Written Answers Nos 91-120
91. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons on the waiting list for legal aid; the waiting time for each law centre in the country for persons awaiting legal services pursuant to legal aid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10751/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the Legal Aid Board is independent in the exercise of its functions, in accordance with Section 3 (3) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1994. Furthermore, as Minister for Justice and Equality, I am not responsible or accountable to the Dáil for the matter referred to in the Deputy's question.
However, in order to be of assistance I would like to inform the Deputy that the information sought for January 2015 (the most recent month for which information is available) is published on the Legal Aid Board's website and can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.legalaidboard.ie/lab/publishing.nsf/650f3eec0dfb990fca25692100069854/273b7532e2de83bc80257dff00314f78/$FILE/January%202015.pdf
92. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide data on all legislation enacted by his Department since March 2011 and the total number of amendments tabled by him. [10633/15]
View answerTable
|
Name of Act |
Bill Number |
Act Number |
Enacted on |
Were Amendments Proposed by the Minister? |
|
Adoption (Amendment) Act 2013 |
Bill Number 133 of 2013 |
Act Number 44 of 2013 |
20 December 2013 |
No |
|
Child and Family Agency Act 2013 |
Bill Number 81 of 2013 |
Act Number 40 of 2013 |
15 December 2013 |
Yes – figures to follow* |
|
Child Care (Amendment) Act 2013 |
Bill Number 10 of 2013 |
Act Number 5 of 2013 |
13 March 2013 |
No |
|
Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011 |
Bill Number 61 of 2009 |
Act Number 19 of 2011 |
31 July 2011 |
Yes – figures to follow* |
*As this information is not readily available to my Department the figures will be forwarded directly to Deputy Donnelly in due course.
93. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health when the rheumatologist position at Mayo General Hospital will be filled; the reason for the delay in making the appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10598/15]
View answerAs 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.
94. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be called for a procedure; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10601/15]
View answerAs 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.
95. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he has knowledge of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission investigating market structures and prices of pharmaceutical sales. [10626/15]
View answerI have not been made aware of any investigation by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in relation to the market structures and prices of pharmaceutical sales in Ireland.
96. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the details of negotiations of pharmaceutical supply contracts on behalf of the State and the Health Service Executive. [10627/15]
View answerMost drugs, medicines and consumable appliances which are paid for by the HSE are supplied to patients through over 1,800 community pharmacies who, in turn, purchase them from wholesalers or, to a lesser extent, directly from drug manufacturers, therefore the HSE is not involved in these supply contract negotiations.
The HSE is however involved in contract negotiations for the supply of drugs under the High Tech Drugs Arrangements. As the HSE is responsible for the administration of the High Tech Drugs Arrangements 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.
97. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if he will provide data on all legislation enacted by his Department since March 2011 and the total number of amendments tabled by him. [10640/15]
View answerThis information is being compiled in my Department and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.
98. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an intellectual disability and autism service (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10645/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
99. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the current capitation fees paid to general practitioners in respect of medical card holders under the general medical services scheme by category of medical card holder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10648/15]
View answerUnder the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GPs are reimbursed by the HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service for a range of services they provide to medical card and GP visit card holders. The current fee and allowance rates are set out in SI No. 277/2013 - Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to General Practitioners) Regulations 2013, which are available online at: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2013/en/si/0277.html.
The payments include an annual capitation payment in respect of each patient on the GP’s GMS list, irrespective of how many times they visit their doctor during the year. The capitation payment is based on the age and gender of the patient and if the patient is aged 70 years or more, whether they are residing in the community or in residential care.
The Capitation rates, which are listed at Schedule 1 of SI No. 277/2013 are set out in the following table:
SCHEDULE 1
Services rendered under the General Medical Services Scheme - Capitation Agreement - general practitioner capitation rates (all amounts inclusive of the former practice maintenance, equipment and development and former payments in respect of discretionary medical cards)
|
Reference Number (1) |
Description (2) |
Amount (3) |
|
1 |
Male patient aged under 5 years |
€ 74.59 |
|
2 |
Male patient aged 5 years or more and less than 16 years |
€ 43.29 |
|
3 |
Male patient aged 16 years or more and less than 45 years |
€ 55.26 |
|
4 |
Male patient aged 45 years or more and less than 65 years |
€ 110.38 |
|
5 |
Male patient aged 65 years or more and less than 70 years |
€ 116.00 |
|
6 |
Patient aged 70 years or more residing in the community |
€ 271.62 |
|
7 |
Patient aged 70 years or more residing in a private nursing home (approved by the HSE) for continuous periods in excess of 5 weeks |
€ 434.15 |
|
8 |
Female patient aged under 5 years |
€ 72.76 |
|
9 |
Female patient aged 5 years or more and less than 16 years |
€ 43.79 |
|
10 |
Female patient aged 16 years or more and less than 45 years |
€ 90.37 |
|
11 |
Female patient aged 45 years or more and less than 65 years |
€ 121.29 |
|
12 |
Female patient aged 65 years or more and less than 70 years |
€ 129.72 |
|
13 |
Supplementary out-of-hours fee |
€ 3.64 |
100. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the amount that has been paid in compensation over the past four years by the Health Service Executive either through the courts or by settlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10651/15]
View answerThe query raised by the Deputy is a matter for the HSE. Accordingly, I have asked the HSE to collate this information and respond directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
101. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the Health Service Executive area that has responsibility for the provision of required physiotherapy, occupational therapy and child and adolescent mental health services in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10669/15]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
102. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide information on the following service delivery (details supplied) contracted out by the Health Service Executive. [10675/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
103. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if an assessment by the early intervention team and access to appropriate speech and language therapy will be arranged in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [10678/15]
View answerAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
104. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Health if a person who had to stop paying for health insurance for a period due to a lower income but will purchase insurance after the deadline of 1 May 2015 will have to pay the community levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10680/15]
View answerLifetime Community Rating (LCR) is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age. Encouraging more people to join the market at younger ages helps spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all.
