Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Jul 2014

Vol. 846 No. 2

Topical Issue Debate

Cancer Screening Programmes

Deputy Helen McEntee

I thank the Minister for Health for taking this issue and my colleague, Deputy O'Donnell, for raising it. BreastCheck, which is the national free screening programme for breast cancer, currently extends to women aged between 50 and 64 years of age. It is a fantastic programme.

The only figures available to me are from 2012 but I assume that the figures for last year and this year are similar. During 2012, some 183,632 women were invited to partake in a breast screening procedure and 71.4% of eligible women accepted the invitation. This was in excess of the 70% figure set as a target for the programme. The lives of thousands of women have been saved by BreastCheck.

Unfortunately, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Ireland. A woman has a one in ten chance of developing breast cancer but early detection is key to dealing with it. This is why women from the age of 50 years are eligible for the programme. I recognise that we must operate under budgetary constraints and that a bracket has to be put on eligibility but given that one in ten incidents of breast cancer occur among women aged between 65 and 69 years, we need to reconsider the age limits. Death rates from breast cancer are second highest in the 60 to 69 years age group. The programme for Government promised to extend the free screening service to women aged between 65 and 69 years. I ask the Minister to ensure this is done at the earliest opportunity.

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank the Minister for facilitating us as we raise this critical issue and I also thank my colleague, Deputy McEntee, for contributing. I feel strongly about the issue. BreastCheck should be extended to people aged between 65 and 69. These people could be our wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a relative or a female friend. The current BreastCheck scheme, which includes people up until the age of 64, works very well, and it is in the programme for Government that it would be extended to people aged between 65 and 69. Currently, women aged between 50 and 64 are invited for a free mammogram every two years but as my colleague mentioned, there is one in ten incidence of breast cancer in women aged between 65 and 69. I have already raised the matter with the Minister and I have written to the chief executive of the HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, about the matter. As Deputy McEntee stated, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to extend the initiative. HIQA made a similar recommendation in 2010.

Screening saves lives by catching cancer early, and for every 500 women screened, it will ensure that one life will be saved. Women between 60 and 69 have the second-highest incidence of breast cancer and the second-highest risk of dying from the disease. Nevertheless, the older half of this age group is currently ineligible for screening under BreastCheck. Almost 2,800 women are diagnosed annually with breast cancer, and it is the second-highest cause of cancer deaths in women after lung cancer. In 2012, 675 women died from breast cancer.

A plan to roll out the free breast cancer screening scheme to women aged between 65 and 69 should be included in the HSE national service plan for 2015, which will be published in the autumn. We must ensure these women can have continued care after they reach 65.

Minister for Health (Deputy James Reilly)

I thank Deputies McEntee and O'Donnell for raising this important issue and I welcome the opportunity to speak to it. BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, currently offers a mammogram every two years to women aged 50 to 64. This service is provided free of charge by the HSE through its national screening services, and BreastCheck is now in its 15th year of screening, having provided 964,000 mammograms to 409,000 women. Approximately 6,350 cancers have been detected through this programme. Deputies are well aware of the budgetary restraints under which we must operate but I can confirm it is my intention to extend the upper age range for BreastCheck to include the 65-69 age cohort as soon as possible in line with available resources.

A priority of the BreastCheck programme is to maximise national uptake in the 50-64 age cohort. As outlined in the recently published 2012 and 2013 BreastCheck report, 71.4% of eligible women invited for screening accepted their invitation, which is in excess of the programme target of 70%. However, acceptance rates for those invited for the first time have fallen to 66.4% and this is a matter of some concern. In the light of these figures I welcome the current BreastCheck advertising campaign, which aims to boost uptake rates. I realise we all lead busy lives these days but I call on women to take the time to do something very important for themselves by availing of invitations to have mammograms. At a minimum this will give some peace of mind but it might just be crucial in identifying cancers at an early and more easily treatable stage.

Breast screening is one element of our comprehensive cancer control programme and as part of its work across the full range of cancers, the HSE's national cancer control programme provides symptomatic breast clinics in each of the eight cancer centres, with a further satellite clinic in Letterkenny. Breast cancer survival in Ireland has improved significantly in recent years due to a combined approach of screening, symptomatic detection and improved treatment. Five-year survival for breast cancer is now estimated at almost 85% for people diagnosed between 2005 and 2009. This is a most encouraging figure, indicating a significant improvement from 75.1% for people diagnosed between 1994 and 1999. I very much welcome the progress being made, not just to the benefit of the people directly concerned but also to their families, loved ones and wider communities.

