Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 9 May 2013

Vol. 802 No. 3

Topical Issue Debate

Enterprise Support Schemes

Deputy Seán Kyne

I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and I welcome the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to the House to discuss it. The Minister was in Galway a number of weeks ago for a very informative meeting on the jobs action plan. The businesses and entrepreneurs in attendance got a great deal out of it. One of the benefits of such meetings other than the formal information session is the conversations one has during the tea breaks. One such conversation I had with a constituent, who is also the entrepreneur behind a successful Irish company in the medical devices sector, concerned finance for business. It is an area which can be complicated and require a great deal of time and scrutiny by policy makers as well as by those in the business community. I take this opportunity to commend the work the Minister has done to tackle many of the issues and barriers around access to credit and finance, in particular for small and medium sized enterprises. One such innovation is the microfinance scheme. I was delighted to hear today that Microfinance Ireland has approved its first €1 million in loans to 60 viable microenterprises to which the banks had declined credit. I am certain we will see the benefits of this worthy and effective scheme into the future.

There is another innovative idea which would help us to establish, grow and retain start-up companies in Ireland. Currently, the process is that an entrepreneur with an idea, which comes from myriad sources - often their work in a particular sector - conducts research, draws up a business plan and establishes a company to develop the idea. However, to grow the company finance is required. Unfortunately, many financial institutions are reluctant to take the chance with a start-up company, which leaves the entrepreneur with few alternatives other than to avail for a loan-for-equity arrangement with a venture capital fund. While the funding provides a much-needed boost to the new start-up and facilitates growth and expansion, the fund generally has a fixed term. If one receives funding in year five of a seven-year fund, one must repay the loan when that fund matures only two years later. Such an eventuality often results in entrepreneurs having to sell their companies to obtain the finance necessary to repay the loan. Sadly, it means the innovative product or service is snapped up by another company - often one which is based abroad - while the original company is asset-stripped, merged or wound down. As a result, Ireland loses out on jobs, both existing and potential, tax revenues and custom for other local businesses.

The process I have set out applies in almost all industries and certainly to the ones we are fortunate to have in the west, including those in the medical devices, pharmaceutical, ICT, energy efficiency and other sectors. There is a way to combat the loss, retain innovative start-up companies in Ireland and harvest their massive potential. The State could establish a special investment fund accessible to start-up companies for the sole purpose of meeting repayments to venture capital funds. This would allow companies to continue to innovate and expand in Ireland rather than have to be sold off. Further, the scheme could include a tax incentive feature whereby a citizen could opt to reduce his or her tax liability by contributing to it.

I ask the Minister to consider these plans.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Richard Bruton)

The issue of funding for early start-ups is one in which my Department takes a very keen interest. Enterprise Ireland is the largest funder in Europe of seed capital to start-ups and has 800 companies in its portfolio. It invests through a mixture of different types of seed capital arrangement, including preference shares or, more often, through joint holdings with venture funds. Enterprise Ireland has gone out of its way to promote the development of venture and seed funding. As recently as the last budget, the Government announced an additional €178 million round of funding which will leverage up to approximately €700 million in seed and venture funding over the next few years. We have put a great deal of money into incentivising the availability of seed and venture capital because the risk many companies represent is such that bank loans are not the appropriate vehicle for funding them. We are trying to create a range of funding options. We have also introduced various tax driven schemes, including the seed capital scheme which allows promoters who have previously been PAYE workers to invest the last six years' tax they have paid in their newly established companies. There is also the EIIS, which allows individuals who are at arm's length from a company to invest in funds to provide for its growth.

A great deal of the effort by the State has not been on the exit side, it has been directed at providing funding to get start-ups off the ground and to establish jobs. The issue of exit is a vexed one. As the Deputy rightly points out, venture capital funds will want to exit a company. Sometimes this is achieved by a second round of funding, whereby a successful company will see new venture capital coming in while those who want to exit can do so. Sometimes, the company is placed on the shares register, which is very rare in Ireland, and sometimes exit is achieved by trade sale. Trade sales are a mixed blessing, although they are rare. There were two major sales last year involving Polar Lake and Cúram Software, both of which have added employment in Ireland since they were sold. It is not, therefore, an unmitigated disaster to see a company which cannot grow to the next level being purchased and then expanding. It is not always the case, however.

