Written Answers Nos. 416-433
417. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an insulin pump in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35920/14]
View answerI understand that the HSE wrote to you in relation to this matter on the 9th July. I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly to update you on the matter.
418. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of designated centres for the care of the elderly regulated under the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2009 which have major non-compliances in meeting the mandatory requirements to provide privacy and dignity due to insufficient physical design and layout; if he will provide the number of outstanding work plan applications by the Health and Safety Authority to his Department to rectify the situation; the location and estimates of costs of these proposals; and his plans to provide funding to allow these centres to meet the legal standards of the legislation intended to ensure the maintenance, care, welfare and well-being of persons resident in a designated centre. [35922/14]
View answerAbout 20% of nursing homes are run directly by the HSE, with the balance operated by voluntary and private providers.
The National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland, which lay down the requirements that must be met by nursing homes across the State, are administered by the Health Information and Quality Authority. There are 32 Standards in all, and they address all aspects of service in relevant facilities.
I have no information on the number of private or voluntary facilities who may face compliance issues relating to their physical structure, but I can say that a significant number of public facilities do face particular challenges in this regard. This is not surprising given the age of public facilities (25% are over 100 years), and the HSE has been in direct touch with HIQA on how best to protect the interests of those who reside in relevant facilities. At this point in time it is not yet clear what the final cost will be of the most urgent remedial measures.
419. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the remuneration package for each chief executive officer of State or semi-State organisations under the aegis of his Department; the changes made to such remuneration in the past two years; the remuneration package for each acting CEO if such exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35949/14]
View answerThe information regarding the remuneration package of Chief Executive Officers under the aegis of my Department is being collated. I will forward a detailed reply to the Deputy when the information becomes available.
420. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the conditions or circumstances in which an Irish person can obtain a second passport. [35718/14]
View answerI can confirm that the Passport Service does operate a system to provide a second passport to Irish citizens who are regularly required to travel into countries where possession of an entry/exit stamp or visa from another state would likely prevent a person’s entry into that country. A second passport is also provided in circumstances where the holder can show that their passport is held for regular periods of time at Embassies while waiting to obtain a visa, preventing the individual from other regular travel plans. Applicants are required to complete the standard passport application form and additionally include a letter from their employer detailing the circumstances of the case and providing sample travel plans which show regular travel into the countries concerned.
421. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the funding allocated to date under this year's emigrant support programme; if funding is being provided to support emigrants in countries such as Australia to which large numbers of Irish people have emigrated in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35240/14]
View answerThe Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) provides funding to not-for-profit organisations and projects to support Irish communities overseas and to encourage closer links between these communities and Ireland. The primary emphasis of Emigrant Support Programme funding is on supporting culturally sensitive frontline welfare services targeting the most vulnerable members of our overseas communities. These services have made a substantive difference to the lives of Irish communities overseas, reducing homelessness, tacking social isolation, and enabling Irish emigrants to access the local statutory entitlements. The Programme has evolved in light of recent emigration to respond to the needs of the newer profile of Irish emigrants, including young families, in countries such as Australia and Canada. Emigrant Support Programme funding is increasingly directed to Irish welfare centres in those countries which play an important role in supporting Irish emigrants, including new arrivals, who experience particular challenges. Over €2.4 million of funding was allocated to organisations in Australia under the Programme between 2003 and 2013. This network of Irish community support organisations offers a range of responses including information provision, outreach and crisis assistance. Organisations supported in Australia include the Irish Australian Welfare Bureau and Resource Centre New South Wales, Claddagh Association Perth and the Irish Australian Support Association of Queensland.
Our Embassies and Consulates continue to ensure widespread awareness of the Programme and have actively encouraged applications for new projects from regions that support new arrivals. To date in 2014 expenditure of over €9,370,000 has been approved. A number of grant applications are currently being processed and I would be happy to provide the Deputy with a complete list of 2014 grants following the end of the financial year.
422. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his contacts with the Egyptian authorities regarding the detention of an Irish citizen (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35241/14]
View answerMy Department and the Irish Embassy in Cairo continue to provide consular assistance to this individual and close consular support to his family, both in Ireland and in Egypt. I have taken a close personal interest in the case. I have met with the family concerned and have had a number of phone calls and contacts with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Minister Shoukry, in this regard. In those contacts, I have asked that the charges against this individual be reviewed, and that he be released and permitted to return home to Ireland. The considered and persistent actions taken to date by the Embassy in Cairo and officials in my Department have also been in pursuit of that objective, and to support this individual’s welfare and well-being while he remains in detention. I raised this case with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Catherine Ashton at the recent Gymnich meeting of Foreign Ministers on 29 and 30 August 2014.
