I seek the permission of the House to share time with Deputy Tom Sheahan.
Adjournment Debate.
Coast Guard Services.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I welcome the Minister to the House to take this Adjournment matter which is general and national in nature. I presume she will present a comprehensive statement on her commitments and all the good jobs in decentralised projects that are on stream, but I will be parochial on this topic and with good cause.
There is a fear in the most northerly part of the country that the Coast Guard station on Malin Head will be made redundant in the coming years. I am worried about its future. In 2002 a report was commissioned from Deloitte & Touche which cost the taxpayer €145,000. It highlighted two centres — one on Valentia and the other on Malin Head — as the main centres for the Coast Guard service. In 2004 the then Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, approved one of the proposals in the Deloitte & Touche report concerning these two centres. The crux of the matter is that in 2006 there was a change of thinking as to where the main centres would be located. The two centres now on the table are in Drogheda and at an unknown location in the west. What is the Government's real commitment to decentralisation vis-à-vis existing State jobs? There are 18 such posts on Malin Head. The Deloitte & Touche report proposed that upwards of 28 jobs be located there in the next five to six years. Is the Minister committed to the original Deloitte & Touche report’s suggestion which was sanctioned by the Cabinet? Is she committed to Malin Head and Valentia being the locations of the two main centres, or will she and her colleagues go against the Government’s decentralisation policy?
Deloitte & Touche made its proposal on the basis of the Government's decentralisation policy. I know the Minister will cite a long report about all the things that have been done and are planned, but she should give a commitment that these two stations will remain as priorities in the future provision of Coast Guard facilities.
I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on demonstrating his true belief in respect of decentralisation when, in his former ministerial capacity, he relocated the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism to south Kerry. I find it hard to understand why the 17 jobs in Valentia Coast Guard station are being put at risk. For a town such as Killarney that number would represent the equivalent of 250 posts. The 17 staff at Valentia Coast Guard station are consummate professionals. The buildings in which they operate are in perfect working order. I have visited them myself. In 2004 when the Dublin station was decommissioned while asbestos was being removed from the roof, the entire Coast Guard service was run from Malin Head and Valentia. The technology is available and up to date. The Government does not realise what it would mean to an area such as Valentia to lose 17 high end jobs. The children of several of the employees in the Coast Guard station are studying and hope to take up jobs in Valentia down the road. On those grounds, I ask the Minister to reconsider the decision and to take on board the essence of decentralisation by retaining these jobs in Valentia. The jobs should not be centralised to Drogheda, Galway or Ennis. Will the Government row back on this proposal and retain the jobs in Malin Head and Valentia? The 17 jobs on Valentia Island equate to 250 in a large urban town.
I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport. The matter tabled did not refer to Malin Head or Valentia and, therefore, the reply is more general than the Deputies would like. However, I will highlight their concerns to the Minister.
This is about the ethos of decentralisation because what is proposed in this regard is the complete opposite.
I will address the issues raised on behalf of the Minister of the Transport, and the Irish Coast Guard is relevant to his Department. I am pleased to confirm that the decentralisation of 50 staff from the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority, RSA, to Loughrea was among the priority moves in the Government's decentralisation programme and it is complete. With regard to RSA staff moving to Ballina, the number involved increased from 67 — that is, the number of staff originally located there — to 129. The majority of the additional 62 posts were secured from the Ballina central applications facility. Ballina, as an existing decentralised location, was an option for candidates under the current programme. The remainder of staff were secured from a mixture of open recruitment and internal promotional competitions.
The Minister for Transport's recent decision to move the maritime safety directorate, the Irish Coast Guard, technical and administrative, and the marine survey office, technical and administrative, to Drogheda is likely to lead to an increase in the numbers of posts transferring there over and above the original 37 planned. The central applications facility has resulted in a very positive response from applicants for this location. While neither the total numbers nor grades has been identified, the Minister for Transport is confident that finalising the actual moves will not present an insurmountable problem.
The immediate priority is to finalise a suitable location and construction of a premises. This work is being undertaken by the Office of Public Works. Once a premises is available, I expect there will be no delay in completing the decentralisation process. As per the Government decision, all staff decentralising to Drogheda will do so on a voluntary basis. Proposals to decentralise the National Roads Authority and the Railway Safety Commission to Ballinasloe, Bus Éireann to Mitchelstown and the Irish Aviation Authority to Shannon are less advanced. The bodies involved were not identified by the decentralisation implementation group as early movers.
