Written Answers Nos. 692-717
692. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason there are long delays in the processing of critical skills visas, in some cases increasing from a four week wait to approximately three months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5958/17]
View answer693. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of critical skills visas issued per annum by the State since this visa was introduced in September 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5959/17]
View answer694. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the actions her Department is taking to tackle the long delays in the processing of critical skills visas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5960/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 692 to 694, inclusive, together.
The demand for employment permits has risen by circa 300% since 2013. Over this period a number of initiatives have been introduced to address the increase in demand including conducting a business process review, the introduction of a Trusted Partner Initiative, the provision of an online Status Query facility and the launch of an online application system.
The volume of employment permit applications being received by the Employment Permits Section remains high and this demand affects the processing time for applications. Following the introduction of the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS) which enables submission of online applications, employment permit applications of all types are filtered together into two processing queues, i.e., Trusted Partner applications and Standard Employer applications and Critical Skills Employment Permits are processed through both queues. While every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, statutory checks are made on all types of employment permit applications in order to establish the bona fides of both the employer and the prospective employee, and therefore the process does take a certain amount of time.
Over the last number of years the Employment Permits Section has greatly improved average turnaround times but we are currently experiencing high demand. Every effort is being made to try to process this level of demand and reduce waiting times. Additional resources are being made available to this important area of activity to ensure key customer service targets are met.
The table gives figures on the number of Critical Skills Employment Permits issued since the introduction of this Permit type:
|
2014 (1st October 2014) |
272 |
|
2015 |
2,457 |
|
2016 |
3,596 |
695. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 11 and 13 of 8 December 2016 (details supplied), the reason for the continued delay in the publication of this report. [6019/17]
View answerThe Export Control Report for the period 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015, was concluded in December 2016. The report has now been translated into Irish and it is my intention to present both the Irish and English versions to the Houses of the Oireachtas this month after it has been presented to Government.
The Report will include a description of key legislative developments and licensing activity during the period 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015. The Report provides detailed statistics including types of exports (military and dual-use) and export destinations.
696. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the work of her Department in relation to zero-hour contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6069/17]
View answerMy colleague, Minister Mitchell O’Connor, and I intend to bring forward proposals in this area for consideration by Government. In this respect, work has progressed well on developing a policy response to the University of Limerick (UL) study on zero hour contracts and low hour contracts. I intend to include protections aimed particularly at low-paid, more vulnerable workers. Our proposals will address the issue of employees on low hour contracts who consistently work more hours each week but whose contracts do not reflect the reality of their hours worked. The proposals will also seek to ensure that employees are better informed about the nature of their employment arrangements and their core terms at an early stage in their employment.
The policy response is being informed by the UL study itself as well as the extensive material and practical examples provided by respondents to the public consultation conducted by my Department. My Department is currently engaged in a dialogue process with ICTU and IBEC to secure broad agreement before proposals are finalised. This work is being progressed as expeditiously as possible and is nearing conclusion. The intention is to bring our proposals to Government in Q1 2017.
697. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the operation of the ECCE scheme is being kept under review; if she will take steps to address issues arising, specifically the administrative complexity faced by smaller providers in availing of the grant which places a heavy administrative burden on smaller providers, in particular, the level of the capitation grant and if it is sufficient for all self-employed child care providers to be paid above minimum wage for all of the hours that they work; and her views on the fact that in the past five years, nine small child care providers have closed down in one area (details supplied) due to these issues, leaving parents without the child care services that they require. [5367/17]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to conducting and publishing an independent review of the cost of providing quality childcare. This commitment aligns closely with work on the design and development of a new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme and is currently being progressed in that context. As part of this, Department officials are reviewing previous published research and analysis on the cost of childcare provision, are assessing available data sources and are scoping the precise requirements for the independent review. This review will feed into future policy development, including in relation to levels of payments to services.
In relation to wage rates, my Department is not the employer to childcare workers. Nevertheless I do acknowledge the reality that the ECCE scheme provides the majority of income for many childcare providers, and I am aware that the sector is under cost pressure. To go some way towards addressing this, I have secured significant additional funding in Budget 2017, including some €10m which will enable ECCE providers to be paid for a 39th week and part of a 40th week (7 ECCE days in total or 1.4 ECCE weeks) where they will have no children present and they will be able to pay staff to concentrate on administrative workload. Services themselves can decide how to use the payment when it is received. For the average ECCE service with 25 children, this will mean an additional annual payment of approximately €2,400 per annum. Additional funding will also be given to CCS and TEC providers on a pro-rata basis also to acknowledge their administrative burden. The Affordable Childcare Scheme when introduced will replace CCS and TEC and will have recognition of non-contact time built into its cost base. In addition, under Budget 2017 a provision was made for a fund of €1m to assist in the investigation of sustainability issues being faced by childcare providers, and to develop a policy to guide any future interventions.
