Pa Daly
Kerry · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in to deal with this issue when other colleagues were not available. She will be able to bring her experience of this area to this debate. I am slightly caught for time, so I will try to parse it a little bit. I wish to ask the Minister of State about the harmful content on social media platforms.”
“While we know violence against women is a crisis and femicide in Ireland is a crisis, it is overwhelmingly men who carry out these acts. These are men of all cultures, races and ethnicities. However, social media giants have a responsibility and are clearly not stepping up to the plate. They are not complying with their obligations.”
“The Digital Services Act was introduced. It was to ensure a safe, predictable and trusted online environment and to prioritise greater activity and online safety. There is the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 to protect children and the public from harmful and illegal content. There is a danger.”
“We are running over time but I will make one more point. If, as it provides in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, we are to protect children and adults from online conduct, how does it look as an example to younger people in particular when this content is still allowed to be there?”
“Somebody even said that they hope these comments are not going to be deleted to suit one's ideology, which they misspelt. That is the kind of narrative that is going on. They are mocking her beliefs and her. It is similar to what is being investigated by the police in Britain.”
“Bhíos ag caint le healaíontóir i gCiarraí níos luaithe um thráthnóna. Labhair sé liom mar gheall ar na mothúcháin a bhaineann le AI. Dúirt sé liom it could help to generate ideas, layouts and content more quickly, leaving more time to focus on strategy and working with clients.”
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“There were levies of €231,000 but zero received for sites, and €979 in total was received. Therefore, there is an outstanding levy figure of €703,000. The authorities must act to use the schemes already in place if what is wanted is to renew the town centres.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. It will be particularly relevant to towns in Kerry, particularly Listowel, Dingle, Kenmare and Cahersiveen. Since Covid, many people have been returning to rural towns to live. However, town centres in Kerry, maybe with the exception of Killarney, are under severe pressure. There is a lot of dereliction in them. Is the Minister satisfied with the progress made to date on the collecting of levies? He mentioned the derelict sites measure. There is a register that county councils are obliged to maintain. It seems Kerry County Council has not been active enough in commencing compulsory purchase orders. I see from the latest statistics available that zero sites were acquired by agreement in 2023, and zero sites were acquired compulsorily.”
“Going over the statistics since 2017, as the Minister referenced, it seems to me that Kerry County Council and the roads department there have been quite efficient. I believe that €5,000 less than the full allocation was spent in one of those years. It seems that it was €21,000 less than the full allocation in 2020. It does seem to me that when we subtract the 2024 amount from the combined 2024-25 figure, the actual amount allocated to Kerry has decreased, which is very unfortunate given the 30-year waiting list. I would like to have clarity that it is indeed the case, as indicated by the statistics, that the amount for Kerry has decreased rather than increased, which was the story going around County Kerry from some of the people who are supporting the Government.”
“Will the Minister confirm that there has been a decrease in the spend assigned for rural roads in Kerry as opposed to the increase that was flagged recently?”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. By way of context, a lot of people in County Kerry, from various areas such as Listry, Astee, Ballyconry, Ballyduff and Dromod in south Kerry, have been asking me about this. There has been a certain amount of kite-flying over the last few months by Government-supporting Independent TDs who have been announcing that there has been an increase in money for the local improvement schemes. However, from the statistics the Minister has quite generously provided to me we see the 2024 allocation is €2.569 million for 2024 and 2025, but the 2024 spend was €1.747 million. When one subtracts the 2024 figure from the allocation for the scheme in 2024-25 we are left with €821,000 for 2025, which is a decrease of 52% on what was previously allocated by the Government.”
“I ask the Minister about the efforts his Department is making to increase the resourcing of local improvement schemes and make a statement on it. In Kerry in particular over the past eight years, 225 roads have been improved but that is about 30 per year and, as the Minister probably knows, there are 500 roads on the list, which means it will be 25 or 30 years before we will get to all of the roads on the list.”
“Ba chóir go mbeadh dhá shuíochán i gCorca Dhuibhne agus ceann amháin eile i gCiarraí theas le bheith níos sásúil. Táimse ag áitiú go n-aistreoidh an tAire a aigne mar gheall ar na hionadaithe sin agus go ndéanfaidh sé athrú.”
