Vol. 578 No. 4
143 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to address the continuing crisis in the acute hospital service, especially in the greater Dublin area; the steps he intends to take to deal with the problems of bed blockers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1885/04]
154 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to deal with the ongoing accident and emergency crises whereby patients are continually spending unacceptable lengths of time awaiting admission. [1544/04]
165 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will deal with the serious overcrowding in hospital accident and emergency departments which has deteriorated in recent weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2035/04]
190 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to deal with the worsening crisis in accident and emergency departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2033/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, 154, 165 and 190 together.
Pressures on the hospital system, particularly in the eastern region, arise from demands on emergency departments and on difficulties associated with patients who no longer require acute treatment but are still dependent. There are a number of initiatives under way to deal with these pressures.
Planning for the discharge of patients by acute hospitals and the liaison with the community services has been prioritised on an ongoing basis by the Eastern Regional Health Authority. Initiatives such as Homefirst, Slán Abhaile and home subvention are all contributing to providing alternative care packages for older people so that they can be discharged.
The single most important factor for admission to hospital is bed availability. A report called Acute Hospital Bed Capacity — A National Review, carried out by my Department, identified a requirement for an additional 3,000 acute beds in acute hospitals by 2011 and this requirement is reflected in the Government's health strategy, Quality and Fairness- A Health System for You. Some 568 of the 709 beds in the first phase have been commissioned to date, of which 253 are in the eastern region. Revenue funding of approximately €40 million has already been made available to the ERHA for these beds. Funding is available to enable the balance of the 709 beds to be brought into operation this year. Also under the acute bed capacity initiative, I have provided an additional €12.6 million to the ERHA, €8.8 million, and to the Southern Health Board, €3.8 million, to facilitate the discharge of patients from the acute system to a more appropriate setting thereby freeing up acute beds. It allows for funding through the subvention system of additional beds in the private nursing home sector and ongoing support in the community. Already this funding has resulted in the discharge of a total of 223 patients from acute hospitals in the eastern region. The ERHA is actively monitoring the situation and working with hospitals and the area health boards to ensure that every effort is being made to minimise the number of delayed discharges in acute hospitals.
I have been informed by the ERHA that it is working closely with the major acute hospitals in Dublin with a view to re-opening beds which have been closed due to staffing difficulties. As part of the winter initiative, an additional 20 accident and emergency consultants have been appointed from the 29 approved. Additional appointments are being progressed by the health boards and the ERHA.
Reviews of the bed management function and nurse staffing levels in emergency departments are being progressed by the Health Services Employers Agency in consultation with health service management representatives and the nursing unions.
Emergency medicine departments may sometimes have to deal with injuries and conditions which are more appropriate to a primary care setting. General practitioner out-of-hours co-operatives have been established and are operating in at least part of all the health board areas, with one health board, the North Eastern Health Board, having a region-wide project. A total of €46.5 million has been allocated for the development of out-of-hours co-operatives between 1997 and 2003.
A media campaign has been undertaken on radio, television, and in the newspapers highlighting the pressures that exist in emergency medicine departments and encouraging people to attend only if absolutely necessary. This initiative is an attempt to focus on the need for only those in need of emergency care to attend and for others to use the primary care services.
I will continue to work with the various health agencies in looking for short-term and longer term solutions to the current difficulties.
144 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to provide services for people with neurological disabilities as proposed by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1915/04]
Comhairle na nOspidéal recently published the report of a committee to review neurology and neurophysiology services and I am happy to endorse its recommendations for a significant enhancement of services, including increases in consultant manpower. The report also recognises that there are aspects of a number of other specialties and services, such as rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine and old age psychiatry, which are related to and overlap with neurology services. Comhairle has recommended that a national multidisciplinary review of rehabilitation services be undertaken to further inform the policy framework in relation to the development of neurology services.
Consistent with this recommendation, and in line with commitments in the national health strategy, a national action plan for rehabilitation services is being prepared by my Department. The action plan will set out a programme to meet existing shortfalls in services and to integrate specialised facilities with locally based follow-up services. The rehabilitation action plan, together with the Comhairle report and the work undertaken by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland through its own publications will, in my view, offer a comprehensive policy framework for the future development of neurology and neurophysiology services in this country.
My Department will continue to work closely with the alliance and with the Irish Consultant Neurologists' Association in relation to the future development of services. The implementation of the Comhairle recommendations will be progressed having regard to the evolving policy framework in this area, competing funding priorities and the report of the national task force on medical staffing.
Specialty costing data in respect of hospitals which provide neurology services indicate that in-patient costs for this specialty for 2002 were more than €19 million. This figure excludes costs in respect of neurology services provided in out-patient and accident and emergency departments and specialist day case activity which are not routinely collected by my Department.
145 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the percentage take up rate of health screening by asylum seekers; and if he has satisfied himself with this scheme and in particular that the follow-up screening is operating effectively. [1538/04]
Screening in respect of specific infectious diseases has been offered to asylum seekers on a voluntary and confidential basis, free of charge, shortly after their arrival in this country since May 2000. The purpose of screening is to detect and treat certain infectious diseases in the interests of the asylum seekers themselves and their families as well as the community in general.
Initial screening usually takes place in Dublin where asylum seekers may reside following arrival in this country and continues when they are relocated to other health board regions. Those who do not receive screening in Dublin are offered this service following relocation. The guidelines in relation to infectious disease screening recommend screening is provided for the following: TB, hepatitis B, and where appropriate for polio and varicella zoster. HIV testing is also offered.
The following table sets out the percentage uptake of health screening by asylum seekers in the year 2003.
|
Health Board-Authority |
Percentage of asylum seekers who accepted health screening |
|
% |
|
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority |
73 |
|
Midland Health Board |
72 |
|
Mid-Western Health Board |
55 |
|
North Eastern Health Board* |
|
|
North Western Health Board* |
|
|
South Eastern Health Board |
51 |
|
Southern Health Board |
62.5 |
|
Western Health Board* |
*The North Eastern Health Board, the North Western Health Board and the Western Health Board are not in a position to supply complete details of asylum seekers who accepted health screening in their regions at this time. This information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is received.
Operational responsibility for the health screening for asylum seekers lies with the individual health boards, which have appropriate regional and local management structures in place to manage delivery of the health screening programme.
146 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Health and Children his proposals for the appointment of consultants to promote and publicise the Hanly report; the likely overall cost of this exercise; if consultants have now been appointed and if so if he will list each one so appointed and the value of the contract in each case; the procedures which were used for the appointment of these consultants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1889/04]
My Department recently invited expressions of interest from relevant consultancies to participate in a tendering process for a public relations and information campaign relating to the report of the national task force on medical staffing. In line with EU procurement guidelines, this invitation was placed on the Government procurement website in December 2003. On foot of the responses, a number of firms have now been invited to submit tenders for the contract. The total amount to be spent on the contract will depend on the tenders submitted. The contract specification envisages that the contract will involve approximately 100 working days in total. My Department anticipates that the contract will be awarded within the next three to four weeks.
147 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps that are being taken to address the serious problem of men's health identified in the recent report of the men's health forum in light of the finding that on average men die six years younger than women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1912/04]
The health strategy, Quality and Fairness — A Health System for You, calls for the development of a policy for men's health and health promotion. The National Health Promotion Strategy 2000-2005 also identified the development of a national plan for men's health as an important initiative. In this regard, the health promotion unit of my Department has supported the appointment of a men's health research officer in the South Eastern Health Board. His remit is to research the role of gender and masculinity on men's concept of health, their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes to health and illness, health behaviours and risk behaviours and the barriers that men perceive in accessing the health services.
