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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Nov 2008

Vol. 667 No. 2

Written Answers.

The following are questions tabled by Members for written response and the ministerial replies as received on the day from the Departments [unrevised].
Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, answered orally.

Prison Visiting Committees.

Billy Timmins

Question:

11 Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the changes he proposes to make to arrangements in respect of prison visiting committees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40271/08]

A Visiting Committee is appointed to each prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order, 1925. Members of Committees are appointed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for a term not exceeding three years. A Committee should have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 12 members. The function of Visiting Committees is to visit at frequent intervals the prison to which they are appointed and hear any complaints which may be made to them by any prisoner. The Visiting Committee have free access either collectively or individually to every part of their prison. They report to me any abuses observed or found by them in the prison and any repairs which they think may be urgently needed. It is the normal practice for each Visiting Committee to submit an annual report which is published on the Department's website.

Questions have occasionally been raised as to whether there is duplication between the role of the Inspector of Prisons and that of the Visiting Committees and whether the structure of Visiting Committees is the most cost effective model.

Having considered the matter I am satisfied that there is no duplication of roles. The Inspector of Prisons is a professional full time office dedicated to carrying out regular inspection of prisons and reporting to me on their management and operation. It is not the function of the Inspector to hear complaints from individual prisoners. In contrast Visiting Committees involve a number of lay people, who are dedicated to one institution and who do have a function to listen to complaints by individual prisoners. The Visiting Committees and the Inspector of Prisons perform separate but complimentary roles in ensuring independent oversight of our prison institutions. As to cost effectiveness, I note that the cost of Visiting Committees has in fact been reduced in recent years.

Acknowledging the important role which the Visiting Committees play in each of our prisons I have recently reviewed the level of membership across all the Committees. I have come to the view that whilst we need to have a mix and range of skills on the Committees there is no reason why a committee of nine members could not perform the important functions assigned to it. I have therefore decided that for the future, unless cogent reasons otherwise require it, the aim should be to have nine rather than twelve members on each Committee. I believe that a more streamlined committee can, in fact, be more focused in its approach thus ensuring that prisoners have access to this layer of independent oversight which compliments the work of the Inspector of Prisons and other international oversight bodies, such as the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Drug Seizures.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

12 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the quantity and values of seizures of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and other drugs within the State during 2007 and to date in 2008; the proportion of the overall flow of drugs into the country that is believed to be represented by these seizures; the new initiatives he is planning to control the flow of illegal drugs into the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40177/08]

Terence Flanagan

Question:

16 Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of drug related convictions made in this State for the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007; the percentages of drug related convictions as an overall figure for all convictions in the same years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40331/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 16 together.

I set out below tables provided by the Garda Authorities which show the quantities and estimates the street value of the most significant drugs analysed by the Forensic Science Laboratory for 2007 and provisional figures for 2008.

In relation to statistics for convictions, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Central Statistics Office(CSO) is responsible for the compilation and publication of such statistics, and my Department has requested the CSO to forward all relevant available information to the Deputy.

Given the clandestine nature of this illegal activity it is extremely difficult to quantify with any degree of certainty the proportion of drug seizures made in this jurisdiction by our law enforcement authorities in relation to the overall volumes of drugs being trafficked. Any estimate is, therefore, speculative.

The Government remains resolutely committed to tackling the problem through our current National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, under the stewardship of my colleague and Minister of State Mr. John Curran, T.D., is the lead Government Department in coordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy and is currently overseeing the process of developing our new Strategy for the years 2009-2016.

My Department's remit in this area, while not exclusively, is primarily in the area of drug supply reduction, and drug law enforcement remains a key feature of the Government's drug policy framework.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that in addition to the considerable volumes of drugs which continue to be seized, of which last week's huge cocaine haul is further evidence, significant impact has been made in 2008 by arresting and prosecuting a number of major players involved in drug trafficking through the importation,sale and distribution of drugs.

A significant number of crime gangs involved in this type of criminal activity have been disrupted and dismantled.

To further assist in our law enforcement efforts against drug trafficking, a number of new initiatives have been introduced. Some specific examples of these include the following:

The establishment in January 2008 of the Organised Crime Unit on a permanent footing which now has a full time staff of seventy officers assigned to it.

Our active involvement in the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics) MAOC(N) in Lisbon, the merit of which was very publicly demonstrated last week.

The provisions introduced in the Criminal Justice Acts 2006 and 2007 which have provided for further measures which will enhance the powers of the Gardaí in the investigation and prosecution of drug offences.

The ringfencing of €21 million in the 2009 Estimates to enable Operation Anvil to continue with targeted disruption of serious and organised criminal activity throughout the country.

The continued increase in the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána. Its attested strength will increase to almost 14,900 by the end of 2009, from its current attested strength of 14,267.

Finally, I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the measures for tackling all forms of drug trafficking under review. The enforcement of the law relating to drugs continues to be a key element in the Government's policing priorities and this is reflected in An Garda Síochána's Policing Plan for 2008.

Drug Seizure data

The Garda authorities advise that the following tables provide the quantities and estimated street value of the most significant drugs analysed by the Forensic Science Laboratory for 2007 and provisional figures for 2008.

Drug Seizures (to date in 2008 as at 11 November)*

Drug Type

Quantity

Estimated street value

Cannabis

828.950 kg

1,687,900

Cannabis Resin

5,102.530 kg

35,717,710

Cocaine

1,877 kg

131,390,000

Diamorphine (Heroin)

161.700 kg

32,340,000

MDMA (Ecstasy)

196,341 Tablets

1,963,410

*Figures provided for 2008 are provisional, operational and liable to change.

Drug Seizures 2007

Drug Type

Quantity

Estimated street value

Cannabis

725.222 kg

1,450,444

Cannabis Resin

1,167.285 kg

8,170,995

Cocaine

1,718.499 kg

120,294,930

Diamorphine (Heroin)

117.854 kg

23,570,800

MDMA (Ecstasy)

12.516kg + 119,134 tablets

1,316,500

Amphetamine

54.993kg + 10,395 tablets

980,820

Prison Violence.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

13 Deputy Dinny McGinley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to deal with the increasing problem of violence in prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40284/08]

While the prison regime is designed to limit the scope for acts of violence, it is simply impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of such acts in prisons holding a high proportion of violent offenders without introducing a "lock-down" regime that would be unacceptable in human rights terms.

The growth of organised criminal gangs outside prison has had obvious consequences within the prison system itself. The manner in which these groups operate on the outside is now, in fact, being mirrored on the inside and presents a significant challenge to the Irish Prison Service. I am fully conscious of the Irish Prison Service's difficult task in providing safe and secure custody for those placed into custody. This is one of the main reasons for the introduction of recent security initiatives including airport style security screening including x-ray machines and scanning equipment, the establishment of Operational Support Units dedicated to and developing expertise in searching and gathering intelligence and targeting specific security problem areas, the establishment of a Drug Detection Dog Service within the Irish Prison Service, the segregation of a number of serious drug and criminal gang members in a high security unit in Cloverhill Prison and the use of phone detectors and phased installation of telephone blocking technology.

I can also advise the Deputy that prison management, in order to ensure the safety of prisoners, immediately separate prisoners seeking protection from the general prison population or from specific prisoners identified as presenting a threat.

It is at the committal stage that the majority of prisoners seek protection. External influences imported to the prison on committal include gang rivalry, drug debts and perceived co-operation with the Gardaí. On committal, all prisoners are interviewed by the Governor and based on the information available, a decision is made as to where a particular prisoner will be accommodated.

On occasion, a prisoner may be placed on protection by the Irish Prison Service. From time to time intelligence becomes available to the Irish Prison Service which dictates that it may be prudent for particular individuals to be put on protection, for that individual's own safety. This is not, however, a frequent occurrence.

I am pleased to be able to advise the Deputy that recent figures indicate that the incidents of violence in our prisons has decreased significantly since the introduction of the new security measures.

Prison Accommodation.

Kieran O'Donnell

Question:

14 Deputy Kieran O’Donnell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he will take regarding overcrowding in the State’s prisons in view of the fact that Thornton Hall is two years behind schedule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40303/08]

Over the last 12 months the numbers of persons in custody has increased by 10% and the total number of persons serving sentences has increased by 14%.

This indicates the effectiveness of this Government's policy of providing additional resources to the Gardaí and the Courts as well as the effectiveness of the substantive body of new criminal law enacted in recent years.

I am committed to continuing with the prison building programme in order to meet current and future anticipated demand for prison spaces. The record of this Government on putting resources into our prison system speaks for itself. Since 1997 in excess of 1,300 prison spaces have come on stream in the prison system. These include the new prisons in Castlerea, the Midlands, Cloverhill, the Dóchas Centre and a refurbished wing in Limerick Prison. Current developments will provide an extra 400 prison spaces by summer 2009 by means of:

a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will accommodate approximately 150 prisoners which is due to open in the coming months,

a new remand block in Castlerea Prison which will accommodate approximately 100 prisoners which is due to be completed in early 2009,

a new block in Wheatfield Prison which will accommodate 150 prisoners which is due to be completed in the summer of 2009.

Most recently over 30 extra spaces have been made available at the open centre at Shelton Abbey and a further 40 spaces have been made available at the open centre at Loughan House. It it important to bear in mind when we are talking about prison numbers that our prisons have contingency plans in place whereby they can accommodate numbers above their ideal working capacity.

These new developments will provide us with a significant level of new and refurbished accommodation until the opening of Thornton Hall.

It had been hoped to sign a contract before the end of this year. However while negotiations with the preferred bidder are at advanced stage they have not yet been completed and it is now clear that it will not be possible to have a contract signed this year. The construction of the new prison is expected to take three years from the date the contract is awarded.

All Public Private Partnerships involve a level of complexity but you will appreciate that the Thornton Hall project is particularly complex as it involves the construction of more than 30 buildings including 8 prison facilities as well as extensive rehabilitation facilities and perimeter security.

The overall Irish Prison Service capital programme will also ensure the elimination of the unacceptable practice of slopping out and will effectively complete the modernisation of the prison estate to meet best international standards in terms of custody, care and rehabilitative opportunities.

Civil Unions.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

15 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the promised legislation on civil unions will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40185/08]

The Deputy will be aware that my proposals, in the form of heads of a Civil Partnership Bill, were published on 24 June 2008 following the approval of the Government. Formal drafting of the Bill by Parliamentary Counsel is now well advanced and I can confirm, in line with the indication in the Government Legislation Programme as announced on 23 September 2008, that the Bill is expected to be published in early 2009.

I think it is well recognised that the Bill is detailed and complex. The Bill is being drafted to ensure that the constitutional protection of the institution of marriage is fully protected.

I can confirm that the scope of the Bill, in summary, is as follows:

Firstly, it will provide for registration of civil partnerships by same-sex couples, together with a range of rights and duties consequent on registration, including in relation to succession, pensions, shared home, tenancy rights, maintenance from partner and protection from domestic violence. Only same-sex couples may register as civil partners.

Secondly, it will establish a cohabitants' redress scheme for unmarried opposite-sex and unregistered same-sex cohabitants giving protection to an economically dependent "qualified cohabitant" at the end of a long-term relationship. Under the scheme a qualified cohabitant is someone who has been living with another person in an intimate relationship for three years or more, or where the couple are the parents of a child, for two years or more.

The redress scheme will allow a vulnerable economically dependent partner, at the end of a relationship whether by break-up or bereavement, to apply to court for certain reliefs, including for provision from the estate of a deceased partner, or for maintenance or pension or property adjustment orders.

Finally, the Bill will provide for recognition of cohabitant agreements enabling cohabitants to regulate their joint financial and property affairs. Cohabitants who make a cohabitant agreement may opt out of the redress scheme.

Question No. 16 answered with Question No. 12.

Asylum Applications.

Denis Naughten

Question:

17 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of asylum applications which have been deemed withdrawn in each year from 2000 inclusive to date in 2008 due to their failure to inform the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of their change of address; the number of such persons who have been issued with an intention to deport notification; the number deported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40063/08]

The Immigration Act 2003, contained a number of key changes to the Refugee Act, 1996 which enabled the processing of asylum applications to be speeded up and enhanced the state's ability to deal with abusive applications. These changes included the imposition on applicants of a clear statutory duty to actively pursue their asylum applications and co-operate at all times with the processing agencies or face having their applications deemed withdrawn.

The most common reasons for an application to be deemed withdrawn are where an applicant fails to attend for an interview at the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) without reasonable cause; an applicant fails to co-operate with the Refugee Applications Commissioner after having lodged his or her application; or an applicant fails to notify the Commissioner of his or her postal address or change of address.

Statistics are not maintained in a way which distinguishes between applications deemed withdrawn on the basis of applicants failing to notify the Refugee Applications Commissioner of their postal address or change of address and applications deemed withdrawn for other reasons.

Figures in relation to asylum for the years 2000 to October 2008 are appended to my Reply. These figures show that since 2003 almost 5,799 asylum applications have been deemed withdrawn. In 2007 applications deemed withdrawn amounted to 1,777. To 31 October of this year the figures is 607.

Where an asylum application is deemed to be withdrawn the applicant is served with a notice of intent to deport under section 3(3)(a) of the Immigration Act, 1999. A person served with a notice of intent to deport is afforded certain options, viz. to leave the State voluntarily; to consent to the making of a Deportation Order; to make an application for subsidiary protection; or to make representations in writing within 15 working days setting out reasons as to why a Deportation Order should not be made and why temporary leave to remain in the State be granted instead.

Statistics are not maintained in a way which distinguishes between deportations effected arising from applications deemed to be withdrawn and other deportations. The overall number of deportations issued and effected in the period from 2003 to end of October 2008 is set out below.

Table 1 — Asylum applications deemed withdrawn 2000-2008 (31/10) (excluding asylum applications where the application was transferred to another Dublin Convention State)

Year

Asylum applications deemed withdrawn

2000

n/a

2001

n/a

2002

n/a

2003

402

2004

1,734

2005

802

2006

477

2007

1,777

2008 (31/10)

607

Table 2 — Deportation Orders Issued and Effected 2003 — 2008 (31/10)

Year

All Deportation orders issued*

All Deportation orders effected*

2003

1,960

591

2004

2,068

599

2005

2,185

396

2006

1,374

302

2007

404

135

2008 (31/10)

495

95

*Including failed asylum applicants.

Section 22(8) of the Refugee Act (as amended), provides that where an asylum application has been transferred to another Convention country for examination or to a safe third country, the application shall be deemed to be withdrawn; see figures in Table 3 below.

Table 3 — Transfer Orders Effected 2003-2008 (31/10)

Year

No. of asylum applications transferred to Convention countries

2003

0

2004

65

2005

209

2006

294

2007

225

2008 (31/10)

226

Garda Deployment.

Willie Penrose

Question:

18 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí operating as juvenile liaison officers; the proportion of personnel this represents; if he has plans to increase the numbers having regard to the success of schemes operated by JLO’s; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40183/08]

I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the number of Gardaí operating as Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLO's) on 30 September 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 105. The overall strength of An Garda Síochána on 30 September 2008 was 14,284. The number operating as JLO's represents 0.74% of the overall strength.

The Commissioner has approved the appointment of 7 Juvenile Liaison Officers per year for the period 2007- 2010. The National Juvenile Office (N.J.O.) has examined the areas which will benefit most from the creation of the additional 7 new Juvenile Liaison Officers, (J.L.O.) posts for 2008. In deciding on the locations, the following matters were taken into consideration:

The number of children referred to the Diversion Programme over the past three years;

The number of JLO's currently employed in each Division;

The social background of the location under consideration;

The geographical size of the area to be covered by existing JLO;

Demographic trends;

The work demands on the JLO.

Taking all these matters into consideration, the NJO recommended that a JLO be appointed in each of the following areas:

DMR South (Tallaght);

DMR West (Finglas);

DMR North (Coolock);

Tipperary;

Cavan/Monaghan;

Limerick;

Kerry.

The position in the DMR South (Tallaght) was filled on 15th April 2008. Appointments are imminent to the positions in the DMR West, DMR North, Tipperary and Limerick and competitions have commenced to fill the positions in Kerry and Cavan/Monaghan. It is intended that additional JLO's will be appointed over the next two years.

Residency Permits.

Emmet Stagg

Question:

19 Deputy Emmet Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the average time taken to process applications for residency within his Department; if he will confirm that applications received in January 2007 are only now being processed; the reasons for such a long delay; the steps being taken to speed up the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40193/08]

While the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) deals with numerous types of applications for residence in this State, I assume the Deputy is referring to applications for long term residence.

The current Long Term Residence Scheme was introduced in May 2004 and operates on an administrative basis. This administrative scheme is focused on persons who have been legally resident in the State for over five years on the basis of work permit, work authorisation or work visa conditions. Such persons may apply to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) for a five year residency permission. In that context they may also apply to be exempt from employment permit requirements. The dependants of the aforementioned, who have been legally resident in the State for over five years may also apply for long term residency. However, this particular long term permission does not grant an exemption from employment permit requirements to any such dependants. Time spent in the State on student conditions cannot be counted towards long term residency.

An important provision in the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, 2008 provides for the introduction of a new, enhanced and statutory long-term resident status. This status will be available to those who have completed at least five years satisfactory residence in the State and can meet certain conditions. These include the requirement that the foreign national be of good character, tax compliant, can demonstrate a reasonable competence in the Irish or English language, has made reasonable efforts to integrate and has been supporting him or herself and any dependants without recourse to publicly-funded services.

The Bill also provides a mechanism for a "fast track" to Long Term Residence in certain circumstances. It is intended that green card holders will be able to apply for long term residence after two years, which is by any standards a very generous approach. Long term resident status will confer rights that approach those of Irish Nationals and bring with it access, for the foreign national and his or her qualifying dependants, to the employment market and State-funded services and benefits. The benefits enjoyed by holders of this status are an acknowledgement that, over time, those who migrate to Ireland contribute increasingly to society and the economy and have earned this status and the stability it brings.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the applications that the INIS receives are diverse in nature and generally of a very high volume, and the processing times vary considerably according to the nature and circumstances of the scheme in question. In all instances, processing arrangements are kept under ongoing review and steps are taken to reduce waiting times where this is feasible having regard to available resources and overall priorities.

There has been a very significant increase in applications for long term residence in recent years. The INIS has recently allocated additional resources to deal with these applications and this has seen an improvement in the processing arrangements with the number of applications finalised on a monthly basis in the region of 400. The INIS has taken these steps with a view to providing an improved customer service to applicants for long term residency and incrementally, an improvement in processing times. Resource allocations are kept under constant review having regard to overall priorities.

Services for People with Disabilities.

David Stanton

Question:

20 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will reopen the independent living support programme funded through the Disability Equality Unit; the other initiatives or support available through his Department which promote independent living for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40239/08]

While my Department has a key role in the development of disability equality policy and legislation, it is not directly involved in the provision of services for people with disabilities. These services are mainstreamed to the relevant Departments. However, from time to time my Department provides funds for schemes which are usually stand-alone and / or aimed to develop innovative pilot projects.

In connection with the programme referred to by the Deputy, the following is the position. In November 2006, my Department invited applications for funding under one such scheme, the Independent Living Support Programme. This once off scheme provided €5.7 million to voluntary organisations for capital projects to purchase equipment such as wheelchairs, beds, hoists, adapted furniture, vehicles, and other technologies and appliances which help people with disabilities live more independent lives. Sixty-four organisations have been funded under this once-off programme which is now closed. There are no plans to repeat this programme.

In the past the Department has also supported independent living for people with disabilities through the Accessible Transport Funding Projects in 2005 and 2007 as well as the Enhancing Disability Services Programme 2005-2009.

In 2009, subject to resources being available, my priority in this area will be to complete the multi-annual investment programme through funding of the Enhancing Disability Services Programme. This programme is provided to support once-off projects that can demonstrate an innovative, efficient, collaborative and cost effective approach to service provision for people with disabilities which must also have the capacity to be mainstreamed in the future.

Recidivism Rate.

Michael D'Arcy

Question:

21 Deputy Michael D’Arcy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the recidivism levels within Irish prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40338/08]

I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service facilitated a major study of prisoner re-offending by the UCD Institute of Criminology. The study found that 27.4% of released prisoners were serving a new prison sentence with one year. This rose to 39.2% after two years, 45.1% after three years, and 49.2% after four years.

In the context of addressing recidivism, the Irish Prison Service provides a range of rehabilitative programmes which have the dual purpose of providing prisoners with purposeful activity while serving their sentences and encouraging and equipping them to lead productive lives on release. Prisoner rehabilitation involves significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and in-reach statutory and non-statutory services. Amongst these are healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, educational, work and training, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, missed educational and vocational opportunities, anger management, and self management in the interest of encouraging positive personal development in prisoners, and preparing them for re-integration and resettlement on release from custody.

Significant progress is also being made in the development of programmes based on risk assessment and rehabilitation needs. The Irish Prison Service is developing and rolling-out, a fully coordinated Integrated Sentence Management System (ISM) across all prisons and places of detention. This system is being piloted in two prisons at the present time and the lessons learned from the evaluation of the pilot will inform the continued roll-out across the prison estate.

In addition, the Probation Service has an active role during the course of the prisoner's sentence in helping maintain links with family and community agencies, encouraging prisoners to address their offending behaviour and engaging prisoners in individual counselling and group counselling programmes such as offending behaviour, addiction, violence and sex offending.

Prison Service.

Phil Hogan

Question:

22 Deputy Phil Hogan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he proposes to take arising from the recent report by the Inspector of Prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40319/08]

I can advise the Deputy that I am determined to continue to progress initiatives in all of the areas mentioned by the Inspector. I am setting out some of the more important developments hereunder:

Overcrowding

The Government has committed significant resources to the prison building programme. In addition to the 1300 extra prison spaces provided in recent years current developments will provide approximately 400 extra prison spaces by summer 2009. Included in this is a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will accommodate approximately 150 prisoners, a new block in Castlerea Prison which will accommodate approximately 100 prisoners and a new block in Wheatfield Prison which will accommodate 150 prisoners. I am confident that this significant expansion of prison accommodation will address the current high occupancy levels in advance of the opening of the new prison at Thornton Hall.

Sentence Management of Prisoners

The Irish Prison Service is currently engaged in introducing an enhanced model of sentence management for prisoners. The development and roll-out of the enhanced model (Integrated Sentence Management) is planned to take place on a phased basis over the lifetime of the National Development Plan 2007-2013. The new system is currently being piloted in two Dublin prisons. Following the conclusion of these pilot programmes, an evaluation will take place which will inform future policy in this area.

The Probation Service also has a key role during the course of the prisoner's sentence in helping maintain links with family and community agencies, encouraging prisoners to address their offending behaviour and engaging prisoners in individual counselling and group counselling programmes. The Service also provides supervision in certain cases under temporary release provisions.

Inter Prisoner Conflict

The continued roll out of enhanced security measures approved by the Government will contribute in a significant way to reducing inter prisoner conflict. Furthermore, prisoners identified as exerting undue influence or pressure over other prisoners will receive close attention and targeted searching from the Operational Support Group units.

The Prevalence of Drugs

One of the most important initiatives in the fight against the prevalence of drugs in the prison system has been the establishment of a Drug Detection Dog Service within the Irish Prison Service involving approximately 30 handling teams. There are currently 10 units in operation with a further 6 units to be in place by the end of the year (2008). Another important development is the introduction of mandatory drug testing which will — for the first time — provide reliable information on trends in drug misuse, enabling the identification and referral of drug abusers to treatment programmes, enabling enhanced focusing of resources and acting as a deterrent to drug misuse. At present, mandatory drug testing takes place in the Training Unit, St. Patrick's Institution, Castlerea Prison, Loughan House and Shelton Abbey and the intention is to roll out a programme of testing to the remaining institutions by early 2009.

Mental Health Issues

As the Deputy knows the Irish Prison Service must accept all persons committed into their custody on foot of legal orders of the court. A person committed to prison may have or develop a mental illness. The Irish Prison Service is committed to healthcare standards comparable with those pertaining in the wider community outside prison. Prisoners have access to medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological services within the prison system. The psychiatric needs of prisoners are serviced by visiting psychiatrists.

The Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, 2006 provides that where on the basis of medical assessment, a prisoner is considered to require specialist treatment that cannot be provided in prison that prisoner may be transferred to a designated centre for treatment.

My Department is working closely with the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive with a view to ensuring that the necessary mental health facilities are available to prisoners.

Loughan House

The Inspector's report on Loughan House is broadly positive in nature. The Inspector stated that he was satisfied that Loughan House is run effectively and that it provides a safe environment for the prisoners detained there. Nonetheless, I want to assure the Deputy that I welcome the Inspector's constructive comments. I am aware that the Irish Prison Service is considering the matters raised by him. In that regard a number of the minor issues of concern, for example the painting of stairwells, have already been addressed.

Community Policing.

Jan O'Sullivan

Question:

23 Deputy Jan O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received from the Garda Commissioner the report of the working group developing proposals for a comprehensive model of rural and urban community policing. [40181/08]

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the report of the Working Group on the National Model of Community Policing is at present being considered by Senior Garda Management and I look forward to seeing the proposals which emerge from this.

The national strategies for Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert, both of which were launched in 2007, will also inform the organisation on how best to implement future crime prevention programmes and community policing programmes.

Garda Deployment.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

24 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made to date with regard to implementation of the civilianisation programme within An Garda Síochána; the number of posts within the Gardaí which in 2002 were occupied by full members of the Gardaí and which are today held by civilians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40191/08]

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that 1,775 civilian personnel were employed in An Garda Síochána as of 31 December 2002. This figure represents the actual number of employees, including part-time employees, and is not a whole time equivalent figure as it was inadvertently referred to in my answer to the Deputy's Question No: 32865/08 of 2nd October 2008.

The corresponding figure on 31st October 2008 was 2,638 employees which represents a whole time equivalent of 2,052. This significant increase in the number of civilians employed throughout the Force has been as a result of additional posts being created in the administrative, technical and professional areas.

It is important to note that civilianisation does not necessarily imply the direct replacement of Gardaí with civilians, but that it can take a number of forms. Firstly, there is the replacement of sworn members, who are engaged in exclusively clerical, administrative or technical duties, with civilian staff. Secondly, there is the use of civilian support which allows sworn members who would otherwise have to perform some administrative duties to focus exclusively on front-line policing duties. Thirdly, there is the recruitment of civilians to perform new or expanded administrative, managerial and professional support roles in An Garda Síochána.

On this account, and because of the significant restructuring of roles, functions and business areas that has taken place at all levels of An Garda Síochána since 2002, it is very difficult to quantify the exact number of posts which, in 2002, were occupied by sworn members but which today are held by civilians. Furthermore, such an exercise would not reflect the full extent and impact of the Garda Síochána civilianisation programme to date.

Strategic planning of the next phase of the civilianisation programme is well underway. Arising from a recommendation in the third report of the Garda Inspectorate, the Commissioner has established a working group to review the potential for further civilianisation and to develop an integrated strategy for future civilianisation in the Garda organisation. This group is expected to report in late 2008.

Joint Policing Committees.

Damien English

Question:

25 Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made with regard to the establishment of joint policing committees throughout the State identifying at locations at which they are in operation and when is it expected that all committees will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40278/08]

I refer the Deputy to my answer to Question No. 7 of today's date.

The JPC's already established in the pilot phase are located in the following areas:

Fingal, Kerry, Offaly, South Dublin and Wicklow County Councils;

Clonmel, Drogheda and Sligo Borough Councils;

Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford City Councils;

Athy, Arklow, Ballinasloe, Birr, Bray, Cavan, Carrick-on-Suir, Edenderry, Greystones, Letterkenny, Mallow, New Ross, Tralee, Tuam, Tullamore, and Wicklow Town Councils.

In the particular case of Dublin City, there are also five subcommittees, corresponding to the operational areas of the City Council.

Courts Service.

Arthur Morgan

Question:

26 Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Parliamentary Question No. 292 of 29 October 2008, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Money Advice and Budgetary Service made a submission to the Law Reform Commission recommending the introduction of an out-of-court alternative debt resolution process and that a pilot scheme was launched by MABS, FLAC and the Irish Banking Federation six years ago; his views on whether the current economic climate heightens the urgency of such provision; and if he will make preparation for the introduction of legislation to this end. [40226/08]

I have nothing further to add to my response to Question No. 292 of 29 October 2008 other than to confirm that my Department has received a copy of the MABS submission to the Law Reform Commission.

Probation and Welfare Service.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

27 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way he proposes to address the lacuna created by his decision to withdraw funding to projects (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40317/08]

I can advise the Deputy that my Department, through the Probation Service, provides funding to over 50 voluntary bodies to assist with the management of offenders in the community. These funded projects provide a range of services to offenders in local communities, including training and education, offender management programmes, residential accommodation and drug and alcohol abuse treatment programmes.

The allocation for funded projects in 2008 is €19.393 million which represents 36% of the overall Probation Service budget. I am a strong advocate of developing partnerships with local communities to add value to the core work of the Probation Service. The funding we have provided in recent years is a measure of that commitment. I want to see community projects continue to work with the Probation Service to deliver a focused and measurable set of outcomes to the client group of the Service.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department, in association with the Probation Service, commissioned a ‘Review of Adult Probation Residential Facilities' in 2007. The review was commissioned in order to examine, inter alia, the management structure, overall governance and operation of four residential facilities and the role of the Probation Service. The terms of the review included recommendations for the future of the facilities. The report was completed at the end of July 2008 and provides the Probation Service and my Department with a very valuable ‘blue print' of how the four facilities are currently operating. A copy of the final report was made available by the Probation Service to each of the four facilities reviewed and each Board of Management was asked to examine the findings and the required actions needed.

The Boards of Management of the two projects that are the subject of this Parliamentary Question communicated their decision to effect closure of their projects to the Probation Service in October. The Probation Service is now developing a detailed new vision for the two facilities in question. I can assure the Deputy that the current residents of the two centres will be facilitated in accessing appropriate alternative accommodation and treatment facilities. The Probation Service will also identify the need for accommodation places for its clients in the area in question, and will liaise with the appropriate statutory and non-statutory bodies with a view to providing the most suitable, quality service for this client group.

Prison Medical Service.

Noel Coonan

Question:

28 Deputy Noel J. Coonan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he deems it appropriate for young people who require treatment such as psychiatric treatment to be located on the same site as other categories of prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40308/08]

I can advise the Deputy that figures relating to 31 October, 2008 indicated that there were 56 male persons under the age of 18 in custody in St. Patrick's Institution which is the designated detention centre for young male offenders aged between 16 and 21 years of age. Of these 40 were aged 17 and the remaining 16 were sixteen years of age.

The enactment of the remaining sections of the Children Act with effect from 1 March, 2007 means that girls aged 16 and 17 years may only be remanded or committed to Oberstown Girls School and no girls under the age of 18 may be remanded or committed to an adult prison. Furthermore, until appropriate children detention school facilities are available, boys aged 16 and 17 may only be remanded to St. Patrick's Institution and 17 year old boys can no longer be committed to adult prisons.

In the longer term the Youth Justice Service will take responsibility for the detention facilities for all boys under 18 years. The Irish Youth Justice Service have already taken over responsibility for the detention of boys under the age of 16 (at the time of remand or committal) and girls under the age of 18 (at the time of remand or committal) from the Department of Education and Science with effect from 1 March, 2007. Planning for the redevelopment and replacement of the existing children detention facilities has already commenced and the new facilities will provide accommodation for 16 and 17 year old boys. When the Irish Youth Justice Service is in a position to take responsibility for this group of boys, they will be detained in children detention schools entirely separate from adult prison facilities.

In the interim the separation of children and young adults in St. Patrick's Institution has taken place in so far as is possible given the physical limitations of the St. Patrick's site. The Special School (B Division) was opened in April 2007 specifically for this purpose. Inmates aged 16 and 17 now have a residential area, communal dining area, and education, work training and recreational areas that are separate from young adults. This has created a separate and enhanced regime for them.

The new prison facilities at Thornton will have a separate self-contained stand alone accommodation unit for 16/17 year old male offenders. The accommodation is being provided as an interim measure pending the provision of additional accommodation by the Irish Youth Justice Service.

Young people in need of in-patient psychiatric care in St. Patrick's Institution are facilitated on site by in-reach services provided by psychiatrists from the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum. A consultant led psychiatric clinic is provided weekly in the institution where young people are seen and treatment provided as appropriate including referral to external facilities for treatment where warranted.

Prison Education Service.

