Séamus McGrath
Cork South-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I thank the Taoiseach for the update about the Cork city futures group. As he mentioned, transport is a key theme within that reference. As the Taoiseach probably knows, I have been calling for a strategic integrated transportation office to be established in Cork.”
“To do that, we need local decision-making in a powerful transportation office established in Cork which can engage with the relevant stakeholders at a local level. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, seems positive about this idea. I ask the Taoiseach to try to support it. I am sure he would, given that it is Cork.”
“Budget preparations will be intensifying over the summer period. With that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to raise the issue of stamp duty and first-time buyers. As the Taoiseach knows, first-time buyers have to pay 1% in stamp duty when they are purchasing a new or second-hand home.”
“When I raised this matter as a Topical Issue just over six months ago in December 2025, the reply at the time was very much focused on the fact that there was an issue with the site. I reiterate that there is absolutely no issue with the site.”
“I do not want to be disingenuous, and I hope work is progressing on the tender process, but the reply seems to be the exact same, which is very frustrating. To reiterate, the project is vital for these two school communities. The conditions they operate in at present are not acceptable. It has been promised for many years.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue debate. I want to raise the matter of the proposed amalgamation of two schools in the lower harbour area of Cork. These are Ringaskiddy national school and Shanbally National School.”
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“Luke's Home can be secured. This organisation celebrated 150 years in existence in 2022. It provides critical services in Cork. I want to support it in every way I can.”
“These staff are getting the run around on this issue. I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet them recently to discuss the issue. I obviously undertook to raise the matter with the Minister. I tabled this question to the Minister for public expenditure because it is ultimately a matter for that Department, given that the WRC agreement came under it. The Minister of State will agree in respect of the staff of St. Luke's Home in Cork, who provide a critical service and are extremely dedicated and committed to their work, that it is only fair that they would benefit from the WRC agreement as it relates to pay increases. I ask the Minister of State to take up the matter with the relevant Departments to try to resolve the issue and bring those staff members under the WRC agreement as quickly as possible so the continuity of St.”
“Clause 4.1 states: In recognising that some of the organisations in scope of this present agreement also receive additional public funding by way of other grant arrangements, organisations should use this agreement as a framework to obtain equivalent increases in funding from the relevant Departments and/or statutory agencies as appropriate. It is understood that, save in exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, the required funding will be made available upon application by the organisation. In the case of St. Luke's Home in Cork, that has not happened. It is funded by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, and the HSE. I think it is because of the complicated structure that it has not been brought under the WRC agreement. The NTPF states it is a matter for the HSE. The HSE states it is a matter for the NTPF.”
“The board of directors has described it as an existential crisis. The home is potentially going to lose staff. The Minister of State will agree it is deeply unfair and inequitable for those staff members when they see colleagues in other organisations who have benefited from pay agreements when they have not. I welcome the opportunity to raise this Topical Issue. I say to the Minister of State that we can try to resolve the issue. I imagine it will be resolved at some point but it needs to be resolved as urgently as possible. I will refer to a clause in the agreement that should cater for organisations such as this. I will read it, if I may.”
“Luke's Home in my area of Mahon, Cork. There are other such organisations, including Cobh Community Hospital and Valentia hospital in Kerry, which Deputy Cahill has also been raising. St. Luke's Home is a voluntary not-for-profit organisation providing essential care to residents in Cork. It provides long-term care with a palliative approach and specialises in dementia. It has over 128 beds. It also provides short-term respite care and day services, as well as other services. It is a critical organisation and, as the Minister of State will appreciate, it has a waiting list because of the great service it provides. Unfortunately, its more than 200 staff members have not benefited from the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, agreements in respect of pay and conditions. That is a significant issue for the home.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this matter. I raise an issue in respect of certain organisations across the country and particularly their staff and workers, who have not benefited from the pay agreements of recent years. They are former section 39 organisations. I acknowledge that many of the section 39 organisations have benefited but there is a cohort out there which, because of a complicated and complex funding model, have not been brought in under the pay agreements. The Minister of State will agree it is deeply unfair on the staff of those organisations that they have not benefited from the well-deserved pay increases that were awarded in 2023 and 2025. A number of organisations, perhaps fewer than ten, have still not been brought in under the pay agreement. I want to talk in particular about St.”
