I now call on the Minister to reply.
Commencement Matters (Resumed)
I wish to join in welcoming Mr. Bernard Dunne and the staff of the Chinese Embassy, some of whom I have already met. I also wish to welcome the school students from Enniskillen who are in the Visitors Gallery. I met them coming in the door earlier.
I thank Senator Gerard P. Craughwell for raising this issue. I absolutely concur with him that this is a very important issue. As he is aware, I announced a process for a review of the DEIS programme last year. The overall scope of the review is to assess the existing DEIS programme in the context of evaluations to date, and any relevant policy and other developments in order to inform future policy on educational disadvantage.
This DEIS review process is now well under way with the majority of the work being undertaken during the course of the current 2015-16 school year. It is envisaged that the new identification process and a revised framework of supports will be in place for the 2017-18 school year.
One of the first tasks conducted, as part of the review process, was an invitation to the education partners to make submissions on their experience of DEIS and on suggestions for future interventions. These submissions are available on my Department's website and will inform the overall DEIS review. The general guidelines with regard to the review are also on the Department's website.
A technical working group within my Department is considering appropriate eligibility criteria to assist with the identification of the level of need in schools. This work is currently under way with a view to completion during the current school year. That will be added to the information that is already on the website.
Any revised identification process for schools will be clearly set out and communicated to schools. An advisory group has also been established to review the current supports available under the DEIS programme and make recommendations for a revised framework of appropriate supports, as well as a suitable monitoring and evaluation framework.
As is the case with the identification process, any change to the existing school support programme will be clearly set out and communicated in advance. As the Senator so rightly said, there are issues across other Departments also.
Socio-economic differences and the link with poorer educational outcomes cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader social context. Therefore, I have established an interdepartmental working group in order to ensure a more joined-up and consistent approach to service delivery in the future.
Representatives of relevant Departments and agencies are reviewing their current inputs to the DEIS programme in order to make a more cohesive contribution to the overall framework of supports to combat educational disadvantage. That will include the Departments of Social Protection and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I understand the Department of Health has an input also and there may be other relevant Departments.
All of the groups that I have mentioned are part of the overall review of DEIS. It would be premature at this stage to outline what funding will be made available in advance of the various groups finalising their work and recommendations for a new framework of supports. Once this work has been completed, the costs associated with additional and-or new supports will form part of the overall consideration of the new programme to tackle educational disadvantage. Such consideration will take place in the context of the overall budgetary planning process.
DEIS was established in 2006. One of the problems has been the fact that it is impossible to join the scheme, even for new schools. There are also issues around amalgamated schools and a number of other issues. Overall, there has been positive progress. We want to maintain what is good about the programme, but we think it is time to have a review.
I take what the Minister has said. She has worked hard and done an excellent job even as we approach an election. I hope we will see her back here and that when the next Government is formed we will move rapidly towards identifying schools. I am aware of a school in Galway that I will not name, but I may come back to the Minister about it. The school is surrounded by a fairly well-to-do area, but a huge number of Traveller children attend the school. It would qualify on every level for DEIS status, but for some reason such status has been impeded.
I would prefer if the Department of Social Protection, rather than funding the school meals programme, gave a grant to the Department of Education and Skills. Such an initiative would allow the Minister or her successor to utilise the money in the best way possible rather than having a cross-departmental thing. I can understand how the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Health might have to work with the Department of Education and Skills. The funding from the Department of Social Protection should be ring-fenced and handed to the Minister for Education and Skills thus allowing her to deal with the entire programme of meals and education, which is something similar to what happens in the United Kingdom.
First, we are going to develop a transparent identification process. That work is under way. Any school that meets the criteria for inclusion in the new programme will be included and that is an undertaking. Second, a forum will take place in the spring. I do not know whether I will be the Minister at that point, but I thank the Senator for his good wishes.
We wish the Minister well.
One way or the other, a forum will be held in the spring to further engage with relevant stakeholders on the review process. This will include a discussion on the process used to identify schools for inclusion and the proposed framework of supports to be deployed. I imagine that the issues about interdepartmental co-operation and whether certain things should move from one Department to another will probably form part of the discussions on the various programmes for Government which will also, I presume, feed into this process.
The Independent Alliance group will support the Minister.
That is good to hear. We all know that this is an important programme. For example, literacy and numeracy results in DEIS schools have improved significantly. We want to make sure we keep what is good about the programme but we must also broaden opportunities for schools like the one mentioned by the Senator that are excluded.
I thank the Minister.
Obesity Levels
I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys.
I, too, welcome the Minister of State. The obesity epidemic is an issue that I have been vocal about for some time and my Commencement matter pertains to children, in particular.
