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The Journal
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Minister of State Robert Troy ‘unaware' ministers have been briefing Michael Lowry's grouping
MINISTER OF STATE at the Department of Finance Robert Troy has said he was 'unaware' that ministers have been briefing Micheal Lowry's Regional Independent Group. Michael Lowry acted as a key negotiator for a bloc of independent TDs that agreed to support the formation of a Government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It's been reported today in The Sunday Times that Lowry said the Regional Independent Group has access to a 'rota of ministers' who give regular briefings to its TDs. Lowry said he chaired meetings of the group and that the group has 'direct communication' with ministers and their offices. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Lowry said both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael need to 'acknowledge and respect' his grouping. 'We had Martin Heydon in, he briefed us on his department and we expect to have Jim O'Callaghan in and Colm Brophy in on immigration too,' Lowry told The Sunday Times. On today's The Week In Politics on RTÉ, Troy said he was 'unaware' of this until the article was brought to his attention prior to going on air. 'I presume what Michael Lowry is doing is trying to play to his audience back home, that he is hugely influential and that he has an opportunity to meet cabinet ministers,' said Troy. The Fianna Fáil TD added: 'I've been a member of the last government and different party ministers would attend the parliamentary parties – Fine Gael ministers will come into us, or Green ministers would go into either of the other parties.' Advertisement File image of Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo When asked if backbench government TDs would feel aggrieved, Troy remarked: 'When you have a number of groupings in a government together, and one particular minister from another grouping and there is a particular issue, it's not unheard of that minister to come in. 'For argument, if it's an agricultural issue coming up, it wouldn't be unheard of for [Fine Gael] Agriculture Minister Martin Hayden to come in before Fianna Fáil backbenchers to update them on what's happening.' Sinn Féin's Claire Kerrane described Lowry as the 'kingmaker in putting this government together'. 'The government parties have fallen over each other, to be very clear in terms of 'no deals done, no side deals, nothing in it', when clearly they're getting one-on-ones. 'The entire Lowry group, it isn't just Michael Lowry, are getting these one-on-one, exclusive meetings with ministers, which does give them a special and additional extra in terms of being within government.' Elsewhere, Labour's Marie Sherlock said it 'reflects the reality of who's calling the shots in government at the moment'. 'Ultimately, Michael Lowry and his group were able to have those weekly meetings, I'm not sure that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers are having the same access. 'We had this inordinate amount of time in February and March about debating whether the Lowry group is in or out of government – the reality is they're very clearly in government and I'm very frustrated that we were wasting all that time on that issue when there's very real issues out there.' However, Troy then remarked that the grouping is the 'Regional Independent Group' and not the 'Lowry Group'. 'A lot of the groupings take umbrage at the fact that you constantly tailed them on to one particular individual because of his past. 'There's other people in that grouping, you keep calling it the 'Lowry Group' and it's the 'Regional Independent Group'. 'Micheál Martin is the leader of Fianna Fáil – we don't call it the 'Martin Group', it's the Fianna Fáil party.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
18-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Promise to publish audit on children's hip surgeries
The Minister for Health will publish an audit on unnecessary hip operations for children as soon as she has "digested it" after receiving it, Minister of State Robert Troy has told RTÉ's The Week In Politics. His comments come in a week where opposition politicians said parents were being kept in the dark over the clinical audit of hip surgeries for chidren, saying there was confirmation that the children's "hip surgery scandal" at two Children's Health Ireland (CHI) hospitals goes back 15 years and not just the two-year period currently under review. There have been calls for clarity on the number of unnecessary surgeries carreid out and for the audit to be published urgently. A CHI-commissioned independent review into hip surgeries in children, announced in July last year, is looking at a random, anonymised sample of dysplasia of the hip surgeries, between 2021 and 2023, at Children's Health Ireland hospital sites, as well as Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital. It has been examining whether the criteria used for surgical intervention varied between three hospitals and if surgery was required in all cases. During the week, it was announced that more than 2,200 letters had been sent to parents of children who had dysplasia of the hip surgery offering routine follow-up appointments. Children's Health Ireland sent more than 1,700 letters to parents of children who had the surgery at Temple Street and Crumlin, with more than 500 letters also issued by National Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital. An early recommendation from the audit, which has yet to be completed and published, was for letters to be sent to parents offering routine follow up appointments. These appointments are being arranged over the coming months. Labour TD Marie Sherlock has said there is a huge issue of trust with Children's Health Ireland (CHI) after "debacle after debacle". Speaking on RTÉ's The Week In Politics, the Dublin Central TD said there are serious questions for CHI and its board must come before the Health Committee. Parents must receive concrete assurances on getting clinical oversight and advice, she added. Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane said parents should get access to an independent clinical assessment of their child's surgery. Separately, on the joint opposition motion on assessments of need, Ms Kerrane said more funding to speed up and ensure children get their assessments of need plus recruitment and training of staff must be looked at. Ms Sherlock said it was very powerful that there was a cross-party opposition motion on the issue. She said staff recruitment was lagging way behind demand. Minister Troy said the Opposition were "dead right" to bring forward the motion, although he did not know whether the Government would support it as that decision would be made at Cabinet on Tuesday. Disability was very high on the Government agenda, he said. He said that while the waiting list was too high, there had been an increase of 35% in the number of assessments taking place and €10 million had been assigned to fund private sector assessments. Ms Sherlock said she was concerned that the Government did not have a grasp of the issue. She said the whole system on how children were presenting should be rewired.
