Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Jun 2018

Vol. 970 No. 5

Topical Issue Debate

Audiology Services Provision

Deputy Eugene Murphy

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, for being in the House to answer my questions. I call on the Minister for Health to urgently address the failings identified in a review of paediatric audiology services provided in more than 900 cases by one audiologist in counties Mayo and Roscommon in the period from 2011 to 2015 which may have left some children with lifelong hearing impairments. I congratulate "RTÉ Investigates" on another outstanding piece of work in uncovering this issue. As we now know, the HSE carried out a review of services provided in counties Mayo and Roscommon in the period from 2011 to 2015. More than 900 cases were examined and 49 children found to be affected. This is yet another unbelievable failure on the part of the HSE. It is staggering to think the particular audiologist had been working in the Mayo-Roscommon area for more than ten years. It is unforgivable that many of the children identified in the review may be left with lifelong hearing impairments. It is utterly shocking. What good is the apology that has been given to the families if their children were at an increased risk of a missed diagnosis or may be left with lifelong hearing impairments?

I also understand the clinical team which undertook the review found that many of the hearing assessments did not meet national audiology standards. Time and again, we hear about failures in the HSE such that it is now extremely difficult for the public to have faith in the organisation, which is a pity because there are some things it does very well and there are some excellent front-line staff, as the Minister of State has seen. If the review only covered the period from 2011 to 2015, what about the many other cases with which the individual audiologist was involved given that they worked in the Mayo-Roscommon area for over ten years? I call on the Minister - I know that the Minister of State is here to represent him - to clarify whether the review will be extended to cover the full period the audiologist worked in Mayo-Roscommon area, as well as to other parts of the country where they may also have worked. I have submitted a number of parliamentary questions on this matter in a bid to seek urgent clarification on this latest unwelcome development.

I have been contacted by a constituent whose daughter was misdiagnosed by the audiology service. Although the constituent was told that her child's hearing had not been impaired, her mother's instinct led her to pay for a private consultation and the child did have a hearing impediment. The family paid privately for an operation to deal with the problem. They paid over €2,000 to have their child's hearing impediment corrected and hearing protected. Will they receive a refund, given that it was HSE failings that led them to seek private treatment?

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Jim Daly)

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to address the issue. This is an important forum in which to raise such issues where the Deputy has a chance to represent the views of the people he has the honour to represent to bring their fears and concerns to the fore and receive answers. On the other side, it provides an opportunity for the HSE, not to defend but to explain some of the background and put it in context.

Concerns raised by the HSE assistant clinical lead for audiology services in Mayo-Roscommon arising from a routine review of services in 2015 led to a look-back of paediatric services provided between 2011 and 2015. The HSE finalised the report on the look-back and shared it with the 49 families concerned on 7 June 2018. The report represents a thorough analysis of the quality of service delivery in the area against standards for such services that were set out in the national audiology review group's report. Since 2011, the recommendations made in the report, including on clinical governance and quality assurance processes, have been the benchmark for the quality of service delivery throughout the country.

The report and accompanying communication from the HSE include a clear apology for the failures identified and the anxiety caused for families and those who might have been harmed. The HSE has invited the parents of the children to meet a senior manager and a senior audiologist to discuss the findings made in the report and be updated on their child's care. Some have taken up this offer. The HSE has stated all of the families affected were informed that the audit was taking place and verbally advised of the reasons. All 49 children who needed a follow-up as a result of the look-back process are either receiving or have already received the appropriate care they need.

To respond to the Deputy's question about the audiologist's previous working arrangements, the HSE is reviewing the employment history of the individual clinician who provided the service. The review is being expedited. It is appropriate that the health service strive continually to improve the quality of the services it provides and promote a culture of learning in which shortcomings are identified.

The priority of the Minister for Health in regard to the families and children on whom the findings of this look-back have had an impact is that the HSE takes swift action, including the provision of appropriate care, and the Minister is satisfied this has been done in this case. In addition, the HSE now has clinical governance and a quality assurance process in place for its audiology services, including any contracted services. This is in line with the national audiology review group report published in 2011.

