Adjournment Debate.

Departmental Accommodation.

Mr. Kenny

I recall the words of the late James Dillon, a former Minister for Agriculture, at the opening of the Michael Davitt House complex in Castlebar in the late 1970s. Coming from the land of Michael Davitt to the Davitt House complex, it was one of the first decentralised offices. The late Micheál Ó Moráin, who was a Minister in several Fianna Fáil Governments, had promised it. My late father delivered it in the coalition Government of 1973-77. His words on that day were prophetic about the necessity to have Government involve itself to the extent where people could be facilitated by being able to call into offices and deal with their business in a confidential and courteous manner.

I am seeking clarification from the Minister because, while there are some rumours floating around, some of the facts may or may not be correct. I require clarification as to what the Department's plans are regarding decentralisation or re-centralisation as has happened.

I understand that the agriculture section of Davitt House in Castlebar paid out €500 million in grants last year, not just for County Mayo but for the country as a whole. The section was in charge of the suckler cow scheme, the ewe premium, the area-based scheme and the extensification scheme. A sum of €130 million was paid out under the suckler cow scheme, €90 for the ewe premium, €230 million for the area-based scheme and €95 for the extensification scheme. These are approximate figures. However, due to changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, this body of work is not now as significant as it used to be, so the work is leaving that section of Davitt House. With the advent of the new EU system, all the payments to which I have referred will be paid out in a single payment. It is expected that this will be done from Port Laoise. So if these payments will no longer apply, while there are still some outstanding payments to be made, they will not be made from Davitt House in future. That means that while there is still some work going on for the national reserve under the single payment scheme in Castlebar, when these questions are completed, all of that is expected to be transferred to Port Laoise. That leaves approximately 70 staff in the agriculture section, including principal officers, HEOs, clerical officers and clerical assistants.

What is the plan in regard to that section of the Department? There was serious expenditure there in recent years and over the past 30 years people have become used to working in those very fine facilities. I understand the area aid section of the Department of Agriculture and Food in Kildare Street, Dublin, is also to go to Port Laoise. In that section there are approximately 60 to 70 staff but the work is somewhat similar to what was being done in Davitt House for many years. Therefore, that body of work could be transferred from Kildare Street to the Davitt House complex and be facilitated in that fashion. Otherwise, as I understand there is no building yet in Portlaoise, this matter could drag on for a long time. When the work in Davitt House ceases, what is in store for the approximately 70 staff there? Will any of them be transferred to another location? What are the prospects for them being absorbed into other Departments in the Davitt House complex, such as Revenue or Coillte? In that sense, the clarification I request from the Minister will be very important to people who have lived in Mayo and worked in the Davitt House complex in Castlebar for quite some time. Families are involved, with mortgages and other commitments.

Over the years, the agriculture section in Davitt House provided thousands of farmers with a convenient service. Perhaps the Minister will spell out what the future will be for the agriculture sector of the Davitt House complex. When the body of work it is currently doing ceases to exist, what work will it be involved in? Is it proposed that the area aid work currently being done in Kildare Street will be transferred to the Davitt House complex in Castlebar? Perhaps the Minister will set out what the plan is and indicate the timescale. I would like reassurance from the Minister with particular reference to staff that there will be no major disruption to their work in the area.

When this proposal is implemented and that body of work ceases, it will end 30 years of very valuable agricultural service. This was one of the first offices in the country to be decentralised from Dublin to the land of Davitt, the land which was so important to people, so intrinsic a part of the lives of farming people over those years. I would not like to see it ended and no future work done. Perhaps the Minister will clarify that.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mary Coughlan)

Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta as deis a thabhairt dom labhairt faoi seo.

The mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy introduced the most significant agricultural reform since its establishment. The decision of the Luxembourg Council to break the link between direct payments and production, known as decoupling, has changed the fundamental nature of EU supports for the farm sector and has led directly to the introduction of the single payment scheme.

