I wish to share time with Deputy Wilkinson.
Adjournment Debate.
Job Losses.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
Wednesday, 4 May 2005 will long be remembered in the Waterford constituency as a black day. It is the day on which it was announced that 485 jobs are to be lost at Waterford Crystal's plants in Dungarvan and Kilbarry in Waterford city. Dungarvan is to sustain the most significant hit with the proposed closure of the plant. There is deep shock in Dungarvan where the workers were briefed on the restructuring package at a meeting at 10.30 a.m. Briefing of the workforce at Kilbarry took place in the afternoon.
The workers must have time to absorb fully the details of the company's proposals and, in conjunction with their union leaders, arrive at their response to very difficult circumstances. The response will provide the basis of talks with the company. Every effort must be made to protect the maximum number of jobs. The union is committed to advancing solidarity between the workers in Waterford city and Dungarvan. Those who above all others deserve our concern and support are the workers whose jobs are in danger and their families. They are the ones facing the abyss.
The Government, Enterprise Ireland, the IDA and FÁS must leave no stone unturned in seeking to minimise the number of redundancies, upskill those who become redundant and accelerate the provision of urgently required replacement jobs. Too often in the past in circumstances of closure or redundancies all the right words have been spoken by those in power on the alleviation of pain, suffering and dramatic reductions in income and quality of life for those who lose jobs, but kind words do not put food on the table or pay the bills. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment must convince the House that his words are not idle, but are indicative of a deep commitment to making a difference to the lives of the victims of today's announcement.
Dungarvan and Waterford crystal plants produce a world-class product which, over many years, has commanded a premium price, especially in the USA market. The company describes its task as clear and its challenge as great. The problems of people with up to 30 years service who face redundancy and their families are grave indeed. While of some assistance, words of sympathy and sadness to the workers of Waterford Crystal are no substitute for effective action. The loss of the Waterford Crystal plant is a devastating prospect for Dungarvan and west Waterford. An initial gesture of goodwill by the Government should be the immediate establishment of an advance office of Ordnance Survey Ireland in Dungarvan to ensure that full decentralisation of the agency is completed without further unnecessary delay. It is one measure which would be of significant assistance to the economy of the county town.
There are many heavy hearts in Dungarvan, west, mid and east Waterford and Waterford city tonight and a very dismal future appears to face many in the constituency. FÁS and Waterford Institute of Technology have potentially significant roles to play in the upskilling and retraining of staff. The investment agencies have significant roles to play to secure investment and jobs and support existing employment. Undoubtedly, today's events have highlighted problems of trust in industrial relations at Waterford Crystal which are in nobody's long or even short-term interests. There are difficult days ahead for everyone involved, all of whom must work with the objective of ensuring that every possible job at Waterford Crystal is retained. I call on the Minister to make an absolute effort in this regard.
I thank Deputy O'Shea for affording me the opportunity to say a few words on a black and dismal day for our part of west Waterford. Waterford Crystal is not alone a great Waterford industry, but has been a flagship Irish concern recognised throughout the world for the production of an amazing product. The company's workers were highly skilled and the industry provided tremendous employment over many years. While we have been aware for some time that all was not well in Waterford Crystal, when the news broke yesterday there was great shock that a company which had seemed invincible was in serious trouble. I can only hope the restructuring in the industry will ensure the company again becomes viable and can recover its former glory.
I have no doubt the Minister and job creating agencies will respond to my request to take a serious look at Dungarvan. County Waterford is a vibrant place which has sustained a significant shock. I ask the Minister and job creating agencies to work together to ensure the great workers involved are provided with employment which compensates them for what they have lost.
I wish to share time with Deputy Morgan.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I join my colleagues from Waterford in expressing the condolences of the Green Party to the workers of Waterford Crystal. It must be a bleak and difficult night in the town of Dungarvan, which I know well, with the future looking much more precarious and uncertain.
