Adjournment Matters

Local Authority Functions

Senator Colm Burke

I welcome the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan. I know he is very busy.

The issue I raise concerns access to information about decision makers in local authorities. All local authorities have websites featuring information on the services they provide. No comprehensive review has been undertaken of the need for local authorities to clearly identify which members of staff are responsible for the various areas of responsibility, for example, housing, roads, development and planning. While websites may feature the names of heads of department, they do not provide information on sub-departments.

The European Commission website provides information on all sections of the various directorates general and the names of all those with responsibility. Providing such information on local authority websites would overcome the problem people face when they try to obtain information on which individual they need to contact about specific issues. We must move with the times, especially given that the Minister has introduced major reform of local government. The abolition of town councils will result in a significant reduction in the number of councillors in many areas. Members of the public need access to information more than ever. I ask that the Department examine this issue and set out a clear agenda for progressing the matter in the coming 12 months. We must not miss the opportunity provided by the current reform of local government to inform members of the public, especially about those who are in charge of various areas. I ask the Minister to address this issue.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline the position on customer services in local authorities.

We need a local government service that represents its citizens and communities efficiently and effectively and provides access to the services people need in the most efficient and user friendly manner. Local authorities have an ongoing commitment to applying the highest standards in dealings with their customers in the delivery of their services. They continue to provide this quality service, notwithstanding the reduction of more than 25% in their staffing complement in recent years. Given the changes in staffing levels and the variety of working patterns in a modern organisation, for instance, job sharing, it may not always be feasible to provide a specific contact name for all services. Nonetheless, where this is the case, local authorities should make additional efforts to ensure the relevant unit can be contacted by making available a direct line number, specific e-mail address or link from the website to address queries.

That said, local government has been using best practice in service provision, embracing the benefits of the effective use of modern technologies, social networking, web based collaboration, mobile apps and geographic information systems, GIS, in an interactive manner with the public. Such an approach can already be seen through the roll out of the FixYourStreet website, which is structured around an interactive map, allowing anyone to identify the precise location of a range of non-emergency local problems they wish to report and receive a prompt response to explain what can be done to address the issue raised. Low cost, web based solutions such as FixYourStreet enable local authorities to remain at the forefront of service delivery and help deliver an important element of our e-government strategy.

The Senator refers specifically to making available contact details for housing authorities. The broad range of housing services provided by local authorities impacts on the daily lives of a great many people. Housing authorities act in many capacities, including as landlords for some 130,000 families and individuals; as the first contact point for those in need of social housing supports and for housing needs assessment; as administrators of housing grants, with some 8,000 older people and people with a disability directly benefiting each year; as providers of emergency accommodation for those who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless; and as providers of loan finance for those who wish to purchase their own home. It is important, therefore, that those availing of these varied services, including those with special housing needs, can access help and information quickly and easily.

To their credit, housing authorities deliver these services to a consistently high standard, notwithstanding the constraints that apply in terms of resources, both financial and operational. The availability of easy to use access such as in the case of the examples I cited, can help overcome these constraints. Local authorities should use contact arrangements that best suit the needs of their customers. The elected members of each local authority can and should play an important oversight role in ensuring their respective executive puts in place appropriate arrangements of this kind.

I am conscious of the Senator's comments on the type of service one should expect from local authorities. I assure him that the overall intent of the reforms of the local government system I introduced recently is to put the customer first. I will do everything possible, through oversight, to ensure this objective is realised in the years ahead.

Senator Colm Burke

I appreciate the Minister's response and his ongoing reforms. In the light of the forthcoming election of local councillors and the reduction in their numbers, I ask the Department to set out a clear schedule for addressing this issue in the next 12 months. I ask the Minister to take on board my request.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I will take it on board. Not only that, I will be putting in place a national oversight commission to ensure the key performance indicators, in addition to customer service indicators and customer charters, are included as part of any regulations I will sign in the implementation of the Local Government Act 2014.

Care Services

Senator Mary Moran

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, for this debate. I wish to raise the case of an individual with locked-in syndrome who would like to be moved from hospital so as to be cared for in the family home. This is a particularly sad case on which I have been working for the past year. The man in question has been an inpatient in hospital for over a year and his family is very worried about his mental state and quality of life if he remains in hospital for much longer. He is a young man in his 30s who, although ventilator dependent, remains very aware of what is happening around him.

I have been liaising with the family and HSE representatives on many levels on this case for some time. Understandably, the family wants to see the man brought home to be cared for. They have the doctors' support in the hospital as there is nothing more that can be done for the man there.

