Louis O'Hara
Galway East · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“There are significant concerns about the reform that is being proposed to have CAP sit alongside a range of other policy areas. In particular under the Commission's proposal, CAP funding for Ireland would be cut by over 20%.”
“Absolutely, and that is why it is critical we get a fair allocation. In particular, the future of CAP will have a significant influence on how EU member states can support young farmers. Last year, the Department of agriculture published a report from the commission on generational renewal in farming.”
“No parent should have to worry about what will happen to their child when they can no longer provide care for them, yet years of underfunding and a failure to plan has left our residential support system in crisis and families are left carrying the responsibility even as parents themselves age into their 70s, 80s and beyond.”
“Adults with intellectual disabilities have the same right as every other citizen to live with dignity, safety and independence and the Government has a legal and moral obligation to provide these services. There are so many basic things we are not getting right.”
“I raise the case of a constituent in County Galway who has experienced lifelong difficulties and trauma as a result of historical abuse at the hands of a member of the Christian Brothers who was his primary school teacher. The individual who carried out the abuse has since been convicted.”
“They cannot just be uprooted into an emergency placement down the line. The parents need to be there for the transition to ensure that it works properly and does not cause challenges for that person or, indeed, those who will be caring for them.”
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“We are receiving excuses as to why this cannot happen, but something similar has happened before. That is the reality. The funding provided at the time was an acknowledgement of the importance of heritage sites like the one in question and the need to support the Wild Atlantic Way and villages like Kinvara. Our local authority in Galway is cash-strapped. It is one of the worst-funded local authorities in the State as a result of consistent Government underfunding over many years. Our council is not in a position to take this on without Government support. It is very frustrating for us in Galway that we seem to be constantly neglected by the Government, particularly in this instance. Funding was provided to another local authority but not that in County Galway.”
“The issue is not just the purchase of the castle but also bringing it up to a safe standard. As outlined, Galway County Council estimates that could cost millions of euro. The grant schemes the Minister of State has outlined, such as one offering €100,000, will not be sufficient for Galway County Council to acquire the castle and bring it back into use. The Minister of State mentioned some of the Clare assets of the Shannon Group that were purchased by Clare County Council. Government funding of €6 million was provided at the time to facilitate the purchase of those assets. If the Government is prepared to do this for Clare County Council, why not Galway County Council? The Government needs to step up to the plate and ensure Dunguaire Castle is brought back into use.”
“While the funding required is significant, it should be seen as an investment rather than an expense, considering the spin-off benefits for the local community and the increases in tourist and employment numbers. Can the Minister of State outline whether the Government decision not to provide funding to Galway County Council to acquire Dunguaire Castle to bring it up to a safe standard and ultimately reopen it to the public will be reconsidered?”
“I have also raised this with the Minister of State responsible for the OPW, but he said he cannot direct the OPW to intervene and purchase the site because it is not designated as a national monument. These excuses are very frustrating for the local community, especially as it seems the castle will remain closed indefinitely, with no Department seemingly willing to take responsibility and allocate the necessary funding. Somebody has to take responsibility. The reality is that the if there is political will, the castle can be brought back into use. Where is the Government commitment to the Wild Atlantic Way and towns and villages like Kinvara along the route, for which tourism is critical? Kinvara must not continue to be neglected, and Dunguaire must not be left closed indefinitely.”
“Its closure is most definitely impacting on footfall in Kinvara. Galway County Council has been in talks with the Shannon Group on acquiring the site but it needs Government funding to progress this purchase. It has estimated that it could cost in the region of millions of euro to bring the castle up to a safe standard. Significant remedial works are required to do that. The council's request for the necessary funding has not been granted. The council has been engaging with the Ministers responsible for local government and tourism, as have I. They both said they do not have discretionary funding streams available to facilitate the purchase and necessary works.”
