Duncan Smith
Dublin Fingal East · Labour Party · Ireland
“That is three separate roads that are all in one network and are all closed or heavily restricted because of these works happening at the same time. This is impacting thousands of existing residents, and will do so for a significant period. The works are happening and the homes are being built.”
“We have a very small wastewater treatment plant that has been there for 40 or 50 years and which serviced a much smaller town. It is currently being retrofitted and upgraded, but those works are being delayed.”
“I thank Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, for taking this debate late on a Thursday evening, on the last sitting day of this term. I would like to talk about the town of Swords in north County Dublin.”
“We do not have enough schools and we have a wastewater treatment plant that is absolutely buckling under the pressure. We welcome the houses. There were no mass protests about housing development in Swords. The majority of people who live there moved there, like myself, in the past 20 years and love living there.”
“I know you cannot make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but there is a disconnect in the planning of these projects that is causing havoc in Swords. We have a massive issue with our bus network, from bus stops to bus services, and again, we do not have a rail link yet.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her response, which speaks to the issue I am raising. Again, she will sense the tone in which I am raising it. There is an awful lot happening and being built, but it is the co-ordination of these works that is the problem.”
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“We need to see a real drive towards the implementation of Sláintecare. It must happen not only in our acute hospital settings but also, as Deputy Cullinane outlined, in the delivery of elective hospitals, the pace of which has been glacial. We also need to look at the community level. Mental healthcare in the community is underresourced and does not have enough staff. People are falling through the gaps. I have huge concerns about the number of people with acute mental health illnesses, unquantified to this point, who are not in receipt of a service at the moment because they have been discharged for missing appointments. That is a huge concern and one the HSE must take seriously.”
“Irish Life Health recorded post-tax profits of €24.1 million in 2023, with dividends of €11 million paid last year. VHI reported a net surplus of €36 million for 2024. Laya recorded pre-tax profits of €19.02 million in 2024, which was a doubling of its profits from 2023. People are struggling with mortgages and rent, high energy costs and food prices. They have little left of their wages. With 46% of people availing of private health insurance, the average policy increased from €1,683 in July of last year to €1,839 in July this year. The average price rise between 2023 and 2024 was more than 12%, which is a lot higher than the rate of inflation. Health insurance is not a luxury item or elective product; it is for basic healthcare. This is the Ireland of today and the health system that currently exists.”
“Health insurance providers step into that breach, with health insurance being a tax on people's fear that if they get sick, they will not get the help they deserve and that should be their right through the public system. Sláintecare is moving at a glacial pace, with a reduction in funding for its implementation from last year to this year. The question is whether the Government is as committed to Sláintecare as was the whole Oireachtas two Dáil terms ago when the cross-party group on the future of healthcare made its recommendations. We also need to discuss health insurance in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. We talked in this Chamber today about the big energy providers in regard to profit making and price gouging. The same arguments can be made about health insurance providers.”
“We will support the Bill, as we do with related legislation every year, but that endorsement is not an endorsement of the two-tier system that exists in our health service. Why do 46% of the population, or 2.5 million people, feel they must have private health insurance? It is because our public health system is buckling at the seams. As of 31 October 2025, there were 626,000 people on outpatient waiting lists. So far this year, 103,545 people spent time on trolleys awaiting beds. Many of us in this House have had family members waiting on trolleys this year. There are 6,858 vacant posts in the public health service at this time. A total of 400,000 people entitled to medical cards and GP visit cards are not availing of them. The public system is struggling in many respects.”
“Four weeks ago, the previous Minister for foreign affairs gave an indication that the occupied territories Bill would be brought back to this House before the end of November. The November schedule will be agreed without that being included. Can the Chief Whip now give an assurance that the Bill will be brought before the House before Christmas and the end of December?”
“We have done that work months ago. We have done our part; we are asking the Government to follow through. We believe this Bill will not be in before Christmas. If that happens, it will be 100% down to the Government. If the new Minister for foreign affairs is starting as she means to go on by not turning up to this debate and by not showing this one issue the respect, interest and import it deserves, it says everything about the Government and how it feels about the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza.”