The recommendations made in the look-back report on policies, procedures, team-based approach, audits as part of clinical governance, care pathways, recording of client information and service level agreements for external providers have been addressed and completed at both regional and national level. Outstanding recommendations, including the roll-out of an audiology patient management system, are being progressed.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

While I welcome the Minister of State's response, it is not adequate, and I am sure he will acknowledge I say that sincerely. The Minister of State is here to represent the Minister, Deputy Harris. In his contribution, he referred to the swift action of the HSE. He is quite an intelligent man. This review goes back five years and we could be looking at cases going back ten years with regard to a failure within the system. I would not call that swift action. More seriously, 49 of those who were reviewed were found not to have been properly diagnosed. If they ended up with issues for life, would the Minister of State or I not feel guilty? Should the HSE not feel guilty? Apologies are no good at this stage. Everyone who has been offered further assistance should take it up, however, and I am sure most of them will.

This is a very serious matter. It is more serious because the issue goes back over ten years whereas the review deals with five years. The HSE needs to revisit this and examine where this audiologist was working. Perhaps there could be an audit of the equipment as there might be equipment issues, although I do not know that. We have to stop this. People have trust in the service but they are let down by it. I rest my case.

Deputy Jim Daly

I note the sincerity and passion of the Deputy, who is noted for that in any of his presentations in this Chamber and in any other fora where I have had pleasure of working with him. To put this in context, a national audiology group was established in 2011 and one of its recommendations was that a national clinical lead be appointed. Subsequent to the recommendation, a national clinical lead for all audiology services was appointed, and in 2015, that national clinical lead carried out a routine review of a series of cases, something that is done periodically. Concerns arose during that routine review which led to this very specific look-back, which covered all the cases from 2011 to 2015.

The Deputy's community healthcare organisation, CHO, area was one of two CHO areas that had to outsource work to external staff due to the lack of available staff expertise within the CHO area. It was a routine review, like others carried out periodically in all services. There will be such situations, given 110,000 people are working in the HSE. Unless we robotise it and have procedures carried out by robots, there will always be error, which is a fact of life where human beings are involved. It is important that the HSE continues to carry out all of these routine reviews and reacts to any red flag that is raised, as it did in this case. I am not here to defend anybody, just to explain the situation. The HSE had a proper look-back for the cases from 2011 to 2015 and it identified these anomalies. As the Deputy knows, 990 children were called back and some were deemed to have issues arising. All of those children are either getting care at present or have received the care they need.

Community Development Initiatives

Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice

In recent years the Tidy Towns has put in Trojan work in making villages and, indeed, Ireland look a better place, especially for tourists. I know more people are back at work throughout the country, which is welcome. We have to bear in mind, however, that those communities voluntarily put in a massive effort, week in, week out, to keep their village or town in pristine condition. The aid of community employment, Tús and the rural social scheme has brought great benefits in regard to making all of those villages look better through the work that is done, and Ireland would not look as good if this work were not done. Unfortunately, in the past year, while it is a sign that more people are getting work, which we appreciate, some schemes now have to pay people to cut the grass and do other jobs, which they do not have the money for, as the Minister of State will know, given where he is from.

I spoke to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, before Christmas and she told me the Department would consider various measures. I know that people can go on Tús or a CE scheme through Seetec, but we need to look outside that. We need to make sure that if there is no replacement for a person, that person is left in place until the replacement is found. Otherwise, a village will be left without help. In addition, we should make a call and let people over 55 continue. If I get a job somewhere, I will go to it, but people should be given the opportunity to stay on a scheme because there are villages which are struggling at the moment to keep on top of things, whether painting, cleaning or cutting grass. Despite the great voluntary efforts these communities have made, from Donegal right down to the Minister of State's area, and from Dublin to Connemara, this is being undermined due to what is happening.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

