eolas Magazine issue 42 Nov 2020

Informing Ireland’s decision-makers...

Transforming the grid for future generations EirGrid’s Mark Foley CRU Chairperson Aoife MacEvilly on regulating for energy transformation

HSE CEO

Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly TD reflects on her role

Paul Reid talks health priorities in a pandemic

issue 42 Nov 20

Justice

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Housing

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Energy

€4.95

Digital Government 2020 Online Conference • Wednesday 9th December 2020

From March 2020, the way we live and work has been utterly changed, as has the role that technology now plays. All areas of our public services have been hugely impacted, particularly health, education and social welfare and digital inclusion has never been more important. As part of the national Covid-19 response, the move towards digital public services has been accelerated to ensure they can deliver for Ireland’s citizens. This online conference will feature a range of expert speakers who will talk about their digital transformation journey and look ahead to what’s next as we navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speakers include:

Key issues examined include:

Barry Lowry Government CIO Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Fran Thompson Chief Information Officer Health Service Executive

Dr Beatrice Heneghan Head of Information Systems and Innovation Mayo County Council

Eddie Copeland Director London Office of Technology and Innovation

Daragh O’Connor Principal Officer Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Maureen O’Rourke Head of Digital Transformation Programme, An Post

3

Accelerating the digitisation of public services;

3

Responding to the pandemic: Digital strategy for resilient organisations;

Kerrie Power CEO HEAnet

3

Creating a GovTech ecosystem for Ireland;

3

Citizen engagement – making government accessible;

3

Collaboration as part of the Covid-19 response;

3

Technology to transform the delivery of health services;

3

Better data for better services;

3

The Digital University: a new way of working;

3

Emerging technologies and IoT;

3

Embracing Robotics and AI in the public sector: Challenges and opportunities;

Colin Bray Chief Executive Ordnance Survey Ireland

3

Smarter government, driven by digital;

3

Digital inclusion: Technology to empower citizens;

3

Tackling the issue of cyber security;

3

Best practice case studies in digital delivery.

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Online www.eolasmagazine.ie

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Credit: Bernd Thaller

Contents

12

04

Matters arising

06

Issues 06 12 16 20

74 24

Round table discussion: Accelerating the digital transformation of public services Hosted by

33

Justice 34 42 46 54

24

106

Sponsored by

Profile: Justice Minister Helen McEntee TD Active justice legislation Major capital projects UCD’s Marie Keenan explores restorative justice and sexual crime

66

Round table discussion: Digital innovation in transport Hosted by

73

Housing 74 80 84 96

138 97

Minister Darragh O’Brien TD discusses priorities and ambitions Housing for all: Housing policy in Ireland Homelessness, Budget 2021 and Covid-19 Budget 2021 statistics

Energy 98 106 112 118

66

Budget 2021 analysis Cover story: EirGrid’s Mark Foley discusses transforming the grid Interview: HSE CEO Paul Reid The first 100 days of the tri-party government

Sponsored by

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan TD outlines government plans EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson discusses the role of member states John FitzGerald argues that ambition must be matched by action CRU Chair Aoife MacEvilly reflects on the regulator’s role

120 Europe 120 122

EU-UK trade negotiation update Augmenting ‘big tech’ regulation

124 People 124

From Kilkenny to Mexico City: Tim MacGabhann

128 Public affairs

54

140

128 132 136 138 140

Interview: Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly TD GAA Museum Director Niamh McCoy on commemoration Meet the media: Irish Examiner political correspondent Paul Hosford Political platform: Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan Back page: Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO Noeline Blackwell

®

Transport Ireland 2020

Transport post-2020: Resilient, Smart, Sustainable

Wednesday 18th November 2020 • Online Conference Transport Ireland®, now in its thirteenth year, has firmly established itself as the annual conference event for the transport sector in Ireland. The 2020 conference, delivered virtually, will bring together all the key players from across Ireland, north and south, to focus on the important issues facing transport policy-makers and senior managers in the sector. 2020 has seen massive changes and challenges. With a new Government in place, the way we work and the way we move around is also unrecognisable from earlier this year.

Speakers confirmed include:

Key issues to be examined:

Anne Graham

Rachel Cahill

Chief Executive

Head of Financial Management and

National Transport

Sustainable Mobility

Authority

Transport Infrastructure Ireland

•

Transport policies and priorities

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Supporting sustainable and resilient transport infrastructure and services

•

Covid-19 and the future of public

Jonathan Bray

Derval Cummins

Director, Urban

Director and European

Transport Group &

Advisory Leader, Transportation

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Investment in key infrastructure projects

Senior Visiting Fellow

AECOM

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Moving towards zero emissions mobility

transport: Restart and recovery

LSE Cities

systems •

Digitalising mobility

Pat Daly

Sture Portvik

Chief Executive

Electro Mobility Lead

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Case study: Electrifying mobility in Oslo

Limerick City and

City of Oslo

•

Sustainable transport for sustainable

County Council

cities

Jim Meade

Stephen Kent

Chief Executive

Chief Executive

Irish Rail

Bus Éireann

•

The impact of Covid-19 on the aviation sector

•

The hydrogen roadmap to zero emissions vehicles

In association with

To register...

Sponsored by

By telephone +353 (0)1 661 3755

Online www.eolasmagazine.ie/events

Media partner

Full programme available online

eolas Issue 42 Nov 2020

Editorial

Striking the balance…

Owen McQuade, Managing Editor owen.mcquade@eolasmagazine.ie

Amid the unfolding economic long-Covid, individualism has once

Ciarán Galway, Deputy Editor ciaran.galway@eolasmagazine.ie

again supplanted solidarity. A sense of the collective has all but evaporated, while the limitations of the ‘all in this together’ rhetoric and Seamus Heaney quotes have been brusquely exposed. A new dichotomy has emerged between businesses which can continue to operate and those which cannot; workforces which can work from home and those which cannot;

David Whelan david.whelan@eolasmagazine.ie Fiona McCarthy fiona.mccarthy@eolasmagazine.ie Odrán Waldron odran.waldron@eolasmagazine.ie

households which can now save and those which cannot.

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Many employment intensive private sector industries remain in

Sam Tobin sam.tobin@eolasmagazine.ie

hibernation, or rather in induced coma. In short, the pandemic will amplify inequities and injustices. Ironically, ‘key workers’ will be

Design

among those most disproportionately impacted. A new dichotomy calls for a new socio-economic paradigm.

Gareth Duffy, Head of Design gareth.duffy@eolasmagazine.ie

Vulnerable businesses and employees must not be cut adrift.

Paul Rooney paul.rooney@eolasmagazine.ie

Shunning fiscal frugality, the historic government spending outlined in Budget 2021 and financed by significant yet

Events

sustainable borrowing, will go some way in achieving this.

Lynda Millar lynda.millar@eolasmagazine.ie

Navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, amid the potential for a no deal Brexit and the pervasive climate emergency, demands

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determined and ambitious leadership. This is typified best,

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perhaps, by EirGrid’s resolute focus on the decarbonisation agenda while ensuring that the lights have quite literally been kept on. In our cover interview, Chief Executive Mark Foley illustrates the progress made on the TSO’s ambitious strategy to double the proportion of renewable energy within Ireland’s

Contact: Sharon Morrison Email: subscriptions@eolasmagazine.ie Online: www.eolasmagazine.ie eolas Magazine

electricity system by 2030.

bmf Business Services

Meanwhile, this issue of eolas is filled with pertinent analysis in

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both current and public affairs, alongside dedicated reports in justice, housing and energy. The ubiquitous nature of Budget 2021, the Programme for Government and the pandemic are examined throughout. Interviewees and contributors include HSE

Tel: 01 661 3755 Web: www.eolasmagazine.ie Twitter: @eolasmagazine

CEO Paul Reid, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien TD, CRU Chair Aoife MacEvilly and Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly TD, alongside others.

Ciarán Galway

www.eolasmagazine.ie

FSC® is an acronym for the Forest Stewardship Council®, which is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that was established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC® system provides an assurance that products such as wood and paper have been harvested in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The FSC’s Chain of Custody certification provides a way in which the material can be tracked from the certified initial source through the manufacturing process to the end user.

matters arising

HSE winter plan pledges over 570 new hospital beds million and the envisaged €400 million needed for the early months of 2021 contrast wildly with the pre-Covid HSE winter plan figures of €40 million. The plan predicts “the most challenging winter in living memory” for the health service, with a total of 4.76 million additional home support hours be provided by next April, at a cost of €138 million.

The plan also details an arrangement still being negotiated with private hospitals, under which the HSE would have access to their capacity in the event of a surge in Covid-19 cases and also have access to private hospital capacity to address the provision of ongoing care and elective care for public patients experiencing delays as a result of the growth in waiting lists. It is hoped that this will provide 10,000 outThe HSE’s winter plan, published in late September, pledges the provision of over 570 beds in hospitals across the State and the recruitment of 12,500 additional staff to alleviate the pressure on a health system so embattled under the Covid-19 pandemic.

€1.5 billion on personal protective equipment between this winter and the end of 2021. This breaks down to an additional €415 million needed for 2020 and €1.15 billion for 2021, although the HSE says that it hopes that prices will come down “as markets soften”.

patient appointments, 3,000 inpatient

The plan notes that the HSE will spend

The additional spending of over €200

three months of 2021.

procedures, 18,000 day-case procedures and 3,000 gastrointestinal scopes, along with planned additional bed capacity of 251 acute beds and 89 sub-acute beds in 2020 and an additional 232 acute beds in the first

Taoiseach unveils “shared island” vision Taoiseach Micheál Martin has outlined his vision for a “shared” island through a speech given at Dublin Castle and broadcast online. The Taoiseach spoke of his hope that the people of Ireland can “work together for a shared future without in anyway relinquishing our equally legitimate ambitions or beliefs”.

Martin pledged that a €500 million shared island fund would be spent on cross-border projects such as the A5 redevelopment, the Narrow Water Bridge, the Ulster Canal and crossborder greenways before the end of his government’s mandate in 2025. Martin also mentioned the possibility of crossborder high-speed rail links as an area of possible cooperation with the Stormont Executive. An all-Ireland

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scientific research hub with “enormous and exciting potential” in areas such as cyber, food security and advancing cancer treatments was also mooted.

The Government’s Shared Island Unit will be focused on dialogue, research and funding. Martin announced that a series of shared island dialogues, with the unit keen to hear from underrepresented groups such as women, young people and new communities. The Taoiseach added: “More broadly, we need to enhance connectivity on the island. Not only to support the further growth of the allisland economy but also to facilitate and expand our social, cultural, sporting, artistic and civic connections.”

matters arising

Mother and baby homes records sealed for 30 years Green Party, and two from the Regional Group of independents. All parties in opposition and all other independents voted against the passage of the Bill.

The Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters) Records Bill 2020 has passed through the Dáil and been signed into law by Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D Higgins, sealing the findings and archives of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission’s (MBHC)

five-year investigation for the next 30 years.

The controversial Bill passed through the Dáil by a slim margin, with 78 votes in the tá column and 67 in the níl column. The 78 votes passing the Bill all came through the government parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the

The passage of the Bill was widely opposed in the public sphere on the basis that it would delay the revelation of the truth of what occurred in the State’s mother and baby homes, where rampant and institutional abuse were found to have occurred. In a statement, the Justice for Magdalenes group and the Adoption Rights Alliance said that the Bill “means no-one will be able to access their personal records [or information] about their disappeared relatives or babies who are buried in unmarked graves”. In a statement days after the vote, the Government announced that the MBHC report would be published, that they will continue to abide by the relevant GDPR and data protection legislation in the area and that victims and survivors of the mother and baby homes will have access to their records.

State reaches pay deal with school secretaries and caretakers postponed and Fórsa says it expects implementation talks to be fully concluded by February.

The trade union Fórsa has said that it has reached an agreement with the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure to regularise the pay, conditions and pensions of the caretakers and secretaries of schools, which are currently funded by State grants. The agreement will regularise employment conditions for around 1,000 secretaries

and caretakers who had previously been on low pay, with little to no job security.

The agreement has also avoided scheduled strike action, with three days of striking planned across October and November and an indefinite strike if agreement had not been reached by then having been planned by the union.

These strikes have now been

The dispute concerns the two-tier pay system for school secretaries and caretakers, where those employed by Education and Training Boards have the status, terms and conditions of public servants, but those employed directly by boards of management in schools can earn as little as €12,500 per year, with no sick pay, holiday pay or increments. Many such secretaries and caretakers have reported having to sign onto benefit registers during school holiday periods. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar welcomed the news of the agreement, tweeting: “The school secretary is often the first person you meet when you enter a school and the caretaker often the last person to leave at night.

Schools can’t operate without them.

Really glad that agreement is now in sight to resolve this long-standing issue.”

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Budget 2021 Budget 2021 established a sense of cohesion between the government parties, as personified by the constructive working relationship between Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic and under the shadow of a no deal Brexit, the overarching challenge for government is to ensure the adequate protection of public health while promoting economic recovery.

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We now live in a time of profound uncertainty. In his Budget 2021 speech, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD identified the potential for a hard Brexit as the main challenge currently facing Ireland. Such a scenario is aggravated by the worst pandemic in a century. Budget 2021 is an attempt to balance these immediate threats with the Government’s key housing, health and climate action objectives.

Macroeconomic context

contain economic or fiscal forecasts for 2022 and beyond.

With strong economic and employment growth, the Irish economy was relatively buoyant prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which has resulted in severe economic changes. For instance, between Q4 2019 and in Q2 2020, GDP fell by 8 per cent. More dramatic though, in Q2 2020, the Covid-19-adjusted unemployment rate was 27 per cent.

The total budgetary package is approximately €17.75 billion, which equates to over €17 billion in expenditure and €270 million in taxation (approximately 1.5 per cent of the total package). It is the largest budget in the history of the State.

It is predicated on the dual assumption that there will be no EU-UK free trade agreement and that a widely available Covid-19 vaccine will not materialise in 2021. The level of economic activity experienced in 2019 is not expected to return until 2022 at earliest.

Underpinning Budget 2021, the Department of Finance economic forecast projects that GDP will fall by 2.4 per cent in 2020 before increasing by 1.4 per cent in 2021. The Department also estimates that the unemployment rate will be 10.7 per cent in 2021.

In presenting the Budget, ministers Donohoe and McGrath have exhibited a level of cohesion hitherto missing from the tri-party coalition government. In classic Keynesian fashion, the State is now borrowing and investing huge sums of money in the absence of large swathes of private sector economic activity.

The Government’s response has three distinct elements. The first is to rapidly build up healthcare capacity; the second is to protect household incomes; and the third is to support employment.

The volatility of external geo-political and public health headwinds means that it is difficult to predict tax revenue or to cost revenue and spending policies with accuracy. As such, Budget 2021 does not

“Today’s Budget is the largest in the history of the State. This is, without question, the appropriate response and the Government remains steadfast in its determination to provide as much

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economic certainty as possible to allow households and businesses to plan for the future,” the Finance Minister maintains.

Government spending Voted spending for 2020 is now in excess of €87 billion or €16.75 billion more than provided for in the Revised Estimates for the Public Services 2020. This is intended to support initiatives to ensure the delivery of key public services in the context of the pandemic.

Subject to Dáil approval, the Budget 2021 Expenditure Report outlines a €0.7 billion or 0.9 per cent increase on gross voted spending for 2021, up to €87.8 billion from €87.1 billion in 2020. Between 2020 and 2021, the difference in allocations is difficult to determine due to estimates which have not been brought before the Dáil, funding that remains unallocated by departments and Covid-19 or Brexit specific spending.

Through Budget 2021, the Government has prioritised spending in health, education, social protection and further and higher education. This is reflected in a €6.4 billion allocation across various departments, while €2.1 billion will be held in a Contingency Reserve.

Core expenditure Health is the single greatest priority for Budget 2021. The Budget seeks to address capacity issues within the health service with the allocation of over €22 billion. “In 2021, I am making available an unprecedented extra €4 billion for our health service. These resources will provide capacity for 100,000 tests a week, supply PPE where needed and continue into 2021 all of the necessary Covid-19 Action Plan measures which have been put in place since March,” Minister McGrath outlined.

In housing, current expenditure allocation will increase by 10.5 per cent. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be provided with a record €5.2 billion in 2021, an increase of €773 million on 2020.

The Finance Minister extended the Help to Buy scheme (at 10 per cent of the value of the property or €30,000) to the end of 2021. Likewise, the Stamp Duty Residential Development Refund Scheme

was extended to projects initiated before

Beyond these priorities and across the

31 December 2022 and the time between

rest of government, there is an average of

commencement and completion was also

4 per cent growth. Core capital investment

extended from two years to two-and-a-

will increase by €1.6 billion (19 per cent)

half years.

to €9.7 billion.

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Spending priorities Health

Education

For 2021, the health allocation is in excess of €22 billion, representing a €1.9 billion increase and a further €1.9 billion for Covid-19 expenditure specifically. Including a portion of the contingency reserve, there is a commitment of €4 billion to support the health service in addressing Covid-19, while augmenting capacity and resilience.

In 2021, the €1.9 billion increase will fund: • an increase of critical care beds to 321; • an increase of 1,146 critical care beds and 135 sub-acute beds; • an increase of 600 new rehabilitation beds; • an additional five million homecare hours; • implementation of the Public Only Consultant Contract; and • implementation of the national mental health strategy.

Over €8 billion of current expenditure and an additional €0.7 billion in capital funding will be allocated to education in 2021. In total, Budget 2021 will provide: • 268 additional teachers to meet demographic pressures; • 307 extra teachers to reduce the primary level staffing schedule to a ratio of 25:1; • 87 additional primary level teachers to mitigate for the risk of losing a teacher; • 145 extra special education teachers; • 258 additional special class and special school teachers; • 990 extra special needs assistants; and • 80 additional occupational, speech and language and behavioural therapists; and • 30 extra National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) staff.

Social protection

Housing

Department of Social Protection spending will increase by 3.5 per cent to an allocation totalling €25 billion in 2021, comprising almost €22 billion in core expenditure and over €3 billion of income and employment supports. Alongside this, an additional figure is being held in the Contingency Reserve.

This allocation reflects the July Stimulus in relation to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and a projected unemployment rate of 10.7 per cent in 2021.

Current expenditure in the housing group will total €2.4 billion in 2021, with a 10.5 per cent increase in core current expenditure.

This will include: • €558 million to support 67,000 HAP tenancies; • €130 million to support 18,000 RAS tenancies; and • €250 million to support 21 SHCEP tenancies.

A total capital allocation of €2.8 billion is aimed at increasing social housing stock (including new build, acquisition and leased units) by 12,750 units.

Further and Higher Education Close to €3.3 billion will be allocated to the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, including a capital allocation of €0.3 billion. This will deliver: • 10,000 SOLAS and Skillnet Ireland upskilling and reskilling opportunities; • the completion of courses for 19,000 learners provided for in the July Stimulus; • the final payment to employers for 6,000 apprentices through the July Stimulus; • 5,000 addition higher education places; • 1,500 places to meet the demand for Springboard courses; • An increase in the SUSI grant for postgraduate study; and • 200 additional places in the 1916 Bursary Fund.

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Budget 2021: Key figures €17.8 billion total budgetary package €10.1 billion capital expenditure allocation €8.5 billion Covid-19 supports €2.1 billion Covid Contingency Reserve €3.4 billion Recovery Fund €1.8 billion increase in health group spend €231 million net revenue loss as a result of tax changes In total, gross core expenditure will increase by 7.7 per cent to €75.8 billion, comprising €66 billion gross voted current expenditure and €9.7 billion in gross voted capital expenditure. Along with Covid-19 expenditure (including the Contingency Reserve), additional Brexit expenditure and the initial €50 million Shared Island Fund, total gross voted expenditure for 2021 is €84.4 billion.

Including the €3.4 billion Recovery Fund, this is €87.8 billion.

The Recovery Fund will be used to support businesses and workers given the economic headwinds posed by Covid-19 and Brexit. According to the Expenditure Report, “this fund will be used to support our economy over the coming year and will be allocated to specific revenue or expenditure measures that can be most effective at that particular time”. Simultaneously, departmental estimates include around €350 million for Brexit preparations.

Delivering his financial statement, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath emphasises: “We are determined to deliver on Programme for Government commitments – implementing Sláintecare, building more houses, greening our economy, and supporting labour market activation and training. Delivering across all of these areas requires an unparalleled response from government. Therefore, I am committing to a budget in 2021 that will see public expenditure increase by €17.4 billion over and above the planned expenditure for 2020 pre-Covid.”

Roughly, the €17.4 billion expenditure allocations are apportioned as follows:

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€8.5 billion for public services to address Covid-19, including €6.4 billion allocated to departments and €2.1 billion contingency funding;

•

€3.8 billion to consolidate core current expenditure;

•

€3.4 billion to establish a Recovery Fund in response to Covid-19 and Brexit; and

•

€1.6 billion increase for core capital programmes.

At €10.1 billion, the Budget includes the largest ever allocation of Exchequer resources for capital projects. These include: •

the construction of major road projects such as the N56 in Donegal, the N4 in Sligo, the N5 in Mayo, and the N22 and Dunkettle Interchange in Cork;

•

the purchase of 41 additional InterCity Railcar carriages and signing of contracts for the largest ever fleet expansion with potential for up to 600 electric carriages as part of DART+;

•

up to 20 higher education building projects;

•

145 school building projects;

•

the National Broadband Plan; and

•

capital expenditure in Defence.

Simultaneously, the Covid-19 supports are intended to: •

ensure the health service can respond to Covid-19;

•

extend personal income and business supports;

•

keep schools open; and

•

maintain public transport services.

Government revenue Despite the pandemic, Exchequer receipts have exhibited extraordinary resilience in 2020. In fact, Ireland’s high concentration of foreign-owned multinational corporations has meant that corporation tax receipts have exceeded 2019 by €1.4 billion. Likewise, income tax has remained robust. Non-tax revenue, including a €1.5 billion transfer from the Rainy-day Fund and a €2 billion payment from NAMA have also boosted the Exchequer balance.

Overall, at €56.7 billion, tax revenue is projected to be 14.4 per cent higher in 2020 that originally anticipated in the Stability Programme Update (SPU) in April 2020. Indeed, a summer rebound in the economy has gone some way to improving the projections contained with the SPU, closing the deficit by €10 billion.

In total, by Budget day, corporation tax receipts generated almost €7.5 billion in 2020. “This reinforces the benefits to our wider economy of our long-standing commitment to a stable and transparent corporation tax regime, and I would like to this opportunity to again reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to the 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate,” Minister Donohoe said.

However, the continued overperformance of corporation tax receipts highlights a number of risks. Firstly, as acknowledged in the Budget 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, while Ireland’s foreign-owned export portfolio contributes domestically via the wage bill, it masks the challenge experienced by domestic economic activity. The increased income from strong export performance in 2020 mostly accrues to non-residents and so a relatively minor decrease is GDP is misleading. Secondly, the Exchequer’s reliance on corporation tax and the concentration of tax generally is “a key systemic risk to the public finances” according to the Parliamentary Budget Office. Thirdly, the unpredictability of corporation tax as a source of income means that its performance is not assured.

Nevertheless, as per the Programme for

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Government, Budget 2021 did not contain any major tax changes. “I am not making any broad changes to income tax credits or bands at this time. Our resources must be focused on saving jobs and on protecting our health,” the Finance Minister outlined.

However, there were some minor tax policy changes. These include: •

•

•

•

increasing the threshold of the second USC rate band from €20,484 to €20,687; increasing the weekly threshold for the high rate of employers’ PRSI from €394 to €398; equalising the Earned Income Credit with the PAYE credit by increasing it from €1,500 to €1,650; and increasing the Dependent Relative Tax Credit from €70 to €245.

In addition, through the July Stimulus, the Finance Minister announced a temporary reduction in VAT from 23 per cent to 21 per cent (from 1 September 2020 to 28 February 2021). Budget 2021 heralded the introduction of a reduced hospitality and tourism VAT rate from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent from 1 November 2020 until December 2021. The estimated cost of this measure between the dates is €401 million.

Revenue raising As per the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020, carbon tax will be increased by €7.50 from €26 to €33.50 per tonne of carbon dioxide. This revenue generating measure is expected to yield €108 million in 2021.

The other revenue raising feature of Budget 2021 was the increase to the tobacco products tax. The Minimum Excise Duty will increase by €0.50 per pack of 20 cigarettes alongside a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products. This is projected to yield an additional €57 million in 2021.

Overall, the net revenue loss as a result of the tax policy changes contained within Budget 2021 is projected to total around €231 million across the full year.

Budget 2021: Capital spending Defence Education Health Housing Justice Transport

€131 million €740 million €1 billion €2 billion €258 million €2.7 billion

Fiscal position and government debt At €204 billion (95 per cent of GNI) in 2019, Irish Government debt was already high. The General Government Balance Sheet for 2020 is projected to be €21.6 billion (6.2 per cent of GDP) and Budget 2021 forecasts a deficit for €20.5 billion (5.7 per cent of GDP). The 2020 deficit will increase national debt levels to around €219 billion (108 per cent of GNI). While the scale of the deficit remains uncertain, General Government Debt is expected to hit €239 billion (114.7 per cent of GNI or

66.6 per cent of GDP) by the end of 2021.

“This will require decisions in the future about how we reduce our deficit; about our levels of spending and taxation,” Minister Donohoe stated.

With potential for a prolonged economic downturn, high levels of public debt may constrain fiscal policy. To reduce the likelihood of fiscal crisis, fiscal policy will, in time, need to recalibrate, reducing the deficit to a sustainable level. In the meantime, it seems likely that large deficits will remain a feature of the budgetary landscape for some time.

Reaction Ibec CEO Danny McCoy welcomed Budget 2021’s capital expenditure commitments.

“Ibec has been calling for government to learn from the mistakes of the past and to not decrease our capital expenditure commitments. Today’s announcement of a planned increase in capital spending is a positive move given the scale of the deficit in both social and physical infrastructure. This investment will be central to our collective efforts in enabling the economy to resurge more competitively and sustainably,” he said.

Meanwhile, ICTU General Secretary Patricia King greeted the Budget, stating: “Budget 2021 should ensure that workers and their families’ incomes and wages are protected. The Government should move to reform social insurance and should move to transition the Employee Wage Subsidy Scheme into a permanently established short-term work scheme… Finally, the Government needs to commit to reintroducing the previous package of economic supports if the country has to go back into lockdown.”

In the Dáil, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty TD Finance Opposition Spokesperson asserted: “While no one could have predicted this pandemic, our public services were ill-equipped and under-resourced after decades of neglect under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. That neglect has left our hospitals, healthcare workers and patients vulnerable. This Government has failed to address that neglect and failed to step up to the challenge. It has failed to deliver on the ambition and new direction that is needed. It has fallen back on the tired, failed policies of the past. This is not the budget that Sinn Féin would have delivered.”

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Second Covid-19 lockdown takes hold With Ireland in the midst of a second Covid-19 lockdown, the health, economic and social effects of the country’s battle with the pandemic begin to take hold once again.

After weeks of public disagreement between NPHET and members of the Cabinet. The Government eventually accepted NPHET’s recommendation of a level five lockdown, effective from midnight 21 October 2020.

Measures introduced included the reintroduction of travel limits, with people asked to limit exercise or the permitted meetings with one other household outdoors to within five kilometres of their homes. Social or family gatherings in homes or gardens were banned but visits on compassionate grounds and for caring purposes were permitted to continue. Those living or parenting alone were permitted to form a “support bubble” with another household.

Non-essential retailers and hairdressers were ordered to close, while bars and food outlets were limited to takeaways.

Limits were placed on wedding and funeral attendees, while elite sport was

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permitted to continue, which included intercounty GAA games after the GAA itself decided to cancel the remainder of its club games owing to pandemic worries. Despite concerns around clusters in factories throughout the State, most manufacturing was permitted to remain open.

In his address to announce the measures, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that he was announcing what was probably “Europe’s strictest regime” after initial measures to halt the second wave had proved unsuccessful. “2020 has been a hard year and we are not through it yet; families, individuals and front-line families have sacrificed so much,” the Taoiseach said.

Martin said that schools would remain open because Ireland could “not allow our children and young people’s futures to be another victim of this disease”. He added that a successful lockdown would

allow the country to celebrate Christmas “in a meaningful way”.

By the time the restrictions were announced, Ireland’s single day new case rate had risen to a new peak of 1,284 on 18 October. The number of daily new cases had steadily risen from typically double, but sometimes single-digit figures in June and July, to hundreds per day in September and then the breaching of the thousand mark in October.

Between 10 October and 25 October, 10 days with over 1,000 new cases were recorded.

Despite this major uptick of new cases vastly outstripping numbers seen during the first Covid-19 wave, numbers of deaths have not yet been comparable in the second wave. While the collation of Covid-related death data can take more time than that of new cases and thus be more difficult to analyse in the immediate aftermath, as it stands the numbers of

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Irish Economic output, real annual growth 2019

2020

80.00%

60.00%

40.00%

20.00%

0.00% Consumer Expenditure -20.00%

Public Net Current Expenditure

Investments

Exports

Imports

GDP

GNP

-40.00% Source: ESRI Quarterly Economic Commentary autumn 2020

deaths in one day have only entered double digits once since May. This occurred on 20 October, the day after Martin’s address, when 13 deaths were recorded. Hospitalisations had been rising, although not to levels that had been seen during the first wave, and it is thought that the Government eventually acquiesced to the recommendation of NPHET in order to alleviate pressures that was sure to come on an already-under pressure health system unless drastic action was taken.

The Government is projecting somewhere in the region of 200,000 job losses as a result of the restrictions, but is placing its hopes on a successful lockdown and the reopening of the economy in time for Christmas for a swift recovery. The Taoiseach also announced that there would be advanced financial measures to support both businesses and individuals through the second lockdown, along with mental health support measures.

The most notable of these financial measures is the return of the pandemic unemployment payment to its top rate of €350 per week, with a sliding scale of payments depending on a person’s prepandemic income in operation.

Ministers had initially rejected the recommendation from NPHET that Ireland be placed under level five lockdown just a fortnight before Martin’s

announcement, with the original recommendation of four weeks having been lengthened to six weeks by the time level fives was introduced. The Government had published its five-level plan for “living with Covid-19” in September that ranged from relaxed measures in level one to the most severe measures in level five.

The majority of the State had been in level three when the measures were announced, with the exception of border counties Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan, who were placed in level four restrictions after the tightening of restrictions in the North by the Stormont Executive.

In terms of the economic impact of the pandemic, the Economic and Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) latest quarterly economic commentary has said that Ireland’s domestic economy has felt the “notable shock” of the pandemic to a worse extent than other European countries. The ESRI predicts that Irish GDP will fall by just 1.8 per cent this year, but predicts that consumer expenditure – which the ESRI argues is a better metric by which to gage national economic welfare – will fall by 9.2 per cent for the year, after it fell by over 20 per cent during the first lockdown period. Only the UK and Spain were found to have experienced worse declines according to the ESRI’s analysis.

The report noted that consumer spending had recovered and predicted a return to growth in Ireland by next year, although it must be remembered that this prediction was made before the spike in cases and the second lockdown, which will almost certainly mean such a prediction will have to be revisited. The ESRI says that such a strong shock was absorbed by the Irish economy due in part to the fact that Ireland “had one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in Europe”, which among other things meant that construction’s value added to the economy fell by 38 per cent in the first half of the year, the worst decline in Europe.

Value added by the arts and entertainment sector also fell by 70 per cent over the first six months of the year, again the largest decline in the EU. The report states that the lockdown “closed many public amenities, and restricted group entertainment activities” meaning the decline was “far greater than for any other country”.

As the economic fallout from the first lockdown begins to become more clear, with the ESRI reporting unemployment at 14.7 per cent in September, it now remains to be seen how badly the second lockdown will aggravate the wounds still open from March and April.

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Transforming the grid for future generations Just over a year from the launch of an ambitious strategy which sets out a vision to more than double the levels of renewable energy on the electricity system across Ireland to 70 per cent by 2030, EirGrid Group Chief Executive Mark Foley talks to Owen McQuade about the progress being made and the impact of Covid-19.

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At the heart of EirGrid’s five-year strategy to transform the Irish electricity system is a deep sense of obligation to lead the island’s wider decarbonisation agenda, explains Chief Executive Mark Foley.

Foley is well aware that others will be required to join EirGrid in driving Ireland towards the ultimate goal of net zero carbon by 2050 but highlights a recognition within the organisation of the critical role they have as a key enabler and facilitator.

“We’re at the epicentre of the decarbonisation agenda,” he states. “Our newly created purpose is to transform the power system for future generations.

That transformation is multi-faceted in nature and there is an enormously complex ecosystem that must move in tandem with us in order to make this happen.”

EirGrid develop and operate the national electricity grid, taking generated electricity and delivering it to the distribution network, which powers every home, business, school, hospital, factory and farm on the island of Ireland. Critical to EirGrid’s role is the understanding of the need to expand and upgrade the power system to handle increasing levels of renewable energy.

Importantly, explains Foley, EirGrid understand the necessary steps required for grid transformation. Elaborating on this message, he initially points to connection. “We’ve got to facilitate the connection of not just onshore wind, which we have done in a stellar way for the past 15-20 years, but also solar and crucially, offshore wind,” he states, outlining his belief that the 70 per cent target by 2030 will not be achievable without a large increase in offshore generation.

Next, Foley highlights the upgrade of the grid itself, adding: “We have to make the grid fit for purpose so that when we do connect those increased levels of renewable electricity, there is enough capacity on the wires. That capacity will not only manifest in hard infrastructure but also the deployment of technology on those wires in a way that maximises the capacity of what already exists.”

An increase in connection, coupled with an enhancement of capacity will require the development of complex and sophisticated engineering solutions,

“Market evolution is arguably just as important as engineering solutions because without both sides of the equation, working in harmony, we will fail on the grand ambition.” explains the Chief Executive, pointing to the need for the grid to ultimately be capable of operating at 100 per cent renewables. Those engineering solutions will be required around the “full universe of services” from batteries to other solutions, he says, highlighting that in order to achieve a 70 per cent target over the year to 2030, 100 per cent operation will be required when the wind is in favour.

Also crucial, will be the increase in interconnectivity between Ireland and the UK as well as mainland Europe.

Interconnectors linking Ireland’s electricity system with other countries play a key role in enhancing energy security, increasing competition and facilitating greater levels of renewables.

As Ireland’s electricity transmission system operator (TSO), EirGrid is statutorily obliged to explore and develop opportunities for further interconnection.

Currently, two interconnectors exist linking the island of Ireland and Britain.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU, as well as the recently completed transformation of the Single Electricity Market, formally coupling Ireland’s allisland electricity market with mainland Europe, has emphasised the imperative of greater interconnection.

EirGrid’s flagship project is the Celtic Interconnector, linking Ireland with France and this project will be the first direct connection between Ireland and continental Europe. Separately, the private sector project, namely the Greenlink Interconnector, will provide a new grid connection between the Great Island substation in County Wexford and National Grid’s Pembroke substation in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Both are vital to

Ireland’s decarbonisation ambition.

Outlining why increased interconnectivity is so important, Foley says that not only will security of supply be improved but it also offers a solution to any shortfall in demand. Describing the option to send surplus renewable electricity outside of Ireland as a “relief valve”, Foley stresses that Ireland could be some five to 10 years ahead of most of Europe in terms of renewable electricity generation and so there is great potential to export surplus power. Ireland as an exporter of energy is a natural and appropriate evolution of our energy economy as we seek to deploy the natural resource which traverses our island.

“You can only achieve the economics around 70 per cent renewable electricity on the grid, on average, if you’ve got somewhere for the energy to go all of the time and that capacity will be really vital for us. Equally, we’ll benefit from energy coming our way when such is required.”

Foley believes support in the form of a €530 million grant from the EU Commission last October for the Celtic Interconnector was an “extraordinary” vote of confidence for Ireland Inc at the time of deep Brexit uncertainty.

“That support is iconic in terms of the Brexit project and the EU was not found wanting in terms of supporting Ireland’s long-term connectivity back into Europe when the UK link is effectively severed,” he says.

Highlighting a further evolution which is absolutely required, Foley adds: “All of the engineering innovation is worthless if we don’t have a market that evolves to support the transformation. The market must evolve to both support investment

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better outcomes for all”. EirGrid are on the verge of launching a new programme focused on the notion of the just transition, with Foley describing its purpose as encouraging the people of Ireland, across the island, to buy into a vision for a decarbonised world for both business and society. “As part of that we recognise communities have to be beneficiaries of this transition,” he adds.

“Our new proposition, set to launch in November, speaks to better engagement, giving more back to communities, both in a tangible financial way and equally, in terms of a leaving a better biodiversity proposition after we have developed infrastructure in the locality.” in a range of renewable technologies but also support services and solutions which keep the grid stable.

the regulators need to be prepared to work with us to remunerate such solutions.”

“We must have a market that incentivises private investment, otherwise investment will not happen and targets will not be reached. Market evolution is arguably just as important as engineering solutions because without both sides of the equation, working in harmony, we will fail on the grand ambition.”

Foley stresses that the market appetite to invest in Ireland’s renewable transition exists, aided by the success of the previous 15 years in reaching 40 per cent electricity from renewables and also the vision of the Climate Action Plan, which he says highlights a world-leading government commitment that has inspired and enabled a unique common purpose across the whole energy system.

Addressing whether enough has been done on the ‘softer’ side of the transformation around those ancillary services, for example, to make the 70 per cent by 2030 target viable, Foley states that he has no doubts about EirGrid’s capacity to “define the scarcities” on the system and to come up with solutions which the market will find attractive to deliver.

“Currently, we are close to 40 per cent electricity from renewables sources on the all-island power system on the back of our engineered capacity to handle 65 per cent system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) on the system. We are deeply grateful to all those in the energy eco-system who have stepped up and delivered competitive solutions around ancillary services to help us achieve this goal.

“I’ve no doubt in our capabilities to define the next round of ancillary services to get us from 65/70 per cent SNSP to 95 per cent, but we need to work with regulators and the market to come up with the next generation of engineered solutions and

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Finally, Foley believes that EirGrid, as a leader in the transition, must continue to look internally at their own processes and ways of working. “As a company, we want to be an exemplar in the decarbonisation space and so one of our strategic objectives is to be amongst the top companies in the country in this regard. To do so, we are assessing and analysing every part of our working day from how we travel, how we use electricity, what we eat in the canteen, how we use natural resources and our whole sphere of interaction with carbon and looking at how we can drive carbon out of the daily work cycle.”

Community acceptance The EirGrid Group Chief Executive is well aware that crucial to the lofty ambitions to transform Ireland’s power system will be public understanding and acceptance, using the term “winning hearts and minds”. One of four major strategic goals in EirGrid’s strategy is to “engage for

Recently EirGrid have taken an unconventional step in the form of television and radio advertisements which are designed to stimulate the discussion amongst the public on the requirements for infrastructure and renewables generation if full decarbonisation is to be achieved.

Speaking on why the organisation felt the need to launch the campaign, Foley says: “Frankly, the biggest risk to this grid transformation programme is if the people of Ireland don’t come with us.

Equally, the biggest risk to the Climate Action Plan’s ambition is getting the people of Ireland understanding why we need to do this and why the solution being advanced by EirGrid and others is the right solution.”

The Chief Executive stresses the need for the debate to be proportionate.

Highlighting that the debate often centres on projects where there has been contention, he points to over 4,500MW of built onshore wind in Ireland, the majority of which has not been contentious and where communities have been recipients of significant investment as a result.

“It’s really important that the debate is proportionate and the same will apply as we look to build the next 10,000 plus MW,” he says.

Covid-19 Undoubtedly, like most organisations, Covid-19 has impacted on EirGrid.

However, as an organisation tasked with keeping the lights on, agility to maintain their services throughout the pandemic

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was essential. Foley credits his team’s handling of the crisis which meant no interruption of supply over the lockdown period, explaining that EirGrid got ahead of the curve by shutting down their offices earlier than most businesses and protecting the control room.

However, he recognises that the slowdown in the construction sector “hurt” as scheduled works were unable to be carried out and generators had to postpone outages. What this means is that generator outages planned for the summer might now have to take place in the autumn and into the winter, which Foley states will “present challenges as we manage a tightness into the winter”.

EirGrid had established a plan to return 50 per cent of their workforce to the office in September but increased Government restrictions in early October meant that that was no longer possible.

“That’s been a bit of a shock and further realisation that this is going to take a lot longer than first thought. What we’re now looking at is how do we protect the essence of our business plan next year and our best brains are now concentrated in this area, figuring out the appropriate protocols,” adds Foley.

However, he is adamant that in the midst of the pandemic, EirGrid and Ireland won’t lose sight of the decarbonisation agenda. “When Covid is gone we will get back to talking about the Climate Action Plan as being the big imperative from an Ireland Inc perspective and a catalyst for massive investment in the Irish economy.

“We have an enormous communications challenge on our hands and I believe that we need to create a collaborative and engaging communications plan for all stakeholders.”

Pointing to the Government’s communications in the early part of the pandemic as an exemplar for communications in informing and guiding the public, Foley states that in research done by EirGrid in late 2019, only one in five people had heard of the Climate Action Plan.

“There’s a massive communications challenge once Covid stops being the dominant narrative,” he states.

“Frankly, the biggest risk to this grid transformation programme is if the people of Ireland don’t come with us. Equally, the biggest risk to the Climate Action Plan’s ambition is getting the people of Ireland understanding why we need to do this and why the solution being advanced by EirGrid and others is the right solution.”

Foley is optimistic about Ireland’s decarbonisation agenda and the transformation of the grid.

“I want to see these three technologies

“In my whole career, I’ve never seen such a level of convergence amongst all of the actors in the whole energy system around what needs to be done. There’s little to no dissent on the need to decarbonise energy and while it’s accepted that we need to eliminate some of the legislative and regulatory roadblocks, there is a an exceptional common sense of purpose.

It’s extraordinary to see how joined up people are, ranging from government right through to the smallest operators and I believe that level of common purpose is a great foundation for achieving the ambitions.”

make the grid more sophisticated and

connected on the grid and I want to see a massive deployment of technology to efficient. On a services front, I want those technologies that allow the grid to stay stable and allow the grid to operate at 100 per cent renewables appropriately remunerated.

“Back in the control room I want to see technology that efficiently and reliably pieces the jigsaw together, predicting wind levels and switching generators and on-wire technology on and off in an automated and sophisticated manner,” Foley adds.

On what the grid of the future might look

A grid of the future Turning to what the grid of the future might look like, Foley says that he was delighted to see 800 MW of solar get through the gate of the RESS-1 auction, recognising that the solution is a mix of renewable technologies in the form of solar, onshore and offshore wind.

like to the lay parson, he stresses a desire to achieve a sense of connection between individuals and their electricity use, so that as they use the infrastructure for green electricity deployment, there is an appreciation and understanding that they are playing a part in the overall decarbonisation agenda.

Profile: Mark Foley A Cork native, now living in Newcastle, County Wicklow, Mark has over 30 years’ management experience across a range of industry sector including private sector, multinational and commercial state companies. A chemical engineer, he began his career as a plant manager for Loctite/Henkel in Tallaght before becoming Managing Director of Worldmark in 1998. In 2000, he became Director of Capital Programmes for Dublin Airport Authority, leading the then largest capital development programme in Ireland’s history. In 2008 he became Managing Director for Coillte Enterprise, building their renewable energy and telecoms portfolios. In 2018 Mark was appointed EirGrid CEO. Outside of the office, Mark lists tennis, hill walking, reading and rugby as his passions.

Despite the scale of such challenges,

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Priorities in a pandemic While the Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the Irish healthcare system to an unprecedented extent, it has also provided an opportunity to restore the confidence of the public and government. Ciarán Galway sits down with Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid to discuss testing and tracing capacity, ICU beds and the impact on non-Covid-19 care.

Upon being appointed to lead the HSE in 2019, Reid listed three core priorities for his five-year tenure: the delivery of quality and safe services; transitioning to a new model of integrated care; and strengthening confidence and trust in the HSE. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic upending the health and social care ecosystem, these priorities have remained broadly consistent.

“Sometimes people might have the view that the pandemic has set us back, but actually I believe that the HSE has strengthened against a lot of those core objectives,” Reid suggests.

Over the course of the pandemic, the health service has been tracking public trust and confidence. Outlining that these metrics have significantly improved during this time, the HSE CEO indicates that this also applies to the organisation’s key stakeholders.

“Certainly, with many of our stakeholders 16

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– with government, with ministers, with the wider public service – trust has improved hugely to the extent that we have been able to scale up and protect the public.

Indeed, there has been a lot of good collaboration with trade unions during this phase and we have received positive feedback from staff,” he says.

The delivery of quality and safe Covid and non-Covid services has remained a key objective for the HSE. Reid maintains that the system put in place to protect staff, patients and the public has actually improved, while the integration of care has accelerated through enhanced collaboration between the hospital system and community services. This includes the establishment of new care pathways within the community to relieve the pressure on hospitals.

“Against those priorities, Covid-19 certainly hasn’t set us back,” he asserts, adding: “In comparison with other

European health systems and jurisdictions, we’ve done quite well. We had a lower level of mortality relative to European countries; a lower level of ICU admissions; a higher level of successful discharges from ICU. In terms of care, we performed quite well.”

Trust and confidence When Reid previously spoke with eolas Magazine in late 2019, he emphasised the need to establish financial discipline. The HSE subsequently reduced its overspend from over €800 million to less than €200 million. Having regained government’s trust, the HSE has received significant extra funds for 2020 and an additional €4 billion for 2021.

“Firstly, I think that’s a demonstration of stronger trust in the health system by government. Secondly, it brings huge obligations to ensure that we utilise that money effectively.

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“For example, in the first phase, PPE was at an extreme cost worldwide. We had to pay a huge premium to protect our staff and the public. Now, we can see much greater competitiveness in the market, and we aim to get around 40 per cent improvement on what we’ve had to pay before. We must continuously look for value for money. We must retain that

“I think what the public is experiencing is a much more unified health system with a much more coherent voice.”

discipline,” the Chief Executive emphasises.

Exponential Covid-19 transmission In October 2020, having experienced an exponential growth in the community transmission, Ireland was placed on level five restrictions under the Plan for Living with Covid-19. Providing a sense of the unfolding situation in Irish hospitals, Reid asserts that they are “challenged but coping” and highlights that ICU admissions have not yet triggered national surge capacity.

Simultaneously though, he acknowledges the high level of community transmission, particularly among people aged 19-24.

Within this, the HSE is specifically concerned about a multi-lag effect on those aged 65 and over.

“Firstly, there is a lag of higher infection rates amongst older people. That can take a bit of time. Secondly, there is a lag is between community transmission and hospitalisation. Thirdly, there is further lag between hospitalisations and ICU. We are concerned about this multi-lag effect which might impact in the coming weeks,” the CEO illustrates.

Asked if the health service is at risk of being overwhelmed, Reid admits that such a scenario is always a concern and stresses that public compliance with public health restrictions is crucial. “We’re planning and resourcing to manage the risk of being overwhelmed, but it really depends on the public buy-in and compliance with public health measures.

