Frankie Feighan
Sligo-Leitrim · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Among patients reviewed after 12 months of treatment, there was an 88% reduction in episodes of cellulitis, an 80% reduction in hospitalisations associated with cellulitis, significant reductions in GP and public health nurse visits, and reduced demand on both acute and community services.”
“This will deliver an additional 263 positions to the service and will particularly help to support capacity building in our front-line emergency services.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important matter in the House. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I am aware of the issues raised by the Senator. He will appreciate that neither I nor the HSE can comment on any individual case.”
“I can confirm to the Seanad that we are currently progressing development of a third HEMS to serve the west and north west regions, including the mid-west, and planning for the new HEMS is well advanced.”
“In my opening statement, I focused mainly on aeromedical services in Ireland, particularly the helicopter emergency medical resourcing, HEMS, to provide access to emergency patient care for the people of the mid-west region, including west Clare.”
“On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, I thank Senator Conway for the opportunity to update the House on the delivery of aeromedical services for the people of west Clare and the surrounding area.”
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“HIQA conducts health technology assessments, HTAs, for programmes and services at the specific request of the HSE or the Department of Health, which may include medical devices. The HSE has advised that HIQA’s rapid HTA of CGM in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus was published on 29 September 2023. The HTA recommended the establishment of a single managed access programme for all CGM systems for all individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus regardless of age, noting that such a system would need clearly defined criteria for access. Following on from the recommendations in this HTA, the HSE medicines management programme, in conjunction with the HSE primary care reimbursement system and with the support of the HSE chief clinical officer, introduced an online reimbursement application system for all CGM sensors on 1 December 2023.”
“I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important issue. I will be answering on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The State acknowledges the importance of access to new and innovative medicines for patients and is acutely aware of the plight of patients diagnosed with diabetes. By way of background, CGM systems provide an alternative approach for self-monitoring of blood glucose. These CGM systems comprise sensors, transmitters and a mechanism to display results. Under the Health Act 2007, HIQA has a statutory remit to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies and provide advice to the Minister for Health.”
“I have heard what the Senator said and will bring it back to the Minister that there is a gap of four years and that it probably needs to be narrowed as much as possible. All stakeholders need to work together on coming up with a reasonable solution.”
“I thank Senator Kennelly for raising this important issue. It affects us in all our constituencies, towns, villages and cities. The focus has been on making the role more attractive and sustainable. We have done a lot for better work-life balance, have increased financial security and career opportunities and have raised awareness. I thank the members for all their work. Retention and recruitment of personnel in the fire service remains a key priority. Supporting retained firefighters through appropriate policies, employer engagement and public awareness is essential to maintaining a strong and sustainable service. There will be constructive dialogue. We need to continue to work together to ensure a safe, resilient and well-supported fire service for communities across the country.”
“The former Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage made regulations in August 2024, with the consent of the then Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, raising the mandatory retirement age to 62. The move to 62 for retained firefighters aligns them with this broader approach and promotes standardisation. In practice, this means firefighters may retire at 55, but if they remain fit and pass the medical tests, they may remain in service until their 62nd birthday, at which point they must retire. This extension of the mandatory retirement age to 62 strengthens fire services through retention of long-serving personnel. This is not answering the Deputy’s question, I do not think, but he might get something in the conclusion.”
“These measures strengthen response capability and fire safety across the communities served by a network of 201 retained fire stations. In the period from the WRC agreement of September 2023 to May 2026, 716 new recruits successfully entered local authority fire services, showing the success of the revised terms and conditions in addressing retained fire service recruitment concerns. Returning to the question of the retirement age of retained firefighters, in 2024 the Government extended the mandatory retirement age to 62 to further strengthen fire services. This was done through the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. This Act amended, among other matters, the law in relation to the age at which certain public servants are required to retire.”
“Retained firefighters have secured improved work-life balance through a new model of service provision of structured time off with a 24-week-on, 24-week-flexible roster with four weeks’ annual leave per annum. This model provides for the option, while placing no obligation on retained firefighters, to attend incidents during their flexible weeks. This is equivalent to a 50% reduction in incident attendance obligations from the pre-WRC agreement position. A national standard level of 12 crew per retained fire station has been established. This rise in crewing numbers equates to an approximate increase of 20% in retained firefighter numbers from the pre-WRC agreement position. The recruitment of additional retained firefighters is helping to build capacity and resilience in our retained fire service.”