At the moment there are 350 unfilled vacancies in the rural social scheme, 4,850 in the community employment scheme and 1,849 in the Tús scheme. It is not that there are not people who want to go on the schemes. It is that the rules, particularly in regard to Tús and CE, are ridiculously strict. I could never get my head around the logic of why we prefer to pay people on condition they do not work but seek work, rather than pay them on condition that they do work. The reality is that the difference between a Tús worker and somebody getting jobseeker's allowance is about €5,000 a year, which is quite small. The Minister of State might say €5,000 is a lot but if we take the 2,000 Tús vacancies and multiply that by €5,000, it gives us €10 million a year. To the Minister of State and me, that is a lot of money, but when we take it that the budget of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is €20 billion, then €10 million out of €20 billion is the equivalent of €10 out of €20,000, and we would not think spending that was big expenditure. If we spent just that much, we would say we have not spent any of it yet.

How can the Minister of State deal with this issue practically? He could say that where there are Tús vacancies that cannot be filled by eligible people, those who are on the scheme could stay for a second or third year on the Tús scheme. It is as simple as that to resolve this and fill all the places.

Deputy Jim Daly

I thank both Deputies for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty. Work schemes such as Tús and community employment schemes are positive initiatives that enable the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities while upskilling themselves for prospective future employment.

The rural social scheme, RSS, provides farmers and fishermen with income support, while they also make a contribution to their community. Tús and the rural social scheme are delivered and managed at local level through the network of local development companies and Udarás na Gaeltachta, known as the implementing bodies, each of which has been awarded a specific quota of Tús and RSS participants based on the ability to source suitable placements. Community employment schemes are typically sponsored by groups, known as sponsors, wishing to benefit the local community. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection agrees participant numbers annually with each community employment sponsor organisation which, in turn, is responsible for the recruitment of participants and identifying suitable work placements. The current number on the live register is comparable with the figure in May 2008. The average number of participants supported in 2008 was 25,351, composed of 22,785 under the community employment scheme and 2,566 under the rural social scheme, whereas participants did not commence under the Tús initiative until 2011. There are 38,152 places available under these initiatives, of which 26,542 are under the community employment scheme, 3,350 are under the rural social scheme and 8,260 are under Tús.

In the context of economic recovery, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection undertook a review of all work programmes in 2016. Arising from the review, the Government agreed to implement changes to the qualifying conditions for Tús, the rural social scheme and the community employment scheme in order to broaden access for a wider range of people. Since 1 June, the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, has also been facilitating persons to take up a placement under the community employment scheme or Tús while also attending their JobPath providers.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has examined expenditure on the work schemes to ensure we will continue to deliver best value for the taxpayer and ensure the best use is being made of funding in this area. In that context, a decision was made to reduce the overall number of places under Tús to 6,500. The Department has engaged with the Irish Local Development Network, ILDN, which is the representative body for the Tús implementation bodies, and individually with each such body to seek to implement the reduction in participant numbers from 8,260 to 6,500 before year end.

As the Deputies are aware, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has taken the lead in addressing the entitlement of community employment scheme supervisors to occupational pensions. A community sector high level forum, chaired by the Department, is examining the issue. Other Departments, including the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, are represented on the group, as are the unions and Pobal. The group has held a number of meetings. Community employment scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector which receive public funding. They are not employees of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection or public servants and, as such, were not subject to pay reductions under the provisions of the FEMPI legislation which only applied to public servants. A detailed scoping exercise was carried out with an input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, on the potential cost of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of a pension scheme for employees across the community and voluntary sector. The exercise clearly illustrated that this matter presented very significant issues for the Exchequer, with a potential cost to the State of €188 million per annum in respect of funding to enable an employer pension contribution in State funded community and voluntary organisations. That sum excludes provision for immediate ex gratia lump sum pension payments as sought, which could, depending on the size of the sector involved, entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million.

Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice

With all due respect, whoever wrote that reply did not even look at what we were talking about. We are talking about small villages and towns. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív provided the Minister of State with statistics for the numbers of positions which remain unfilled nationally. We are not worried about all of the things that civil servant, or whoever it was, wrote in that long palaver. We are talking about ordinary people from County Donegal to County Cork and from Connemara to Dublin who are trying to keep villages in shape and cannot fill positions. The Minister of State should tell the civil servant concerned that they cannot fill the positions, yet he or she has given us a palaver on a piece of paper about everything bar what we want to know. We need solutions. We need to put people in a position where they can stay in a job, particularly if they are over 55 years of age. As Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív pointed out, it is worth €5,000 extra a year. What is the value to tourism of what the people in question have done throughout the country in every small village and town? That is what we need to address, not the rigmarole in the reply.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Perhaps in his second reply the Minister of State might tell us how many are in receipt of long-term jobseeker's allowance. In other words, how many have been in receipt of the allowance for more than one year? The longer someone is on the allowance, the less likely it is he or she will ever find employment on a sustainable basis.

The second issue which has been totally ignored is that the older one gets, the more difficult it becomes to find commercial employment. I suggest two changes. Rather than cut the Tús scheme which is totally regressive, once someone is over 50 years of age, he or she should be able to stay on the scheme for as long as he or she wants. Second, everybody, no matter what age he or she is, should be offered a second year on the Tús scheme or the community employment scheme where there is no one else to take his or her place. The reason the scheme was transferred from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation was that the latter was living in cloud cuckoo land where everyone in the country was going to find a commercial job. The Minister of State tells us there is full employment, but there are 100,000 people signing on. The reality is that there are people who will never find commercial employment. It is time the State faced up to this and politicians took charge of the issue and said the people in question would be better off working than idle.

Deputy Jim Daly

I say to Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice that pensions are mentioned in the Topical Issue as set down, although I appreciate that neither Deputy has raised the issue. However, it was mentioned in the Topical Issue as set down in which the Deputies sought to discuss filling all available places on the rural social scheme, Tús and community employment schemes, as well as the provision of a pension scheme for supervisors. As such, a specific reference was included to pensions, to be fair to the civil servant who drafted the reply. I appreciate that neither Deputy has raised the issue, but, to be fair, that is hardly the fault of the civil servant.

I do not have the figure sought by Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív. He asked me for-----

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Can the Minister of State guess how many are long-term unemployed?

Deputy Jim Daly

I am not taking part in a quiz show and will not make a guess.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Is it 100,000?

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Please allow the Minister of State to speak, without interruption.

Deputy Jim Daly

I do not have the figure to hand and Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív will appreciate that it is not available in my Department. I will not engage in a guessing game on an issue on which I am not sure-footed, but I take the point the Deputy is trying to make. As Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice acknowledged, I also operate in a rural constituency and I am very familiar with the frustration felt by people at these schemes. There are many people who would like them to be extended in order that they could spend more than one year participating in them. There are also a lot of people in the over-55 year age cohort. I agree with the Deputies that I would like to see an extension in that regard. The Department is reviewing the schemes which were designed for another time, as acknowledged by successive Governments. Thankfully, we are in a different era economically and in terms of job creation, but I take the point that there are many who will not enter the workplace. That is a fact of life which is acknowledged and accepted. I will take the Deputies' suggestions to the Minister and her officials to ensure the points will be adequately reflected on in the Department.

Garda Accommodation

Deputy Sean Sherlock

This is a very simple issue. I have been in contact with a member of An Garda Síochána who would be very happy, should the opportunity arise, to take up an offer of official accommodation in Buttevant, County Cork. He is a person of impeccable character, as are his family. I have been going around the houses on this issue with the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran. I have asked a number of parliamentary questions as to whether it would be possible to ensure the house in question would be allocated to the individual garda. While it requires some refurbishment, it is nothing major. The case speaks to the wider issue of the significant number of official Garda residences nationally which are empty at this time. With a little investment and refurbishment, it would be possible to place gardaí and their families in these residences which would give them a footprint and a great presence in local communities which might not otherwise have it. There are more than 300 such residences nationally, some of which are occupied, while others are not.