Joe McHugh

Question:

29 Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the prison education service at St. Patrick’s Institution outlining the level of participation of young offenders on the scheme, the range of courses on offer and additional improvements which have been made to same over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40296/08]

In St Patrick's Institution educational classes and courses are provided by a team of 20 whole-time equivalent teachers. The number of teachers increased from 12 to the current 20 in February 2007 following the opening of the new B Division. All young persons are interviewed on committal for both Work/Training and Education and offered places in one or other of these activities. While the primary focus is on basic literacy and numeracy, the educational courses offered cover a wide range of subjects including English, Maths, Computers, Art, Music, Home Economics and Guidance. A variety of subjects are offered up to Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate standard and various FETAC courses are on offer. Currently 115 prisoners are participating in educational classes, with at least 60 attending on any given day. In addition, all inmates have access to library facilities and a fully fitted out gymnasium.

In addition, in the Work/Training area, a number of vocational workshops are currently in operation — covering Woodwork and Joinery, Metal Work, Computer Training, Industrial Cleaning and Industrial Skills. Some inmates also work in the kitchen and laundry areas, with others engaged in painting, general cleaning and horticultural work around the Institution.

St Patrick's Institution also offers a range of in-house programmes in the areas of addiction awareness, treatment and counselling (i.e., drugs, alcohol) and takes a proactive approach in developing and maintaining links with a wide range of community and voluntary bodies. There are about 50 such bodies and groups with which the Institution engages and interacts either on an in-reach basis or with a view to securing post-release placements.

Garda Reserve.

Sean Sherlock

Question:

30 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of members of the Garda Reserve recruited to date; the stations to which they have been allocated; the number of applicants for the Reserve currently in training; if he is satisfied with the rate of recruitment; when he expects that the full complement of 1,500 will be in place; if restrictions have been placed on recruitment to the Reserve arising from budgetary restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40188/08]

I believe that the establishment of the Garda Reserve is one of the most progressive innovations in policing in Ireland in recent years. It has strengthened the links between the Garda Síochána and local communities and is a source of local support and knowledge. Full-time and Reserve members are working well together and I believe that the positive impacts made since the establishment of the Reserve in late 2006 bode well for the future of the force.

At 10 November 2008, there were 331 attested Reserve Gardaí and 76 Reserve trainees. The 331 attested members currently operational are assigned to the following stations:

Dublin Metropolitan Region

Pearse St, Kevin Street, Kilmainham, Donnybrook, Store St, Bridewell, Fitzgibbon Street, Clondalkin, Finglas, Lucan, Ballyfermot, Blanchardstown, Ronanstown, Santry, Raheny Swords, Clontarf, Coolock, Ballymun, Balbriggan, Malahide, Howth Crumlin, Sundrive Road, Rathmines, Terenure, Tallaght, Rathfarnham, Dun Laoghaire and Blackrock.

Cork

Mayfield, Bandon, Gurranabraher, Midleton, Fermoy, Anglesea Street, Watercourse Road, Clonakilty, Macroom and Togher.

Other Regions

Sligo, Galway, Tuam, Henry Street Limerick, Ennis, Tralee, Waterford, Tramore, Kilkenny, Wexford, New Ross, Gorey, Enniscorthy, Arklow, Wicklow, Baltinglass, Bray, Newbridge, Celbridge, Naas, Kildare, Carlow, Clonmel, Cahir, Carrick on Suir, Tipperary town, Nenagh, Thurles, Cavan town, Monaghan town, Drogheda, Dundalk, Ashbourne, Trim, Kells, Navan, Castlebar, Westport, Ballina, Mullingar, Longford, Letterkenny, Tullamore, Portlaoise, Carrick on Shannon and Roscommon.

An Agreed Programme for Government has set a target strength for the Reserve at 10% of the full-time strength of the force. In the Annual Policing Plan for 2008 the Garda Commissioner has set a target of recruiting 270 Reserve members this year. As the Garda Reserve depends on volunteers who undertake their training and other duties during their free time, it is difficult to predict how many people will commence training in any particular period. However I can assure the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner is making every effort to reach the recruitment target.

Recruitment is ongoing and the Public Appointments Service (PAS) has received 3,729 new applications to join the Reserve already this year up to end October. The PAS hold interviews on a rolling basis at a range of locations around the country. The ongoing public information campaign to recruit members to the Garda Reserve includes indoor and outdoor awareness raising campaigns and radio and TV promotional interviews nationally and locally.

Garda Deployment.

Kathleen Lynch

Question:

31 Deputy Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Garda personnel engaged in providing driver and security services to Members of the Government, members of the Judiciary, former Taoisigh or former Government Ministers; the annual payroll cost in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40173/08]

I am informed by the Commissioner that there are 56 members of An Garda Síochána permanently assigned to duties as Garda Protection Officers to 28 designated persons including the President, Taoiseach, Cabinet Ministers, former Taoisigh and members of the Judiciary. In addition, a further 27 members of the Garda Síochána are also designated as relief Garda Protection Officers, for relief tours of duty with the designated persons.

The total payroll expenditure in this area is expected to be over €6m in 2008.

Drug Seizures.

Liz McManus

Question:

32 Deputy Liz McManus asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on recent figures showing that there are more than 10,000 registered heroin addicts here, which reflects the continued widespread availability of heroin; the additional measures he is taking to cut off the supply of heroin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40174/08]

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table provides details of heroin seizures for the years 2004 to 2008 inclusive:

Heroin seizures 2004-2008 (to date)

Year

Volume

2004

26.4 Kgs

2005

32.2 Kgs

2006

128 Kgs

2007

117.8 Kgs

2008* (to date)

161.7 kg

*To date in 2008 as at 11 November 2008.

In terms of availability, while heroin still predominates in the greater Dublin area, seizures are recorded in each Garda region throughout the State. The recent publication by the Health Research Board which indicated that over 10,000 individuals are seeking treatment for heroin addiction partially reflects both the increases available in treatment services and the extent of heroin use.

While indications are that the number of seizures of heroin continue to increase in 2008 and that while seizures of heroin are concentrated in the greater Dublin area, there have been seizures of heroin in every Garda Region. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following steps have been taken by the Garda Síochána to address the sale, supply, importation and distribution of illegal drugs: 1. the allocation of additional resources to National Units involved in combating illegal drug-trafficking and organised crime gangs; 2. enhanced co-operation and co-ordination between National Units and District and Divisional Drug Units in identifying and targeting those persons identified as involved in the sale, supply and distribution of illegal drugs and local level; 3. continued collaboration with the Revenue Commissioners (Customs & Excise Branch), the Naval Service and other international law enforcement agencies, including participation at the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre (Narcotics), in identifying and targeting those involved in the importation of illegal drugs into this jurisdiction; 4. increasing public awareness of issues relating to the sale, supply and distribution of drugs, through working with communities and community groups to encourage co-operation with the Garda Síochána; and 5. ongoing training programme for personnel as Divisional Asset Profilers, who have the specific remit of targeting assets of persons who are suspected of being involved in the importation, sale and supply of drugs at local levels.

Overall, the Government remains resolutely committed to tackling the problem through our current National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, under the stewardship of my colleague and Minister of State Mr. John Curran, T.D., is the lead Government Department in co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy and is currently overseeing the process of developing our new Strategy for the years 2009 to 2016.

My Department's remit in this area, while not exclusively, lies primarily in the area of drug supply reduction. Drug law enforcement remains a key feature of the Government's drug policy framework.

To further assist in our law enforcement efforts against drug trafficking, a number of new initiatives have been recently introduced. Some examples of this includes the following: the provisions introduced in the Criminal Justice Acts 2006 and 2007 which have provided for further measures which will enhance the powers of the Gardaí in the investigation and prosecution of drug offences; the ringfencing of €21 million in the 2009 Estimates to enable Operation Anvil to continue with targeted disruption of serious and organised criminal activity throughout the country; the continued increase in the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána. Its attested strength will increase to almost 14,900 by the end of 2009, from its current attested strength of 14,267.

I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the measures and resources for tackling all forms of drug trafficking under review. The enforcement of the law relating to drugs continues to be a key element in the Government's policing priorities and this is reflected in the Garda Síochána's Policing Plan for 2008.

Garda Strength.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

33 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the strength of An Garda Síochána at the latest date for which figures are available broken down by full members, those who have attested but not yet concluded their training, those in training and the expected number that will be recruited during 2009; the anticipated numbers at each category at the end of 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40169/08]

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána on 30 September 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 14,284.

The number of students in training as of 30th September 2008 is as follows:

Phase I: 282

Phase II: 561

Phase III: 231

Phase IV: 831

Phase V: 273

I should point out that members in Phase IV and V are fully attested members and are accounted for in the total strength of the Force. On 30 September 2008 there were 1,074 students on Phases I – III of the training programme. It is expected that approximately 1,000 students will complete their Phase V training during 2009 and it is also expected that some 840 students will be attested in 2009.

Recruitment to the Garda Síochána will continue with approximately 400 recruits joining the force by the end of 2009. The projected strength of the force at the end of 2009 is 14,900.

Road Safety.

Seymour Crawford

Question:

34 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of stationary speed cameras in use; the areas in which they are used; when he expects this system to be extended nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40241/08]

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

78 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the national speed camera programme; the estimated commencement date for rolling out the national speed camera programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39847/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 78 together.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are currently three fixed cameras rotated between posts at various locations in Louth Division, Meath Division and in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. The emphasis of Garda speed enforcement is on the use of mobile speed cameras and their capacity in this area has been substantially enhanced recently.

In accordance with the Government's Road Safety Strategy, a tendering process for procuring an outsourced safety camera network is under way, the contracting authority for which is the Garda Síochána. Following a two stage tender and evaluation process, a preferred bidder has been identified.

The use of fixed cameras in the outsourced network may be relevant at a small number of locations but because of the characteristics of the State's road network, mobile cameras will predominately be used.

I am further informed by the Garda authorities that they are considering a request by one of the unsuccessful tenderers for clarifications. When the issues raised have been addressed, the Garda Síochána will commence contract discussions with the preferred bidder, with the aim of concluding them as expeditiously as possible.

It is intended that roll out of the network will be under way as early as possible next year. The 2009 Estimates provide €10 million in the Garda Vote for the provision of the service.

Public Order Offences.

Sean Sherlock

Question:

35 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons, broken down between children and adults, given anti-social behaviour warnings since the new system came into operation on 1 January 2008; the number of anti-social behaviour orders sought in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40189/08]

Part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, which provides for civil proceedings in relation to anti-social behaviour by adults, was commenced on 1 January, 2007. Part 13 of the Act, relating to anti-social behaviour by children, was commenced on 1 March, 2007. These provisions set out an incremental procedure for addressing anti-social behaviour by adults and children. With regard to children these range from a warning from a member of the Garda Síochána, to a good behaviour contract involving the child and his or her parents or guardian, to referral to the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme and to the making of a behaviour order by the Children's Court.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that from 1 January, 2007 to 31 October, 2008, 907 behaviour warnings were issued to adults and from 1 March, 2007 to 31 October, 2008, 548 behaviour warnings were issued to children. There have been 12 formal good behaviour contracts agreed from 1 March, 2007 to 30 September, 2008.

In setting up the scheme in the Criminal Justice Act 2006, the intention was that these warnings or good behaviour contracts would themselves address the problem behaviour. It is only if they fail that a court order will be applied for. Where warnings or good behaviour contracts do not succeed in altering a person's behaviour, they will culminate in an order being sought by the Garda authorities from the courts.

I am further informed by the Garda authorities that there have been three applications for civil orders (adult) to the courts between 1 January 2007 and 30 September, 2008, which resulted in one being issued and two refused.

There have been three applications for behaviour orders (children) by the Garda Síochána between 1 March, 2007 and 30 September, 2008, which resulted in two being issued and one refused.

Departmental Expenditure.

Denis Naughten

Question:

36 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the funding provided since the establishment of the Office for Integration to groups involved in migrant integration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33558/08]

For 2008, an amount of €9.293 million was allocated to my Office in the Estimates. This is being used to create new funding lines and establish a new Ministerial Council on Integration as outlined in my policy statement, Migration Nation, as well as to support existing initiatives.

In line with the policy I have announced, a special emphasis is being placed on new funding initiatives, for example grants to local authorities and national sporting bodies. I have set aside €1 million for local authorities in 2008 and I have approved grants of €505,000 to sporting bodies.

Since the establishment of my Office, actual expenditure and planned expenditure for the remainder of 2008 under the European Social Fund to support immigrants in gaining employment and/or further education and training amount to €486,000 approximately. €4.4 million has been made available for other integration-related projects such as, for example, initiatives to support the integration of legally resident immigrants. My Office also operates a small grants scheme to support community and voluntary efforts at a local level. Expenditure on this, since I took office and planned for 2008, is about €500,000.

In addition to the above measures, which are funded in 2008 from the €9.293 million allocation in respect of my Office, €1.2 million was made available from the European Refugee Fund and a further €1.5 million from the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals. Pobal is administering these Funds on behalf of my Office.

Young Offenders.

Shane McEntee

Question:

37 Deputy Shane McEntee asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if it his intention to relocate a centre (details supplied) in Dublin 11 to the proposed new national child detention facility for young offenders at Lusk, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40326/08]

In March 2008, the Government agreed to the development of a new national detention facility to cater for all children up to 18 years who have been ordered to be detained by the Courts. The facility will be developed on a single site at the existing Oberstown campus in Lusk, Co Dublin and planning is currently under way for its development on a phased basis. The Government also decided at that time to establish a working group to consider the future of the site and a future role for the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre. I am informed that the group has met and is expected to report to me shortly.

Departmental Bodies.

Joe Costello

Question:

38 Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by the Irish Human Rights Commission regarding the implications for it of the decision to cut by 24% the commission’s budget for 2009; if he plans to meet the commission to discuss these concerns; if he will give an undertaking that adequate financial provision will be provided to allow the commission to discharge its statutory functions, particularly having regard to the role for the commission set out under the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40164/08]

Joanna Tuffy

Question:

59 Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the cut of 43% in the allocation for the Equality Authority for 2009; if he will give an undertaking that adequate financial provision will be made to allow the authority to discharge all its statutory functions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40166/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

64 Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement detailing the rationale underpinning the decision to fully integrate the facilities, back office, administrative services and access to citizens of the Human Rights Commission and Equality Authority and to cut their combined budget by approximately40%; the way it is envisaged that this integration will operate in view of the fact that the Equality Authority are decentralising to County Tipperary while the HRC are remaining in Dublin; if he will offer guidance to the HRC on the way it should meet its full operating costs on a new budget of €1.6 million when its staff costs alone stand at €1.5 million; his views on the conclusion of the HRC that the new budget is unworkable; and if he will reconsider and reverse the cut. [40224/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 59 and 64 together.

The context in which financial provision has been made by the Government for the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority for 2009 is as indicated in the Budget announcement of 14 October 2008. In both cases, while I accept that reduced budgets will cause some difficulties, I also consider that there is sufficient funding provided in 2009 for these bodies to enable them to discharge their core activities. My Department is, of course, available to assist them in every practical way that is possible. I am willing to meet with these bodies to discuss the implications of the Budget for their operations.

I would also remind the Deputies that the provision in 2009 for the Equality Tribunal — the body which actually adjudicates on individual claims of inequality — has been increased by 15% to reflect the priority which I feel should be give to persons who have a grievance in this respect.

On a more general level, I should also state that as I indicated in my contribution to the budget debate I had decided that the main priority in the Justice area in 2009 will be tackling crime. In that regard, decisions about funding reflect that priority with the result that in a small number of areas budgets have been reduced significantly. Moreover, in line with Government policies generally I have asked all bodies to significantly reduce their spending on consultants, advertising and promotional activities and other non core items.

In relation to the matter of integrating administrative and back office facilities between the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission, my Department is currently examining the issues which need to be addressed in order to achieve these efficiencies. These areas are likely to include shared IT and telecommunications facilities as well as office accommodation which is being addressed in the context of the decentralisation to Roscrea of the remaining elements of the Equality Authority. I also understand that the two organisations themselves have already had discussions in order to move matters forward.

Both of these agencies currently operate from separate Dublin City centre office premises which have a cumulative per annum rental cost of over 800.000 euro. I firmly believe that significant efficiencies and savings can be realised by both bodies — and possibly others as well — sharing office facilities. Moreover I can also state that further substantial savings will be realised by the completion of the transfer of further Equality Authority staff to Roscrea. These savings are likely to be of the order of 300,000 euro or about 10% of its budget.

Finally, I can also state that I am prepared to agree at this stage, that savings may be used by both of the bodies in question to supplement their budgets in meeting the costs of discharging their core functions. I want to emphasise that this does not mean an increase in the published budget of either body and neither does it mean that the savings in question can be used for advertising or any other public relations type activities. In other words, I do not propose to redistribute the savings to meet other expenditure requirements across my Vote Group.

Question No. 39 answered with Question No. 6.

National Disability Strategy.

David Stanton

Question:

40 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, further to Parliamentary Question No. 992 of 24 September 2008, if the strategic document to outline the vision, mission and objectives of the National Disability Strategy has been completed; if not, when he expects it to be completed and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40240/08]

I have already indicated in response to Question No. 992 of 24 September 2008, that a strategic document on the National Disability Strategy which will outline the vision, mission and strategic objectives under the Strategy is due to be finalised later in the year and will be published as soon as possible afterwards. That remains the position.

Tribunals of Inquiry.

Joan Burton

Question:

41 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the first five reports of the Morris Tribunal; the recommendations that have not been accepted or that have still to be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40163/08]

As I indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 87 of 2 October, the disturbing events uncovered by the first five Morris Reports have been the subject matter of strong action on the part of the Government. This includes: the passage of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the most significant piece of legislation relating to the Garda Síochána in the history of the State, the establishment of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission with almost 100 staff — including its own investigative staff, the establishment of the Garda Inspectorate with its international policing expertise, as a source of independent and expert advice for the Minister, new more streamlined discipline regulations,the imposition on members of a legal duty to account for their official actions, the empowerment of the Garda Commissioner, with the consent of the Government, to dismiss a member of garda, sergeant or inspector rank where he has lost confidence in the capacity of the member to discharge his or her duty and where dismissal is necessary to maintain public confidence in the Force, new promotion regulations and a competency based promotion system, a whistleblowers' charter and the appointment of an eminent former senior civil servant as a Confidential Recipient .

Other areas of organisational development and modernisation are being progressed within the terms of reference of the Garda Síochana's published Corporate Strategy 2007 to 2009 including a number of specific change projects under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Change Management. These changes are indicative of unprecedented reform and a new era in policing and will go a long way to ensuring that the events in Donegal will not be repeated.

Other recommendations of the Morris Tribunal, in particular those contained in the most recent published reports, remain under consideration.

Bail Law.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

42 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the details of the assessment of the bail procedures introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2007; his views on whether further amendments to the operation of the bail system are required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40061/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

57 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he proposes to take, legislatively or otherwise, to ensue that no person charged with such serious crimes as murder, rape, grievous bodily harm or any form of gun crime are granted bail by the Courts in cases were the Garda Síochána express concerns that they will re-offend or intimidate witnesses, thereby frustrating the administration of justice and the prevention of crime and with obvious consequences for the safety of the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40340/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 57 together.

The law already takes a serious view of offences committed by persons on bail. The Criminal Justice Act, 1984 provides for mandatory consecutive sentences to apply where a person is convicted of an offence committed while on bail. In addition, the law provides that the fact that an offence was committed while on bail must be treated as an aggravating factor at sentencing and that the court shall impose a sentence that is greater than that which would have been imposed otherwise, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The Criminal Justice Act 2007 amended the 1997 Act and other statutes governing the law on bail with the aim of facilitating a stronger challenge by the prosecution to applications for bail by persons charged with serious offences and of further improving decision-making by the courts.

The stringent provisions include a requirement that applicants for bail may have to provide a statement of their means, their previous criminal record and details of any offences committed while previously on bail. The Act also provides that a Garda Superintendent may give an opinion that bail should be refused on the grounds that the applicant is likely to commit a serious offence if granted bail. The prosecution authorities are also given the right to appeal against decisions to grant bail or, where it is granted, the conditions attaching to it.

Interference with witnesses is a long established ground for the denial of bail. Every criminal case where the Garda Síochána considers the possibility of intimidation of civilian witnesses may be an issue is closely monitored throughout the investigation, up to and including any criminal proceedings. In circumstances where the senior investigation officer has identified a witness who is crucial to the case and the evidence to be preferred is not available elsewhere and there is a serious threat to the life of the witness or their family, an application can be made, with the consent of the witness, to have him/her included in the Witness Security Programme.

Where a Garda investigation team becomes aware of any threat to, or intimidation of, witnesses or potential witnesses such incidents may be addressed through the trial judge, who may decide to revoke bail or put some other sanction on the suspect. The incident will be subject of thorough investigation by the Garda Síochána and an investigation file will be submitted to the Law Officers.

Where information comes into the possession of An Garda Síochána indicating the possibility of such criminal activity it is the subject of thorough investigation and an investigation file will be submitted to the Law Officers. Where there is justification and a legal basis, those suspected of involvement in the criminal activity are arrested, detained and questioned in relation to specific crime. The series of new provisions included in the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 designed to tighten up on the granting of bail have been in operation for just 15 months.

An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to conduct a formal annual review of the new measures in relation to bail introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2007. The issue of establishing a formal review mechanism will be addressed at the appropriate stage.

Court Awards.

Emmet Stagg

Question:

43 Deputy Emmet Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount paid out in compensation or legal costs arising from claims against members of the gardaí in respect of assault, illegal arrest and other reasons in respect of each year from 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40192/08]

The information requested by the Deputy concerning the amounts paid out in Court awards and out of court settlements in relation to actions taken against members of the Garda Síochána relating to assault, unlawful arrest or other breaches of citizens' rights is set out in the following table.

Actions taken by Civilians against Gardaí

The number of cases settled/or awards made by the Courts are shown in brackets

Year

Category of payment

Assault

UnlawfulArrest

Other

Overall Total

2002

Awards

1,270(1)

3,809.21(1)

56,500(2)

Settlements

166,924.48(6)

106,835.58(10)

185,078.82(11)

Costs

230,769.67

148,714.19

340,486.45

Total

398,964.15

259,358.98

582,065.27

1,240,388.40

2003

Awards

11,000(1)

10,000(2)

4,870(2)

Settlements

75,000(4)

303,011(5)

112,814.84(4)

Costs

145,561.70

71,794.28

542,075.73

Total

231,561.70

384,805.28

659,760.57

1,276,127.55

2004

Awards

15,000(1)

Nil

3,215.06(1)

Settlements

198,697.48(5)

73,007(5)

50,500 (3)

Costs

231,646.62

100,019.36

266,713.57

Total

445,344.10

173,026.36

320,428.63

938,799.09

2005

Awards

1,000.00(1)

2,025,321.00(3)

85,125.00 (2)

Settlements

130,250.00(7)

1,569,114.00(9)

58,000(2)

Costs

137,447.90(10)

658,508.78(10)

205,466.85(15)

Total

268,697.90

4,252,943.78

348,591.85

4,870,233.53

2006

Awards

18,076.32(1)

41,443.80(3)

Nil

Settlements

386,200.00(17)

622,000(15)

606,500.00(8)

Costs

187,797.28(11)

60,983.61(10)

28,983.93(3)

Total

592,073.60

724,427.41

635,483.93

1,951,984.94

2007(Provisional)

Awards

97,500.00(2)

Nil

5,246,047.00(4)

Settlements

238,000.00(8)

1,297,000.00 (10)

4,451,000.00(34)

Costs

485,944.95(10)

1,488,193.20(9)

1,125,597.19 (29)

Total

821,444.95

2,785,193.20

10,822,644.19

14,429,282.34

2008 (Provisional) to 10/11/08

Awards

12,500(1)

5,500(1)

12,500(1)

Settlements

468,000(13)

52,524.34(5)

390,157.58(17)

Costs

816,847.70(15)

650,968.42(14)

1,819,581.56(23)

Total

1,297,347.70

708,992.76

2,222,239.14

4,228,579.60

Garda Complaints Procedures.

Joe Costello

Question:

44 Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received communication from the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission regarding a possible public interest inquiry into the circumstances in which serious drug charges were dropped against a person (details supplied); if the internal Garda inquiry into the same affair has been concluded; if he has received a report from the Gardaí on their inquiry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40170/08]

I have previously informed the House that I have received an interim report from the Garda Commissioner on a particular case involving a convicted drug dealer. I am awaiting a full report from the Commissioner as soon as certain inquiries he was having undertaken have been completed.

The House will also be aware that I agreed to a request from the Garda Commissioner that the interim report provided to me should be forwarded to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. The Ombudsman Commission has indicated that they have opened an investigation relating to the case. The Ombudsman Commission are well placed to look into all aspects of this case and to establish the full facts. There is on-going communication between An Garda Síochána and the Ombudsman Commission in relation to this case.

I believe that, in all the circumstances, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment about the case pending the outcome of that investigation. If any action is required on my part as a result of that investigation then, of course, I will take it.

Young Offenders.

James Reilly

Question:

45 Deputy James Reilly asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of tenders received and the difference in price there was for the development of the proposed new national child detention facility for young offenders at Lusk, County Dublin; when it is expected that the tender will be awarded; when construction will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40293/08]

In June 2008 the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform undertook a tendering process to appoint an architect led design team for the development of a new national children detention school. An Evaluation Board was established to assess the 11 bids received in response to the tender request, and a Process Auditor was appointed to oversee the process.

Prior to any decision being made with regard to identifying a preferred bidder, it was decided on foot of advice from members of the Evaluation Board to terminate the tendering process and to consider re-tendering. In the meantime discussions took place with the OPW with regard to that office's possible role with the bringing forward of the project. The OPW indicated that in light of recent developments it is now in a position to undertake the design process on behalf of the IYJS. Those firms which submitted bids in response to the tender request have been notified that the tender process has now been terminated. The decision to avail of the resources now available from the OPW will ensure that the IYJS achieve best value for money from the Exchequer funding allocated to progress the project.

The OPW will now liaise with the IYJS and with the detention schools to develop the design for the new facilities in order to tender for the construction element of the project in mid 2009 at which stage the development costs of the project will be known. Construction will take place over 2 phases in order to ensure that the existing detention schools can continue to operate and provide places to the Courts until such time as the new facilities are available. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed in 2012 and Phase 2 in 2014.

Departmental Reports.

Jan O'Sullivan

Question:

46 Deputy Jan O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he has taken or plans to take arising from the report of the Hartnett Inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied) in Clonmel in 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40179/08]

As indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question Number 99 of 2 October, the findings of the Hartnett Report have been accepted. I am constrained in what I can say due to the fact that civil proceedings instituted by the Rossiter family are still ongoing and an inquest into Brian Rossiter's death has yet to be concluded. I understand, in fact, that the Inquest is due to resume again on Wednesday next, the 19th.

In my earlier Reply of today I also indicated that a Chief Superintendent had been appointed under the Garda Síochána (Discipline) Regulations 2007 to deal with disciplinary matters arising from the Report. The question of discipline for members is, in the first instance, a matter for the Commissioner and I understand that one member has been dealt with under that process and the process is ongoing in respect of two others.

Garda Vetting Services.

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

47 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that structures in place to allow garda vetting are functioning efficiently and effectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40324/08]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

62 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the capacity of and delays experienced within the Garda vetting unit in relation to checks on prospective employees working with children; if his attention has been drawn to reports of the practice of employers in other fields who are insisting that candidates request their files from the gardaí under the Data Protection Acts; his views on whether this may be exacerbating the aforementioned delays; and if he will take steps legislative or resource based to address those delays. [40225/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 62 together.

The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides employment vetting for a number of organisations in Ireland, registered with the Unit, which employ personnel to work in a full-time, part-time or voluntary capacity with children and/or vulnerable adults. The procedure is also conducted for fostering and the Adoption Board. The service being provided is continually being extended, on a phased basis to such organisations.

There are a total of 66 personnel attached to the Unit. A Garda Inspector has overall responsibility for the provision of the services of the Unit.

The current average timeframe for the processing of vetting applications is four weeks from the date of receipt unless further enquiries are necessary to ascertain the outcomes of recent court cases. All organisations registered for Garda vetting are aware that processing times are established as being from the date or receipt of valid application forms at the GCVU and have been advised to factor this into their recruitment processes. Applications from registered organisations for Garda vetting includes a section signed by the subject of the application giving permission for the relevant information to be provided to the organisation.

The Garda authorities advise that a significant upsurge in applications has been recorded in the past two months, which coincides with the re-opening of third level institutions and which have submitted vetting application forms for students who may have access to children and or vulnerable adults during placements which may form part of particular educational courses being provided.

Applications are also received at the GCVU pursuant to Data Protection provisions. Under Section 4 of the Data Protection Act 1988, as amended, an individual is entitled to access to personal data held about that individual. The disclosure of such data is intended for personal use only. Disclosure of data in compliance with a request under Section 4 states that the information does not constitute proof of no convictions and it does not amount to a Garda Certificate or reference. The Section 4 provision reflects the purpose of the Act, namely to protect individuals with regard to the processing of their personal data. It is not a means of vetting and its use by employers could be deemed to amount to an infringement of Section 5 of the Data Protection Amendment Act 2003.

Departmental Expenditure.

Martin Ferris

Question:

48 Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will reverse the decision contained in Budget 2009 to cut funding to the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, the result of which will be the closure of their office and laying off of all staff, the potential loss of a €4 million EU funding programme and ultimately the loss of the collective expertise built up by them. [40228/08]

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

75 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the basis for the decision to abolish the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Inter-Culturalism; the anticipated financial savings arising from this move; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 75 together.

The Government announced, as part of the Budget measures, that funding to the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) would cease and its functions would be absorbed into my Office to be administered directly by it.

The NCCRI has received funding from the Justice, Equality and Law Reform Vote throughout the past decade and has done valuable work in combatting racism and promoting diversity. However, the establishment of my Office and the new arrangements outlined in my statement, Migration Nation, mean that we must review the purpose of existing expenditure and, in this context, I believe that it was appropriate to cease this funding and absorb the functions of NCCRI into my Office.

Road Traffic Offences.

Jack Wall

Question:

49 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on recent figures showing that in the past five years just 54.5% of persons charged with drink driving offences have actually been convicted in the courts; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this is well below the rate in most other countries; if he will review procedures for dealing with such offences in view of the low conviction rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40196/08]

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows the number of drink-driving related incidents recorded on PULSE from 2003 to 2007, the number of proceedings commenced, convictions recorded and rate of conviction for those incidents.

Year

Drink-driving incident types recorded (total)

Proceedings Commenced

Convictions

Proceedings concluded (Non-conviction**)

Drink-driving incidents currently outstanding***

Conviction Rate

2003

11,491

9,939

6,661

2,321

957

73%

2004

12,168

10,493

7,414

2,007

1,072

71%

2005

14,076

12,143

8,708

1,868

1,567

72%

2006

18,602

15,344

11,154

1,915

2,275

73%

2007

19,837

15,960

10,682

1,759

3,519

67%

**Struck-out, dismissed, proved order with no conviction recorded.

***Case stands remanded on adjournment, awaiting date for hearing of the case, warrant issued for defendant who failed to appear, judicial review proceedings.

It should be noted that not all drink-driving related incidents recorded automatically result in the commencement of proceedings for such an offence.

The conviction rate by its nature increases over time as cases are disposed of by the courts. Consequently the conviction rates for earlier years will be higher than for later years.

I am also informed by the Garda authorities that as part of the latest upgrade to the Pulse system scheduled for mid November, applications for summonses by the gardaí will be electronically routed to Courts Criminal Case Tracking System which will in return issues the summons, and electronically notify the gardaí through PULSE of the court date and outcome in due course. This will result in savings to both organisations as well as enhancements to the accuracy of the Garda criminal records system.

The following revised reply was received on Thursday, 20th November 2008:

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows the number of drink-driving related incidents recorded on PULSE from 2003 to 2007, the number of proceedings commenced, convictions recorded and rate of conviction for those incidents.

Year

Drink-driving incident types recorded (total)

Proceedings Commenced

Convictions

Proceedings concluded (Non-conviction**)

Drink-driving incidents currently outstanding***

Conviction Rate

2003

11,491

9,939

6,661

2,321

957

67%

2004

12,168

10,493

7,414

2,007

1,072

71%

2005

14,076

12,143

8,708

1,868

1,567

72%

2006

18,602

15,344

11,154

1,915

2,275

73%

2007

19,837

15,960

10,682

1,759

3,519

67%

**Struck-out, dismissed, proved order with no conviction recorded.

***Case stands remanded on adjournment, awaiting date for hearing of the case, warrant issued for defendant who failed to appear, judicial review proceedings.

It should be noted that not all drink-driving related incidents recorded automatically result in the commencement of proceedings for such an offence.

The conviction rate by its nature increases over time as cases are disposed of by the courts. Consequently the conviction rates for earlier years will be higher than for later years.