Ireland is precluded from directly interfering with the judicial process in Egypt. This is a difficult case in a complex and challenging context.
However, our concern at the continued and lengthy period of detention has been raised with the Egyptian authorities in a clear and sustained manner, as has the critical importance of due process in this case. I have also emphasised that this individual was only seventeen when the alleged offences took place. It is the Government’s view that this individual should not be tried as part of a group trial involving a large number of defendants and on the basis of group charges, but solely on the basis of specific evidence.
The Embassy of Ireland in Cairo has been in sustained and direct contact with the Egyptian authorities in relation to the case, and contacts have included numerous meetings at Ambassadorial level with senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Justice, and the office of the Prosecutor General. Consular officials, including the Irish Ambassador to Egypt Isolde Moylan, have visited this person on 24 separate occasions. The Ambassador and Consul from the Embassy also attended what was to have been an initial hearing in the case on 12 August. Diplomats from the Embassy have also met with his lawyer to discuss the case.
On 6 August 2014 this individual was moved from the prison where he had previously been held. During a visit by a representative of the Embassy on 19 August, he raised concerns with the Embassy about his treatment and conditions at the prison. Following representations by the Embassy, on 20 August he was moved to a separate section of the prison which we are satisfied has more favourable conditions and a better environment for the individual. Consular officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin have met with family representatives on nine separate occasions and continue to keep the family updated and provide consular assistance.
The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis raised this case with the then Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy, and the Prosecutor General, Hisham Barakat, during his visit to Cairo in February 2014.
My predecessor the then Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, raised this case with the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 23 June 2014. This followed a letter from the then Tánaiste to Lady Ashton on 9 May 2014. Also, the then Tánaiste raised concerns at this person’s detention with the then Egyptian Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy, on 11 November and 23 December 2013.
The then Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohue TD, also raised the case in person with High Representative Ashton at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on 12 May 2014.
In March 2014, the former Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter TD wrote to the then Egyptian Minister for Justice Abdel-Moneim Othman, raising the Government’s concerns at the individual’s continued detention.
Together with Ambassador Moylan and consular officials in my Department I will continue to seek a review of his case, his release and return to his family and, in the meantime, to provide all possible consular assistance to this individual and his family.
423. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on plans regarding the overseas development programme in 2015. [35642/14]
View answer425. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of the improving financial circumstances of the State, if the financial contribution made by the Government on behalf of the Irish people towards assisting developing nations and humanitarian projects will be increased at a minimum in line with inflation so that Ireland begins to move towards achieving the UN's target on development aid of 0.7% of gross national income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35795/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 425 together.
The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme, which is at the heart of our foreign policy. Our policy on International Development, “One World, One Future” clearly articulates our vision for a sustainable and just world, and sets out our goals and areas of focus for the coming years. The policy restates our commitment to achieving the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA), when economic circumstances permit.
Since coming to office, this Government has managed to successfully stabilise the budget for development assistance. This is a significant achievement, in extremely difficult budgetary and fiscal circumstances. In 2011 we provided €657 million for ODA, and between 2012 and 2013 our allocation to ODA increased slightly from €629 million to €637 million. For 2014 we expect to provide in excess of €600 million on ODA.
These are substantial allocations of public funds and provide clear evidence of our support and commitment to the aid programme. They also represent a genuine investment on behalf of the Irish people in assisting those less fortunate than ourselves. The estimates process for 2015 is now well advanced. The allocations for ODA, as with allocations to all Government Departments, will be framed in the context of our policy commitments and the overall budgetary circumstances we face. They will ultimately be a decision for Government. Nonetheless, I can assure the Deputy, that I and the Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade will make the strongest case possible for the development assistance programme in the Budget to be announced by the Minister for Finance on 14 October.
424. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he is taking to have Israel held to account for war crimes against the innocent attending or sheltering in clearly marked UN-run schools in Gaza over the period of its onslaught against the population of Gaza during the months of July and August, resulting in those specific cases in the deaths of 45 people, including 17 children; if he protested to the Israeli ambassador to Ireland on behalf of the people of Ireland and on what terms. [35703/14]
View answerThe UN agency UNRWA runs some 252 schools in Gaza, located in 130 buildings throughout the Strip. During the recent conflict, most of these schools were used to provide shelter to large numbers of civilians who were fleeing from other areas. Some 111 schools were damaged in the conflict, in most cases from the effects of impacts nearby. However, in seven cases it appears that school premises were directly hit by fire, leading to large numbers of casualties among people sheltering there, including children. It is likely in most cases, and certain in some, that missiles or artillery shells fired by Israeli forces were responsible. In at least one case however, Israel stated that its forces had not been involved, and that the blast resulted from a missile, fired from Gaza towards Israel, dropping short in Gaza itself. This is not an unknown occurrence, and we have no means ourselves at this point of ascertaining exactly what happened. Nor do we know if incidents of schools being hit by Israeli fire were intentional or not, although in some cases at least it seems likely that the school was the intended target. It is also necessary to be clear that in a number of cases UNRWA itself discovered rockets and other weapons hidden in school buildings without its knowledge. In each case UNRWA disposed of the munitions and made public the facts. Such incidents do not of course justify in any way any subsequent attacks on schools housing refugees, nor does there seem to have been any correlation between the two. It is however an indication of the complexities involved.
The UN Human Rights Council has established an investigative panel to examine all of these alleged or apparent abuses of human rights or breaches of international law. We support such an investigation, and will give it every possible assistance. I hope very much that the panel will be able to determine the truth of what happened in these cases. I would urge the Israeli authorities to co-operate fully with the panel.
On behalf of the Government, I clearly and consistently condemned the causing of large scale civilian casualties during the conflict, including attacks on schools and shelters. On 25 July I spoke directly with the Israeli Ambassador, following which I issued a statement including as follows:
“I expressed my own deep disquiet and the grave concerns of the Irish Government and people at the escalation of violence in Gaza and at yesterday’s latest atrocity which saw an UN-run school hit and at least 15 civilians killed and more than 200 wounded, including many children. Such attacks on civilian institutions such as schools and hospitals are utterly unacceptable, contrary to international law and must stop immediately.”
At my direction, similar concerns were also expressed by the Irish Ambassador directly to the Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv.
426. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the way Ireland is contributing to international efforts to combat ebola; if the amount of resources directed towards this will be prioritised and increased in view of the significant threat level. [35856/14]
View answerThe Ebola outbreak, officially confirmed in Guinea in March 2014, has since spread rapidly to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The World Health Organisation is currently estimating the total number of probable and confirmed cases in the region at more than 5,600, with a fatality rate of over 50%. Ireland is supporting the efforts of the EU, UN and international community to provide a strong and effective response to the crisis, which is focused both on stopping the spread of the virus and treating those affected. Ireland was one of the co-sponsors of a UN Security Council resolution on Ebola adopted on 18 September, which led to the establishment of a new UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
The two countries most seriously affected by the Ebola crisis, Liberia and Sierra Leone, are partner countries of Ireland for our development aid programme. We have already provided funding of €350,000 direct to NGO organisations working on the Ebola response there, particularly those that are involved in a very important programme of community sensitisation aimed specifically at halting the spread of the Ebola virus. Yesterday I announced additional funding of €660,000 for UNICEF, to provide life-saving nutritional supplies to children who have been affected by the crisis. One in five of those infected are children and, given the disproportionate impact of the virus on women and the high mortality rates, many children are also losing their mothers to the disease.
My Department is also working through the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra, Ghana to mobilise pre-positioned Irish humanitarian supplies worth €350,000 with a view to early distribution to those most affected, including survivors and vulnerable children. A member of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps is also being deployed to Dakar, Senegal, to work with the World Food Programme in setting up an air transit centre for use by the UN Humanitarian Air Service.
This funding and support is in addition to our ongoing development programmes in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The 2014 programme budgets for the two countries amount to just under €10 million, a considerable proportion of which will need to be re-directed to fighting the spread of the virus and establishing further treatment facilities. Irish Aid also annually funds development work in the two countries by our NGO partners - amounting last year to in excess of €6 million.
