Robert Troy
Question:170. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding funding for a youth café (details supplied) in County Longford. [6447/15]
View answerYouth Cafés Provision
Questions (170)
Written answers
In 2013, €1.5m in capital funding was made available to my Department for a Youth Café scheme. Pobal assisted my Department to administer this scheme. In all 95 applications with proposals were received and some 30 proposals for new youth cafés facilities around the country were approved for funding. These projects are now working with Pobal to develop their projects to the next stage of development. An application for funding was received in respect of the Attic Youth Café, however, the application was deemed ineligible for the scheme.
Representations on behalf of the project have been received in my Department. There have been meetings with the then Ministers for Children and Youth Affairs and officials last year, while officials from my Department and from Pobal met with the project representatives last September. Officials are engaging with the relevant stake-holders and examining all aspects of the Attic's application for funding. The outcome of this examination will be communicated to the project when this process is complete. Pending the outcome of this examination, my Department is not in a position to determine what steps, if any, may be available to the proposers to advance the project.
My Department does not have available to it, a new capital fund for the development of youth cafés in 2015. Youth cafés offer young people a safe, alcohol and drug free space, for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities. Over the period 2011 to 2013 capital funding made available to my Department has supported the development of some 100 youth café facilities throughout the country. The development of youth café facilities will continue to be a priority should further capital funding become available to my Department in future years.
Longford Youth Service receives funding on an annual basis from my Department under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme. In 2015, funding of €74,651 has been allocated to Longford Youth Services to support the provision of services to young people in the locality.
Youth Cafés Provision
Questions (171)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:171. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding funding for the development of youth facilities and a youth café for a location (details supplied) in County Kildare; if this funding has been awarded to date; if not, when it is planned to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6455/15]
View answerWritten answers
In recent years capital funding has been made available to my Department for the development of youth café facilities. In 2013 a capital allocation of €1.5m was made available by my Department for the provision of new youth cafes. Pobal assisted my Department with the administration of the scheme. Some 95 applications were received and 30 proposals for new youth cafes around the country were approved for funding.
I am advised that an application was received in respect of a youth café in Monasterevin from Kildare Youth Services. However, the application was unsuccessful on this occasion as it did not achieve a sufficiently high score for inclusion in the final list of projects approved for funding. An application from County Kildare Youth Hub in Kildare Town was successful and has received a capital grant of €50,000 towards the cost of developing a new youth café facility. The group is working with Pobal to complete the youth café project.
My Department does not have available to it a capital fund for the development of new youth cafés in 2015.
Youth Cafés offer young people a safe, alcohol and drug free space, for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities and they make an important contribution to facilities for young people at local level. The development of youth café facilities is a priority for my Department should further capital funding become available in future years.
School Completion Programme
Questions (172)
Colm Keaveney
Question:172. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the school completion programme funding in an area (details supplied) in County Galway will be protected in 2015; if Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is seeking savings from this programme as it has been cut by 33% since 2008; his plans on reversing those cuts in 2015 or 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6470/15]
View answerWritten answers
The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are risk of educational disadvantage. The Programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. It provides targeted supports annually to approximately 36,000 children.
As with all programmes involving significant expenditure, the School Completion Programme budget was subject to examination under the terms of the 2011 Comprehensive Review of Expenditure. This process identified a requirement for savings of 6.5% per annum across the programme over the period 2012 to 2014.
Since 1st January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, an allocation of €24.756 million has been provided for the School Completion Programme. The Agency has approved local projects' school retention plans for the 2014/2015 academic year. The first instalment of 2014/15 funding issued to local projects last September. Further payments totalling approximately €9.5m have issued over the past month, with a third instalment planned for payment in May 2015.
The Tuam School Completion project comprises three primary schools and two post-primary schools in the areas mentioned by the Deputy. I am advised that an amount of €131,976 was allocated by the Agency to the project for the school year 2014-2015. The amount provided for 2014-2015 takes account of the savings requirements in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure 2012-2014. The allocation of the funding across the range of interventions planned for young people and between the local schools in the School Completion Programme project for the area is a matter for the Local Management Committee.
The estimate for the Child and Family Agency for 2015 is €631 million, a 4.3% increase on its 2014 allocation. My Department has recently issued a Performance Statement to the Agency under Section 45 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013. This includes my priorities for consideration in the development of the Agency's 2015 Business Plan. The Business Plan will set out the Agency's proposed activities, programmes and priorities for 2015, including provision for the School Completion Programme, in the light of the monies available.
A review of the School Completion Programme has commenced. It is being carried out by the ESRI following a procurement process managed by the Agency. The programme has been in operation since 2002 and I believe that it is timely that a review be carried out. The Review is an important initiative to plan for the future development of this Programme. Preliminary information gathered on the programme indicates that the School Completion Programme encompasses a broad and diverse range of measures and interventions that have been developed by local projects over the years. It is envisaged that the review will be completed during the 2014-2015 academic year.
Question No. 173 withdrawn.
Primary Care Centres Data
Questions (174)
Colm Keaveney
Question:174. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, for each operational area of the Health Service Executive, the numbers waiting for counselling in the primary care service for an initial appointment, in total, for more than three months, for more than six months, for more than nine months, for more than one year, for more than two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6356/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (175)
Martin Heydon
Question:175. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health the options that are available for those with torn cartilage injuries who are on waiting lists for over six months, some of whom are fearful of losing their job due to their ongoing injuries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6365/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (176)
Brendan Griffin
Question:176. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a date for a magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, scan will be provided in respect of a person in Country Kerry (details provided); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6368/15]
View answerWritten answers
In relation to the particular patient query raised by you, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (177)
Robert Troy
Question:177. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will prioritise foot surgery in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford. [6370/15]
View answerWritten answers
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
Medical Card Applications
Questions (178)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:178. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6371/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office which will follow up the matter with them.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme Expenditure
Questions (179, 180)
Billy Kelleher
Question:179. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a specific timeframe and commitment in respect of when updated cost of care figures for public nursing units will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6373/15]
View answerBilly Kelleher
Question:180. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason there is lack of transparency in respect of the cost of care under the nursing home support scheme, in respect of public nursing homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6374/15]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together.
Currently the HSE is undergoing a process of the review of all costs associated with both long stay and short stay care services across the public system. This review is informed by the work of service improvement teams who have been examining the service type, costs associated with its provision, and the element of quality and safety, as required under the residential care standards. The teams are providing analysis, assessments and recommendations on any improvements that are required. This work is ongoing and leading to actions that are embedded in terms of good practice and value for money.
Under the auspices of Haddington Road and the Joint Oversight Group, there is also a task group in place for the purposes of examining the costs of services that are being provided, particularly linked to staffing levels and skill mix in public services. The task group has representatives from the HSE, the INMO, SIPTU and INAD. This ongoing piece of work is set to conclude in the coming weeks and make recommendations to the Joint Oversight Group with regards to these particular issues. It is hoped that agreement can be reached, and this can be implemented in the course of 2015.
Therefore, in this context the HSE intends to publish its revised costs of care later in the year as the work comes to finality and the staffing and skill mix requirements are being implemented.