I am also informed by the Garda authorities that as part of the latest upgrade to the Pulse system scheduled for mid November, applications for summonses by the gardaí will be electronically routed to Courts Criminal Case Tracking System which will in return issues the summons, and electronically notify the gardaí through PULSE of the court date and outcome in due course. This will result in savings to both organisations as well as enhancements to the accuracy of the Garda criminal records system.

Garda Investigations.

Kathleen Lynch

Question:

50 Deputy Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of occasions in 2007 and to date in 2008 in which grenades, bombs and improvised explosive devices have been used; the number of occasions in each year when the Garda called on the assistance of the Army ordinance unit to deal with such devices; his views on the increased use of such devices by criminal elements; the steps being taken to curb the use of such devices, particularly having regard to the danger they pose to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40172/08]

I am informed by the Garda authorities that to date in 2008 there have been 91 incidents involving grenade, pipe bomb or other improvised devices in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. A Defence Forces Explosives Ordnance Device (EOD) team attended 71 of these. In 2007 there were 24 such incidents and an EOD team attended at 17.

Investigation by the Garda Síochána into recent incidents involving the use of pipe bomb attacks are continuing.

I am further informed by the Garda authorities that Garda strategies in responding to incidents involving pipe bomb attacks are firmly focused on disrupting these activities. Where sufficient evidence is available to warrant the bringing of criminal prosecutions this will be done.

Garda Equipment.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

51 Deputy Jim O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to the system of electronic tagging with full details of the operation of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40060/08]

The enabling provisions to allow for the use of Electronic Monitoring are provided for in the Criminal Justice Acts of 2006 and 2007.

As the Deputy will appreciate any decision to introduce Electronic Monitoring here, as a component of penal policy development, must be informed by a detailed analysis of the costs, advances in technology, the offender cohort most suitable and the likely overall impact on reducing recidivism and preventing crime.

I have an open mind on how Electronic Monitoring might assist in penal policy formulation having regard to prisoner numbers. That is why I have asked my Department to keep developments in other jurisdictions under close review. This will allow us to make informed decisions at a future date on how Electronic Monitoring might assist with the management of a particular group or groups of offenders in this jurisdiction.

Departmental Reports.

Jack Wall

Question:

52 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his intentions in respect of the Denham report regarding a court of appeal; if he plans to legislate in this connection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40198/08]

The Government appointed Mrs. Justice Susan Denham to chair a high-level Working Group to consider the complex issue of the establishment of an intermediate appellate court. Its work commenced in March last year (2007). The Group completed an interim report in March 2008. The Group is now proceeding, under its terms of reference, to prepare a final report, incorporating the interim report, on the Constitutional, legal and practice and procedure changes which would be required for such a major development in our courts system. When the final report is available, the Government will consider the matter further.

Proposed Legislation.

Joan Burton

Question:

53 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the undertaking given to bring forward legislation to regulate management companies and their performance in respect of apartment dwellers has been abandoned; if not, when the legislation will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40200/08]

The Deputy will be aware that this is a complex issue which involves a number of Government Departments. The Government is determined that its Strategy for Multi-Unit Developments will be effective and comprehensive. To that end, work on the preparation of legislative proposals to respond to the Law Reform Commission's recommendations concerning multi-unit developments and the regulation and governance of property management companies is under way across a number of Departments. Options are being considered in consultation with relevant Departments and the Attorney General as to whether it would be more expeditious to introduce a single Bill or to adopt a sectoral approach to amending existing legislation. The Government's decision on the matter will be made on the basis of how quickly the required legislation can be enacted.

Human Trafficking.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

54 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to figures (details supplied) suggesting that at least 50 foreign nationals have been trafficked here in the past six years for forced labour; if he is satisfied that sufficient procedures are in place to deal with such trafficking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40171/08]

I am aware of the data referred to by the Deputy. I understand that the estimate figures arising from the research in question, while presented at a number of recent public fora, has not yet been published. The suggested figures relate to research conducted prior to the commencement of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 on 7 June 2008. This Act criminalises the trafficking of adults and children for the purposes of labour exploitation as well as for sexual exploitation and for the removal of their body organs.

The Act defines labour exploitation as (a) subjecting a person to forced labour, (b) forcing him or her to render services to another, or (c) enslavement of the person or subjecting him or her to servitude or a similar condition or state. The Act also makes it an offence to sell or offer for sale or to purchase or offer to purchase any person for any purpose. Penalties of up to life imprisonment and at the discretion of the court, a fine, apply in respect of these offences. I am satisfied that this legislation will act as an effective deterrent for anyone seeking to subject a person to forced labour.

Immigration border controls are maintained by the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Joint operations with the UK Immigration Service to prevent and detect possible abuses of the Common Travel Area by means of illegal immigration and associated criminality are continuing.

An Interdepartmental High Level Group together with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of my Department, in partnership with non-governmental and International organisations, through a Roundtable Forum and Interdisciplinary Working Groups is working to recommend to me the most appropriate and effective response to trafficking in human beings. The High Level Group will also recommend a National Action Plan to me, mapping out a strategy to prevent and tackle trafficking in human beings for the coming years.

Proposed Legislation.

John O'Mahony

Question:

55 Deputy John O’Mahony asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress he has made in respect of his promise to introduce new legislation to augment victims’ rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40299/08]

In my Department work on progressing the preparation of the heads of a Bill to give effect to the legislative elements of the ‘Justice for Victims Initiative' which I announced in June of this year is well advanced. While I am unable to give a precise date for submission of the heads to Government at this time, I remain committed to publishing the Bill in the Spring of 2009 and I am confident of achieving that target.

Garda Operations.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

56 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when it is intended to increase the Garda search powers, promised in the Programme for Government, in relation to drug crime along the lines of the new random breath-testing model for drink driving to allow random searches at particular places, times and events when senior gardaí believe there is a risk of drugs being present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40190/08]

This commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government 2007 — 2012 is under consideration in my Department. Having regard to the sensitivity and complexity of the issues involved in any significant extension of search powers, including issues of constitutional importance, I am unable to say at this stage when proposals will be available.

Question No. 57 answered with Question No. 42.

Criminal Prosecutions.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

58 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of cases of murder in which firearms were used in respect of each year from 1998 to date in 2008; the number of such cases in which prosecutions for murder were initiated; the number of such cases in which convictions were secured; if he is satisfied with the level of detection and conviction in such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40186/08]

The following table contains the number of cases of murder recorded in which firearms were used, the number of prosecutions initiated and the number of convictions secured in each year from 1998 to 2007 and in 2008 up to 10 November, 2008. Figures provided for 2008 are provisional, operational and liable to change.

One of the main priorities set for the Garda Síochána is to target gun crime, organised crime and drug trafficking through a range of measures, including the use of the Garda specialist units and targeted operations such as Operation Anvil.

An Garda Síochána meet this task by strategic actions, including in particular continuous and intensive intelligence led operations against groups and individuals engaged in such illegal activity. Available intelligence is fully analysed and used in the strategic deployment of both local and specialised operational Garda units in targeting persons and groups. It is used in carrying out searches and arrests aimed at both preventing attacks and apprehending persons suspected of being involved in such attacks. Profiles regarding the personnel of organised criminal gangs are continually updated.

The Garda Commissioner has established, on a permanent basis, the Organised Crime Unit, with the specific objective of targeting those suspected of involvement in organised crime, including drug trafficking, importation, sale and supply. Similar operations are undertaken by Garda specialist units, including the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Operation Anvil commenced in the Dublin Metropolitan Region in May, 2005 to deal with this type of serious crime and was extended nationwide in 2006. The primary focus of the operation is the targeting of active criminals and their associates involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting their criminal activity through extensive additional overt, visible patrolling and static checkpoints by uniform, mobile and foot patrols, supported by armed plain clothes patrol.

The Garda Commissioner has confirmed that he has at his disposal the laws and resources necessary for the Force to tackle gun crime. The Garda Síochána will continue to receive a significant level of resources. Thus, while a ring-fenced allocation of €20 million was provided this year for Operation Anvil, in spite of difficult budgetary circumstances I have obtained the provision of €21 million in the 2009 Estimates to enable the operation to continue with targeted disruption of serious and organised criminal activity throughout the country.

There can be considerable difficulties for the Gardaí in obtaining evidence in shootings which are the result of gangland activities. This arises not least because many such victims (where they survive the attack) and their associates will not co-operate with the Garda investigation. Nevertheless, the Gardaí are determined to pursue rigorously all killings, whatever their background. The detection rate for murders by its nature increases over time as Garda investigations progress. It is expected that in respect of each year the number of convictions obtained will increase as Garda investigations are concluded and the number of proceedings commenced are finalised by the courts. This applies particularly to murders committed in the most recent years. In addition, directions may be received from the Law Officers to charge persons arrested in connection with such incidents with offences other than murder. Furthermore such persons charged and brought before the courts may be convicted of offences other than murder.

The number of murders recorded in which a firearm was used, proceedings commenced and convictions

Year

Recorded

Proceedings Commenced

Convictions

2008*

19

5

0

2007

18

5

0

2006

26

6

2

2005

22

3

2

2004

8

5

5

2003

19

6

1

2002

10

4

3

2001

9

2

1

2000

12

4

1

1999

12

7

5

1998

4

2

1

*Figures provided for 2008 are to 10 November.

All figures are provisional and liable to change.

Statistics in respect of the years 2003-2007 are compiled by the Central Statistics Office.

Question No. 59 answered with Question No. 38.

Garda Equipment.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

60 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that An Garda Síochána have ready access to all modern technology with particular reference to their needs in the fight against crime; if all communication technology promised has been or will be provided; if the patrol and motorcycle fleet are fully operational and in sufficient numbers to meet present requirements; the extent of out of date technology or equipment needing replacement at present; the cost of same; when such requirements are expected to be met in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40341/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

160 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will take initiatives to ensure that top of the range technology is readily available to An Garda Síochána in their fight against crime with particular reference to organised crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40537/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

169 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he will take to ensure that the gardaí have adequate resources to combat organised crime gangs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40546/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 160 and 169 together.

I can assure the Deputy that the areas of organised crime, gun crime and drugs continue to be a top policing priority for the Government and the Garda Commissioner and the resources available for tackling such crime will be kept under constant review.

I have been informed by the Garda authorities that they are satisfied that they have available to them the technology required to assist in the investigation of organised criminal activities. A number of initiatives are currently under way or have been recently completed by the Garda Síochána in this area including the provision of an updated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), a new Automated Ballistics System (ABIS), a new Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, the impending rollout of the National Digital Radio System, upgraded voice and data networks and 14 new town centre CCTV systems. In addition, new functionality is regularly incorporated into the main Garda incident recording system, PULSE, which is now widely available in over 340 locations nationwide and supported by the Garda Information Services Centre in Castlebar. Crime trends are continually changing and the Garda Síochána regularly evaluates all available technology in combating such criminal activities.

With regard to strength of the force, I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of the 30 September 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 14,284 attested members — representing an increase of 753 or 5.5% on the figures at the same time last year. A further 1,074 recruits are currently in training. These additional resources are available to the Commissioner for deployment in accordance with his overall priorities including in the fight against organised crime.

With regard to the Garda fleet, the size of the operational fleet at end of December 1998 was 1,750 vehicles. This number has increased by over 1,000 to 2,742 vehicles at the end of September 2008 and 60% of these are under two years old. There are 262 motorcycles in the fleet which includes some of the most modern police bikes available. The fleet also includes five command and control vehicles equipped with modern telecommunications and IT equipment. The Garda Air Support Unit took delivery of a second Garda Helicopter delivered in November 2007 which is now fully operational.

Garda Transport.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

61 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the criticism made in the Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General regarding the fact that more than 200 Garda vehicles, purchased in 2006 at a cost of €3.8 million, were not put into service until 2008; if changes are planned to purchasing or commissioning procedures to prevent such waste of public money and to ensure that vehicles are promptly brought into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40161/08]

In my answer of 2 October to Parliamentary Questions No. 16, 35, 67 and 92 I provided a comprehensive response on this issue. The position remains unchanged.

Question No. 62 answered with Question No. 47.

Departmental Expenditure.

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

63 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way he will achieve the reduction of 3% in payroll costs for his Department, as announced by the Minister for Finance in July 2008; if it is intended to effect a reduction in staffing levels in the private or constituency offices of himself or his Ministers of State arising from the requirement to achieve a reduction of 3% in payroll costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40167/08]

I would refer the Deputy to my reply to his question in this regard on 2 October 2008. The position has not changed in the meantime.

Question No. 64 answered with Question No. 38.

Prison Building Programme.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

65 Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the status of developments at Thornton Hall including final cost projections and expected date of completion; and his views on whether the upgrading of Mountjoy Prison could have been achieved more speedily and at less expense to the Exchequer had works been undertaken on its existing site in conjunction with greater availability and use of more cost-effective alternatives to custody for non-violent lesser offences. [40223/08]

Negotiations are currently under way with a commercial consortium, which was selected following an EU tender procedure as the preferred bidder for the design, construction, finance and maintenance of the proposed prison facilities at Thornton Hall, North County Dublin.

While these negotiations are at an advanced stage they have not yet been completed to the point that the Project Agreement can be signed. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it is anticipated that it will be the first quarter of 2009 before contract award stage will be reached. This timeframe is subject, of course, to the successful completion of the contract negotiations. If, for any reason, these negotiations are not successfully concluded there are other tenderers and other options which can be considered.

The Thornton Hall project is a complex Public Private Partnership Project which involves the construction of more than 30 buildings, including eight prison facilities on the site, a major internal road network, extensive perimeter security and a vast array of security systems both physical and electronic. Whilst it had been hoped to sign a contract with the preferred bidder before now there has been much more extensive public consultation surrounding the publication of the Environmental Impact Assessment and consideration of the development by the Oireachtas.

Pressures on the international financial markets have the potential to impact on all major capital projects. The Irish Prison Service is being advised by the National Development Finance Agency in relation to trends and developments in this area.

It is not appropriate, for commercial and procurement reasons, to provide details as to the likely costs of the construction costs. In particular it would not be in the public interest to give an indication of expected costs before a bid is accepted and a contract finalised. The disclosure of such information is, in any event, not allowed under Department of Finance guidelines applicable to Public Private Partnership.

As regards the refurbishment of Mountjoy, in late 1999 a group was established (the Mountjoy Complex Redevelopment Group) to plan for the development of the complex and custodial regimes in a redeveloped prison.

The Group's second report, which was published in February 2001, contained a number of specific proposals and recommendations for the future development and use of the Mountjoy Complex. The proposed development would have provided a maximum of 723 places in addition to the female prison. An estimate, prepared by a firm of surveyors in June 2001, of the capital cost of construction of the proposed development came to a total of €336m and was estimated to take seven years to complete the development of Mountjoy as envisaged by that Group. One of the major disadvantages of the refurbishment of Mountjoy Prison was that the capacity offered by the redevelopment of the facility fell well short of the future capacity requirements of the Service. A further operational drawback with this option is that the Irish Prison Service would have had to resort to the granting of early release to offenders in order to free up space while the refurbishment work was under way. Following a review by the Prison Authority Interim Board, it was decided that the most advantageous solution is to develop a new prison complex on a greenfield site.

As the Deputy is aware the courts are independent in the exercise of their functions. It is a matter for individual judges, having regard to all the facts of the particular case, to give judgement on the appropriate sanction, be it custodial or non-custodial in any criminal proceedings. I am satisfied that the courts have available a wide range of non-custodial options open to them.

Tribunals of Inquiry.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

66 Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action the Government will take arising from the two final reports from the Morris Tribunal, published on 7 October 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40162/08]

Both the seventh and eighth reports of the Morris Tribunal were the subject of debate in Dáil Éireann on 22 October and in Seanad Éireann on the 30th.

The seventh report of the Morris Tribunal related to allegations of ongoing harassment of the McBrearty family as instanced by the issuance of 68 summonses against that family and their associates. Members of the Garda Síochána severely criticised in that report have already either been dismissed, have retired early or have resigned.

That report also confirmed that the Garda Síochána Complaints Board had neither the statutory powers nor the resources to deal effectively with events on the scale of those that emerged in Donegal. In was precisely for this reason that the Government established the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission with its own investigative staff after the enactment of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

The eighth report deals with anonymous allegations, received by Deputy Howlin and former Deputy Higgins in June 2000, that senior members of the Garda Síochána acted with impropriety. The tribunal concluded that the allegations were completely without foundation and were constructed from "numerous half-truths, lies and rumours". The report recommends that the Committee on Procedure and Privileges of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann urgently review the manner in which Members deal with allegations brought to their attention by so-called whistleblowers in order to guard against unfounded allegations being "endowed with undeserved legitimacy because they are peddled cynically and successfully to well-meaning Members of either House". I expect that the Committees on Procedure and Privileges of both Houses will consider these matters carefully.

Prison Building Programme.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

67 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement detailing the rationale behind and the evidence underpinning the decision to expand prison capacity for females through the building of a super prison at Thornton Hall in view of the statistics from the Central Statistics Office and Irish Prison Service, which show that a huge portion of female prisoners are guilty of non-violent lesser offences and 55% of all committals are for a period of three months or less indicating the significant potential for more cost effective and greater use of alternatives to custody. [40222/08]

Since the opening of the Dóchas Centre in 1999, there has been a serious overcrowding problem there, even with the benefit of an additional 20 spaces provided in the final phase of its construction. I do not regard this as an acceptable situation. On 7 November 2008 there were 111 prisoners in custody in the Dóchas Centre. This figure exceeded the bed capacity by 31%. In addition there are over 50 female prisoners in the system who are currently on temporary release.

Social and demographic trends indicate that we will inevitably continue to experience an increasing level of women prisoners in our prison system in the future. It is the Government's intention, therefore, to include an expanded version of the Dóchas Centre in the plans to move the entire Mountjoy Prison Complex to a green-field site in the greater Dublin area. Provision will also have to be made for additional spaces for women prisoners in the Munster area where there is currently serious pressure on the twenty person unit at Limerick Prison.

I can also advise the Deputy that the statistics he makes mention of refer only to the throughput and committals of female prisoners to custody. The majority of these persons spend a very short time in custody. A snapshot of those actually serving sentences in custody on 7 November, 2008 paints a significantly different picture.

These figures indicate that 28% of the female prison sentenced population were serving a sentence for murder, manslaughter or conspiracy to murder. A further 36% were serving lengthy sentences for possession of drugs for the purpose of sale or supply. 13% were serving sentences of over two years in length for assault causing harm and all but three persons out of the remaining 23% are serving sentences of 20 months or over for offences such as robbery, robbery of a person, theft and criminal damage. The remaining three prisoners all have personal accommodation issues which need to be addressed before they can be considered for release. I believe that it is clear that the vast majority of these prisoners do not fall into the category of non-violent lesser offences and provide clear evidence that the current availability of prison spaces for female offenders do not meet requirements.

Immigrant Registration.

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

68 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the impact the new registration fee introduced by the Garda National Immigration Bureau is expected to have on educational tourism; if he has had discussions with the relevant Department highlighting the problems for tourism here of this new fee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33922/08]

The revised fee of €150 is effective in respect of all registrations by non-EEA migrants with the Garda National Immigration Bureau applied for on or after 23 August 2008. Since 19 August last, this registration system has been enhanced by the commencement of the roll out of a fingerprinting system for all persons who are required to obtain permission to reside in the State. Non-nationals who register from that date will have at least two fingerprints taken and these will be embedded in the biometric chip on their registration card. The costs of providing this system and the administrative costs associated with running it are substantial and this is reflected in the increased fee. An element is also included to reflect changes in inflation since the fee was introduced over two years ago.

The consent of the Minister for Finance, required under law, was obtained for the increased charge. The charge applies to all non-EEA migrants registering with the Garda National Immigration Bureau and special consideration of the interests of one sector would not be appropriate, all the more so where the new charge is largely related to increased costs of registration.

There is no suggestion that the increase will have an adverse effect on the numbers of people coming to Ireland for educational purposes. Firstly this charge only applies to non-EEA students coming here for more than three months. It does not apply where people are coming for shorter periods and it does not apply to EU nationals at all. Only a minority of educational tourists therefore pay the charge. For that minority the registration fee is a small fraction of the overall cost of their course fees and living expenses in Ireland.

Commissions of Investigation.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

69 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Commission of Investigation into the Dean Lyons case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40178/08]

I refer the Deputy to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 116 of 28 May 2008. The position remains unchanged.

Garda Remuneration.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

70 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount allocated in respect of Garda pay, including overtime, in 2009; the way this compares with the figures for 2008; the number of personnel on the Garda payroll; the expected numbers at the end of 2009; if he is satisfied that sufficient financial allocation has been made to allow the gardaí to maintain the expected level of policing operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40168/08]

The amount allocated under the estimates process for Garda pay, including overtime, in 2009 is €1,090,332,000. The amount allocated in 2008 was €1,100,934,000. These figures include pay for both members of the Garda Síochána and civilian staff.

The personnel strength of the Garda Síochána on 30 September 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 14,284. Under the present Garda recruitment programme, it is expected that this number will increase to almost 14,900 by the end of 2009. The exact figure is dependant on a number of factors including the level of retirements over the coming year.

I am satisfied that the Garda allocation is sufficient to maintain existing levels of front-line policing and tackle organised crime through targeted intelligence-led operations.

Garda Transport.

Mary Upton

Question:

71 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that garda patrol cars were restricted at Hallowe’en in parts of Dublin because of inadequate resourcing of the radio control system; the reason this happened; the steps that will be taken to ensure that gardaí are not again left vulnerable in this way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40197/08]

I am advised that Garda management within the Dublin Metropolitan Region are unaware of any Garda patrol vehicles being restricted at Halloween due to resourcing of radio control systems.

A particular issue with personnel resources arose at the Communications Centre for the Dublin Metropolitan Region on 31st October 2008. This matter was brought to the immediate attention of Garda Management who took appropriate action to address the immediate issue. In addition, appropriate measures are being put in place for the longer term.

National Drugs Strategy.

Willie Penrose

Question:

72 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on recent figures produced by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs showing that one in twenty Irish people and almost one in ten young people had taken cocaine; if these figures reflect the continuing widespread availability of cocaine in this country; the additional measures he will take to cut off the supply of cocaine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40175/08]

Over the last number of years the Government has been aware of and concerned by the increasing prevalence of cocaine use in Ireland. We are not alone in this as this development reflects increasing use of the drug across all of Europe in recent times.

The drug prevalence study recently produced by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) which measured illegal drug use in Ireland over the period 2006/2007 confirmed that there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of cocaine use here albeit from a low level.

Prior to the completion of this study, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) and the National Drug Strategy Team (NDST) prepared a joint briefing paper on cocaine, based on existing data in Ireland. This paper was presented to the Interdepartmental Drugs Group in September 2006.

The Interdepartmental Drugs Group, chaired by Minister of State John Curran T.D., is liaising on an ongoing basis with the relevant Departments and Agencies in relation to their implementation of the recommendations contained in the report.

Efforts to tackle the problem of cocaine are broadly based to include measures aimed at both supply and demand reduction, including awareness initiatives. A range of measures are being delivered by other Government Departments and agencies, drug task forces and community based projects to address the cocaine problem.

The remit of this Department in relation to this issue is primarily that of law enforcement.

This increasing use of cocaine in recent times is, of course, a matter of concern for the Gardaí and the Garda authorities have taken a number of measures to address the problem on the supply reduction side.

The Garda National Drugs Unit and local drugs units conduct intelligence-driven operations to target individuals suspected of involvement in the distribution of cocaine.

Drug units and community policing personnel are engaged in intelligence gathering on individuals and groups suspected of involvement in the sale and distribution of the drug. There is also targeted patrolling by uniform and plain-clothes personnel of problem areas in order to detect and disrupt persons involved in such activity.

Data provided by the Garda authorities concerning the number, volume and value of cocaine seizures for the period 2000 to 2008 to date demonstrates that such strategies are resulting in significant operational successes.

Last week's Operation Seabight which was carried out in co-operation with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics) MAOC(N) in Lisbon resulted in a very significant cocaine seizure in global terms and I once again commend all our law enforcement agencies involved in its hugely successful outcome. The Centre is a focused initiative which has the specific objective of intercepting narcotic shipments, in particular cocaine, to the European Union from Latin America and the value of its work was very publicly demonstrated last week.

Tackling the increasing use of cocaine in Ireland in recent years will be an issue of priority in the development of the Government's new National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 currently being developed under the remit of Minister of State John Curran T.D.

Garda Investigations.

Arthur Morgan

Question:

73 Deputy Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will enter discussions with the Garda Commissioner aimed at launching an effective Garda operation targeting groups and businesses that fraudulently collect second-hand clothes from householders under the guise of being charities in view of the growing scale of the problem, which has recently been reported to net profits in the region of €10 million a year, and in view of the negative impact the practice has on legitimate charities. [40229/08]

I am informed the Garda authorities that Garda management is aware of the activities referred to by the Deputy and that a number of incidents of this type are currently the subject of investigation.

I am further informed that any complaints received by the Garda authorities are the subject of investigation and possible criminal proceedings where the evidence disclosed so warrants.

Prison Building Programme.

Michael D. Higgins

Question:

74 Deputy Michael D. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied regarding the capacity of the preferred bidder to deliver the Thornton Hall prison project; the progress that has been made on the project since the enactment of the Prison Development (Confirmation of Regulations) Act 2008; the estimated date for the commencement and the completion of the project; the estimated cost of the project, including the cost of acquiring the site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40199/08]

It is the responsibility of the commercial consortium, under the PPP process, to arrange the funding and other resources to deliver the project and to have them in place when the contract is signed. It is not appropriate, for commercial and procurement reasons, for me to comment on the specific financial funding aspects of the PPP contract negotiations which are currently in progress. I can say, however, that if the current contract negotiations are not successfully concluded there are other tenderers and other options which can still be considered.

Since the enactment of the Prison Development (Confirmation of Resolutions) Act, 2008 the Irish Prison Service, along with its technical advisors and the National Development Finance Agency has focused on progressing the Negotiation Phase of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process with Leargas, the preferred tenderer, across financial, technical and legal aspects of the project. This involved the continuation of the design development of the project and contract negotiations to enable the Irish Prison Service to contract with the PPP Co and commence construction of the new prison development.

Negotiations with the preferred tenderer are at an advanced stage. However, they have not yet been completed to the point at which the contract can be signed. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it is anticipated that it will be the first quarter of 2009 before contract award will be achieved. This timeframe is subject, of course, to the successful conclusion of the contract negotiations.

The Thornton Hall project is a complex Public Private Partnership Project which involves the construction of more than 30 buildings, including 8 prison facilities on the site, a major internal road network, extensive perimeter security and a vast array of security systems both physical and electronic. Whilst it had been hoped to sign a contract with the preferred bidder before now there has been much more extensive public consultation surrounding the publication of the Environmental Impact Assessment and consideration of the development by the Oireachtas.

Pressures on the international financial markets have the potential to impact on all major capital projects. The Irish Prison Service is being advised by the National Development Finance Agency in relation to trends and developments in this area.

The construction timeframe for the new prison facilities is approximately three years from the date of award of contract.

The cost of the acquisition of the site for the prison development was €29.9 million. An additional 8.7 acres has also been acquired to provide a dedicated access road to the main site. This was done following representations from the local community which reflected concern in relation to the effect of increased traffic generated by the prison project. The cost of this additional land was €1.3 million.

A total of €8.6 million has been expended to date on preliminary site works including surveys, landscaping, security and maintenance of the property, studies such as archaeological, topographical, etc., and professional fees including legal and specialist technical advice.

It is not appropriate, for commercial and procurement reasons, to provide details as to the likely costs of the construction. In particular it would not be in the public interest to give an indication of expected costs before a bid is accepted and a contract finalised. The disclosure of such information is, in any event, not allowed under Department of Finance guidelines applicable to Public Private Partnership.

Question No. 75 answered with Question No. 48.

Prison Accommodation.

Mary Upton

Question:

76 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action he will take arising from the first interim report of the Inspector of Prisons in which he expressed concern at excessive overcrowding in prisons and particularly in regard to serious shortcomings at Loughan House, County Cavan; the steps he will take to deal with the issues raised by the inspector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40194/08]

I wish to advise the Deputy that there has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population over recent years. This situation is particularly apparent over the past 12 months during which time the total number in custody has increased by approximately 350. The Government has committed significant resources to the provision of additional prison spaces in recent years resulting in the provision of an extra 1300 prison places. In addition, the current prison capital programme will provide approximately 400 extra prison spaces by summer 2009 including a new block in Portlaoise Prison which will accommodate approximately 150 prisoners, a new block in Castlerea Prison which will accommodate approximately 100 prisoners and a new block in Wheatfield Prison which will accommodate 150 prisoners. This investment will, in my view, provide modern prison accommodation to meet the prisoner cohort needs and allow for greater interventions with prisoners willing to engage with the range of services available within the prisons.

I am glad to tell the House that the Inspector's report on Loughan House is broadly positive in nature. The Inspector stated that he was satisfied that Loughan House is run effectively and that it provides a safe environment for the prisoners detained there. I want to assure the Deputy that I welcome the Inspector's constructive comments. The Director General of the Irish Prison Service is considering the matters raised by him and I understand a number of the minor issues of concern, for example the painting of stairwells, have already been addressed.

Ministerial Travel.

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

77 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of kilometres travelled by him since 2007 to date in 2008 on official business in his Ministerial car; the cost of same per kilometre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39937/08]

I have requested this information from the Garda authorities and I will contact the Deputy when it is to hand.

Question No. 78 answered with Question No. 34.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

79 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of people she and her Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40420/08]

The following tables outline the number, rank, responsibility and salary pay scale for each staff member appointed by me and by my Ministers of State:

Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Ms. Mary Coughlan, T.D.

Responsibility

Salary (Per annum)

Special Adviser

Providing advice to me as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; monitoring, facilitating and securing the achievement of Government objectives that relate to my Department; and performing such other functions as I may direct from time to time.

€86,168 – €106,582

Press Adviser

Providing press and communications advice in relation to my role in Government as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and performing such other functions as I may direct from time to time.

€66,179 – €82,520

Special Adviser

Providing advice to me as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment; monitoring, facilitating and securing the achievement of Government objectives that relate to my Department; and performing such other functions as I may direct from time to time.

€86,168 – €106,582

Personal Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to my Constituency Office.

€46,558 – €59,097

Personal Secretary

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to my Constituency Office.

€23,101 – €44,572

Temporary Clerical Officer

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to my Constituency Office.

€24,397 – €39,558

Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Mr. Billy Kelleher T.D.

Rank

Responsibility

Salary (Per annum)

Personal Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister Kelleher’s Constituency Office.

€41,092 – €52,200

Personal Secretary

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister Kelleher’s Constituency Office.

€23,101 – €44,572

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

Minister of State for Trade & Commerce, Mr. John McGuinness T.D.

Rank

Responsibility

Salary (Per annum)

Personal Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister McGuinness’ Constituency Office.

€46,558 – €59,097

Secretarial Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister McGuinness’ Constituency Office

€23,101 – €44,572

Secretarial Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister McGuinness’ Constituency Office

€23,101 – €44,572

Personal Secretary

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister McGuinness’ Constituency Office

€30,566 – €48,504

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Jimmy Devins T.D.

Rank

Responsibility

Salary (Per annum)

Special Adviser

Providing advice to Minister Devins and performing such other functions as he may direct from time to time.

€84,066 – €103,982

Personal Assistant

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister Devins Office.

€46,558 – €59,097

Personal Secretary (w/s.5)

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister Devins Office.

€24,397 – €39,558 (50% of full pay)

Personal Secretary(w/s.5)

Performing general secretarial duties including the handling of enquiries made to Minister Devins Office.

€24,397 – €39,558 (50% of full pay)

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

Civilian Driver

€651.15 per week

The names of all appointees above, with the exception of one recent appointment to my Office as Special Adviser, are available in the Dáil Library. A contract for the latest appointee will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas shortly.

The Personal Secretary to Minister of State for Trade & Commerce, Mr. John McGuinness T.D. is a member of Kilkenny Borough Council. None of the other appointees are members of a local authority or a State board.

Industrial Development.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

80 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her strategic plan in regard to the industrial and commercial development of the south-east region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40448/08]

The Industrial Development agencies namely IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, together with the County and City Enterprise Boards, are responsible for the development of the south east region insofar as my Department is concerned.

In line with the National Spatial Strategy, IDA Ireland is focussed on advancing the economic development of the region primarily through the Gateway of Waterford City and the hubs of Kilkenny City and Wexford town and the county towns of Carlow, Clonmel and Dungarvan. Key to IDA Ireland's strategy for the region is progressing the development of a knowledge-based economy so that the region can compete both nationally and internationally for foreign direct investment. The key sectors being targeted are Pharmaceuticals, Medical Technologies, Information and Communication Technologies and International/Financial Services. The agency also continues to work with its existing clients both to broaden their mandate in Ireland and to re-invest in their facilities. Furthermore, the agency strongly encourages client companies to invest in Research and Development and provides a comprehensive R&D package to support this activity.