My Department will continue to monitor the situation with regard to staffing and service closures in the childcare sector- in 2016 capital funding was provided to more than 50 childcare services in the Fingal area to increase capacity. I hope to announce a similar scheme for 2017 shortly. If parents are experiencing difficulty sourcing childcare in Fingal, I would urge them to contact the Fingal County Childcare Committee.
698. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if Tusla currently applies for Garda vetting for its employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5828/17]
View answerThe HSE currently undertakes vetting on behalf of Tusla. I have, however, been advised by Tusla that it has established a new internal central vetting bureau and this will commence operations on 13th February, 2017. The Tusla Central Vetting Bureau will perform all vetting for the Child and Family Agency.
699. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to support Tusla to open its Garda vetting facility to early years services (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5829/17]
View answer700. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her proposals for services that experience high staff turnover in view of the fact it currently takes up to four months for early years services to receive processed Garda vetting forms for prospective staff (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5830/17]
View answer701. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her recommendations for situations where a child care service staff member offers two weeks notice of leaving and Garda vetting for a replacement staff member can take up to four months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5831/17]
View answer702. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to support services operating schemes for her Department that find themselves unable to recruit replacement staff due to the delay in Garda vetting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5832/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 699 to 702, inclusive, together.
Two organisations are funded by my Department to process vetting applications on behalf of the early years sector. These organisations are Early Childhood Ireland and Barnardos. Neither Tusla nor Pobal have responsibility for processing Garda Vetting applications on behalf of the Early Years sector.
I am aware that there have been difficulties in relation to obtaining vetting disclosures for staff. I have provided additional funding to both Early Childhood Ireland and Barnardos to assist the clearance of the backlog of vetting applications that built up during the changeover from paper to e-vetting. In addition, officials from my Department met with both organisations recently to discuss the administration of vetting applications, with the objective of endeavouring to ensure that the process works as efficiently as possible in the interest of early years services and the children attending those services. Further meetings are being arranged with both organisations.
703. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the legislation for the affordable childcare scheme, ACS, is expected to be passed; if passed, if the background work will have been completed to ensure roll-out for September 2017; and when the guidelines for the ACS will be made available. [5907/17]
View answerThe Heads of Bill and General Scheme for the Affordable Childcare Scheme Bill were approved by Government on 24th January 2017, and are being examined by the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs on 8th February. The Heads of Bill and General Scheme will then be transmitted to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for the drafting of legislation, with a view to bringing the legislation to the Houses of the Oireachtas in the coming months, in order that the legislation be passed before the summer recess.
The Department is committed to the earliest possible introduction of the Affordable Childcare Scheme. It is working intensively with Pobal and other key stakeholders on the various elements of the work. As the Deputy is aware this is a complex and ambitious scheme involving not only legislation but the formulation of business processes and the build of an IT system which connects with two other Government agencies. The Project Board governing all elements of the project to deliver the new scheme, chaired by my Department, has agreed to revert to me in the coming weeks when it is better able to define the precise timeframe for completion of each component of the work.
The policy guidelines on the Affordable Childcare Scheme will be published as soon as possible after the legislation is passed.
704. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of funding that her Department has provided to youth organisations since 2011, broken down by organisation and year. [5978/17]
View answerThe information requested relates to funding schemes that annually support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. My Department is compiling the information on the funding provided to these projects since 2011 and will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
705. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the significant funding cuts that have been experienced by those Comhairle na nÓg committees that are based in areas in which local authorities, for example town and county councils, have been amalgamated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5979/17]
View answerThe Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund provides funding to local authorities to run an effective Comhairle na nÓg, which is capped at €20,000 each annually. In addition to this fund, local authorities can also provide funding and resources for Comhairle na nÓg at a local level, as can relevant statutory and voluntary organisations. The Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund is designed to assist local authorities to support the development of Comhairle na nÓg as a firmly embedded structure and key consultative/participative forum for children and young people in each local authority area; and an effective mechanism for children and young people to improve their own lives in partnership with adult stakeholders.
Local Government structures were reformed in 2014 following the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The number of local authorities changed from 34 to 31 in mid-2014.