“It is important we also progress that. There is significant underutilisation of property within our urban areas. There are second, third and fourth floors that are not occupied, which is something we have to address. We have to bring forward sensible measures to ensure they are occupied as soon as possible. Reference was made earlier to delays with appeals and planning appeals. I met with An Coimisiún Pleanála recently and it has made significant strides in addressing the delays. That has to be acknowledged where good work is taking place. It is now meeting all its large-scale residential developments within the specified timeframe at 100% compliance. That is very important and has to be acknowledged. The coimisiún is working through a backlog quickly and progress is being made.”
“This is necessary as too much time is taken up at local authority and planner levels dealing with issues that do not necessarily need to be taking up their time. Small extensions, small developments and small issues in planning would be covered by an exemption. One of the big-ticket items is the modular structure in the back garden. That is a critical issue and something that needs to be brought forward. Nobody is saying this will be a long-term home for somebody but it can provide essential accommodation in many cases. It is something that will alleviate some of the intense pressure out there in respect of people trying to seek accommodation, be that rented or otherwise. That is critically important. The Minister listened to me earlier at the housing committee meeting commenting on over-the-shop or over-the-office accommodation.”
“I know there are other provisions within the Planning and Development Act to address this issue by tightening criteria and so on but it is still a live and real issue. I listened to LDA officials at a meeting of the housing committee recently. We all know a particular scheme in Dundrum has been under judicial review for a considerable period. It is ludicrous in a housing crisis as acute as we have that the delays with that legal challenge are allowed to continue but that is the way it is. What the Minister has brought forward here within the scope of this provision is very welcome but as I said, the issue of JRs is unfinished business in terms of what is needed to ultimately address it. The Minister is doing a body of work on planning exemptions, which I very much welcome.”
“The developers have to seek an extension within six months and commencement has to also take place within 18 months of this provision coming into law. That is very welcome. Equally, it is long overdue that time be allowed facilitated for planning permission subject to judicial review. The time that has been lost in the courts and JRs would be given back to planning permission. This should have happened long before now and again, I welcome the Minister bringing this forward. However, despite giving the time back on a planning permission, a JR will still lead to a delay. A judicial review by its very nature will delay a development. What is before us here today is welcome but the core issue of JRs delaying developments unnecessarily remains.”
“I thank the Minister for being present for the debate and I welcome the opportunity to speak on this provision. Picking up on the Minister of State, Deputy Healy Rae, I also welcome these proposals. They are very sensible. Keeping planning permission alive is a practical and simple measure but an essential one and I commend the Minister on bringing it forward. It is estimated in Dublin alone, there is planning permission for up to 15,000 units with less than two years left in their lifetime so it makes eminent sense to extend the lifetime of those permissions to give them a fighting chance of commencing and undertaking development. They will not all start construction but hopefully the majority will. By extending them, it gives them a fighting chance. This is not a free-for-all. They have to be permissions with less than two years left.”
“I ask that they be as strong as possible in their voice of support for a proper settlement and bring about what is needed to stop the carnage we are seeing day in, day out and the unfortunate massacre of men, women and children on a daily basis. It is simply not good enough in the world we are living in today. Surely working together collectively we can end this as soon as possible.”
“From some of the correspondence I have received, one would think we were at the other end. We are not. The Palestinian authorities have praised us. Israel and its associates have been highly critical of Ireland in terms of the position we have taken on these issues. It is about staying the course in terms of our position in Europe, doing everything we possibly can to bring about a long lasting settlement and working the diplomatic and international channels. I again repeat that Ireland has a strong position and a lot of authority in respect of a peace process and trying to bring about an ultimate solution. I urge our political leaders, despite everything I have said, to be as strong as they possibly can when they meet their European colleagues and counterparts at various meetings and engagements and interactions across Europe and beyond.”