The mid-term review places a significant challenge on my Department to realign functions and processes to effectively implement the single payment regime and the linked cross-compliance inspections while at the same time ensuring that customer service standards are not adversely affected, effective administration and corporate governance is maintained and human resource issues are addressed appropriately. Once necessary operational changes to schemes and processes have been agreed, work will proceed on implementing the staff movements and structural changes to effectively implement the single payment scheme.

Payments under the scheme will be conditional on farmers' compliance with a total of 18 EU directives on the environment, identification and registration of animals, animal welfare and animal, plant and public health. Some of the staff currently employed in Castlebar are undertaking the important work of planning for the implementation of these cross-compliance requirements under the single payment scheme. The final decision on the location of the work of co-ordinating and controlling the implementation of the cross-compliance measures will be taken when these plans are finalised and the extent of the ongoing work that will be involved as well as the staff numbers and grades required to carry out the work has been determined.

This decision will also be influenced by the planning that is ongoing in relation to the operation of the single payment scheme itself from our Portlaoise office and the decisions that are being taken on the decentralisation of my Department's HQ to that town under the Government's wider decentralisation programme. In regard to the latter, my Department is in the process of preparing a further iteration of our decentralisation implementation plan which has to be submitted to the decentralisation implementation group by 14 February next. That plan will naturally have to take into account the changes coming about as a result of the mid-term review and the single payment scheme.

In addition, staff will over the coming months be available in my Department's offices in Port Laoise on the cessation of the special beef and slaughter premia schemes which were operated from there as part of the old direct payments regime. The area aid division of my Department is currently based in Hume House, Ballsbridge, and it is planned that the area aid work will transfer to those staff in Port Laoise in late spring and early summer of this year. Discussions are ongoing with staff, representative associations and the Department of Finance regarding the reassignment of the surplus staff in Hume House.

Following the introduction of the single payment scheme and the mid-term review, there will be an inevitable requirement for a reduction in overall staff numbers working in the relevant areas. Local office livestock staff around the country will also be affected. It is not possible at this stage to predict fully all the staff changes that will result from the reallocation of work. A number of steering groups in my Department are examining all the different complex issues involved and these groups will continue to plan and monitor the situation throughout the change-over. However, the method of managing this change process in terms of all the various work and staff movements will include setting down the basic principles to apply in the context of the redeployment of staff which will be discussed with the relevant unions and staff associations. The objective will be to put in place a system that is fair and realisable.

While it is understood that the reorganisation of the Department due the implementation of the single payment scheme will result in a major rebalancing of work as well as reduced staffing levels, it will be mid-2005 before the detailed effects are known.

I fully recognise that this period of change is causing legitimate concern and uncertainty for staff. The key objective of my Department during this change period is to work in conjunction with staff, their unions and staff associations and to minimise the potential for disruption to staff and departmental operations so as to achieve the successful reorganisation of the Department with as smooth a transition as possible to the new structure.

It will be the middle of this year before I have an overall plan and it is my intention to keep staff informed and involved in discussions. As a woman with close associations with that part of the country, I am acutely aware of the concerns expressed. Uncertainty is creating distress for some of the staff. I hope we will have an action plan so that people will know exactly what is going on and to facilitate them in the best possible way.

Hospital Services.

Dr. Cowley

I am grateful for the opportunity of raising this very important matter on the Adjournment.

If the Chair will indulge me, I support Deputy Kenny and hope there will be a straight answer because there has already been a loss of jobs in Bellacorrick and Allergan, and we could not tolerate another body-blow. Perhaps some straight talk from the Minister will be important for an area that is dying on its feet, the most socio-economically deprived area in Ireland.

I am grateful to appeal on behalf of the area I represent. Mayo General Hospital is recognised as probably the busiest hospital in Europe and has been so described from activity levels. The difficulty is that it is intended to cut its budget by €613,000. This is a hospital that is working very hard around the clock with extremely dedicated staff and this cut is seen as a major body-blow. If a significant amount of money is removed from a budget that is already very tight and providing very essential services, somebody must suffer. The fear is that the people who will suffer are those who are ill and who depend on the hospital. I appeal to the Minister to examine the casemix programme.