“In recent years, the Government has undertaken a comprehensive programme of reform aimed at strengthening the retained fire service. The focus has been on making the role more attractive and sustainable, supporting better work-life balance, increasing financial security and career opportunities and raising awareness and driving recruitment nationally. Local authorities are now implementing the terms of a September 2023 Workplace Relations Commission agreement with retained firefighters, in conjunction with an accepted Labour Court recommendation of February 2025, on an uplift to the retainer payment made to retained firefighters, which now provides guaranteed fixed minimum earnings of approximately €25,000 for new recruits as of 1 June 2026. That guaranteed payment is in addition to any operational activity-based earnings.”
“I thank Senator Kennelly for instigating this discussion on the subject of the retirement age for retained firefighters. Many Members are dedicated advocates for the terms and conditions of retained firefighters and that advocacy and support is greatly appreciated. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address the House and update Members on progress to date on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Senator Kennelly raised the question of the retirement age of the retained firefighters. I want to address the specific changes the Government has introduced in that regard. Before I do, however, I want to first acknowledge the vital contribution these dedicated men and women make every day to public safety, community resilience and the protection of life and property.”
“I thank Senator Boyhan for his measured and informed approach and observations and his support and desire to work together on the rejuvenation of Dublin city. This is where at all matters. The approach of the Dublin city task force on the roadmap for delivery provides a good example of how State agencies and key stakeholders can work together to try to plot a course for a major city's rejuvenation. We look forward to seeing progress and the establishment of a special purpose vehicle by Dublin City Council in the coming months. I can assure the House that there will be further intensive discussions on advancing work on the roadmap for the Dublin city task force report.”
“It is not just a building. It is actually a huge complex that is being put to many uses. I look forward to the process with all stakeholders and their views will be taken into consideration.”
“Implementation of the Dublin city task force report recommendations is being underpinned by national development plan, NDP, investment funding. The towns and cities regeneration investment fund is supporting a number of projects within the core area. Changes to the living city initiative, announced as part of budget 2026, will also support regeneration and efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction. The roadmap creates an enabling environment designed to build confidence with business, landholders and investors to get involved in achieving a new vision for Dublin city centre and to drive private sector investment. There will be regular reports to Government on developments in delivery for the roadmap for the Dublin city task force report. I was at the launch of the design proposals for the GPO. It is very significant.”
“The Department will work with all relevant parties through the oversight board to oversee delivery of the roadmap for the Dublin city task force report. For this to be successful, there needs to be a cross-departmental approach. The Government agreed the process to redevelop Dublin’s iconic General Post Office complex last month. Its ownership will transfer to the Office of Public Works, OPW, from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The OPW will prepare design proposals, which will be subject to Government approval. Before that happens, a wide-ranging public consultation process will gather the views of all stakeholders. As part of the process, a temporary meanwhile use proposal will be developed.”
“Ultimately, responsibility for establishment of the special purpose vehicle lies with Dublin City Council and it will need to adhere to the relevant legislative requirements. The Government recently agreed the assignment of Mr. Robert Watt as CEO-designate, as the Senator said, of the body that will become the special purpose vehicle. The newly appointed interim advisory board to the SPV met on 15 June and 16 representatives have been appointed to the advisory board, including chairperson, David McRedmond, who previously acted as the independent chair and member of the Dublin city task force. Dublin City Council has recruited staff for an interim programme management unit, which will drive delivery while the SPV is being set up.”
“Central to delivery will be: a special purpose vehicle to drive delivery and support the specific capital developments relevant to the project, and Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre through additional funding in the URDF under the NDP review; and redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious and historic flagship project. An oversight board comprised of all the relevant Departments and agencies and chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach meets regularly to oversee and provide strategic direction for delivery of the task force report through the roadmap for delivery.”