Enterprise Ireland's key activity is focused around supporting clients and helping them grow their exports in particular. A range of supports is available to clients throughout the region from capital to management development along with access to Enterprise Ireland's thirty two offices around the world. As part of an initiative to encourage new start-ups in the region, Enterprise Ireland supports the Enterprise Platform Programme — a one-year incubation programme designed to provide hands-on support and management development for entrepreneurs wanting to set up their own business — by funding eligible participants to attend. There are currently two EPP programmes in the south east.

The development of community based Enterprise Centres is a crucial part of the drive to create new regional enterprise. Enterprise Ireland has a fund of €21m for the entire country for a period from 2007-2009. Previously, Enterprise Ireland provided support which led to the creation of 14 Community Enterprise Centres in the South East. This year's call for funding was very successful for the region. The total amount awarded nationwide was just over €11m and €2.1m of that was awarded to the South East. Enterprise Ireland has also provided €2.54m for the construction of an Incubation Centre at the Waterford Institute of Technology and €1.417m for a Centre at Carlow Institute of Technology. In addition, these colleges have been given €313,000 towards the management of the Centres. The agency has also been actively involved over the last three years in the Spirit of Enterprise Initiative which is a regional forum to assist in the growth of entrepreneurship. An ‘Enterprise Week' was held in both 2007 and 2008. This involved a range of events throughout the region to promote and celebrate entrepreneurship.

The CEBs provide support for micro-enterprises. They continue to support enterprise development through the provision of both direct financial assistance (in the form of capital, feasibility and employment grants) and through indirect or soft support assistance such as management development, capability support and the development and delivery of activities to highlight and promote enterprise.

The development of the region also involves various other interests including Local Authorities, Chambers of Commerce and private sector interests. There is also a close relationship with the Industrial Training agency FAS to ensure that the requirements of industry, particularly in the area of training and upskilling, are being met. I am aware that all interests in the region, both public and private, are working together to promote the south east and I am confident that they will continue to do so in order to bring about continued development in the area.

Work Permits.

Pat Breen

Question:

81 Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 173 of 5 November 2008, if a person (details supplied) in County Clare will qualify for a refund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40477/08]

Under the Employment Permits Act 2006 a fee for an employment permit may only be refunded to the applicant if the permit is refused or withdrawn prior to the issue of the permit.

Competition Act 2002.

Phil Hogan

Question:

82 Deputy Phil Hogan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of complaints for breaches of the Competition Act 2002 being considered by the Competition Authority; the number of cases that are at pre-investigation stage; the number of cases that are the subject of investigation by the authority; the average time it takes for the authority to assess cases suitable for formal investigation; the impact that the proposed merger of the authority and the National Consumer Agency will have on cases under investigation or consideration by the authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40487/08]

The question concerns investigations which are part of the day to day operational work of the Competition Authority. As the Deputy is aware, the Competition Authority is an independent statutory body responsible for the enforcement of competition law across all sectors of the Irish economy. I have no direct responsibility for the day to day operational work of the Authority.

In any case, investigations, by their very nature, are confidential and the Authority does not publish investigative findings, as to do so could prejudice any legal proceedings arising out of the investigation.

The legislation required to effect the merger of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency will provide for the continuation of all cases under investigation by the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency.

EU Directives.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

83 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on exempting small shops from having to display the price per unit or by weight in addition to the purchase price; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40491/08]

Directive 98/6/EC requires all products to have a selling and a unit price where appropriate. The unit price is the price of a product per kilo, litre, metre etc. Article 6 of the Directive provided for a derogation for small businesses from the obligation to display the unit price. This Directive was transposed into Irish law in S. I. No. 639 of 2002 and regulation 5 (2) (g) (i) provides that where a trader does not use equipment for printing shelf labels or equipment for point of sale scanning, the unit price need not be displayed.

The Review of the Consumer Acquis being undertaken by the European Commission at present involves the review of eight specific consumer Directives. One of these Directives is 98/6/EC. I am awaiting the Commission's proposals on this matter.

County Enterprise Boards.

Jack Wall

Question:

84 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the grants that a person (details supplied) in County Kildare can apply for through her Department or the State agencies under her remit ; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40494/08]

My Department does not provide direct funding or grants to businesses but provides funding to a number of State Agencies, including the County and City Enterprise Boards, Enterprise Ireland and FÁS, through whom assistance is delivered directly to businesses.

The 35 County and City Enterprise Boards provide a source of support to small and start-up businesses with 10 employees or fewer. Subject to certain eligibility criteria new and developing enterprises may qualify for financial support from the CEBs in the form of feasibility, employment and capital grants. The following specific forms of finance are currently from the CEBs to micro-enterprises;

Capital Grants up to a maximum of 50% of the cost of capital and other investment or €75,000, whichever is the lesser;

Employment Grants a grant of up to €7,500 per new job, to a maximum of 10 new jobs.

Feasibility Study Grants up to a maximum of 60% (in the BMW Region) or 50% (in the S&E Region), of the cost of a feasibility study and business plan, subject to an overall limit of €6,350 (in the BMW Region) or €5,100 (in the S&E Region).

All of the CEBs operate to the same criteria in relation to the assistance which they can offer i.e. they can support the establishment and/or the development of enterprises provided that the projects, which should generally be in the manufacturing and internationally traded services sector, have the capacity to achieve commercial viability and which over time may develop into strong exporting entities. In addition, the CEBs deliver a range of non-financial supports to improve management capability development within micro-enterprises designed to help new and existing enterprises to operate effectively and efficiently so as to last and grow.

I would suggest that the person concerned should, in the first instance, make direct contact with The Kildare County Enterprise Board and explore what level of assistance, if any, may be available to them. The Board can be contacted at The Woods, Clane, Co. Kildare, Tel No. 045 861 707 or by email to info@kildareceb.ie (website www.kildareceb.ie).

Proposed Legislation.

Phil Hogan

Question:

85 Deputy Phil Hogan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her proposals to amend the Competition Act 2002 and in particular the changes that she proposed to make to allow representative groups, unions and trade associations to engage in collective discussions or negotiations on behalf of their members as indicated in the statement by the Government on 21 October 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40495/08]

As part of an ongoing review of the 2002 Competition Act, submissions received on foot of a public consultation from a variety of interested parties are currently being considered by my officials. These submissions cover a range of issues, many of a technical nature.

On 21st October 2008, the Government announced its intention to pursue appropriate amendments to Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 to enable the representative body of GPs, The Irish Medical Organisation, to represent its members in negotiations with the HSE and the Department of Health and Children in respect of the services provided to the public health service in a manner consistent with the public interest. This will not affect in any way the status of the IMO or other representative organisations in respect of medical services other than those delivered by agreement with the public health service. The legal provision to be made will be subject to consistency with EU competition rules.

Section 4 prohibits and makes void all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition in trade in any goods or services in the State or in any part of the State. This reflects the provisions of EC Treaty Article 81 which contains a similar prohibition in relation to agreements, decisions and concerted practices which may affect trade between Member States.

I can confirm that work is underway between the Departments of Health & Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the issue of amending Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002, in a manner consistent with EU competition law and national policy.

EU Directives.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

86 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the UK Government proposal to introduce a de minimis threshold to exempt small companies from the EU’s accounting and auditing company law directives, specifically the 4th Council Directive 78/660 and the 7th Council Directive 83/349; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40496/08]

In order for any Member State to introduce a de minimis threshold to exempt small companies from the requirements of EU Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, it would first be necessary for these Directives to be amended to allow for this exemption. These Directives have not been so amended.

From enquiries made by my Department, I understand that the UK, for the reason cited above, is not proposing to introduce a de minimis threshold to exempt small companies from the requirements of Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC.

I understand that the UK Government would want to consider how best to respond to any changes to these Directives should these come forward from within the EU at a later date.

Work Permits.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

87 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a work permit will issue to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40514/08]

The Employment Permits Section informs me that it has no record of an application being made in this case.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

88 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40705/08]

My Department has been making good progress in the relocation of the required 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme.

Officials of my Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the OPW, as well as decentralising staff and Business Units, opened an advance office in Carlow on July 30th 2007. The number of staff in this decentralised advance office is 98.

The numbers of staff decentralised to the Department's Carlow office from Dublin locations and locations outside Dublin are set out in the table below.

As my Department is not decentralising in full, officers who are not decentralising and are currently working in areas due to decentralise to provincial locations will be integrated into non-decentralising areas of the Department. There are currently no plans to release non-decentralising staff to other Dublin based Departments.

Grade

Dublin

Outside Dublin

Director

1

0

Legal Adviser

1

0

Accountant

1

0

Principal Officer

2

0

Assistant Principal Officer

4

1

Higher Executive Officer

5

3

Executive Officer

17

9

Staff Officer

3

1

Clerical Officer

24

23

Service Officer/Attendant

2

1

Total

60

38

Tax Code.

Denis Naughten

Question:

89 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Finance his plans, further to correspondence (details supplied), to implement the air travel tax on a more equitable basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40384/08]

I announced in Budget 2009 that an Air Travel Tax will come into force in respect of passengers departing from Irish airports on and from 30 March 2009. A general rate of €10 per passenger will apply, with a lower rate of €2 for shorter journeys. This measure is estimated to yield €95 million in 2009 and €150 million in a full year. This is not an insignificant amount of money and given the current fiscal environment, I do not wish to see this level of anticipated revenue reduced. However, I am aware of a number of issues that were raised subsequent to my Budget announcement and these will be borne in mind in the context of the Finance Bill.

Decentralisation Programme.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

90 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Finance the position to date regarding decentralisation (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40389/08]

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that to date 48 staff have relocated to the advance office (based in Limerick city), for decentralisation to Newcastlewest, County Limerick. It is expected that the permanent office in Newcastlewest will be completed by the end of this year. The Revenue Commissioners do not anticipate any difficulty in filling the full quota of 50 staff in Newcastlewest.

Departmental Bodies.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

91 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Finance the reason the Office of Public Works did not proceed with the purchase of two buildings and a site (details supplied) in County Wexford; if the OPW will provide an undertaking to the organisation that they will consider the purchase of this property in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40397/08]

Officials from the Office of Public Works have carried out an evaluation of the site in question. There are no funds available to progress this project. The situation will be kept under review in liaison with the Minister for Finance and the Department of Transport.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

92 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Finance the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40422/08]

I am taking the question to refer to those people appointed by me and by my Minister of State who were not already permanent civil servants, and who are paid for by voted Departmental moneys. The following people have been appointed to work with me:

Name

Grade

Salary Range

Responsibility

Cathy Herbert

Special Adviser

€92,730 – €114,366

To provide advice to the Minister as required

Marian Quinlan

Personal Secretary

€23,181 – €44,726

Constituency work for the Minister

Maura Cosgrove

Personal Assistant

€46,558 – €55,030

Constituency work for the Minister

My Personal Secretary is based in my constituency office in Castleknock. My Special Advisor and my Personal Assistant are based in my Department's offices in Merrion Street.

None of the above is on city, county, town or borough councils; none is a member of any State boards.

I am advised by the Office of Public Works that the following people have been appointed to work with the Minister of State:

Name

Grade

Salary Range

Responsibility

Lisa Halpin

Personal Assistant

€46,558 – €55,030

Constituency work for Minister of State

Gerardine Fuller

Personal Secretary

€30,566 – €50,410

Constituency work for Minister of State

Michael Maguire

Civilian Driver

€34,826

Driving duties for Minister of State

Sean Moore

Civilian Driver

€34,826

Driving duties for Minister of State

The Personal Assistant is based in the Minister of State's OPW office, and the Personal Secretary is located in the Minister of State's constituency office in Tipperary Town.

One Civilian Driver is a County Councillor.

Financial Services Regulation.

Joan Burton

Question:

93 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Finance his views on liquidity difficulties in the credit union sector here; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties in the sector with the payment of dividends; if his further attention has been drawn to cases of anomalous payments of dividends by credit unions in contravention of the Credit Union Act 1997; if he envisages the retention of the savings protection scheme by the Irish League of Credit Unions in the event that the revised Government deposit guarantee scheme, currently under development, covers all credit union deposits; his views on whether it is necessary for the establishment of an emergency fund that a struggling credit union could draw on to cover its liquidity requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40440/08]

The Registrar of Credit Unions has informed me that taken as a whole the Irish credit union movement has, at the moment, adequate liquidity resources to meet its needs. In addition, no individual credit union currently has a liquidity problem. Because of the ever changing nature of the market, however, the Registrar is monitoring this area closely. On this point, it should be noted that from a regulatory perspective the Registrar is required to consider a range of different scenarios on how things might unfold over the next 12 months, and it was in this context that he requested the Irish League of Credit Unions to consider ways in which it might arrange for liquidity support from among its affiliates in support of any other credit union should any of them encounter liquidity difficulties in the coming months.

In relation to the payment of dividends, the Registrar has indicated that his Office has been working with credit unions to achieve an appropriate balance between the need to reward credit union savers and borrowers and the equally important need to preserve adequate levels of liquidity and reserves in all credit unions. He wrote to all credit unions in October drawing their attention to their obligations under the provisions of the Credit Union Act with regard to the payment of dividends. My Department has been advised that the Registrar is working to ensure compliance by all boards of credit unions with the provisions in respect of the preparation of accounts of credit unions contained in the Credit Union Act. The Registrar has also stressed the responsibility on credit union boards to ensure that the principle of procedure enshrined in the Credit Union Act regarding the preparation of annual accounts is observed.

The action taken by Government in respect of the Deposit Protection Scheme is, of course, complementary to the continuing discussions between the Registrar of Credit Unions and the representative bodies for credit unions regarding broader savings protection arrangements. As the Deputy is aware, the existing Irish League of Credit Unions Savings Protection Scheme (SPS) has played an important role over an extended period of time in helping to support credit unions that have experienced financial difficulties.

Stabilisation mechanisms if properly designed and effectively implemented can, of course, play a very important role in maintaining a credit union experiencing temporary liquidity difficulties as a going concern, pre-empting the risk of failure and the need to activate the deposit guarantee scheme.

Tax Code.

Jack Wall

Question:

94 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Finance his views in relation to correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; his plans to address the concerns outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40441/08]

I announced in Budget 2009 that the betting duty would increase from 1% to 2%. I have since met a wide range of representatives from the betting industry where the problems faced by the sector, including those arising from the Budgetary changes, were discussed. I will bear these in mind in the context of the Finance Bill.

Flood Relief.

Michael Ring

Question:

95 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Finance if he will ascertain from the Office of Public Works the action that can be taken to prevent flooding at a property (details supplied) in County Mayo. [40476/08]

The Office of Public Works has this week agreed to a request from Mayo County Council for funding for a study to investigate the flooding problem in question.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

96 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40478/08]

The following is the information requested by the Deputy in tabular form for my Department and the bodies under the aegis of my Department.

The decentralisation programme operates on a voluntary basis only and no staff were designated to move from Dublin to any location unless they applied to decentralise to a provincial location.

Finance

Location

Number of staff decentralised to date

Number decentralised from Dublin by grade

Number decentralised from provincial locations by grade

Tullamore

128*

4 Principal (PO) 17 Assistant Principal (AP) 15 Higher Executive Officer (HEO) 12 Executive Officer (EO) 6 Staff Officer (SO) 36 Clerical Officer (CO)

1 PO 1 AP 7 HEO 5 EO 3 SO 7 CO

*Includes 14 staff recruited (1 PO, 5 AP, 1 Administrative Officer, 1 EO, 3 CO, 3 Services Officer).

As my Department has retained a substantial number of posts in Dublin, the necessity to compulsorily re-assign staff to other posts in Dublin did not arise.

However, a number of staff whose posts were designated for decentralisation have been assigned new duties. It should also be noted that a number of re-assignments to other Departments did take place on a voluntary basis.

Revenue Commissioners

Location

Number of staff decentralised to date

Number decentralised from Dublin by grade

Number decentralised from provincial locations by grade

Newcastlewest

48

1 Staff Officer (SO) 1 Clerical Officer (CO)

1 Assistant Principal (AP) 3 Higher Executive Officer (HEO) 9 Executive Officer (EO) 2 SO 31 CO

Kilrush

57

2 HEO 1 EO 2 CO

1 AP 1 HEO 9 EO 3 SO 36 CO 1 Service Officer (SVO) 1 Service Attendant (SVA)

Listowel

51

3 EO 5 CO

1 AP 3 HEO 8 EO 2 SO 27 CO 1 SVO 1 SVA

Athy

73

1 PO 1 AP 10 HEO 24 EO 1 SO 27 CO

2 HEO 2 EO 5 CO

Navan*

101

1 PO 5 AP 14 HEO 24 EO 43 CO 1 SVO

1 HEO 6 EO 2 SO 3 CO 1 SVA

*The figures for Navan include 9 staff who were already in location in the VRO office, Navan.

As Revenue retained a substantial number of posts in Dublin, the necessity to reassign staff who did not wish to decentralise to other Departments in Dublin did not arise. No Revenue staff moved to another Department or agency in Dublin, in order to remain in Dublin as a result of decentralisation.

In the time available to answer the question, the Office of Public Works was unable to compile the information in the format sought by the Deputy. However, the information will be compiled and forwarded by that Office to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Richard Bruton

Question:

97 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the number of posts that will be decentralised based on budget 2009, and of those, the number that will be decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number who have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those who will move to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number who will be decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations, and their grades. [40479/08]

As I announced in the Budget, the Government has reviewed the Decentralisation Programme in light of the changed economic circumstances and identified priority elements on which implementation should now proceed. The Government's decision will result in the relocation of up to 6,000 posts to over 40 locations outside of Dublin. This is made up of 2,500 posts already moved, together with an additional 3,500 posts which are in train. Decisions on the timing of further work on implementation of the balance of the programme are being deferred pending a review in 2011 in light of budgetary developments.

The Deputy refers to the number who will be decentralised from outside Dublin. It is useful to highlight the distinction between the location of posts and the mechanism for filling these posts. When the current phase of the programme has been completed, a total of 6,000 posts which were previously located in Dublin will be located in provincial locations. Staff serving in posts already located in Dublin or in regional locations may express a preference for any new location in the programme, or for another existing decentralised/provincial location. When regionally based staff move to an alternative location, their vacancy in turn is filled from among those on the CAF who have expressed an interest in that location or, where there are no such applicants, posts which otherwise would have been filled in Dublin through recruitment or promotion are filled instead in the provincial location. In either scenario the post has relocated from Dublin.

Up to September 2008, over thirteen thousand civil and public servants have applied on the CAF to relocate under the Programme. Over 7,000 of these — or 53% — were Dublin-based applicants. Because of the nature of the programme and the time scales involved, individual circumstances are open to change and application status may change as a result. Consequently, it is not possible to calculate at this stage how many of the decentralising posts to be moved will be filled by people originally from Dublin. I understand that each Minister is currently compiling detailed information for the Deputy in relation to the numbers and grades moved in each organisation and the numbers remaining in Dublin.

Tax Code.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

98 Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance if the income tax levy will be charged against the income of a person with a State pension and an occupational pension when the medical expenses of that person exceed their total income, for instance in the case of a person in a private nursing home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40489/08]

The position is that the income levy will be applied to gross income except social welfare payments and contributory and non-contributory State pensions. It is also intended to provide a threshold which will exempt those on low incomes. It is not intended to provide for the application of any tax reliefs or credits against the liability which an individual may have in respect of the income levy. Full details regarding provisions, in relation to the collection, recovery, inspection of records, and other provisions required in relation to the income levy will be set out in the Finance Bill.

As announced in the Budget, health expenses relief will continue to be available at the marginal tax rate for nursing home expenses throughout 2009. In addition, I would draw the Deputy's attention to the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008 which was published by the Minister for Health and Children in October. The Bill covers both public and private nursing homes and it will, for the first time, make the arrangements for financial support for people who need long term care comprehensive, clear and coherent.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

99 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which businesses can recover VAT incurred in other EU states on-line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40492/08]

I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the Eighth EU VAT Directive provides that businesses established in one Member State may claim a refund of VAT incurred in another Member State in certain circumstances. In accordance with that Directive, Irish businesses claiming refunds are required to forward the application and original supporting documentation direct to the other Member State. Some Member States then make the repayment by cheque and others repay via electronic funds transfer.

The Deputy may wish to be aware that a new EU Directive will come into effect on 1 January 2010, the main purpose of which is to modernise and automate the procedures for processing repayment claims under the Eighth EU VAT Directive. The new Directive provides that all claims by businesses registered in Ireland will be sent via electronic means to the Revenue Commissioners who will then forward them to the relevant Member State where the VAT was incurred. That State will then make the repayment direct to the Irish business. While the Directive is not specific as to how claims will be paid, it is expected that most States will pay via electronic funds transfer. Arrangements for implementing the new Directive in Ireland are progressing.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

100 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which VAT returns can be filled in on-line; the potential savings for business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40493/08]

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the Revenue On-Line Service (ROS) allows filing of the normal regular VAT returns (VAT3 Returns) and the annual VAT return on trading details. It also provides for the payment and repayment of VAT liabilities. The payments and returns are due to be filed either bi-monthly, at four-monthly intervals or annually depending on the size of the business.

The volume of VAT returns submitted via ROS increased by 30% from over 350,000 in 2006 to nearly 460,000 in 2007. In 2007, over one-third of VAT 3 returns were filed on ROS.

There are significant cost savings and efficiency gains for businesses that use ROS because ROS is quick and easy to use and it facilitates cash flow management. The forms are simple. Once a form is validated and transmitted to ROS, an instant acknowledgement is sent to the taxpayer's ROS inbox.

ROS returns are processed automatically and the taxpayer's Revenue record is updated within days of filing. The faster processing of returns leads to speedier repayments (if due). Within Revenue, the customer service standards for processing ROS returns provide for quicker processing. In addition, there is a special ROS helpdesk (and 1890 lo-call number) to provide assistance to anyone who has difficulties with the service.

A further advantage for ROS users is that the ROS customer information service gives a business or its tax agent access to its Revenue Account. This means that a business can see a full record of VAT transactions — filing, payment or repayment — since it first used ROS. This facility makes it easier to keep track of VAT transactions.

Departmental Properties.

Joan Burton

Question:

101 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Finance the arrangements the Office of Public Works has made for the disposal of Hawkins House; the amount of revenue he would expect to raise from such disposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40507/08]

The Commissioners of Public Works have entered into an Agreement for Lease with the owner of the Apollo Premises. The owner of the Apollo Premises intends to re-develop the overall Apollo/Hawkins House site. The costs of the redevelopment will be borne entirely by the owner of the Apollo Premises.

If certain conditions in the Agreement for Lease are met by the owner of the Apollo Premises, OPW will grant it a lease. The terms of the Agreement for Lease and the Lease provide that OPW will receive monetary consideration for the granting of the Lease and a percentage share of the rental income generated from the new development, subject to a minimum annual rent, for the term of the Lease.

Prior to entering into the Agreement for Lease independent valuations were carried out on a number of proposals for development/sale of Hawkins House. The present option proved the most beneficial to the State.

Decentralisation Programme.

Joan Burton

Question:

102 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Finance the position regarding the proposed decentralisation of the Office of Public Works; the number and the proportion of OPW staff who will move; the number who will remain in Dublin; if new premises have been secured both in Dublin and in Trim, County Meath; the cost of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40508/08]

The OPW is due to decentralise 525 posts to three locations under the current decentralisation programme. The Minister of State and 333 posts will move to Trim; 104 posts will move to Claremorris. The moving of 88 posts to Kanturk is deferred, pending a review in 2011. This number represents the majority of our Dublin based personnel, and, as the OPW is not decentralising in its entirety, there will be a number of personnel remaining in Dublin. OPW is currently reviewing its options regarding accommodation for those staff remaining in Dublin. No decision has yet been taken on this issue. OPW is currently constructing its new headquarters in Trim, and the estimated cost of same is in the region of €18,467,000 to date. A further cost of €110,752 can be attributed to the provision of temporary accommodation in the advance office.

Special Educational Needs.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

103 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children if there is special grant assistance available for individuals seeking to provide Montessori places or other preschool initiatives for children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40488/08]

As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) which is implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children and which will invest €575 million over five years in the development of child care services.

The NCIP came into effect in January 2006 and has a target of creating 50,000 new child care places, supported by capital grant aid. Services eligible for support include those providing care for babies, full-day care, part-time, sessional playschool, and other pre-school services, school age child care including "wrap-around" child care places and childminding. While child care facilities supported under the programme are expected to provide a reasonable level of care for all children availing of their services, there is no provision under the NCIP to provide additional financial supports for children with disabilities in child care facilities.

Ambulance Service.

Joe Carey

Question:

104 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children if parts of the country are provided with an air ambulance service; if she or the Health Service Executive has initiated pilot projects in relation to this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40358/08]

An air ambulance service is provided by the Air Corps on the basis of a Service Level Agreement prepared by the Departments of Defence and Health and Children in consultation with the Health Service Executive, the Defence Forces and the Air Corps, all of which are signatories to it. This arrangement has operated successfully for a number of years and was renewed in November 2007 to take account of the air ambulance capabilities of new aircraft acquired by the Air Corps.

The air ambulance service is provided by the Air Corps for the following categories:

Inter-hospital transfer of patients with spinal or other serious injury or illness,

Neonates requiring immediate medical intervention in Ireland,

Patients requiring specialised emergency treatment in the UK,

Organ retrieval teams within Ireland,

Paediatric patients requiring immediate medical intervention in Ireland.

In addition the Irish Coast Guard provides air ambulance inter-hospital transfers as part of its mission tasking and also provides for emergency medical evacuation from the islands around Ireland. In situations where the Coast Guard service is not available, the Air Corps will transport patients from offshore islands to mainland hospitals. Both my Department and the Health Service Executive are satisfied that the existing arrangements are working well. Neither has engaged in any pilot projects in relation to the provision of an air ambulance service.

Cancer Screening Programme.

Joe Carey

Question:

105 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children the timeframe for the development of the BreastCheck service to Clare; her plans to extend the service to different age groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40359/08]

BreastCheck commenced roll-out in the Western Region last May and I officially opened the BreastCheck clinical static units in Galway last December. The expansion of the BreastCheck programme to the West covers counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary North Riding. The National Cancer Screening Service is making every effort to roll-out the programme to all remaining counties as quickly as possible. Screening has already been made available in Counties Roscommon, Galway, Mayo, Tipperary North Riding and Limerick in the West.

The expert advice from BreastCheck and from the National Cancer Forum, as contained in the National Strategy for Cancer Control, is that following the national roll out of the programme to women between the ages of 50 and 64 years, the upper age limit should be extended to women aged 69 years. The priority of BreastCheck is to screen women who have not yet been screened and accordingly it is fully focussed at present on the completion of the first round of screening in the West and South. I will consider extending the age limit as recommended when the national roll-out of the programme is sufficiently developed and it is assured that a quality service is being delivered. Any woman irrespective of her age who has immediate concerns or symptoms should contact her GP who, where appropriate, will refer her to the symptomatic services in her area.

The Deputy's specific questions in relation to the roll out to County Clare is the responsibility of the National Cancer Screening Service. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Chief Executive Officer of the Service to respond directly to the Deputy in this regard.

Health Services.

Joe Carey

Question:

106 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to the development of primary care in west Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40360/08]

Under the Health Act 2004, the management and delivery of health and personal social services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. This includes operational responsibility for the establishment of Primary Care Teams and Primary Care Centres. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Ambulance Service.

Joe Carey

Question:

107 Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will provide a detailed report on the ambulance service for west Clare, including the location at which the ambulance is stationed, the frequency of call out, the staffing complement and the number of times ambulances stationed in other areas are used for calls in west Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40361/08]

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issues raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Health Service Staff.

Mary Upton

Question:

108 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there are a number of recently graduated physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists who are unable to secure employment due to the Health Service Executive recruitment freeze and the stalling of the primary care strategy, that a significant increase in college places for these courses was recommended by the Bacon report and subsequently approved and that the current employment situation is bleak for recently graduate physiotherapists, many of whom are forced to emigrate to seek employment in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40366/08]

There has been a growing demand for, and investment in, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy services over the last number of years. There were a number of issues contributing to difficulties accessing therapy services, one of which had been the supply of qualified personnel available to fill vacant posts. 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. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of such personnel in order to secure a good supply of graduates to provide for the healthcare needs of the population into the future. In this regard, since 1997, the number of training places for physiotherapy has been increased from 64 to 145 which represents an increase of 127%; the number of training places for speech and language therapy has been increased from 25 to 105 which represents an increase of 320%; and the number of training places for occupational therapy has been increased from 29 to 120 which represents an increase of 314%.

Almost 130,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals employed in the public health services. The numbers employed in the therapy grades have also grown significantly, as follows:

Numbers employed in the public health service in whole time equivalent terms

Grade

31/12/1997

30/09/2008

% increase

Physiotherapy

593

1,429

141%

Speech and Language Therapy

282

736

161%

Occupational Therapy

291

1,045

259%

The Government is committed to ensuring continued adequate recruitment of professional staff across a range of community settings to ensure the continued development of community services. Additional funding of €20 million has been provided in 2009 for health and education services for children with special educational needs. This funding will provide a total of 125 additional therapy posts in the HSE targeted at children of school-going age. 90 of these will be in the disability services, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists. 35 additional posts will be provided for child and adolescent mental health services, including clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists for new and existing multi-disciplinary teams.

In addition, certain key health and social care professional posts, including speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, counsellors and social workers, are to be protected by setting employment floors for these grades within the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2009. These posts are essential to the development of a number of services areas such as disability (including speech and language therapy), child adolescent mental health services and child protection services. In order to protect these posts, my Department will be writing to the HSE setting out the minimum employment levels to be maintained within each of these occupations in the health sector in 2009. The recruitment and retention of these key front line professional posts is vital to ensure continued progress in the development of community settings.

Health Services.

Mary Upton

Question:

109 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of the 300 primary care teams promised in the primary care strategy that have been delivered; if she still intends to promote the primary care strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40367/08]

The key objective of the Primary Care Strategy is to give people direct access to integrated multi-disciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, home helps and others. Membership of primary care teams and networks are drawn from existing professional and other staff working in primary, continuing and community care services, as well as from newly recruited frontline professionals. Specific additional funding was provided in 2006/2008 to facilitate the roll-out of extra primary care teams. There have been substantial enhancements in the services provided in primary and community care settings along with corresponding increases in the numbers of staff concerned.

At this stage, the main focus is on the reorganisation of existing services and staff into primary care teams and networks. This requires changes in work practices and reporting relationships, with an emphasis on joint working by various health professionals. It also requires significant work in mapping and profiling of areas.

Work under many of these headings is well advanced and I am pleased with the level of interest in, and engagement with, primary care teams among general practitioners. I have emphasised to the HSE the importance I attach to the continued development and roll-out of primary care teams.

Under the Health Act 2004, the management and delivery of health and personal social services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. This includes operational responsibility for the establishment of Primary Care Teams and Primary Care Centres. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the part of the Question relating to the current number of teams investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme.

John Perry

Question:

110 Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children when outstanding moneys owed to all claimants whose applications have been approved under the health repayment scheme will be paid; if the Health Service Executive has identified a deadline date for repayment of all moneys; if the HSE is prioritising repayment to those claimants who are still living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40381/08]

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for administering the health repayment scheme in conjunction with the appointed scheme administrator K.P.M.G. and McCann Fitzgerald. The HSE has advised my Department that since commencement of the scheme over 18,600 claimants have received offers of repayment totalling over €351m and in excess of 14,300 payments have been made totalling over €300m. Further offers continue to be issued every week.

The HSE has informed my Department that the Scheme is progressing as speedily as possible and every effort is being made to settle the remaining outstanding claims as quickly as possible. The Scheme Administrator is very focused on prioritising a repayment to those claimants who are still living and offers continue to be sent to this cohort on a weekly basis.

The HSE has advised my Department that the Scheme Administrator is confident that the vast majority of claims submitted by the public will be concluded by the end of the year. However, it should be noted that repayment offers made towards the end of the year cannot be paid until the statutory 28 day period for appeals has elapsed and a completed acceptance form has been returned to the scheme administrator. In addition, claimants who receive an offer must be given the opportunity, if they so wish to appeal the scheme administrator's decision on their claim. As a result, this may have an impact on the timeframe for finalisation of the Health Repayment Scheme. The Scheme Administrator continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure that the scheme is finalised as quickly as possible.

Health Services.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

111 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children if assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40398/08]

A list of reimbursable coeliac food items is available to people registered under the Drug Payment and Medical Card Schemes. The list includes items such as bread, bread mixes, baguettes, flours, pasta, cornflakes, muesli, porridge and pizza bases. The Health Service Executive has operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services under the 2004 Health Act and therefore, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the particular case raised by the Deputy investigated and to have a reply issued directly to him.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

112 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people she and her Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40424/08]

The information requested in relation to personal Ministerial staff appointed by my Department is set out as follows.