An orthopaedic unit has opened, which has put much pressure on the hospital services, but this refers to earlier issues. It is baffling, and nobody can understand, how a cutback can be made because activity is at a high. Occupancy at this hospital is more than 100% because there are two patients to a bed, one in the morning and somebody else immediately after. The bed is still warm when somebody else goes into it. That is how efficiently this hospital is run, but no matter how efficiently it is run, it lacks capacity. It is difficult because there is no high dependency unit in the hospital. There are eight beds in the intensive care unit. There is an orthopaedic unit now, but there is a need for a proper high dependency unit, which would mean an, extra eight beds.

There is a major need also for proper consultant services. People must travel to Galway for urology services, which is almost as far as this building is from Galway, and there is a waiting list there. People wait years to get on the official list and after that they still wait five years. Is it any wonder people get ill while they are on the waiting list? Is it any wonder that accident and emergency departments are congested with people who get acutely ill? If somebody is left on a waiting list for five years or more, he or she is bound to get ill. Then it is not a case of merely doing a simple job, it is a case of dealing with an emergency, which ties up all the resources.

I appeal to the Minister to examine the casemix programme. Perhaps what is happening is that hospitals with more private patients are treated better under the casemix programme than hospitals that abide by the rules and keep private patients to within 20%. We must think of what is happening in this hospital. This is the only hospital serving County Mayo, the third largest county, and it is already under pressure because of the difficulty of trying to deal with services that are not properly resourced and the lack of an ambulance base in west Mayo. People living in Achill are 50 miles from Mayo General Hospital. When the general practitioner calls the ambulance, the person is already ill and he wants that person in hospital. If there is a waiting time of one hour for the arrival of the ambulance and it takes another hour for the ambulance to arrive in Castlebar with the patient, that makes two hours — so much for the golden hour. A case that is not an emergency when the GP calls out the ambulance becomes an emergency two hours later by the time that person arrives at acute hospital emergency services with the result that he or she takes up more time in the hospital services.

Mayo General Hospital is doing a very efficient job. To be treated in this callous manner with a reduction in its budget of €613,000 is unacceptable and the result is that the people of Mayo will suffer and will be left without essential services.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. S. Power)

It is an indication of the respect in which Deputy Cowley is held that the leader of the Opposition remained in the House to hear his contribution. I thank the Deputy Cowley for raising this matter on the Adjournment.

The national casemix programme compares costs and activity between 37 hospitals that participate in the programme. The programme incorporates over €3 billion of expenditure and 1.6 million patient encounters annually. It allows each hospital to take full account of its unique patients and unique issues. The process takes place in consultation with each hospital, placing patient-centred information at the centre of the process. Casemix was introduced in an effort to collect, categorise and interpret hospital patient data related to the types of cases treated in order that hospitals could define their products, measure their productivity and assess quality.

The rationale for the use of casemix as part of the budgetary process is the wish to base funding on measured costs and activity rather than on less objective systems of resource allocation, that is, to fund hospitals for the cases they actually treat and the service they actually deliver. Casemix creates an incentive for better performance by allowing for peer group comparison and is the most internationally accepted performance related activity programme. I am committed to performance related targets to ensure that hospitals operate at maximum efficiency. The budget-neutral policy of casemix rewards efficiency by re-targeting funds from less efficient hospitals to those which are more efficient and have demonstrated that additional funding will result in real benefits.

The negative adjustment of €613,000 was consequently a reflection of Mayo General Hospital's performance vis-à-vis its peers. The hospital gained funding under the programme in ten of the 13 years in which it has been in operation. No objection to the use of casemix was lodged in those years. The programme is operated in an open and transparent fashion and full details of the clinical and financial information on which casemix budget adjustments are based is provided to all participating hospitals. I am committed to the ongoing expansion of the national casemix programme involving my Department and the Health Service Executive to ensure that casemix is used as a central pillar in hospital funding policy.

