Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 19 Feb 2008

Vol. 647 No. 3

Adjournment Debate.

Health Services.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

The service provided by Familiscope, an organisation set up in 2004 in Ballyfermot to specifically address the psychological needs of the community, is at risk. It received the backing in particular of the Ballyfermot drugs task force because the issue at hand was identified as an area which needed immediate support and redress. Ballyfermot has suffered from a lack of investment by the HSE in speech and language therapy and intervention programmes. Familiscope got the support of the community, the local schools and also the drugs task force to specifically identify children at risk or who might face difficulties in the future and to prevent children and young people from developing behavioural, emotional and communication difficulties as well as psychological and relationship problems, some of which might stem from speech impediments or language difficulties.

It identified a model and had the support of everyone. This model had been quite successful in the past year and a half in which it has been operating. More than 100 children have been assessed and have benefited from early intervention. There is a backlog of children awaiting speech and language assessments through the normal health clinics system of the HSE, whereas Familiscope works with and in the schools to identify problems and to give some type of hope to the children affected. The HSE's response to this success is a terrible indictment of that body. It has cut Familiscope's funding by nearly one third, an absolute scandal. The impact of that cut will mean the service, which could continue throughout the summer months when the schools are on holidays, will have to be suspended.

The problem, as anyone who knows anything about children with speech difficulties must realise, is that such intervention needs to be continuously available. If the therapy is broken, there is a danger that children will revert to where they were before. Indeed, they might not come back again and disengage altogether. The break in routine is the major challenge. For the sake of a measly €24,000, the HSE will endanger the future of 100 children as well as those waiting to access the service. Parents, teachers and everyone who has assessed Familiscope, including the HSE, have said this is a brilliant service and a model that should be replicated elsewhere, yet the response is that its funding is to be cut.

I urge the Minister to intervene at this stage and tell the HSE to find the money elsewhere — to ensure that not only are the cutbacks reversed, but that any additional funds needed for the service are available forthwith. It should ensure that this programme is replicated in other areas where there are children on waiting lists for speech and language services.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy Jimmy Devins)

I will be taking the Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising this issue and I welcome the opportunity to respond to this matter.

I understand that Familiscope was established in Ballyfermot in 2004 as a result of three local development agencies prioritising emotional and behavioural supports as part of their various work goals. These organisations are the local drugs task force, Ballyfermot Partnership and Urban. Familiscope now exists to work with children, young people, families and groups in the Ballyfermot community who may experience emotional, behavioural, communication or relationship issues.

Familiscope provides a number of valuable services and programmes within the Ballyfermot community. I understand these programmes are funded from a number of different sources, including the Health Service Executive, the Ballyfermot drugs task force, the NDP and Dublin City Council.

The Incredible Years and speech and language programmes referred to by the Deputy are currently funded by the Health Service Executive. I understand from the HSE that in 2007 the local health office Dublin west funded Familiscope to the tune of approximately €124,100. The breakdown of this was €87,800 for speech and language therapy services and €36,300 for implementation of the Incredible Years programme for the Ballyfermot area. Familiscope was informed when the amount of grant was decided that the matter of further funding in 2008 would be reviewed during 2007. This review was carried out in 2007 and, in the context of the HSE's financial situation, the grant was reduced to €102,000 for 2008. However, this funding is for 2008 and will not cease until December 2008. I understand from the HSE that Familiscope was informed of this by letter dated 19 December 2007.

I am informed that as the local health office, Dublin west, is obliged to stay within budget, Familiscope has been informed that unless a budget is approved for it during 2008, funding will cease. The local office is of the view that it was important to inform Familiscope as early as possible about potential difficulties in order that it can seek alternative sources of funding.

Under the dormant accounts scheme, funding has been ring-fenced to support priority projects in RAPID areas. It is understood that an application on behalf of the group concerned and for this specific project has been submitted by the Ballyfermot RAPID area implementation team and a decision in respect of this application is expected shortly.

I want to take the opportunity to outline recent developments in the area of therapy services in the context of the national disability strategy. In launching the strategy, the Taoiseach announced the Government's commitment to a multi-annual investment for disability specific services over a five year period. To the end of 2007, €420 million — revenue and capital — has been allocated to services for people with disabilities since the launch of the strategy in 2004. Additional revenue funding of €50 million was provided in the 2008 budget in respect of the multi-annual investment package. This funding, which was given in the budget, is to meet the costs associated with a range of elements in the multi-annual investment programme.This additional funding will continue to provide a baseline to considerably enhance the multi-disciplinary support services for people with disabilities in line with the Government's commitment to build capacity within the health services and to deliver on the various legislative provisions contained in the national disability strategy.