Ms Mary Harney T.D.

Name

Based

Rank

Duties

Gross Annual Salary

Elected to City, County, Town or Borough Councils

Member of State Boards

Patricia Ryan

Private Office, DoHC

Special Adviser

Providing policy advice to the Minister

150,712

No

No

Derek Cunningham

Private Office, DoHC

Special Adviser/Press Officer

Providing policy and press advice to the Minister

122,384

No

No

Catherine Dardis

Private Office, DoHC

Personal Assistant

Dealing with Departmental and Ministerial matters

59,737

No

No

Alan McGaughey

Constituency Office, DoHC

Personal Assistant

Dealing with constituency matters

60,389

No

No

Minister of State with responsibility for Children and Youth Affairs, Mr Barry Andrews T.D.

Name

Based

Rank

Duties

Gross Annual Salary

Elected to City, County, Town or Borough Councils

Member of State Boards

Liam Cullen

Private Office, DoHC

Special Adviser

Providing policy advice to the Minister of State

107,485

No

No

Gareth Crowe

Constituency Office, DoHC

Personal Assistant

Dealing with constituency matters

49,957

Co-opted to Dunlaoghaire/ Rathdown Co. Council.

No

Angela Hoey-Reilly

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

35,776

No

No

Minister of State with responsibility for Health Promotion and Food, Ms Mary Wallace T.D.

Name

Based

Rank

Duties

Gross Annual Salary

Elected to City, County, Town or Borough Councils

Member of State Boards

Mary Manning

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Assistant

Dealing with constituency matters

50,789

No

No

Mary Finn

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

37,837

No

No

Josephine King

Regional Constituency Office

Temporary Clerical Officer

Dealing with constituency matters

30,748

No

No

Teresa Osborne-Ryan

Regional Constituency Office

Temporary Clerical Officer

Dealing with constituency matters

32,910

No

No

Breda Roche

Regional Constituency Office

Temporary Clerical Officer

Dealing with constituency matters

31,828

No

No

Michael Farrelly

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Ian Gannon

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Minister of State with responsibility for Older People, Ms Máire Hoctor T.D.

Name

Based

Rank

Duties

Gross Annual Salary

Elected to City, County, Town or Borough Councils

Member of State Boards

David McMahon

Constituency Office, DoHC

Personal Assistant

Dealing with constituency matters

49,957

No

No

Marion Burke

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

44,996

No

No

Martin D’Arcy

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Matthew Givens

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Minister of State with responsibility for Disability Issues and Mental Health Mr John Moloney, T.D.

Name

Based

Rank

Duties

Gross Annual Salary

Elected to City, County, Town or Borough Councils

Member of State Boards

Frances O’Loughlin

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Assistant

Dealing with constituency matters

52,770

No

No

Rosemary McEvoy (0.35)

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

16,320

No

No

Antoinette Mackim (0.45)

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

18,215

No

No

Suzanne Quigley (0.2)

Regional Constituency Office

Personal Secretary

Dealing with constituency matters

5,726

No

No

John Edward Moloney

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Don White

Civilian Driver

Driving Duties

34,804

No

No

Infectious Diseases.

Joe Costello

Question:

113 Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the effectiveness of byotrol anti-microbial technology in destroying and preventing hospital acquired infections such as MRSA, VRE and C difficile; if she proposes to introduce it into hospitals here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40429/08]

The monitoring and control of Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs) is a priority for this Government and the Health Service Executive (HSE). Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. However, I have been informed that while the technology referred to by the Deputy may have some benefits associated with the control of HCAIs, the HSE does not have the scientific evidence to date to make a decision to introduce it in the Irish healthcare setting.

Child Abuse.

Sean Sherlock

Question:

114 Deputy Seán Sherlock asked the Minister for Health and Children if she has been presented with a copy of a report by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in relation to complaints made against an organisation (details supplied) regarding complaints of a certain nature and containing recommendations to reform complaint procedures and child protection measures; the length of time the report has been in her Department’s possession; if the report has been sent to the Health Service Executive; the length of time it has been in the HSE’s possession, if that report has been published; if action has been taken against those at the centre of allegations; if the report has been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions; if all recommendations have been implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40435/08]

My office was sent a report by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) relating to the Catholic diocese of Cloyne. As soon as the report was received my office requested the NBSCCC to forward the report to the HSE. As it later became clear that the NBSCCC had not forwarded the report to the HSE, and did not intend doing so, the report was sent by my office to the HSE.

As regards any action on foot of the report this remains at present a matter for the HSE as the agency statutorily responsible to promote the welfare of children not receiving adequate care and protection. I await the report and recommendations of the HSE as to whether the current child protection policies and practices in the Catholic church are being implemented and operated satisfactorily in the context of the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation into the Dublin Archdiocese. I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly in relation to actions taken following its receipt of the report.

Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme.

Denis Naughten

Question:

115 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of nursing home refund appeals processed in each of the past 12 months; the length of time it is taking to process each application, both oral and written; the cost of administering the appeals office; the payment mechanism for the appeals officers; when it is expected to clear the back log; the numbers involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40437/08]

The Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office is an independent office established to provide an appeals service to those who wish to appeal the decision of the Scheme Administrator under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006.

Up to the end of 2007 the Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office had received 1,206 completed appeal forms and of these lodged appeals the Appeals Officer had issued 407 decisions. Up to 7 November 2008 the Office has received an additional 3,633 completed appeal forms and the Appeals Officers have issued an additional 2,010 decisions. In summary, up to 7 November 2008 the cumulative total of appeal forms lodged is 4,839 and the cumulative total of Appeals Officers' decisions issued is 2,417. It is anticipated that the Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office will continue to receive completed appeals forms during the first half of 2009 and that all appeals will be determined before the end of 2009.

The Appeals Officers must investigate each appeal independently, these investigations can require additional reviews by the Health Service Executive and the Scheme Administrator and certain appeals present a high level of complexity. In addition a very high percentage of appellants have requested an oral hearing. A second Appeals Officer was appointed on 1 September 2008 to ensure appeals are determined as quickly as possible. The current average time for an Appeals Officer's decision to issue is 97 days.

The Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office was established in December 2006. Two Appeals Officers have been appointed to consider appeals and the Office has four administration staff. The set-up and on-going operating expenses of the Office, including the salaries in respect of the Appeals Officers and staff, up to 31 October 2008 are set out in the table below. Salaries are paid to the Appeals Officers and staff by the Department of Health and Children. These salaries are then refunded on a quarterly basis to the Department of Health and Children from the Special Account as provided for under section 13 of the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006.

2006

2007

2008 (up to 31/10/08)

Total

€57,571.39

€325,076.21

€463,143.46

€846,001.06

Services for People with Disabilities.

Michael Creed

Question:

116 Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will make a statement on the commitment to a multi-annual investment programme under the national disability strategy; and if €50 million will be provided in 2009 for this strategy. [40438/08]

Under the Multi Annual Investment Programme additional funding of €75m was allocated in both 2006 and 2007 and €50m was allocated in 2008 to the Health Service Executive (HSE) to fund a range of additional disability services. Although the commencement of the planned developments in disability services this year had been delayed due to a financial review, I am pleased to inform you that the Executive has informed the Department of Health and Children that it is now in the process of rolling out the planned developments. The HSE has indicated that due to the delayed start to some of these developments, it expects to spend €33m of the €50m by the end of 2008. The resulting €17m time related savings were included in this Department's budgetary consolidation measures announced to the House in July 2008.

Due to the current economic climate it is not possible to provide an additional €50m in 2009 for the Multi Annual Investment Programme. However the Government has emphasised its commitment to people with disabilities by allocating an additional €20m in Budget 2009 for health and education services for children with special educational needs. €10m of this allocation will be to the Health Service Executive (HSE), and €10m to the Department of Education and Science, to enable the services provided to children with special educational needs to be enhanced and strengthened. The additional €10m allocated to the HSE will provide for 125 additional therapy posts in the disability and mental health services, targeted at children of school-going age.

Medical Malpractice.

Finian McGrath

Question:

117 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will support the case of persons (details supplied). [40467/08]

Matters relating to clinical/medical malpractice are appropriate to the Medical Council as the body charged with regulating the medical profession in Ireland. Therefore, any concerns which the Deputy may have in relation to this particular case should be directed to the Medical Council for their attention.

Hospitals Award Scheme.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

118 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount each hospital has been penalised or awarded under the Health Service Executive award scheme for hospitals each year for the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40484/08]

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Hospital Staff.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

119 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of bonus awarded to the manager of each hospital each year for the past three years; if she will provide the information per hospital in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40485/08]

Performance related award schemes are in operation in respect of the chief executive officers and the deputy chief executive officers in the Dublin Area Teaching Hospitals and the chief executive officers of voluntary hospitals. The awards made to eligible individuals are solely a matter for the board of the particular hospital, and must be in accordance with the principles set out by the review body. In this regard, awards should be related to the achievement of highly demanding and challenging targets and stretched objectives which are difficult, but not impossible to achieve. These targets should be set beyond what the normal ongoing requirements of the job. Details of awards made to individual officers under the scheme by the various boards are not disclosed on the basis that they are confidential to the individual concerned. The range of awards made in respect of 2005 to 2007 is as follows:

Year

No. of agencies

Minimum award

Maximum award

2005

17

5,970

13,692

2006

17

8,560

19,615

2007

13

8,626

24,276

Departmental Offices.

Joan Burton

Question:

120 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health and Children the details and costs of the data centre recently established at Hawkins House; if it will be possible to move this data centre in the event that the Department of Health and Children moves from Hawkins House; the cost of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40509/08]

A new IT computer room was provided in Hawkins House in 2007 as part of a number of refurbishment works carried out by the Office of Public Works that year. The cost of this facility, including VAT, was slightly under €400,000. Two independent reports carried out in 2006 highlighted the risks in the facility then existing and the pressing need for upgrading. The bulk of the equipment installed as part of the refurbishment of the computer room could be reused if required in an alternative site. It is not possible to accurately estimate the cost of relocating this equipment as this would depend on the facilities available at, and the characteristics of, a new site.

General Medical Services Scheme.

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

121 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason medication (details supplied) is not available under the GMS scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40511/08]

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services including the availability of drugs and medicines was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Medical Cards.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

122 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children when a medical card will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40515/08]

As the Health Service Executive has the operational and funding responsibility for the medical card benefit, it is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has therefore requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

123 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a medical card has been refused in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if same will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40516/08]

As the Health Service Executive has operational and funding responsibility for the medical card benefit, it is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has therefore requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

124 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children when a medical card will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40517/08]

As the Health Service Executive has the operational and funding responsibility for the medical card benefit, it is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has therefore requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Alcohol Marketing.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

125 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children if the consultative panel to advise the Alcohol Marketing Communications Monitoring Body as proposed in the revised codes of practice on alcohol marketing, communications and advertising to young people published in July 2008 has been established; if so, the membership of same; if not, when it will be established; if she will ensure that organisations representing children and young people will be represented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40570/08]

My Department established the independent Alcohol Marketing Communications Monitoring Body to monitor the implementation of, and adherence to, the codes on alcohol advertising by advertisers and media owners. To date, the two annual reports prepared by the body found that there was general compliance with the codes. In order to bring the views of a broader constituent of stakeholders on the operation and implementation of the codes to the attention of the body, it has been agreed to establish a consultative panel to the body. This consultative panel has not yet been established. My Department is in the process of consulting with the code partners before issuing invitations to join the consultative panel. I assure the Deputy that my Department intends to have the views of children and young people represented on the consultative panel.

Sports Sponsorship.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

126 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children if the working group to examine the extent of the existing sports sponsorships by alcohol companies and the terms and lengths of contracts has been set up; if she will ensure that organisations representing children and young people will be represented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40571/08]

My Department is consulting other relevant Government Departments to find the most suitable means of progressing this issue. My Department will seek to ensure that relevant stakeholders, including those representing children and young people, will have an opportunity to set out their views and concerns.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

127 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40708/08]

As the Deputy will be aware my Department is not one of the Departments scheduled for decentralisation under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. To date, 55 civil servants have transferred to decentralising Departments from my Department. Further details in respect of the transfer of these officers are available from the decentralising Departments.

Regional Airports.

Michael Ring

Question:

128 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Transport the reason an airport (details supplied) received a grant of €800,000 in 2008; if he will provide a breakdown of this support; the reason this scheme is not extended to other regional airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40374/08]

Michael Ring

Question:

129 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Transport the grant aid allocated to a regional airport (details supplied) in each of the past five years. [40375/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together.

A scheme introduced in 2006 provides for an annual subvention in respect of expenditure incurred by the regional airports in providing core airport services. The amount of subvention payable in any one year is based on projected losses by the airports in providing those core services, having taken account of any surpluses from commercial activities such as catering and carparking and any other sources of income available to the airports. This is in line with the view underlying the mandatory EU guidelines on State aid for the sector that, as a general rule, airports should be self-financing and that public money should be made available to them only in particular circumstances and subject to certain conditions. The scheme, which was drawn up as a necessary response to EU guidelines, is based on a PSO contract between the Minister and the individual airports under which the airports undertake to provide core airport services to an acceptable standard. Consideration of applications for funding under the scheme involves a close analysis by the Department of financial and other information provided by each airport on an annual basis. Galway Airport has received €820,800 in operational subvention to date in 2008. With regard to Galway Airport, the amount of grant aid paid in each of the last five years is as follows:

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Capital Grant Aid

944,712

1,276,421

692,015

0

673,892

*Operational subvention

230,000

280,000

280,000

677,848

859,000

Between 2003 and 2005, the operational subvention related to marketing, safety and security costs.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

130 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Transport the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40427/08]

The tables which follow this reply provide the information required by the Deputy. The first table relates to me, as the Minister for Transport, and the second table relates to the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Noel Ahern.

Minister

Name

Rank

Location

Salary Scale

Council Members

Member of State Board

Responsibilities

James Fegan

Special Advisor

Constituency Office

€92,730 – €107,485

Yes

No

To provide advice to the Minister, and to monitor, facilitate and secure the achievement of Government objectives that relate to the Department of Transport

Margaret Conway

Personal Assistant

Constituency Office

€46,558 – €55,030

No

No

To ensure the smooth running of all constituency matters.

Una Grehan

Personal Secretary

ConstituencyOffice

€444.26 – €825.90 p.w.

No

No

Secretarial duties.

Tanya Harrington

Specialist in Transport Policy

Private Office

€86,168 – €100,191

No

No

Transport, Regulatory and Policy Co-ordinator

Olive Stephens

Press Advisor

Press Office

€86,168 – €100,191

No

No

Responsible for day to day management of the Department’s Press Office

Minister of State

Name

Rank

Location

Salary Scale

Council Members

Member of State Board

Responsibilities

Deirdre Heney

Personal Assistant

Constituency Office

€46,558 – €55,030

Yes

No

To ensure the smooth running of all constituency matters.

Niall McCullough

Secretarial Assistant

Constituency Office

€444.26 – €825.90 per week

No

No

To ensure the smooth running of all constituency matters.

Liam Sheehy

CivilianDriver

——

€34,826

No

No

Driving

Michael Talbot

Civilian Driver

——

€34,826

No

No

Driving

Regional Airports.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

131 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the €22.3 million allocated under Transport 21 to Waterford Airport; the amount to be allocated in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40445/08]

In February 2007, the Government approved grants under Transport 21 amounting to €86 million, consisting of €39 million under Measure 1 (90% funding) for safety/security projects, and €47 million under Measure 2 (75% funding) for developmental projects at the six regional airports in the period up to the end of 2010. Waterford Airport, with potential grants amounting to €22.33 million, is a major beneficiary under the capital grant scheme and has already received about €2.77 million in grant aid. Projects earmarked for the Airport include €9.2 million for safety related projects and €13.1 million for development projects. The provision in my Department's Vote to fund the capital expenditure grant scheme in 2009 is €11 million. Because of the current difficulties with the public finances, I have decided that until the end of 2009, expenditure under the scheme should focus on projects and project elements where the airports have already entered into contractual commitments. This means that inevitably, full implementation of the approved capital programme will take longer than originally anticipated. My Department will aim to establish priorities for grant aid from the funds available in 2009, having regard to contractual commitments and a realistic assessment of the actual drawdown requirements for safety and security-related projects likely to arise during the year. At a recent meeting with Waterford Airport, I received a detailed presentation on priority items which the airport wants to move forward in 2009, which are mainly safety/security related. This will be considered by my Department in the context of its review of priorities for funding under the scheme next year, but it is not possible to give any commitments at this stage on the eventual decisions.

Public Transport.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

132 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Transport his strategic plan for the development of public transport in the south-east region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40449/08]

The strategic overall framework for land use and transport planning in the south-east region is the national spatial strategy and the south-east regional planning guidelines. In addition, the Waterford planning land use and transportation strategy, adopted by the three relevant local authorities, provides a sub-regional framework for Waterford city and environs, while development plans and local area plans at local levels must also be consistent with the National spatial strategy framework. The national spatial strategy, regional planning guidelines, and land use and transportation plans such as the Waterford planning land use and transportation strategy, were extensively taken into account by my Department in the development of the Transport 21 investment programme. Investment in upgrading the transport infrastructure in the south-east region has focused to a substantial extent on upgrading the road network including the N9 and N11. There has also been substantial investment however in the rail network between Dublin and Rosslare and Dublin and Waterford. Both lines have benefited from substantial investment of approximately €140 million since 1999 in upgrading the track to continuous welded rail, upgrading the signalling system and in improvement works on bridges, level crossings and fencing.

Iarnród Éireann has expanded services on the route in response to customer demand. This has facilitated an increased in services from four daily services on the Waterford line in 2003 to six daily services in 2008. Services on the Rosslare line services increased in 2007 from three services to four services daily. Both routes are also benefiting from the introduction of new InterCity railcars. This fleet of carriages for the entire national network will ultimately operate all on all services on these two routes. The trains are operated on one service daily in each direction on the Dublin-Waterford route and will be rolled out across both routes in early 2009. I understand from Bus Éireann that 35 of the 239 new buses it is purchasing will be deployed in the south-east region. In addition, my Department has approved funding to Waterford City Council for bus priority as well as for the carrying out of a public transport feasibility study for Waterford city, which will include an examination of the feasibility of rapid transit and an analysis of the bus network in the city and environs. I understand that a consultative committee regarding the feasibility study, convened by the city council, is due to take place shortly. This study is to be completed by mid-2009. My Department's rural transport programme is already operational in all counties throughout the south-east region.

National Car Test.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

133 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Transport if a person buying a vehicle, for example 18 months after its last National Car Test test period has expired, is required to pay the full test charge even when the vehicle has been validly off the road for the previous year and a half; his views on having the NCT validity period run from the date of the test rather than from the date of first registration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40510/08]

Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006 (S.I. No 477 of 2006) this is a matter for the Road Safety Authority.

Road Network.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

134 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport the legislative basis on which the National Roads Authority and a company (details supplied) have determined toll charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40560/08]

The statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors in respect of national roads is vested in the National Roads Authority (NRA) under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007). Section 61 of the Roads Act provides that the NRA may make toll bye-laws for the operation and management of a toll road, which may specify the amounts of the tolls that shall be charged.

Taxi Regulations.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

135 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Transport the reason with regard to an application for renewal of a SPSV licence (details supplied), the applicant is being charged a penalty fee of €500 and associated costs in view of the fact that their test was completed within the timeframe but licence printing facilities were not available at that time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40567/08]

The Taxi Regulation Act 2003 established the Commission for Taxi Regulation as an independent public body responsible for the development and maintenance of the regulatory framework for the control and operation, including licensing, of taxis, hackneys, limousines and their drivers. Under the 2003 Act the Commission may make regulations in relation to the licensing, ownership, control and operation of small public service vehicles. The issues raised in the Deputy's question relate to the day-to-day responsibilities and actions of the Commission.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

136 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40712/08]

10 Departmental and 40 Road Safety Authority staff were decentralised to Loughrea in July, 2007, a total of 50 staff. Of these, 10 staff relocated from Dublin in the following grades: 2 Assistant Principal Officers, 5 Transport Officers, 1 Higher Executive Officer,1 Executive Officer and 1 Staff Officer.

62 posts were also decentralised to Ballina. Of these, 8 staff relocated from Dublin in the following grades: 2 Assistant Principal Officers, 2 Executive Officers, and 4 Clerical Officers. The remaining Departmental staff did not volunteer to decentralise out of Dublin.

44 staff from my Department transferred to posts in other Departments which were due to move out of Dublin under the decentralisation programme. The ultimate transfer of these staff is a matter for their parent Departments. My Department has not decentralised staff to any location other than Ballina and Loughrea.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

137 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40425/08]

The staff appointed to my office are set out in the following table:

Rank/Responsibility

Salary Range

Special Adviser

€86,168 – €106,582

Press Adviser

€86,168 – €106,582

Personal Assistant

€46,558 – €59,097

Personal Secretary

€30,566 – €50,410

*My Personal Secretary is located at the Department's offices, while my Personal Assistant is located at my constituency office in Louth.

The staff appointed to the office of my colleague, Mr. Conor Lenihan, T.D., Minister of State for Integration, are set out in the following table:

Rank/Responsibility

Salary Range

Personal Assistant

€46,558 – €59,097

Personal Secretary

€44,316 – one point scale

**The Personal Assistant and Personal Secretary divide their time between the Office of the Minister for Integration, and the Minister of State's constituency.

The Minister of State also has 2 civilian drivers who are paid a weekly wage of €667.43.

None of the staff appointed are elected to city, county, town or borough councils. Nor are they members of State boards.

Judicial Appointment.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

138 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he will appoint a permanent District Court judge to Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40452/08]

A judge is assigned on a temporary basis to Waterford District at present. Plans are in place to make a permanent assignment in the very near future.

Garda Investigation.

Finian McGrath

Question:

139 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will support a matter (details supplied). [40469/08]

I have sought a report from the Garda authorities on this matter and will communicate with the Deputy upon receipt of this.

Tribunals of Inquiry.

Joe Costello

Question:

140 Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in the aftermath of the Morris tribunal, other alleged miscarriages of justices are being investigated by the authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40471/08]

The Morris Tribunal of Inquiry was established by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in March 2002 to inquire into allegations arising from a unique set of circumstances surrounding the activities of some members of An Garda Síochána in Donegal. Mr. Justice Morris and his team in producing eight comprehensive and conclusive reports have performed a huge service for An Garda Síochána and the public. Even so, I am sure that the Deputy will agree that it would neither be desirable nor practicable to establish a Tribunal of Inquiry whenever a miscarriage of justice is alleged.

What the Government has done however, as noted by Mr Justice Morris, is to establish a new and independent body to consider complaints against members of the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is independent in the exercise of its functions and its membership comprises persons of the highest calibre chosen by Government, approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas and appointed by the President. It is chaired by a High Court Judge and has almost 100 staff which is five times the staffing complement of its predecessor the Garda Síochána Complaints Board. Included in that staffing complement is an independent investigative capacity with considerable professional expertise. It is empowered directly to investigate all complaints, including those complaints where the complainant feels that he or she or another person has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice as a result of Garda misconduct. It also has the power to investigate of its own motion, without a complaint having to be made, and where it is desirable in the public interest, any matter that appears to it to indicate that a member of the Garda Síochána may have committed an offence, or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings. The Minister may also request the Ombudsman to investigate any such matter.

Finally, and as Mr. Justice Morris has also pointed out in paragraph 15.05 of his Sixth report, section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993 facilitated for the first time a review of a criminal conviction even if there had been an unsuccessful appeal, if a newly discovered fact demonstrates to the Court of Criminal Appeal that there has been a miscarriage of justice.

Residency Permits.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

141 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position regarding an application for residency or family reunification in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40518/08]

I refer the Deputy to my Replies to his previous Parliamentary Questions concerning the person concerned. I am informed by the Immigration Division of my Department that the person referred to by the Deputy will be contacted shortly by the Family Reunification Unit in relation to the application which was refused in July 2006.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

142 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position regarding an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40519/08]

I wish to inform the Deputy that the person in question was invited, by letter dated 2 April, 2008, to make written representations, under Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999, as to why he should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. Representations in this regard have been received in my Department and are being assessed by the relevant officials. The person concerned, and his legal representatives, will be contacted directly and notified of any decisions made regarding his status in the State in due course.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

143 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40520/08]

I refer the Deputy to my detailed Reply to his recent Parliamentary Question, No. 845 of Wednesday, 24 September 2008, in this matter. The position in the State of the person concerned is as set out in that Reply.

Residency Permits.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

144 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in regard to a family reunification application by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40521/08]

I refer the Deputy to my answers to his previous Parliamentary Questions. I am informed by the Immigration Division of my Department that the person referred to by the Deputy made an application for Family Reunification in January 2006. The application was forwarded to the Refugee Applications Commissioner for investigation as required under Section 18 of the Refugee Act 1996. This investigation has been completed and the Commissioner has forwarded a report to my Department. Further documentation was submitted subsequently by the person in question and is currently being examined by my Department. My Department will contact the person in question shortly in relation to her application.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

145 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40522/08]

The person concerned applied for asylum on 13 March 2006. Her application was refused following consideration of her case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 20 June 2008, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of her. She was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why she should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. In addition, she was notified of her entitlement to apply for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 518 of 2006). The person concerned submitted an application for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with these Regulations and this application is under consideration at present. When consideration of this application has been completed, the person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome.

In the event that the Subsidiary Protection application is refused, the case file of the person concerned, including all representations submitted, will then be considered under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement. When this latter consideration has been completed, the case file of the person concerned is passed to me for decision.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

146 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in regard to an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40523/08]

The person concerned applied for asylum in the State on 16 April 2003. Her application was refused following consideration of her case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 14 November 2005, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of her. She was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why she should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. Representations were received from the person concerned at that time.

The person concerned has also submitted an application for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 518 of 2006) and this application is under consideration at present. When consideration of this application has been completed, the person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome. In the event that the Subsidiary Protection application is refused, the case file of the person concerned, including all representations submitted, will then be considered under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement. When this latter consideration has been completed, the case file of the person concerned is passed to me for decision.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

147 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has studied the details submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40524/08]

The person concerned applied for asylum on 2 June 2005. Her application was refused following consideration of her case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 24 April 2006, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of her. She was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why she should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. Representations were submitted on behalf of the person concerned at that time. In addition, the person concerned was notified, by letter dated 3 August 2007, of her entitlement to apply for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 518 of 2006). The person concerned submitted an application for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with these Regulations and, following consideration of this application, it was determined that the person concerned was not eligible for Subsidiary Protection in the State. The person concerned was notified of this decision by letter dated 5 November 2008.

The case file of the person concerned, including all representations submitted, will now be considered under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement. When this consideration has been completed, the case file of the person concerned is passed to me for decision.

Residency Permits.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

148 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding an application for leave to remain in the State in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40525/08]

I am informed by the Immigration Division of my Department that the application by the person concerned for residence in the State based on EU Treaty Rights was reviewed under the provisions of Directive 2004/38/EC and in light of the European Court of Justice ruling in "Metock" of 25 July 2008. Following this review a decision recently issued in writing to the person concerned.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

149 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on granting temporary residency in the case of a person (details suppled) in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40526/08]

I refer the Deputy to the detailed Reply I gave to his Parliamentary Question, No. 382 of Tuesday, 30 September 2008, in this matter. The position in the State of the person concerned is as set out in that Reply.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

150 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40527/08]

The person concerned, and his wife, have both been granted permission to remain in the State under the revised arrangements for the non-EEA parents of children born in Ireland prior to 1 January, 2005, known as the IBC/05 Scheme.

The permission granted to the person concerned is valid until 8 December, 2010 and his wife's is valid until 30 June, 2010. The permission to remain granted only becomes operative when the person has registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. I have arranged for the relevant letters to be re-issued to the address provided by the Deputy.

Organised Crime.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

151 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied regarding the degree of exchange of information between the authorities here and those in other jurisdictions to maximise the efficiency of the fight against international drug trafficking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40528/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

156 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the discussions he has had with his EU colleagues with a view to greater co-operation and co-ordination in the fight against organised crime including drug trafficking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40533/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

164 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that adequate co-operation and exchange of information exists through Europol or other agencies to combat organised crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40541/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

168 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if adequate co-operation exists between Europol and An Garda Síochána to facilitate the efficient tackling of international drug crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40545/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 151, 156, 164 and 168 together.

It is clear that organised crime is a form of criminal activity that no country can tackle on its own. To meet the challenges involved, I am informed by the Garda authorities that close links have very successfully been built up with other police services within the European Union. This is a process which has been facilitated to a large degree by the adoption of a series of EU measures which have greatly assisted police cooperation.

Ireland has consistently and strongly supported EU measures to tackle organised crime and to improve law enforcement cooperation. In that context, Ireland participates very constructively in the negotiation of initiatives and legislative instruments at EU level to strengthen criminal judicial cooperation and the exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement agencies. For example, a major current development focuses on stepping up cross border cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism and cross border crime. This will permit, inter alia, the sharing of DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration information.

Ireland is a party to various International Conventions which provide for assistance in criminal matters between jurisdictions. I am informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána sends and receives requests for assistance via the Central Authority for Mutual Assistance at my Department. Requests for Assistance may also be dealt with on the basis of reciprocity where certain jurisdictions may not be a party to specific conventions. Where information exists that a person, who is wanted in relation to a particular crime in this jurisdiction is living abroad and where the particular legal requirements apply extradition is sought or a European Arrest Warrant is applied for.

An Garda Síochána actively contributes to Europol activity in relation to Organised Crime, including analysis, intelligence exchange and threat assessments. An Garda Síochána operates in close co-operation with both national and international law enforcement agencies in targeting those suspected of being involved in drug-trafficking and the sale and distribution of illicit drugs. Both An Garda Síochána and Customs have liaison officers based at Europol HQ in The Hague. Both agencies also have liaison officers at the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre for Narcotics (MAOC-N) in Lisbon which is tasked with countering illicit drug trafficking at sea.

In relation to my cooperation with other EU Ministers, I wish to inform the Deputy that I take all possible opportunities to discuss cooperation and coordination in the fight against organised crime with my EU colleagues, either at bilateral meetings or at Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings.

Organised Crime and drug trafficking are topics that are regularly discussed, both generally and with reference to specific issues at the Justice and Home Affairs Council. For instance, Ministers had a detailed discussion on drug trafficking via West Africa at the last Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in October 2008. In the course of that debate I stressed the vital importance of close cooperation between the EU Member States in targeting and combating all forms of transnational crime, particularly, drug trafficking. Ireland will continue to participate fully in this regard. It is expected that the EU Presidency will bring forward proposals based on that debate. Further details of Council agendas can be found on the Website of the council of the European Union (www.consilium.europa.eu).

I would also add that at a national level, cooperation is also working well. An Garda Síochána works with the Revenue Commissioners (Customs) in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding and the Working Protocol and with both Customs and Naval Services under the Joint Task Force. An Garda Síochána, in co-operation with its multi-agency law enforcement partners, including the Revenue Commissioners, will ensure that all available resources will be deployed in targeting the major gangs involved in drug trafficking in accordance with the National Drugs Strategy.

Multi-agency approaches have been and continue to be used where all of the National Units from National Support Services i.e. National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Criminal Assets Bureau, Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (Money Laundering) and the Garda Technical Bureau, are used to combat organised crime. These Units are also supported by the Security and Intelligence Section who assist with intelligence briefings and timely information.

The Criminal Assets Bureau is being actively utilised to identify and target funds accumulated by criminals, in order to seize such assets and to deprive them of the profits of their criminal activity. A dedicated unit within the Garda National Drugs Unit has been established to liaise with the Criminal Assets Bureau to particularly target those criminals and criminal groupings believed to be deriving profits and assets from drug-related criminal activity.

This integrated approach adopts best practice in implementing a co-ordinated use of Garda resources and using available criminal legislation to its fullest extent. Operations are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure their effectiveness.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

152 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position on an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40529/08]

I refer the Deputy to my detailed Reply to his recent Parliamentary Question, No. 901 of Wednesday, 24 September 2008, in this matter. The position in the State of the person concerned is as set out in that Reply.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

153 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position on an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40530/08]

The person concerned applied for asylum on 20 December 2006. His application was refused following consideration of his case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 20 February 2008, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of him. He was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why he should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. Representations have been submitted on behalf of the person concerned and will be fully considered, under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement, before the file is passed to me for decision.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

154 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position on an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40531/08]

The person concerned applied for asylum on 8 September 2005. His application was refused following consideration of his case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 17 August 2006, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of him. He was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why he should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State.

