Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Dec 2012

Vol. 787 No. 5

Topical Issue Debate

Family Resource Centres

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for fitting this important matter into the schedule in what are the very last moments before the Christmas recess. I am pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the need for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to clarify the position on the future of the family resource centre, FRC, programme, in particular, the impact of the imminent changes in respect of the policy context in which the family resource centres will exist. I refer to Lus na Gréine Family Resource Centre at Granard, County Longford, Bridgeways Family Resource Centre, Ballymahon and Cara Phort Family Resource Centre, Ballynacargy, County Westmeath and Monsignor McCarthy Family Resource Centre, Athlone, County Westmeath.

Following the move of the FRC programme from the Family Support Agency into the new child and family support agency with, I believe, a commencement date of 1 January 2013, Lus na Gréine and all the other family resource centres are extremely anxious for assurance that their work in Longford-Westmeath and elsewhere throughout Ireland will continue and not be compromised under the new agency.

Lus na Gréine, in common with the other FRCs, is experiencing increasing demand for its services while budgets are being reduced year after year, and it did not start with this Government. The reality of a new agency to support children and families is that it can provide an exciting opportunity to enhance care and services, but this cannot be done without necessary funding. While Lus na Gréine in Granard is delighted to have recently received a lottery grant funding of €2,000 from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to develop a young women's group for which I thank the Minister personally here this evening, this is once-off funding and not a long-term solution to the financial need. It is essential that the forthcoming Bill on the child and family support agency recognises the work being carried out by the FRCs and the challenges facing them in the current economic climate. Now more than ever, their help is needed in the communities they serve.

I am fully aware and grateful for the wonderful work carried out in Longford-Westmeath. I draw the Minister's attention to the following points on which Lus na Gréine and the others are seeking assurances. They seek full support for the continuation of the work of the FRCs in Longford-Westmeath. They also seek assurance that the family resource centre national forum has representation at board level within the new agency in line with the past involvement with the Family Support Agency. This has engendered a beneficial working relationship between the State agency and the voluntary sector service provider. It is essential that the ethos and culture of the FRC programme be maintained. The FRC has heretofore focused on delivering family supports in local communities through a community development approach.

I seek the Minister's support for a ring-fencing of the budget for the FRC programme. As I have already stated, the cutbacks imposed year after year have placed massive pressures on the FRCs and it is only through a ring-fenced budget that the integrity of the family support will not be diminished. Lus na Gréine in Longford-Westmeath and the other centres across the country stand ready to start the new year under a new agency, which, hopefully, will see them go from strength to strength.

There are 106 family resource centres in Ireland dating from the 1970s. They became a formal programme in the 1990s. I need not tell the Minister about the wonderful work they have done in rural communities such as Longford-Westmeath.

In Longford-Westmeath more than 50 activities are undertaken at the various centres. The FRC core grant was frozen from 2008 and a 5% cut was implemented in 2012. This was despite an ever-increasing demand for services and increased costs. Given the current level of austerity, poverty and exclusion being experienced in deprived communities, front-line services are more important than ever.

I thank the Deputy. He will have a further two minutes later.

I will finish now. It is essential that these facilities be recognised as flagship programmes in the new child and family support agency. The FRC programme should have its own budget management, data collection systems, and community policy and practice so that it can continue its work for our communities in the harsh reality of the current economic and social climate.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. He can certainly reassure the local family resource centres, on whose behalf he raised the issue, that their future will not be compromised and will be supported under the new agency. The programme for Government commits to a series of reforms in the provision of children and family services. A key part of this reform agenda is a new child and family support agency, which will be established next year.

The Government has recently approved the heads of the child and family support agency Bill and has agreed to the priority drafting of the Bill. The preparations are being prioritised so that the agency can be established in 2013. From the beginning that agency will have responsibility for a range of services, including child welfare and protection services currently operated by the HSE, and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. This is the first time we will have a dedicated agency with its sole focus on all these issues, separated from the HSE.

The decision we have taken has been informed by the work of the task force which met all of last year and published its report in July of this year. I agree with the task force recommendations that the agency should be as broadly based as possible and should include a range of prevention, early intervention, family support and therapeutic care interventions. The work of the agency will include a particular focus on the provision of those services which help prevent problems arising for a family. It will identify problems and provide supports at an early stage, and assist children and families in managing serious problems requiring interventions beyond its own resources.

It is my intention therefore, that the agency will have a strong role in supporting families and communities. The 106 family resource centres throughout the country, including those the Deputy mentioned, will play a strong role. Responsibility for the current programme operated by the Family Support Agency will transfer to the child and family support agency upon its establishment. It will build on the excellent work the resource centres have undertaken with families and communities throughout the country. I have seen many of them at first hand and seen the work they have done. The Deputy mentioned the range of 50 activities in the resource centres in his area. I fully support that work and want to see it continuing in the new agency alongside its child protection work. They are two sides of the same coin and both are very important.