Demand for speech and language therapy in the health services is very significant, hence the substantial investment which has been provided in recent years. The number of speech and language therapists employed in the public health service has grown from 281 whole-time equivalents in 1997 to 712 whole-time equivalents at the end December 2007 - a 153% growth in that period.

A particular priority for my Department and the Department of Education and Science in recent years has been the expansion of the supply of therapy graduates, including speech and language therapists. Additional courses in speech and language therapy were established in three universities. UCC, NUIG and UL each established courses in speech and language therapy with an initial intake of 25 places on each of the three courses.

The UL course is at masters level and the first cohorts graduated in 2005. The first cohort from the bachelor degree programmes in UCC and NUIG graduated last year. This investment represents an increase in training capacity of 300% in speech and language therapy. The latest information available to my Department indicates that the total number of speech and language therapy training places now stands at 109.

Ferry Services.

Deputy P. J. Sheehan

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. Earlier last year when it became evident that we would not have a ferry service between Cork and Swansea, little did we realise the important economic artery which had been severed. The dismal 2007 season cannot be blamed entirely on the weather as people pre-booked their holidays. A noticeable drop in tourism figures has been witnessed throughout the west Cork region. My research indicates a drop in revenue of approximately 30% across the board. Little did we realise what was to be lost to us. The Minister of the day with responsibility for tourism stated that the loss of the Cork-Swansea ferry service would have a minimal impact on tourism in the city and in west Cork. It is now crystal clear that the loss of our ferry service is similar to and on a par with the loss of the Heathrow slots to Shannon, when Aer Lingus pulled out. With uncertainty looming over Cork Airport, it is of paramount importance that the ferry service is restored at the earliest opportunity.

I recently heard the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment state on the radio that perhaps the city corporation and county council should contribute to new ferry proposals. I take this opportunity to inform the Minister that the ratepayers of the county and city of Cork are pushed to their limit with rates, coupled with the cost of their services, and any monetary intervention would have to come from Government.

Recent research shows that Ireland is now the third most popular holiday destination for the British public. In areas throughout west Cork which are not serviced by rail or bus, the ferry service was a lifeline for the many hotels, guest houses, bars, restaurants and seasonal businesses, such as boating services, pony trekking etc. A very large influx of golfers came from the west midlands, Wales and the south of England, and Europeans also used the service. With the demise of the service, it is alarming to find a fall-off in this type of business, which in the case of British visitors amounts to a drop of 51% in one west Cork golf club alone and an overall loss to the south-west region of at least €35 million.

It is my contention that the impact has been anything but minimal. Figures at my disposal indicate that for almost three years of its existence, the ferry carried 285,250 passengers to the area, bringing with them 108,459 cars. These are real figures which show the loss to the region, with peninsulas such as Beara, Muintir na Mara and the Mizen, with the associated towns and hinterlands becoming increasingly more dependent on tourism for survival. The lost revenue of these and the adjoining regions, if allowed to continue, has a lethal effect on the economic sustainability and viability of these proud communities which continuously battle on a daily basis for their existence. Lost revenue from this lucrative market has to be recaptured as soon as possible. There are talks and rumours abounding at present that others are in the process of providing a service but, as one correspondent recently stated, these are only phantom ships, and as we all know, phantom ships will bring phantom people with phantom money, which will not pay the piper at the end of the day.

The Minister cannot stand idly by and watch our main industries in the peripheral area of our county disintegrate before our eyes. We have no rail service in south-west Cork, no roll-on roll-off service in the area, no bus service to the peripheral areas of our three peninsulas and not one mile of national primary route in the Cork south-west region.

Does the Minister of State expect our inhabitants to survive on fresh air and cold water? At least, the Minister for Community, Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, has subsidised ferry services to all the islands off our regions. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility for the Minister for Transport to subsidise a ferry service to aid the beleaguered tourist industry in south-west Cork. If the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, can do it for the islands, surely the Government can do it for the south-west Cork region.