“Ireland has provided over €88 million in support to the people of Palestine since January 2023, which is a significant sum of money for a small nation such as ours. More than €75 million has been provided since October 2023. Ireland has provided €20 million in core support to UNRWA this year alone, which brings our support to €58 million since 2023. In May 2024, Ireland recognised the State of Palestine, along with Spain, in the European Union, which was a very brave decision for us to take. We have been strong in our support of the South African case in the International Court of Justice. In 2024, we facilitated the evacuation of up to 36 children from Gaza for treatment and care. All of these measures are very important. The Palestinian authorities praised Ireland for the position we are taking.”
“Staying in the European Union and being a strong voice is a choice because there are voices and views on Europe that are very different from ours. Other countries take a different position and have a different stance. That is why we as a country need to be strong and stay within the European Union so that our voice is heard. Becoming an outlier and being outside the tent as a small country on the periphery of Europe will not contribute anything to a solution. We can take a stand and make ourselves feel better about what we have done on various issues, but if we want to make a meaningful difference, something we have done in Europe, we have to remain within the European family and try to make progress in that way and through that forum. Ireland, as a whole, has been very strong in our position on the Middle East.”
“I fully understand that as a TD. The vast majority come from a good place and are heartfelt and genuine. People, like ourselves, are horrified by what they are seeing day in, day out. They are reaching out to their public representatives, which is what people do in a democracy. We all fully accept and understand that. Like others, I have received emails from people who ask how we can let this happen. I ask myself how we can stop this. That is a question that we, as public representative, need to ask ourselves. Ireland has a choice to make. Do we remain a strong voice in the large powerful block that is the European Union and try to bring about progress in that forum or do we stand apart, become an outlier, be more extreme in our views and lose the powerful voice we have within the European Union?”
“The problems in the Middle East, in particular Gaza and the West Bank, are decades old and there are deep rooted and very entrenched views, but we have to find a solution. Ireland can speak loudly on that issue because we had our own issues on this island. Thankfully, we managed to navigate our way through a peace process which has endured and lasted. In that sense, it gives us a sense of authority to speak on this issue. As a country, we propose a two-state solution, which is the only way forward as far as I am concerned. As I said, we have an authority to speak on that. It is only through discussion and agreement that we will find an ultimate solution. There has been criticism of Ireland's position to the effect that we are not strong enough. A previous speaker mentioned the scores of emails that we are receiving from constituents.”
“I thank the Minister for being here to facilitate the debate on the Middle East. All of us in the House can agree on how horrified we are by what we are seeing on our televisions day in, day out in terms of the atrocities that are taking place in the Middle East. The massacre of human life is absolutely atrocious. A number of years ago we would not have expected to witness this in the year 2025. We had hoped the world had matured to a point whereby this type of hard military action would not be taking place. Obviously, the only way forward is discussion, negotiation and reaching a ceasefire to allow room and scope for a proper discussion and a long-term settlement to be put in place. I by no means underestimate the task involved.”
“I raise again the issue of school secretaries and caretakers. As the Minister knows, they have made a request for full public sector recognition and status. The Minister will agree school secretaries and caretakers play an integral role in the life of the school community and when many of us politicians visit these schools we always recognise secretaries and caretakers and the role they play along with teachers, SNAs, school management and so on. They deserve full status in terms of public service recognition, terms and conditions, pension entitlements, set pay scales and so on. This is a critical issue. It is about recognising the invaluable work they do in schools. I ask the Minister to please take this message back. The Government needs to address this issue and deal with it once and for all.”