Irish Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cross-party agreement to establish housing activation office
There is cross-party agreement to establish a housing activation office to 'break down the barriers' and build homes at scale, a minister has claimed. Minister for Higher Education James Lawless attempted to play down the controversy surrounding the Government's plan to appoint a housing tsar, saying the move is more about creating an office to deliver housing solutions. On Thursday, Nama boss Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration to be the office's first chief executive. Mr McDonagh's decision came after sharp questioning of a suggested €430,000 salary for the role. The Government is expected to continue with a plan to appoint a housing tsar. A poll, published by Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks, revealed that 52% of the public blamed Housing Minister James Browne for the controversy, while 46% blame Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Some 88% of the public said the role should be advertised publicly and the salary should be between €100,000 and €200,000. Mr Lawless said the proposed new office is not about the chief executive role, adding that the term tsar was of a 'media creation'. 'The minister is ambitious. He wants to build houses, he wants to get things done and he wants to get things done quickly – and we all do,' Lawless said of Browne on RTE's The Week In Politics programme. 'It's not about the tsar individual. It's actually about the office and the delivery. The public don't want politics: the public want houses. And that's what Government wants to deliver, that's what Mr Browne is committed to delivering, that's what all of us want to deliver. 'We need to get through the barriers. We know what about infrastructural complications, we know about zoning, we know about planning permission. 'On paper, there is cross-party agreement, including opposition, including the Housing Commission, which produced the report last year. 'The Sinn Fein manifesto, the programme for government are all crystal clear. We need a housing activation office to break down the barriers, to build houses at scale and at urgency.' Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said what the Government has proposed is not in line with recommendations from the Housing Commission report. He added: 'The whole thing has just been a shambles, and it's indicative of the Government who don't seem to know what they're doing.'
Irish Independent
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘Cross-party agreement' in Government to establish housing activation office, says minister
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless attempted to play down the controversy surrounding the Government's plan to appoint a housing 'tsar', saying the move is more about creating an office to deliver housing solutions. On Thursday, Nama (National Asset Management Agency) boss Brendan McDonagh withdrew his name from consideration to be the office's first chief executive. Mr McDonagh's decision came after sharp questioning of a suggested €430,000 salary for the role. The Government is expected to continue with a plan to appoint a housing tsar. A poll, published by Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks, revealed that 52pc of the public blamed Housing Minister James Browne for the controversy, while 46pc blame Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Some 88pc of the public said the role should be advertised publicly and that the salary should be between €100,000 and €200,000. Mr Lawless said the proposed new office is not about the chief executive role, adding that the term 'tsar' was of a "media creation". "The minister is ambitious. He wants to build houses, he wants to get things done and he wants to get things done quickly - and we all do," Mr Lawless said of Mr Browne on RTÉ's The Week In Politics programme. "It's not about the tsar individual. It's actually about the office and the delivery. "The public don't want politics: the public want houses. "And that's what the Government wants to deliver, that's what Mr Brown is committed to delivering, that's what all of us want to deliver. "We need to get through the barriers. We know about infrastructural complications, we know about zoning, we know about planning permission. "On paper, there is cross-party agreement, including opposition, including the Housing Commission, which produced the report last year. "The Sinn Féin manifesto, the programme for government are all crystal clear. We need a housing activation office to break down the barriers, to build houses at scale and at urgency." Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said what the Government has proposed is not in line with recommendations from the Housing Commission report. "What the Housing Commission did say that we needed (was) the housing oversight executives that would be placed onto a statutory footing, that it would have a legislative strength," he said. "Even what the minister has outlined there is actually not in keeping with the facts of what happened this week, and actually over the last month, and was also backed up by the Taoiseach himself, about a month ago. "The commission recommended executives with a statutory footing. What we got was this big title and this strong man who was supposed to go in and shake things up without any legislation. "The whole thing was bizarre. The whole thing has just been a shambles, and it's indicative of the Government who don't seem to know what they're doing." Clare TD Donna McGettigan, Sinn Féin's education spokesperson, said that while a housing activation office is in the party's manifesto, their role is different to the one put forward by the