Ruairí Ó Murchú
Louth · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It was hardly a shock to me and many others that he decided that the simplicity that was asked for by Sinn Féin last week, such that we would consider preparations for Irish unity, was not acceptable. Most people would see this as a possibility, even those who do not necessarily like the idea.”
“I welcome that. I have spoken previously to the Minister about the necessity of providing Mr. Delaney's report on the incident to Natasha and the wider family.”
“We will all be very interested to see what the new circular is. The Minister of State said it will be announced in September. A needs-based system is what we need. I would like to think the young boy I talked about would be able to avail of this. I will use him as an example. The correct assessments were carried out.”
“We just need to make sure that the circular is fit for purpose and that the young primary school child to whom I refer will be given the supports he requires. I will just finish reading from the communication to which I referred earlier.”
“We need to ensure that the engagement with Lebanon is ongoing. Are we happy with the interaction with the UN? There had been some issues relating to the coroner's court. Everyone needs to do everything that can be done to ensure truth and justice for the family of Private Seán Rooney.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for all the flexibility she allows in this Chamber, and hopefully that will continue as we speak. I welcome an awful lot of what Deputy Devlin said.”
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“We have all put them out here and gone through Daft.ie and all the other websites. We have also dealt with our constituents who can us tell us to forget the price as they cannot actually get a rental property in any way, shape or form. The problem is that we keep coming in here and having these debates. We talk about the whole issue of high rents, high house prices and the lack of affordable housing. However, nothing that has been presented by Government is anywhere close to a solution. I welcome what the Minister of State said about the idea that we would have delivery for those people looking for cabin-type scenarios in their back gardens and whatever else. We know that is a small cohort, but we even need to see detail and speed on delivery of that. We really and truly are not seeing that delivery across the board.”
“We are back here with the single transferable speech we can all take out. To a degree, at this stage I am boring myself. The problem is this issue is still impacting detrimentally on the people coming into all of our constituency offices and, I have no doubt, into the Minister of State's as well. We see from the new Daft.ie report that the average price for a new build in County Louth is €385,000, and the average across the board is €321,911, an increase of 14.6%. I am told, if we go back pre-Covid, that it is an increase of 51.6%. That is huge and that is phenomenal. All that Government spoke about is how it is on the side of homeownership and all the rest of it. There is no sign of delivery in that regard. We all know that we do not have to go through rent prices for any constituency.”
“We hope we have a good summer but there is an absolute necessity that we do all we can with regard to information because we have had too many of these tragedies across Ireland.”
“I pay tribute to 15-year-old Kofi Owusu from Dundalk, County Louth, who lost his life after getting into difficulty swimming in Laytown, County Meath, last Friday. Our condolences go to his family, his friends and to the wider community. We have all heard the tributes from Redeemer Celtic and Tomás Sharkey in Coláiste Chú Chulainn, the school he attended. We have heard of his diligence, his leadership qualities and his friendship. A huge hole has been left by this. We are talking about somebody who was a spectacular footballer and basketball player but he sounded like an all-round really great kid. This happened just a couple of days following the death of Isobel McCluskey and highlights the dangers of swimming and water.”
“I back up the comments of Deputy Moynihan. I have brought up previously with the Taoiseach the tax implications of remote working for companies and the impact that has on employees. Action needs to be taken to deal with that. On tariffs and engagement with unions and employers, what are the major issues and worries about what is coming down the line? What does the Government propose? What are the asks? I would like to think the Taoiseach is working alongside the Minister to deal with the apprenticeship issue. There is a fear regarding ETB settings that there will be a delay because of the shortfall in funding. There is a big hole of €40 million to €50 million. I submitted a Topical Issue with Deputy Cullinane about this. It needs to be on the agenda. There can be no delay.”
“This is about improving human health and ensuring people are looked after properly and that everything is absolutely above board. My colleagues spoke about declarations to the HPRA, if there is a need, and that if there were breaches, there would be a means of enforcement. We mentioned fines of €100,000. However, we are all open to changes in that regard. When we have breaches, we need to ensure we provide real enforcement, real leverage and real power. We all accept that we cannot leave big pharma or uncontrolled capital to have its way. This is about protecting people and patients and ensuring we look after our people and the public finances. I commend everyone who spoke today and, in particular, Deputies O'Rourke, Cullinane and Seán Crowe for making it happen and following up on a huge body of work done by the RCSI.”
