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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Nov 2010

Vol. 722 No. 4

Adjournment Debate

Site Acquisitions

I have raised this issue to seek clarification on the current position regarding the acquisition of a site to facilitate the amalgamation of the Cahir boys national school and Our Lady of Mercy national school in Cahir, County Tipperary. I wish to know whether the site can be acquired by the State from the Mercy Order under the redress scheme. These are two major schools in Cahir town which is the fastest growing district electoral division in south Tipperary according to the previous census. The boys school caters for 180 boys and the girls for 298 girls, including junior and senior infants. The staff, boards of management and school community provide an excellent service to local families but despite that they operate in facilities which are inadequate, inappropriate and not fit for purpose.

The boys school, established in 1964, pays €40,000 a year for rented portakabins while the girls school pays more than €20,000. The Sisters of Mercy some time ago provided figures which indicated the amount of interest paid over the past 20 years alone would have paid for the site. The need for the amalgamation of the schools has been long acknowledged and has been agreed locally by both school communities. The adjacent site, which is between both schools and is in the ownership of the Sisters of Mercy, is the only site which is suitable and amenable to both schools.

The acquisition of this land is an urgent matter and I hope the subject can be progressed. It must be progressed. I have been dealing with this issue since 2007 and before as a member of the county council. I met the former Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Hanafin, in Thurles with a deputation. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, visited the school when he was Minister for Education and Skills, saw it at first hand and gave some hope. There was a blockage at departmental level with officials which was very unfair to the Sisters of Mercy. The officials insisted they were not engaging in negotiations. The head bursar, whom I complimented, gave me correspondence which she sent on two occasions to the Department, but it got lost somewhere in the bowels of the organisation. She was willing to sell the site and facilitate the need for the school.

Land prices have decreased since then. I have asked the previous Minister and the current one whether the site could be included in the redress scheme which has been agreed by the Sisters of Mercy and the Government. The site must be acquired in order that we can give some hope to the teachers and pupils in the school and the wider community that a proper, modern and decent building in which to educate the young children of Cahir and the surrounding areas every day will be built.

The situation is wholly inadequate. I thank the Department officials who have engaged with me, previous Ministers and the current one but action is now needed because the situation is perilous. If the site is acquired, the planning and design process will have to be started and the many other stages will have to be gone through. The site between the two schools is lying idle and is in the ownership of the Sisters of Mercy who are willing to sell it at a reasonable rate with independent valuations or whatever. Correspondence sent to me from the Department indicated the order was not willing to sell or was not engaging, which is an injustice. The information was misleading and very unfair to the Sisters of Mercy who have given tremendous service to the town and community of Cahir in education and many other areas over the past century.

It is time this was brought to a head and meaningful negotiations took place. Whatever officials are needed should visit the area and try to do the deal. It was recently suggested that moneys have been returned to the Department of Finance from the Department of Education and Skills. Cases like this are held up by bureaucracy. It is unfair, unacceptable and must be dealt with.

I am happy to reply on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Coughlan, who, unfortunately, cannot be present. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to outline the current position of the proposed amalgamation of Cahir boys national school and Our Lady of Mercy national school.

Modernising facilities in our existing building stock as well as the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth is a significant challenge. The Government has shown a consistent determination to improve the condition of our school buildings and to ensure the appropriate facilities are in place to enable the implementation of a broad and balanced curriculum. The Department's planning and building unit assesses all applications for capital funding. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting, based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings, site capacity, etc. leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

The staffing level of Cahir boys national school comprises a principal, seven mainstream assistants, two permanent learning support teachers, one release time post and two temporary language support posts. It had an enrolment of 180 pupils in September 2009. Our Lady of Mercy national school has a current staffing level of a principal, 11 mainstream assistants, one permanent shared resource teacher for Travellers, one permanent resource teacher, two learning support-resource and two temporary language support teachers. It had an enrolment of 298 pupils in September 2009. In 2004, agreement was reached to amalgamate the two primary schools in Cahir. The application was assessed and the project was assigned a band rating of 1.4. The long-term projected staffing for the proposed amalgamated school was determined as an administrative principal, 24 mainstream assistants and four learning support-resource teachers. A special needs unit will also be provided as part of the accommodation.