“Maidir le bheith níos daonlathaí, níos féaráilte, níos sásúla agus níos freagraí do na daoine i gCiarraí, feicim sa Bhille seo nach mbeidh ach suíochán amháin i gCiarraí agus ní dóigh liom go bhfuil sé sin féaráilte. Sin leath den uimhir suíochán a bhí againn in 2005 agus sa Bhille seo ní bheidh aon ionadaí in Uíbh Ráthach. Ní bheidh aon ionadaíocht ag na daoine go léir atá ina gcónaí sa Ghaeltacht i gCiarraí theas - sa Dromaid, i mBaile na Sceilge agus na ceantair sin - agus ní dóigh liom go bhfuil sé sin sásúil. I gcomparáid leis sin, mar chuid de mholadh Shinn Féin, bheadh dhá cheantar toghcháin i gCiarraí agus trí shuíochán. Sin 12% de na suíochán iomlán. Ba chóir go mbeadh ceann breise anuas ar an mhéid a bhí ann sa toghchán in 2005.”
“Cuirim fáilte leis an mBille seo chun Údarás na Gaeltachta a bhuanú. Ba chóir go mbeadh plé ar gach cúram a bhaineann leis an nGaeltacht, go mórmhór i gCiarraí. Tá a fhios agam go mbíonn an t-údarás ag plé le cúrsaí cosúil le pleanáil teanga, tionscail agus forbairt pobail. Chomh maith leis sin, ba chóir go mbeadh an t-údarás in ann caint agus díospóireacht a dhéanamh mar gheall ar chúrsaí pleanála, cúrsaí tithíochta, cúrsaí iascaireachta agus an t-ospidéal. Tá an-chuid fadhbanna againn faoi láthair mar gheall ar an easpa leapacha in iarthar Chiarraí ar an leithinis. D'eagraigh an Comhairleoir Robert Brosnan agóid ar an gceist sin sa Daingean an Satharn seo caite.”
“This utter disregard for the plight of these people is what allowed the Government to intentionally mislead the public during the general election campaign. It is also what allows the Government to brush off today's stark warning from the Central Bank, ignore the Housing Commission report and allow the problems that have beset this country for the past ten or 15 years in particular to continue.”
“Year in, year out every single housing target is missed and the number of people experiencing homelessness has reached record heights. Rents, too, are at record levels and many feel that they have to emigrate, that it is their only escape. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have shown us time and again that they have no intention of solving the housing crisis. The fundamental approach of the Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Independents is to just build more expensive units and that will solve the problem. The Government is failing to deal with the need for more social housing, particularly one-bedroom and two-bedroom houses. That is what is required for the people who are coming to my office feeling anxious, in despair and filled with worry. This Government cares more about saving face than about the suffering of ordinary people.”
“The absence of one-bedroom and two-bedroom accommodation is a crisis. It all goes back to the post-crash period when the Fine Gael-led Government stopped building social housing and hoped that the market, which had mostly provided three-bedroom semi-detached houses, would mop up the problem but it has not. The abolition of the town councils did not help either. This Housing Commission report is a damning indictment of the Government's failed approach to housing. The Government tried to ignore it for nearly a year but it cannot ignore the facts. We have never been in a worse position. For over ten years now ordinary workers and families have been living in crisis whereby securing a roof over one's head is nearly impossible. The dream of having a home of one's own seems like pure fantasy.”
“The most deeply frustrating part of this job is dealing with daily devastating stories of people who exist in utter despair and anxiety because they see no light at the end of the tunnel. When I came into the Chamber today, I received a text from a man in his 60s who was living in his family home which is now being sold. He told me he is in a state of limbo because he has not been on the list for a sufficient number of years. He would need to be 15 or 16 years on the list before he would be considered. He is looking at going into emergency accommodation - a man in his mid-60s. We also deal almost weekly with people under notice to quit, whose homes are being sold, who have young families - often, their children have disabilities - and many people waiting more than 12 years on the list.”