In 2015, all 31 Comhairlí were approved with an annual budget of €20,000 each. In recognition of the impact on the work of Comharile in the amalgamated Local Authority areas, my Department has also provided additional funding. In 2015, €2000 was provided to each merged Local Authority to enable them to cover the costs of hosting a larger AGM than usual and recruiting a larger number of children and young people to their expanded Comhairlí. Funding was also provided for this purpose in 2016. A further €5,000 was awarded to each of the three merged Local Authorities in 2016 to enable them to meet the challenges arising from the amalgamation in young people attending meetings and taking part in the ongoing activities of the Comhairle.
While there are additional pressures on the three merged Local Authorities in supporting and facilitating an expanded Comhairle na nÓg, it should be noted that other Local Authorities support larger Comhairle on the annual budget of €20,000. Below is a table from the 2015 Annual Report on the Comharile na nÓg Development Fund, which presents membership figures for all 31 Comhairlí.
Table 2: Comhairle na nÓg membership 2015
|
Local Authority |
Number of Members |
|
Carlow |
12 |
|
Cavan |
39 |
|
Clare |
20 |
|
Cork City |
37 |
|
Cork County |
37 |
|
Donegal |
36 |
|
Dublin City |
63 |
|
Dublin Fingal |
30 |
|
Dublin South |
25 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
38 |
|
Galway City |
18 |
|
Galway County |
41 |
|
Kerry |
62 |
|
Kildare |
86 |
|
Kilkenny |
26 |
|
Laois |
25 |
|
Leitrim |
24 |
|
Limerick |
41 |
|
Longford |
25 |
|
Louth |
35 |
|
Mayo |
42 |
|
Meath |
33 |
|
Monaghan |
24 |
|
Offaly |
33 |
|
Roscommon |
47 |
|
Sligo |
18 |
|
Tipperary |
40 |
|
Waterford |
44 |
|
Westmeath |
30 |
|
Wexford |
18 |
|
Wicklow |
21 |
|
Total |
1,070 |
706. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social care workers that are currently employed by Tusla, broken down by county. [5980/17]
View answerThe information requested is not readily available in my Department. My officials have requested the information from Tusla and I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with it.
707. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children that are currently in Tusla residential centres and in privately operated residential centres respectively. [5981/17]
View answer708. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the criteria by which Tusla decides whether to accept a child into one of its residential centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5982/17]
View answer709. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the role of Tusla in monitoring and supervising private residential care centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5983/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 707 to 709, inclusive, together.
The latest figures from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, indicates that, at the end of November 2016, there were 6,276 children in care. Of these, 325 (5%) were in a residential placement of which 174 were in a private residential placement.
Tusla has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection and, if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. Under the Child Care Regulations, 1995 a care plan for each child who is received into care is required which provide, inter alia, for the welfare of the child, the care practices, care records, accommodation and safety precautions. A key consideration for the social worker is to consult with the child, family members and other people involved with the child to ensure that his or her needs are being met by the agreed care plan. The regulations stipulate that all care plans are to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis and sets out the frequency for these reviews to take place.
A child is placed in a residential setting only when they have an identified need that can be met by this service or for an intensive assessment or provision of specialist services. Residential care is usually for older children, where their needs may not be met in foster care or where this is their preferred placement. In general, these centres are based in domestic style homes in the community, catering for 2 or 3 older children and staffed by social care workers to attend to the needs of the child. Some of the young people in residential care will have come into care recently, while others may have experienced the breakdown of other care placements, including foster care. Specialist supports are also routinely made available, as needed, and many centres have specialist skill-sets and therapeutic modalities.
Tusla inspects and registers children’s residential centres run by the private and voluntary sectors, against Regulations and National Standards contained in the Child Care Regulations 1995. These inspection reports are available on the Tusla website, www.tusla.ie. Referrals by Tusla to a private children's residential centre can only be made where a centre has completed the registration process, a service level agreement is in place and the placement of a child is made in accordance with Tusla's National Private Placement Protocols.
Tusla has an active procurement policy and keeps its requirements under review and commissions residential services as required.
710. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of air traffic controllers currently serving at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel; the number employed in each year from 2010 to 2016 inclusive; the length of service of each, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5947/17]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy sets out the number of personnel with air traffic control qualifications. The data supplied for each year is as pertained on the 31st January of that year and the data supplied for 2016 is for the most recent date available i.e. 31st December 2016.