“Dunguaire Castle is an iconic cultural and heritage landmark in Kinvara on the Wild Atlantic Way but it remains closed off to the public. That is a huge loss for Kinvara and south Galway as a whole in terms of tourism, heritage and employment. This loss is being felt as we enter the summer months. Dunguaire is a 16th century castle with great history, but it has been closed for two years. Huge numbers of tourists pass it in buses every day and while many will stop off, they cannot enter the castle. In the past, there would have been tours, banquets, performances and so on. The castle was a real asset and of significant benefit to the community. This is a real missed opportunity in terms of the castle itself but also for the village as a whole. The castle is right on the edge of the village and is within walking distance from there.”
“These are all hallmarks of the Government's approach to housing. The solutions are staring it in the face but it chooses to ignore them. It is time for the Minister to wake up, stop making this crisis worse, stop increasing rents and start investing in infrastructure and affordable housing.”
“Will it be when almost all of our young people have left the country? What will it take for the Government to abandon its failed policies? How are people supposed to afford these rents? How is it sustainable to continue to push them up even further? This is why people are protesting outside the building tonight; it is because the Government is denying them a future. It has normalised homelessness and it wants to squeeze every last cent it can out of hard-pressed renters. Not one affordable home has been delivered in my constituency. According to the Minister, the houses there are already affordable. We have had pitiful investment in housing infrastructure. The Government has gutted the tenant in situ scheme. There are dozens of empty homes in every town and village throughout east Galway that have been lying idle for years.”
“Week in and week out, I have people in my clinics who are distraught because they cannot afford the cost of rent. A woman had to leave her home due to domestic violence and found herself and five kids moving in with elderly parents. A couple have to leave their home in two weeks' time and do not know where they will leave their personal belongings or their pets or whether they will be able to access emergency accommodation. There are countless families with children growing up in hotel rooms. The average rent in County Galway is almost €1,700. It is more than €2,300 in the city. The Minister thinks this is not enough. He wants to hollow out rent pressure zones and allow rents for new tenancies to be set at extraordinary levels. Where is this going to end? Will it be when rents reach €3,000 per month?”
“Yet, family homes, farms and businesses still remain at risk of flooding and there has not been any work carried out yet on that scheme. The failure to deliver this flood relief scheme endangers local infrastructure. Weather events can cause roads, such as the M18 motorway and other local roads, to become impassable as well as the Galway to Limerick railway track which has had to close previously due to flooding. As Ireland's weather patterns become more intense and volatile, we need the Government to progress flood relief schemes. People's lives, livelihoods and businesses are at risk. The time for action is now. I call on the Minister of State to engage with the local advocacy groups and to listen to and act on their concerns.”
“They are: the reduction of water levels in Lough Allen, Lough Ree and Lough Derg by 1 m; the establishment of one agency to manage the River Shannon; the removal of the pinch points in the Shannon River between Athlone and Portumna; and an ongoing river maintenance programme. The Minister of State will be aware that Sinn Féin has introduced the River Shannon Management Agency Bill, the purpose of which is to create a single authority. I urge him to allow the progression of that Bill and to act on the proposals outlined by the group to alleviate the flooding. It is absolutely critical for these communities and for their livelihoods. I also wish to commend on the slow pace of progress on the south Galway flood relief scheme. It has been more than eight years since engineering consultants were first appointed to this project.”
“Flooding has caused significant damage to the properties of and given rise to costs for and anxiety among residents in my constituency of Galway East. I recently met representatives of the Save our Shannon Organisation who represent more than 600 farming families whose livelihoods are severely impacted by summer and winter flooding in the Shannon Callows. Flooding is also causing the destruction of the bird population, biodiversity and wildlife in this area. Over many decades, various Governments have promised to tackle the issue of flooding in the Shannon Callows, but, to date, no action has been taken. The group has four key demands. I know the Minister of State is aware of these, having engaged with the group previously.”
“Will the Tánaiste take note of the commission report and NHS decision and provide real alternatives to emergency departments for people experiencing a mental health crisis?”