We can increase hospital capacity, we can build more ICU capacity, and we can build up our testing and tracing capacity, but the only thing that can reverse the trend is the public,” he asserts.

Testing and tracing capacity “Our testing and tracing system, like others across the world, is always under pressure. But it ranked second in a recent survey of European countries in terms of the number of tests per capita. We are systematically testing close contacts, which many other countries aren’t doing.

In terms of protecting the public, it has done quite well,” the CEO affirms.

“We’re also undertaking mass serial testing of nursing homes, Direct Provision centres, schools and meat and food processing plants. We built a capacity of 100,000 per week and we’re now doing closer to 115,000 per week.”

Worryingly though, over one weekend during October 2020, Ireland’s contact tracing system was overwhelmed and came close to collapse. As a result, the HSE stated that between 2,000 and 2,500 individuals who tested positive for Covid19 infection were asked by text message to advise their own close contacts that they should restrict their movements and arrange a test.

“We went from 8,000 calls per week to 48,000 calls last week [beginning 19 October]. That’s where it became overwhelmed on one weekend. There were 1,970 contacts that we contacted but weren’t in a position to contact their close contacts. We had to make a judgement call to notify their contacts on the basis of keeping on top of everything else that came after that. It was a risk-based decision, but it was the right decision to make,” Reid maintains.

One factor which caused this scenario to transpire was the delay in the recruitment of testing and tracing staff. The HSE model has combined redeployed staff alongside a recruitment process.

“Our recruitment campaign started on 7 September and we now have 300 newly recruited people. But the pace of what was happening in the community overtook the recruitment process that we were on.

That’s simply a fact of what happened,” Reid states.

The contact tracing process has been delayed by more frequent and more complex calls. Alongside efforts to stymie community transmission and therefore reduce calls, the contact tracing process has been subject to automation.

“Rather than just texting negatives, positives will also receive a text before being followed up with a call. This means that they immediately get a notification.

We’re also automating more of the selfserve whereby upon being notified, people can immediately populate their contacts to improve the process,” the CEO notes.

ICU capacity Currently, the fully staffed ICU bed capacity in Ireland is 285, with a temporary surge capacity of 360. This total is an increase of 30 beds from 255 at the outset of the pandemic. “We have another 17 to have in place by January as part of our Winter Plan which will bring us to 302. In our budget for 2021, there are another 20 beds funded which brings us to 322. All permanent capacity. That’s a significant uplift considering that since 2014, we have been at a static number,” Reid contends.

However, increasing ICU capacity is not simply about adding more beds to the system. The care pathway for each ICU bed is staffed by between six and seven nurses, alongside a higher proportion of doctors and consultants. “It’s not just about a bed, there’s a wider investment,” he adds.

Simultaneously, there is a reluctance to trigger surge capacity as it utilises High

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Budget 2021 Budget 2021 heralded the largest ever health budget in the history of the State.

With an increase of €4 billion it totals €21 billion, alongside €1 billion additional capital spending. The funding will add capacity to permanent adult critical care beds, acute beds, community beds and rehabilitation beds, while increasing homecare hours to 24 million and providing support for mental health services, enhanced community and social care services, and an increase of around 16,000 posts in the health workforce.

Dependency Unit beds and post-operative theatre beds, beds which are generally used for elective care. Likewise, it leverages staff resources that have been trained but do not generally work in ICU. This creates a higher level of risk.

Non-Covid waiting lists Covid-19 has had a significant impact on non-Covid waiting lists. At the time of talking to Reid, 330 people were hospitalised with Covid-19, 40 of whom were admitted to ICU. “At the peak, we had 160 people in ICU and almost 900 in hospital. However, at that stage, we had ceased non-Covid services. We weren’t running the other services, whereas now we are. As such, one Covid case has a disproportionate impact on our hospital services. It’s a big challenge to run the dual system,” Reid reflects.

Equally concerning for the HSE CEO is evidence that suggests that people are presenting much later for time dependent care. “Many of our clinical consultants are concerned that people are coming forward later, this means more serious interventions and higher risk,” he says.

The return to elective care and resumption of screening programmes with infection control measures has challenged the health service. In June, the HSE launched a restoration plan for its screening services and in July launched a restoration plan for the remainder of its services. However,

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many of these have not returned to the desired extent, while others have not resumed at all. For instance, elderly daycare centres are difficult to manage in a Covid-19 context.

Lessons Reflecting on the lessons learnt during the pandemic so far, Reid indicates that one positive development has been the improved dynamic between HSE centres and the services unlocking the wider system to be more agile in implementing change.

“The pandemic has not been a pleasant experience or one that we might have wished for, but it produced some great learning around the future of the health system. There is now a greater confidence about implementing change.

“We gave some direction from the centre, but it was largely up to the services themselves to implement dual pathways, community initiatives, community assessment hubs or the testing and tracing system. I think that has given the services a lot more confidence to implement change while providing us with lessons around ‘tight and loose’. This means being tight around the core objectives, but loose by way of letting the system achieve them. We removed a lot of bureaucracy in this phase,” he explains.

“The next stage in that process is working towards a National Service Plan for 2021.

That process commences very shortly and sets out how we plan to deliver health and social services in 2021 within the allocated budget. At a high level, it’s a combination of resourcing, acute capacity, community capacity and integration,” Reid summarises.

The HSE CEO does not believe that Sláintecare objectives have been neglected in the context of Covid-19. “I believe that they have been truly enhanced because all of the measures we are implementing now are also core measures contained in Sláintecare. Investing in primary care, investing in GP care, treating more elderly people at home, integration between acute hospital systems, increased investment in telehealth and remote clinics.

These have been implemented at pace, probably much quicker than we would have been able to do pre-Covid. The challenge for us is to consolidate.”

Winter Plan Looking ahead, the HSE’s short-term priority is implementing the Winter Plan, ensuring that hospitals and emergency departments are not overwhelmed and that the public is effectively protected.

Simultaneously, it aims to deliver care in the community as per Sláintecare.

“I think what the public is experiencing is a much more unified health system with a much more coherent voice. That for me is a success that we can consolidate throughout the rest of the year. That means government, trade unions and the HSE all speaking with one single voice about the health system,” Reid concludes.

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Project Eagle report delay A report into the sale of NAMA’s Project Eagle, originally due in June 2018, has been granted a further extension until the end of 2020.

£ 4.5 billion

the value of Northern Ireland’s property loans portfolio (Project Eagle) acquired by NAMA

£ 1.3 billion

paid by Cerberus for Project Eagle

A much-awaited report by the NAMA Commission investigating the sale of the £4.5 billion northern property portfolio named Project Eagle for £1.3 billion is now to be submitted by the end of 2020, after a series of extensions.

The NAMA Commission of Investigation, established in June 2017, on submitting its eighth interim report, issued a formal request for an extension on the timeframe for the report’s submission until 31 December 2020, having originally been granted an extension until the end of September.

The Commission, which is headed by retired judge John Cooke, is investigating the bad bank’s sale of a portfolio of some 850 properties in Northern Ireland which had an estimated original value of £4.5 billion but was sold for £1.24 billion in 2014.

The 70 per cent estimated haircut on the sale of Project Eagle was more than double the estimated 33.5 per cent applied to the entire £77 billion NAMA portfolio.

70% 33.5%

the estimated haircut applied to the sale of Project Eagle

the average haircut applied to the entire £77 billion NAMA portfolio

NAMA was set up in 2009 following Ireland’s banking crisis to prevent the flooding of the market with stressed assets. The aim was that assets would be managed until market recovery would allow for the assets to be maximised in the interests of the taxpayer. However, the ‘fire sale’ method, with which some assets have been sold, has led to criticism and the eventual revelations around Project Eagle.

the sale after a £7 million lodgement into an Isle of Man bank account.

In 2016, the Irish Comptroller and Auditor General issued a report that estimated the sale of the Project Eagle portfolio resulted in a probable loss of £190 million to the Irish taxpayer.

In January 2019, the NCA submitted a file to the PPS in Northern Ireland presenting evidence in respect of eight suspects relating to potential offences of fraud, bribery and money laundering.

The Project Eagle portfolio was purchased by US investment firm Cerberus in circumstances that have been subject to much scrutiny in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In August the PPS announced it will prosecute two men in relation to Project Eagle.

Then TD Mick Wallace sparked investigation into the sale when, in 2015, he used parliamentary privilege in the Dáil to claim that a Northern Ireland politician or party stood to benefit from

In 2015, Dáil Éireann’s Committee of Public Accounts and the Northern Ireland Finance Committee announced inquiries into Project Eagle. Around the same time the PSNI referred the matter to the National Crime Agency (NCA) due to the politically sensitive nature of the allegations and the NCA commenced Operation Pumpless.

Writing to the Taoiseach in his eighth interim report in late August, John Cooke said that, barring major delays, the Commission would hope to support its final report before the expiry of the timeframe extension to 31 December 2020.

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Credit: Green Party / ALDE / Merrion Street.

The Government’s first 100 days Despite enlisting a legion of special advisors and communications experts, the historic coalition Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party has stuttered through its first 100 days in office with incoherence. However, is its disjointedness detracting from its substantive successes? eolas Magazine traces the tri-party administration from its innocuous beginnings to the present.

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The ‘first 100 days’ is a concept firmly established in the political lexicon. Its modern origins lie in Franklin D Roosevelt’s prodigious foray into the US presidency when, amid the Great Depression, he signed 15 significant pieces of legislation within 100 days.

Though such auspicious starts are not common, the ‘first 100 days’ became a litmus test for successive US administrations.

elapsed between Napoleon Bonaparte’s dramatic return to Paris from exile on Elba to his ultimate defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Eventually, the concept crossed the Atlantic, though the usefulness of such an arbitrary number as an indicator of likely success is questionable. If the first 100 days is a gauge of the effectiveness of this government, it will be an arduous term in office for each of the three coalition parties.

friends with his selections for Fianna

The symbolism of the phrase itself – ‘les cent jours’ – is borrowed from the time

After finally ascending to the office of Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD made few

some within the Green parliamentary

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Fáil’s ministerial portfolios. Amusingly, several members of the parliamentary party vocally protested their exclusion, including deputies Willie O’Dea, Michael Moynihan and Dara Calleary.

Subsequent debacles relating to the allocation of aides-de-camp, ministerial cars and ministerial pay, as well as an à la carte approach to governance from party dogged the nascent administration.

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sick pay, measures to alleviate child poverty and a ban on evictions.

Ministerial musical chairs Then, in relatively quick succession, the Government had lost not one, but two agriculture ministers. After 17 days, Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen TD was sacked by An Taoiseach when it was disclosed that as well as receiving a drink driving ban while holding a provisional licence, a Garda Pulse record indicated that he had attempted to evade gardaí after performing a U-turn at the checkpoint. After refusing to face more questions in the Dáil, Cowen was unceremoniously stripped of the agriculture portfolio.

However, Cowen’s replacement as Agriculture Minister, the once-scorned deputy leader Darragh Calleary, was an equally ill-fated appointment. Calleary’s tenure was cut short following his attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society’s annual dinner in Clifden, County Galway. The event in late August occurred one day after the Cabinet agreed to introduce stricter public health measures at a meeting attended by Calleary.

Having acted in violation of the new rules by attending the function with 80 others, Calleary’s position was untenable and he resigned after 37 days in office. The Golfgate incident also cost Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer his role as Seanad Leas-Cathaoirleach and, after six days of mounting scrutiny, toppled Fine Gael’s Phil Hogan MEP from his position as EU Trade Commissioner. Mairéad McGuinness subsequently confirmed as Ireland’s new EU Commissioner, although Ireland had lost the highly inflential portfolio of trade. Meanwhile, Supreme Court judge and former Attorney General Séamus Woulfe narrowly avoided serious censure.

Overnight, the Golfgate episode provoked public fury. The political capital that had been afforded to the caretaker regime in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures had been gratuitously squandered by those perceived to be in positions of power. A carefully cultivated sense of national solidarity that had existed since the early days of the pandemic evaporated ad infinitum, seriously undermining the Government’s authority.

Indeed, though literally caught napping during a Dáil vote on a workers’ rights motion in the Convention Centre, Eamon Ryan TD still secured a narrow leadership victory having been challenged by colleague Catherine Martin TD in the Green Party leadership race.

Simon Harris TD.

Intra-government wrangling Having returned to government for a third consecutive term, Fine Gael’s savvy has come to dominate the coalition dynamic, with the party confidently imprinting its identity as required. Likewise, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD has cast a long shadow from under which the Taoiseach has struggled to emerge.

Since assuming their new ministerial portfolios, the Tánaiste and the Further and Higher Education Minister, Simon Harris TD have appeared reluctant to relinquish their personas as Taoiseach and Health Minister respectfully. This has led to some blurring of lines as to who wears which clothes within government.

While Harris has been known to stray into his previous remit on several occasions, delivering public health messages to his 200,000 Twitter followers, Varadkar in particular has been adept at appearing to be both in government and outside government at once. On several occasions, he has utilised social media to cut his successor off at the knees and has in no small part helped to undermine the coherence of the Government’s messaging.

Allied with government formation negotiations and experiences in the early days of this government this has sowed deep division within the party. Shortly after the conclusion of the leadership contest (and one month following government formation), the Just Transition Greens, a “Green-left affiliate group of the Green Party”, was formed to represent “the pillars of social justice, democracy and peace effectively within the party and outside of it”. The potential for more high-profile defections is real.

Overpromising and underdelivering Incoming governments are often predisposed to over-promise and underdeliver within the first 100 days. As erstwhile Governor of New York Mario Cuomo suggested, politicians often campaign in poetry and govern in prose.

While riddled with ambiguity, a lack of timescales and an absence of costing, the Programme for Government contains several ambitious targets for the Government’s first months. In the context of the pandemic, many of these are already waylaid.

Green Party Meanwhile, having steadied itself following the pre-summer recess revolt, the Green Party exhibited a more ruthless discipline in government, repeatedly voting with its coalition partners and against its own interest in the Dáil. So far, the Greens have opposed proposed legislation for the introduction of a living wage, the extension of maternity leave, mandatory

Darragh O’Brien TD

Housing Having dominated General Election 2020, affordable housing represented a

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major component of the new administration’s Programme for Government. However, it appears unlikely that the initial unit construction target for 2020 will be met. Covid-19 has adversely affected the construction sector and only 725 social housing units were constructed in the first six months of 2020. With a total 1,467 social housing units built, acquired or leased in the first half of the year, the Government’s target of building 7,736 in 2020 is almost certainly impossible. Meanwhile the pledge to publish an Affordable Housing Purchase Scheme has failed to materialise.

Speaking in the Dáil in July, Housing Minister O’Brien stated: “I intend to announce the details of the new scheme in September... I will confirm arrangements under which discounted homes will be sold to eligible purchasers by local authorities.”

While the affordable housing scheme is yet to materialise, speaking at a postBudget 2021 briefing in October, the Minister made assurances that legislation would come before the Dáil within weeks.

Upon assuming the housing portfolio, and amid much Opposition criticism, O’Brien swiftly replaced the blanket ban on evictions and rent increases with more targeted legislation. The Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 means that tenant protections are applied only to those who can prove that their income has been negatively impacted by Covid19.

Health The health priorities contained within the Programme for Government are a reiteration of the commitment to a singletier universal healthcare system as per Sláintecare. Many elements of this ambition have been placed on the backburner while the HSE attempts to mitigate a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, while non-Covid-19 treatments were already subject to significant backlog, the pandemic has exacerbated the situation.

In August, during an interview with Virgin Media News’ Zara King, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly TD bizarrely equated the risk of returning to school during the

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Welcoming the publication of the plan, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly asserted: “This Winter is expected to be particularly challenging due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Government’s determination to meet this challenge is demonstrated by our decision to invest an additional €600 million in health services this winter.”

Stephen Donnelly TD.

pandemic as being akin to jumping on a trampoline.

Several weeks later, in September, the entire Cabinet was instructed to selfisolate and the Dáil was suspended as Minister Donnelly was tested for a suspected case of Covid-19. These developments came on the same day as the Government launched its Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with Covid-19 document. Confusion reigned as Dublin was placed somewhere between levels two and three within the plan’s prescriptive five-tier restrictive measures. While Donnelly’s test quickly returned negative, the disruption had detonated the Government’s efforts to reinject any sense of coherence into its communications.

However, while the Government encountered significant criticism for its communication of the plan, it has thus far remained resolutely committed to its five tiers of restrictive measures in response to Covid-19.

Simultaneously, the HSE’s €600 million Winter Plan for 2020/2021 was approved by the Department of Health and published in September for the current period until April 2021. The health service has pledged to introduce an additional 251 acute hospital beds in 2020 and a further 232 in early 2021, alongside 17 new critical beds and 89 sub-acute beds.

At the time of the announcement, there were 282 ICU beds in the system, up from 225 at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic. To implement the objectives of the plan, 10,260 extra staff will be required.

Eamon Ryan TD.

Climate action All three government parties promised that a Climate Action Bill would be introduced to the Dáil. Subsequently, Cabinet has approved the general scheme or draft heads of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020. The Bill will legislate for Ireland’s ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Upon publishing the draft text of the Bill, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan maintained: “The Climate Action Bill is a radical departure for Ireland and one that puts our country on a new course. It creates a new target to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, which will change our economy and society at every level.”

However, currently undergoing prelegislative scrutiny before the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee, the text of the Bill has been widely criticised for its perceived vagueness, lack of public participation and absence of sanctions for failure to meet carbon budgets.

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Norma Foley TD.

Education At a time when teachers, parents and students required clarity, newly anointed Education Minister Norma Foley, a first time TD, did not emerge well from an early July interview with the Sunday Independent. Under the headline “‘Flat out busy’ Foley hasn’t time for tricky questions”, Hugh O’Connell wrote: “Having provided little clarity on a range of issues, the interview is halted after less than 25 minutes with Foley apologising. ‘It just seems that there is so much happening these days. It is fairly flat out busy.’”

With schools closed from 12 March 2020 and the Leaving Cert postponed before being cancelled entirely, 61,000 students were assessed through a calculated grades system. Teachers were required to “to draw on existing records and available evidence, to provide a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgment of the most likely percentage mark that each student would have achieved”. School leavers subsequently accessed their Leaving Cert grades online, without serious error.

Yet, weeks after students received their results and enrolled on third-level courses, a fundamental flaw in the algorithm’s code was discovered. When questioned in the Dáil by Labour leader Alan Kelly TD, An Taoiseach revealed that the Department of Education had identified a problem. It emerged that a programming error in the calculated grades system had resulted in 6,500 students receiving the wrong Leaving Certificate grades. Additional places must now be found at third-level institutions.

Exacerbating the problem was Foley’s delay in informing her Cabinet colleagues.

That being said, in late August and early September, under the stewardship of Minister Foley, the State’s 4,000 primary and post-primary schools did successfully reopen. Through Reopening Our Schools: The Roadmap for the Full Return to School, the Department of Education provided a financial package of €377 million to support the safe and sustainable reopening of schools for one million students and 100,000 staff.

• the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020;

Substantive successes

• the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020.

Overall, amid the communications chaos, the Government has also landed some substantive victories. Speaking with eolas Magazine in August, the Taoiseach listed the creation of the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the July Jobs Stimulus, the Roadmap for Reopening Schools, the European Summit and the first North South Ministerial Council meeting in over three years as evidence for the coalition’s early successes.

“We can manage communications better; we can do all of that. I take that point,” he conceded, adding: “But it was a very frenetic month. There was a real proactivity. We had lots of Cabinet subcommittees. It stretched people in the system to the outer limits. From morning to night, we were at it. A lot of good work was done.”

In total, the tri-party administration enacted 13 bills within its initial 100 days.

In chronological order, these are: • the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Act 2020; • the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Act 2020; • the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020; • the Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Act 2020; • the Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Act 2020; • the Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 2020; • the Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020;

• the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020; • the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020; • the Financial Provisions (Covid-19) (No. 2) Act 2020; • the Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Act 2020; and

July Stimulus Likewise, the July Jobs Stimulus Package heralded “a €7.4 billion package of 50 measures designed to stimulate a jobsled recovery and build economic confidence while continuing to manage the impact of Covid-19”.

Headline measures included the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme which succeeded by the Employment Wage Support Scheme and will run until April 2021 and an extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) to the same date. The €4 billion of direct spending incorporates €1 billion of tax measures, including, a temporary reduction in the standard rate of VAT from 23 per cent to 21 per cent (at a cost of €440 million), alongside a €2 billion Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Conclusion A more challenging context for a new government is hard to imagine. Covid-19 has turned every facet of society inside out. Meanwhile, the possibility of a nodeal Brexit hovers ominously and the window of opportunity for impactful climate action narrows.

While scoring several immediate wins, the first 100 days of this Government have been a whirlwind of inconsistency and incoherence. Individual ministers from across the three government parties are operating in distinct silos. As a result, communication is often garbled at a time when citizens require a unity of purpose.

If it cannot inject stability into its messaging, any substantive achievements will continue to be lost in the noise.

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round table discussion

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Accelerating the digital transformation of public services Dell Technologies hosted a virtual round table discussion with key stakeholders from across the public sector, utilising their expertise to explore the potential for accelerating digital transformation in Ireland’s public services.

What are your organisation’s specific priorities in relation to digital change?

Mary O’Connor Over the summer and on the back of our Covid response, we took stock and decided to really bring our focus towards accelerating digital across all parts of ESB Group. Seven initiatives were identified.

One common theme across all business

units is the area of digital employees and smart working, which is obviously topical at the minute. In our shared services, the emphasis is on is automation, self-service and paperless. ESB Networks decided on three areas for their transformation: the first is customer experience, making that as good as possible; the second is employee experience; and the third is active system management to enable decarbonisation and the management of electricity to enable customer access to decarbonisation. In ESB’s customer solutions business, the focus is on

Round table discussion hosted by

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customer experience regardless of the service being offered and in generation and trading, data, AI and analytics to improve margins are the priorities.

Paul Duffy Enterprise Shared Services promotes and enables digital transformation across central government in Northern Ireland.

There has been quite a bit of progress in recent years taking a digital first approach to designing access to public services.

However, the landscape has obviously changed over the last six months, as have priorities. When you look at pace of change in the past, this needs to be accelerated, exploring and optimising initiatives such as data analytics and AI. The programme I’m leading on at the moment is about moving shared services towards an integrated cloud solution and what this has really highlighted for us is the need to look at our current operating model and how it has evolved with the pandemic, linking into the need to look at our digital workplace and mobility. We

Roundtable Participants

have been very much a desktop organisation and have had to change to laptops and a range of collaboration tools to allow staff to work remotely. We now need to understand what our future operating model is going to look like and how we begin to embed these new ways of working.

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Dell Technologies is currently upskilling 800 of its staff through postgraduate diplomas in digital transformation including the newly created TRANSFORM programme. The new course is designed to help our team better understand how technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Data Science, Cloud and Blockchain can be leveraged to shape the future of work and accelerate digital transformation. At a management and leadership level, we’re looking at digital transformation in terms of persuasion and the ability to convince people that this is the future of our business. Our investment, which has been significant, is making sure that people are thinking in the right way going forward. As a datadriven organisation Dell Technologies has insights on every asset that we operate.

Getting insights from that data means we get value from it and that is a huge priority for us going forward this links in with our 2030 Progress Made Real goals to advance sustainability and reduce CO2 emissions, which is a priority for us and our customers.

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Paul Duffy was appointed the Strategic Programme Director for the Central Government Transformation Programme (CGTP) in May 2020. Paul was previously the Chief Executive of the Driver and Vehicle Agency in the North and was responsible for the delivery of a wide range of front line services, including driver and commercial licensing; driver and vehicle testing; and regulating the transport industry. Prior to this, Paul was the Finance Director in the former Department of the Environment. Paul is a qualified accountant and graduated from the Major Projects Leadership Academy at the Saïd Oxford Business School in 2015.

George Maybury

George Maybury George Maybury leads the Public Sector business for Dell Technologies across Ireland. His team provides all of Dell Technologies’ services and solutions to education, healthcare, local and national government as well as defence and security. Previous to this, George led BT’s government business in Northern Ireland and was responsible for a number of large scale digital transformation programmes. George holds a degree in management and information systems and a postgraduate diploma in IT for strategic management from the Technological University of Dublin. In his spare time he is an underage football and hurling coach for his local GAA club St Brigid’s.

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Mary O’Connor As CIO of ESB, Mary O’Connor is responsible for driving digital transformation for the entire organisation as well as overseeing cyber strategy and risk management, IT strategy and Enterprise Architecture. Mary has a wealth of experience from over 30 years working in a wide range of disciplines and functions at all levels within ESB. Mary is an IT graduate of Trinity College Dublin and is an ACCA post-graduate in accounting and finance. She is a coach and mentor within ESB and is passionate about developing people to enable them reach their full potential.

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Tony Shannon Appointed in September 2020, Tony Shannon is Head of Digital Services, Office of Government Chief Information Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Over the last 20 years, he has been involved in a range of change/digital programmes and projects at local, regional, national and international levels, initially in healthcare, then local government and now in government. Previously, Tony trained and worked in emergency medicine and informatics between Ireland, UK and the US, having qualified in medicine at University College Dublin. Tony’s interests include change, complex systems, societal and economic wellbeing, leadership, service improvement, information technology.

Tony Shannon In terms of where the Government is with regard to digital change, things that were brewing before Covid have been accelerated. What we’re trying to do is focus on building back better and offering a set of citizen-centred services that are much more integrated. Gov.ie, which is our main landing page for information has seen a huge uptake and we expect it to be the landing page for further services.

MyGovID is a programme that is already in flight and we’re keen to support its rollout further. That brings us to issues like digital credentials and there are some EU trust regulations (eIDAS) there. Aside from those, there’s the Digital Postbox and the MyData portal, alongside work around electronic forms that will enable ‘paperless’, and e-case management so that the citizen-facing digital services can be met by staff-facing digital services on the other side.

Paul Duffy

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Tim Willoughby Tim is Head of Digital Services and Innovation with An Garda Síochána and is responsible for the Technical Operations, Garda Networks and the Garda Mobility Programme. Tim was formerly CTO of the LGMA, having spent over 20 years in a number of senior management and technical roles in the local government sector. He has been working in the public service for almost 30 years. Tim has a civil engineering degree from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s in innovation from Ulster University. Tim is a Fellow of the Irish Computer Society and was awarded ICT person of the year in 2018.

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“One of the positive things that has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it has demonstrated what round table discussion

can be done at a much more agile pace.”

Paul Duffy, Strategic Programme Director for the Central Government Transformation Programme

Tim Willoughby The first thing is that digital policing is information led policing. In the modern world, this is about adapting agile technologies and data use. My role is to reimagine the organisation through the frontline, which leads to persona building, hackathons and trying to reduce paper by building end-to-end solutions with our cross government partners rather than just solving our own problems. In policing, security is a huge element, so security by design is underpinning everything that we do. There’s a huge emphasis on data and embedding a data culture, because improved data quality is essential for digitisation. With Covid, we have to drive collaboration and remote working. Part of our mobility project has been the roll out of more mobile devices and using them as desktops. Using virtual server technology, our call centre people around the country are able to run all of their desktop services off their phones.

Working with our partners in the OGCIO and others is hugely important and we are adopting things like cloud and open source. The key for us is a balanced catalogue of our existing systems and managing those. It’s great to have new things but you have to bring the old stuff with you.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to digital?

Tony Shannon You won’t be surprised to hear that Gov.ie has jumped from six million visits last year to 80 million views this year already. There has been a massive shift in citizens seeking information from government and a requirement therefore that government departments respond very quickly. That happened within days and weeks. Allied to this, a shift to remote working has upended organisations including the Civil Service which is now facilitating working from home in way that could never have been imagined this time last year. That change is here to stay. Likewise, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme were digital solutions that were implemented within days. From my perspective, as someone with a health background, I was proud to see the speed of rollout for the Covid Tracker app, utilising user centred design, agile development and open-source software to deliver within months. These are rapid transformations that we had not seen before Covid-19.

Paul Duffy One of the positive things that has come out of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it has demonstrated what can be done at a much more agile pace. On occasion, the public sector has been criticised for not moving at a quick enough pace and I think that the recent experience has shown what can be achieved. Certainly in Northern Ireland, a number of new developments and grant schemes have been put in place to support individuals and businesses in a matter of weeks, all of which are digitally accessible. The turnaround and response has been phenomenal. If we were in a business-asusual scenario, it would be many months before such initiatives were developed and launched. Obviously, the move to a digital workplace has also been accelerated, certainly within the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and we need to build on this progression and loss the benefits.

Tim Willoughby During the pandemic, many people have matured in their approach to cloud.

Previously, there was a potential reticence around cloud solutions in the public sector. Now, however, even our conversation today is cloud-based and a significant number of people have migrated to cloud-based unified

“Looking beyond 2020 to 2025, I think the pace of change is going to further accelerate as there is a shift to processing data at the edge due to the arrival of 5G and other low-cost next generation wireless technologies.”

George Maybury, Public Sector Director, Dell Technologies 26

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“The challenge now is to take this energy, focus and attitude to change and capitalise on the momentum we now have, rather than sliding back into our normal way of operating and of implementing change.”

Mary O’Connor, Chief Information Officer, ESB

communications platforms. Different organisations have adopted different solutions and the range of cloud tools we now use throughout the working day is broad. Everyone has had to become a cloud expert. A substantial volume of the work my team is undertaking concerns user design; working with people on the frontline to understand their adoption of tools before then tailoring them to work better.

Mary O’Connor It all resonates with me in terms of our experience and changed behaviour among both customers and employees. It really is a significant change. Literally overnight, ESB shifted from having less than 400 people with the ability to work from home to having over 4,000 working from home. It was a smooth transition with everyone retaining access to their applications and utilising videoconferencing for meetings.

Previously, the pursuit of such transformational change would have required months or even years. The challenge now is to take this energy, focus and attitude to change and capitalise on the momentum we now have, rather than sliding back into our normal way of operating and of implementing change.

George Maybury Tim mentioned reimagining the whole end-to-end process and that is the essence of disruption. This means thinking about a new operating model as opposed to simply digitising an old one.

As we’ve seen over recent months, organisations have been using technology to totally transform their operating models and how they engage with service users.

Personally, in my all-island remit, a significant portion of my working week

was spent travelling across the country for meetings. Reflecting on that, much of the time was spent in the car and was therefore non-productive. Within Dell Technologies, we have sought to reimagine work. We’re now looking at the opportunity to simultaneously retain our hubs in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Limerick while also accessing new talent pools that are being unlocked with the move to remote working. With work no longer a place but what you do, we can enhance diversity at Dell Technologies and bring new experiences and backgrounds to the team. The challenge is sustaining the momentum achieved over recent months.

What are the most significant challenges to fundamental digital transformation within the public sector?

Tim Willoughby One of the big challenges is inertia. Covid has been one of the things that has helped us move away from that. We used an awful lot of paper, which has served us well, but the challenge for people innovating within their four walls is in getting end-to-end set of solutions where problems are solved together rather than paper firing back and forth. As part of the Innovation Week, we did an end-to-end hackathon with the entire justice sector, taking a whole series of scenarios that are mostly paperbound to find different ways of doing things. Using the agile methodologies and showing people a potentially better route is the biggest thing for me, solving problems across the sectors.

Mary O’Connor There are two significant challenges to this at a high level. One is the need to recognise that it’s a leadership challenge ahead of a technology challenge. Of course, technology is absolutely central to the change, but I think recognising that it’s first and foremost about changing leadership culture is important. The second big challenge is the modernisation of technology. Some of our technology has been around a long time and we need to modernise that and open our systems of record so that they be used in a digital way – that can be a big challenge. We need to recognise the investments needed and build them into the propositions.

Paul Duffy One challenge particularly affecting the public sector in Northern Ireland is collaborating across organisations. We have to harness digital capability rather than working in siloed departments and sectors. There is a role for digital leaders, certainly in central government, health and education sectors, and local government, to find better ways to collaborate for the benefit of citizens.

Citizens don’t care whether they access a service through department X or department Y and rightly so, it’s an easily accessible service that matters. The other area that Covid-19 has also shone a light on is our own internal capacity and capability. We need to build and enhance our digital skills within the public sector to deliver more efficient services. To date, we have relied very heavily on our partner community to deliver that change and now we need a greater emphasis on training our own people. The final area is not a new challenge, it’s around funding.

Given the amount of money expended in responding to the pandemic, we will be

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“If you look at the wicked challenges that we now face, be it Covid-19 or climate change, we are round table discussion

being propelled into an era of major change whether we like it or not.”

Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services, Office of Government Chief Information Officer operating in a constrained financial environment for some time and therefore we need to consider how best we sustain digital change to drive benefits and value for money for citizens.

George Maybury There are two significant challenges. From a leadership perspective, how do we convince our people that the change is necessary and will provide a better experience going forward? Some of the best ideas will come from the coalface and we must have leadership to enable people to think digitally and reimagine processes.

While I work in the private sector, I understand the silo mentalities which can exist between government departments.

Simultaneously, often the appetite for risk is diminished by a fear of making a mistake. This is a bigger challenge in the public sector where you are audited and subject to other checks and balances that could suppress an innovative culture due to a fear of making a mistake.

To what extent is digital transformation about making a cultural leap?

Mary O’Connor One of the big challenges is that when we talk about digital programmes and digital within an organisation, people automatically assume it’s all about data and technology. In reality, it’s primarily about a different way of working and cultivating a different mindset. Concepts like customer experience, employee experience, design thinking and working with initiative can be very new for people.

Getting staff comfortable with those and recognising their value is important. As

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George referenced, there should be an emphasis on leadership and the ability to persuade others. As much as possible, we need to leave behind the big business cases and projects, instead pursuing more iterative change with focus on experience more than processes. Digital transformation is about convincing people of the value of that change and showing them a new way of working rather than fixating on the technology.

Paul Duffy I always find the phrase ‘digital transformation’ interesting because its scope and meaning is interpreted in many different ways. Within central government in Northern Ireland, I don’t think that we have really embraced or exploited digital transformation to its full extent. We have certainly made significant steps in digitalising many of our services, having them put online and introducing mobile technology to make them more efficient.

There are pockets of innovation, but the level of disruption that is required to truly transform services has not been exploited.

That takes courage and a willingness to take risk, and accept a degree of failure.

Unfortunately we tend to talk about “digital” transformation, which automatically prompts you to think about the technology solution, rather than the business change which may, or may not, be enabled through technology.

Tim Willoughby We’ve adopted a principle of ‘love the problem, not the solution’. That means addressing the problem we’re trying to solve. It’s about examining the organisation through the lens of the 14,000 Garda Members on the frontline rather than focusing on how IT delivers its

service. We’re slowly changing the culture by enabling members to utilise all the innovative tools from user centric design to hackathons and collaboration with other organisations. The frontline is where the major change is going to happen. There’s huge support from the leadership in terms of finance and support of the whole innovation process.

Tony Shannon The public sector has had a reputed culture of working in silos and resistance to change. It may have got us this far, but if you look at the wicked challenges that we now face, be it Covid-19 or climate change, we are being propelled into an era of major change whether we like it or not.

This will demand major change programmes on a scale and complexity that has never been confronted before.

That’s going to demand cultural change, particularly from our people, and we’ll have to react with positive disruption. Some of the solutions that have already been mentioned, including a more agile approach and an open approach to the data and technology involved are culturally challenging for a sector that is known for being conservative and tied to waterfall style rollouts of proprietary technology.

Now, we’re being shaken out of that comfort zone because we know that it hasn’t delivered well enough for the public sector and particularly for the citizens we serve.

George Maybury Large organisations have a tendency to look internally at times. That is natural, whether it’s from the perspective of BT, Dell Technologies, An Garda Síochána or ESB. The challenge for me is to put Dell Technologies in the shoes of its customers

natural instinct is for robust checks and balances and governance arrangements, however the delivery of technology solutions is more agile and delivered at pace, which conflicts with the governance and controls that have been in place for traditional ways of delivery. We are using agile methodologies and approaches for digital development which is also challenging our risk appetite and our willingness and acceptance of failure as a possible outcome. I would like to see our governance align better with new ways of delivery so ultimately we get a better outcome for citizens.

Hypothetically, if there was one initiative you could immediately implement with regard to digital transformation, what would it be and why?

Tim Willoughby

Mary O’Connor If I had a magic wand, I would wave it over ESB and make it so that everybody completely understands what digital means in terms of alternative ways of working and for them to be completely bought into that. I’d like to disrupt routines, challenge people and cultivate enthusiasm for the level of change ahead.

I’d like people to see the potential and be eager for digital transformation.

Paul Duffy I am quite conflicted on this issue because as a former finance director, my

From an external point of view, it would be fantastic if the National Broadband Plan was finished. We have 565 Garda stations, not all of them in the main cities, some of them are at the very edge of the country and we’ve had to use smart technology to get them connected. I want every Garda to have the same opportunity to connect in the same way. We also need a much greater appreciation for what open source and open data can do for us.

A new area that we’re working on with some colleagues is inner source, so we can share policing-sourced material with other countries behind our firewalls. It is slightly different from the open source sharing of the Irish Covid app, but demonstrates the power of different thinking coming together and adopting processes from others can move us way above where we are now.

Tony Shannon If I was to pick one it would be trying to improve digital services by using the advantage of the Data Sharing and

Governance Act that we now have to implement. We have a view that if we can get the Civil Service and public bodies to think about this the right way to make citizens’ lives better and make sure the data sharing and governance is done better, then they can be more encouraged to work across boundaries and provide joined-up government that will make people’s lives better. I think if we can get our focus on that across government, it will really help.

round table discussion

or service providers to solve their problems. By doing that, it’s possible to change mindsets. For instance, from Dell Technologies’ perspective, we are investing our time developing a growth mindset and changing how we think rather than on the technology we sell. Leadership has an important role in facilitating this.

Since first rolling out our Connected Workplace Programme in 2009, remote working has become standard practice for our team members with our senior leaders, including Michael Dell, driving a change in how we view work; it is what you do and not a place you go.

George Maybury Looking beyond 2020 to 2025, I think the pace of change is going to further accelerate as there is a shift to processing data at the edge due to the arrival of 5G and other low-cost next generation wireless technologies. Gartner predicts that, by 2025, 75 per cent of enterprise data will be created and processed at the edge outside of traditional data centres or clouds. That’s an increase of 10 per cent on 2018. Personally, I’m very excited about this for industries such as healthcare where monitoring devices such as glucose monitors, health tools and other sensors are either not currently connected, or where they are, large volumes of unprocessed data from devices are stored on a third-party cloud.

This may present security concerns for healthcare providers. An edge on the hospital site could process data locally to maintain data privacy. Edge also enables right-time notifications to practitioners of unusual patient trends or behaviours, through analytics and AI, and the creation of 360-degree view patient dashboards for full visibility.

“We’ve adopted a principle of ‘love the problem, not the solution’. That means addressing the problem we’re trying to solve. It’s about examining the organisation through the lens of the 14,000 Garda Members on the frontline rather than focusing on how IT delivers its service.”

Tim Willoughby, Head of Digital Services and Innovation in An Garda Síochána

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issues eolas

Complex systems change

Genio Executive Director Madeleine Clarke and Deputy Executive Director John Healy.

For over 10 years, Genio has successfully worked across some of the most significant and challenging social service fields in Ireland including disability, homelessness, mental health, dementia and addiction. Genio Executive Director Madeleine Clarke and Deputy Executive Director John Healy write.

Social services in Ireland are very complex and delivered by a large network of statutory and non-governmental organisations. The number of stakeholders and the complexity of the relationships is a key challenge in changing and modernising systems.

Meanwhile, the population of the State is now at its highest level since 1861 and will likely increase beyond 5 million by 2026 and beyond 6 million by 2046 (CSO, 2013). Life expectancy has increased with an expected rise in chronic disease by 40 per cent by 2020 (IPH, 2010).

Genio’s experience tells us that the main obstacle to systems-level reform is not usually a lack of innovative ideas, but a 30

eolas issues

lack of engagement with the real and complex challenges of bringing about systems change. This article outlines eight key lessons we have learned in working with colleagues in government agencies to introduce innovation and change in complex systems.

1. Recognise and learn about the challenges in the system you are seeking to reform It is helpful to learn about previous attempts at change and the deeply ingrained assumptions that people implementing the current system hold.

Innovations need to be shaped in ways that understand the system in parallel with any attempts at reform. In particular, those

introducing new practices should be curious about what people for whom the service is being designed believe will work for them. Bringing people using services into the heart of reform efforts by listening and responding to their perspectives can provide an important counterbalance to the views of those invested in the status quo.

2. Find ways to encourage open thinking in rule-bound environments This is a big challenge in systems that are characterised by compliance with regulations and guidance. While it is important to ensure adherence to good practice, some approaches to evidencing

issues eolas

compliance can also undermine capacity to be resourceful, creative and innovative.

People need support to develop a creative, innovative mind-set, to learn to think in an open way that takes account of the governance issues but also unlocks resourcefulness.

3. Seek out opportunities and get protected space for ideas to get traction It is important to create protected space for a new practice to be tried and embedded. This often works better when resources can be dedicated to new ways of doing things, rather than adding new responsibilities to existing jobs. Usually, staff are struggling to achieve multiple objectives and management often have urgent, emerging crises that require a response. The Service Reform Fund (€45 million combining State/philanthropic funding) provided resources to help embed reform in mental health, disability and homelessness services. For example, within mental health services, the fund enabled the HSE to dedicate resources to introduce an evidence-based, mainstream employment programme called Individual Placement and Support (IPS). Dedicated staff were recruited and trained to develop and embed the programme within the mental health system nationally.

4. Start small and build out from a coalition of the willing It is better to start small and to build from a coalition of the willing. Going straight for large-scale change without a scaling strategy is difficult (unless there is threat of a pandemic or other major consequence for behaviour change). For example, in Ireland a model known as Housing First aimed at long-term homeless populations, was introduced to Cork, Galway and Limerick after an initial pilot in Dublin. The target numbers were low in order to ensure that service integration could be agreed and embedded across regions.

Housing First is now being rolled out to larger numbers based on learning and successes from the initial introduction.

5. Optimise peer-to-peer learning Peer learning can help people develop deeper understanding, greater confidence and autonomy. For example, when supporting people with disabilities to move from institutional congregated settings, it is better for residents to learn from those

“Genio’s experience tells us that the main obstacle to systems-level reform is not usually a lack of innovative ideas, but a lack of engagement with the real and complex challenges of bringing about systems change.” who have moved already, where this is possible, and for their families to learn from other families. Similarly, it is better for staff to discuss concerns with those who are already working in a different way. In our experience, this is much more compelling than managers or others trying to persuade them of the benefits of change.

these practices, and the situations in

6. Prioritise the views of those who use services in the reform process

systems change. Transition funds can:

It is often argued that the most respectful way to introduce change is to get everyone who will be affected into the room to develop a shared vision. In our experience this can be the death knell of reform as it can immediately offer a platform to those who have vested interests in opposing change. There should be a rigorous process used to ensure that the voice of those using services are at the centre of discussions. This requires thought and preparation to ensure that views are gathered and represented is design processes.

7. Choose methods suited to complex challenges: Simplistic, prescriptive tools are not helpful Simplistic models and tools that offer a sense of being at the cutting edge, but not based on any track record or evidence, are best avoided. In our experience, carefully sequenced strategies using action research methods during implementation are more helpful. Genio uses action research to encourage self-reflective enquiry by those involved in developing, managing and delivering services 'in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of

which the practices are carried out' (Carr and Kemmis 1986: 162).

8. Use innovation/transition funding to get from the old to the new Relatively small amounts of funding, separate from the operating budget of the public service, can result in successful

•

incentivise the implementation of innovations;

•

enable systems with ongoing responsibilities to transition to more innovative models where less costeffective approaches are reduced, and resources are gradually transferred to newer models;

•

support end-user engagement;

•

resource capacity-building activities for key personnel; and

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provide for research and evaluation to capture and disseminate learning and measure outcomes.

2020 has seen dramatic and unprecedented change. The global Covid19 pandemic affects everyone regardless of age, gender, race or wealth. However, vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens are most at risk and likely to be worst affected during and post-crisis due to significant strains on our economies, resources and services. It has never been more important to identify ways of supporting innovation that refocuses resources in a more costeffective, evidence-based direction.

eolas issues

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issues eolas

Dublin drops in smart rankings In each city ranked, 120 citizens were asked questions in April and May 2020 on the technological provisions of their city across five key areas: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance. The final score for each city was computed using the perceptions of the last two years of the survey.

The findings suggest there are advantages to granting mayors and local authorities greater powers, with the goal of improving the wellbeing of citizens through the implementation of technology.

Dublin has fallen out of the top 30 smart cities rankings, with access to affordable housing being cited as a priority going forward.

ranked as the top three smart cities in the 2020 survey, displacing Oslo from last

Traffic congestion, air pollution and medical service provision were also identified as being in urgent need of attention from a list of key indicators which contribute to the smart city ranking.

to improve traffic congestion. A further 69 per cent said they were comfortable with

year’s podium. Expectedly, the biggest changes were recognised in cities

face recognition technologies to lower

considered underdeveloped, where

crime. However, less than 60 per cent

improvements in digital services have had

believed that the availability of online

a greater effect on public perception.

Dublin fell by four places to 34th out of 109 cities in the Institute for Management Development (IMD) 2020 Smart City Index. Index rankings are based on economic and technological data, as well as by a city’s own citizens’ perceptions of how smart their cities are.

information has increased their trust in

Interestingly, another finding highlighted in

authorities.

the survey is the rise of some second

Asked to identify their five most urgent areas for the city from a range of 15 indicators, more than 86 per cent of participants listed affordable housing, making in the single largest priority area for all questioned.

The next area of concern was health services, identified by just under 60 per cent or participants. Security (46 per cent) and congestion (44 per cent) highlighted by a similar number of people, while public transport (37 per cent), made up the list of the top five identified areas.

Also included in the data released with the latest rankings was individual city attitude survey results. Almost 62 per cent of citizens surveyed said they were willing to concede personal data in order

32

Singapore, Helsinki and Zurich were

eolas issues

Dublin was one of many European cities

cities. Bilbao, for example, fared better in

to experience a fall in their rankings, in a

the rankings than the capital of Spain,

year where a correlation has arisen

Madrid. In the UK, Birmingham saw a rise

between smarter cities and those

of 12 places compared to only a five-

handling the pandemic better.

place improvement for London.

City

Smart City Rank 2019

Smart City Rank 2020

Singapore

1

1

Helsinki

2

8

Zurich

3

2

Auckland

4

6

Oslo

5

3

Copenhagan

6

5

Geneva

7

4

Taipei City

8

7

Amsterdam

9

11

New York

10

38

Dublin

34

30

Transformation: Delivering value through change

Justice report

Sponsored by

Transformation: Delivering value through change

Minister for Justice: Helen McEntee TD justice report

also made McEntee the fourth female Minister for Justice in the history of the State, following Máire Geoghegan-Quinn of Fianna Fáil and Nora Owen and Frances Fitzgerald of Fine Gael.

