Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 19 Sep 2018

Vol. 260 No. 1

Commencement Matters

Media Pluralism

Senator Diarmuid Wilson

I thank the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment for attending. I know that he is busy today and it is very much appreciated.

In recent years the death knell of local media has been sounded time and again. However, just as video did not kill the radio star, the demise of newspapers does not have to be a foregone conclusion. Irish newspapers are the voice of the people, their communities and their regions. They are the fourth estate. A fully functioning fourth estate enhances the free and democratic society in which we live. However, good journalism is under threat. Censorship, economic pressure, job insecurity and a lack of political will to meet any of these challenges head on is resulting in an uncertain future for journalism. NewsBrands Ireland and Local Ireland, which represent national and local newspapers respectively, are leading the charge for a seismic change in how the newspaper industry is supported in Ireland. The newspaper industry has invested in innovation to ensure it always remains connected with its readers. However, more needs to be done and the onus for taking action must lie with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Ireland is currently an outlier within the European Union in respect of government action in support of independent journalism. We have one of the highest percentages of value-added tax, VAT, at 9%. The VAT rate for digital products is 23%, which is ironic when we consider the focus of Government in recent years and the importance of the digital economy. In comparison, the VAT rate on printed newspapers in the United Kingdom is set at 0%. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment can use his office to ask the Minister for Finance to reduce the VAT rate to 5% on printed and digital products and, ultimately, reduce it to 0% when EU rules allow him to do so.

Ireland's defamation laws and the two bodies which police them are from a bygone era. They were set up before the advent of online media reporting. While I understand the responsibility for this lies with the Minister for Justice and Equality and his Department and that a single oversight body for all media, including online media, is being considered by the Government, it would be useful to have the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment involved in any reform of these laws.

I attempted to have statements on the newspaper industry taken in the House. However, I was told in no uncertain terms by a number of Departments that newspapers were not within their remit and that, as far as they were concerned, they did not come within the remit of any Department. This needs to change. Extending the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to cover print and online journalism similarly to the way it covers broadcasting and having a dedicated official within the Department to oversee this would be ways in which independent journalism could be supported.

As I am sure the Minister is aware, we have recently seen an exodus of fantastic journalists, some of whom have joined Ministers and Departments and are using their skills in other areas of the economy. Poor salaries, no career opportunities, more pressure in the 24-7 news cycle, fewer resources and no support are leading to a brain drain from the industry. Establishing a news publishers media fund that would drive innovation and investment, coupled with a training and support scheme for all journalists, would encourage quality journalism and make the industry a sustainable and enduring one for all involved. We need more than a bursary for local broadcasters; we need to show our support for all journalists and the important role they play in our society. I thank the Minister again for coming to the House.

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Deputy Denis Naughten)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. These issues, among others, have also been raised by NewsBrands and Local Ireland as part of their Journalism Matters campaign.

The composition of Departments and their remits are matters solely for An Taoiseach. Therefore, the extension of my Department’s remit and the appointment of an official to take responsibility for all elements of the media are not matters on which I can respond. Aspects of policy responsibility in regard to matters that affect the media are currently shared by a range of Departments. Let me give some examples to illustrate this point. Defamation law is a matter for the Department of Justice and Equality. Policy on taxation, specifically VAT, is the responsibility of the Department of Finance. Responsibility for policy on culture is the responsibility of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I have responsibility for broadcasting policy and policy on media plurality. The latter role can involve print media or newspapers as they may be parties to a proposed merger. Upon receiving notification from prospective parties, which must first receive the approval of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on competition grounds, my Department carries out an assessment as to whether the transaction is contrary to the public interest in protecting the plurality of media in the State.

