Written Answers Nos. 262-281
263. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if students that are repeating a year and are therefore not covered by the free fees' initiative are eligible for the €1,000 fee reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54066/22]
View answerAs part of Budget 2023, the Government has approved a once off State support of €1,000 towards the student contribution payable by students eligible for free tuition fees under my Department’s Free Fees schemes in academic year 22/23.
Where students do not qualify for Free Fees funding they pay the appropriate fee as determined by each higher education institution. In this regard the once off student contribution support of €1,000 cannot apply to students undertaking a repeat period of study that were not deemed eligible for the Free Fees schemes in 2022/23 by the institution attended.
In considering the above position it is important to highlight that, while students are not typically supported for a repeat period of study under the Free Fees schemes, an exception may be allowed where a student provides evidence of exceptional circumstances and the institution determines that a waiver is appropriate.
This would generally apply where a student could not complete the period concerned or complete the previous course due to exceptional circumstances such as cases of certified serious illness or injury. The assessment of a student’s eligibility to access free fee supports takes place within the institution attending and it is a matter for the institutions to establish the appropriate processes to decide upon the suitability of applying an exceptional circumstances waiver.
It is necessary for a student to engage with their institution at an early point in time and make an application for the exceptional circumstances waiver.
Additionally, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial difficulty can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
264. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the procedure through which degrees in early childhood education and education studies in a not-for-profit college (details supplied) are excluded from the free fees system; if he will consider an application for inclusion from the college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54071/22]
View answerUnder the Free Fees Initiative, tuition fees are paid in respect of eligible full-time undergraduate students undertaking approved courses in eligible institutions.
Free Fees funding has been extended to a limited number of courses in not-for-profit private institutions, where specific learning or skills needs have been identified. In Marino Institute of Education, Free Fees approved courses, funded through the Department of Education, include the Bachelor in Education (Primary) and Bachelor in Education (Primary through the medium of Irish).
Marino Institute of Education has sought Free Fees approved status for two additional courses established by the Institute. These are the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and Bachelor of Science in Education Studies.
It is important to note that, as a private institution, the development of a course by Marino Institute of Education does not, in its own right, give rise to provision of funding from my Department or from any other Department or State agency.
In general, the extension of Free Fees funding to additional courses in private institutions only applies where a specific teaching and learning need has been identified by the Department, another Department or the HEA.
My Department has agreed to consider the application for Free Fees status for the courses under reference in conjunction with the Higher Education Authority and with other relevant Government Departments, i.e. the Department of Education and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
This will require, inter alia, consideration of the alignment of the courses with identified skills needs, the extent to which skills needs are already addressed by courses in the wider higher education system, and budgetary implications. It is our intention that this consideration will be completed by Q1 2023, ahead of the academic year 2023/24.
Approved courses under the Free Fees Initiative for 2022/23 are finalised and it is not possible to include additional courses for the current academic year.
265. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide details of his engagement with the Minister for Transport concerning the provision of public transport services for disabled persons attending vocational training services and post-secondary school-based courses. [54102/22]
View answerI met with the Minister for Transport in September to discuss transport options for students across the third level sector, including issues relating to access to public transport.
I am keen to continue engagement on this issue, given the critical role played by accessible and affordable public transport in facilitating access to tertiary education.
The provision of public transport services falls within the remit of the Department of Transport and the Deputy may wish to engage further with the Minister for Transport regarding her query.
266. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason only half of the higher education grant was paid in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54121/22]
View answerThe student referred to by the Deputy was awarded 50% student contribution by the awarding authority. A party to an appeal had declared employment would cease on 30 June 2022, so an additional letter was sent to the applicant on the same day as the award letter requesting Confirmation of Cessation of Employment from Revenue in order to review under a change of circumstances.
As of 25th October 2022, this document has not been received by SUSI and there has been no Internal Review request or Notice of Appeal received.
267. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice further to a previous parliamentary question, if she will again consider the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54112/22]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy is the subject of a Deportation Order. Any person who is the subject of a Deportation Order can apply, under section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), to have their Deportation Order revoked. That position applies equally to deportation orders made under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended) and under section 51 of the International Protection Act 2015.
Any request for a Deportation Order to be revoked should be based on new information or changed circumstances which were not already put before the Minister, nor were capable of being put before the Minister, when the decision to make a Deportation Order was taken. Where such a request is made, the outcome of that request will be that the existing Deportation Order will either be ‘affirmed’ or ‘revoked’.