It should be noted that the total number of fully qualified controllers include controllers who also provide management functions such as the Chief Air Traffic Services Officer, management and policy advice functions, as well as staff required to deliver training. During the period May 2010 – Aug 2013 Air Traffic Control service, outside of core duty hours was replaced by a lower category of Flight Information Services (FIS).
The length of service of each individual is categorised between partially qualified and fully qualified. Partially qualified Air Traffic Services (ATS) personnel refers to individuals who have completed, and passed all examinations relating to Aerodrome control only; they still may be required to conduct full-time on the job training in other ATS disciplines. Until such time as they have received qualifications in both Aerodrome and Approach control they are not considered fully qualified and cannot be employed in a single controller environment. This excludes them from conducting duties and performing supervisory functions.
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2010 |
18 |
12 |
6 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
22 |
22 |
25 |
|
2 |
24 |
29 |
34 |
|
3 |
3 |
6 |
16 |
|
4 |
1 |
6 |
9 |
|
5 |
22 |
22 |
31 |
|
6 |
15 |
19 |
26 |
|
7 |
14 |
17 |
22 |
|
8 |
3 |
8 |
14 |
|
9 |
14 |
15 |
20 |
|
10 |
1 |
6 |
16 |
|
11 |
1 |
2 |
15 |
|
12 |
- |
2 |
6 |
|
13 |
- |
1 |
4 |
|
14 |
- |
1 |
9 |
|
15 |
- |
1 |
8 |
|
16 |
- |
1 |
9 |
|
17 |
- |
8 |
15 |
|
18 |
7 |
7 |
16 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2011 |
13 |
7 |
6 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
23 |
23 |
26 |
|
2 |
25 |
30 |
35 |
|
3 |
4 |
7 |
17 |
|
4 |
2 |
7 |
10 |
|
5 |
- |
2 |
10 |
|
6 |
15 |
16 |
21 |
|
7 |
- |
9 |
16 |
|
8 |
- |
2 |
5 |
|
9 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
|
10 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
|
11 |
- |
2 |
10 |
|
12 |
- |
2 |
9 |
|
13 |
- |
1 |
5 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2012 |
14 |
9 |
5 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
24 |
24 |
27 |
|
2 |
5 |
8 |
18 |
|
3 |
4 |
8 |
11 |
|
4 |
- |
3 |
11 |
|
5 |
16 |
17 |
22 |
|
6 |
- |
10 |
17 |
|
7 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
|
8 |
3 |
4 |
17 |
|
9 |
2 |
4 |
8 |
|
10 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
|
11 |
1 |
3 |
11 |
|
12 |
- |
2 |
6 |
|
13 |
- |
1 |
6 |
|
14 |
- |
1 |
17 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2013 |
17 |
9 |
8 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
25 |
25 |
28 |
|
2 |
3 |
9 |
12 |
|
3 |
- |
4 |
12 |
|
4 |
17 |
18 |
23 |
|
5 |
- |
11 |
18 |
|
6 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
|
7 |
4 |
5 |
18 |
|
8 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
|
9 |
2 |
4 |
12 |
|
10 |
- |
1 |
18 |
|
11 |
- |
2 |
7 |
|
12 |
- |
3 |
7 |
|
13 |
- |
1 |
10 |
|
14 |
- |
1 |
8 |
|
15 |
- |
1 |
9 |
|
16 |
1 |
2 |
18 |
|
17 |
2 |
4 |
11 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2014 |
17 |
13 |
4 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
26 |
26 |
29 |
|
2 |
4 |
10 |
12 |
|
3 |
18 |
19 |
24 |
|
4 |
12 |
12 |
19 |
|
5 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
|
6 |
7 |
6 |
19 |
|
7 |
4 |
6 |
10 |
|
8 |
3 |
5 |
13 |
|
9 |
- |
2 |
19 |
|
10 |
- |
3 |
8 |
|
11 |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
12 |
- |
2 |
11 |
|
13 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
|
14 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
15 |
- |
1 |
9 |
|
16 |
2 |
3 |
19 |
|
17 |
3 |
5 |
12 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2015 |
17 |
14 |
3 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
27 |
27 |
30 |
|
2 |
5 |
11 |
13 |
|
3 |
19 |
20 |
25 |
|
4 |
13 |
13 |
20 |
|
5 |
4 |
6 |
9 |
|
6 |
8 |
7 |
20 |
|
7 |
6 |
8 |
11 |
|
8 |
4 |
6 |
14 |
|
9 |
- |
3 |
20 |
|
10 |
- |
4 |
8 |
|
11 |
2 |
5 |
9 |
|
12 |
1 |
3 |
12 |
|
13 |
2 |
3 |
10 |
|
14 |
2 |
3 |
11 |
|
15 |
- |
2 |
9 |
|
16 |
3 |
4 |
20 |
|
17 |
4 |
6 |
13 |
|
YEAR |
CONTROLLERS |
Fully Qualified |
Partially Qualified |
|
2016 |
14 |
11 |
3 |
|
NAME |
YEARS SERVICE FULLY QUALIFIED* |
YEARS SERVICE QUALIFIED (PARTIALLY – AERODROME ONLY) |
YEARS SERVICE (DEFENCE FORCES) |
|
1 |
28 |
28 |
31 |
|
2 |
20 |
21 |
26 |
|
3 |
14 |
14 |
21 |
|
4 |
5 |
7 |
10 |
|
5 |
9 |
8 |
21 |
|
6 |
7 |
9 |
12 |
|
7 |
5 |
7 |
15 |
|
8 |
- |
4 |
21 |
|
9 |
- |
5 |
10 |
|
10 |
2 |
4 |
13 |
|
11 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
|
12 |
3 |
4 |
12 |
|
13 |
- |
3 |
10 |
|
14 |
5 |
7 |
13 |
711. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of days during 2016 and to date in 2017 in which it was necessary to bring in a civilian supervisor or overseer of air traffic control at Baldonnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5948/17]