As the Senator may be aware, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is the independent regulator established under the Broadcasting Act 2009 to regulate traditional or linear television and radio broadcasters in Ireland. The basis for the regulation of television broadcasting is provided for in the European audiovisual media services directive, a review of which will be finalised before the end of the year. This revision will require member states to increase the level of oversight in place for non-linear or on-demand television providers, such as Netflix and RTÉ Player. Member states will also be required, for the first time, to require video-sharing platform services established in their territory, such as YouTube, to ensure that users, especially minors, are protected from the most harmful content. This is to be achieved through co-regulation. Once the finalised version of the directive is published, Ireland will have 21 months to implement the required changes. Preparatory work is under way within my Department. Once the text has been finalised, public consultation will be held to inform our approach to implementation.

I recognise the importance of independent journalism and the vital role it plays in our society and in supporting our democracy by providing access to accurate, high-quality and relevant information to citizens throughout the country. As I have outlined, my remit does not extend to all aspects of media policy but I have specific responsibilities regarding the broadcasting media. In recognition of the important role and challenges faced by many local and community radio broadcasters, I am proposing, as part of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill 2017, to introduce a new funding scheme to offer bursaries to journalists working in these stations. The Bill is being drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel and I hope to publish and commence the legislation in both Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as possible.

Separately, the European Commission, as part of its initiative to tackle online disinformation, has announced that it will introduce measures to support quality journalism across member states.

The Commission has proposed to member states that a specific allocation should be made in the fund under the Creative Europe programme 2021-27 to support enhancing a free, diverse and pluralistic media environment, quality journalism and media literacy. The programme which is under negotiation falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

On the bursary, the part over which I have authority is the local media. I have proposed this particular concept and would like it to be extended to include other forms of journalism because many of them use other forms of transmission aside from broadcast such as online and the traditional print mechanism. The important thing is to establish the bursary and then we need to look at what other funding avenues are available to us to expand it.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson

I thank the Minister. As he outlined, the responsibility for journalism falls between a number of Departments. It would be helpful if one Department was fully responsible for journalism, and its promotion and independence.

Deputy Denis Naughten

That is above my pay grade. It is a matter for the Taoiseach.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson

At the moment.

Deputy Denis Naughten

It is probably a matter for consideration in forthcoming manifestos whenever the election takes place. It is something I am conscious of, which is why I have decided to establish this bursary. I hope I will have the support of colleagues in the House when I bring this legislation forward. I hope it can act as a building block to expand it further.

Defence Forces Remuneration

Senator Gabrielle McFadden

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House again. On 3 August 1923, the new Irish State passed the Defence Forces Act, which raised an armed force to be called Óglaigh na hÉireann, comprising such numbers of officers, non-commissioned officers and men as may from time to time be provided by the Oireachtas, the new Parliament of the Irish Free State. Ever since that time, the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann have served the State loyally and bravely, and they deserve our support. Earlier I proudly took part in the respect and loyalty march because I support better pay for the Defence Forces. We owe them not only our respect but also a fair living. There is no need to rehearse the litany of great work they do at home and abroad, their dignity in times of ceremony, their empathy in times of community distress or the bravery they showed over the decades of attack by the dark forces of the paramilitaries. I have done that a dozen times in the House.

I do not argue we need to pay members of the Defence Forces more to compete with other careers in the economy now that we are approaching full employment. I call for better pay and conditions for one reason only: they deserve it - no more, no less. There is no point in us continuing to blame Fianna Fáíl. While the party caused the mess, Fine Gael is in government now and it is up to us to do what we have always done throughout the history of this State, which is to do the right thing for the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, and the right thing for the country.

Will the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence and the Minister of State with direct responsibility for this issue, Deputy Kehoe, shake off the reticence of the bureaucrats in the Department and ensure that men and women of the Defence Forces get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work? The fact that significant numbers of them have to rely on family income support is unacceptable. We must make work pay. Military life is tough and requires many sacrifices from those who serve and from their loved ones. They know this when they enlist but they should not have to make sacrifices on a basic standard of living to serve their country. Members of the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps should get the same rate of pay as a civilian in a comparable job.

On top of that, they deserve additional payment to compensate for the extra challenges they face as serving personnel, such as time away from family, unsociable hours and working under pressure.

