Written Answers Nos. 896-910
896. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an appeal in relation to the grassland sheep scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway was finalised; if so, the outcome of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1633/13]
View answerAn application under the Grassland Sheep Scheme was received from the person named 9 May 2011.
On processing the application it was established that no sheep Census form was received in my Department for the period December 2010, as required under the Terms and Conditions which govern the Scheme. The person named subsequently sought a review of this requirement on grounds of Force Majeure/Exceptional Circumstances and had furnished supporting documentary evidence.
Having reviewed the case in light of this documentation, the appeal was granted, thereby allowing the application to be processed to finality, with a view to payment issuing shortly.
897. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when single payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1714/13]
View answerAn application for the transfer of 67.17 entitlements from the first person named to the joint names of the persons named was submitted on 14th May 2012.
In order to transfer the entitlements it was necessary for an official from my department to contact the persons named to request additional information. The outstanding information was received and the application was fully processed.
A further change was subsequently made to the registration details of the herdnumber which warranted the submission of an additional transfer of entitlement application form.
The additional form was received on the 7th December and the application is now fully processed. Payment will issue in the coming days.
898. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has completed an assessment of the potential impact of the development of large fish farms off the west coast of the country on the stocks of wild atlantic salmon and on the stocks of salmon in the Moy River; the safeguards that are in place to prevent any damage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1857/13]
View answerFinfish farming has been a feature of aquaculture operations off the west coast for some time.
An application by Bord Iascaigh Mhara for an aquaculture licence for the cultivation of finfish near Inis Oirr in Galway Bay has been received by my Department. The application and its accompanying Environmental Impact Statement is being considered under the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act which provide for extensive consultation with stakeholders, including Inland Fisheries Ireland, which has responsibility for wild salmon stocks. The legislation also provides for a period of general public consultation. The public consultation stage of the process is now complete and submissions received are under active consideration by my Department.
All matters associated with the application including the impact, if any, on wild salmon stocks, will be given very careful consideration by my Department.
899. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of the bodies, other than statutory bodies, that were fully funded by his Department in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1898/13]
View answer900. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of the bodies, other than statutory bodies, that were partially funded by his Department in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2029/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 899 and 900 together.
The number of bodies which my Department deals with is very large and diverse. Arising from this and the very broad nature of the information requested by the Deputy, I would appreciate if the Deputy could be more specific in the types of bodies he is referring to and I would then be very happy to consider such a question.
901. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the commitment in the Programme for Government to modernise and reform outdated elements of family law, in particular the legislation to consolidate and reform the law on adoption, the way this legislation is progressing and if this will contain provision for the recognition of rights for non-biological parents or children in same-sex relationships. [58049/12]
View answerI am currently examining a number of proposals in relation to possible amendments to the Adoption Act, 2010. Any changes will be brought forward in conjunction with the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2012, which the Government plans to bring before the Oireachtas following the passing of the Children's Referendum.
In addition, the drafting of the Heads of Bill in relation to the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill is at an advanced stage in my Department. While consideration of the policy issues in relation to all aspects of the proposed Bill is ongoing, it is intended that the proposed legislation will provide for a structured and regulated way of both safeguarding adoption records and providing access to adoption information.
902. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No.154 of 13 December 2012, when a response will issue from the Health Service Executive. [1410/13]
View answerA response issued from the Health Service Executive to the Deputy on January 9th at 14.16 p.m.
903. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of regulatory impact assessments that have been carried out by her Department in the past twelve months; and the list of regulatory impact assessments carried out within her Department in the past twelve months. [57755/12]
View answerNo Regulatory Impact Assessments have been completed by my Department. Work on a number of Regulatory Impact Assessments has commenced.
904. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the level of services and focus of the work of family resource centres will continue regardless of the make-up of the new Child and Family Support Agency; if the Family Resource Centre National Forum will have representation at board level within the new agency; if the ethos and culture of the FRC programme will be maintained; if funding for the FRC programme will be ring-fenced; if the position held by FRCs in the delivery of community based universal services and early intervention services/programmes will be maintained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57770/12]
View answer918. Deputy Ray Butler asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her policy in respect of Family Resource Centres in the context of the proposed establishment of the Child and Family Support Agency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1062/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 904 and 918 together.