I have raised the matter on behalf of the man and his family in many formats, including parliamentary questions, e-mails and letters, and I am now doing so by way of an Adjournment debate. I have been informed the reason the individual will not be moved from hospital to the family home is the high level of funding required to deal with his complex care needs. I understand there are many complex care needs involved but I do not believe a person should have to remain in hospital for the foreseeable future owing to the lack of approval for funding for a home care package. The spending of additional days, months and years in hospital due to a lack of funding is unacceptable. The man deserves and wants the opportunity to live in his own home and to be surrounded by his loved ones.

It is heartbreaking to see what the man's family must endure. They travel up to Dublin every day to be with him and then travel home. Lately, he wrote a very emotional letter pleading for people to take him home. He described the high point of his day as his being moved after waiting for somebody to come to turn him around. I do not believe we can imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it must be to be literally locked inside one's own body, unable to speak and move and having to wait for somebody to come to roll one over.

I fear for the man's physical and mental state if he is to remain in hospital for much longer. I urge the Minister of State to act on this important matter because everyone deserves the opportunity to have a life of a decent quality, no matter what his disability, illness or diagnosis.

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

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. While the case is quite unusual, it is not unique. As the Senator will know, there was a quite young woman in similar circumstances in Cork. We dealt with that issue.

The individual at the centre of this case has displayed tremendous tenacity and bravery in dealing with his condition. As the Senator rightly said, I do not believe it is possible for us to imagine what it must be like. I acknowledge the devastation experienced by the man's family and fiancée on his diagnosis and their incredible commitment to him daily.

Locked-in syndrome is a challenging condition in which a patient generally retains cognitive function but requires constant medical care, treatment and supports such as ventilation. It must be acknowledged that, in this case, the individual's needs are particularly complex, and patients with such needs are generally cared for in an intensive care setting. The man's post-discharge care would involve the provision of appropriate medical devices essential to survival, such as a ventilator, and 24 hour specialised intensive care unit nursing care. Given the complexity of his care needs, if he were to be cared for at home he would need an extensive home care package, including 24 hour specialist nursing care with clinical governance by an appropriate consultant.

I understand several multidisciplinary meetings have already taken place at local level between the family, the HSE and Resilience Ireland - a company that specialises in specialist advanced home care management. I have also been assured there has been significant engagement between Beaumont Hospital and the local community care service in an effort to find a solution appropriate to this patient's needs. While it may be possible to provide such a solution, the equipment, staffing and resources required are likely to be very substantial and would have to be accommodated within the overall resources available to the HSE for disability services. This case must be considered in that context.

The Department of Health has discussed this case with the HSE and a meeting between the family and senior officials in the HSE has been scheduled for early next week to discuss and consider the patient's request to transfer home from Beaumont and the significant complex issues associated with such a transfer. The HSE will continue to explore with the family all options for future care, including alternative community service providers or the individual's possible move to a hospital closer to home and family.

I acknowledge that the Senator has a particular interest in this case and believe the meeting next week will result in a resolution to the young man's particular difficulties and those of his family.

Senator Mary Moran

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. As I stated, I understand the complexity of the case. The extent of care required has been explained to me. It is welcome that the meeting will take place next week. I am glad the Minister of State has taken an interest in this, as I knew she would. I, too, hope a resolution can be found and I will continue to work in that vein.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

The meeting, which will be held with Mr. Pat Healy, the new director of social care in the HSE, will take place on 15 April. He has experience in that he dealt with the woman in Cork.

Senator Mary Moran

Brilliant.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

Therefore, we should be able to find a resolution. I am not certain how long that will take but at least we are moving in the right direction.

Senator Mary Moran

That is great and I appreciate it. I thank the Minister of State.

Labour Activation Measures

Senator Tom Sheahan

I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to raise the issue of access to the safe pass card for the unemployed. A man came to me recently who had been unemployed for a year and a half but who luckily got a job for nine months on a building site because he had his safe pass card on the day of hiring. He is a qualified driver of one of the highest types of crane. The man, who has a wife and three children, wants to work. He got his nine months work but has since been unemployed for several months. He wants to go back to work, but his safe pass card has expired. He went to the Department of Social Protection to renew it and he understood the Department would fund it. However, this does not seem to be the case. He was told the Department would renew the pass when he returned on having got a job, but, unfortunately, nobody in the construction industry will hire anyone who does not have a safe pass card. The man has been toing and froing with his local welfare officers, etc., but is still in limbo. He cannot afford to renew the pass himself and the Department seems to be unwilling to do so.