These are the people who get up early in the morning, work long hours, nights and weekends and serve us with loyalty and professionalism. They deserve a break and we must never shirk from standing up for them, nor should we ever apologise for doing so.

I ask the Minister to make the issue of military service allowance his priority in the coming weeks. I ask him to fight for the resources necessary to implement an increase in this allowance as part of this year's budget. I ask him to call for an immediate report from the Public Service Pay Commission, whose job it is to establish whether, and to what extent, a difficulty exists in terms of recruitment and retention of specific sectors of the public service and to make proposals to Government for appropriate remuneration. We want this now.

In the case of the Defence Forces, the difficulties are clear. We have had the findings of the workplace climate in Defence Forces study for some time now and, in the interim period, personnel are voting with their feet. They are walking away. The solution is clear: pay people enough to make military service an attractive career option. It is that simple. For almost 100 years, the Defence Forces stood up for us and now it is time for us to stand up for them.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Paul Kehoe)

The Defence Forces are the bedrock underpinning our safe and secure society. I have never questioned the loyalty or bravery of any member of the Defence Forces if he or she is serving overseas or serving here in Ireland and facing whatever issue to which he or she has to respond. The Government values each member and the roles that members of the Defence Forces carry out with members of An Garda Síochána and other State agencies. For this reason, the Government has tasked the Public Sector Pay Commission to examine recruitment and retention issues in the Defence Forces. That process is under way and submissions have been made. The commission is engaging with individual serving members of the Defence Forces.

Public service pay and pensions are a significant component of Government expenditure. Similar to other areas within the public service, the pay of the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, was reduced during the financial crisis. The reduction in pay was on a graduated basis with increased rates of deductions for those on higher earnings. These actions were one of the measures necessary to be taken to stabilise the financial situation which the country faced following the economic collapse.

Improvements within the economy provided the opportunity to begin the unwinding of the public service pay cuts imposed on public servants, including members of the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces' pay is continuing to increase in line with other public sector pay agreements. The Permanent Defence Force representative associations balloted their members who voted to accept the terms of the pay agreements. The focus of these increases is weighted in favour of those on lower pay.

Members of the Defence Forces received increases in pay in 2017 under the Lansdowne Road agreement. In addition, in a separate deal agreed with the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, PDFORRA, the pay of general service recruits and privates who joined the Permanent Defence Force from 1 January 2013 was increased further.

The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 provides further increases in pay, ranging from 6.2% to 7.4% over the lifetime of the agreement, with the focus of the agreement once again being on the lower paid. The first increase due under the agreement from 1 January 2018 has been paid to Permanent Defence Force personnel and a second increase of 1% on annualised salaries is due on 1 October 2018, which we will see shortly.

By the end of the current public service pay agreement the pay of all public servants, including members of the Defence Forces, earning under €70,000 per annum will be restored to pre-FEMPI levels. The restoration of cuts to allowances will also be considered in the context of the agreement.

Basic pay and military service allowance are only an element of the overall income package for members of the PDF. Members of the Defence Forces also receive a range of duty allowances depending on their assigned tasks. Almost half of the PDF personnel receive additional technical pay per week. The rate of technical pay ranges from €420 to €7,000 extra each year depending on the job of the individual member. When these allowances, excluding overseas peace support allowance, are added to basic pay, the current average gross income for a private three star and Naval Service equivalent is just over €35,000 per year. The average annual gross income for a sergeant is just under €45,000. In the officer ranks, the average annual gross income is €52,800 per annum for captains and €88,000 for colonels.

Defence Force personnel are also entitled to receive tax-free overseas allowances while participating in overseas military operations on direction of the Government. The number of personnel serving overseas has increased in the past few years. As of 1 September 2018, Ireland is contributing 621 Defence Forces personnel to nine missions throughout the world.