A technical inspection was carried out in 2006 on the existing school buildings to determine which would be suitable to act as a host for the amalgamated school. The report concluded the most suitable building to facilitate the amalgamation would be the girls' school due to its relatively large floor area, good condition of the general building fabric, reasonable development potential and relatively good access to a public roadway. The report also recommended an additional portion of land be acquired from the Sisters of Mercy to the north east of Our Lady of Mercy national school to facilitate the development. The Department has received an offer of lands from the Sisters of Mercy under the residential institutions redress compensation scheme. The Department is considering this offer in the context of the religious order's response to the Government request for an increase in its contribution under the redress scheme.

On conclusion of the acquisition of the site, the progression of this building project required to facilitate the amalgamation from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. The amalgamated school building project for the primary schools in Cahir, County Tipperary, will be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. I thank the Deputy again for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position regarding the school building project for the primary schools in Cahir, County Tipperary.

European Globalisation Adjustment Fund

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and I am pleased the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, is in the House to deal with it because responsibility for the Dell element of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund was transferred from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the Minister of State's Department a few months ago and he is directly responsible for it.

I raise this matter because I want a definite answer. The Dell redundant workers association was established in December 2009 following the announcement of a huge number of redundancies in Dell and in a number of related companies. Since then it has provided a service for redundant workers as well as lobbying for the fund to be set up and for the application to be submitted on behalf of Government. It has been doing this on a voluntary basis over the past year and has provided a huge service to its approximately 1,700 members. It is recognised as a social partner in the EGF project and is represented on the steering committee.

The Minister of State's predecessor in charge of this fund was the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary. On 1 February 2010, he advised the workers that any expenses legitimately incurred in respect of EGF-related activities would be reimbursed, especially since it was effectively the only organisation actively working EGF-related issues with the redundant workers. At that time, the EGF co-ordination unit had not been opened.

It subsequently submitted a spread sheet in April 2010 but was told the format was not appropriate. It resubmitted its accounts in accordance with Department regulations on 9 June 2010. It made frequent inquiries but it was not until 26 July 2010 that it was informed its accounts were not acceptable in their current format. Again, it got to work and had its accounts audited with the advice of the departmental office. It submitted another application on 22 September 2010, which is more than two months ago, and it still has not had any news about the funding.

This is very urgent because the association is in danger of having to close its office unless it gets this funding quickly. That would be a tragedy for the workers concerned. A large number of them come to see me. They are still trying to access support from the fund, whether for training, community employment schemes, higher education, setting up their own businesses, co-operative groups working to set up enterprises or for advice on social welfare and a variety of other matters. That group of workers has given huge support to all the people concerned. It informs people of their rights. There are still people who do not realise they are allowed to access the fund, in particular people in the other companies. The people in Dell were, by and large, aware of their rights but people in the other companies, whether down stream or up stream companies, did not know about their rights and would not have been able to get the kind of help needed were it not for this group.

It has done trojan work and is entitled to funding for the work it does. I hope the Minister of State will be able to clarify the matter. My colleague, Deputy Penrose, tabled a parliamentary question which was answered last Tuesday. The reply stated that expenditure claims are currently under examination. I hope there will be a successful conclusion to this application.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment. As the House may recall, Ireland successfully applied to the EU budgetary authorities under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, EGF, for co-financing assistance in support of redundant workers formerly employed at the Dell computer manufacturing plant in Raheen, County Limerick, and at a number of approved ancillary enterprises.

