I welcome the Minister of State.
Adjournment Matters
Local and Community Development Programme Planning
I also welcome the Minister of State. My motion concerns the seeking of funding for the women's network organisation, not only in my county but also throughout the country.
It provides vital services for women, often in rural locations, who feel isolated in some instances and are looking for support and information on access to services. The networks do that work excellently, but cannot do so without proper funding. They have been starved of funding for a number of years. As a result, vulnerable women have been left even more vulnerable and isolated. That should not be the case, since the measure of any society is how it looks after its most vulnerable citizens. I hope the Minister of State will have some positive news for these organisations about ensuring that their funding will be of a standard that allows them to deliver services that are vital to many.
I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. My Department's local and community development programme, LCDP, is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current programme officially ended at the end of 2013, having operated for four years with funding of €281 million over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014, with a budget of €48 million, pending the roll-out of the new social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, in April 2015. The SICAP is one of my key priorities and its budget for next year will be decided in the 2015 Estimates process. The programme’s target groups are children and families from disadvantaged areas, lone parents, new communities, including refugees and asylum seekers, people living in disadvantaged communities, people with disabilities, the Roma community and the unemployed. As the Senator stated, these people are from disadvantaged areas that, in come cases, are also very rural.
In accordance with the public spending code, legal advice and good practice internationally, and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, the programme is subject to a public procurement process, which is under way. Stage 1, expressions of interest, has been completed. Stage 2, invitation to tender, got under way on 20 October and involves the successful applicants from stage 1 being invited to apply to one or more local community development committees in local authority areas to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.
The public procurement process is a competitive process that is open to local development companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can deliver the services to be tendered for under the new programme. In stage 1, joint applications were encouraged, and organisations of varying sizes - for example, smaller organisations working in consortia with larger ones - were invited to submit joint applications. That said, I understand some small groups such as the groups within the remit of the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks, NCCWN, faced a number of challenges in competing in the stage 1 process. The results of the stage were released on 24 September and I can confirm that none of the NCCWN groups expressed an interest either as lead applicants or as part of a consortium.
The Department is considering the implications of that for the NCCWN and will liaise with other relevant Departments to find a workable solution. I can confirm that interim LCDP funding, based on a small budgetary reduction in the order of 6.5% on 2014 levels, will be provided to the NCCWN up to the end of March 2015.
I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply and engaging with the network on the issue of funding.
Palliative Care Facilities
I thank the Minister of State for taking this motion. I have tabled four Adjournment matters on this issue since being elected to Seanad Éireann because it is important not just for the people of Waterford but those of the entire south east.
A palliative care unit needs to be built on the grounds of University Hospital Waterford, formerly Waterford Regional Hospital. The last time I tabled a motion on this issue, the response from the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, was: "Arrangements are being put in place to fund this project in order that all capital costs are covered, including construction cost, design fees, equipping, etc." In reality, the local hospice movement is being asked to fund-raise to make this a reality. Despite all of the announcements that have repeatedly been made by the Department and two Ministers for Health, we are no closer to building the unit. Each time I raised this matter previously, I praised the former Minister for Health for allocating or earmarking capital funding for this project, but impatience is starting to build in the south east because this is not happening as quickly as it should. I put the Minister on alert that I would keep raising this issue every six months to get an update from him and the Department.
I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, is aware that we in the south east fought a hard and long campaign for cancer and radiotherapy services to be provided on the grounds of Waterford Regional Hospital, but it did not happen. The palliative care unit was an area in which there was some Government progress, even if it fell short of what was required. The previous Government promised a full oncology unit, including beds, radiotherapy and palliative care. Although this was seen as a step down, it was a step in the right direction. I look forward to the Minister of State's response, but this matter needs to be progressed. It will benefit patients in the south east, not just those in Waterford. I appeal to the Minister for Health as well as to the Minister of State, who lives in the south east, to help progress this matter and deliver the palliative care unit for the patients who need it.
I thank the Senator for raising what is an important issue, not least for the south east. I am aware of the related matters that he raised. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health.
The HSE is progressing with plans to develop a 20-bed specialist palliative care inpatient unit as part of a €20 million redevelopment at University Hospital Waterford. The new unit will act as a focal point for the provision of specialist inpatient beds and community and day care services for patients and their families living in the south east. It is being developed in partnership with Waterford Hospice Movement, which has generously undertaken to fund-raise €6 million to cover the unit's capital cost. This commitment is in line with a number of proposed new hospice units at various stages of development across the country where the voluntary hospice groups provide the capital costs or build the units. The HSE is then required to provide the ongoing revenue funding for the operation of the service.
The new palliative care unit will be located on the first two floors of the five-storey development. The ground floor will accommodate 20 single inpatient rooms and ancillary accommodation. The second floor will be used to provide a day care centre, consultation rooms, treatment rooms, a therapy area and a dining area. The University Hospital Waterford project, including the palliative care unit, is included in the HSE's capital plan for 2014.
Enabling works which commenced in October 2013 have recently been completed to the front of the hospital on the proposed unit site. These works included the construction of a new roadway to relocate the access road to the old school of nursing and the RCSI to the eastern end of the campus. The works also involved the relocation of services to the perimeter of the site and the completion of new car parks adjacent to the laboratory. The design team was appointed in the summer of 2014 and it is expected that the planning application for the unit will be lodged in March 2015. Subject to funding approval by the HSE estates office, construction is planned to commence in quarter two in 2016. Construction is expected to be completed in quarter three in 2017 and, following commissioning and equipping, the unit is planned to open in quarter one in 2018.