Given the unique and demanding nature of military life, there is understandably a relatively high level of turnover among Defence Forces personnel. This is not new and the PDF has always had a level of turnover that far exceeds other areas of the public service. The total number who have left the Defence Forces in recent years is consistent with long-term trends.

The Government is committed to maintaining the establishment of the PDF at 9,500 personnel and recognises that a key challenge for the Defence Forces is to reach and maintain this strength. Recruitment competitions have been held this year for general service, cadetships, apprentices and direct entries. The applications from these various competitions are being progressed and successful candidates are being inducted. Another general service recruitment competition is in process.

In 2016, the Government established an independent Public Service Pay Commission to provide objective analysis and advice on the most appropriate pay levels for the public service, including the Defence Forces. This informed the most recent pay agreement.

Under my direction, the Department of Defence raised recruitment and retention issues as part of the submission to the commission. The Government has tasked the commission with examining these challenges in the defence sector in more detail. This work has commenced and the Department of Defence has submitted detailed material. In consultation with the senior management of the Defence Forces, the commission has commenced surveying members of the Defence Forces and is being facilitated in this work by military management.

In addition, there is an ongoing programme of HR development within the Defence Forces. A number of initiatives ranging from a review of the conciliation and arbitration scheme, a review of the criteria governing contracts for enlisted personnel and a comprehensive skills gap analysis to the implementation of the Working Time Directive have been initiated. Measures to improve the work-life balance for members of the Defence Forces have also been advanced.

The Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring that the Defence Forces are equipped and trained to best international standards to meet operational requirements, both at home and abroad. The budget allocation for 2018 delivered an additional €25 million. An additional €98 million for capital expenditure has been provided out to 2021.

These measures address a range of issues that are aimed at ensuring the Defence Forces retain the capabilities to undertake the roles assigned by the Government and remain a career of choice for anyone who wants to work in a challenging and varied environment which provides opportunities for lifelong learning and self-development.

An Cathaoirleach

We normally allow eight minutes for these but 13 minutes have elapsed. I ask the Senator to be very brief.

Senator Gabrielle McFadden

I will be very brief.

An Cathaoirleach

I do not want to establish a precedent. I did not want to interrupt the Minister of State but his was a long speech.

Senator Gabrielle McFadden

Okay, I will be very brief. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I do not deny his or the Government's respect for, or pride in, the Defence Forces. However, the pay commission is taking too long. Some time between 2012 and 2013, I told the Minster of State that technician's pay needed to be reinstated. I raised that issue with him back then but it still has not been reinstated. I have three very good friends who were technicians in Athlone. Two of those three died and never received that reinstated pay. That is really unfair. The Government could act on duty pay and does not have to wait for the pay commission for that. It is taking too long. We must stop talking about how proud we are of the Army and the Defence Forces and start putting our money where our mouth is and start paying them.

An Cathaoirleach

I call on the Minister of State to respond briefly, if he can.

Deputy Paul Kehoe

I will speak as briefly as I can but I must address the issues put to me. I do not agree that the independent Public Service Pay Commission is taking too long. It only sat in the last few months. It has prioritised the health sector and the Defence Forces following recommendations that I made to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The Department of Defence does not set the pay grades. It is a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which deals with all payments to all public servants. It is not a matter for the Department of Defence. I will defend the public servants in the Department of Defence who do an outstanding and fabulous job. They come in for considerable criticism and I do not accept it. If criticism came their way and I thought that they deserved it, I would say so, but it is not the case. I will defend them. From senior management down, they advocate for the Defence Forces. It is a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, under whose Department the Public Service Pay Commission operates. Any submissions we make, we make to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which forwards it to the pay commission. We have sent an evidence-based submission to the pay commission.

We are in a process of restoring the pay cuts introduced across the public service during the economic downturn. At a parade at Cathal Brugha Barracks this morning, I acknowledged the challenges the Defence Forces faced.

We have a stronger economy than before. I will work with the Department and senior management in the Defence Forces to bring those challenges to the Public Service Pay Commission. The process is under way. Submissions have been made. The commission is now engaging with individual serving members. I look forward to the outcome of the commission's work, which will provide the basis of addressing the issues within the Defence Forces.