BreastCheck is aimed at the cohorts most at risk but breast cancer services are available for all women. Those of any age who have concerns about breast cancer should seek the advice of their GP, who will, if appropriate, refer them to the symptomatic breast services in a designated specialist cancer centre. Screening should never be taken as a substitute for attending a doctor if there is a health concern related to breast changes or other issues.

Deputy Helen McEntee

I thank the Minister for his response. After 15 years there have been over 950,000 mammograms, which is great news. As Deputy O'Donnell noted, these women are somebody's mother, sister, aunt or grandmother. It is more difficult for people to recover from an illness later in life and deaths from breast cancer are the second highest rate in the 60-69 age group. We are missing four years of that cohort in the current BreastCheck programme.

I welcome the Minister's statement that he is keen to implement this as soon as possible. I urge that it be done this year if possible and it would be great if the Minister could give us a timeframe. With all types of cancer and illnesses that can be screened, people should be vigilant, as the Minister indicated. This programme cannot cater for everybody as we are under budgetary constraints. People should be vigilant as well as availing of the screening if required. Will the Minister keep us abreast - to use an apt word - of what is happening?

Deputy Kieran O'Donnell

I thank the Minister for his response. BreastCheck was rolled out in Limerick in recent years and I raised the matter in the Dáil at the time. I have seen its positive impact. There are benefits for women aged between 50 and 64 and it improves survival rates. For every 500 women screened, one life is saved, and the older cohort of those aged between 65 and 69 has a breast cancer incidence of one in ten, so this should be given immediate priority in line with the commitment given in the programme for Government. Will the Minister commit to achieving this in the lifetime of this Government? The programme has made an enormous difference to the women of Limerick and the mid-west region, as well as to their families.

Deputy James Reilly

I reiterate our commitment in the programme for Government to do this, although Deputies will be aware of the serious budgetary reductions which have occurred over the past years to facilitate our getting this country back on its feet. The Government has done that very successfully to date. There are great challenges in this year's budget with competing priorities and public health, prevention, early detection and screening are very important issues. When we considered the budgetary constraints, we had very difficult choices to make. For example, if we did not invest in diabetic retinopathy screening, citizens would go blind, never to regain their sight. If we did not roll out bowel screening for colorectal cancer, people would again be at risk of presenting late with poor outcomes. There are 12 clinical nurse specialists who have commenced training to carry out colonoscopies through the screening programme, with an additional €2 million for the continued roll-out of bowel screening in the HSE national service plan for 2014. That will facilitate retention of the three-year first round interval for screening in the 60-69 age cohort. This is a serious cancer affecting both men and women.

On top of that we had to consider organ transplants, as we have more living donors prepared to make that most generous of gifts, particularly with kidneys.

Last year was a very successful year when there were 294 successful transplants, up from 239, which is a massive increase. We wish to see this continue and encourage people to be aware of it. There are competing areas for screening and cancer detection, in addition to our initiatives on the human papilloma virus, HPV, vaccine to protect young girls from developing cervical cancer later in life and the continued cervical screening. It is a Government commitment, one that I am very pleased to commit to as soon as possible and certainly within the lifetime of the Government.

Further Education and Training Programmes Provision

Deputy Gerald Nash

Before I address the issue at hand I wish to pay tribute to my friend, mentor and colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I would not be in this Chamber today if it were not for the constant support, guidance and example of the Minister who announced today that he will shortly exit the Government benches and leave the political stage. He is a Titan of the Labour Party movement and a liberalising and modernising force in Irish society. I am proud to say he is a political hero of mine. He can look back on his career safe in the knowledge that he has changed Ireland and Irish society for the better.

There is a very serious and troubling shortage of SOLAS-led courses available in the immediate Drogheda area, which the agency must address. All of us who are interested in ensuring people who have lost their jobs get back to work as quickly possible want to see them given the route back to work that they need. The unemployment rate in Drogheda, Ireland’s largest town, has dropped by approximately 20% over the past three years, since this Government took office. The Louth and Drogheda area in general have done extremely well through a range of Government initiatives such as the provision of MOMENTUM and Springboard places and other schemes.