The application for assistance was made by the Irish authorities in June 2009 and was subsequently approved by the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament in December 2009. EU funding transfers under the EGF were made to Ireland in March 2010. The EGF application was for a total of €22.8 million, of which the 65% EU contribution received is €14.8 million. The remaining 35% of total costs is being met by the Government from Exchequer and national training fund sources.

From the point at which the large-scale redundancies in Dell, which so affected the mid western region, were first announced in January 2009 up to the present time, considerable efforts have been, and continue to be, made by the Government, State agencies and educational institutions to support and assist the more than 2,800 workers affected at Dell and at the approved ancillary enterprises. In an overview to date, 2,600 workers have received occupational guidance; almost 370 are availing of VEC training programmes and vocational guidance; almost 320 are utilising the FÁS administered EGF training grant for private training; almost 530 are on FÁS training courses; 180 are on third level courses; almost 100 have been approved by city and county enterprise boards for new business start-ups with more than 140 more proposals being assessed; by the end of the year up to 100 will have been placed on internships with companies in the areas of medical devices, logistics, business administration and finance; and more than 60 more are on FÁS community enterprise schemes. All supports are demand led with take-up ultimately dependent on individual choice.

The workers in Dell were not unionised and in September 2009 the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment as the Department with policy responsibility for the EGF nationally was contacted by a group of former workers calling themselves the Dell employees representative committee. On request, Department officials subsequently met in October 2009 with a delegation from this group and the general background to the EGF and the application process was explained to them. No other group came forward then or subsequently claiming to represent the Dell redundant workers or cohorts of them. As such the Department engaged with the only group which held itself out as representing the interests of some element of the redundant workforce from Dell and other ancillary enterprises.

Subsequently in December 2009, the group appeared to change its name to the Dell redundant workers association. By request, it met the Minister of State with responsibility for labour affairs, Deputy Calleary, in Limerick on 1 February 2010, as mentioned by Deputy O'Sullivan. The group was also granted representation on the EGF steering committee established by the Department and which met for the first time in April 2010 to advise on the implementation of EGF co-financed supports from the workers' perspective.

The group's representation on the EGF steering committee was agreed to ensure the former workers could relay any on the ground concerns to the agencies and bodies involved in providing EGF assisted supports and directly to the EGF co-ordination unit in FÁS established to co-ordinate all such efforts. A dedicated EGF co-ordination unit was established locally by FÁS and put in place in February 2010. This unit was dealing daily with large numbers of redundant Dell workers, apprising them of the services on offer and trouble shooting all relevant EGF related issues. A two day information fair was hosted by FÁS in Raheen in February 2010 at which all relevant agencies and educational institutions showcased the services and supports on offer to the redundant workforce under the EGF.

The work of the EGF co-ordination unit has been pivotal in achieving considerable progress in providing a wide range of guidance, training, educational opportunities and enterprise supports to EGF clients in Limerick and the mid west region. The unit monitors the take-up of supports across all service providers and associated levels of expenditure while the Department of Education and Skills is the managing authority for EGF funding at the national level following the reorganisation of certain Department functions earlier this year, as has been noted by the Deputy.

As the Deputy will be aware all public expenditure, whether nationally or EU-sourced, must be accounted for in detail and be totally transparent. Before any decision can be taken in this matter it is required that any claimed expenditure must be clearly linked to the progression of the aims of the EGF. Again in an audit context there must be transparency on all expenditure in terms of a verifiable and accountable audit trail.

The EGF co-ordination unit in Limerick sought initially to assist the group on an exploratory basis to organise and review the expenses, which its members claimed were its due on a "without prejudice" basis. The EGF co-ordination unit currently continues to seek to elicit sufficient documentary information in order for the Department of Education and Skills as national managing authority for the fund to make a decision on this matter. I thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to address this issue and I will continue to keep in touch with her on the matter.

Flood Relief

Last November serious flooding took place in my constituency in the Claregalway, Lisheenavalla, Caherlea and Carnmore areas in County Galway. The first anniversary of this flooding passed on 20 November this year and we are still awaiting confirmation of what type of relief work might be done, with nothing done as of yet.