I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, the state of play. I got a lovely letter back from him stating that while Buttevant Garda station is in the ownership of the Commissioners of Public Works, matters relating to Garda accommodation do not come under the remit of his office and are instead a matter for An Garda Síochána. The application came up the line through the ranks of An Garda Síochána and it was sent back down the line again because the Garda was told this was a matter for the OPW.

I am confused. I would dearly love to be able to say to the person who has come to me that their application is being considered seriously because the applicant is a member of the Garda and this is an official Garda residence, but it seems that somewhere it is getting caught between the Department of Justice and Equality and the OPW. It seems that the Commissioners of Public Works, quite simply, do not want to deal with this issue.

I am sure that the Minister of State will tell me here today that it is not necessarily a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality on the basis that it does not have the resources to make such refurbishments of official dwellings, but I would hope that the Government, through the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, who in fairness is a straight man and an honourable person, his colleagues in the Independent Alliance and the Ministers in Fine Gael, would deal with the issue of Garda accommodation because it represents an opportunity to put gardaí and their families into unoccupied residences. For the want of a few bob, and a small few bob at that, it would represent good value for money because it would put gardaí back into the communities, particularly in rural settings.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (Deputy John Paul Phelan)

I am taking this matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who regrets his absence but who has official commitments at the same time. Both he and I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising it.

It is a good issue for a Topical Issue debate because we all will be aware of villages around the country where there are Garda stations, many of which are still operational and have residences attached or in their grounds. Most of them are in central locations in villages or on the entrance to villages and tend to be landmark buildings where an improvement and use of the accommodation by a garda and his or her family would bring many benefits to the community as well as to the station itself.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Furthermore, the programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities working in close co-operation with the OPW. The Minister has no direct responsibility, as the Deputy pointed out.

There has been significant investment in Garda resources throughout the State in recent years. Considerable efforts are being made by the Government to enhance the working environment generally for members of An Garda Síochána, and major investment has been committed under the capital plan 2016 to 2021 to upgrade Garda premises.

The Garda station building and refurbishment programme is an ambitious five-year programme based on agreed Garda priorities which will benefit more than 30 locations and includes €60 million of Exchequer funding. The programme is providing new stations and modernising older stations at key locations around the country, ensuring a safe, modern working environment for members and staff of the Garda as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims and suspects.

Dwelling units, known as official accommodation properties, are a matter for the Garda authorities in conjunction with the OPW, and the Minister for Justice and Equality has no direct role in these matters. I understand that the Minister has been informed by the Garda authorities that it is a matter for respective divisional officers in An Garda Síochána in the first instance to identify official accommodation properties that require attention before they can be allocated to a member of An Garda Síochána, having regard to the policing needs of the division.

I understand that the Minister is further informed by the Garda authorities that the most recently available survey of official accommodation was completed by An Garda Síochána in conjunction with the OPW in April of 2018. At that point, there were 221 official accommodation properties throughout the State. These properties are attached to or form part of the curtilage of Garda stations, mainly in rural areas. Of this total, the Garda authorities advise that at the time of the survey, 99 official accommodation properties were inhabited and 122 were vacant. Of the vacant units, 12 were considered to be habitable. I am informed that it was considered that the remaining units would require significant investment but that to ascertain the costs involved in bringing these official accommodation properties up to standard, detailed surveys of each property would be required. Any such survey would be a matter for An Garda Síochána in conjunction with the OPW. I understand that An Garda Síochána has advised the Minister that it liaises closely with the OPW on all matters relating to the Garda estate, including official accommodation, having regard to the funding available and the accommodation priorities of An Garda Síochána.

Of the 122 vacant premises, 12 are habitable. That means 110 need substantial work. It would be a wise investment by the OPW. I will certainly bring the point up with the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to see that a programme to redevelop Garda accommodation properties throughout the country would take effect.