A company operating in international markets is subject to the vagaries of international forces and there is no doubt that recent exchange rate changes have put significant pressure on Waterford Crystal. We must view this unfortunate turn of events for the company as a symbol of developments across the country over the last 15 years. It was interesting to read the Enterprise Strategy Review Group report on the performance of the Irish economy and the fantastic growth the Government has celebrated which was published last summer. While the exports of foreign direct investment companies increased dramatically, the graph depicting the exports of goods manufactured by indigenous firms had remained completely static.
Since the report was published, we have seen a dramatic reversal in the fortunes of indigenous manufacturing companies. The Government and Dáil should be very concerned. While we are told by economic commentators and Members on the opposite benches that all is well and that we have service industries, extensive building in a boom period and a small number of very profitable foreign companies, a balanced, stable long-term future requires indigenous companies like Waterford Crystal.
Through the skilled hands of its workers, indigenous crafts and its marketing staff, Waterford Crystal was able to perform at the highest level internationally. It is noticeable that there are now very few Irish companies producing manufactured products which stand on the world stage. Waterford Crystal was one of the last and its difficulties are a sign that Irish manufacturing is in trouble. Rather than brush the matter aside and suggest we will be sustained by the service and construction industries and a small number of multinational companies, the Government should heed the warning that a flagship company is in trouble. It is a mere symbol of very significant losses of manufacturing jobs over the last 15 years, especially in recent times. I have heard nothing from the Government as to how it intends to address the problem.
As well as looking for solutions in the short term or immediate locality of Waterford for the workers of Waterford Crystal, I am also concerned to hear what the Government plans to do on a broad basis across the economy.
I thank Deputy Eamon Ryan for sharing time. I agree with the comments of the three previous speakers. My message is one of solidarity with the workers in Waterford Crystal, both in Dungarvan and Waterford city. These workers have been dumped disgracefully by the management of Waterford-Wedgewood. The jobs and massive salaries of top management are to be preserved and protected, while working people with their families and communities are to be sacrificed. Previous speakers were correct in describing Waterford Crystal as a flagship industry for the south east and for Ireland, but the loss of so many jobs and the down-sizing of its operations further undermine the company and its brand.
I know from workers in the factory that they regard the proposed redundancy package as totally inadequate. It was presented as a fait accompli and adds insult to injury. It is certainly not fair recompense for the loss of jobs and the long service by most of the workers who are being let go. I call on the management to negotiate a proper redundancy package with the work force immediately. Reported falls in sales in the US and the euro-dollar exchange rate have adversely affected the company, but workers have raised serious questions about the management of the business, including over-dependence on the US market and the purchase of ailing ceramic firms in England and Germany.
Successive Governments have lionised the likes of Tony O'Reilly, the non-executive chairman of Waterford-Wedgewood. They have fostered a corporate culture which can freely dump working people like this at will. I call on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to intervene, but not with yet another useless task force. The Government spawned numerous task forces in areas where jobs have been lost in the past, but most of these simply turned out to be PR exercises.
The Minister should ensure, first, that a proper redundancy package is negotiated. Second, he should explore ways to preserve the skills of the workforce and to establish local enterprises or co-operatives that will keep people in employment.
I thank the Deputies for raising these matters. The difficulties being experienced by Waterford Crystal have been well known for some time. In summary, difficulties in the marketplace combined with a weak dollar have been putting pressure on the company's sales targets and competitiveness. Enterprise Ireland has continued to work with the company, including a recent investment approved in 2003, which was designed to assist the company in reducing its cost base, increase home sales and maintain employment. Nevertheless, the announcement by the company of job losses of this magnitude is regrettable and my concerns are particularly for those who will lose their jobs.
The overall Waterford Group has announced a restructuring programme, which, I understand, is designed to reduce excess capacity and overheads and improve manufacturing efficiency across the group. The group intends to restructure its business fundamentally in order to ensure its long-term future. The combined effect of these restructuring actions will be to reduce the number of people employed across the group by 1,785. This figure includes 485 at Waterford Crystal.