“I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this very important matter. As he knows, in May 2024 the Government appointed the Dublin city task force, chaired by David McRedmond, to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south. The aim is to make Dublin city centre a more thriving, attractive and safe cityscape and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit. The Dublin city task force report published in October 2024 made a series of recommendations, known as the ten big moves, to improve the city centre’s public realm, safety and experience. A roadmap for delivery of the task force report was published by Government in June 2025, following the work of an interdepartmental group, setting out a clear implementation plan.”
“In the context of the work-to-rule action, the Minister wishes to reassure the Deputy that the management has put in place contingency arrangements which will be monitored closely to ensure that essential services continue and that standards of safety are upheld. Since the certified capacity of Oberstown was amended in March, Department officials and Oberstown's management have been engaging intensively, including holding weekly meetings to monitor progress. The welfare of children in detention is a priority for the Oberstown management, who will ensure that children continue to receive appropriate care, supervision and support. They will also ensure that staff are protected and supported in their roles and that the campus always operates within safe parameters. I will end by wishing the parties well ahead of their engagement on Monday.”
“The Minister and I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which is a priority for the Department and I will bring his concerns back to the Minister. In the medium term, there has been a significant increase of €5.75 million in capital funding for Oberstown under the National Development Plan 2026-2030. This sustained investment reflects the Government's commitment to ensuring the campus is properly resourced and projects are under way that will alleviate occupancy pressures. However, in terms of the current dispute, the Department remains committed to supporting efforts to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and urges continued engagement through established industrial relations channels. The safety and well-being of young people and staff at Oberstown remain the overall priority of the Minister and Oberstown management.”
“These measures demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the highest possible standards of staff safety, well-being and professional support.”
“The following details demonstrate how Oberstown cares for its staff. Staff in Oberstown are supported with access to an on-site psychologist, peer support workers, employee assistance services and structured after-incident reviews, forming part of a systemic approach to supporting well-being in a challenging workplace. All staff working with young people in Oberstown receive training in suicide prevention, self-harm mitigation and incident management. Oberstown has adopted the ISO 45003 certification on psychological health and safety at work. Furthermore, Oberstown maintains an ISO 45001 health and safety management system on campus. The health and safety officer in Oberstown works closely with all the staff and all incidents on campus are followed up as soon as possible.”
“The Department is working closely with Oberstown management to ensure staffing levels are aligned with operational demands, workforce planning is strengthened and staff are appropriately supported in what is a highly challenging role. The Government provided €2.176 million in additional funding for Oberstown in 2026 to increase staffing levels, including funding for 11 additional whole-time equivalent staff posts. That includes additional day supervising officers, who are support staff, and assistant unit managers. In the first six months of 2026, Oberstown has been successful in recruiting the majority of those extra staff despite tight labour-market conditions. The safety and well-being of staff and young people in Oberstown Children Detention Campus is of the utmost importance to the Minister.”
“At the end of March, she increased the capacity for boys at Oberstown to 42 from 40, at the same time reducing the capacity for girls from six to four. No decision regarding capacity is taken without a clear understanding of its implications for staffing levels, safety conditions and the overall care environment for the children. The staff and management of Oberstown have handled the change in the certified capacity with the professionalism and care that have become the hallmarks of the facility. The Department has increased funding to Oberstown in recent years to support service delivery, strengthen operations and enhance the overall care environment for the children. That sustained investment reflects the Government's commitment to ensuring the campus is properly resourced.”
“I understand that local engagement is scheduled for this coming Monday in an effort to find a way forward. The Minister respects the rights of workers to take industrial action. At the same time, continued engagement by all parties, including through established dispute resolution mechanisms, is encouraged in order to reach a resolution that is practical, sustainable and centred on safety. Oberstown is the State's only national facility for the detention of children and, as such, it operates within wider pressures in the youth justice system. Demand for places has increased. In February 2026, the Minister informed the Oireachtas of her intention to increase the capacity for boys in Oberstown by four to 44 during the course of the year.”