Each of the agencies has reported that few staff have expressed an interest in moving to the decentralised locations. This creates particular difficulties as many of the staff involved are in specialist posts. In addition, in the case of Bus Éireann, the total number of staff located in its headquarters is 80, while the decentralisation decision calls for 200 posts to move. Updated implementation plans have been requested from the agencies and these are expected to show progress on their individual moves. The matter of providing additional State jobs in any location is subject to Department of Finance approval within Government policy.
May I ask a quick question?
No, unfortunately, the Deputy cannot.
Will the jobs be decentralised from Malin Head to Drogheda?
There is a strict rule regarding Adjournment debates and I have been the subject of it myself in the past. An Adjournment matter cannot be discussed following the Minister's reply.
Schools Building Projects.
I appreciate the opportunity to raise this matter and I thank the Minister for attending to reply. A decision by the building unit on a school building for Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille is critical if a repeat of the entire tendering process is to be avoided. The gaelscoil is situated in an area that has experienced significant population growth over the past 15 years and the growth rate has accelerated over the past five years. The area is characterised by the number of cranes in its skyline. It was the subject of a local area plan by the county council and the need for local schools in a timely manner was identified. In this instance, while the forward planning took place, there has been a failure to deliver.
I attended the opening of the gaelscoil in the De La Salle Palmerstown rugby clubhouse when I served as cathaoirleach of South Dublin County Council in 1995-96. The parents, teachers and pupils have waited for a permanent home for 12 years and many of the children who attended the school when it first opened are well into their secondary schooling having spent their primary schooling in cramped prefabs. Eight classes operate in conditions so cramped that one of the teachers can never wear a skirt to school because she must jump over desks to reach some of the children.
The board of management has gone through the planning, architectural and design phases and not alone has the construction tendering process been completed but the contractor has been selected and the contract awarded. Technically, under the contract the contractor will no longer be obliged to build the school at the quoted price if sanction is not given by the Department by the end of the month. While there may be flexibility in this regard, the deadline is too close for comfort and there is serious unease among all concerned that the sanction, which was felt to be a matter of form, will not be forthcoming. The parents and teachers were overjoyed when they received the go-ahead to invite tenders for the construction of the school and they are bitterly disappointed that they probably will not be in the new school by next September, as they had anticipated.
They are shocked because it is highly unusual for a project to reach the final stage and have the funding withheld with the contractor ready to go. I assume the sanction will eventually be granted but it will make no difference to the Minister or the national finances if the go-ahead is given this month, next month or in January. It would make a major difference to the gaelscoil because, at best, the teachers and pupils would not be in their new school by September 2008 and, at worst, if the administrators had to go through the tendering process again, they would be lucky to be in by 2009. The finance was promised and it was reasonably assumed it would be forthcoming. I ask the Minister to give sanction for this.
I thank the Deputy for the opportunity of outlining to this House my Department's position regarding the provision of a new school premises for Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille, Cill Tiarnáin. The proposed project involves the construction of a new two-storey, 16-classroom generic repeat design school. Planning permission and a fire certificate has been obtained and the tender report for the project is being examined by the Department's building unit.
Under the national development plan, €4.5 billion was assigned to the capital requirements of the primary and post-primary sectors. More than €540 million will be spent this year on school buildings. The level of construction alone in the primary and post-primary sectors in 2007 is such that it will deliver more than 700 classrooms to provide permanent accommodation for approximately 17,500 pupils. The progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase is considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme in which the main focus is to deliver school places within rapidly developing areas. The progression of the school referred to by the Deputy, as is the case with all large scale projects, will be considered in this context. I assure the Deputy I am committed to providing suitable high quality accommodation for Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille at the earliest date.
Prison Building Programme.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter. The Defence Forces camp at Kilworth, County Cork, has been designated as the location for a prison covering Munster and it will replace facilities at Cork Prison in particular. The proposed location of the prison will be within the 1,200 acre camp located close to the M8 motorway between Mitchelstown and Fermoy and it is destined to house up to 450 prisoners. On Monday last, the residents of the immediate area called public representatives to a meeting to discuss the proposals and to air their genuine concerns. In seeking this Adjournment debate, I wish to speak about a number of those concerns. Given that this prison will be constructed under the terms of the strategic infrastructure legislation, there is genuine concern that local residents' fears will not be addressed. The construction of such a large prison within a very rural area raises a number of fears. For example, landowners who leased land from the Department of Defence for agricultural purposes now wonder where their future lies. They had a long-standing arrangement and have asked will they be able to stay on the land or will this scenario change.
