Written Answers Nos. 188-197
188. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to persons (details supplied) in County Offaly who has been approved for participation in the 2011 agri-environment options scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2177/13]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011 and full payment totalling €194.66 issued in respect of 2011.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. These checks have been completed and full payment totalling €584.00 issued in respect of the 2012 scheme year in December 2012.
189. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide by Department/Agency basis the number of persons who are seeking transfers to other locations; the number of transfers that took place in 2012 on a county basis on the number of transfers that took place in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2742/13]
View answerThere are currently 60 members of staff in my Department seeking transfers to another location within my Department.
My Department also operates the Central Transfer List, which is the agreed mechanism for transfers for grades represented by the Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU), i.e. Clerical Officer and Staff Officer. There are currently 2,697 applicants on this list from various Civil Service Departments including my Department.
There is a small number of my Department’s staff remaining on the Central Application Facility, which was the transfer list operated for decentralisation.
In 2012, 24 staff transfers took place on a county basis.
190. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reasoning behind the proposal to transfer clinical psychologists from the Health Service Executive to the new Child and Health Support Agency; the evidence based research on which this decision is based; her views on whether this decision is in the interest of children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2126/13]
View answerThe Government has given approval to the drafting of a Bill to establish the Child and Family Support Agency. Work on the preparation of the legislation is proceeding as a priority and the intention is that the Agency will be established as a priority. In order to inform the content of the legislation the Government has decided that upon establishment the Child and Family Support Agency will have responsibility for a range of services. This includes the full range of child welfare and protection services currently operated by the HSE including family support and alternative care services. Due to its particular relevance, it has also been decided to include domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services within the Agency's responsibilities. The Government has further decided that the new Agency will assume responsibility for the functions of both the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board. These two organisations currently operate under the aegis of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The draft legislation will also provide for the provision of community-based psychology services to children and families by the Agency. It is envisaged that this will involve the transfer of certain psychology staff currently employed by the HSE who are operating within a community setting.
The Government's consideration of these matters was informed, inter alia, by the content and recommendations of the Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency which I published in July 2012. I share the view of the Task Force that in order to achieve genuine improvements for children and families, the Agency must have a broader focus than child protection. It is my intention that the Agency will be as broadly based as possible and that it should include those services that (i) may prevent problems arising for a family in the first instance (ii) identify problems and provide supports at an early stage and (iii) assist children and families in managing serious problems requiring specialised interventions beyond their own resources.
Arising from the Government's consideration and decision with regard to the functions of the new Agency, it has been agreed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Health that an impact analysis will be jointly developed regarding the proposed future arrangements for the provision of the community psychology service as it relates to children and family services covered by the Child and Family Support Agency and to services provided by the HSE. This work will be undertaken as a priority.
I recently met with representatives from the Heads of the Psychology Services Ireland and with a delegation from the IMPACT trade union to discuss issues relating to the future governance and organisational arrangements for the provision of community based psychology services. Our shared objective is to ensure that the optimal national governance and service delivery framework is in place to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and families and other clients who need to avail of this key service. The views of the profession and its representatives will receive appropriate consideration as part of the impact analysis.
191. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in view of the recently announced child protection information system in the United Kingdom where instances of where children who may be at risk can be detected with the help of an online monitoring system when they are presented to accident and emergency units in hospitals and are recorded and monitored to assess risk and to lead to earlier intervention, if he has examined the UK proposals; if consideration has been given to a similar online system here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2138/13]
View answerThe Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, which I published in 2011, provides clarity and guidance for individuals and organisations in identifying and responding appropriately to child abuse and neglect. It also sets out what organisations that care for or work with children should do to ensure they are safe whilst in the care of the organisation. The Government has committed, as a priority, to the introduction of legislation to underpin Children First.
As regards the use of information technology in the children and family services, since taking office, it has been evident to me that there is a particular need to improve the quality and accuracy of information available from and within the HSE in relation to child protection services, together with a need to provide more timely and meaningful information. The introduction of the National Child Care Information System will help to greatly improve performance in this area. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that good progress is being made by the HSE with regard to the introduction of this system which is currently at contract stage.
The NCCIS will be the central system supporting Social Work services. As a social work case management system, it will be used to record and store the case history of every child and other clients of the service. Management information will be derived automatically from the case management system. The aim of the NCCIS project is to identify and procure an easy to use technology solution to support this type of case recording and to automatically provide management information. A first step was to develop agreed and consistent definitions and business processes across all social work offices. In this regard, a national standardised business process has been rolled out nationally. This will ensure that definitions used are consistent, for example, to ensure the number of recorded referrals relates to individual children and not families.
