suitable for them. At the moment, people who are homeless feel there is no one supporting them. They feel that they are on their own and that there is no dedicated service available to them. I ask that this now be given priority and that it not be delayed further.”
“There is another risk. There is a property identified in a very good location. It is important that we step up to the mark and progress the project now and that I am not back here again in 12 months' time making the same plea. I know the Department of Health is not the Minister of State's area but I ask that this be brought to the attention of all of the Ministers. We need to prioritise this issue. We also need to take the pressure off Mercy University Hospital. It is providing an excellent service but it is restricted in the support it can give people who are homeless who are not necessarily looking for medical care but who need someplace to go. We really need to prioritise this project now. Cork is the second biggest city in the country.”
“We have identified a site, a building, but the building's owners are getting concerned that, 12 or 14 months on, there is still nothing signed on the dotted line in relation to this development. Even if it were signed in the morning, it would still take anything up to 12 months before the facility came on stream while 600 people still have no place to go during the day. There is also a huge advantage from the HSE point of view. It is currently paying out over €2 million in staff costs but these staff are in different locations, providing a range of services to people who are homeless. If there was one hub for all of this work, it would make it far easier for the health service, the city council and all of the support people within social services. This issue really needs to be prioritised. I certainly do not want further delay.”
“I raise an issue I dealt with when I was Minister of State at the Department of Health. It is about having an integrated homeless health hub in Cork city. In October 2024, I arranged a meeting between the Department of Health, the Department of housing, the HSE in Cork and Cork City Council. It was agreed that we would all work together to establish a day centre where people who were homeless could go. At the present time, there is accommodation available to these people at night. The vast majority avail of that accommodation although some do not. However, during the day, there is no place for anyone to go. The accident and emergency department at Mercy University Hospital is under severe pressure. People tend to use that. Businesses are also under pressure because people need someplace to go, particularly in wet or cold weather.”
“As I said, I am speaking about people who are restricted in the amount they can borrow. Therefore, they are receiving assistance from parents which brings them under the qualifying criteria. Many of the new houses that are being built have air to water systems which are very expensive. People are installing such systems but are getting no support from the State because they receive support from parents. It is an issue that needs to be examined, in particular for those who do not qualify for a first-time purchase or owner's grant. When they get support from immediate family, they are penalised. Should there be a scheme whereby people can qualify for grants for heating systems when they have not qualified for a first-time owners grant? This would provide some incentive to put in place a system that is efficient and cost-effective.”
“I refer to a person who has worked abroad to save money in order to come back and build a house in Ireland. Due to the contribution they are making to the cost of building, they are unable to receive any grants and are also excluded from solar energy grants. People with a set income are only entitled to borrow a certain amount of money. They may also receive support from parents. Where parents provide support, that brings people building a house under the qualifying criteria. Therefore, they do not receive any grants. Parents are providing funding to help a son or daughter build a house but that brings them under the grant qualifications and they are then not entitled to any grants for solar panels. Could that issue be reviewed?”
“I am sorry but there is just one final thing I want to mention and that is the respect that Ireland and the Irish Army has. I have been in two conflict zones where the Irish Army was. It is important we build on and maintain that and work in particular at a European level on it.”
“It is an issue that is going to come up very much. If there is not peace in Ukraine by the time we hold the Presidency, the issue of Ukraine will be very much to the forefront in any EU discussions. We will then be required to provide leadership in that area. I think the Tánaiste will accept that it will be a challenge on the basis that no matter what happens, we cannot go in there and provide support and help without a UN mandate. As we all know, a number of countries have a veto in relation to any UN mandate and that has not happened for quite some time. We need to really have a discussion on what our role is in this whole area when we hold the Presidency. We need to plan for a number of different scenarios so that we can carefully manage it and at the same time provide the leadership that is required at European level.”
“On one hand, we are giving leadership within the EU but on the other hand, there is not a mechanism for us to provide personnel to assist in a peacekeeping role in Ukraine should that arise.”
“There are two issues I want to raise. One is in relation to the increase in numbers we require in our Naval Service. It is a big challenge. What progress can be made on that over the next 12 months? It is extremely important from our point of view and from a European point of view. The second issue concerns a scenario where we had peace in Ukraine. While we all want it, and it would be great if it was in place prior to us taking over the Presidency of the EU, in relation to giving leadership, we would not be able to deploy our members of our Defence Forces there in a peacekeeping mission without a UN mandate. That then would leave us in a very difficult position.”
“I ask the Tánaiste to outline the way in which Ireland will balance its policy of military neutrality with increased engagement in EU defence co-operation during the 2026 EU presidency, and if he will make a statement on the matter.”