People have also asked whether the land acquisition process for the prison has been completed. If not, there is a strong school of thought within the community that the footprint of the prison should be moved to a more suitable location within the overall landholding. The community also believe the prison should be constructed within contours that make it more suitable. It is strongly perceived that the current proposal, as we understand it, is a site within 162 acres. If the land acquisition is not completed, residents believe that the case could be made for the prison to be moved, even if that is beyond the current 162-acre footprint.
From an environmental point of view, there are concerns that three streams within the footprint of the proposal will be compromised. The area in question is served by the Killally, Ballinrush and Graigue group water scheme. The source of this scheme is approximate to the footprint of the site.
The Minister, in response to a question I tabled on Thursday last, stated that normal planning provisions do not apply to a prison development. There is an understanding that for security reasons one does not broadcast or make known the exact plans. We all acknowledge that fact, but further concerns have been raised about the transport provisions to and from the prison. People in the nearby village of Kilworth, where at times traffic causes a bottleneck, are seeking, through their community council, assurances on the traffic management provisions of the proposals. They also seek a buffer zone around the prison from an aesthetic and security point of view.
Those who live in Cork city are used to the presence of a prison within their city. The construction of a prison of this nature in a very rural area would give rise to genuine causes for concern and anxiety.
If the proposal is being presented as a fait accompli and is not subject to normal planning considerations, I respectfully ask the Minister to ensure any provisions relating to public safety and environmental concerns are addressed. To assist the community further, I respectfully request of the Minister and his officials that he would meet a deputation of residents and public representatives in the area so they can have their concerns addressed at an early stage.
I am responding to this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The existing Cork Prison was built by the British military in the early 19th century as part of what is now known as Collins Barracks. It was only in 1972 that it was transferred to the Department of Justice and used as a civil prison. Originally designed for 150 inmates, it now has a capacity for 270 and is normally operating at close to full capacity.
The Deputy will be aware that it has been the policy of the Irish Prison Service to modernise all outmoded prison accommodation to bring it in line with modern facilities, including full in-cell sanitation. The Deputy will also be aware that the existing accommodation at Cork Prison falls well short of these requirements. In particular conditions are crowded and there is no in-cell sanitation. There is insufficient recreation space and, furthermore, the lack of space does not allow an adequate perimeter security to prevent drugs and weapons being launched into the prison. The site is not suitable for redevelopment and it is planned in due course to replace it by a new Munster prison built on a greenfield site. Planning exercises by the Irish Prison Service indicate that a facility with a capacity of approximately 400 to 500 prisoners would be required to ensure adequate capacity for the Munster region over the next ten to 15 years.
In this regard the Government decided earlier this year to assign a site owned by the Minister for Defence in Kilworth to the Prison Service to serve as the location for the development of a prison facility to replace Cork Prison and serve the Munster region. The project is at an early stage. A preliminary site suitability report has been carried out on the site and this has confirmed that there are no significant constraints to the development of this site. A process of consultation has commenced with representatives of the local community, a number of meetings have being held and these will continue as outline plans for the new development are drawn up.
While a decision has been made in principle to proceed, there are a number of steps that must be gone through before a detailed plan of a prison facility on the site can be finalised and a contract signed. The first step required by Department of Finance guidelines on capital expenditure is the preparation of a business case for the project. The Prison Service interim board has approved recently the necessary preliminary business case for this project and has forwarded it to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform for consideration. In due course and in consultation with the National Development Finance Agency a decision will have to be made on the procurement process to be used and in particular whether a public private partnership approach is appropriate. That decision will influence the timing of the design phase. The Deputy will understand that it is not possible to be definitive about the project until a design has been agreed.
When a detailed design has been finalised development consent will be sought. Before consent to a prison development can be given, the procedures set out in Part 9 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 and, where appropriate, section 181A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as inserted by section 36 of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 or the procedures set out in Part 4 of the Prisons Act 2007 must be followed. Both these procedures require public notice to be given of the proposed development and allow submissions to be made by interested parties on the development. There will therefore be a formal consultation process with local interests at that stage. Allowing for the steps still to be taken, including the tendering process as well as the design and construction phase, it is unlikely that a new prison facility to replace Cork Prison will be completed at Kilworth before 2011.
As to the approximate cost, the terms and scope of the project have not yet been finalised. In addition, this project will be procured by means of a public tender competition and, accordingly, it is not appropriate for a number of reasons to publish estimates of the cost at this point.
National Drugs Strategy.
When I went home yesterday I showed this picture to my children who were finishing their homework. I asked them what they thought of it. One of my children described it as——
Even if it had been painted by Picasso, I would have to tell the Deputy that illustrations are not allowed in the Chamber.