The person referred to may direct any further queries to the Repatriation Division of the my Department's Immigration Service by email to arrangements@justice.ie or by post to the following address:
Repatriation Division, Immigration Service, Department of Justice and Equality, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, D02 XK70Ireland.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie) which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
268. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if a review of the proposal to deport can be considered in the case of a person (details supplied); if his case can be re-examined with a view to ascertaining whether, due to the length of time he has been in Ireland, including during lockdown, if his status can be reconsidered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54115/22]
View answerThe person concerned is the subject of a Deportation Order, signed on 11 March 2005. Representations were received from the person concerned, pursuant to the provisions of Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), requesting that the Deportation Order be revoked. Following detailed consideration of the information submitted in support of the request, the Deportation Order was affirmed and notified to the person concerned by letter dated 4 April 2019.
While there are no outstanding correspondence or applications on file for this person, it is open to them to submit further representations requesting that the Deportation Order be revoked, pursuant to Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended). A request seeking to revoke a Deportation Order must set out any new facts or circumstances which have arisen since the decision to affirm the extant Deportation Order was made. Any such request submitted would be considered on its merits, having due regard to all refoulement issues.
Requests for revocations should be sent directly to:
Repatriation Unit,
Immigration Service Delivery, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 DO2 XK70.
Requests for the revocation of the Deportation Order are non-suspensive of the Deportation Order made in respect of the applicant and as such, if such a request is submitted, the person concerned is still required to present to the Garda National Immigration Bureau. A decision in the case would be either to affirm or to revoke the existing Deportation Order. In the meantime, the Deportation Order remains valid and in place.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) function of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
269. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the status of the Afghan Admission Programme; and her plans to extend it for persons wishing to leave that jurisdiction. [53920/22]
View answerMy Department remains focused on processing applications for family reunification made under all admission avenues, including the Afghan Admissions Programme for family members of Afghan nationals living in Ireland.
It is recognised that all applicants for family reunification would wish to have a decision on their application made without delay. However, the nature of the process is such that, these cases are taking time to process. All possible efforts are being made to bring family reunification applications, across the range of avenues open to applicants, to a swift conclusion.
My Department is considering all applications to the AAP compassionately, and has made contact with various applicants who have not submitted the full required documentation to give them another opportunity to do so. The information required to apply is to ensure that the Programme benefits its intended beneficiaries, and that my Department is satisfied as to the identities of both the proposers and their family members coming to Ireland.
Although the Afghan Admissions Programme is now closed to new applications there are a number of other options already in place through existing immigration programmes that have also been availed of by members of the Afghan community in Ireland. Since the beginning of August 2021 to 19 October 2022, a total of 140 join family visas have been approved for Afghan nationals and 94 family reunification applications have been approved and we continue to also process these applications sympathetically. Afghan people have also been allocated places under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. My Department provides the visas to facilitate their travel to Ireland and almost 600 visa waiver letters have been issued to date.
This is a difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones. I would like to assure the Afghan community that applications under this Programme continue to be assessed by my Department in a pragmatic and humanitarian manner with a view to issuing decisions as soon as possible.
270. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice if a citizenship application by a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [53980/22]
View answerI can confirm that the person referred to by the Deputy is currently on a Stamp 4 permission. It is open to the person concerned to contact their local Immigration Office 4 weeks before the expiration of their immigration permission.
A Stamp 4 immigration permission provides that the holder can reside and work in Ireland for a specified period, subject to conditions, and are not required to hold an Employment Permit.
The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department, with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation. It will be submitted to me for decision in due course.
Each application is assessed on an individual basis and the amount of time spent compiling all necessary information varies from application to application. While it is not possible to give an exact timeframe, the office will be in touch as soon as a decision has been reached.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
Applications are processed in chronological order by date received, and though it is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.
In 2021, my Department issued 11,512 citizenship decisions, which is the highest number of decisions made since 2015, and reflects positively the significant changes undertaken to date.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
271. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice the Garda numbers by rank, in each station in Cork city and county, in tabular form; and the number of cars and bikes in each station; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54033/22]
View answerThe Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel and vehicles among the various Garda Divisions. I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review. I am advised that this is considered in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure the optimum use of these resources. The Deputy will appreciated that, as Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I can however assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service. Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, of which I am informed that €10m has been allocated for investment in the Garda fleet.
