Emer Higgins
Dublin Mid-West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“With regard to the background, and as the Senator has touched on, this project was designed on the basis of a 30-year operational lease, with the primary objective of delivering value for money over the lifetime of that lease.”
“Regarding the specific situation in Castlebar that the Senator has raised, Tusla has indicated that following careful consideration, including extensive negotiations, which he referred to, and legal mediation with the developers, it was unable to reach an agreement.”
“They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops.”
“The strongest projects are those that invest in feasibility studies, site assessments, stakeholder engagement and detailed design from the outset, because decisions made at the earliest stage often have the greatest impact on cost, quality and operational performance.”
“As a result, it made a significant uplift on its original offer. The additional increase sought could not be justified, however, when benchmarked against comparable projects across both Tusla and the HSE. That comes back to the value-for-money argument.”
“Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable.”
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“Since then, the office has continued to carry out its niche role in Ireland. It is the lawful successor to the Ulster King of Arms in this jurisdiction, and is empowered to carry out its functions through both the 1685 Act and the National Cultural Institutions Act 1997. The powers within section 13(2) of the 1997 Act could be construed as a regulatory function, and that is under the remit of the 1685 order, but the 1685 order is not being reinstated, so no new powers are being conferred. Retention is simply an acknowledgement of the existence of an order that has existed uninterrupted since 1685. That followed consultation and it was agreed to be kept by the direct stakeholders following two separate rounds of consultation.”
“I will speak on amendments Nos. 1 and 3. Senator Boyhan put forward the case raised by the Genealogical Society of Ireland and its concerns about this. We have looked at this and the Department and Law Reform Commission do not agree with that perspective. The reason for that is that the 1685 Order was retained in the 2015 Act. Following consultation with the National Library of Ireland and the Office of the Chief Herald in 2021, it was decided that it would be and needed to be retained yet again. Since its inception way back in 1685, this Order has never lapsed. The Office of the Chief Herald, which was established in 1943, was a mechanism that was used to fold the office into the Irish State. It was done through two separate Orders transferring the office to the National Library of Ireland.”
“This Bill is rather technical legislation, but it is important and necessary. It represents another step in the journey to clarifying and simplifying the Irish Statute Book. I would like to commend my officials and the Law Reform Commission, who have worked on this. That involved reviewing all primary legislation from 1860 to 1922. We understand this represents the most extensive review of statute law ever undertaken globally. This Bill's enactment will deliver benefits in facilitating the process of public governance reform, reducing the regulatory burden on business and citizens. It will ensure that our Statute Book is significantly more modern and it will enhance public accessibility to the laws that govern our people as they go about their daily lives. I thank all Senators for their interest in this Bill, particularly Senator Boyhan.”
“I do not believe this is anecdotal. It is data-centred evidence coming from the CSO, which I referred to earlier. The CSO is the State agency responsible for gathering information and statistics in Ireland. That is why I believe its data is worth looking at.”
“Section 9 provides for examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General of the economy and the efficiency with which Departments and bodies statutorily audited by the office use their resources to carry out their functions and the measures used by such Departments and bodies for appraising the effectiveness of their own operations. Section 10 of the Act grants the Comptroller and Auditor General access to all necessary documents and all information required for audits and examinations. Section 11 ensures the findings are reported directly to the Oireachtas. This maintains transparency and accountability, always with an eye on value for money. I do not want to create additional layers of bureaucracy that take away from value for money when we already have accountability and transparency built into the system.”
“Regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General, Estimates of expenditure are published as part of the annual budget process and are then examined by the relevant Oireachtas committees. Appropriation accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General before being examined at the Committee of Public Accounts. Regarding a role for the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General was established under section 9 of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993. The office already has the power to make an examination where it deems appropriate.”
“The Senator spoke about the functional performance - what work has been carried out regarding duties and what laws have been enacted. All of that kind of information is already available. It is very clear, even using the resources available in-house, what the Ministers of State have been doing in terms of legislative work in both Houses of the Oireachtas and through committees, where they have been before and where they have had to make statements. Their public events are publicly available, usually through diaries and calendars that are published online. In the event of a Department not providing that online, it is always available through a freedom of information request.”
“I thank Senator Harmon for this amendment, which I think is very well intentioned. Accountability, transparency and value for money are all elements that we want to make sure we are achieving as we do our work in government. Regarding the Secretary General providing detailed statements of costs, this is already provided for because a lot of this information is publicly available. Information on the salaries of advisers and civilian drivers is publicly available. There will be guidelines for the Thirty-fourth Dáil, which I understand will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in the next couple of weeks. They will then be published online and be freely available and will contain all of that information.”