I will say one thing-----

An Cathaoirleach

No, please, this is absolutely ridiculous. We had eight minutes-----

Deputy Paul Kehoe

I will have one sentence.

An Cathaoirleach

We had eight minutes and now we have had 16. If we allow this precedent, I will adjourn the House.

Deputy Paul Kehoe

I have one sentence. There has been a great deal of misinformation in recent days. I ask the people concerned to check their facts before doing so. I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me the extra time.

An Cathaoirleach

I should not have allowed it. In the future I will be strict on time. The Minister of State had 17 minutes. In the future he will have to cut his cloth along the lines of the time I allow as this is not acceptable.

School Transport

An Cathaoirleach

We have two more Commencement matters. Senators Rose Conway-Walsh and O'Donnell are sharing time. The Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, has been waiting patiently in the wings. If this goes over eight minutes, I will just pull down the shutters. It is as simple as that. This cannot go on. I am not sure which Senator is going first, but I will give them both two and a half minutes.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, for coming to the House. He may remember he was here before at my request to discuss school transport.

At the time, he promised that no child would be left without a seat on a school bus. I am afraid that is not the picture we see today. In the limited time I have, I want to ask him why we cannot have bigger buses. It makes no sense whatsoever that a provider is in a situation in which it can provide a bigger bus but the Department is saying it cannot happen.

I also want to ask about repeat leaving certificate students. Students do not know until the middle of August whether they have to repeat or not. Their applications are then treated as late applications. Can the Department recategorise it so they are not treated as late applications?

The Department has split parishes and families with school transport. I ask for it to be reviewed. Exactly how much has been saved by the school transport cuts over the years? School transport is becoming less and less viable. The original intention was to get rid of school transport. We are now making it impossible for families and students to get on the school bus. We have to remember that school transport is an integral part of the education system. Taking away school transport directly affects the most vulnerable students and families.

Senator Kieran O'Donnell

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, to the House and thank him for taking this important debate. I have already spoken to him on the matter. In Limerick, we have an issue in the Caherconlish, Ballyneety, Donaghmore and Fedamore area, which is outside Limerick city. Students of the local school, John the Baptist community school in Hospital, are unable to get school transport. We have a unique set of circumstances. We have a common application system in Limerick city for schools. Through a quirk of fate the distance from Caherconlish, Ballyneety, Donaghmore and Fedamore to the GPO in Limerick city is marginally shorter than the distance to the local school, John the Baptist community school in Hospital. If students applied to schools in Limerick city under the common application system, in most cases they would not satisfy the eligibility criteria. Therefore, I am asking the Minister of State to encourage and facilitate the school transport system in Limerick city and county to look at this matter.

There are 20 students who can use the bus on a concessionary basis but they are without a bus. Ten of those are concessions that were on the bus previously. Two of the ten have been there for the past five years and are going into sixth year. Another two have been there for the past two years and the other six were there last year. It is their local school. Parents are under enormous pressure. It is their local school. The other ten students are first years.

We have a unique set of circumstances in the Caherconlish, Fedamore, Ballyneety and Donaghmore area where children do not qualify for concessions to get the school bus to their local school of John the Baptist community school in Hospital because they are deemed to be closer to the GPO in Limerick. In most cases they would not be eligible for school places elsewhere. I ask the Minister of State to facilitate the solution being considered to get these 20 children to their school places. It is a matter that will have to be looked at in more depth in future years.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy John Halligan)

I thank Senators Conway-Walsh and Kieran O'Donnell. I will provide an outline of the extent of the school transport service which very many people may not be aware of. It is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In 2017 and 2018, over 117,000 children, including 12,000 with special educational needs, were transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country, covering over 100 million km, with a total cost in 2017 of €190 million.