The health promotion unit have also commenced a consultation process with all relevant stakeholders, including the men's health forum, for the development of the men's health policy. The outcome of this consultation process and the findings of the research will inform the development of the policy.
148 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Health and Children when he expects to receive the report of the independent review into the circumstances of the death of a person (details supplied) on 1 July 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1898/04]
211 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children when he expects to receive the report of the independent review into the circumstances of death of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2036/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 211 together.
On 23 July last, I announced that I had convened a review panel to conduct an independent review of the events surrounding the tragic death of the person concerned. The members of the panel are: Mr. David Hanly, management consultant, Ms Kay O'Sullivan, director of nursing at Cork University Hospital, and Dr. Shakeel A. Qureshi, paediatric cardiologist at Guy's and Thomas's Hospital, London.
The terms of reference of the panel are to consider the report of the ERHA in relation to the events of 30 June 2003 at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, and to make such further enquiries and conduct such interviews as the panel considers necessary; address the questions raised by the family; examine protocols and procedures relevant to this incident having regard to prevailing standards of best practice and to examine their application in this case; and report to the Minister and to make such recommendations as it sees fit. Following the review, both reports will be made available. The work of the review panel is ongoing and I am not in a position to say, at this stage, when the report will become available.
149 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the introduction of a new system of medical insurance for hospital consultants; the steps he is taking to ensure sufficient capacity in our maternity hospitals, in view of the threat of the closure of the Mount Carmel maternity unit arising from the problems regarding insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1913/04]
From 1 February personal injury claims against hospital consultants arising from the delivery of clinical care will be covered by the clinical indemnity scheme, CIS. This move will bring consultants into line with other health service staff and their employers who have been covered by the scheme since its inception on 1 July 2002. In the intervening months extensive negotiations have taken place with the organisations representing consultants in an effort to have them covered by the scheme with their agreement. Virtually all of their concerns about the scheme have been dealt with to their satisfaction. Two issues have remained unresolved. These are the likely cost of purchasing professional indemnity cover for private practice not covered by the clinical indemnity scheme and the question of who should cover claims arising from past events.
The new scheme delivers significant benefits to the vast majority of consultants. For those employed in public hospitals it means that all of their practice in the public hospital, including their private practice, is covered by the CIS at no cost to them. This is a benefit not conferred on consultants in the UK under similar schemes put in place there. Private practice conducted outside of public hospitals is not covered by the scheme. However, the Government, in recognition of the complementary roles of the public and private health care sectors in Ireland, has indicated that the State will bear the cost of individual claims against consultants in private practice to the extent that they exceed €1 million in respect of any single claim. In the case of obstetric claims the limit of indemnity which consultants will need to purchase will be €500,000. The effect of these measures is to reduce the cost of indemnity cover for consultants' private practice by between 25% and 30% of what it would otherwise be. This benefit is available to consultants working in the public system who have some off-site private practice as well as to those who work full-time in private practice. From indicative rates circulated by one of the two medical defence bodies operating in Ireland it is clear that the vast majority of consultants, including those in the private sector, will pay lower rates for their indemnity cover after 1 February.
When the Government decided in December 1999 to introduce the CIS, based on the principle of enterprise liability, it also decided that the new scheme would not have any retrospective effect. The reason for that decision was that hospitals and doctors had already paid insurance premiums and subscriptions for claims arising from events which had occurred before the scheme's inception. Either directly or indirectly, the Exchequer had paid for this cover. The Government saw no reason the State should take over liabilities for which it had already paid. This position has been accepted by all of the commercial insurance companies which had insured health boards and hospitals up to 1 July 2002. It has also been accepted by the Medical Protection Society. The only indemnifier disputing the correctness of the Government's position is the Medical Defence Union, MDU. The MDU believes that the State has some responsibility for liabilities which arise from past events. The Government rejects this position and is insisting that the MDU meets it obligations to its Irish members. The threat by the MDU to leave some of its members without assistance in meeting the cost of claims has put many doctors under great stress. The Government has given a commitment to its representatives that it is prepared, if the need arises, to fund the cost of legal action against the MDU to ensure that it meets its obligations to its Irish members. I believe that it is in the interests of Irish doctors and Irish taxpayers that the MDU is persuaded to take responsibility for its own liabilities like everybody else.
Particular concern has been expressed about the ability of consultant obstetricians who work in the private sector to buy professional indemnity cover at reasonable cost. I have to point out that the cost of this cover has nothing to do with the establishment of the CIS. The particular difficulties of this specialty have been recognised for some time. In response the Government established a group in 2002 to examine the feasibility of introducing "no fault" compensation for infants who suffer cerebral damage at birth. The group is expected to produce its report in the middle of this year. In the meantime the Government has put measures in place which, in effect, subsidise the cost of insurance cover for the two hospitals which deliver obstetric services and for the consultants who practice in them. As a result of the Government's initiative, consultant obstetricians in private practice will pay €100,000 or less for cover rather than the full economic cost of €350,000. These measures ensure that Mount Carmel Hospital in Dublin and the Bon Secour Hospital in Cork can continue to provide these services.
150 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the status now accorded to the Hanly report with particular reference to the implications for certain areas and sectors in the event of its implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1996/04]
159 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made with regard to implementation of the recommendations of the Hanly report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1886/04]
167 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children when it is expected to appoint project groups to progress detailed implementation at local level of the two pilot areas, the East Coast Area Health Board and the Mid-Western Health Board, identified in the Hanly report and the provision of the services and facilities required; the staffing and financial requirements involved and the timeframe envisaged for the implementation of these pilot projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1895/04]
207 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to publish the second phase of the Hanly report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1781/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 150, 159, 167 and 207 together.
The Government is committed to implementing the Hanly report. It will mean a much better service for patients, with considerably more consultants, working in teams. The report also involves reducing the working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors, which will benefit both patients and doctors. In addition, Hanly proposes a reorganisation of our acute hospital services so that patients receive the best possible treatment in the location most appropriate to their needs.
We have begun the process of implementing the Hanly report. My Department, together with health employers, has initiated discussions with the medical organisations on a new contract for consultants which would enable a consultant-provided service to be established nationally. This is a key element of the Hanly agenda.
I am also moving to implement the report's recommendations on the reorganisation of acute hospital services. The Hanly report examined the organisation of hospital services in two regions, those covered by East Coast Area Health Board and the Mid-Western Health Board. I will shortly be announcing details of implementation groups in these areas. Each group will focus on the detailed provision of acute hospital services in future in line with Hanly.
The report also proposed that the organisation of acute hospital services in the rest of the country should be examined. Today I announced the composition of an acute hospitals review group, to be chaired by David Hanly, for this purpose. It will be asked to prepare a national hospitals plan for the interim health services executive, building on the principles of the Hanly report. The group will be asked to examine the role and structure of acute hospital services on a national basis.
Under the European working time directive, we must reduce the average weekly working hours of junior doctors to no more than 58 by 1 August. My Department is working closely with the Health Service Employers Agency and other health agencies to bring this about. Negotiations have commenced on the issue with the Irish Medical Organisation.
Finally, in relation to medical education and training, I have asked the group that worked originally as part of the national task force on medical staffing to remain in place to complete consideration of issues relating to postgraduate medical education and training. This will be of particular concern in the context of a 48-hour working week which must be in place by August 2009. The group's final report is expected later this year.
151 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to foster care; the number of approved foster parents; if this number is adequate; the number of children in residential care awaiting fosterage; and the finances involved and plans for the future. [1805/04]
Foster care is the main form of alternative care for children who cannot, for a number of reasons, be looked after in their own home. There are now approximately 4,000 children and young people under 18 years of age in the care of approximately 3,146 foster carers. Health boards continually recruit foster carers to meet demands for placements and to replace foster carers who cease fostering.