We are certainly willing to consider the Deputy's proposal, especially if he has developed it in some way. It is fraught with difficulty, however, not least in terms of the obvious State aid issue. Why would the State favour an owner of a certain nationality as against another? Would it be viable to offer this concession to Irish entrepreneurs? One must consider what the market failure is and what are we trying to subsidise. Are we trying to subsidise ownership by particular individuals or the most rapid development of a company? It would have to be demonstrated and argued successfully that the best way to develop a supported company was to retain the founder's shareholding. We are willing to look at this and we are continuing to look at the market. The Deputy will have seen that we have taken initiatives in the last 12 months, including the €700 million seed fund. The NPRF has recently emerged with €850 million in new sources of funding. These initiatives are all about getting new funding into companies rather than to subsidise the exit of some funding to allow the owner or owners to expand their shareholdings. More study is required to determine whether this is the right route to go. The difficulty in funding start-ups and obtaining bank loans has led us to focus in the last two to three years on getting money into companies which have the potential to grow.

If Deputy Kyne wants to elaborate on it, I will have it examined by Enterprise Ireland and my officials to see if there is scope in the area.

Deputy Seán Kyne

I thank the Minister for his response and I commend the work of the Minister, the Department and Enterprise Ireland and the bodies involved in the seed schemes for start-ups. There have been many positive developments over the past number of years in the area and we have seen the benefits of it.

With regard to the venture capital fund, it depends on when the exit takes place. If it happens early enough there is a period of time to repay the money, but in the example I use the company does not have access until year five and has only a couple of years to pay the money back. There may be examples in which another Irish company buys the company and retains the jobs here, but it would be a shame if the company went through the process only to be gobbled up and the jobs exported.

I will put more flesh on this proposal and submit it to the Minister, the Department and Enterprise Ireland to see what can come of it in terms of protecting jobs that may go overseas.

Deputy Richard Bruton

One of the initiatives in the action plan for jobs is to examine whether the Irish Stock Exchange can be a vehicle for exit. There can be an initial public offering, IPO, in which the company places a certain number of its shares on the open market for subscription. This provides an exit to the venture fund, but it is rare in Ireland and in Europe. Ireland and the EU are looking at making the option a real one. The pressure on access to finance and relatively low returns for venture capital funds have existed throughout Europe in recent years but are more acute in Ireland, and this puts renewed focus on how to fund this successfully. Ireland is ahead of the posse in terms of the State leveraging new seed and angel money in support of companies. Enterprise Ireland has been ahead and has been in the market for over a decade. I look forward to receiving further comment from Deputy Kyne and we will examine it.

Workplace Safety

Deputy Seán Crowe

We were all shocked and appalled by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh on 24 April, which has now claimed more than 900 lives. The figures remain sketchy because it is believed a number of the workers who died in the factory were undocumented. We will never know the true number of people killed. It is now the world’s deadliest industrial accident since India’s Bhopal disaster in 1984. The breaking news is that a fire has broken out at another clothing factory in Bangladesh and has killed eight clothing workers. The reports are that most of the workers at the facility in the industrial district of Dhaka had already gone home for the night when the fire broke out, so it could have been a lot worse. We have heard stories of the difficulties factory workers have in getting out of buildings in cases such as this, with bars on windows and security features.

While it is common knowledge that garment workers face extremely bad working conditions in Bangladesh, these disasters have tragically shown how important it is that the industry be radically reformed and the urgent need for strong workers’ rights. Several announcements have been made in the past couple of weeks by senior officials in the EU and US regarding the preferential trade agreement Bangladesh currently enjoys in an effort to promote urgency within the Bangladeshi Government to deal with the significant human rights violations that have developed within the garment sector in particular. Pressurising the Bangladeshi Government in such a way is not in itself enough, however, and in line with the guiding principles, private industry must play its part in improving conditions for the 3.5 million garment workers struggling to survive in Bangladesh.

My call is for the Government to immediately use all avenues to ensure brands and retailers active in Ireland and the Single European Market accede to the Bangladesh fire and building safety agreement. On 17 January 2013, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on recent casualties in textile factory fires, notably in Bangladesh. The resolution called on all textile brands sourcing from Bangladesh to join the efforts initiated by local and international NGOs and trade unions to implement a programme to improve fire and building safety. The collapse of Rana Plaza and last night’s fire demonstrate the acute precarious health and safety conditions in the Bangladesh garment industry and the widespread disregard of the lives of the workers in chasing huge profits. This is an urgent appeal because 15 May is the critical deadline for brands and retailers to accept the policies of the Bangladesh fire and building safety agreement. I appeal to the Minister to respond to the crisis.