The palliative care unit at University Hospital Waterford will be staffed by existing resources currently working in palliative care, both in acute and sub-acute services across the south east. Resources will be in place to operate the unit as planned in 2018 and in line with the project plan.
It is the intention of the Government that all dying people will be provided with the type of palliative care service that they need, regardless of their diagnosis, how old they are or whether they die in a hospice, an acute hospital or at home. To achieve this, we will need a combination of generalist and specialist palliative care services to care for people at home, in an acute hospital and a hospice, where required. The specialist palliative care unit in Waterford will, accordingly, play an important part in the palliative care infrastructure of the south east.
I thank the Minister of State for her response. When I raised this issue on 27 November 2013, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, responded by saying the enabling works for this development were being progressed, that it was expected the design team would be appointed in early 2014 and that it was anticipated construction would commence in early 2015. The Minister of State has responded today by saying the design team was appointed in the summer of 2014 and that it is expected the planning application for the unit will be lodged in March 2015, with construction work starting in the second quarter of 2016. For whatever reason, we have moved from a date of early 2015 to the second quarter of 2016 and that is where the concern lies. There seems to be slippage, for which I do not know the reason. A clear commitment was given and, apparently, the money is available. Why have we fallen a year behind in the schedule? Why is the local palliative care unit being asked to fund-raise? The people of the south east have been asked to come up with extra revenue, which, again, people see as the State abdicating its responsibility. I welcome the developments taking place. We seem to be moving in the right direction, but it is at a snail's pace. Unfortunately, we are not getting there as quickly as we need to. Even by the Government's own timelines, we are falling behind. I, therefore appeal to the Minister of State to raise the issue of timeframes with the Minister for Health, as well as the fact that we seem to be lagging behind somewhat.
I will raise the issue with the Minister for Health. The palliative care service is being developed in partnership with the Waterford hospice movement, which is the correct partner and which has generously undertaken to raise €6 million to cover the capital cost of the unit which is in line with other palliative care units proposed. This is a very important issue and I understand completely what the Senator has said. I will raise it with the Minister.
Schools Recognition
I have previously raised the issue of Mol an Oige Steiner national school, Ennistymon, County Clare which has been in existence for a number of years. When it started off, it was granted temporary recognition by the Department of Education and Skills. During the years the number of students has grown and standards in the school, to the best of my knowledge from speaking to parents, teachers and others, are very high. The school has applied and met all of the criteria necessary to be met for permanent recognition, but, for some reason, the Department is not prepared to grant it. There seems to be one hurdle which it does not seem to be able to get over. The bottom line is that there are in excess of 100 young students attending the school, probably a far greater number than the numbers attending many other national schools in the area, yet it does not have the permanent recognition it requires in order to build new premises and move forward in an environment which is stable, assured, permanent and secure.
At this stage, the school has earned its stripes. It has done what is necessary and met all of the stringent criteria laid down by the Department. I have been advised by the school principal that in all of the paperwork required every box has been ticked, that every "t" has been crossed and every "i" has been dotted to an exhaustive degree. There comes a point when one has to say fair play needs to prevail. Given its history which is relatively recent but significant and length of service, it appears the school has done all that is required of it. A vote of confidence in what it is doing for the community and its students is necessary from the Government and the Department in order to allow it to move forward in an assured and a secure environment.
I appreciate that the Minister of State is present on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills. If she cannot confirm that permanent recognition will be granted, I hope she might give me a specific timeline to indicate when it will happen because, as far as Mol an Oige Steiner national school is concerned, it has played its part and now it is up to the Minister to play hers.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter which, as he said, I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. It provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position on the recognition process for Mol an Oige Steiner national school, Ennistymon, County Clare.
As the Senator will be aware, Mol an Oige Steiner national school which implements the Steiner approach to education was initially awarded provisional recognition in 2008, based on written agreement from the school patron, Lifeways (Ireland) Limited, to a number of undertakings. This provisional recognition was extended year by year until October 2012 when a three year extension was granted. A process is in place in which the issue of permanent recognition for the school is being considered. This process is based on the school's progress in fulfilling the undertakings supplied by the school's patron to meet permanent recognition criteria in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act 1998 and the rules for national schools. All recognised schools, regardless of their philosophy or ethos, are required to comply with the Education Act 1998 and the rules for national schools. Permanent recognition is contingent on schools demonstrating that they meet these requirements satisfactorily.
Following the formal evaluation conducted by the departmental inspectorate of the work of the school, the school was invited, as part of the process, to supply a school response. This response was received from the school in October. I advise the Senator that the formal evaluation conducted by the departmental inspectorate forms only part of the recognition process. The undertakings in respect of other school governance matters must also be verified.
The Department has recently received a response from the school authority in relation to the school governance undertakings which is currently being considered in conjunction with the advice received from the inspectorate. The Department expects to be in a position to finalise its consideration shortly.
I again thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline the current position on the recognition process for Mol an Óige Steiner national school, County Clare.
I thank the Minister of State for her response on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills. I will bring her response to the attention of the principal, teachers and board of management of the school.
The Seanad adjourned at 7.45 p.m. until 10 a.m. on Friday, 19 December 2014.