Seanad Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jan 2014

Adjournment Matters

Garda Reserve

Senator Martin Conway

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach arís. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, for coming to the House to take this Adjournment matter. I am sure he is doing so on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter.

Many will be aware of the distressing case in Mullach in County Clare in which an elderly farmer was robbed in his own house on multiple occasions. On the second occasion, he became so fearful of staying in his house that he opted to cycle eight hours into Ennis and check himself into St. Joseph's nursing home and has not returned to his home since.

I realise as much as anybody else that it is completely impractical to have a member of An Garda Síochána at every crossroads and protecting every old person, given the sparse nature of the rural population. There were elderly persons living for many generations in practically every part of rural Ireland. There are significant rural areas in the Minister of State's constituency and he will appreciate exactly where I am coming from in the case I am about to make.

For many years, thousands of volunteers throughout the country have engaged in Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch schemes, for which the Government has made resources available to provide mobile alarm systems and panic buttons for the elderly. This all is welcome. The U-turn that the Government made following the budget, in which it had reduced by 50% the €1.2 million being made available for panic buttons, was welcome, but we need to have a debate on policing and advising the elderly on being security-conscious. We should consider increasing the remit of the Garda Reserve to include making the elderly more security-conscious. The Garda Reserve is doing fantastic work as it is, but there is a role for it in supporting the community volunteers throughout Ireland who are endeavouring to make the elderly feel safe in their homes. Every elderly person - every person - would consider their home their castle, but it is not their castle if they do not feel safe.

As a Government, we have scarce resources and we are trying to channel them as best we can. With that in mind, the Garda Reserve could have a significant role to play in making the elderly feel safe in their homes. I want to see a dedicated programme within the Garda Reserve in terms of education and awareness and facilitating and supporting the community volunteers who engage in helping the elderly feel secure in their homes.

We have a responsibility to the generations who have made this country what it is. What happened in west Clare is a disgrace. What happened in County Donegal late last year was also a disgrace. We will not be able to put gardaí in every corner, and the Garda Commissioner is doing his best with the limited resources he has in the new economic reality. Therefore, we need to have a debate on the Garda Reserve to see how best we can utilise its resources in areas where they are needed most. Advising the elderly on how to be safe in their homes is an area that warrants greater activity within the Garda Reserve.

Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy John Perry)

As the Minister for Justice and Equality is unavoidably detained elsewhere, I have been asked by him to respond to this issue. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter.

As the Senator will be aware, the Garda Reserve was established to enhance the links between the Garda Síochána and local communities through the deployment of locally recruited volunteers who operate in support of full-time colleagues. There are currently 1,164 attested Reserve gardaí, with a further 99 at various stages of training. Garda Reserve members make a real and tangible contribution to policing right across the country and the Minister is fully supportive of its continued development. In this regard, recruitment to the reserve and training of new reserve members is ongoing.

Under section 15(5) of the Garda Síochána Act, the range of powers and duties of members of the Garda Reserve is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to determine. The Garda Commissioner initially determined that the duties of a Garda Reserve member shall include the following: station duty, other than the care and custody of prisoners; assistance to the station orderly; communications room duty, to include monitoring of closed circuit television, CCTV; foot patrol, accompanied by a member of the full-time Garda service; static security duty; road traffic checkpoint duties, accompanied by a full-time member; duty at the outer cordon of major events such as festivals and major sports events; assisting in the event of accidents, fires and major emergencies; giving evidence in court; and community and neighbourhood policing.

The Garda Commissioner carried out an internal review of the reserve and has since decided to extend the powers and functions of Garda Reserve members to such areas as domestic violence, child protection, conflict resolution, Garda policy on bullying and harassment, out-of-vehicle safety training, OVST, first aid and Ampel Probe training. Continuous professional development courses are also to be provided annually to Garda Reserve on a divisional basis. Training in these new areas commenced in 2012 and almost all of the Reserve members have now been trained in the new powers.

The following provisions were also introduced: a mentor-tutor Garda for the Garda Reserve; a formal appraisal system; the issuing of TETRA radios to all Garda Reserve members when going on duty; powers under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Acts 1994 to 2011, and under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended, in relation to the seizure of vehicles; the ability to issue fixed charged penalty notices and serve summonses; communication of the Garda Reserve role and various functions to full-time members through media such as promotion courses, the continuous professional development programme and the Garda portal; and the carrying out of exit interviews.

It is not intended to further extend the powers of members of the Garda Reserve at this time. It must be borne in mind that the reserves are a part-time element of the force and, while they are a great asset to the Garda, they cannot be expected to perform the same duties as fully trained members.