“While we are in a climate of reducing interest rates, we need to reduce the differential between Irish mortgage interest rates and EU mortgage interest rates. This is something in which the Government has a role to play indirectly in terms of highlighting the issues and reminding the banks of their responsibilities to Irish citizens to ensure they give the best possible value for money and that we are more in line with EU averages.”
“This is approximately 0.4 percentage points of a difference per month, and on a mortgage of €300,000 represents a difference of more than €100 per month in repayments. It is a significant difference for mortgage holders across this country. Why are we outliers in Europe in relation to our mortgage interest rates? Despite the fact we have reduced the difference and the disparity, we need to continue this pressure. I accept the Minister does not have a direct role in this; of course I do. As we know, however, mortgage interest rates have been debated over and over again in this House and across this Parliament over many years. This pressure has been applied and has made a difference. I want to raise this matter now and it is timely to do so.”
“I thank the Minister of State. His reply very much focused on the climate of reducing interest rates we are now in. As I said in my initial remarks, this is very welcome and exactly why it is important to raise this point now. The Minister of State referred to the ECB reducing interest rates on eight occasions since last summer, and again this is all very welcome. The ECB covers the entire EU, though, so this begs the question as to why Ireland is still higher on average than the rest of the EU in terms of interest rates. As I said, we are the fifth highest, albeit with progress having been made. The Minister of State repeated the figures I gave in relation to the April figures. For new entrants into the mortgage market for new mortgages, 3.72% is our average, whereas the EU average is 3.34%.”
“As I said, the banks are now in a very healthy position and back in a very profitable position. As we know, there is talk of executive salaries increasing significantly. While that type of narrative is out there, it is critically important that the end customer sees the best value for money possible in relation to banks. Of course, the mortgage payment is the most essential part of that for most customers across this country. I ask the Minister of State to please keep the focus on this issue. I look forward to his reply.”
“However, we are still below the EU average. Our interest rates are the fifth highest in Europe. Some countries in the EU are paying less than 2% on average in their mortgage interest rates, which is a significant difference. There have been new entrants into the market in Ireland, and that is very welcome. Hopefully that has contributed to the downward pressure on interest rates. It is a critically important area. I want to ensure that the Government continues to pressure. That is the reason I am raising this as a Topical Issue. While progress has been made, it would be very easy for us to take the foot off the pedal on this issue, but that is not what we should do. While there is momentum on this issue and progress is going in the right direction, we must continue to ensure that we move to be more in line with EU averages.”
“However, we have to continue to shine a light on this to ensure that mortgage rates continue to fall. As we know, mortgage repayments represent a very sizable part of household expenditure on a monthly basis - the basket of expenditure. It represents a very high proportion of that. Of course, we have seen recently that Ireland is a very expensive country in general compared with other EU member states. We are the second most expensive country in the EU, and that is a significant issue. Regarding interest rates, it will alleviate the pressure on many households if we as a Government can continue to put pressure on to ensure that mortgage interest rates continue to fall. Figures in April show that the average mortgage interest rate in this country was 3.7%. That has probably fallen since April, and that is very welcome.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this question. It is critically important that we continue the downward pressure on interest rates in Ireland. I acknowledge significant progress has been made in recent times in reducing mortgage interest rates across this country and bringing them somewhat more in line with EU averages but, unfortunately, we are still above EU averages. As the Minister of State knows, we are now at a time when the banks are very profitable. The State has divested its interests in AIB recently and, of course, in Bank of Ireland previously. It is critically important that the focus does not slip in respect of mortgage interest rates. This topic has been raised many times over the years in this Parliament. It has been highlighted repeatedly. Progress has been made, and I acknowledge that.”
“I stress that, in my opinion, this is a minority across the country. At the same time, it should not be happening in any nursing home. I have seen commentary regarding the need for the Government to step up resources in public and community nursing homes, and I fully support that. However, that is not the solution to this problem. There will always be private nursing homes. What we have to put in place is a good, robust regulatory system so all families across the country have confidence in the care that is provided for their senior family members. That is what is important. I hope that as a result of the good work that RTÉ did, this will be the ultimate outcome.”
