I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Catherine Byrne, to the House. Our esteemed Leader, Senator Buttimer, has the first item and he has four minutes.
Commencement Matters
Autism Support Services
Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Thank you for allowing me to raise the matter. I, too, welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for being here.
I wish to raise the case of Mr. Gary Walton. He is a 33-year-old who requires support services. I seek an update on what services are available to him and his family. He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome along with an anxiety disorder.
The bottom line is that this is a very traumatic and tragic case. This young man was remanded in custody following an incident with his mother and he was released from prison yesterday. I am sure that everyone will agree that putting somebody in custody is not the answer to an issue for someone who has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome or a disability. I have spoken to his mother. She has emailed many of us about her son and she has also spoken on local radio. She is of the view that he needs to be placed in short-term residential care and receive treatment for a period. I am sure we can all agree that this is a very serious issue. The assault on his mother was brought before the courts. His mother, Phyl, has very much advocated, on behalf of her son, for HSE services to be made available, in terms of whatever facilities and joined-up thinking we can bring to this case. I have spoken to and listened to Phyl, and read the newspaper accounts of the court case and her appeal. It is worth noting that Professor Michael Fitzgerald made the diagnosis. The solution is to offer support and put in place joined-up thinking. I know that the Minister of State will reply but I hope that we can collectively, including the HSE and Gary's family, come together and engage in a conversation so that appropriate services are put in place.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to raise the matter and I thank the Minister of State for being here this morning.
On behalf of my ministerial colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, I thank Senator Buttimer for raising this important issue.
I am informed by the HSE Cork Kerry community healthcare that it is aware of the case and that there has been ongoing engagement with the individual and his family since 2016. This Government's ongoing priority is to safeguard the vulnerable people who are in the care of the health service. We are committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities that will empower them to live independent lives. As part of the HSE's ongoing service provision, this year it will provide over 8,300 residential places to families in need across the country. Our policy is for people with disabilities to be supported to achieve their full potential so that, where possible, they can live ordinary lives in ordinary places, doing ordinary things. The overarching principle governing the planning and delivery of health services and supports for adults and children with disabilities, including autism, is that they should be integrated as much as possible with services and supports for the rest of the population.
At the request of the Minister for Health, the HSE has conducted a review of services to identify the existing models of best practice. The review has been completed and is being reviewed by the Department. In addition, the Department has completed an epidemiological research study into the prevalence and future projections for the autism spectrum disorder. Both of these reports are now being considered by the Department and the Minister.
While the Senator will appreciate that I am unable to comment on an individual case, I am aware that this case has been reported by the media recently. In the Cork Kerry disability services, Aspect is the service provider for day services for someone with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. Residential placements for adults with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, are considered following detailed clinical assessments by the HSE services. On the other hand, access to places for those with the most complex needs are allocated on a priority basis and appropriate availability of service.
I am informed by the HSE that the individual and family have been advised that if support is required for the mental health service, they should contact their GP who can make a referral. I also point out to Senator Buttimer that a caseworker was assigned by Aspect to this individual and in spite of numerous communications by the key worker to both his mother and this young person, the individual only attended one meeting in 2017.
I invite Senator Buttimer to put a brief supplementary question.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply. From my observation the family would question the ongoing engagement and they would have been of the view that there was no engagement. The bottom line is there should be engagement between the HSE and the family. It would be appropriate for the HSE and the family to get together. The correct modus operandi is to have ongoing engagement and meaningful interaction. This is a young man who needs help and support and there needs to be joined-up thinking on how to facilitate that.
I appreciate the Minister of State's response but I hope that through the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Finian McGrath, the HSE could sit down with the family to work out a programme and a placement for this young man.
I will comment on Senator Buttimer's request for joined-up thinking. All of us who are in public life are very familiar with people who are caught up in a system where the system does not seem to respond quickly enough for them thereby causing distress for the individual and the family. I will bring the Senator's message to the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath.
Let me assure the House that everything is being done. The Government's ongoing priority is to safeguard vulnerable people in care. I am informed by the HSE that it has been engaged with the person concerned and the family and will continue to do so.
Let me emphasise that in 2018, funding of €1.772 billion has been provided for health and personal social care services for a complex and wide range of services and supports for people with disabilities. An additional €91.9 million was made available last year. This year, through the HSE, we will provide more than 8,300 residential care beds, as well as emergency support beds for 385 people. We will provide more than 1,800 respite nights and 42,500 day respite sessions to families in need of respite across the country.