“Lives continue to be lost because of the State's failure to provide adequate mental health care. Each year, more than 50,000 people try to access mental health services for the first time through hospital emergency departments. A petition started by the family of the late Adam Loughnane has received more than 17,000 signatures. It calls for alternatives to emergency departments for people in a mental health crisis. Our emergency departments are chaotic at the best of times and are not an appropriate setting for people presenting with mental health issues. The NHS in Britain recently introduced mental health emergency departments while the Mental Health Commission report here confirmed general emergency departments are failing people in a mental health crisis every day.”
“How can the Government sit on its hands and block legislation that would meaningfully undermine Israel's ability to fund its campaign of genocide? Hiding behind utterly false legal excuses is cowardly. The time for empty rhetoric has well passed. I call on the Government as a whole to use its conscience and the power it has and end the funding of this genocide.”
“We have a legal and moral obligation to act, and that is why the response from Government to this Bill has been appalling. It is patting itself on the back for its delayed and limited actions, while giving excuses as to why it cannot stop the facilitation of these bonds and the funding of this genocide. The Government has deliberately misrepresented what this is about. These bonds have to be approved by a European central bank and it is the Irish Central Bank that fulfils that role. No other central bank provides that permission. Shame on the Government for trying to mislead people and its failure to once again show real leadership in standing up for the people of Palestine. The situation in Gaza and the need for action could not be any more urgent.”
“The Palestinian people have been subjected to starvation, occupation, dispossession and genocide at the hands of Israel. This is ethnic cleansing and a human tragedy of unimaginable scale. Israel has shown no restraint in its onslaught on the Palestinian people, and the Irish Central Bank is supporting this violence by facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. The Government has said it will do everything in its power to stop this genocide, but the reality is that we are complicit in this genocide for as long as Israeli arms shipments are allowed to pass through our airspace, as long as the Government continues to delay and attempt to water down the occupied territories Bill and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill and while our Central Bank continues to facilitate the sale of Israeli war bonds.”
“I welcome the Minister's engagement with the council and the town team. I emphasise the declining condition of this building and its historical significance. It cannot be lost. There is much urgency around this. The plans the council and the local community have would be transformational for the local area. It is an exciting project but, obviously, funding is needed to progress it. I ask that the need to protect the building be taken on board. Is it possible to get any further clarity on the timeline as to when a decision is expected to be made in this regard?”
“This application is about progressing plans to transform the convent into a remote working and cultural and community hub. I acknowledge the work of the Gort Town Team and other local groups on this project. There are many active groups in the area that would like to make use of such facilities, including the resource centre, the forge and many more that do fantastic work in the area. This is an iconic building in the town. It has had many uses over the years but has been vacant for some time. It is on the path to decline. There is urgency around this to secure the building and prevent it from falling into disrepair. It is a very important application for the town of Gort. I would ask that the application be expedited, if at all possible, and approved to allow these important plans to proceed.”
“Can the RRDF application submitted by Galway County Council in regard to the redevelopment of Gort convent be expedited? It is an urgent project, given the declining condition of the building. It is important to the local community and I urge the Government to approve it as soon as possible.”
“Their role has been undervalued and unrecognised and many are struggling to cope. The Government needs to follow through on that commitment and it needs to increase payments as well and finally begin to value the significant contribution that carers make.”
“She was sent home without any supports despite her family’s concerns that they would not be able to care for her properly. This is a person with limited mobility and poor short-term memory, who cannot get out of bed or use the bathroom on her own. Her family expressed concern for her well-being and that they would not be able to meet her care needs, yet she was sent home without any home supports put in place. Unsurprisingly she ended up back in hospital only a couple of days later. It was a desperately unfair situation for that person and that family to be left in. I also want to raise supports for carers. The Government parties gave a commitment during the general election to scrap the carer’s allowance means test. We will hold them to that commitment because the failure to adequately support carers up until now has been appalling.”
“Carers and front-line healthcare workers are the backbone of our care system, enabling people with high-care needs to live with dignity at home. Home care workers and family carers bring significant improvements to people’s health and well-being, reduce pressure on hospitals and deliver enormous savings for the health service but we know that many vulnerable people are not receiving the level of care that they need. It is extremely important that any person who requires care receives it in a timely manner, that they are supported to remain at home if that is their wish and that people are not left in unsafe situations, particularly when they are discharged from hospital or other medical settings. I was recently contacted about an elderly constituent who has a tumour and had undergone five days of intensive chemotherapy in hospital.”