“Cé go bhfuil spiorad ann sa Ghaeilge, aontaím go raibh mí-úsáid le blianta anuas ach ba chóir go mbeadh buntáiste acu siúd a bhfuil fonn orthu maireachtáil sa Ghaeltacht. Chun an Ghaeilge a chóiméad beo, ba chóir go mbeadh sí beo sna Gaeltachtaí.”
“Gheall Sinn Féin chomh maith riachtanas nua don Ghaeilge i siopaí, ag cinntiú gur i nGaeilge nó go dátheangach a bheadh comharthaí siopaí, taispeántais fuinneoige agus mar sin de. Tá saibhreas ann i logainmneacha sa tír seo ach níl an saibhreas sin ar na comharthaí bóithre. In 1892, dúirt Dubhghlás de hÍde go raibh dóchas agus muinín aige go n-áiteofar air Rialtas dúchasach Éireannach ár logainmneacha a athchóiriú, ach tá ár mbóithre fós truaillithe le bréag-ainmneacha gan brí cosúil le “quilty” agus “snave” agus mar sin de. Cé nach bhfuil muid ag iarraidh na hainmneacha Béarla a chosc, ba chóir go mbeadh Gaeilge ar na comharthaí bóithre cosúil le “Port Laoise” agus “Dún Laoghaire”. Mar fhocail scoir, tá fadhbanna againn mar gheall ar chead pleanála.”
“Is soiléir go bhfuil spiorad nua sa Ghaeilge. Chonaic mé sin nuair a bhíos ar an gcomhchoiste leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, a raibh mar Chathaoirleach air. Bhí sé mar onóir dúinn bualadh leis na scoláirí sna Gaelcholáistí agus sna scoileanna, go háirithe iad siúd i mBaile Átha Cliath agus Béal Feirste. Gan dabht, tá an Ghaeilge beo ach tá a lán dúshlán ann chomh maith. D'fhoilsigh Sinn Féin Ár Seacht nDícheall don Ghaeilge, chun an teanga náisiúnta a spreagadh i mbéal an phobail. Is é an príomhrud a bhí ansin ná an cheart chun an Ghaeilge a úsáid mar is minic gur chuala mé ó dhaoine gur scríobh siad a n-ainmneacha i nGaeilge, ach nuair a tháinig an cárta nó rud mar sin ar ais, bhí sé scríofa síos i mBéarla gan cead.”
“Sinn Féin would reform and expand the Freedom of Information Act so the public could more easily track how the Government is directing taxpayers' money. We have called for new legislation for transparency and procurement and to regulate tenders to stop massive cost overruns in capital projects. The scandalous waste of public money must stop. I therefore urge the Government to support and adopt Sinn Féin's proposals. I thank the Independent Group for tabling the motion.”
“Think, for example, of the money needed for the refurbishment of the courthouse in Tralee, which is vital for the town centre. In University Hospital Kerry, elective surgeries have not taken place since 19 December because the emergency room is overwhelmed and there are not enough beds in the hospital. The hospital needs another modular day unit and a minor injuries clinic. Instead, the Government would rather focus on purchasing scanners that lie idle while sick people are left on waiting lists for months and sometimes years. Unlike the Government, Sinn Féin has a plan and the political will to get to grips with the issue. We would urgently conduct a waste audit of all Departments and State bodies. People deserve to know how their money is being spent or how it is being squandered.”
“I wonder whether the outrageous waste of public money is one of the reasons the Government-supporting rural Independent TDs remain so steadfastly determined to keep up the charade of being in opposition in order that they can wash their hands of these public scandals. The list of scandalous wastes of money is as long as your arm yet nobody, not a single person, has been held to account. Where are the checks and balances? Unsurprisingly, the Government has repeatedly attempted to shirk responsibility and blame somebody else, but the responsibility lies squarely with the Government. It is about much more than a waste of taxpayer’s money. It is about all the projects not progressed because there was not enough money in the pot. Think of all the schools that could have been built or the Garda stations that could have been kept open.”