I understand Senator Buttimer's concerns and his compassion about this issue. I certainly share some of those concerns, particularly when the family seems to be trapped in a situation where they see that they have difficulties in gaining proper access to services. Let me repeat that I will bring Senator Buttimer's concerns to the attention of Deputy Finian McGrath.
Hospital Accommodation Provision
I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this important matter of concern for the people of Limerick city and county and the wider mid-west region. The issue is the building of a unit with 60 modular beds on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick and I wish to ascertain the measures being put in place to fast-track the planning and procurement stages of the project.
The background is that in 2009, the accident and emergency units in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's hospitals were closed prior to the building of a new emergency department in University Hospital Limerick, which is now thankfully up and running. However, the closure of the three accident and emergency units was predicated on the provision of 136 co-location beds on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick. That never came to pass. We have been playing catch-up in the near-decade since 2009.
I thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, for ensuring that 96 acute beds are provided for in the capital plan for University Hospital Limerick. It will require time to build such facilities but in the interim, beds are needed urgently. Bed capacity is a greater issue in the mid-west and in Limerick than in any other region in the country.
I have worked with the management of University Hospital Limerick, the Minister and the HSE to get an application submitted for 60 modular beds in the grounds of University Hospital Limerick. That has gone to the HSE. My understanding is that the application is now with the Department of Health. The critical issue is that there is a precise site on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick to locate the building. It is a medium-term temporary measure to enable beds to be provided on the ground in an area that is distant from any amenities.
Will the Minister of State outline the measures that have been put in place to ensure we can build a ward to house these 60 modular beds and have them in operation as quickly as possible? Such a project will have to go through the following phases: approval, planning, procurement and construction. I note many elements of the project will be completed off site and then it will be assembled on site and made operational. The unit will then have to be staffed. I want to fast-track the initial process of planning and procurement. As it can be built offsite, we should aim that it be in place as quickly as possible.
People will know from media reports that bed capacity is a problem in the mid-west. I believe that one must face up to the facts of the case. We will get the 96 acute beds, but it will take a period before they are operational and will be located adjacent to the new emergency department, which is up and running. We need to put in place the ward for the 60 temporary modular beds on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick as quickly as possible.
That will require that we fast-track the areas of planning and procurement. Has the Minister plans in place to ensure that we can fast-track the building of this 60-bed ward on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick to ensure we can provide the beds the people of Limerick and the mid-west deserve?
I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris. While acknowledging the need for productivity improvements and reforms across the health service, the recently-published health service capacity review outlines that in order to reach international standards of bed occupancy levels, the acute hospital system needs additional beds. In response to this recommendation, the Minister, Deputy Harris, has asked the HSE to develop a plan to identify the location and mix of beds across the hospital system, which can be opened and staffed by November 2018. This will help to improve preparedness for the winter of 2018-2019 and relieve overcrowding in our hospital emergency departments. The Department of Health is engaging with the HSE to develop this plan as a priority. I can confirm that as part of this process, all hospital groups have been asked by the HSE to submit plans to increase capacity, including plans to develop modular builds. I understand that in that context, the University of Limerick hospital group is preparing a proposal for additional beds. I can assure the House that the Government is committed to investing in new capacity and making tangible reforms to our model of health care delivery. The findings of the health service capacity review published in January were considered in the context of the recently-published Project Ireland 2040 initiative. The commitment to significant investment in the health services in the national development plan demonstrates the Government’s intention to fundamentally improve our health service. The University of Limerick hospital group has identified a number of projects for future development. This includes a 96-bed ward block at University Hospital Limerick to address bed capacity needs and this project was funded to design phase. I am pleased to note that construction of this ward block is included in Project Ireland 2040. There has been very significant investment in University Hospital Limerick in recent years. The new emergency department opened only last May and other developments include the Leben Building, the cardiac unit, the car park and more besides. More recently, in September 2017, 17 new surge capacity beds opened in the old emergency department in Dooradoyle to alleviate overcrowding pressures. These beds will be converted to a medical short stay unit later this year. Also, a new surgical and pre-operative assessment unit at the hospital is projected to open in April 2018, which will further improve services at the hospital.