Parental contributions towards the cost of school transport amounted to €15.4 million; therefore, the State covers a significant cost of school transport and it increases every year. Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school. Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the current year, where such services are in operation. Children who are eligible for school transport but for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within the prescribed time limits, receive a remote area grant towards the cost of private transport. That grant is calculated on miles, just like for civil servants. Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport where spare seats are available, after eligible children have been accommodated. This is referred to as concessionary transport. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available, Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process. Under the terms of the scheme the number of spare seats varies from year to year, based on the capacity of the buses running on all of the various routes and the number of eligible children accommodated on each route. Hence, there is no guarantee that a non-eligible child who received a place the previous year will do so the following year, nor is there a guarantee that a sibling of the non-eligible child in receipt of a ticket will also do so. It is included in the terms and conditions on the Bus Éireann online application form that available seats may vary from year to year and that the transport of children who are not eligible cannot be guaranteed for the duration of the child's education.

Routes cannot be altered under the scheme, nor will additional vehicles be introduced. Neither larger vehicles nor extra trips using existing vehicles will be provided to cater for children who are not eligible, as additional State costs would be incurred by covering the cost of providing school transport for children who are eligible for it.

It is important to remember - I say this to everybody - that the school transport scheme was put in place for eligible children and for children with special needs. All eligible children in Ireland get school transport. Now and then there may be a click in the system and something might happen with Bus Éireann or something might fall through the cracks, but we are dealing with 117,000 children. All special needs children get school transport. It is one of the best schemes in Europe. An independent assessment showed that for a maximum of €300 per year in primary school and a maximum of €600 in secondary school, the cost per family of taking the car to drive children to school would amount to €1,200. This came from two independent reviews. We have not increased the cost of transport. Our difficulty lies in the fact that we started some years ago with 700 concessionary places for children and we are now up to 24,700, whom we find it extremely difficult to get on to the school buses when we factor in all of the eligible children and the children with disabilities who are entitled to school transport. That is how complicated and difficult the scheme is.

When one looks at it, 99% of people are happy with school transport and 99% of families will say this is a great scheme. It is not without its faults, however, with so many children involved and the complexity of running such a scheme every day of the week, twice per day, to and from schools and with 4,000 vehicles across the country.

Senator Kieran O'Donnell

Can we speak here?

An Cathaoirleach

It will have to be very brief because we are miles over time.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

I will be very brief. The school transport system was put in place for children. Putting them into categories of concessionary and non-concessionary is not acceptable. We are not living in North Korea. We need some flexibility around the school transport system. It is not good enough to say the system will not provide another seat or a bigger bus. That is disgraceful and it is a shame on the Government for what it has done and how it has followed on from Fianna Fáil in ruining school transport. It is not acceptable.

Senator Kieran O'Donnell

I have a very specific question about St. John the Baptist school and hospital in County Limerick and about the Caherconlish, Ballyneety, Donaghmore and Fedamore areas.

In my view, these concessionaries should be eligible because as we have a common applications system in the city, many of them will not be eligible for those schools anyway. Their local school is St. John the Baptist. An education system should facilitate children being transported to their local school. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, to engage with the local Bus Éireann public transport service in Limerick on the provision of school transport for these 20 children. While we will need to review the system, I ask the Minister of State to give urgent consideration to the needs of the 20 children in Limerick who currently do not have school transport to their local school.

Deputy John Halligan

I will engage with Bus Éireann in Limerick on the matter. I have regular engagement with Bus Éireann. On Senator Conway-Walsh's remarks regarding school transport, she obviously does not know the system.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

I know it inside out and upside down.

Deputy John Halligan

I do not think that is true because if it was, the Senator would know that the school transport scheme was put into operation for children who are eligible.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

When?

Deputy John Halligan

To be helpful, I will give the Senator an example.

An Cathaoirleach

I ask the Minister of State to be brief.