National Aquatic Centre.

Ms Burton

I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this important issue. I call for the establishment of an independent international and expert inquiry into the recent forced closure of the National Aquatic Centre as a consequence of storm damage sustained after Christmas. Up to 60 local people working full-time and part-time at the centre have been laid off and a valuable amenity for swimming as a sport and for leisure activities has been lost to the local community, the eastern region and the country.

I welcome the information I received yesterday from the Office of Public Works, adviser to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism on the National Aquatic Centre, that it is appointing a firm of engineers, led by Mr. Jim Mansfield, to carry out an inquiry on a preliminary basis. I understand this will be a preliminary investigation which will examine the likely causes of the damage to the roof, the design of the building and the quality of the construction. I want the Minister to commit to publishing the results of this investigation.

There has been widespread shock and dismay in my constituency at the forced closure of the National Aquatic Centre resulting in the loss of many jobs and the loss of an important amenity. While there were extraordinarily high winds after Christmas, given the increasing frequency of severe weather conditions, surely all these should have been factored into the design of a new building costing in excess of €60 million. The roof of the Blanchardstown Town Centre, which is close to the National Aquatic Centre, was not damaged and neither were the roofs at Dublin Airport which are even more exposed in high wind conditions.

It is well known, perhaps not to the Minister, that the west and the north-west of Dublin are very exposed to high winds because they lie at the eastern end of a plain stretching to the River Shannon. The aquatic centre is also near the River Tolka and there is often a wind tunnel effect near a river. I would expect that buildings constructed in the area would be designed taking these factors into account. When one bears in mind the building cost in excess of €60 million, it makes the damage all the more incomprehensible. It is important that a full inquiry is established and that the results are published. I understand that further damage was caused by material from the lining of the roof blowing into the ventilation system of the aquatic pool.

The National Aquatic Centre is one of the pet projects of the Taoiseach. I understand the centre is ultimately under the management and ownership of Campus Stadium Ireland whose sole shareholders are the Ministers for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Finance and the Taoiseach. It is imperative that there is a thorough examination of the root cause of the problem. The insurance advice is that until the cause of the damage is clearly established, it is unsafe to allow the public near the complex. Who will bear the ultimate loss? Are the buildings still under warranty? Is there recourse to the architect, designers and builders of the centre or will the taxpayer have to foot the bill? I understand the company managing the centre is insured in respect of its activity but who ultimately bears responsibility for the overall liability for the building?

There has been a remarkable silence from the Government, the Ministers responsible for the building and the company, Campus Stadium Ireland. Employees and local people have been told little, including those who use the centre for sports. The centre was first opened to host the Special Olympics. It has been a great boost to water sports. It is important to sort out the cause of the dreadful damage. We need to know the duration of the likely repairs, the cost of the repair work, when the workers are likely to get their jobs back and if, in the meantime, any provision is being made for those who have been laid off. They received a short letter saying they would be laid off for a short period. They returned last week and were laid off again, this time with no timeframe on how long they are to be laid off.

Mary Coughlan

Before I address the specific issue raised by Deputy Burton with regard to the damage to the National Aquatic Centre, I want to set this matter in its proper context. In 2000 the Government agreed to provide Exchequer finance to fund the provision of an aquatic and leisure centre at Abbotstown. Provision of the facility was by means of a design, build and operate procedure. A contract was awarded to a consortium that consisted of a construction company, Rohcon, an architectural company, S&P Architects, and an operating company, Dublin Waterworld.