“We asked if any company had come to the American Chamber of Commerce and said it was going to pull out of Ireland. The answer was "No". We asked if any company had said it would not grow in Ireland. The answer was "No". All it could refer to was this mythical, vague "reputational damage". Ireland's reputation is being increased and improved by the fact that we in opposition, starting with Senator Frances Black all those years ago, are pushing this Bill. The Government, for a moment, had a chance to continue to push that reputation and improve it. It is sacrificing that now on foot of fear and pressure from the United States. It is absolutely disgraceful. The Government says it is a Government of delivery. It should prove it. It should deliver this Bill. The Bill has already gone through pre-legislative scrutiny.”
“We know the Taoiseach received a letter from Washington from 23 lawmakers and we have seen Lindsey Graham threaten Ireland consistently. Why are we marching to their tune? These 24 lawmakers comprise 5% of all of Congress. To put it in perspective, it is less than the proportion of Government support in this House coming from the Lowry group. These lawmakers from America seem to have a disproportionate impact on this issue, compared with that group. We interrogated the threats to the Irish economy through the pre-legislative scrutiny. We asked IBEC if anyone had come to it to say they were going to pull out of Ireland or were not going to increase jobs in Ireland. It could not answer. We did not just take IBEC's word for it. We had the American Chamber of Commerce in before the committee not two weeks ago. We asked the same question.”
“The previous Minister for foreign affairs, the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, who in that seat during the Global Sumud Flotilla debate, committed to having the next Stage of the occupied territories Bill in this Chamber before the end of November. It is on the Dáil record. He said the end of November. It is 19 November now. Those on the business committee get indicative business for the rest of the month - Deputy Boyd Barrett will attest to this - and there is no sign of it. Another promise has been broken. We are a year on from the election, when the Government went door to door and said that the Bill was a priority and would be passed. What has changed? First, the Government won the election so it does not have to live up to its promises. Second, we have seen an increase in pressure from mainly American lawmakers.”
“This committee agreed that it: strongly recommend[ed] progressing the Bill and that the prohibition of imports from the Palestinian Occupied Territories should be extended to include trade in services, in line with the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and the Resolution which Ireland co-sponsored at the United Nations General Assembly. It was not just Opposition members of that committee who agreed this. Other ordinary Members of this House came in and contributed. Deputy Gibney came in and contributed a number of times in the pre-legislative scrutiny, as did members of the proposing groups. Members of Government on that committee agreed with the unanimous decision that services should be included. That was in the warm months of summer. We are now in the cold weeks of November.”
“I thank Deputies Boyd Barrett and Murphy and their colleagues for bringing this motion to the House today, which we are happy to support in a cross-party manner. With all due respect to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, I am absolutely disgusted, for want of a better word, that the Minister is not here on her first full day, at least even for the start of the debate. Along with Ukraine, this is the only show in town from a foreign affairs point of view. This issue is the only issue that has had pre-legislative scrutiny through the foreign affairs committee, on which I am privileged enough to sit.”
“Like with Palestine, the history books will remember not just those who stood on the right side of history with this conflict but those who supported the Ukrainian people. I am proud of what we have done so far as a nation. The effort of the Irish people to support the Ukrainian people who have arrived and settled here has been immense. They are our friends and neighbours and an important part of so many communities. Let us continue our support for the people of Ukraine so when President Zelenskyy arrives in Ireland, we can look him in the eye and tell him Ireland does now and will always support a free and democratic Ukraine.”
“It is not just here but around Europe governments are talking about cuts to refugees from this war. Statements from Prime Minister Tusk this week fuel those fears. The Prime Minister’s statement that, “Enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine has weakened in Poland and abroad. People are tired of the war and its costs, so maintaining support is harder”, is not helpful to the morale of the Ukrainian people. They cannot be allowed to feel abandoned. Indeed, they cannot be abandoned. This is not a war they wanted or sought. Rather, it is a war that was thrust upon them by an illegal invasion. No one is more tired of this war and its costs than the people of Ukraine. We cannot let apathy take hold. We cannot let the Ukrainian people become a political football and we cannot stop our support for a free, sovereign and democratic Ukraine.”