Deputy Richard Bruton

The recent collapse of a building in Dhaka that housed a number of garment factories was a tragedy resulting in the loss of more than 900 lives. Today we learned of a fire in another clothing factory in Dhaka in which at least eight people have lost their lives. We all share a sense of shock at these events and wish to extend our sympathies to all who lost family members and loved ones. The tragic events bring the issue of working conditions in factories in Bangladesh, particularly the lack of basic health and safety rules, into sharp relief. All those working in the garment or any other industry in Bangladesh, or any country, have a basic right to decent, safe and secure working conditions.

The Bangladesh fire and safety agreement referred to by the Deputy is an agreement between a number of trade unions, NGOs and multinational textile retailers. It is aimed at improving safety standards at production sites and encouraging those concerned to pay for such measures, in particular by establishing an independent inspection system and actively supporting the creation of health and safety committees in factories. This is a very worthwhile initiative that the European Parliament, in a resolution adopted on 17 January, welcomed. It called on all relevant textile brands to support it and I support that view. However, it is not an international agreement. It is for individual companies to decide whether they will participate in the agreement. The core right of decent working conditions is at the head of the mandate of the International Labour Organisation, ILO. Following the recent catastrophic building collapse in Bangladesh, the ILO sent a high-level mission to the country. The mission engaged with Government, employers and workers with a view to identifying what needs to be done to prevent any such future tragedies. The outcome of the mission was agreement on the need to develop an action plan focusing on short- and medium-term steps, including an assessment of the structural safety of all active export-oriented ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh and the full implementation of a national tripartite plan of action on fire safety in the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh.

As Bangladesh's largest trading partner, the European Union is very concerned about labour conditions, including health and safety, for workers in factories across the country. On 30 April, Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the Commissioner for Trade, Karel de Gucht, released a joint statement on the issue. In light of the recent building collapse, the European Union called on the Bangladeshi authorities to act immediately to ensure factories across the country comply with international labour standards, including ILO conventions. The EU is currently considering appropriate and positive action in a wide range of areas with the involvement of the Bangladeshi authorities to incentivise the responsible management of supply chains involving developing countries. The EU said it is ready and willing to assist the Bangladeshi authorities in any way it can to meet the required international standards. At the same time, the EU will continue to encourage European and international companies to promote better health and safety standards in garment factories in Bangladesh in line with internationally recognised corporate social responsibility guidelines. It is hoped the initiatives I refer to will ensure tragedies such as the recent building collapse and the factory fire in Bangladesh will not be repeated.

Deputy Seán Crowe

Self-regulation is clearly not working in this region.

The Minister said it is up to the multiples and those who are buying the garments from Bangladesh. Has he met any of the multiples in Ireland about this? There is a common denominator in the collapse of the Rana Plaza building and the fire last night because many of the multiples in Ireland buy clothing from these factories.

The Government recently launched the Irish Aid policy. It makes a commitment to ensure the fulfilment of human rights, including the promotion of decent work. It also contains a commitment to work with Irish companies to help promote good development and human rights practices. Has the Minister discussed with the clothing brands in Ireland their obligations to accept the policies of the Bangladesh fire and building safety agreement? Against the backdrop of these appalling deaths, can we secure some agreement on actions the Government in holding the EU Presidency will take on this issue?

Regulation will be a popular move throughout Europe, as well as in Ireland which is suffering owing to the recession. It would be a popular move with most consumers who would be appalled to buy products from factories such as this, in which workers are treated like dirt. That is the issue. We have seen with other campaigns such as that regarding products tested on animals that people have responded and not bought the products involved. Similarly, we must respond to this case, in which people's lives are at risk. The Minister and I are old enough to remember the Stardust tragedy. I know many of the people who survived it and many of the families affected, as the Minister probably does. We all expressed shock and horror about it, but what people wanted at the time was regulation and a response to ensure such an event would never happen again. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh there is an increasing number of these appalling tragedies. There is corruption at the highest level in this regard. There is a responsibility on everybody, particularly people in the west who are buying these products, to respond to the needs of the people in question and positively to what the NGOs and labour organisations are seeking - the devising of some response to these tragedies.