Up to 20 families had to leave their homes at the time and some have abandoned their homes completely, living in rented accommodation while continuing to pay mortgages on the houses affected by flooding in the area. I am aware of two families in the Caherlea area whose insurers will not cover them for flood damage, quoting increases from €500 per year to almost €2,000, which is a 400% increase in premiums. These houses are worthless and people could not sell them even if they were offered for sale. Some people are very anxious to get out of the area but the Government has not provided for any relocation scheme. If a property tax is introduced in the upcoming budget, how can people be taxed on a worthless house?

Last November saw the worst flooding in a number of years but there have been threats of flooding and flooding in the area on five different occasions in the past ten years. It is constantly under threat. Two weeks ago the water rose in the area and people were worried again. This problem will not go away. People are living in constant fear and despair, which is why some sought relocation which they did not achieve. Some of the affected people would leave those houses and gladly take some of the properties owned by NAMA just to get out of the area and have peace of mind. They do not want to live in constant fear that the flooding will occur again; there is no doubt that the flooding will return. Despite this, not a spade has been put in the ground to give those people some hope.

I received correspondence from the Minister of State on 4 November, for which I thank him, but I was not very encouraged by it. The letter indicated that the main stumbling block is archaeology and it seems that Claregalway is an archaeological hot spot, with a preliminary geographical and topographical survey having been carried out. The results have been forwarded to the national monuments unit in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which will decide on whether future investigation and monitoring is necessary prior to and during the proposed work.

Has the appropriate Minister received the report? We are sick and tired of seeking and waiting on reports. The Minister of State indicated it was not possible to give a timescale for the advance works due to the uncertainty associated with the archaeological work. He also indicated that the Office of Public Works is in the process of procuring environmental and engineering consultants needed to complete the scheme design.

How much has already been spent on the reports and any work done since the flooding? I was involved in a similar case in south Galway in 1995, when the entire area flooded, with a national school and nine houses cut off for nine weeks. The local people at the time carried out an unofficial drainage scheme, opening a channel from Kilternan national school to the sea. That area has not flooded in subsequent years, despite the fact that last November all other areas in south Galway were under six feet of water, a greater depth than the flooding in the 1990s. That is proof that the work can be done.

South Galway was in my constituency at the time when the Peach report was commissioned by the Government, costing €1.2 million. No work has been carried out in the area since. The people of Claregalway, Lisheenavalla, Caherlea and Carnmore are worried that no work will be carried out. They are living in fear and I would like the Minister of State to give me an assurance tonight. We have had many public meetings, with the Minister of State attending at least one of them in Claregalway. Great hope was given to the people that those works would be carried out but nothing has been done.

I fear very much when I hear of preliminary geographical and topographical surveys. I have met such work before in the wildlife section of the Office of Public Works but it bogs down schemes. Are people's lives not more important than these surveys? They are and people should not be condemned to live in fear of nothing being done to alleviate problems. I hope the Minister of State will have some news for those people tonight.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this evening the matter put forward by Deputy McCormack on the flooding problems in the Claregalway and Carnmore area and the environs of the Clare river. I am pleased to say that during 2010 considerable progress has been made in Galway in addressing the many flooding problems which have afflicted the area over recent years. Following the November 2009 flooding, a joint working group, comprising the Office of Public Works and Galway County Council officials, was set up with the objective of identifying flood mitigation measures for Galway. This group was tasked with assessing the flooding impacts at over 90 locations throughout the county. In light of their assessment, the OPW has provided funding to the local authority in excess of €3 million under the minor flood works scheme in respect of a range of flood mitigation measures at more than 60 locations throughout County Galway. That is far in excess of minor flood relief works approved in any other part of the country.