As regards Waterford Crystal, I understand that a minimum cost reduction of €25 million is required to ensure the company returns to profitability. The company has said that its current sales volume cannot sustain two viable manufacturing plants. As a result, manufacturing operations will have to be consolidated into one plant and the company has decided to close its Dungarvan plant.
There is the further problem that, at present, the company is manufacturing ranges of products which are generating insufficient margins to justify the continuation of their manufacture in Ireland.
I understand that the company intends to transfer 76% of the current Dungarvan output to its Kilbarry site. A total of €6.8 million is to be invested in the Kilbarry site, enhancing facilities there and also improving its competitiveness. The cost base throughout the business will continue to be reduced with the planned reduction in staff levels being achieved through changes in the company's business model.
At present, the company has 1,456 employees of which 485 will be leaving and 971 remaining. The company will be meeting with employees' representatives over the coming days to engage in the detail of the restructuring programme. I understand that the redundancy terms on offer will be six weeks per year of service, inclusive of statutory entitlements, up to a maximum of two years' pay.
FÁS has been in contact with the company regarding the current developments and will have a full range of supports available for redundant staff. I understand that FÁS will follow up by meeting the company at the earliest opportunity to discuss these interventions.
The industrial development agencies will be making every effort to secure alternative employment for the area. I do not consider that the establishment of a task force is appropriate. The county development board is best placed to oversee and co-ordinate the industrial needs of the area, and a task force would only add another layer to this process.
The Government's strategy for the south-east region is to promote the development of Waterford city as a gateway location with which to attract industry to the city and the region. There has also been success in attracting new knowledge-based industries with the location in Waterford of Sun Life Corporation, AOL and Genzyme. In addition, there is a strong indigenous presence with companies such as Dawn Meats and Radley Engineering.
Enterprise Ireland has invested over €9 million in indigenous enterprise in Waterford over the last three years alone. Employment in IDA Ireland supported companies in 2003 in Waterford had increased by 30.4% since 1997 and by 7.9% over the 2002 employment figures. Employment in Waterford is concentrated on the pharmaceutical, medical technology and engineering sectors, which account for 85% of employment. New projects and expansions announced by IDA Ireland client companies include Ubiqus, ABB Transformers, Biopin and AOL.
As regards indigenous industry specifically, Enterprise Ireland activity is focused on the creation of new jobs through supporting entrepreneurs in setting up new high potential start-up companies, the retention and creation of new jobs in existing companies and in enhancing the innovation capability of Ireland at a national and regional level through support of research in companies and third level institutions.
Enterprise Ireland is continuing to work with companies in its portfolio to assist them in growing their sales and exports and to improve innovation in order that they can compete on world markets.
In the last few years Irish manufacturing firms, particularly in the more traditional sectors, have operated against a backdrop of significantly declining external demand, downward price pressure, and an increasingly competitive international environment — for example, from China as well as central and eastern Europe — together with upward pressure on costs and the strengthening of the euro against our key trading partners' currencies.
Despite these pressures experienced in some manufacturing sectors, total unemployment in Ireland remains relatively low at 4.4%, down from 4.6% for the same period last year. Economic growth is forecast at 4.5% for 2005. Furthermore the projected growth rates for the United Kingdom and the United States are promising for the Irish economy as we continue to trade and also to compete successfully for high quality jobs.
The sustainability of employment levels in Enterprise lreland client companies, operating in both manufacturing and internationally traded services, is heavily tied to the sustainability of their competitiveness both in terms of delivering products and services in Ireland and in export markets.
The enterprise strategy group, chaired by Mr. Eoin O'Driscoll, last year published its report Ahead of the Curve — Ireland's Place in the Global Economy. This provided a blueprint for the actions that need to be taken to secure and build on Ireland's position as a developed economy. It clearly focused on the need to accelerate the development and internationalisation of the Irish-owned business sector as a priority for future economic development. Following Government consideration of this report, the Minister published the enterprise strategy group's action plan, which specifically detailed actions for implementation across a range of Departments. In particular, the Minister asked Enterprise Ireland to creatively rethink how best to help business as we deliver on the ESG recommendations.