“What we saw was very undignified and inhumane treatment of people in their most vulnerable state in their senior years, when they should have been receiving compassionate, caring and dignified care from those charged with the responsibility to provide care. HIQA has a lot of questions to answer in this regard. HIQA is an organisation with good resources and powers but, unfortunately, what we saw on RTÉ shows that the regulatory system is not working, or not to the extent that it should. Given the tactics that RTÉ used in exposing this, HIQA needs to look at those tactics in order to get under the bonnet of what is happening in our nursing homes so it can expose the true result of what is happening. It took RTÉ to do this. What it did was outstanding work and it really exposed what we saw in regard to these nursing homes.”
“I join with other Members in expressing my disgust and revulsion at what was exposed on “RTÉ Investigates”. When we see scenes like that on television, we think of our own relatives and friends who spend time in nursing homes. It makes every family wonder about the care they are receiving. Of course, it has to be said that what we saw results in a stain on all nursing homes across the country. However, as we know, the vast majority provide excellent care and the staff and management working in them do their level best to provide humane and compassionate care for their residents. Unfortunately, what we saw on our television screens did not live up to that in any shape or form.”
“I compliment the Minister on the work he has done in this respect. It is striking the right balance. It is not an easy task but he has struck the right chord.”
“At the housing committee yesterday it agreed to relax pre-legislative scrutiny. This is very important because it is about protecting renters in some parts of the country, whereby up to 17% of renters nationwide are not protected by the rent pressure zones. It is about bringing in this measure as a matter of urgency so that landlords do not increase rents prior to the bigger changes coming into place on 1 March. I very much welcome this and section 3 of the Bill provides for it. Section 4 of the Bill provides for the continuation of existing rent pressure zones until the end of February 2026 so the protections are in place for renters. This is an important measure. The Bill is very straightforward and it should be adopted as a matter of urgency. I hope we can conclude the business quite quickly.”
“Of course, this is what we should be doing and possibly even increasing it further. The reality is that there has to be private equity also. I sat at a meeting of the housing committee yesterday and listened to the Housing Agency outline clearly to us how private equity has fallen off in terms of investment in housing. This is a significant concern and it is something we have to address. The changes the Minister has brought forward on the rental market will help in this respect. This is only one of the levers, as has been outlined by other speakers. A series of measures has been proposed by the Minister in recent times, with more to come, which will help with housing supply and activating and stimulating growth. The Bill is short and it is very welcome. I appreciate the Opposition facilitating the Bill.”
“This is ultimately the solution to high rents and high house prices. We have to meet supply and demand. Unfortunately, we are long way off this at present despite the progress that has been made. Significant progress has been made in the housing area. If we go back five years we were developing 20,000 houses in this country. We are now developing more than 30,000. Ten years ago we were developing 12,000 houses. Significant progress is being made and this has to be acknowledged. If we were to listen to some in the Opposition we would think the Government is doing nothing about this. We are pumping almost €7 billion of public funds into housing, which puts us as the top or second country in Europe in terms of our spend on housing. This is the way it should be. We are in a housing emergency.”
“With regard to the overall changes proposed by the Minister recently, I compliment him on the balance he has struck. The Opposition will always try to pit landlords against tenants, and have the narrative around tenants versus landlords. We have to focus on both groups and that is the reality. This is about increasing housing supply and we have to deal with the needs of tenants and landlords. The Minister has struck this balance and counteracted the narrative as best he could. This is an extremely complex area. Reforming rental protections and aspects of the rental market is extremely complicated and complex. What has come forward has been very well thought through and very substantive. I compliment the Minister and his team on it. The overall changes proposed are about trying to activate supply and increase our housing output numbers.”
“Cork City Council will play a critical role in this as it moves forward and I hope we can get a clear, concrete indication today about the establishment of the task force, which is in the programme for Government.”