There are more than 91 children in residential care awaiting a foster care placement. The health boards are actively working towards providing appropriate foster care placements for these children. In 2003, the total funding spent by the health boards in the provision of financial support to foster carers was approximately €66.83 million. In 2001, the working group report on foster care was published. The report contains a wide range of recommendations designed to ensure that the structures and services necessary to meet the needs of children in foster care, their families and foster carers be strengthened and further developed. The Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the report on a phased basis.
This report noted that the foster care allowance was not adequate to meet the needs of children in foster care and it recommended that the allowance be increased, alleviating the need for foster parents to apply to health boards for every extra financial need of their foster children. Before August 2001, the allowance was €90.85 per week for a child under 12 years and €108.88 per week for a child of 12 years and over. In line with the report the allowance was increased substantially and the current rates of payment are €289.50 and €316.50 per week, respectively.
Another important recommendation of the working group report was the development of national standards incorporating planning and key performance indicators for the foster care service. A committee was set up in 2001 to formulate these standards, taking into account the representative views of all bodies and individuals involved in foster care, including the children themselves. The national standards for foster care, along with a children's version, were launched in April 2003. The standards will serve as a basis for consistently promoting quality of care in the foster care services.
The standards include good practice procedures relating to the recruitment and retention, support and training of foster carers. I am confident that the standards will significantly improve the quality of our foster care services and encourage new foster care applicants. It should also be noted that, in parallel with these developments, the health boards undertake local initiatives on an ongoing basis to recruit foster carers. These initiatives include prominents displays of promotional materials, advertisements in local media and sponsorship of events organised in conjunction with the Irish Foster Care Association.
As the Deputy will be aware, foster care placements may not always meet the specific needs of individual children. A broad spectrum of services are required, therefore, to meet the needs of the children in our care, for example, family support services, foster care placements, residential placements and youth advocacy programmes.
152 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of bed days which were lost in the first and second six months of 2003 as a result of bed closures and other factors; the steps which are being taken to deal with bed closures to ensure that optimum use is made of all hospital beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1911/04]
My Department routinely collects information on beds not in use in acute hospitals from health agencies on a quarterly basis. The most recent complete figures available to my Department relate to the first six months of 2003. This data shows that 50,584 bed days were lost in the period, which is equivalent to a daily average of 278 beds out of use representing just more than 2% of the available acute bed stock. The total bed days lost in 2002 as a result of closures is equivalent to a daily average of 269 beds being closed which represents 2% of the overall available capacity. The equivalent percentage for 2001 was also 2%.
It is a feature of all acute hospital systems that some beds are out of use for short periods. Bed closures fluctuate over time and may arise for a variety of reasons such as ward refurbishment, essential ward maintenance, staff leave, seasonal closures and infection control measures. Some hospitals, particularly in the Dublin region, temporarily closed some beds during 2003 due to budgetary difficulties and the application of the accountability legislation of 1998. These closures were in addition to the normal seasonal closures that take place in hospitals around the country during holiday periods.
According to the Eastern Regional Health Authority there are 89 beds closed in the major acute hospitals in Dublin and a small number of beds are also closed for refurbishment within the eastern region. There are also a number of non-acute beds closed partly due to staff shortages. I understand that the ERHA is working closely with hospitals to recruit and retain more nurses so that closed beds can be re-opened.
The figures for the final six months of 2003 are being collected by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as they are available.
153 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of opiate related deaths in Dublin during the past five years; the way in which this compares with the number of deaths from road traffic accidents; the steps he is taking to provide a preventative programme to reduce the level of opiate related deaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1883/04]
The Central Statistics Office, CSO, compiles the general mortality register's official statistics on direct drug-related deaths each year. The figures on direct opiate related deaths in Dublin from 1997 to 2000 are as follows: 1997, 50; 1998, 50; 1999, 70; 2000, 63.
I am informed by the Department of Transport that road accident fatalities in Dublin from 1999 to 2002 is as follows: 1999, 57; 2000, 69; 2001, 63; 2002, 49. The breakdown of figures for 2003 is not yet available.
At present, drug related deaths are recorded by the general mortality register of the CSO, based on the international classification of diseases, ICD, code system. Other countries have developed dedicated systems for recording drug related deaths and it is important, for the purposes of comparative analysis, that the Irish system is capable of generating an equivalent level of information. It is for this reason that one of the actions contained in the national drugs strategy calls for the development of an accurate mechanism for recording the number of drug related deaths. Overall responsibility for this action rests with the coroner's service and the Central Statistics Office. Work has commenced on progressing this action and my Department is continuing to co-operate with the relevant agencies to establish a mechanism to record accurately the position in relation to drug related deaths.
The overall objective of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 is to reduce the harm caused to individuals and society by the misuse of drugs through a concerted focus on supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research with the ultimate aim of leading a drug-free lifestyle. The health related aspects of the national drugs strategy focus in particular on education and prevention and treatment and rehabilitation, including substitution treatment under the methadone protocol.
The number of methadone treatment places has expanded considerably in recent years in line with the Government's commitment under the national drugs strategy. At the end of December 2003 there were 7,029 people receiving methadone treatment. This compares with a figure of just more than 5,000 at the end of 2000. In the Eastern Regional Health Authority there are 59 drug treatment locations. This compares with 12 locations in 1997. Outside the ERHA, treatment clinics have been established in the South Eastern Health Board, Mid-Western Health Board, Western Health Board and Midland Health Board. General practitioners and pharmacists also provide treatment services and their involvement has also increased in recent years. The boards aim to address substance misuse by providing effective and sustainable services working in partnership with clients and with fellow service providers. All clients entering the addiction services are assessed and appropriate treatment plans are identified based on client needs. Decisions concerning the appropriate treatment for patients are made in accordance with best practice guidelines.
Overdose prevention is an inherent part of the comprehensive range of services which the boards provide, including education and prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, counselling and harm reduction. International evidence supports the view that opiate users are safer in treatment. Therefore every effort is made to encourage clients to engage in treatment. Outreach workers are provided by the three area health boards of the ERHA and they have a significant role in providing education to opiate misusers who are not currently in treatment on the dangers of overdose.
The national advisory committee on drugs, NACD, has recently published a study on the prevalence of opiate misuse in Ireland. The study estimates that 14,452 people were using heroin in 2001. Of these 12,456 were in the Dublin area. This represents a decrease on a 1996 figure, which estimated that 13,461 people were using heroin in the Greater Dublin area.
155 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children his response to the hospital waiting lists published in December 2003; if he accepts that the latest list shows virtually no improvement over the previous lists; the steps he intends to take to reduce the numbers on the lists and the waiting periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1897/04]
In the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the waiting list initiative, the Comptroller and Auditor General notes that the existence of a waiting list does not, in itself, indicate that a problem exists within the system. The Comptroller and Auditor General goes on to say that achieving optimum efficiency in the provision of public services may inevitably result in the creation of waiting lists.
As the Deputy will be aware, there are two streams to hospital activity — emergency and elective activity. Pressures on the hospital system due to identified capacity constraints hinder its ability to provide elective activity in a planned way because of the urgent and unpredictable needs of emergency patients. This is a complex area and compounded by difficulties relating to the availability of long stay beds and other supports in the community. Patients who require elective treatment may have to wait because beds, staff and operating theatres are being used to treat emergency cases. The balance to be achieved is to ensure that the available resources are used efficiently and that treatment can be delivered to patients in a reasonable time.
The waiting list data for the period ended 30 September 2003 showed that there were significant reductions in the number of adults and children waiting longest for in-patient treatment. The total number of adults waiting more than 12 months for in-patient treatment in the nine target specialties has fallen by approximately 42% in the period September 2002 to September 2003. The total number of children waiting more than six months for in-patient treatment in the same specialties and for the same period has decreased by approximately 39%.