“As mentioned by the Taoiseach, the Government also plans to secure the financial foundations and implement measures to systematically consider the science and research dimensions of Government initiatives. The additional Ministers of State will allow necessary additional functions on vital areas of public policy that have been outlined here and in the Dáil many times by NGOs and by those working in these areas and will play a really valuable role in the delivery of our extensive programme for Government. I appreciate the Senator's point in relation to accountability over three months. It is the Senator's prerogative to table a Commencement matter to look at the progress over those three months. However, I am very clear that these are three areas in which we absolutely need investment and greater strategic leadership.”
“A new division in the Department of Justice will be responsible for the control of our border, for management of immigration and for co-ordination of integration. We will be appointing a Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education with special responsibility for further education, apprenticeships, construction and climate skills. This new Minister of State will play a key role in supporting the Minister in his efforts to ensure we maximise the economic impact of the investment we make in those really critical sectors. We talk all the time about needing more apprentices, and people with construction skills and climate skills, to ensure that as we deliver on our housing agenda, we do so in a way that really makes sense.”
“That is why it is important that we have Ministers of State with specific responsibilities. This is an example of that. Such a Minister of State would provide much needed support to both of those Departments, which, as set out by the Taoiseach, will focus in the coming years on a range of really necessary activities. The Government will also appoint a Minister of State at the Department of Justice with special responsibility for migration. As already indicated by the Taoiseach, the Department of Justice will be significantly reformed to make sure it is focused on our programme of action. The new Minister of State will support the Minister on the work that will be carried out to address Government activity on migration.”
“Through improved cross-departmental working and promoting simultaneous action, Ministers of State will enable a more cohesive approach to delivering the programme for Government. I reiterate that we are appointing three Ministers of State through this Bill. They include Ministers of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibilities for fisheries, and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibilities for the marine. As the former Minister of State and now Senator, Malcolm Noonan, mentioned earlier, he was hoping that this would be a specific role at Cabinet level. With the current limitations on ministerial positions it is not possible to ensure we have everything covered at Cabinet level.”
“For example, the overall increase in immigration and the support Ireland has extended to asylum seekers and people coming from areas of conflict present the challenge of effectively integrating the greater number of immigrants settling into Ireland in the medium to long term. Appointing a Minister of State with special responsibility for migration to address these issues strategically will support the Government in managing this area specifically and effectively. Many of the emerging challenges we face are interdisciplinary and necessitate cross-departmental responses. New ministerial responsibilities at Minister of State level will be delegated to ensure that there is an appropriate focus across all Government priority areas.”
“In addition, the number of those aged over 65 has increased as a share of the overall population from 10.8% to 15.5% over the same period. I am pleased that my colleague, the Minister of State, Mary Butler, will have special responsibility for older people, given that this is an increasing demographic with increasing challenges. The increase in the number of people coming to live and work in Ireland is a welcome consequence of the growth in our economy, in job opportunities and in social and public services. Nevertheless, this growth requires an increased focus to deliver public services across multiple functions.”
“I thank the Senator. The expansion in ministerial duties arises from the increasing complexity of policy issues, the challenges associated with managing extensive Government initiatives and the enhanced engagement with stakeholders at all levels both domestically and internationally. It is very important that we ground this discussion in wider societal and economic developments. Based on population estimates from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, the population has grown from 4.4 million people in 2007 to 5.4 million people last year. That is a 30% growth in population since 2007. In less than 20 years, we have 1 million extra people in our population. These are facts and statistics that are evidence-based and come directly from the CSO.”
“As Senator Kyne said, it is fair and reasonable that the extra person who has the additional responsibility of regularly attending Cabinet meetings receives the relevant allowance for fulfilling the role and that the additional work is duly recognised. I thank all Senators for their comments and their support for the Bill.”
“Having involvement in several Departments will ensure these Ministers of State can pull together the policy structures in the areas involved. I take on board Senator Craughwell's concerns about having Ministers of State across different Departments but I view it from the perspective of being able to pull together and achieve more. Senator Noonan spoke about the delegation of powers. The quicker we can get the legislation through, the quicker this delegation of powers can happen for Ministers of State. With regard to the technicalities of the Bill, fundamentally it is very brief. It will increase the number of Ministers of State from 20 to 23 and will extend to one additional Minister of State the existing allowances for Ministers of State who sit at Cabinet.”
“This is in the context of additional EU regulations and travel requirements as Senator Kyne has said, and the modernisation and digitalisation of the global economy as Senator Higgins has said. Additional cross-functional Ministers of State will help to deliver a whole-of-government approach. Ministers of State working in collaboration with one another and across various Departments will help to break down silos. This will help create a whole-of-government culture right across the public service. We hear calls for this all of the time. The new Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine will be assigned to two different Departments. He will be assigned to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.”