“I raise the Cork city task force. As we know, the programme for Government provides for the establishment of a task force for Cork city. Like all urban areas, Cork city needs renewed focus, funding, resources, collaboration between key stakeholders, and short-, medium- and long-term planning. I hope the task force will address issues around public realm, streetscape, urban design and investment in our urban design in Cork city. Safety on the streets of Cork city is a significant issue. This not only relates to Garda numbers, but also to how the city is designed and laid out. That is critical when it comes to safety issues, as are connectivity, transportation links to the city, vacancy, dereliction and so on. Can we get an update on the establishment of the Cork city task force? It is important.”
“I know he shares my concerns about this and we have both spoken to the Minister for justice about it but, unfortunately, the Garda Commissioner does not appear to be listening, so we have to do more to get a fair allocation.”
“I wish to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Cork city. I know it is a concern shared by the Taoiseach. There are 668 gardaí serving in Cork city. This is 9% down on the position three years ago. Despite the fact that many public representatives have raised the issue, including in the Dáil, the situation has got worse. After the recent attestation from Templemore, we received three gardaí. This follows on from an attestation in March when we also received three gardaí. On this occasion, Dublin received 70. Dublin's population is not 20 times that of Cork, so there is a disconnect there, a disproportionate allocation and an inequality in that. I ask the Taoiseach to take this matter up.”
“We currently need approximately 50,000 houses per year to meet the demand now, and that is not addressing the deficit and shortfall that have built up over years. To address that we need even more houses delivered. We are a long way off where we need to be, and we have to acknowledge that and treat it as such. We need to bring forward measures in an urgent and radical way to try to address the crisis we are in. That is the key message that has come across today. We need to be radical and treat this as an emergency, and we need to do all in our power to make things happen as soon as possible.”
“The reason they are not viable in many cases is because of land costs, servicing costs, lack of infrastructure and so on. We have to address those issues. I am hopeful the national planning framework will improve land availability, and that the national development plan review will increase investment in infrastructure, whether water infrastructure, wastewater, drinking water and energy. We cannot look at housing in isolation. Investment and capital expenditure in infrastructure such as water and energy are absolutely linked to housing and the housing crisis we are in. We have to look at that separately, but we also have to acknowledge the scale of the problem here. I have just come from the housing committee where we met the Housing Commission. The key point it made is acknowledgement of the scale of the problem.”
“As a country we are putting forward more than €6.8 billion per annum in trying to stimulate housing activity. That is a huge amount of money. Should we spend more? Can we spend more? I believe we should. We have to increase that because we are in an acute crisis whether or not you want to use the word "emergency". I would use the word "emergency". We are in a housing emergency, and we have to up that public expenditure. Allied to that we have to significantly increase private investment. I note the comments made earlier, but it is delusional if you do not accept that we have to increase private investment in housing. That has to happen. For that to happen, developments have to become viable. That is the key issue. Many developments are not viable, whether you are talking about apartment building or house building.”
“I thank the Minister for facilitating this debate. I do not want to focus on individual issues, initiatives and schemes. I will focus on the big picture in terms of the acute housing crisis we are in. To me the only solution is ramping up supply across all forms, whether new builds, reuse of existing buildings and better utilisation of existing buildings such as over office, over shop and so on. That will help deliver where we need to be in terms of social and affordable housing delivery, cost rental and private purchase, which is sometimes not mentioned when we discuss housing. We have to provide options for individuals and couples to purchase housing as well. In many areas they do not have new builds to purchase, which is a significant issue. Supply is the only solution when you look at the scale of the problem.”