Regarding funding, the Family Support Agency, like many other State bodies, has been asked to make savings across all the programmes it administers. It is required to achieve savings of 5% per annum over the years from 2012 to 2014 on the costs of the family resource centre programme. This is tough on the centres but the cut is less than others have been asked to take in the current climate in order to get our finances right. The Family Support Agency has written to family resource centres advising them of the reduction in funding and the need to plan for this change. I am aware of the challenges the reduction in funding raises for the family resource centres on which increasing numbers of people rely. However, the Family Support Agency has not stipulated how centres should apply the revised level of funding. They have been asked, for example, to focus on the scope for greater efficiency and for a reduction in the administration and overhead costs associated with the day-to-day running of the centres, with the objective of supporting as far as possible, the services the centres provide to families and groups at local level.

The Family Support Agency and the family resource centre programme will form an integral part of the new agency that will come into being next year. Supporting families at all stages of their lives, particularly during more difficult times, is at the core of the work of family resource centres and this complements the priorities of both my Department and the new agency.

The new agency and the wider transformation of children's services represent one of the largest and most ambitious areas of public sector of reform embarked upon by the Government. Its establishment will bring a dedicated focus to child protection, family support and other key children's services for the first time in the history of the State and is long overdue. In time it will contribute to the transformation of essential services for families and communities.

I thank the Minister for her response. However, in the spirit of Christmas, it is not quite the gift for which I hoped. In her response she said, "The Family Support Agency has written to family resource centres advising them of the reduction in funding and the need to plan for this change." While I understand there is nothing permanent, I accept change. I understand the great demands on the State coffers, but it is not an adequate excuse. However, I know the Minister is constrained by finances.

Aside from funding the Minister has made some concessions, but not enough for me to be satisfied. I will continue to lobby the Government on behalf of the centres in Longford-Westmeath until their societal benefits are fully recognised and rewarded. I have visited those centres and know the amount of work they have done and how beneficial they are to rural deprived communities. Being penny-wise and pound-foolish can result in greater costs in the future and does not make economic sense. I have every confidence that the Minister will do a good job. On her next visit to Longford-Westmeath I hope she will take time to visit the centres in my constituency and see the great work of the people working at the coalface and to meet the people who have benefited greatly from the services over the years.

I agree with the Deputy on the value of the work being done. However, a core part of delivering our services is to reform certain aspects of them. While I said it was up to the local resource centres to decide how to deal with these budget cuts, they need to look at the areas I mentioned. However, the most important thing for us in Government is that the national finances should be in order and that we return to economic growth. When we are in that position the family resource centre programme will be a key area to develop. Such centres reach out to families at an early stage. Early intervention makes economic sense as well as personal and social sense for the people who receive the services. I hope the Deputy understands the situation we are in. We need to take the kind of action I have outlined. However, this is also a period of opportunity for the family resource centres with the new alignment and the new agency. That will be of benefit to their work and will bring coherence at local level to the work done by the child protection services and the family support work being done in communities. That alignment is vital in giving good services to children and families. I again thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I would be very happy to continue to visit family resource centres throughout the country, including in Deputy Bannon's constituency.

Garda Stations Closures

The announcement of the closure of Stepaside Garda station about two weeks ago took the people of Stepaside and the surrounding area by surprise and was a considerable shock to them. The area between Dundrum and Enniskerry, in which approximately 18,000 to 20,000 people live, will be without a Garda station as a result. I must declare an interest as I was brought up about 500 yards away from this Garda station. In the days when I was growing up, it was the centre of a very small community. It is now the centre of a very large community which is extraordinarily surprised and universally upset by the fact that the station is to close, because it is such an important part of the lives of young and old people in this area.

We held a meeting about this in Kilternan a few days ago and what was so striking about it was that people of all ages and from all areas of life feel they depend on the local Garda station as part of their local community. Members of the Garda also attended the meeting and spoke against this closure, saying it would be far more difficult to police the area if this station is closed next July or at any other time. Stepaside contains a post office and many shops and has been expanding considerably in recent times. The area that will need to be policed includes Sandyford, Leopardstown Shopping Centre, Carrickmines, Carrickmines Retail Park and Glencullen. The area also has a rural aspect. It is very important that people who live in and around the Dublin Mountains in Glencullen and Barnacullia have a local Garda station. They feel they will not be properly served if this service goes to Dundrum or Blackrock.