Representations have been submitted on behalf of the person concerned and will be fully considered, under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement, before the file is passed to me for decision.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

155 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when Stamp 4 will issue to facilitate employment in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40532/08]

It is not the practice to comment in detail on individual asylum applications.

As the Deputy will be aware, applications for refugee status in the State are determined by an independent process comprising the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal which make recommendations to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on whether such status should be granted.

A final decision on each application is made following receipt of the recommendation of the Refugee Applications Commissioner or the decision of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, as appropriate.

Question No. 156 answered with Question No. 151.

Citizenship Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

157 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position on an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40534/08]

I refer the deputy to the reply to his Parliamentary Question No. 177 in respect of the person concerned also for answer today.

Bail Law.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

158 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way he will tackle the problems of the availability of bail to those who commit serious crimes including murder and armed robbery from obtaining bail in the courts allowing them to re-offend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40535/08]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

162 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to prevent re-offending by those on bail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40539/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 162 together.

I refer the Deputy to my answer to Questions Nos. 42 and 57 of today's date.

Citizenship Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

159 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in the matter of an application for naturalisation in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40536/08]

An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in August 2005.

I understand that the file is being forwarded to my Office for a decision shortly. The person concerned will be informed of that decision in due course.

Question No. 160 answered with Question No. 60.

Recidivism Rate.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

161 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to prevent recidivism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40538/08]

I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service recently facilitated a major study of prisoner re-offending by the UCD Institute of Criminology. The study found that 27.4% of released prisoners were serving a new prison sentence with one year. This rose to 39.2% after two years, 45.1% after three years, and 49.2% after four years.

The Prisons and Probation Services provide a range of rehabilitative programmes which have the dual purpose of providing prisoners with purposeful activity while serving their sentences and encouraging and equipping them to lead productive lives on release. Prisoner rehabilitation involves significant multi-dimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and in-reach statutory and non-statutory services. Amongst these are health care, psychiatric, psychological, educational, work and training, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, missed educational and vocational opportunities, anger management, and self management in the interest of encouraging positive personal development in prisoners, and preparing them for re-integration and resettlement on release from custody.

In addition, the Probation Service has an active role during the course of the prisoner's sentence in helping maintain links with family and community agencies, encouraging prisoners to address their offending behaviour and engaging prisoners in individual counselling and group counselling programmes such as offending behaviour, addiction, violence and sex offending.

The Irish Prison Service places a strong emphasis on access to educational services and on the provision of work and training activities for prisoners. As a result of the Programme for Organisational Change, there has been a significant expansion and development of vocational training programmes. The Work Training Service comprises an authorised complement of over 250 prison service posts and there are over 90 workshops operating in our prisons actively catering for in excess of 800 prisoners each day.

Educational services are now available at all institutions and are provided in partnership with a range of educational agencies in the community including the VECs, Public Library Services, Colleges and the Arts Council. Broad programmes of education are made available which generally follow an adult education approach. During the academic year 2007/08, 220 whole-time-equivalent VEC teachers were the main providers of these education programmes.

The Irish Prison Service is also delivering programmes aimed at reducing the demand for drugs within the prison system through enhanced security measures as well as education, treatment and rehabilitation services for drug-addicted prisoners. The Irish Prison Service Drugs Policy & Strategy —Keeping Drugs Out of Prisons- caters for the expansion of existing drug treatment programmes and further recruitment of dedicated staff working in partnership with community based services in the prisons. Particular initiatives include the provision of detoxification, methadone maintenance, education programmes, an information forum, addiction counselling, drug therapy programmes and the operation of drug free units.

Every effort is made to assist sex offenders in custody who are willing to participate at any level in their personal rehabilitation and relapse prevention. In this regard, there are three forms of direct therapeutic intervention currently available — i.e., individual counselling from the Irish Prison Service's Psychology Service and from the Probation Service; the Sex Offender Programme which has been in operation since 1994, and the Psychiatric Service which provides some support to prisoners in this category.

Significant progress is also being made in the development of programmes based on risk assessment and rehabilitation needs. The Irish Prison Service is developing and rolling-out, a fully coordinated Integrated Sentence Management System (ISM) across all prisons and places of detention. This system is being piloted in two prisons at the present time and the lessons learned from the evaluation of the pilot will inform the continued roll-out across the prison estate.

The Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides for the establishment of a joint policing committee in each local authority administrative area. On 24 September, I launched with my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the roll out of the Committees from the initial pilot phase in 29 local authority areas to all 114 local authority areas. I strongly believe that the Committees meet an identified need and have great potential to contribute to preventing and tackling crime in their areas.

With regard to youth offending, as the Deputy will be aware Garda Youth Diversion Projects are a scheme of community based, youth oriented, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives which seek to divert young people away from becoming involved — or further involved — in criminal and/or anti-social behaviour. The projects are funded through the Irish Youth Justice Service and administered by the Community Relations Section of An Garda Síochána.

The aims of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects are;

To divert young people away from becoming involved — or further involved in criminal and/or anti-social behaviour,

To provide suitable activities to facilitate personal development and encourage civic responsibility and social inclusion and

To work towards improving the long term employability prospects of the participants.

Projects offer opportunities for education, employment training, sport, art, music and other activities. Many operate outside of school hours. In areas with a high proportion of early school-leavers, activities may also be planned during the daytime.

Participation in Garda Youth Diversion Projects is voluntary. The primary project target group, which forms the majority of project participants, is comprised of young people who have entered the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme and are considered at risk of remaining within the justice system. The secondary project target group is comprised of young people who, although they have not been officially cautioned, have come to the attention of the Gardaí, the community or local agencies as a result of their behaviour and are considered at risk of entering the justice system at a future date. The number of participants in each project differs according to local circumstances and resources.

Question No. 162 answered with Question No. 158.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

163 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40540/08]

I refer the Deputy to my detailed Reply to his Parliamentary Question, No. 844 of Wednesday, 24 September 2008, in this matter. The position in the State of the person concerned is as set out in that Reply.

Question No. 164 answered with Question No. 151.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

165 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if extended temporary residency will be offered to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40542/08]

The applicant arrived in the State on 24 April, 2005 with her three children and claimed asylum. Her application was refused and she was informed of this decision by registered post on 21 March, 2006. Deportation orders were made on 26 February, 2008.

The applicant instituted Judicial Review proceedings on 22 April, 2008 challenging the Deportation Orders made in respect of her and her children and accordingly, as the matter is sub judice, I do not propose to comment further.

Citizenship Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

166 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40543/08]

An application for a Certificate of Naturalisation from the person concerned was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department on 18 March 2005 and my predecessor decided to refuse the application. The reason for the refusal was disclosed to the applicant in letters dated 17 January 2007 and 9 June 2008.

It is open to the person in question to lodge a new application if and when he is in a position to satisfy the statutory requirements applicable at that time. However, in doing so he should bear in mind the reasons for refusal of his previous application.

Judicial Co-operation.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

167 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied with the availability of assistance in the fight against crime through Eurojust; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40544/08]

Eurojust is responsible for improving the co-ordination of cross-border investigations and prosecutions. Eurojust is composed of 27 National Members, one seconded from each member state in accordance with its legal system being a prosecutor, judge, or police officer of equivalent competence. Ireland is represented by a prosecutor from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In July 2008, the Council of Ministers reached political agreement on a Council Decision on the strengthening of Eurojust which will provide for:

on-call co-ordination at Eurojust,

the conferring of a range of powers at national level on Eurojust national members,

a Eurojust national co-ordination system,

specific obligations to provide certain information to Eurojust national members,

the possibility for the posting of Eurojust liaison magistrates to third states, and

the possibility for Eurojust to co-ordinate the execution of a request for judicial co-operation issued by a third state.

The proposed Council Decision is due to be formally adopted by the Council of Ministers in the near future. Ireland is fully supportive of the Council Decision.

Question No. 168 answered with Question No. 151.
Question No. 169 answered with Question No. 60.

Asylum Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

170 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position in relation to an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40547/08]

The person concerned arrived in the State on 12 July 2003 and applied for asylum. His application was refused following consideration of his case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Subsequently, in accordance with Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was informed, by letter dated 16 May 2005, that the Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of him. He was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the Minister setting out the reasons why he should be allowed to remain temporarily in the State. Representations were received from the person concerned at that time.

The person concerned has also submitted an application for Subsidiary Protection in the State in accordance with the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 518 of 2006) and this application is under consideration at present. When consideration of this application has been completed, the person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome.

In the event that the Subsidiary Protection application is refused, the case file of the person concerned, including all representations submitted, will then be considered under Section 3 (6) of the Immigration Act, 1999 (as amended) and Section 5 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) on the prohibition of refoulement. When this latter consideration has been completed, the case file of the person concerned is passed to me for decision.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

171 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40548/08]

It is not the practice to comment in detail on individual asylum applications.

As the Deputy will be aware, applications for refugee status in the State are determined by an independent process comprising the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal which make recommendations to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on whether such status should be granted.

A final decision on each application is made following receipt of the recommendation of the Refugee Applications Commissioner or the decision of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, as appropriate.

Travel Documentation.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

172 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; if travel documentation will issue for their daughter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40549/08]

I am informed by the Immigration Division of my Department that the person in question was granted temporary permission to remain in the State on 26 March 2008. This permission is valid until 26 March 2011.

The Immigration Division of my Department has also informed me that there is no record of a current travel document application on behalf of the daughter of the person in question.

As the person in question's daughter is a Cameroonian National it is advised that she contact the Embassy of Cameroon, 84 Holland Park, London W11 3SB, England with a view to obtaining her own National passport or Travel Document.

Citizenship Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

173 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40550/08]

An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in July 2006 and I decided to refuse the application. The reason for my decision was disclosed to the person in question in a letter issued on 3 November, 2008.

It is open to the person in question to lodge a new application if and when they are in a position to meet the statutory requirements applicable at that time. In doing so, however, she should give due regard to my reason for refusing the previous application.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

174 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position in relation to an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40551/08]

An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in February 2006.

Processing of the file has been completed and I have reached a decision. The person in question will be informed of that decision in due course.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

175 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the current or expected position in relation to an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40552/08]

An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department in July 2008.

Officials in that Section are currently processing applications received in July 2006. Applications are dealt with in chronological order as this is deemed to be the fairest to all applicants. However, I understand that the person concerned is a refugee. In accordance with the Government's obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, every effort is made to ensure that applications from persons with refugee status are dealt with as quickly as possible.

Deportation Orders.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

176 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to an application for residency in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40553/08]

A Deportation Order was made in respect of the person concerned on 15/9/2004. The person applied for permission to remain under the revised arrangements for the non-EEA parents of children born in Ireland prior to 1 January, 2005, known as the IBC/05 Scheme. This application was refused as the person in question did not meet the criteria of the scheme. She was informed of this decision by letter dated 29/4/2008 and was invited to make representations under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 relating to the Deportation Order which remains in force.

Representations in this regard have been received in my Department and are being considered by the relevant officials. The person concerned will be contacted directly and notified of any decisions made regarding her status in the State in due course.

Citizenship Applications.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

177 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a matter has been investigated in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40554/08]

The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. One such condition is that the applicant must be of good character. An application for a Certificate of Naturalisation from the person concerned was received in the Citizenship Section of my Department on 20 March 2006 and I decided to refuse the application. The reason for the refusal was disclosed to the applicant in a letter dated 3 July 2008.

It is open to the person in question to lodge a new application if and when she is in a position to satisfy the statutory requirements applicable at that time. However, in doing so she should bear in mind the reasons for refusal of her previous application.

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

178 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will review the processing time for citizenship and naturalisation applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40574/08]

The Deputy will appreciate that the granting of Irish Citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and a honour and not an entitlement. Applications must be processed in a way which preserves the necessary checks and balances to ensure that it is not undervalued and is only given to persons who genuinely satisfy the necessary qualifying criteria. The procedures involved in the processing of applications have been developed and refined over a number of years and I am satisfied that they are absolutely necessary to maintain the good reputation of our citizens and integrity of the naturalisation process. Consequently, there is a limit to the reduction in the processing time that can be achieved.

The decentralisation of the Citizenship Section to Tipperary Town in April has resulted in a substantial increase in the staffing resources available to the section. This has had a positive impact on reducing the number of naturalisation applications on hand and will in time see a significant reduction in processing time scales. Officials in the Citizenship Section are currently processing applications received in July 2006.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

179 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations, and their grades. [40709/08]

I can inform the Deputy that my Department's decentralisation programme has made excellent progress. To date, five hundred and fifty posts have moved and there is a presence in all of my Department's seven locations. This represents 60% of the overall target number. Out of this total, two hundred and fifty seven of the staff were from Dublin and two hundred and ninety three moved from provincial locations.

The grade breakdown is set out in the following table. The information in this table is notable in two respects; firstly contrary to media comment and speculation, very significant numbers of staff at senior level in Dublin offices have opted to move to provincial locations. Secondly, the number of staff opting to move from within provincial locations have been predominantly those in the junior and clerical grades.

It would not be feasible in the timeframe available to specify the numbers and grades of the staff who have been re-assigned in Dublin, arising from decentralisation. I can confirm, however, that all the Dublin based staff whose posts have been decentralised and who have opted to remain in Dublin, have been re-assigned to posts within my own Department and with other Departments.

Decentralised Staff

Grade

From Dublin

From Provincial Locations

PO

18

3

AP

32

8

HEO

56

21

EO

54

55

SO

7

15

CO

71

174

Service Officer

5

4

Professional & Technical

14

13

Total

257

293

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

180 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40423/08]

Details of the numbers of staff personally appointed by me and by the Ministers of State in my Department are set out in the following tables.

Numbers of personally-appointed staff in each office

Private Office

Constituency Office

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Micheál Martin, T.D.

2 personal appointees

2 personal appointees

Minister of State, Mr Peter Power, T.D.

3 personal appointees

2 personal appointees

Minister of State, Mr Dick Roche, T.D.

3 personal appointees

2 personal appointees

The number of staff assigned to Ministers' Offices in the Department of Foreign Affairs complies with the relevant Department of Finance guidelines.

The following table sets out the names, responsibilities and remuneration of each of these staff. All of these staff have been contracted under terms and conditions of employment set by the Minister for Finance and are employed on a full-time basis. Their appointments will terminate no later than the date on which I and my Minister of State colleagues cease to hold office as Ministers.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Micheál Martin, T.D.

Name

Responsibility

Remuneration

Ms. Deirdre Gillane

Policy Adviser

Principal Officer standard scale: €86,168 – €100,191

Mr. Christy Mannion

Special Adviser

Principal Officer standard scale: €86,168 – €100,191 plus a 10% attraction allowance

Ms. Elizabeth O’Donoghue

Personal Assistant

Secretarial Assistant Salary Scale: €23,102 – €44,572 per annum plus a 10% attraction allowance

Ms. Susan Kinsella

Personal Secretary

Executive Officer PPC Salary Scale: €32,179 – €51,054 per annum

Minister of State, Mr Dick Roche, T.D.

Name

Responsibility

Remuneration

Mr. David Grant

Special Adviser

Principal Officer standard scale: €86,168 – €100,191

Ms. Geraldine Cole

Personal Assistant

Higher Executive Officer Standard Scale: €46,558 – €59,097 per annum

Ms. Ciara Furlong

Personal Secretary

Secretarial Assistant Salary Scale: €23,102 – €44,572 per annum plus a 10% attraction allowance

Mr. Francis Rickard

Civilian Driver

Civilian Driver Salary: €34,706 per annum

Mr. Noel Keyes

Civilian Driver

Civilian Driver Salary: €34,706 per annum

Minister of State, Mr Peter Power, T.D.

Name

Responsibility

Remuneration

Mr. Jerry O’Connor

Special Adviser

Principal Officer standard scale: €86,168 – €100,191

Mr. Brian Stokes

Personal Assistant

Parliamentary Assistant Salary Scale: €41,092 – €52,200 per annum plus a 10% attraction allowance

Ms. Susan Coleman

Personal Secretary

Secretarial Assistant Salary Scale: €23,102 – €44,572 per annum plus a 10% attraction allowance

Mr. Tony Connolly

Civilian Driver

Civilian Driver Salary: €34,706 per annum

Mr. Frank Ryan

Civilian Driver

Civilian Driver Salary: €34,706 per annum

Mr. David Grant, Special Adviser to Minister of State Dick Roche, is a member of Bray Town Council. No other staff appointed by me or by the Ministers of State in my Department have been elected to city, county, town or borough councils, nor are any of them members of State boards.

Diplomatic Relations.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

181 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has spoken or attempted to speak to Senator Barack Obama since his election victory on 4 November 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40499/08]

On behalf of the Government, the Taoiseach sent a message of congratulations to President-Elect Obama, in which he affirmed the Government's commitment to further build and strengthen relations between Ireland and the United States. He assured the President-Elect of the friendship and goodwill of the people and Government of Ireland as he prepares to assume the responsibilities of office. The Taoiseach has also extended his best wishes to Vice President-Elect Biden.

The Taoiseach and I look forward to working with the new President and his Administration, and with the newly elected Congress, to build on the existing deep and cherished ties of kinship between our two countries. In that regard, the Taoiseach and I met this week with Senator Patrick Leahy, who was leading a trade delegation from Vermont. We took the opportunity during his visit to discuss matters of mutual interest to both our countries. In addition, Congressman Richie Neal will lead a Congressional Delegation here in December.

International Summits.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

182 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will confirm that his Department has received a proposal for the inclusion of a youth delegate in the Irish delegation to the 2009 United Nations General Assembly from a group (details supplied); if he will give favourable consideration to this proposal in view of the fact that a growing number of member states are including a youth delegate in their delegations; if he will commit to responding to the group regarding this proposal in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40572/08]

In May 2008, the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) wrote to my Department requesting the inclusion of a youth delegate in Ireland's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in 2009. My Department is considering the NYCI's proposal which, however, gives rise to a number of administrative and budgetary issues. Our UN Mission in New York has also been in contact with those of other Member States regarding the inclusion of youth delegates in their General Assembly delegations. In this regard, I understand that only some eighteen Member States out of a total of one hundred and ninety two have youth delegates in their delegations.

A reply will issue to the NYCI as soon as consideration of all the practical and financial issues arising is completed by my Department.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

183 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations, and their grades. [40707/08]

Under the Government's decentralisation programme announced in 2003, 125 posts attached to the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs were to decentralise to Limerick. The Division is the Headquarters of Irish Aid.

Following sanction of an additional 20 posts by the Department of Finance in 2005, the total number of posts attached to Irish Aid Headquarters increased to 145. Of these, 138 are decentralising and 112 have now moved into the new permanent Headquarters building in Limerick. The remaining posts are expected to be filled before the end of the year.

Of the 108 staff assigned to Irish Aid at the time decentralisation was announced, 18.5%, or 20 officials, were transferred to other areas of the Department or to other Departments as a direct result of decentralisation. It is in the nature of the work of the Department that staff transfer between Divisions at HQ, and indeed to Embassies abroad, on a regular basis. This routine rotation accounts for the balance of the staff transfers from Irish Aid.

The following table gives details of staff moves.

Decentralisation of Irish Aid to Limerick as at 10 November 2008

Grade Breakdown

Number of staff decentralised from Dublin

84

Assistant Secretary

1

Counsellor/Principal Officer

7

First Secretary

11

Assistant Principal

10

Higher Executive Officer

6

Third Secretary

5

Executive Officer

8

Staff Officer

2

Clerical Officer

16

Services Officer

2

Financial Controller

1

Accountant

1

Specialists

14

Number of staff who decentralised from

28

Assistant Secretary

0

outside Dublin

Counsellor/Principal Officer

2

First Secretary

0

Assistant Principal

4

Higher Executive Officer

6

Number of staff who decentralised from

Third Secretary

0

outside Dublin—contd.

Executive Officer

7

Staff Officer

0

Clerical Officer

9

Services Officer

0

Financial Controller

0

Accountant

0

Specialists

0

Total who decentralised from Dublin and outside Dublin

112

Number of staff who have opted to remain

18

Assistant Principal

4

in Dublin

Higher Executive Officer

7

Executive Officer

3

Clerical Officer

4

Number of staff who have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin

2

Assistant Principal

2

Total who have remained or transferred within Dublin

20

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

184 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils;if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40415/08]

Since my appointment as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism I have appointed 4 staff to work with me. Three of these staff are located at my constituency office in Waterford. My Special Adviser (Press) is located at the Department's headquarters in Dublin and carries out duties as set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act. The other staff carry out general secretarial and administrative duties including the handling of inquiries made to the constituency office.

Name

Position

Salary Level (Civil Service grades)

Michelle Hoctor

Special Adviser (Press)

Principal Officer level

Sean Dower

Personal Assistant

Higher Executive Officer level

Pat Daly

Constituency Assistant

Higher Executive Officer level

Inez O’Neill

Personal Secretary

Secretarial Assistant level + 10% attraction allowance

Mr Pat Daly is a member of Waterford County Council. Minister of State, Mr. Martin Mansergh T.D. does not have private or constituency office facilities at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

185 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations, and their grades. [40700/08]

The Department of Arts Sport and Tourism was designated for relocation to Killarney, Co. Kerry, under the Government's Decentralisation Programme, which was announced in the 2004 Budget. The Department, which has a staff of 130, excluding the National Archives, was designated an "early mover" by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG). To date, 76 staff (including two service officers who were recruited directly) have relocated to temporary accommodation in Fossa, Killarney. The objective is to complete the decentralisation process of the Department by early 2009 by which time it will be operating from the new purpose built offices in Killarney.

The following table provides a breakdown of the information requested by the Deputy.

Grade

Decentralised from Dublin

Opted to remain in Dublin

Moved to another Department or agency in Dublin

Decentralised from outside Dublin to Kerry

Secretary General

0

0

0

0

Assistant Secretary

0

1

0

0

Principal Officer

3

8

6

2

Assistant Principal

13

17

13

5

Higher Executive Officer

10

19

14

6

Executive Officer

6

27

17

14

Staff Officer

0

2

0

0

Clerical Officer

1

24

17

14

Service Officer

0

3

2

0

Total

33

101

69

41

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

186 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40417/08]

My Department employs the staff that work in my private and constituency offices. These are civil servants and their function is to provide administrative support to myself and to my Department. The following tables provide the details requested by the Deputy in respect of these staff:

Private Office

Number

Rank/Duty

Salary Scales

1

Private Secretary (HEO level)

€49,007 – €62,210 p.a. + Private Secretary Allowance

1

Executive Officer

€32,179 – €51,054 p.a.

7

Clerical Officer

€467.55 – €758.10 p.w.

Constituency Office

Number

Rank/Duty

Salary Scales

1

Executive Officer

€32,179 – €51,054 p.a.

2

Clerical Officer

€467.55 – €758.10 p.w.

In addition, my Department employs a Special Adviser, Media Adviser, Personal Assistant and Personal Secretary who work in my office. The Personal Assistant and Personal Secretary are located in my constituency office. The details requested by the Deputy in relation to these staff are set out in the following table.

Name

Rank/Duty

Salary Scale

Pádraic Ó hUiginn

Special Adviser

€86,168 – €106,582 p.a.

Layla de Cogan Chin

Media Adviser

€86,168 – €106,582 p.a.

Muireann Ní Thuairisg

Personal Assistant (HEO level)

€46,558 – €59,097

Máire Ní Fhlatharta

Personal Secretary

€444.26 – €857.15 per week + 10% Attraction Allowance

My Department also employs the staff that work in the offices of Mr. John Curran T.D., Minister of State at my Department. The staff that work in Minister Curran's private office are civil servants, who provide administrative support to the Minister of State and to the Department. My Department also employs Minister Curran's Personal Secretary and Personal Assistant, who are located in his constituency office. The details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following tables.

Private Office

Number

Rank/Duty

Salary Scales

1

Private Secretary (EO level)

€32,179 – €53,067 p.a. + Private Secretary Allowance

3

Clerical Officer

€467.55 – €758.10 p.w

Constituency Office

Name

Rank/Duty

Salary Scales

Nicola Stapleton

Personal Assistant

€41,092 – €52,200 p.a. + 10% Attraction Allowance

*Shauna Curran

Personal Secretary

€444.26 – €857.15 per week + 10% Attraction Allowance

*Maura Stynes

Personal Secretary

€444.26 – €857.15 per week + 10% Attraction Allowance

*Work Sharing.

I can confirm to the Deputy that no staff member in either my office or the Minister of State's office are elected to city, county, town or borough councils nor are they members of any State board. The Deputy will also be aware that Mr Conor Lenihan, T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Integration, has been assigned to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Education and Science and to my Department. The staffing of his office is a matter for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Grant Payments.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

187 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the grants which have been approved under his Christmas lights as Gaeilge scheme in 2008; the amount approved in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40444/08]

As I have indicated in previous replies to similar Questions, my Department provides funding under the Fo-Chiste Gnó of Ciste na Gaeilge to voluntary and business groups to assist in promoting the Irish language among local business communities. In order to qualify for such funding, a group must provide a business plan to include specific targets relating to the promotion of Irish and a clear exposition as to how these targets will be met. Funding from my Department is provided on the basis that matching funding (to a minimum of 25%) is secured by the applicant from the local authority, or from the local business community.

No funding has been approved under this fund to date in 2008 for the provision of Christmas lights "as Gaeilge", as referred to by the Deputy. A number of applications have been received. However, it is not intended due to funding constraints to fund Christmas lights under the Fo-Chiste gnó this year.

Irish Language.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

188 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the action plan for the future of the Gaeltacht and the 20-year strategy for the Irish language will be presented to the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40450/08]

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government received the Report of the Linguistic Study on the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht late last year. As a result, a Government Committee was established to consider matters arising in the context of the analysis and recommendations contained in the Report. The work of that Committee is ongoing and is intended to lead to the preparation of an integrated action plan to secure the future of Irish as the community language of the Gaeltacht.

With regard to the 20-year Strategy for the Irish language, work is continuing on its development and it is expected that the draft Strategy will be submitted for my consideration and for submission for Government approval by the end of the year.

Security of the Elderly.

Jack Wall

Question:

189 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the associations a person (details supplied) in County Kildare can contact to resolve their concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40470/08]

My Department manages the Scheme of Community Support for Older People, which assists qualifying older people, aged 65 years and older, by means of a community-based grant scheme. Funding is provided towards the once-off cost of installing monitored alarm systems, door and window locks, door chains, security lighting, smoke alarms and in the case of qualifying older people living on our offshore islands, interior emergency lighting. The Scheme operates locally through community groups.

My Department has been in contact with the local community group operating the Scheme in the South Kildare area and they have undertaken to make direct contact with the person in question to discuss their needs.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

190 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations, and their grades. [40702/08]

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's Headquarters are decentralising to Charlestown, Co Mayo, and to date 100 posts, scheduled to move to Charlestown, have decentralised to an interim location in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo. The Deputy will also be aware that 11 posts have now relocated to my Department's offices in Na Forbacha, Co Galway, and that the decentralisation process for that location has been completed.

The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following table. The numbers detailed as having relocated from outside Dublin relate to staff from other Departments who were located outside Dublin and who moved into my Department under the decentralisation programme. It should also be noted that 2 people were recruited locally — 1 Professional Accountant and 1 Services Officer for Tubbercurry. In addition 1 Translator has been recruited for Na Forbacha.

Location

Grade

Relocated to date

Relocated from Dublin

Opting to remain in Dublin

Moved to other Dublin Dept.

Relocated from outside Dublin

Tubbercurry

Total

100

51

82

56

47

Tech.

4

1

5

0

2

PO

6

4

7

1

2

AP

12

9

10

12

3

HEO/AO

26

20

21

18

6

EO

26

11

13

14

15

SO

0

0

1

0

0

CO

24

5

22

11

19

Service Officer

2

1

3

0

0

Na Forbacha

Total

10

5

N/a

N/a

5

AP

1

1

0

HEO/AO

4

2

2

EO

1

0

1

CO

4

2

2

Social Welfare Appeals.

Michael Ring

Question:

191 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called for an oral hearing pertaining to disability benefit. [40371/08]

The person concerned is in receipt of Disablement Benefit from injuries he received during the course of his work in 2004. Following various medical assessments, the loss of faculty suffered by him has been reduced from 50% in August 2004 to 20% for life in January 2008. He was notified of this latter decision by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 20 February 2008. He subsequently submitted further medical evidence which was referred to the Chief Medical Advisor who considered that this evidence did not warrant a review of the decision.

An appeal was opened on 9 April 2008 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the case has been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral appeal hearing, the time and date for which are not yet known. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on Social Welfare entitlements.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

192 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people she and her Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40426/08]

Since my appointment as Minister for Social and Family Affairs on 7th May 2008, I have appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, a Special Adviser, Ms. Averil Power, whose salary is €97,109 per annum and a Press Officer, Ms. Geraldine Butler, whose salary is €73,610 per annum.

The duties carried out by the Special Adviser are as set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act, 1997 i.e. to assist the Minister by providing advice, on a wide range of issues, by monitoring, facilitating and securing the achievement of Government objectives that relate to the Department and by performing such other functions as may be directed by me. The duties carried out by the Press Officer involve dealing with queries from the media in relation to the schemes operated by the Department. The Press Officer drafts and issues press releases to regional and national media on various initiatives which aim to inform the wider public of developments across the Department. The Press Officer also advises me and senior officials across the Department of developments in the media regarding the functions of the Department.

I have also appointed, on a contract basis for my term of office, two non-established civil servants, a Personal Secretary, Ms. Martine Lynch, whose salary is €44,997 per annum, inclusive of a 10% attraction allowance, and a Personal Assistant, Mr. Peter O'Brien, whose salary is €55,030 per annum together with a private pension contribution of 11% of salary. The roles of my Personal Secretary and Personal Assistant are to provide administrative support and back-up in my capacity as a T.D. and in my constituency office

The staff in question, none of whom are elected members of city, county, town, borough council, or State Boards, are all based in my Department's headquarters in Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1. There has been no Minister of State formally assigned to the Department. However, Minister of State, Ms. Máire Hoctor, who is Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, has special responsibility for older people, areas of which fall within the remit of the Department. There are no staff assigned to her office from the Department.

Social Welfare Benefits.

Sean Fleming

Question:

193 Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, in respect of people who are in receipt of disability allowance, they automatically become entitled to the contributory State pension; if not, if they can make arrangements to pay PRSI contributions during their lifetime in order that they will have an entitlement to the contributory State pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40442/08]

Eligibility for the State (Contributory) Pension is determined by an individuals PRSI contribution history. The standard qualifying conditions for contributory pensions require a person to enter insurance 10 years prior to pension age, pay a minimum of 260 contributions at the correct rate, and achieve a yearly average of at least 10 contributions on their record from the time that they enter insurance until they reach pension age. As signalled in 2002 and provided in the SW Acts, the minimum number of contributions required will increase from 260 to 510 from 2012.

Individuals in receipt of Disability Allowance are only eligible to apply for the State (Contributory) Pension, at age 66, if they started paying social insurance contributions before reaching the age of 56. They are not liable to pay PRSI contributions but may be eligible for credited social insurance contributions if they have paid at least one PRSI contribution and have paid or credited contributions in either of the last two income tax years before a claim was made for Disability Allowance. Credited contributions are only awarded to those people who were employed contributors, as opposed to self-employed contributors, reflecting differences between the nature of employment and self-employment.

Alternatively, individuals may be eligible to pay voluntary contributions in order to maintain their contribution record and subsequent entitlement to the State (Contributory) Pension. In order to be admitted to the voluntary contributions scheme, a person must have a minimum of 260 weeks of PRSI paid in either employment or self-employment and apply within 12 months of their past paid contribution. The requirement to have 260 paid contributions to gain access to the scheme is essential in that it ensures that the requisite number of paid contributions required is in place to establish a contributory pension entitlement.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

194 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if supplementary welfare payment will be granted to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40557/08]

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Apart from a number of excluded categories, anyone in the State who satisfies a habitual residency condition and a means test, has registered for employment, unless they have a physical or mental disability, and can prove unemployment may qualify for a weekly payment of SWA. A number of categories are specifically excluded from receiving SWA i.e. people in full-time work, people in full-time education and people involved in trade disputes. A person is considered to be in full-time education if he/she is attending a course of study as specified under section 148 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005.

The person concerned was in receipt of SWA and rent supplement while his claim for Jobseeker's allowance (JA) was pending. The community welfare officer has advised that when the person concerned was last asked in August 2008 to provide evidence of his efforts to obtain employment, he advised that he was a student in full time education. No evidence of efforts to obtain employment was produced. Payment of SWA was terminated on the basis that students in full time education are excluded from receiving assistance under the SWA scheme and that the person concerned is not genuinely seeking work.