Private health insurance is optional. There is a nine month grace period, which expires on 30 April 2015, during which time as many people as want to can take out health insurance without incurring loadings. There are exemptions available for people who previously had health insurance but cancelled it. A credited period can apply for any periods of inpatient cover from age 23 years onwards. In addition, a credited period (in total not exceeding 3 years) is also available for individuals who previously had health insurance but relinquished cover since 1 January 2008 due to unemployment. In such cases, the level of loading will then be reduced by the relevant credited period(s).
The Health Insurance Authority website www.hia.ie contains additional information and includes an LCR calculator which provides a useful estimate of the level of loading that may apply.
105. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health if he will change the status of NorLevo (details supplied), currently licensed by the Health Regulatory Association, as being available only from behind the counter in pharmacies to allow women to avail of the product without the required consultation and approval of a pharmacist; and his views on the matter [10686/15]
View answerSince 2011, a number of levonorgestrel products, including Norlevo, have been reclassified from ‘prescription only’ to ‘pharmacy only’ supply for use as emergency contraception. This reclassification which increases public access to these medicines has been considered appropriate in light of the role of the pharmacist in ensuring the safe supply and correct use of these products. Without this essential input these medicines would continue to be available by prescription only and would not be readily accessible to patients through pharmacies.
The pharmacist is in a position in this context to provide advice and support with regard to this and related matters including advice on long-term contraceptive methods and information on sexually transmitted infections. This provides an opportunity for patients, should they require it, to access the advice and support of a trained healthcare professional, in a private and confidential setting, and further referral to a medical practitioner if necessary. Pharmacists provide a robust clinical service in assessing each patient’s suitability for the supply of levonorgestrel, screening for any potential drug interactions, side effects and co-morbidities. This is done to ensure that the health, well-being, care and safety of the patient is supported and maintained.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the statutory body, to regulate the practice and profession of pharmacy in Ireland has issued a guidance document ‘PSI Guidance for Pharmacists on the Safe Supply of Non-Prescription Medicinal Products Containing Levonorgestrel 1500mcg for Emergency Hormonal Contraception’, which provides guidance for pharmacists in fulfilling their professional responsibilities in the supply of these medicines. The guidance document was reviewed, updated and circulated to the profession in February 2015 and is available on the PSI website.
Due to the nature of this medicinal product, its therapeutic indication and its potential for drug interactions and side effects, the supply of levonorgestrel by a pharmacist is deemed an appropriate and robust mechanism to ensure the safety of patients is assured, whilst facilitating patient access to these medicines in a timely manner.
The sale and supply of levenorgestrel for the indication of emergency contraception is also confined to pharmacies in other EU Member States.
106. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the total annual cost of subsidies or other expenditure by the State made to private health insurance for the risk equalisation mechanism for the past three years. [10699/15]
View answerNo subsidy or state expenditure occurs under the Risk Equalisation Scheme. The Scheme is designed to be Exchequer neutral, and is neither a cost nor a benefit to the State.
The Stamp Duty Consolidation Act provides for the collection of the community rating levy by the Revenue Commissioners from insurers in respect of all policies written. The Health Insurance Acts provide for all of the monies collected to be paid over to the Risk Equalisation Fund, which is administered by the independent regulator, the Health Insurance Authority.
This legislation further provides that the Authority redistributes the fund back to the market through credits payable to insurers in respect of insured older lives (aged 60 and over) to offset some of the additional cost of insuring older and less healthy members and pays a credit to insurers in respect of overnight stays in hospital for all ages. This allows all insured persons to continue to pay the same net amount for a given health insurance product and helps to support affordable premiums for all.
107. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on correspondence regarding the provision of health supports such as speech and language therapy in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10710/15]
View answerAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
108. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health in view of the current overcrowding issue in Naas General Hospital, County Kildare, the steps he is taking to address the problem; if temporary buildings could be put in place to alleviate the overcrowding until a longer-term solution can be found; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10715/15]
View answerAs 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.
109. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will investigate the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath who believes he was removed in error from the waiting list of a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, County Louth; if he will be reinstated to this waiting list; if a timeframe for surgery might be indicated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10717/15]
View answerWith regard to specific complaints in relation to experiences of individuals in our hospitals, there is a formal complaints policy, entitled “Your Service Your Say”,details of which are on the HSE website, at:http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/yourhealthservice/feedback/complaints/. In accordance with this procedure, a complaint must be made in the first instance to the hospital in which the incident causing the complaint occurred.
If an individual is not satisfied with the response from the hospital, a review can be sought from the HSE Director of Advocacy and the Ombudsman, whose details are set out below.
HSE Director of Advocacy
Oak House
Millennium Park
Naas
Co. Kildare
Tel 1890 424 555
Office of the Ombudsman
18, Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Tel 1890 223 030
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie
I have asked the HSE to answer the specific queries you have raised and to reply 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.
110. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of general practitioners nationwide and their earnings under the general medical services scheme for 2012, 2013, and 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10733/15]
View answerAs this information relates to service issues and is not routinely provided to my Department, I have asked the Health Service Executive to reply directly to the Deputy on these matters. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
111. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the numbers diagnosed with and being treated for thyroid problems in 2012, 2013, 2014 and to date in 2015. [10740/15]
View answerData on the total number of people diagnosed with and being treated for thyroid disorders each year are not available.
However, data from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) system showing the numbers of hospitalisations with a principal or secondary diagnosis of disorders of the thyroid gland (ICD-10-AM E00 – E07) are contained in the following table:
|
Year* |
Number of hospitalisations |
|
2012 |
11,592 |
|
2013 |
12,074 |
|
2014* |
12,400 |
* Data for 2014 are provisional.
Data for 2015 are not sufficiently complete for reporting purposes.
Note that these data are based on discharges from publicly funded acute hospitals. It is important to note also that these data may include multiple admissions of the same patient and should not be construed as an estimate of the prevalence of thyroid disorders.
112. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the amount it would cost to fully open all operating theatres each day at Cappagh Hospital, Dublin 11. [10742/15]
View answerAs 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.
113. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of fair deal beds available in Dublin for the years 2012, 2013, 2014 and to date in 2015. [10743/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
114. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the SouthDoc service in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10745/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
115. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting placement under the fair deal scheme; the average waiting time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10750/15]
View answerAs of the 2 March 2015 (latest figures available) there were 1,218 people on the national placement list for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme with an average wait time of 11 weeks. The budget for the Scheme in 2015 is €948.8m which reflects an increase of €10m from the 2014 position. The additional €10m was allocated to the Scheme as part of a wider initiative to alleviate the problem of delayed discharges in acute hospitals and has resulted in 300 extra approvals under the Scheme.
116. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason Irish citizens have to prove they are using their Irish name on all correspondence for at least two years before they can get their Irish name placed on their passport and his plans to review this procedure. [10617/15]
View answerThe Passport Service is committed to the use and promotion of the Irish language. This is reflected in the name policy which is applied under the Passports Act, 2008 (the Act). Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his/her birth certificate. If the Irish form of the name is registered on the birth certificate, this name will appear on the passport. However, name change from that which appears on a person’s birth certificate is permitted under the Act in situations such as marriage.
Where the requested name to appear on the passport is different from the registered birth name – other than by marriage - the Passport Service requires evidence in respect of the use of this new name and identity over a two year period. There is discretion under the Act in terms of the two year proof of usage requirement but care must be taken by the Department to mitigate the risk that name change requests are being used for identity swapping purposes.
To this end, the Passport Service has put in place an option for those citizens who may wish to use the Irish form of their names, but who lack the full two years proof of use. In these circumstances, the Irish form of the name will be personalised on the passport with the birth name added as an observation on the passport. Once the two year proof of usage has been obtained, the passport holder can re-apply for a new passport in his/her Irish name without any observation.
This policy seeks to protect the integrity and security of our passports against passport or identity fraud, while at the same time balancing the wishes of those genuine citizens, who wish to use the Irish language more frequently in their daily lives.
117. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide data on all legislation enacted by his Department since March 2011 and the total number of amendments tabled by him. [10639/15]
View answerI sponsored two items of legislation in 2012 and the information requested by the Deputy is set out below. The information provided as follows is also available from the Oireachtas website:
|
Name of Bill |
No of Government amendments tabled/accepted in the Seanad |
No of other amendments tabled/accepted in the Seanad |
|
European Communities (Amendment) Bill 2012 |
None/None |
None/None |
|
Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution Bill (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) Bill, 2012 |
None/None |
None/None |
118. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in the six months since the ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, not a single house has been rebuilt under the United Nation’s temporary Gaza reconstruction mechanism; and in view of aid organisations estimating that at the current rate of reconstruction it will take 100 years to rebuild Gaza, his views that the Gaza reconstruction mechanism is not fit for purpose. [10692/15]
View answerMy Department closely monitors the situation in Gaza, including the pace of the reconstruction. When I recently visited Gaza, I was struck by the desperation of the humanitarian situation for so many people.
I met with Pierre Krahenbuhl, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and with a number of families directly affected by the conflict. I raised with Foreign Minister Liberman the need to make further progress in lifting the blockade, to meet humanitarian need and as an enabler of social and economic progress. Commissioner General Krahenbuhl visited Brussels last week to meet with senior representatives of the EU, including representatives of Member States, and to share his concerns about the plight of vulnerable Palestinian refugees and the need for a political engagement to address their situation.
One of the big challenges for the reconstruction of Gaza is that much of the money committed at the Cairo Conference on Reconstruction has not yet materialized. I was pleased to announce funding of €4.7 million for UNRWA and the UN’s Emergency Response Fund in the course of my visit.
As for the reconstruction effort so far, in a briefing to the UN Security Council on 18 February, the UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman reported that the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism is providing a measure of hope that genuine progress can be achieved. He said that the GRM is functioning and delivering concrete results, citing statistics including the more than 47,000 individuals who have already procured construction material.
The Government has consistently and repeatedly called for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza. In my address to the major international conference on Gaza reconstruction held in Cairo on 12 October 2014, I said:
“The process begun in the 26 August ceasefire must continue, and both sides must work with the Egyptian mediators to address the underlying issues and find a new path in Gaza. This must mean an end to attacks from Gaza on Israel, but also an end to the unjust blockade which has endured now for seven years. This should begin with a real opening of supplies of materials needed for reconstruction, including of essential infrastructure such as water, sewage and power. Every effort must be made to ensure that humanitarian goods and personnel are guaranteed safe and unimpeded access to Gaza. But it must then continue to the end of senseless restrictions on ordinary economic and human life. The only way to reduce support for militarism among people in Gaza is to allow them to work and export their produce, to find jobs, to feel part of the wider Palestinian people and the wider world.”
119. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps that have been taken to publicise the advice his Department published in June 2014 advising Irish citizens, and businesses, regarding involvement in financial and economic activities in Israeli settlements; and if representations have been made to the private sector to ensure the advice is being made known. [10693/15]
View answerOn 3 July 2014, my Department published advice to Irish citizens and business on financial and economic activities in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Advice along these lines has also been issued by many of our EU partners. The advice is intended to provide advice to the general public, investors and companies on the potential legal, reputational and economic risks arising from conducting economic activity in the settlements which are illegal under international law.
The publication of this advice was marked by the issuance of a press release described the advice as ‘a further step in making clear our opposition to the illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’.
The advice is available on the website of my Department as well as via the website of our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Representative Office in Ramallah. Our travel advice on Israel and the Occupied Territories references and links to the advice in question.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has referenced the advice issued by my Department in a recent report (A/HRC/28/43).
I should also mention that my Department has committed to develop a National Plan on Business and Human Rights, which will assist companies in advancing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). As this process goes forward, it will take account of the advice issued on business activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory last year.
The UNGPs were adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 and as a member of the Council, Ireland along with all members of the EU, is committed to supporting the UNGPs on Business and Human Rights.
The National Plan will be designed to help Government departments, State agencies, Irish companies, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) operating in Ireland and Irish enterprises operating abroad adhere to and promote the UNGPs. The Human Rights Unit of my Department is leading the development of the plan. A wide consultation process is being undertaken. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade NGO Forum on Human Rights which took place on 7 November 2014 provided the opportunity for NGOs, trade unions, academics and business to exchange views on the plan and possible actions. My Department has received 25 submissions in relation to the proposed national plan and is keen to encourage engagement with this process.
120. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the full financial cost of implementing the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 in full; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10600/15]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published a Plan for the Implementation the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act.
This report, which was published in 2006, made recommendations which suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement the EPSEN Act.
My Department's opinion is that the level of investment required could be greater than that envisaged in the NCSE report. However, a total estimate of this amount has not been quantified. Further consideration of this issue would also have to take account of pricing adjustments in the period since the publication of the NCSE report.
A number of sections of the EPSEN Act have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to education of children.
It is intended to bring into effect many of the good ideas contained in the EPSEN Act, on a non-statutory basis initially, through policy developments across a range of areas, in conjunction with NCSE policy advice.
