Written Answers Nos. 178-188
178. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the current status of the bilateral agreement between Ireland and Russia for inter-country adoptions; the timeframe for the conclusion of this agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25361/15]
View answerThe Adoption Act, 2010, provides for adoptions from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on Adoption and from countries where there is a bilateral agreement in place. Currently, adoptions are taking place with countries that have ratified the Convention. The Russian Federation has not ratified the Convention and therefore a bilateral agreement is necessary.
Efforts have been on-going in relation to a bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption between Ireland and the Russian Federation for a number of years. There have been a number of meetings with officials from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and a delegation from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation regarding a draft bilateral agreement on intercountry adoption between Ireland and the Russian Federation. The Office of the Attorney General has also provided advice to the Department in relation to the draft agreement. The Irish Constitution protects the integrity of family life and once adopted in Ireland the child is treated as if they are the natural child of the adoptive parents. This means that the ability of the State to intervene in a family, when a child's welfare and protection is not compromised, is limited. The Department has advised the Russian Federation of this Constitutional imperative in instances where families, who had given commitments to the Russian authorities in regard to the provision of post placement reports, fail to adhere to those commitments. In these instances the State has no legislative power to enforce compliance with the commitments given by Irish families, legal or otherwise, to provide post placement reports. There are a number of other additional issues that require further clarification and it is imperative that these matters are fully addressed so as to ensure that further discussions on other aspects of the bilateral agreement are beneficial.
It was intended that officials visit Russia in January of this year; however, it was decided to liaise with officials in the Ministry of Education and Science in Russia through the Embassy to ensure that Irish proposals in regard the provision of post placement reports are acceptable to the Russian Federation before continuing the detailed negotiations. Efforts are ongoing in my Department in relation to progressing this work. The Russian Irish Adoption Group is a group of families that are interested in adopting children from Russia. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Departmental officials are willing to meet with this group, should they request such a meeting.
The issue of the negotiation of a bilateral agreement with Russia has to be considered in the context of the overall priorities of the Department in relation to adoption and the general focus of Ireland in regard to countries of origin for Inter Country Adoption.
179. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if his Department uses any system software for the auto deletion of e-mail messages; if so, his Department's guidelines on the use of such a system; and the length of time e-mails are stored before they are auto deleted. [25175/15]
View answerThe ICT infrastructure for my Department is provided and maintained on a shared service basis by the Department of Health which uses industry standard email security devices to assess potential threats in incoming and outgoing mail. A small number of blacklisted spam addresses, confirmed as nuisance or potentially dangerous, are (without notification) not accepted or routed to intended recipients. Other scanned mails are automatically quarantined based upon the their content (for example profane language, virus infection or potential spam) and notifications are issued to the sender and the intended recipient. These may be released, if required, within 10 to 30 days of being quarantined. All internal emails, and external emails that are accepted by the email security devices, are digitally signed, encrypted and written to a mail archive. These remain retrievable even after messages have been manually deleted. In addition, all email servers are backed up on monitored schedules.
180. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the percentage of the workforce in early years education who have Further Education and Training Awards Council, Level 5, 6, 7, and 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25192/15]
View answerPrior to the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010, there was no minimum qualification requirement for staff working in the early years sector. Under the ECCE programme, all pre-school leaders were required to hold a Level 5 qualification. In addition, pre-school services could qualify for a higher capitation rate where all the pre-school leaders, in the ECCE room, held a Level 7 qualification, and all the pre-school assistants held a Level 5 qualification. This represented a major step forward in improving the quality of early year education.
Nearly all of the pre-school childcare services in the country are participating in the ECCE programme. In 2010, a total of 3,787 childcare services were under contract to deliver the free pre-school year under the ECCE programme. Of these 82 per cent met the basic capitation criteria, and 11 per cent met the higher capitation criteria. In 2015, a total of 4,371 childcare services are under contract to deliver the ECCE programme with 72 per cent meeting the basic capitation criteria, and 28 per cent meeting the higher capitation criteria.
According to the findings from the Annual Survey of Early Years Services undertaken by Pobal on the Department's behalf, in 2014 the percentage of staff in early years services who hold a qualification equal to or higher than the Level 5 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is almost 87 per cent and the percentage of staff that hold a Level 6 qualification or higher on the NFQ is 50 per cent. The findings of the survey also show that almost 5 per cent of staff hold qualifications at Level 7 (ordinary degree), and over 9 per cent hold a Level 8 (honours degree) award.
181. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of the groups whose funding from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has been reduced or discontinued for 2015 and 2016. [25235/15]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.
182. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the annual cost of introducing a living wage or minimum threshold gross salary of €11.45 per hour in his Department and the bodies under his aegis. [25352/15]
View answerMy Department has undertaken no costing of the initiative outlined by the Deputy as the introduction of any such scheme would necessarily have to take place on a cross Governmental basis and costs determined centrally as part of the Estimates budgetary process. On a purely indicative basis it is not anticipated that the introduction of such a scheme in my own Department would incur significant cost as the majority of staff are on salary points above that mentioned by the Deputy.
183. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the 20% funding reduction fromTúsla - Child and Family Agency; if there has been a study by his Department on the impact it will have on women's aid services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25379/15]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for providing effective responses to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The Agency’s key priority is to ensure that the needs of survivors are met in the best way possible. Accordingly, the 2015 budget is directed towards protecting front-line services for survivors.