The person concerned was advised of his right to appeal the decision to the designated Appeals Officer of the Executive. To date, the Executive have not received an appeal from the person concerned. An appeal by the person concerned against a decision to refuse JA was not upheld by an Appeals Officer.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

195 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40710/08]

Under the Government's current decentralisation programme for the civil and public service, some 1,200 posts comprising the Department's headquarter sections and the Social Welfare Appeals Office are relocating to 6 locations – Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Donegal Town, Buncrana, Carrickmacross and Drogheda. To date, 212 posts have relocated from the Department's Dublin Offices to Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo under the current programme – 140 posts to Carrick-on-Shannon and 72 posts to Sligo. As outlined in the table below, 69 officers were based in Dublin prior to their relocation under the decentralisation programme.

PO

AP

HEO

EO

SO

CO

Service Grades

Total

Grade breakdown of posts decentralised from Dublin

5

19

36

47

9

92

4

212

No. of Dublin based staff that decentralised

1

2

23

24

1

17

1

69

152 employees, who were based in the Business Units that relocated, opted to redeploy to other Business Units in the Department remaining in Dublin. They were redeployed to vacancies that arose due to normal staff turnover e.g. retirements, resignations, transfers and staff moving to other Departments for their decentralisation programmes. The table below outlines the grade breakdown.

PO

AP

HEO

EO

SO

CO

Service Grades

Total

No. of employees serving in Business Units relocating that opted to remain in Dublin

4

15

22

31

9

71

0

152

In addition, the Department has decentralised offices in Longford, Sligo, Letterkenny, Waterford, Dundalk and Roscommon and some 219 Civil Servants, of which 42 employees were serving in provincial locations within this Department, have transferred to these offices and other offices of the Department to fill vacancies created by the current decentralisation programme. Furthermore, a total of 258 employees of the Department, of which 129 were provincial based, have transferred to other Government Departments for the purposes of their decentralisation programmes. The table below outlines the grade breakdown requested.

PO

AP

HEO

EO

SO

CO

Service Grades

Total

Staff serving in provincial locations within this Department that transferred to fill vacancies created by the programme

0

0

2

8

10

22

0

42

Provincial based staff by grade that transferred for other Government Departments Programmes

1

4

12

29

10

73

0

129

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

196 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Defence the number of people he and his Minister of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40418/08]

The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the tables below. In addition, I wish to state that none of the people named below are elected to city, county, town or borough councils or are members of State Boards. Minister for Defence, Mr Willie O'Dea, T.D.

Staff appointed by me who are located in my Department

Name

Rank/Responsibility

Salary Scale as at 01/09/2008

Derek Mooney

Special Adviser Non-established

Principal Officer Standard Scale €86,168 – €106,582.

Suzanne Coogan

Press Adviser Non-established

Principal Officer Standard Scale €86,168 – €106,582.

Staff appointed by me who are located in my Constituency

Name

Rank/Responsibility

Salary Scale as at 01/09/2008

Fergal O’Brien

Personal AssistantNon-established

Higher Executive Officer Standard Scale €46,558 – €55,030 (excludes long service increments).

Yvonne MacMahon

Personal SecretaryNon-established

Secretarial Assistant Contract Scale €23,182 – €44,726.

Minister of State, Mr. Pat Carey, T.D.

There are two staff assigned to cover both the private office and the constituency office of the Minister of State, both of whom are Civil Servants and located in the Minister of State's Private Office.

Defence Forces Recruitment.

Billy Timmins

Question:

197 Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the situation with respect to interviews (details supplied); the reason the applicants have received no result to date; when they will receive the result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40443/08]

Interviews to fill these vacancies were held from the 15 – 17 January 2008. The military authorities have informed me that the report of the Selection Board has been the subject of correspondence since then, within the Defence Forces, relating to the procedures applied. I also understand that the candidates were to be kept informed of developments. The Chief of Staff has accepted that there has been an unacceptable delay in the process. The matter is now being addressed directly by the Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) and it is expected that the appointments will be made shortly.

National Security.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

198 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Defence the assessment which has been carried out in regard to the vulnerability of the State to cyber warfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40446/08]

The issue of threats to and vulnerabilities of ICT systems is a matter for each individual Department/Office and its Minister as appropriate. Insofar as my Department and the Defence Forces are concerned, there is a programme of continuous review of ICT security, overseen by designated specialist groupings, in order to keep up to date with current threat levels. Policies and guidelines are provided to all users of ICT systems and considerable resources are invested in assessing weaknesses and protecting systems against cyber attack and malicious security breaches. Details of measures taken are not publicised for security reasons, but, given the levels of upgrading and increased protection put in place in recent years, the vulnerability to such attacks has been greatly minimised.

Defence Forces Equipment.

Jimmy Deenihan

Question:

199 Deputy Jimmy Deenihan asked the Minister for Defence the reason four helicopters sold to a company (details supplied) in the USA by his Department for €311,000 were later sold to the Chilean Navy by that company for €19 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40561/08]

I welcome the opportunity to clarify for the Deputy the situation on the sale of the Dauphin helicopters following the Sunday Tribune article on 9 November 2008. In 2005, the General Officer Commanding Air Corps recommended the sale of four Dauphin helicopters. The Dauphins being over twenty years old needed significant maintenance and the investment required in the aircraft was considered to be excessive for the potential return. Indeed it was estimated at that time that each aircraft required a major inspection and avionics re-fit at an estimated cost of €3,000,000 – €3,500,000 per helicopter in order to meet the operational requirements of the Air Corps. A policy decision was taken not to proceed with the required maintenance given the cost involved in favour of a re-equipment programme. This programme has seen the acquisition of 2 EC135 helicopters and 6 AW 139 helicopters for the Air Corps, with the final AW 139 helicopter due for acceptance this week.

The four Dauphins, special tools and spare parts were sold following an open tender competition to Rotor Leasing Incorporated in the USA for €311,000 in October 2006. It should be noted that the sale of the helicopters was advertised on the Department of Finance's e-tender website, the tender documents were also available from the Department of Defence's website and were made available to military attachés. An advertisement for the sale of the helicopters was also placed in Flight International magazine. The records show that over eighty sets of tender documents issued in connection with the competition. The tender competition also included the sale of one Gazelle helicopter. Five tenders were received, three of which made offers for the Dauphins. Rotor Leasing submitted the highest bid in relation to the Dauphins and were awarded the contract for the sale of the helicopters and spare parts. The sales agreement was completed in October 2006.

The suggestion in the Sunday Tribune that the sale of the Dauphin Aircraft to Rotor Leasing Ltd has cost the taxpayer €18,000,000 is factually incorrect and disingenuous. The aircraft when sold were unserviceable and as already stated required extensive work to make the aircraft serviceable. When the aircraft were taken to the United States, Rotor Leasing set about restoring them. This involved doing the major inspections and overhauling components, with a total of between 5,000 and 5,500 man hours being devoted to each aircraft. It is the Department's understanding that the aircraft were then sold on by Rotor Leasing to Eurocopter, the original equipment manufacturer, in South America where the aircraft are being outfitted with specific mission equipment for the Chilean Navy. In this context, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that the market value of the aircraft would have increased in line with the cost of the major refurbishment work.

I am not in a position to confirm the reported sale value to the Chilean Navy. The very significant extent of refurbishment undertaken, the outfitting with mission specific equipment and any additional contract terms such as warranty, supply of parts or servicing would also have an important bearing on the contract value and is a matter outside the remit of this Department. I am quite satisfied that the tendering procedures used in the sale of the Dauphin were correct and that the Department achieved a fair price for the aircraft with due cognisance to their age and condition at the time of sale.

I trust that this now clarifies the actual situation for the Deputy. In this context the Deputy may now wish to consider withdrawing some of the comments attributed to him in the Sunday Tribune story.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

200 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40703/08]

The Deputy will be aware that the Government decision on decentralisation provides for the transfer of my Department's Dublin-based civil service staff, together with a number of military personnel, to Newbridge, Co. Kildare and for the decentralisation of the Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) to the Curragh. The number of posts to be relocated to Newbridge is approximately 200 civil service posts together with 43 military personnel posts. A further 335 military personnel posts together with 78 support staff posts will decentralise to the new Defence Forces Headquarters building in the Curragh Camp. While close to 90% of clerical/administrative staff are now in place in preparation for the move to Newbridge, no staff have been moved to date. The building is under construction and is expected to be ready for occupation by December 2009.

Departmental Staff.

Michael Ring

Question:

201 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will ascertain from the Office of Public Works the number of jobs which will be created in a centre (details supplied) in County Mayo; when the positions will be advertised; the way people can apply for the positions; and the recruitment process in relation to same. [40475/08]

Construction work on the Visitor Centre, Ballycroy National Park, is scheduled for completion early in 2009. My Department is currently considering staffing options in relation to the new Centre having regard, inter alia, to potential opening arrangements and the need to achieve economies in staff payroll costs. Recruitment of any new staff that may be required will be by way of Publicly Advertised Open Competition.

Social and Affordable Housing.

Joan Burton

Question:

202 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the granting of pre-emptive rights to local authorities to purchase property at points of sale and on the encouragement of local authorities to make more active use of compulsory purchase orders to secure land or properties for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40362/08]

Local authorities already have powers under the Planning and Development Act 2000 to purchase land for the purpose of their housing strategies and under the Housing Act 1966 to acquire dwellings for social housing purposes. I have no proposals at this time for the further expansion of these powers.

Joan Burton

Question:

203 Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the introduction of a legislative right to housing as has been done in France and other EU member states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40363/08]

While I do not consider it appropriate to legislate for a specific right to housing, Government policy on housing has the overarching aim of enabling every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment and, as far as possible, at the tenure of its choice. The Government's approach to achieving this policy aim is that those who can afford to do so should provide for their own housing, with the aid, where appropriate, of certain fiscal incentives or subsidies, and that those unable to meet their housing needs in this way should have access to social housing or income support to rent private housing. Existing legislation and funding programmes support this strategy and have been effective in delivering increased outputs access to housing.

Water and Sewerage Schemes.

Michael McGrath

Question:

204 Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position with regard to the planned Lower Harbour/Cork main drainage scheme; if the funding is available for the scheme; and when he expects the project to proceed to construction stage. [40364/08]

The Cork Lower Harbour Sewerage Scheme is included in my Department's Water Services Investment Programme 2007 – 2009 as a scheme to begin construction in 2009 at an estimated cost of €73.5 million. My Department will complete its assessment of Cork County Council's Preliminary Report for this scheme following confirmation from Cork County Council of the approval by an Bord Pleanala of the Environmental Impact Statement for the scheme.

Planning Issues.

Phil Hogan

Question:

205 Deputy Phil Hogan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will publish legislation to amend the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006 in order to extend the period of planning permission fully granted from five years to eight years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40365/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

208 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on proposals from county councils to extend the period from when a planning application is granted to when the applicant has to start to build due to the current economic climate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40400/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 208 together.

Planning permissions are typically granted for a period of 5 years, though a planning authority may, having regard to the nature and extent of the relevant development and any other material consideration, specify a longer period during which a permission is to have effect. Where a planning permission expires, the developer may seek an extension of the relevant period. Subject to compliance with certain requirements, including a requirement that substantial works were carried out pursuant to the permission during that period, a planning authority may extend the duration of a permission by such additional period as it considers necessary to enable the relevant development to be completed. This period may be further extended where the planning authority is satisfied that the relevant development has not been completed due to circumstances beyond the control of the developer. I consider that these provisions are adequate and have no proposals to amend the legislation in this regard.

Election Management System.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

206 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the cost to date in each constituency for the design, manufacture, transport, security storage and training in each county since the electronic voting machine inception; and if each individual cost can be given for each county in question, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40391/08]

The total expenditure on the development and roll-out of the electronic voting system to date is some €51.3 million, the bulk of which has been incurred in purchasing the voting machines and ancillary equipment. These costs were borne centrally, are not apportioned or disaggregated on the basis of individual areas and are set out in the following table.

Table 1: Electronic Voting and Counting Project — Expenditure to Date

Expenditure item

Cost

€m

Voting machines

43.941

Ancillary equipment (Ballot Modules, Programme Reading Units, PCs, trolleys, tables, etc.)

2.330

Awareness and Education campaigns

2.566

Voting Machine development, election software development/training etc.

0.828

Consultancy/testing

0.731

Miscellaneous (staff training, freight,)

0.924

Total

51.320

Responsibility for the security and safe storage of manual voting electoral materials (such as ballot boxes, stamping instruments and stationery) has been a matter for the Returning Officers, who are statutorily responsible for conducting the polls. Accordingly, similar responsibility was assigned to them in relation to the storage of the electronic voting machines and equipment. Information on local storage and related costs is therefore available on the basis of the locations where they are stored. Based on the figures received in my Department from Returning Officers, the total costs for storage of the electronic voting equipment (including the cost of insurance, service charges, rates, heating, etc.), for each location are set out in the following table.

Table 2: Annual Storage Costs 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007

County/City

Annual Storage Costs (incl. VAT)

Annual Storage Costs (incl. VAT)

Annual Storage Costs (incl. VAT)

Annual Storage Costs (incl. VAT)

2004

2005

2006

2007

Carlow-Kilkenny

28,506.00

29,595.00

30,166.00

24,653.65

Cavan-Monaghan

25,828.00

25,828.00

27,075.32

21,608.32

Clare

10,800.00

3,600.00

3,600.00

3,600.00

Cork City

27,207.50

42,499.50

53,942.33

48,561.85

Cork County

37,609.30

37,609.30

35,124.00

35,913.29

Donegal

9,293.00

15,714.00

16,685.80

13,987.80

Dublin City

65,000.00

72,350.00

71,265.00

6,954.00

Dublin County

62,938.66

62,938.66

49,034.86

Nil

Galway

5,253.00

5,253.00

Nil

5,000

Kerry

26,125.00

26,125.00

22,624.96

28,003.00

Kildare

27,125.86

27,125.86

31,984.21

29,364.82

Laois-Offaly

28,178.00

28,178.00

27,647.60

27,647.60

Limerick

57,675.86

57,675.86

64,465.30

28,423.10

Longford

2,995.16

15,095.16

18,439.88

20,003.28

Roscommon

10,374.98

10,374.98

9,816.00

10,664.82

Louth

298.00

298.00

593.47

595.06

Mayo

34,930.00

34,930.00

37,426.00

38,608.00

Meath

20,366

20,366.00

21,976.51

26,354.72

Sligo

Nil

Nil

Nil

Nil

Leitrim

Nil

3,000.00

3,150.00

3,200.00

Tipperary (N&S)

42,700.00

42,700.00

31,200.00

39,196.00

Waterford

52,888.48

52,888.48

57,699.17

35,989.67

Westmeath

22,805.34

22,805.34

21,772.62

21,440.30

Wexford

16,875.00

16,876.00

19,064.76

18,934.46

Wicklow

42,455.80

42,455.80

54,241.29

Nil

Total

658,228.94

696,281.94

705,995.08

488,703.74

Based on provisional information from Returning Officers, a total of some €139,000 was expended in the first half of 2008 in respect of storage of the electronic voting equipment. Full annual cost data for 2008 will be provided to my Department in due course.

In 2007, over 60% of the electronic voting machines (4,762 in total) were moved to a central storage facility located at Gormanston Army Camp. Costs incurred to date in respect of the movement and storage of this equipment are some €328,000. These are largely one-off costs related to the preparation of the facility, transportation of the machines and the acquisition of storage containers. The available capacity at this location has now been fully utilised.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

207 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on terminating the electronic voting machine project and transferring the funding to meet the needs of persons awaiting modification of their houses under the essential repairs and disabled persons scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40392/08]

I am at present considering the next steps to be taken in relation to the electronic voting project. In this, I am taking into account the work of the Commission on Electronic Voting, which has examined the system, relevant experiences and developments internationally, the need to maintain public confidence in the electoral process, as well as the provisions in the Programme for Government relating to electoral reform generally.

Question No. 208 answered with Question No. 205.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

209 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40421/08]

The information requested is set out in the following tables:

Minister

Name

No. of staff

Grade/Salary Scale

Duties

Private/Constituency Office

John Gormley

Ryan Meade

1

Special Adviser (Annual Salary €89,819)

As set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997

Private Office

David Healy

1

Special Adviser (Annual Salary €89,819)

As set out in Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997

Private Office

Liam Reid

1

Special Adviser: Press and Information Officer (Annual Salary €100,191)

Responsible for all aspects of the Department’s media related activities.

Press Office

Donall Geoghegan*

1

Special Adviser (Annual Salary €177,547)

Programme Manager for the Green Party

Department of the Taoiseach

Diarmuid Hanafin

1

Personal Assistant-Higher Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Constituency Office

Ann O’Conarain

0.5

Personal Secretary-Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Constituency Office

Linda Farrell

0.5

Personal Secretary-Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support

Constituency Office

*Mr. Geoghegan's salary is paid from my Department's vote but he is based in the Department of the Taoiseach.

With the exception of Mr David Healy who is currently a member of Fingal County Council none of the above staff serve on the city, county, town/borough councils or state boards.

Minister of State

Name

No. of staff

Grade/ Salary Scale

Duties

Private/Constituency Office

Michael Kitt

Treasa Meehan

1

Personal Assistant-Higher Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Constituency Office

Margaret Mannion

1

Personal Secretary-Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Galway Constituency Office

John Killilea

0.5

Civilian Driver (Annual Salary €34,826.50)

Driver for the Minister

Tom Kenny

0.5

Civilian Driver (Annual Salary €34,826.50)

Driver for the Minister

Michael Finneran

Geraldine Maloney

1

Personal Assistant-Higher Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Constituency Office

Elizabeth Finneran

1

Personal Secretary-Executive Officer

Provision of administrative and secretarial support.

Roscommon/Leitrim Constituency Office

Jimmy Cooke

0.5

Civilian Driver (Annual Salary €34,826.50)

Driver for the Minister

Trevor Finneran

0.5

Civilian Driver (temporary appointment) (Annual Salary €34,826.50)

Driver for the Minister

Máire Hoctor*

*Staffing arrangements for the Office of the Minister of State, Máire Hoctor, with responsibility for Older People are dealt with by the Department of Health and Children.

With the exception of Mr Trevor Finneran who is currently a member of Roscommon County Council none of the above staff serve on the city, county, town/ borough councils or state boards.

The salary scales for all administrative grades are available on the Department of Finance website (www.finance.gov.ie ).

Social and Affordable Housing.

Brian Hayes

Question:

210 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason the two recent 0.5% decreases in the European Central Bank rate have not been passed on by local authorities to those who purchased properties through shared ownership schemes or other housing schemes which are the responsibility of local housing authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40431/08]

The interest rate on local authority housing loans is determined by the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) by reference to mortgage rates prevailing in the financial market. The current variable interest rate to local authority borrowers, excluding mortgage protection, is 5.25%. The current fixed interest rate available on local authority loans, excluding mortgage protection, is 5.5% for a period of 5 years.

At the October meeting of the Board of the HFA it was decided that the interest rate cut of 0.5% announced by the European Central Bank in October would be passed on in full to local authority borrowers. The new effective variable rate of 4.75%, which compares favourably with corresponding rates charged by commercial lending agencies, will take effect from 1 December.

Arrangements are being made by the HFA further to adjust rates in line with the second recent rate cut announced last week by the ECB.

Local Government Elections.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

211 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will introduce legislation in regard to spending limits for local elections in view of his recent comments on the matter; the amount of the limit and the applicable period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40462/08]

In accordance with the Programme for Government, my Department published the Green Paper on Local Government, Stronger Local Democracy – Options for Change in April 2008. The Green Paper outlines a range of issues for consideration including the establishment of expenditure limits at local elections.

The submissions made in the course of the preparation of the Green Paper were generally supportive of some kind of expenditure limit. Proposals for the introduction of expenditure limits for local elections are currently under consideration.

Election Management System.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

212 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he will complete the consultation process in regard to election posters; when he expects to introduce new regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40463/08]

I refer to the reply to Question No. 497 of 30 September 2008. The position is unchanged.

Legislative Programme.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

213 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress he has made in order to provide a legislative framework in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 to enable tenants of local authority flats or apartments to purchase their homes under the tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40464/08]

As indicated in the reply to Question Nos. 270 and 275 of 14 October 2008, work is continuing to address the outstanding issues relating to the tenant purchase of local authority apartments. I hope that legislative proposals for a viable apartment sales scheme can be finalised in time for consideration during the passage of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 through the Oireachtas.

Local Authority Funding.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

214 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the length of time it takes to process each application under his Department’s capital loan and subsidy scheme on a county basis; the number on hand for each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40481/08]

My Department's involvement with the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) relates primarily to the provision of funds for individual projects. The administration of the scheme, including the detailed appraisal of new applications, the management of the planning and procurement stages of projects and the certification that particular projects comply with the terms of the funding schemes, are the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

In accordance with the Guidelines for the Appraisal and Management of Capital Expenditure Proposals in the Public Sector, issued by the Department of Finance in February 2005, my Department must ensure the achievement of efficiency, effectiveness and value for money in the provision of all voluntary and co-operative housing projects. The Capital Works Management Framework gives practical effect to these guidelines with regard to the appraisal, planning, procurement and approval stages of projects. These will vary according to the scope, complexity and cost of projects. The funding approval route will also vary depending on the cost of projects with separate procedures applying to projects with a capital value of up to €5 million, projects with a capital value of between €5m and €20m and those with a capital value greater than €20m. In addition, a full Cost Benefit Analysis may be needed as well as consultation with the National Development Finance Agency on the financial options for developing projects.

It is not possible to give a timescale for progressing a project from the initial appraisal stage through to the completion of the planning, design, procurement and funding approval stages. It is the policy of my Department, subject to funding being available, to progress schemes as expeditiously as possible. However, due to the complexity and size of some schemes, timescales can vary as further consultation may be required with the local authority or the voluntary body concerned at key stages in the project life-cycle.

There are some 44 CLSS applications on hand in my Department at present, of which 15 are awaiting funding approval. Having regard to the existing high level of commitments under the CLSS and the substantial number of schemes being advanced through the planning and design stages, I will now be considering the scope to approve further projects in the light of the available funding.

The information requested, broken down by local authority area, is set out in the following table:

No.

Clare County Council

1

Cork County Council

9

Dublin City Council

4

DunLaoghaire/Rathdown Co. Co.

4

Galway City Council

2

Galway County Council

1

Kerry County Council

3

Kildare County Council

3

Laois County Council

2

Limerick County Council

1

Mayo County Council

2

Monaghan County Council

1

Offaly County Council

1

Roscommon County Council

1

Sligo County Council

1

South Dublin County Council

2

South Tipperary County Council

4

Waterford County Council

1

Westmeath County Council

1

Departmental Properties.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

215 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will confirm that the Chief State Solicitor’s Office has received all outstanding documents relating to the sale of commonage lands at an area (details supplied) in County Offaly; if same are in order, when the deeds will be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40482/08]

Olwyn Enright

Question:

216 Deputy Olwyn Enright asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made following Parliamentary Questions Nos. 245 of 14 June 2006 and 847 of 4 July 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40483/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 216 together.

In this case, my Department is in the process of transferring a parcel of land as part of a land swap arrangement. I understand that the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO) has provided all available documents to the vendor's solicitor. However, the latter has sought additional papers. In order to comply with this request, the CSSO has requested a special features map from the Property Registration Authority. When this is received, the CSSO will forward it to the vendor's solicitor.

Energy Efficiency.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

217 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the recent research which suggests that ordinary light bulbs may be more economical than compact florescent lights; his view on such research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40500/08]

My Department is not aware of any research which suggests that basic incandescent tungsten filament light bulbs may be more economical than compact fluorescent lights. I would be happy to receive details of any such research.

While cost considerations are important in the context of the standard which I propose to introduce for tungsten filament incandescent bulbs, the national objective is to ensure energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

218 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the impact of compact florescent lights on persons with migraine, epilepsy and other conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40501/08]

A public consultation document on the proposed energy efficiency and performance standard for light bulbs has been published on my Department's website, www.environ.ie. It provides an opportunity for individuals to identify matters in relation to implementation of the proposed standard, including any issues on the use of compact fluorescent lamps. The proposed standard will not require the use of compact fluorescent lamps and the consultation document notes that tungsten halogen bulbs, which will also meet the standard, do not appear to give rise to the types of issue identified in the question. The consultation process closes on 14 November next and its outcome, and the summary of the responses received, will be published on my Department’s website in due course.

Social and Affordable Housing.

Frank Feighan

Question:

219 Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will carry out an audit of housing stock here; and if he will examine a bond situation which is used in the UK to assist house purchase. [40503/08]

National house condition surveys have been undertaken every 10 years since 1981. In 2001/2002 the exercise was carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute on behalf of my Department. A decision has yet to be taken on proceeding with another such study in 2011.

However, a House Condition Survey of the local authority rented stock is due to commence in 2009 and will form part of the overall strategy for modernising the building and energy standards of the public housing stock. The National Building Agency, who will manage the Survey on behalf of my Department, with assistance from the Centre for Housing Research, have already undertaken a scoping study in preparation for the commencement of this exercise.

With the introduction of the new Home Choice Loan and changes to existing affordable housing mechanisms which will result in the introduction of a new streamlined Government Equity product, we will shortly have in place a full range of housing supports to assist households seeking home ownership. There are no plans at present to introduce any further measures but the position will be kept under review in light of further developments in the housing market.

Election Management System.

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

220 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the period of contracts in regard to e-voting machines not centrally stored; the tendering process involved; the standard of storage specified in each case; the overall cost per contract; the cost per machine stored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40505/08]

Responsibility for the security and safe storage of manual voting electoral materials (such as ballot boxes, stamping instruments and stationery) is a matter for the Returning Officers, who are statutorily responsible for conducting the polls. Accordingly, similar responsibility was assigned to Returning Officers to make the necessary arrangements in relation to the storage of the electronic voting machines and equipment. Returning Officers undertook the task of procuring suitable dry accommodation for the electronic voting machines and ancillary equipment, and the detailed contractual and other arrangements put in place by Returning Officers reflect the varying circumstances applying at local level.

The following table sets out information in respect of local storage arrangements currently in place, based on information received in my Department from Returning Officers.

Storage of Electronic Voting Equipment

City/County

Period of Lease Contract

Storage Arrangement

Storage Costs 2007 (incl. VAT)

Number of Machines Stored

Cavan-Monaghan

25 years

Rented Premises

21,608.32

280

Clare

Monthly Basis

Voting Machines stored in courthouse. Premises for ancillary equipment rented.

3,600.00

200

Donegal

Annual Basis

Rented Premises

13,987.80

294

Galway

N/A

Voting Machines Stored in Courthouse

5,000

310

Kerry

10 Years

Rented Premises

28,003.00

310

Laois-Offaly

5 Years

Rented Premises

27,647.60

219

Longford

4 Years 9 Months

Rented Premises

20,003.28

95

Roscommon

2 Years 6 Months

Rented Premises

10,664.82

137

Louth

N/A

Dundalk Town Council

595.06

179

Meath

9 Years 9 Months

Rented Premises

26,354.72

235

Sligo

N/A

Voting Machines Stored in Courthouse

Nil

129

Leitrim

1 Year

Voting Machines stored in courthouse. Premises for ancillary equipment rented.

3,200.00

101

Wexford

Monthly Basis

Rented Premises

18,934.46

240

In 2007, over 60% of the electronic voting machines (some 4,762 in total) were moved to a central storage facility located at Gormanston Army Camp.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

221 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40706/08]

The Government announcement on 14 October 2008 confirmed that the decentralisation of my Department's Headquarters to Wexford (270 posts) will proceed as planned. However the transfer of posts to the three other locations in the South East – Waterford (225 posts), New Ross (125 posts) and Kilkenny (62 posts) — is being deferred pending the outcome of a review in 2011 in light of budgetary developments.

The transfers of the National Building Agency and the Local Government Computer Services Board, to Wexford and Drogheda respectively, are also deferred pending the review.

My Department's Headquarter offices in Wexford are under construction, and expected to be completed by December 2008 and ready for occupation from February 2009. My Department will then transfer 270 posts into these offices commencing in Q1 2009.

An advance office was established in Wexford on 25 June 2007 and is currently staffed by 43 people in the following grades: Assistant Principal Officer, Higher Executive/Administrative Officer, Executive/Staff Officer, Clerical Officer and Services Officer. Of these, one staff member transferred from an original location outside of Dublin and one staff member was recruited locally. The remainder of the staff transferred from an original Dublin based location.

To date, 63 staff have transferred out of my Department to other Departments remaining in Dublin. Also 5 staff have transferred from my Department from a location outside Dublin to other Department's decentralised location in the grades of Higher Executive Officer and Executive Officer.

EU Directives.

Finian McGrath

Question:

222 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the potential implication of the new Directive 2006/21/EC and its implementation for the Tynagh mines site. [40357/08]

Directive 2006/21/EC on the management of waste from extractive industries (known as ‘The Extractive Waste Directive'), which is currently being transposed into Irish law by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, provides in Article 20 that Member States shall undertake to compile an inventory of closed waste facilities (including abandoned facilities) located on their territory and causing serious negative environmental impacts or having the potential of becoming in the near future a serious threat to human health. In the draft regulations currently being compiled by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the EPA will be the relevant competent authority under the Directive.

For the last two years, the EPA has been funding the work of compiling an inventory for Ireland. Technical assistance has been provided to the EPA by my Department and the Directive requires the inventory to be made available to the public by 1st May 2012. The Directive does not oblige the Member States to carry out any further studies or action on the included sites.

Tynagh is one of a number of closed mine sites currently being examined in the context of the Inventory. Galway County Council is the competent authority for enforcing planning conditions and relevant environmental protection legislation at the sites, and the EPA has responsibility for enforcing compliance with the conditions of Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) Licences for current activities on the site.

Inland Fisheries.

Denis Naughten

Question:

223 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the funding spent to date under the national development plan for the development of the angling sector; the projected spend for each of the remaining years of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40383/08]

The Department does not oversee a measure under the current NDP directed at the development of the angling sector. I am advised that the fisheries boards are working on or have completed NDP funded projects with a value of some €1.3 m to date. Funding was sourced, in conjunction with the local authorities, through the Tourism Product Development Infrastructure Sub-Programme administered by Failte Ireland. As this programme is not within the remit of the Department I am unable to give projected spends for the remaining years of the NDP.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

224 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40416/08]

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. None of these appointees is elected to city, county, town or borough councils, nor is any one of them a member of a State board.

Name

Post

Location

Salary Scale

Morgan Bazilian

Minister’s Special Adviser

Department

Principal Officer Higher salary scale (modified) €92,730 (min) – €114,366 (2nd LSI)

Bríd McGrath

Minister’s Press Adviser

Department

Principal Officer Standard salary scale (modified) €86,168 (min) – €106,582 (2nd LSI)

Claire Byrne

Minister’s Personal Assistant

Department

Higher Executive Officer salary scale (modified) €46,558 (min) – €59,097 (2nd LSI)

Grace Milton

Minister’s Personal Secretary

Department

Secretarial Assistant salary scale €23,181 (min) – €44,727 (2nd LSI)

Suzanne Duke

Minister of State’s Special Adviser

Department

Principal Officer Standard salary scale (modified) €86,168 (min) – €106,582 (2nd LSI)

Mary Freeman

Minister of State’s Personal Secretary

Constituency Office

Secretarial Assistant salary scale €23,181 (min) – €44,727 (2nd LSI) plus 10%

Patrick J Hester

Minister of State’s Civilian Driver

Constituency/Department

€34,826 per annum

James Geraghty

Minister of State’s Civilian Driver

Constituency/Department

€34,826 per annum

Telecommunications Services.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

225 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans for the roll out of broadband in the south east region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40451/08]

The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, is a matter for the private sector. Broadband service providers operate in a fully liberalised market, regulated, where appropriate, by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The role of the Government is to formulate regulatory and infrastructure policies to facilitate the provision of high quality telecommunications services, by competing private sector service providers.

The widespread provision of broadband services continues to be a priority for the Government. In that regard my Department has undertaken initiatives to address the gaps in broadband coverage. These included providing grant-aid under the now concluded Group Broadband Scheme and ongoing investment in Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). The following MANs have been constructed in the South East Region: Carlow, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Waterford, Wexford, Cahir, Cashel, Carrick on Suir, Tipperary and Thomastown.

There are still some parts of the country where the private sector will be unable to justify the commercial provision of broadband services. Accordingly, the procurement process for a National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is nearing completion. The NBS is designed to deliver broadband to areas where the market has failed to provide services. Two bids, from Eircom Limited and Hutchinson 3G Ireland, have been received in response to the NBS invitation to tender and are being evaluated. The preferred bidder is expected to be appointed shortly and the contract is expected to be signed this month.

Subject to agreement with the chosen service provider, rollout of services is expected to begin shortly after the contract is signed. The chosen service provider will be required to complete the roll out of services within 22 months of the contract award. All requests for a broadband service in the areas to be addressed by the NBS including any unserved areas in the South East region will be met.