I know the thinking in the Department is that the area will be well policed because there will be a large number of Garda cars able to service the area. The difficulty here is the distance, the traffic and the problem of getting from Dundrum out to Kilternan in a short period of time. That will be the real problem. This Garda station, which includes 30 gardaí, will have to be removed and I do not know what will happen to it. I do not know if the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence heard about the result of that meeting but there was a unanimous demand that this Garda station be kept open. I welcome the presence of Deputy Mathews, who is also against the closure.

I thank Deputy Ross for raising this issue. I fully appreciate the sensitivities with regard to Garda station closures. While I dealt with the issue at great length in the House during Question Time just over a week ago, this Topical Issue debate provides me once more with an opportunity to set out in clear and unambiguous terms the objectives of the programme of consolidation of the Garda station and district network.

The decision to close 100 Garda stations in 2013 was the result of a comprehensive operational assessment carried out not by me but by the Garda Commissioner over the past 12 months. The policing plan for 2013, which I laid before the House two weeks ago, outlines the Commissioner's proposals for the continued reorganisation and consolidation of the Garda station and district network.

It is important to put the consolidation of our Garda stations into context. Up to this year, the Garda station network was essentially the same as the Royal Irish Constabulary network in 1922, comprising 703 Garda stations. Such a large-scale static deployment of resources is no longer appropriate in the present day with a transport and communications infrastructure which has been transformed. The Garda Síochána has a class-leading police computer system, a state-of-the-art digital radio system and a transport fleet which is currently receiving significant investment. The new Garda roster being piloted across the country provides a better match between Garda availability and policing demand. All of these developments enable the Garda Síochána to be more mobile, responsive and flexible and to deliver a more effective policing service. After the closures in 2013, there will still be 564 Garda stations in the State. That will still be significantly more than comparable jurisdictions such as Northern Ireland, where there are 86 police stations for a population of 1.5 million people, with plans to further reduce this number, or Scotland, with around 340 police stations for a population of 5.2 million.

In contrast to previous Governments, this Government has chosen to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Garda Síochána by enabling and supporting those measures which are bringing the organisation, structures and service delivery in the Garda Síochána up to the highest possible standard. The objective of consolidating our network of Garda stations is to ensure efficient and effective policing, and this strategy is working. Smart policing is not simply about bricks and mortar. It is about community policing and the visible presence of gardaí on our streets. A total of 39 Garda stations around the country were closed in 2012 and, as a result of this and other measures, more than 160 gardaí were freed up for front-line operational duties. The consolidation of the stations will also mean that where they are State-owned, they will be available for alternative community use or disposal.

Having set out the general context, I will turn to the specific situation in Stepaside. Stepaside is in the Blackrock district in the Dublin metropolitan eastern division and it is approximately 8 km from the district headquarters at Blackrock Garda station and 6 km from Dundrum Garda station. There are 34 members of the Garda Síochána assigned to the Stepaside station. The Commissioner has indicated that these members will, as far as possible, remain in the Blackrock District and be transferred to Dundrum Garda station. The freeing up of gardaí from desk duties in Stepaside Garda station will increase the number of gardaí available for front-line policing, to the benefit of the community in Stepaside.

Deputy Ross has quite an odd view of policing. He seems to think that all of the gardaí simply sit in the station and do nothing until someone telephones them, as he made reference to the distance from Dundrum. Clearly, members attached to that Garda station will assume policing duties across the entirety of the area, including Stepaside; gardaí will be out in patrol cars, and there will be more gardaí available to engage in policing rather than sitting behind desks in the building.

Local Garda management will shortly commence the process of engaging with staff interests and local communities through partnership processes, the joint policing committees and other forums to advise them of the revised policing arrangements for the Stepaside area. The Commissioner has clearly indicated that he is confident that the implementation of the restructuring proposals contained in the 2013 policing plan will not lead to any diminution in the service provided by An Garda Síochána. The move towards more centralised services will facilitate the introduction of enhanced patrolling arrangements which, in turn, will provide increased Garda visibility as well as maintaining existing Garda links with communities throughout the country. The objective will be to ensure that the best possible policing service will continue to be provided in our communities. The Commissioner has concluded, and I fully agree with him, that resources could be better deployed by closing some Garda stations and reducing the public opening hours of others at off-peak times. As a consequence of additional gardaí being freed up from desk duties, there will be an increase in the number available for front-line policing duties.