Since the appointment, McEntee has had to deal with the challenges of Covid-19 has thrown up like all ministers. In McEntee’s case, this has mainly concerned the enforcement powers given to Gardaí around Covid regulations and the penalties associated with their breachings.

A familar face in the halls of Leinster House since 2010 and a TD since 2013. Helen McEntee’s appointment as Minister for Justice is her first major ministerial portfolio in her seven-year parliamentary career.

McEntee has been a fixture within Leinster House since she began work as the personal assistant of her father, Shane McEntee, in 2010. The elder McEntee was at the time serving Fine Gael TD for Meath East and upon Fine Gael’s 2011 election win was named Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety. She was first elected as a TD in 2013.

McEntee was returned in the Meath East constituency in the 2020 General Election, as the only Fine Gael TD in the three-seat constituency. Darren O’Rourke of Sinn Féin topped the poll with 24.4 per cent of first preference votes and was elected on the second count, displacing incumbent Regina Doherty. Despite the dip in her party’s popularity in the constituency, McEntee actually increased her first preference 34

vote share from 2016, claiming 18.5 per cent, an increase on her 2016 showing of 18.3 per cent, with Doherty bearing the brunt of the constituency’s turn against Fine Gael, collecting just 10 per cent of first preference votes. Following the elimination of the Doherty, McEntee was comfortably elected on the former’s transfers on the seventh count, with fellow incumbent and now partner-ingovernment Thomas Byrne of Fianna Fáil also deemed elected on the same count.

Once agreement had been reached between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party to form a tri-party coalition government, McEntee was appointed Minister for Justice by new Taoiseach Micheál Martin, making her one of four female ministers in the 32nd Government of Ireland. The appointment

Other moves made in her fledgling tenure so far include steps towards the modernisation and reform of the Irish family law court system. The Minister was given approval by the Cabinet in September for the drafting of a Family Court Bill that will see the establishment of a District Family Court, a Circuit Family Court and a Family High Court as divisions within existing court structures. The move would also see the creation of principal judge positions within each of these new courts. The Minister said: “The development of sensible, comprehensive and sensitive family law procedures, particularly for vulnerable families, will be central to the new system.”

One of the more notable legislative changes on McEntee’s agenda is the Dying with Dignity Bill, the bill sponsored

by People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny that would legalise assisted dying in Ireland. McEntee told a Dáil debate that assisted dying is a complex issue with a myriad of ethical, moral medical, criminal justice and constitutional issues attached to it that would require further scrutiny, with the Government proposing that a committee be set up to examine the issue over the next 12 months.

For McEntee and her government, that 12 months will be crucial for other reasons, as they seek to overcome a Covid- and confusion-scarred start to begin to implement their legislative programme. With a record justice budget of €3 billion at disposal, McEntee’s focus will be on the recruitment of extra Gardaí and Garda

Transformation: Delivering value through change

staff, the modernisation of the sector’s digital infrastructure and the implementation of recommendations made by the O’Malley Report on Protections for Vulnerable Witnesses in the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Offences.

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up to 620 new Gardaí and 500 Garda staff, as part of efforts to return Gardaí to frontline duties;

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€42 million to modernise the justice sector through increased digital and ICT investment, including €8 million for the Courts Modernisation Programme and €5 million for the Department of Justice ICT strategy;

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€27 million for Covid-related measures;

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€10 million in capital expenditure and €4.4 million in current expenditure for Forensic Science Ireland;

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€2.7 million in increased funding to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as support for victims;

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an extra €2 million to fund additional staffing for the Data Protection Commission and help it achieve its goal of having well in excess of 200 staff by the end of 2021; and

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an overall increase of €147 million in current expenditure and €51 million capital funding in the justice sector, bringing the total justice increase for Budget 2021 to almost €200 million.

Electoral history Following the death of her father in December 2012, McEntee contested the 2013 by-election to fill his vacant seat and was elected on the third count, defeating Thomas Byrne, the Fianna Fáil TD who had lost his seat in 2011 but would go on to regain it in 2016 and now serves in the same government as McEntee, and Darren O’Rourke, now a Sinn Féin TD for Meath East. McEntee’s win was the first by-election win for Fine Gael while in government since Enda Kenny had succeeded his father in 1975. Her election at the age of 26 made McEntee the second youngest TD in the Dáil at the time, older only than

justice report

Announced measures for the record budget so far include:

Helen McEntee TD with Paulo Rangel of the EPP.

“The development of sensible, comprehensive and sensitive family law procedures, particularly for vulnerable families, will be central to the new system.”

Simon Harris, and the youngest female TD. She received a standing ovation on her entrance into the Dáil and gave her maiden speech in May 2013 and was subsequently appointed to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications and the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. Following a random audit of 22 members of the Oireachtas in 2014, McEntee was ordered to repay €1,675 in claimed expenses that had been deemed ineligible. McEntee attributed this to “human error”.

Following the election, McEntee voiced support for the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil coalition that had been mooted, claiming that it would be a “seismic change in the political landscape”, but the idea was rejected by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael instead formed a minority government with independent TDs that was guaranteed by a confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil.

McEntee was appointed Minister of

State for Mental Health and Older People, one of 18 junior ministerial roles in the Government, making her one of four women holding such a position at the time.

Following the succession of Enda Kenny as Taoiseach by Leo Varadkar, McEntee was appointed as Minister of State for European Affairs, a role which saw her given a position within the ongoing Brexit talks between the EU and the UK. In 2019, she called on the British Government to honour their commitments with regard to the Irish backstop. McEntee argued that the backstop was necessary in order to avoid a hard border in Ireland and protect the peace process because of the UK Government’s “red lines” on leaving the European single market and customs union. Later in 2019, McEntee was elected Vice-President of the European People’s Party, Fine Gael’s European party group, at their conference in Zagreb.

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Delivering sustained transformation in the justice sector justice report

it operates, the services it delivers, the users and stakeholders, its business processes, the channels it uses (for example, face to face, online, etc.), the organisation structure, locations, its people, technology and data. It is only through addressing every one of these layers that lasting change can be delivered. This takes time, perseverance and energy from leaders and their teams. Fatigue can set in or resistance develop, but is exactly at these times leaders need to hold their nerve, be clear on the journey and see the change through.

Planning for continuous evolution

As government, society and business grapple with the impact of Covid-19, the need to deliver sustained transformation in the justice sector has never been clearer, writes Shane Mohan, National Government and Public Services Leader, Deloitte.

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Change in a justice sector is hard, constituent organisations are typically steeped in years of history; they are (often for good reason) highly procedural; have operational mandates that challenge longer term strategic thinking; are subject to high levels of public scrutiny; and operate within substantive legislative and governance frameworks.

Nevertheless, most organisations across the Irish justice sector have recognised the need for change, and for a variety of reasons have embarked on significant transformation and modernisation programmes. Some of these have started by addressing organisational and governance layers. But it is critical that (a) change goes much deeper than just

36

structure; (b) is seen as part of a continuous evolution; and (c) is coordinated with other programmes across the justice sector and broader Irish public service.

Delivering lasting change Globally, many justice sector organisations still largely operate based on in-person interactions, manual processes, dated technology and poor quality data. These structures, systems and processes are not fit for the new service models demanded by citizens, businesses and other stakeholders.

At Deloitte, when we support our clients through transformation journeys we consider the whole organisation and how

Across public services it is increasingly clear that change is now continuous, some of this is predictable as services adopt to citizen needs and preference such as digital delivery; others less so such as major economic, social and health events.

In the justice sector, specifically, there is continuous change across the criminal, civil and commercial spectrums ranging from international terrorism and organised crime; increased financial, economic and cyber-crime; and evolution in society’s expectations around equality, justice and personal freedoms.

Therefore, change may start with a large transformation programme, but it is critical that leaders understand that their organisation and the sector in which they operate will continue to face new challenges on an ongoing basis. Hence, the need to build lasting capabilities and a flexible and adaptive mind-set in leaders at all levels is critical.

Taking a sector wide view It is increasingly clear that transformation of public services requires coordination across many agencies. Sector wide transformation,

Transformation: Delivering value through change

particularly in a complex stakeholder environment such as Justice, requires a systemic approach that steps beyond the boundaries of individual agencies, Departments and service providers. This covers everything from alignment on policy and purpose, a shared view of service user needs and expectations, consistent systems and processes, and appropriate sharing of data. There are many examples of where this has been done locally and internationally, but this integration must be delivered at scale.

Additionally, it is not just public service bodies that have to be considered. The response to Covid-19 has shown the power of public sector organisations working collaboratively with the education sector, NGOs, industry and others to create innovative solutions at pace.

Key tips for sustained transformation

•

Based on a breadth of research undertaken by Deloitte, and practical experience of working with many justice sector and other public service organisations on their transformation journeys, there are a number of trends that we would highlight as being important considerations: •

Workforce capabilities: Public service organisations today are increasingly moving from simplistic resourcing models to much more sophisticated and continuous workforce planning which identifies the skills, capabilities and capacity that the organisation needs and how, when and where that needs to be deployed to meet varying service and operational demands.

•

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Data management, access, sharing and privacy: Are long standing challenges, along with the ability to turn available data into useful information to inform management decision making.

Additionally, Governments are seeking to become ‘anticipatory’, building deeper capabilities in modelling and predictive analytics so that they can better prepare for everything from changing operational needs to large-scale crises, rather than just reacting to them.

capability that exponentially increases government’s ability to deliver better services, respond to changing events or mitigate a crisis.

Governments need to embrace this opportunity but in a transparent manner.

Covid-19 is the trigger that will fundamentally change government across the world, and force many to fundamentally reimagine how public services are delivered. It is a global pandemic layered upon years of economic, social, demographic and technological change that is accelerating all the time. These and other major issues, from Brexit to immigration and the growth of extremism, have had and will continue to have a profound impact on our justice sector and the agencies within it.

However, this context provides the opportunity and momentum for sustainable, integrated change across the sector.

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•

Design around the user: Both within and across agencies it is critical that the service users are at the heart of transformation programme. Understanding their needs and expectations, and how and when they wish to engage is critical. Of course, in a justice setting not everything is at the user’s discretion! However, the reality is that even in a police or courts context the vast majority of interactions are where citizens are looking for advice, support and information; or to access a particular service.

Technology and digital infrastructure: Covid-19 has shown the importance of a digitally enabled workforce and the ability for citizens to access services through multiple online channels. Of course, this has been the trend for many years where citizens, reflecting how we operate in other areas of our lives, expect our public services to be similarly available. Interoperability across agencies and the ability to share data are other critical considerations. To meet these needs almost every justice sector organisation has had to invest heavily in its technology infrastructure.

justice report

“The power of public sector organisations working collaboratively with the education sector, NGOs, industry and others to create innovative solutions at pace.”

Shane Mohan, National Government and Public Services Leader T: +353 1 417 2543 E: smohan@deloitte.ie W: www.deloitte.ie

Ecosystems and alliances: Businesses, universities, research labs and other stakeholders can contribute the capacity and

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Credit: Department of Justice

justice report

Transformation: Delivering value through change

Justice in brief Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne TD and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD.

The formation of the new coalition Government has injected fresh impetus into the ambitions under the auspices of the Department of Justice and Equality. eolas examines current justice policy priorities across the Civil Justice and Equality and the Criminal Justice pillars.

Helen McEntee TD succeeded Charlie Flanagan TD as Minister for Justice in June 2020. McEntee is only the fourth female to be appointed to the office in the history of the State, her female predecessors being Máire Geoghehan Quinn, Nora Owen and Frances Fitzgerald. Bodies within the policy remit of McEntee’s department are An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service, the Irish Prison Service, policing oversight bodies and others ranging from the Irish Film Classification Office to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and from the Probation Service to the Office of the State Pathologist.

Within such broad responsibilities, Minister McEntee has settled on Garda Reform, domestic violence and the modernisation of IT facilities as her fundamental priorities.

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This mirrors the Building Stronger and Safer Communities mission within the Programme for Government (PfG), with which, for instance, the tri-party coalition has committed to ensuring that community policing will be “a key part of our Social Contract with Citizens and will place it at the centre of policing policy”.

Other headline PfG commitments include curbing corruption and whitecollar crime, implementing courts reform, tackling anti-social behaviour, undertaking prison and penal reform, addressing hate crime, confronting domestic and sexual violence; supporting victims of crime; ensuring online safety; and protecting Ireland’s cybersecurity.

In autumn 2019, the Department of Justice underwent fundamental restructuring and is now aligned under

dual pillars, Civil Justice and Equality and Criminal Justice, each with their own Deputy Secretary General. Oonagh Buckley occupies the Civil Justice and Equality position while there is a vacancy in Criminal Justice after Oonagh McPhillips replaced Aidan O’Driscoll as Secretary General of the Department. Each pillar has policy, legislation, governance and operations and service delivery functions.

The briefing document prepared for Justice Minister Helen McEntee by Department of Justice and Equality officials upon her appointment outlines the current priorities of each pillar.

Civil Justice and Equality pillar The first priority of the Civil Justice and Equality pillar is to collaborate with the

Transformation: Delivering value through change

International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) and Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) to develop “evidence-based and strategic polices” for migration, immigration and international protection.

justice report

The second priority is to formulate a strategy and develop evidence-based policies to support the Courts Service in digitally improving access to civil justice and courts reform as per the report of the group chaired by the former President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly.

Other priorities include: •

beginning to establish new organisations arising from priority legislation;

Credit: Michael Foley

fulfilling international reporting obligations on disability, human rights and gender;

service demand; and implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Direct Provision and an Interdepartmental Group.

•

embedding the Judicial Council;

Criminal Justice pillar

•

supporting the performance of civil justice sector agencies;

Within the criminal justice pillar, there are four major spheres of focus.

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concluding the Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme; and

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resettling 650 refugees in Ireland, including 100 people through the Community Sponsorship Programme.

1. Garda reform: The second iteration of the four-year plan, ‘A Policing Service for the Future: Implementing the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland’, incorporates a significant number of projects.

These include a Policing and Community Safety Bill; a body-worn camera Bill; a Garda Powers Bill; and the discarding of non-core functions.

•

The briefing document highlights seven pieces of legislation to be progressed, including “legislation to assist courts in managing the effects of Covid-19” and Property Services Regulation (Amendment) and related European Pre-Infringement Proceedings. The five others are also listed in the Programme for Government are: •

the implementation and amendment legislation for Assisted DecisionMaking (Capacity) Act 2015;

•

a Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill;

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the enaction of a Family Court Bill;

•

the enaction of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill; and

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a Courts and Civil Liability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

Within Immigration Service Delivery specifically, priorities include minimising the risks associated with Covid-19 in Direct Provision centres and Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROCs); investing in people and systems and updating policies to meet

2. Brexit: Criminal justice priorities relating to Brexit include: data protection; extradition; Schengen Information System II; Passenger Name Recognition and the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS).

3. Security: Security priorities include: the development of “strategic policies and legislation to enhance capability”; developing north-south cooperation “in combatting terrorist activity”; and establishing institutions to address the legacy of ‘the Troubles’.

4. Criminal courts: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Department priority is to collaborate with the judiciary and the Courts Service to determine measures to safeguard criminal trials through public health restrictions and

explore alternatives to prosecution for minor offences.

There are also a number of major capital projects within the criminal justice sphere either ongoing or not yet commenced. These are: •

a new Forensic Science Ireland laboratory facility in Backweston, County Kildare which is expected be completed in 2021/2022;

•

the relocation of Dublin Metropolitan Region HQ from Harcourt Square to Military Road which is expected to be completed in 2022;

•

the redevelopment of Limerick Prison which is due for completion in 2021;

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the ongoing Garda ICT programme; and

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a Garda PPP bundle which includes new stations at Macroom, County Cork and Clonmel, County Tipperary.

Additional criminal justice priorities for the Department include responding to forthcoming and published reports, particularly implementing the findings of the O’Malley Review of Protections for Vulnerable Witnesses in the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Offences; implementing the Parole Act 2019 and establishing an independent statutory Parole Board; and progressing the legislative programme which incorporates measures facilitating increased use of video link; EU transposition; Garda reform; a Criminal Procedure Bill; and hate crime legislation.

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Keeping courts and court services open and safe during the ongoing pandemic justice report

processes that were cumbersome, technical and inefficient for users. In that respect we were genuinely surprised when Covid-19 hit how innovative our staff, the Judiciary and participants right across the system were in delivering necessary change and at such pace.”

Setting out the primary focus of ensuring the courts stayed open and the significance of this, Denning states: “There is no point in having a constitution if you can’t access the courts in order to uphold your rights under that constitution.”

The major challenge was the pace at which decisions had to be made to keep the doors open and ensure people were safe, explains Denning, who quickly ensured that any staff could work from home did so to ensure additional space for those required to be on site.

Chief Executive of the Courts Service, Angela Denning, discusses how the recognised need for modernisation has been accelerated in response to the pandemic.

The outbreak of the pandemic presented major challenges for the public-facing and traditional nature of the Courts Service, explains Denning, who rejoined in 2019 to lead on the 10-year modernisation programme.

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The significance of any changes to the traditional model delivery can be recognised in appreciating the reach of the Courts Service. Operating with almost 1,100 staff, who support 176 judges, the Courts Service look after the affairs of more than 2,700 wards of court, the most vulnerable citizens in society. Additionally, in 2019 the Courts Service processed approximately 678,000 civil and criminal matters and dealt with some 17,000 applications for probate.

This reach was recognised by the Courts Service who, prior to the

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pandemic, initiated a modernisation programme on the back of a capability review carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), as well as contributions to the Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality from members of the Judiciary, Law Society, Bar Council, members of the public and advocacy groups, which all demanded reform of the courts.

Explaining the need for reform, Denning says: “We hadn't kept pace with digital change and couldn't provide the digital solutions and services being demanded by users and the ultimate goal of our modernisation programme is to streamline our services to make them quicker, easier for users and more cost efficient and effective.

“The traditional model of the courts meant that it had time consuming

“We took a whole-of-organisation approach to that mobilisation, splitting up teams and introducing Saturday working in some Dublin offices.

Additionally, the Courts Service organised drop boxes where possible to reduce the number of people entering court buildings and initiating appointment-only access to court offices.”

Process adaptation was required under new restrictions. Denning explains that following an assessment of the Courts Service’s whole estate, in many cases, existing court houses weren’t big enough to stage jury trials and the requirement for innovation was realised.

The Chief Executive explains that not all of the innovation identified has been ground-breaking. Greater collaboration between the Judiciary and the Courts Service has facilitated regular meetings on progress around the likes of remote courts and alternative venues. Similarly, the establishment of a Covid-19 response team saw a shift and improvement of communications.

Communication “We moved to Twitter immediately as a

means to communicate with our users, recognising it as the best method to deliver just-in-time information. We also adopted a more structured approach to communications, recognising the need for all of our stakeholders to receive messaging in a consistent manner.”

Denning adds: “We also built on our relationship with the Department of Justice. As soon as the new Government was formed, we had legislation in place to assist us, for videolinks to prisons, for example. We also worked closely with the Department on the ‘Still Here’ campaign, a whole-ofGovernment campaign where different organisations worked to let victims of domestic violence know that facilities were still available to them if needed.”

Highlighting how coordination and collaboration has helped accelerate modernisation and the major changes that have been brought about, Denning says that the primary challenge was managing footfall. “The days where large numbers gathered in a courthouse in the morning and working through the list are not suitable for a pandemic,” she states, explaining that the Courts Service have now introduced staggered lists and attendances at courthouses.

In relation to maintenance payments, Denning says the Courts Service made efforts to remove as many manual collections of maintenance payments from the court offices as possible and to switch to EFT.

Collaboration

digital solutions and services being demanded by users.” usually needed to transport prisoners to court are now freed up to deal with the isolation space when new prisoners are brought in.”

online and the new eLicensing system,

Technology has also been an enabler of change, says Denning, pointing to the Courts Services use of Sharefile, software that had to be introduced to allow practitioners to upload documents to be viewed by Judges online, where previously they were transported in hard copy. Another enabling technology for the Courts Service is the use of iAuditor, an app being introduced to allow for checks on protective measure supports, such as hand sanitiser availability and accurate signage, accounted for in real time and therefore dealt with more efficiently than the paper-based legacy system.

liquor licensing. Additionally, The

However, Denning is clear that the most significant change has been the introduction of remote courts, which she says she could not have envisaged that, when she took the job of CEO just over one year ago, they would be operational within the year. “Our IT estate had suffered from underinvestment over the years but in very quick time we were able to repurpose existing technology at no additional cost and to date we’ve had over 1,000 remote court sessions, which have been recognised as a significant way forward by all involved.”

which can facilitate fee waivers and central processing of refunds, in support of the Governments change in policy on Department of Justice have introduced new legislation to enable increased use of remote courts and videolinks including facilitating a switch from sworn affidavits to sworn statements of truth for online use.

Looking to the future, Denning says that the Courts Service vision is to combine the lessons learnt from the pandemic response with ambitions for further modernisation. “We’ve learned an awful lot in recent months about our culture, the dedication of our staff, motivating factors for staff and court users and about the levels of change we can deliver when working cohesively.

“We want to build on that culture shift that we’ve seen across the professions and continue to be open to new ideas and learning,” concludes Denning.

For more information on the Courts Service visit www.courts.ie

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One of the most innovative changes delivered at pace has been the establishment of videolinks to prisons, for courts. Hailing that the number of videolinks to prisons have more than doubled in response to Covid compared to 2019, Denning adds: “From the outset the serious implications of, Covid-19 getting in to the prison system were recognised. We spoke to the Judiciary and as a result we've had over 6,000 videolinks. That’s not only increased safety for all involved but brought about greater efficiencies in that prison officers

change and couldn't provide the

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Denning reached out to external stakeholders and established a weekly meeting whereby she could brief them in advance and that information could then be dispersed to their membership through their own established mechanisms of communication.

“We hadn't kept pace with digital

Outlining the scale of modernisation that has occurred in recent months, Denning says: “I think we’ve come a couple of hundred years in a few months. We have learnt a lot and have much to take with us into the future.”

In hoping to continue the modernisation at pace and build on current momentum, Denning and the Probate team have also recently supported Revenue’s move of the tax aspects of probate

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Credit Michael Foley

Transformation: Delivering value through change

Justice legislation priorities In the context of the formation of the tri-party coalition and the agreed Programme for Government, across each of the Department of Justice and Equality’s two pillars, Civil Justice and Equality and Criminal Justice, there are a number of legislative priorities.

Within the Department of Justice and Equality’s functional model, each pillar has a several functions, one of which is legislation. As well as drafting primary and secondary legislation, the legislation function is responsible for creating and progressing bills through the Attorney General’s Office and the Oireachtas. Working both on Irish law and the transposition of EU and international law, the legislation function consults with relevant stakeholders and collaborates with other functions (for instance, governance and policy). This ensures that relevant implications are considered at each stage of the legislative process.

Across the pillars, the legislation function is led by assistant secretaries John O’Callaghan, Head of Civil Justice and Equality Legislation and Michael Flahive, Head of Criminal Justice Legislation.

Civil Justice and Equality The Department has outlined 10 pieces of legislation and legislative reviews which are currently active within the Civil Justice and Equality legislation function and are at varying degrees of preparation or passage through the Oireachtas. Subject to government priorities, these are between one and

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two years from preparation to enactment. These 10 active pieces are: 1. Defamation Law Review and Amending Bill; 2. Property Services (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill; 3. Personal Insolvency Review/Personal Insolvency and Bankruptcy Amending Bill; 4. Future Reform of Licensing and Regulation of Gambling in Ireland; 5. Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2019; 6. Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017; 7. Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Bill 2017; 8. Adoptive Leave and Lactation Breaks; 9. Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016; and 10. Proposed Irish Nationality and Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Criminal Justice Meanwhile, within the Criminal Justice and Equality legislation function, there are several immediate priorities which incorporate the transposition of EU

instruments, alongside Private Members’ Bills that may be restored and other priority areas. In addition, the Department has identified nine pieces of planned legislation in the medium-tolong-term.

One piece of legislation already enacted under the new Government is the Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Act 2020, which was signed into law in September 2020. The Act makes “exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of the disease known as Covid-19 and in order to mitigate, where practicable, the effect of the spread of that disease”.

Transposition of EU instruments Each EU measure includes a date by which it must be implemented. This includes transposition into national law.

Member states are then required to formally notify the European Commission when a measure has been given effect within their jurisdiction.

Failure to implement the measure, transpose properly or to notify are grounds upon which the Commission can undertake infringement

Transformation: Delivering value through change

proceedings. In such circumstances, member states may be subject to significant financial penalty and suffer reputational damage.

In Ireland, the Department of Justice and Equality has 18 live infringements.

Bills required to rectify these infringements include: Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Bill 2020;

Priority areas The Department has also identified several additional criminal justice priorities, of which the following are included in the Programme for Government.

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Smuggling of Persons Bill;

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Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2019;

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hate speech and hate crime legislation;

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Criminal Justice (Counterfeiting) Bill 2020;

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Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Decision on Supervision Measures) Bill 2019; and

Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT);

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Police Powers Bill; and

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Criminal Procedure Bill.

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Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2020.

Private Members’ Bills Upon the dissolution of the Dáil, prior to a general election, bills which are in the process of enactment will lapse. Within the subsequent Dáil, outstanding bills can either be restored to the Order Paper or allowed to lapse. Bills which enjoy cross-party support are more likely to be restored. The Department of Justice has identified three Private Members’ Bills which may be subject to restoration as per their inclusion in the Programme for Government.

1. Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018: The Bill completed its passage through the Seanad in June 2019. A money message was issued by the then government and it completed the second stage in the Dáil in December 2019. The Bill was subsequently adopted as a Government Bill by the previous government.

2. Deputy Brendan Howlin’s Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017: In 2018, the then government agreed to support and amend the Bill and committee stage amendments are near completion for government approval.

3. Senator Lynn Ruane’s Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2018: The Bill was introduced to the

Sanctions) Bill: While the general scheme of a Bill was approved in 2014, it has not been prioritised for drafting. It will provide “a modern statement” of the law governing community sanctions and the role of the Probation Service.

2. Criminal Justice (Passenger Name Records) Bill: The Bill is intended to comply with an EU Council commitment to extend an EU directive relating to external flights into the EU to EU internal flights.

3. Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill: The Bill will give effect to a 2017 EU directive aimed at combatting the ‘foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon’. A draft general scheme is being prepared.

In addition, the Review of protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences (O’Malley Review) was also published in August 2020. Appointed in August 2018 and chaired by Tom O’Malley, the Working Group was tasked to “review and report upon the protections available for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences” in the wake of the Belfast Rape Trial.

4. Cybercrime Bill: The Bill will give effect to outstanding elements of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (the Budapest Convention) enabling Ireland to ratify the 2001 Convention.

The 50 recommendations made by the Working Group are intended to ensure that “victims of sexual crime have access to information and advice from the time at which the offence was committed, that they will be kept informed of the progress of investigation, that they will be facilitated in giving their best evidence if called as witnesses and that they will be treated with respect and dignity throughout the entire process”.

6. Explosives Bill: The Bill will repeal and replace the Explosives Act 1875 with a modern statutory framework for the control, manufacture, storage, importation, transport and supply of explosives.

Helen McEntee welcome the publication of the report, stating: “Developing an ambitious implementation plan is a priority for me as Minister for Justice.” Among the actions to be immediately prioritised is the drafting of legislation to provide for preliminary hearings to help avoid delay in sexual offences cases.

Planned legislation The Department of Justice and Equality has also listed nine medium-to-longterm criminal justice legislation priorities.

1. Criminal Justice (Community

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•

Seanad in December 2018 and passed the Seanad committee stage in November 2019.

5. European Arrest Warrant Act (Amendment) Bill: The Bill will amend the EAW Act and extradition legislation to improve its practical application.

7. International Criminal Court (Amendment) Bill: The Bill give effect to the two Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court made in 2010, including a definition of the crime of aggression.

8. Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill: The Bill will update the Sex Offenders Act 2001 following the 2010 review into the management of sex offenders.

9. Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Amendment) Bill: The Bill will give effect to a 2016 Supreme Court judgement, amending the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act 1995.

The general scheme was approved by government in January 2019 and is currently with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC).

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Unlocking the value in public services data Enda Cusack, Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) Ireland Services Leader, outlines how audio and video technologies have helped solve the challenges of two large public services in the form of the Irish Prison Service and the UK Police Constabulary.

Case study: UK Police Audio insights driving efficiency A constabulary in the North West of England engaged HPE Pointnext Services to help the police gain insight into emergency and non-emergency calls. By collaborating with HPE and partner Intelligent Voice to build a speech-to-text analytics solution based on machine learning, the Constabulary gained valuable statistical insights into all calls, helping the police improve efficiency and effectiveness in serving the public.

Every one of the 1.2 million calls received by the Constabulary each year is recorded, but only those calls for which the police take action are formally logged. All others— about 600,000 calls per year—are unlogged because no action was taken by the police. These inaction calls are referred to as ‘failure demand’, and consequently there was no way for the police to know the nature of all those calls, or if they were handled correctly. Seeking to gain more insights into the unlogged calls, the Constabulary reached out to HPE Pointnext Services.

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HPE brought in technology experts from their Centre of Excellence in Europe and did a lot of listening to understand the Constabulary’s problem, data environment, and objectives. Pointnext Services assembled a project team comprised of computing engineers, data scientists, and speechto-text experts from software partner Intelligent Voice. The team built a prototype voice analytics solution, using a sample of archived audio and worked with the Constabulary team to define key words and phrases that the software could listen for and extract to create categories.

With the data extracted from the audio files, Pointnext Services built a dashboard for the Constabulary, combining approximately 20 call categories with metadata such as the time and day of each call, duration, and operator ID. After the data was cleansed, it was revealed that 60 per cent of nonemergency calls were unlogged, accounting for 40 per cent of overall contact centre workload. The data also showed a spike in non-emergency calls each night at 10 pm. Further research showed 3 per cent of demand related to mental health cases, consuming about 5 per cent of call centre time.

Armed with these insights, the Constabulary are now able to explore alternative contact options to reduce non-emergency demand. Last year the Constabulary was graded outstanding in efficiency by the UK Inspectorate of Constabulary, particularly around their ability to understand demand and utilise funding to provide the right resources to deliver service to the public.

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Data is now being created in more places than ever and in amounts bigger than previously conceived. This explosion of data is bringing with it a mountain of challenges, but also a wealth of opportunities. With the right tools, analysis of this data can provide insights to drive positive outcomes.

Harnessing AI and big data analysis can help create efficiencies, drive competitiveness, attain new customers, discover new sources of revenue, and find new business models.

Organisations who don’t take this opportunity may get left behind.

Audio and video technologies are ready to help public services start using their voice and video data to transform operations and rise to the challenges ahead.

Next steps Public sector organisations deliver essential citizen-based services across Ireland. The challenges faced by these organisations are the challenges faced by the world, they are social, financial, unpredictable, fast-changing, and highly demanding.

These services must keep adapting and growing their capabilities in line with increased demand to tackle new problems. Organisations are already collecting the data they need. By employing intelligent technologies, they can put that data to work and extract the value within, learning more about user needs, their own performance, where resources are being wasted, and how to protect against risk.

By talking to experts, organisations can assess opportunities available to them and access the best technologies on which to build the next generation of public services.

Video surveillance is fundamental to ensure the safety and security of prisoners and staff across Ireland’s 12 prison facilities. The Irish Prison Service operates approximately 5,000 cameras continuously recording the movement and actions of everyone in the facilities, and any incidents captured on video serve as crucial evidence for investigating an incident.

The prison service had been storing incident video on a traditional storage array since 2008; however, it had never been deleted. The service lacked the visibility and a technical process for securely and systematically deleting video, and over so many years, the storage array was running out of capacity. Moreover, the prison service had upgraded its surveillance infrastructure with new high-definition cameras to enhance the visual quality and intelligence of footage to further improve the safety and security of its facilities. That meant larger video files, and even more storage demands.

George Jackson, Head of Information and Communication Technology for the Irish Prison Service, says: “We clearly needed to upgrade our storage infrastructure with a solution that was more scalable, but also provide a method of deleting video to keep our storage levels more manageable from both a capacity and cost perspective.”

Jackson and his team evaluated a number of possible solutions, ultimately selecting one proposed by HPE. The HPE solution included local storage using CTERA running on HPE ProLiant DL380 Servers to capture video 24x7 at each prison facility, and long-term off-site storage built on HPE Apollo 4000 systems and Scality RING to securely retain video of incidents.

Jackson notes: “HPE came to us with an end-to-end solution, which met all of our needs. It provides a level of storage that’s quite large and allows plenty of room for expansion. Also importantly, it gives us the ability to look at the data, determine if it’s still needed or not for an open investigation of the incident, and delete it in a manageable way after four years and one day.”

Storing sensitive video data over a long period requires the utmost in security. However, Jackson and his team also needed a solution that’s easy to manage and enables video data to be deleted when appropriate. HPE and Scality deliver on all counts.

Security, reliability, efficiency, and scalability are essential in a storage solution preserving video data essential to ensuring the safety and security of prison staff and inmates. Jackson underscores this point, saying: “Video data has a huge impact on the safety and security of our staff and prisoners. People’s lives are at stake in extreme cases. Therefore, it’s hugely important that there are safeguards around how the data is stored and secured. HPE and Scality provide us with assurance that those safeguards are in place and that they will work.”

Jackson concludes: “Prisons can be difficult environments, so any technology we use must work. We’ve had a very good relationship with HPE for many years and have confidence in the solution HPE and Scality have brought. It does what it says on the tin. That’s a huge thing for us. If there is an incident, it’s highly important that the solution works and is reliable.”

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Data processing solutions are increasingly accessible. They run in hybrid cloud environments.

Organisations do not need to design or run these environments alone, but can deploy flexible, managed, pay-as-youuse solutions by partnering with experts such as HPE.

A High-definition surveillance video to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners

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Public services are today recording and storing an ever-increasing volume of data for regulatory and other business reasons from many different sources, including audio data from telephony and video data from surveillance. This data has the potential to unlock knowledge that can improve service quality, resource management, reduce risk, provide safer environments, and more effectively manage increased demand.

Case study: Irish Prison Service

To find out more contact: Enda Cusack Hewlett Packard Enterprise T: 00 353 872 361 780 E: enda.cusack@hpe.com W: www.hpe.com/ie/en/solutions/public-sector-industries.html

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Justice: Capital projects Former Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald and former FSI Director General Sheila Willis unveil a model of the new FSI Backweston Campus in 2017.

A number of capital projects in the justice sector are currently in the offing. eolas examines the projects that will change both the physical and digital face of criminal justice in Ireland in the coming years.

Forensic Science Ireland Backweston Campus Main building works began at the new Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) laboratory in Backweston, County Kildare in April 2020. The new laboratory will include approximately 9,550 square metres of internal floor space, which will include state of the art facilities such as air-exchange control to enable air-flow control in DNA sensitive areas such as the DNA database.

The Backweston Campus will also include an additional building, approximately 485 square metres, in order to provide storage for the items and exhibits that are submitted to FSI for examination. The €65 million building is expected to take in the region of two years to complete.

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FSI, as part of the Department of Justice, provides a scientific service for the justice sector by providing forensic analysis of crime scene samples and by providing expert evidence in court cases. Initial sod-turning on the project took place in May 2018, however the project was delayed indefinitely in 2018 due to a lack of tender bids.

Tenders were expected to be awarded in summer 2019, but due to changes in international forensic laboratory standards, the merging of FSI with the Garda Technical Bureau and changes to staff numbers, the tender award was pushed back to the latter half of 2019.

FSI has recently said that more staff will be needed to staff the new facility, with a 25 per cent jump in the numbers of cases handled reported in 2019, and a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in

demand for its services in the first quarter of 2020.

Military Road Work has begun on the €80 million construction of the new command and control centre for An Garda Síochána on Military Road in Dublin 8, near Heuston Station. Originally projected to finished for July 2022, delays have seen that date revised to September 2022, which has prompted warning from the Office of Public Works (OPW) that any further delays will have “huge financial implications”.

Garda specialist units are currently housed in Harcourt Square, but the OPW’s lease on the building they occupy expires at the end of 2022, requiring the completion of the new facility before then in order to facilitate

Transformation: Delivering value through change

the moving. The OPW had voiced its concerns about delays in the signing off of the construction contract at the start of 2020.

The command centre will serve as headquarters of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, the Emergency Response Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Special Detectives Unit. It was hoped that the construction of the building would begin in January 2020, but the failure to sign off the works contract until 10 February meant that the appointed contractor, John Paul Construction, could not begin work until late February. The site was then closed from 28 March until 18 May due to Covid-19.

Limerick Prison Originally approved in 2012 by thenMinister for Justice Alan Shatter, the Irish Prison Service’s redevelopment of Limerick Prison will see them replace the men’s B wing with a 103-cell accommodation block.

Parts of the prison were deemed “not fit for purpose” by a 2012 inspector’s report, causing the uproar that precipitated the passage of the redevelopment plans. The Inspector of Prisons noted serious problems in the prison’s A and B wings such as overcrowding and poor physical conditions.

The refurbishment will include ancillary support services such as additional recreational facilities, kitchen facilities, a dedicated committal unit and a high support unit. In-cell sanitation will also be provided in order to put an end to the practice of slopping out.

At the time of the announcement, 104 inmates were housed in the 55 A and B wing cells, marking an almost 200 per cent use of the single-cell design

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Writing in a letter to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and the then Department of Justice Secretary General Aidan O’Driscoll, OPW Chairman Maurice Buckley said that he could not estimate the cost of further delays: “Suffice it to say, it is of a magnitude that none of us as accounting officers could countenance taking every available measure to avoid.”

Works at Limerick Prison are due for completion in 2021.

capacities. The project has, since its initial conception, been expanded to also include the building of a new women’s prison.

The awarding of the construction contract for the project was challenged in 2019, although the challenger, Glenbeigh Construction, did agree to the lifting of an automatic stay on construction that the legal challenge would typically trigger due to the “extremely grave” conditions within the prison.

In 2019, it was reported that the Irish Prison Service was struggling to house female inmates after a 20 per cent rise in their numbers over two years. The Limerick Prison redevelopment looks set to play a large role in the alleviation of the problem but is not due for completion until 2021.

Garda ICT programme Writing in his foreword to the Policing Authority’s seventh and final progress report into An Garda Síochána’s implementation of the 2015 Changing Policing in Ireland report, then-Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD wrote that he was “struck by the Authority’s observation that insufficient attention has been and continues to be given to the key enablers of change such as the organisation’s HR, ICT, training and finance functions”. The inclusion of ICT will especially be unwelcome news in the justice sector, given the pledging of €342 million of capital funding between

2016 and 2021 for the ongoing Garda ICT programme, including €65 million in 2019.

The focus on ICT improvement was once again emphasised when Garda Commissioner Drew Harris wrote in his in his foreword to the force’s 2018 report that An Garda Síochána was “under strain” in areas that included the introduction of new ICT programmes.

Alarm was raised in the midst of this programmes when it was reported that Garda ICT budgets would be cut in order to pay for the June 2019 visit of US President Donald Trump. This alarm was emphasised by an internal Garda report showing failing with Garda DNA testing management, wit a quarter of Gardaí taking samples found to be doing so without proper training. The cuts were condemned by the Garda Representative Association.

In March 2019, Flanagan answered a Dáil question saying that “a number of key ICT initiatives are moving to implementation phase”, including: roll out of the Rosters and Duty Management System; phased implementation of the Mobility project for secure mobile access to Garda systems; roll out on a pilot basis of the Investigations Management System; and the establishment of the remaining Regional Control Rooms and the staged deployment of a new national Computer Aided Dispatch System. The thenMinister added that “a project to enhance network access to rural Garda stations is also currently being progressed”.

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Probation working through the challenges of Covid-19 I am particularly focused on the need to strengthen the joint approach to offender management across the criminal justice system, further improve public safety and achieve better outcomes in the management, rehabilitation and integration of offenders.

Indeed, during an earlier period of my career in the Probation Service, I contributed to the setting up of both the Sex Offender Risk Assessment and Management (SORAM) and the Joint Agency Response to Crime (JARC) models of joint offender management, examples of interagency work at its most effective.

Covid-19 and the Probation Service

Community service participants at work.

With a newly appointed Director, Mark Wilson, at the helm, the staff of the Probation Service have continued to provide a range of vital services in communities nationwide throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

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support public safety by assisting the judiciary with sentencing decisions and by supervising offenders in their community, aiming to bring about positive change in the behaviour of those we work with. In 2019, the Probation Service completed over 16,000 Probation Assessment reports for the District, Circuit and Central Criminal Courts.

The Probation Service is the lead agency in the assessment and management of offenders in the community in Ireland and works with over 10,000 offenders on any given day.

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As the newly appointed Director of the Probation Service, I am committed to ensuring high levels of collaborative working with our criminal justice partners. My career to date, including a position as Deputy Director of Operations in the Irish Prison Service, has given me many opportunities to develop and recognise the value of such collaboration.

Being appointed to this position in the midst of a pandemic has certainly been a dynamic and challenging experience.

The Probation Service delivers services through and to people, and the impact of various government restrictions have been challenging. However, I have been heartened and inspired by the flexibility, adaptability and resilience of the staff right across the service, which has been nothing short of extraordinary in these already extraordinary times.

Once the effects of Covid-19 on our working practices became evident, the Probation Service reviewed its workload and identified about 1,000 persons whose behaviour needed particular attention during the pandemic in addition to maintaining oversight and engagement with others under supervision. We have also played a significant role in supporting access to justice through our work, by continuing to provide pre sanction assessment reports to the Courts Service to allow for the imposition, by the judiciary, of appropriate custodial or communitybased sanctions.

One of our most important tasks during Covid-19 has been to facilitate the early

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release and supervision of many carefully selected prisoners, in close partnership with the Irish Prison Service, through programmes such as Community Return. This work has allowed for additional space across the prison estate which has contributed in no small part to keeping our entire prison system relatively Covid-free since March. We have seen in other jurisdictions how Covid-19 can run rampant through a prison population, and keeping the virus out of prisons has been a particular success in the criminal justice system’s response to Covid-19.

As the year has progressed, our ‘Return to Work Safely’ protocol, and the control measures in place for each of our offices, has allowed us to continue to deliver our essential public services in a safe manner. All of our work, including community supervision, has had to be adapted in recent months. To allow for the continuation of our essential services, we have implemented changes to ensure our clients can stay safe, as well as introducing new practice guidelines which cover working, supervising and engaging with the people we serve. The Probation Service has been agile and flexible in devising new ways of working, allowing us to provide the best quality interventions and practice in these changed times.

Our Probation Officers are highly trained professionals who use their skills, knowledge and constructive engagement with their clients to provide vital services and effective supervision every day. They work with their clients to bring about necessary change in their lives and to help them choose a different path in life, one away from criminality.

Adapting to the challenges presented by the pandemic has, in many ways, demonstrated the essential value of this close connection between our probation officers and their clients, and the communities in which they live.

There has been innovation, flexibility

We also undertake a lot of work with teenagers and young people, and our colleagues in Young Persons Probation have noted that lockdown was particularly difficult for this group who, like other young people their age, need routine, peer support and to be kept busy. Their regular contact with probation officers and partner organisations in the community throughout the pandemic has helped to keep many young people motivated and their families connected with vital practical and emotional supports.

Technology has also helped in sharing knowledge, working collaboratively and co-operating with criminal justice

partners across the island of Ireland, our neighbouring countries and with other probation organisations in Europe. We maintain a strong link with our colleagues in Northern Ireland, the UK and with our many European partners, and it is particularly interesting to observe how the challenges faced within each jurisdiction are so similar.

The Probation Service will continue to adapt to the challenges that our new working reality presents. While there is still a considerable way to go, we can look forward to the passing of this crisis, while learning to manage the post-Covid ‘new normal’. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our criminal justice, government and community partners to progress our shared vision and objectives for the Probation Service into the future.

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The work of community service supervisors has also been crucially important during the pandemic, and they have actively contributed to the development of the new ‘Covid specific’ procedures which are key to implementation, review and development of these services. Their collaborative work in this area allowed for Community Service sites to begin to reopen on a pilot basis in Dublin, in midJuly. We have now further developed our operating procedures in line with public health guidance to support the safe reopening of outdoor Community Service sites throughout the country, albeit on a reduced scale.

and co-operation in maintaining services and sustaining people through the crisis.

It’s important to recognise the broad range of people we work with, many with complicated life experiences, and heightened difficulties some have faced in their lives, particularly during the earlier lockdown phases, including those dealing with mental health, addiction and physical health issues.

E: psinfo@probation.ie W: www.probation.ie Twitter: @probation_irl 49

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Garda reform In March 2020, just days before the Covid-19 lockdown took effect, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris announced the latest phases in the reform of An Garda Síochána, which seeks to decentralise policing power and place an emphasis on community policing.

The phase announced by the Commissioner in March began the introduction of the Garda Operating Model, which will see more frontline Gardaí recruited and a greater emphasis placed on community policing. The phased introduction will see the allocation of chief superintendents and superintendents to each of the 19 Garda divisions; these allocations come after 640 Gardaí had been redeployed from administrative roles into the frontline.

These changes have all been made as part of the implementation plan that followed the publication of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland’s 2018 report. The new number of divisions are also a result of these reforms, with the previous numbers of 28 divisions within six regions having

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The six regions of Dublin Metropolitan, West, South, South East, East and North have now been condensed into Dublin Metropolitan, North-West, South-West and East. The 19 divisions within these regions will all have chief superintendents allocated to them, with those chief superintendents acting as de facto commissioners for their area, allowing the Garda force within their divisions to act as miniature autonomous police forces.

divisions has meant that areas and former divisions have merged. In the East, Meath and Westmeath have merged, along with Laois-Offaly and Kildare, Wicklow and Wexford and Kilkenny-Carlow and Waterford. Kerry, Limerick and Cork city all remain as they were in the South-West, with Cork North and Cork West merging, along with Tipperary and Clare. Galway will remain as is in the North-West, while Mayo merges with RoscommonLongford, Donegal with Sligo-Leitrim and Cavan-Monaghan with Louth. All Dublin divisions have been untouched.

These changes are central to the overall attempt to decentralise power within An Garda Síochána and have decision making mover from Garda Headquarters into communities. The reduction in the number of regions and

Chief superintendents taking control of their divisions will have four subordinate superintendents, two of whom will be responsible for public engagement, one heading up criminal investigations and one responsible for performance

been reduced to 19 divisions in four regions, as was originally announced in August 2019.

Transformation: Delivering value through change

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assurance across all areas of police work. It is said that the key function of the superintendents tasked with public engagement will be constant communication with community leaders and organisations in order to ensure that local policing is in line with the onthe-ground reality within the communities.

Chief superintendents will have the power to design bespoke policing plans for their divisions and allocate their resources as they see fit as a result of the power that has been devolved to them from the Phoenix Park as part of a concentrated effort to deliver more community-focussed policing that responds to the concerns of residents rather than previous one-size-fits-all model that had been decided in Dublin.

