Written Answers Nos. 47 - 51
47. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence if the Defence Forces or doctors contracted by the Defence Forces conduct or ever conducted specialised testing for the neurotoxic side-effects of mefloquine on soldiers who received the drug while in the Defence Forces; and the specialty of the doctors conducting these tests. [9323/16]
View answer48. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence how many soldiers have been referred for testing for mefloquine neurotoxicity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9324/16]
View answer49. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence if he is satisfied that manufacturer’s guidelines were always, and in every case, followed by the prescribing authorities of the Irish Defence Forces when prescribing Lariam to Irish Defence Forces personnel, given the British Ministry of Defence’s acknowledgement that British armed forces personnel had been prescribed Lariam outside of the manufacturer's guidelines and that Ministry of Defence's subsequent apology to those personnel, along with the recommendations of the Australian Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade's report. [9325/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 47 to 49, inclusive, together.
All personnel, of the Irish Defence Forces, whether prescribed Mefloquine or not, who have been deployed on an overseas mission, are subjected to a screening repatriation medical examination on mission completion. Depending on the findings at this repatriation medical examination, an individual member of the Defence Forces may be referred for further more specialised investigations which are carried out by an appropriately qualified medical specialist.
Since 2001, Irish Defence Forces’ personnel have completed approximately 7,000 tours of duty in Malaria-prone areas. It should be borne in mind that an individual may complete a number of such tours during their service. Information in relation to the specific medication prescribed to each individual and any subsequent follow-up medical referrals are retained in an individual’s medical file. The Defence Forces’ management systems are not designed to collate the information requested by the Deputy from individual files.
I am satisfied that it has always been the policy of the Irish Defence Forces Medical Corps to follow best practice with regard to the practice of medicine in the Defence Forces and in relation to medications and manufacturer’s guidelines on their prescribing and dispensing.
50. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of redevelopment plans by the Courts Service for the remaining five provincial city and county town venues in need of significant improvement following completion of the Hammond Lane project and the seven provincial venues already approved by way of public private partnership projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9202/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions.
However, in order to be of assistance, I have had enquiries made and I am informed that after the completion of the seven courthouses projects currently under construction by way of Public Private Partnership, the five provincial city and county town courthouses remaining in need of significant improvement are Galway, Tralee, Portlaoise, Roscommon and Wicklow. I am informed that in the case of Wicklow a site has been acquired by the Courts Service adjacent to the existing Courthouse which will allow for the refurbishment and extension of the existing building. In the other four locations, the Courts Service is in discussions to acquire additional space or new sites to allow developments to be planned.
The resources of the Courts Service are currently focussed on the management of the present bundle of projects under construction, which will see the new courthouses built in Drogheda, Letterkenny, Limerick and Wexford and substantial refurbishment and extension works to existing courthouses in Cork, Mullingar and Waterford, and planning for the Hammond Lane project in Dublin which will provide additional facilities for Family Law Courts, the Children Court and the Supreme Court. I am informed that work on the five remaining projects, including Wicklow, will commence as resources become available and will be dependent on the manner in which these projects are to be delivered, whether as part of a Public Private Partnership bundle or as traditional capital projects.
51. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality to respond to the implementation of the report of the working group on the protection process report this week which found that most recommendations have not been implemented ten months on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9211/16]
View answerThe Report of the Working Group on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and Supports to Asylum Seekers contains a total of 173 recommendations, many of which have implications for a number of Government Departments and services.
The recommendations were taken forward by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform. To date some 90 of the recommendations have been fully implemented and a further 26 are in the process of being implemented. Work on implementing a further number of recommendations is continuing. The International Protection Act 2015 responds to 26 of the Report's recommendations. The Act provides for the introduction of a single application procedure for international protection, which is specifically aimed at addressing the length of time persons spend in the protection process. The new procedure will significantly streamline and speed up the processing of protection applications and will reduce the length of time that persons spend in the Direct Provision system. Preparations for commencement of the single procedure are progressing.
At the end of April there were some 4,400 persons living in the direct provision system. This is a reduction from the figure of approximately 5,100 at the end of 2014 notwithstanding that there was a doubling of the numbers of persons seeking asylum last year compared with 2014. This reflects the significant progress made in processing cases on hand over this period.
My officials met with a representative group of NGOs yesterday to update them on progress.