“There are issues with special needs assistant, SNA, allocations for children with additional needs, which I have raised here previously. Many children continue to be failed even after receiving a diagnosis.”
“While the children in these cases have now received their assessments, Cara Darmody's 50-hour protest at the gates outside reminds us of the more than 15,000 children whose assessment is overdue. While Government will not oppose tonight's Opposition motion, it must not ignore it and we must see action. It is time to treat this crisis like the emergency it is and make funding available to Cara's Fund to clear the backlog and to set a specific target date by which the Government will comply with the established legal obligations, as well as developing an urgent workforce plan to train, recruit and retain enough staff. We also know that the assessment of need is only the start of yet another battle for supports and services. Many parents in my constituency are in touch with me about supports from the CDNT being almost non-existent.”
“She said that the whole experience of diagnosis was chaotic and disjointed, and she would not wish it on any family. Another mother told me that she had been forced to fund all of her child's assessments and therapies. She said, "Had I waited publicly, my child would never be in the correct educational setting." Another parent told me of how it took years of battles to be told her child was eligible for an assessment, even though she knew her child was autistic. As a result, they missed out on years of supports and not having any accommodations at school, and had to pay the additional costs for private services, with no domiciliary care allowance, no carer's leave, and battles to get parental leave at work. She said the emotional cost was huge. These cases illustrate a system that is categorically failing children and their families.”
“I am regularly contacted by parents in my constituency expressing their frustration and despair at the assessments of need process, the lengthy delays and the fact that parents have to fight every step of the way to get an appropriate assessment for their child. One mother told me how her daughter waited nearly three years for an assessment and received no supports in the meantime. She would have paid for one privately but the HSE would not tell her which providers were approved and she could not afford to waste €800 if the assessment was not accepted. The assessment was eventually outsourced and, had she known that the provider that her child was eventually sent to was an approved provider, she would have gone to it two years previously.”
“The next CAP must place a greater emphasis on generational renewal to show young farmers, men and women, that there is a future in farming. Finally, I want to mention the Mercosur deal. While Irish farmers are complying with strict environmental regulation under CAP to produce the best quality of beef in the world, the EU is attempting to sign up to Mercosur to allow South American beef that is produced to an inferior standard on deforested lands into Ireland. This is hypocrisy of the highest order and the Irish Government needs to step up to the plate and do everything in its power to resist this deal.”
“We need full convergence of entitlements with front-loaded payments so that CAP is fair to all farmers and that payments are fairly distributed to the enterprises that need them most, not just large enterprises that are often owned by people living abroad. We have seen large corporate entities drawing down obscene payments which demonstrates the inequality that exists in Irish agriculture. These payments should be redirected to the likes of our small suckler and sheep farmers who need assistance. It is crucially important that we support these sectors and these farmers. They spend their money locally and they are vital to the local economy in my constituency. I mentioned the demographic challenge the farming community is facing.”
“Clearly, there has been poor administration of this scheme. The fact that delays of this length could be caused by an IT issue is not a satisfactory explanation. These delays have left farmers in the lurch, with many questioning whether it is even worth participating in these schemes. At a time when we need to be supporting farmers, the Government and the Department need to get their act together when it comes to schemes and payments. With regards to CAP itself, we need an increased budget, less red tape and bureaucracy. The current funding for CAP accounts for approximately 30% of the EU budget compared to 73% in 1980. There must be an increased CAP budget that takes into account inflation over the last number of years.”
“As we discuss this today, our farming sector is facing a number of challenges - farm enterprise viability, unfair trade, competition and demographic changes in the farming community. On farm viability, the latest data from Teagasc showed that just 27% of Irish farms were considered economically viable in 2023. This is a startling statistic and recent trends in input costs suggest that 2024 may not be any better. In this context, it is totally unacceptable that we have seen cases of serious delays in payments to farmers, especially within ACRES. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, ICSA, estimated that earlier this year, more than 10,000 farmers were still waiting on payments from this scheme, some of whom were waiting on payments from 2023. Many of my constituents have been affected by this.”