Recently the man was offered a job that is to commence in the near future. He went back to the Department and it wanted to know the day on which he would be starting so as to go about the task of renewal but he could not give the date. If he specified the date, he would lose his social welfare benefits from that date with no guarantee that the job would start then.

There is no guarantee about when the job will start. If it does not start, we all know what it is like when one must reapply for social welfare. One can wait anything from six to 12 weeks for a payment. To me the solution is blatantly obvious. I imagine I am speaking for many other people, but this man is positively looking for work. He has a possibility of work, but he will not get the work unless he has a safe pass card and he will not get the card from the Department unless he has a job. Let us have a meeting of minds. The solution is very simple. Will somebody kick the bucket and renew his safe pass card? If that was done, this man would be off the live register and be able to provide for his wife and children, which would be good.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

I hope I do not take too long to get to the point that is of interest to the Senator, but he knows what the replies are like.

The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of activation supports for jobseekers, lone parents and people with disabilities. One of the Department's key objectives is to support jobseekers to improve their education and skills levels in order to help them meet the requirements of the labour market. The Department has estimated expenditure of €994 million on employment supports in 2013. Against a backdrop of significant fiscal consolidation, the Government has provided resources of over €1 billion on a similar range of supports in 2014.

The Pathways to Work programme includes the provision of opportunities, supports and assistance to jobseekers by intensifying the Department's level of engagement, in particular, those who are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. The Intreo service delivery model offers practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers and this new service model, which is more efficient in its delivery, is currently being rolled out across the country. Activation measures include the requirement to attend group or individual meetings and-or avail of suitable education, training or development opportunities, or specified employment programmes, which are considered appropriate to a person's circumstances and which have been agreed with him or her as part of a personal progression plan.

My understanding is that all workers on construction sites and in ancillary service employments are required to hold a valid safe pass certification. The aim of the SOLAS safe pass health and safety awareness training programme is to ensure, over time, that all workers in construction will have a basic knowledge of health and safety and be able to work on-site without being a risk to themselves or others who might be affected by their acts or omissions. From a health and safety perspective, construction workers are bound by law to hold a valid safe pass card. It is a matter for the contractor to ensure workers are provided with access to the necessary training to achieve the certification. The construction industry has done much commendable work in the past number of years to improve safety on construction projects which I believe has reduced the level of serious injury and deaths.

It is not the function of the Department to fund the provision of safe pass training and I consider that the responsibility resides with the employer. The Department is conscious, however, of the barriers posed by a lack of a pass or having lapsed safe pass certification for a jobseeker wishing to get back to work. To that end, the Department provides funding to the jobseeker under the technical employment support grant. The jobseeker must have registered with the Department's employment services and undertaken a guidance process leading to an agreed personal progression plan. The jobseeker must also be in receipt of certain specified welfare payments, such as a jobseeker's allowance, lone parent payments or payments related to disability and long-term illness benefits. In the past three years approximately €778,000 has been provided to some 8,332 jobseekers nationally under the scheme.

TESG is designed to support a person to overcome identified barriers in progressing from unemployment to employment. Training, with limited exceptions, must be on certified courses. TESG can be used to meet the full costs of courses including safe pass certification. A jobseeker can access a maximum of €500 from the scheme per annum. Any decision to grant aid a particular intervention is also subject to the eligibility requirements of the scheme and available funds.

Before approving a grant of this nature the Department will generally require proof that there is a clear identifiable employment opportunity. The Department also requires further information to ensure the application is consistent with the prior employment history of the jobseeker and that an opportunity is likely to arise should a given course of training be approved.

The Department's services and supports are continually monitored and kept under review by management. Account is taken of the views of staff, public representatives and users of the service to ensure the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service. The Department is very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer facing services at a local level for clients of the Department. However, I take on board the points made by the Senator and assure him that I will raise the points at issue with the Minister who, unfortunately, could not attend this evening.