“It would be a fair and competitive innovation environment and it would support Ireland's clinical trials landscape, which is absolutely necessary. At times we come in here to request additional finance for additional services and medicines, but we could be talking about cost savings here. I get it that the argument is won in this regard. I agree with Deputy Crowe that this should have happened a hell of a lot sooner. A fair question is around why it has taken so long. As I said, I do not buy the idea that it will take a year, but within that year, we need to make sure this is ready to run. There can be no hold-up in this regard. Nobody is going to come in here and vote against this or make an argument against this.”
“I spoke earlier about the fact that there are certain life-altering, life-changing, life-improving and life-saving drugs at which we need to look. I accept that at times it can be expensive, but we definitely do not need to be losing money while others are getting rich. As I said, we need to ensure transparency and that we do not certain allow scenarios. It was not just one dirty deal, as happened in the situation we spoke about with Purdue, it was a million dirty deals. The impact has been phenomenal. It is an impact that will continue long after this period of time. We know the current voluntary system is absolutely inadequate. We need a centralised State-run mandatory disclosure system. Obviously, this would enhance the HSE as regards trust and integrity.”
“People just had to lick the particular tablet to get around it. Following accidents or whatever, people who never would have found themselves in this situation ended up with brutal addictions and when they could not access OxyContin, they ended up on street drugs such as heroin and other drugs. It ravaged many communities in America. There was the whole scenario then of people who followed up with pill mills and all the rest of it. We are aware of the issue we have with prescribed drugs and narcotics in this State. We need to make sure we are playing on a level playing field and have a system that works. The biggest problem is the lack of transparency regarding these payments at this point. We are talking about a huge number of conflicts of interest. There are consequences for patients but also for public finances.”
“We have research carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and James Larkin. A fair number of us have seen "Dopesick", have read Empire of Pain and have seen what happened with the Sackler family and the Purdue company and OxyContin. To call it a disgrace is inadequate; there is no term for what was done other than it was utter and outright evil. The reality is when payments were made, it made it a hell of a lot easier for them to sell their drug. The biggest issue of all was the fact that it was based on a complete and utter lie, which was the idea that they had found this pain relief mechanism - this opioid - that would be slowly released and work absolutely perfectly and there would be no issues as regards addiction. We know the time release was dealt with very quickly.”
“It is absolutely necessary. I do not think he will find too many people complaining about delivering on that. I commend Deputies O'Rourke, Cullinane and Crowe on the Healthcare (Transparent Payments) Bill. I would much prefer if this was progressing beyond this point. If there are anomalies or issues that needed to be dealt, they can be dealt with on Committee Stage. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, provided a comprehensive solution. I accept the argument is won with regard to the necessity of this legislation. What are we talking about? We are talking about making it mandatory for pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment suppliers to declare payments, gifts, donations and all other transfers of value made by them to healthcare professionals and organisations.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to follow up on Deputy Crowe's point. Many of us attended that briefing in the audiovisual room on those suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As Deputy Crowe said, we are talking about it impacting children and young boys at a very early stage. He made the most significant point of all, which is that there is very little time, as all these families know. In one case, we met with a family who had two boys, one of whom gets the givinostat, because he was on a previous pilot, but the other does not. They are absolutely fearful of the impact of not having it because they have seen the benefit of having it. Deputy Crowe put forward a possible cross-Border solution, a shared island solution, or call it what you will. I ask the Minister of State to bring that back to his colleagues in government.”
“It would not do if we were not providing a sufficient number of apprenticeships. That is accepting the complexity of the issue, as outlined by the Minister.”
“I welcome the statement by the Minister that no apprenticeship class will be cancelled. I assume that also means none will be paused. I would like to think there will not be any major cuts across the service in the further education area. The Minister said the situation has just arisen. Could he explain how this was not foreseen at an earlier stage? I welcome the fact that he is addressing it. Could he give us a timeline for when this will be settled because the reason we have all heard this, both officially and unofficially, is people are very afraid due to the difficulties that have arisen. We must ensure that there is sustainable funding for further education, in particular apprenticeships, because we spend half the time in here talking about the necessity to build more houses.”