Harris has outlined his reasoning for reducing the number of divisions, saying that having 28 had weakened policing in each of the divisions. An example he cited was that of small numbers of detectives with an expertise in sex crimes being constantly pulled into other types of criminal investigations within their divisions due to a lack of Garda numbers. Under the new plan, Gardaí with expertise in sex crime investigations will create a dedicated sex crime unit within their enlarged division once amalgamations have been competed, allowing previously stretched Gardaí to focus on their areas of expertise. This will mark the first time Gardaí will be assigned to only investigating sex crimes, and this model will be repeated across all crime types, with specialist teams dedicated to specialist areas.

In an effort to have more Gardaí on the frontline, Garda administrative offices and processes have also been majorly overhauled. Before the reforms, there were 124 administrative offices offering support to senior Gardaí in the regions, divisions and districts; most of these 124 offices were staffed by Gardaí.

Under the reforms, the number of these offices will be drastically reduced to 19, one for each division. The offices will now be staffed by civilians, under the stewardship of an assistant principal officer, and will manage human resources, expenditure, procurement, sick and annual leave, personnel transfers and other staffing matters.

Civilians entering these offices will have the necessary training and expertise to relieve Gardaí from deskbound jobs. It is also hoped that the appointment of experienced professionals to oversee the business services in these offices will help to professionalise the service, which manages the affairs of up to 800 personnel per division.

management of most Garda stations, a responsibility that had previously lain with superintendents. The reorganisation will result in a slimming down of the organisation from the top, with the loss of chief superintendents designed to be minimal, but larger losses at the superintendent level are almost certain with the aim to create

Garda recruitment has also been accelerated in a bid to further increase the number of frontline Gardaí, with a target of 15,000 sworn members – a record if it is reached – within two years. The result of the civilianisation of the administrative offices means that 1,800 Gardaí will be moved into frontline work such as beat patrolling and criminal investigations.

Harris has said that extra numbers on the ground will mean all areas getting a better policing service, one that is more visible on the streets. An example of this is the amalgamation of two regions within Cork city, which led to the doubling of the number of Gardaí in community policing capacities to 440.

Along with the additional 1,800 new frontline Gardaí, 75 new inspectors and 150 new sergeants are also being put in place with the aim of ensuring that the larger number of rank-and-file Gardaí will have the required supervision.

Inspectors will now be tasked with the

more rank-and-file Gardaí, inspectors and sergeants.

Speaking after the announcements in August 2019, Pat Ennis, General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association said that he had been assured that “the plan was not necessarily the last word on the issue” and the Association of Garda Superintendents described the reorganisation as “ill-advised”. Despite then-Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan backing the plan, saying it would “reduce bureaucracy” and “delver an improved, more consistent, highly visible policing service in communities”, it appears that Drew Harris’s next challenge will be getting buy-in down the ranks as he seeks to deliver on reforms that have been mooted long before he took up his post as Garda Commissioner in September 2018.

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justice report

Science Supporting Justice A Profile of Forensic Science

Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) is an associated office of the Department of Justice and Equality. We work together to deliver, to best international standards, comprehensive scientific analysis, independent expert opinion, advice and training to support the Irish justice system, writes Chris Enright, Director General of FSI.

Who we are

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Originally known as the Forensic Science Laboratory, FSI was established in 1975 to provide a scientific service to the Criminal Justice System by analysing samples submitted from crime scenes and providing expert evidence in criminal trials. In June 2014, President Higgins extended our scope when he signed into law the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014. Under this act, FSI is named as the custodian of the DNA database and our name was changed from the Forensic Science Laboratory to Forensic Science Ireland to recognise this broader remit. In December 2019, the responsibility for the Fingerprints and Documents and Handwriting services transferred from the Garda National Technical Bureau to Forensic Science Ireland. This consolidates most laboratory-based forensic work in the State under Forensic Science Ireland.

FSI currently has 190 staff, including

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seconded Garda members, scientists and analysts trained in forensic testing and reporting techniques, supported by administration professionals. FSI is accredited to the ISO17025 (2017) standard and holds a Gold Excellence Through People (ETP) certification. FSI is also a founding member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI), as well as the Association of Forensic Service Providers (AFSP). These organisations are focused on developing and sharing best international forensic practices and research within its members. Our staff are active on all the relevant ENFSI and AFSP working groups to ensure that expert evidence that we present is grounded in the most recent scientific research and best international practice.

What we do Although much of FSI’s work happens in the laboratory, we play an important role through the criminal investigative and

judicial process from crime scene to court. In broad terms, forensic investigations involve the examination of items recovered from crime scenes and the use of various techniques to investigate links between suspects and complainants, and between suspects and scenes. This is underpinned by an objective evaluation of context and scientific facts, which can lead to the exoneration of suspects. This evidence is available for review by experts acting on behalf of the defence and is subject to cross-examination by defence counsel at trial. There are few major criminal trials that do not feature some contribution from FSI. We work on cases that range from murders, shootings, serious assaults, sexual assaults, drug seizures, burglaries, explosive finds and reported on over 16,000 cases last year.

FSI also supports the delivery of training programmes within the justice sector, including crime scene investigation and evaluation, evidence recovery for Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs) and presumptive drug testing.

The analysis of materials thought to contravene the Misuse of Drugs Acts constitute the highest number of submissions to FSI and are supported by the Chemical Analysis department.

Case submissions vary widely in size, drug mix and complexity. These cases can involve new psychoactive substances that pose particular analytical challenges. The drugs team have influenced legislation through the identification and characterisation of drugs in the marketplace. In addition to drugs submissions, debris samples from suspicious fires are analysed for accelerants (e.g. petrol), offensive sprays (such as pepper spray) are evaluated and toxicology samples associated with sexual assault cases are analysed and evaluated.The Physical Analysis area is the most recently formed department in FSI and was set up to take advantage of the overlaps between disciplines moving from the Garda National Technical Bureau (Fingerprints and Documents & Handwriting) and disciplines already supported within FSI. This department supports a diverse range of examinations where trace evidence recovered from scenes or suspects (e.g. glass, paint, fibres or firearm residue) is compared to reference samples. Items

recovered from crime scenes are examined to enhance any marks or impressions present, e.g. the digital capture of finger marks using various light sources, footwear or tyre impressions or manufacturing marks on plastic bags. Suspect materials are also analysed for explosives and unknown chemicals within this department.

FSI has focused on extending its intelligence services over the past five years, in addition to its well-established evidential services. The objective of these services is to provide relevant and timely information that can help An Garda Síochána and other police forces throughout investigations. For example, in addition to providing evidential information on specific drugs cases, FSI also provides intelligence information on drug purity and adulterants that is useful in understanding drug supply chain trends. FSI manages the National DNA Database and its use and impact have grown considerably since its launch in 2015. Since the database was launched, over 3,500 investigations have been assisted by the database – by matching individuals to evidence recovered from crime scenes (called crime stains) or connecting crime-stains into clusters from the same unknown individual. FSI provides two biometric services – DNA and fingerprints – that offer compelling intelligence and evidential information when comparing an individual to a stain or mark recovered from a crime scene.

FSI has been able to grow our contribution to Missing Persons investigations due to advances made in the extraction of DNA from bones, improved DNA profiling as well as the DNA Database system and relationship matching software. We maintain a database of family members (currently with over 470 profiles) that are compared with human remains that are discovered.

The improvements made in technology and systems, coupled with effective cooperation with the Garda Missing Persons Bureau, have allowed us to identify the remains of eight missing people in 2019 and five people so far in 2020. FSI is very committed to advancing our technology, our systems, and processes to continuously develop this service.

What the future holds As in other jurisdictions, the demand for forensic services has more than doubled over the past five years and is expected to grow even further over the next three years. FSI has developed a strategic plan that maps out how we would like to improve and grow our services over this period. These plans are enabled by the construction of a new purpose-built FSI facility at the Backweston Science Campus. The design of this new facility will support the analysis and evaluation of trace evidence to the most exacting international standards as well as providing significant additional space and capacity for submissions, case work and the introduction of new forensic services.

FSI is proud to have very capable and talented forensic practitioners, analytical staff and administrative professionals in our organisation – they are highly regarded for the services that we deliver today within the forensic networks that we cooperate with. The additional capacity enabled by our new facility will allow us to develop and introduce new techniques that can support criminal

investigations more efficiently and effectively, with a positive impact on the justice system. We will expand the range of countries we exchange biometric information with and will work on maximising the investigative and intelligence potential from the combination of these services. We plan to expand our drugs intelligences services also by providing scientific and analytical insights on synthesis, manufacturing, content and distribution.

We plan to improve and develop our ICT systems so that we are consistent with the latest international standards for biometric databases and analysis tools. A sustained investment in Forensic Science Ireland over the coming years, with effective partnership and integration across the justice sector, will have a profound impact on a safe, fair and inclusive society.

The next three years will be a time of significant change for FSI. We are embracing the challenges ahead and are firmly focused on our mission that the Backweston investment enables – to provide the Irish justice system with a high quality integrated forensic service through independent, expert scientific analysis and advice to best international standards.

Garda HQ / Phoenix Park / Dublin 8 / D08 HN3X T: +353 (0)1 666 2910 E: info@fsi.gov.ie W: www.forensicscience.ie

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The international dimension of this intelligence service has grown over the past year. Since 2019, FSI is exchanging DNA profiles and fingerprint records with other European countries through the Prüm Treaty. This treaty allows for the automated anonymous comparison of profiles or records among participating countries and enables fast information exchange for intelligence purposes. This is already having an impact – for example, two sexual assaults in Ireland were linked to an individual on the Austrian database within days of connecting the databases. In addition, fingerprint records will be exchanged soon through the Schengen Information System (SISII) – this is the most widely used and largest information sharing

system for security, law enforcement and border management in Europe.

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The area of most sustained growth is DNA, which is also the discipline of greatest recent developments. In the DNA area, DNA profiles are generated from submitted items and compared with DNA profiles obtained from suspects to assist the investigation of crimes ranging from burglaries to sexual assaults and murder. Blood Pattern Analysis (BPA) and the examination of damage to clothing are also carried out.

“FSI manages the National DNA Database and its use and impact have grown considerably since its launch in 2015. Since the database was launched, over 3,500 investigations have been assisted by the database.”

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Credit: Marco Verch

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Is there a role for restorative justice after sexual crime?

The ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ evidential threshold can inhibit pathways to justice in the aftermath of sexual crime. In the absence of a fundamental shift in legal and criminal justice thinking, alternative avenues to justice should be considered. Marie Keenan, an Associate Professor at UCD’s School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, writes.

For more than 40 years I have worked in the field of sexual violence. From my first child sexual abuse ‘case’ as a young Irish social worker in Brixton in 1976 to issues involving sexual violence and harassment on university campuses today, my professional life has involved almost every aspect of sexual violence and abuse over these years, including legal, social, therapeutic, organisational, research and policy1 and more latterly the arts2.

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Over those years I have seen low rates of reporting, high rates of attrition and reports of secondary victimisation leading to important legal and social reforms, aimed at making criminal justice processes more robust, victimfriendly and better able to address the concerns of victims, without infringing the due process rights of accused persons. But despite the progress, fundamental challenges remain. We simply cannot continue to defend a

position whereby most victims of sexual crime receive no effective justice outcome whatsoever and the majority of perpetrators are not held to account.

Can anything be done to remedy this situation?

Let us begin with a philosophical question that is moot: Does justice in the aftermath of sexual crime always require a prosecution? If the answer to this question is ‘yes’ then perhaps this

1. See Keenan, M. (2012). Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Gender, Power and Organizational Culture. New York: Oxford University Press 2. Theatre play ‘Stronger’ Dublin Theatre Festival, 2020, https://dublintheatrefestival.ie/programme/festival-plus/stronger; Webinar UCD ‘In Conversations’

Transformation: Delivering value through change

may explain, at least in part, why so many victims are distraught when the office of the Director of Public Prosecution decides not to proceed to trial in the majority their cases because of ‘insufficient evidence’ against the evidential threshold of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.

we continue to blindly create false expectations of delivering justice for victims, and allow perpetrators go forth with impunity. Creative options and additional routes to justice must therefore be considered.

Following this line, if we truly believe that justice in the aftermath of sexual crime requires prosecution should not this obligation outweigh all other considerations? For example, if a prosecution is the justice ideal, how can pathways to justice be made more accessible for complainants, within the context of a ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ evidential threshold? To follow this argument further, should not the DPP proceed to trial with the majority of reported cases?

From where I stand, if access to justice is accepted as a fundamental human right for all citizens, it behoves us to find honest solutions to the current justice impasses. It is here that restorative justice has something to offer, not as a stand-alone, but as part of a more broadly conceptualised justice response. Aside from bridging gaps in justice provision, restorative justice also can provide healing and reintegration opportunities for complainants and accused, victims and offenders, including those whose cases have been successfully prosecuted3.

Many readers will understand how such a prospect would require a significant shift in legal and criminal justice thinking. While not discounting such a prospect perhaps in our lifetime, with the influence of human rights thinking, if we fail to grasp this justice nettle in contemporary times and ignore the reality of high attrition in sexual crime,

However, let me be clear; I am not proposing restorative justice in the aftermath of sexual crime as an informal mechanism without statutory legitimacy or without dynamic relational collaboration and oversight within the justice arm of the State. Neither am I proposing restorative justice as an additional punishment for offenders. In

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“If access to justice is accepted as a fundamental human right for all citizens, it behoves us to find honest solutions to the current justice impasses.” what I am proposing, the rights and interests of both parties are respected and engaged.

International context In some jurisdictions, such as Belgium, legislation provides for restorative justice for all types of crime, for all individuals, at all levels of criminal justice and runs in parallel to or following criminal proceedings.

Restorative justice is a voluntary process and is based on respectful dialogue face-to-face or in shuttle and other types of meeting. In Belgium, all complainants and accused persons get notice of the existence of the restorative justice service as soon as a crime is reported. It is at the discretion of the victim to initiate the process and accused persons are under no obligation to participate.

However, we know from research that high levels of satisfaction are reported by victims and offenders who do, with other healing outcomes reported for both. In Belgium, referrals for restorative justice are thus directly linked to reports of sexual crime to the police.

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3. See Aibhe Griffith’s account of her experiences in film ‘The Meeting’ www.themeetingfilm.com in which she played herself.

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“We can no longer ignore the justice rights of victims of sexual crime or the integration and healing needs of victims and offenders.”

A limitation of the service is it cannot accept referrals from people harmed by sexual violence who have not reported the crime to criminal justice authorities.

While a firewall of procedural and safety safeguards exists between criminal and restorative justice processes when both run in parallel, reports of the restorative justice proceedings can be given to a trial judge, with the consent of both parties, who may or not take it into account in subsequent sentencing.

The primary focus of the restorative justice work in Belgium is on repairing the harm and social integration. It gives victims an opportunity to exercise their voice, to ask questions of the perpetrator and to make statements about the impact of the crime and other matters of interest to them. Offenders also have opportunities to answer questions, bring forth their story, make recompense, and as offenders in my own study reported4 “to do something honourable in the face of such dishonour”. Preparation is key to these restorative meetings, the agenda for which is well worked out and prepared in advance with both parties.

Restorative justice after sexual violence must only be facilitated by trained facilitators who understand the impact of trauma, the dynamics of sexual crime, the law and due process as well as restorative justice methodologies.

Various studies suggest that restorative

justice is best delivered by designated independent agencies within a broad criminal justice or cross governmental umbrella.

In other jurisdictions, such as New Zealand, where legislation also provides for restorative justice, the reach is somewhat wider than in Belgium.

Referrals can also be accepted from individuals harmed by sexual violence who do not wish to make a formal report of the crime to the police.

Referrals are also made by the public prosecutor and the police.

Restorative justice processes follow similar patterns to that outlined above but in non-reported cases and instances where cases do not proceed to trial. A raft of policy guidance exists to work for accountability and community safety, by means of restorative agreements, generated during and agreed as part of the process. The agreement may include a contract regarding the social conduct of the offender were the parties to meet in the future; mandated sex offender therapy for the offender; support or therapy for victims if desired and in some instances financial or other recompense. The formal agreements generated at the end of the process are monitored by the designated agency or in some instances by the police or probation service.

In New Zealand the focus of the restorative justice work is to contribute to an experience of justice for victims, as well as working for healing and integration. Achievement of these goals are reported as outcomes for many participants in follow up research.

While legislation exists for restorative justice after sexual crime in some jurisdictions, lack of legislation does not prevent this practice in others. For example, in an international study in 2014 of 74 geographically dispersed restorative justice organisations across the globe I found that 41.9 per cent had been dealing with cases of sexual violence for more than 10 years and more than 63.5 per cent had engaged with cases of sexual violence for more than five years.

I also found that restorative justice after sexual violence is taking place ‘under the radar’ partly because of perceived fear that it could cause further harm to victims or that offenders would misuse the process for their own ends. Time here does not permit me to expand on these issues but interested readers are referred to further publications on these matters5. What I can report is that each of the risks can be managed and mitigated in the restorative process and a number of UN, Council of Europe and EU documents and instruments, as well as empirical studies, are available to guide us through best practice.

For legal practitioners and defence lawyers who may be concerned about all of this I want to assert that restorative justice after sexual violence need not be a lawyer-free-zone as some suggest; legal advice for the parties is important. However, while lawyers are welcome, the focus of their work is different to that of prosecuting and defending cases. There is also a significant role for An Garda Síochána, the office of the Director of Public Prosecution and the judiciary. We can no longer ignore the justice rights of victims of sexual crime or the integration and healing needs of victims and offenders. We have innovative mechanisms available for us to consider.

4. See Keenan, M. (2014). Sexual Trauma and Abuse: Restorative and Transformative possibilities http://hdl.handle.net/10197/6247 5. www.ucd.ie/research/people/socialpolicysocialworksocialjustice/drmariekeenan 56

Transformation: Delivering value through change

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Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme A current priority for the Department of Justice and Equality under the Civil Justice and Equality pillar is the conclusion of the Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme.

From the foundation of the State in 1922 until the final Magdalene laundry was closed in 1996, over 11,000 women and girls were held in the institutions run by Catholic religious orders.

In 2013, as per the recommendations of Justice John Quirke’s Magdalen Commission Report, the then Fine Gael and Labour coalition Government made the decision to provide a scheme of payments and benefits, on an ex gratia basis, to women who are determined to have been admitted to and worked in one of the 10 Magdalen laundries, St Mary’s Training Centre Stanhope Street or House of Mercy Training School Summerhill, Wexford.

In May 2018, following a recommendation made by the Ombudsman, an addendum to the terms of the 2013 scheme was published. This extended access to the scheme to women who worked in the laundries of the 12 institutions but were resident in one of 14 adjoining institutions.

Subsequently, a Restorative Justice Implementation Unit was established within the Department of Justice and Equality and tasked with processing

applications and payments. Women who meet the terms of the scheme must “waive any right of action against the State or against any public or statutory body or agency arising out of their admission to and work within one of the 12 institutions concerned”.

A total of 215 cases have been

The budget for the Magdalen Redress Fund in 2020 is €3,308,000. As of 18 September 2020, a total of €31.95 million has been paid to 803 applicants.

Under the original scheme, 794 applications have been received (of which 726 have been paid), while under the 2018 addendum, 119 applications have been received (of which 87 have been paid).

In June 2020, the first report of the

In fact, the Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme and the 2018 Addendum have now “largely concluded”. As yet, the scheme remains open to new applicants. However, the Department of Justice and Equality suggests that “it will be necessary to consider reviewing the efficacy” of the scheme and the addendum when cases under review by Mary O’Toole Senior Counsel (as per the Report of the Ombudsman on the Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme) are brought to a conclusion.

the Quirke Report. “As many transcripts

identified for review by O’Toole, 30 of which are in progress “with some queries outstanding”. A decision will then be taken on keeping the scheme and addendum open for new applicants.

Dublin Honours Magdalenes events (held in June 2018), authored by Katherine O’Donnell and Claire McGettrick and launched by then Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan TD. One criticism made within the report is the noted failure to provide a medical card as committed to in the aftermath of make clear, the women insist (repeatedly) that the Health Card, as recommended in Justice Quirk’s Magdalen Commission Report… and agreed to ‘in full’ by the Government, was not what was delivered to them by government under the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex Gratia scheme,” it states. Flanagan subsequently instructed his department to liaise with the Department of Health to resolve the problem.

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Proactively managing the risks of fraud justice report

depending on their own set of circumstances. From internal misappropriation and abuse of positions, to external cybercrime events, fraud types can be diverse and can range from the relatively basic to the highly sophisticated.

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While the Irish justice sector plays a pivotal role in tackling the problem of fraud in society, it also needs to remain resilient to existing and emerging fraud challenges it itself may encounter, writes Eoin O’Reilly, Director of Deloitte Forensic.

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Fraud is an age-old problem, which affects all sectors and all corners of society. While it is difficult to put exact figures on the cost of fraud in Ireland, the global cost of fraud is estimated at upwards of €4 trillion annually, and this is almost certainly under-investigated and under-reported.

have proven profitable, and are likely to persist. Equally, although fraudulent events related to Covid-19 are currently monopolising the headlines, that does not mean that other forms of fraud unrelated to Covid-19, committed internally by employees or from outside organisations, have gone away.

Unsurprisingly, Covid-19 has spawned a new surge of fraudulent activity, targeting individuals, private companies and government support schemes, both globally and in Ireland. An Garda Síochána, in particular, are at the forefront of the fight to temper the impact of Covid-19 fraudulent schemes in Ireland, and are educating businesses and the wider public on what to look out for.

Notwithstanding the crucial role the Irish justice sector plays in tackling the problem of fraud in Ireland, it is also not itself immune to the threat of fraud, in particular given the level of sensitive information and assets in their custody.

The challenge remains for all stakeholders within the public and private spheres, including the Irish justice sector, to protect itself and to stay resilient to new fraud threats.

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a new backdrop to commit previously seen fraud types and it is also acting as an accelerator for more sophisticated and innovative forms of attacks, which

What are the threats and where are they?

The exact nature of fraud threats encountered by organisations differ

What remains constant however, are the rewards being targeted, namely unauthorised access to funds or physical property, or unauthorised access to confidential information and data which, in the new digital age, is continuing to grow in volume and complexity in order to successfully deliver on organisational mandates.

Wherever the access points are to funds, property or data within an organisation are where specific fraud threats are likely to be found.

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a global professional organisation dedicated to fraud risk management, the biggest increases in fraud since the onset of Covid-19 have been seen in the area of cybercrime, with fraud in general continuing on an upward trajectory for the next 12 months. While some of this relates to tried and tested email phishing attempts, there is also a growth in more sophisticated cyber fraud attacks targeting public and private entities, such as elaborate invoice re-direction, advanced fee and similar fraud schemes, which are highly organised, involve multiple jurisdictions and are executed at speed. Examples of techniques used in attempts to divert funds have included use of artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic voices of an organisation’s senior management and the cloning of legitimate websites.

This is also reflective of an everincreasing ‘professionalisation’ of cyberenabled fraud, with the criminal ecosystem using innovation to rapidly evolve and to plan attacks on identified targets at greater scale. This includes crime being offered ‘as a service’, for example, where malware programmes can be bought and then used by other criminals on their intended targets.

Aside from the increasing sophistication

Transformation: Delivering value through change

justice report

of fraud, the changing nature of our remote working environments since Covid-19 has also opened up risks as traditional controls to prevent and detect fraud may be disrupted. This is the case for external frauds, but it may also increase opportunities for fraud to be committed from within an organisation, which typically can remain undetected for longer.

Building resilience against the evolving fraud risks Prevention is certainly better than cure and by adopting a proactive approach to managing fraud, it can reduce the risk of being blind-sided, enabling a swifter response by spotting fraud early.

However, the continued evolution of fraud requires organisations to act now to ensure they are armed with the right knowledge and tools to adequately protect themselves.

Deloitte has helped a number of organisations to build resilience against fraud through a framework of dynamic preventative and detective measures, designed to keep pace with changing internal and external environments.

While the right set of solutions will be dependent on each organisation’s own circumstances, the following are examples of steps which organisations should be taking: Perform a risk assessment: A vital foundational step for an effective anti-fraud programme requires organisations to understand and catalogue the threats they currently face, and to keep such assessments up to date. The new threats emerging through Covid-19 necessitate a re-evaluation of those risks.

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Aligning cross-organisational goals and resources: As it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the concepts of fraud and cyber security in the new digital age, setting cross-organisational goals and aligning resources within teams can also be more effective and potentially cost efficient.

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Key internal controls: Organisations should be confident that key internal controls, such as

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Internal fraud training and communication: Fraud training and internal communications not only to raise awareness of external fraud threats but also act as a good deterrent against internal fraud.

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Technology: Evaluate the opportunities in the use of data and technology to prevent and detect fraud.

Unlocking the potential of data to manage fraud risks As the scale and level of innovation of the fraud threat increases, more and more organisations are meeting the challenge head on by turning to technology-driven solutions, such as data-driven advanced analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. These solutions proactively detect and prevent fraud in a more precise and timely manner, thereby increasing resilience against tech-enabled criminals and insider threats.

As an example, “clustering” and “anomaly detection methodologies” involve creating statistical profiles to identify normal activity and then differentiate outliers from these profiles.

Supervised modelling uses data from prior events to allow systems to “learn” the characteristics and early warning signs and identify others with similar behaviour.

and the right blend of analytical skills and organisational knowledge to derive useful insights. While establishing a data-led approach can sound like a large undertaking, this can be achieved incrementally by starting small and picking smartly in order to drive value.

Rather than casting the net wide or investing heavily in one technology solution, a focused proof of concept in a targeted area, guided by the right experts, is a good way to understand the mechanics of an analytics-driven approach and to demonstrate its worth.

Clearly the fraud risk landscape is changing, and all organisations must be ready to meet the challenge. While criminals are becoming more and more tech-enabled, advances in technology also offer opportunities for effective and efficient solutions to meet that challenge head on. Regardless of approach, critically evaluating existing fraud risks and controls in the face of emerging fraud risks will help all stakeholders, including the justice sector, to stay resilient to fraud risks now and into the future, while continuing to fulfil its vital public service role.

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segregation of duties and employee vetting processes, are robust and that these remain intact in our new remote working environment.

Eoin O’Reilly, Director, Deloitte Forensic E: eoreilly@deloitte.ie W: www.deloitte.ie

Employing such technology solutions requires good data governance practices

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

Collaboration and community: Glasgow’s approach to justice Ann Fehilly, Group Manager, within Comminity Safety Services, with Glasgow City Council speaks to eolas about how Glasgow went from one of the UK’s most violent cities to one of its least violent through a collaborative, community-involved approach to crime prevention.

“Our approach is grounded in strong partnership between Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland, which means that staff are co-located, and both have access to ICT systems across both agencies,” Fehilly begins.

“Partnership arrangements with Police Scotland ensure our service delivery is driven by an intelligence-led approach, allowing us to deliver targeted services to the citizenship of Glasgow and measure the impact of our services.

Essential to the work is that we work in partnership with a broad range of services, including Scottish Fire and Rescue, the National Health Service, both nationally and in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, our transport providers and a wide range of third-party organisations across the city. Our

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community has been central to that process.”

Glasgow City Council works collaboratively, both internally and externally, to deliver its services to the people of Glasgow, with the belief that a collaborative approach is key to achieving their desired outcomes.

Fehilly says that the work and the issues are often complex and interconnected; that a single service approach can often be regarded as a very two-dimensional approach to a three-dimensional range of issues.

She outlines the four key priorities of her Community Safety team: “In terms of community safety, crime and antisocial behaviour, or the perception of it within our communities, can often

have a significant emotional or personal effect on individuals and their communities. Improving community safety is fundamental both to promoting social inclusion and improving the quality of life within our communities.

We look to reduce environmental instability, a neighbourhood that looks vandalised and uncared for can foster antisocial and criminal behaviour, reflected in the broken window theory.

Fostering positive behaviour and improving the appearance of communities can also improve the quality of life within our communities.

“Supporting victims of gender-based violence and the protection of welfare of women and children who are victims of violence and abuse is a critical

Transformation: Delivering value through change

Fehilly lays out Glasgow’s intelligenceled approach, which focuses on early intervention and problem solving. The Council meets partners on a monthly basis to analyse data that allows a greater focus on smaller geographies to work at that neighbourhood level. This approach allows the Council to respond to issues affecting communities and provide communal reassurances to those affected, endeavouring to get resources to the right people in the right places at the right time.

“An example of the analytical support that we provide to our partners is a community safety assessment, a partnership of planning, design and resources to deliver our services that targets the most disadvantaged communities and enables us to address issues at a neighbourhood level,” she says. “The section has been developed and designed to provide information that supports all of our services around antisocial behaviour, hate crime and domestic violence. We do similar for environmental degradation.

“We use a range of information that is overlaid to inform who, when, where and why we should deploying our resources and targeting intervention that includes violent crime, crimes of indecency, offender information, antisocial behaviour incidents, also our complainer matrix, in terms of who are the most frequent complainants, and also our public space CCTV incidents, malicious fires and of course central again is community intelligence that comes in through our own officers or through our elected members.”

“Community safety has a key role in terms of creating the conditions in which local communities want to and feel they can play a role in local decision making. If individuals are experiencing high levels of crime or antisocial behaviour, or living with substance misuse or domestic abuse, they’re less likely to be able to play a role in local decision making.”

Such joined-up thinking and action was required in Glasgow, a city that Fehilly admits once had a reputation as a less than savoury place to live and work.

“One neighbourhood in Glasgow, Bridgeton, where our office is located, has got the lowest lifespan in the UK. 54 is the average length of life for a male in the Bridgeton area. Half a mile up the road, it’s 79-86. We have cheek by jowl, adjacent communities and I’m sure it’s very similar in Ireland.

Community safety has a key role in terms of creating the conditions in which local communities want to and feel they can play a role in local decision making. If individuals are experiencing high levels of crime or antisocial behaviour, or living with substance misuse or domestic abuse, they’re less likely to be able to play a role in local decision making.

“Glasgow has had a bit of a reputation as a mean city, one of the most violent cities in Europe,” she admits. In the mid-2000s, youth gang activity, organised crime, signal crime, and alcohol related disorders within the city had reached “an unsustainable level”.

Glasgow hospitals recorded over 1,000 overnight admissions as a result of violence, there were over 100 territorial gangs with around 2,000 young members participating in behaviour ranging from “very minor street disorder to gang fighting and knife crime in our streets”.

Yet the last decade has delivered change for Glasgow, and the city is now shedding its reputation through an approach “built up over the last decades is grounded on the partnership approach in communities that was

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community safety issue within Glasgow and the national Scottish context. We recognise that not all people are as vulnerable as others and that some groups are more vulnerable than others when it comes to victimisation. We aim to reduce antisocial behaviour and offending by working with individuals and groups to encourage them to address the causes of the behaviour and provide additional supports where appropriate. We have restorative justice behaviours underpinning our approach across the spectrum. Our approach recognises that a range of interventions are required and on occasion no one action will be sufficient. It also recognises that any approach must be consistent, integrated ad have the ability to be escalated when required.”

initiated in the late 1980s and early ‘90s that is often branded as crime prevention”. “In the past 10 years, the Scottish Government has directed and monitored national policy to deliver this through the National Performance Framework,” Fehilly says. “Close lines have also been developed along the lines of the Justice in Scotland visions, which are very much about living in safe and cohesive, resilient communities and that prevention and early intervention are at the heart of any improvement process. Our system and interventions are proportionate, fair and effective.”

Crime has reduced significantly in Glasgow in the last decade and it is no longer ranked as the most challenging city in terms of violent crime in the UK. Residents no longer fear high levels of crime, most evident in surveys carried by the Council that found 60 per cent of respondents think that agencies are working well together and that they feel safe and secure in their neighbourhoods. Reported antisocial behaviour has been consistently declining over the last decade. From being one of the most violent cities in the UK, Glasgow is now one of the least violent cities in the UK. “Safety and perception of safety is paramount for our residents, but also for our visitors and inward investment,” Fehilly adds. “Tourism and business all benefit from a safe city.”

Concluding, she says: “There is no magic wand. Our work relies on partnerships working across all sectors.

It is often about negotiating and compromising sometimes. Ultimately, the community is at the heart of our activity.”

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Digital Transformation in Policing and Justice Working with AWS provided the HSE with a secure, scalable, and reliable solution that is hosted in Ireland and complies with international regulations and compliance standards including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Around the world, the technology used by frontline police officers and support teams is having to change, and fast.

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Today, citizens want the ability to engage with police and justice organisations online and through digital communication tools. Likewise, police officers expect to have access to innovative technologies to support their investigations, pursue criminals, protect the vulnerable, and reduce crime.

Traditionally the police have relied on outdated, siloed, on-premises technologies, which usually come with a hefty upfront price tag. The accelerating adoption of cloud computing on the other hand, offers instant access to the very latest, secure infrastructure, low-cost storage, machine learning, and data analysis on a “pay only for what you use” 62

basis. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud in particular is the most featurerich and most widely adopted cloud anywhere in the world. Ireland is home to one of the first AWS regions built outside the USA. Because of this, the Irish public sector is well positioned to adopt public cloud while ensuring data remains in the jurisdiction and fulfils data sovereignty requirements.

For instance, AWS provided the Health Service Executive (HSE) with the underlying cloud infrastructure for the Covid-19 ‘Pandemic Response’ app. The primary purpose of the app is to enable the HSE to improve the speed, accuracy, and effectiveness of contract tracing.

Further afield, the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) also embraced the AWS Cloud to enhance the effectiveness, fairness, and quality of the services it provides to the public. They chose AWS after struggling to adapt rapidly enough to meet citizens’ and staff needs using their existing onpremises data centres. The result? Using AWS, the MoJ was able to reduce the cost and time taken to create and deliver new services securely. For example, the MoJ has reduced the time it takes to deliver feature enhancements and updates from more than six months per release in some cases, to multiple times a day. The MoJ is using AWS for a growing number of citizen-facing and staff services, with over 130 currently in production. These include an end-to-end prison visit booking system and a prisoner self-service application to help prisoners manage their affairs.

Camden County Police Department in New Jersey, USA, is also benefiting from the cloud helped by Mark43, a member of the AWS Partner Network (APN). The police department is using the AWS Cloud to enable first responders to collect, manage, analyse, search, and share information quickly and easily across its records management and computer-aided dispatch systems. As a result, the police department can process millions of records in a matter of minutes, better assess crime trends, and proactively allocate resources for information-led policing and investigations. Camden’s Director of Strategic Intelligence Analysis Kerry Yerico explains: “Through the cloud, we know what’s going on hour to hour and minute to minute and can adjust our deployments accordingly. If you have a

strong data system, it removes a lot of the guesswork from first responders”.

Driving digital transformation There are four factors to consider when driving digital transformation:

The AWS Cloud is designed to meet the most stringent security requirements in the world. We monitor our infrastructure 24/7 to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our customers’ data. The same world-class security experts who monitor this infrastructure also build and maintain our innovative security services, helping customers comply with security or regulatory requirements, including GDPR. Cost savings: Cloud computing is costeffective compared with traditional, onpremises models. With public cloud, customers don’t have to lay out the capital up front for the servers and the data centres; instead they pay only for what they use on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Instead of provisioning for peak usage in the cloud you just provision what you need; if it turns out you need less, you give it back and stop paying for it.

Agility: One of the main reasons public and private sector organisations are moving to the public cloud is the agility they inherit. This agility puts a plethora of innovative services at their fingertips, to take them from idea to implementation

"The AWS Cloud is designed to meet the most stringent security requirements in the world. We monitor our infrastructure 24/7 to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our customers’ data." faster than they could before. Customers can also experiment with new ways of working and quickly establish better processes. Within policing, the cloud can reduce administrative burdens by enhancing collaboration and connectivity.

For example, police officers can upload and store data securely using the cloud, access records from wherever they are, and dictate and submit incident reports from the field, enabling them to be more efficient and more visible in the community.

Innovation: The future of policing and justice is all about being more connected, mobile, and agile. To support these new ways of working, police organisations need the ability to implement advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things, robotics and Artificial Intelligence to automate tasks and enhance their capabilities to respond to the public needs. The cloud enables police and justice organisations to accelerate the pace of innovation in a cost-effective manner, for example, new software and applications can be built rapidly in an

agile way to support the changing needs of our police officers, the public, and how they interact.

In conclusion, no longer a technology of the future, the AWS Cloud is already enhancing data management, security, reducing costs, and providing solutions to accelerate innovation. By harnessing these services, police and justice organisations can realise the full potential for agility, data exchange, and collaboration. Therefore they can make more real-time decisions to serve and

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Another important consideration is the cost of data storage. In some cases, the duration for retention can be as long as 99 years. With AWS, lifecycle policies can be set to automatically select the most effective storage option to satisfy compliance and regulatory requirements.

Using cold storage options, data can be stored for many years at the lowest possible cost.

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Security: Policing and justice agencies must adhere to strict policies regarding data storage, management, and retention. Records management, fingerprints, CCTV, interview recordings and body worn cameras are some examples of datasets that require secure storage and retention. In a testament to the security of the AWS Cloud, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Associate Deputy Director of Digital Innovation Sean Roche is on record as saying: “The cloud on its weakest day is more secure than a client-server solution.

It’s transformed our ability to build new capabilities.”

protect communities, when and where the public needs them the most.

If you want to learn more about how the AWS Cloud can help your organisation to innovate and digitally transform, please contact the Irish AWS Public Sector team.

E: aws-publicsector-ireland@amazon.com

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Transformation: Delivering value through change

The end of direct provision Direct Provision Centre, Athlone.

The ending of the system of direct provision was said to be one of the Green Party’s red lines for entering government. With that aim now enshrined in the Programme for Government, but likely to take some time to achieve, eolas examines how the system could be reformed in the meantime.

The Programme for Government (PfG) commits to the ending of direct provision and replacing it with a “new international protection accommodation policy, centred on a not-for-profit approach”. A White Paper on the matter is due to be published before the end of 2020, with “annualised capital and current investment” set to fund whatever changes are outlined. €235 million was pledged towards Direct Provision and accommodating asylum seekers in Budget 2021.

The PfG states that the tri-party government is “committed to ensuring that Ireland provides protection to those seeking refuge from conflict and persecution as is required under international law” and that they “agree that the current system needs to change”. The document points to the previous Fine Gael government’s

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appointment of the Expert Group on the Provision of Support, including Accommodation, to Persons in the International Protection Process (Asylum Seekers), chaired by Catherine Day, the former Secretary General of the European Commission.

The White Paper due to be published will be “informed by the recommendations of the Expert Group” as it seeks to “set out how this new system will be structured and the steps to achieving it”. In the “short term”, the PfG pledges to act on interim recommendations from Catherine Day to “improve conditions for asylum seekers currently living in the system”.

These short-term changes will include constant vulnerability assessments, the granting of the right to work, the ability to apply for driver’s licenses and bank accounts, an independent inspection

process, measures to reduce the length of time taken to process decisions on asylum seeker status, the provision of mental health services for those within the system and the compulsory training of managers of direct provision centres.

Not mentioned within the PfG is the Expert Group’s recommendations that binding standards for all direct provision centres be applied and enforced by January 2021 and that the Government move away from the use of emergency accommodation as part of the system. The PfG does however pledge to “implement the measures identified by the Expert Group to ensure that international protection applicants are dealt with and brought to finality as quickly as possible, while always ensuring fair procedure and a humane, rights-based approach”. Following tensions in various locations over the

Transformation: Delivering value through change

placement of direct provision centres around the country, the Programme also pledges to “develop new models of community engagement to ensure that the establishment of new accommodation is done in an inclusive and welcoming fashion”.

How these reforms will take shape is not yet known, with the publication of the White Paper set to be the first great indicator of the direction the Government plans on taking with the reform of a system that has been a constant source of criticism, both domestic and international, since its inception. It has been reported that there is a divergence of opinion within Government with regard to the best way to approach the issue, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael wishing to place an emphasis on the reduction of the length of time asylum seekers stay within the system, while the Green Party want the system to be entirely changed rather than improved upon, marking the PfG’s pledge for a shift to a not-for-profit model as a major victory for the party in the government negotiations.

The Green Party are seeking to deliver accommodation for asylum seekers through existing or new approved housing bodes rather than private operators, with asylum seekers eligible for Housing Assistance Payment-like allowances and on the receiving end of local authority support in order to find homes. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are, however, said to be more open to the idea of own-door and self-catering accommodation; it is assumed that any solution that will be arrived at will comprise a mixture of the two options being discussed.

Fine Gael TD and Minister for Justice and Equality in the last government, Charlie Flanagan has warned against “amnesties and free-for-alls”, saying

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Speaking to Green Party members after the drafting of the PfG, Roderic O’Gorman TD, one of the party’s main negotiators who would later be named Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, said: “That’s not going to be easy and we shouldn’t fool ourselves, it is a big job. There are 7,700 people who need to be provided with alternative accommodation, but it will be centred on the not-for-profit model, so no more of this private operators creaming off profits.”

“That’s not going to be easy and we shouldn’t fool ourselves, it is a big job.

There are 7,700 people who need to be provided with alternative accommodation, but it will be centred on the not-for-profit model, so no more of this private operators creaming off profits.”

Roderic O’Gorman TD, Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration that Ireland “must have a rules-based system”. Flanagan also said that he would “like all applications dealt with within six to nine months of arrival”.

The cost of ending the system of direct provision is currently unknown and will most likely be estimated or ordered to be queried within the White Paper. A 2010 report into the matter estimated that an own-door system would cost the State twice as much as direct provision did at the time. It is estimated that the system will cost the State around €200 million in 2020.

The Oireachtas Committee on Justice’s 2019 report into direct provision highlighted just how enmeshed private operators are within the system and the scope of the task at hand to fully transition to not-for-profit status: only three of the State’s 39 direct provision centres were purpose-built by the State, the remaining 36 are privately operated. The report criticised the “lack of transparency and public oversight” of the private companies, while saying that Oireachtas members had cast doubt on whether or not the operators should be “delivering vital services to particularly vulnerable people”.

Within the EU, the direct provision model is increasingly common, with the Netherlands employing a system that is often cited as being extremely similar to Ireland’s, although Dutch residents have more independence, including their own kitchens. Only some Irish

centres have self-catering kitchens, although all are required to have them by 2021. People are also known to be kept in direct provisions for far longer in Ireland, some for a decade; in contrast, a 2017 ruling by Belgian court auditors found that the Belgian average of refugees spending 13 months in reception centres was “far too long”.

In a statement after the publication of the PfG, the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) said that it “welcomes the inclusion of ending the abhorrent system of direct provision”, but that it was “troubled by the interim measures”. “The interim recommendations which are also cited in the PfG do not adequately address the core issues in direct provision such as the poverty asylum-seeking children are forced to endure,” MASI said, pointing to calls to increase the “petty” weekly allowance claimed by asylum seekers from €38.80 per week to €58.80 that were rejected by the Government.

Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, also welcomed the commitment to ending the system, but warned that “there have been false dawns in the past however and implementation will be crucial”. He added: “Disentangling ourselves from a 20-year-old system that currently accommodates 7,700 people across 84 locations is a huge, but essential, challenge.”

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roundtable discussion

Digital innovation in transport emovis hosted a virtual round table discussion with key stakeholders from across the transport sector, utilising their expertise to explore the potential for digital innovation in transport and mobility in Ireland.

What are the biggest challenges facing digital innovation and transformation in the transport and mobility sector?

environment of collaboration between the various transport stakeholders. Another challenge is around privacy and ensuring that, as more information is gathered and shared, data doesn’t become a problem in how it is being used.

Rachel Cahill

Stephen McCarthy The need to break down silos.

Transportation has evolved but many of the problems have been solved in isolation and what we’re seeking to do through digital innovation is to create an

Digital transformation is a huge area and covers everything from electric vehicles, to smart motorways and even how we pay for things. The biggest challenge is keeping up with the pace of change.

Innovation and transformation is driven

Round table discussion hosted by

by changes in societal behaviours and there is a need to remain cognisant of these. In the context of transport and mobility, designing public transport infrastructure and systems for future users in an ever-changing environment is the biggest challenge.

Alan Murphy For administrators and policy makers, it’s about allowing them the freedom to reimagine the possible. It’s never really about the technology. When it comes to technology-enabled transformation, the technology will generally do what it is designed to do. It’s more about the mindset and the appetite for change amongst key stakeholders. On the user (passenger) side, it’s also about challenging the current mindset. Getting away from a dependency on the car will require solutions to help users think differently about their travel choices.

Bernard Higgins We’re in a time of unprecedented

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Roundtable Participants uncertainty in terms of how people use public and private transport. Whether or not journey patterns will return to how they were pre-Covid-19 remains to be seen. We need to support shifting travel patterns with digital innovation. In designing and implementing for future platforms, we really need to be cognisant of these changing behaviours.

Rachel Cahill

Bidisha Ghosh We need to have a knowledge of global innovation. Transportation 5.0 is a new concept relating to the digitisation of transportation across the world. It’s something we need to remain conscious of and explore what we can implement in Ireland. In order to do this, we need to appraise our existing local resources and identify what can be utilised to effectively advance the cause. Additionally, we need to be aware that Transportation 5.0 didn’t consider Covid-19. We now need to think about how to integrate that for decarbonisation, public transport and sustainable transport in the era of digitised innovation.

Bidisha Ghosh Bidisha is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. She is the chair of the Irish Transport Research Network, the national body for transportation research in Ireland. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed conference and journal papers and is an associate editor of IET Intelligent Transport Systems, a member of the editorial board of Transportation Research Part C, IEEE Smart Cities Smart Mobility Committee. Bidisha has been a PI in multiple national and EU projects in the field of traffic and transportation modelling, environmental modelling and infrastructure management.

Bernard Higgins Bernard is Director of Transport Technology with the National Transport Authority (NTA). He has an engineering, procurement and ICT background in the public and private sectors. He is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the development and delivery of best-in-class technology solutions for all public transport in the State that the NTA has responsibility for.

Digital can allow for greater integration between transport and mobility providers, both private and public. Do you see this happening in Ireland?

Stephen McCarthy Stephen is responsible for overseeing emovis’ operations in Ireland where it provides innovative solutions in the area of transport and mobility to clients. Previously, he was the Head of Transition Management in emovis, with responsibility for transitioning new mobility solutions to Ireland from the company’s international markets. Prior to joining emovis, Stephen worked for Vodafone for 16 years, and held the positions of Head of Quality and Performance Improvement and Change and Transformation Programme Manager for the multinational company. Earlier in his career he was an IT solutions architect and consultant for both Vertel and Astracon, and worked across their offices in Dublin, New Jersey, and Chicago.

Alan Murphy Yes, there are significant signals within the latest Programme for Government, which indicate a willingness for modal shift, demand management, e-scooter regulation and embracing more sustainable transport. Those signals will trickle down to mobility operators, local government, the NTA, etc. It’s a great example of executive sponsorship from government. Simultaneously, we can take huge confidence from the experience of digital innovation in other domains. For example, the move to online banking and ecommerce has been transformative and was perhaps unimaginable 20 years ago.