Significant progress has been made in many health board areas to achieve the target of no adult waiting longer than 12 months and no child waiting longer than six months. This has been achieved through active management of long waiting lists at a local level and the involvement of the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. Up to the end of December 2003, more than 9,700 patients had already received treatments through the NTPF, predominantly in private hospitals in Ireland. All health boards outside of the eastern region are reporting that, in general, those adults reported to be waiting more than 12 months and those children reported to be waiting more than six months have either been offered treatment under the NTPF or have conditions that are complicated and need to be treated locally.
While the rate of progress in achieving the targets set out in the health strategy has been slower than anticipated, the targets still remain a goal to be achieved and I will continue to keep the focus on reducing waiting lists and waiting times.
156 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children the Government's proposals for the future of the VHI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1903/04]
162 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children his proposals in relation to the corporate status of the VHI; and if and when it will be moved to the position of a public limited company. [1804/04]
168 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Health and Children when he expects VHI to be privatised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2028/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 156, 162 and 168 together.
The Government's decision relating to VHI's corporate status, as set out in the White Paper on private health insurance, allows for it to be moved to the position of a public limited company. Work in that connection is currently in train and arrangements are being made to obtain Government approval for the preparation of legislation. The Government has not been presented with proposals, nor has it made any decision, to privatise the VHI.
157 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take arising from the report of the inquiry into the death of a person from Legionnaire's disease in Waterford Regional Hospital in April 2003; if it is intended to implement the recommendations of the report in regard to the steps being taken by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1907/04]
An independent investigation team established by the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board has submitted a detailed report into the circumstances of the death of a patient from Legionnnaire's disease at Waterford Regional Hospital in April 2003.
The report sets out a number of key recommendations and the South Eastern Health Board has taken the following steps. It has carried out remedial work on the existing water distribution system in Waterford Regional Hospital; installed chlorine dioxide treatment in the water system; established an environmental monitoring committee in Waterford Regional Hospital with a proposal to establish a similar committee in each acute hospital in the region; and recruited an environmental monitoring officer.
At a national level, it is important to ensure that the findings and recommendations of the report will contribute to the development of improved protocols and procedures in relation to Legionnaire's disease. Copies of the report have been forwarded to the chief executive officer of each health board and the ERHA who have been requested to examine it and to determine whether additional precautionary measures are necessary in health facilities in their functional areas.
My Department has also forwarded the report to relevant Departments of State so that they can also determine if additional precautionary measures are necessary in facilities under their control. My Department has also forwarded the report to the National Disease Surveillance Centre with a request that it consider whether any changes to its current guidelines on the management of Legionnaire's disease are necessary in the light of the report's findings and recommendations.
158 Dr. Twomey asked the Minister for Health and Children if progress has been made by his Department relating to the consultants' contract and how this will affect implementation of the European working time directive. [1880/04]
As part of the implementation of the Hanly report and the wider health reform programme, my Department and health service employers have had preliminary discussions with the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA, and the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, in relation to arrangement for the negotiation of a new consultants' contract.
The management team met with the IMO and IHCA in December 2003 to discuss the selection of an independent chairman, the setting of an agenda, and the agreement of a timeframe for forthcoming substantive negotiations. It was intended that negotiations would get under way in February 2004. However, notification has been received from the IHCA that, due to my decision to proceed with the introduction of the new clinical indemnity scheme, it is not in a position to send a delegation to negotiations on a new contract. I regret this decision and I take this opportunity to invite the IHCA to proceed with these important negotiations.
As the Deputy will be aware, the report of the national task force on medical staffing, Hanly report, recommends that the re-configuration of our acute hospital services and compliance with the terms of the European working time directive, EWTD, will require changes in consultant work practices and the associated creation of a large number of additional consultant posts. This will increase the availability of senior clinical decision-makers in line with the reduction of the working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, to 48 hours a week by 2009. Delays encountered in the negotiation of the consultants' contract may have some affect on the pace of progress on the implementation of the European working time directive. I am pressing, therefore, for negotiations on a new consultants' contract to commence as soon as possible. However, implementation of other task force recommendations can and must proceed alongside contractual negotiations. These include a study of the structure and organisation of acute hospital services nationally, national discussions on measures to reduce NCHD hours in the context of the task force's recommendations, actions throughout the country to meet the requirements of the EWTD and developing ways of speeding up the recruitment process, particularly for consultants.
The Government is committed to putting in place a consultant-provided service, harnessing the contribution of all our hospitals; and providing a wider range of appropriate services and procedures in local hospitals.
160 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children when he expects the draft regulations regarding smoking in the workplace will now come into operation; if comments have been submitted or objections raised by other EU member states; the procedures which will be put in place to monitor and ensure compliance with the regulations; the planned start-up date for implementation of the prohibition on smoking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1896/04]
A report commissioned by the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority on the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace was published in January 2003. This report was prepared by an independent scientific working group.
The conclusions of the expert group are quite blunt on the risks to health from environmental tobacco smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke is a cause of cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems. Employees need to be protected from exposure at work. Current ventilation technology is ineffective at removing the risk to health. Legislative measures are required to protect workers from the adverse effects of exposure.
A draft of regulations to prohibit smoking in the workplace was notified to the commission in April 2003, and during the three month standstill period which allows member states to voice opinions on the measure, no objections or reservations were put forward. The commission was notified of two amendments to the draft regulations in November 2003 to allow for exemptions for prisons and outdoor work areas and for psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, certain charitable institutions and sleeping accommodation in hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts. Because of these amendments it was necessary to change the commencement date for the introduction of the ban. The standstill period for the amendments notified will end on 4 February and 16 February 2004.
Surveys carried out by the Office of Tobacco Control show widespread support for smoke-free workplaces and the trade union movement are strongly in favour of the measure. The owner, manager or person in charge of a workplace is legally responsible for ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements, including the prohibition on smoking in the workplace. As part of the process of monitoring compliance with the smoke-free workplace requirement, authorised officers from health boards and the Office of Tobacco Control will visit premises. I expect that the vast majority of employers, employees and the public will respect the new measures which are primarily to protect people from exposure to toxic environmental tobacco smoke. I will make a decision on the new date for commencement of the smoke-free workplaces regulations in the near future.
161 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to deal with the high attrition rate of Irish qualified nurses. [1547/04]
174 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to address the continuing serious shortage of nurses; the further steps being taken to ensure that qualified nurses remain in the hospital service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1910/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 174 together.
The recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of nursing staff has been a concern of the Government for some time. A number of substantial measures have been introduced in recent years, some with the specific intention of retaining existing staff and encouraging nursing staff who have left the profession to return to employment. These include an increase of 70% in the number of nursing training places from 968 in 1998 to 1,640 from 2002 onwards; payment of fees to nurses and midwives undertaking part-time nursing and certain other undergraduate degree courses; an improved scheme of financial support for student paediatric nurses and student midwives; the payment of fees and enhanced salary to nurses and midwives undertaking courses in specialised areas of clinical practice; the abolition of fees for "back to practice" courses and payment of salary to nurses and midwives undertaking such courses; financial support to State enrolled nurses, SEN, working in the Irish health service wishing to undertake nursing conversion programmes in the United Kingdom; 40 sponsorships being made available each year for certain categories of health service employees wishing to train as nurses; and the introduction of flexible working options.
The following table illustrates the improvements that have taken place in nursing numbers in recent years:
|
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
Whole-time Equivalents |
26,611 |
27,044 |
29,173 |
31,428 |
33,395 |
In 1998, there were 26,611 whole-time equivalent nurses employed in the public health system. By the end of 2002 this figure had reached 33,395. This is an increase of almost 6,800 during the period or more than 25%.