“Usually, we would be talking in here about ramping up the delivery of apprenticeships. I met the Minister and I also met the previous Minister at the opening of facilities in my constituency involved in the training of apprentices. We want to see more of that. This may have an impact on further education across the board. I refer to all sorts of apprenticeships, including in PLCs, and in community education whereby people study at night either part time or full time. I am incredibly worried, but I hope the Minister will set my mind at ease, and the minds of the stakeholders who have contacted us, as well as people who are looking forward to doing an apprenticeship and those who will require the apprentices. It is vital that he gives the answer that is required.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. The question concerns budgetary issues facing SOLAS and the ETBs and the detrimental impact this may have on the delivery of apprenticeships. We all know the importance of apprenticeships. I submitted this on the basis that myself, Deputy Cullinane and a number of our colleagues heard word on the grapevine about individual ETBs saying their finances and budget had been slashed. How it was put to me is that in 2025 the budget is possibly more than €40 million less. On that basis we are looking at the possibility that when we are meant to have an intake of new trade and other apprenticeships in July, they could be put back to September or October and some of them could be cancelled. We all know about the housing crisis and it would be unheard of if this were to happen.”
“There is a wider issue the State needs to look at as regards making sure that when we talk about recording artists or TV and film, we make the framework and the operations in Ireland a lot better. That will ensure sustainability of the industry. We need to look after our workers because that cannot necessarily happen with the way things are constructed at the moment.”
“This issue falls back to the Government around section 481. While we all think section 481 has played a huge role as regards the film sector, it is about ensuring that we have a thriving film sector and that quality employment is introduced. I, Deputy Ó Snodaigh and, particularly, Deputy Boyd Barrett and others have brought up the issues of blackballing and blacklisting within the industry. They need to be addressed. The issue is that production companies draw down the section 481 money but the DACs are set up as financial devices. Then, once the film is dealt with, the DACs are disappeared, and with them go all the responsibility and all the employment rights that should exist.”
“We need to ensure that is what happens, so we will need to make sure the due diligence is carried out and that, as I said, our particular issues and the issues that recording artists may have would be addressed. There is a wider issue that needs to be dealt with. Deputy Ó Snodaigh spoke about his legislation, which relates to the campaign that has been carried out about Irish Equity. It is about ensuring fairness and ensuring that payments and royalties are maintained as regards work that has been done. They speak about the fact that there are better frameworks in much of Europe, in Britain and in other places and, as I said, huge anomalies that need to be dealt with. We know the other issues within the film sector, raised particularly by crew. We have seen cases that have been taken as far as the High Court.”
“It is all about clarifying how royalty payments from recorded music are divided between performers and producers. This is all happening very fast, having taken a long time to get this point, so I think there could be anomalies here. There could be issues. An Teachta Ó Snodaigh spoke about the fact that there had been a lack of engagement with the sector. That needs to be followed up on. I have already stated that the short timeframe will create difficulties. Any solution that involves putting things through the logjammed courts system in Ireland is not anything I would necessarily be very hopeful about. I would expect there would be some element of industry pushback but I get what is intended here.”
“We all know that there have been very significant issues with copyright and making sure that artists have a framework within which to work. We know of the initiative during the Covid pandemic and beyond to ensure some element of payment. There is a significant lobby in that regard. It is about artists in general having a sustainable framework for their work. That needs to be offered if we are to ensure that people can express themselves culturally, which is vital. We are talking specifically about copyright. We will permit this Bill to go to the next Stage and may table amendments on Committee Stage. This is all happening on foot of a particular court case. There have been issues here. We are transposing the EU rental and lending directive.”
“We really need to get that piece a lot better. We often talk about early interventions. We need to make sure that they happen. It is fit for purpose and we just need to get to that point as soon as possible. We cannot be operating with these long waiting lists because they serve nobody.”
“We need to find the means of transferring that, while ensuring that everyone who requires treatment is getting the appropriate and required treatment. Obviously, it is not much addition if someone is playing around with figures or whatever. I am not for a second saying that is the case but it is a matter of doing that piece of work as soon as possible and making sure we can deliver something that is a lot better. At this time we have too many people who have been failed. We all know the issue. The Minister of State spoke earlier about eating disorders. We all know that for parents of young people or adults who needed to get treatment for an eating disorder, it often took far too long. The treatment that was required ended up being a hell of a lot more acute and required emergency beds, sometimes not in this State.”