“In Scotland, the RSV vaccination programme has resulted in a 62% reduction of people in the age group 75 to 79 being admitted to ICU. RSV is a respiratory virus that, despite being very common, can cause serious complications. We have a growing elderly population. The vaccination programme can help keep people out of hospital. Will the Government give serious consideration to introducing a similar programme to the one in Scotland, particularly for the group aged over 70? It is extremely important now. We will have 1 million people aged over 65 within the next four years. Now we need to start taking action to keep the numbers being admitted to hospital down.”
“How much progress has been made on expanding the list of goods which will be exempt from the 15% tariff? Has progress been made on the cost of visa applications and is there likely to be further progress made over the next two to three months?”
“How are we changing strategy to sell that from an American point of view, to emphasise that it is not just about manufacturing goods to go into America but that there is an opportunity for American companies to be based here in Ireland and to get access to the European market of 460 million people?”
“One of the problems we have with the US is that there is a view out there, especially in America, that it is a one-way street. America thinks that we have all the advantages in the sense that we export quite a large volume of goods, especially in the pharmaceutical area. The point the Tánaiste made that Irish companies have created over 200,000 jobs there indicates that it is very much a two-way process. We need to sell that message a bit more strongly. While we have the EU Presidency, which is not too far away, the point that we can sell is that by having a business in Ireland, you have access to a huge European market. That is extremely important.”
“I very much welcome the question raised on the historical and the cultural aspects. There are also trade aspects and how the State focused on trade with the US over the past 35 or 40 years. The Government now needs to focus on Canada and how it can get Canada to invest more here because of its access to the European market, but likewise so that we can export to Canada. We have already got that link as well with our third level institutions in that quite a number of students from Canada are studying in our third level institutions. We should also use that to strengthen our connections with the Canadian authorities.”
“As already stated, the age profile is changing and the demand for hospital services will increase dramatically over the next few years. Therefore, the more people we can keep out of hospital and away from the medical services, the better. One of the ways of doing that is vaccination programmes, whether it is the flu vaccine, the shingles vaccination or other vaccines. Vaccines help to keep people from having to require hospital care. Therefore, this is a programme we should carefully look at, particularly now in relation to over-75s, and review to see if we can get that slot in there to at least start some element of it, in the same way other European countries have done.”
“I fully accept the answer the Minister of State has given in the sense that cost-effectiveness is also an important issue in relation to any new medicine that is made available under the drugs payment scheme. What I am saying, however, is that I understand that after the decision of July 2024, there were further negotiations but, again, no progress was made. While there was a considerable cost reduction made by the pharmaceutical company, my understanding is that a decision was taken following the HTA not to approve this. I am concerned about the fact that other countries in Europe now have this in place. We must look carefully at it as well, even if we are to start off with the age group comprising those over 75, and even setting aside some money to deal with that age group.”
“This is particularly true for those over 65 but also for those who are immunocompromised. If they get shingles, if they already have a medical complication, this will add further to their problems, add to the occupancy of hospital beds, and add in real terms to the overall medical cost. That is the reason I am bringing forward this Topical Issue this evening.”
“In real terms, however, it would probably be a cost saving because if you have people who end up in hospital as a result of getting shingles, due to the knock-on adverse effect it can have on their health, then there is a real saving there. As the Minister of State will be aware, the average cost to the State is €8,000 per week for each week a person is in hospital. I ask that the Government give serious consideration to putting in place a vaccination programme. While my request is for people over 65, if we cannot do it for over 65s, we should at least put it in place for people over 75. A number of other European countries already have it in place. The UK is putting in place a programme for over 75s. It is recognised that there would be a real saving to the State in the long term.”
“Shingles is also associated with increased risk of stroke and neurological conditions. As the Minister of State will be aware, the age profile of the population of this country is changing dramatically. Since 2011, the number of people over 65 has increased from 600,000 to 860,000 and within the next four years, it will be over 1 million. It is also important to note that at any one time, 50% of all hospital beds in our hospitals are occupied by people over 65. I am disappointed that we have not put in place or even started this programme. Even if we decided to go for people over 75, we could easily put in place a programme that would cost us less than €10 million in real terms.”
“This comes issue under the Department of Health. My question on whether consideration will be given to putting in place a shingles vaccination programme to be made available to people over 65 or to immunocompromised patients in view of the fact that shingles vaccination is recommended by NIAC for those over 65 and for those who are immunocompromised and aged between 18 and 65. Shingles vaccination is currently not available on the national immunisation programme. While the drug for shingles is approved, it is not available under the medical card scheme or under the present health programme. We must remember that when a person gets shingles, especially those over 65, up to 30% of people end up with long-term nerve pain. Anything up to 25% of people are adversely affected in the area around the eye.”
“I welcome the reduction in VAT from 13.5% to 9% in the building industry. I understand there is a technical issue, however. If a housing agency owns the land and engages a contractor to build apartments, the builder will have to collect 13.5% rather than 9%. This will have an adverse effect on a number of projects in the Taoiseach's constituency, with which he and I are familiar. The landowner engages with the contractor on a building contract. My understanding is that VAT is proposed on sales, not on construction. A detailed letter was sent to the Department of Finance last night by Property Industry Ireland, setting out where it needs appropriate amendments to deal with this issue. The owner of the land does not get the VAT reduction and will have to charge 13.5% on the building. I ask that this be clarified.”