“On behalf of the Minister for children, I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue and affording her the opportunity to respond. The Minister would like to make clear at the outset that the safety and well-being of the children in the care of Oberstown, and of the staff who support them, is and will remain the highest priority. The Minister notes that Oberstown, as the employer, is engaging directly with staff representatives through the appropriate industrial relations mechanisms, including conciliation under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC. The industrial action is ongoing and has not been stood down but there are efforts to maintain open lines of communication to resolve the matter. Engagement via conciliation at the WRC remains open to the parties.”
“The consolidation involves four leases that were taken out at different times, on different terms and with different clauses. As discussed, this is a process that requires significant due diligence. The Department is progressing the matter appropriately. I assure the Deputy that the matter is in hand and there is no risk to the tenant as all leases are well within their term, with the earliest expiration being a few years away. The Deputy has made some very interesting points. I will convey them to the Minister.”
“I thank the Deputy for his measured approach. The process taking two years is reason enough for him to raise this important issue here. It is welcome that the Department maintains an open and proper relationship with the tenant and is always available to provide an update on progress or to address any queries. As recently as 25 June, the Department provided an email update to the tenant on the current progress. This was in addition to in-person meetings at Howth Fishery Harbour Centre on 26 May this year and 27 November 2025. These matters often move more slowly than the parties would like. It is important to recognise that all due diligence must be completed thoroughly for the safeguarding of all involved. This is a commercially sensitive issue and aspects of it cannot be discussed publicly.”
“The Department is committed to giving the time necessary to ensure all terms are thoroughly reviewed and correctly addressed. I am informed that the consolidation is progressing steadily, with strong engagement with all stakeholders involved in the process.”
“A solicitor is employed by the office at the Department’s request to deal solely with the harbours’ property portfolio, the cost of which is met from the Department’s fishery harbour centre fund. While it is Department policy to not discuss individual leases publicly or with parties other than those immediately involved, I assure the Deputy that the Department and its legal advisers are actively working through the details and the drafting of the lease terms for the tenant concerned. Due to the complexity of the multiple leases and the level of detail involved, the Department is carefully considering each aspect to ensure the terms are properly reviewed, accurately reflected and reflective of the current advice of the Chief State Solicitor's office.”
“The remaining properties are occupied by a variety of public and private sector tenants under formal lease agreement and are vital economically and socially to the remote and coastal communities that the fishery harbour centres serves. Some of the properties operate as commercial premises, such as fish processing facilities, restaurants or clubs and, for example yachting, rowing, and scout halls. Other properties reflect more functional aspects of the harbour such as car parking, marina and boat houses. The Department works closely with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor to progress the often complex and protracted legal aspects relating to property leases.”
“Such properties, which are vested in this Department under the 1968 Act, are to be used for such purposes connected with the improvement and development of the fish industry and the provision, improvement and development of services ancillary to, or connected with, the fish industry. Therefore, the harbours contain a diverse property portfolio reflecting their role as working fishery harbours and the locations for a broad range of other marine activities. There are currently 265 properties in total, excluding pier infrastructure, across six fishery harbour centres, 83 of which are located in Howth Fishery harbour centre. Almost 30% of all properties are used by the Department in the operation of the harbours, providing facilities for net mending, pier service areas, storage for fishing gear and weighbridges, for instance.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned fishery harbour centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl, under statute. It also has responsibility for Cape Clear, Cleggan and some piers, lights and beacons. Fishery harbour centres are established under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968 as centres in which to promote, develop and carry out sea fishing, including the production and sale of fish and fish products and related activities. Responsibility for the fishery harbour centres transferred to my Department in October 2007 from the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Each fishery harbour centre owns land and properties within its respective boundary.”
“It was stated that the events, transport and overall scale were being adjusted to free up funding for events elsewhere in Fingal following a request from other local councillors who wanted the festival budget to be distributed more evenly across the entire county rather than heavily concentrated on a single flagship event. The fight is never what the fight is about.”
“The Government remains committed to ensuring that public transport continues to be affordable, reliable and an attractive option for all passengers, including those attending concerts and events. I will take the views of the Deputy back to the Minister. Despite the council briefing elected officials, I have been told they were informed by management that hosting the full-scale Flavours of Fingal represented a significant cost to the council and cancelling the sprawling regional shuttle network was a direct measure to contain mounting festival expenses.”