The joint working group also concluded that given the extensive nature of the flooding affecting Claregalway and the Dunkellin areas, major flood studies were required to identify a plan of measures to address the significant risks involved in these areas. Subsequently, Ryan Hanley consulting engineers were commissioned by the joint working group to undertake the Clare river flood study. The study was published in June this year together with the recommendations of the joint working group, and I discussed this at a public meeting in Claregalway in July.

In essence, they have recommended a major scheme of works on the Clare river as follows. At Miontach south, the access road is to be raised and culvert sizes are to be increased together with some maintenance work on existing drains. At Miontach north, the access roads are to be raised. At Claregalway a flood eye will be installed at Claregalway bridge and the channel will be regraded from a distance upstream to under the bridge. A breach in the wall will be repaired at An Mhainister estate and a local embankment at old Nine Arches bridge will be provided. At Kiniska, the capacity of existing culverts will be increased on the OPW scheme channel and some maintenance works on the channel will be carried out. At Lakeview a surface water outlet downstream of Claregalway bridge will be provided. At Caherlea and Lisheenavalla flood eyes will be installed on Crusheen bridge and the existing channel will be widened for a distance of 900 metres upstream of Crusheen bridge to Claregalway. Islandmore drains, which are located on existing OPW scheme channels, will be cleaned and regraded.

Furthermore, a study of the Carnmore area has recently been completed and the flood relief measures proposed in this report will be considered for inclusion in the overall programme of works to be undertaken in the Claregalway area.

My officials are in the process of procuring both engineering and environmental consultants to complete scheme design and attain the necessary statutory permissions for the scheme. Funding for the detailed design of the scheme and commencement of construction works is currently included in the financial programme of the Office of Public Works for 2011.

A number of environmental considerations associated with the proposed main flood relief scheme may need to be addressed in consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. These can only be determined on completion of the appropriate assessment by our consulting engineers in accordance with the Article 6(3) of the habitats directive and an environmental impact statement. It is also a prerequisite that the scheme be exhibited by the OPW to elicit public reaction and if generally welcomed, the OPW will put it forward to the Department of Finance for confirmation and financial approval. Subject to everything proceeding as envisaged, it is hoped the scheme will be on the ground in 2011. However, the timescale will be influenced by a number of factors, including the scale of the proposed measures and the progression of the associated statutory consent processes. Every effort will be made by the OPW to ensure any approved scheme is implemented as quickly as possible.

The OPW has also agreed to carry out some interim flood relief measures in advance of the main scheme. These consist of the construction of a flood eye at Claregalway bridge and subsequent replacement of Crusheeny bridge. However, a number of archaeological issues have arisen near the Claregalway bridge site. It is expected that these issues will be resolved in the near future, thereby allowing the interim works to commence shortly thereafter.

In general, I concur that lives, livelihoods, homes and so forth take precedence over other considerations, although this does not mean they simply override them. However, as I have stated on many occasions, in an accommodation, in the last analysis flood relief and protection must take precedence.

I reassure the Deputy that I continue to give priority to the efforts of my office to minimise and mitigate the flood risks in the Claregalway and general Galway areas. I am confident that the next Government, whatever its composition may be, will find that we have done very good groundwork. Many measures are either in the process of being implemented or have been readied up for implementation.

Services for People with Disabilities

The Acting Chairman, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, will be aware of the matter I raise as I have raised it on the Adjournment on two previous occasions in this Dáil. I also believe the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Haughey, responded on at least one of those occasions.

Adults with special needs who require dental services, including routine or minor treatments such as fillings and cleaning, must have the work done under general anaesthetic. This usually requires a day procedure in hospital for which theatre space is required. In the Cork area such procedures are performed in Cork University Hospital. Following the development of a significant waiting list for dental services for adults with special needs, a new service was established in Cork in October 2009. As it amounted to only one session per month and usually involved the treatment of only one or two persons, depending on the nature of the work, the service has failed to make an impression on the waiting list in the 12 or 13 months it has been in operation.

