Adjournment Debate.

Cystic Fibrosis Services.

Deputy Michael McGrath

Ireland has the highest rate of cystic fibrosis in the world and one of the lowest life expectancy rates for cystic fibrosis patients. While there is no official data on life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients in Ireland, it is clear that we lag behind many other developed countries in life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients.

In an effort to change this, family and friends of cystic fibrosis patients in Cork and Kerry founded a group called Build4Life. The aim of Build4Life is to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis in the region and to raise over €1 million for a dedicated adult cystic fibrosis treatment unit at Cork University Hospital. I am pleased to say that after an enormous amount of voluntary effort, the Build4Life campaign has already raised over €1.3 million.

A statement of need for the provision of these dedicated cystic facilities has been passed by the executive management board at Cork University Hospital, and it is now up to the Health Service Executive to progress the project. It is expected there will be 150 adult cystic fibrosis patients in Cork and Kerry alone by the end of next year. I understand the statement of need provides for an adult day centre for adult cystic fibrosis patients and 11 isolated units for patients.

I emphasise that the multidisciplinary medical team is already in place for the treatment of adult cystic fibrosis patients at Cork University Hospital. Dr. Barry Plant, a respiratory consultant with particular focus on cystic fibrosis, is driving the initiative within the hospital for the provision of dedicated facilities for cystic fibrosis patients. The team also comprises a paediatric respiratory consultant, adult and paediatric nurses, physiotherapists and dieticians. In addition, the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland is funding a registrar post at Cork University Hospital this year and, hopefully, next year as well. Essentially, the multidisciplinary team is already in place and the patients are being treated, but not in a suitable and appropriate environment.

The Build4Life campaign is calling on the HSE to identify an area within the hospital campus which would be suitable for the provision of these dedicated cystic fibrosis facilities. This is absolutely essential because cystic fibrosis patients are at serious risk of cross-infection on an ongoing basis, which results in many visits to hospital. At present, cystic fibrosis patients must be admitted to hospital through the accident and emergency department, which leaves the patients exposed to infections which can be life threatening, given their condition. One in 19 people in Ireland carries the cystic fibrosis gene. If two persons with the gene have a child, that child has a one-in-four chance of having cystic fibrosis. There are many families who have more than one child with cystic fibrosis. I believe that the HSE has an obligation to respond to the extraordinary voluntary initiative taken by everyone associated in the Build4Life campaign in Cork and Kerry, and I ask the HSE as a matter of priority to identify an area within Cork University Hospital where these facilities can be provided.

The Pollock report of 2005 demonstrated clearly that the majority of adults with cystic fibrosis in Ireland are being treated in facilities that are dangerous. The report was extremely critical of the lack of segregation and isolation facilities throughout the country. The report recommended the development of a small number of dedicated cystic fibrosis centres around the country.

Life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients in other European countries and in the United States is in the 40s and 50s, with many patients living with cystic fibrosis and leading healthy and productive lives well into their 60s. As the country with the highest incidence of cystic fibrosis in the world, we should become the world leaders in services and facilities for cystic fibrosis patients, and I hope that the Minister will have a positive response on the development of such facilities at Cork University Hospital.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Deputy Seán Haughey)

I will be taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

There are currently approximately 1,100 people living with cystic fibrosis in Ireland. Approximately 45% of these people are adults and 55% are children. The Minister has identified the development of cystic fibrosis services as a policy priority in recent years. In 2006 and 2007, additional revenue funding of €6.78 million was provided to the Health Service Executive to develop cystic services. Part of this funding has facilitated the appointment of 44 staff to date to deal directly with cystic fibrosis in a number of hospitals nationally, including Cork University Hospital. In addition, the necessary funding has been made available to facilitate the recruitment of a further 37 staff nationally. The other hospitals which have benefited from this funding include five in Dublin — St. Vincent's, Crumlin, Tallaght, Beaumont and Temple Street — together with Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Cork University Hospital currently provides both adult and paediatric cystic fibrosis services. It is one of very few hospitals that have both services on the same site. There has been a significant investment in the resource allocated to enhancing cystic fibrosis services at Cork University Hospital over the past number of years. In excess of €700,000 in additional revenue funding was provided to the hospital in 2006 and was used to recruit two new medical consultants, one to lead an adult service and the other to lead a paediatric service. The consultant for adult service took up his post in August 2007. Interviews for the second post were held but did not result in the selection of a suitable candidate for permanent appointment. The post is currently filled in a temporary capacity pending its filling on a permanent basis.