The need to address bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick is recognised by all stakeholders and medium and long-term solutions are being developed. However, it is important to note that a number of construction projects are under way at University Hospital Limerick. It goes without saying that acute hospital campuses are complex sites. Therefore, all construction must be carefully planned and scheduled in order to ensure that patient care is not impeded or unnecessarily impacted upon.
I have noted what the Senator has said. One of the issues that he raised concerns modular bed units, with which I am unfamiliar. I will discuss the matter with the Minister on his behalf. I am not sure how modular bed units are constructed but if they are anything like modular housing, they can be put in place in a short period. I will convey all of these matters to the Minister.
I shall allow Senator Kieran O'Donnell to ask a brief supplementary.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply. University Hospital Limerick has submitted plans for 60 modular beds. These plans are, I think, with the HSE, which is in discussions with the Department of Health. For me, this matter is very simple. As a public representative in Limerick city, I know what people have had to endure in recent years due to a lack of bed capacity in the mid-west and I want the matter rectified. The 96 acute beds are now part of the capital plan, for which I thank the Minister for Health. The initiative will make an enormous difference but it will take a period to get through the normal planning, procurement and building processes. In the interim, I want how necessary these modular beds are to be conveyed in the strongest possible terms. I will work with the Minister, the HSE and the Department of Health to find ways to fast-track the process and have these beds provided as quickly as possible.
I have noted the matters raised by the Senator and I understand his frustration. I assure him that we all want to make sure that we can get modular beds into units such as this as soon as possible. I will stress to the Minister the necessity for him to contact the Senator about this matter because I do not know how long construction will take. I will certainly relay to the Minister the Senator's deep concerns about this project and about the need for the issue relating to University Hospital Limerick to be attended to as soon as possible.
I thank the Minister of State.
I thank the Minister of State and the Senator.
Special and Commemorative Stamp Programme
An chéad rud eile belongs to Senator Frank Feighan. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment will deal with the final issue. Tá fáilte romhat, a Aire. I call Senator Feighan. The Senator has four minutes to outline his case.
I thank the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment for attending. My matter refers to the need for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to consider honouring the contribution of the Irish navvy to Britain and Ireland by issuing a new postage stamp and to outline ways to facilitate same.
Last year, my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Cannon, who has responsibility for the diaspora, called on An Post to issue a stamp to honour the contribution made by the Irish diaspora to society at home and abroad. His idea is wonderful. I have made a similar proposal but this time I want the enormous contribution made by the Irish navvy to Britain and Ireland to be recognised.
During the recent St. Patrick's Day celebrations, I was delighted to attend an art exhibition by Bernard Canavan, a London-based Irish painter, in the House of Commons. The exhibition was facilitated by Chris Ruane, the UK Labour Party MP for the Vale of Clwyd. Like my own father, Mr. Canavan's father, who hailed from Longford, was one of tens of thousands who took the boat to England in search of work. Bernard was 16 years of age when his family were forced to move to the UK because of harsh economic conditions here. Over the years, Bernard's paintings have paid homage to the generations of Irish people who worked very hard and sent money home in order to assist members of their families. Countless men and women emigrated for work and they often had very tough lives in the process. It is estimated that the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of euro were sent back to this country by labourers. This money helped families here to survive.
Many of Bernard Canavan's evocative paintings are worthy of providing images for a commemorative stamp that pays tribute to the Irish navvy. As many Senators will know, the life of a navvy was a hard one. It was a life marked by many emotions, ranging from happiness to sadness to loneliness. It was a life often fuelled by a large amount of alcohol. Last year, Bernard was awarded a distinguished service award by the President for representing the forgotten Irish in Britain through his art.
Many labourers went on to make great lives for themselves. They set down solid roots in many corners of Britain and, in doing so, reared families who now proudly display their Irish heritage and culture at every opportunity. We must not forget that many of the labourers who left this country went on to build successful construction companies and businesses that continue to provide thousands of jobs across these isles. In many cases, unfortunately, the story of the Irish navvy was one of tragedy whereby comfort was found at the bottom of a pint glass. This led to broken families and people losing touch with home. Sadly, many of them ended up living on the streets of London and many other cities far from their native shores. I know that the Cathaoirleach went to London in the late 1970s and worked as a navvy. I know that every politician here understands the work and sacrifices made by Irish men and women who went there.