The most recent HSEA survey, published in November 2003, showed that 722 vacancies existed at 30 September 2003, a decrease from 1,017 on 30 September 2002. The vacancy rate now stands at 1.85% nationally, a decrease from the October 2000 figure of 4.3%. These vacancies are adequately compensated for through the use of overtime and agency nurses.
In relation to attrition, the same survey found that, in the year ending 30 September 2003, the number of nurses who resigned or retired was 2,937. During the same period, the number of nurses recruited was 4,084. Therefore the excess of recruits over retirements and resignations was 1,147. This clearly demonstrates that the level of recruitment activity is well ahead of losses through retirements and resignations. The figure of 33,395 whole-time equivalents translates into 39,119 individual nurses. Of these, some 28,366 work full-time, and 10,753 work job-sharing or other atypical patterns. Thus, more than one quarter of the nursing workforce avail of family-friendly work patterns. Figures from An Bord Altranais indicate that there is a steady stream of new entrants into the profession. The table below illustrates the number of applications for registration between 1998 and November 2003:
|
Division |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
|
General |
2,092 |
2,143 |
2,518 |
4,582 |
3,450 |
1,970 |
|
Mental Handicap |
140 |
163 |
188 |
176 |
153 |
156 |
|
Psychiatric |
239 |
236 |
248 |
266 |
410 |
365 |
|
Total |
2,471 |
2,542 |
2,954 |
5,024 |
4,013 |
2,491 |
Foreign recruitment has made a valuable contribution to addressing staff shortages in the nursing area, and An Bord Altranais continues to receive applications for registration from overseas nurses. The total number of foreign registrations for the years 1998-2003 is set out hereunder:
|
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
Nov 2003 |
|
|
Overseas |
94 |
142 |
631 |
2,311 |
1,760 |
740 |
|
EU (excl. Ireland) |
1,417 |
1,521 |
1,585 |
1,424 |
1,194 |
839 |
|
Total (excl. Ireland) |
1,511 |
1,663 |
2,216 |
3,735 |
2,954 |
1,579 |
It is clear from these figures that the recruitment and retention measures I introduced are proving very effective.
163 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the aspect of the information technology and communication system that is to be financed from the 2004 allocation. [1553/04]
This matter is under consideration and will be finalised soon. Priority will be determined in line with the Departments policy of "enterprise-wide" systems.
166 Dr. Twomey asked the Minister for Health and Children if the new health services executive will be established as a statutory body or an executive like the Eastern Regional Health Authority. [1879/04]
The interim health service executive which has been established will be given corporate body status under the Health (Corporate Bodies) Act to allow it to undertake specific set-up tasks and to ensure the orderly transfer of functions to a single delivery system, Health Service Executive, from 2005. Work on the preparation of the necessary primary legislation to establish the Health Service Executive on a full statutory basis by January 2005, is well under way. The Health Service Executive will take over responsibility for health service delivery at that stage.
169 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health and Children if the necessary finance will be provided for an extension to the car park at Tralee General Hospital, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1053/04]
Recently my Department gave approval to the Southern Health Board to proceed with an extension to the existing car park at Tralee General Hospital. The new facility is a self-financing initiative proposed by the board and did not require the provision of additional funding by my Department. I welcome the introduction of this much needed facility at the hospital.
170 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he has taken to date to implement the recommendations of the commission on the financial management and control systems in the health service; when it will be established; the terms of reference and the programme of work for the interim HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1884/04]
175 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made with regard to implementation of the Prospectus report on health structures; when he expects to introduce legislation to provide for the establishment of the four new regional health authorities; the provision there will be for democratic accountability in regard to these new authorities; when he expects that the new authorities will be operational; the steps he intends to take for appointments to health boards in the period between the local elections in June and the establishment of the authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1888/04]
192 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Brennan report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1887/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 170, 175 and 192 together.
The Government's decision on the health service reform programme is based on the recommendations of the following key reports: the audit of structures and functions in the health system from the Prospectus report; the commission on financial management and control systems in the health service from the Brennan report; and the report of the national task force on medical staffing in the Hanly report.
The new structure set out in this reform programme will provide a clear national focus on service delivery and executive management through reduced fragmentation and the creation of clear and unambiguous accountability throughout the system. Phase one of the implementation of the reform programme involved a widespread communications and consultation process and the establishment of 13 action projects to think through and flesh out specific aspects of the programme. The action projects concluded as planned at the end of December. A composite document outlining the main findings is being finalised. Phase two of the reform programme is focused on transition to the new structures. It has commenced at this stage.
Last November I announced the establishment of the board of the interim health service executive and it held its first meeting earlier this month. The interim HSE will be responsible for: recommending the senior management structure for the new executive; recommending regional boundaries and location of regional headquarters for primary, community and continuing care services and appropriate management structures for consideration by the Government; and, within approved parameters, the selection and appointment of a chief executive officer to the HSE and subsequent appointments at senior management level.
The work to be undertaken by the interim HSE is one of four distinct but interrelated strands of activity that will take place under the reform programme during 2004. The other three strands are: the legislative, mainstreaming, human resource and industrial relations aspects of the reform programme for which my Department will continue to have lead responsibility; the work of the acute hospitals review group chaired by Mr. David Hanly; and the ongoing management of the health system and internal preparations for the new organisation and governance arrangements being led by the CEOs of health board and the health boards executive.
The Government has also appointed a national steering committee to oversee the implementation of the work programmes of the four strands. It will provide a co-ordinating forum for actions being led in the respective strands and will ensure overall consistency with the Government's decision. It will report on a regular basis to the Cabinet committee on health strategy, ensuring that the Government is kept informed on all important issues.
The respective roles of the HSE's CEO and board will be made explicit in the legislation to be introduced. I will also continue to be accountable to the Oireachtas in respect of my role and responsibilities and the relevant Oireachtas committees. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children and the Committee of Public Accounts will continue to exercise their respective roles.
Regional authorities will not be part of the new structure. I have indicated that I will bring forward proposals for the involvement of public representatives at local level. I shall build on the ideas already outlined for consultation at regional level. Proposals are being prepared in my Department and I have indicated my intention to discuss the matter with the Association of Health Boards at a meeting in the near future.
171 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed in the United Kingdom about the spread of hepatitis C where it is estimated that up to 200,000 people may be infected, with many unaware that they are carrying the virus; the plans he has for a programme to identify and treat patients here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1906/04]
I am advised that the figure of 200,000 persons in the UK is probably derived from an estimated national prevalence rate of 0.4% in the population of 60 million.
The prevalence of HCV infection in the general population in Ireland is probably quite low, lying somewhere between 0.03% and 1.4%. Some high risk groups, such as intravenous drug users, have extremely high rates of up to 81% to 92% prevalence. The risk of acquiring hepatitis C increases with the length of an injecting career. A survey of short-term injectors showed 52% anti-HCV positive. Other groups with increased risk include homeless people at 18% and sex workers at 8%. About 1,600 people are infected within the State by blood and blood products.
Under an amendment to the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 introduced on 1 January, hepatitis C is now a notifiable disease. In addition, laboratory directors are now also required to report infectious diseases. These changes should enhance the information available in Ireland on the epidemiology of hepatitis C by improving the comprehensiveness and quality of notified data.
I understand from the ERHA that drug treatment centres in the region have a policy of offering testing for HIV and hepatitis A, B and C to patients who present for treatment of their addiction. The drug treatment centres' policy of viral screening, including hepatitis, forms part of the general medical assessment for those entering treatment. It has contributed significantly to the ongoing education of this high risk group in terms of prevention and early treatment intervention.