“I take on board Senator Harmon's comments that our local authorities need to grow to reflect the increasing population. It makes sense that the number of Ministers of State grows in a way that is meaningful to the delivery of public services and key areas of our economy and communities. This is why the Government is creating three additional Minister of State roles. They will have specific responsibility for key areas of importance to us. These are migration, fisheries and further education and apprenticeships. With this complement of Ministers of State the Government will be able to respond more quickly to emerging issues and crises and make our Administration more agile and responsive to the needs of our growing population.”
“This important work was undertaken done not only on behalf of the Cabinet Minister or the Department but on behalf of the Government and society as a whole. Senator Higgins spoke about the need for Ministers of State to be empowered to make decisions. In my previous role I had responsibility for the national minimum wage, sectoral employment orders and increasing quotas for work permits. These were all issues on which I made decisions in my capacity as Minister of State. Ministers of State throughout the Government make such decisions in Departments. All Minister of State roles are important. They serve the Government, protect jobs, grow our economy and deliver for society. As our population grows, the Dáil grows to reflect this.”
“These are very important areas of focus which will help us deliver a modern, simplified and intuitive public service for all of the people we represent. We are doing this in an increasingly digital age and an increasingly digital global economy. In my previous role as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment I had special responsibility for business, employment and retail and 37 Acts were delegated to me in this capacity. These ranged from sick leave to patents. I had oversight of vital bodies such as the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court and the Health and Safety Authority. I chaired the retail forum and the subgroup of the Labour Employment Economic Forum, of which ICTU and IBEC are members.”
“It is absolutely the Government's intention to ensure that the work of new Ministers of State is fully meaningful and achieves the flexibility and the whole-of-government approach that is outlined in our vision for Ireland, which is, of course, our document, the programme for Government 2025. As Minister of State both now and in the previous Government, the importance of the role of the Minister of State is something I can attest to personally. I am the newly appointed Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and I currently have responsibility for e-Government, public procurement and digitalisation. It was great to hear Senator Higgins speak about AI and its importance, which will very much be coming into my brief.”
“I congratulate everybody who is taking up a seat in the Chamber. In particular, I congratulate those who undertook successful elections to get here and everybody who took their seat in Seanad Éireann for the first time yesterday. It is an immense honour and I wish them every success over the next five years. I also take this opportunity to offer comhghairdeas to you, a Chathaoirligh, on your successful election. I acknowledge all of the contributions made here today. I acknowledge the experiences shared by Members who themselves served as Ministers of State, or super-juniors, as we call them. I want to be clear.”
“It will support improved water supplies in rural Ireland too, and a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in our rivers, lakes and marine areas. I take on board the valid concerns the Deputy is raising on behalf of his constituents. I will absolutely pass it on to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and it is really important that the EPA, HSE and Uisce Éireann are engaging with all representatives from Cork as we work through this issue.”
“Uisce Éireann's capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure is funded on a multiannual basis. There will be record levels of investment in water services by Uisce Éireann in the period 2021 until now, with commitments of over €6 billion in capital investment, of which over €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services for the domestic customers the Deputy is speaking about today. This commitment is reflected in budget 2025, with the Department securing record funding of over €2.7 billion for Uisce Éireann to meet the cost of delivering water services this year. This overall investment will deliver significant improvements in public water and wastewater services across Ireland, including in Cork.”
“I thank the Deputy. To be clear, the message from both the EPA and the HSE is not to drink discoloured water, and to report it to the EPA. I take on board the Deputy's feedback that the EPA and the HSE are not doing enough in that regard, and not doing enough to interact with the public in that regard too. I will absolutely pass that on to the Minister, Deputy Browne, and ask him to act on that. Our water and wastewater infrastructure requires substantial and sustained investment. That is clear. It requires it over a number of investment cycles to bring the systems up to the standards required of a modern service, to provide for population growth, to build resilience in the face of climate change and to make sure the Deputy's constituents have access from their taps to water they can drink.”
“This will be delivered as part of the ongoing series of task force initiatives by Uisce Éireann to address water discolouration in Cork city and any impacts it has on constituents the Deputy has referred to.”
“Following a notified exceedance of manganese at a customer tap, which is normally isolated to that network, Uisce Éireann commences an investigation and typically undertakes reactive flushing works. All infrastructure at the plant complies with global and national water treatment standards. Uisce Éireann is also progressing an additional investment in a new process at the Lee Road water treatment plant to minimise the impact of treated water, and to minimise the impact that treated water has on the old cast-iron watermain network in the city, to which the Deputy referred. This investment is a new conditioning system and it remains on schedule for installation and commissioning by the middle of this year.”
“As he knows, manganese is a naturally occurring metal found in many soils, lakes and rivers. While a small amount of manganese is actually good for human health, the HSE and the WHO advise that exposure to high manganese levels on an ongoing basis in drinking water can be a risk to health. All exceedances are, therefore, as standard, notified to the EPA and the HSE. In old cast-iron mains, which account for half of the 600 km water main network across Cork city - the 300 km the Deputy has referred to - sediment can become dislodged and can occasionally be carried through to customers' taps, leading to discoloured water. This sediment can include manganese build-up, and the flushing of pipes will typically lead to the water running clear again.”