The Minister of State will be aware of recent figures. I was shocked by one figure in particular which claimed that in the next 14 years, or by 2020, we will spend approximately €4.3 billion a year on health-related obesity costs. To a health service that is already struggling such a cost deserves serious consideration. There has also been a 65% rise in diabetes in the United Kingdom in the past ten years. A similar study has not been conducted in Ireland but we are following a similar trend, if not a worse one, than in the United Kingdom. Such figures are very significant from that point of view.
Obesity robs children of their health and vitality. It is an issue we are not taking seriously enough in this country. One in four children is either overweight or obese. We will soon be talking about one in three children being overweight or obese if we do not begin to take the issue more seriously. Pinning the blame on parents simply will not wash. In the long term, we have to take a societal approach. One such measure is imposing a "no fry zone" near schools. It is a catchy headline. The reality is that if children are able to make an unhealthy choice, they are more likely to make it. I propose that within a 500 m radius of a school, one should not be allowed to build or use premises as a chipper. There are chippers in many towns around the country but this is not about banning chippers or chips or anything of the sort. It is simply about getting children to make healthier choices. It is a little like removing sweets from the till area, which many supermarkets have done. It helps in dealing with pester power and in making better choices.
I reiterate that I am not down on chippers as a business. It is not that I think children should not eat any fried food. Why not occasionally? It is just that some of these outlets target children on their lunch break or after school with deals to get them eating their food. They are business people and they have to make a living. One can understand why it happens. There is some international evidence to back this up. In a study carried out in California, students with a fast food restaurant near their schools consumed much less fruit and vegetables, consumed more fizzy drinks and were more likely to be overweight or obese. Obviously this is an issue for development plans in the council. When it comes to planning, it is a local government issue but the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government should have some policy when it comes to this issue and should encourage local government to come up with a reasonable proposal for a "no fry zone" near schools. It has simply gone beyond the stage where we need to do something about the issue of growing obesity levels in the country. I look forward to hearing from the Minister of State on the matter.
I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and giving me an opportunity to set out the position on this matter.
In the first instance, I wish to clarify that the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government does not have a role in imposing a so-called "no fry zones" in particular areas. However, the Department has a role in advising planning authorities, through statutory guidelines, as regards the structure and content of their local area plans. In this regard, I confirm that the Department has advised planning authorities that in adopting local area plans for their areas, that they may, in certain circumstances, adopt policies to curtail an excessive concentrations of takeaways in particular areas. The advice given was outlined in planning guidelines on local area plans published in June 2013 and to which planning authorities must have regard in the discharge of their functions under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.
These guidelines recognise the important role of planning in promoting and facilitating active and healthy living patterns for local communities. For example, section 5 of the guidelines offers advice regarding the structure and content of local area plans and sets out a range of policies that can be put in place to promote and facilitate active and healthy living patterns. These include: promoting of walking and cycling as modes of transport; accessibility to public open spaces, recreation and sports facilities; proximity of new development to sustainable travel modes; provision of play areas; and careful consideration of the appropriateness of the location of fast food outlets in the vicinity of schools and parks.
One particular effect of these guidelines with regard to fast food outlets is that consideration be given to the appropriateness of their location in the vicinity of schools and parks, for example, in a new development area, while at the same time taking account of wider land use considerations. However, with regard to the many schools located in or near town centres, restrictions of fast food outlets in such situations must be considered carefully on a case by case basis in view of the mix of existing use typically found in core urban areas.
In addition, planning policies with regard to the location of fast food outlets must be considered within the wider policy context of practical steps that can be taken to promote more widely and facilitate active healthy living patterns by enhancing the scope for activities such as walking, cycling, sports and active leisure pursuits and their associated facilities.
I do not merely speak about the Department's position but that of all Departments when stating the pursuit of healthy lifestyles requires an holistic approach that requires a much broader public health discussion. I am confident, however, that the guidance the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government offers to planning authorities in this regard fulfils an important role in achieving that goal. I thank the Senator.
I thank the Minister of State and will respond briefly. I note the comment in the reply given by the Minister of State on the Department's position to the effect that the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle requires an holistic approach which requires a much broader health discussion. I know that and do not suggest that were one to implement a no-fry zone around schools, the obesity crisis would suddenly disappear. It obviously would not solve the crisis single-handedly and the issue of fast food restaurants near schools is not the sole reason for obesity. I welcome that under section 5 of the guidelines issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, careful consideration should be taken of the appropriateness of the location of fast food outlets in the vicinity of schools and parks when it comes to planning. However, I refer to a specific provision in the case of a new business that seeks to set up near a school and do not believe that should be left to chance. There should be specific policy embedded in legislation whereby it is not possible to have a fast food outlet in close proximity to a school.