“The Government has ignored all of that for the past three months. None of these proposed solutions has been implemented in the interim. We need less hot air and bluster and more actual solutions to tackle this backlog. We also need action.”
“This includes more than 600 people waiting for tests at the Loughrea test centre and 800 waiting for tests at the Tuam test centre. Those waiting for a test invitation can expect a 22-week waiting time for a test in Loughrea or 26 weeks for a test in Tuam. This flies in the face of the Government's statutory maximum waiting period of ten weeks. I note the Minister of State's comments, but these come three months on from our motion in February that included a suite of measures to tackle the backlog, increase the funding of permanent driving instructors to end the reliance on temporary instructors, address the shortfall in the number of driving test centres throughout the country by mandating the OPW and the RSA to plug the gaps and implement a strategic plan to achieve that statutory maximum waiting time of ten weeks.”
“Many young people in my constituency have been waiting months on end for their driving tests. It is incredibly disappointing that the delays in this regard have worsened since this issue was last raised by us in February. Being able to drive is an absolute necessity for any young person who lives in a rural community in the context of their independence and allowing them to lead an adult life and secure work and educational opportunities. The Government often appears out of touch with that reality, particularly when we consider recent hikes in the cost of fuel, insurance and so on, but especially when it comes to the outrageous delays people face in securing driving tests. In County Galway, up to the end of April, there were more than 4,000 people waiting for a driving test invitation.”
“The underfunding of this scheme is going to result in many more families becoming homeless. Galway County Council has now almost run out of its allocation for 2025, so it will not be in a position to purchase homes and save people from homelessness later this year. This scheme was working. It was preventing families from becoming homeless, so please remove the restrictions and fund it properly.”
“I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Browne, about one such family in my constituency over a month ago asking that he intervene and remove these totally unnecessary restrictions. While I received an acknowledgement from his office, I have not received a response to date. This young family should not be ignored. The husband and wife have two young daughters who attend school locally. They no longer qualify because they were in receipt of social housing support for only the past year and not two years, which is one of the restrictions the Government brought in. This family now faces homelessness as result. I appeal again to the Minister of State to intervene and remove these totally unnecessary restrictions. The family in question is not the only family affected.”
“This is a very important motion. We cannot build houses unless we have the necessary infrastructure in place. I have raised a number of times the failure to invest in wastewater infrastructure in a number of towns and villages across my constituency, as well as the slow delivery of projects which has stalled the delivery of housing. I raised it with the Tánaiste last week who said that investment would be forthcoming. However, we have heard these commitments before. We need less talk and more action to get the necessary infrastructure in place. I also raise the impact of the changes to second-hand acquisitions and the lack of funding for Galway County Council for purchases. The changes to this scheme mean many households who had tenant in situ applications will not have these progressed and they face homelessness as a result.”
“When is the Government going to take this seriously and deliver improved infrastructure to enable delivery of new housing? What is it going to take? Is it going to take all of our young people leaving the country, or another 5,000 children becoming homeless? It is time to wake up and invest in housing infrastructure.”
“We learned this week that the Government has again misled the public. The funding announced for Irish Water to support increased housing supply was not actually additional funding, but just a different way of funding the current programme. We have heard that directly from the chairman of Irish Water. I am sure the Tánaiste will deny that, but he cannot deny the reality on the ground. There are many towns and villages across County Galway, such as Corofin, Ardrahan, Monivea, Abbeyknockmoy and many more, where we cannot have new housing delivery because we do not have adequate wastewater infrastructure. We have constraints on capacity in towns like Tuam. Craughwell is getting an upgrade, but it will be years before that is built. The Government's failure to invest is stalling the delivery of new housing.”
“If the western rail corridor is to be reopened and if we are to build a proper commuter rail service, we will need full double-tracking. I urge the Minister to progress that.”