We now have no facilities to bring tourists into our region. Proper infrastructure is the key to a successful tourist business in that area. Every citizen in this country should be equally cherished, according to our Constitution. Actions speak louder than words. We have only three natural industries — agriculture, fisheries and tourism — and the first two are bedevilled by a quota system and the red tape of bureaucracy. Tourism has no quota. I ask the Minister to help to restore the industry and act before it is too late. The Cork-Swansea ferry service must be restored. It is of paramount importance to the area. No area in the country should be abandoned by the Government the way the south-west region has been abandoned.

Deputy Jimmy Devins

I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey. I thank Deputy Sheehan for raising this issue.

The Cork Swansea Ferries Company suspended its service in 2007. The Minister for Transport appreciates the concerns that have been expressed in the region in response to this development. The Minister understands that a number of interested parties and stakeholders have been in discussions with the Port of Cork Company about the possibility of commencing a new passenger and freight service out of the port. The Minister is also informed that a commercial examination of the route has been carried out which indicates that, subject to procuring a suitable vessel, the service could be feasible on a year-round basis. The Port of Cork Company will certainly do what it can to facilitate the resumption of the service.

The Minister for Transport is of the view that it is important that the market should offer a diverse range of maritime links both into and out of the State. That is vital to facilitating trade and tourism. It is hoped that the current efforts show that the service is commercially viable and that it can be resumed as soon as possible.

I will outline other recent developments in the maritime sector. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for national ports policy which provides a framework for the provision of commercial port infrastructure and services that are efficient, effective and adequate for the needs of our trading economy. In addition, the Minister for Transport is the primary shareholder in the ten State-owned port companies, including the Port of Cork Company. However, he has no role in the day-to-day operational matters of the company.

The principal objectives of the Port of Cork Company are to take all proper measures for the management, control, operation and development of its harbour. Current policy is to require the ports to operate commercially, without Exchequer support and to provide adequate in-time capacity for the future needs of the economy. The Port of Cork Company has a number of projects under development to significantly increase and improve the port facilities it has to offer within Cork harbour.

The Minister for Transport also has responsibility for policy in regard to the shipping and maritime commerce sectors, which are the largest direct employers in the Irish maritime economy. The Irish Maritime Development Office, IMDO, is the shipping sector's statutory, dedicated development and promotional agency. The Government has introduced a number of fiscal and strategic policy measures that have had significant positive impacts on the sector. Government policy to promote the shipping sector concentrates on fiscal areas, marketing and education.

As regards fiscal reliefs, a range of beneficial fiscal reliefs, with EU state aid approval, is in place for the shipping sector. These include a full refund to employers of social insurance contributions relating to seagoing employees, a unique €6,350 income tax allowance for seafarers who are at sea for more than 161 days and a €5,000 tax-free allowance for Irish seafarers.

As regards marketing, the Irish shipping industry is marketed through the Irish Maritime Development Office, IMDO. The IMDO pursues its promotional activities, supported by the Department as appropriate, through direct marketing, including contact through the embassy network and through the holding of information seminars for the industry.

The Government has also taken a number of initiatives in the area of maritime education. The €51 million National Maritime College of Ireland opened in autumn 2004 in Ringaskiddy, County Cork.

Deputy P. J. Sheehan

That is cold comfort for the tourism industry.

Deputy Jimmy Devins

Students pursuing careers at sea can now obtain qualifications in Europe's most modem nautical college. The Department of Transport and the IMDO keep in close touch with the college management on its future development strategy. The Government also provides grants through the Irish Maritime Development Office for the training of seafarers, including cadets. These developments illustrate well the many initiatives that the Government is taking to promote the Irish maritime sector activity both at sea and on shore.

Deputy P. J. Sheehan

They are of no advantage to the tourism industry in west Cork.

Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important matter in the Dáil tonight. I am motivated to do so by the information that has come to my attention that the commitment of providing the necessary funding for a local sewerage scheme in Freshford, County Kilkenny, has been put back from 2008 to 2010 under the water services programme. It is a pity that the people in the area were not made aware of this matter at an event that took place in May 2007, but I suppose that is not unusual in political terms.