Deputy Richard Bruton

Ireland is working through the international organisations of which we are a member. Two distinct approaches are being adopted. One is the instrument developed with the help of the ILO, the Bangladesh national tripartite plan of action on fire safety in the ready-made garment industry, which followed an accident in 2012. It was supported by the ILO, on foot of which the mission was sanctioned to travel to Bangladesh to see if it was being properly implemented by all those involved, including the government and industry. The European Union is putting support in place to ensure its delivery.

The Deputy referred to another agreement which was developed by non-governmental organisations and trade unions. It involves a voluntary sign-up by companies. Some companies have signed up to it but others have not. It is not an international instrument to which people can be obliged to accede. However, like the European Parliament, I urge companies to comply with high standards such as those expressed in that agreement.

We fully support what the ILO and the European Union are doing and will use our role within these organisations to promote this issue.

Croke Park Agreement Review

Deputy Sean Fleming

I am seeking the publication of the third implementation report on the Croke Park agreement showing the savings made in public sector pay and non-pay areas in the period to 31 December 2012, that is, last year's report. In referring to the third implementation report I hope it was clear that I was referring to the original Croke Park agreement and the report for last year.

The Croke Park agreement took effect in March 2010 and, according to most people, was due to run until 2013. However, there was a Government decision during the course of this year to renegotiate and move on because the Minister wished to achieve additional savings which he said were not achievable under the first Croke Park agreement. That is his prerogative. However, the starting point for any discussion is a review of the current position. It is now May 2013, but we have not yet seen the report for last year. If I was on any side of the negotiations, I would have asked to be shown the starting point, which should be the review of the current agreement up to the most recent review date. There was a report on the position in the period to March 2011 and a report covering the period from April to December 2011 which was published in mid-March last year. On that basis, there should have been a report covering 2012 published in mid-March this year.

The Minister will offer excuses such as staff being busy, having other things to do and dealing with Croke Park II. However, it would have been much more helpful entering the negotiations in the past two months if last year's report had been available in order that the public sector trade unions, the Minister and the public could have seen the starting point. The Minister has stated the savings he wishes to achieve cannot be achieved under the existing agreement, but that is his opinion. Nobody else can stand over that statement unless he or she sees the outcome of last year's report.

There have been two progress reports so far under the existing agreement. The first implementation report concluded there had been pay savings of €290 million and non-pay savings of approximately €300 million, a total of almost €600 million. The second report, covering the period to the end of 2011, reported pay savings of €650 million and annualised non-pay savings of approximately €400 million, a total of over €1 billion achieved under the first Croke Park agreement. Were savings of €1 billion in pay and non-pay costs achieved in the last year? If so, people should know about it. We have not seen the savings achieved by the big event held on 28 February last year, when approximately 9,000 people left the public service under the early retirement scheme. It is important, in the interests of openness and transparency, that we see the results for last year.

This is linked with the issue of the Minister being slow to publish information. Various letters of clarification were issued in the failed negotiations, but they were not made public. In addition, the Estimates were published and have been discussed last week and this week. I have just returned from the discussion on the Estimates for the Department of the Taoiseach which include the rejected Croke Park II figures.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

Did the Deputy participate?

Deputy Sean Fleming

I made my point once, which was enough. It was a very productive discussion and we will do it again. The point is that the Minister was not able to give us a breakdown of the Croke Park II savings across all 15 Departments; therefore, we do not know where we stand with regard to what he is seeking. The report for last year should be published immediately.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Deputy Brendan Howlin)

Deputies will be aware that an implementation body was established in 2010 to oversee implementation of the provisions of the Croke Park or public service agreement. The body is independently chaired by Mr. P. J. Fitzpatrick and comprises representatives of all the parties to the agreement, the public service trade unions and public service management. The body is supported in its work by a small secretariat based in my Department.

Under paragraph 1.16 of the agreement, the body is required to assess the savings being facilitated under the framework of the agreement on an annual basis. As part of the annual review process, savings returned are completed and submitted to the body in respect of every sector, Department and office. The body undertakes an assessment of savings and progress achieved during the period under review and publishes an annual report on foot of that examination. Two such reports have been published to date and a third, covering the period to 31 December 2012, is awaited. This is the report to which the Deputy refers.