“Tá an Rialtas ag magadh faoi na ndaoine, ag cruthú scannal i ndiaidh scannail agus ag cur ár gcuid airgid amú. The sense of anger and frustration felt by people is palpable but the disillusionment and apathy is more worrying as they see their hard-earned money and public money going down the drain. Despite the promises made at election time, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the rural Independent TDs have shown no intention of reversing the culture of waste and incompetence. Despite expressing horror and outrage at the cost of the bike sheds and having serious questions about the millions of euro spent on mobile phone pouches and the Arts Council money, these same TDs have now gone very quiet as more and more scandals arise.”
“They should not be forced to bear the burden of the decades of Government failures in public transport. In fact, it should be the opposite. The previous Government was dragged kicking and screaming by the former Minister to a better position but blaming and punishing commuters is a regressive step. It is not a zero-sum game and one set of priorities must not be sacrificed for another. The fare reductions must be kept in place.”
“The Minister mentioned a reduction in fares. Only last week, there was an outrageous proposal that commuters would be punished for the Government's failure to deliver essential transport infrastructure. Last Friday, it was reported that commuters would be subject to increased fares to pay for public transport infrastructure and some of these projects have already been in the pipeline for decades. When we are trying to encourage more people to take public transport the last thing the Government should do is blame the victim by punishing commuters who need to get to work, go to college and attend medical appointments by making public transport more expensive for them, Ordinary workers and families in the middle of this cost-of-living crisis can barely afford to make ends meet.”
“It makes it all the more frustrating that the Government seems to be determined to continue with services that are failing to deliver. This was borne out by the recent chaos at Go-Ahead Ireland. In the response we received from the NTA, it agreed the service was inadequate and that Go-Ahead Ireland would be fined €5 million. It is not a new issue. Things are getting worse. Will the Minister outline why the contract has been renewed for a service that is so obviously failing to deliver?”
“We all agree that if the service is there, more people will use it. The Minister mentioned performance reviews. I am sure he will agree that the service provided to date is not up to scratch. I ask him to confirm that is the case. The Minister mentioned penalties. We have heard stories about the farcical situation where some bus drivers commence a route at stage eight or nine of the bus journey, rather than starting at the beginning. They drive straight through to stop eight or nine and complete the journey in order to avoid the inevitable fines that will accrue if the bus is late. It is unacceptable. To get a sense of the problem I reached out to some of my fellow TDs and received an avalanche of examples of services that were failing to deliver.”
“What are the service level requirements for private operators on public transport and will the Minister make a statement on the matter? Commuters the length and breadth of the country are exasperated because of the shambolic service some of them have come to expect as normal. Week in, week out, we receive complaints about ghost buses, late buses and students who are trying to get home from the University of Limerick, for example, to Kerry, whereby the second bus does not turn up and they are very late coming home for the weekend. Everyone can agree it is not up to scratch. This is not just a minor inconvenience. It is seriously affecting people's daily lives.”
“Some rural counties are charging deserts, and without the appropriate infrastructure in place, it is easy to see why people will be reluctant to transition away from petrol and diesel. What is the Government doing to ensure a regionally balanced roll-out of the charging infrastructure?”
“I am glad the Minister accepts that the works done to date are unacceptable and inadequate. The Government has slashed the EV grant and repeatedly failed to make it available for second-hand vehicles. Will the Minister consider re-establishing that or improving the grant for the purchase of second-hand vehicles? The Government wants just under 1 million electric vehicles to be on the road by 2030, or 30% of all registered vehicles, but that is unlikely to happen given the lack of progress to date. People are getting the raw end of the deal, as is borne out in the charging infrastructure. The figures do not lie. Under EU legislation, Ireland is required to have 6,210 publicly available charging points but, as the Minister said, we are a way off this and that more needs to be done.”
“Many people in rural areas are locked into car ownership and even though there have been improvements in BusConnects and rural transport schemes, there is still a severe lack of public transport. Will the Minister consider more targeted measures aimed at supporting rural drivers to transition away from fossil fuels, and will he consider extending the grant to second-hand EVs, as recommended in the report published this morning?”