Freshford is an area of 1,500 people and, together with the villages of Johnstown and Goresbridge in County Kilkenny, it has been on the waiting list for a considerable period of time to get a contract to proceed under the water services programme. It is well located, being a ten-minute drive from Kilkenny city. It is a very picturesque and beautiful part of County Kilkenny, but it lacks the necessary infrastructure to allow the type of development that has gone on in other villages and towns. Recently it had a setback with the closure of the local meat factory. One of the problems that factory had over the years was difficulty in satisfying the local authority about the licensing arrangements for the disposal of sewage arising from the activity of that plant.

It is an indictment of the local authority and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in particular that the existing sewage treatment plant is no more than a septic tank that allows raw sewage to go into the River Nuenna in the village of Freshford. That has been the case for a considerable time. In the past four or five years, despite the best efforts of Kilkenny County Council, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been unable to provide the funds to allow this work to be carried out. The time has long passed for political promises from the Minister of State, Deputy McGuinness, who circulated correspondence to everybody before the last general election stating that there would be no difficulty in proceeding with this scheme in 2008. Now we know the truth that there is a problem with the timing of the funding.

Every other town and village in the county has had a fair crack of the whip regarding funding for essential services and water and sewerage, but this village seems to have been left behind. People are having great difficulty getting planning approval for businesses and housing developments in the village. We should be encouraging those developers and promoters of those projects in this day and age in view of the decline in the level of interest in construction activity. We should be glad to have people willing to enter into private public partnerships or inject private investment into a place like Freshford to give it the necessary critical mass for the essential services required across the board, including child care and educational facilities.

I am told the contract price for the bundle of projects is €5.1 million, which is not a lot of money in this day and age. The preliminary report has been sent to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the past week. However, like other experiences I have had as Fine Gael spokesman on the environment, it seems to take four or five years for all the toing and froing between local authority and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government before money can be committed. However, in this case a solemn commitment was given by a Government representative that this project would be delivered in 2008. I am now told that July 2011 is the completion date for this project. The people of Freshford are incensed at the delay in the provision of this essential project. I ask the Minister of State to give us the necessary information that would allow the project to proceed as quickly as possible on behalf of the community of Freshford.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Michael P. Kitt)

I appreciate the opportunity to clarify the position on this scheme. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.

Freshford is part of the Freshford, Johnstown and Goresbridge sewerage scheme which is approved to advance through planning under the Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009. The three locations have been combined under one scheme so that the overall package can be procured under a single contract. This will optimise the cost of building the infrastructure and will speed up the delivery phase since the same contractor will be involved from design through to completion.

The scheme is one of 18 water services projects being progressed in County Kilkenny at present with the support of unprecedented Exchequer funding from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the national development plan. The current water services programme, which the Minister published in September 2007, provides for an investment of €127 million in water and sewerage infrastructure in County Kilkenny in the next few years. A copy of the programme is available in the Oireachtas Library. The range of new water and sewerage works planned and in progress is clear evidence of the Government's determination to safeguard the environment, while at the same time making appropriate provision to secure new development areas across the country.

The €7.9 million Freshford - Johnstown - Goresbridge scheme involves the expansion and overhaul of the existing wastewater treatment plants in each location, with major upgrading of the sewage collection networks. The expanded treatment plants will have a combined capacity to cater for a population equivalent of 5,000. Capacity at the Freshford plant is being increased to deal with a population equivalent of 2,000. This will ensure that existing needs are fully met and that there is scope to deal with additional demand for future development.

The preliminary report for the scheme, which sets out the design parameters and objectives, was submitted to the Department by Kilkenny County Council last week. The Deputy will appreciate that multi-million euro projects that are being funded by the taxpayer must go through the proper planning and development processes to ensure that they meet their intended objectives, that they are designed and constructed in an environmentally acceptable and economical manner and that they produce treated wastewater or drinking water, as the case may be, to a standard that meets national and EU requirements.

The Department is examining the preliminary report in this case and will respond to the council as soon as possible. Obviously it is not possible at this early stage to say whether the preliminary report is in order. However, the objective of the response will be to guide the council on how to advance the scheme through the remaining stages with the least possible delay. The Department will continue to work closely with Kilkenny County Council to ensure the scheme is delivered as soon as possible.

Deputy Paul Connaughton

I am very thankful for the opportunity to discuss this matter. I wish to raise on the floor of Dáil Éireann the impending closure of all development work at Mountbellew, County Galway, because of a lousy creaking sewerage system that was installed in the 1950s. As it is my home village, I know what I am talking about. The final blow for this most progressive small town came when a builder had a substantial housing and commercial project stopped dead in its tracks after Galway County Council had granted it planning permission. However, it had an unusual twist. An Bord Pleanála granted planning but inserted a proviso that no work could commence until the upgrade of the sewerage system had been completed. Several other developments and many single houses will be prevented from starting because of An Bord Pleanála's decision.