I am also informed that, in 1994, the drug treatment centre board established a dedicated hepatitis C clinic on a sessional basis and these services were extended in 2000. Attendances at the clinic have risen from 960 in 2000 to approximately 1,387 in 2002. The dedicated clinic offers assessment, testing, education and support to persons with hepatitis C and, where appropriate, referral to a hospital setting for treatment. The service was augmented in 2003 by the establishment of a pilot programme for the treatment of hepatitis C patients within a drug treatment setting. The early indications suggest that treatment outcomes are comparable to hospital based treatment settings.
Recently I launched an information booklet, hepatitis C — Guide for Drug Users and their Families, which was published by the DTCB. The booklet provides a comprehensive easy to read guide for individuals and families affected by hepatitis C. It will also be of value to general practitioners and other professionals working in the area of substance misuse and its associated health risks.
The recipient tracing unit of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service has operated a tracing programme since 1994 to identify recipients of infectious or potentially infectious blood or blood products. Persons identified as having been infected by blood or blood products administered within the State are provided with a Health (Amendment) Act card. It entitles them to a range of free health services. A number of publications have also been developed for this cohort. I have no plans to carry out hepatitis C screening in the general population in view of the low prevalence of the disease.
172 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children when it is expected that the new five storey facility at James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, which cost more than €96 million to construct and equip, will be brought into service; the steps being taken to ensure that the facility is commissioned without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1900/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services at the hospital rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. This major development is being funded jointly by the Northern Area Health Board through the sale of surplus lands and my Department. The projected full project cost is €101.4 million. That includes €5 million approved last year to facilitate refurbishment works at the hospital that are necessary as part of the transition process to the new hospital and to facilitate a land transfer in line with the project development arrangements.
My Department is advised that the first phase of the transition to the new development at the hospital has been completed. Last September, the coronary care and cardiac unit, the therapeutic psychiatry of old age unit, day hospital and the rheumatology service transferred to the new building. At present the further commissioning of this development is being examined by the ERHA and my Department.
173 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the total estimated cost of extending medical card eligibility to children under 15 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1918/04]
My Department has not estimated the cost of extending medical card coverage to children under 15 years of age. The health strategy includes a commitment that significant improvements will be made in the medical card income guidelines to increase the number of persons on low income who are eligible for it and to give priority to families with children, especially children with a disability. This measure should be viewed in the broader context of the strategy's emphasis on fairness and its stated objective of reducing health inequalities in our society. I regret that it is not possible to meet this commitment this year due to the prevailing budgetary situation. However, the Government remains committed to the introduction of the necessary changes within its lifetime and the matter will be kept under review
176 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recent findings of the ESRI report, Equity in the Utilisation of Health Care Services in Ireland; the steps he intends to take to address the issues raised in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1890/04]
I am aware of the working paper recently produced by the ESRI on equity in the utilisation of health care in Ireland, which is part of a research programme supported by the Health Research Board under the aegis of my Department.
As the Deputy is aware, this working paper has not yet been finalised. It is subject to further discussion and further exploration of the data involved. It would, therefore, be inappropriate for me to comment on it at this stage.
177 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the future role of the accident and emergency facilities in Ballinasloe and Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1782/04]
I presume that the Deputy is referring to the conclusions of the report of the national task force on medical staffing, the Hanly report. Today I announced the composition of an acute hospitals review group to prepare a national hospitals plan for the interim health services executive in line with the principles identified in the Hanly report.
The review group will be asked to examine the role and structure of acute hospital services so that it can provide the best possible service for patients as we implement the European working time directive and introduce a consultant-provided service. The hospitals referred to by the Deputy will be examined in this context.
178 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health and Children if the terms of reference of the inquiry to be chaired by Judge Maureen Harding-Clarke into the activities of the former Drogheda obstetrician (details supplied) have yet been finalised; when the inquiry will begin; the form it will take; when he expects it to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1891/04]
Arising from the Medical Council's report of an inquiry into the professional conduct of the person in question, Judge Maureen Harding-Clarke has been selected to chair an inquiry into the issues raised. The format of the inquiry and its terms of reference are being finalised and I expect to be in a position to bring recommendations before Cabinet shortly. I will be meeting with Patient Focus on 29 January 2004 to review progress.
179 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will address the anomaly whereby a cohabiting couple are treated as a married couple for the purpose of qualifying for social welfare payments, and as two single individuals in their work for income tax purposes, medical card applications and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28067/03]
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Under the Health Act 1970, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board other than for persons aged 70 years and over, who are automatically eligible for a medical card. Medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer, are unable to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants without undue hardship.
Income guidelines are drawn up to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility and these are revised annually in line with the consumer price index. However, the guidelines are not statutorily binding and, even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that his or her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. It is open to all persons to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board if they are unable to provide health services for themselves or their dependants without hardship. I understand from my Department that, for the purposes of determining eligibility, the income of a cohabiting couple is treated in the same way as the income of a married couple by health boards.
180 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to deal with the problem of childhood obesity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2034/04]
203 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to deal with the threat to health posed by rising level of obesity identified in the recent annual report of the National Nutritional Surveillance Centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1908/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 203 together.
The Slán survey published in 2003 highlights that 47% of the Irish population were overweight or obese in 2002, compared with 42% in 1998. In the same period, the reported rates of those overweight have increased from 32% to 34% and obese from 10% to 13%. In addition to this, numbers reporting no physical activity have increased among both men — from 21% to 30% — and women — from 20% to 25%.
The issue of childhood obesity is a challenge that is being addressed. Significant cultural changes have impacted in that opportunities to participate in physical activity have decreased while the prevalence of foods high in fat and sugar have increased in children's diets. Data from a recent study compiled from the health behaviour in school children survey indicate that 20% to 21% of boys and girls are overweight in Ireland.
The results of these surveys reflect a similar situation at global level. Developed countries are documenting increasing levels of overweight and obesity. A position paper prepared by the international obesity task force recommends that national obesity task forces be established to develop and implement strategies to counteract the epidemic of obesity.
In response to these trends and in line with the EU Health Council conclusions that member states need to address the issue of obesity using established national structures, I am in the process of establishing an obesity task force.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in health promotion activities associated with obesity prevention. These will have a long-term impact in addressing this issue. National campaigns support the implementation of these strategies, the aims of which are to raise awareness of healthy diets and being active for health and for weight management. The campaign "Let it Go — just for 30 minutes" focused on the message that even minor increases in the level of activity can lead to positive health benefits. The national healthy eating campaign has concentrated on encouraging people to eat four or more portions of fruit or vegetables per day. As part of these campaigns health boards provide regional and local focus in schools, communities and other settings.
As a direct result of funding from the cardiovascular health strategy there are now 36 additional community dieticians in post. These dieticians have formed partnerships with community groups to provide nutrition education, cookery programmes and healthy eating projects. The majority of boards have been resourced to run specific targeted, focused, sustained programmes aimed in particular at those on low income. Physical activity co-ordinators have also been appointed in each board, promoting physical activity amongst the population as recommended in the national strategies.
181 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has satisfied himself with the availability of adequate medical, nursing and consultant staffing levels to meet the requirements of all disciplines in the various hospitals throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1995/04]
The chief executive officer of each individual health board has responsibility for the management of the workforce, including the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff employed within that board, in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the authorised ceiling. The Deputy may wish to note that there has been an increase in the authorised level of employment of 27,985 since 1997, or almost 41%.
I have already provided a very comprehensive reply to this question raised by the Deputy on 9 October 2003 outlining staffing levels and measures taken to ensure adequate human resource management for the health services. Such initiatives continue to be implemented.
182 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the additional resources it is intended to provide to the rape crisis centres to help them cope with the increasing numbers of victims of sexual crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28400/03]
The national steering committee on violence against women, NSC, was established following the report of the task force on violence again women in 1997. Its purpose is to provide a multidisciplinary, multi-agency and cohesive response to the problem of violence against women and it is chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Dea.