“I thank the Minister. As he said, the question related to making electric vehicles more accessible for rural motorists. He mentioned the 400 km figure, but that confidence is not shared by people who are selling electric vehicles in Kerry, who are not confident that motorists will be able to drive all the way to Dublin, for example, in an electric vehicle. The EV schemes seem to remain the preserve of affluent, urban households. Progress will continue to stagnate, and this is another example in a long line of regressive measures pursued by the Government. Research has shown that EVs used in rural Ireland have a bigger climate impact in that they remove 35% more emissions compared with their urban counterparts, but it is less affordable for rural households to own and operate an EV.”
“The Government has ambitious targets when it comes to electric vehicles. Approximately 195,000 are supposed to be on the road by the end of 2025, growing to 845,000 by 2030. There is nothing wrong with that but with only 80,000 electric vehicles currently on the road, reaching these targets at the current rate of progress is a practical impossibility. If we do not meet the 2030 targets, the taxpayer could be footing a bill of up to €26 billion, according to the report today from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council.”
“Will he commit to restoring the funding on the roads where the tendering documents were prepared at the expense of a lot of cost and time by local engineers? Finally, the Minister has committed to solving the problems with local authorities and their funding but it has gone on too long. Collisions used to be mapped. There was a cost-benefit analysis and a response but this information seems to have been cut. It does not seem to be happening any more.”
“There seems to be significant discrepancies between different county councils when it comes to road maintenance and repair. Some move at a much faster pace. What is the Minister going to do about that? If local authorities are expected to be responsible for the upkeep of our local and regional roads, they need resources. The Minister mentioned the Adare bypass. There is a strong suspicion. Local engineers spent an awful long time preparing documents for tender to improve the Ring of Kerry road near Glenbeigh school and the N86 from Lispole to Dingle but then, suddenly, the funding was cut despite all the efforts that were made. While the Adare bypass is necessary, there is a feeling that is where the money went to.”
“The story was the same in 2023 and 2022 when there was a capital carry-over of €140 million and €160 million, respectively. It is all well and good grandstanding about increased investment but there must be a plan to deal with it because it is not just money that is needed. We need a plan and a roadmap for delivery. Take my constituency of Kerry, where the LIS list has 625 roads on the priority list. As the council gets to about 20 roads per year, it would take about 30 years to complete that. What measures is the Minister taking to ensure the Department does not have a capital carry-over? What measures is the Department taking to speed up road maintenance under the LIS scheme?”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. There are roads the length and breadth of the country that are in a serious state of disrepair. There is no city, town or village that is not impacted. Due to years of neglect by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments, road users in every corner of the State feel abandoned. It is especially true in rural Ireland where it must be remembered that 70% of road collisions occur. Instead of getting to grips with this situation, what we have heard recently is kite flying, whether it is in the implementation of the new speed limits without any ability to enforce them or announcing new road investments that are not really that new at all. The only new part of that €713 million investment recently announced is money that the Department failed to spend last year to the tune of €115 million.”
“Every year for the past few years the day treatments and elective surgeries are cancelled. The last time I checked, there had not been an elective surgery since 19 December. I ask the Minister to look at that. One final point relates to dental surgery. In Kerry the wait time for oral surgery is two-and-a-half years. I spoke to the parent of a five-year-old boy who was in serious pain, suffering from abscesses.”
“I presume there will be a primary care centre, which is badly needed, in Killarney. One is also needed in Cahersiveen. Kerry also needs a minor injuries clinic. The location is a matter of some controversy but 70% of the people who use the current emergency department in University Hospital Kerry come from the west, the north, the Castleisland area and Tralee. It makes sense to have a minor injuries clinic. We have seen the success of such clinics around the country, such as the one in Gurranebraher, where patients are seen within the hour. That should be looked at. The priority should be to use the backup staff, the consultants that are there and to take into account the people who use it. I ask the Minister to commit to open one of these and a modular day unit.”