Deputy John Halligan

In the case of a bus which serves an area in respect of which there are only 15 eligible children but 20 seats on the bus, rather than leave seats empty we allow concessionaries on the bus. The system provides for 24,700 concessionary children. However, if in the example given an eligible child comes forward the following year, he or she has a right under the scheme to a place on that bus, resulting, regrettably, in a concessionary having to be taken off the bus. I am obliged to adhere to the provisions of what was set out prior to my coming into office.

I offered representatives from all parties an opportunity to meet school transport providers, including Bus Éireann. I was the first Minister to provide members from all areas with dedicated numbers for Bus Éireann and other transport providers. One has to view the scheme in the round, in particular the number of children it caters for twice a day every day. With the exception of a few children who have fallen through the system, all children in Ireland eligible for school transport get it.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

The Minister of State is saying children of working parents do not count and that is not fair.

Deputy John Halligan

I did not say that. The Senator is being dramatic.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh

That is the logic of what the Minister of State is saying.

An Cathaoirleach

The Senator and the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, can resume this discussion another day.

Deputy John Halligan

The Senator does not know the scheme.

Services for People with Disabilities

Senator Victor Boyhan

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter for discussion. Conscious of time, I will be brief.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, to the House, although I had requested that the Minister, Deputy Harris, come to the House to make a statement on the closure of the paediatric inpatient service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH, in Dún Laoghaire. I have rehearsed this saga and related issues since January 2017. Today, I call on the Minister for Health, whom I am somewhat surprised is not here, although I acknowledge and accept he is a busy man, to explain why the NRH has not been provided with the necessary staffing, resources and specialist supports that are required to enable it to provide a safe and appropriate level of rehabilitative care for patients up to its full bed capacity and to commit to an immediate reopening of the 12 bed closures at the hospital.

Today, there are 12 beds closed in the hospital. The NRH provides a comprehensive range of specialist rehabilitation services for patients from throughout the island of Ireland, who as a result of an accident, illness or injury have acquired a physical or cognitive disability and require specialist rehabilitation. The NRH in Dún Laoghaire has advised me that it has a multitude of programmes, including the brain injury programme, including strokes; the spinal cord system and care programme; the prosthetic, orthotic and limb absence rehabilitation programme - better known as the POLAR programme; paediatric and family-centred rehabilitation. It is on paediatric beds and consultants that I would like to dwell in the time available to me.

The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, is aware of the situation, which I know because during my engagement today with the hospital I was advised that his Department had sought clarification on the matter yesterday. On 30 August 2018, a statement was issued on the closure of the paediatric inpatient service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

On top of all of the other problems we have had in this hospital with closures, lack of resources for staff, patients, patients' families, the people queuing up and all the patients waiting in acute hospital beds, no Minister can stand over what is happening there. I really do not want any more lame excuses from anyone in the Department of Health. I have contacted the Minister's office throughout the summer offering to take up his initial invitation to me to meet him to discuss the NRH. He has not yet responded with a firm date to meet. That is disappointing to me and is perhaps a measure of the lack of commitment to and focus on the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. It disappoints me to have to say that.

In summary, the hospital states in this statement that it wishes to restore the much-needed paediatric cover for this hospital to allow it to get on with providing inpatient services and to resume as early as possible. In January 2017 the hospital had 12 beds closed. Despite promises to open them we confirmed in July that six had been opened. In August, another six beds to do with the inpatient paediatric services closed. It is unacceptable. The patients are unhappy. I have indicated to politicians in the constituency of Dún Laoghaire, members of all parties and none, that there will be a series of public rallies and meetings which I will lead to get a focus on this. I have been very patient - I think every Member of this House will vouch for that - in consistently raising this issue but I am getting a closed door. Patients are disappointed but more importantly, so are the families. The final issue is that we have patients waiting in acute hospital beds to avail of the excellent services in the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Jim Daly)

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and for giving me an opportunity to respond. The NRH in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin provides complex specialist rehabilitation services to patients who, as a result of an accident, illness or injury, have acquired a physical or cognitive disability and require specialist medical rehabilitation. The hospital has a reputation for excellence, as the Senator said, and provides patients with every opportunity to meet their rehabilitation goals through personalised treatment plans delivered by consultant-led interdisciplinary teams expert in their fields.