The introduction of the NCCIS is a high priority and will help to significantly improve the level, quality and accessibility of information in respect of Children and Family Services.
192. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 118 of 6 December 2012, the rates for foster payments that will apply in 2013. [2185/13]
View answerFostering involves caring for someone else’s child in one’s own home and providing a family life for a child. Foster care provides the best way for children to experience family life and begin to deal with their situation, whether for a short or long foster placement. The weekly Foster Care Allowance remains at €325 for children under 12 years and €352 for children over 12 years, for 2013. This allowance is paid to foster carers in recognition of the obligations placed on foster carers to meet the needs set out in the child’s statutory care plan and to meet the standards set out in the National Foster Care Standards.
193. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total estimated number of children illegally adopted; the further investigations she intends to carry out to ascertain same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2191/13]
View answerThe issue relates to children who were given at birth to other individuals who registered these children as their own and who are now unable to access personal records and information. The issue of illegal registrations of births is a matter for the General Registrations Office (GRO) under the remit of the Department of Social Protection. The GRO have advised that historically birth registration was based on a presumption of honesty and that cases of illegal registrations are referred to the Gardai Síochána.
I am informed by the Adoption Authority of Ireland that in mid-2010 the then Adoption Board conducted a review of information it retained of contact received from persons seeking to trace their natural parents where no adoption records existed. This exercise indicated that 99 people who had identified themselves to the Board as adopted, did not have a corresponding adoption file. Around 45 of these cases related to people born after 1953 and the balance related to persons born pre-1953.
A further 20 applications have since been made. The AAI have advised that approximately 50% of those who register are natural mothers seeking to trace their child while the other 50% are adults seeking to trace their natural parent(s). Many adults seeking to trace their natural parent(s) have 'Birth Certificates' which state that persons other than their natural parents were their natural parents. In many cases they are aware that the details contained in the Register of Births are false and that their birth was registered incorrectly.
As no adoption took place there would be no adoption file and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) can be of limited assistance. While the AAI has no statutory role in instances of illegal registrations of births it does facilitate the information and tracing process for such illegal registrations to the extent open to it, in particular through the National Contact Preference Register. When the former Adoption Board launched the National Adoption Contact Preference Register in 2005, provision was made for persons, who were party to the illegal registration of a child, to register an interest in the Register for possible future contact contact with another party sometime in the future.
194. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide by Department/Agency basis the number of persons who are seeking transfers to other locations; the number of transfers that took place in 2012 on a county basis on the number of transfers that took place in 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2744/13]
View answerThe mechanisms currently available to staff in my Department seeking a voluntary transfer to another location is directly through the Central Applications facility run by Public Applications Services (for remaining decentralisation locations) or to source a "Head to Head" transfer by directly contacting a person willing to transfer with them. My Department only becomes aware of such transfer requests when staff have identified a suitable opportunity. At such time it is at the discretion of the Departments concerned to agree to the transfer arrangements having regard to sick leave and performance assessments. The only exception to this arrangement is for staff seeking a transfer to the newly established Human Resource Shared Services Centre (HRSSC). Accordingly, this Department has no information on the number of persons seeking transfers to other locations.
In 2012, two members of staff sought the agreement of my Department to facilitate transfer arrangements, one to an office in Cork and the other to Dublin City Centre location. Both these transfers were facilitated.
As my Department does not gather information from Agencies in respect of their staff seeking transfers, I will arrange for this information to be collated and provided directly to the Deputy.
195. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he has received notification from nursing homes indicating an increase in the maintenance costs charged to patients currently covered under existing contracts under the fair deal scheme; if such increases are in order or require amendment to contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2231/13]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme provides financial support towards the cost of long-term residential care services in nursing homes. The cost of care in each nursing home that is participating in the Scheme is available on the HSE website athttp://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/Older_People_Services/nhss/costs.html.
The services which fall within the scope of long-term residential care are:
- nursing and personal care appropriate to the level of care needs of the person;
- bed and board;
- basic aids and appliances necessary to assist a person with the activities of daily living and,
- laundry service.
Incontinence wear, where required, is provided free of charge by the HSE to all Nursing Homes Support Scheme residents who possess a medical card.
Individuals availing of the Scheme should not be charged any additional fee over and above the contribution which has been calculated by the HSE, except where he or she chooses to obtain additional services over and above long-term residential care services. Under the Health Act 2007, (Care and Welfare of Residents in designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009, the Registered Provider must agree a contract with each resident within one month of their admission. This contract must include details of the services to be provided to that resident and the fees to be charged. Residents should not be charged fees which are not set out in the contract and agreed with the resident.
196. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when medical card will issue in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2232/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
197. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly may expect a hospital appointment [2061/13]
View answerShould the patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he/she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