The Government has approved the Heads of the Child and Family Support Agency Bill and has also agreed to the priority drafting of this Bill. The necessary legislative and organisational preparations are being prioritised so that the Agency can be established as a priority.
From its establishment the Child and Family Support Agency will have service responsibility for a range of services, including child welfare and protection services currently operated by the HSE; domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. The functions of the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board will transfer into the Child and Family Support Agency upon its establishment.
The Government's consideration of these matters was informed, by the content and recommendations of the Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency which I published in July of this year. The Task Force considered that the Agency needs to be as broadly based as possible and should include a range of prevention, early intervention, family support and therapeutic care interventions.
It is my intention that the agency will have a role in supporting families and communities. It will have the benefit in this role of the many Family Resource Centres which have been developed across the country with funding from the Family Support Agency. I can assure the Deputy that the new Agency will build on the excellent work undertaken by the Family Support Agency over the last decade, and that a community based approach will form an integral part of the new Child and Family Support Agency.
The composition of the Board of the Child and Family Support Agency is currently under consideration. While the composition of the Board will reflect the component organisations which are being amalgamated into the Child and Family Support Agency. The criteria for Board membership will be focused on ensuring that Board members have the requisite mix of experience and competencies needed to steer such a large organisation providing a diverse range of personal services.
The establishment of the new Agency and the wider transformation of children's services represents the largest, and most ambitious, area of public sector of reform embarked upon by this Government.
905. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the date on which the Intercountry Adoption Report by the Adoption Authority of Ireland will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57869/12]
View answerI understand the Deputy's question relates to the issue the Adoption Authority's assessment of a possible bilateral agreement with Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. In these circumstances, future adoptions from Ethiopia would require a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Ethiopia. The negotiation of bilateral agreements on intercountry adoption with states who have not ratified the Hague Convention is governed by Section 73 of the Adoption Act 2010 which states that "the Authority, with the prior consent of the Minister, may enter into discussions with any non-contracting state concerning the possibility of the Government entering into a bilateral agreement with that State."
The Adoption Authority delegation visit to Ethiopia in April of this year was an initial part of the Authority's deliberations on the feasibility and suitability of entering into discussions with Ethiopia on a bilateral adoption agreement. The Authority forwarded a report of their visit to me in May 2012. The Authority is awaiting legal advice regarding the compatibility of the Irish and Ethiopian adoption legislation. The Authority has also informed me that it has asked the Irish Embassy to make the appropriate contacts in the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia with a view to verifying the stance of the Ethiopian authorities to entering into exploratory talks in relation to a bilateral agreement. I await the AAI advice in this regard
906. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form the number of agencies, bodies, boards, quangos or other entities, which are financed from, answerable to or established by her Department that have been abolished, merged or re-organised since this Government took office; the savings that have been realised since the changes were made; the level of staff reduction that has been achieved; if she will provide details of further agency reductions that she intends to pursue in 2013 [57873/12]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy there are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI); the Family Support Agency (FSA); the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO).
In July 2011, the Government decided that the Family Mediation Service should transfer from the Family Support Agency to the Legal Aid Board. This is in line with the Government’s commitment to facilitate the use of mediation in family disputes in order to speed up the legal process, reduce costs and ameliorate the stress of contested court proceedings. On foot of the Government decision, the Family Support Agency established a transition project team to transfer 45 individuals, or 24.29 WTEs, in some 16 locations throughout the country and an annual allocation of almost €3m to the Legal Aid Board. On 26 October 2011, the Minister for Justice and Equality signed the commencement order for Part 16 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 which gave effect to the transfer from 1 November 2011.
I can inform the Deputy that the FSA is due to be merged with the new Child and Family Support Agency (CFSA) which will be established this year. The National Educational Welfare Board is also due to be merged with the CFSA. Legislation for the establishment of the CFSA is being prepared by my Department as a matter of priority. It is anticipated that the Bill will be published and enacted in the course of this session and it is my intention that the CFSA will assume statutory responsibility for services for children and families in 2013.
The potential benefits of merging the back office functions of the Ombudsman for Children's Office into the Ombudsman/Information Commissioner's Office are currently being examined.
At this stage it is not possible to quantify the actual savings to date as a direct result of these developments.