Funding is provided by the Department of Health and Children to the health boards for the provision of services to women victims of domestic violence. Additional funding has been made available each year since the establishment of the NSC so that now over €12 million is provided annually to the health boards.
183 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children the terms of reference of the group established by his Department to undertake a review of the nursing home subvention scheme; when he expects that report to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1905/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, an expenditure review of the nursing home subvention scheme has been carried out by Professor Eamon O'Shea, National University of Ireland, Galway. The review was commissioned jointly by the Departments of Health and Children and Finance following on from a Government decision in 1999. The O'Shea report was formally launched on 25 June 2003 at a joint press conference with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Coughlan. She launched the Mercer report on the future financing of long-term care in Ireland at the joint press conference. Following on from the publication of the O'Shea and Mercer reports, it was agreed that a working group should be established by my Department to review the operation of the nursing home subvention scheme.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the inaugural meeting of the working group took place in early December. One of the items for discussion by the working group at its first meeting was to agree terms of reference for the review. However, due to the complex nature of the regulations and the variety of stakeholders involved, it was not possible to finalise agreement on the terms of reference. It was decided that each member would deliberate over the terms and that they would be the subject of further discussions. It is therefore not possible at this time to provide them to the Deputy. I will, however, ensure that the terms of reference are forwarded to the Deputy as soon as they are agreed by the working group. The timeframe for the review will also be the subject of discussion by the working group.
184 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which the treatment purchase fund will manage the waiting list initiative; the extra costs involved in this move; the impact this will have on waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2026/04]
In light of the commitment given in the health strategy to reform the organisation and management of waiting lists, I have decided to give a significant lead role to the national treatment purchase fund. Having a single funding stream through the NTPF to reduce waiting times for patients will ensure an efficient use of resources and guarantee good value for money from the funding being used. My Department is engaged in discussions with the NTPF with regard to putting in place the necessary arrangements.
185 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the criticisms of the fluoride forum by Dr. Paul Connett who participated in the forum; the reason the forum has not published Mr. Connett's list of questions despite promising to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2031/04]
The use of fluoride technology is known to manifest a positive oral health outcome. Local and national surveys and studies conducted since the introduction of fluoridation in this country attest to the reduced dental decay levels of children and teenagers in fluoridated areas compared with those residing in non-fluoridated areas. The safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation has been endorsed by a number of international and reputable bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Public Health Service and the United States Surgeon General.
As the Deputy is aware, I established the forum on fluoridation to review the fluoridation of public piped water supplies in Ireland. The forum's report was launched on 10 September 2002 and its main conclusion was that the fluoridation of public piped water supplies should continue as a public health measure.
The forum also concluded the following: water fluoridation has been very effective in improving the oral health of the Irish population, especially of children, but also of adults and the elderly; the best available and most reliable scientific evidence indicates that at the maximum permitted level of fluoride in drinking water at one part per million, human health is not adversely affected; dental fluorosis — a form of discoloration of the tooth enamel — is a well-recognised condition and an indicator of overall fluoride absorption, whether from natural sources, fluoridated water or from the inappropriate use of fluoride toothpaste at a young age. There is evidence that the prevalence of dental fluorosis is increasing in Ireland.
The forum consisted of people with expert knowledge spanning the areas of public health, biochemistry, dental health, bone health, food safety, environmental protection, ethics, water quality, health promotion and representatives from the consumer and environmental areas. This diversity of professional backgrounds and representation was reflected in the comprehensive way the forum conducted its work and research. Ultimately, the forum took an evidence based approach to its examination of water fluoridation.
The forum's report emerged from 14 plenary meetings, several meetings of sub-groups and oral presentations of material from both proponents and opponents of fluoridation. The forum invited the public to forward its views and examined more than 1,000 submissions. In adopting a participatory and evidence based approach, the forum strove to ensure balance between participants from both sides of the debate on water fluoridation.
Following the publication of the forum report members of the forum made presentations countrywide to various civic groups and bodies, including the Irish Society of Toxicology and the Institute of Engineers of Ireland. Many issues raised by Dr. Connett were covered in the forum report. It was not considered appropriate to respond comprehensively to all of Dr. Connett's questions in the forum report. A more comprehensive response to all his questions will be published in the coming months.
186 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Health and Children the person responsible for the enforcement of the smoking ban in the workplace. [1555/04]
The owner, manager or person in charge of a workplace is legally responsible for ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements, including the prohibition on smoking in the workplace. As part of the process of monitoring compliance with the smoke-free workplace requirement, authorised officers from the health boards and the Office of Tobacco Control will visit premises. I expect that the vast majority of employers, employees and the public will respect the new measures, which are primarily to protect people from exposure to toxic environmental tobacco smoke.
187 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who held medical cards in June 2002 and the latest date for which figures are available; the proportion of the population this represents in respect of each such date; when it is intended to implement the commitment to extend eligibility for medical cards so as to bring in more than 200,000 extra people; the new guidelines for eligibility for medical cards, published this month; the number of additional people he estimates will qualify as a result of these changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1893/04]
The number of people covered by medical cards on the dates requested by the Deputy are as follows;
|
June 2002 |
December 2003 |
|
1,207,096 (30.81% of national population) |
1,158,143 (29.57% of national population) |
As the Deputy is aware, the health strategy includes a commitment that significant improvements will be made in the medical card income guidelines to increase the number of persons on low income who are eligible for a medical card and to give priority to families with children and particularly children with a disability. This should be viewed in the broader context of the strategy's emphasis on fairness and its stated objective of reducing health inequalities in our society. Due to the prevailing budgetary situation I regret that it is not possible to meet this commitment this year but the Government remains committed to the introduction of the necessary changes within its term of office.
It should be remembered that health board chief executive officers have discretion in the issuing of medical cards and also that a range of income sources are excluded by the health boards when assessing medical card eligibility. Many allowances such as carer's allowance, child benefit, domiciliary care allowance, family income supplement and foster care allowance are all disregarded when determining a person's eligibility. Given these factors and the discretionary powers of the CEOs, having an income that exceeds the guidelines does not mean that a person will not be eligible for a medical card, and a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that a person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. It is open to all persons to apply to the CEO of the appropriate health board for health services if they are unable to provide these services for themselves or their dependants without hardship.
Non-medical card holders, and people with conditions not covered under the long-term illness scheme, can avail of the drugs payment scheme. Under this scheme, no individual or family unit pays more than €78 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.
The strategy includes a whole series of initiatives to clarify and expand the existing arrangements for eligibility for health services, including recommendations arising from the review of the medical card scheme carried out by the health board CEOs under the PPF, which include: streamlining applications and improving the standardisation of the medical card applications process to ensure better fairness and transparency; providing clearer information to people about how and where to apply for medical cards; and proactively seeking out those who should have medical cards to ensure they have access to the services that are available.
The medical card income guidelines issued by the chief executive officers of the health boards for 2004 are as follows:
|
€ |
|
|
Single Person Living Alone |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
142.50 |
|
Aged between 66 and 69 years |
156.00 |
|
Single Person Living with Family |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
127.00 |
|
Aged between 66 and 69 years |
134.00 |
|
Married Couple |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
206.50 |
|
Aged between 66 and 69 years |
231.00 |
|
Aged between 70 and 79 years |
462.00 |
|
Aged between 80 years and over |
486.00 |
|
Allowances |
|
|
For child under 16 years |
26.00 |
|
For dependant over 16 years with no income maintained by applicant |
27.00 |
|
For outgoings on house (rent, etc.) in excess of |
26.00 |
|
Reasonable expenses necessarily incurred in travelling to work in excess of |
23.00 |
As the medical card scheme is a demand-led scheme and medical cards are issued by the CEOs on the basis of medical need to persons who are unable to arrange for their own medical needs without undue hardship, it is not possible to predict accurately the numbers of persons who will qualify for a medical card in 2004.