Additional nursing, allied health professional and clerical support staff have also been recruited for cystic services in Cork University Hospital. In 2007 the HSE southern hospitals group received an additional revenue allocation of €293,000. This funding will be used to recruit a medical scientist to support the provision of microbiology services and to advise on infection status and antibiotic susceptibility of people with cystic fibrosis. The funding will also help to enhance nursing and physiotherapy support services with the planned recruitment of two further nurse specialists and a physiotherapist for cystic fibrosis patients.

The HSE has informed the Minister for Health and Children that it is currently considering the provision in Cork University Hospital of a new dedicated facility for patients with cystic fibrosis. This would include inpatient beds, a dedicated day unit and a respiratory ward to accommodate the caseload of adult patients, and the necessary multidisciplinary team, and enable cystic fibrosis services to be delivered in line with best practice. A new facility would also provide a pathway for existing paediatric patients to move to adult care within the same setting and with many shared staff.

The Minister understands that Cork University Hospital has been in discussion with the Build4Life programme, a charitable organisation which is proposing to donate up to €1 million towards a dedicated cystic fibrosis unit at the hospital. The pace at which such developments can take place will, of course, depend on the availability of the capital and revenue funding, but the Minister and the HSE are committed to ensuring the best possible service for patents in the Cork area.

School Staffing.

Deputy John O’Mahony

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting for the Adjournment this serious situation created by the withdrawal of the visiting teacher for visually-impaired students in County Mayo. This service was already restricted but nonetheless invaluable to the 45 visually-impaired students attending schools in County Mayo. Each school where there was a student or students with visual impairment was visited, probably just once a term, so that they could get the help and advice needed.

The visiting teacher was withdrawn in September and replaced by a telephone consultation advice service on each Monday for two hours. We have all been hearing about the cutbacks in education after yesterday's budget, but the withdrawal of the visiting teacher in County Mayo came two months ago and is especially miserable because it takes away what was only a partial service in the first place. This is a cutback on top of a cutback. We have been assured that the savings introduced by the Minister will not affect the disadvantaged and the vulnerable. There is evidence to the contrary in this instance. The amount of money needed to restore the partial service that existed before September would be only minute in the great scheme of things.

This service is critical to the education of children with visual impairment. It is of vital importance not only to the affected student but also to the teacher and the student's classmates. Everyone is made aware of the difficulties a visually impaired child can face. Advice is also given on the teaching tools and computer technology that can be of great assistance. I was visited by the parents of visually impaired children following the withdrawal of this service. It is hard to explain to them that we could sit in the House all night a week or two ago to provide billions to bail out banks, yet we cannot provide a few buttons, as it were, to maintain a service such as this.

After speaking with a number of school principals and the parents affected by this, I cannot over-emphasise the necessity of restoring the visiting teacher. It was an invaluable service for teachers and visually impaired students. To suggest that the same service can be provided by mobile telephone is grossly insulting to the plight of these children. The telephone solution is really quite bizarre when one considers that it is dealing with visually impaired students. Equally alarming is that the Department of Education and Science, through its directorate of regional services, has indicated that while new referrals can continue to be sent to the regional office, there is no guarantee of service for them until further notice.