“As our party’s spokesperson on defence, I have met experts and, to be frank, I am greatly concerned with the reactive state of our cybersecurity. The HSE cyberattack, which was instigated by a Russian group, is a warning sign for just how vulnerable we are. With speed and overdue urgency, we need to move to a more proactive space on cyber. From reports, it seems that President Zelenskyy will be travelling to Ireland in December. What will this Government tell him when he lands? Will it be news that it plans to provide greater support to the people of Ukraine or that the amount of time Ukrainian refugees are housed in State accommodation is to be examined and potentially reduced from 90 to 30 days? I fear we, like others in Europe, are slipping into a place of complacency and acceptance that a Russian victory is inevitable.”
“The attack yesterday on a Polish railway that was key for delivering supplies into Ukraine should be a stark reminder that Russia is a dangerous aggressor to all of Europe. Indeed, a Romanian village has also had to be evacuated yesterday due to a Russian attack near its border. I worry when I see certain politicians try to downplay what Russia is and what it is doing. It is using a hybrid war across the Continent, make no mistake about that. We simply cannot keep our heads in the sand about this. Hybrid warfare is being waged on continental Europe, of which Ireland has been a victim through the HSE attack. We also see worrying activity in our waters and the vulnerability of our undersea cables. I welcome the increased investment in the national cybersecurity centre in this budget.”
“That is the view of Deputy O’Flynn and Independent Ireland. They should be ashamed of themselves. We all know the pitch at which Independent Ireland’s whistle is being set with its Ireland-first policy. It is the party of statements and blusters. We in the Labour Party will not throw Ukrainian people under the bus for a headline. Indeed, our housing spokesperson, Deputy Conor Sheehan, rightly called out the Government this month for the huge lack of clarity it gave the Ukrainian people living in Ireland over its commitment to change entitlements. Without a real plan, the Government risks causing mass homelessness for people who we have rightly supported to this point and still claim to support. The Government should show us it supports them, rather than simply telling us it does.”
“Ukraine has had 400,000 members of its military killed or injured, with a further 35,000 missing as of January 2025. Over 14,000 Ukrainian civilians have also been killed. This is a nation and people scarred who are now also spread out all across the world. Over 9.5 million Ukrainians have been displaced by this war, which is 22% of the country’s population. Imagine for a second that was you and your family who had to flee from your home. No matter how welcoming the host country and family were, it is not where you would truly want to be. Now imagine that political parties in the country to which you fled are deciding to use you for political point scoring. In an Independent Ireland statement last night, Deputy O’Flynn stated, "We cannot go on handing out medical cards to anyone who happens to arrive here bearing a Ukrainian passport".”
“As of October 2025, Russia has destroyed 60% of Ukraine’s gas production capacity. This points to an area of aid that Ireland can provide. It can provide tools to help to rebuild the grid and emergency generators. The Irish Government needs to continue to offer support in this regard. We are blessed by our geographic location, which in modern times has left us far away from bad actors such as Russia, which wishes to do us and our allies harm, but we should never take our location for granted, nor should we use our geography to wash our hands of our responsibility to stand in solidarity with our allied nations. Occupation is something this island knows well. However, the scale of violence due to Russia’s illegal war is something beyond even our knowledge of occupation.”
“If the past weekend has shown us anything, it is that the Irish certainly know how to put pressure on the Hungarians. The truth of the matter is that things are not getting better in or for Ukraine. The Russian military’s rapid advance in the Zaporizhzhia region, where it has reportedly taken two more villages, is of great concern. Russia’s attacks on the energy grid continue to ramp up as it attempts to squeeze the country during the winter. The statistics on this are very worrying. Sixty four percent of Ukraine’s 25 GW generating capacity has been either destroyed or occupied since 2024. Ukraine has lost 80% of its thermal capacity since 2024. As of autumn of this year, its energy infrastructure has been operating at only about one third of its pre-invasion generation capacity.”