Earlier today, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment launched Enterprise Ireland's strategy 2005-07. Entitled Transforming Irish Industry, the strategy is focused on implementing the recommendations of the enterprise strategy group's action plan to accelerate the development and internationalisation of Irish-owned business. The Minister also launched a new €20 million productivity improvement fund for Irish industry.
Announcing the new strategy, the Minister said Enterprise Ireland's new strategy clearly represents a major change in approach. It will make a substantial contribution to the further internationalisation of Irish companies in an increasingly knowledge driven global economy. Transforming Irish industry is a significant challenge in the context of globalisation and increased competition.
The reality is that Ireland is at a turning point in its economic development where the low-cost model is no longer an option. If we are to succeed, Irish companies must increasingly compete through innovation, superior market knowledge and a relentless focus on productivity gains and increased automation. In addition, to be successful, companies need to be outward looking in their development strategies and this is where Enterprise Ireland can add real value by partnering with business to harness the inherent development opportunities that global markets offer.
Enterprise Ireland has undertaken a complete business process and organisational re-engineering of its overseas and marketing supports with a clear focus on client need linked with a performance driven mission. Enterprise Ireland will be taking initiatives to underpin future performance of Irish industry making it central to industrial policy going forward.
The Government's decentralisation programme, announced in budget 2004, will see the transfer of 210 jobs to Dungarvan, adding a considerable economic stimulus to the town. Initial data from the central applications facility indicate that while 15 staff of Ordnance Survey Ireland have applied to decentralise to Dungarvan, there are a further 47 expressions of interest by civil servants in decentralising to the OSI in Dungarvan.
As regards property acquisition, I understand from the Office of Public Works that it has chosen a site for the decentralisation project in Dungarvan and details of the deal are being finalised with the land owner.
The overall decentralisation programme is being overseen by a decentralisation implementation group, which published a list of early movers in November last. While this list, accepted by the Government, did not include Ordnance Survey Ireland, all organisations, not just those identified as early movers, have been requested to review their individual implementation plans having regard to a range of matters including information on property, applications on the central applications facility, and previous reports of the decentralisation implementation group. In its next report the decentralisation implementation group will deal with locations and organisations not covered in its November report. I am satisfied the combined efforts of the State agencies and local business and entrepreneurs will serve to lessen the impact of the job losses and provide positive future employment opportunities for the Waterford region.
Industrial Relations.
This is an important matter regarding Coláiste Mhuire Training College, Marino. As a teacher, parent, taxpayer and Deputy for the area, I have major concerns about recent developments in the college. I express my solidarity and support for the former president of the college, Caoimhe Máirtín, one of the top educationalists on the island and a woman of ability, professionalism and great integrity who cares passionately about education. The bottom line is that Caoimhe Máirtín was bullied out of the college which leaves serious questions to be answered by the college governors and trustees.
It saddens me to raise this issue as I care deeply about primary education. I must, however, stop the rot when an issue of this nature reaches the educational and political agenda. This is a story of bullying, intimidation and psychological abuse and of a top college of education being severely damaged by a group of people who have put the college in complete disarray.
The issue also involves €4.2 million of taxpayers' money and raises the urgent need for accountability. Under the rules of the 1996 instruments of governance two separate bank accounts should have been created. Serious questions arise regarding the use of conference funds and strong evidence is available in this regard. The three core issues, therefore, are bullying and intimidation, damage to a top quality college and accountability for public funds. The staff, students and many others with an interest in education are telling the trustees and governors that an inquiry, openness and, above all, accountability are required.
I also have major concerns about the role of persons from outside the education sector. I have heard complaints that a governor from Treasury Holdings informed others that they were sitting on 43 acres of prime real estate. I have also heard that in July 2004 the president of the college was hunched over and crying having been abused by governors. These serious issues must be tackled head on and must not be swept under the carpet. Hard questions must be answered. I cannot tolerate a top quality educationalist being abused and shafted for asking difficult questions.