Deputy Sean Sherlock

I welcome the Minister of State's response. I acknowledge there are limitations. He is not telling me what I want to hear in respect of the particular case.

It would be useful for the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, to know that in his own county of Kilkenny there are nine such premises. I asked the question lately of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I asked him what number of residences were under his remit and how many were available to An Garda Síochána for official accommodation. He told me, for instance, that there were nine in Kilkenny, 19 in the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's fair county, and 34 in my county. I refer specifically to one such station, which is Buttevant.

The fundamental point is that for the sake of a relatively small investment in terms of the State's resources, an opportunity could be created for members of An Garda Síochána to live within their communities. Even though they may not be stationed there, there would at least be a presence. Families would be housed at the same time.

Deputy John Paul Phelan

Are the numbers Deputy Sherlock gave vacant or totals?

Deputy Sean Sherlock

I need clarification on the numbers that have been furnished to me. I have asked the question. I do not always get a straight answer when I table a question in this House on matters relating to the OPW. The commissioners could be described as semi-autonomous.

The issue is that the matter has gone up the line through An Garda Síochána and has come back down the line. There was a figure involved for refurbishment. It could be argued that the figure mentioned is slightly high for what needs to be done. I would like the issue to be sorted because it represents an opportunity.

Deputy John Paul Phelan

There is no response other than I agree with Deputy Sherlock that there is an opportunity to get gardaí living in their communities. In addition, these places, mostly villages, have these landmark buildings that are lying vacant. It would be good for those villages to have people living in those buildings as well. I will certainly speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. What is needed is a scheme of some sort. There has to be, first, a survey of what is required and the cost and then a scheme of funding to update these premises throughout the country.

School Accommodation Provision

Deputy John Brady

I raise the issue of North Wicklow Educate Together secondary school, which is based in Bray. It is a voluntary secondary school under the patronage of Educate Together. That patronage was awarded in 2015.

The school is in temporary accommodation in the old Presentation College in Bray and that lease is due to expire on 30 April next year. The Minister made an announcement last year that arrangements had been put in place. They had identified a site in Bray town centre and that announcement was made last June.

Since that time, no information has come from the Department. North Wicklow Educate Together is completely in the dark. Some concerns have been raised regarding the site identified on the site of Bray Institute of Further Education in the town centre. That site is controlled by Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board. There have been some controversies regarding the former chief executive officer of the education and training board and these are being investigated. Unfortunately, it appears that North Wicklow Educate Together is somehow being implicated in or held up by these investigations.

A crisis is looming. There are 200 students in a school that could not be described as being fit for purpose. It started enrolling in September 2016 and is due to enrol its third year in September when there will be 200 pupils in the current premises. The private lease on the building will expire in April 2019 and the school principal and the parents and future parents of students of the school do not know where the school will be accommodated after that time.

I and other Deputies representing Wicklow have made numerous approaches to the Minister. The five Wicklow Deputies sent a joint letter to him and I have spoken to him on numerous occasions but no information has been forthcoming on the site that has been identified. Some concern has been raised by Bray Institute of Further Education, which believes it was not consulted in the process of identifying the site. We are now caught in a vacuum and this is not being helped by the lack of information from the Minister, who has ultimate responsibility, or his Department. Representatives of North Wicklow Educate Together met officials from the Department last week on foot of a meeting that had taken place the previous day with, I understand, the new CEO of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board. No information was given to Educate Together on what had been discussed with the CEO of the education and training board.

We have a principal, 200 pupils and their parents who do not know where their school will be in April next year. It is unfortunate that the Minister is not in the Chamber to provide some clarity or a timeframe on when the parents, children and staff of the school can expect to get into their new school, wherever it is located. I hope the Minister of State will be able to outline some of the timeframes and give clear information

Deputy John Paul Phelan

I thank Deputy Brady. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, who is not available as he is before the Seanad to take Committee Stage of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016.