Senator Tom Sheahan

I appreciate that the Minister could not attend and know that she is a very busy lady. I should have specified that the man to whom I refer applied under the TESG scheme. However, he was told that in order to qualify for the scheme his possible employer must provide a commencement date and from that date, regardless of whether the job went ahead, he would be knocked off his social welfare payment. That seems to be the kernel of the problem. I would like a manager in the Department of Social Protection to say "Okay, you will qualify to get your safe pass card certified." The man needs somebody to put it in writing that the employer will possibly have a job for him in the near future. One can get that confirmation from a possible employer, but the fact that the man will be knocked off his social welfare from that date, regardless of whether the job goes ahead, is a little archaic. I reiterate that this man wants to work. I will try to contact the Department with the information supplied by the Minister of State. I appreciate her comprehensive reply.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

I will make sure the concerns raised by the Senator are passed to the appropriate authority. I see the difficulty with having to have the date of employment when one does not know it, but that there is a possibility of employment. We have all been in that position. I also understand that when the date is given, whether the promise of employment comes to fruition, that person could find himself or herself without an income. I will definitely convey these points.

Wind Energy Generation

Acting Chairman (Senator Michael Comiskey)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach.

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

This issue relates to wind energy. I call for a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for the taxpayer to be carried out of the wind energy sector and, more particularly, wind farms and the Government's proposal to proceed with providing 1,000 single turbines to generate wind energy in the midlands.

We have now learned that consultants will be appointed to assess the public consultation results. I am appalled that any Government would, following a period of public consultation, employ consultants to analyse the recommendations made by the public. Is the feedback not strong enough? I understand 35,000 public consultations on pylons have been received, another 7,500 consultations have been received on the limited review of the national guidelines on noise, separation and flicker and several thousand more consultations on the exportation of wind energy to the United Kingdom.

If just 100 of those public consultations were read, it would become abundantly clear to any Department, Minister or Government that the public does not want the proposals that the Government - particularly the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources - seems to be bandying about as a sure way of dealing with our Kyoto Protocol requirements.

Wind energy has shown time and time again that it provides an intermittent supply of energy. The Government's reliance and determined approach to the provision of energy from wind is questionable, particularly in the light of all the international evidence. I have copies of various papers that clearly show that the supply is intermittent. I do not have time to go into them tonight. The peak demand for electricity in Ireland varies across the year. The level of demand is approximately 3,000 MW in the summer and 5,000 MW in the winter. Some 1,880 MW of wind generation capacity is connected to the grid. Its output varies according to wind conditions. A new record for wind generation of 1,769 MW was set on 17 December 2013. Approximately 677,000 MW hours were produced by wind energy in December last year. In 2012, an average of 15.5% of all power in Ireland was generated from wind sources. Wind energy has proven itself to be very unstable and unpredictable as a source of energy. Questions must be asked about the increasing reliance of Ireland's energy suppliers on such an unstable source. According to the Commission for Energy Regulation, just 43 MW of wind energy was produced during the week beginning 30 September 2013. According to the Government, a new record for wind generation of 1,769 MW was set on 17 December 2013. That variation of 1,725 MW on our grid represents more than half of our summer energy needs. It is clear that there are questions. All the international experts are questioning Ireland's over-reliance on meeting its Kyoto Protocol requirements through wind energy.

All electricity consumers, regardless of whether they get their electricity supply from wind energy or some other source, pay a public service obligation levy. It is as much as €10 per household in some instances. Therefore, every household in the country is paying for renewable energy sources. Much of that money is being collected by the Government and is going to major wind farm developments in the country. It is clear that questions have to be asked about this. The taxpayer is bailing out multi-million euro wind energy developments. An independent cost-benefit analysis is required at this stage. A Department that is headed up by a Minister who is clearly in favour of wind energy cannot be allowed to initiate any form of consultation. The consultation has to be objective and scientifically based. It must be removed from the Department and the industry. We need an independent assessment and cost-benefit analysis. Anything else is simply fiddling with the figures. It is time for such an analysis to be done. The taxpayer who is funding this train at the moment deserves clear and concise answers.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Paschal Donohoe)

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. Ireland is fortunate to have very rich wind resources. We can exploit these renewable resources to generate electricity, reduce our import bills for gas and oil and contribute to decarbonising our energy systems. The exploitation of this clean, sustainable and indigenous resource will allow us to break our dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels and reduce our harmful emissions. It also holds the potential for Ireland to become an exporter of renewable energy. As Senators will be aware, Ireland has a challenging EU renewable energy target to meet by 2020, which includes meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources. The deployment of wind generation to meet our domestic targets has already started to realise economic benefits. A recent survey of the members of the Irish Wind Energy Association indicated that some 3,400 people are employed in this sector.