Garda Reserve members, like any members of An Garda Síochána, interact and engage with communities and provide crime-prevention advice. The document, An Garda Síochána - Older People Strategy, advocates the following actions: the development and maintenance of effective communication links between An Garda Síochána and older people; the delivery of a timely and effective proactive response by An Garda Síochána for older people; actions to increase trust and confidence by lessening the fear of crime among older people; and indicators to determine and respond to the needs and expectations of older people on an ongoing basis.

These actions are achieved through various community policing initiatives and crime prevention programmes. Community policing is the underpinning philosophy and ethos through which An Garda Síochána delivers its service to the community. All gardaí, including Reserve gardaí, are responsible for delivering a community policing service and delivering Garda functions outlined under section 7(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. In conclusion, I assure the Senator that the Government is and will continue to be fully committed to the Garda Reserve, and recruitment is ongoing to further strengthen and reinforce the reserve.

Senator Martin Conway

This is not even a supplementary question, but in fairness to whatever civil servant drafted that reply, I do not believe he or she got the concept behind my proposal. It is most likely that the Garda Síochána Act 2005 will be amended in any event in light of events at the Committee of Public Accounts and so on. When that happens, I will propose that a role in law be prescribed for the Garda Reserve in supporting community groups by advising vulnerable older people. However, I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate that reply.

Deputy John Perry

In a final response, the services, in fairness, have been extended massively, and the Commissioner also can determine additional duties. I thank the Senator for his comments, which have been noted and which I will bring to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Alan Shatter. Since its establishment, the Garda Reserve has been of great benefit to An Garda Síochána and to society in general and the Garda Reserve is held in the highest esteem. As outlined, a comprehensive review of the reserve was carried out in 2012, the outcome of which was to provide further powers and responsibilities, which have been added, as well as ensuring its members' skills are cultivated and supported through their experience. I am fully confident that the use of these additional powers and functions by members of the Garda Reserve will further enhance their status within the organisation and within the community they serve.

Local Authority Staff Numbers

Acting Chairman (Senator Martin Conway)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ciarán Cannon.

Senator John Kelly

While I know the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, wanted to take this matter, he has probably provided a comprehensive answer on some of the issues I intend to raise. It pertains to the Gateway to Work project, which was meant to be rolled out last autumn, but I am unsure whether that has actually happened. If so, has it been rolled out in some but not all counties, and if that is the case, in how many counties has it been rolled out? Personally, I have always campaigned for increasing the numbers that should be brought into community employment schemes, as many long-term unemployed people would be delighted with the opportunity to get something that resembles a return to work. I also wish to ascertain whether an allocation of funding will be given. Apart from the employment of such people on community employment schemes, will funding be provided for equipment, materials or whatever? The training and experience provided will be invaluable to these people.

The Minister of State is also aware that many jobs that were undertaken by local authorities down through the years have been neglected due to the reduction in staff. Many such jobs, such as hedge-trimming or the opening of water run-offs on regional and country roads to alleviate flooding, have not happened to the degree that many communities would wish. Such activities could be carried out under the scheme even without the use of anything mechanical. Under the auspices of village enhancement schemes, activities such as the restoration of walls and so on are projects with which people would be delighted. In addition, the blight of litter must of course be dealt with. However, will health and safety considerations be paramount in the implementation of any such scheme? This is evident when one travels on the motorways where, if someone is cutting a hedge, approximately five vehicles are deployed to support that activity. Will such considerations hamper this activity in any way?

I wish to make one final point to the Minister of State. While I had been looking forward to having the Minister, Deputy Hogan, address this matter, the Minister of State should bring it back to him. Many people are still hopeful that at some time in the future the social employment schemes that were operated by the county councils will come back into play. Under such schemes, people worked a 40-hour week, for which they received a decent week's wages. Could the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government give consideration to taking on people under the JobsPlus scheme, in which half of the social welfare payment is paid to an employer to employ someone? This scheme could be used to employ people for two years with a decent-sized wage.

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

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. As the Senator is aware, general purpose grants from the local government fund are the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government's contribution towards meeting the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services to their customers. However, it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities, including on environmental functions in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority.

In determining these grants, a number of factors are taken into account, including the overall funding available, the estimated cost to each authority of providing a reasonable level of services for their customers, the income each authority should generate from local sources and the necessity of providing each authority with a baseline allocation that supports its financial stability. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government also provides funding to local authorities for environmental purposes through the environment fund, and income to that fund derives from the proceeds of the environmental levy on the supply of plastic bags and on waste that goes to landfill. The purposes for which payments may be made from the environment fund are set out in the Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2001 and include a range of purposes for the protection of the environment. According to the most recently published environment fund accounts, which are for 2012, local authorities received approximately one third of total expenditure from the fund in that year - that is, €23.5 million of the €70.7 million that was spent by local authorities from the fund.