Local stakeholders who are involved in job facilitation and job coaching and guiding people through the system, and constituents have drawn my attention the fact that there are very few direct SOLAS courses available in the Drogheda area. There is no SOLAS training centre. That regional training centre is located in Dundalk. A mere six of the 150 SOLAS courses available in the north east are available in Drogheda. This is incongruous and unacceptable for the sixth largest urban area in the country. We need to ensure courses are available as close as possible to those who wish to access them. Travelling to the local FÁS regional centre in Dundalk can be problematic and expensive for a person from Drogheda, all the more so if the person lives in Laytown or Bettystown because that involves taking two or three buses. It is even more complicated for those attending evening courses because the last bus for Drogheda leaves Dundalk before the classes end. That is a practical problem that needs to be addressed with some imagination.

The unavailability of courses in the Drogheda area is a real problem and I am concerned that it can act as a real barrier to participation for people who should be in a position to take up courses to allow them get back to work quickly, and to equip them with the type of skills that the Minister wants to equip them with and that I want them to develop, to enable them get back into work as quickly as possible. The Department, SOLAS and all the other stakeholders need to work closely together to ensure all those issues are addressed, the obstacles removed and that there are many practical SOLAS courses available in the locality for people from the Drogheda area.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon)

I echo Deputy Nash’s sentiments about the announcement by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, today that he does not intend to remain in his position. It has been a privilege and honour to work beside the Minister over the past three years. He has been exceptionally supportive of the work I do and we have achieved a great deal together in a short time. It was very encouraging to work beside someone who has been in the political sphere for over 40 years but never lost his zeal and passion for reform. The programme for reform that he instigated over the past three years has put the learner, children and adult learners at the heart of that reform programme. I wish him every success in the future.

As of yesterday SOLAS is no longer involved in the direct provision of training, other than for certain national programmes. This comes about as a result of the radical reform of the further education and training sector undertaken by this Government. Thirty-three vocational education committees have been replaced by 16 education and training boards which have full responsibility for the planning and delivery of education and training in their areas.

To achieve that integration between education and training delivery, the former FÁS training centres have been transferred in two tranches. The second round of moves took effect on 1 July and included the transfer of the Dundalk training centre, and all the training activity contracted from there, to Louth-Meath ETB. The process of reform, however, involves more than changing structures and re-organising institutions. The Further Education and Training Strategy 2014-2019, the first such strategy published for this country, published by SOLAS in April, sets out a way forward for the sector through five key objectives: to deliver skills for the economy; to support active participation by citizens; to improve how further education and training, FET, is planned and delivered; to raise the quality of FET, and to improve standing of FET as a strong option in the overall education and training sector.

One of the key initiatives under the strategy is the production each year of an integrated FET service plan. The first of these plans was produced this year and is available on the SOLAS website. It brings together all the FET activity across the 16 ETBs and sets a range of targets in respect of participation and certification. The annual planning process will be informed by an analysis of need in each ETB area and includes engagement with the Department of Social Protection, Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, enterprise boards, employers and other key stakeholders. A comprehensive analysis of available statistical data will also be undertaken considering unemployment trends, vacancies, local job opportunities and regional labour market reports. This process helps to determine the regional and local course types with a focus on providing market-led education and training opportunities, while also supporting early school leavers and others who are further away from the labour market.

This is the context in which the Louth-Meath ETB will plan its provision in Drogheda and other areas for 2015 and subsequent years. I understand there will be 554 training places delivered in Drogheda in 2014 across a range of programmes, including traineeships, specific skills training and local training initiatives. There will also be places delivered under the MOMENTUM programme. This is in addition to the range of former VEC provision available, including Youthreach, vocational training opportunities scheme and post-leaving certificate provision. I am confident the new ETB service planning process will ensure Drogheda is well served with further education and training options developed on a fully informed basis.

Deputy Gerald Nash

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. I have great faith in the service providers and State agencies working in this area. They have stepped up to the mark in recent years and have shown significant determination and imagination and a personal commitment to getting people back to work. They include SOLAS, local employment service, and Intreo staff in the offices in Drogheda and across Louth and elsewhere, and all manner of jobs facilitators who are extremely passionate about their work.