The table below which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities sets out the total number of Garda members by Division assigned to Co. Cork at the end of September 2022, the latest date for which figures are available.
|
DIVISION |
Number of Gardaí |
|
CORK CITY |
712 |
|
CORK NORTH |
337 |
|
CORK WEST |
294 |
These figures represent increases from 2016 of 11% in Cork City, 12% in Cork North and 5% in Cork West.
The attached spreadsheet which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Garda members assigned to each Garda station in Cork City, Cork North and Cork West Divisions at 30 September 2022, the latest date for which figures are available. Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the tables below sets out the number of vehicles attached to each District in Cork City, Cork, North and Cork West Divisions at 30 September 2022, the latest date for which figures are available. For operational reasons An Garda Síochána do not supply a breakdown of vehicle type by station.
|
Cork City Division |
Cars |
Vans |
Motorcycles |
4x4 |
*Others |
Total |
|
ANGELSEA STREET |
53 |
14 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
70 |
|
GURRANABRAHER |
19 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
32 |
|
MAYFIELD |
13 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
21 |
|
TOGHER |
20 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
23 |
|
CORK CITY TOTAL |
105 |
22 |
10 |
2 |
7 |
146 |
|
CORK NORTH DIVISION |
Cars |
Vans |
Motorcycles |
4x4 |
*Others |
Total |
|
FERMOY |
15 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
|
MALLOW |
17 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
|
MIDLETON |
14 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
|
CORK NORTH TOTAL |
46 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
61 |
|
CORK WEST DIVISION |
Cars |
Vans |
Motorcycles |
4x4 |
*Others |
Total |
|
BANDON |
27 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
37 |
|
BANTRY |
8 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
|
CLONAKILTY |
10 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
MACROOM |
17 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
20 |
|
CORK WEST TOTAL |
62 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
80 |
*The category 'others' refers to MPV, SUV, Minibus or Prisoner Conveyance Vehicles
For the Deputy's information, and in the interest of transparency, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department's website and can be accessed using the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/
272. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Justice the veracity that exists to anecdotal claims made statements by members of the public that suggest up to 40% of asylum seekers destroy or refuse to hand over their passports to passport control on arrival in Ireland; the exact protocol for qualifying and identifying genuine refugees and asylum seekers on presentation into Ireland; if Ireland is seeing deliberate and intended migration from the UK through Northern Ireland ports of persons travelling who are presenting here for refugee and asylum status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54037/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the State has a duty to protect its borders and to ensure that all arriving passengers are entitled to enter the State. This is a fundamental exercise of State sovereignty, which is necessary to protect the security of the State and to prevent illegal immigration. The exercise of powers in this area is at all times subject to the law and to respect for individual rights.
The Border Management Unit (BMU) of my Department has responsibility for frontline immigration duties at Dublin Airport only. Other ports of entry are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), including the border with Northern Ireland.
Immigration officials conduct passport checks on arrival to ensure passengers are properly documented in accordance with Section 11 of the Immigration Act 2004. If a person indicates or is identified as being in need of international protection, they are admitted to the international protection process.
I can inform the Deputy that in the first nine months of this year, 3,705 people arrived undocumented in Dublin airport. While these passengers should have presented documents at their point of departure, they were no longer in possession of those documents when they reached the immigration desks at Dublin airport.
I can assure the Deputy that the establishment of an applicant’s identity and nationality is an important feature of every immigration process and this is especially so in the context of persons who enter the Irish State for the purposes of making a claim for international protection. Each application for international protection is examined in detail on its individual merits, taking all factors into account. All applicants are carefully interviewed and their cases are individually assessed by experienced caseworkers. The circumstances of each individual case is assessed having regard to both the subjective elements (the applicant’s own account or personal history) and objective elements (up-to-date information on the applicant’s country or place of origin).
All decisions are made in accordance with relevant legislation and Ireland follows the guidance of the UNHCR and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) in relation to claims for international protection.
In the first nine months of 2022 out of a total of 5,662 persons refused leave to land, 4,969 persons indicated an intention to claim asylum to the Border Management Unit in Dublin airport. This figure includes those who may have had valid documentation.
Furthermore, based on subsequent investigations to establish passenger identity, it is clear that a proportion of undocumented arrivals who claim asylum upon arrival in Ireland hold status in another member state and are likely to have travelled here on a convention travel document.