“I understand from inquiries made that Uisce Éireann remains committed to addressing instances of water discolouration for affected customers in Cork city. It wishes to assure householders and businesses that its dedicated task force is taking all possible measures to minimise discolouration and to address the underlying issues right across the city. It continues to advise customers not to drink discoloured water and to contact it directly with any reports of discolouration to help it manage the response in real time and to prioritise reactive works. To protect public health, Uisce Éireann is undertaking extensive sampling, including testing at customers' taps and at networks and operational sampling in the water treatment plant, and the Deputy has outlined some of those test results.”
“I know the Deputy will appreciate that the operation of the public water supply, together with the operational issues locally, are matters for Uisce Éireann and it has the statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services, which includes water services delivery, planning and operation at national, regional and local levels. In turn, the EPA, as the environmental regulator, is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with the EU directives the Deputy mentioned in his contribution, and with national regulations for the provision of drinking water. I served with the Deputy on the housing and local government Oireachtas committee in the previous term, and it is a very good suggestion he has made that the EPA would come before that committee to discuss this in more detail with him.”
“At the outset I congratulate Deputy Gould on his successful re-election to Dáil Éireann. I thank him for raising this really important issue. As the Deputy has alluded to, I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the relevant Minister, who cannot be here today but has provided me with quite a lot of briefing material on this. That is because it is a hugely important issue. The issue of safe drinking water has both national and local importance, and I fully appreciate the Deputy's concerns for communities affected.”
“It will support improved water supplies across Ireland, including in Tipperary and rural Ireland, and it will support a range of programmes delivering improved water services in our rivers, lakes and marine areas. It will make a significant contribution to addressing Ireland's needs. Uisce Éireann, as we both acknowledged, has a dedicated team to deal with representations and I will provide the Deputy's feedback to the two relevant Ministers. I hope he will engage with them on the matter to outline the concerns of his constituents, including the businesspeople in his area.”
“This commitment is also reflected in this year's budget, with the Department securing record funding of more than €2.2 billion, including €514 million in terms of the billion equity investment. That is all about giving Uisce Éireann the ability and the investment to be able to meet the cost of delivering water services this year. It is important for the Deputy's constituents in Clonmel to know that this overall investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services.”
“The Deputy is right that we need to invest in our water supply. That is crucial and the examples he gave of water shortages and outages really reinforce that. Our water and wastewater systems require substantial and sustained investment over a number of investment cycles to bring them up to the quality and resilience standards required of a modern service, to provide for population growth and to build resilience in the face of climate change. The Department of local government secured record investment for water services for Uisce Éireann in the period 2021 to 2025, with commitments of almost €6 billion in capital investment, of which more than €4.5 billion will be voted Exchequer funding for domestic water services.”
“The water charges plan sets out a comprehensive mechanism in cases where water quality is compromised and unfit for human consumption, such as when boil water and drinking water restriction notices apply. However, the message is that this water is absolutely safe. Business customers, as the Deputy said, pay water charges and those who do so are entitled to a rebate under the customer handbook, as agreed with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, in instances where the water is unsafe. However, the implementation of the plan is a matter for Uisce Éireann. Any issues which cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann can be referred to the CRU.”
“Uisce Éireann has advised that hard water contains high levels of natural minerals that have come from rock and soil and it is very common in Ireland’s drinking supply. Hard water does not pose any public health risk and meets the drinking water regulations. Depending on the local geology, the hardness of the water supply will vary, but such water is perfectly safe to drink. Further information on hard water and advice on how to manage it - the Deputy raised a number of concerns of businesses, in particular - is available on the Uisce Éireann website. Uisce Éireann has a strong customer service focus through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive.”
“To be helpful, however, the relevant Minister and I have made inquiries to Uisce Éireann on the Deputy's behalf and the company has confirmed that it is committed to delivering safe and secure drinking water supplies for customers, and that this requires it to comply with all Irish and European Union standards relating to drinking water, in particular, the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations. I have been informed that the water supplied from the Monroe water treatment plant is harder than the Poulavanogue treatment plant. However, the improvement in water quality and the importance of protecting public health strongly offset any inconvenience which may result from a change in water hardness.”
“I thank the Deputy and I congratulate him for his successful re-election to Dáil Éireann. As he alluded, I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the relevant Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. I am happy to pass on the Deputy's feedback in terms of what he has just said about Uisce Éireann and his ask of that company. The supply of public water and the provision of water services, as acknowledged by the Deputy, are matters for Uisce Éireann. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services - planning, delivery and operation - at national, regional and local levels. Under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, no Minister has a function regarding Uisce Éireann’s specific operations, as the Deputy said.”