I have spoken to people who have been waiting for more than three years for services and there is still no sign they will be treated. Recently, for example, the mother of a man of 29 years contacted me because her son was waiting for treatment at Cork University Hospital. He required a filling and had a developed an abscess which could not be treated owing to another medical complication. As a result, antibiotics could not be administered and he howled in pain for more than a week until some form of pain management was eventually provided.

It is pathetic that individuals in this position who deserve to have a dental service provided to them are neglected in this manner. Everyone, whether a medical card holder or private patient, should be able to access routine and commonplace procedures such as fillings. The individuals in question, their families and carers are experiencing major trauma.

Additional theatre space is required to reduce the waiting list for treatment. A serious attempt must be made to eliminate the backlog of more than 200 patients. Once this has been achieved, it will be possible for the service at Cork University Hospital to function as envisaged. The limited service provided at present will not make an impression on the waiting list. When I wrote to the HSE I was informed the matter could be addressed in the reconfiguration of hospital services in the HSE south area. We do not have time for long-term planning of this nature. The matter must be addressed immediately.

I wrote to the director of Cork University Hospital, the centre that is failing to provide the necessary service, who indicated that the matter is one for the HSE. The individuals in question are being passed from Billy to Jack because a proper service is not being provided. The neglect of their dental heath may lead to further complications, which is a source of major frustration for parents, carers and the adults who depend on the service.

I hope the Minister of State will not indicate that the issue is one to be addressed as part of a reconfiguration process and will instead outline a plan to provide some form of emergency service to accommodate the 200 or more individuals on the waiting list and relieve the awful distress they are experiencing.

I thank Deputy Clune for raising this matter, to which I will respond on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

It was estimated in 2007 that 43% of special care adults required either intravenous sedation or general anaesthetics for completion of their care. Where general anaesthesia is provided, access to resources such as anaesthetists and theatre space is necessary. Some patients, especially adult patients, who are seriously medically compromised require supporting hospital services. In the HSE south area, Cork University Hospital, CUH, has been the principal provider of such services. In Waterford and Wexford, local hospitals provide these services, with only the most complex cases referred to Cork University Hospital.

The service in Cork University Hospital was suspended in 2007 for safety reasons and reactivated in September 2009. There is currently a waiting list for this service of 113 patients. The current facility only has the capacity to meet the needs of the most urgent cases.

Since August, the HSE has been working on a plan to prioritise and target vulnerable groups and those with intellectual disabilities. A pilot initiative has been established in the HSE south area for children and adults with intellectual disabilities who require dental services. It is expected that the outcome of this initiative will lead to a reduction of up to 50% in the current waiting lists for general anaesthetic. The initiative takes a multifaceted approach. I will outline the initial steps, the first of which is the reprioritisation of waiting lists. An audit is near completion which will provide information regarding the complexity of care that patients require. Following this, a clinical assessment will be carried out on patients. Early results indicate that the majority of patients have moderate to mild medical complexity. This means their dental care may be carried out in a district hospital setting.

The second step is to take a two phased approach to treatment. This will involve providing more urgent as well as less complex care. This will mean stabilising the patients to ensure they can enter a preventative programme while awaiting treatment for any remaining oral health needs. This is to begin in January 2011.

The third step is the training and up-skilling of dental staff. Training dental staff in relative analgesia and intravenous sedation will enable those patients who can be treated by other means to be removed from the general anaesthetic waiting list. The training of staff will begin in spring 2011. The HSE is also exploring the opportunities for the realignment of services in the south in order that access to other general anaesthetic facilities outside of Cork University Hospital will be available to less medically compromised patients. The impact will be immediate since patients with less complex medical histories will be removed from the Cork University Hospital waiting list.

The capacity of other hospitals is currently being determined with a view to treating patients with the least complex medical needs. This will support the two phased approach. As a result, in six to nine months this approach will be used to treat approximately 40% of patients on the current general anaesthetic waiting list.

I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter on the Adjournment.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 24 November 2010.
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