“It is about making sure that the information is widely available and also that we are all aware that a child approached CAMHS because that is where the referral was sent. That was not the service that was deemed to be required. At that stage, we are into the "no wrong door" and all the rest of it, even that single point of access that we have spoken about for a long time. However, we have all dealt with those issues in CAMHS. It is easy to say that this should have been done before and whatever else. If there are places that are operating with best practice, it is essential that the piece of work regarding what the Minister said about digging down into the weeds and doing due diligence is done as soon as possible.”
“Regarding the amendments, what we have said and why we have tabled them is straightforward. I accept what the Minister of State said regarding amendment No. 206. The big thing is reiterating the point about codes of practice and guidelines and making sure that we have internal communications where they need to be. It is always frightening to hear the figures that Deputy Clarke spoke about. The Minister of State referred to the 4,500 on the waiting list and the 763 who have been waiting over a year. We are dealing with a huge number of families who are going to be under severe stress. There is complete logic to what Deputy Clarke says, in the sense that all information needs to be contained. We also accept that referrals will be made. Sometimes it is a different service that is required.”
“We all know of issues that have arisen and of really tragic conditions. We also know families who have been absolutely distraught and not particularly happy. We know that there will be a variance between them and where they are coming at it from with those who work in mental health services. It makes absolute sense, not only that we would have a robust complaints process that actually works, but that it is also seen to work and is as transparent as possible. I see an absolute logic in that regard. Again, these amendments are trying to make sure that we have a system that is fit for purpose in delivering the treatment that is necessary.”
“When talking about the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, the age of 25 is probably more logical. We have always talked - perhaps beyond mental health services - about the idea that a patient falls off a cliff. This prevents this circumstance from arising and that treatment can be followed through on. There is a greater logic to the age of 25 than to the age of 18. This is just making sure that we come up with something that works regarding resourcing and staffing. In fairness, Deputy McGuinness put it well in the sense that this could be leveraged and that a Minister in the future could be happy with it. It is about the delivery of a system that works. Amendment No. 212 contains provisions for a complaints process. This is a protection for all, including those who work in the mental health sphere.”
“I want to speak to amendment No. 206. It is straightforward. We probably spent an awful lot of time the last day going over and back. There is probably an element, at times, when dealing with the reality out there, that sometimes what is lacking is a code of practice. It would ensure communication. It is an absolute necessity to make sure that this is happening within the service. It makes absolute sense with regard to capacity assessments and care plans. It is important that we have straightforward guidelines and communications and that everyone is on song in order that we can provide best practice regarding treatment for those who have particular challenges and particular issues within the mental health field. I refer to amendment No. 211. We all know the logic, and we have seen it once again, regarding best practice.”
“I accept that this is an unintended consequence. I have issues with what has happened around the tenant in situ scheme, but I ask the Minister to address this matter as soon as possible.”
“John of God organisation contacted me regarding the fact it was in discussions with the two local authorities in Meath and Louth about the purchase of a number of homes. I have spoken to the Minister about this previously. I got a reply to a parliamentary question which said that CAS funding was open. However, the issue is that CAS funding is now part of the same social housing acquisition fund as the tenant in situ scheme and all the rest. County councils are telling St. John of God that they do not have enough money. This previously was not part of that allocation so it has created a huge issue. We are talking about a number of people with disabilities. We all want to see decongregated settings and we do not want to go back to what we had previously. However, there are a number of properties that cannot be bought at this point.”
“It is a matter of ensuring that we have the funding, that we do not have obstacles in the way and that we get very serious. That is going to mean serious investment and the delivery of social and affordable rental and affordable purchase homes, which is what we really need to see. I want to use this opportunity to deal with the issue of disability housing. Unfortunately, housing adaptation grants have come to a crux in Louth County Council, which is in need of further money. This is impacting people's ability to live in their own homes, and it needs to be dealt with. I have raised the issue of the capital assistance scheme for disability housing a number of times in recent days. The St.”
“We know the gamut of issues that exist in the planning process in the context of builders who cannot access finance and who are constantly impacted by all the red tape that we are very good at producing. We have all seen the problems when trying to deal with the local authorities. The local authority in my constituency was building a particular project and had to deal with two elements of the Department. The project was tendered but it took so long to get agreement between the two arms of Government that the tender ran out. When it was okayed, the local authority went back to ask if the developer would follow through, but he said “No”, so the tender process started again. Luckily, we are now further on, but these are the things that are constantly happening.”