Does this mean that new students in County Mayo with visual impairment will get no assistance until further notice? I do not know what the Minister will reply but I am anxious that my question is answered before I leave the House. I make a final appeal to the Minister to restore this service. The children with visual impairment relied on it. Even though it was limited and inexpensive, it gave them a sense of security and self-esteem. In short, they felt cared for. Will the Minister walk away from them now, in their hour of need?

Deputy Seán Haughey

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on this matter. The Department of Education and Science's visiting teacher service promotes, facilitates and supports the education of children with visual impairment from pre-school through first and second level schooling to third level. In addition to working with individual children, the work of a visiting teacher includes involvement with parents, schools, teachers and access offices in third level institutions. A key element of the visiting teacher's work is engagement with a range of referral agencies, such as the National Council for the Blind in Ireland, special education needs organisers and other agencies working in support of visually impaired children and their families.

Taking account of an individual child's level of impairment and need for support, the involvement of a visiting teacher with that child may vary between once weekly contact in the case of blind children; monthly, once a term or annual contact in other cases and occasional visits to special schools primarily to support staff where children have other underlying disabilities. With regard to County Mayo, referral agencies, schools and parents of pre-school children with visual impairment currently are being informed by visiting teacher management of an interim telephone advisory service that is now being provided while alternative arrangements for a visiting teacher presence in County Mayo are examined. New referrals to the service continue to be accepted and assessed.

Most recent caseload figures for County Mayo show a total of 51 children who are eligible for support from the visiting teacher service on current criteria. These break down as follows: six of pre-school age, 23 in primary schools, eight at second level and 14 in special schools. I assure the Deputy that every effort will be made to provide a service in County Mayo at the earliest opportunity. Again, I thank him for affording me the opportunity to outline the current position regarding this matter.

Schools Building Projects.

Deputy Deirdre Clune

I am glad to have the opportunity to raise this important issue. It concerns a school in Ballygarvan, outside Cork city, that was promised a new school building ten years ago this month by the then Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin. There have been five other Ministers since then but the school is still waiting. It has not even reached the stage of a site being purchased. This is extremely frustrating for the children, their parents, the school principal and the teachers.

At present, there are 265 pupils in the school. There are two permanent classrooms and eight prefabs. The site is just over half an acre and is full to capacity. There is no room to put any more prefabs on it. A site for a new school has been identified. It is in three parcels and the Department of Education and Science is fully aware of the details about purchasing it. Recently, it asked the diocese to purchase the site, which the diocese is willing to do if it gets an assurance from the Minister and the Department that a school will be built on it. The diocese does not wish to be left with a site and no school on it. The Department should be the driving force on this matter but it has failed to act.

The situation at the school has now become more urgent. At a recent meeting, the school principal informed the parents of 19 children that the school would be unable to accept their children next year. The school is at a stage where it can only accommodate siblings of the pupils in the school. Children who are living next door to the school, therefore, cannot be accommodated. There is no space on the site for additional classrooms. If the Department would ensure that the other site was purchased, perhaps that problem could be resolved.

The situation at the school has reached a crisis. It is in a rapidly developing area and in the past few weeks Cork County Council gave permission for the construction of 144 additional housing units in the village of Ballygarvan. One can readily estimate how many children will have to be accommodated in a school that is still on a waiting list for site purchase. This is an urgent problem, particularly for the 19 children who have been told there is no place for them in the school next year. They will not be going to school with their neighbours or friends in the locality. Instead, it appears they will have to seek school placements outside the village.

This matter is in the Minister's hands. He can act to ensure that the site is purchased and that the project moves to design stage immediately. It is in his interest and, more importantly, in the interests of the children in the school and their stressed teachers and principal.

Deputy Seán Haughey

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It provides me with the opportunity to outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the position on the provision of additional school accommodation for Ballygarvan national school.