Ultan Cowley is the author of a seminal book, The Men Who Built Britain: A History of the Irish Navvy, which captures the often bleak world of the Irish migrant labourer. Up until recently, these men had been largely forgotten or ignored but Mr. Cowley has rightly pointed out that, in terms of the canals, railways, roads, tunnels, dams and public utilities, such people, and those in the professions of teaching and nursing, effectively ran Britain. Their standing is a lasting monument to their sacrifices and achievements. Truly, they built Britain and, indeed, they built Ireland. They have made an enormous contribution to British and Irish society. That contribution should never be underestimated. It is my view, therefore, that a commemorative stamp to honour the Irish navvy would be a lasting testament. I look forward to hearing the thoughts of the Minister.
I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on this matter and I thank the Senator for raising it.
As Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I have a statutory function under section 69(4) of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 in respect of granting consent to An Post for the design and issue of postage stamps. I want to inform the Senator that An Post deals directly with the process of stamp suggestions. In order to allow sufficient time for necessary approvals, research, design and production, the An Post stamp programmes are planned well in advance of the year of issue. In this regard, An Post invites suggestions for stamp subjects 18 to 24 months in advance of each year in question. Senator Feighan will be interested to know that there is currently a call by An Post for suggestions for the 2020 stamp programme. The closing date for receipt of suggestions is Wednesday next, 28 March 2018. The public trawl by An Post for proposals for stamp programmes runs from October each year to March of the following year. An Post requests suggestions from members of the public and various bodies, as well as Ministers and Departments. I put forward my own proposal to An Post that it would consider the festival of Hallowe'en, which has its origins in Rathcroghan, in my county, Roscommon, in this regard. It is amazing to think that a major international festival such as Hallowe'en is commemorated on stamps in the United States, Belgium and Austria but that Ireland - the home of Hallowe'en - does not yet have such a stamp.
All suggestions received by An Post are vetted by the independent philatelic advisory committee, which was set up to advise on the content of each annual stamp programme. The committee recommends the subjects for inclusion in the An Post commemorative stamp programme. Following ratification by the board of An Post, the stamps programme is then forwarded to me, as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, to bring a memorandum to Government for approval. This week, for example, I received Cabinet approval for the 2019 stamp programme that will cover some 35 stamps on 16 different subjects. I shall give an indication of the scale of suggestions. For the 2019 stamp programme, there were 210 suggestions.
In the context of the design of each stamp, these are commissioned by the stamp design advisory committee, an external panel of art and design experts established to direct the design process. Once I am advised by An Post of the designs, I then bring a memorandum to Government for their approval.
I will bring the Senator's suggestion to the attention of An Post, particularly in terms of the Irish navvy, who, despite what is displayed on the screen in the Chamber, has nothing to do with the Irish Naval Service.
The Irish navvy played a very important role in building up the United Kingdom and that should be acknowledged. I fully acknowledge the contribution the Senator has made in highlighting that.
Regarding my own family, my grandfather went to the other side of the Atlantic, to the United States, and worked on the trams in Boston. Very many Irish people went abroad and contributed to building up the economies across the globe. That is one aspect of history that we proudly celebrate during our celebrations around St. Patrick's Day. It is not only about the hear and now, it is about the history of the Irish abroad and the way they developed the countries that they made their own. As the Senator knows, many of the Irish navvies fell on very hard, difficult and challenging times. It would be nice to see their contribution to society in the UK acknowledged by way of a stamp. I will bring that recommendation to An Post on foot of the Senator's Commencement matter.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I look forward to the outcome of the stamp advisory committee's deliberations.
Like the Minister, I am very proud of the Irish diaspora. They have gone to all corners of the world. They never forgot about Ireland. There is always a rush for us to travel to New York, Boston, Dallas and wherever, and rightly so, but we have taken our near neighbours in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow a little bit for granted, but they never forgot Ireland. I remember in 1988 when the Republic of Ireland beat England in Stuttgart, at least 3,000 or 4,000 of the 12,000 who went to Germany that time were from the United Kingdom, sons and daughters of Irishmen who went there in the 1950s and 1960s. They never forgot our country and we should not forget them.
A new postage stamp honouring the sacrifices made and the toils of the Irish navvy in contributing to all aspects of buildings and services in the United Kingdom, and even more importantly to the island of Ireland, should be issued.
Sitting suspended at 11.03 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.