It is worth noting that the local government funding model will change considerably in 2014. Under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing this year, the Minister for Finance will pay into the local government fund an amount equivalent to the local property tax paid into the Central Fund during that year. This revenue will be allocated to local authorities from the fund. The local property tax will provide a more sustainable and resilient system of funding for local authorities and therefore a sounder financial footing for the provision of essential local services.

In respect of the staffing of local authorities, each city or county manager is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. Current recruitment and promotion in the public service is subject to a moratorium, which was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. It is a matter for city and county managers, in the first instance, to ensure that the moratorium is implemented while appropriate service levels are maintained. Exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and all staffing sanction requests are examined by that Department on a case-by-case basis, having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. However, the Departments of Social Protection and the Environment, Community and Local Government are engaged in the implementation of a new labour activation initiative through local authorities and the Minister expects that 3,000 places will be taken up in 2014 by participants through the offices of the Department of Social Protection for work to be done in each local authority. This is an opportunity for Roscommon County Council and all local authorities to prioritise this programme and to set out the work programme that can be done using this initiative.

Fee Paying Schools

Senator Thomas Byrne

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this matter regarding Gormanston College which, according to media reports and public announcements last week, has decided to abandon the fee-paying model. I greatly welcome this decision, as Gormanston College has a marvellous history both in the community and nationally, as well as having a fabulous location. In general, the news has been widely welcomed in the areas of Stamullen, Gormanston and east County Meath in general, where there is something of a crisis in respect of secondary school places. A situation arose there recently about which I raised concerns, in which the local Louth and Meath Education and Training Board school, Coláiste na hInse, was potentially unable to accept all applicants from Stamullen. While this news is welcome, there is a concern within the locality that when two other schools switched from being fee-paying to not being fee-paying, charges remained in place for students.

People want clarity on the position when this school joins the non-fee paying sector, but, overall, it is very welcome.

Deputy Ciarán Cannon

I thank the Senator for raising this issue as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the House the position on the recent announcement by the school authorities of the Franciscan College, Gormanston, that it will join the free education scheme from September 2014.

The Senator will be aware that where the authorities of a school approach the Department about entering the free education scheme it is because they are concerned about the future viability of the school and wish to explore all options in considering the future of the school.

A number of fee charging schools, including the Franciscan College, have been engaged in discussions with the Department concerning their future. Detailed discussions have taken place since last March between the authorities of the college and officials of the Department. Arising from these discussions, the school authorities have decided that their future would be best served as a school operating within the free education scheme and, to that end, the school applied to enter the scheme and the Minister has accepted that application.

The key changes resulting from this decision are that the Franciscan College will receive its teaching allocation in the 2014-15 school year based on a pupil-teacher ratio of 19:1 rather than that of 23:1 as applicable to fee charging schools. In addition, teaching posts are allocated for special needs students and the Department provides for curricular issues that arise in schools.

Voluntary secondary schools in the free education scheme receive capitation funding. The precise capitation and other programme grants to be paid to the Franciscan College will be a function of the confirmed enrolment in the school. The school will continue to operate a boarding facility and will be entitled to charge an appropriate fee for that service. From September next, the attendance of day pupils will not result in the payment of a compulsory charge in respect of tuition. It is a key requirement for all recognised schools in the free education scheme that such schools must not operate a charge, in whatever form, that is in effect a mandatory fee and that is contrary to the principles of the free education scheme. While the demand for school places in the Laytown feeder area does not require the immediate entry of the Franciscan College to the free education scheme, I consider that the college can ultimately make a contribution to meeting the growth in demand in the area, thereby justifying admission to the free scheme.

My Department is in the process of opening a number of new post-primary schools in the surrounding areas to meet the demographic demand in the coming years. That includes new post-primary schools already announced for Balbriggan, Drogheda and Ashbourne, as well as a number of extensions. The admission of the Franciscan College to the free education scheme will further enhance post-primary provision in that area.

The rationale for granting admission to the free scheme is based on the need for places in the area in the latter part of this decade, which is projected to see further growth in demand. Accordingly, the patron will be required to agree to grant priority in the enrolment policy to those from the area should oversubscription arise. If boarding is continued, that would ultimately require prioritisation of the entry of day pupils over boarding provision. I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to respond to the House on this matter.

Senator Thomas Byrne

It is clear from what the Minister of State said that there will not be any mandatory charges for day pupils. The Minister can take it from me that there is a real need for this school in the area. A crisis would have occurred this year were it not for the fact that Meath Vocational Education Committee was flexible about the situation in Laytown, but that was not going to continue. This is fantastic news for the community in Stamullen, Gormanston and surrounding areas.

The Seanad adjourned at 6.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 29 January 2014.