Tusla has undertaken a comprehensive review of the domestic, sexual and gender based violence services, in consultation with service providers. Tusla recognises and values the important work being undertaken by these organisations, and the considerable efforts they make to maintain services in the face of funding and other challenges. The review found that despite these efforts, service delivery is fragmented, with inequity in the accessibility of services across different areas. There was also some duplication and overlap in training provision. Tusla’s aim is to put these services on a more sustainable footing.
For the first time domestic and sexual violence services are being developed as a specialist national service with a single line of accountability and a dedicated national budget of €19.5m, in 2015. A roadmap for the future of service delivery has been approved by Tusla’s Board. The Government’s priority is to protect frontline services, and that is what Tusla is endeavouring to do. A key concern in the context of domestic violence is to address the needs of children who witness violence in the family and home setting.
Tusla has allocated funding of €600,000 to Women’s Aid in 2015, to maintain current frontline service provision, including the development of Women’s Aid national domestic violence helpline. Women’s Aid receives funding from a number of government sources for the services it provides, including €157,914 over a two year period from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government; and €140,000 – an increase of €60,000 in 2015 – from the Department of Justice and Equality for the awareness raising and court accompaniment services. Women's Aid has expressed concern over the reduction in funding by Tusla, and I met recently with the Chairperson and Chief Executive to hear their perspective on the impact of the reduction and to discuss plans for the future development of services in this important area. My own Department has not undertaken a study on the impact of funding reductions to Women’s Aid.
A joint delivery model of domestic violence training to Tusla and HSE staff, and other relevant groups, will continue in 2015. Tusla training staff co-deliver this programme in partnership with domestic violence service providers in local areas; child protection and welfare issues are addressed in this context. Tusla continues to give full consideration to domestic violence training needs, so as to achieve the most sustainable and effective approach capable of delivering the best outcomes for survivors of domestic violence throughout the country.
Tusla recognises the valuable work of Women’s Aid, and other organisations providing services in this area. Tusla is actively engaging with the organisation on services and funding for 2015, and is committed to continuing to work in partnership with Women’s Aid and the wider domestic violence services sector into the future.
184. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will acknowledge the distress and other negative effects being caused by the ongoing delay in the introduction of adoption and tracing legislation; if he will confirm the existence, or not, of any new or previously unknown constitutional and legal questions that may have arisen in relation to this matter within the past 12 months, that might have contributed to this excessive delay; the amount of legislative drafting time, in hours, that has been dedicated to this task by his Department officials since the present Minister took office, and in the three years prior to the tenure of the current Minister; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25432/15]
View answerAs I have stated on a number of occasions complex legal and constitutional issues arise in the drafting of the Adoption Information and Tracing Bill. A particular challenge has arisen in the attempt to reconcile an adopted person’s request for information about his or her identity with the right to privacy of his or her birth parent. My Department has had on going consultation with the Office of the Attorney General on this and on a number of related issues. I am proposing as progressive an approach as is possible within the significant legal and operational complexities which arise in giving effect to this objective. I continue to explore how far the Government can go in building into legislation that right of the adopted person to get access to information without breaching the Constitution and due to the ongoing discussions, the Heads of Bill have not yet been finalised.
It is my intention to have the General Scheme and Heads of Bill finalised as soon as possible and submitted for the consideration of Government, in advance of referral to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. This will be the subject of consultation with all relevant Government Departments in advance.
185. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if his Department uses any system software for the auto deletion of e-mail messages; if so, his Department's guidelines on the use of such a system; and the length of time e-mails are stored before they are auto deleted. [25182/15]
View answerMy Department uses industry standard email security devices to assess potential threats in incoming and outgoing mail. It operates a shared ICT service which, in addition to supporting the business of the Department of Health also provides IT support to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children.
A small number of blacklisted spam addresses, confirmed as nuisance or potentially dangerous, are (without notification) not accepted or routed to intended recipients. Other scanned mails are automatically quarantined based upon their content (for example profane language, virus infection or potential spam) and notifications are issued to the sender and the intended recipient. These may be released, if required, within 10 to 30 days of being quarantined.
All internal emails, and external emails that are accepted by the email security devices, are digitally signed, encrypted and written to a mail archive. These remain retrievable even after messages have been manually deleted. In addition, all email servers are backed up on monitored schedules.
The use of the Department's email system is governed by the Acceptable Usage Policy, the Records Management Protocol (RMP) and Data Retention Policy (DRP), which apply to all staff, and specify the treatment of Departmental records whether in physical or electronic form. Similar policies are in place for those using our shared services.
The RMP provides staff with information and advice on the relevance of emails as Departmental records. The DRP clearly states that no data whether held on physical or electronic media should be earmarked for disposal unless due regard has first been given to the key disposal/retention considerations, including the Data Protection Acts 1998-2003, the Freedom of Information Acts 1997-2014 and the National Archives Act 1986.
186. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health in view of the difficulties faced by many sufferers of fibromyalgia, and the additional financial burden of paying for medicines and treatment, if his Department has given consideration to including fibromyalgia on the prescribed list of conditions under the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25204/15]
View answerThe Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Under the provisions of the Health Acts, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the Health Service Executive (HSE), unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
187. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of staff in his Department assigned to the universal health insurance unit at the end of 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the number currently assigned to it. [25212/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is detailed as follows:
|
Year |
Number of Staff |
|
2011 |
0 * |
|
2012 |
7 |
|
2013 |
8 |
|
2014 |
6 |
|
2015 |
5 |
* UHI Unit was formally established in 2012 and has responsibility for research and economic support services as well as policy development on universal health insurance.
188. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if there is any mechanism in place to reimburse necessary health care expenditure after an application for a medical card has been made but before it is granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25243/15]
View answerThe 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 who will follow up the matter with them.