On 18 July 2022, the Government decided to temporarily suspend Ireland’s participation in the Council of Europe Agreement for the Abolition of Visas for Refugees. The temporary suspension came into operation from noon on 19 July 2022. At the same time, a revised Visa Order was introduced to require visa required refugees travelling to Ireland from participating Member States to have an Irish visa. It is too early to determine the impact of the suspension on application numbers. However, this will be closely monitored by the Department in the coming weeks and months.
This is not a decision that the Government has taken lightly. We are committed to upholding our international and EU obligations towards asylum seekers (international protection applicants) and refugees. However, where there is evidence that there may be exploitation within such systems, the Government must act swiftly to mitigate the risks, both to maintain the integrity of our immigration and international protection systems and to uphold public confidence in those systems.
My Department is examining the factors which may have contributed to the significant increase in applications for international protection and will continue to take all necessary steps to manage the international protection process efficiently and effectively, as part of the broader whole-of-Government response.
273. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of vacant and derelict buildings respectively by county in the ownership of the Probation Services, the Irish Prison Service and her Department in tabular form. [54056/22]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is as follows:
|
Agency |
Vacant Buildings |
Derelict Buildings |
Location |
|
Irish Prison Service |
2 |
Cork and Dublin |
|
|
Department of Justice |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Probation Service |
1 |
Cork |
I wish to further advise the Deputy that my Department, including the bodies under its aegis, have reviewed their portfolio of buildings and details in relation to unoccupied buildings have been provided to the Department of Housing in relation to Ukraine and to the Department of the Taoiseach and the Land Development Agency in the context of Housing for All.
274. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to a report (details supplied) which indicates a 7% increase in 2021 on the numbers contacting centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54078/22]
View answerI want to assure the Deputy that combatting sexual violence is a priority for this Government.
Our continued focus in this area is reflected in the recently launched Zero Tolerance Strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and in the extra €9m allocated to tackle these heinous crimes under Budget 2023.
The rise in the number of people contacting centres as referred to by the Deputy is in line with figures recently released by An Garda Síochána in relation to increased rates of reporting for sexual offences.
Tusla has worked collaboratively with contacting centres and the other DSGBV Services to ensure they are supported to meet the increased demand for services, with an additional allocation of €7m to DSGBV Services, bringing the overall Tusla funding for the sector to over €37m in Budget 2023.
The new Strategy has a clear focus on preventing sexual violence and ensuring that victims are better supported.
Actions which will be delivered across government include:
- Updated secondary school curricula at junior and senior cycle to include consent, coercive control and safe use of the internet;
- Improved training for professionals and support staff;
- Work to remove the legal barriers that prevent individuals experiencing sexual or domestic violence remaining at home where it is safe to do so;
- Engagement with the judiciary to consider the creation of specialised judges for domestic, sexual and gender based violence cases;
- Legislation to introduce stand-alone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation, as well as a new Sexual Offences Bill and the Hate Crime Bill.
I also continue to prioritise work to implement in full ‘Supporting a Victim’s Journey’, creating a victim-centred justice system and supporting victims of sexual violence.
To date, a number of key actions have been delivered as part of implementing Supporting a Victim’s Journey including:
- The introduction of preliminary trial hearings;
- The nationwide rollout of Divisional Protective Services Units (DPSUs);
- The first cohort of staff at a new sexual offences unit in the Director of Public Prosecutions office formally took up their roles last year;
- Work to advance the training for all personnel who come into contact with vulnerable victims is under way;
- The University of Limerick last month began training intermediaries.
275. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current and or expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54114/22]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, for reasons of maintaining full confidentiality, it is not my Department's practice to comment on whether an application for asylum or subsidiary protection has been made in the State.
An applicant for such protection status, or their legal representative, should contact either the International Protection Office (IPO) or the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) directly, as appropriate if they wish to receive an update on the status of their case.
The International Protection Office may be contacted: by email to info@ipo.gov.ie; by telephone to the IPO Customer Service Centre at 01 6028008 or in writing to Customer Service Centre, International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2.
The International Protection Appeals Tribunal may be contacted either: by email to info@protectionappeals.ie; by telephone at 01-4748400 (or Lo-Call 1890 201 458), or in writing to Corporate Services Division, The International Protection Appeals Tribunal, 6-7 Hanover Street East, Dublin D02 W320.