“His job is to bring the NTA and various stakeholders together. For example, in the last week in respect of public transport we discussed Malahide, the Aviva stadium, Marlay Park and Croke Park. There have been many events in the city and the NTA has said it is difficult to service all of them. The NTA is cognisant of the increased demand such events bring and is working to establish a co-ordinated framework that balances meeting demand and efficient co-ordination within existing resources. However, decisions by event organisers, such as in the case of Flavours of Fingal, is completely outside the control of the NTA and Department. There has been huge growth in public transport use in recent years.”
“I assure the Deputy that the NTA meets all public transport operators on a regular basis and advises event promoters about what, if any, additional public transport services are available for particular events. Some events are organised without any input or involvement from the NTA. As a result, the authority may not be aware of them until a very late stage. The NTA suggested that there may be a need for more scrutiny of transport availability when licensing such events, in particular when different local authorities licence events to take place concurrently or in close proximity to each other. The Department has ensured significant collaboration is taking place with the NTA and operators so that sufficient public transport capacity is provided for major events. Again, I am not sure whether the Minister has a huge role in this.”
“The Department of Transport requested that the NTA be included as a prescribed body in the draft regulations under the Planning and Development Act. This should assist the NTA in working with local authorities, event organisers and transport operators to ensure a more co-ordinated approach to event licensing and management of transport to and from events. In addition to the specific transport provided for events, as part of the BusConnect's network redesign, the NTA has introduced 15 24-hour bus services across the city, significantly enhancing late night and early morning travel options. This has allowed more people to avail of public transport services. In addition, there are 12 Nitelink services running from the city centre to suburbs on Friday and Saturday nights, providing extra capacity during late-night demand periods.”
“Co-ordinating transport across events in different local authority areas can be very challenging, especially at this time of year. For example, last week there were large events at the Aviva Stadium, Croke Park, Malahide and Marlay Park, all on the same day, which put constraints on services. Therefore, the challenge facing the NTA and the transport operators is the number of large-scale events being scheduled concurrently. The resources simply are not available to support them all because support for such events requires vehicles, drivers, support staff, site personnel and security teams, all of which have limited availability due to the normal workload associated with the scheduled services.”
“The bus operators do not have any capacity to put on additional services to Donabate because they will be servicing other, larger events in the city centre. As the Deputy rightly said, there will be between 65,000 and 75,000 people there, so a shuttle bus would be needed. It has to be noted that all TFl operators, including Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland, have just serviced nine concerts in Malahide Castle, which concluded on Tuesday, 30 June, last, in circumstances where they all provided significant additional resources for each of the concerts in the series. The NTA is not in a position to provide any further services at this time due to resource availability. The NTA has a dedicated team that attends pre-event meetings in order to plan what additional transport can be provided.”
“In the context of this specific event, Flavours of Fingal, which is arranged by Fingal County Council in Newbridge House in Donabate for this Saturday and Sunday, 4 and 5 July, the council has provided a private bus shuttle operation each year of this event, which was run by Marathon Coaches to Blanchardstown, Rush, Balbriggan, Swords and the Naul. However, this year, the NTA was informed that Fingal County Council withdrew from providing this bus shuttle service, which is outside the control of the NTA. This was a decision taken by the council, and it was fully removed from the NTA. The NTA’s priority this weekend will be to cover major events at Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium. If capacity on the rail network allows, Irish Rail will support Flavours of Fingal.”
“The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services nationally, working with the public transport operators that deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. In this regard, while it is the NTA's priority to provide scheduled public transport services on the Transport for Ireland, TFI, network, it works with event organisers, operators, local authorities and An Garda Síochána to provide additional transport supports where possible to do so. Its focus regarding events is providing additional transport to support large-scale events where required and where operators are in a position to provide additional services.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien. I would like to clarify that the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. I am familiar with Loughshinny, Donabate, Rush and Portrane. My grandfather was the sergeant at Rush back in the 1940s, and my mother grew up there and went to school in Dublin.”
“However, the Senator has made it clear, and I have heard him loud and clear, that he requires a new test centre in Listowel. I will certainly bring that back to Minister, and again I thank him for raising this important issue.”