Developers have made, or are making, decisions on their Gate 3 connection offers. The response has been very positive. Information from EirGrid and ESB Networks indicates that sufficient wind farms have accepted offers to connect to the grid to facilitate meeting the target of providing 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Gate 3 phase of group processing by EirGrid and ESB Networks has resulted in approximately 3,000 MW of wind generators accepting their offers to connect so far. When that is added to the current installed renewable generation and existing contracts for connection, it is clear that Ireland is on track to meet its EU renewable energy targets by 2020. There is significant work ahead in delivering the required grid infrastructure and developing smart grid solutions. A major effort and commitment is also required of wind farm developers to bring these projects to fruition. Nevertheless, this is a very positive milestone.

In addition to the figures I have mentioned, just over 2,000 MW of renewable generation is already connected to the power system in Ireland, mainly from onshore wind farms. In the electricity sector, it has been estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 MW of installed wind generation will be required to meet Ireland's renewable targets, in addition to hydro-generation, bio-energy and renewable combined heat and power generators. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland produces an annual report on renewable energy in Ireland. This report examines the contribution made by renewables to Ireland's energy requirements for the period since 1990. In the past five years, renewable energy has saved over €1 billion in fossil fuel imports, has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million tonnes and has not added to consumers' bills.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is completing a cost-benefit analysis of the export opportunities offered by renewable energy. In order to ensure Ireland continues to meet its renewable energy targets, while also ensuring wind generation does not have negative impacts on local communities, the Departments of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are undertaking a review of the wind energy guidelines. This review will address the key issues of noise, including separation distance, and shadow flicker. Draft guidelines went out for public consultation earlier this year. The responses to this consultation are being studied with a view to finalising guidelines by mid-2014. The revised guidelines will apply to all wind farm developments in Ireland. It is important to note that any new wind farms that may be built will be subject to the Planning Acts, including the requirements for public consultation. Renewable energy policy in Ireland is developed on the basis of objective policy analysis, taking account of the views of all relevant stakeholders.

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

I accept everything that the Minister of State has said. I appreciate that he is not responsible for this matter. It is the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The draft guidelines are complete and are being examined by a group of consultants. It is outrageous that the taxpayer is having to pay for these consultants. It is a kick in the teeth for all the people who made submissions.

The Minister of State has mentioned that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is carrying out a cost-benefit analysis. The Department in question is flagging up our energy policy. It is responsible for ensuring this country meets the Kyoto Protocol requirements by 2020. It is flagging wind energy as a means of doing this. It is like asking a car manufacturer to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the motor trade. It is completely crazy. It is not independent. I am aware of reports that have been produced by leading international experts on wind energy.

As they are retired experts, they do not have any bone of contention or shares in any companies. I have read some of their reports and they conflict with this Government's view of wind energy. I think a more independent approach is required, which is why I have raised the issue tonight.

Deputy Paschal Donohoe

I thank the Senator for the points he raised. I will make two brief points in response to two key points he made. In respect of his comment about the role of consultants in the process being a kick in the teeth, I urge him to wait for the conclusion of the public consultation and the Government's response to it before he decides whether the role of consultants has been a kick in the teeth.

In response to his point about the Department being responsible for this process, is it not the case that if the Department did not play a role, the Senator would say it had abdicated its responsibility for the area? It is the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It has a role to play. What it has done is put in place a consultation process which it has outlined to everybody and in which a huge number of people have participated. It is reviewing it. As I am sure the Senator is aware, a further two consultations will take place. The Department is preparing a scoping report for the strategic environmental assessment, with a summary Department document on the stage 1 consultation process. The stage 2 consultation process will then be held and offer everybody an opportunity to make contributions. After this, there will be a third consultation stage when a draft policy will be clear.

The Senator is telling me that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources should not be doing this work, but the Department has been tasked with making sure the country is energy-sufficient and can move towards energy independence in a way that will meets the legal requirements the previous Government signed the country up to. A public consultation process is under way and I am sure the Senator will be commenting on it, as is his right as a Member of the Oireachtas. Given that his party and others called for a review to take place-----

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

Absolutely; we support the Kyoto Protocol, but we are questioning-----

Deputy Paschal Donohoe

Before the Senator makes a judgment on the consultation process, he looked for-----

Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

The Minister of State is being flippant and selective.

Deputy Paschal Donohoe

I am not being flippant.

Acting Chairman (Senator Michael Comiskey)

Please allow the Minister of State to reply.

Deputy Paschal Donohoe

To the best of my knowledge, we are having a debate. If the Senator is entitled to put points to me, I am equally entitled to respond, which is what I am doing. I am simply making the point that given that many were calling for a period of public consultation, let us see what the results are before the Senator decides that it is not sufficient.

Seanad Éireann debate - Tuesday, 8 Apr 2014