Despite our financial difficulties, we were able in 2012 to acquire 213 new Garda vehicles at a cost of €4 million. I am very pleased that in 2013 a further €5 million will be made available for the purchase of additional Garda vehicles. The modernisation of the Garda fleet is a crucial part of ongoing reform. It is crucial to good policing in local communities and gardaí being available to patrol local communities. This applies to the Stepaside area as it does to other areas in Dublin South. I am determined, as Minister for Justice and Equality, that the resources of our Garda Síochána are used in the best and most effective and efficient way possible. I believe that Commissioner Martin Callinan is doing an excellent job in bringing about the modernisation and reform of An Garda Síochána and I support him in his work. In so far as any member of Stepaside Garda station has said it will be more difficult to police the area, it is not the view of the Commissioner. Let us be frank about this. If any individual has a difficulty with criminality in his or her area, he or she telephones the Garda.

It is not the garda at the end of the telephone sitting at a desk who rushes out of the Garda station to provide the necessary policing assistance. That is provided through gardaí in patrol cars getting to the location where difficulties have occurred. There is nothing occurring which will in any way result in a diminution of the policing efficiency in Stepaside. In fact, the Stepaside community will benefit from the fact there will be new and more modern patrol cars available, and from the general increase in the number of gardaí available to engage in front-line policing, whether in crime prevention or detection.

I do not know whether the Minister has ever driven from Dundrum to Stepaside or Kilternan during rush hour. As he stated, it is between 6 km and 8 km away. The problem with moving people further away is that they are not necessarily going to be able to reach the scene of a crime as quickly. This is common sense. The problem with the attitude of the Commissioner and the authorities on all of these matters is that we always get explanations which are in terms of structures and vehicles. The gardaí will spend more time in their cars but this debate is about people and communities. It is no accident that 350 solid people turned up last Monday night fearful of the loss of a pivotal part of their community. They did so because they see the local garda and the local Garda station not only as part of their protection and security, which undoubtedly they are, but also as part of the community. One of the gardaí said quite specifically that it is important to have gardaí in an area so that children grow up to see them on the beat walking around and belonging in the area. This belonging is important so that it is part of them.

I understand the argument the Minister is making in terms of structures, but it is meaningless in terms of people. It is also meaningless in terms of what people feel about their community and what the people of Stepaside and the surrounding area feel is being removed from their community. Will the Minister, in deference to these people, meet a group from the community who want to express their views on this issue? I will bring them in to meet the Minister so he can hear what they have to say.

Deputy Ross has trumped Deputy Mathews on the delegation.

I assure Deputy Ross I am well able to meet people from my constituency without it being necessary for him to troop them in to me. Deputy Ross well knows he is choosing to ignore what I said earlier. He seems to have a very odd view of policing. He seems to think a large number of members of the Garda Síochána sit in Dundrum Garda station waiting for a call. This is not what policing is about. Deputy Ross chooses to make an argument with no credibility. I reiterate what I said earlier. This frees up gardaí for front-line policing and reforms the Garda station network. What it does, and what it will continue to do, is ensure the Stepaside area, as well as all other areas in south Dublin, are properly policed, patrol cars are on the roads and not parked in Dundrum Garda station awaiting a phone call and gardaí are on the beat engaged in community policing.

The difficulty with Deputy Ross's position on this issue, like so many others, is that he is a serial protester who is opposed to any innovation and reform and anything that could result in the more efficient use of resources. In other areas he castigates the Government for not being efficient, but it is extraordinary how whenever something is done to introduce efficiencies he always has a reason to oppose it. I agree this is about people. It is regrettable that Deputy Ross called a meeting which was designed to create alarm. It was a meeting for his own political purposes. If Deputy Ross had an interest in me as Minister for Justice and Equality addressing the meeting he would have advised me of it and I would have been happy to have attended. I would not unilaterally intrude on a personal meeting which he arranged.

It was a public meeting advertised in the constituency. The Minister would not go to a public meeting; he must be invited.

It suited the Deputy to arrange it in that way because it was a crass piece of local party politics-----

The Minister would not go to a public meeting because he must be invited.

-----designed for his own personal benefit-----

The Minister is a member of the public as well.

-----and designed and intended to create alarm and concern for individuals who have no reason to be alarmed or concerned because what we are doing, and I reiterate it, is using our police resources wisely. No crime is prevented by the existence of bricks and mortar and a garda sitting in a Garda station. Crime is prevented by gardaí being out on the beat, by patrol cars being out and available and having the facility to come to people urgently when difficulties arise. The reality in this case is that this is part of crucial reform which will ensure for people in Stepaside they have the policing service to which they are entitled, and that we use to the maximum possible extent our well-trained Garda force to engage in policing and not be confined to desk duties.

The Minister will have to be invited to more meetings. The Minister may not realise it but he is a member of the public. He does not have to be invited. Members of the public are invited-----

Obviously I struck a nerve. Deputies Ross and Joe Higgins have a lot in common. They are serial protestors about everything.

The Minister is not a member of the public any more. He is way above it.

If Deputy Ross wished me to attend the meeting he could have arranged it and I would have been there.