The ETB arrangement is very interesting and can lead to further integration and enhancement of the training opportunities available in real time. It is very important that the agencies are responsive and flexible enough to respond to the needs as they see them on the ground almost in real time. There is a gap in the availability of SOLAS courses in the Drogheda area. That is clear on the website. It is important that the ETB responds to that. I am confident that under the FET plan it will be enabled to do that. I look forward to the provision of 554 training places in the Drogheda area in 2014.

Of course that is in addition to the many other opportunities that are available through other agencies and local initiatives. I think the prospects for those who are seeking training in this area are very positive. There are opportunities in the wider context of further education and training service plans to develop a more responsive system. I look forward to working with the education and training boards to make sure the system meets the needs of people who need support and training in order to move into employment.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

We are investing over €800 million, which is a very significant amount of money, in further education and training each year. We have put in place a framework to secure the best possible results for the more than 200,000 learners who engage with the system every year. These are all unique individuals with unique personal challenges. They have a diverse set of backgrounds, needs and aspirations. A wide range of good quality provision, driven by a desire to service these unique individual needs, is required at this time if the achievements of each of those individuals is to match his or her potential and if each of them is to play a valuable part in society and the economy. In its five-year strategy, SOLAS has set out how the sector can raise its game. Like Deputy Nash, I am confident that the sector is raising its game as we speak. There is significant passion and commitment in SOLAS and within the education and training board structure at national and regional levels. There is significant collaboration between the Department of Social Protection, through its Intreo network, and the education and training boards at local level. That involves proper planning, targeting, provision and evaluation of the education and training offered by a range of providers. It does not and it will not involve the passive provision of funding to a system that changes little from year to year. Changes in provision will be made in towns like Drogheda on an ongoing basis arising from changes in the circumstances of those towns. The Louth-Meath education and training board will plan the provision for the various groups of learners in Drogheda in an informed and consultative manner. This will lead to the best possible use of the resources that are available to the board. I encourage the Deputy and all Members of the House to engage actively with education and training boards at regional and local levels in the future. This will best serve the interests of their constituents with regard to the provision of further education and training.

Civil Partnership Legislation

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, for being here. Over 20,000 marriages and approximately 500 civil partnerships took place last year. Most of those involved are continuing to choose religious ceremonies, but an increasing number of people are choosing to have civil or secular weddings. Approximately 30% of all marriages are civil marriages. When civil partnerships are included, it is clear that there are approximately 6,700 civil unions every year. As more and more people choose to get married outside traditional religious settings, the issue of where marriages and civil partnerships can take place is of increasing concern.

The Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, requires that the solemnisation of marriages and civil partnerships should be done in a place that is open to the public. The Act allows for some degree of flexibility - it allows an tArd-Chláraitheoir or a superintendent registrar to grant approval for a marriage and civil partnership to take place at another location chosen by those getting married and agreed to by the solemniser. The Act itself does not go any further in setting out where civil marriages and civil partnerships can take place. Decisions on where people can get married and enter civil partnerships have been left to the general registrar's interpretation of the vague Civil Registration Act, rather than being made by the elected representatives of the people.

The effect of the legislation, as currently interpreted and applied, is that civil marriages and partnerships must take place in a fixed structure - a place with four walls and a roof - that is open to the public. Given that no guidance is provided by the Act or by supporting regulations, it is easy to understand how someone can reach this interpretation. The idea behind this interpretation is that it ensures the venue can be easily identified and accessed in the event that there is an objection to the union. Unfortunately, this interpretation seems to be overly restrictive. It is having an impact on people's ability to get married at a place of their own choosing.

Many hotels and country houses are not able to facilitate weddings in venues that would be ideal. The same thing applies to sites run by the Office of Public Works, such as Charles Fort in Cork and Fort Camden in Crosshaven, which would be idyllic settings for weddings. Hotels are not allowed to use garden houses or marquees, which are often ideal settings. Many hotels in my constituency are affected by this. The marquee at Maryborough House Hotel, for example, would be a superb facility for weddings. However, weddings must take place in specified rooms in hotels. In many cases, the room in question is small and ill-suited to the needs of the people getting married or entering into a civil partnership. Rather than restricting people to one room, surely we could provide for regulations that would allow weddings to take place at various identifiable and publicly accessible locations within hotel complexes or OPW sites.