It should be noted that following enactment of the Child Care Amendment Act 2011 the Children's Act Advisory Board was subsequently dissolved by means of the commencement by the Minister of Health of Part 6 of the Child Amendment Act 2011.
907. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has any planned initiatives to address the teenage obesity issue highlighted in the report Growing Up Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57943/12]
View answerThe Government shares with many other agencies and professional groups, concerns about the growth and nutrition of teenagers. Understanding factors associated with physical activity levels and overweight/obesity in Irish children is therefore critical to effective prevention efforts. The large scale study, ‘Growing Up in Ireland’ longitudinal study, which is funded by my Department, recently re-interviewed 7,400 who were 13 some four years after they were initially interviewed and, as part of this, information on the extent of overweight and obesity in this group was gathered. From this work and comparable international studies we know that child overweight and obesity are increasing in Ireland and other countries and are associated with a range of immediate and longer term health risks.
This study revealed that 74% of 13-year-olds were not overweight, 20% were overweight, and 6% were obese. As was the case at 9 years, more than one in four 13-year-olds were either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be classified as overweight than boys (22% compared to 18%). Girls were also slightly more likely to be obese than boys (8% compared to 5%).
Changes in weight status between 9 and 13 years of age, and indicates that relatively few not-overweight 9-year-olds had developed weight problems by age 13, but those with weight problems at 9 years tended to maintain them. This reinforces the importance of early intervention. Children who are a healthy weight at aged 3 or age 9 are much less likely to have weight problems as a teenager.
It is widely accepted by researchers that there is a strong link between physical activity and overweight, and habits formed in youth tend to carry over into adulthood. The Growing Up in Ireland Study also clearly confirms this finding. Young people who took more exercise were less likely to be overweight or obese, especially in comparison to those who never exercised.As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs I have responsibility for the National Play and Recreation Policies, as set out in ‘READY, STEADY, PLAY! A National Play Policy’ and the ‘National Recreation Policy for Young People’. These seek to actively promote the participation of children and young people in play and exercise, an effective way of helping to maintain a healthy weight.
The Local Authority Play and Recreation Network - http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/PlayandRec/RecWeekEvents2012.pdf - was established by my Department in February 2012 to facilitate a more co-ordinated interagency approach to achieving the main goals of the play and recreation policies at both national and local level. An early achievement of the network has been the development, expansion and branding of National Play Day & National Recreation Week which now take place annually in Local Authority areas across the country in July and October of each year respectively. Targeted grants are provided to Local Authorities by my Department to encourage participation across the Local Authority network. In July 2012, National Play Day 2012 saw the largest ever participation with 26 Councils staging popular events on or around the dedicated date. National Recreation Week 2012 saw all counties in Ireland involved, for the first time ever. As previously announced I am providing €250,000 in capital funding in 2013 for play and recreation initiatives. Further details of this funding initiative will be announce in 2013.
A representative of my Department is a member of the Special Advisory Group on Obesity, established by the Minister for Health, which has developed a number of actions, in conjunction with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). These include technical support for providing calorie content information for small restaurant / coffee shop owners to facilitate young people in making healthy choices, and the development of Food and Nutrition guidelines for post primary schools.
908. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the Family Resource Centre National Forum will have a representative on the board of the new Family Support Agency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57981/12]
View answerThe composition of the Board of the Child and Family Support Agency is currently under consideration. While the composition of the Board will reflect the component organisations which are being amalgamated into the Child and Family Support Agency, the criteria for Board membership will be focused on ensuring that that Board members have the requisite mix of experience and competencies needed to steer such a large organisation providing a diverse range of personal services.
909. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is considering an amendment to the 2010 Adoption Act to extend the life of declarations in terms of the adoption process; when this task will be completed; if she will provide a time frame for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58035/12]
View answer910. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the Health Service Executive will be instructed to start reassessments for those whose declarations will expire in October 2013; the action that will be taken for prospective parents (details supplied) who have waited seven years to adopt; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58036/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 909 and 910 together.
I am currently examining a number of proposals in relation to amendments to the Adoption Act, 2010 including proposals relating to the extension of the life of declarations for the adoption process. Any changes will be brought forward in conjunction with the Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2012, which the Government plans to bring before the Oireachtas following the passing of the Children's Referendum.
I will revert to the Deputy with further information in due course.