“Perhaps that scheme can be looked at and expanded. We know about the hundreds of people languishing on trolleys. In fact, 2025 set new records in all the ways we want to avoid. For example, for University Hospital Kerry 2025 has been a record year in terms of the number of patients on trolleys and emergency department waiting times. Since the start of this year, at least 650 people have been forced into this situation, some waiting over 19 hours. What are the solutions? I hope the Minister will travel to Kerry to look at the hospital. A number of issues need to be sorted out there. The Minister is aware of the new community hospital. However, it will not give one extra bed to the county because the old hospital is closing down. What that will be used for in the future we do not know.”
“I congratulate both the Minister for Health and the Minister of State. They are aware that the healthcare system is in crisis. That is no surprise to anyone, certainly not the 800,000 people who are anxiously awaiting treatment or the short-staffed doctors and nurses, many of whom have contacted us because they have University Hospital Kerry, the people of Kerry and the good of the area foremost in their minds. Under the helm of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, it has become almost impossible to get a GP or a dental appointment. Access to mental health treatment is a shambles. A pilot scheme for crisis mental health interventions commenced last October in Limerick. It was a long time coming. Under that pilot scheme a trained nurse travels around the area in an ambulance to people who have crises in their lives.”
“There was frustration on our side hearing the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, asking for solutions and saying there was a problem with the solutions offered. We are asking for more full-time instructors, for more resources to be put in and for the Government to take this matter seriously once and for all.”
“Covid was mentioned, I think, by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, along with things like the post-pandemic era, public health measures, social distancing and the pandemic era. It must be frustrating to hear that from the Minister when numbers have increased by 60% since 2022, when the restrictions ended. It must also be frustrating to hear the Minister say it is not the Government's problem and the RSA has not dealt with the situation. Those opposite are in government and they are the ones who should have been sorting it out over the past number of years. It reminds me of the delays in security in Dublin Airport where staff were laid off. It became so difficult to hire full-time staff. In essence, that is what we are calling on the Government to do here.”
“It must be deeply frustrating for returning immigrants, immigrants returning from the United States, for example, where they have a full driving licence and who are awaiting a licence for work, so they can take up employment here. Their licences are not recognised here. All the times Government members have gone over there for St. Patrick's Day, can they not sort this small thing out with some sort of agreement with the United States? It must be deeply frustrating for people who cannot access employment, such as employment in crucial front-line services, such as paramedics, ambulance drivers and so on, and for people who are trying to access courses they require in order to take up employment. It must be frustrating for people to hear some of the excuses given tonight.”
“I thank all the contributors who spoke tonight and I acknowledge the Government will not oppose the motion but it is unfortunate it is not the first time this issue has been raised. I agree, obviously, when the Government says the figures are unacceptable but it must be deeply frustrating for anybody listening in or watching tonight, including any of the 72,000 people on the waiting lists, the people waiting six to eight months for a driving test, the thousands of people in my county of Kerry, the people who are paying exorbitant, over the top insurance costs and the people paying huge amounts for extra driving tests while they are waiting for the test.”
“I call on the Government to agree to this motion, adopt it, increase resources to meet the demand, hire more permanent instructors, review the role and funding of the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and address the gaps in driver test centres around the country.”
“We know that the Government is out of touch, but even it must realise that further driving up costs for young people who can barely afford to make ends meet is hardly the way to entice them to stay in the country. One young constituent of mine in County Kerry has been particularly harmed by the Government's failure to get a grip on this issue. He is the sole carer for his father and he must return every night to look after him. However, without a licence he has been forced to choose between attending college and looking after his father. That is not much of a choice. The Government needs to wake up. It has been asleep at the wheel for too long.”
“As the Minister will be aware, for many young people having a licence cannot be considered to be just an option, it is an absolute necessity, because public transport is either totally non-existent or entirely unreliable in many areas of rural Ireland. Without a valid licence, young people are prevented from going about their daily lives; they are missing out on attending college and unable to take up new jobs, all because they are languishing for months on end on waiting lists. The backlog has also pushed up the cost of learning to drive because learner drivers are trapped in expensive insurance policies for longer than anticipated. They often pay an average of approximately €3,000 per year while they anxiously wait to sit their test.”