The National Aquatic Centre was completed within the time schedule set for it and within the agreed budget of €70 million provided by the Exchequer. It was formally opened by the Taoiseach in March 2003. It is Ireland's largest indoor water centre and provides state-of-the-art swimming and diving facilities. The leisure waters element of the facility has proved to be particularly attractive as a family and young people's recreation centre. In the first year of its operations it attracted almost 1 million visitors and its popularity places it on a par with Ireland's top attractions, such as the zoo. The facility hosted the swimming events of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in June 2003. The centre hosted more than 600 athletes from 160 countries and the success of the event was widely acknowledged. The centre also successfully hosted the European short course championships in December 2003. Some 500 swimmers from 40 countries together with 200 coaches and officials participated in the championships. The national aquatic centre has been designed and built to the highest standards. During the course of the Special Olympics World Games and the European short course championships in 2003 it received the highest praise from international experts.

The concept of the national aquatic centre has been developed with a clear emphasis on commercial viability. The intention was that once built the facility would be a self-sustaining venture. To achieve this the national aquatic centre was leased to the operating company that formed part of the developing consortium. Dublin Waterworld Limited, has been responsible for all matters relating to the running of the facility since it concluded that lease agreement with Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, the company entrusted with the development of the sports campus site at Abbotstown. Consequently the Minister and his Department are not involved in the day-to-day operation and problem solving but it has long been shown that a commercial operation is the most efficient and cost effective method of viable operation.

During the severe weather conditions experienced locally in the west Dublin area on New Year's Day, severe damage was caused to the roof of the building. The roof of the 50 metre pool and diving pool was damaged as was the roof of the leisure waters, in addition to damage to lights and fittings around the complex. As a result the national aquatic centre was closed to the public while the building was being made safe, the damage assessed and repairs undertaken. Fortunately nobody was hurt as the centre was closed for the holiday period.

The construction company that built the national aquatic centre responded immediately and did some initial repair work on 2 January to make the building safe. During the days immediately afterwards Campus Stadium Ireland Development Limited managed and oversaw the response to the situation. CSID's first priority was to ensure the safety of the general public and those using or working in the facility. It also focused on ensuring that the insurance assessors accurately assessed the damage, that repairs would be carried out as quickly as possible and that the debris in the vicinity of the facility was safely removed. The loss adjusters have commissioned an independent report from a firm of consulting engineers to deal with the design, material and construction issues and how the building structure performed in the extreme weather conditions that prevailed on New Year's Day.

To ensure the health and safety of the users of the facility and to avoid, in so far as is practical and possible, a recurrence of the damage, the Office of Public Works, at the request of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited has engaged engineers to examine the damage and to provide a preliminary report as a matter of priority. The engineering firm appointed by the OPW on behalf of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, will provide an independent layer of advice so that the design is in line with best practice. A preliminary draft report is expected by the end of this week. This report will be independent of any other technical or professional reports being prepared as a result of the storm damage. The Minister is anxious to have the facilities at the national aquatic centre open to the public as soon as possible but his first priority is to ensure that all health and safety issues have been addressed in relation to the buildings.

CSID, as the landlord, has appointed its own engineers to examine the damage, in addition to the loss adjusters' engineers. These reports are expected by the end of the week following which a programme of works will be put in place to ensure that the centre is restored to the highest standards.

With regard to the staff, while I do not wish to see anyone out of work, neither CSID nor the Minister has any control over this matter as staff are appointed directly by the operator, Dublin Waterworld. However, I assure the Deputy that the Minister and CSID are anxious to have the centre open as soon as possible. The Deputy will agree with me that the safety of the public is paramount and the centre cannot be reopened until the centre has been repaired and is deemed fit for use.

Social and Affordable Housing.

Mr. Walsh

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this important matter relating to west Cork to be taken on the Adjournment. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern. In 2003, Teagasc made 15 hectares of land from its agricultural college adjacent to Clonakilty available for affordable housing. This is very welcome and greatly appreciated by the local people. Clonakilty and the surrounding area is a growth area where sites are very expensive. It is a coastal region and houses typically make €350,000 to €550,000. Younger people, even those with two good salaries cannot afford the cost of housing. This affordable housing scheme is welcome. The affordable housing initiative is very laudable and has the support of all parties in the House and the social partners.