I want to focus on the fact that one of my children thought it was picture of a person who had a bad dose of chickenpox and the other child thought it was a person who had been burned.
I was appalled on reading the report in yesterday's Irish Examiner which highlighted the seriousness of the drug problem in this country. We all know that we have a huge drug problem that affects every corner of Ireland, but sometimes it takes a report such as this one, which shows us graphic images of the effects of drugs, to make us stand up and take notice.
Drugs are about buying and selling, and one of those processes cannot function without the other. It is crystal clear to me that the aim of the Government should be to target the suppliers, drug pushers and drug barons and put them out of business. These people are the real criminals whose hunger for profit cancels out any guilt or remorse they might feel about the lives they destroy.
The Government also needs to support actively the rehabilitation of those people who are desperately trying to break free from drugs. We need to give these people opportunities to rehabilitate themselves and to try and lead a drug-free life.
The Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, said in yesterday's report that more than €200 million was targeted at problem drug use in 2006. I would like to know where this money went and what effect it has had. The Government can continue to throw money at the drug problem but the sad fact is that it will only continue to get worse unless the Government acts to catch the criminals and educate our young people about the real dangers of getting involved in drugs. It would be much more effective to channel Government funding to ensure it reaches the people who need it the most. At this stage the Government has enough policies and plans in place. What we need now is action.
It is a tragedy that the lives of young people and those of their families are being destroyed by drugs every day of the week. In my constituency of Dublin South-Central I have witnessed at first hand many families whose lives have been torn apart and who have buried sons and daughters who have died as a result of drugs. I attended a remembrance service in Ballyfermot this year at which more than 500 people lit candles to remember those they had lost through suicide and drug addiction. The look of despair and hopelessness etched on their faces is a sight I will never forget. It is heartbreaking to see families experience such a great loss. Their loss should portray a clear picture to the Government that its policies are not working.
I acknowledge that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, are playing their part in trying to combat the drug problem through the development of the local drugs task forces, the young people's facilities and services fund and the national drugs strategy. However, these programmes are in place for nearly ten years and the drug problem has worsened. We can have all the meetings, policies and plans in the world at our disposal but they are not improving the situation. They are just another waste of taxpayers' money.
The local drugs task forces have done good work locally and have the potential to do great work.
They have a challenging role which takes in treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention and curbing local supply. However, I often feel that their work can become tied up in red tape and bureaucracy, which shifts the focus from why they were set up in the first place. It is the people in the local community who have come face to face with the devastation and violence caused by drug addiction, who should be main focus of the local drugs taskforces.
The national drugs strategy is an ambitious document, which aims to tackle the source of the drug problem as well as the terrible effects it has on communities. It is now six years, however, since it was introduced, and how many of its recommendations and aims have actually been achieved?
The Department of Education and Science prides itself on being heavily involved in running awareness and education programmes in schools throughout the country to communicate the dangers of drug misuse to children and young people. However, it could do much more and I really believe that education is the key. The Department's drug prevention programmes such as On My Own Two Feet and Walk Tall go some way towards educating young people about drugs but there is still no mandatory drugs and alcohol awareness programme available for senior cycle students. Teenagers in fifth and sixth year are vulnerable and are often targeted by drug dealers, yet receive no drugs awareness classes. This is a clear failure of Government policy.
Fr. Terry Murphy, parish priest in Darndale, was quoted yesterday in a moving piece in the Irish Examiner to the effect that one of the pieces missing at the moment was gardaí on the street building relationships, getting to know the community, meeting families and breaking down the divide between the Garda and the community. I agree with Fr. Murphy and believe that in order for the Garda Síochána to have a more effective role in the fight against drugs, more community policing is needed at a local level. This will entail community gardaí staying in place in the communities they serve for some length of time. I know there is no quick fix in prospect, but the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform as well as the entire Government need to look at all the strategies and policies and assess why there has not been significant progress to date in the fight against drugs. Can the Minister say why, if €200 million was spent last year on tacking the drug problem, this country is still in the grip of a drugs crisis, with young people in particular dying every day as a result of their addictions?
Again, I am making this reply on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan.
The Minister would like to thank Deputy Byrne for raising this matter on the Adjournment this evening and indeed we all welcome the comprehensive reporting on the drugs issue this week by the Irish Examiner.
The issue remains one of the most pressing social problems facing us. Given the destructive consequences brought about by drug misuse at the individual, family and community levels, many of which are recorded sadly in the newspaper reports referred to, it is an issue on which we as a society must continue to collectively maintain a sharp focus and sense of urgency. It is useful for any debate on the issues of drug misuse and drug trafficking to take place in the context of the nature and the scale of the problem with which we have to deal.