It is great to see Deputy Ross getting into the old parish pump politics.

The Minister for Justice and Equality; God almighty.

Deputy Ross is making a fool of himself again.

And he is Minister for Defence.

If he were really interested in the issue he might have tabled a parliamentary question on it.

Minister for nothing.

It is extraordinary it took the Deputy two weeks to raise this issue in the House. Other Deputies raised issues about Garda stations during Question Time.

We will have a special meeting for the Minister and we will issue him with a gold-plated invitation.

It is probably inconvenient to the Deputy to be in the House for Question Time because he is so rarely here participating.

We will move on to the next Topical Issue raised by Deputy Timmy Dooley.

I would be very happy to let two intellectual beasts of the House-----

Then I will not do the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's job for him, but it would be entertaining to hear the two intellectual beasts deal with local parish pump issues. It is great to hear them in touch with reality for a change.

National Positive Ageing Strategy Implementation

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. It is the last Dáil sitting day of 2012 and sadly the long awaited positive ageing strategy continues to be long awaited. There have been numerous false dawns signalling the imminent publication of this strategy but the most concrete assurance was by the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. Initially, it was to have been done last October and definitely to have been before Cabinet for approval by the end of the year. To the best of my knowledge there will not be another Cabinet meeting before the end of the year but perhaps the Minister will enlighten us in this regard. If there is a Cabinet meeting perhaps he will be able to resolve the Stepaside issue also.

Is it possible that part of the issue may surround resourcing in the Department? There seem to be issues in the section dealing with the office for older people. Have many people left the section and, if so, have they been replaced? Are sufficient policy personnel available to work on the issue? There seem to be policy development personnel in the Department of Health and I would have thought they would be available to assist in drafting this strategy under the guidance of the Minister and the Government. Why has this resource issue not been tackled, which would be in accordance with the Croke Park agreement? There simply seems to be no great urgency by the Government in dealing with the issue. If there was, the strategy would have been published by now.

Perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, holds too many portfolios. Unlike in the previous Government, no dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for older people has been appointed. When the Government was initially appointed the portfolio was not even awarded. A stop-gap solution was put in place to handle the fallout around this oversight with regard to older people, and the tag was shoved on to the end of the Minister of State's extensive list of responsibilities.

Strategically this is a key policy area for future planning and if we are anticipating the future ageing of the population and pension issues as looming crises, which I believe we are and we should, then we are already running out of time to put in place the planning structures needed for delivering some key strategic interventions to plan for the future.

Pushing out the qualifying age for pensions but retaining the mandatory retirement age is being presented as a stop gap. The latest step is to get people who have just retired and who now cannot draw down their pension to sign on for a few years. A high level work and retirement forum has been set up by the Minister for Social Protection to address these anomalies, but it is a classic example of a lack of planning where the stable door is closed after the horse has bolted.

I would have thought that to reach the end of the European year for active ageing and solidarity between generations and not have successfully concluded the publication of the national positive ageing strategy is embarrassing for the Government, and especially for the Minister concerned. As part of the development of the strategy, a group was established called the non-governmental organisation liaison group to feed in to the development of the strategy. Thus far, however, that group has not seen a draft. This is a complete indictment of our policy developers, yet it seems to be the modus operandi for this Department. An effort has been made to keep sectoral experts at arm's length as opposed to engaging fully with them as key and valued partners.

It has been suggested to the Older and Bolder organisation that the interdepartmental group set up across the various Departments has been dragging its heels on this matter. It has not even been able to get the list of who constitutes the current interdepartmental group. In the absence of a political champion in this House pushing hard for this, and the fact we are still waiting indicates that there is no such urgency, we will continue waiting.

In Ireland, people are living longer and have more years of healthy active living than previous generations enjoyed. As the lifespan of older people extends, the frailties and disabilities which affect them need a caring effective response. As Ireland becomes a more urban society and more socially fragmented, social isolation and its many negative impacts on older people need to be recognised and countered.

The economic recession hits all sections of our society but has particularly severe consequences for older people, which also deserve to be identified and mitigated. Earlier this year, my party published a policy on ageing which was founded on two principles. One is recognising the potential of our ageing population to contribute to and enrich our society in many diverse ways, given their talents, experience and wisdom, and the many years of healthy life expectancy which most can enjoy. The other is that their human rights as citizens must be affirmed and the many forms of discrimination on grounds of age against them must be exposed and eliminated.