The two annual progress reports published to date show that the agreement has facilitated significant savings and reform in a climate of industrial peace. For example, approximately €1.5 billion in savings has been facilitated by the agreement in the first two years, comprising, as Deputy Fleming rightly said, €810 million and €678 million in sustainable pay bill and non-pay efficiency savings, respectively.

Pay savings have been driven primarily by the reduction in staff numbers over the course of the agreement, but there are also other factors, such as the reduction in overtime costs and pay bill savings accruing from changed work practices, rationalisation, etc. Non-pay savings have been achieved through the better use of resources, reorganising work and achieving greater internal efficiencies.

In addition to outlining savings, the reports of the body also show that wide-ranging reform has been delivered across the sectors of the public service. This includes extensive redeployment and reassignment of staff, for example in the health and education sectors, thereby helping to mitigate the impact of a reduction in staff numbers of almost 30,000 since the peak of 2008; progress on rationalising structures and office requirements, for example, in the local office network of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Revenue local offices, court venues and Teagasc offices; the introduction of revised rosters, for example in An Garda Síochána and some health service locations, to better match resources with demand. Progress on standardising terms and conditions in the public service, for example in annual sick leave arrangements, has been made and facilitated. Facilitation of the efficiency review process in the Prison Service, which led to the introduction of a lower-cost staffing model in prisons, has been achieved. The implementation of 2 million additional working hours on an annual basis in the education sector, eliminating the need for school closures for parent–teacher meetings, planning, etc., has been achieved. The implementation of significant restructuring and new modes of service delivery in local government has been achieved in order to manage the significant reduction in staff in that sector. Approximately 8,500 members of staff have left the local government sector since the peak of 2008.

The agreement has been a key enabler for the implementation of the Government's comprehensive public service reform plan. Earlier this year, the implementation body commenced its third annual review of the agreement, which deals with the period up to 31 December 2012. Deputies, particularly Deputy Fleming, will appreciate that there have been a difficult and demanding few months for all the parties to the agreement, with the focus on discussions aimed at securing agreement on measures to deliver an additional €1 billion in pay savings over and above those achieved under Croke Park 1 by 2015. Nonetheless, I understand that the body is now in the process of finalising its report because I have checked on foot of the Deputy’s request. I expect to receive it in the coming weeks. Following its submission to the Government, it will be published on the body's website in the normal way.

Deputy Sean Fleming

It is precisely because of the information that the Minister just gave me that I submitted this matter for debate. As Opposition spokesperson, I wrote directly to the chairman a week or two ago to ascertain the status of the report. He said it would be prepared for the Minister over the coming weeks and that it would be sent to him and published by the Government in due course.

The Minister’s statement does not address the fact that the report was out months earlier last year. We are now two months behind last year's schedule. This does not represent public sector reform. The report should be produced more promptly. I acknowledge that the Minister said that it is a small secretariat in his Department that is working on putting together last year's report, and that similar staff are probably working on the Croke Park agreement, but it would have been more helpful if everybody had known last year's position when starting the talks considering that they are working on figures from 2011.

What the Minister read represents outstanding progress and success under the Croke Park I agreement. He was not a fan of the agreement, became a fan of it and is now saying he cannot achieve it. However, it achieved a saving of €1.5 billion before last year's savings came into account, which I am sure may amount to at least another €1 billion. Croke Park I did achieve success. Therefore, why has the Minister put us in a position in which we almost have no agreement at present? Can anything be done? It is no good producing last year's figures after some new agreement is in place. People are entitled to know where they stood last year before making an arrangement for this year.

I have advice for the Minister in his discussion with the Labour Relations Commission. A stumbling block the Minister faced in getting Croke Park II over the line was that, in some cases, cuts were based on the make-up of pay and not people's actual pay. He said core pay was not being cut, yet people earning under €65,000 were subject to pay cuts. It may not have been in respect of core pay, but pay is pay and money in one’s bank account at the end of the month. Trying to tell the public that there are no core pay cuts for anybody earning under €65,000 when they were actually receiving pay cuts was a major bone of contention. The Minister may call the cuts whatever he likes and refer to premium allowances but the cuts were, in effect, pay cuts and this led to considerable difficulty during the last round of discussions. I hope this will be taken into account in the coming days.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

The Deputy has rightly acknowledged that we have a very small group of people who are working in support of the implementation body to produce these reports. They certainly have been fully occupied in the negotiations on an extension of the Croke Park agreement. The Deputy has understood the point well that the objective I set out to achieve on behalf of the Government in last year's budget was an additional contribution from the public sector pay bill in order to meet our fiscal targets and reduce the deficit below 3% by 2015. That was completely accepted by the Deputy and his party. In fact, his party wanted €350 million in additional payroll savings to be achieved this year on top of the figure pertaining Croke Park I. That was a fair enough presentation to us.