Government. "The difference is it's an executive we were calling for, which is what the Housing Commission is also calling for, and that would give it legislative powers," she said. "What is being proposed here by the Government is just a name, a person that doesn't have any powers, that is going to have a huge wage, which would have created 11 new garda, 11 new nurses, 13 new special needs assistants. "People could see this eye-watering wage, which is even higher than the American president, and they were very angry about it. "The fact that we were told that it wouldn't come from the public purse, (but) then to be told that the preferred candidate would actually be leaving his role, so it would be costing us. "When you're talking about people struggling, they don't want to hear about more money going and it's just wastage." Meanwhile, Minister Browne announced the highest ever number of private rental accommodation inspections. Over 80,000 inspections were carried out by local authorities last year – a 26pc increase on 2023. There was also increased funding of €10.5 million made available to local authority inspection teams for 2025. Inspection levels have increased from an average of 20,000 a year in the period 2005 to 2017 to over 49,000 in 2022, more than 63,500 in 2023, and an all-time-high of over 80,000 in 2024. The minimum standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical installations.
Belfast Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Change to legislation on commission of investigation may be required
The Higher Education Minister described commissions of investigation as vehicles for producing 'very long reports'. He also said the report which emerged from the Farrelly Commission was one of 'questionable usefulness', as it contained no executive summary, recommendations nor action plan. The Farrelly Commission was set up in 2017 to examine the case of a woman, given the pseudonym Grace, who has profound intellectual disabilities and has been in state care all of her life. Politicians and child protection experts expressed shock that the 2,000-page report, which took eight years and is expected to cost up to 20 million euro, did not come to more concrete conclusions. Commissions of investigation are independent statutory inquiries, empowered to investigate matters of significant public concern. Set up under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, it allows the Government to investigate matters of public concern. Proceedings generally take place in private and were designed to be quicker and a more cost-effective than tribunals of inquiry, used by previous governments. However, some have taken years and have been costly to the public purse. Mr Lawless said that a commission of inquiry does not appear to be a quicker method to investigate matters. Referring to the Grace report, he said: 'We have an historical incident or historical wrong that takes seven years to come to light, seven more years to actually investigate it, and then we get a report which is of questionable usefulness in this case. No executive summary, no recommendations, no particular action plan. 'They're not necessarily vehicles for finding facts. They're vehicles for producing very long reports.' He said that the previous Oireachtas inquiries were 'reasonably good' but went a little bit astray and honed in on the wrongs. 'I think we can get a better model of that,' he told RTE's The Week In Politics show. Asked if it required changing the legislation on the commission of investigation, he said: 'That may be required.' Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said that justice was not delivered in the Grace report. Last week, legal representatives for Grace said that submissions made on her behalf were not included in the final report. The statement was issued in the public interest and in the interest of Grace herself, they said in a statement. In an unprecedented move, the general solicitor for minors and wards of court, which is responsible for Grace's personal and legal affairs, issued a statement to say that submissions made on behalf of Grace were not 'included nor referred to in any way in the report'. Mr Gannon said there remains a 'job of work' to do following the report and the statement from her legal representatives. 'I don't think we can go back to a tribunal. They take too long,' he added. 'I also appreciate neither the tribunal nor the commission of inquiries have served as well to this point. I think we need to see adult safeguarding legislation being brought through to ensure that this situation, the horrible situation that happened to Grace, cannot be repeated. 'But then beyond that, we do need to understand how we get to the facts quicker and be able to deliver justice in a way that is satisfactory to victims.' Mr Gannon also said that garda powers need to be strengthened, which was supported by Mr Lawless. Sinn Fein TD Donna McGettigan said the report was 'shocking' and failed Grace in 'every way, shape or form'. 'It took eight years, 2,000 pages and 14 million to complete this, and there's still no answers here,' she said. 'There's serious questions hanging over why Grace was removed from the house and then put back into that deprivation, and nothing was done. It took a whistleblower to come back in, to get her back out of there. But the fact that there was substantial and extensive submissions made, and they were never referred to in this case. 'At the end of the day, we have 2,000 pages, 14 million and no answers, and the state has really failed Grace in this and many other people. Because there was more children involved in this, and nothing has been done about it. 'We need to find a better system, but we need to have accountability at the end of it.'