I thank and commend Brother Rory Geoghegan and others for speaking out about the treatment of staff at the college. He, too, suffered the consequences when he was moved to Africa. I call on the Minister for Education and Science and the Government to sort out this matter, which relates not only to a president of a college being bullied out of a job but to education, students, teachers, staff and public money. It is time for action and change.
Neither the Minister for Education and Science nor the Government can wash their hands of this matter. Coláiste Mhuire Marino receives substantial Exchequer funding, taxpayers' money, which amounted to several million euro last year alone. The Minister has a duty to ensure this money is spent for the purpose for which it was provided, namely, primary teacher training. Serious questions have been raised in this regard and must not be left unanswered.
Ongoing unhappiness with the manner in which Coláiste Mhuire Marino is governed culminated in the resignation of Caoimhe Máirtín. Staff and students have been affected by the problem and some governors have gone so far as to resign. The institution, which is about to celebrate its centenary, has served our education system well. Unless the Minister takes steps to address this matter the problem can only escalate.
I understand that the issue behind the recent settlement involving Ms Máirtín related to bullying and procedures involved therein and that three other grievance procedures related to bullying behaviour by former or current members of the board of governors are progressing. I ask the Minister to give a commitment to have this matter investigated.
Who will pay the costs of the recent settlement and the legal fees arising on both sides therefrom? Will the Minister of State assure the House that none of these costs will be paid through Exchequer funding which is supposed to be spent on primary teacher training? I am disappointed the Minister or either of the Ministers of State in her Department are not present to address this matter. Will the Minister of State indicate whether an external audit has ever taken place in the college? If so, when did the most recent audit take place?
It is important that answers are given on this issue. Excuses which have been used about employer-employee relationships do not have a bearing on this matter, nor do they go to its heart. Much more is involved and I call on the Minister to ensure the matter is investigated immediately.
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)
I will respond on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, who unfortunately cannot be present this evening because she is abroad on official business.
As Deputies are aware, the president of Coláiste Mhuire Marino, Ms Caoimhe Máirtín, resigned from her position on Friday, 29 April. It is understood the resignation relates to reported difficulties at Coláiste Mhuire in connection with the employee-employer relationship between the head of Coláiste Mhuire Marino and her employers, the Marino Institute of Education. It is always regrettable when employee-employer difficulties cannot be resolved and an individual leaves his or her employment in such circumstances.
Coláiste Mhuire Marino and the Marino Institute of Education are privately owned entities, the college being a constituent part of the Institute of Education. As the matters surrounding the resignation concern the employee-employer relationship between the president and her employers, the role for the Department of Education and Science is limited. The Department does not have a role in employee-employer relations of this kind.
Given that the circumstances surrounding the departure of Ms Máirtín have been subject to legal proceedings, it is considered that it is not appropriate for the Department to comment on them and, accordingly, I will not make any comment on them.
The proceedings are over.
Coláiste Mhuire Marino is one of five privately owned denominational colleges of education recognised by the Department of Education and Science for the purpose of training primary teachers. The Department funds Coláiste Mhuire Marino on a per student basis as certified annually by the college president. It is estimated that some €5 million will be allocated to the college in 2005. It is important to note that the Department is not prescriptive in how this money is spent by the college. It prescribes only that, in accordance with regulations governing all public expenditure, the moneys are spent in accordance with the purposes for which they are allocated, in this case teacher training.
Coláiste Mhuire Marino and the Froebel College of Education are funded on a per student basis. The Church of Ireland College, Rathmines and the two colleges of education for home economics, St. Catherine's College, Blackrock and St. Angela's College, Sligo, are funded on a budget basis, which involves the colleges submitting annual returns and financial projections for agreement by the Department.
It is understood the accounts of Coláiste Mhuire Marino and the Marino Institute of Education are audited by a private sector auditor. This is a common practice for privately owned third level institutions. As Coláiste Mhuire Marino receives public funding for teacher training, Deputies should also note that its annual accounts may be subjected to an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. This position is similar to his role vis-à-vis many other bodies and agencies in receipt of public funds.