International protection is awarded, either refugee status or subsidiary protection status, upon a declaration of status being issued from my Department. This is done on foot of a positive recommendation from the International Protection Office (IPO) or a decision of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) to set aside a refusal recommendation of the IPO.
My Department processes the recommendations received from the International Protection Office and the decisions of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal in chronological order based on the date the file is received in that Unit. Once the necessary due diligence has been carried out by the Ministerial Decisions Unit, a declaration of status will issue as soon as possible.
The Ministerial Decisions Unit operates an email service for responding to queries from applicants - mduinfo@justice.ie
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up-to-date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the parliamentary questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice when a stamp 4 will issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54122/22]
View answerThe person referred to by the Deputy holds a Stamp 3 permission, which expires on 16 July 2025.
There is no open application with my Department to change the immigration status of the person concerned.
As the Deputy will be aware, registrations for people living outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) through the Garda Station network. It is open to the person concerned to contact their local Immigration Office in the first instance to request a change of stamp.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
277. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health the specific actions that his Department will take in relation to the iNAP2 plan, to ensure that cross-discipline research is enabled. [53904/22]
View answer278. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health the way in which his Department is utilising the research data generated from Irish research in relation to the iNAP2 plan to date; and if his Department has analysed it or requested any communication with the scientists in order to ensure that the research is translated into policy. [53907/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 278 together.
Ireland’s second One Health National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021-2025, known as iNAP2, was jointly published by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in November 2021. It is the successor plan to Ireland’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020, known as iNAP1.
Both plans adopt a One Health approach and align to the five Strategic Objectives as outlined in the WHO Global Action Plan (2015) and the requirements of the European Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) (2017).
The goal of the One Health concept is to encourage multidisciplinary collaborative efforts across different sectors such as human health, animal health, agriculture, and the environment to achieve the optimal health outcomes for people and animals. It advocates a “whole of society” approach, recognising that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. It has been acknowledged globally that a One Health approach is the most effective way to address the global AMR challenge. This is promoted by both the WHO and the European Commission.
Strategic Objective 5 of iNAP2 is to promote research and sustainable investment in new medicines, diagnostic tools, vaccines and other interventions. There are 33 actions across the human health, animal health and environment sectors under this objective. There is also an overarching One Health Action related to research, OH15: Promote research in the context of addressing AMR through an Ongoing One Health approach through research partners to fill research gaps. iNAP2 and these actions are available to view online at www.gov.ie/amr.
The Department of Health encourages cross-discipline research and this work is supported by the Health Research Board (HRB). The HRB is a State Agency under the Department of Health. The HRB support and fund health and social care research and provide evidence to inform policy and practice. The Joint Programming Initiative AMR (JPIAMR) is a global collaborative organisation and platform, engaging 28 nations to curb antimicrobial resistance with a One Health approach since 2011. The goal is to shape cohesive and coordinated AMR funding and actions that maximise on resources and reduce duplication of research. Since joining JPIAMR in 2017, Irish researchers have been partners in four transnational projects and eight Networks funded via JPIAMR, in the areas of transmission, surveillance and the environment, across five separate funding calls.
Irish participants (supported by HRB, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Environmental Protection Agency) were partners in a further seven networks in 2018 (6) and 2020 (1), with funding of €50K. In 2022, there were four successful partners in the “Diagnostics and Surveillance Networks” call, with funding of €50K.
HRB also plan to participate in the “Development of innovative strategies, tools, technologies, and methods for diagnostics and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance”: two-stage research projects call launching in January 2023, to facilitate Irish applications to this scheme. Since 2019 the HRB has also directly funded programmes in the region of 10 AMR related projects, valued at over €5M.
In line with iNAP2, the Department of Health will continue to work with partners and stakeholders to encourage and support cross-discipline research on AMR.
279. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if he will examine a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53911/22]
View answerI thank the Deputy for his question.
Under the rules of the Voluntary Health Insurance Board Superannuation Scheme, any proposed discretionary increases require the authorisation of the Minister of Health. The prior approval of the Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform is also required. A recommendation on any changes is provided to both Ministers by NewERA who review any proposed increases in the context of the funding standards required of pension schemes by the Pensions Authority.
The Vhi has submitted the proposed increases for approval and this request is being progressed through the relevant channels. My officials are conscious of the cost of living crisis and the length of time that the process has taken and are prioritising this matter.
280. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a timeline of admission for (details supplied) to the National Rehabilitation Centre, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53917/22]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
281. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the measures that are available to support an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53939/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