“We have a moral duty to stand with our allies in Europe, including Ukraine. We must also push back against those who say Europe should not continue to support Ukraine. Yesterday, Viktor Orbán pushed, not for the first time, the idea that Ukraine should not receive any more help from Europe. He went as far as to say that giving more aid to Ukraine is a bit like trying to help an alcoholic by sending them another crate of vodka. This is the Head of Government of a state within the EU. It is disgraceful and deeply offensive. Our Government, including our new Minister for foreign affairs, must do everything in her power to push back against the Hungarian Government and ensure the Ukrainian people can continue to rely on Europe as a whole.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements today. Some may believe the situation in Ukraine has gone away, calmed down or settled. Nothing could be further from the truth. This war is becoming more fraught by the day. Despite the invasion and aggression by Russia, the Ukrainian people continue to display immense bravery and dedication to their nation. We are now nearly four years into this war, a war that has shattered lives, displaced families and fundamentally changed the landscape in Europe. The stakes for Europe are very high. We need to be clear that Russia will not stop in Ukraine. This is what our friends and allies in the Baltics believe to be true, and it is what we see in Russia’s interference in other parts of Europe through its hybrid tactics.”
“Notwithstanding the situation the Government has found itself in again, there is no excuse for us not to have Leaders' Questions and not to have Questions on Policy or Legislation. The accountability deficit the Government is committed to is continuing yet again. We are utterly against this change to the Order of Business.”
“While the world is watching on, Sudan is, in the words of UN Secretary General António Guterres, spiralling out of control. The Yale humanitarian research lab has described the genocide and killings as happening at a velocity and ferocity not seen since the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. Since the civil war began, 15 million people have been displaced. More than 150,000 have been killed in the conflict, at an estimate. Mass sexual violence is taking place, traumatising the nation. One UN report indicates sexual assaults on children as young as one year old. With millions on the brink of starvation, famine setting in and all the violence and killing, what can we do with our EU allies and allies in the region to help a humanitarian response to end the killing and suffering in Sudan?”
“A lot of the improvements will come from actions that have been outlined and more. We also need to be framing this differently at a political level to attract people into the Naval Service.”
“I appreciate the Tánaiste's candour in terms of the numbers going up, but we may not be able to meet the establishment figure. I hope that we will and we really need to strive for it. The Russian shadow fleet as a huge threat and our undersea cables are very vulnerable. Our neutrality is best served by being able to stand on our own two feet and to engage with our allies on our terms rather than having to rely on the likes of British armed forces or the Royal Air Force in our skies. This is where we need to get to and we can only do that through investment, recruitment and offering a career that is financially rewarding and rewarding on a skills level so that people feel they are part of something bigger, which our Defence Forces actually offer. However, we are still far behind where we need to be.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for the detail in his reply. He mentioned the difficulty in hiring specialists. A total of €250,000 has been spent this year for external contractors to service naval vessels due to the lack of trained personnel. In August, we read a report that the €300 million project to purchase Ireland's biggest ever naval ship is in the doldrums, as senior Defence Forces personnel seek a more combat-orientated vessel. I am unapologetic in wanting to see, as I am sure the Tánaiste is, an increased naval presence given the threats in our waters. With the level of interest shown by 2,357 applicants, will we get to the establishment strength of 1,094 over the next 12 months, or is there still a way to go to meet that number?”
“I continue to be deeply concerned about the level of staffing in the Naval Service. I ask for an update on the operational capacity of the current staffing levels of our naval vessels and the timeframe for recruitment to ensure the operation of all existing vessels.”
“We have offered the Government a motion multiple times. It should please follow through and deliver for people suffering from addiction.”