“It is another example of a litany of failures by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and now their coalition partners - the Lowry-led Independents, who must own up to their role in sorting this out. After all, many of the Government-supporting Rural Independent Group were highly critical of these delays when they were in opposition, before they decided to support the Government in exchange for their new positions and salary bonuses, but they forgot to include this important issue in the programme for Government. I hope they still retain the courage of their convictions when they are sitting on the Government benches. One particular issue I want to highlight is the impact the situation is having on young people.”
“Driver test delays the length and breadth of the country have reached staggering new peaks. Some 72,414 people are now in limbo, up 60% on 2022. In the past three months, there has been an increase of 10,000. We take no pleasure in the fact that we have again been forced to confront the Government on this issue. I am sure that every Deputy from every constituency - rural and urban - has been contacted by people facing interminable delays. They are trapped in outrageously expensive insurance policies, who must pay more and more for driving lessons while waiting on jobs and courses. There is a deep sense of frustration. People are dependent on having a licence and they are waiting for it. They are also frustrated by the Government's continued failure to address it. This is not a new issue; this crisis has been rumbling on for years.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes, with concern, the huge backlog in those waiting on a driving test, with 72,414 people now in limbo, an increase of over 60 per cent since 2022; is alarmed by the fact that this backlog grew by nearly 10,000 over the last three months; acknowledges that no test centre is meeting the statutory maximum of 10 weeks in the service level agreement (SLA), with many learner-drivers regularly having to wait over six months to sit a test and some waiting as long as eight months; is not reassured that the Road Safety Authority (RSA), who have statutory responsibility for the operational aspects of the national driving test, has the capacity or ability to address these backlogs, and are consistently in breach of their own SLA; is concerned with the continued shortages in driving test instructors, and is not satisfied that recruitment processes since 2022 have been sufficient to address the growing backlog; notes that excessive wait times are especially pronounced for those who rely on a driving licence for educational or employment purposes, including drivers for Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus or paramedics who require a licence prior to entry to the course, delaying the provision of additional services; and acknowledges that the practice of hiring temporary driving test instructors led to a large turnover of testers, leading to a loss of local knowledge and experience; recognises that: — learner drivers are trapped on expensive insurance policies, pushing up the cost of learning to drive to €3,000 in some parts of the country; and — many areas of the country have no driving test centre, with many people having to travel long distances to take a test, and placing upward pressure on already stretched driving test centres around the country; and regrets the closure of permanent and temporary test centres around the country, and the failure of the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the RSA to find new sites; and calls on the Government to: — acknowledge its responsibility to ensure that when demand for public services increase, this must be matched by additional resources to meet demand; — instruct the Minister for Transport to take immediate action to expedite and increase the recruitment of additional permanent driving test instructors; — end the over reliance on hiring temporary driving test instructors; — conduct an urgent review of the capacity of the RSA to address the backlog in driving tests, including its mandate, resourcing, and programme of work; — address the shortfall in driving test centres across the country, and to instruct the OPW and the RSA to urgently identify suitable sites to fill those gaps; and — draft, and implement without delay, a strategic plan to achieve the statutory maximum waiting time of 10 weeks.”
“Anybody who canvassed last month, whether in Dublin, Clare, Mayo, Galway or Kerry will know that the people dependent on solid fuel are those with the lowest of incomes. This scheme still fails to deal with solid fuel homes. Many people are left out in the cold as a result. Solid fuel homes are also linked to higher health risks. Those with open fires are twice as likely to have respiratory diseases. Unlike the Government, which has zero measures to address these specific homes, we have repeatedly called for targeted measures as part of the fairer retrofit plan. These homes are often the poorest and most carbon-intensive, more likely to be located in rural areas and are more common in households aged over 50. We are interested in a just transition but the Government seems content to leave these workers behind.”
“Those on the warmer homes scheme barely get a look in when it comes to these targets because the average uplift is BER C3. Only 49 households were fitted with a heat pump as part of the warmer homes scheme. That is inadequate. The Government has finally acknowledged this. I acknowledge there have been some improvements. Will the Minister outline in particular how he will target low-income homes?”