We are continuing to monitor the situation closely, in particular through our Embassy in Freetown which is actively engaged and working with the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia, the UN, EU and our NGO partners, in responding to the outbreak.
427. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the remuneration package for each chief executive officer of State or semi-State organisations under the aegis of his Department; the changes made to such remuneration in the past two years; the remuneration package for each acting CEO if such exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35948/14]
View answerThere are no State or semi-State organisations under the aegis of my Department.
428. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills while recognising the supports currently available under the student assistance fund, her plans to allow recipients of the BETA access to maintenance payments under the SUSI scheme as allowed for by recipients of the one-parent family payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35259/14]
View answerThe main financial support available to students attending further and higher education courses is my Department's Student Grant Scheme. Under the student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
Students who qualify for the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), may be considered for support for the student contribution under the student grant scheme provided they satisfy the conditions of the relevant Student Grant Scheme and Student Support Regulations including those relating to residence, nationality, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. Since September 2010, all new applicants in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses, are no longer eligible for maintenance support under the student grant scheme. However, the cost of the student services charge and tuition fees payable to colleges continues to be met for eligible students by the Exchequer. The BTEA is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to enable participation in second and third level education by allowing eligible people on certain social welfare payments to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. Recipients of the One Parent Family Payment are not required by the Department of Social Protection to transfer to the BTEA upon registration on a course of further or higher education. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. The fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis. In addition to the student grant, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
429. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding for fee-paying schools. [35799/14]
View answer467. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funding for schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35854/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 429 and 467 together.
I wish to inform the Deputies that I have been in discussions with all the education partners, which included Pre-Budget matters. I met with the Joint Managerial Body which represents all voluntary secondary schools, including fee charging schools. I received their Pre-Budget 2015 submissions, which covered the matters raised by the Deputies. The Deputies will appreciate that I cannot at this stage anticipate any specific decisions the Government may take in the next Budget.
430. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15, who is finding it difficult to find a school place for their child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35218/14]
View answerThe selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place for every applicant, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act, 1998, each school is legally obliged to disclose its enrolment policy and to ensure that as regards that policy that principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parents choice are respected. Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld. Application forms for taking a section 29 appeal are available on my Departments website at the following link http://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/Appeal-against-Permanent-Exclusion-Suspension-or-Refusal-to-Enrol/Section-29-Appeals-Application-Form.doc, or by contacting Section 29 Administration Unit, Friars Mill Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, phone 0761 108588. An appeal should be made within 42 calendar days from the date the decision of the board of management was notified to the parent. The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency, Block 3, Floor 1, Grove court, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, phone number 01-8103260.
431. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a higher education grant was refused for the second year when granted for the first year in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if eligibility will be reviewed in view of the family's dependence on social welfare assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35235/14]
View answerUnder the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded a grant covering fees for the 2012/13 academic year. However, his student grant application for the 2014/15 academic year was refused on the basis that the reckonable income exceeds the prescribed limit for the award of grant assistance. SUSI advised that a member of their assessment team spoke to the applicant's father on the 20th August 2014 to confirm the household income, and a letter was subsequently issued to the student on the 29th August 2014 advising that he was not eligible for funding. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the appeals officer in SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form is available to download from http://www.studentfinance.ie/downloads/1375344221/2013_SGAB_appeal_form.pdf.
432. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills with regard to the means assessment used by Student Universal Support Ireland the reason net income is not the basis of the eligibility decision; the way she will address the fact that tens of thousands of young people are being priced out of higher education due to their parents' income being only slightly above the threshold to qualify for grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35248/14]
View answerThe assessment of means under my Department's student grant scheme is based on gross income from all sources. Therefore, all income is assessed from the same starting point, eliminating any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions. The means test arrangements of the student grant scheme are applied nationally. In the case of both employed and self-employed applicants, gross income is assessed with certain specified social welfare and health service executive payments excluded. The eligibility of an applicant, or the level of the grant awarded, may be re-assessed by the awarding authority in the event of a change of circumstances in the academic year. I have no plans at present to depart from the above practice in respect of the determination of income.
433. Deputy Michael P. Kitt asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to review the school transport scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35274/14]
View answerThe purpose of my Department's School Transport Schemes is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. The terms of the School Transport Schemes are applied equitably on a national basis and I have no plans to review the schemes.