“If we as legislators cannot find a way to tackle the stigma head on, we will continue to see a high level of drug-induced deaths. In 2021, our rate of drug-induced deaths among those between 16 and 64 was four times the EU average. In 2024, the European Drug Report ranked Ireland first among reported EU countries. There were 354 drug-poisoning deaths in Ireland last year, which is twice the number of people killed in road traffic accidents, which we all know is a national tragedy. How many Dáil statements did we have for the victims of road deaths last year? We had three, and rightly so. How many did we have for those poor people who lost their lives to drug-induced poisoning? We had none. That shows where this Government’s priorities are in terms of tackling deaths and addiction by drug use. It has to change.”
“The WHO, as has been said, favours decriminalisation. The Labour Party, through Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Deputy Marie Sherlock, our health spokesperson, have led and continue to lead on this. As Mr. Ó Ríordáin said in an interview last week, the truth of the matter is that our State policy over the years has had no respect for those who use drugs, no empathy for them in respect of how they became addicted and no concern for what happens to them once addicted. For every other policy, whether in government or opposition, we try to base our thinking on data. That is what the Labour Party is doing here, yet the Government is basing its drugs policy on feelings and moralism. This is absolutely wrong and needs to end. The template exists and it can be delivered.”
“Criminalisation of people who use drugs has not worked full stop. It has been an absolute abject failure. That is not even the discussion any more. We know the issue is more acute in working class areas, but is not restricted to them. It cuts through age, demographics, class and constituency; it is everywhere. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has been at pains to tell us all that our prisons cannot handle the levels of people they face, yet by not decriminalising possession of drugs for personal use, we are still seeing 10,000 people arrested each year. Sixty-seven percent of all those arrests are for personal use, which is an absolute failure. It is not as if we do not know there is another way to do this. We have spoken about the Portuguese model. It is in place and the data are available.”
“We are asking the Government to listen to this Chamber, the people's Chamber. It should listen to its own senior backbenchers if it will not listen to the Opposition, follow the data and change its drug policy. We know it is listening to tech bros running op eds about trying to rebrand itself as a government that can deliver on infrastructure. It needs to deliver on people suffering with drug addiction. The data is there. If it is going to be the government of delivery, then it needs to prove it and deliver what we are asking for - fixed and mobile consumption centres. It should not take nine years to deliver one, like it did when we first proposed one in 2015 which was only opened last year. If it is the new face of delivery, it needs to deliver for people suffering from drug addiction.”
“The Minister will know from his time on Fingal County Council that Donabate-Portrane is one area where the State is delivering houses at scale. Despite the population increase, there is only one direct bus service to Dublin city centre, the 33D at 7.20 a.m., and one back at 5.45 p.m. I have a sheaf of emails from the NTA and Dublin Bus that committed to one extra bus service in the morning and one in the evening, to start in October or by 3 November. Last week, the NTA pulled the rug. People are left behind on the platforms because trains are overcrowded. We only have one direct bus service from Donabate-Portrane. Dublin Bus is willing to do it. I remind the Minister that this is in the transport Minister's constituency. Can we please cut through the red tape and deliver an extra 33D service at peak time in the morning and the evening?”
“Since the Business Committee last met the company, Fastway Couriers, has gone into receivership resulting in the loss of 1,000 jobs in almost every constituency in the country. We need urgent statements because, as tragic as every job loss is, there are a number of competing factors here which point to huge gaps in our workers' rights legislation that need urgent debate. When will these workers, many of whom are on unusual franchisee contracts, get compensation?”
“The Irish Heart Foundation is doing sterling work in trying to educate people in this House and change health policy and attitudes while trying to ensure that we have the necessary screening programmes, education and health supports to reduce cardiovascular disease rates and deaths down. We need the Government to take this far more seriously. Deputy Sherlock referred to prostate cancer and screenings. We need a State-run prostate cancer screening programme up and running as soon as possible. Screening saves lives and saves the healthcare system time and money. It must be implemented.”