Perhaps the requirement for marriages and civil partnerships to be held in locations that are identifiable and accessible to the public could be accommodated by means of a less restrictive interpretation of the existing legislation. This is what happens in our neighbouring jurisdiction. It came to public attention this week that a legal challenge to the interpretation of the legislation is to be taken. It is unfortunate that the simple issue of where weddings and civil partnerships should take place now has to go before the courts. I ask the Minister of State, who is here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Burton, to consider making the appropriate changes to legislation to enable people to get married and enter civil partnerships at a place of their own choosing. It is important for us to recognise that marriage and civil partnership are life-altering and memorable life events that reflect the commitment of two people to each other and to the vision of a shared life. It is disappointing that the State, which facilitates and supports these commitments, is preventing these great events from taking place in a range of suitable venues.

Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Fergus O'Dowd)

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, who is unfortunately unable to be here at this time. The notification and registration of civil marriages is governed by Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. The notification and registration of civil partnerships is governed by Part 7A of the Act. The Act provides that a civil marriage can be solemnised and a civil partnership registered in a registrar's office or some other venue that is approved by a registrar. People who wish to get married or register a civil partnership in a venue other than the registrar's office should contact the registrar for the district in which the venue is located to arrange to have the venue approved. This may involve the registrar inspecting the venue. There is an additional fee for a civil ceremony held in a venue other than a registrar's office.

The guidelines for the selection of a venue provide that only venues that allow unrestricted public access without charge will be considered. The venue in which the ceremony room is situated must conform to all the requirements of any venue open to the public in respect of planning permission, fire safety certification, public liability insurance and all relevant health and safety requirements. I think this is the point the Deputy was making. The ceremony room must be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The place in which the marriage takes place must be a fixed structure that is clearly identifiable by description and location as a distinct part of a venue. The requirement for a marriage to take place in a fixed structure that is open to the public is necessary to ensure marriages take place in public. This avoids the possibility of coercion, fraud or lack of capacity on the part of a party to a marriage, prevents marriages from taking place in secret and provides an opportunity for objections. This requirement precludes marriages from taking place in the open air, in a tent, marquee or other temporary structure, or in a private dwelling.

Civil marriages and partnerships must be registered by civil registrars at assigned appointment times from Monday to Friday, excluding public and bank holidays. While civil partnerships may be registered only by civil registrars, marriages may also be registered by members of religious or secular bodies who are included in the register of solemnisers. The Minister is aware that the possibility of these events being overseen by religious and secular people at outdoor venues has been raised recently. Section 8 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 outlines the functions of an tArd-Chláraitheoir. Section 8(4) states provides that "An tArd-Chláraitheoir shall be independent in the performance of his or her functions." Section 8(5) provides that "An tArd-Chláraitheoir may do all such acts or things as are necessary or expedient for the purpose of the performance of his or her functions". In the performance of these functions, a letter was issued by an tArd-Chláraitheoir to all religious and secular bodies after it came to his attention that it was intended to have a number of marriages at private houses and at places where the exact locations were uncertain.

Were the address of marriage to be a private house or be vague or imprecise, for example, a large public park, the public policy objective of the provision in section 51 would be defeated. The Minister for Social Protection is seeking clarification from the Attorney General on the question of where marriages can be legally executed under the provisions of the Civil Registration Act 2004. This advice should be received shortly and the next steps will be determined on that basis.

Deputy Jerry Buttimer

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the fact that clarification is being sought from the Attorney General in these matters. The reality is that the current interpretation of where marriages and civil partnerships can take place is excessively restrictive. In the United Kingdom and the North, for instance, where essentially the same requirements apply, it has been possible to facilitate ceremonies at many suitable venues that are not restricted to permanent structures with four walls and a roof. It is possible to make small changes which will allow people a wider choice of venue. Even a minor amendment to allow for a statutory instrument to deal with this issue would be a significant step in the right direction. I hope the Minister for Social Protection will consider it.

Another problem people throughout the country are meeting in seeking to arrange marriages and civil partnerships is the shortage of registrars who can perform these ceremonies. While an increasing number of solemnisers from secular groups are available, the limited availability of civil registrars is causing great difficulty. As a consequence of these shortages, it is not possible to arrange ceremonies on Saturdays. This makes very little sense from a revenue-generating perspective because the fees and charges applying to civil marriages and partnerships more than cover the cost to the State. It would benefit everybody if we could facilitate the demand for Saturday ceremonies.