I am and remain a big fan of Croke Park I. I have never said anything else. I spent two years defending it, often in a very lonely position when every Sunday newspaper attacked the public service and public servants for being featherbedded. Unfortunately, the inescapable fact that I presented to the trade union movement at the end of last year was that in order to achieve the deficit targets we are obliged to achieve under the programme of funding, I needed to ask for a further contribution from public servants. It was a question of doing so in as fair a way as I possibly could. We can all have different views on the individual component parts, and the Deputy has strong views on premium pay, but I believe the set of recommendations was objectively fair. Objectively, they have been rejected, however. We must ascertain between now and next week how the Labour Relations Commission gets on in its talks. There are a number of talks proceeding as we speak. Next Monday, I expect to receive a report. Once I have reported to the Government on Tuesday, I have no doubt we will have an opportunity to determine, by agreement in the House, how to achieve the payroll savings that are necessary to meet our very challenging deficit targets.

Narcolepsy Incidence

Deputy Colm Keaveney

I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for the selection of this topic.

On 19 April, a report entitled "Investigation of an increase in the incidence of narcolepsy in children and adolescents in 2009 and 2010" was prepared by the Department. The report was supported by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and was published by the chief medical officer, Dr. Tony Houlihan, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy James Reilly. The report found that there was a significant 13-fold higher risk of narcolepsy among the vaccinated compared to those who were not vaccinated. The Minister for Health gave a commitment to Sufferers of the Unique Narcolepsy Disorder, SOUND, the organisation that represents families affected by narcolepsy. The Minister then gave a commitment to the families affected that a package of supports would be brought forward by the Government before the summer recess of 2012. It is a year since the report was published. Children and young adults who have developed narcolepsy as a result of the administration of Pandemrix have no permanent support package in place despite the Minister's commitment.

SOUND, the organisation representing the families affected, is concerned that the Minister is refusing to engage with it to design a package to respond to the needs of the families devastated by the effects of the symptoms of Pandemrix, which can have serious consequences for the welfare of the family and individual concerned.

It is important to note at this point that the Pandemrix vaccination was given as part of a State programme. Having listened to the testimonies of the families affected, I understand there are four main symptoms and effects of narcolepsy, including extreme sleepiness, muscle weakness while awake, hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Many of the young people affected are due to sit State examinations this year. These young adults are without the capacity to control their bodies and are sleeping up to 20 hours a day, which means they may not be able to sit their examinations. Parents often have to leave their place of work to babysit their young adult children as a consequence of the symptoms of the Pandemrix vaccination.

I invite the Minister of State to comment on the Department's plans to engage with SOUND on behalf of those affected by Pandemrix. Can we expect, this side of the summer recess, an engagement with this organisation that will put a construct on the needs of the individuals involved so that they can have a realistic opportunity of support from the Department and avail of all of the services available in situations comparable to this?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kathleen Lynch)

I am replying to this topical issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly. While the reply does not give an assurance in regard to a meeting, the Deputy can be assured that I will bring that request to the Minister as soon as I leave the Chamber. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides us with an opportunity to outline to the House the importance of the issue raised.

At the Minister's request, a number of specific services have been put in place in response to the health needs of those affected by narcolepsy following Pandemrix vaccination. Specifically, the Health Service Executive advocacy unit acts as a liaison for those who require access to services and supports, medical and educational. A network of countrywide liaison officers has been set up to allow a single point of contact for affected families and provide a focal point for service access across all Departments. The HSE issued an awareness notice to all medical professionals to highlight the risk of an increase in incidents of narcolepsy and to identify all possible cases. Narcolepsy active case finding was undertaken by the HSE by its contacting all sleep clinics, neurologists, paediatricians, general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists and public health nurses. A further follow-up awareness letter also issued to health care professionals and GPs.