While I welcome that some positive measures are outlined in what was a good reply, the Government must go further. I thank the Minister of State.
I thank the Senator. While this undoubtedly is an important issue, as indicated within the body of the original reply, the guidelines give power to local government regarding new developments. The Senator highlighted this point in respect of section 5 of these guidelines. There is a specific problem regarding existing businesses that would be within 500 m and I acknowledge the Senator accepts completely that point. However, there must be much greater concentration on local area plans at local government level, which can give those guidelines to the planning authorities to show there is a concern with regard to the location of fast food outlets. In my constituency, a burger outlet sought to open right next door to a school but it was refused planning permission for some of the reasons the Senator outlined. Consequently, in some cases, there is a robustness to the existing guidelines. However, this is an holistic endeavour and is not simply a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. It is about education and all the different factors, as well as working with the commercial sector. However, it also is a parental issue and I do not dismiss the influence parents have in this regard.
That is the primary influence.
There must be a much stronger emphasis on parental skills in this regard. I believe this to be one of the major challenges Irish society will face in the coming years but the Senator has a fantastic track record in highlighting this issue. I again thank her for raising it.
I thank the Minister of State.
Labour Activation Measures
I thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber to take this matter. I apologise that my voice is suffering; it was not by any means from cheering on Kerry at the weekend.
Before I speak about unregistered unemployed persons, I commend and acknowledge the work the Minister of State, the Minister and the Department have done to lower the number on the live register. I appreciate that priority had to be given to reducing the high number on the live register and that it was a mammoth task to get people back to work. As the figure has been lowered significantly, I am now asking that attention be given to unregistered unemployed persons and, in particular, bringing them into activation programmes. Who do I mean when I refer to the "unregistered unemployed"? I mean self-employed persons who, through no fault of their own or as a result of the recession, have seen their businesses go belly-up. They are no longer in self-employment and some of them cannot access jobseeker's allowance as they have property or their spouse is working.
We also have women in the home whose children have reached the age of 14 years. They are no longer in receipt of homemaker's credits and would like to get back to work. We have college students who are looking for their first job such. They cannot sign on until September, even though it is acknowledged that they have finished college. In many cases, their parents do not want them to sign on because they think it would be bad for them. They want them to look for a job instead. There are, therefore, a number of people who are, in fact, unemployed but not registered. In particular, I urge that attention be given to women in the home. A number of years ago a course was set up by FÁS for women who wanted to return to work having reared their children. The course helped them re-enter the workforce. A similar course should be introduced.
I have been very vocal in this House and committees on the situation faced by self-employed persons, many of whom do not realise that even if they access jobseeker's allowance, they will not have a credited contribution because they are moving from self-employment. This will be detrimental to them later in terms of their pensions and they do not realise it. They are getting a few bob from the Department of Social Protection, but they do not realise the situation in which they find themselves. Furthermore, if they do not make a voluntary contribution within 12 months of making their last contribution, they will not be allowed to make one at all. They will then find themselves in no-man's land and in years to come will see a big reduction in their pensions.
I think the Minister of State will find it funny when I tell him what happened yesterday when my secretary googled the words "unregistered unemployed" to see if there was any category on which I was missing out. We discovered that on 13 December 1934 an oral question had been asked on the subject in the Dáil. Some 82 years ago a Deputy Doyle spoke about it. He asked the then Minister for Industry and Commerce who happened to be Seán Lemass a question about it. It is ironic that 82 years later I am asking questions about the unregistered unemployed, although I am sure they have been asked during the years too. I await the Minister of State's reply. Now that things are getting better, we really need to turn towards that cohort to bring them into the system, have them activated and brought back into employment.
We are certainly moving in the right direction. Five years ago the rate of unemployment was 15.2%. It is now below 9% and moving in the right direction. It was natural that there would be a concentration on assisting those in receipt of benefits to get back into employment. The distribution of what was a scarce resource was prioritised, I believe correctly. Now, as we move from recession into recovery, the topic raised by the Senator is timely. We have to discuss how we spend the fruits of the recovery and can ensure everyone will have an opportunity to share in it.
The Senator has raised the issue of the unregistered unemployed with me numerous times, not only here in the House but also privately and I understand the concerns she has articulated especially in the past two years.