I am responding to the Deputy because the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch is not available. I listened with interest to Deputy Dooley. He is living in the fantasy world occupied by the rest of his Fianna Fáil colleagues. He seems to be in denial of his party's responsibility for the destruction of the economy and fiscal base of this State. He is also in denial of his party's responsibility for entering into the agreement necessary with the troika, and in denial of his party signing on to arrangements with the troika which require annually a substantial reduction in the funds borrowed by this State to pay for essential services, and a consequent need for a reduction in public expenditure. There is not a single item affecting a reduction in public expenditure to which the Fianna Fáil Party is in agreement. One wonders if, when they entered into the agreement with the troika, they had any particular knowledge of what they were doing or any idea of how they would implement it. If there are difficulties of a financial nature confronting some elderly people, the foundation for those difficulties was tragically laid by the gross ineptitude of the Government in which Deputy Dooley's party played a leadership role.

As regards the specifics of some of the issues the Deputy raised, the programme for Government has committed to completing and implementing the national positive ageing strategy in order that older people are recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives. While Ireland currently has a significantly younger population profile than most of the rest of the EU and a higher birth rate, demographic projections point to significantly greater numbers of older people living in the State in the years ahead. The population of Ireland is, therefore, projected to age rapidly within a relatively short time.

Traditionally, old age has been associated with retirement, illness and dependency. Policies and services that reflect this traditional view of society do not reflect today's reality. Indeed, most people now remain independent into very old age. Planning for ageing populations must take account of the fact that a range of factors impact on a person's health and quality of life as he or she grows older. Those factors include, for example, socio-economic status, housing, transport, education, employment and wider social interactions. This planning process also recognises that the challenges and opportunities to be presented by a population with growing numbers of older people demand responses from all sectors of society, including the individual, public, private, community and voluntary sectors.

The national positive ageing strategy will be a high level document outlining Ireland's vision for ageing and older people, and the national goals and objectives required to promote positive ageing. It will be an overarching, cross-departmental policy and implementation framework that will be the blueprint for age related policy and service delivery across Government in the years ahead. The strategy will set out a common framework for the development of operational plans by a number of Departments which will clearly set out their objectives relating to older people. Mechanisms designed to monitor the implementation of measures contained in operational plans will also be outlined in the strategy. The intention of the strategy is not to propose new service developments and it will not be prescriptive in relation to the specific actions that will be taken by individual Departments to promote positive ageing. Rather, it will set the strategic direction for Government policy on ageing into the future by outlining the priority areas requiring action. It will be a matter for individual Departments to identify how best they respond to the challenges posed by an ageing population.

A considerable amount of preparatory work has been completed and consultation with other Departments is ongoing. The final drafting of the strategy is proceeding within the Department of Health within the constraints of available staff and other priorities. It is the intention of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, that a draft of the strategy will be brought to Government as soon as possible in the new year.

As Minister for Justice and Equality, I have been working with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, in areas that have a cross-departmental impact. Contrary to the perspective painted by Deputy Dooley, the Minister of State is truly and totally committed to the completion of this strategy and is dedicated to the work she is undertaking. I have no doubt that when published, the strategy will make a difference and will have a significant impact well into the future.

I thank the Minister for the detailed reply which was clearly prepared by the Department. As regards his earlier comments, he has become so impressed by his line of defence which seems to lay all blame at the door of the previous Administration, that he clearly did not even listen to what I said. Nowhere did I suggest a greater level of funding was required, but we are talking about a greater level of advanced planning and about developing a strategy for older people - a positive ageing strategy. That does not require the expenditure of additional moneys, nor does it require the Minister to lecture me on how we got to where we are. If I had the time, I might remind the Minister of the positions his party took over the past ten years and the approach he took in the preparation of those economic policies at the time. I might well be minded to alert him to some of the promises he made prior to the most recent general election. He has continued to make many such promises but has yet to deliver on them. This is one such promise.

It is a matter of reassigning resources within the Department. It is about the Government having a positive approach to active ageing. It is also about redeploying resources within the particular Department in order that there will be an appropriate strategy. It will have to take cognisance of the financial resources available. We will have another debate about that but let us develop a strategy based on facts so that when there is a budget, appropriate recognition can be given to the strategy. We can worry about funding it at a later stage, but let us have the facts.

I am pleased that this will be done early in the new year, but we need to get on with it. There is no point saying in September that we will have it in October and when it does not happen then, saying we will have it by Christmas. The Government cannot even get that bit of planning right. It is one thing saying something in advance of an election, but the Government has now been in office for two years and it is still operating month by month. We now have a commitment that it will be early in the new year, but does that mean the first or second term? The Government should show some regard for the elderly who have been so important in building this State. The Government should recognise their experience and talent. They should publish the strategy and then we can have a debate about how it is financed. The Minister can talk about the IMF and I will talk about the promises that Fine Gael made, and we can have more fun.