“I am a solicitor and if we go back 25 years there was a lot of succession planning, whereas I find the same level of planning is not there now. I am wondering how we can encourage that, talk openly about it and ensure there is a plan in place. In one case, in order to do a proper transfer of land we had to transfer the land to the daughters-in-law because that was the only way we could do proper planning in relation to transfer of land. We are not looking carefully enough about succession planning. There is also a proposal that €25,000 be made available to the retiring farmer. How fast can we put in place some of those measures if we plan them before the next budget?”
“I thank the Minister. As he will be aware, the report clearly sets out that only something like 4% of farmers are under 35 and 37% are over 65. This means we have a major challenge. It is also about the demands of farming. In dairy farming especially it is a seven-day week and people are on call all the time. There are jobs outside the agricultural sector that are very attractive. Only 3% of CAP supports are going to young farmers and I think one of the recommendations is to push that as far as 8%. That is one simple area. The other issue with the 31 recommendations is the timeframe for trying to deal with that issue. If 37% of farmers are over 65 then within the next five years there will be a far bigger number. We need to make sure we put in a timeframe for the implementation of the report's recommendations.”
“The commission on generational renewal in farming has published its report. I ask the Minister what engagement the Department has had with relevant stakeholders on generational renewal policies and whether he will make a statement on the matter.”
“I will be brief. I thank the Minister, the Department, the vets and all involved in this for all the work they are doing. One issue that has come to my attention is the additional compensation that is available. It is available on the basis that the total number of reactors is 9.5% or above. That is fine in a situation where it is 9.5% of 50 animals but if it is 9.5% of 300 animals and the number of reactors does not reach that even though there is a huge loss, for instance, 27 out of 300 animals, there are no additional supports. At the same time, they are also locked up for a considerable period of time so there is a substantial loss there. Will that issue be reviewed as well because it has a huge effect on a farm, no matter what size, but in particular where there is a substantial loss of animals?”
“Overall, this is a welcome development from the Department, the HSE and the IPU. It will be of assistance. We have a growing population. We are training more GPs than ever before but people do not necessarily need to go to a GP for a lot of the care they require. That is why this agreement is giving support to pharmacies and the people involved, every one of whom is highly trained and highly specialised and can provide the care that is required by the person who calls to them to get advice. It is important that we, from a Government point of view, support those people who provide that service to the community and the people who live in it.”
“The pharmacies are certainly concerned that the fee is to be phased out from January and will be restricted to a small number of medical items. I ask that this be looked at. I can come back to the Minister with further details on it if she wishes. There is now a lot more co-operation and co-ordination of medical services, including GP, pharmacy and hospital services, than ever before. It is important that we continue to further develop that. The area of digitalisation is important because we need to make sure the people who are working in the pharmacy behind the counter can access the information they need to make sure the right medication is being provided. We need to ensure that a person cannot go to a lot of pharmacies on one day to get large quantities of non-prescriptive medicines. That is a big issue we need to deal with.”
“This service, which involves items being put into a blister package for the particular day on which it is used, is only available on a once-a-week basis. I have spoken to people in a pharmacy that has over 60 customers who rely on that service. They get €4.10 for doing the packaging. It can take up to 45 minutes, which is quite a lot of time, to put the package together for each customer. I understand that under this agreement, the fee for this service is being abolished. Pharmacists are concerned because this will affect certain areas. It is fine if you are in an area where you do not have a population that relies on the level of support that these people require. I wonder if this could be looked at.”
“Another issue raised in relation to this agreement is about trying to encourage people to get involved in the bowel screening programme. That is extremely important as well. Another aspect of the common condition service, whereby a pharmacy can provide a consultation and identify the suitable medication if it is a non-prescriptive medication, is that the care is provided at a local level rather than the person having to wait for a period of time to get access to their GP. This service means that the pharmacy can provide the support the person needs. I wish to raise with the Minister a concern that has been expressed to me in relation to blister packaging, which is very much available. My office is in Blackpool, where a large number of elderly people rely very much on blister packaging.”
“I keep mentioning that in other countries there is one card which allows your GP, your pharmacy or your hospital to access and see your medical records where required. When you go into the pharmacy with the card, they can access your records to see what medication you are on to make sure there will not be a problem with any new medication you are given. The other area where it is important is with regard to non-prescriptive medicine. At present, you can go to ten different pharmacists in a day and get the same drug, even if that drug is addictive. We have no system for controlling that. Digitalisation is so important in such circumstances because it means you cannot get medication from a pharmacy unless you have your own card. That controls it. It is something that we should move to.”