“One in five men, or 21%, are currently smokers, which significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. I spoke during the debate on the budget and said we have failed in the State's target to make Ireland tobacco free. We are miles behind. Tobacco consumption and smoking rates in this country are still far too high. This is a contributory factor to cardiovascular disease. Men are more likely to be dependent on alcohol and experience alcohol-related injuries. Mortality rates are greater among men - 36% of adult men drink alcohol regularly compared to 27% of adult women. Blood pressure is higher in men compared to women. The intake of cholesterol is higher in men compared to women and 78% of men aged 45 and older have high cholesterol. Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest killers.”
“I fully support what my colleague, Deputy Kenny, said regarding supporting the Minister on her work in this area. It is very important that work takes place on that side of the House, as well as the Government being held to account. I was present in the Chamber when the Minister made one of the most impactful speeches to the House I have ever seen. We will not allow this to stand in our Parliament or out on the streets regarding what has been done on trans healthcare. I would like to use my time to talk about the impact of cardiovascular disease on men's health. Each year, 9,000 to 10,000 people in Ireland die from cardiovascular-related illnesses and diseases. Some three quarters of them are men. Of the men aged between 51 and 64, 42% are obese and a further 44% are overweight.”
“The US Vice President has been in Israel and has been talking about this peace plan albeit 153 tonnes of bombs were dropped by Israel on Gaza yesterday. The US Vice President spoke about a stabilisation force and a peace force. We have a proud tradition in that region of peacekeeping. However, given what we are debating in the coming weeks and months in terms of the triple lock and the future of our peacekeeping - I am conscious that we are very early - have there been discussions in relation to peacekeeping? I have huge concerns regarding how this is fermenting, at a structural level being led by the US. It is important that we ask the question here because we have two really proud pillars of Irish foreign policy, namely, development aid and peacekeeping, both of which will be at play here.”
“What pressure are we able to exert on our European allies and on Israel to ensure that UNRWA can get back up and running as best it can? In fairness, we in Ireland tried to continue to fund UNRWA over the last couple of years when others were pulling back and bowing to Israeli pressure. In calmer times, Ireland has been able to assist and help deliver structural aid in Gaza, such as a solar farm, wastewater treatment plants and desalination plants. We are still at a point where we are hoping to get trucks in to deliver proper emergency aid. Does Ireland stand ready to be able to assist in the more structural, medium- to long-term peace as we have in the past?”
“It feels odd asking a question about a peace plan and a ceasefire when we see continued attacks perpetrated by Israel on Gaza but we are ostensibly in a peace plan space. I met the Palestinian ambassador last week who was looking forward with hope that we can move towards a real and just peace. There is a long road to go but what is Ireland doing now that we have moved to - hopefully - a phase where we can look forward regarding Gaza?”
“However, the voices making that case are correct in their calls that we make sure that this fund is spent in the most effective way possible, consistent with its purpose as defined in the 2000 Act. Doing so will require imagination and initiative. We have set out the Labour Party’s proposals for two of the ways in which the fund’s surplus might be utilised, and we hope the Government gives those suggestions the consideration they deserve. In the coming years, we face several major transitions in how we work. It has never been more important to invest properly in skills, education and training. The National Training Fund is already an important pillar of our skills infrastructure in Ireland. By using its surplus in an ambitious, imaginative way, we can ensure that it continues into the future.”
“The fund is, of course, paid for by the 1% employer's PRSI levy and employers are within their rights to ask for assurances that they will see the benefits of the fund but our view would be that this levy amounts to forgone wages that should be invested in workers. Looking at the skills landscape in the whole, it is important we take a holistic approach and recognise that investment across the whole sector is required. Investing properly in our colleges and universities does not just benefit students and staff at those institutions; it benefits our entire society and economy. The benefits of investment in education and in learning are shared among us all. For that reason, while we are cognisant of the concerns that have been raised regarding the Government’s plans, the Labour Party will not oppose this Bill on that basis.”
“Just as the small company administrative rescue process allows an SME to restructure debts, save jobs and avoid liquidation, a short-term wage subsidy scheme would provide a further safety net for unexpected, short-term shocks. By doing so, we could ensure that the National Training Fund is put to the best use when it is needed most down the line. There is broad agreement that the surplus in the fund needs to be put to use. We simply cannot afford to have such a large sum sitting idle at a time when the need to invest in skills has never been more urgent. I note the concerns that have been raised in some quarters on the Government’s intention to use the fund for current and capital spending for the further and higher education sectors.”