As matters stand, there is no information to suggest that any part of the funding provided to Coláiste Mhuire Marino for the training of teachers was not used for that intended purpose. If anyone has any information to the contrary, it should be forwarded to the Department of Education and Science for immediate consideration and investigation, if necessary. It would be a matter of grave concern to the Minister if funding provided to Coláiste Mhuire Marino was not used for the training of teachers.
The Department of Education and Science has confirmed that it has received some correspondence from Brother Rory Geoghegan, a Christian Brother who formerly taught in Coláiste Mhuire Marino. This correspondence was received last Friday, 29 April and is under consideration. I assure Deputies it is being treated as important and urgent. The correspondence raises a number of issues concerning the management and operation of Coláiste Mhuire Marino and its relationship with Marino Institute of Education, in particular staffing matters and apparent interpersonal issues. Given the nature of the correspondence, it is not appropriate to discuss the contents of the letter. The correspondence has been passed to the trustees of Marino Institute of Education with a request that they provide their response to the issues raised by Brother Geoghegan.
The importance and urgency of the matter have been emphasised to the trustees. The issues involved internal matters concerning the relationship between Coláiste Mhuire Marino and Marino Institute of Education, a number of which relate to employee-employer relationships. As mentioned previously in regard to the president of Coláiste Mhuire, the Department of Education and Science cannot have a role in the individual employer-employee relationships of a privately owned third level institution such as Coláiste Mhuire. A similar position will also apply in the case of Brother Geoghegan, given that he has been employed in Coláiste Mhuire as an employee of Marino Institute of Education.
A meeting has been scheduled for next week between officials in the Department of Education and Science and the trustees of Marino Institute of Education. At that meeting a number of matters relating to the resignation of Ms Máirtín and Brother Geoghegan's correspondence will be discussed. At this stage I do not wish to pre-empt the discussions between the Department and the Marino Institute of Education trustees by dwelling on the matter any further but I assure the Deputies that the Minister for Education and Science is well aware of the concerns in regard to the resignation of Ms Caoimhe Máirtín, president of the college, and the issues surrounding the resignations are being treated as urgent. The Minister will be better informed after the meeting next week and able to comment further.
Anti-Social Behaviour Project.
During the mid 1990s Dundee City Council experienced problems with nuisance neighbours and anti-social behaviour. The policy of eviction was deemed unworkable as it became clear that this approach was not solving the problem. In cases that resulted in an eviction, little was done to tackle the causes of the problem. Accommodation was not available to those who had been evicted from council properties and many families ended up in bed and breakfast accommodation, temporary housing or living with relatives. The problem was displaced rather than addressed.
In an attempt to tackle the underlying problems of nuisance neighbours and to seek long-term solutions, Dundee City Council asked the children's charity NCH to manage and develop a project. In 1996, it established the Dundee Families Project. This offered a wide range of support services to the homeless or those facing eviction as a result of anti-social behaviour. Between 1996 and 2000, 126 families were referred to the project.
The aim of the Dundee Families Project is to work with those families facing eviction and to restore families to satisfactory tenancy arrangements through appropriate and intensive support. The project offers a wide range of services for families including parenting skills, anger management courses, cookery classes, domestic budgeting and acts as a link to other services such as drug treatment and health services. Many of the families referred to this project have a history of anti-social behaviour, such as noise pollution, violence, damage to property, drug dealing, fire raising and running a protection racket while other referrals are related to family relationship problems.
The project offers three main support services to families. Outreach work and early intervention is undertaken to avoid evictions. Project staff work with families either at their home or at the project centre to address the cause of anti-social behaviour. Residential core accommodation is aimed at meeting the needs of those facing eviction. The project can provide for three families to reside at a residential unit and they are offered intensive support on a 24 hour basis. Alcohol and drug counselling is arranged for those who would benefit from it. Most families using this service stay in the residential unit for approximately nine months. The project also has 12 flats throughout Dundee offering reduced family support. Many families who have used residential core accommodation move into these flats. Once they have been shown that they can successfully live in the community, the tenancy of the accommodation is transferred to them.