Alan Murphy Alan is the Smart Dublin Regional Manager working across all four Dublin local authorities, exploring emerging technology to provide better public services. He has extensive experience in developing new business models and delivering change via technology projects in the energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, manufacturing and humanitarian sectors. Alan was the Design Authority on the Irish Smart Metering programme which sparked his interest in Smart Cities. He has previously worked for PwC, IBM and HCL Axon amongst others. Alan’s qualifications include a business studies degree and postgraduate diploma in computing from the University of Limerick.

Bernard Higgins I think it is possible though not a given.

There are a huge number of challenges that must be addressed to make such an investment viable. We must be careful to ensure that the customer is front and

roundtable discussion

Rachel is Head of Financial Management and Sustainable Mobility Lead with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). She is leading TII’s Sustainable Mobility Initiative and is the business owner and sponsor of TII’s recent Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes study and report. Rachel is a chartered accountant and is responsible for the financial control and governance of TII’s commercial operations.

Rachel has over 20 years’ experience working in complex and demanding financial and operational environments including the last 14 years working in the transport and mobility sector. Prior to joining TII, Rachel spent 10 years working in the banking industry in both operational and financial roles.

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roundtable discussion

“Women make up 50 per cent of the population but their distinct travel needs are not well understood and because of that do not feed in to transport policy and design.”

Rachel Cahill, Head of Financial Management, Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

centre in our thinking. Given the potential cost of integration, we need to be clear as to how the travelling public will reap the benefit of that investment in terms of time and money saved. We need to understand our market, what volume of people will adopt these solutions and the extent to which our innovation will convince people to leave their cars at home. In addition, we need to put in place the governance and regulatory frameworks required to facilitate technology integration between public and private transport providers.

Bidisha Ghosh Ireland is poised to be at the forefront of European countries in making this happen. The EU has adopted the Digital Single Market strategy which requires many improvements in the transport sector including our logistics and freight to move

into the digital sphere. In other words, the EU is advocating the digitalisation of transport. Ireland does not necessarily need to innovate solutions; solutions will be innovated elsewhere in Europe and can then be implemented in Ireland.

Transportation 5.0 is essentially societydriven transportation. It’s not about how we invest in new technologies for digitisation, it’s about utilising what already exists. Through crowdsourcing and social behaviour analysis, we can create a closed loop or what is referred to as the parallelisation of transportation.

Working together, while being GDPR compliant, we can create an integrated platform where scalability and synchronisation are addressed.

Rachel Cahill Yes, I do see it happening in Ireland, but I think we have a long way to go. From a

public sector and Government perspective, we need to step up and be at the forefront of common platforms, open data and big data initiatives.

Likewise, we need to be more innovative and adopt a private sector or an entrepreneurial mindset. If we don’t assume a leadership role, we could be left behind, blind to developments around us.

Stephen McCarthy I am very optimistic about what’s ahead.

Reflecting on how far we’ve already come, perhaps we take a lot for granted. I think back to the days when I was growing up in Clontarf and heading into town on the number 30 bus with my mam and then I compare that with the bus journeys that my kids make; they’re completely different experiences. Today, those journeys are infused with

“I would like to see one platform where all the transportation players in this country, be they public, private, come together along with the general public.”

Bidisha Ghosh, Chair of Irish Transport Research Network (ITRN) and Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin.

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roundtable discussion

“Given the potential cost of integration, we need to be clear as to how the travelling public will reap the benefit of that investment in terms of time and money saved.

Bernard Higgins, Director of Transport Technology, National Transport Authority.

digitalisation and connectivity.

Extrapolating that into the future, the possibilities are endless. Everything will be connected, and the data will be there; it’s just a matter of whether we can harness and utilise it in a safe way.

What, if any, are the possible negative impacts of digital innovation on the end user (customer), are there any cohorts that digital might leave behind and how do we address this?

Bernard Higgins There are several risks associated with integration and we need to be in tune with all of our customer’s needs. Certain innovations will prove popular, for example, access to real time passenger information (RTPI) on smart phones. That being said, we still get a lot of requests for timetable posters at bus stops. There are people who don’t have bank accounts or internet access or who may have higher support needs and find it difficult to engage with complex technology solutions. Particularly from a public transport perspective, we must always be inclusive in our thinking when designing and implementing solutions.

Bidisha Ghosh Research has highlighted a digital divide in the population and the European Council recognises this. It’s the rationale behind a number calls for projects

looking to address firstly, the needs of people who are not able to engage with digital transport and secondly, from a ‘Human Factors’ perspective, how to develop user-friendly digital platforms.

So, if you have an app, how can that app be ergonomically designed to make it accessible and easy to use for the whole population? Another element of this is called the technology acceptance model, which is used to find out what the acceptance rate is of certain technologies. I think Ireland has an ample opportunity to do this. Taking RTPI as an example, what is the acceptance rate of that technology and how can this be improved across different socioeconomic demographics? This is an area ripe for research and application.

Stephen McCarthy To ensure that people are not disenfranchised, there is a need to focus on the experience of the end-user. In my previous role in telecoms we came across the same issues. We know the reason that certain apps are more popular is because they are compelling, simple and easy. However, ‘simple’ is not necessarily ‘easy’. To really understand what people want and how they will interact is difficult and I think there’s an acceptance that solutions are rarely right first time. However, constant tweaks, improvements and building can lead to compelling solutions. Another focus is ensuring we don’t amplify the existing rural/urban divide. A lot of the focus of digital transport has been in urban areas around issues such as congestion or

shared infrastructure and we must ensure we are achieving a more sustainable balance rather than exacerbating that divide.

Alan Murphy In the smart city arena, we are seeing new technology coming at cities in waves. There is an option to do nothing but that comes at a risk that technology gets deployed in an uncontrolled way with potential for unintended consequences. When it comes to the integration of public and private mobility operators and the digital innovation required to make this happen, I think there is a need for public sector-led oversight. Firstly, because we want to make sure that these initiatives deliver against expected benefits to society.

Secondly, it acknowledges that user cohorts are not homogenous. There are certain cohorts that may not embrace this kind of digital innovation, so we need to make sure they don’t get left behind.

Thirdly, to integrate public and private mobility operations, there’s a requirement for trust amongst the stakeholders. A public-led initiative gives reassurance that this is an ‘Ireland Inc.’ initiative.

That’s the feedback we’ve had from some of the mobility operators in Dublin.

Rachel Cahill The traditional methods of collecting transport data do not reflect the needs and behaviours of all users. As a result any digital innovation in this space may leave some people behind. For example, the needs of those with mobility

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roundtable discussion

“Each of us creates a multitude of data as does the public transport network.

In order to make the future of mobility work, we must create connections between different pools of data.”

Stephen McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer, Emovis Ireland.

challenges like the elderly, women, people with disabilities and people travelling with children or dependants, are not adequately captured by traditional data collection methods. Looking at women specifically, it is internationally recognised that women and men have different mobility patterns, with women’s being more complex due to trip chaining and caregiving roles. Women make up 50 per cent of the population but their distinct travel needs are not well understood and because of that do not feed in to transport policy and design.

Filling this gender data gap is the first step in balancing traditional bias in the design of future transport solutions.

Digitally driven transport and mobility solutions harvest information to inform future strategies, do you see an issue with certain organisations having too much information on the end user?

Stephen McCarthy It’s all about data really. Each of us creates a multitude of data as does the public transport network. In order to make the future of mobility work, we must create connections between different pools of data. We can then utilise this data to understand how people are using existing infrastructure, enabling

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us to ensure that the infrastructure is as effective and as efficient as it can be. Is there possibility for domination? That is a real risk. The big tech companies dominate the digital world currently.

There is a genuine and growing concern about the information that is available to them and how they use this to drive revenue. The same is true in transportation. One risk is that private operators might gravitate towards profitably in the first instance.

Bernard Higgins We generate vast volumes of data and the challenge for us is to convert that into useful information. We already have a business intelligence unit in place and have used it extensively throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to understand emerging travel patterns. However, the crux of the question relates to personal data. We are bound by strict regulation in terms of the retention and protection of that data. There are organisations within the private sector which probably see great potential value in having access to that data. As such, the development of regulatory structures and frameworks will ensure that data is handled appropriately.

In terms of the integration agenda, this is highly significant.

Alan Murphy If there is an integrated target operating model, between public and private mobility operators, the type of data made

available to each of the stakeholders must be proportionate to their role in that model or value chain. Public-led oversight will be key to ensuring that this architecture considers data protection, what data is shared and what data is required for the next link in the chain to operate efficiently. That oversight can manifest itself in different ways. For example, within the councils, we licence mobility operators such as bicycle or car sharing schemes. We are now examining the licence structures of those operators with a view to collaborate more on the data they generate to better understand the effectiveness of such schemes.

Bidisha Ghosh Information is constantly being created in the transport and mobility space by different enterprises. We need to collate that data under a single archival umbrella, which I’m calling ‘the transport research centre’. In the context of a proliferation of data, there is a need to create value-added information. In raw form, the data may not be of any use to the parties involved in an integration platform. It is also immensely important to note that the collected data is in different formats, different levels ranging from micro to macro, different scales.

Within these, stakeholders with permission can pinpoint relevant data.

Links from one layer to the next enable navigation within this intricate space and the creation of optimally valuable

information. We also need to invest in human resources; people who are experts and can use the data to create a cohesive space.

Rachel Cahill

If there was one thing you could change immediately (if there were no restrictions) with regards to digital innovation in transport and mobility, what would it be and why?

Stephen McCarthy I’d like to multiply the amount of people who are championing the cause of digital innovation in transport. People, alongside leadership and vision, enable change and so I would like an amplification of the current debate.

Rachel Cahill

I would like to see one platform where all the transportation players in this country, be they public, private, come together along with the general public. Primarily, it would facilitate the integration of all available data, models as well as explore different objectives of different stakeholders. Once this integrated platform is created, we can then further understand what information is required and also identify common goals and objectives. That’s an initial step. Once complete, we can then look into more innovative goals, such as becoming a global leader in advanced digital transport and mobility.

I would like to see government, at a national and local level, be more at the forefront of digital innovation and be more open minded. Incentivising the modal shift and sustainability is innovative, but it needs to be driven by government. I would like to see that broadened out to capture things like collaboration and interagency communication to create platforms. By this, I don’t mean digital platforms, I mean people platforms. People connecting with people makes things happen and so it’s about creating the conditions for people to drive change.

Alan Murphy

Bernard Higgins

The change of user (passenger) mindset and a shift away from cars is a major challenge, so I believe we need mechanisms (e.g. from central government) which encourage and reward users for choosing sustainable modes of transport. There are precedents, such as the cycle to work scheme. An amplification of those incentive models, learning from other countries, would really help nudge user behaviour. On a separate note, I’d like to see a move for Dublin and other urban centres in Ireland to the 15-minute city concept, where we re-imagine cities so that people don’t have to move around extensively in the first place.

We have a lot of skilled and talented people working on solutions that will deliver solid building blocks for potential future integration platforms. Next Generation Ticketing (NGT), Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and new RTPI solutions are prime examples and to be fair, Government is providing us with the required resources to deliver these solutions. If I had a magic wand, I’d accelerate the development and adoption of data and technology standards. It’s a big challenge in the technology sphere and it has the potential to accelerate the delivery of our technology programmes in the years ahead.

roundtable discussion

It’s about capturing data, what we do with it and what it tells us. The world will not work the way we want it to without data and data sharing, but people’s personal data must be protected and respected. We all acknowledge that. We are fortunate that GDPR enables us to do what we require while simultaneously protecting individuals’ data. It challenges us to be more innovative perhaps, but it’s something we should be proud of.

Bidisha Ghosh

“When it comes to the integration of public and private mobility operators and the digital innovation required to make this happen, I think there is a need for public sector-led oversight.”

Alan Murphy, Smart Dublin Regional Manager, Smart Dublin.

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Date for your diary!

Housing Conference 2021 21

Jan

Thursday 21st January 2021 ONLINE CONFERENCE Housing in Ireland is at a crucial juncture. Housing policy was a defining battleground of General Election 2020 and the subsequent formation of the triparty coalition Government heralded a new Programme for Government incorporating the Housing For All mission. This new strategy has the stated intention of placing affordability, increased supply and home ownership at its core.

Simultaneously, while the Covid-19 crisis looks set to impact on housing construction and delivery, it quickly elicited new legislation to protect renters and marked a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness or living in emergency accommodation over five consecutive months.

In this context, the 2021 conference will feature a range of expert speakers who will examine the latest ambitions, challenges and opportunities for resolving Ireland’s housing and homelessness crises.

Expert speaker panel includes: Darragh O’Brien TD

(invited)

Key issues to be examined: Eoin Ó Broin TD Sinn Féin

3 Housing for All ambitions and delivery

Austin Carroll, Clinical Lead

Declan Dunne

for Homeless Services in

CEO, Respond and Chair

Dublin, HSE

Housing Alliance

 Affordable housing: Lessons from Europe

Rory Hearne

John O’Connor

Assistant Professor

Chief Executive Officer

Maynooth University

The Housing Agency

Fiona Cormican, New

Senator Rebecca Moynihan

Business Director

Labour Party

Minister, Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Clúid Housing

 Migration, integration and housing  Case study: St Mary’s Mansions flat complex redevelopment  Covid-19: Public health and homelessness  Private investment, construction and the Irish property market  The holistic role of AHBs in delivering affordable housing  Reclaiming, reimagining and rebuilding a vision for public housing

More information available soon Online www.housing.eolasmagazine.ie

By telephone 01 661 3755

By email registration@eolasmagazine.ie

Housing report

Credit: Fianna Fáil

housing report

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien TD: “Fundamentally achievable” Resolving the housing and homelessness crises will be a mammoth task for the coalition Government, one that has already been made more difficult by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ciarán Galway speaks with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD about his most immediate priorities and ambitions for housing in Ireland.

The challenges facing O’Brien as Housing Minister are significant but not insurmountable. “I don’t have to tell people that the housing crisis still pertains. We still have a big homelessness problem out there,” he concedes.

Acknowledging the breadth of his portfolio, which also incorporates planning, local government, water infrastructure and heritage, the Minister indicates that his primary focus is housing. Indeed, O’Brien divides his immediate housing priorities into four corresponding spheres, namely: supply; affordability; planning; and infrastructure. “The main focus is housing supply; increasing housing

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supply and bringing affordability into the system,” he says.

This aligns with the ‘Housing for All’ mission in the tri-party administration’s Programme for Government which states: “Everybody should have access to good quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and located close to essential services offering a high-quality of life.”

As such, the Housing Minister has created two new units within his Department. Meeting weekly, one focuses on homelessness, while the other concentrates on housing delivery.

“There is an interconnection between them,” he says, adding: “We want to make sure that we’re doing everything

we can to reduce homelessness and get families into permanent accommodation.”

One challenge O’Brien identifies is ensuring the construction of suitable units to meet demand. In particular, he is keen to ensure the adequate supply of one- and two-bedroom units for the 70 per cent of individuals in the adult homeless community who are single.

Overall, there is a sense of frustration in the Minister’s tone in discussing the ongoing homelessness crisis. “We shouldn’t have a situation here where we have nearly 10,000 people homeless. We can’t have a situation where we have nearly 4,000 children homeless,” he maintains.

Local authorities

Local authorities deliver most of the public housing in Ireland and O’Brien recognises that they are “a major part of the solution on social housing and indeed on affordable housing through the Serviced Sites Fund”. To date, however, no affordable homes have been delivered through the Serviced Sites Fund.

“The Service Sites Fund is a good idea but very slow. I am going to improve that. We will have two sites at Boherboy, County Cork and Dun Emer, Lusk where we will deliver new homes in 2021, but only about 200. That’s not nearly enough, so there are other things we can do.

“There is a big piece in relation to local government reform and political reform, looking at rebalancing the power between the executive and elected members. Peter Burke TD, the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning has already started that work,” he states.

Affordability Minister O’Brien identifies affordability as a significant challenge for “thousands of people out there who can’t get on the housing ladder at all”.

As such, a major commitment within the Programme for Government is the promotion of home ownership through the implementation of a national affordable home purchase scheme.

“The scheme is predominantly focused on first time buyers; both single people and couples. I’m working on that as an absolute priority for the last number of weeks, with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Work is advanced there. I think it will be very

“I will have, before the end of this year, published an affordable rental scheme and people will know what it will look like and how it will operate. We need to work with the sector on that.” significant,” he asserts.

Reflecting upon the centrality of home ownership within the Government’s housing strategy, O’Brien indicates that it is the most desirable form of housing tenure, if it is affordable. Conversely, though, the rate of home ownership has fallen in Ireland. “We’re below the European average of 67 per cent and the EU average of 69 per cent. The average age of people buying their first home has now risen to 35, whereas 15 years ago it was 26. It shows what’s happening and it’s dysfunctional,” he states.

Asked to characterise the Government’s understanding of ‘affordability’, the Minister responds that it is “working on a definition”. In the absence of a universal definition, a generally accepted international description of what is affordable is between 30 and 35 per cent of a household’s net income.

“Anything above that for either rent or mortgage would be deemed to be into an unaffordability level. In most of our cities, and not just exclusively our cities but some of our regional towns, some people are paying over 50 per cent of their net take home pay in rent. That is absolutely unaffordable and absolutely unsustainable,” he adds.

As such, the Minister also recognises the requirement for a national affordable rental scheme, expanded far beyond Ireland’s first cost rental housing scheme at Enniskerry Road.

“We have our public housing rent, our Differential Rent Scheme, that’s there for about 130,000 homes, but for anyone not on the social housing list, we have no other options,” O’Brien explains.

The previous Fine Gael minority government had tasked an expert

housing report

Simultaneously, the Minister emphasises a “big focus on public housing delivery” and efforts to enhance the power of local authorities.

“What I’ve done already is upped the discretionary cap to €6 million to empower the local authorities to build more themselves and move away from the four-stage approval process that took 59 weeks, to a single-stage process. Up to now, anything over €2 million had to come into the Customs House. That came into effect on 1 September 2020. With that extra power comes extra responsibility for them to deliver,” he insists.

group to examine affordable rental and the current Housing Minister has subsequently asked this group to conclude its work before the end of 2020 and to produce options on a national affordable rental scheme.

“We need affordable rental options and we’ve spoken about affordable rental and cost rental since Alan Kelly TD, when he was Minister for Housing, announced an affordable rental pilot in 2015. The Enniskerry Road pilot has broken ground this year, but it’s not completed. That shows you how far behind we are.

“My own belief is that the approved housing bodies will have a major role, as indeed will a reformed and renewed Land Development Agency, in delivering affordable rental. I will have, before the end of this year, published an affordable rental scheme and people will know what it will look like and how it will operate. We need to work with the sector on that,” O’Brien promises.

Covid-19 pandemic A significant obstacle inhibiting housing supply is the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its associated economic headwinds. “We’ve seen the impact that Covid-19 has had on delivery, particularly in the private housing side where we had a nearly four-month shutdown. We also had a shutdown in public house building. Hopefully we’re not going to have that again. Everything is predicated on not having a second wave affecting productivity,” the Minister reflects.

Indeed, at the beginning of 2020, it was projected that there would be around 25,000 housing completions in 2020.

“We’re way behind on a lot of it due to Covid-19. That went as low as 14,000 units when I took over [as Housing Minister]. The sector is telling me now

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“Not to throw everything that Rebuilding Ireland did in the bin, but this is not a continuation of Rebuilding Ireland. This is a new Programme for Government. This is Housing for All.” that that has strengthened a bit up to between 16,000 and 16,800 units. A sizeable portion of that is the demand in the first-time buyer area,” he states.

While conceding that he does not believe that it is a long-term solution, Minister O’Brien increased the first-time buyer grant, the Help to Buy scheme, from €20,000 to €30,000 in the July Jobs Stimulus package. “That has helped around 19,000 individuals and couples to get their deposit together for their house.

I want to move toward an affordable purchase scheme there. Work is advancing on that,” he adds.

Legislation The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 was introduced by the caretaker government and signed into law on 27 March 2020, heralding temporary legislation for the rental sector, including a ban on evictions and rent increases. The original emergency period (27 March to 27 June 2020) was extended twice, ultimately to 1 August 2020.

“What I needed to do then was try to have more sustainable protections for renters through the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, which I was astonished that others objected to and opposed.

Even with the public health emergency, if that had to be extended by order every month on and on again, it wasn’t a sustainable way to do it,” O’Brien affirms.

The subsequent Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020 came into effect on 1 August 2020 and prohibits those affected by Covid-19 from being subject to eviction or rent increases until 11 January 2021.

“Look at what other jurisdictions have done and haven’t done. Here and now, anyone whose income has been affected

by Covid-19 and signs a simple declaration will have full protections until at least next January; more significant than in the North where there is no

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effective ban on evictions.

“That was a significant piece of work that was done. Fundamentally though, we need to make sure that we’re providing permanent housing solutions for people which are sustainable and robust. That’s always going to be the risk and until we get that in place, there will always be a weakness in the system there,” he insists.

Cost A second major obstacle to the housing objectives of the Programme for Government as identified by the Minister is the cost of building units, especially apartments. “What I’ve been told is that particularly in Dublin, Cork and, to a lesser degree, Galway, it’s nearly prohibitive to build apartments. That’s an issue. How can we increase our density as well as keeping the cost at a level that helps? I do believe the State should be involved in the market in a positive way,” he insists.

O’Brien’s rationale for State intervention in the housing market is to provide a “whole cohort of people which is working, paying rent or living at home with their folks into their late 20s or 30s, a real chance and hope of actually getting a home”.

“I’ve always believed that the State should be involved and that the State should lead by example. That’s why some of the models I’m looking at relate to a shared equity arrangement. Looking at other models across Europe, and indeed the world, that work very well for people.”

Housing for All A major criticism of Housing for All, including one made by the chief Opposition housing spokesperson, Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin, is a perceived continuity with the previous government’s Rebuilding Ireland programme.

It is a contention that Minister O’Brien rejects. “It’s not. I think you will see that not just in plans but in actions, particularly in the area of public housing on public land. If you look at what we’ve done in relation to the discretionary cap already, to let local authorities build that; something I spoke about in opposition and that was, to be honest, resisted by the previous government. That is being done now,” he says.

Continuing to list actions contained within Housing for All that are being pursued, the Minister references the implementation of the Defective Concrete Block Grant Scheme and work undertaken on the affordable purchase and affordable rental schemes.

“Not to throw everything that Rebuilding Ireland did in the bin, but this is not a continuation of Rebuilding Ireland. This is a new Programme for Government. This is Housing for All. That’s what we intend to do and that’s the programme that I, as Housing Minister, will follow, while leading in terms of implementation,” he notes.

Simultaneously, O’Brien suggests that there were “good elements” within Rebuilding Ireland. “On homelessness, while the State hasn’t grappled with that as it should have done and we’re going to put more into it, if you look at the Housing First approach in relation to the Department of Health and the Department of Housing working together, that has been a very good initiative of the last government and anyone who says anything different is being a bit disingenuous.”

Land Development Agency Meanwhile, at a glance, the Land Development Agency (LDA) model as envisaged within the Programme for Government appears to be substantially different from that as proposed in the General Scheme of the Land Development Agency Bill 2019.

Whether this materialises in a new bill remains to be seen.

“I was involved in the pre-legislative scrutiny of the original Heads of Bill published in 2019. There were four very detailed hearings on that,” O’Brien outlines, adding: “It was probably published too soon in the sense that there were a lot of questions and gaps in it. Do we need a Land Management

Agency? Absolutely we do. Do we need the State to be able to utilise its land better? Yes, because one of the things I want to do on affordable housing is to deliver affordable purchase and rental on public land too.

Currently, the coalition Government is working collaboratively to draft a revised LDA Bill, as per the Programme for Government which has outlined in summary terms the role and functions of the new agency. The Housing Minister intends that this new Bill will be published “in this session, before Christmas”.

“There are some very good people in the LDA, and a lot of good planning is being done. I know it has been doing very good work in relation to planning and master planning of the eight or nine sites that it has at the moment. It needs to be set up on a legislative footing. Up until now, it has only been operating on ministerial order. That’s not a secure basis on which to move forward,” O’Brien remarks.

‘A referendum on housing’ The ambiguity of the Programme for Government’s commitment to a “referendum on housing” has led the opposition members to conclude that the Government does not intend to hold a referendum specifically on the right to housing.

“How can this be done through the Commission for Housing, which I intend to establish as well, and to move forward in a very constructive way, towards looking at options for the referendum and strengthening the legislative provisions on rights to housing for people.”

O’Brien is cognisant of simplistic or wilful misinterpretation of the right to housing concept and “those who will initially say ‘well, that’s crazy’, as if everyone will have the right to keys to a house the following day. That’s not it”.

Rather, he points to what other jurisdictions have done, including Scotland and Finland and the “really positive impact”, particularly in the area of homelessness.

Pressed on why the language contained within the Programme for Government was not then more explicit, the Minister replies: “It’s not an easy thing to negotiate a Programme for Government between three parties. So, it’s a negotiated document. It’s not just a document, it’s a to-do list of things that need to be done.”

Elaborating on his point, O’Brien advocates working “in a deliberate way”. “We can’t just throw out a comment and say, ‘yeah, I’m going to support it and we’ll do it’. In fact, [other parties] said they would [hold a referendum on the right to housing] within the first six months of government. Nonsense. They would never have done it.

“We want to do it, but we have to work in a collaborative way. It’s clearly stated in the Programme for Government as a commitment that will be done. What I am going to do is bring all the stakeholders around the table and work on something that will pass. Straight away, there will be simplistic arguments about why this shouldn’t happen, so we have to prepare for that and make sure that we have something robust enough to actually pass muster,” he observes.

housing report

“If you look at what’s defined in the Programme for Government, there’s a sizeable section set aside to the Land Development Agency and the predominance of it is public housing on public land. That in itself was a big shift from the previously published proposals that spoke about 60 per cent of housing being private housing on land developed by the LDA.”

However, asked directly what a “referendum on housing” means, Minister O’Brien responds: “It means just that. We’re going to work on a proposal for a referendum around housing; the right to housing and what that actually means. I had already nearly concluded a Bill about the legislative right to housing.

Vision Minister O’Brien’s vision for the future of housing in Ireland naturally aligns with that expressed in Housing for All. That is: a supply of good quality and affordable homes for citizens to buy and to rent, alongside a sustainable supply of public housing.

Specifically, within his term as Housing Minister, O’Brien reiterates his intention to implement an affordable scheme whereby people can own a home at an affordable price or rent a home at an affordable rate, thereby cutting the public housing waiting lists.

“It’s very clear to people right now where governments have failed. But look back at Ireland in the past where we have got things right. I believe we can deliver an affordable housing scheme for people and we’ll do that. I believe we can deliver an affordable rental scheme and we’ll do that also.

Alongside this, we will deliver good quality public housing, built on public land by our local authorities.

“Fundamentally, they are things which are actually very achievable and require a serious effort to get to it. I’ve got to turn a department around and focus it on the Programme for Government,” he concludes.

“I’ve always believed that the State should be involved and that the State should lead by example. That’s why some of the models I’m looking at relate to a shared equity arrangement.”

77 Credit: Fianna Fáil

housing report

Housing for all: Delivering affordable purchase and rental housing Ireland can now begin to embed affordable housing systems. We have an embedded system of social housing, and a stock of these homes. Now we are investing in long term sustainable affordable housing and affordable rental.

This is truly housing for all. Whilst the initial numbers of cost rental to be delivered may be modest, this is a first step towards a much larger “Vienna model” type of housing provision and towards models which have worked well in other countries.

There has been a lot of talk about state and public land and the use of this land to provide social and affordable housing.

If we want to use these lands sustainably to support current and future generations, it is critical that the state and local authorities retain a long-term interest in the land.

Ireland is the story of land and land is the story of Ireland, writes John O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer of the Housing Agency.

Advertorial

Of all the housing measures announced in Budget 2021, the one that can make the most significant long-term change is the investment in affordable housing. In Budget 2021, specific funding for affordable purchase and cost rental of €110million was announced. This is alongside a continued commitment to the Serviced Sites Fund and LIHAF, which are due to deliver 2,000 affordable homes next year.

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These measures demonstrate that the State is investing in affordable purchase and affordable rental housing. The Government’s approach to investment is effectively taking a form of equity in the properties and investing in making housing affordable. This approach allows us to move to a sustainable way of delivering affordable purchase and rental housing. Investing in affordable housing, as opposed to giving grants, is better in the long term and far more sustainable.

Recycling in some form is what will make affordable housing economical into the future and make more affordable homes available long-term. For affordable purchase, this could be some way for retaining the home as an affordable home when it is sold or reclaiming and recycling the initial equity provided. For cost rental housing, covenants on land or long-term leasing can be used to retain control of land and again ensure sustainable affordable rental homes.

Cost rental must be affordable, with sufficiently economic rents to allow households on low/middle incomes to pay rent sustainably. Having land at low cost contributes significantly towards affordability. A number of elements can make cost rental affordable. Ideally, you want investment or lending into the sector that is at close to 2 per cent interest over 30 to 40 years. In addition, a secondary loan to the housing provider helps with affordability by decreasing the initial capital investment required. Such a loan must have a low interest rate and

be on favourable repayable terms. In this way, cost rental becomes more affordable over time as the debt reduces and rents fall relative to market rents due to inflation.

In the Programme for Government, some of the aspects related to housing included: continued focus on the delivery of social housing;

•

preventing and reducing homelessness;

•

affordable purchase housing;

•

cost rental/affordable rental housing; and

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setting up a Housing Commission.

Affordable housing can be achieved by way of a shared equity scheme. The purchaser receives a percentage reduction in the purchase price which is retained by the state/local authority as a second charge on the property. This equity can be bought out in the future, or not and left in place. For example, if the local authority/State has a 20 per cent stake in the property, the amount repayable on the sale property is this 20 per cent stake. This arrangement is about trying to ensure long-term affordability as the equity repaid can be recycled and used to assist future homeowners. This is a further example of the long-term benefits of investment in housing over giving grants.

A black swan event is an extremely rare event which causes severe damage. It forces us to re-evaluate what we are doing, and forces change. One black swan event has arrived, and a second black swan event is looking likely to

Three ingredients to make cost rental housing affordable: 1. Land at low cost 2. Long-term low-cost finance 3. Secondary loans from state

arrive in the form of Covid-19 and Brexit respectively.

This means that we need more to be done in housing and need to have greater expectations from local authorities, approved housing bodies, Government, and government agencies.

A huge challenge lies ahead, and focus is needed to address the housing needs of those who require social housing support as well as those on lower/middle incomes who have significant difficulties renting on the market.

The Housing Agency is here to support and work with local authorities, approved housing bodies and government bodies in the delivery of affordable housing. We currently do a lot of work on social housing support with local authorities

and work with approved housing bodies on funding their delivery. We have recently set up a dedicated affordable housing team and our procurement and technical staff are available to assist with construction projects.

The Housing Agency looks forward to working closely with the new Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, and the Ministers of State within that Department, Peter Burke TD and Malcolm Noonan TD.

Advertorial

Cost rental/affordable rental is increasingly important as we face into the major challenges ahead of us. A mindset change is required regarding rental housing, which often does not get sufficient attention. It is possible to provide long-term rental accommodation at affordable rents, which the household views in the same way as a home they own in terms of looking after and maintaining that home. In other countries households will often provide their own furniture and white goods, even installing their own kitchens which significantly reduces maintenance costs for housing providers. This comes about where a household has long-term security of tenure and certainty about rent levels.

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T: 01 656 4100 E: info@housingagency.ie W: www.housingagency.ie

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Will the State’s largest ever housing budget deliver housing for all?

The Programme for Government agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party pledged “housing for all”. As they pursue that goal, the Government’s first budget has delivered the largest housing budget in State history.

With the housing and homelessness crises topping the list of priorities as Ireland went to the polls in February 2020, the coalition government that arose from the General Election has had to place recovery in these areas to the forefront of their policies. As such, “Housing for all” was one of 12 “missions” outlined in the Programme for Government (PfG) eventually agreed by the tri-party coalition.

In the PfG, the Government state that they “believe that everybody should have access to good quality housing to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and located close to essential services offering a high quality of life”. With the Covid-19

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crisis placing even greater emphasis on the need for people to be housed, and to be housed in adequate accommodation that can allow for selfisolation, the onus on the Government to deliver on these words is now even stronger than it had been previously.

The PfG admits that Covid poses a threat to the level of construction growth needed, and subsequent analysis point to the fact that growth has been severely hampered this year, but the Government pledges to “work with the construction sector to ensure that the number of new build homes continues to grow in the years ahead”.

This need to get back on track has been reflected in the allowance for the continuation of construction work after

Ireland entered level five restrictions in October.

Under the heading “affordable home ownership”, the Government pledges a number of measures, some of which have already been set into motion, including the progression of the Statebacked affordable purchase scheme, the extension of the Serviced Sites Fund, and the expansion of Part V planning regulations to include affordable purchase and cost rental units. In the area of public and social housing, the PfG commits to an increase in the social housing stock by over 50,000 over the five years of the Government’s tenure, the “majority of which will be built by local authorities,

approved housing bodies (AHBs) and State agencies”.

The AHB sector has been campaigning for its reclassification since its borrowing was placed on the governments balance sheet by the Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, and the Central Statistics Office (CSO) , with constant warning that the objectives for the sector included in Rebuilding Ireland would be impossible to achieve without doing so. A social housing reform package is also promised, with four stated goals: the introduction of a social housing passport to allow households to move from one local authority to another; the maintenance of a tenant’s right to purchase their own home, but the requirement for them to have been in situ for 10 years, the reduction of the discount to a 25 per cent maximum and giving the power to local authorities to have first call; the standardisation of the differential rents regime; and the creation of a website to allow for choice-based letting on a nationwide basis.

In terms of rental, the Government pledges the development of a cost rental model for delivery of housing that “will be informed by international experience of the delivery of cost rental, such as the ‘Vienna Model’ and others”.

A reduction of reliance on Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) as supply increases and the examination of the creation of a system for the holding of rental deposits is also pledged.

Security of tenure has been a hotbutton issue for a long time, with arguments over the constitutionality of rent freezes a key battleground of the pre-election discourse. Covid-19 has ratcheted up arguments in favour of rent freezes and eviction bans, with temporary measures brought into that effect at the beginning of the pandemic had lapsed. Since the introduction of the level five restrictions, the eviction ban has been reimplemented. Long-

The PfG outlines eight key objectives for the Government in housing over the course of its tenure. It pledges to: • put affordability at the heart of the housing system; • prioritise the increased supply of public, social and affordable homes; • progress a State-backed affordable home purchase

housing report

The Government has previously spoken about wanting to return the power to build social housing to local authorities and pledges in the PfG to put in place appropriate controls to allow local authorities to increase their discretionary funding for building social housing from €2 million to €6 million.

Notably, the Government also pledges to work with AHBs on a package of reforms that will allow them to access finance easier and move off balance sheet.

scheme to promote home ownership; • increase the social housing stock by more than 50,000, with an emphasis on new builds; • tackle homelessness; • ensure local authorities are central to delivering housing; • work with the private sector to ensure an approximate mix and type of housing is provided nationally; and • improve the supply and affordability of rental accommodation and the security of tenure for renters.

term, the Government pledges to “improve the security of tenure for tenants, through legislating for tenancies of indefinite duration, increasing Residential Tenancies Board inspections and enforcement and examining incentives for long-term leasing”.

the year 2021 had been the delivery of 12,157 units through similar methods and opposition parties have been quick to point out that this vastly increased spending is delivering less than 600 additional units compared to what had been originally planned by the previous Fine Gael government.

To fund the kind of ambitions outlined in the PfG, the Government unveiled the State’s largest ever housing budget in Budget 2021. The €5.169 billion budget for the newly renamed Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will include an extra €773 million to be spent on housing, €110 million of which will be specifically for an affordable housing scheme.

Despite the increased figures in funding, opposition parties have voiced criticism of the Budget’s plans for housing delivery. €500 million will be spent to provide 9,500 newly constructed social housing units, and an overall 12,750 units with the remainder to be delivered through leasing and acquisition of existing properties. Rebuilding Ireland’s plan for

The €110 million pledged to the funding of the affordable housing scheme has been one measure that has come in for particular criticism and was labelled as “hugely disappointing” by Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD. Details of the affordable housing scheme will be published “in the coming months” according to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD; with output down 35 per cent due to the pandemic and the country coming to grips with another lockdown, which further emphasises the need for “housing for all” to truly mean all, the reach of that scheme will need to be vast.

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Respond on target to increase housing report

housing stock by over 50 per cent Respond. The Strategic Plan includes seven core goals which encompass work across the entire organisation. The Development Department is tasked with delivering one of the core goals, to increase their housing stock by over 2,500 new homes nationwide over the lifetime of the strategy.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Respond are confident that they will surpass their housing targets and make significant progress on the seven core goals outlined in their ambitious Strategic Plan out to 2023.

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Respond is an approved housing body (AHB) and service provider working all around Ireland. Approved housing bodies are not for profit organisations that have a social purpose to provide for people’s housing needs. Respond work to deliver social and affordable homes that are urgently needed in partnership with State agencies including local authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Finance Agency and many others. Respond currently have 1,288 homes in construction and on site around the country.

2020 is a year like no other but Respond

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are confident that they will surpass their housing targets. While housing delivery has been affected by the pandemic, Respond say they have reviewed their situation from both a financial and a human resource perspective and are confident in their ability to deliver on Strategic Plan commitments.

Increasing housing stock by over 2,500 new homes In 2019, the organisation published their Strategic Plan 2019-2023, the result of a comprehensive strategic planning process to guide and direct the work of

Respond say their aim is to deliver high quality homes that will transform people’s lives and represent value for money. They are one of the few AHBs to have their own in-house multidisciplinary development team comprising of registered architects, quantity surveyors, planners, project managers, clerk of works and technicians. The team, led by the Parag Joglekar as Head of Development, focus on innovation and delivering homes through strengthening existing relationships and building new relationships.

For Respond the journey with tenants only begins when they hand over the keys to their new home. The experience of those who will live in each social housing estate is central; this means ensuring not just the quality of the homes but also the quality of life for the people who will live there. Respond’s approach to housing provision is holistic, cognisant of design and proximity to services, of housing quality and maintenance and the wider public benefit.

Ensuring well run estates where people want to live Respond’s commitment is to deliver excellent services and quality homes for Respond tenants. With almost 10,400 tenants across the country, Respond have a Housing Department comprising of three teams with over 50 staff,

including the Customer Services Centre, the Asset Management team and the Tenant Relations team, led by Neil Bolton as the Head of Housing.

The Asset Management team are responsible for the ongoing repair and maintenance of Respond’s properties.

As an organisation in existence for almost 40 years this is an important part of the work ensuring the comfort and safety of tenants, as well as compliance under relevant legislation requirements.

Upgrade works were undertaken on 56 homes under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Deep Retro Fit Pilot scheme.

Own door emergency accommodation with wraparound supports

The organisation has found that families experiencing homelessness often need ongoing, wraparound support in relation to accessing housing, mental and physical health services, family or parenting support and a range of other issues. On average, the families move

“I have a secure home in which the landlord is not going to knock on the door and advise he is selling up. The quality of the house is amazing. I still walk in the door and go wow! It’s lovely knowing I am going home into a dry, comfortable and warm house. For the first time in a long time I am not dreading the cost of trying to heat my home for the winter.”

Sylvia, Respond tenant.

on to homes of their own after between six and seven months and work continues with families once they have moved on to ensure they sustain their new accommodation. Respond acknowledge that the solution to homelessness is access to secure and affordable homes with support for those who need it therefore commitments to ramping up supply are key in this context.

Working to Improve lives in our communities Housing does not exist in isolation but is part of a community impacted by the wider socio-economic context. It is vital that new housing developments, so badly needed, also have vital community infrastructure such as those that Respond provide. Respond have 16 Early Childhood Care and Education services where they provide pre-school, after school and full day care services. A Family Support teamwork with 54 families providing a range of brief intervention programmes including parent support groups, homework club and afterschool support. Respond provides Daycare for Older People services to support older people to remain living independently in their own

homes and communities for as long as possible. Their Refugee Resettlement Services work with refugees who have been forced to leave their homes providing support to integrate into local communities. Local services such as these, led by Head of Services Louisa Carr, can be the glue that creates and binds a community together.

Respond work collaboratively with their partners in local authorities, government departments, development and construction companies, institutional investors, contractors and external design teams and consultants to deliver homes and services for people who need them. Respond say their partners are essential to the work of Respond in achieving their goals for the delivery of additional social housing and provision of services. Respond are dedicated to playing their part, building homes throughout the country and providing services for families and individuals who need them.

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In response to the number of families who are finding themselves homeless, Respond opened their sixth homeless service in Santry (Dublin) in 2019. This Northwood Green service is an ‘own door’ apartment service, meaning that each family has their own private apartment space where 24/7 support is provided for up to 23 families at any given time. This service has been developed, using the learning from Respond’s other homeless services.

Own door model of accommodation with support is their preferred form of emergency accommodation provision where possible.

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The Tenant Relations team are the face of Respond, actively involved in community development on their estates working with individuals, tenant groups and the wider community to help develop and sustain thriving communities. 2019 saw an increase in the number of units Respond either own or manage by 529; of these 418 are Respond social housing tenancies. They also manage some homes on behalf of third parties eg iCare and units in group homes. The Customer Services Centre is the first point of contact for all tenants as well as any other general caller. The team deal with the vast range of tenant enquiries, focusing on successfully resolving all queries at this first point of contact.

T: 01 808 7700 E: info@respond.ie W: www.respond.ie

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Homelessness: Increasing budgets and decreasing numbers Homeless charities have welcomed the increased budget for homelessness services included in Budget 2021, while other charities have voiced hope that the Covid-19 crisis will be a turning point for homelessness in Ireland.

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Overall, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was allocated a budget of €5.169 billion under Budget 2021. Most notable in the breakdown of these figures in the context of the fight against homelessness is the figure of €218 million pledged to “ensure those experiencing homelessness are supported and helped to successfully exit homelessness”. This is a significant rise on the €166 million that was pledged in Budget 2020, and the Government is predicting 6,000 “exits from homelessness” in 2021 as a result of this funding.

and the highest investment in housing in the history of the State. The Budget contains within it plans for the deliverance of 28,500 additional social housing units in 2021, with 12,750 new homes to be “added to the available supply of social housing through build, acquisition and long-term leasing” and support for local authorities and approved housing bodies through the Land Development Agency in order to deliver 9,500 social housing new builds. €110 million for a new Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme for first-time buyers and a new cost rental model have also been pledged.

Significant in the Budget in terms of housing people is the large increase in housing spend. €3.3 billion is allocated for spending in housing, a 24 per cent increase on the 2020 level of funding

The Budget was welcomed by the Peter McVerry Trust, whose CEO Pat Doyle said that the “sizeable programme of capital investment” had answered calls “for a more ambitious

and enlarged social housing programme”. Doyle said: “We warmly welcome Budget 2021. It delivers major investment in several key areas such as housing, education and health. It will enable local authorities and housing charities to make major progress in providing critical housing pathways to people in homelessness and on social housing waiting lists. We welcome the increase in funds for key homeless services such as cold weather supports, day services, and emergency accommodation for people impacted by homelessness.” The expansion of the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme to 85,000 tenancies in 2021 was also welcomed by Doyle, who said it would “enable people to exit homelessness through the private rental sector”.

The latest homeless figures released

Homelessness by region, August 2020 5% 9%

3% 1%

Dublin

South-West

Mid-West

Midlands

South-East

North-West

Mid-East

West

2% 5% 1%

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5%

North-East 69%

(Source: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)

before the Budget revealed that there was a total of 8,702 people accessing emergency accommodation for the month of August, a slight decrease on the 8,728 recorded in July. The number of adults recorded accessing emergency accommodation rose by five in that time to 6,082 people, but the number of children fell by 31 to 2,620.

Homelessness figures began the year above the dreaded 10,000 mark, with 10,721 people accessing emergency accommodation in January, but figures have trended downward each month of 2020 and that fall has been accelerated by the Covid-19 crisis.

Most notably, the number of those accessing emergency accommodation fell from 9,907 to 8,876 in the twomonth period from March to May. The number of homeless children has seen a significant drop, falling from 3,574 in January to 2,620 in August. August’s figure was also a significant annual decrease from August 2019, when 3,848 children were recorded as homeless. Figures for adults have fallen at a slower rate, down to 6,082 in August from the 6,697 recorded in January, recording an annual fall from the 6,490 recorded in August 2019 as well. The overall figures have also recorded a significant annual fall, from 10,338 in August 2019 to 8,702 in August 2020.

The homelessness campaigner Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, speaking at the launch of Focus Ireland’s annual report for 2019, expressed hope that the lessons learned during the Covid-19

crisis would mark a turning point for how Ireland deals with the issue of homelessness. She said that Ireland was “seeing that the homeless figures dropped because of the measures taken by the Government – the rent freeze and the ban on evictions – and there was a determined effort by the Government agencies to work in cooperation with the voluntary sector”.

However, Kennedy warned that these were “short-term measures and they stopped in August and we can now see the emergence of homelessness again with people coming to us with eviction notices; that’s a worrying trend especially when we may be heading into a second Covid surge and into the winter”.

Focus Ireland, in its annual report, reported helping 1,790 households to avoid or leave homelessness in 2019 and that 14,200 people had engaged with its services throughout the year.

Another report – A Working Life: The Continuing Journey, complied by Cork Simon Community – has found that securing stable affordable housing is the greatest challenge for people trying to exit homelessness even after they have secured employment.

The Cork Simon Community Director Dermot Kavanagh said that the report served to emphasise the importance and success of employment in the rebuilding of lives. Kavanagh said: “It also demonstrated the many factors that can help or hinder sustaining work, and the critical importance of an adequate supply of affordable, stable

housing in order for employment to work, and for people to rebuild their lives. Now more than ever people need occupation, connection and hope.

Employment, with the right supports, offers these in spades.”

The report, the second in a series following people who have experienced homelessness moving into employment through Cork Simon, found that 71 per cent of participants were still in employment two years into the process, with 76 per cent saying they had achieved life goals in that period, but securing housing remained an issue for 50 per cent of the participants.

“While securing housing brought great relief and joy, housing scarcity and insecurity caused considerable stress and upheaval and impacted one-third of participants’ ability to work during the research period,” researcher Sophie Johnston said. Participants in the study cited lack of availability, exorbitant rents, perceived prejudice in shortlisting tenants and the inability to take time off work to search for housing as the main barriers toward securing housing.

With an additional 593 social homes now scheduled to be built in 2021 – 9,500 versus Rebuilding Ireland’s target of 8,907 – the hope will be that these needs can be addressed as soon as possible although the full effect of Covid-19 and the lapsing of the rent freeze and eviction ban remains to be seen.

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Clúid Housing completes the €23 million regeneration of St Mary’s Mansions in Dublin’s inner city.

The extensive works on the site included the addition of two new floors.

This allowed for the creation of 80 highquality modern apartments and duplexes. The development also saw the creation of several communal features to help build upon the already existing community spirit in the area.

This involves play areas, a community room, socially aware landscaping and a central courtyard to support community activities.