When the resources available to help people who are unemployed find work are constrained it makes sense that the State should allocate those resources, in the first instance, to those people upon whom it imposes an obligation to look for work. Having said that, many services are also available to unemployed people who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, regardless of their previous employment or self-employment status. For example, employment services, such as advice on job search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register as jobseekers with the Department’s Intreo centres, regardless of their social welfare status. In addition, unemployed persons not in receipt of payments may also be eligible to avail of upskilling opportunities, for example, through education and training board, ETB, formerly FÁS, training for unemployed people.
Although they are not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course, as the allowance is related to the level of people’s prior welfare payment they may receive some support for travel and meals costs. Springboard and Skillnets courses for unemployed people, funded through the Department of Education and Skills, are also open to people who are unemployed, regardless of their social welfare status.
Activation services and programmes are generally available to other groups of welfare recipients who are not required to be unemployed, in other words, to be available for, and actively seeking, work. The two main groups involved here are recipients of lone parent's payments and of disability allowance. In fact, people on disability payments have access to a range of programmes and supports such as the wage subsidy scheme, the employability service and specialised training courses that are not available to other jobseekers.
The Department is training some staff in all of its Intreo centres to improve the quality of service offered to people with disabilities. As the economic recovery continues and demands on the employment service to work with unemployed people diminish, the Government has signalled its intention, in Pathways to Work 2016-2020, to extend proactive engagement to people of working age beyond the primary target group of people who are fully unemployed and receiving a jobseeker payment. Among the main groups under consideration for the expansion of services are: casual and part-time workers who receive welfare support; adult dependants of jobseeker claimants; "voluntary engagers", people who are not on the live register but wish to avail of employment services; and people in receipt of disability payments who may have a capacity to work and an interest in employment.
Pathways to Work has a number of specific actions, for example, developing a proactive approach to support qualified adult dependants of people on welfare payments access employment, and expanding the use of Intreo centres by people with a disability, an objective that will be enabled by the staff training to which I referred. In short, the Government is committed to assisting as many people as possible to become more self-sufficient through work and will do this by developing and building on the successful implementation of the Pathways to Work strategy.
That does not cover all of the Senator’s contribution on pensions and pension contributions but this Government has made a commitment to start expanding the supports to people who are not receiving a benefit from the Department and helping as many people as possible to participate in the recovery that has started. There will be many opportunities for people to get back into employment and the Intreo service, which is an excellent one, in the Senator’s town will help people who had a break in their career, either because they were self-employed and their business went bust or because they took time out to rear children, back into work. The Intreo centres have grown roots in almost every major town in the country and they will be built on and expanded to provide a service for citizens.
I thank the Minister of State for his very detailed reply. I am delighted to see the groups under consideration for expansion of the service.
If the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, are not in their positions in the period ahead, I hope this will be continued by whoever will have responsibility for it because it is vital that people such as women in the home or adult dependants in receipt of a payment have an opportunity to get back into the workforce.
It is also welcome that people with disabilities are being looked after. I have always advocated that just because a person has a disability does not mean he or she cannot work. I am delighted that is the case.
The extension of the community employment scheme to people in their golden years went down very well with them. They are thrilled about this and I hope the scheme will be expanded further.
This may be my last chance to raise the issue, about which I have been harping on for quite some time. I thank the Minster of State for his reply and hope what he outlined will come to fruition.
I thank the Senator. There is nothing more important than having a role model within the household of somebody going out to work.
The Senator mentioned the year 1934 and the question to the then Minister, Mr. Lemass, but we should look back and learn from what happened in the 1990s. During the previous recession there was a group of persons who lost their jobs and did not have an opportunity to go out to work and were left behind as a result. With their families, they did not see the Celtic tiger. What we saw in many instances was intergenerational unemployment. What we must do as a team of elected representatives of the people is to make sure, as we move from recession into recovery, everybody will have an opportunity to share in the recovery. The best way to share in it is to ensure every household will have a role model of one member being back at work in order that everybody can aspire to having a good job that pays a fair wage, a good career and a good home and being able to rear a family. The Government, including the Tánaiste, is committed to doing this. That is the reason the Tánaiste introduced the changes in Intreo offices and brought forward so many schemes to make sure persons who were unemployed could stay in contact with the workforce, whether through training, community employment schemes, the JobBridge programme and many other elements. JobsPlus is also playing a significant role in allowing persons who are long-term unemployed to get back into employment.
I accept fully what the Senator has said about those who do not receive a payment from the Department of Social Protection and who have not been able to access such payments in the way she and I would wish, but as we move from recession into recovery, there is an opportunity to make sure they will receive these supports which will help them to get back into employment.
I thank the Senator for the support she gave me in the House during the year I have been a Minister of State. I look forward to working with her in the future.
I thank the Minister of State.
Sitting suspended at 3.15 p.m. and resumed at 3.30 p.m.