“The additional staff are welcome and I hope we will move to a point whereby appeals are decided within a reasonable timeframe. The average of 20 weeks is too high. Unfortunately it is an average, which necessarily means some take much longer than this. This means people are waiting for long periods for a decision to be made. I welcome the reply. Changes are afoot, which is welcome but this is an issue that must be continually kept under review so we can reduce the appeal period so that people can get decisions within a reasonable and proportionate timeframe.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I welcome some of the reply regarding some of the improvements already in train. I very much welcome that the Minister, Deputy Calleary, has met the appeals team and additional staff are now being employed, bringing the total number of staff to 64. This is certainly welcome. With regard to the new appeals regulations, there are positive changes in terms of the applicant having a longer period to make an appeal, and that it could potentially be up to 180 days, at the discretion of the appeals officer. These are welcome changes but they do not necessarily set a specific timeline for decision on an appeal. I know the Minister of State said there are statutory timelines for various stages of the appeal but, ultimately, people want to hear the final decision on whether an appeal is successful.”
“I am aware there is recruitment of additional staff to try to address the issue. This is very welcome but there should be a strict timeline for dealing with appeals. I do not think it is acceptable that people have to wait so long for decisions to come through. Whether or not they are approved, ultimately people should be informed of the decision within a reasonable timeframe. I sincerely hope the Minister of State will take back to the Department the message that decisions should be made within a reasonable timeframe to reduce the stress, anxiety and frustration of many individuals and families. Many Members of the House have heard about this through their constituency clinics and constituency offices. I thank the Minister of State again for being here and I sincerely hope she can take this message back loud and clear.”
“They need this payment very badly and, in many cases, urgently. Unfortunately, as I have said, an appeal can take up to eight or nine months in some cases. This is totally unacceptable. I am sure the Minister of State will agree it is unacceptable. There is a double standard here because when an applicant gets a decision on the initial application, there is a very tight window to make an appeal. It is quite a strict deadline and there is very little wriggle room for the applicant to surpass it. Yet, once the appeal goes into the system there appears to be an open-ended period for the Department to make a decision on an appeal. This double standard needs to be corrected. There needs to be a strict timeline for appeals to be dealt with. I recognise the Minister, Deputy Calleary, has tried to improve the situation.”
“People are applying for this payment because they need it, but in many cases it is taking up to eight, nine or even ten months for decisions to be made on appeals for applications. As we know full well, domiciliary care allowance is a payment to families where there is a child under 16 years of age with a severe disability. It is not a means-tested payment, but rather a payment based on the disability of the child. Again, the appeals period can be very lengthy. Unfortunately, this places huge stress on families while waiting for an appeal a decision on an appeal to be made. Similarly, in many cases of applications for the domiciliary care allowance and the care allowance, people in a household reduce their working hours and may have to give up work entirely in order to stay at home to care for a loved one.”
“I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue. I refer to the long period people have to wait for a social welfare appeal to be decided. As the Minister of State knows, this places huge stress on individuals and families who are waiting for decisions to be made. Invalidity pensions, domiciliary care allowance and carer's allowance are some of the applications subject to very lengthy appeal periods, as I know from my constituency office. As the Minister of State knows, anybody who applies for an invalidity pension is doing so because they are not fit to work on health grounds over a long-term period. Therefore, they need a decision as quickly as possible on their eligibility for the invalidity pension.”
“We need to do what is required to bring about a change in the number of professionals working within the system. Obviously, we have to look at bringing back those who have left these shores to work abroad. We have to urgently bring them back to work within the system, provide the resources and provide the imagination and the changes that are required to bring them back. They can then get stuck in to what is required here in terms of getting through the backlog of assessments so that families can see some light at the end of the tunnel for this major problem.”
“For me, this is not necessarily a resource issue. Rather, it is a capacity issue. It is a challenge for the system to provide the assessments that are necessary but we need to do everything that is necessary to bring about the number of professionals we need to get through the assessments that are in the system. It is a catastrophic failure on the part of the HSE that it was not able to plan in a greater way for the workforce that is required to provide these assessments and services. That is undoubted. This should have been foreseen. There were plenty of flags along the way to show there would be a very high number of assessments. Of course, we hear that figure could grow by the end of the year but let us deal with the facts before us. We have 15,000 who are awaiting assessments and that figure itself is very sizeable.”