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The Mulvey report identified the need to make Dublin’s North East Inner City a safe, attractive and vibrant living and working environment with opportunities for all to lead full lives. The regeneration of St Mary’s Mansions, completed by Clúid Housing, is the first major regeneration project in the area commissioned after the Mulvey report of 2016.

The €23 million project is the result of a three-year redevelopment plan. Clúid Housing worked in partnership with Dublin City Council, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Dublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC), the Housing Finance Agency (HFA), the European Investment Bank (EIB), Ganson, and Inner-City Organisations Network (ICON).

returning to St Mary’s Mansions. The remainder of the homes will see residents come from Dublin City Council’s housing list. A number of the returning families worked together with Clúid on the regeneration. The first step in planning the regeneration was to consult with the residents, to gather their input and incorporate their feedback and requests into the design.

Clúid’s vision is a society where everyone has a great place to live. The organisation provides quality housing and services that enable people to create homes and thriving communities.

Clúid is committed to delivering 3,000 new high-quality, affordable homes before the end of 2022.

Speaking at the launch of the redevelopment, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: “Throughout the redevelopment of this housing scheme, Clúid has worked in close collaboration with both the returning residents and Dublin City Council to ensure the project was a success. It is clear to see that these high-quality homes will continue to foster a strong sense of community for generations to come.”

The redevelopment of St Mary’s Mansions, a flat complex built over 70 years ago by Dublin Corporation, has provided 80 homes for local families and single people. Twenty families are 86

One of the returning residents, Charlene Howe, says: “It was really important being on board from day one for the first meeting with Clúid. With the tenants being involved, we had our say.”

Charlene grew up in St Mary’s Mansions and was involved at the planning stage.

“There are 20 families coming back and lots of new people as well from around the area. We were involved in the planning; we had an input into the whole thing. It was really good, stuff we asked for was done, they were very fair. I have a little boy that is wheelchair bound so a shower was put in especially for him. I have to say, Clúid has done a really good job. It’s beautiful.”

The design for the redevelopment was focused on building upon the sense of community in the area and Charlene, along with a number of other residents, worked with Clúid to ensure this.

Charlene commented on what it was like to grow up in St Mary’s Mansions.

“Neighbours were like family here and they really looked out for each other’s children, you could go in and out of each other’s houses. Everybody was your cousin back then. It was a really lovely complex to live in.

“Growing up in St Mary’s Mansions it was an open complex and it really had a good community spirit. Neighbours were close to each other so with the new development we wanted to keep the open balconies. It was really important being on board from day one,” she said.

The site is now accessed by a newly developed entrance located on Gloucester Place Lower. This restoration of a formerly underused space has resulted in improved security. A new lift along with additional stairwells has improved access for all the residents and more car and bike parking facilities have been provided.

Two specially adapted universal access apartments were developed to the front of the scheme. These apartments are equipped with fully adjustable kitchen units that can be raised or lowered by the resident, level access wet rooms, and internal spaces that are designed to provide maximum flexibility and ease of movement.

St Mary’s Mansions now has a range of communal facilities available for residents. There is a communal room with coffee making facilities, a communal bike store, a play and recreation courtyard and a communal landscaped park. Each apartment is provided with an area of open space outside the entrance door for seating.

Each ground floor apartment is provided with a small garden and every kitchen overlooks the courtyard which provides sight across to the playground.

Each apartment’s intercom has a video screen. This provides a video link to all access points around the development meaning visitors can call from any access gate or courtyard door and speak via video link to the resident.

“Throughout the redevelopment of this housing scheme, Clúid has worked in close collaboration with both the returning residents and Dublin City Council to ensure the project was a success. It is clear to see that these high-quality homes will continue to foster a strong sense of community for generations to come.”

Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien TD The regeneration of St Mary’s is so much more than a redevelopment of a building, it is the reinstatement of the proud community that has lived here for many generations.”

The Building Energy Rating (BER) in each apartment following the refurbishment is now an A. The development saw the use of cutting-edge insulation technology which eliminated heat loss along with a high efficiency gas fired centralised heating system which provides hot water on demand via monitored heat units in each home. The result of this work is a very efficient home with an estimated total annual heating and hot water cost of approximately €300 per apartment. Combined with an affordable rent, the reduced fuel costs will help to combat fuel poverty among residents. Solar electricity which supplements demand across the development, further reduces living costs.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, spoke at a socially distanced launch of the flagship regeneration project: “After an incredible redevelopment and significant investment, I am delighted to see this scheme completed and providing superefficient homes to people on Dublin City Council’s housing list. Together with other local amenities here in the heart of the city, St Mary’s Mansions is a shining example of collaboration and partnership. I wish all the residents the very best of luck in their new homes for many years to come.”

Get in touch with a member of Clúid’s New Business team: T: 01 707 2088 E: newbusiness@cluid.ie W: www.cluid.ie

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Clúid Housing’s New Business Director, Fiona Cormican, says: “The true significance of having our own place to call home, our own front door, has been highlighted during the recent Covid-19 emergency. Today, Clúid reaffirms its commitment to providing more homes to more people.

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“The HFA is committed to facilitating and supporting the successful delivery of social housing in Ireland. We are delighted to have funded this fantastic redevelopment and to see St Mary’s Mansions brought back to life again.

The successful delivery of 80 homes in Dublin City Centre is a fantastic achievement and we look forward to supporting Clúid to deliver even more new homes in the future,” said Barry O’Leary, CEO, Housing Finance Agency.

“We rely on partnerships to deliver quality housing and services to our residents. The regeneration of St Mary’s Mansions is an excellent example of what can be achieved through partnerships between Clúid, the Department of Housing, the HFA and local authorities like Dublin City Council.

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Vacant site levy implementation

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Cavan, Galway County, Kerry, Leitrim, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan and Offaly.

The report states that lack of housing needs had been cited as an explanation for the lack of an active register in some areas, despite the fact that data from the Housing Agency reporting that all council areas had waiting lists for social housing in 2019.

A report in the vacant site levy in Ireland has found that less than a third of money due was paid by property owners by the beginning of 2020.

The report, published by the Oireachtas’ Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) in May 2020, reported that €2.3 million was due at the end of 2019 under the levy, with only €882,000 having been collected. Only one in eight councils were found to be collecting the payments for vacant sites.

Four of the State’s 31 local authorities were found to have made any collections of the levy in 2019, these were: Dublin City, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wicklow. More than a quarter of councils were found to have not even had an active register for vacant sites.

Problems were also highlighted with the administration of the levy, with confusion over what constitutes a vacant site to the fore. “Local authorities have highlighted a difficulty in identifying a vacant site, and the point at which a site is no longer vacant,” the report states.

“Specifically, the 2018 report indicate that some local authorities were not satisfied that the definition of a vacant site was clear enough to allow for sites to be added to the register. The definition of ‘vacant and idle’ was clarified through an amendment in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018, however the 2019 progress reports indicate that there is continued confusion in determining vacancy.”

Owners of land listed on the vacant site registers maintained by local authorities were liable to pay 3 per cent of its market value as a levy 12 months in arrears on 1 January 2018, a figure which rose to 7 per cent in 2019, to be collected in 2020.

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The report notes that determining ownership and liability has been an issue in the administration of the levy.

“Local authorities have highlighted problems identifying the ownership of vacant sites, and there are ongoing issues concerning the procedure when sites on the register are sold, resulting in a transfer of ownership,” it states. “At least one local authority that collected payments under the levy sought clarification from the Department, as it believes that the correct interpretation of the 2015 Act prevents them from using the collected revenue. There have been concerns expressed that revenue collected under the levy may need to be refunded as a result of a change in the ownership of the land.”

The report notes that the timeframes set out in legislation are intended to allow site owners the time to sell the site or initiate development, but warns that “the application of a zero rate for the previous year once there is a change in ownership may ultimately undermine the incentive to develop land”.

A total of 304 vacant sites were registered in 2018, a figure that increased to 353 in 2019. Local authorities estimate a total of 18,000 potential housing units to be developed on these sites if the levy were to be successfully implemented, a figure that would only increase if the maintenance of such registers were uniform across all local authorities. Eight of the State’s local authorities had no active registers of vacant sites by the end of 2019:

Effectiveness has also been an issue with “ongoing concern that the increased 7 per cent rate is not substantial enough to deter land hoarding”. This is especially relevant due to the rate of house price inflation, which the report notes has exceeded the 7 per cent charge by averaging 8.5 per cent on an annual basis since the introduction of the levy in 2015. The report also notes that local authorities have reported issues when including sites on their registers where the claim of neglect or vacancy is under challenge. Where the Valuation Tribunal is asked to determine the outcome of an appeal regarding an assigned market valuation, “uncertainty” reigns over the timeframe allowed for the appeal to be processed.

Local authorities have also reported that it is difficult to determine if sites are having adverse effects on existing amenities, as they are required to do, which then prevents them from adding the sites to the register. Concluding its report, the PBO says that “measures designed to return vacant sites to beneficial use could well assist in addressing issues of housing supply, but there is evidence of ongoing challenges in the implementation and administration of the vacant site levy”.

To address this, the PBO recommends a more centralised approach in order to minimise the regional variance currently obvious in the data. This centralised approach “might include” four measures: the development of a central process to administer and manage registers; collecting, collating and publishing key statistic at an aggregate level; provision of resources to support the administration of the levy; and provisional guidance to local authorities to aid them in their interpretation of legislation. An annual report collating the information provided by local authorities is also recommended in order to “enhance transparency and assist the administrative burden” placed on local authorities.

Housing Alliance welcomes new Executive Director

The Housing Alliance was delighted to announce the appointment of Anne-Marie McNally as its Executive Director in July. Anne-Marie hit the ground running and in addition to getting familiar with the various bodies and agencies operating within the housing sector in Ireland, she also put together the pre-budget submission for the Alliance and hosted a number of briefings on the key budget asks.

The Housing Alliance was formed to promote the delivery of social and affordable housing by larger approved housing bodies (AHBs), to address barriers and challenges to delivery, and to promote strong professional approaches to housing management.

Anne-Marie’s lived experience of social housing, her work on major housing projects in Dublin and her political experience on national housing policy ensures she is in a unique position to lead the Housing Alliance through this important time in housing policy formation in Ireland.

“The Housing Alliance was pleased to see a number of important housing measures that it had advocated for included in the Programme for Government. The commitment in that Programme to address the reclassification of AHBs was particularly welcome as it is vital to the continued successful delivery of AHB housing across the State. We were also pleased to note commitments on increasing social housing stock, standardising the differential rents regime across the country, retrofitting houses, addressing homelessness, providing age-friendly housing options for older people and ending direct provision.

“It was equally heartening to see Budget 2021 provide additional funding in both capital and current expenditure budgets for social housing. In my role, I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Minister, his department and all stakeholders to continue to deliver much needed social and affordable homes.”

Anne-Marie joined the Housing Alliance from her previous role as Political Communications Director for the Social Democrats political party. As a former journalist, inner-city project worker and strategic political adviser, she has been to the forefront of social and economic policy issues in Ireland throughout her career. Anne-Marie also brings significant communications expertise to the role, holding a First-Class Hons MA in Political and Public Communications from DCU.

Housing Alliance 20 Molesworth Street Dublin 2 E: annemariemcnally@housingalliance.ie T: 086 375 4315 W: www.housingalliance.ie

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“I’ve been hugely excited to get stuck into my role with the Housing Alliance and have spent the summer months familiarising myself with the key stakeholders and the issues affecting not just the AHB sector but housing policy in Ireland generally,” she says.

“We all know how crucial it is to work

together to dramatically improve the provision of social and affordable housing in Ireland and I’m pleased to be at the forefront of such important work.

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rental model and we have been very pleased to see that underpinned by a funding commitment in Budget 2021.

This scheme has the potential to provide much needed affordable rental homes and will facilitate approved housing bodies, in addition to their current significant social housing delivery programmes, to deliver and maintain homes for families who currently find themselves outside the income limits for social housing yet unable to afford to rent at current market rates. This has the potential to be a game changer for housing policy.

We are confident that once we get started on it and prove its effectiveness then the Minister will be willing to work with us to expand the scheme even further.

“Also hugely important was the commitment to introducing an affordable

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Let’s talk about racism housing report

come to Ireland of many colours, creeds and cultures different to our own, to support our hospitality and services sectors. So why do we still have so much racism and anti-social behaviour in our housing estates and apartment complexes? Why, when we have a blended workforce, do we still have a separation and lack of understanding or acceptance?

In Ireland over the last decade we have seen what appears to be a marked increase in the level of racism and anti-social behaviour. This is the experience of frontline workers and the results of the statistics that Circle VHA gather as an approved housing body (AHB), writes CEO John Hannigan.

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I believe that we, as a society, have been too slow to acknowledge that racism prevails in Ireland and to denounce it, as well as anti-social behaviour. That has to change. For many years we have prided ourselves, as a society, in issuing the “céad míle fáilte” to visitors without really thinking about what it means. We ask, as Irish immigrants all over the world, to be accepted and to be recognised. It is time that we do the same for the people who

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come here. We must help and support those fleeing war, tyranny and abuse, and those looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

In Ireland we have a country that requires a greater population, something that we are not driving up ourselves. We rely on the doctors, nurses and care assistants coming from all over the world to prop up and support our health care system. We rely on so many people who

There is now a way in which we can all participate in showing that we are not just non-racist, we are anti-racist. The Black Lives Matter movement has enabled understanding and support for all cultures, where racism and anti-social behaviour exists. We must actively step in to see, acknowledge and respect the different cultures we encounter in the work we do. It is not appropriate to be ‘colour blind’ or to ‘not see colour’. We must ensure that we support the enablement of equality across all we do.

The Black Lives Matter movement has given me some understanding of the language that I was missing, that my white privilege had shielded me from. I am using it personally to understand more.

In Circle Voluntary Housing Association, more than 36 per cent of our tenants are non-Irish, this means we have to work harder to ensure that we understand their needs. We must deliver services that cater for everyone in an equal way.

This is challenging and requires different thinking. Through the process of acknowledging the needs of others, and acceptance of those needs, we grow.

We are learning and we are adapting and changing to ensure that all our tenants receive the same level of respect, empowerment and accountability in all we do.

We support 36 per cent of tenants from other countries, 22 per cent of our staff team are foreign nationals with 15 per cent being people of colour. We are aware that we need to achieve a better balance. We are an equal opportunities employer. We acknowledge that we must work at attracting a greater balance to our sector and our organisation – and also at attracting

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individuals that continue to be open to diversity and equality. How do we get that balance? We encourage everyone that is willing to be open, to learn, to grow, to apply.

Why do we, as a sector, not attract more people of colour? In the last three rounds of recruitment for different posts, we attracted less than 10 per cent of applications from people of colour. Why is there a lack of applicants of colour? It appears to be a significant weakness in our sector and one that we need to address.

acknowledge and respect the different cultures we encounter in the work we do.”

behaviour experienced in Irish society.

Our sector, based on its values and its actions, should be a leading light and in this respect, Circle VHA will take a leading role in this work.

None of us want to exclude any person from their home, it goes against the ethos of the work we do and why we do it, but we cannot and will not tolerate abuse, racism or prejudice of any kind towards staff or other tenants. We will not sit back and allow such behaviour to prevail. In living by and working through our values we will ensure that all tenants experience the ‘WE HEAR’ of Circle VHA:

Respect for all tenants, staff and the public.

If you are interested in working with us or learning more about what we do, contact us and we will work with you to introduce you to the sector and what it does. Please contact Rachel at: T: 01 407 2110 E: info@circlevha.ie W: www.circlevha.ie

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Within the sector, the racism and antisocial behaviour that our workers and that are people of colour have been subjected to, is significantly challenging.

However, we can effect a positive change through understanding, but it would be naive to think that racism and anti-social behaviour will fade away if we have a more diverse workforce. No hatred or prejudice is acceptable and we as an organisation have a zero tolerance for any racist behaviour from any individual. Racist behaviour is not acceptable. Until we ensure there is action and until we demonstrate to others that such behaviour is not acceptable, and will not be tolerated, it will continue. We need all the authorities we work with, Gardai, Residential Tenancies Board, local authorities etc to continue the work they have been doing to end the level of racism and anti-social

“We must actively step in to see,

Willingness to do the right thing and go beyond; Empowerment of our tenants and our staff; Honesty in all we do; Excellence as an everyday occurrence; Accountability in everything we do; and

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Covid-19 and construction Despite an estimated stoppage of €17.9 billion worth of project works by the end of March 2020, Covid-19’s impact on the construction sector does not look to have had the black or white, good or bad type of effect it has had on other industries.

At the end of March 2020, just weeks after the Covid-19 lockdown had become widespread across society, closing construction sites all around the country, a Construction Information Services report found 1,137 active sites with a combined value of €17.9 billion had paused activity. Such news may have been expected to spell doom for a construction sector that is still relatively fragile as it continues its long recovery from the 2008 economic crash, but not all news has been bad news for the construction industry in the postoutbreak world.

The pandemic has been cited as the major cause of a slowdown in the growth in the cost of building commercial properties. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland’s (SCSI) Tender Price Index found that the national average inflation rate had fallen to just 0.9 per cent in the first half of 2020, down significantly from 2.8 per cent in the second half of 2019. This slowdown almost halved the annual rate of inflation, from 7 per cent to 3.8 per cent. Inflation rates stood between 0.8 per cent and 0.9 per cent in Dublin, Connacht/Ulster and Munster, but were

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higher in Leinster (outside Dublin), with a rate of 1.4 per cent.

The survey was conducted in July and is based on a combination of member sentiment and tender returns. SCSI President Micheál Mahon reasoned that the pandemic has had a “sharp and immediate impact on the level of tendering activity and, in turn, tendering rates as many construction firms focus attention on securing projects in 2021”.

Writing in the Irish Times, Mahon noted the prediction of the Banking and Payment Federation Ireland that house completions would fall by 14 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-19 and called on the Government to “take advantage of the softening in the construction costs and commence a large-scale building programme via local authorities”. Should the prediction of the Banking and Payment Federation be correct, just 18,000 homes will be delivered in Ireland, just above half of the minimum 30,000 per year the Central Bank of Ireland estimates to be necessary to meet demand.

While the fall in construction costs is an undoubted positive, the construction

industry has been serving mixed signals in the overall sense, pointing to a likely period of uncertainty ahead. In September, the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) posted 44.0 for the month of August, down from 53.2 in July and below the 50.0 no change mark for the first time in three months, signifying a fall in activity for the first time in that span. Despite the reduction, the pace of the decline was softer than that seen in the worst days of the Covid downturn, when the PMI neared zero.

Speaking after the release of the PMI, Simon Barry, Ulster Bank’s chief economist in the Republic of Ireland, said: “High levels of market uncertainty linked to the effects of the pandemic and some recent signs of a cooling in the wider economy’s recovery momentum weighed on the August results, including in relation to sentiment about the sector’s future prospects.

Nonetheless, respondents continued to express optimism in the year-ahead outlook, reflecting expectations that, despite some risks and headwinds, the economy’s recovery will stay on track.”

Minister O’Brien launches Oaklee Housing’s 34 Unit Scheme at Weston in Swords supply for AHBs and, where appropriate, the Council will work collaboratively with AHBs to allow them to purchase or lease newly built dwellings like we have done in Weston with Oaklee.”

The scheme, comprising a mix of threebedroom houses, three-bedroom duplex apartments and two-bedroom ground floor apartments, is located less than half a kilometre from local amenities at Swords, Kinsealy and Malahide.

Designed by John Fleming Architects and built by Ardstone, this development was acquired by Oaklee Housing in partnership with Fingal County Council and was funded using a combination of Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and private finance provided by Nord.

David Healy, Mayor of Fingal, also in attendance at the launch said: “This development at Weston is another excellent example of how Fingal County Council has partnered with an approved housing body to deliver a housing project in the county. Oaklee will be providing housing for 34 families from our housing list and Weston is an excellent development which will benefit from the wide range of facilities already in place in the Kinsealy, Malahide and Portmarnock area.”

Commenting on the importance of the relationship between AHBs and local councils in the ongoing delivery of social housing, AnneMarie Farrelly, CEO of Fingal County Council remarked: “Approved Housing Bodies continue to play an important role in the delivery of social housing and the Council works in partnership with the likes of Oaklee Housing on increasing delivery through the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF), Mortgage to Rent (MTR) and Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). The construction and leasing of new homes, using private finance and Payment and Availability Agreements (P&A), will be integral to increasing social housing

Oaklee Housing is an approved housing body (AHB) established in 2000 to deliver high quality modern homes for older people, families, mature single people, and people with complex needs.

Collaborating with its statutory and voluntary partners Oaklee has rapidly grown their presence across Ireland to become one of the country’s most ambitious providers of customerfocused housing and support services.

Oaklee Housing is a member of the Choice Housing Ireland Group and the Irish Council for Social Housing.

For further information contact: Siobháin Bunni, Head of PR & Communications, T: 086 194 2397 E: siobhain.bunni@oakleehousing.ie W: www.oakleehousing.ie

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Speaking at the launch, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: “I am delighted to be here, attending the launch of Weston today and I commend Oaklee Housing Association on their undertaking to deliver 34 quality homes here. Oaklee Housing Association, with support from Fingal County Council, secured funding from my department in combination with private financing, to bring these homes to completion. Fingal County Council continues to show commitment to meet the housing needs of the community and projects such as this, offer a long-term sustainable solution to all involved. Oaklee Housing Association, and other approved housing bodies, have a large number of projects underway here in Fingal and across the country. My department will

continue to work closely with all local authorities, and relevant approved housing bodies, to ensure continued delivery of new homes.”

housing report

In September, Oaklee Housing launched their 34 general needs social housing scheme at Weston, on Kettles Lane in Swords, North Co. Dublin with the help of Minister for Housing Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD.

Sharon Cosgrove, CEO of Oaklee Housing, announcing at the event the launch of the Oaklee Housing 2020-23 Corporate Strategy said: “Our primary objective is to respond to housing need and to government policy by responsibly delivering as many new homes that we possibly can without compromising on quality. We cannot allow Covid-19, despite its risks, to distract us from this goal. With the support of government, proactive local councils such as Fingal and the commitment of our people, we, Oaklee Housing, will continue to work through the pandemic to ensure that families, like the 34 that will soon be living here, are supported and offered somewhere safe to live. Our core goal across the next three years is to deliver homes. We plan across the live time of this next generation corporate strategy to deliver a further 480 homes and to bring an additional 543 homes into our management.”

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housing report

Affordable housing Affordable housing has been one of the defining issues of the Irish housing crisis. Questions over what it is and how it will be delivered are some of the most pertinent facing new Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien TD. In July, O’Brien announced measures in the Dáil that would be aimed at accelerating the provision of affordable housing. The Minister announced that he would accelerate and expand the Serviced Sites Fund to “provide enabling infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable homes on local authority lands”.

O’Brien detailed that a maximum of €50,000 is available per home under the scheme, meaning that the overall fund of €310 million can provide for at least 6,200 affordable homes to be bought or rented. O’Brien said that €127 million of the funding had already been allocated to support 35 projects and he was “going to ensure that those projects are expedited” in order to deliver almost 3,200 affordable homes across 14 local authority areas.

The Minister also went on to announce his plans to expand the Part V planning provisions in order to encompass affordable purchase and cost rental homes to go along with its current role in the provision of social housing. “This commitment will not only add to the number of homes available in these areas, but it will increase tenure options

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for people, and will assist in providing a good tenure mix within our communities,” he said.

However, on the oft-asked question of what exactly affordable housing is and what financial parameters it fits within, the Minister demurred: “Affordability is not simply a question of how much is too much to pay on a mortgage, but of how much is too much for whom and in what circumstance? That is why this government would rather seek to try and accommodate each household’s particular family need and financial circumstance.

“It is why, in the first part, we will assess eligibility on the proportion of the net income a household would need to buy a house on the open market to meet their needs. However, the Government will ensure a balanced allocation of State supports both in terms of fairness regarding those who are eligible to avail of it and in relation to the amount of financial support they receive.”

In September, he announced that the Government would introduce an affordable housing scheme that would see homeowners enter into sharedownership agreements with their local

authorities. In October’s Budget, O’Brien said details of a help to buy scheme were yet to be finalised, but pledged €700 million to the building and retrofitting of affordable and social homes.

The scheme will see local authorities buy houses from developers and offer them at subsidised rates to first-time buyers, with the local authority retaining a stake in a given property until it is bought out by the owner or sold. The scheme is to be targeted at households earning between €30,000 and €90,000 per year per year, with the aim to provide housing at prices between €160,000 and €250,000. It is understood that local authorities will have the power to subsidise prices by up to 25 per cent, a halving of Fianna Fáil’s stated goal for the scheme in 2018, when they had been negotiating with the Fine Gael government on a confidence and supply basis.

O’Brien has said that he hopes the measures taken by the Government will mean that “you won’t need a scheme to drive affordability” in 10-15 years because “that will have become part of the market”.

housing report

Housing budget 2021 Current

Capital

2020: €2.13 billion

2020: €2.27 billion

2021: €2.35 billion

2021: €2.77 billion

22.1%

10.5% Housing Budget 2021 €5.12 billion

2021 HAP expenditure: €558 million (+15,000 HAP tenancies) 2021 RAS expenditure: €130 million (+800 RAS tenancies) 2021 SHCEP expenditure €250 million

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+ 9,500 build

+ 800

targeted acquisitions

12,750 additional units 12,157 Rebuilding Ireland

+ 2,450 leased homes

Local authorities: 2,900 homes build 550 regenerated

target for 2020

= 593 extra social homes

AHBs: PPPS:

2,950 homes build 1,000 homes build

€110 million

+ €22 million

€90 million

Affordable

for homeless

water

Housing Scheme

charities

infrastructure

Delivering a cleaner energy future

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

Doubling carbon reduction ambitions Minister for Environment, Climate Action and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, outlines progress on the Government’s plans to double its carbon emission reduction targets to 7 per cent over the next decade.

Setting the context for the “historic need for change” in Ireland, Minister Ryan says that as the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord approaches, it’s important to remember the provision within the accord for countries to “review progress, raise ambitions and outline an enhanced path to meet the objective of trying to keep global temperature increase below an average of 1.5oC”, within those five years.

“It’s a challenge beyond compare,” states the Minister, setting out that Ireland is committed to doing this as a country within the European Union and in co-operation with the wider world.

Outlining the context in which Ireland has set its ambitions, the Minister says that the recent decision by the Chinese Government to enhance their ambition

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does not just boost the likelihood of achieving the global temperature goal but also provides “real certainty” that this is where the modern economy is heading and where competition is going to take place.

Additionally, Ryan says he has been encouraged by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to set an ambition of a 55 per cent reduction of emissions by 2030. “I hope under the German presidency we can commit to net zero carbon neutral by 2050, which is the very latest we need to do it if we are to meet those climate targets.

“I mention the wider context because it puts in frame what we’re doing or trying to do in Ireland,” states the Minister.

“We’re on a good path in terms of getting the governance right, starting

with the Citizens’ Assembly asking the right question: ‘How could we be leaders rather than laggards on climate?’

“I think we did better again when we set up the Joint Oireachtas Climate Committee in the last Dáil, which looked at the findings of the Citizens’ Assembly and assessed what these meant in practice and what we would need to do. The then-Minister Richard Bruton did a really good job to turn that into a Climate Action Plan “Now, this government is saying we need to take that and do more. We need to double the level of ambition to go from not just a 3.5 per cent cut of emissions but to go for a 7 per cent cut on average over the next decade.”

Outlining the scale of this challenge, the Minister believes that it is one “far

Delivering a cleaner energy future greater” than that of the EU’s, as Ireland is starting from a lower base.

Credit: Houses of the Oireachtas.

“Another thing he said, which I believe to be critically true, is that there will be no transition unless it is a just transition.

We have to do this at speed, but we also have to bring our people with us.

To do that we have to ensure that we eradicate fuel poverty at the same time that we eradicate pollutions and emissions from our energy mix.”

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Recounting a recent meeting with the European Commission’s Vice President Frans Timmermans, Ryan says that he agreed with the Vice President’s assessment that those countries who are most ambitious in decarbonisation are the ones who will gain the most economic advantage and therefore lower the cost of the transition.

Progress Setting out the pathways to achieving this, the Minister says that governance is important for setting a stable planning environment. Additionally, a stable political and policy environment gives people in the industry certainty that this is the right investment to make.

“We’re introducing a new Climate Bill, amending the 2015 Act, which puts in place a stronger Climate Advisory Council and a stronger planning and policy process towards meeting this new target of net zero carbon,” explains Ryan.

“It will do so by setting three five-year plans, which the Climate Advisory Council will budget and present their outline. We the Government will work with the Joint Oireachtas Committee to assess those and I will be working with each of the sectoral ministers in each of the different areas to see how we do it and hopefully, out of that process, we agree these budgets and we set ourselves on the course.”

Ryan says that while the timeline is tight, he hopes the Bill will be legislated for by December, the five-year anniversary of the Paris Climate Accord.

He adds: “We’ll then have to enhance and give additional resources to the Climate Advisory Council and to my own department to do the modelling, planning and budgeting work to actually start drafting this plan.”

At the same time, the European Union will be legislating for a similar target.

Having recently published their own impact statement on how they believe it will work on a Europe-wide basis, the EU says that it will work with individual countries as to how to do that at a local level.

“We’re starting on a good track,” states Ryan, pointing to political agreement across all parties of the need for 70 per cent renewable electricity on the system by 2030 to help meet the overall target.

“That’s a hugely challenging and demanding task and we will be testing the edge of the envelope of what’s possible, but we have real capability.

EirGrid and others have real skills. The developers in this country, in this area, know how to do it and by doing it, we will learn expertise that we can share and sell to the rest of the world.”

The Minister says that progress can be recognised in the success of September’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction, where 82 renewable projects were successful, including almost 800MW of solar farms, which are being rolled out at scale for the first time.

“Critically, within that we started the auction for community energy projects, only seven of them, but I think that sets a course of where we need to go further in future. Future auctions will very much

concentrate and try to support that community ownership development because it’s vital that if we are to have this as a just transition that we’ve got public support for what we have to do.”

Turning to the range of work that needs to be done by his department to help make the job of meeting the target easier, Ryan says: “I want to see the wind energy guidelines agreed with my colleagues in government before the end of the year. We need that because what we are seeing is some of the ways we can bring down the costs in our system are offering greater certainty on the planning side.

“That will be good for local communities as well,” the Minister says, pointing to the potential detrimental impact of legal challenges. “It’s better for us to have the standards right, to have certainty and to then actually get on with the job. And, particularly working with local communities, to make sure they are a part of our overall approach.”

The Minister says that another key element which will also reduce costs is the development of the electricity grid.

“We’re starting to see already, even with the levels of renewables that we have now, that the levels of constraint and curtailment is making projects less economic and pushing up costs,” he explains.

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

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“Future auctions will very much concentrate and try to support that community ownership development because it’s vital that if we are to have this as a just transition that we’ve got public support for what we have to do.”

Distribution The Minister emphasises that alongside building out the grid, Ireland must continue to invest and build in enabling large infrastructure projects, such as the North South Interconnector, but also bring that investment back to a local level.

“We need to advance and invest in our distribution grid, as well as our transmission grid, so that we actually get good at the balancing of this renewable power supply to make this revolution work,” he explains.

“That’s the heart of the change happening. It’s the efficiency side, the demand management side, which is just as important as the generation side, particularly as we move to electrifying our transport and heating systems, as well as our industry systems.”

The Minister says advancement of the distribution grid will not be possible if there is no sophistication around the balancing of supply and demand. This, he adds, will offer the essential requirement to develop microgeneration.

“The old adage that microgeneration won’t be manageable on the distribution grid is no longer true,” he states. “Microgeneration will actually help strengthen the grid by using power at a local level and by giving capability to send and export power two ways, so that it actually does balance together.”

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Retrofit and offshore wind Turning to two major projects which the government are committed to progressing. Ryan points to the ambition to deep retrofit around 50,000 homes annually, which he says will deliver huge benefits in job creation and increased health and wellbeing.

Investment in retrofitting, announced in the Government’s July stimulus plan will “get us away from the start stop nature of that industry in recent years”, he says. Additionally, Budget 2021 saw the launch of the national retrofit programme through SEAI with a significant scaling up and streamlining of retrofit programmes for homes and communities. The €221 million allocation for homes and community retrofits represented an 82 per cent increase on the 2020 Budget.

Ryan also points to plans to introduce a major retrofitting scheme by late this year/early next year to set out how they are going to work with local authorities to release funding for their ability to retrofit social homes.

Another project pointed to by Ryan which he believes is critical to the “economic development” of Ireland in the coming decades is the development of offshore wind. The Programme for Government has set a target of 5GW of wind power in the Irish Sea by 2030 and 30GW of floating offshore wind on the west, north west and south west of

the country in the subsequent decade and beyond.

Ryan believes that that those ambitions can be delivered in an even quicker time than set out in the Programme for Government. He plans to launch an auction system towards the end of 2021 on some of the offshore farm development plans within the Irish Sea. However, he admits that development of the west coast will require long-term planning but says that built up experience over the past decade is a solid basis for making it happen.

Ryan admits that for progress, much needs to be done in this area. “We need to develop port facilities to be able to service that,” he states, adding: “We will also need to continue to interconnect with our neighbours, both the UK and France and beyond, so that we’re part of a north west European electricity market for this to work. No matter what happens with Brexit, we will need cooperate with the UK. If they opt for an isolated energy system it would be incredibly expensive and not in their interest, not in our interest or in the interest of Europe.

“So, whatever happens in the Brexit talks, I’m committed to try to work to try and maintain that sort of cooperation in the coming years.”

Concluding, the Minister points back to the last time he held the energy portfolio, when scepticism existed around meeting the renewable electricity target of 40 per cent per annum and the economic damage striving for this might cause.

“The exact opposite was the case.

We’re meeting that target, we’re benefitting from that power and we have a comparative competitive advantage and skills in this green new economy.

“We’re going to meet the 70 per cent target and be really good, in particular, on the demand side, combining the digital revolution with the energy revolution that is taking place. This is an opportunity that is available to all of us and should be seized upon not just because it is economically good and good for jobs but because it is the key project to protect our planet and our people into the future.”

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

A climate neutral economy The publication of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020 represents efforts to enshrine Ireland’s enhanced climate ambitions into law.

In October, within 100 days of the formation of the coalition government, as promised by the new Programme for Government, the Government introduced to the Dáil the draft text of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020, designed to set the country on course to become climate neutral.

The enshrining of Ireland’s increased climate targets, outlined in the Programme for Government, into law is in parallel with the European Commission’s move to do the same.

The European Climate Law proposes a legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, meaning that EU institutions and member states are bound to take the necessary measures at EU and national level to meet the target.

In laying the Climate Action Bill, the Government said it would make Ireland

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a “leader” when it comes to climate action.

The main feature of the Bill is the commitment into law for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, through a National 2050 Climate Objective, meaning that the State will pursue the transition to a climate resilient and climate neutral economy by the end of the year 2050. However, the Bill also establishes a system of three successive five-year economy-wide carbon budgets set to start in 2021, including a provision for setting sectoral targets.

“A graduating carbon budgetary process, and sectoral decarbonisation target ranges will provide a clear signal and pathways to drive future investment, allowing us to both reach our climate targets and stimulate job creation in new sectors such as retrofitting and renewable energy, the

circular economy, clean mobility, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable agriculture and the bio-economy,” the Government says.

A further provision of the Bill is for annual revisions of the Climate Action Plan and the development of a National Long Term Climate Action Strategy at least once every decade. Importantly, the Bill requires local authorities to develop a five-year Climate Action Plan.

The Climate Change Advisory Council is to be given a strengthened role in advising and proposing carbon budgets to government and the Bill envisages greater accountability and oversight by the Oireachtas with all relevant ministers required to give account for their sectors annually.

While largely welcomed in the main, pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill has seen some criticism levelled at ‘loose language’ within. At the Oireachtas

Delivering a cleaner energy future Source: LSE

Climate Action Committee, Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins suggested the Bill “was walking back from concrete climate commitments by Ireland” because of the absence of strong interim targets.

One notable omission from the Bill is the Programme for Government commitment to ban the sale or importation of petrol and diesel cars from 2030. The commitment was included in the National Development Plan, the 2019 Climate Action Plan and the Programme for Government but not the Bill. Despite this, the Government has said it is committed to introducing the ban.

Programme for Government Key to Ireland meeting its 2050 targets will be the progress over the next decade. The Programme for Government commits to a 7 per cent average yearly reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, a significant increase in the 3.5 per cent ambition outlined in the 2019 Climate Action Plan. The context of Ireland’s shift in ambition comes at the same time as a similar EU-wide shift.

The EU Commission has committed to

Programme for Government • 70% renewable electricity by 2030 • 7% annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions • A Climate Action Bill • Annual RESS auctions including offshore in 2021 • €100 per tonne carbon tax by 2030 • A National Energy Efficiency Action Plan and National Retrofitting Plan • 50% public sector decarbonisation by 2030 • 5GW capacity in offshore wind by 2030

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However, Department of Environment, Climate and Communications Assistant Secretary Brian Carroll rejected the claim, stating that carbon budgets would “lock in ambition that is in the Programme for Government”.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

an EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to at least 55 per cent by 2030.

Climate ambitions and required action now span across government. However, on energy-specific aspects of the Programme for Government, one of the key aspects includes a commitment to a new National Energy Efficiency Action Plan and a range of actions to deliver at least 70 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, including a whole-ofgovernment strategy.

Other significant commitments include the production of a Marine Planning and Development Bill, recognised as a significant enabler of offshore wind asset development, as well as a plan to set out a pathway to 5GW capacity in offshore wind by 2030. Additionally, enhancement of interconnection, further pathways to advancing renewable

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020 • Climate neutral by 2050 • Three successive five-year carbon budgets • A National Long Term Climate Action Strategy • Local authority climate action plans • Strengthened Climate Change Advisory Council • Annual revision of Climate Action Plan

technologies; ensuring community energy participation and the implementation of a national energy efficiency action plan, are also key features of the Programme for Government.

While the Programme for Government set the tone for Ireland’s increased greenhouse gas emissions drive and offered a sense of direction for policymakers, stakeholders and potential investors, the finalising of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020 will offer a concrete foundation for action.

More crucial than the headline ambitions will be the specifics of sectoral targets which are yet to be established. Also crucial to progress will be the level of EU support on offer once Ireland’s enhanced ambitions alongside the climate plans of all member states.

EU 2030 Climate Target Plan • Pathway to climate neutrality by 2050 • 55% greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 • Legislative proposals on achieving target • Full policy instrument review by June 2021 • Include increased 2030 target in European Climate Law

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

EirGrid: Powering Ireland’s renewable targets the emerging best-performing alternative.

energy report

For the up-voltaging solution, the towers and conductors on the existing circuits would be replaced or modified so they could handle a higher capacity and voltage. This option would also need new towers at some points along the route.

Studies show that this option has a very good technical performance. However, it does not perform as well as an additional new circuit, which would give more operational flexibility. Its economic performance is good, and it is the overall best performer in relation to environmental and socio-economic factors, compared with the other options.

This option’s environmental impact is mainly related to its construction.

Michael Mahon, EirGrid Chief Infrastructure Officer offers an update on two key EirGrid infrastructure projects that will reinforce the network and underpin growth across the Kildare/Meath region and north Connacht.

Last month EirGrid began public consultation on a range of options for a critical, new electricity project that will reinforce the network across Kildare and Meath. The company wrote to 57,000 homes across the two counties seeking feedback on five technical solutions for the Kildare-Meath Grid Upgrade project.

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The project will add a high-capacity electricity connection between Dunstown substation in Kildare and Woodland substation in Meath. The development will significantly improve the transfer and distribution of power across Meath, Kildare and surrounding counties.

The project is essential to enable the further integration of renewable energy, in line with Government policy, including the transport of electricity from offshore windfarms. It will also help meet the growing demand for electricity in the East. This growth is due to increased economic activity and the connection of

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new large-scale IT infrastructure in the region.

Dunstown, north of Kilcullen in Kildare, and Woodland near Dunboyne in Meath, are the end points for large amounts of power that is transported across the country on high-voltage power lines from Moneypoint in Clare. The power is produced by a large number of electricity generators in the south and south west, where many wind farms and some modern electricity generators are located.

The five options under consideration for the project are connecting and upvoltaging two existing 220 kilovolt (kV) overhead lines; a 400 kV overhead line; a 220 kV underground cable; a single 400 kV underground cable; 400 kV underground cables along two separate routes. Studies to date have indicated that the up-voltaging solution is the emerging best-performing option, with the single 400 kV underground cable as

A new 400 kV underground cable linking the two substations is the emerging bestperforming alternative. Earlier studies questioned whether such an option would be technically feasible due to the length of the cable involved. Further investigations have shown it to be feasible. The cable would be installed in the Meath and Kildare road network. A trench up to four metres wide would be required to meet the power carrying capacity of the circuit.

This option has some technical performance advantages that other options do not. However, the amount of cable required for this option is a challenge and a risk. The operation of underground cables also needs more management than overhead lines to make sure they are safe and secure. Its economic performance is good in comparison with the other options.

Feedback from people in Kildare and Meath is critical, although the Covid-19 pandemic has presented challenges in how to engage with people due to social distancing restrictions. EirGrid have had to come up with a whole new way of consulting with people. This includes a mix of traditional and innovative, online methods, including webinars and a dedicated microsite for the project.

The project team is considering feedback on all five options before making a

Delivering a cleaner energy future

decision on which one to take into the next stage of this project, when EirGrid will consult about where exactly the new infrastructure will be built. This is expected to take place in 2021.

North Connacht EirGrid is also currently evaluating options for a new electricity project that runs from Ballina in Mayo to Ballaghaderreen in Roscommon. The North Connacht 110 kV project is a new electricity circuit that will underpin investment in the region and facilitate the growth of renewable energy. One of the key drivers for the project is the large amount of electricity generated by wind farms in North Connacht, with more planned over the coming years.

The level of renewable generation is greater than the capacity of the local electricity network. This means that EirGrid have to look at ways at improving the electricity infrastructure in the region.

Over one third of electricity consumed in Ireland last year was produced by renewable generators, mainly wind farms, and that figure is expected to rise to 40 per cent in 2020. Under the Government’s Climate Action Plan, the figure will rise to 70 per cent by 2030.

North Connacht, and other similar grid reinforcement projects, will help Ireland achieve this goal.

The project has been welcomed by IDA Ireland. “Proper infrastructure is key to Ireland maintaining its international competitiveness. We must maintain an environment that is conducive to doing business – and adequate commercial energy capacity is central to that,” said Martin Shanahan, IDA Ireland Chief Executive Officer.

It was originally proposed that a largescale development based on 400 kV technology would be required. However,

The EirGrid project team is currently

Instead, it was felt that the reduced amount of renewable generation could be met through a smaller development.

east; and Ballina in the north to

The project team carried out a formal consultation in 2018 and respondents raised several issues:

seven potential routes identified in the

•

The need for swift project completion;

underground cables.

•

Route and corridor options and starting points;

where we will soon determine the best

•

Preservation of wildlife;

reach out to people in the area who

•

Damage to the countryside’s natural beauty;

might be affected by the project. It is

evaluating possible routes for the circuit within a study area that runs from Foxford in the west to Tubercurry in the Ballaghaderreen in the south. The team is currently seeking feedback on the study area, four of which are for overhead lines and three for

The project is reaching a critical point

•

Noise concerns; and

•

Impact on property values.

possible route. We have worked hard to

vitally important to receive feedback from

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He added: “IDA Ireland welcomes EirGrid’s stated aim of transitioning the electricity sector to low-carbon, renewable energy. The North Connacht project is an important part of that strategy, providing the necessary electricity infrastructure required by industry across North Connacht through renewable energy means, ensuring security of supply for customers and businesses across Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon.”

by 2017 the amount of planned renewable generation capacity in the region had dropped and a 400 kV solution was no longer required.

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“Over one third of electricity consumed in Ireland last year was produced by renewable generators, mainly wind farms, and that figure is expected to rise to 40 per cent in 2020. Under the Government’s Climate Action Plan, the figure will rise to 70 per cent by 2030.

North Connacht, and other similar grid reinforcement projects, will help Ireland achieve this goal.”

people who may be affected by the project.

This feedback helped EirGrid in choosing a preferred technology for the project, and on the study area where it could be placed. The circuit will be either a 110 kV underground cable or overhead line that links the existing electricity substations at Moy near Ballina and Tonroe near Ballaghaderreen.

E: david.martin@eirgrid.com

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Credit: Olga Makina

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

Energy priorities of the European Commission Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy outlines the role of member states and the energy system in achieving the EU’s raised ambitions on climate change.

The 2019 European Green Deal recognised the need to fundamentally transform the EU’s energy system, states Simson, highlighting that 75 per cent of all the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the energy sector and that this is a priority area if Europe is to be carbon neutral by 2050.

In September, the European Commission stepped up its ambitions by proposing the new 2030 Climate Target Plan which saw an increase in ambition for the greenhouse gas reduction to 2030 of at least 55 per cent, which Simson believes has added “further urgency to the green energy transition”.

Setting out the significance of the ambition shift, Simson explains: “It also means that by 2030 electrification needs to reach 40 per cent and the rate of building renovation has to double.

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Additionally, 24 per cent of transport will have to be powered by renewable fuels.

Oil consumption must be reduced by almost one third and natural gas consumption must be reduced by one quarter.

“We know reaching a 55 per cent reduction is doable but it will require massive changes and actions in all sectors. We will not only need to change but we will need to change fast,” states the Commissioner.

Highlighting that to date the power sector has led the way in decarbonisation, making it the most decarbonised system in the world, Simson says that the level of ambition will require action on other fronts as well.

In June, the European Commission presented the strategies for energy system integration and hydrogen, the

first of which sets out the main characteristics of the energy system of the future and the other which looks at the role of renewable hydrogen in that system. Simson highlights that these strategies also provide solutions to how other sectors can follow the lead of the energy generation sector.

On 14 October, the Commission published its Renovation Wave Strategy, which aims to double renovation rates over the next decade, making sure that renovations lead to higher energy and resources efficiency.

It’s estimated that by 2030, 35 million buildings could be renovated in Europe, with an additional 160,000 green jobs created in the construction sector.

Additionally, Simson confirms that by November, the EU will launch a European offshore renewable energy strategy, aimed at giving a strategic

Delivering a cleaner energy future

Tying these various channels together, the Commissioner explains that it is the Commission’s intention to propose an updated framework for Europe’s energy infrastructure policy before the end of 2020, which she says, “will help us to make our future investments climate proof”.

Finance Simson highlight that as well as establishing long-term plans for the future, the Commission must also react to the challenges of the present. To this end she says that while political buy-in and momentum exists, financial investment and public support are crucial.

In July, EU leaders supported the Commission’s proposal to create a €750 billion recovery plan for Europe, named Next Generation EU. Speaking on the unprecedented levels of finance being made available, Simson says: “We will need to be smart when deciding where to invest this money.

Our analysis shows that investment in clean energy technologies generates more value added than investment in fossil fuel sectors, both in relation to profit and in terms of job creation.