“I can see that the Senator is disappointed with the response. It is not exactly the response he wanted. The RSA has made good progress over the past year, and it does continue to work hard to manage the backlog in the national driving testing service. It is a priority of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, that the average wait times return to the ten-week target as set out in the service level agreement as soon as possible. I recognise the challenges that excessive waiting times are imposing on people throughout the county and especially, as the Senator said, in the north of the county. I welcome the Road Safety Authority's commitment to restoring average wait times to the ten-week level, and test centres are still above the national average.”
“The authority has indicated that the processes for opening a new driving test centre are informed primarily by sustained demand within a geographic area, operational requirements, accessibility for customers, driver tester capacity and the availability of suitable accommodation and infrastructure. There are no plans to open a driver testing centre in Listowel, and I am told it has not been highlighted by the RSA as a proposed new location within current planning considerations.”
“This marks a significant increase on the 151 available at the beginning of 2025. I am told that the RSA is working to reach its full complement of 200 testers subject to the next successful training and onboarding of new recruits. It is important to note, however, that while a driver tester may be assigned to one centre, testers routinely and regularly move between centres to meet demand. The RSA has also indicated that overtime testing is continuing in 2026. The driver testing booking system now makes available cancelled test slots for candidates to take up at short notice. On behalf of the Minister of Transport, I encourage learner drivers awaiting a test to monitor this channel, which may provide an opportunity to book an earlier testing date. The opening of a new centre in Listowel is a matter for the RSA.”
“While the average wait time remains above the target ten-week period, this marks an improvement on the 16-week average wait times for both Tralee and Killarney test centres in May 2025. In addition, as the Senator will be aware, people seeking a driving test can apply to any test centre. In that regard, he may wish to note that driver testing wait times at the Newcastle West testing centre, which is relatively close to Listowel, stands at 11 weeks as of 31 May 2026. In September 2024, the Department of Transport conveyed sanction for 70 additional driver testing posts on a permanent basis, bringing the permanent sanction to 200, which represents a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022. As of 13 June 2026, 194 testers were active, with an additional five in training.”
“In May last year, he directed the RSA to produce and publish a service recovery plan to return the national average waiting time to ten weeks by the beginning of September 2025, and this was achieved. The current national average waiting time on 13 June 2026 was 11.6 weeks, which is above the service level agreement of ten weeks. I am informed that the RSA is continuing to focus on addressing centres with higher demand and wait times. However, it should be noted that the driver test service continues to experience high demand, and the number of applications has increased by 17% to the end of May when compared with the same period in 2025. In respect of County Kerry, I am informed that as of 31 May 2026, the average waiting time for a driving test is 14 weeks in Tralee and 13 weeks in Killarney test centres.”
“I thank Senator Kennelly for raising this matter. As he may be aware, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the Road Safety Authority, or RSA, has statutory responsibility for the national driver testing service. This includes full responsibility for operational matters, including scheduling of tests and all decisions in relation to the opening of new driver testing centre locations. Neither the Minister of State with responsibility for transport or the Department have any function or powers in deciding on the location of new driver testing centres. Reducing driver testing wait times has been a priority for my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for transport, Deputy Canney, since taking office.”
“It is good to see that the credit unions, for which I have a great deal of time, have taken up the challenge and are providing a banking culture and ATMs. The banks were a little hasty. They have their own business models, but I do not think they considered the needs of the people or discussed the matter with each other. Again, I want to pay tribute to the credit unions for stepping up to the plate and providing the services to which I refer.”
“It is an interesting question. The Deputy has seen that the Government can consult with banks, but we have a very limited role in that regard. I would like to think that banks would consult with each other. Consider the position of towns where there clearly is no need for two bank branches and both are closed. Instead of talking to each other and saying "Look, we will close our branch in this town and you close yours in the next town", they close both branches. Bank of Ireland could keep its branch in one place and AIB could leave its branch open in another location. There does not seem to be any consultation. If consultation has taken place, it does not, as the Deputy outlined, seem to have taken the needs of the people in rural communities into account.”