I hope there will be an opportunity to examine these issues and explore the possibility for changes that would allow people to get married and enter civil partnerships on days and in venues of their own choosing. I do not foresee there being any objections to open air weddings at Fort Camden or on Carlingford Lough. We can overcome the obstacles that have arisen if we want to, and I hope the will is there to do so.

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

I will ensure the Deputy's views are brought to the attention of the Minister. Moreover, if there is other information he might be able to supply, particularly in regard to how these issues have been dealt with effectively in other jurisdictions, it would be helpful to receive it.

Voluntary Sector Funding

Deputy John Browne

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing me to raise this important issue. Yesterday we learned that the national advocacy service of the Irish Deaf Society, IDS, has closed as a consequence of the refusal of funding from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. This cut brings to a halt 11 years of services for the deaf population, with an estimated 5,000 people affected. Those people have been left high and dry by the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan.

I am absolutely shocked, as we all are, that the Minister has completely withdrawn funding with immediate effect from such a vulnerable group. The Irish Deaf Society's national advocacy service, which has closed its offices with a full loss of staff, provided an invaluable service to deaf people, including helping them to access education and health care and offering avenues to employment. To take this service away from those who need it is appalling and seems to have been done without any thought as to the consequences. It is very doubtful that the Minister can justify his decision, but he has not even attempted to do so. He must provide a full explanation to the staff and service users.

In some respects, of course, we should hardly be surprised by this move. This Government, after all, has engaged in a continuous attack on people with disabilities in recent years. Cuts to respite care grants, mobility allowance and the medical card debacle are examples of how the most vulnerable have been targeted. It is a Government that seems to have lost all sense of humility and any sense of caring for vulnerable people. The deaf population has been described by the IDS as marginalised, socially isolated and discriminated against, which can lead to low participation in third level education and poor job prospects. These people need to be protected and offered continued support in order to integrate more fully into society.

This ill-thought out move defies logic and I appeal to the Minister to reconsider it. The IDS's unique advocacy service is the only service that is fully accessible through Irish Sign Language, with all staff possessing fluency in the language. Many members will now find it difficult and frustrating to access public services where no Irish Sign Language interpreter is available. When one considers that 80% of deaf adults have literacy levels akin to those of eight to nine year olds, compared with 25% of the general population who are at that level, we clearly have a serious case of social exclusion with no means of remedy. The closure of this advocacy service compounds the decision made earlier this year by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to rule out the prospect of Irish Sign Language being recognised as an official language. She did so on the basis that services for deaf people must be in place before the language could be recognised.

This is a disgraceful decision. The Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, is a caring Minister and I urge him to appeal to the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to have it reversed as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan

I am grateful to have an opportunity to highlight an issue that is causing a great deal of concern, disquiet, and dismay among the deaf community. I am very much aware of the work done by Deaf Village Ireland in Cabra, in the constituency I represent, and the need for more engagement by organisations with the deaf community. It was very saddening to read of the decision for the funding to the Irish Deaf Society's national advocacy service to be cut with immediate effect. There was no lead-in to this decision, no analysis and no explanation as to why a service which has received funding in each of the 11 years it has been in operation should now have that funding removed. The advocacy service has been working with members of the deaf community on issues to do with employment, participation in education, access to health care and reducing social isolation.

This decision follows the decision by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, not to grant official language status to Irish Sign Language. The IDS's advocacy service is the only service whose entire staff is proficient in that language. The Minister of State said her decision was based on the premise that services for deaf people needed to be provided before Irish Sign Language could be recognised. What is happening instead, however, is that an important service for deaf people has had its funding withdrawn. It makes no sense.

The Irish deaf community has felt very isolated in the past and has suffered a decline in living standards. The funding to the IDS was granted every year for the past 11 years. Why is it being withdrawn now?

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan. The funding scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. The current funding scheme commenced in July 2011 and was due to expire in December 2013. The Minister extended it to the end of June 2014, however, with a view to a new scheme commencing from 1 July this year. The overall budget for 2014, under both the old and new scheme, is some €3.1 million.

During 2013, the Department carried out a review of the scheme, which found that it has fulfilled its main objective of providing multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. The review recommended that organisations be required to demonstrate clearly the added value of the work proposed. The effective use of core funding in recipient organisations also requires that robust governance and cost control procedures are in place within those organisations.