“This means that we need to seize the moment and make sure we are accelerating our investments in the clean energy transition. This brings duel benefits of supporting recovery and increasing job creation in the short-term and in the long-term, helping us achieve our climate goals.”

Explaining the significance of shifting Europe away from being one of the world’s largest natural gas and oil importers, she adds: “The energy transition is also an investment in our resilience and independence because going climate neutral reduces our import dependency and our spending on fossil fuel imports.

“To ensure we achieve the expected

“We know reaching a 55 per cent reduction is doable but it will require massive changes and actions in all sectors. We will not

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direction for the ambitious development and integration of this type of energy by 2030 and 2050. The Commissioner recently presented the strategy to the annual conference of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), where she described Ireland as one of the “global champions” of wind energy. The Commissioner outlines that the strategy will not just cover offshore wind farms but tidal and wave energy also.

only need to change but we will need to change fast.” transformation we must rethink and renew our energy system. We can no longer act in silos and we must look at the energy system as a whole, creating synergies and looking for cost-effective solutions for our households and business.”

Simson explains that the recently adopted EU-wide assessment on the national energy climate plans brings together the efforts of member states in stepping up their ambitions.

“Each member state now has a forward-looking blue print for clean energy targets in terms of transformation and investment.

Combining the 27 plans, predictions are that we will surpass our 2030 target for greenhouse gas reduction of 40 per cent.”

The Commissioner highlights that the picture is especially encouraging when looking at renewable energy, where Europe is a global technology leader and has recognised a steady fall in prices. The National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) Assessment outlines that Europe is on track to produce more than 33 per cent of its energy from renewables, an overachievement on its original target of 32 per cent.

However, recognising that the national plans were prepared with the current 2030 targets in mind, Simson days that more must be done to reach the 55 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases goal by 2050.

“The impact assessment foresees the need for a 38-40 per cent share of renewables in our energy mix by 2030

and 36-39 per cent improvement in our energy efficiency. With the Climate Target Plan, we commit to reviewing the Renewable Energy and the Energy Efficiency Directives, including those targets, and we will make a proposal in June 2021.”

Simson states that a change of this magnitude will require “serious investment”. The Commission estimates the need for €350 billion per year.

Explaining the significance of the EU’s announced recovery package, the Commissioner says: “The Green New Deal was always meant to be a growth strategy and even the health crisis has shown that this is not simply a slogan.

“In July the EU leaders agreed on the unprecedented recovery package of €1.8 trillion, which sets sustainability at its core. The package brings together a reinforced EU budget for the next seven years, complimented by €750 billion from a stimulus plan. This is the Next Generation EU and the package gives us a unique opportunity to reboot the economy and accelerate the clean energy transition, which was already underway, and build a more sustainable and competitive economic future.

“I believe that the economic recovery and sustainability need to go hand in hand and respond to the needs of our people and our businesses and we need to invest in tomorrow’s technologies, not yesterdays.

“Change is necessary but managing this change will be for the benefit of all.”

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A greenprint for economic recovery investment decisions. Indeed, as the electricity sector has made great progress in decarbonisation so far, and as it can assist in the decarbonisation of other sectors, such as heat and transport, SSE believes Ireland should consider targeting a net zero electricity system by 2040.

We are heartened to see that the new Climate Action Bill copper-fastens Ireland’s target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through five-year carbon budgets. We also believe that the Climate Change Advisory Council will continue to be crucial in recommending policies to deliver on our net zero ambitions.

SSE believes that a green economic recovery from coronavirus can deliver a ‘win-win’ for both economy and climate by unlocking private investment in low-carbon infrastructure, creating new jobs, and supporting people in decarbonising their homes and businesses, writes Stephen Wheeler, SSE’s Ireland Country Lead.

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I was delighted to join the Irish Energy Leaders’ Debate at this year’s Energy Ireland Conference, which was a great opportunity to discuss how our industry can drive a ‘decade of decarbonisation’ between now and 2030. As one of Ireland’s largest utilities and, having made a total contribution of €3.8 billion to Ireland’s economy over the past five years, SSE stands ready to play our part.

Earlier this year, in our Greenprint for Economic Recovery, SSE set out five priority areas which we believe can be actioned quickly in order to kick-start that green recovery. These can be progressed through the policy framework

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outlined in the Programme for Government, whether it be the Climate Action Bill, Carbon Budgets, National Energy and Climate Plan, Whole of Government Plan, or as standalone initiatives. The key is that they are progressed at pace so investment can be unlocked as soon as possible.

The new annual carbon reduction target and carbon budgets provide investors with some of the certainty needed to progress projects and initiatives. In particular, SSE welcomes the Government’s reinforcement of the 70 per cent renewable electricity target by 2030; this target is achievable with timely policy signals to drive final

With the imperative of tackling climate change, through focusing on the priorities outlined below, we can stimulate investment and support many thousands of jobs in all regions of the country, building stronger, sustainable domestic supply chains that increase our self-sufficiency and security. SSE looks forward to partnering with the Government to deliver on these ambitions to build a cleaner, more resilient economy.

Facilitate the delivery of 1GW of offshore wind by 2025 Installing operational offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea by the middle of the decade, and within the lifetime of this Government, will be vital in maintaining the momentum initiated by last year’s Climate Action Plan and further committed to in the new Climate Action Bill. It is crucial that we utilise our abundant natural resources to establish an offshore wind energy industry to decarbonise our energy supply, while developing an indigenous, job-creating supply chain sector.

Ireland will need to compete in a highly competitive global offshore energy marketplace if we are going to achieve our new 5GW offshore ambition. Action is needed now if Ireland is to deliver the renewables revolution promised in the Programme for Government. The commitment in the Programme to a first RESS auction for offshore wind in 2021 is hugely welcome. Given the time needed to construct and finance offshore projects of scale, we encourage Government to prioritise the auction arrangements and the necessary grid connections policy. This will safeguard developer and market confidence that Ireland is finally open for business for offshore wind energy and unlock offshore wind investment as early as possible.

Arklow Bank Wind Park will require an investment of over €1 billion, and SSE Renewables is committed to ensuring the project delivers a significant economic and job-creating boost for County Wicklow, the Eastern Region and the country. In June 2020 we selected Arklow Harbour as the preferred location for the Operations and Maintenance Base, while announcing that this new purpose-built facility will be

“In the UK, currently the world’s largest market, it took nearly 15 years to achieve 5GW of offshore wind. Ireland needs to re-commit to delivering 1GW of new offshore wind by 2025 in the Irish Sea if we are to get on track to meet our 2030 goal.” home to 80 full-time employees once the project enters operation. By way of comparison, SSE Renewables’ recently completed Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Scotland, similar in size to the proposed Arklow Bank Wind Park, added £2.4 billion of value to the UK economy, created hundreds of direct jobs during the construction phase as well as long-term highly skilled jobs for the 25-year duration of the wind farm’s operations.

Delivering projects like Arklow Bank Wind Park in the next few years will help to power a renewables revolution in the very near-term. Progressing longer-term projects off eastern and southern coasts under the upcoming marine planning legislation will maintain the green recovery through the rest of the decade and beyond.

Continue the onshore wind success story through balanced planning standards As Ireland’s largest developer of onshore wind, and as operator of Ireland’s largest community fund for wind farms, SSE is convinced of the need for, and benefits of, continued deployment of onshore wind. We welcome the introduction of the RESS support scheme, and we are pleased to see the first auction is progressing this year as planned.

There are undoubtedly challenges to developing onshore wind, however, we can effectively balance the achievement of Ireland’s renewable ambitions with sensitive planning and development through the Wind Energy Guidelines

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SSE Renewables is actively progressing the development of the 520MW second phase of Arklow Bank Wind Park to help meet the 1GW target by 2025. When complete, the wind farm is expected to power over half a million homes, offsetting over 600,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Completion of Arklow Bank Wind Park in the next five years will itself directly contribute to just over half the 2 per cent reduction in carbon emissions that can be achieved by delivering 1GW of offshore wind by 2025.

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The new Government’s ambition to deliver an increased 5GW of offshore wind energy off Ireland’s eastern and southern coasts by the end of the decade is welcome. However, this must be delivered at pace and with immediate effect. In the UK, currently the world’s largest offshore market, it took nearly 15 years to achieve 5GW of offshore wind.

Ireland needs to re-commit to delivering 1GW of new offshore wind by 2025 in the Irish Sea if the country is to get on track to meet our 2030 goal. The delivery of 1GW of offshore wind in this timescale will also contribute 2 per cent towards our 7 per cent annual carbon reduction target.

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“Decarbonisation efforts must benefit customers, by providing a secure and affordable supply of energy as well as empowering people to directly take part in the green transition.”

Financing is one of the main barriers impeding households and businesses from adopting energy efficiency measures. As ever, the focus must be on minimising costs for consumers and avoiding imposing unnecessary policy costs on energy bills, which if badly designed could act against the adoption of lower-carbon energy sources such as green electricity.

A partnership approach and continued collaboration between utilities, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and local authorities have been successful to date and, supported by a system of grants and incentives, will continue to be vital to the development and delivery of Ireland’s National Retrofit Programme.

We must learn from the experiences in other jurisdictions and consider the most appropriate proposals on financing models, bearing in mind some of the challenges we have seen materialise with the UK’s Green Deal. The potential for on-bill finance to create a barrier to switching and competition is a concern.

Attaching repayments to bills also risks undermining the benefits of energy efficiency, in the form of reduced energy bills, in the minds of consumers.

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Early collaboration with industry in the design of finance and other incentives can help to deliver an efficient and effective package of incentives. a more efficient planning process overall. As some of our older wind farms approach the end of their lifespans, attention must turn to repowering existing wind farms with superior new technology.

by 2030 to meet the Climate Action Plan target can support over 38,000 years of full-time employment in Ireland, contributing over €2 billion to the Irish economy.

Policy should encourage new and repowered developments by setting a trajectory of renewables auctions volumes for the next few years.

Updating the Wind Energy Guidelines in a balanced way can ensure that Ireland takes advantage of the infrastructure already in place and does not slip backwards in its renewable achievements.

Provide customers with attractive decarbonisation options

In socio-economic analysis carried out on the delivery of Galway Wind Park, SSE Renewables found that the 174MW onshore wind farm delivered over €88 million in economic contribution to Irish Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while supporting over 1,600 years of full-time employment. By extension, the delivery of an additional 4GW of onshore wind

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Energy efficiency Decarbonisation efforts in the energy sector must benefit customers, by providing a secure and affordable supply of energy as well as empowering people to directly take part in the green transition. This will be furthered by the ambitious energy efficiency targets set out in the Programme for Government and the options outlined for providing affordable finance through the National Recovery Fund, Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, and loan guarantee scheme.

SSE Airtricity has recently launched an energy efficiency partnership with An Post, with the aim of making high-quality home energy efficiency upgrades as easy and affordable as possible for customers. The Generation Green Home Upgrade Programme is a onestop home energy upgrade service. It gives access to free home assessments, affordable finance and end-to-end project management for home energy upgrades.

Microgeneration As set out in the Programme for Government, microgeneration provides an opportunity for customers to get directly involved in the renewables revolution and SSE welcomes proposals to design effective incentives in this area. The Smart Metering programme can enable more active energy citizens by providing greater data on energy use and facilitating the benefits of microgeneration. Discussions with industry on incentives to encourage

investment in microgeneration can help design a scheme that both encourages customers to adopt these technologies and realises savings in energy bills.

Decarbonise flexible generation by strengthening carbon pricing and system stability services

SSE is involved in a number of lowcarbon industrial clusters in Britain and is progressing what we hope to be the UK’s first gas-fired power station equipped with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology. We believe there is great potential for CCS and hydrogen power generation in Ireland too. Indeed, as a company we have committed not to develop any further thermal generation without a pathway to decarbonisation.

decarbonisation trajectory than other sectors, and it can be used as a workhorse to decarbonise heat and transport.

The electrification of the public and private transport fleet will have a significant impact on reaching Ireland’s climate targets, improving local air quality, reducing carbon emissions and helping to integrate renewables into the electricity system. Decarbonising Ireland’s public transport network through electrification and encouraging modal shift are of critical importance. Enabling the shift to private electric vehicles is also needed if we are to encourage hundreds of thousands of motorists to make the switch over the next decade. Greater collaboration will be required to identify areas where on-street charging infrastructure is needed and the creation of public tenders will enable third parties to deliver this infrastructure at the scale required. The extensive roll-out of EV charging infrastructure will be necessary to stimulate demand. SSE believes local authorities, transport authorities and electricity companies are best placed to innovate and to lead the competitive delivery of this via a new partnership model.

The Government has made welcome

proposals to encourage the adoption of heat pumps and district heating and to refresh incentives to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and rollout of charging infrastructure. These technologies all have the potential to create employment, and given technological readiness, their rollout can start to scale up now and build gradually with the right incentives. SSE recommends introducing these incentives as early as possible, to influence uptake as people come to change their cars or upgrade their heating, and to avoid decisions that lock in carbon consumption for another investment cycle.

Stephen Wheeler is Ireland Country Lead for SSE plc, a FTSE-listed company and one of the country's largest energy utilities. SSE operates 28 wind farms and four thermal power stations across the island of Ireland, as well as supplying greener electricity and natural gas to over 700,000 customers.

T: 01 655 6888 E: media.ireland@sse.com W: www.sse.com

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SSE believes carbon pricing is an effective and enduring policy mechanism to progressively decarbonise the whole energy sector, and we support the strengthening of the EU ETS or exploration of a carbon price floor to drive investment in low-carbon technologies and discourage investment decisions that lock in carbon for the coming decades. We are pleased to see similar recommendations on carbon pricing in the electricity sector in the Climate Change Advisory Council’s latest Annual Review. In the meantime, Government has rightly emphasised the DS3 programme, which will enable many of the innovative stability services our grid needs.

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SSE is fully behind a renewables-led transition to net zero, however, from a technical standpoint we know flexible thermal generation will continue to be required to maintain security of supply and system stability. This class of generation will have to be decarbonised if we are to achieve net zero and we welcome Government commitments to focus on research and development for hydrogen.

Electrify heat and transport to harness progressive decarbonisation of electricity supply Electricity is already on a steeper

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

Decarbonising Ireland: The energy challenge John FitzGerald, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council, argues that the increased ambition to tackle climate change must be matched by implementation of new measures to drive decarbonisation.

Outlining the failure to date to significantly reduce carbon emissions in Ireland, FitzGerald points to a coupling between the levels of national income and carbon dioxide emissions that has existed since the 1960s. The year 2000 marked a period of decoupling in this regard but by 2013 the economic recovery marked a rise in emissions once more.

FitzGerald points to data for 2018 which shows that the total emissions of greenhouse gases remained largely unchanged from 2017, but explains that the absence of a significant rise was largely driven by a 10 per cent reduction in the electricity sector due to reduced hours at Moneypoint power station, which masked significant increases in emissions in the residential, agriculture and transport sectors.

The analysis, says FitzGerald, is that

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not only have behaviours not changed significantly but that Ireland hasn’t even turned the corner in getting emissions to fall.

Outlining that Ireland will fail to meet the 20 per cent reduction of greenhouse gases target for 2020, despite an estimated 7 per cent reduction in emissions driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, FitzGerald points to a gap of between 12.6 to 13.4 Mt CO2eq on the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) target of 337.9 Mt CO2eq.

“The reductions due to Covid-19 might bring that gap below 10 Mt CO2eq but we will still not meet our target and it’s important to remember that this reduction will be temporary. In this context, it’s important that investment to stimulate economic recovery must be ‘green’,” he states.

The Climate Action Plan 2019, if implemented fully, significantly changes the trajectory on emissions, explains FitzGerald but will still see Ireland fall short of the EU’s annual targets, meaning that Ireland will need to use the flexibilities allowed for on terms of land use. This, the Chair says, is more optimal than the other flexibility allowed for, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which would allow Ireland to buy its way out of any gap to target but would not offer a long-term solution. “If we don’t meet even the current target for 2030 then we certainly won’t meet net zero carbon for 2050,” FitzGerald states.

The challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland comes in the face of increased ambitions both from the EU and within the new Programme for Government (PfG) for 2030.

Delivering a cleaner energy future FitzGerald admits that not all the additional measures in the new PfG have been fully analysed by the Climate Change Advisory Council but welcomes the “step up in ambition”, while also recognising the need for clarity on the new actions envisaged. “Additional action will be essential,” he argues.

“The EU is upping their ambition and so we all have to up ours,” he says.

FitzGerald believes that the likelihood that the EU are going to shift a lot of carbon dioxide emissions to the ETS would be helpful for Ireland and would change the policy challenge, however, he admits that how the EU policy will translate remains to be seen.

Setting out that the national position is still to see a reduction of 80 per cent of CO2 by 2050, FitzGerald says that the Climate Change Advisory Council support the proposed objective of the PfG to reach net zero emissions by 2050, but adds: “We need additional policy measures to the Climate Action Plan for a post-2030 world. The current planned policies are not enough to get us to that 2050 target.”

The Chair says that the first task must be to implement the measures of the Climate Action Plan. At the end of September, the Climate Change Advisory Council published its annual review, within which it cautioned that some of the measures within the Climate Action Plan may not work. “So, already there is a need for additional measures if we are to meet our existing 2030 target and of course, the new ambition will require further measures.

We need to change behaviour in all sectors and not just rely on energy to do all of the work,” he adds.

Carbon tax FitzGerald has long advocated for a steeper rise in the carbon tax, highlighting that behavioural change will not occur until the profitability of change is recognised. The Climate Change Advisory Council recommended a €35 per tonne tax for

Target Mt CO2eq

Projected emissions

Projected Distance to target

Cumulative (2021-2030)

378.3

396.2

-17.9

With land use flexibility (26.8)

405.1

8.9

With land use and ETS Flexibility (18.8)

423.9

27.7

Budget 2021 (Budget 2021 saw a rise in the carbon tax from €26 to €33.50 per tonne), rising to at least €100 per tonne by 2030.

However, the Chair believes that with the hindsight of the pandemic causing a reduction in fossil fuel prices, the need for a higher carbon tax has never been more pertinent.

“The lower fuel prices since the Budget 2020 mean that, even with the higher carbon tax, all of our energy is going to be substantially cheaper. The Department has already showed, when producing the Climate Action Plan, that low energy prices lead to much bigger emissions and so we have a much bigger hill to climb because of those low energy prices.”

Those opposed to the rise in carbon tax often cite the potential impact of those in fuel poverty but FitzGerald believes that a solution lies in using some of the revenue raised through the carbon tax to avoid regressive impacts on lowincome households. The Chair points to research which suggests the use of one third of revenue from a carbon tax to compensate those on low incomes would not only insulate them against the problem but actually render them financially better off.

“Using the revenue to protect those on low incomes so that they don’t lose out as a result of an increased carbon tax is essential,” he states.

Electricity Turning to the issues which he believes must be addressed by additional measures in key sectors, the Chair says that in terms of electricity, the Government needs to accelerate the

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The Chairman believes that the EU’s 2030 Climate Target Plan announced in September, which sets out an ambition of a 55 per cent greenhouse gas emission reduction across the EU by 2030 is a “potential game-changer” in terms of Ireland’s journey.

Projected limits

closure of coal-fired generation and finally shut down peat-fired generation.

To this end, the Climate Change Advisory Council has suggested the introduction of a carbon price floor to support renewable energy and phase out fossil fuels, however, FitzGerald believes that the new EU proposals may render this step unnecessary. “We need to it to be profitable to shut down coal and peat generation or at least make it costly to keep them open,” he adds.

The Chair recognises the potential in new opportunities, such as offshore wind development, which he says may be important not just for Ireland but for the rest of Europe. However, he believes that investment is needed in necessary infrastructure to support the goals on renewable electricity and the roll out of electrification of transport and heating. FitzGerald emphasises the need for the initial emphasis to be in non-urban areas, highlighting these as areas where emission savings would be greatest.

“The CRU in their price review need to ensure that the distribution network is upgraded so that you can roll out decarbonisation quicker in rural areas than in urban ones,” he says.

Other changes will also be required, he explains, pointing to the need for greater level of interconnection, work already underway on green hydrogen and adding: “technological solutions will help us on our way in electricity.”

Transport Turning to transport, FitzGerald outlines that the sector is 20 per cent of Ireland’s total emissions and this is a

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Delivering a cleaner energy future Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2018 50

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Greenhouse gas emissions (Mt CO 2eq)

48

Emissions Projections

46 44 42 40

Historical Emissions 38 36 34

Effort Sharing Regulation Annual targets 2021 - 2030

32 30 2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

Reported Emissions

Projection "with existing measures"

Projection "with additional measures"

Effort Sharing Regulation targets to 2030

2030

Data sources: EPA (2020) National Emissions Inventory and Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections 2019–2040.

figure that is increasing. The Climate Change Advisory Council has voiced concerns that the current target for EV take up is going to be difficult to achieve and FitzGerald says that given the estimated expense to government, taxation and subsidy will be required and that it’s important that changes to the tax system begin now to encourage people to buy electric cars. Again, the Chair emphasises that priority should be given to those areas of high usage, namely rural areas. “The infrastructure, including the electricity, needs to prioritise where big money will be saved in tackling areas of longer commutes,” he adds.

However, EVs alone will not offer a solution to the emission challenge in transport. “We need action on other forms of transport as well. The Climate Action Plan didn’t really deal with HGVs and LGVs but we need to look at these areas in case we don’t meet our target on EVs.” However, FitzGerald admits that the EV challenge may be aided by the new EU proposals which will likely see the EU’s car industry produce EVs “cheaper and earlier”.

Finally, on transport he calls the better planned development, citing the National Planning Framework as

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essential to facilitate public transport and active travel modes. “We’re set to build around another one million homes between now and 2050 and we must ensure that we put them in the right place where people have access to active travel modes. Investing in public transport is essential and BusConnects is a start but there is a need for further investment. The benefits of investment today will come in reduced emissions after 2030 but if we don’t do it now because it won’t effect our 2030 figure, then we won’t meet the 2050 goal.”

Built environment On the built environment, FitzGerald acknowledges that the major deep retrofit of homes by 2030 is a challenging ambition. Highlighting that the retrofit of around 40,000 homes requires the same level of resources as that to build 5,000-10,000 new dwellings, he recognises that competition will exist between the Government’s ambition to build more homes and the desire to retrofit existing properties.

The Chair suggests that as well as increasing the capability of the building and construction sector, retrofitting efforts should be targeted at areas of most benefit and where the greatest

level of emissions can be reduced: vulnerable households and those homes currently heated by coal, peat or oil. However: “High rates of retrofit cannot be achieved without unlocking low-cost finance for households and SMEs,” he adds.

Additionally, highlighting work already underway in the Department, FitzGerald points to the benefits of aggregation and the efficient management of this.

“Finding ways to do this efficiently, which makes in easier will make a significant difference. Making it profitable alone will not suffice, it must be easy,” he states.

Concluding, FitzGerald restates his belief that increased ambition to tackle climate change must be matched by the implementation of new measures to drive decarbonisation. “I want to see the announcement of things happening on the ground,” he stresses.

“Integrating a just transition into climate policy can add depth and assure public support for action. If policies are seen to be unfair then they are going to be very difficult to implement. Ensuring fairness is going to be an important task for policy for the future.”

Delivering a cleaner energy future

Heat in the commercial and public sectors Kevin Brady, Principal Officer leading the Business Energy and Gas Policy division at the Department of Environment, Climate and energy report

Communications, addressed Energy Ireland 2020 on changes to commercial and public sector heat being driven by the Programme for Government’s decarbonisation ambitions.

Emissions from heat use in the commercial and public sectors of 11 per cent and growing, are significant, explains Brady, adding that following on from the increased climate action ambition of the Programme for Government, sectoral targets and annual updates of the Climate Action Plan will be key drivers of emission reduction in these areas.

Brady outlines that while much focus is placed on the ‘big’ three sectors of electricity, transport and residential in regards to emissions from heating, the combined sub sectors of public services, commercial services and manufacturing make up 20 per cent of Ireland’s annual total final energy consumption.

On emissions, the three sub-sectors have followed an energy-wide trend of decline from 2005 to 2010, followed by steady rates to 2014, when levels began to rise again. Brady points to doubling of gas use share between the period 2005 to 2018, going from around 27 per cent to around 53 per cent, mainly at the expense of oil.

in the commercial and public sectors was down 11 per cent and emissions reduced 17 per cent by 2018. However, since 2014, energy use has increased by some 16 per cent and emissions are up 13 per cent, highlighting a trend of strong and steady growth in recent years.

policy options of: energy efficiency first; electrification; renewable energy; district heating; and the decarbonisation of gas remain the same but the policy types, which have historically focussed on behaviour and incentives, are likely to shift to include greater levels of regulation and taxation.

The new commitments of the Programme for Government outline an average 7 per cent per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030 (a 51 per cent reduction over the decade) and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

As well as reviewing existing supports to align with the Programme for Government, the Department is planning an expansion of supports on the back of Budget 2021 and working to deliver a district heating policy framework. Additionally, a major piece of work being undertaken by Brady’s division is around how renewable gas can be supported, including assessing the role of green hydrogen going forward. Brady also points to the potential creation of a renewable energy obligation in the heat sector, pointing the absence of a socialisation of cost when compared to the electricity and transport sectors.

Brady states that the two distinct objectives associated with this commitment are the need for “an acceleration now” and a consideration for “all actions to be in keeping with net zero carbon by 2050”.

“By setting in stone, in government policy, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the more incremental elements that we are doing now need to change,” he adds.

Renewable energy use in the three subsectors is around 10 per cent, a surprising figure when compared with the residential heat and transport sectors, which have levels of around 3 per cent renewable energy. The majority of renewable energy in the commercial and public sector is biomass and some renewable waste and biogas, explains Brady.

Brady says that the sectoral emission targets and annual Climate Action Plan update will be key drivers for policy formation. “Following on from the Programme for Government, our next step is to review our existing policies and develop new policies to meet the new commitments. That includes reviewing all of our existing measures to be in keeping with a sustainable pathway to 2050.”

Compared to 2005, energy use for heat

Brady outlines that the Department’s

Concluding, Brady says: “The significant commitments in the Programme for Government will change everything we do and how we do it. The sectoral targets will be the key drivers of policy formation going forward and that’s where you’ll see the changes and the differentials.

“Even though we’re going to talk a lot more about emissions reduction, energy efficiency and renewable energy in the sector will continue to be key enablers but they will be enablers of greenhouse gas emission reduction.”

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ESB: Powering through the pandemic energy report

understood the difficulties its charity partners were experiencing during the pandemic. In response, the company significantly increased the size of the fund in the second quarter, bringing the total annual contribution to nearly €1.5 million. This helped to support key longterm partners, including Early Learning Initiative, Jigsaw, Pieta, Aware and Camara Education Ireland.

As society adapts to the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift towards a low-carbon energy system has assumed even greater resonance. eolas Magazine speaks with ESB’s Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Peter O’Shea, about the leading utility’s response to the pandemic, through the lens of colleagues, customers and communities.

Almost overnight, ESB transformed from an on-site and in-office business to having almost 4,500 of its 6,100 personnel working remotely. The transition to online business was relatively seamless, outlines O’Shea.

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“Being a 93-year-old electricity company, planning has been at the core of ESB for many years.” he says, adding: “Our pandemic plan has been in place since around 2005 when SARS-CoV emerged.

In fact, only 18 months ago, we had a test of our pandemic plan and garnered significant learning which assisted ESB in its initial planning for Covid-19, back in early February.”

Initial response In the first instance, the company’s focus was on logistics and ensuring that the business continued to operate. ESB established three major targets for itself.

The first was to ensure the safety of customers and employees. The second 116

was to maintain essential services for customers. The third was seeking to assist customers facing financial difficulties.

“As we moved further into the pandemic and as government plans emerged, ESB reshaped its own internal plans. Through our generation, our networks and our supply activities, we play a critical role in keeping the lights on for domestic and business customers, which in turn supports the wider national economy. Of course, this is even more important with so many of our customers working from home. Right across ESB, we had to reshape our operations to enable this,” the Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs outlines.

Corporate and social responsibility ESB works with a range of charities each year through its Energy for Generations Fund and quickly

Meanwhile, Electric Ireland, ESB’s supply business, is the title sponsor of Pieta House’s Darkness into Light initiative. In the context of the public health response to the pandemic, it became very clear that mobilising significant numbers of people in communities across Ireland to walk together into the daylight was not going to be viable. As an alternative, ESB worked closely with Pieta to develop the Sunrise appeal, helping it to raise over €4 million to continue the vital work it undertakes.

ESB’s corporate and social responsibility (CSR) programme has always been more comprehensive than just the provision of finance. One of the initiatives that O’Shea is most proud of is linked to the closure of schools in March 2020.

“In collaboration with Camara Education Ireland and Trinity Access, ESB supported the Tech2Students campaign to help low income students access education by bridging the digital divide.

ESB Networks provided its yellow van fleet and volunteers stepped up from across ESB to collect 1,300 disused laptops, which were then reconditioned and distributed among disadvantaged communities and areas with low rates of progression to higher education. It was a practical step which will have had a positive impact on the lives of the students,” the Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs emphasises.

Likewise, under ESB’s broader Kindness Matters initiative, employees are also encouraged to volunteer their time. “In many respects, this type of response is in the DNA of ESB. Customers are the lifeblood of the ESB, and the

communities in which they live and work are the same communities that my colleagues and I belong to. ESB has always been right at the heart of communities in Ireland and that’s why, in the context of Covid-19, it will continue to focus on customers, colleagues and communities.” he adds.

Continued delivery

The ESB report, Dimension of a Solution – Ireland’s Low Carbon Future, published two years ago promoted the dual strategy of decarbonising the electricity system and using that clean electricity supply to electrify the heat and transport sectors. That way, electricity which currently accounts for around 15 per cent of Ireland’s emissions could help address the emissions of the heat and transport sectors which together account for around 40 per cent of Ireland’s emissions.

“ESB is at the forefront of that change”, says O’Shea. “Our Brighter Future strategy is fully aligned with our purpose to lead the transition to a low-carbon future, powered by clean electricity.”

ESB Networks is also continuing with the installation of smart meters and, despite having to adjust its activities in light of Covid-19 protocols, is currently on target to deliver 250,000 new meters by year-end.

This investment will enable all suppliers, including Electric Ireland, to focus on engaging different cohorts of customers

ESB proudly supporting the Tech2 Students Initiative by delivering laptops to leaving cert students in association with Trinity access and Camara Ireland. Laptops were delivered to students who had no access to Technology.

and providing new types of services as and when the new smart agenda gets underway,” O’Shea indicates.

2030 Each facet of ESB’s operation is pursued in the context of national and European policy. Strategically, the utility is looking ahead to 2030 and working within the framework of the Programme for Government’s ambitious target of a 7 per cent reduction in emissions per annum. This represents a significant increase even on the Climate Action Plan.

Among other low carbon investments, ESB is focusing on building its renewable portfolio, both onshore and offshore, and is upgrading its public EV charging infrastructure in Ireland, with support from the Government’s Climate Action Fund.

ESB Networks meanwhile is seeking to invest in smart solutions and system reinforcement to enable delivery of the Programme for Government and has had significant engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) regarding these investments as part of the upcoming price review PR5.

“The fundamental importance of this is that PR5 covers the years 2021 to 2025, half of the period to the 2030 Climate Action Plan timeline. It’s an important engagement for ESB Networks and the Regulator to get right on behalf of Irish customers to ensure that the distribution system has the capacity and capability to accommodate new renewable generation that ESB and other generators are developing, and address the future needs of customers as they adopt new low carbon technologies,

such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and microgeneration,” O’Shea states.

Brighter Future In the here and now, ESB’s priority is navigating the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Brighter Future strategy has engendered a sense of purpose and anchored the utility, ensuring that all its activities are aligned, from core business to CSR. Meanwhile, in the medium- to long-term, and alongside the Government and the EU, ESB shares an ambition to ensure the recovery of the economy on a basis that encourages sustainability and investment in renewable electricity, the electrification of heat and the electrification of transport.

“Ensuring sufficient investment which enables the economy to pivot is a priority in the years to come. This doesn’t mean that we seek to recreate the electricity sector as it was pre-Covid19, rather let’s recreate it on a more sustainable basis.

“That means more renewable electricity generation, whether it be wind, solar or bioenergy; it means smarter and more efficient networks to deliver that electricity to customers; and it means empowering customers to make choices to lock out carbon because the network is capable of delivering the electricity required. That’s what a sustainable future means to ESB,” O’Shea concludes.

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Generating electricity is probably the most visible component of that strategy.

However, delivering the network capability to distribute renewable energy from all generators is also a priority. The period from 2011 to 2019 saw ESB Networks, the distribution system operator (DSO), double the installed capacity of renewable generation connected to network every three years.

The period ahead will see significant investments across all voltage levels to enable further connections of large-scale renewables and the increased penetration of electric vehicles, electric heat pumps and microgeneration.

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Today, six months on since the introduction of public health restrictions, O’Shea is still working from his home office, as are the majority of people at ESB. “Now it’s about redoubling our efforts to deliver the work we said we would deliver,” he says, adding: “The electricity industry is changing at a pace which is beyond anything we had previously considered. This is driven by the urgent need to address climate change”.

T: +353 1 702 7308 W: www.esb.ie

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Delivering a cleaner energy future

Regulating for energy transformation energy report

aggregators, in competitive DS3 procurement processes, being part of the solution and gaining value from it.”

Another area MacEvilly outlines where the CRU has a crucial role in the decade ahead is that of underpinning key network infrastructure. “We know that we are going to have to deliver more network infrastructure if we want to get to our 70 per cent target by 2030,” she says. “We’re designing regulatory frameworks, including our evolving connections policy and we’re working on new regulatory frameworks for two key interconnector projects, namely the Greenlink and Celtic projects.

Chair of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Aoife MacEvilly, discusses the regulator’s role in the energy transformation, putting the consumer at the centre.

Reflecting on the successes of the last decade, namely Ireland’s proximity to its 40 per cent electricity from renewable sources target, MacEvilly says that the strong collaboration across the private and public sectors, which has enabled this success, must be built upon with continued learning.

MacEvilly outlines that CRU is committed to making a positive difference to the transformation of the energy sector, with the consumer at the heart of that programme, through the implementation of their 2019-2021 Strategic Plan and the deployment of the tools of economic regulation.

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interconnectors will continue, even if not as optimally as when the UK was part of the EU internal energy market.

“We will continue to evolve the SEM post-Brexit. There is strong commitment on both sides of the border to the implementation of the Clean Energy Package, which supports our decarbonisation goals. We know that there is quite a lot of work to do but the challenges around system services and the evolution of our DS3 programme to deliver up to 95 per cent SNSP are ones that I think are really exciting,” she adds.

Highlighting the regulators strong belief in the power of markets and marketbased approaches to deliver positive outcomes for consumers, MacEvilly states that CRU will continue “on our journey of market design as a way to implement change”.

A further element is the collaboration on the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and its alignment with SEM. The auction-based approach to deliver renewables is “another good example of delivering policy goals at the lowest cost and delivering real value for customers”, explains the Chair.

A key element to this, she says, is the all-island electricity market. Outlining the desire to see a positive outcome from the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU, MacEvilly highlights that ongoing trade across

“As we develop energy markets, we have to change our thinking on the role of customers, no longer as passive consumers but active participants. Our vision would be that domestic customers could participate, through

“We’re also working through, with policymakers, a vision for offshore wind, recognising how vital this is to delivering on our 2030 targets. Like all of our regulatory frameworks, we will be looking to develop an approach that balances the cost and the risk for consumers. This is a key element of the work that lies ahead of us.”

Public acceptance MacEvilly highlights an awareness that regulatory frameworks to finance and deliver infrastructure are only part of the challenge, pointing to the need to gain public acceptance for delivery across the island.

“Part of that is about telling the national story of energy infrastructure’s role in supporting decarbonisation and security of supply in the context of increasing electricity demand but there are also local discussions to be had. I think we have to be much more open to listening at a local level. We also need to demonstrate to local communities that we’re open to delivering the infrastructure that they want.”

Pointing to greater connection options for community generation or individual microgeneration as examples, the Chair adds: “We also need to highlight that we are open to non-wire solutions, particularly at the distribution level, where potentially purchasing local services, battery services for example,

Delivering a cleaner energy future might be an alternative to delivering network infrastructure.

“We hope to demonstrate that we are doing our absolute best to optimise the use of existing infrastructure and really only developing the projects that are absolutely vital for decarbonisation and security of supply.”

Responding to concerns that CRU might not be willing to provide the necessary funding needed for the ambitious programme being set out, the Chair says: “This is our fifth price control and over the course of the last 21 years I think the hallmark of our organisation has been the willingness to make the difficult decisions to increase network charges in order to fund much needed and vital infrastructure.

“We’re not going to stop now, when this is needed more than ever. We have already taken the difficult decision to increase network charges this year in anticipation for what is needed through the course of PR5. Rest assured we will put in place a package of sufficient financing and the appropriate incentives to deliver on the objectives that we want to achieve and do that within an agile investment framework, that allows the network companies to deliver.”

MacEvilly elaborates on what this might look like, suggesting that on the transmission side significant infrastructure and ICT projects which may not be fully scoped at present, rather than having costs to customers built in from the beginning, greater flexibility could be given to EirGrid to make accountable decisions along the way.

Similarly, on the distribution network, the Chair explains that while it’s obvious a significant uptake of lowcarbon technologies will occur, the exact trajectory or geographic spread cannot be mapped out up front and so the price control will leave greater flexibility for ESB Networks to make decisions as they see development emerge and also to consider those alternative options, such as non-wire solutions.

Gas The CRU is also starting the process on the next gas price control, which the Chair highlights also presents some interesting challenges for the decarbonisation agenda. Highlighting that the removal of coal and peat from the generation fuel mix will mean an increase in gas demand to 2030 and beyond, the Chair says that CRU will need to ensure security of supply to meet peak demand and to plan for periods when we have no wind or solar generation and will be dependent on gas-fired electricity generation.

The deployment of decarbonised gases, particularly green hydrogen, will be a big part of the energy solution, says the Chair, but further work needs to be done to understand the commercial development and the technical aspects of its introduction to the gas network. “We need to, through our innovation programmes, be laying the groundwork now in order to ensure that we are not missing that opportunity or coming late to the table as it becomes more broadly deployed over time.

“As a safety regulator, we’ll be concentrating on and continuing to ensure that we are deploying safely these new low carbon technologies, including renewable natural gas and CNG. That will be a challenge for our organisation over the coming period.”

However, at the basis of all of their work, explains MacEvilly, is the core objective of “putting empowered customers at the heart of the transition and ensuring that they are paying reasonable prices”.

The roll out of 200,000 smart meters by the end of 2020 and further deployment to all homes by 2024 will be a massive achievement and a crucial facilitator of consumer participation, for example by measuring and enabling payment for microgeneration exports, she adds.

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A key tool for the regulator to deliver change, explains MacEvilly, is the price control process. CRU is currently going through their fifth price control (PR5) with EirGrid and ESB Networks and the Chair points to strong alignment on the decarbonisation objectives from all involved.

“I think we have to be much more open to listening at a local level. We also need to demonstrate to local communities that we’re open to delivering the infrastructure that they want.”

Additionally, the development of a new regulatory framework under the Clean Energy Package for active customers and citizen energy communities is “exciting” but also presents a challenge for CRU to facilitate innovation of the future, while not losing sight of the core elements of consumer protection.

I think one of the challenges for us as a regulator is the need to be more agile in this area,” explains the Chair, pointing to some of the recent measures introduced to support domestic and SME customers during the Covid crisis as a demonstration of agility to deliver positive outcomes for customers in collaboration with industry.

“We will build on that as we move into that area of innovation, change and transformation around the consumer.

We know we need to step up our game on communications and engagements with customers. We’re all going to have to work to make sure we make consumer choice as simple as possible, while also giving customers confidence to make those choices that will deliver maximum value for them and enable them to participate.”

Concluding, MacEvilly notes that while wholesale electricity prices have been falling, new charges from 1 October have seen a greater increase in fixed network, market and PSO charges. A major challenge lies ahead if this trend continues, so that a customer’s bill largely comprises fixed costs, removing the incentive for customers to retrofit their homes, invest in energy efficiency or respond to smart time of use tariffs.

“That is something we are thinking about very deeply at the moment. We have started a project to review the structure of network charges. We want to ensure that we are providing customers with the right incentives and options; to demonstrate that they are not just paying for this transition but that we are giving them the opportunity to actively participate and benefit from the transition.”

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Brexit: Substantial challenge with or without deal Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has warned that Ireland must prepare for the “real possibility” of trading with Great Britain on WTO terms on 1 January, as talks between the EU and UK continue to stutter.

Coveney said that he remained hopeful that an agreement could be reached between the EU and UK but admitted that little progress appears to have been made on the main sticking points which have to date prevented an agreement.

The Minister has outlined the need for preparedness from businesses for the significant changes on how business will be conducted between Ireland and Great Britain, even if an agreement is reached.

In September the Government published its Brexit Readiness Action Plan, which highlighted that even the securing of a

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free trade agreement between the EU and the UK would bring “substantial challenges for supply chains and trade flows and will require checks and controls in both directions on EU-UK trade”.

“In practice, this will mean that every time an Irish company or individual imports from, or exports to, Great Britain they will need to (at least) complete a customs declaration. A limited FTA would not address the full range of the EU’s relations with the UK,” the Government states.

In the eventuality of a no deal scenario “immediate and disorderly change” would

occur in the way the EU and UK trade and engage. Trade on WTO rules would see the addition of tariffs and quotas on trade in both directions, with significant impacts on Irish trade, notably in the agri-food sector.

In early October, hopes for a deal appeared to be dead after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Brussels had “abandoned” the talks by taking unacceptable positions including that only the UK needed to make concessions.

The outburst by Johnson came after an EU summit where leaders signalled a

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toughness on Brexit. Many of those leaders are still angry about the UK’s Internal Market Bill, the creation of which blindsided EU negotiators and served to undermine commitments already signed up to in the 2019 Withdrawal Agreement.

Following an initial standoff in the talks, an ‘intensified period’ of negotiation was launched on 22 October. However, postBrexit competition and fishing rights appear to remain as the two major barriers to progress, with neither side willing to move from their respective positions.

For Ireland, the significant risks posed by the ending of the transition period, with or without a deal, have been highlighted by the Government as: UK Prime Minister speaks to EU Comnmission leaders via video link.

•

a disruption of East-West trade between Ireland and Great Britain due

with entities in the UK; and for

to delays at ports and/or inability of

transport services to, from or through

businesses to meet regulatory

the UK (e.g. aviation or road haulage).

requirements; •

delays to trade transiting the UK land bridge, with knock-on impacts on wholesale and retail supply chains;

•

closure of businesses and/or loss of jobs in Ireland due to trade disruption and associated costs, including possible tariffs and currency movements, in particular in the agrifood, fisheries, manufacturing and retail sectors;

•

a regional economic and labour market impact due to the location of most exposed business sectors;

•

deterioration in Ireland’s macroeconomic position, already

While the Foreign Affairs Minister has described a deal as “doable”, the lack of confidence from the Irish Government is evident in the recent Budget 2021 announcement, with measures based on a no deal outcome. The Budget provided for a flexible €3.4 billion recovery fund to be used by the Government to stimulate demand and mitigate the effect of Brexit and Covid-19 on the Irish economy.

Additionally, the Government committed to accessing the €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve announced by the EU in July and allocated €340 million to improve infrastructure at Irish ports and airports, customs compliance activities and the hiring of 500 additional frontier staff.

The Government is also expected to bring forward a Brexit Omnibus Bill, with an ambition to:

impacted by the COVID-19 crisis; • •

•

•

preserve access to priority services,

loss of access to fish landings from

benefits and reliefs relating to trade

UK EEZ, and displacement of other

between Ireland and the United

EU fishing activity into Irish waters;

Kingdom;

Northern Ireland The Government have also restated their position that the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the Withdrawal Agreement, in the face of moves by the UK to override some parts of the agreement through the Internal Market Bill.

“The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is an integral part of the Withdrawal Agreement. It is a comprehensive and legally operative solution that addresses the challenges of Brexit on the island of Ireland. Regardless of the outcome of the future partnership negotiations between the EU and the UK, the Protocol will apply from the end of the transition period. Its implementation is a key priority for Ireland and the EU,” the Government says.

Despite receiving the necessary backing in the House of Commons, the Internal Market Bill is likely to face opposition in the House of Lords, where there will be an opportunity to amend the Bill. However even if specific amendments, deemed to be breaking international law, are

satisfy several obligations and

removed, MPs will have the opportunity to

of Ireland’s medicines supply chains;

commitments Ireland has made to the

reinstate them. Progress on the EU-UK

and

United Kingdom outside of EU

negotiations will be crucial to the future of

membership; and

the Internal Market Bill as proximity to a

possible deterioration in the resilience

•

deal may will offer the Prime Minister

some disruption to daily life in areas prevent a cliff-edge scenario for Irish

enough leverage to drop contentious

UK; financial services sourced from

people and businesses after 31

elements in favour of getting a deal over

the UK; the exchange of personal data

December 2020.

the line.

such as online retail purchases from

•

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EU to better regulate big tech The European Union is progressing a ‘hit list’ of the largest big tech companies, aiming to curb their levels of market influence.

The Financial Times has reported that big tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon and Google are set to be subject to tougher

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regulations that go beyond those of the Digital Services Act currently being developed.

EU regulators are reportedly drawing up a list of 20 large companies whose immense market power, they believe, is skewing competition and

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seeing them act as market gatekeepers.

The list, which will see tech companies rated on a range of factors including market share revenue and number of users, will then be used to enforce stricter rules on data sharing with smaller rivals and greater obligations to be transparent on how they gather information.

Although the plans are still in development stage, the significance of the move lies in the enforcement powers the EU could seek to exercise on companies included on the list, mainly a move away from the existing culture of enforcement by fines, deemed to have minimal impact, and towards an ability to force tech giants to break up or sell their EU operations if their market dominance is assessed to threaten the interests of customers and smaller rivals. Exclusion from the single market entirely is another potential power being considered.

The creation of this list would also form the basis of another potential move being considered which would see a wider rating system made publicly available, allowing citizens and stakeholders to assess a company’s behaviour around issues such as speed of removing illegal content or tax compliance.

The EU has recognised the weakness of existing regulation in curbing the power of big tech companies and enabling competition and are hoping that greater powers will facilitate the change of business practices while negating the need for lengthy investigation processes.