“That does not look like it is going to be improved in any way, shape or form. Homelessness numbers are through the roof, and they will continue going through one roof after another. These are the targets the Government seems to have no difficulty surpassing. It just gets worse and worse. That is the problem. We are doing what we are doing not on the basis of protecting renters. I agree with many that there are plenty of issues regarding landlords and tenants, who have not been protected over many years. However, this is about investment funds having the ear of the Government. It is incredibly saddening that we are not talking about anything that will rapidly increase supply. I agree that we need to deal with the issues of planning, Uisce Éireann and our lack of infrastructure.”
“We saw the rent pressure zones as limited and imperfect, but the idea was that it was better to have some element of defence rather than none whatsoever. We have seen that they are incapable of holding back the tide of rent increases. While we might not oppose this legislation, we are utterly opposed to what is being proposed by the Government. We have all spoken about the issues in the House. The issue is that rents are through the roof and are constantly going up. The only thing that we see in regard to what is being proposed by the Government is that rents will increase again. House prices have been astronomical. People who previously could have afforded a house based on what would previously have been considered very good jobs cannot afford one at this point.”
“The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation has also spoken about the fact it wants new builds rather than buying previously owned properties unless it relates to something specific to vacant or derelict houses. There is a huge issue in regard to disability housing. I do not expect an answer today but it needs to be looked at.”
“I have been contacted by Saint John of God Community Services regarding its approved housing body. It states that it has been privately renting a house in Meath since 2022. Four residents lived in the house, supported by staff. The owner of the property is selling the house and the Saint John of God Housing Association was in the process of purchasing the house and intended to use CAS funding to do so. This would give permanent tenure to the four residents. However, due to changes, it cannot use CAS funding. There are another two houses in the Louth County Council area where the same has happened. What has happened is that CAS funding is now within the social housing acquisition fund for county councils and they say they have insufficient money.”
“Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss how we can reduce mortgage interest to be in line with EU average rates. Deputy Conor D McGuinness - To discuss departmental funding for fisheries ports and harbours in County Waterford. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the closure of the tenant in situ scheme in Cork city. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss school secretary and caretaker pension entitlements. The matters raised by Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan, Barry Ward, Paul Nicholas Gogarty, Jen Cummins, Malcolm Byrne have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty - To discuss concerns regarding the suitability of the Citywest Hotel complex reported to be being purchased by the Government. Deputy Mattie McGrath - To discuss funding for the Cluain training and enterprise centre in Clonmel, County Tipperary. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss safeguarding procedures of the Football Association of Ireland to ensure player safety. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss changes to the CAS and CALF schemes and how this impacts on disability housing provision. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the need to improve consumer protections of home buyers arising from a case in County Meath. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss a change to the enrolment criteria for specific speech and language disorder special classes.”
“Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the need top roll out Jigsaw in more locations in County Clare. Deputy David Cullinane - To discuss the funding requirements of community specialist neuro-rehabilitation services in the south-east. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss the need to expand services for people with disabilities in Lusk. Deputy John Brady - To discuss the future of 106 social homes in Blessington, County Wicklow. Deputy Aidan Farrelly - To discuss the provision of safer school routes and road safety arrangements on the regional roads network in north Kildare. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss the need to increase the number of training places for students who wish to study dentistry.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the ongoing closure of Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Galway. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the planned extension of Coláiste Bhríde secondary school, Carnew, County Wicklow. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss staff recruitment and retention at community training centres. Deputy Claire Kerrane - To discuss the Government response to recent wildfires in Gortaganny, County Roscommon. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the EU response to sustained attacks by the Hungarian Government on LBTQ+ citizens. Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss use of Louth County Hospital as a surgical hub for the north-east.”
“John of God and its approved housing body, which was previously able to purchase houses under the capital assistance scheme. Will the Minister of State bring it up with the Minister? I have already mentioned it myself. It was a means of getting disability housing that seems not to be in play at the moment. There seems to be an issue with the Department of public expenditure.”
“Many of us have met the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, as the Minister of State has. When its representatives met me, it was with a constituent who I had met many times previously about the fact there has not been any community neuro-rehabilitation team in what we term the north east. We have not had it in CHO 8 and in what will be the regional health authority of Dublin north-east. We need to make sure we put this in. It is an absolute necessity. At the moment, people are ending up in accident and emergency departments. They are going in to get imperfect services and so forth. On the timeline for delivery, it needs to happen as soon as possible. I want to put something on the record. It was brought to my attention that there seems to be an issue for the likes of St.”