Mountbellew is the worst polluting village, with a population of between 500 and 1,000 inhabitants, in the proposed so-called group development, a term used by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, where a number of other towns and villages need new schemes.

In a report on water quality by the EPA, which has just come into my possession, Mountbellew frequently surpassed almost all other towns and villages in so far as pollution of the nearby River Shiven, a tributary of the River Suck, is concerned. Many business people in Mountbellew have to put up with a backup of the sewerage system. In fact, the flow of raw sewage is so bad that, on inspection, it was found that the pipe carrying this foul material simply spews human excrement, washing machine detergents and many other pollutants into what was once a fine trout river, which is alas no more. A Niagara Falls-type surge of foul material can be seen at the outflow pipe in the river on rainy days when surface water in the town simply races through the only two tanks available to treat sewage. None of this pollution has anything to do with farmers. As the Minister of State knows, there are almost no farms between Mountbellew Bridge and Canavan's Bridge. This most foul pollution must be ended immediately.

According to the EPA's 2005 report on effluent quality from secondary waste water in the Galway County Council area, Mountbellew was worse than Oughterard, Killimor, Portumna, Headford, Loughrea, Moycullen, Gort, Ballinasloe, Athenry and Tuam. That is from the official record so we can take it that there is a huge pollution problem in Mountbellew.

In reply to a recent parliamentary question in the Dáil, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, informed me that the Mountbellew sewerage scheme is included in the Department's water services investment programme 2007-09 as a scheme due to start construction in 2008. If one did not know enough about the system one would think that was good news but that does not appear to be the case at all. Galway County Council has presented the preliminary detailed file of the scheme to the Department but so far, after several months, there has been no response. Mountbellew cannot wait for another year. The Shiven river cannot and should not be expected to turn into a septic tank. The building projects now lined up for Mountbellew may well be diverted elsewhere. We need infrastructural developments in our town, which has always attracted high ratings in the Tidy Towns competition.

Since budget day, Minister after Minister has said that investment in such infrastructural projects now makes greater sense than ever, given the downturn in the economy. I cannot understand why this action has not been taken. Will the Minister of State tell us that this scheme will be treated with the urgency it deserves? Will he ensure that it will be expedited by the Department as quickly as possible because we are dealing with the most polluted area? The Minister of State knows the area as well as I do so I expect nothing short of a total commitment so that work can begin within the next couple of months. That was promised to people before the last election but they are now looking for an answer. They want the project to get under way immediately.

Deputy Michael P. Kitt

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I thank Deputy Connaughton for raising this issue.

The Water Services Investment Programme 2007-09, which the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government published in September 2007, includes more than 50 major water and sewerage schemes, with a value of over €464 million, for County Galway. The programme includes a further eight schemes with a value of over €114 million for Galway city.

The Minister is pleased to confirm that the Mountbellew sewerage scheme, at an estimated cost of €5.958 million, is one of the schemes included in the programme. It is being bundled with sewerage schemes for Carna, Eyrecourt and Kilkieran for procurement purposes and is scheduled for a 2008 start in the investment programme. Funding has been allocated for the combined package and it will be able to go to construction once the planning and procurement processes have been completed.

The present position is that Galway County Council's preliminary report — which sets out details of the scope and likely cost of the scheme, and of the council's proposals for advancing it — is under examination in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Department's examination is close to being completed and the Minister is confident that a response will issue to Galway County Council within the next few weeks.

Approval of the preliminary report will allow the council to draw up the contract documents, which will be used to invite tenders for the scheme. This will be a major step forward towards the construction phase. The scheme is an important one for the local community, as the Deputy and I well know. It will ensure that the town has a sewerage scheme capable of meeting current demands, that there will be capacity to service new development and that environmental standards, including water quality in local rivers, will be preserved and improved for the benefit of the town and its residents.

The Minister is conscious of the fact that this scheme is urgently needed to service new development. He has already indicated that Galway County Council can expect an early response to its preliminary report and he will ensure that there is no avoidable delay by the Department in this regard.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 20 February 2008.