I am very taken with the Deputy's concern for older people. Had there been some reasonable planning by him and his colleagues when they were in the previous Government, had they had some reasonable concern for the economic security of older people, had they had some genuine concern about ensuring that all the crucial services were kept in place and maintained, perhaps they would have dealt with matters with greater economic and fiscal responsibility and insight. Let us not be naive and think that the world started on 9 March 2011 or that the Deputy, his party and their history and economic record are of no relevance to the current plight of older people. I know quite a number of older people whose financial security was destroyed by the crass economic negligence and incompetence of the previous Government. However, when it comes to this particular strategy, there is a commitment to provide it and I reiterate that a considerable amount of preparatory work has been completed. There is a need to complete the cross-departmental consultation process that is taking place, because this is a strategy that will affect a broad range of Departments and work is ongoing with regard to the strategy. I am advised that final drafting of the strategy is proceeding within the Departments.

However, one should also recognise there are constraints with regard to available staff in dealing with these matters, not just because of other priorities but because of the obligation on the Government to downsize the public service, an obligation derived from the agreement entered into with the troika by the Deputy's party and derived from the necessity to ensure the Government gets the public finances in order and reduces public expenditure. Consequently, if some matters take longer to come to fruition than may have been possible six or seven years ago, there is a reason for that. Regardless of whether it makes the Deputy uncomfortable, I am afraid the foundation reason for this is what occurred in the context of alleged economic and fiscal policy between the years 2000 and 2010, when the Deputy's party was in government. However, I assure the Deputy that the present Administration is committed to producing the strategy, which forms part of the programme for Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is doing everything possible to ensure it is published as early as is practicable in the new year, when the cross-departmental consultation process has been completed.

Taxi Regulations

I have been contacted on this issue in recent months by several taxi groups, as well as by many individual taxi drivers, and they have expressed a lot of concern about it. One of their main concerns is they believe that rural taxi drivers have not been consulted properly. They have told me that many of their dealings were done in electronic format, that is, by e-mail, etc., and one taxi driver to whom I spoke just before entering the Chamber told me that many of his colleagues were not aware of these changes until a few weeks ago because the method of informing them was not a method they used to communicate.

They also have flagged a problem with the proposed prohibition on selling licences. These taxi drivers have handed over a lot of money for these licences and I believe they should be allowed to pass them on. In addition, they have expressed concern regarding the branding of cars in rural areas. Many of these taxi drivers also use these cars for their personal use, there is not that much money around, and they believe this would not be a good idea in rural areas. They also have expressed concerns about the possibility of counterfeiting of this branding, as well as about its cost and on who will enforce it. In particular, they have expressed concerns regarding the credit card facilities, the installation of such electronic machinery in their cars and its prohibitive cost, as well as the cost of dealing with whatever institution one must deal. They consider that for the number of people who would avail of cards in their cars, it simply would not be worth their while. They would not have a problem with the proposal if it was, but they already are put to the pins of their collars in this regard. While they have not stated they are opposed to all of these proposals, they seek more time to talk about them. The people who have contacted me indicated they would like a further six months in order that there could be proper consultation in which they could talk to the Minister of State and explain their particular concerns regarding rural areas.

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. When I first came into office, one of my key priorities was to tackle rogue operators in the taxi sector. There has been unfair competition in the taxi market to date as those full-time professional drivers who do their business well have been obliged to compete with those who consistently flout the rules. The system of regulation needed to become much more robust and it will. Between the taxi review report, the new Taxi Regulation Bill and an increased effort from both the Garda and the National Transport Authority, NTA, I am confident a stop can be put to many issues that taxi drivers frequently raise. More than 13,000 vehicles have been checked this year by both the Garda and NTA enforcement officers and this effort will continue with measures on which I now will elaborate further.

Overall, the reforms arising from the taxi regulation review report concern the better enforcement of the taxi regulations, the improvement of standards and quality of transport service to customers, as well as the encouragement of an exit from the industry of those who operate in breach of the required standards and regulations. Many of the recommendations of the review report, once implemented, will facilitate the oversight of the industry by the National Transport Authority, which has responsibility for the regulation of the taxi industry under the Taxi Regulation Act 2003 and will assist the NTA officers and the Garda Síochána to enforce the taxi regulations.

Action 24 of the review report proposes strengthening of the collaboration between the Garda Síochána and the NTA to secure effective "on-street" enforcement of taxi regulations and to refocus the compliance activities of the NTA towards a greater level of "off-street" compliance and enforcement. Concerning on-street enforcement, there has been very good co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the NTA on enforcement issues this year and a substantial number of joint operations have been undertaken. The NTA is currently drafting an enforcement plan for 2013, which will be co-ordinated with An Garda Síochána's policing plan for 2013 and this will assist with continued co­operation during 2013.