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position regarding the accommodation needs of North Wicklow Educate Together post-primary school. As the Deputy is aware, a major capital project for the provision of permanent accommodation for North Wicklow Educate Together to cater for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils is being addressed through the Department's six-year construction programme. The Department's capital programme continues to address the challenge posed by a rapidly increasing school population, including in areas such as County Wicklow. In addition to major school projects, the capital programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or an additional teacher has been appointed.

The Action Plan for Education sets out the Government's ambitions for the education system, including the commitment contained in the programme for Government towards the prioritisation of school educational infrastructure. Following the capital review, additional capital funding of €332 million will be available to the schools sector, primarily from 2019 onwards, boosting investment in our primary and post-primary school infrastructure. This significant investment reflects the priority the Government has placed on education and delivering on our ambition to deliver a fair society and strong economy.

It is planned that in the period to 2021, more than 350 announced large-scale projects, including a major project for North Wicklow Educate Together, will be advanced under the Department's construction programme. An option for the location of a permanent site for North Wicklow Educate Together post-primary school is being finalised. The school was established in 2016. As an interim measure and with the assistance of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, it was housed in a property leased by the ETB at the old presentation building at Putland Road in Bray, which the Deputy mentioned. The school opened with an enrolment of 36 pupils and numbers are growing incrementally, with an enrolment of 119 pupils in 2017. The Department is aware that the existing lease on the Putland Road building is due to expire in May 2019. Officials from the Department are continuing to liaise with Kildare and Wicklow ETB to ensure North Wicklow Educate Together has adequate accommodation to cater for its growing pupil numbers from September 2019 onwards.

I want to clarify for the Deputy that the Department is continuing to prioritise this matter and will liaise with the patron of North Wicklow Educate Together when a further update is available. As I indicated, the Department is liaising with the Kildare and Wicklow ETB in the context of a permanent school building for North Wicklow Educate Together and will liaise further with the Educate Together patron in this regard.

I again thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the position to the House. I assure him that the Department is concerned to ensure that both the interim and long-term accommodation needs of North Wicklow Educate Together post-primary school will be provided for.

Deputy John Brady

I thank the Minister of State for the response. While I do not wish to shoot the messenger, it did not provide any clarity. We are facing a crisis. In April next year, up to 200 children will not have a premises in which to be educated. A site has been identified in Bray, about which questions have arisen. I am not sure how long the process will take or what is happening. According to the Minister of State, an option for the location of a permanent site for North Wicklow Educate Together post-primary school "is being finalised". An announcement was made last year that a site had been identified. The school is not under the patronage of the Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board, yet the ETB seems to have more information than Educate Together, which is bizarre to say the least.

Information is key, as is the fact that the school is well aware that some sort of temporary accommodation will need to be provided until the new school is constructed. Educate Together is conscious and aware of that requirement but it does not want to move the school into temporary accommodation on a site somewhere in north Wicklow. We do not know where the school will be located. Under an exhaustive process, three sites were initially identified, two of which were quickly ruled out as being totally inaccessible, leaving only the site we are discussing. The school is conscious that interim arrangements will be required. It wants prefabricated buildings erected on the site on which the school will be permanently based from April 2019 onwards, wherever that site will be. Some form of temporary accommodation must be provided on the site on which the purpose built school will be located.

What we need are clear timeframes and that is what is lacking in the Minister of State's nonsensical and disappointing statement. Educate Together needs answers, not the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board because the former and not the ETB is the patron. The principal, the school, the pupils and the people of north Wicklow, including me, need answers.

Deputy John Paul Phelan

As outlined in the response, the Minister will liaise with the patron of North Wicklow Educate Together when a further update is available. As regards the issue being finalised, I have not been give specific timeframes but the matter is a priority for Government. Nobody wants a scenario to arise where an active school does not have accommodation. There is no prospect of 200 students being homeless next May, as the Deputy suggested. Short-term measures are needed until the new school is built, after which a permanent home must be provided. The Minister made clear in the statement I read out that he will liaise with the patron of North Wicklow Educate Together to that effect.