There has been a marked reduction in anti-social behaviour and evictions in Dundee. Half of the referrals came from housing and social services and approximately two thirds of the cases were considered successful and these families were rehoused. One fifth of cases did not meet the expected targets and one tenth of families refused to engage with the project.
Many of the families who used the Dundee project are considered vulnerable. Research undertaken by the University of Glasgow in 2002 evaluating the project revealed that families involved had a long history of anti-social behaviour. Approximately two thirds of households had a one parent family structure and the average family size was 3.4 children. Nearly all families were poor and reliant on state benefits. Drug or alcohol problems affected 70% of adults, 50% of whom had criminal records. There was evidence of neglect affecting almost half the children and more than half of the women had experienced domestic violence.
It is widely believed that schemes like the Dundee Families Project are costly. This project, however, has been evaluated as cost effective. An assessment by the University of Glasgow estimated that it saved £117,600 per year for Dundee City Council. The council made savings as a result of the decrease in tenant evictions and because fewer children needed to be taken into care.
Evicting families from their homes does little to address the root causes of anti-social behaviour. The Dundee project offers an innovative, effective approach that reduces anti-social behaviour through tailored support and assistance. Evidence from the project found that many families causing anti-social behaviour had problems with alcohol or drug abuse and that children and women had experienced domestic violence. This further emphasises the need to ensure that adequate help and treatment is available to address these problems. The Dundee Families Project has proved successful in reducing anti-social behaviour and giving vulnerable families the necessary advice and support they need.
The local authority in Aberdeen has embraced this project, as have local authorities in Manchester on a pilot basis. To consider its potential in Ireland, we would have to establish it on a pilot basis but, at a minimum, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should examine in depth the lessons to be gleaned from the Dundee experience and see if they could be applied in Ireland.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to address the question of anti-social behaviour in the context of the management of local authority housing.
Local authorities are responsible under the Housing Acts for the management and maintenance of their housing stock, including addressing any problems arising on their housing estates from serious anti-social behaviour. In recent years a number of measures have been put in place to ensure that local authorities have sufficient capacity to fulfil these responsibilities. New legislative provisions have been enacted, including the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 and the recently enacted Residential Tenancies Act 2004. These Acts provide local authorities with specific powers to deal with anti-social behaviour within local authority, voluntary and private estates.
Outside of the legislation, various other initiatives have also been taken to promote improved estate management. These include the housing management grants scheme, the promotion of best practice in housing management in line with the recommendations of the housing management group, a programme of tenant training and development, and the estate improvement programme to assist in tackling environmental and related problems in severely run-down local authority housing estates and flat complexes in certain disadvantaged urban areas. The housing management initiatives grants scheme established in the mid 1990s, assists local authorities and voluntary organisations to undertake practical pilot projects to improve their housing management. To date, funding of almost €6 million has been provided in grants to improve management of the public and social housing sector. Under the scheme the Department has grant-aided many initiatives including staff and tenant training in estate management, the recruitment of tenant liaison officers and other estate-based staff.
A further initiative to support local authorities to improve housing management was the launch of the housing unit. Its purpose is to assist local authorities to develop a more effective operational approach to housing management. The unit has produced guidance for local authorities in preventing and combating anti-social behaviour and organising training courses.
The Dundee families project was introduced in 1997 and is an interesting initiative. It has directly addressed the destructive behaviour of families at risk or under threat of eviction with the aim of trying to change their behaviour. More than 80 families have been helped in a joint project including a voluntary group and the local authority. While the precise form of this project may fall outside of the scope of the existing housing support schemes for which the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible, I will continue to encourage the active co-operation between local authorities and the voluntary sector. I will follow the progress of the Dundee project to see what lessons relevant to our circumstances can be learned. While it may not be appropriate to our schemes, I am sure some aspects of it can be examined. I will undertake to have the matter examined in more detail. I thank Deputy Kirk for bringing the Dundee project to my attention.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 5 May 2005.