The introduction of taxi branding on taxis and wheelchair accessible taxis from 1 January 2013, in line with action 31 of the review report, aims to provide greater visibility and recognition of taxis, to reduce the potential for unlicensed vehicles to operate as taxis, as well as to promote greater professionalism in the industry. If, on renewal, a driver does not have the official branding, his or her vehicle licence will not be renewed. If a driver is caught on the street with branding that is not official, he or she then will be liable to a €250 fine. In addition, as recommended under actions 21 and 25 of the review report, Garda powers are to be extended to allow members of An Garda Síochána to issue fixed charge notices in respect of additional small public service vehicle, SPSV, fixed charge offences. It is anticipated that in 2013, regulations will be made in this regard upon commencement of section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 2010.

The new legislation will provide for a much more sophisticated enforcement toolkit, which will include mandatory disqualification for life for serious criminal offences, mandatory disqualification for a period where life disqualification may be disproportionate, revocation or suspension of licences where appropriate, fines to be imposed by courts, fixed payment offences and a demerit scheme, that is, penalty points where repeated minor transgressions will lead to a temporary suspension, if necessary.

Other provisions in the Bill will enable the NTA to supplement its existing enforcement resources through service agreements, will allow authorised officers powers to inspect and examine the condition and roadworthiness of SPSVs and, under warrant, to enter a private dwelling for enforcement purposes, as well as to enable the NTA to establish and use cameras, CCTV and other apparatus at taxi ranks for enforcement and prosecutions. Further to the Government decision of 27 November, the Taxi Regulation Bill was published on 5 December and is to be introduced in the Seanad in January 2013.

I am always somewhat bemused as to how the Minister responding knows the answer to the issues that are to be brought up, as well as all the details, before the Member who raised it has actually spoken in the Topical Issue debate. When the Minister of State was writing his response, he obviously knew all these things. The most interesting point made by the Minister of State was that the Government intends to crack down hard on rogue taxi drivers.

That is a wonderful idea which should be executed. Before doing so, the Government should ensure there has been dialogue and consultation with everybody involved. I am sure the people to whom I have spoken have better things to do than ringing politicians; if everything was all right, they would not be doing that. They have concerns and the Minister of State's comments will not satisfy them. These people are seeking another six months so they can be properly briefed on this, with time for any issues causing significant problems to be dealt with.

After this is done, Fine Gael - the party of law and order - can ram the law down their throats. Is there any chance the Government will speak with the interested parties in the mean time? If it does so, the process will be right, everybody will be on board and it will be a success. The Minister of State should provide a chance for dialogue with the people involved.

That started as a compliment but I do not know how it ended.

It is Christmas, although I am an atheist.

The Minister of State should be careful.

The last thing the Irish taxi industry needs is more time. Nobody has consulted more with the taxi industry and its drivers than I have. I get taxis all the time and I have met representatives of all the groups on multiple occasions. The taxi industry has many great people working in it but it is not an homogeneous group, and nothing I say will completely satisfy the entire group. We have consulted far and wide and met representatives, allowing for submissions. We formed a committee, which I chaired as intended. It met for a long time and formulated 46 recommendations. Within the laws that exist, which will be changed, and the regulations I have outlined, we have put forward many measures that will come through legislation. The most comprehensive taxi Bill in the history of the State will come before the Houses in January and there will be a reinforcement of regulations. With all those measures, we will change the industry substantially.

I sense from the Deputy's concern about an issue I feel strongly about myself. That is the issue of rural taxis. I ensured taxi drivers from outside the capital and other cities were involved with the committee; a gentleman from Kerry who drives a taxi full-time was part of the review group. I have met many groups from rural areas in the likes of Letterkenny, Portlaoise or various other locations around the country. I have always taken their issues on board, and I will continue to do so.

The last thing we need is more time with this issue. We must change the industry, which needs an overhaul never before seen. We must ensure that the people driving cars should be doing so. People will drive taxis tonight who should not be behind the wheel and they need to be taken out. It is as simple as that and I intend to follow that through. Standards must be maintained and brought to a certain level, and I will ensure this happens. A number of qualitative measures are required to improve the industry, which are listed in the review I spoke about. For example, communications at all levels can be improved.

I have the latest comprehensive industry update, which outlines the changes that will take effect on 1 January, 7 January and 31 January. It is good stuff. For example, anybody getting a taxi - particularly young people or ladies - will be able to see on their phone if the person driving a taxi should be doing so. People can do that even before they get into the car, meaning they can be safe and sure that the person is authorised to drive the taxi. There will be strong consequences for a driver or vehicle owner if the information is not up to date. There are a number of other issues and I will take the Deputy's concerns on board.

Top
Share