“I welcome the Minister's commitment to raise this issue with Irish Rail. I will also raise the lack of early morning services into the city. As I have mentioned, that first train arrives at 8.10 a.m. Again, there are restrictions with the single track but is that going to be looked at? There are issues with morning services being late. I ask the Minister to engage with Irish Rail on that and on the need for more services later into the evening for commuters returning home. Will the Government look at fully double-tracking the line from Athenry to Galway? The passing loop at Oranmore is very welcome but it will not future-proof our rail services against increased demand. We have growing towns and villages.”
“The passing loop at Oranmore will allow for more regular services but that is further down the line. We have a serious issue in the interim. Is the Minister looking at a solution to that?”
“The issue of overcrowding on services, particularly at peak times in and out of Galway city at stations such as Athenry has been raised with me. I have met Irish Rail to discuss this. For example, we have only two carriages on the first train arriving into Galway city at 8.10 a.m. every day. We have seen serious overcrowding and it has been a safety issue. As the Minister mentioned, there are new carriages arriving in Dublin. They will not become operational until 2026. Irish Rail has informed me that once these new carriages become operational in Dublin, the diesel carriages that are currently being used there can be moved to regional routes but that will be dependent on the new stock passing testing, etc. There is no real guarantee for commuters experiencing delays and capacity constraints right now that the position will improve.”
“This is to ask the Minister what actions his Department is taking to address capacity issues on InterCity and regional rail services, particularly in the context of increased numbers of people using public transport, as the Minister mentioned.”
“Before this decision was made the NBRU in Galway drafted two comprehensive operational plans that would see existing Bus Éireann resources and personnel deliver these required services but Bus Éireann has not engaged with the NBRU's proposals and has maintained its decision to outsource the services. Will the Minister outline the Government's view on the privatisation of bus services, especially in the context of the services I have mentioned?”
“I thank the Minister. I met representatives of Shannon Airport recently. I am also on the cross-party Oireachtas group. Obviously every airport wants more airlines but they also want support in terms of policy from the Minister. They want the State aviation policy to reflect the need to develop regional airports. I want to raise the issue of bus and rail links to airports, in particular Shannon Airport and Knock airport. It is key to supporting their development. Will bus and rail links to regional airports be considered as part of any review? On this issue, it was raised with me recently that additional Bus Éireann Expressway services between Galway and Shannon Airport this summer are being outsourced to private operators.”
“I cautiously welcome the comments of the Minister on the review but I ask him to provide a clear timeline on when this will be finalised. We do need the review as soon as possible. It is most important that it rectifies the current imbalance and ensures greater utilisation of these airports.”
“As has been said, it is ten years since the State aviation policy was updated so I hope it is something that can be progressed as quickly as possible. The national planning framework, which came before us recently, made very limited reference to the role that the State’s regional airports will play into the future. The development of these airports must be a clear strategic priority, especially in the context of balanced regional growth. When we consider that over 84% of all flights in the State are processed through Dublin Airport, there is clearly underutilisation of our regional airports, which are predominantly in the west and include those at Shannon and Knock. This means less tourism in the west of Ireland. It means our infrastructure continues to lag behind the rest of the country.”
“Many commitments have been given by the Government parties in recent months, including €200 per month childcare pay increases for early years educators and for public provision and State-owned childcare facilities. There is talk of publishing an action plan, which is welcome, but there has not been any movement on this to date. It is time to live up to these promises, to act to deliver genuinely affordable and accessible childcare for all and to move towards a public model. It is absolutely critical to ease the burden on families and to show real respect and value for early years educators.”
“If we are going to address this crisis and capacity issues in the sector, we need to look at the treatment of early years educators. We know there is extremely high staff turnover. Many good educators are being lost because pay and conditions are not sufficient. Some early years educators are being paid less than the living wage. The increase the Minister mentioned is a pittance. Not only is it contributing to the crisis in childcare, it also demonstrates a total lack of respect for these highly skilled workers. Research by SIPTU indicates that 95% of early years facility managers are concerned that their problems in recruiting and retaining staff will negatively impact service provision.”