View answer712. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of days, being midnight to midnight, or parts thereof, during 2016 and to date in 2017 in which it was not or would not have been possible for aircraft to land at Baldonnel due to insufficient air traffic control cover; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5949/17]
View answer713. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of days, being midnight to midnight, or parts thereof, during 2016 and to date in 2017 in which it was necessary to request flights to land at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5950/17]
View answer714. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if it was not possible for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to use Baldonnel on her recent visit in view of the fact there could be no guarantee of sufficient air traffic control at Casement Aerodrome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5951/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 711 to 714, inclusive, together.
The Air Corps is responsible for the provision of air navigation services in areas of Irish airspace designated for use by the Defence Forces including the management of Air Traffic at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel.
As the Deputy will appreciate, for operational & security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose precise details relating to operational matters or capabilities.
What I can advise the Deputy is that during 2016 and to date in 2017 it has not been necessary to request Air Corps flights to land at Dublin Airport. I am further advised that there has been no civilian supervisor brought into Baldonnel in relation to air traffic control.
I can confirm to the Deputy that there are shortages of air traffic control personnel and a plan is in place to bring Baldonnel air traffic control up to full operational capacity.
With regard to the recent visit referred to by the Deputy, I am advised that it is a matter for foreign governments to decide what airports are used for their visits to Ireland.
715. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the location of the gates of the former Magee Barracks that were removed prior to its sale for safekeeping; his plans for their future restoration and storage; his further plans to have them on public display; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6112/17]
View answerThe gates are currently stored in the Defence Forces vehicle base workshops in the Curragh Camp awaiting refurbishment. It is expected that these works will commence in Q1 of 2017. The gates will be available for public viewing at the Military Museum in the Curragh Camp following restoration.
716. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the action taken to ensure the safety of those persons currently working in the Casement Aerodrome upon receipt of protected disclosures made relating to the working conditions in the Casement Aerodrome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6120/17]
View answer717. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason the independent third party appointed to investigate the protected disclosures made relating to the working conditions in the Casement Aerodrome has yet to contact those persons who made the disclosures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6121/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 716 and 717 together.
It is the policy of the Defence Forces to proactively manage health and safety risks to all of its members. This is done in line with national health and safety regulations. The Defence Forces Risk Management System is designed to an internationally recognised standard. The Defence Forces are committed to continuous risk mitigation and encourage inputs from personnel at all levels to ensure the work environment is as safe as possible.
Areas where members of the Defence Forces are handling toxic materials in the context of their work, are subject to stringent risk mitigation and continuous review by health and safety practitioners.
As I advised the House on Wednesday, 25 January, the third party appointed to investigate the claims made in the protected disclosures was examining a response received from the military authorities on 7 January 2017 and would then determine the next steps required in order to finalise his review. It is my understanding that he had arranged to meet one of those individuals who made those disclosures yesterday, Monday, 6 February. It should be noted that the reviewer is independent in the discharge of his review and it is open to him to carry out such interviews as he may deem necessary to complete his work.