Services provided at the hospital include a paediatric programme which is delivered by a paediatric team based on campus with clinical oversight provided by a consultant paediatrician who is based off-campus at another hospital. Until recently this consultant paediatric oversight had been provided by a paediatrician at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, whose contract includes a seven-hour clinical attachment to the NRH. I am advised by the Health Service Executive, HSE, that the consultant paediatrician in question has recently gone on unplanned long-term leave and arising from this unforeseen development, Our Lady's Children's Hospital is not in a position to provide consultant oversight to the National Rehabilitation Hospital's paediatric programme. In the light of this, the NRH has reluctantly closed its inpatient paediatric service on the basis that it is not possible to appropriately assess and triage new paediatric referrals and medically manage paediatric patients without consultant paediatric input.

I am aware that the parents of children requiring inpatient and day care services at the NRH are very concerned and I assure them that all is being done by the HSE to address this situation. The Children's hospital group has confirmed that officials have been working to identify another consultant paediatrician with an interest in disability to fill the vacancy to provide appropriate clinical paediatric oversight to the services provided in the NRH. I understand a meeting between officials in the HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, 6, the NRH and the Children's hospital group is being arranged imminently to discuss possible options required to affect the resumption of a sustainable service as soon as possible. In the interim, the paediatric team at the NRH will continue to carry out assessments and provide therapies and outpatient services to existing paediatric patients.

The Government recognised the excellent rehabilitation programme which the NRH delivers and the hospital's excellent patient outcomes. A key priority is delivery of replacement accommodation at the hospital. This development will see the existing ward accommodation replaced by a new fit-for-purpose ward accommodation block of 120 single en suite rooms with integrated therapy spaces, a new sports hall, a hydrotherapy unit and a temporary concourse, as well as clinical and ancillary spaces. It will be a major enhancement to rehabilitation services in the country and will have a direct and significant impact on patient recovery by providing an optimal ward and therapeutic environment for patient treatment at the NRH. Construction work is currently under way and the new development is expected to be operational in 2020. Funding for phases 1 and 2 of this major redevelopment project was included in the Government's recently announced Project Ireland 2040 policy, part of an overall €10.9 billion strategic investment in health.

Senator Victor Boyhan

I thank the Minister of State.

An Cathaoirleach

The Senator must be brief because we are up against the clock.

Senator Victor Boyhan

We do not need a history lesson on the construction of a new hospital as part of the national rehabilitation facility because we know about the matter. I have a folder that contains all the ministerial responses and that can prove this is the same old cut and paste response about a new facility. I am not talking about a new facility at the National Rehabilitation Hospital site in Dún Laoghaire. Can the Minister of State guarantee that consultant paediatric cover for the children in the hospital will be restored? Only six beds have been designated for use by children in that hospital. When can he guarantee that the six beds that were closed will be reopened? When can he guarantee the other six beds will be provided?

Earlier today I issued a letter to the Minister but I would like the Minister of State to convey four demands to him. I want the Minister for Health to meet me and a delegation. I also put him on notice that a campaign will be launched this week to focus the attention of politicians on the hospital. I want the 12 beds reopened in the hospital. I also want consultant paediatrician cover to be restored immediately at the hospital.

Deputy Jim Daly

I am more than happy to convey the demands made by the Senator. One of my favourite attributes in any politician is consistency. The Senator has been more than consistent on this issue on numerous occasions in the House.

Senator Victor Boyhan

I thank the Minister of State.

Deputy Jim Daly

The Senator has been a loyal and consistent supporter of the work that takes place at National Rehabilitation Hospital. I shall support him in any way that I can to address the challenges faced by the hospital. I will convey his sentiments to the Minister for Health.

Senator Victor Boyhan

I appreciate that.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Minister of State. I know that we are almost up to our starting point but I must suspend the sitting until 3.30 p.m.