Although not formalised, the powers

“Many online businesses have struggled with systematic problems familiar to the platform economy regarding contestability, fairness and the possibility of market entry.” would sit on top of the EU’s Digital Services Act, the shape of which is set to be outlined before the end of 2020. The Act is expected to dramatically change internet rules within the EU and increase the responsibility of platforms in relation to the products being sold online, disinformation and the policing of illegal content.

platform ecosystems in the digital

The Digital Services Act is the first update of the e-Commerce Directive, which was originally adopted in 2000, prior to the rise of many of today’s major market players.

adjacent markets,” the EU adds.

economy. Typically, they feature an ability to connect many businesses with many consumers through their services that, in turn, allows them to leverage their advantages, such as their access to large amounts of data, from one area of their activity to improve or develop new services in

Modernisation of the regulations is set to take place via two pillars. The first is legal obligations for digital services to address risks and protect

The Act recognises the many benefits and opportunities new services, technologies and business models have brought for European citizens but also notes that these have “created new risks to citizens and society at large, exposing them to a new range of illegal goods, activities or content”.

the rights of their users. The second is the use of “ex ante rules”, covering large platforms as gatekeepers and ensuring that those platforms “behave fairly and can be challenged by new entrants and existing competitors, so that consumers have the widest choice and the single

In outlining the need for a modern legal framework, the EU have also recognised that many online businesses have “struggled with systematic problems familiar to the platform economy regarding contestability, fairness and the possibility of market entry”.

market remains competitive and

“Large online platforms are able to control increasingly important

comply with tougher regulation than

open to innovation”.

The ‘hit list’ initiative being developed

by EU regulators is to enhance these additional regulations in a more targeted fashion, meaning that those at the top of the list will be required to that imposed on smaller competitors.

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Credit: Jany Monroy Trujillo

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Tim MacGabhann: From Kilkenny to Mexico City Having published his second novel in two years in July 2020, Kilkenny native Tim MacGabhann has a carved a niche for himself as a writer of well-crafted literary thrillers set in Latin America with both Call Him Mine and How to Be Nowhere. He speaks to Odrán Waldron about Mexico, the transition from journalism to fiction and the “pornographic” consumption of violence from his adopted homeland.

Now settled in Mexico City, having first moved there in the mid-2010s and returned to Europe for a year spent attaining an MA in the University of East Anglia, MacGabhann recalls what it was that had drawn him to the country in the first place. Having spoken previously about how an encyclopaedia in his grandparents’ house had imprinted the image of Mexican murals upon his young brain, MacGabhann traces the timeline between his first viewing of those pictures and the eventual, inevitable move.

“I had a really misspent adolescence; I studied quite hard and went to the gym a lot. I used to just sit down reading the paper after the gym before going back to study and any time there was anything in the news about Mexico, I would just hoover it up from the age of about 15,” he

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says. “The Calderón period, the ‘drug war’, kicked off when I was 17. I remember seeing photos of people my age navigating heavy army presences on their walk to school and that jarring feeling of an intensely militarised setting.

The soldiers looked like the lads from [Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 futuristic satire of fascism] Starship Troopers, they looked like they were from the future. It looked like the future of war, the persecution of civilians in totally normal settings for somewhat accidental reasons. It was such a jarring thing to see this place, that I had idealised as a safe haven in my head, so threatened. It felt like a personal insult even though I had no skin in the game.”

MacGabhann was further immersed in the Mexican culture that was becoming a constant in his life as a child when

visiting an aunt with Mexican family with his parents, who had lived in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Visiting Redondo Beach, Long Beach and Downtown Los Angeles, noted for its similarities to Mexico City’s Centro Histórico, he recalls his impressions: “I remember walking around with my cousins and aunts and uncles and felt really close and embraced, quite warm sitting there on the beach and seeing Chicano culture unrolling across the sand. It felt like a version of Ireland somehow; the family stuff was a bit happier looking, without that John McGahern twistedness that we have at home. It felt a bit freer, like an alternative.

It was so interesting to see things that were so different from your own culture but filled with similarities.”

The young MacGabhann who idealised Mexico grew up and moved on to Trinity

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College Dublin, where he studied English and French literature and took to “hiding in the library”. It was in his refuge, toward the end of his third year in university, that MacGabhann began to embrace the literature of Latin America. “I went to the big names first: Gabriela Mistral, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges and then Roberto Bolaño was basically unavoidable,” he says. “The way he was being spoken about, it sounded like a synthesis of all my concerns. This was around 2010, 20 years on from the events he was writing about in 2666, so I was matching up 2666 with the newspaper articles I was reading and thinking that this whole thing was spinning on an independent axis and the fabric needs constant updating by the people paying attention to it. I felt really drawn to it.”

From these writers and others, MacGabhann gleaned how it was that he felt he should write about Mexico, his adopted home. “There’s an awful lot of crap about bearing witness and messianic white saviour nonsense that goes with that; I didn’t ever want to do that,” he explains. “I wanted to live here rather than hover over it. I wanted to be as close to what people were living as possible. When I turned up it felt like home immediately, probably because I had been constructing it as an alternative home in my head for some time. It drives me crazy because home drives anyone crazy, but I’ve been here for so long at this point, whenever I leave, I feel weird.”

Call Him Mine and How to Be Nowhere are both unmitigated successes in this regard, offering the reader a razor-sharp detail that is never judgmental when describing the narrator Andrew’s surroundings. The two are the first parts of a series, which follows Andrew, an Irish journalist in Mexico City, as he investigates the death of his partner Carlos and the collusion between the Mexican state, cartels and oil companies.

Its action across the two novels takes the reader through various parts of Mexico, Uruguay, El Salvador and Guatemala.

When it is put to MacGabhann that he has been so successful in living in Mexico rather than hovering above it, to the point where his writing now mimics Mexican patterns of speech in English — “Probably I wanted to scratch the back of my head or something,” is an example of

“What I wanted to do as a journalist was inhabit another life and get it across to the reader and I’ve realised that I can just do that with my fiction. I have synthesised my experience of journalism and my belief of the importance of what fiction can do.”

Andrew’s speech put to him that sounds more Mexican than Irish structure-wise — he laughs. This is not to say that Andrew, the by-turns terrified and intrepid reporter who constantly harks back to his grandparents’ house in Bagenalstown, is an Irish man speaking in Spanglish; his is the talk of an immersed immigrant, littered with the ahs and wells of Irish speech too.

“I’m barely conscious of it anymore,” he says. “Where I have ran into trouble with reviewers has been to do with that, I think, because it looks like an affectation but I’ve no idea that I’m doing it. People talk about local colour in the description or the setting when the people aren’t American or European, but for me it’s just what I see.

“Beckett says it as well, that all of his books have an insomniac, ashen quality.

He wrote at night when he couldn’t sleep so his sensory input was reflected in the linguistic output. My partner makes a lot of jokes about my Spanish, wondering where I picked things up. I read a lot of Spanish too and have always been so drawn to the aesthetic of Latin American literature as distinct from European Spanish literature and I think that whatever you’re attracted to you can’t help but be sucked in. I’ve also got these really weird rules about sentences; I try not to begin sentences with the firstperson pronoun too often because it sounds like someone boring your arse off in a pub. If you impose these rules on yourself, you end up speaking in a weird

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way and then the rest of the artifice is filled in by my environment, I think.”

That environment is so vividly realised not only because of MacGabhann’s immersion, but also perhaps due to his history as a journalist in Mexico and further afield in Latin America. Having originally taught English in Mexico City, MacGabhann contacted the journalist Alfredo Cortado to organise an interview for a freelance job. Cortado instead invited him to a foreign correspondents’ pub night, and from there MacGabhann became a freelance foreign correspondent, covering the realities of everyday life for the millions of people affected by Mexico’s well-documented violence and poverty.

“I would watch Sicario or any of these horrible action films and just think to myself that these people don’t know what they’re doing. They want to show these beautiful arcs of blood spray or Homeric tumbles; first off, it doesn’t happen like that and second, you’re leaving out the biography. So, my question is: do you want ultraviolence, the actual truth of violence in your face or do you want this pornographised distortion?”

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“The fiction dream was always there; it was definitely the first one. I had a really rough experience at the end of university trying to get a first novel, which is now compost, published. I gave up on wanting to be a fiction writer from about the age of 22 to 27 or 28,” MacGabhann says. “All I had wanted to do was write, I wasn’t really good at anything else and so I started doing journalism. I had a lucky break because it’s quite a close-knit community here.

“I started going to that pub night every week, chatting and picking up jobs. It was scratching the writing itch and the desire to be socially engaged. As a freelancer, I could pitch whatever I wanted so I would go to the places that I wanted to visit like Veracruz. My friend John and I were doing this story that felt very big to us, but we were having trouble placing it. Our editor then got pulled away to cover Trump so that was the end of that, John ended up getting a different job. I was left with a big chunk of reportage done, an itch to go back to fiction and the sense that I had reached the end of the road with journalism. It wasn’t that there was nowhere for me to go but I knew that I could stay churning and burning of dailies or going into the magazines, but they all seemed to be sinking.”

MacGabhann took his reportage, fictionalised it and produced a novella that got him admitted to the University of East Anglia’s prestigious Creative Writing MA. From there, Call Him Mine was born and from that came How to Be Nowhere. Both have been published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson and have been the subject of

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rave reviews and impressive sales. More importantly, MacGabhann sees in these books the writing he had always wanted to do.

“Coming on four years into it, I don’t know if I want to do the journalism again,” he explains. “What I wanted to do as a journalist was inhabit another life and get it across to the reader and I’ve realised that I can just do that with my fiction. I have synthesised my experience of journalism and my belief of the importance of what fiction can do. I’ve got the time and financial space because of the last few years of momentum to really explore that. I’m now exploring the kind of journalism I always wanted to do, except I’m doing it from my desk, not too far away from the donut shop.”

Part of what MacGabhann had wanted to do with that writing was turning up the violence in How to Be Nowhere, where Andrew finds himself increasingly numb to and, eventually, participating in the violence that had previously surrounded him in Call Him Mine. This, he says, was a conscious decision intended to confront the reader with the ultraviolence that has become associated with Latin America through TV shows such as Narcos and films such as Sicario and ask them if it was truly what they wanted. Deaths are manifold in How to Be Nowhere and are never of the heroic kind shown on television. One of the most memorable recounts Carlos, a violent but jovial cartel hitman fading away in a car seat as his bullet holes weep blood. Scenes like this, and the overall cathartic, blood-soaked tone of the second novel were responses to what MacGabhann sees as the pornographic consumption of Latin American violence by western audiences.

“I think there’s a real pornographic element attached to it,” he explains. “If you walk to any newsstand, you will be presented with a wall of front pages of people who have been flattened by buses or murdered in some horrible way, with a joking pun headline on the tabloids.

You’re unwrapping your Kit Kat and there’s a head staring back at you. One of the last normal things I did [pre-Covid-19] was go to a protest, a women’s march, that had been set in motion by a really graphic femicide, probably the most horrible image I’ve ever seen, even in horror films. This was the flint to spark this

The skyline of Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City

protest to say that enough was enough of this pornographic consumption, there were about 60,000 people at this thing inspired by this horrible image. These are the best-selling papers in the country, so maybe my opinion of what people want is kind of skewed by that.”

In this stylised ultraviolence was also a conscious attempt at reclaiming the narrative of this violence, a centring of the victims and an acknowledgment of the lives destroyed. “I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes and seen a lot of bodies and I know that every face and every head and every smell has a family history and a life behind it,” MacGabhann explains. “I’ve looked around people’s houses and seen their favourite boxsets and have gone from those to their blood on the floor. That filled me with such huge sadness, this infinite interior life as complex, granular and textured as mine or yours just spilled into the carpet. I would watch Sicario or any of these horrible action films and just think to myself that these people don’t know what they’re doing. They want to show these beautiful arcs of blood spray or Homeric tumbles; first off, it doesn’t happen like that and second, you’re leaving out the biography. So, my question is: do you want ultraviolence, the actual truth of violence in your face or do you want this pornographised distortion?”

Concluding, MacGabhann reflects on how his time living in and writing about Mexico has helped him to understand Ireland and himself better: “The shapes of Irish history didn’t really recede into their clear form

for me, analytically, until I moved here. I didn’t really understand the different ways that colonisation can operate. In a new environment, you always draw parallels with what you know, you have to account for differences because otherwise you’ll do some terrible, patronising equation between disparate experiences. When I was beginning to understand my two homes, I was holding them up to a mirror and beginning to realise that the larger currents of history are shared. I had people explaining Mexican history to me through parallels that I had failed to understand.

“When it comes to writing most clearly about myself, autobiographically, I’m only able to do it if I change the major particulars completely. I have a few autobiographical short stories that will be popping up that don’t look autobiographical because they’re about a guy called Diego, but they’re the most personal things I’ve ever written. By taking a mirror image of myself that is different in so many ways with major differences, that forces me into finding these tiny little bits of connective tissue to have him tightly knitted to me. The more tightly knitted he is, the more tightly knitted the reader will be. I never felt like I was pushing back against the paternalistic crap that Americans push about Mexico because as a reporter, a neighbour, a friend, you just want to be as close to and genuine with the people you’re around. You are aware of difference, but you don’t attribute any value to it.”

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Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly TD In July 2020, Catherine Connolly TD became the first ever woman to hold office as either Ceann Comhairle or as Leas-Cheann Comhairle in the Dáil’s 101-year history when she secured a shock victory in the secret ballot. Ciarán Galway meets with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle of the 33rd Dáil in her Leinster House office to discuss the role and her initial impressions.

Following General Election 2020, two valid nominations were received by Peter Finnegan, Clerk of Dáil Éireann, and deemed to be candidates for the position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. In June 2016, an amendment to Dáil Éireann Standing Order 11 determined that candidates for the position be selected by secret ballot (using PR-STV) before being formally elected through an open vote in the Dáil.

Outlining the rationale which informed her decision to contest the 2020 election, Connolly indicates that she felt compelled to challenge the only other nominee, Fergus O’Dowd, a male TD from a government party.

“I went for it because I felt, as a woman, I couldn’t continue to make the critique that not enough women were putting themselves forward, that we need gender equality and then not do something about it. The rationale was not only to have a female candidate, but to have an Opposition candidate also,” she says.

In the event, Connolly narrowly defeated

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Fine Gael’s O’Dowd and succeeded Fianna Fáil’s Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher as Leas-Cheann Comhairle. With a total valid poll of 151, Connolly secured 77 votes to O’Dowd’s 74 votes on the first count.

“I was overwhelmed. We went forward believing that we hadn’t a chance. We knew that the Government had the numbers,” she remarks, adding: “I thought that if I could galvanise the Opposition, I would be proud. We talked to the Opposition parties and the support we received was overwhelming. Going into that election, I felt that we had already achieved our objective and illustrated that it was possible. When we then won, it was a shock.”

After Connolly made her official declarations and took the Chair, An Ceann Comhairle congratulated her on behalf of the members on what was an historic achievement. “It is a great occasion for her, her family and supporters and for all of us here in Dáil

Éireann,” Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD stated.

In the aftermath, Connolly needed some time to digest her victory and time off in August helped her “come to terms with what I and the small group around me had achieved and the significance of it”.

The recognition and sense of pride among the people of Galway, especially Connolly’s late aunt, Mary Carpenter née Connolly, brought home a sense of achievement.

“It’s a privilege. As the first female LeasCheann Comhairle, I think the symbolism is very important for women, particularly for young women. To go forward, not to play a game or be part of a boys’ club, or a women’s club for that matter, but to stand up and be counted and to show what’s possible,” she asserts.

Referencing her working relationship with the Ceann Comhairle, Connolly articulates her respect for Ó Fearghaíl.

“He has done a very good job since assuming the role of Ceann Comhairle in 2016. When he went forward again, I had

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no reluctance in supporting him. I think he’s fair, just and exceptionally hardworking,” she notes.

Challenges While acknowledging that the role is well remunerated, Connolly maintains that it comes with its own set of challenges.

“For instance, the Dáil will begin at 14:00 today and go on until 00:30 tonight. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is constantly in the public eye. That’s difficult,” she emphasises.

Likewise, the new Leas-Cheann Comhairle must become more familiar with the intricacies of her role and the various constitutional requirements for occasions when the Ceann Comhairle is absent. “For example, if Deputy Ó Fearghaíl is not available as an ex officio member of the Presidential Commission, I will assume that role in his place,” Connolly adds.

As Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the TD for Galway West has also retained her role as an independent TD. “I table questions and work as I always did, though it’s a little bit more difficult to manage getting out of the Chair and then going back into fighting mode. There’s a mental adjustment required,” she explains.

Crucially, while in the Chair, the LeasCheann Comhairle must remain impartial.

“It’s important to have fairness in procedure. I have strong opinions but I’m also able to set them aside when I assume the role of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. It’s a role that must be exercised in a fair and a just manner. I don’t have any difficulty with that.

“There is a duty on us as parliamentarians to make democracy work as best we can. To be Leas-Cheann Comhairle is a privilege. In that role you’re there as chair, keeping order while ensuring respect for each TD and providing them with an opportunity to have their say. I might disagree with their opinions but that’s irrelevant to the LeasCheann Comhairle, whose role it is to allow them to speak within the time allotted. Which is a challenge,” she quips.

Gaeilge Connolly is also a passionate Gaeilgeoir and recognises the challenge of

The role of Leas-Cheann Comhairle Article 15.9.1 of the Constitution provides for the offices of Ceann Comhairle and Leas-Cheann Comhairle, indicating that “each House of the Oireachtas shall elect from its members its own Chairman and Deputy Chairman, and shall prescribe their powers and duties”. Meanwhile, the expression ‘Leas-Cheann Comhairle’ is defined under Standing Order 5 of Dáil Éireann as the member elected by Dáil Éireann to be Deputy Chairman of Dáil Éireann.

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle undertakes the duties and exercises the authority of the Ceann Comhairle as outlined by the Dáil Standing Orders in the latter’s “unavoidable absence”.

This includes: •

ensuring compliance with Standing Orders;

•

ruling on the interpretation of Standing Orders where a dispute arises;

•

dealing with disorderly members in breach of Standing Orders;

•

presiding over debates and ensuring the relevance of members’ speeches;

•

ensuring the orderly and impartial conduct of business; and

•

dealing with disciplinary matters.

Therefore, on behalf of the House, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is tasked with protecting the right of each Member, ensuring that business is pursued in a manner befitting its status as a core component of the legislature and a representative assembly to which government is constitutionally accountable. In the Chair, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle acts as an impartial presiding member.

In the absence of the Ceann Comhairle, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle also deputises as: •

an ex officio member of the Presidential Commission;

•

an ex officio Chairman of the Committee on Procedure;

•

chair of the executive of the Inter-Parliamentary Union;

•

an ex officio chair or member of several statutory bodies;

•

a member of the appeal board in relation to the registration of political parties and a member of the appeal board to hear appeals in relation to registration of nominating bodies for the Seanad election; and

•

an ex officio member of the Presidents (Speakers) of Parliament of the EU.

promoting the Irish language in the Dáil and beyond.

“Seo an dúshlán i gcónaí: conas an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn san Dáil, conas í a chur chun cinn in aon áit. Ó 2016, tá a lán machnaimh déanta agam mar gheall ar an gceist seo. Táimid in ísle brí ó thaobh na teanga de, gan aon amhras.”

While the Leas-Cheann Comhairle initially had cúpla focal from school, she committed herself to developing her fluency in the language during her time as Mayor of Galway.

“Ní raibh Gaeilge agamsa ach amháin ón scoil agus, ag pointe áirithe, bhí náire orm mar Mhéara na Gaillimhe nach raibh mo dhóthain Gaeilge agam. Thaistil mé go dtí tíortha eile agus bhí an teanga acu; dúirt

mé ‘Sin é! Sin deireadh leis an náire, deireadh leis an easpa Gaeilge’. Dhírigh mé isteach ar an nGaeilge. Is féidir é a dhéanamh. Is féidir an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim agus, de réir a chéile, d’fhoghlaim mé í agus táim fós i mbun foghlama. Rinne mé dhá chúrsa san ollscoil. Bhí an t-ádh dearg orm go raibh mé i mo chónaí sa Ghaillimh agus go raibh an ollscoil in aice liom. Rinne mé dioplóma agus ansin rinne mé cúrsa aistriúcháin.

“Is teanga álainn agus ársa í an Ghaeilge.

An ceacht is mó atá foghlamtha agam ná go bhfuil an Ghaeilge iomlán difriúil ón mBéarla; sin an botún a dhéanaimid, ceapaimid go bhfuil an dá theanga mar an gcéanna agus níl siad. Is teangacha iad atá iomlán difriúil.”

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fadhb a réiteach gan í a aithint. Sin céim a haon. Céim a dó ná obair a dhéanamh leis na daoine ar an dtalamh. Uimhir a trí: níos mó maoinithe a thabhairt d’Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tá Údarás na Gaeltachta cosúil le Enterprise Ireland nó an IDA ach tá níos mó dualgas orthu an Gaelphobal a chothú agus an Ghaeilge a chothú freisin. Tá níos mó dualgas orthu agus níos lú airgid acu.”

Looking ahead Criticising the prevalence of spin in Irish politics, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle asserts that politicians must aspire to honesty and integrity. “I think we all make mistakes and I have no problem with mistakes. I make mistakes. But we have to acknowledge and learn from them. No politician can be perfect, and I think we need to convey that to the public.

Now, the TD for Galway West seeks to use Irish each day in the Dáil.

“Déanaim mo dhícheall an Ghaeilge a úsáid chuile lá sa Dáil agus mo dhícheall an Ghaeilge agus an Béarla a chur ar an leibhéal céanna. Nuair a bhíonn vótaí i gceist, bainim úsáid as an nGaeilge i gcónaí. Déanaim é sin go pearsanta ach, gan dabht, tá rud éigin eile ar leibhéal eile ag teastail ón gcóras.”

One suggestion she makes to promote the use of the Irish language in the Dáil is that An Taoiseach should receive a question as Gaeilge each week.

“Is dócha go ndéanfadh sé difríocht mór dá mba rud é go raibh ceist as Gaeilge gach seachtain ag an Taoiseach. Bíonn ceisteanna aige chuile lá as Béarla, bheadh sé iontach í a úsáid uair amháin sa tseachtain. Thaispeánfadh sin do mhuintir na tíre go bhfuil an Ghaeilge tábhachtach, ní amháin mar theanga, ach mar theanga chumarsáide, gur féidir cumarsáid a dhéanamh sa 21ú haois leis an teanga faoi ábhair thábhachtacha – cúrsaí tithíochta, sláinte, Breatimeachta agus a leithéid as Gaeilge chun é a chur in iúl gur féidir linn.”

Connolly outlines three steps for assisting Gaeltacht areas, suggesting: “I dtús báire, caithimid aitheantas a thabhairt don ghéarchéim atá ar siúl sna Gaeltachtaí. Bhí sé mar phribhléid agamsa a bheith i mo chathaoirleach ar

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an gComhchoiste Gaeilge ó 2016 ar aghaidh, anois táim i mo ghnáthbhall de.

Bhí fear againn ina chléireach a raibh croí mór aige do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí.

Thaistil muid timpeall na tíre go dtí gach Gaeltacht agus an téama ceannann céanna ag teacht aníos arís agus arís: níl carthanacht uathu in aon chor, ach tacaíocht do na daoine ar an dtalamh a bhfuil smaointe iontacha acu agus níl a dhóthain tacaíochta ag teacht ón rialtas, is cuma cé acu a bhí sa rialtas. Is dócha go bhfuil cur i gcéill i gceist cuid mhór den am agus meon don charthanacht in ionad an cheist a chur ‘cén chaoi is féidir linn na Gaeltachtaí a neartú mar fhoinse don Ghaeilge?’. Sin foinse na Gaeilge agus tá an líonra cainteoirí ag laghdú an t-am ar fad. Bhí mise ag iarraidh ar Aire éigin, níl mé chun é a ainmniú, aitheantas a thabhairt don ghéarchéim. Ní féidir

“Sometimes I have a sense of frustration, as a TD, that we’re not talking enough about substantive matters in relation to health, housing or climate change for instance. We should be working to recognise the problems and identify solutions. I’m allergic to spin. I have no time for it,” she remarks.

Meanwhile, paying tribute to her staff, without whom “I couldn’t do it otherwise”, Connolly is confident that she will rise to the challenge of chairing the Dáil in a fair and impartial manner, while keeping deputies within their time. “I’m optimistic by nature but I’m also pragmatic. I remind myself every day that this is a privilege and seek to undertake the role to the best of my ability,” she concludes.

Profile A native of Galway city (originally from Shantalla before moving to the Claddagh), Leas-Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly TD first entered politics in 1999 when she was elected to Galway City Council for the Labour Party. In 2004, she became Mayor of Galway before leaving Labour in 2006.

After contesting the 2007 and 2011 general elections, and serving a total of 17 years as a councillor, Connolly was successfully elected to the Dáil as an independent TD for Galway West in 2016, subsequently serving on the Public Accounts Committee which she regards as “the greatest education I ever had”. Retaining her seat in February 2020, she was then elected as Leas-Cheann Comhairle in July 2020.

Prior to her entry into politics, Connolly worked as a clinical psychologist with the Western Health Board in Ballinasloe, Galway city and in Connemara before studying law and becoming a practicing barrister, mostly in family law.

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Green Party holds virtual annual conference wish by saying that they had to make these sacrifices to get climate action.

Even if it were true it would not negate the fact that we have betrayed our founding principles and alienated and hurt the Irish people. We know what people in this country want, especially what young people in this country want, and it is not this Government.” Gilsenan has since resigned as chair of the Young Greens, saying that she had been “overlooked, left out, ignored, bullied and harassed by members and elected representatives of the party”.

Joining the tri-party coalition government was the “right thing to do”, party leader Eamon Ryan told the Green Party’s virtual annual conference in October.

In his speech to the virtual conference, Ryan reiterated his belief that the Green Party’ post-election tactics had been the correct approach. Arguing that the eventual deal agreed with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael was the “right thing to do” in order to fight the Covid-19 and climate crises, Ryan also added that he felt the party had done “the right thing by opening talks with every other party and not ruling out any options for government”.

“I also think we were correct to say in mid-March as the first wave of Covid-19 broke that any further talks should be delayed until the immediate crisis was over,” he further said. Ryan used his keynote speech at the virtual conference to emphasise that the Green Party would deliver on its agenda while in government, with €1 million a day to be spent by the Government on the creation

of new walking, cycling and active infrastructure throughout the State. Ryan also committed to a significant ramping up of public transport infrastructure.

Ryan’s comments came as the party conference showed clear divergence between the parliamentary Green Party and its youth wing, the Young Greens.

Young Greens chair Tara Gilsenan used her speech to criticise the party’s decision to enter government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, stating that the Young Greens had opposed the Programme for Government “for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to, the glaring absence of climate justice and a just transition”.

Gilsenan also criticised the actions of the party since entering government: “The parliamentary party can justify what they

Party deputy leader Catherine Martin used her speech, on the same day as Gilsenan’s, to say that the party should not be judged on climate action alone, and that the party should also work towards social justice, inclusion, income equality, fairness and equality goals.

“Unfortunately, many others might not know or appreciate this,” she said.

“Notwithstanding that this single issue is of course the greatest challenge facing humanity, social justice inextricably travels through the very core of ecological justice.”

Martin reflected on a difficult year for the party, with the deputy leader admitting that the Greens had “lost some very good members, some because they didn’t agree with the decision we made to enter government”.

Also notable at the online conference was the rejection of a motion tabled by the party’s two MEPs, Grace O’Sullivan and Ciarán Cuffe, for the party to adopt a coleader power structure. Needing two thirds of the vote to pass, the motion was defeated by a margin of 120 against versus 116 for. On his Twitter account after the vote, Cuffe said he was “disappointed” the motion had not passed. “We’ve never been an ‘Uno duce, una voce’ party. No doubt we’ll discuss this again,” he wrote.

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Remembering the GAA’s darkest day: Bloody Sunday 1920 Bloody Sunday 1920 is a moment in time seared into the Irish psyche. On 21 November 1920, 90 seconds of shooting claimed the lives of 14 people and wounded 60 more, elevating Croke Park from sporting field to hallowed ground. Ciarán Galway speaks with GAA Museum Director Niamh McCoy about curating a commemorative programme to enhance understanding of the event and its victims.

Amid the ongoing War of Independence, a wave of violence, culminating in the deaths of 33 people across Dublin, ensured that 21 November 1920 would be collectively remembered as one of Ireland’s Bloody Sundays. As well as being the epicentre of

Ireland’s national games and the thirdlargest stadium in Europe, Croke Park is a War of Independence lieu de mémoire.

On the morning of Bloody Sunday 1920, the IRA in Dublin executed a plan to disrupt the British intelligence network in the capital. The IRA’s Chief of Intelligence, Michael Collins, tasked ‘The Twelve Apostles’ with assassinating 20 British intelligence agents across eight locations in the city. In total, 15 men were killed and one mortally wounded while an additional five survived.

That afternoon, in an act of retribution, Crown Forces entered Croke Park during a challenge game between the Dublin and Tipperary footballers and opened fired on the 10,000 people gathered there.

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In the panic, 14 people were killed, including three children, while over 60 were injured. This was followed later that the evening with the execution of two high-ranking IRA officers and a civilian in Dublin Castle.

To mark the centenary of Bloody Sunday, the GAA Museum, as the national custodian of the GAA’s archives and artefacts has coordinated a commemorative programme. “The GAA Museum has an educational remit and wanted to present the facts, tell the story again and bring it to new audiences. The main focus of our event programme was remembering the victims,” explains Museum Director, Niamh McCoy. From the perspective of the GAA Museum, the commemorative programme has three main objectives. The first is to

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remember the victims and bring their names back into public consciousness.

The second is to educate and, as such, a series of lectures has been organised. The third is to promote reconciliation.

While Tipperary fullback Michael Hogan’s story is renowned and his name immortalised in Croke Park’s Hogan Stand, the GAA Museum is keen to ensure that the stories of the other 13 victims now receive appropriate recognition.

“The other 13 people were much like any fans attending a sporting event of a weekend. They were civilians; we wanted to tell their story,” the Museum Director emphasises.

Exhibition As the cornerstone of the overall programme, the GAA Museum has curated a comprehensive Bloody Sunday exhibition, telling the story of the entire day through artefacts which include, among other items, newspaper reports, photographs, letters, the referee’s whistle and an original match ticket.

“Originally, we had anticipated that the programme of events, including walking tours, would take place in the museum in Croke and visitors would then visit the exhibition. We have Tom Hogan’s coat that he was wearing on the day, a prayer book, a crucifix belonging to Thomas Ryan and a lot of correspondence sent to the family of Michael Hogan family. We also have the burial register on loan from Glasnevin Cemetery Museum. It’s a very large leather-bound book and includes the entries for six of the victims. All these artefacts help bring the story to life,” McCoy states.

However, the centrepiece of the Museum’s exhibition is a collection of portraits of each of the 14 victims, including interpretations for those whom no known photographic record exists. “It’s poignant that they’re all represented together in that way,” says McCoy. The Museum was also keen to incorporate a legacy component into its centenary programme. As such, it commissioned the GAA’s current eLearning Manager and talent artist, David Sweeney, to produce a painting to mark the occasion. The erstwhile Dublin senior hurling captain subsequently painted ‘Transilience’.

The names of those who were killed in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday 1920: James Burke

Tom Ryan

Patrick O’Dowd

Daniel Carroll

James Teehan

William (Perry) Robinson

Michael Hogan

Jane (Jenny) Boyle

John William (Billy) Scott

James Matthews

Michael Feery

Joseph Traynor

Jerome O’Leary

Thomas (Tom) Hogan

“We weren’t prescriptive and David formulated the idea. The revolutionary years were a turbulent time for the GAA but it survived and 100 years on, the Association is thriving. His painting juxtaposes the images of contemporary Croke Park on the day of Bloody Sunday as a layer of history below a modern Croke Park on matchday. It’s included in the exhibition and it’s something that will be there forever,” explains McCoy.

Education As necessitated by such a complex element of the revolutionary era, the GAA Museum has endeavoured to comprehensively engage in multiperspectivity and deliver the story to new audiences. Simultaneously, in compiling its programme, the Museum Director was cognisant of the need to remember Bloody Sunday with respect and sensitivity.

“The Museum primarily focuses on the history of Gaelic games, brilliant matches, incredible teams and their sporting achievements. We don’t usually deal with

an event like Bloody Sunday which was something of watershed moment in a conflict scenario.

“It was such a tragic event. We are acutely aware that it is a very emotive subject and have been mindful in how we presented the programme and the appropriateness of the language that we used. We have sought to present the facts as objectively as possible,” she notes.

In August 2020, the GAA Museum’s annual summer school examined the theme of sport, peace and reconciliation.

The panel included DKIT historian Richard McElligott, former Armagh footballer and Ulster GAA’s Head of Club and Community Development Diarmuid Marsden, and Gareth Harper from Peace Players.

Subsequently, a lecture series organised by the Museum was opened by UCD historian Diarmaid Ferriter who delivered a contextualisation of Ireland in 1920.

Running from September 2020 to November 2020, other lecturers in the series include Anne Dolan from TCD, Will

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Overcoming challenges With its own board of directors and a clear remit within the wider Association, the GAA Museum was confident in its delivery of the centenary programme. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted Ireland’s tourism sector unlike any other time in living memory.

While the Bloody Sunday exhibition had only opened several days before public health restrictions once again closed museums across the country, it will remain in situ throughout 2021. Meanwhile, the series of events originally intended to take place within Croke Park, including the lecture series, History Ireland’s Hedge School and the Fighting Words initiative have all successfully pivoted online.

“The revolutionary years were a turbulent time for the GAA but it survived and 100 years on, the Association is thriving.”

Murphy from DCU, Fearghal McGarry from QUB, UCC’s Ciara Chambers and Siobhán Doyle from TU Dublin.

Likewise, during the Hedge School at the GAA Museum event in November 2020, History Ireland Editor Tommy Graham will host a round table discussion of history, memory and Bloody Sunday 1920.

From a community perspective, the Croke Park Community Team is collaborating with an organisation called Fighting Words.

An ongoing intergenerational project, predicated on speaking with older community members around Croke Park, aims to record the recollections of Bloody Sunday that may have been passed down by word-of-mouth. The intention is to collate an oral history and produce a book co-written by the participants.

“It’s brilliant to get support from people with this kind of knowledge and who want to engage with the museum to help it produce this programme of events. We couldn’t do it without them.

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“Historians, artists and communities have been crucial to this programme. We’ve enlisted lecturers that we know are experts. Again, because of our educational remit, we know that they can help us deliver really interesting and compelling content,” McCoy remarks.

“Nobody could foresee the challenges ahead with the Covid-19 pandemic. The important thing is that the programme will continue to take place and one positive consequence is that because the lectures have migrated online, accessibility has been greatly enhanced. Initially, we had limited tickets because of public health restrictions. Now we can distribute the content to a greater audience.

“Like other organisations in the tourism industry, the Museum has contingency plans if it reopens in the next number of weeks. Though the main priority is simply to get back on an even keel, reaching out to audiences that typically visit us and doing what we do best. We’ll do as much as we can within the public health restrictions at any given point in time,” McCoy concludes.

Profile: Niamh McCoy Niamh McCoy is responsible for all the activities in the GAA Museum and Tours. A proud Meath woman, McCoy has worked in Croke Park for 15 years, initially selling corporate tickets before assuming the role of GAA Museum Director.

“First and foremost, I work with a great team. It’s a great place to work because we all have shared interests and everyone is committed to the role. If you work in the museum, you’re interested in the GAA and you’re interested in history,” she says.

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TRADE UNION DESK It took a global pandemic to expose the deep flaws in our economic model. ICTU’s Macdara Doyle writes.

The ‘free market’ has been relentlessly promoted as the very epitome of lean, seamless efficiency, superior in every way to the stuttering efforts of the State, capable of meeting every challenge and providing for every need. That has now been laid bare as fanciful propaganda.

In every area of society and the economy, the State has been forced to step in and become the provider and guarantor of last resort, on a scale not seen since the New Deal of the 1930s or the wartime economies that followed.

Even prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was clear that our current model was incapable of providing the services and standards necessary to ensure a decent quality of life and a reasonable standard of living for millions across the globe.

In strategic areas, such as housing, successive Irish governments had abandoned their key role and outsourced the task to the market. The result is the longest and most severe housing crisis in our history. Housing became a commodity for speculators that was divorced from its core social function.

Tens of thousands in insecure housing were left exposed and vulnerable to eviction when the pandemic hit. The State was again forced to step in.

Within developed economies, the contradictions at the core of our model were visible within days of the first lockdown: without a veritable army of primarily low-paid and precarious workers our societies would have ground to a halt. Indeed, the very success of our model seems to be predicated on insecurity and inequality.

Care workers, retail staff, distribution staff, drivers, cleaning staff and many others had previously formed an unseen and disposable underclass. When required, these essential workers were to be found on the front line. They ensured our shops stayed open, the shelves were filled and supply chains clear, they cared for the sick and the elderly and kept our transport systems running. In doing so, they were at greater risk of exposure to Covid-19.

In a study of the impact of the virus, the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) pointed out how the pandemic had made ‘poor jobs’ worse, but more valuable to society as a whole.

The NESC report said that higher standards of employment must be seen as an essential component of a modern economy: “Society needs to have a very practical and detailed discussion about good jobs, what a good jobs economy means and about what levers are available to policy-makers to promote them.”

Contracts, through the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2018.

But low pay and growing inequality appears hard-wired into our current global model, with the OECD reporting on “unprecedented levels of wage stagnation’’ and a decline in labour’s share of national income.

A key challenge is tackling low pay, which is prevalent in the very sectors on which we depend. Alongside Retail and Distribution, Accommodation and Food is among the lowest paid sectors of the workforce with pay rates that often fall below the OECD low pay threshold. The same workers also face exorbitant costs for housing and childcare.

Simultaneously, we have seen a dramatic rise in CEO pay, with a pay levels up to 200 times that of the average salary, according to studies by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. And the Financial Times recently reported that the wealth of the world’s richest reached an all-time high during the early months of the pandemic, as did the number of global billionaires.

Where there is trade union presence, collective agreements have secured higher than average wages and conditions for workers, primarily in major outlets and chains. Critically, trade unions in this jurisdiction also secured a landmark ban on notorious Zero Hour

Meanwhile our essential service workers in retail, distribution, care and many other sectors remain undervalued and underpaid. It’s time to reset and rebuild.

Putting decent work at the heart of any recovery must be the first step in that process.

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Meet the

Paul Hosford Paul Hosford is a political correspondent with the Irish Examiner. A Blanchardstown native, he previously worked as a staff news reporter with Dublin Gazette Newspapers before joining TheJournal.ie. In 2018, Hosford briefly left journalism before returning in 2020.

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Credit: Irish Examiner

“I often feel that people think working online has different challenges than working in print, but at the end of the day, it is all reporting, it is all journalism.”

How did you get into journalism?

Ass backward, really. I had done TV and radio in college and a local paper, The Blanch Gazette, was looking for sports reporters. I liked sport and sports writing, so applied. I got given a couple of shifts and turned that into a job for a year. I was made redundant at the end of 2008 but was asked to fill in for shifts on the news desk. I stuck around long enough to get a full-time job there. I managed to get a job with TheJournal.ie in 2013 and stayed there for five years. I went out of journalism for a bit but came back after getting this role in The Irish Examiner in March 2020.

How do you think the profession is evolving?

Even since I started, the pace has picked up and the immediacy has evolved. In terms of the nuts and bolts, it is the same job – cultivation of sources, good reporting and an ability to work out the really important points of a story are the keys. You're now expected to have every string to your bow – a knowledge of digital, video and audio, FOIs and other more in-depth methods – at a minimum.

What are the challenges of working in print media?

Time! Balancing getting pieces published online with turning copy

around for the paper while making sure every base is covered is challenging but also what makes the job what it is. It’s tough but very satisfying.

Who do you admire most within the industry and why?

So many people. From my own team at the Examiner – Danny McConnell, Aoife Moore and Elaine Loughlin – to my colleagues all over, there's so much great journalism in Ireland. I think Gavan Reilly is incredible in his ability to parse information and communicate it clearly. I think there's a great bunch of young journalists who've done great work throughout Covid-19, including Michelle Hennessy and Conal

Thomas at TheJournal.ie, Rob O'Hanrahan at Joe.ie, Zara King and Richard Chambers at Virgin Media.

What has been your most significant story or project to date?

I think at this stage it would have to be Golfgate, which I worked on with my amazing colleague Aoife Grace Moore.

How do you spend your time outside of work?

I have a seven-month-old son, Tom, who keeps myself and my wife busy! Away from the family in nonCovid-19 times I play American football and music in my spare time.

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Political Platform Neasa Hourigan TD

Neasa Hourigan was elected TD for Dublin Central in February 2020. Prior to this, she was a councillor on Dublin City Council, serving the Cabra-Glasnevin local electoral area. Neasa is the Green Party spokesperson on finance and health.

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What are your most notable achievements to date?

I’m Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight and also a member of the Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Disability Matters, and Committee on Health.

It is not always as high-profile as the work done in the main chamber but committees are the workhorses of the Dáil where much of the detailed scrutiny takes place.

For example, as Chair of Budgetary Oversight, one of the pieces of work that I’ll be facilitating is the framework for parliamentary engagement throughout the course of the budgetary cycle.

Ireland has made progress in this regard but there is more work to do in terms of presenting a robust evidence base for our spend, setting and validating metrics around the results of that spend and making sure that there are adequate points through the year for TDs to scrutinise all of that.

As a concrete example, our housing spend is an area where we need more transparency. Housing and homelessness remains a massive issue across the country and particularly in my own constituency of Dublin Central. We need to make sure that the spend on housing is targeted at specific results (e.g. reducing homelessness, putting people in homes, etc.) and not having unintended consequences (e.g. driving up house prices, government overdependence on private rented accommodation, etc.).

What is unique about representing Dublin Central?

Dublin Central faces similar issues to many other urban areas. Housing and homelessness as mentioned above. We need to ensure that the most effective use is made of the land we have available for housing. Somewhat related is school buildings where we still have a number of schools housing students in prefabs or unsuitable temporary accommodation.

Covid-19 has forced Dublin City Council to reconfigure the streets to facilitate the larger volumes of cyclists and pedestrians. I’m very supportive of these changes provided the changes work for all members of the community i.e.

“We need to support just transition.

Environmental policies don’t exist in isolation, in a vacuum, they are interwoven and interdependent…” people with a disability, the elderly, etc.

I’ve been very active for a number of years in supporting walking and accessibility in our built environment, helping to set up the Irish Pedestrian Network which has branches in Limerick and Cork.

Covid-19 has also had more people out enjoying the parks around the constituency, particularly the Phoenix Park. Since my time on Dublin City Council I’ve been fighting to keep the Phoenix Park as a vital green oasis as opposed to a commuter thoroughfare or yet another commercial area.

Next step on the Phoenix Park is the consultation process around the park’s traffic management strategy.

What are your priorities as the Green Party’s Finance and Health spokesperson?

As a mother to a little girl with a visual impairment I’m very aware of the challenges faced by the wider disabled community in Ireland. That’s everything from the funding for section 38/39 organisations, urban design, getting more SNAs in schools, to Covid-19 and its impact on the disabled community. I lobbied for increased funding in budget 2020 for the disability sector and while I was glad to see the additional €100 million funding there is much more we need to do in this area.

Right now, one of the areas in health I’m looking at, with Hazel Chu the Lord Mayor of Dublin, is what we can do to better support breastfeeding mothers.

There are a multitude of benefits to breastfeeding for the mother, the child and the environment. Unfortunately Ireland has the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe so there is lots we can do to make breastfeeding the most attractive option for mothers.

What are the biggest challenges facing your party in the lifetime of this government?

In March 2020, the National Economic and Social Council issued a report that considered the most effective and people-centred way of implementing a just transition (associated with climate change and digital automation). The report noted that complex transitions were not occurring in isolation from other global trends and potential transformations, such as urbanisation, population growth and globalisation as well as the move towards a circular economy and increased protection of biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems.

And that’s a view I very much share. We need to support just transition.

Environmental policies don’t exist in isolation, in a vacuum, they are interwoven and interdependent with other areas like housing, transport, equality, energy and health.

What are your interests outside of the political sphere?

I’ve three small kids that, needless to say, take whatever spare time I might have.

One of my interests (vices?) outside of politics is music and I do have a large record collection. For my pre-election fundraiser I passed on the traditional table quiz fundraiser for a DJ night.

Profile Before being elected as a TD, Neasa was a city councillor and a carer to her eldest daughter who has a visual impairment.

She has a professional background as a specialist in creating sustainable communities and was a university lecturer in environmental development and design. She and her family have lived in Cabra, Dublin 7 for 15 years.

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Sexual harassment in the workplace: Time to stop the harm Hardly a week goes by without a media account from a victim of sexual harassment and abuse in their workplace who has suffered grievously as a result.

Noeline Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, writes.

For all the media accounts, and while some people will take the difficult step of reporting publicly, most workplace sexual harassment goes unreported even to management; victims attempt to deal with it themselves, soldier on, or resign.

Non-reporting does not mean that the behaviour is harmless. It is not. Like other forms of harassment and bullying, it can and does cause physical and psychological harm to those subjected to the abuse, often with lasting impact. It can and does weaken organisations.

Where it happens, it creates unsafe places of work. Where it is not confronted, it creates an unhealthy culture which denies respect and wellbeing to those who are part of the organisation.

Sexual harassment means unwanted conduct or behaviour of a sexual nature which has the effect of violating another person’s dignity in the workplace. It is widely prevalent and tolerated in our workplaces. Those seeking to highlight abusive behaviour are often ignored.

They may be told to develop a sense of humour or a thicker skin or that the person carrying out the abuse ‘meant no harm’. These responses ignore both the law and the reality that whether the person engaging in the conduct intended to violate the other person’s dignity is entirely irrelevant. What is relevant is the impact on the person subject to that behaviour.

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The very personal, intimate nature of sexual harassment, where the person carrying out the abusive behaviour focuses on a person’s sexuality to harass them, can make it harder for the target to confront, let alone report this behaviour.

They may fear mockery or disbelief. They may – and often do – question whether they are themselves to blame. They may also fear being victimised. Time and again we hear from people who have acted, only to be labelled as ‘troublemakers’ or ‘untrustworthy’.

Seeking resolution brings its own problems. The person to whom a disclosure is made may not be trained or equipped to understand the nature or impact of sexual harassment. Colleagues may take one side or another. Hostility from one’s workmates may ensue. The complaints procedure may be legalistic and bureaucratic and fail to yield any just solution.

So, what should employers and employees do to achieve a healthy workplace, where no one is subjected to the harm of sexual harassment?

Over years of training organisations on dignity in the workplace, DRCC has identified some common characteristics of companies and institutions that build healthy workplaces, intolerant of sexual harassment. None involves rocket science, but they do involve effort.

Amongst the positive indicators are: •

effective consultation with personnel in the formation and implementation of anti-harassment systems;

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widely promulgated codes of principle and practice, including clear statements that sexual harassment is illegal and will not be tolerated, and how to report it;

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training for management and staff on the meaning, harm and consequences of sexual harassment; and

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supports for those who may have been harmed, such as access to counselling.

Sexual harassment is neither funny nor fair. It abuses a person’s fundamental rights to dignity, to bodily integrity and to a safe place to work. Its tolerance is detrimental to any organisation. It is time that every worker and every workplace took its elimination seriously.

Noeline Blackwell is the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC). DRCC provides Dignity At Work training courses for organisations and institutions.

For further information T: +353 (0)1 661 4911 E: etadmin@rcc.ie W: www.drcc.ie