The policy framework for future broadband development is set out in the consultation paper on Next Generation Broadband, which I published last July. A central commitment is that Ireland will have universal access to broadband by 2010 and that by 2012 our broadband speeds will equal or exceed those in comparative EU regions. The consultation period on the paper has now concluded and my officials are evaluating the submissions received. I will publish the final policy paper shortly.

Fisheries Boards.

Liz McManus

Question:

226 Deputy Liz McManus asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the annual accounts of the Regional Fisheries Boards in respect of 2006 and 2007 have been presented before the Central Fisheries Board; if they have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas; if not, when it is expected that they will be laid before the Houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40473/08]

The 2006 financial statements for the Southern Regional Fisheries Board were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in October 2007 and the financial statements of the seven remaining boards were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 6th November 2008 in accordance with Section 19 of the Fisheries Act, 1980, as amended. The Department has received audited financial statements for the year ending 31st December 2007 from six of the eight fisheries boards and awaits audited financial statements from the Central Fisheries Board and the South Western Regional Fisheries Board which are still being audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. I intend to bring the financial statements of the six boards to Government shortly and lay them before both Houses of the Oireachtas thereafter.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

227 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40701/08]

The original Government Decision on Decentralisation envisaged 300 posts from this Department relocating to Cavan. The Department had successfully put in place an advance party of 55 staff prior to the recent Government announcement suspending this project, pending a review in 2011. Full details regarding origin and grade of staff transferring to Cavan are set out in the following Table.

Location

Grade

Total

Dublin

Accountant

1

AP

2

CO

17

EO

14

EO (JSA)

2

HEO

10

PO

2

SO

1

Dublin Total

49

Provincial

AP

3

CO

1

HEO

1

Ser Officer

1

Provincial Total

6

Grand Total

55

During the course of the last two years approximately 64 staff have left my Department to transfer to other Dublin Departments. Details are set out in the following Table.

Grade

Total

PO

7

AP

11

HEO

15

AO

1

EO

17

SO

3

CO

10

Total

64

Grant Payments.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

228 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has not received their area aid payment. [40388/08]

The position is that an application under the Single Payment Scheme /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on the 15th May 2008. As part of the control procedures under EU legislation governing these Schemes, this application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and cross compliance inspection. The advance payment under the Single Payment Scheme issued on the 30th October 2008 with the balancing payment due to issue from 1st December 2008.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

229 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the status of a single farm payment in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Wexford; the reason this has not been awarded; when payment will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40402/08]

The position is that an application under the Single Payment Scheme /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received in this case on the 24th April 2008. As part of the control procedures under EU legislation governing these Schemes, this application was selected for and was the subject of a ground eligibility and cross compliance inspection. The file is currently being processed and payment will issue from 1st December 2008. The delay in this case arose because of the need to clarify a number of issues relating to the parcels claimed.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

230 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40414/08]

I have listed below the details of people appointed by myself and the two Ministers of State as requested:

Minster Brendan Smith

Name and Grade

Responsibility

Location

Salary Scale

Elected or Member of State Boards

Dermot Ryan Special Adviser

Adviser

Department

€86,168 – €100,191 + 10% allowance

No

Philip Hannon Press Adviser

Media Adviser

Department

€86,168 – €100,191

No

Nuala Brady Personal Assistant

Constituency Office

Constituency

€46,588 – €55,030

No

Celine Mullen Personal Secretary

Constituency Office

Department

€30,566 – €45,416

No

Minister Tony Killeen

Name and Grade

Responsibility

Location

Salary Scale

Elected or Member of State Boards

Pat Daly Personal Assistant

Constituency Office

Constituency

€46,588 – €55,030

Yes – elected Councillor for Clare County Council

Deirdre Murphy Personal Secretary

Constituency Office

Constituency

€30,566 – €53,067

No

Minister Trevor Sargent

Name and Grade

Responsibility

Location

Salary Scale

Elected or Member of State Boards

Stiofán Nutty Special Advisor

Adviser

Department

€86,168 – €100,191 + 10% allowance

No

Madeleine Farrelly Personal Assistant

Constituency Office

Constituency

€46,558 – €55,030

No

Lorcan O’Toole Personal Secretary

Working on policy and constituency matters

Department

€46,558 – €55,030

No

Paula Evans, TCO (Part-time)

Constituency Office

Constituency

€23,174 – €37,660

No

Robbie Kelly, TCO (Part-time)

Constituency Office

Constituency

€23,174 – €37,660

Yes – elected Councillor for Fingal County Council

Animal Welfare.

Finian McGrath

Question:

231 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will support a matter (details supplied). [40433/08]

I outlined my Department's policy on AHCS1 forms in my replies to recent questions from the Deputy.

With regard to the further queries from the Deputy, I do not accept that the statement in the first paragraph of the letter submitted by the Deputy that the number of AHCS1 forms is much higher than expected contradicts the assertion that "occasionally they are not identified until some time later". In fact, there is no contradiction between these two statements. Most of the AHCSI forms are submitted shortly after the test but occasionally some are submitted outside of the 14 day period for completing the test. The position is that, in the period immediately following the introduction of the AHCS in 2004, the number of AHCS1 forms submitted was relatively high as the testing practitioners became familiar with the new system for the electronic transfer of data. However, most of these changes were administrative in nature and did not involve a change to veterinary certification. As the practitioners became more familiar with the system, the number of AHCS1 forms has diminished significantly.

The position in relation to the treatment of AHCS1 forms by the DVOs is that cases involving the addition of animals to a test report are investigated and testing practitioners submitting additional animals on an AHCS1 are queried as to the nature of the circumstances that required the addition of the animal and are required to justify the change to the original certification. The submission of these forms is also specifically addressed by my Department in the context of an updated and formalised quality control protocol for practitioners who conduct TB and Brucellosis tests. In addition, SVIs in the local District Veterinary Offices (DVO) deal with the various quality control issues, including AHCS1s, in their own local areas and a number have chosen to do so by writing individually or collectively to the local practitioners while other offices dealt with such issues at group meetings and/or during the course of routine visits to meet the practitioners or a combination of all these means.

With regard to the fourth paragraph of the letter submitted by the Deputy, I understand that the Departmental letter quoted from was not in fact issued to all veterinary practitioners but rather relates to a letter issued by the SVI in the Kilkenny DVO to testing practitioners referring to his perception of the situation in the local area. It is accepted that this letter states that monthly quality control reports show that the number of animals erroneously omitted from the TB test is much higher than he expected. The clear objective of the letter is to reduce such incidences and I am assured this objective has been met. The letter states that animals notified on AHCS1s which are left out of the test will not be accepted and will be returned to the practitioner. Contrary to the interpretation provided to the Deputy, the intention of this statement is that the animals will be returned for test and not that the physical AHCS1 form will be returned to the testing veterinary practitioner. The test requirement of a 5H test in such circumstances is clarified in the final paragraph of the letter in question. The actual forms are held on individual PVP files in each local office and, as I indicated in my reply of 4 November, are not returned to the PVP.

As also indicated in my reply of 4 November, a detailed breakdown of the very precise and detailed information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and it would place excessive demands on scarce staff resources in the Department to compile this data. The position is that the 5H form is a catch-all category for example for either TB, Brucellosis tests or both at individual animal level and it covers a variety of situations such as tests done post-importation so that passports can issue with a valid test date, animals missed from tests (either TB, Brucellosis or both) and not tested as a part herd test within the 14-day window of the original test (some of which may indeed have been the subject of a rejected AHCS1) and bulls being tested to enter an AI station or the Tully Bull performance test station. To date, in 2008 some 3,800 individual animal tests were recorded under the 5H heading in the course of 1,112 separate testing events across all DVOs. However, AHCS does not discriminate further in the reason for the individual test event.

I strongly refute the allegation that I clouded the issue or misled the Deputy in my reply dated 4 November 2008. The meeting suggested in that reply was intended to be used to brief the Deputy on background and purpose of AHCS1 forms and to let him have sight of various letters issued by DVOs and not for the purpose suggested in the letter submitted. That offer of a meeting remains.

Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Michael Creed

Question:

232 Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the preliminary findings of an audit carried out by the European Commission into the administering of the REP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40439/08]

The Commission's preliminary audit findings relate to the completeness of administrative checks on applications, the keeping of records at farm level and the scope and recording of on-the-spot checks. The Commission has requested additional information which is currently being collated within my Department and will shortly be forwarded to the Commission. The outcome of the audit will not be known for some time.

Harbours and Piers.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

233 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the development of Dunmore fishing harbour, County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40454/08]

My Department has this year allocated funding of €470,000 towards works at Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre under the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme for 2008. These include Repairs to the East Pier (Phase II), Safety & Maintenance, Upgrading of the slipway and access to the West Wharf. Due to the scale of the investment required for the future redevelopment of Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre, my Department was required to commission a Cost Benefit Analysis of the proposed development. This has been completed and the results are currently under consideration.

Food Industry.

Áine Brady

Question:

234 Deputy Áine Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress of the Government’s strategy to promote Ireland’s food investment and innovation strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40460/08]

The Agri-Vision 2015 Report sets out a vision identifying the delivery of safe, high-quality, nutritious food, produced in a sustainable manner, to well-informed consumers in high value markets as the optimum road for the future of the Irish food industry. The 160 actions in the Agri-Vision Action Plan set out a coherent strategy together with the National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013 that address the developmental issues relating to competitiveness, consumer-focus and innovation.

The sector will also benefit from the huge investment in transport and other infrastructure in the NDP, which is key to sustained competitiveness and to growing sales and exports. Agribusiness enterprise also has full access to the generic industry supports in the NDP for research, technology, knowledge building, skills and people and will benefit from NDP funding for food research.

A core €100 million fund is already supporting investment of €300 million in the dairy sector. We have also invested over €100 million in the past decade in building food research capacity and capability in the third-level institutions and have supported Bord Bia in developing marketing strategies for changing lifestyles and consumer needs.

In recent weeks I was also pleased, together with the Tánaiste, to launch an Innovation Initiative by Enterprise Ireland for the Prepared Consumer Foods sector. This envisages some €30 million in a range of innovation supports being available to innovating companies and includes possibilities for partnerships between large and smaller companies and for joint innovation projects between food and non-food companies. This represents a further strategic step in supporting the food industry following on from the investment of significant public funds in traceability systems, quality assurance schemes, research and development measures as well as measures at farm level to promote sustainable production meeting environmental and animal welfare imperatives.

This week I am visiting the US with Enterprise Ireland to promote Ireland's Food Investment and Innovation Strategy. The purpose of this visit is to impress on US business leaders the priority that the Government place on the development of the food sector and highlighting the benefits of collaboration with Irish food companies including access to leading edge food science and technology research in Ireland.

Farm Retirement Scheme.

John Deasy

Question:

235 Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will allow people who have the legal documents stamped in preparation for the early retirement scheme to proceed with their applications in view of the fact that they had a reasonable expectation of being able to apply for this scheme and have completed 95% of the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40480/08]

I have no plans at present to reopen the Early Retirement Scheme (ERS3) 2007 to new applications. The limiting of the suspension of the Scheme will be considered at the earliest opportunity but with regard to the current budgetary constraints.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

236 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40699/08]

Since the programme began there has been an increase of 297 posts in Portlaoise; 220 of which were decentralised from Dublin. 84 posts have moved to Clonakilty; 33 of which were decentralised from Dublin. This is broken down by grade as follows.

Grade

To Portlaoise from Dublin

To Clonakilty from Dublin

Principal Officers

2

2

Assistant Principals

20

4

HEO/AO

48

9

Executive Officers

64

10

Staff Officers

2

3

Clerical Officers

73

3

Service Officers

1

0

Agriculture Inspectors

6

Assistant Agriculture Inspectors

3

District Superintendents

1

Engineers Grade III

1

Assistant Secretary

1

Total

220

33

Regarding those opting to remain in Dublin, the following is the number of staff who receive notifications for the ‘Dublin arrangements' (the system for re-assigning staff within Dublin; the figures do not include Clerical or Staff Officers as they have not yet been included in the arrangements).

Grade

Number

Principal Officer

17

Assistant Principal Officer

50

Higher Executive Officer

68

Executive Officers

126

Total

261

33 staff have been released to other Dublin based organisations through bilateral transfers and the ‘Dublin arrangements' broken down by grade as follows.

Grade

Number

Principal Officer

1

Assistant Principal Officer

10

Higher Executive Officer

18

Executive Officer

3

Clerical officer

1

Total

33

32 staff have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations broken down by grade as follows.

Grade

Number

Higher Executive Officer

6

Executive Officer

11

Clerical Officer

15

Total

32

School Enrolments.

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

237 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a second level school place has not been offered to a person (details supplied) in County Louth who became resident in the State in September 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40356/08]

The selection and enrolment of pupils in second-level schools is the responsibility of the school management authorities. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking second level places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place for every applicant, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.

Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to disclose its enrolment policy and to ensure that as regards that policy that principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parents choice are respected.

Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board refuses enrolment to a student. Where a school refuses to enrol a pupil, the school is obliged to inform parents of their right under Section 29 of Education Act 1998 to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of my Department. Only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld can the Secretary General of my Department direct a school to enrol a pupil.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.

Departmental Agencies.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

238 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of Parliamentary Questions Nos. 476 and 532 of 4 of November 2008, all of the existing staff employed in the three bodies to be amalgamated (details supplied) will be retained in the new amalgamated body; the staff numbers in each of the three bodies as they stood before the decision to amalgamate them was made; the Civil Service grades for each of these staff numbers in table format; the schedule for the amalgamation of the three bodies; the predicted staffing numbers for the newly amalgamated organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40373/08]

Staff numbers for the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Further Education and Training Awards Council, broken down by grade, are in the following table. The staffing requirements of the new agency have not yet been determined. Work on the detailed functions of the organisation has begun and the process of administrative planning will follow. However, it is anticipated that some economies will arise from the amalgamation.

With regard to the schedule for the amalgamation of the three bodies, my Department will prepare a paper on the amalgamation which will be the subject of public consultation in the first half of next year. This will inform the necessary legislation that will be published in the second half of 2009. This would facilitate the establishment of the new organisation towards the end of 2010.

Grade

NQAI

HETAC

FETAC

TOTAL

Assistant Secretary

1

1

1

3

Principal Officer

5

8

14

27

Assistant Principal Officer

4

1

4

9

Higher Executive Officer

2

4

6

Executive Officer

3

6

9

Staff Officer

4

9

13

Clerical Officer

5

15

20

Local Govt Grade VII

2

2

Local Govt Grade VI

4

4

Local Govt Grade V

6

6

Local Govt Grade IV

4

4

Local Govt Grade III

6

6

VEC Grade Gen. Operative

1

1

School Teacher

1

1

Assistant Lecturer

1

1

Total

25

34

53

112

Notes: NQAI and FETAC figures are civil service equivalents while HETAC figures include Institutes of Technology grades.

Figures given are for absolute staff numbers rather than whole time equivalents

Figures include both permanent and contract staff

State Examinations.

Finian McGrath

Question:

239 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will support a matter from a school (details supplied). [40379/08]

The syllabus for the Leaving Certificate Technical Drawing was revised by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The name of the subject was changed to Design and Communications Graphics and the new subject was introduced in September 2007, into a number of selected Post-Primary schools, for examination for the first time by the State Exams Commission (SEC) in June 2009.

When schools were initially assessed for the new syllabus, this school did not have a cohort of pupils at Leaving Certificate in September 2007 to whom the new Design and Communications Graphics course could be offered. In these circumstances the school was not considered for the first phase of introduction of the new syllabus.

My Department has very recently received an application from the school in question seeking funding to introduce the new course from September 2009. The extension of this syllabus into further schools, including this school, will be considered for funding early in the new year and the school informed of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Psychological Service.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

240 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason his Department has allowed the third level institutions to reduce the time period in which a psychological report produced by the National Educational Psychological Service is valid for consideration of student’s disability can be used as a mechanism to lower the entry requirements into higher education; if this unfairly blocks access to higher level for those with poorer socioeconomic backgrounds because they can not afford a private assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40385/08]

The governing bodies of higher education institutions are, by statute, independently responsible for all decisions on their admissions criteria and processes. The Supplementary Admissions Route is a joint admissions initiative of twelve higher education institutions and the CAO . It facilitates access to third level for students who may have been educationally disadvantaged because of their disability and who may not gain the competitive CAO points for their course. The regulations governing the operation of the scheme are determined annually by the participating institutions in conjunction with the CAO.

In 2007 the institutions who administer the Supplementary Admissions Route agreed that from 2009, applicants with specific learning difficulties will be required to provide a psycho-educational assessment report that is no less than three years old . The basis for this decision to move from five to three years is to allow institutions to manage the process of allocating higher education places in as fair and transparent a manner as possible. It is generally accepted by those working in the area of disability support, for example the Psychological Association of Ireland, that the more recent a psycho-educational assessment is, the more useful it is in terms of conveying a student's likely support needs in higher education, including the need for concessions on normal entry requirements.

The majority of applicants to higher education with a disability receive a CAO offer through the normal route and do not require any points concessions. If an entrant to higher education has psycho-educational assessment which is older than that required for the purposes of the supplementary admissions route, this does not bar them from registering with the disability or access service. If those services are of the view that an updated psycho-educational assessment is required the service will assist the student in whatever way they can to get the new assessment.

School Staffing.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

241 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science the basis, in view of his reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 131, 153 and 490 of 4 November 2008, of his assertion that the levels of language support teachers in schools will start to reduce because of lower immigration levels and higher proficiency of immigrant pupils to speak English; if he will provide references to research or data that confirms this is the case; the levels of language support teachers his Department forecasts will be needed in the next three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40386/08]

As I have stated in this House the ongoing requirement for current levels of language support teachers in schools should also start to reduce in line with lower levels of immigration and in line with improvements in the levels of proficiency of those pupils for whom this resource has been available.

Various indicators are emerging at a macro economic level which point to a reduction in inward migration. The allocation process for language support teachers is an annual one and existing provision is not rolled over automatically. Schools will be applying afresh in the spring and early summer of 2009 for the 2009/10 school year, based on their assessment of the prospective needs of existing pupils and any new pupils they are enrolling. The position for individual schools will become clear at that stage.

As I have previously stated schools that require language support will still be entitled to get it. We still envisage having over 1,400 language support teachers in our schools in September 2009 and up to about 500 other teachers in part-time posts. By any standards this is a very significant resource and the challenge will be to ensure that it is used to maximum effect. The requirements for language support over the following years will be determined by the level of applications from individual schools.

As I announced on budget day we will also provide for some alleviation for the position of those schools where there is a significant concentration of newcomer pupils as a proportion of the overall enrolment. This will be done on a case by case basis.

Moreover, OECD research in this field (PISA 2006) shows that Ireland is the OECD country with the highest distribution of newcomers across schools meaning that schools with higher concentrations of newcomer children are relatively unusual. ESRI data also shows that only a small percentage of schools have high concentrations of newcomer children.

I realise that standards are not simply achieved by supplying teaching resources and that the quality of the supports that the child receives and the inclusive atmosphere cultivated in schools are important factors influencing the quality of learning achieved by migrant children. My Department recognises that we must monitor and review the educational experiences that are provided to migrant students so that we can improve the quality and effectiveness of our provision. The Department is undertaking a range of research to consider the question of integration in schools and how best to deploy our resources to ensure that all the children in our schools can benefit from learning in an intercultural Ireland.

Schools Funding.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

242 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the funding withdrawn from schools (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40390/08]

The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure, and decisions were made in order to control expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared, and I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging economic environment and the need to prudently manage Exchequer resources.

The positions of individual schools, including those referred to by the Deputy, will not be known until the staffing and budgetary allocations are finalised in the New Year.

Schools Building Projects.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

243 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application for a new school (details supplied) in County Wexford; when this school will receive the go-ahead; if his attention has been drawn to the circumstances of the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40393/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

249 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40405/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

250 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40406/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

251 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40407/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 249 to 251, inclusive, together.

The progression of all large scale school building projects, including those to which the Deputy refers, from site acquisition to initial design and through to construction will be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the projects at this time.

School Enrolments.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

244 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science if this Deputy will be supplied with a copy of reports (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40394/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

245 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the position of a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40395/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together.

As the Deputy is aware, my Department initiated a review of post-primary provision in the New Ross area principally to achieve rationalisation among the existing five providers. The review arose following the receipt of applications for capital funding from the managerial authorities of all post primary providers and against a backdrop of declining enrolments. The scope of the review was subsequently extended to include the five primary schools in the area. One of these schools has since closed.

In view of the extent of the review, a facilitator was appointed to consult with the local providers and to identify the key issues in relation to primary and post-primary school provision in the area. The facilitator's report is the one referred to by the Deputy and is the only one of this nature commissioned by my Department in this area. I have asked the Planning and Building Unit in my Department to arrange for the issue of a copy of the report to the Deputy.

The School Planning Section of my Department subsequently prepared a discussion paper for the Trustees of both the primary and post primary schools to progress the matter further. Given the intervening period since the facilitator's Report, the change in demographics etc., the purpose of the Paper was to put forward for discussion the Department's view on how best the primary and post primary educational infrastructural needs of the area in question could be met into the future.

A decision was subsequently taken on the rationalisation aspect of primary provision in one of the Parishes concerned. As with all large scale building projects, the progression of the project resulting from this development, will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Discussions are ongoing among the Trustees in relation to the rationalisation of the post-primary schools.

Schools Refurbishment.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

246 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason schools (details supplied) are not receiving funding for works to be carried out; if he will address this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40396/08]

The Deputy will be aware that discussions are ongoing at Trustee level in relation to the possible amalgamation of the post primary providers in the area to which he refers.

When the outcome of these discussions is known, consideration can be given to any application for capital funding which the Department has on hands for the schools in question.

In the meantime, it is open to the schools to submit an application for funding under the Emergency Works Grant for essential works for consideration. One of the schools mentioned by the Deputy has received funding of this nature in the past.

Schools Building Projects.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

247 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40403/08]

A project to provide for a major extension/refurbishment to the school to which the Deputy refers to is at the early stages of architectural planning. A Design Team has been appointed.

The progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to tender and construction phase, including this project, will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

In light of current competing demands on the capital budget of my Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of this project at this time.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

248 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40404/08]

A project to provide for the provision of an autistic unit at the school referred to by the Deputy is currently in architectural planning — a stage 3 submission (sketch scheme) has been forwarded to my Department for consideration.

The progression of all large scale buildings projects from initial design to tender and construction stages, including this project, will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

In light of current competing demands on the capital budget of my Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of this project at this time.

Questions Nos. 249 to 251, inclusive, answered with Question No. 243.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

252 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40408/08]

I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application to my Department for large scale capital funding.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

253 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40409/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

255 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40411/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

256 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40412/08]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

257 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40413/08]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 255 to 257, inclusive, together.

I can confirm that the schools to which the Deputy refers have submitted applications to my Department for large scale capital funding.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including these projects, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

254 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of an application in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wexford for a new building or extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40410/08]

The proposed building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning.

The progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase, including this project, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of this project at this time.

Questions Nos. 255 to 257, inclusive, answered with Question No. 253.

Ministerial Staff.

Paul Kehoe

Question:

258 Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of people he and his Ministers of State have appointed to work with them; the number located in their constituency offices and in their Department; the responsibility of each; the rank, salary scale and name in each case; if they are elected to city, county, town or borough councils; if they are members of State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40419/08]

I have appointed the following staff since I was appointed Minister for Education and Science:

Ms. Deirdre McDonnell, Special Adviser — located in my Department (Salary Scale: €90,702 – €113,141);

Mr. Bernard Mallee, Special Adviser (with responsibility for press and communications) — located in my Department (Salary Scale: €86,168 –€107,485);

Ms. Katherine Woods, Personal Assistant — located in my constituency (Salary Scale: €46,558 – €55,030);

Ms. Mary O'Keeffe, Personal Secretary — located in my constituency (Salary Scale: €30,566 – €50,410).

The Minister of State at my Department has appointed the following staff since his appointment:

Ms. Catherine Ward, Personal Assistant — located in the Department of Education and Science (Salary Scale: €46,558 – €55,030);

Mr. Niall Haughey, Personal Secretary — located in the Minister of States office in his constituency (Salary Scale: €30,566 – €50,410);

Mr. Joe Ryan and Mr. Martin Vaughan as Civilian Drivers (€667.43 per week) based in the Department of Education and Science.

The salaries paid to non-civil servant staff are in accordance with the Department of Finance Instructions relating to the Appointment of Ministerial Private Office Staff.

None of these staff have been elected to city, county, town or borough councils or are members of State Boards.

Schools Building Projects.

Damien English

Question:

259 Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding a school building project for a school (details supplied) in County Meath; when he expects building to commence; if he has satisfied himself that the level of local funding to date by the school will be met by funding by his Department; the timescale for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40430/08]

The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

Finian McGrath

Question:

260 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will re-evaluate the band rating criteria for a school (details supplied) in County Sligo. [40432/08]

The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an early stage of architectural planning.

All applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. Under the criteria, each project is assigned a Band Rating which reflects the type of works required and the urgency attaching to them. There are four Band Ratings in all with Band 1 being the highest and Band 4 the lowest. A Band 2.2 rating has been assigned to the project in question and my Department is satisfied that that is the appropriate band rating for this project.

The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

School Transport.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

261 Deputy Ruairí Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a child who lives next to the Luas and whose school is near a Luas stop, cannot avail of the school transport scheme while a child who lives next to the DART, and whose school is near a DART stop, can; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40434/08]

I indicated to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question Number 620 of 21October, 2008 that eligible pupils may avail of school transport services, subject to certain criteria, under the terms of my Department's Primary or Post Primary School Transport Schemes which are operated on behalf of the Department by Bus Éireann.

Bus Éireann advised my Department that pupils, where eligible, residing in the Dublin area served by the Luas are adequately catered for by scheduled bus and Dart services and, thus, Luas is not included in the current arrangements. My Department has asked Bus Éireann to review this arrangement.

In the meantime, if the Deputy has any specific case in mind my Department will be glad to have the transport arrangements investigated.

Institutes of Technology.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

262 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science when he will make a decision on the application of Waterford Institute of Technology for upgrading to the university of the south east; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40447/08]

The position is that applications have been received from 3 Institutes of Technology for designation as Universities. These applications raise significant issues regarding Government policy towards higher education, in particular the existing roles of the Universities and Institutes of Technology which have distinctive missions from each other, provide different levels and types of academic programmes, fulfil different roles in the community and have separate academic and governance structures. I have met with all of the Institutes of Technology concerned and I expect that consideration of the applications on hand will be finalised in the near future.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio.

Kieran O'Donnell

Question:

263 Deputy Kieran O’Donnell asked the Minister for Education and Science if, in relation to the budget reductions in pupil/teacher ratios for national schools, he will ensure that on the grounds of fairness, a school (details supplied) in County Limerick will retain its 12 teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40472/08]

The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year.

The detailed staffing allocation for the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation process has fully concluded. The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. At primary level the final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels which provide for the retention of a teacher in an existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.

Schools are currently returning data to my Department in relation to their enrolment as of 30 September. My Department has commenced processing this data although all schools have not yet made their returns. The allocation process including notification to all primary schools will commence early in the New Year.

Special Educational Needs.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

264 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students in primary and post-primary schools receiving special needs assistance; the number of WTE SNAs in his Department’s employment in both primary and post-primary sectors; the number of persons working as SNAs; and if he has plans to reduce this service. [40506/08]

As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

While the total number of students in schools receiving SNA support is not readily available, the NCSE's records show that it has allocated SNA support to 8,907 pupils at primary level and 2,678 at post primary level since its establishment.

There are currently 8,266 whole time equivalent SNAs employed in primary schools and 1,966 employed in post primary schools.

The recent budgetary announcements does not affect the criteria used for the allocation of special needs assistance support for children with special educational needs. The National Council for Special Education continues to operate within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

Higher Education Grants.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

265 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science when a higher education grant will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40513/08]

The decision on eligibility for student maintenance grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority, either the local authority or VEC, as appropriate. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department, except in exceptional circumstances.

If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant, or that the rate of maintenance grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the relevant local authority or VEC.

Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by the relevant local authority or VEC, and remains of the view that the body has not interpreted the schemes correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to my Department.

Schools Funding.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

266 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Science the activities and services funded by his Department from the budget 2009 subhead B17 entitled miscellaneous which amounts to €15.7 million in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40568/08]

An allocation of €15.9m has been provided in the 2009 Budget for Subhead B17 Miscellaneous. This subhead provides for a range of miscellaneous services which include costs relating to:

The School Development Programme,

Early Literacy Programmes,

Funding of the Braille Production Unit,

The Partnership Programme,

Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act,

The funding of an Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG)

The provision of an advice and referral service run by and for survivors of abuse and a family tracing service (Origins) provided by Barnardos,

The Get Ahead Project

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

267 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on a letter (details supplied). [40573/08]

As you will be aware, the Education budget for 2009 has been increased by some €302 million. Notwithstanding this, a number of tough and difficult decisions have had to be taken, which have seen a number of spending cuts across the education sector. However, the overall allocation for the School Completion Programme in 2009 will increase by approximately 1% over the allocation for 2007/08.

My Department notified all 124 school completion projects on 21st August last that, pursuant to a Government decision in response to the deterioration in public finances, they would be required to reduce their payroll bill by 3% in 2009 through all appropriate measures identified by local management in the light of local circumstances. Projects were advised that they have the authority to manage how the savings are to be achieved. This is to facilitate projects in their efforts to ensure that these necessary steps will be applied in such a manner as to minimise their effect on young people targeted and to prioritise those activities which are found to be of most value in supporting the young people concerned.

In implementing this decision local Management Committees will have an opportunity to consider measures which might include the control of premium pay, the management of existing or future vacancies, the organisation of work processes and the levels at which work is carried out, as well as control of numbers through recruitment and other measures. This requirement will not have a universal effect on all 124 projects, as projects vary in size, number of schools involved and the number and status of personnel employed and the types of interventions in place.

In line with the requirements set out the letter dated 21st August, Projects are requested to submit the required establishment plans including information on the numbers of existing staff, both full-time and part-time at all salary levels in each project. Under the terms of the Government decision, the allocation for the pay element of the School Completion Programme in 2009 will be framed on the basis that a saving of 3% will be achieved when the pay bill is adjusted to include the full-year cost of Towards 2016 increases payable in 2008.

It is envisaged that the savings requested, will lead to rationalisation, with more efficient and cost effective measures being implemented. In this way, it is not expected that there will be any significant diminution of front-line services.

With regard to the pay increase of 3.5% provided for under the recently negotiated second pay agreement under Towards 2016, my Department is currently considering how this will be addressed, should the pay increase be accepted by the unions and their members, following the Government's decision that no specific additional provision should be included for this pay increase and that the cost should be met from the allocations approved in Budget 2009.

Decentralisation Programme.

Richard Bruton

Question:

268 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the number of posts that have been decentralised to date, and of those, the number that have been decentralised from Dublin, and their grades; the number that have opted to remain in Dublin, and their grades; the number of those that have moved to another Department or agency in Dublin; and the number that have been decentralised from outside Dublin to other locations and their grades. [40704/08]

My Department has completed the process of decentralising all sections due to relocate to Athlone and to date, 88 posts have decentralised from my Department to Athlone. The main relocation of posts from Dublin to Mullingar will take place when the new office accommodation in Mullingar is ready for occupation. However, in June 2008, my Department utilised existing available accommodation, in its Regional Office in Mullingar, to decentralise 7 posts from Dublin to that location. Breakdown of these posts by grade is as follows:

2 Assistant Secretary Generals;

6 Principal Officers;

11 Assistant Principal Officers;

20 Higher Executive Officers;

30 Executive Officers;

3 Staff Officers;

22 Clerical Officers;

1 Service Officer;

167 staff in my Department will be/have been transferred to organisations remaining in Dublin prior to decentralisation to Mullingar. Breakdown by grade is as follows:

10 Principal Officers;

17 Assistant Principal Officers;

41 Higher Executive Officers;

42 Executive Officers;

6.5 Staff Officers;

36 Clerical Officers;

7 Service Officer;

8 Telephonist/Cleaners.

Volunteers for decentralisation to Mullingar will be assigned to the remaining posts as the current post-holders transfer out under the Dublin Arrangements or to decentralise to other locations. In total, 62 former staff in my Department have transferred out to other Dublin based organisations through bilateral moves or through the Dublin arrangements.

To date, 56 staff based in my Department's offices outside Dublin have transferred to decentralise with other organisations. Breakdown by grade is as follows:

1 Principal Officer;

6 Assistant Principals;

18 Higher Executive Officers/Administrative Officers;

21 Executive Officers;

3 Staff Officers;

7 Clerical Officers.

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