The Minister is advised that every possible measure is in place to ensure rapid diagnosis, with the Mater hospital sleep clinic providing a six-day service, including Saturdays, to facilitate those for whom a possibility of a diagnosis of narcolepsy exists. The Minister has also been reassured by the HSE that anyone who has a confirmed diagnosis of narcolepsy is fast-tracked through the system to ensure that required services are provided in the earliest possible timeframe. Reimbursement of expenses is ongoing. Temporary medical cards have been issued. The HSE advocacy unit is also in regular contact with SOUND and last met with representatives of the group on 28 February this year.

I understand that an information day was hosted by the HSE on 22 March to inform those affected by narcolepsy following Pandemrix vaccination of a range of services and supports available to them. This included information on the allowances available, which are administered by the Department of Social Protection, to those who fulfil the eligibility criteria. Consultants in sleep medicine from the Mater private and the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street, made presentations and answered questions at the information day. These consultants have ongoing access to international expertise and are experts in the field of sleep disorder. HSE staff and representatives from SOUND also attended the information session. Educational assistance is available through the Department of Education and Skills. A single point of contact for the Departments of Education and Skills and Social Protection is available through the HSE advocacy unit to assist service access.

Every possible effort is being made to provide ongoing individualised supports and services to those affected by narcolepsy following Pandemrix vaccination. I assure the Deputy that the Minister's priority and that of the Department remains that the health needs of those affected by narcolepsy following Pandemrix vaccination continue to be appropriately addressed. There is no getting away from the fact that the families involved find themselves in a very difficult situation.

Deputy Colm Keaveney

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I would like to make a number of brief points. The Minister of State referred in her response to the provision of temporary medical cards. This is not a temporary situation.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

No.

Deputy Colm Keaveney

This is a profound medical challenge for many families who have a number of grave concerns that need to be responded to by the State. The Mater clinic to which the Minister of State referred is a private clinic.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

Yes.

Deputy Colm Keaveney

There is a cost for that service. There is no public sleep clinic in the country. In terms of access to service for people, this in itself is a barrier to those affected securing the best possible outcomes.

I am delighted that the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, is in the House today. There is a requirement also to consider the recognition of narcolepsy as a disability in that many of those affected believe they will be discriminated against in the workplace as a consequence of either of the variables of the symptoms, be it muscle weakness, hallucinations or paralysis.

Some of the testimonies from SOUND, in terms of our requirement to address this issue, transcend health. Many of the young adults affected have special educational needs. Some of them hope to go on to third level education. We need to consider putting in place support measures in this regard. Younger children affected also have special educational needs and require the support of special needs assistants to get safely through their day in the education system. I have heard reports of adults having to give up their jobs to care for their young adult children as they cannot be left alone to shower, have a bath or shave in their own domestic environment as a consequence of this situation. What is required is a hands-on engagement on the part of the Minister and the Department, and, perhaps, a cross-departmental group to address the catalogue of concerns of families in regard to this crisis. I appeal to the Minister of State to follow up this matter with the Minister to ensure there is engagement this side of the summer recess with the families affected to ensure their needs as a consequence of this unforeseen situation are catered for.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

The issuing of temporary medical cards is not to indicate that there is an expectation that this situation will go away tomorrow, the following day or even next year.

It is a mechanism by which medical needs can be met in an urgent fashion. No one is saying otherwise. Even if there is recovery from narcolepsy it will not happen this year or next, although I suppose we do not know that.

With regard to diagnosis and treatment in sleep clinics, there is no charge, and any charge applied will be reimbursed. It is essential that people know that. We are talking about a small group of people. There were 48 confirmed diagnoses of narcolepsy with an onset of symptoms following the Pandemrix vaccination. The Deputy is right in pointing out that the majority of these cases are in children or adolescents. Further possible cases are being investigated by both the Irish Medicines Board and the HSE.

One of the demands - I do not like to use the word "demands" because we have had good engagement up to this point, and I hope that will continue - is for the development of a national centre for narcolepsy treatment. That is under active consideration by the HSE and moneys have been set aside for the development of such a centre this year. Irrespective of whether the clinic providing the service is private or public, there is a reimbursement scheme in place for people who have to pay for treatment. I will convey to the Minister the concerns in regard to a package and the matter of a possible meeting. I cannot give guarantees in respect of those here but I clearly hear what the Deputy is saying.