I would like to see this development accelerated as it is now 2005. I appreciate that good and prudent planning must be made. I and those living in the area wish to see this exciting project done correctly. We do not wish a development to be thrown together in a higgedly-piggedly fashion but rather we wish to have a nice rural village. A church and school and an existing village are situated beside the site and this lends itself to twinning with the new development. Will the Minister of State say what progress is being made regarding this matter? Clonakilty is a priority town for decentralisation. Eighty jobs in the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources are being located in the town and 140 civil servants have volunteered for those 80 posts. The area has a long housing list and there is an acute need for housing. I ask the Minister of State to give a timescale for the completion of this project.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)

I thank Deputy Walsh for raising this matter and allowing me to update the House on progress on the affordable housing initiative site at Clonakilty. As the House is aware, the affordable housing initiative was included as one of the ten special initiatives negotiated with the parties to the pay agreement in Sustaining Progress. The initiative is aimed at those who in the past would have expected to purchase a house from their own resources but find that they are unable to do so in the current housing market. What is proposed and now under way is to release State and local authority lands to the initiative, which have the potential to yield 10,000 housing units.

Significant progress continues to be made on the initiative, with more than 70 projects on State and local authority lands planned, which together with the projected 2,500 affordable housing units under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2004, gives the 10,000-unit target proposed by the parties to the pay agreement. All projects are now being progressed as a matter of urgency to ensure delivery of units as soon as possible.

A number of alternative strategies are also being examined which may accelerate the delivery of housing units. A land swap option, involving the exchange of land for units that could be delivered more quickly elsewhere is being piloted on the Harcourt Terrace site in Dublin. This was advertised in November of last year. I understand that there has been considerable interest in this option, with short-listing currently under way in Dublin City Council. This project will be closely monitored with a view to using the land swap option on other sites.

Like the Harcourt Terrace site, the site at Darrara Agricultural College in Clonakilty was one of the sites released to the initiative by the Department of Agriculture and Food. I appreciate the constructive co-operation of Deputy Walsh as Minister for Agriculture and Food in ensuring those major contributions to the initiative.

Given the scale and impact of the development, it was felt appropriate to have a comprehensive evaluation to progress the proposal. In this context, Cork County Council considered that a high-quality assessment involving the appropriate technical components would be necessary. This arises from the need to comprehend all aspects of the proposed development and ultimately to facilitate earliest delivery of housing units having taken all relevant factors into account. Cork County Council initially advertised on 7 August 2004 for consultants to undertake a thorough feasibility assessment in terms of strategic land use planning, financial viability, affordability and suitable infrastructural solutions. Six submissions were received and following a shortlisting process two candidates were invited for interview. Cork County Council has advised that it has appointed Colin Buchanan and Partners as consultants for the project. The consultants had an initial meeting with a range of officials from the council on 19 January and it was agreed that the feasibility study would be completed by the end of May.

The study will result in a range of conceptual design options, with a number of suitable settlement models being brought forward for discussion. Following the selection of a suitable model, detailed design and planning will be necessary. The number of housing units to be provided on this site, which is approximately 15 hectares, and the timeframe for its completion are difficult to predict at this stage and will depend on feasibility and other studies and the planning process.

I am also aware that there is a great deal of interest locally in the site. As part of the feasibility study, arrangements are being made for the consultants to meet local representatives and members of the community. This follows on from consultations initiated previously by the council. Deputy Walsh previously mentioned concerns and reservations had been expressed locally and some objections to the scheme may arise. I hope the local consultation process being put in place will help to deal with these objections and ensure the smooth passage of the project through the planning process.

I will, however, continue to ensure that this project, along with all of the other projects under the initiative, is progressed as speedily as possible with the aim of having the earliest possible delivery of units. I have listened to Deputy Walsh who was instrumental in having the site in question made available for the affordable housing initiative. Like him, I want the houses built as soon as possible. Progress is being made although it may be slower than the Deputy would like. I hope the timetable Cork County Council has outlined regarding the consultant's report is maintained and we can move on quickly.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 1 February 2005.

Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 27 Jan 2005