“We want to be able to support the person with a disability, but we also need to make sure that we have a system that is fit for purpose and that we engage with all necessary stakeholders, particularly when we are talking about families who provide huge support, alongside those who work within the services as well. We do not need what we intend to be a solution to become a problem.”
“It is a huge issue for families who want to plan for their child with a disability. As we know, many of them are dealing with children who have huge challenges. I agree with the Deputy that we have all dealt with issues where it relates to the bureaucracy. There is an issue in ensuring that assessments are made within a decent time. We know that a number of people, agencies and whoever else have had issues where cases have had to be resolved by court, and we are talking about a log-jammed court system. What is being doing with regard to reviewing this process to streamline it and make it work for everybody?”
“Recruitment and workforce planning are absolutely necessary. We all know the plan needs to be about delivering therapies to those who require them. There are still issues regarding schools and others where, no matter what answer I get from the Government benches, parents are still being told they require an assessment of need. What is the plan in relation to the assessment of need? I get where the general plan is but can I have a timeline for when the Minister of State believes all these positions will be filled? I fear that pay and numbers might have contributed to the suppressed positions. Does she believe that if all these positions were filled, and I accept she may be looking at changes to assessments and therapies, the service could then be provided to the children and families who are being failed now?”
“There are 414.5 whole-time equivalents. I thank the Minister of State. As she said, while this is a welcome increase a huge number of posts still need to be filled. I fear we are still talking about another four or five years, based on that growth, to deal with the number of unfilled positions. I have asked this before but does the Minister of State believe that if we fill all these positions, given how long that will take, we will have a fit for purpose service? There are issues in the delivery of the assessment of need. While I have no issue with having conversations with stakeholders, particularly SLTs, OTs and whoever else about the best way to deliver both assessments and therapies, I am very afraid of a move that is just about changing the law so the Government is not in breach of the law on assessments of need.”
“Will the Minister of State provide an update on the current unfilled positions within CDNTs across the State and outline the plans to deliver on assessments and therapies for children with autism? We are all shocked with the assessment of need situation. Some 15,000 children at this point are being failed when it comes to the delivery of those assessments. Basically, the Government is in breach of the law. This figure could rise to 25,000. I will repeat what Cara and Mark Darmody said. Not only are they utterly dissatisfied with these figures, but they also do not believe the Government has explored the capacity in the private sector in this regard.”
“It has a number of houses and is in discussions with Louth and Meath county councils. There are rentals at the moment for at least eight residents or so and it looks like the kibosh has been put on that. There seems to be an issue with the Department of public expenditure. I realise I am off topic with this, but this is my first opportunity to raise it and it might be the only one I have to deliver the message. I ask the Minister if this issue can be looked at. St. John of God has also told me that there is an issue with the capital advance leasing facility, CALF. It looks as though disability housing is being cut off. I brought it up with the Minister for housing privately, but it needs to be addressed.”
“Is it the person who has to pay the LPT or will it be that we have reduced services? However, even if a local authority such as mine were to go for that 25%, no one in this room could think that would deal with all the issues that exist, such as housing maintenance, road upkeep, issues that impact on communities such as dumping, estate management or any of the other pieces the local authority is at least somewhat responsible for. We need to get real about how we deliver local authority funding and services. In the 20 seconds I have left, I will point out - I hope the Minister will address it - that there seems to be a particular issue. St. John of God has its own approved housing body and is able to deliver disability housing using the capital assistance scheme.”
“I might do something similar to the Deputy by raising a particular road, that being, the N53, which connects Dundalk with the N2 at Castleblayney. An upgrade is to happen and we await tendering and TII funding for that. It is for the stretch from Hackballscross to Rassan. There is a particular issue at the turn-off on the N53 for Crossmaglen. In recent weeks, there have been a number of smashes. A local pointed out to me that none of the smashes involved trucks, given their height. There seems to be a crest on the road that affects vision at a particular point. We cannot rule out that speed always creates a scenario, but there are certain issues that need to be addressed. The ability to increase the LPT by 25% has some element of blackmail. It determines who will be screwed over.”