The Government has dramatically increased investment in the schools building programme. Under the lifetime of the national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post primary schools. The Minister recently announced a list of schools to go to construction as part of the Government's commitment to providing additional school accommodation. The schools building projects announced by the Minister will provide permanent primary school places for more than 4,600 students in five new schools and 15 extended and modernised schools.

A further 3,000 students at post-primary level will benefit from one new school and three major extension and refurbishment projects. The provision of a new physical education hall in a post-primary school will benefit another 600 students. Seven of these schools building projects are in a position to start construction towards the end of the year. A further 15 are expected to be in a position to start construction in the first quarter of next year.

This year, more than €586 million will be spent on the schools building programme, with one third of that invested in rapidly developing areas. This has resulted in the delivery of 12,000 new school places in 2008, a record number in any one year. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment that reflects this Government's commitment to continuing the programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools. The Minister intends to make a further announcement in the first quarter of 2009 on major primary and post-primary school projects to proceed to construction.

As the Deputy may be aware, a developing areas unit was set up recently in the Department to focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas. The main emphasis in 2008 and 2009 is on providing sufficient school places in these developing areas, in addition to delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. Ballygarvan national school is a co-educational school catering for boys and girls from junior infants to sixth class. Enrolments in the school have risen steadily from 140 pupils in 2000 to an expected enrolment for 2008 of 251 pupils. The staffing at the school reflects this enrolment.

The school's board of management submitted an application to the Department of Education and Science for a new school building. The existing school site is very restricted and, on its own, is not a viable site for the proposed project. The Deputy will be aware that a suitable site has been identified. This site comprises three plots of land belonging to three separate owners. It was originally intended that the Department would acquire the three plots of land. Negotiations, while difficult at times, were progressing on that basis. Earlier this year the school's patron indicated that he was willing to acquire the plots of land directly to advance the project and overcome difficulties experienced.

The Department of Education and Science has been in contact with key stakeholders with a view to exploring the options open to advancing both the acquisition of the plots of land and the proposed building project. These discussions are ongoing.

Deputy Deirdre Clune

They have been ongoing for ten years.

Deputy Seán Haughey

I thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to address the House on this school.

Sports Funding.

Deputy Brian Hayes

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me and Deputy O'Connor to raise this very important matter. Not only does it affect the two sports halls in our constituency, namely those in Killinarden and Firhouse, but also the centres in Palmerstown and Collinstown.

The concept of dual sports halls first came into being when the Government made €34 million available for nine halls nationally. The halls were to be used in a dual capacity and were to be much more significant than the average PE hall. They are three times the size of the latter, they are equipped to a very high standard and, most important, they are accessible to the wider local population as well as the school population. The objective was that the four halls in question would be open 24 hours per day, seven days per week, such that the community would have use of them after school hours. The former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, stated the project was to encourage positive links between the local community and schools and to open up the state of the art facilities to young people from disadvantaged communities. This holds true for Killinarden and Firhouse.

I understand from County Dublin Vocational Education Committee that 8,000 people use the halls constantly. Not only are they used by the local community schools, they are also used by the local national schools. This is an extraordinary asset to primary education. It is very important that we save the jobs in Firhouse and Killinarden in addition to the facilities. The funding provided under the dormant accounts fund or the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund has now dried up. I am aware that a clear verbal commitment was made by the Department of Education and Science to County Dublin Vocational Education Committee that necessary replacement funding would be found once the initial phase of funding ended. It has now come to an end.

In a few months, the facilities in Firhouse and Killinarden, designed for multi-purpose use, including community use, twenty four hours per day, will no longer be available unless replacement funding is found to keep them open and to keep the capital investment, which has been so wisely used, to the forefront of our entire endeavour as a local community. We await what I hope will be the positive remarks of the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science. Otherwise, the facilities will be closed after 4 p.m. each day, which none of us can accept.