The new scheme was advertised for applications earlier this year. The Minister has asked Pobal to undertake an assessment of the applications received, given that organisation's significant experience and expertise of both the design of assessment criteria and completion of assessment functions.

A large number of the applicant organisations sought the maximum level of funding available or, in some cases, an amount in excess of that. As a result, the number of organisations that could potentially be funded under the scheme, within the budget available, was significantly lower than for previous schemes. The Minister had concerns in regard to this and considered the issue carefully as he was anxious to make funding available to as many organisations as possible within the prevailing resource constraints. The Minister concluded his assessment of the situation, taking Pobal's assessment and recommendations into account, and announced the scheme allocations this week.

Some 157 applications were received by Pobal. Of these, three applications did not meet the basic eligibility criteria. The remaining 154 applications were appraised by Pobal against the criteria as outlined in the application guidance and 55 applications were approved for funding for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016. The Irish Deaf Society is not one of the organisations approved for funding on this occasion.

Pobal has put in place a dedicated team to deal with any inquiries from applicants and to provide detailed feedback. There is also an appeals process and Pobal has provided applicants with detailed information on this process. As this appeals process is now live, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment on the funding process or to the application of any particular organisation.

Deputy John Browne

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but it is the usual waffle from the Department and jargon from officials within it. As I said, this concerns 5,000 people and if one divides that into the 41 constituencies, one is talking about 100 people per constituency. Obviously, they are not important. They have no voice and the Minister has decided to cut their funding but now he says they have a right to appeal. Surely there should have been a lead-in time so that funding could have remained in situ until the appeal was heard but instead the funding was cut straightaway.

The Government and the Minister should be ashamed of themselves that they would allow the withdrawal of funding from the deaf to go ahead. Why does this Government always go after the most vulnerable groups in our society - the old, people with disabilities, the sick and, in particular, the deaf community which has no voice? It is important the Minister of State reflects on this, goes back to his Department and discusses with the Minister, Deputy Hogan, the serious implications it will have for deaf people in the community. As Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan said, we have wonderful facilities in Dublin for the deaf and the blind. As the Minister of State will know, most rural people who suffer from blindness or deafness travel to Dublin to avail of the facilities. It is very important this decision is reversed and that the funding is made available as quickly as possible to allow this advocacy service to continue. It is the only service there for the deaf and it is important that this decision is reversed without any further delay.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan

I refer to two points in the Minister of State's reply. He stated that the effective use of core funding also requires that robust governance and cost control procedures are in place. Is this suggesting that the Irish Deaf Society was not complying? This organisation received funding continually over 11 years. If there were issues, surely they would have been brought to its attention before now.

The other point is that the Minister of State stated that a large number of applicant organisations sought the maximum level of funding available or, in some cases, an amount in excess of the maximum funding available. How much thought went into looking at all of the organisations? If they are all looking for the maximum level of funding available or more than the maximum amount, why was the Irish Deaf Society's funding cut and why is it the organisation to suffer? The amount of funding it received was not massive. This funding is from a scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector. It is the only group dealing with the deaf community.

I have been in the deaf club, both in its old premises at the top of Clonliffe Road and in its new premises. It is a silent community. Deaf people can communicate with each other but the Irish Deaf Society gave them assistance to help communicate with other people. I hope those issues are taken into account when it comes to the appeal.

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

I will ensure the Minister, Deputy Hogan, is briefed on the points raised. As was acknowledged, he cannot be here to reply to this issue. The decisions on proposals for funding under the scheme take into account considerations such as the social and economic benefits, consistency with current policies and long-term vision. As I said earlier, the decision-making process in this case took into account the outcome of a process under which all applications were assessed by Pobal. For those applicants which were unsuccessful in the decisions made, there is a process through which those applicants can get direct feedback from Pobal. There is an appeals process, to which I already referred, of which applicants can avail should they wish to do so. I urge the Irish Deaf Society to make contact with Pobal in regard to its application and to get total clarity on all of these issues involved. That is the most important thing, given what the Deputies said.

I will not respond to the political points made because it is more important that everybody knows the facts and that whatever needs to be done to get all of those facts is done to see what can happen.

Deputy John Browne

I was criticising the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and not the Minister of State.

Deputy Fergus O'Dowd

I accept that, but I was just making the point that we all want to ensure that there is adequate funding for all our voluntary organisations. That is what we are all about.