The annual report 2007 of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime states that the total number of drug users in the world is now estimated at some 200 million people, equivalent to approximately 5% of the global population aged between 15 and 64 years. This is undoubtedly a global problem, one which is by no means unique to Ireland. Equally, it is one for which there is no quick and easy solution. The focus in our jurisdiction must be to constantly strive to ensure that the measures and policies which we have in place to address the problem are appropriate and flexible enough to be able to respond to what is a global and dynamic issue. The Government remains resolutely committed to tackling the problem of drug misuse through the National Drugs Strategy 2001-08. The national strategy addresses the problem under pillar headings of education and prevention, supply reduction, treatment and rehabilitation and research and is firmly founded on the principle that drug misuse needs to be addressed in an integrated manner across these headings through a co-operative approach involving the statutory, community and voluntary treatment sectors.
As Deputy Byrne will appreciate, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, under the stewardship of Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, is the lead Department in co-ordinating the implementation of the national drugs strategy. The Government firmly believes that the co-ordinated and integrated approach involving all the relevant players concerned with the issue in place under the national strategy is the only way by which real and meaningful progress can continue to be made in tackling the drugs problem. Under this policy framework, significant resources continue to be allocated to a range of measures dedicated to addressing the issue which are in place. A good example of this is the allocation of €50 million to the Vote of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for the drugs initiative this year which represents a 16% increase on the equivalent 2006 allocation. This figure is exclusive of the many mainstream services that are availed of in the normal way by those affected by problem drug use and the Government will continue to make resources available on a scale appropriate to the needs arising.
The Government is conscious that the drugs situation is a dynamic and ever-changing one and the policies in place must be kept under close scrutiny and review. The current national strategy is nearing its conclusion and with a new programme for Government taking us through to 2012 this is an appropriate time to reflect on and note what it has been achieved and make any changes in our approach which are deemed necessary. We need to evaluate the current drugs situation, our experiences during the past six years of the strategy and utilise what we have learned from the outcomes achieved when developing a new national drugs strategy for the period 2009-16. Initial steps in that process have already been taken. Under the remit of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the area of drug supply reduction and drug law enforcement remains a key feature of the Government's drug policy framework. Enforcement of the law relating to drugs very much continues to be a key element in the Government's policing priorities. Underpinning this approach, the Garda Síochána will continue to invoke a number of broad strategic responses in addressing the issue. Under the strategy, the Garda National Drugs Unit co-ordinates large scale operations against drug dealing and trafficking and unit personnel either investigate such cases or assist local investigation teams. Additional assistance is also available from other specialised Garda support units, such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the National Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Criminal Assets Bureau.
A joint Garda National Drugs Unit-Criminal Assets Bureau initiative is in place which targets local dealers and the Minister has specifically included in the policing priorities for 2008 a reference that enhanced liaison arrangements between Garda divisions and the Criminal Assets Bureau are put in place in the pursuit of those engaged in drug dealing at all levels. As it is, profilers trained by CAB are now present in every Garda division. The Minister wants the message to be clear that drug dealing by anybody on whatever scale is unacceptable and will be pursued.
Significant drug seizures, including the considerable amounts of heroin and cocaine which have been discovered in recent times, have been made as a result of these strategies. Policing operations continue to dismantle drug trafficking networks and have led to the arrest in recent times of major criminals both based here and abroad who are involved in the drugs trade and such measures will continue to be vigorously pursued by the Garda Síochána.
The House will be aware that additional Garda resources are coming on stream all the time. These resources will facilitate the Garda Commissioner in the allocation of additional manpower to areas most in need, including areas with a significant drug problem. I should like to take the opportunity to wish the new Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, who took up his appointment today every success in the job. In conjunction with this, the Government is ensuring that our law enforcement agencies continue to have a strong legislative platform from which to operate in their work in tackling those involved in such criminal activity.
While we already had a strong legislative package in place for tackling drug trafficking, the Criminal Justice Acts 2006 and 2007 provide further measures which will enhance the powers of the Garda in the investigation and prosecution of drug offences. In talking about the successes the Garda has had, I want also to pay tribute to the outgoing Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy for his tremendous work over the past few years.
Finally, the Minister is very clear that there is no room for complacency in our response to the issue of drug misuse. He would like me to stress again, as indeed would the Minister of State, Deputy Carey, that the enforcement of the law relating to drugs is a key element in the Government's policing priorities. The implementation of the national drugs strategy is also a key element.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.40 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 22 November 2007.