Deputy Charlie O’Connor

I, too, thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to join Deputy Brian Hayes in raising this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey. The importance I ascribe to it can be gauged from the fact that I have rushed back from Croke Park where I was cheering on my Tallaght neighbours, Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne — I am not quite in their age group so I cannot call them colleagues. I was there for Robbie Keane's goal but then returned to the House and missed him getting injured. The Minister of State knows I would not leave Croke Park if my being here to raise this issue tonight were not important.

My colleague, Deputy Brian Hayes, has emphasised we are referring to the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee facilities in Palmerstown, Collinstown, Firhouse and Killinarden. I will not talk too much about the former two because I have no plans for them in respect of the European elections but I will concentrate on Firhouse and Killinarden. I was at the official opening of the centre in Firhouse with the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin.

We must impress upon the Minister of State the importance of this issue, regardless of his reply tonight. It is a question of sport. It is interesting that I referred to being in Croke Park and sports persons from Tallaght given that we are discussing two excellent facilities that are under threat. Not only do these facilities provide an excellent service to the primary schools and communities generally, they are used in the school completion programme. This is the case in respect of Killinarden community school, which is in a disadvantaged RAPID area.

It makes no sense to get into a bind over who should fund first-class State facilities. As a former member of County Dublin Vocational Education Committee and former member of South Dublin County Council, as was Deputy Brian Hayes, I campaigned for the PE halls in both Killinarden and Firhouse. The battles were well fought and the communities got right behind the campaigns. They now support the facilities in a very definite and positive way. I receive many calls on this issue from young people, employees whose jobs are in jeopardy and others who, for all sorts of reasons, want to use the facilities. I make a special appeal to the Minister of State to acknowledge this issue, which is so important to me and my community in Tallaght. We really hope he will help us.

Deputy Seán Haughey

I thank Deputies Brian Hayes and Charlie O'Connor for raising this matter, in particular Deputy O'Connor for his dedication and commitment to his constituents in returning to the House. I am grateful to the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the background to the provision of these facilities. To begin with, these halls were built as part of a programme to develop community sports halls in drugs task force areas in Dublin and Cork. The stated objective of the programme was that each hall would be dual use in nature in that they would be accessible to the wider community as well as to the local school population. The intention was that, apart from normal school usage, the facilities would be available as much as possible to the community and, in particular, to target groups such as youth at risk.

As a reflection of its commitment to the programme, my Department provided funding in excess of €34 million to cover in full the capital cost of constructing nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities attached to post-primary schools. Eight of these halls are located in Dublin, including the halls referred to by the Deputies, and one is in Cork. The full list of relevant schools is as follows: Firhouse Community College, Tallaght; Killinarden Community School, Tallaght; Collinstown Park Community College, Clondalkin; Scoil Phobail losolde, Palmerstown; Pearse College, Crumlin; College of Further Education, Inchicore; Senior College, Ballyfermot; St. Michael's secondary school, Finglas; and St. Vincent's Convent secondary school, Cork city. These halls are of a different order of magnitude to the standard school PE hall. They are over three times the size of a standard hall and include a large number of distinct spaces, including the main arena, a meeting room, a fitness studio and a multi-purpose area.

An application was made by my Department in 2006 for dormant accounts funding to enable community usage of the halls to commence. Government approval was received in 2007 for the drawdown of funding of approximately €2.1 million in respect of six of the halls, including those referred to by the Deputies. In regard to these six halls, management structures were put in place and community groups were given access. In Dublin county, County Dublin VEC has managed and operated the halls at the schools in Firhouse, Killinarden, Clondalkin and Palmerstown, while in Dublin city, Dublin City Council, on behalf of my Department and City of Dublin VEC, has managed and operated the halls at Inchicore and Crumlin.

The position is that the allocated dormant accounts funding will provide for the operation of these halls until the end of 2008. My Department does not normally fund community facilities but we are in contact with other Departments with responsibilities in this area and will be in contact with the relevant stakeholders.

I thank the Deputies once again for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position on this matter.

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 15 Oct 2008