“There not only are workers and employers protected from lay-offs, but the scheme guarantees that each worker has an individual training or upskilling plan. Workers, therefore, get the opportunity to build their skills during what would otherwise have been a period of unemployment for them, while employers can improve their businesses productivity and skills base while they otherwise would have been looking at a difficult period of layoffs. An Irish version of the Kurzarbeit scheme would serve as an automatic stabiliser in future recessions. It would not carry an upfront cost today but by putting it in place now, and making it a permanent feature of our employment and social protection safety net, we would be investing in skills and employment safeguards for the future.”
“These measures ensure that people can put their skills and talent to the best use possible. The Labour Party has also called for the NTF to be used to fund safeguards for the future. We have proposed that a permanent wage subsidy scheme could be funded from the NTF and the Social Insurance Fund. A wage subsidy scheme would support workers and employers in the future if and when a downturn or recession strikes. When a company encounters difficulties, employees could be protected from lay-offs by State subsidies, ensuring that SMEs which need time to adapt and overcome those difficulties can retain staff and their essential skills. We see this model working well elsewhere in Europe, most notably with the German Kurzarbeit scheme.”
“Often that will align with the workers' own goals and aspirations but let us be honest, oftentimes it will not. People should be empowered to direct their own learning and by extension their own lives. By using the National Training Fund to support upskilling through skills vouchers, we could give workers the personal freedom they need to choose for themselves and the opportunity to direct their own learning and career towards where they want to go. Workers who have contributed for many years deserve that chance, so we would use NTF funding to make skills vouchers and free part-time third level courses available to them. That is the kind of sensible use of the NTF surplus that we need to see and it builds on the introduction of pay-related jobseeker's benefit.”
“We argued that some of the near €2 billion surplus in the fund should be unlocked to allow workers who are mid-career to "stop and switch" by pursuing opportunities for upskilling or new career directions. Funding skills vouchers, free part-time degrees and masters' courses for workers out of the NTF would fulfil the funds purpose in the most fundamental way. This use of the fund could be managed by SOLAS and be demand-driven where a worker has a minimum of ten years of continuous social insurance contributions. The imperative for change here is clear. When in work, currently, upskilling opportunities are most often controlled by the employer. In most cases, it will be the employer who decides what training or educational opportunities their workers can access.”
“Properly resourced opportunities for adult learning help businesses get the skills they need while giving those learners the chance of flexibility in their lives and careers and the confidence and social benefits that come along with learning later in life. Whether we are talking about giving people the digital skills they need for a quickly changing modern economy, or the skills we will need to see through the climate transition, it is essential that we use every tool available to us to support upskilling and reskilling for people right across society. In our manifesto prior to the general election last year, the Labour Party called for an innovative use of the NTF towards this goal.”
“This is sustainable revenue that can be used to extend the social safety net and improve benefits for workers and employers. We in the Labour Party believe this funding should be allocated imaginatively to fund the third level education that provides the skills and talent that drive our economy. We argued as much in our manifesto ahead of last year’s general election and in our alternative budget earlier this month. One way we would look to spend the surplus is by unlocking it to invest in lifelong learning. We all recognise the immense value to both our society and our economy that accrues when people are empowered to learn new skills throughout their career and life.”
“This is a sensible step to take but should be cautiously used because clearly the State has the resources elsewhere to fund an ambitious capital programme. Deeper questions about our social safety net need to be addressed. This is often called an employer levy and like employer's PRSI, it is a form of deferred wages or social spending for the benefit of workers. Employer's PRSI funds your pension, while the NTF is there to fund your education and skills. That is why we would take this opportunity to ask wider questions on the NTF. It is essential that we use the fund in the most effective way possible. Even after the Government’s plans to spend much of the current accumulated surplus over the next five years, the fund will still have an annual surplus of €230 million this year alone.”