188 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the serious concern about the disclosure on the recent “Prime Time” programme that up to 14,000 people may be killed or injured each year as a result of medical negligence and the problems that patients face in securing satisfaction when mistakes occur; if he will now expedite the introduction of the medical practitioners Bill to provide a more effective mechanism for complaints to be dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1892/04]
Studies conducted in several developed countries have established beyond question that medical error is a serious issue. These studies suggest that anywhere between 4% and 12% of patients may suffer an adverse event while in hospital. Some caution needs to be exercised in interpreting data from these studies as the definitions and the methodologies used vary. There are no comparable data for Irish hospitals because no such study has been carried out here. The figure of 14,000 possible deaths and injuries used in the "Prime Time" programme transmitted in December is produced from an extrapolation of the findings of the landmark Harvard medical malpractice study to Irish hospitals. I have made the point that the Harvard study data indicate that medical error is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
All of the studies undertaken on medical error suggest that many of these errors are preventable and could be avoided through good risk management. The Government has put significant resources into clinical risk management over the past three years. In that time in excess of €10 million has been allocated to health boards and hospitals under this heading. Several health boards have developed and implemented clinical risk management strategies. Most acute hospitals have appointed at least one clinical risk manager. Risk management has also been established as a key component of the clinical indemnity scheme. All agencies covered by the scheme are in the course of being supplied with a state of the art IT system which will allow them to report and analyse adverse events and claims. Ireland is the first country to have put such a system in place on a national basis. I expect that it will make a major contribution to enhancing patient safety in Irish hospitals. Officials of my Department are discussing with the health research board how the data generated by the system might be used in appropriate research projects.
The Medical Practitioners Act 1978 established the Medical Council as the body responsible for the registration and regulation of the activities of medical practitioners. In point 5 of its document Medical Council Statement of Core Policies 2000, the council makes adequate indemnity insurance a clear requirements for those registered. Where doctors working in a private capacity are concerned, patients are advised to take additional care to satisfy themselves that a doctor has satisfactory cover in place at the time that they are treated.
Draft legislative proposals providing for further, wide-ranging amendments to the 1978 Act are in the final stages of preparation in my Department following extensive consultation, and draft heads of a Bill are due to be brought to Cabinet in the very near future. One of the primary concerns of the amending legislation will be to provide for increased public protection.
189 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made to date in regard to the implementation of the Civil Service action plan drawn up to meet the requirements of the benchmarking process within his own Department and within the public service generally; if the Civil Service performance verification group has decided that the level of progress warrants the payment of the general round of the benchmarking award on 1 January 2004; if payments will be withheld in any sector due to failure to make adequate progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30090/03]
My Department's modernisation action plan was drawn up and submitted in accordance with the terms laid down by the Civil Service performance verification group, CSPVG. These arrangements are in line with those for all other Departments. The action plan was accepted by the CSPVG. The first progress report was required by 24 October 2003 and was duly submitted with additional material as requested.
The CSPVG has assessed the progress achieved on the commitments made by my Department and agreed by the partnership committee. The assessment was made having regard to the progress report submitted, additional material requested by the CSPVG and the report made by the Secretary General on public service management and development in the Department of Finance on progress achieved across the Civil Service as a whole. Copies of all this material will shortly be made available on the website of the Department of Finance in conjunction with the progress reports of all other Departments. On the basis of this assessment, the CSPVG has decided that the progress achieved warrants payment of the pay increases due from 1 January 2004 for all grades of staff in my Department.
Under Sustaining Progress, the assessment of verified progress for the health sector is the responsibility of the Secretary General of my Department. Following consideration of the findings of the health service performance verification group, the Secretary General has decided that payment of the increases to all staff in the health service covered by the public service benchmarking body's pay recommendations, with effect from 1 January 2004, is warranted.
This decision was based on strong evidence of willingness within the health sector to co-operate with modernisation and change under each of the headings set out in Sustaining Progress.
191 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the status of the application by AMNCH Hospital, Tallaght, for three paediatric consultant posts; the representations he has received and the measures he intends to take to expedite sanction for these posts and rapid appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1916/04]
Responsibility for the funding of services at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght, rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA. Under an agreement involving the ERHA, the National Children's Hospital at Tallaght, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, and St. James's Hospital, paediatric haematology and haemophilia services were transferred from the National Children's Hospital to Crumlin. As part of the agreement, the ERHA agreed to fund three new consultant paediatrician posts at the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght.
As the Deputy will be aware, Comhairle na nOspidéal, in addition to its advisory role, is the statutory body whose main executive function is to regulate appointments of consultant medical staff in hospitals providing services under the Health Acts. On the three new consultant posts, Comhairle na nOspidéal has recommended that a paediatric consultant with a special interest in endocrinology be approved as a joint appointment with Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. My Department is advised that Comhairle na nOspidéal is in negotiations with the two hospitals and the ERHA with regard to the sessional split attaching to this post.
I understand that the other two consultant paediatricians, one with a special interest in respiratory medicine, the other with a special interest in community child health, have been approved by Comhairle na nOspidéal. The latter post is to be shared with the South Western Area Health Board. The filling of these posts is now a matter for the hospital. I wish to confirm for the Deputy that the necessary funding for these posts is in place.
193 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he is taking to address the prevalence, detection and treatment of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1385/04]
As I have previously informed the Deputy, the most recent report of the National Cancer Registry, Cancer in Ireland, 1994 to 1998: Incidence, Mortality, Treatment and Survival, finds that rates of prostate cancer in men in all age groups showed statistically significant increases. However, mortality rates showed no evidence of an upward or downward time trend. The report states that the evidence of a divergence between incidence and mortality rates may be due to better case-finding, more incidental diagnoses or a genuine increase in survival. The report further states that the increase in incidence rates in men under 65 years of age appears to be a recent phenomenon and that it is notable how little mortality rates have changed over this same period of time. The report concludes that it is unclear from the figures if mortality trends will change much in the future but considers that it is unlikely that incidence rates will continue their steady climb.
In recognition of the need to further develop cancer services, the national health strategy identified the need for the preparation of a new national cancer strategy. The National Cancer Strategy 2004 is currently being developed by the National Cancer Forum in conjunction with my Department. As part of this work, a sub-group of the National Cancer Forum has been established on generic screening. This multidisciplinary group has reviewed all issues relating to screening, including examining specific diseases such as prostate and colorectal cancer. On screening for prostate cancer in particular, the group recommended that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend the introduction of a population-based prostate screening programme in this country. The group recommended that this issue should be reassessed when the results are available from randomised trials currently being conducted. The group's recommendations will inform the development of the new national cancer strategy.
I wish to advise the Deputy of European Commission recommendations on cancer screening which were accepted by the Council last December. The proposals do not provide for specific recommendations in respect of screening for prostate cancer.
The new national cancer strategy will build on the progress that has been made during the implementation of the first national cancer strategy and set out the key investment areas to be targeted for the development of cancer services over the coming years. It will also make recommendations on the organisation and structure of cancer services nationally.
194 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of the promised 850 hospital beds now available in regard to his announcement of July 2002; the hospitals in which they are available; the number in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1917/04]
The 850 additional beds which I announced in July 2002 were for community nursing units, CNUs, to be provided under a pilot public private partnership, PPP, in 17 locations throughout the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, and Southern Health Board, SHB, areas.
The ERHA proposes to develop nine 50-bed CNUs, three in each of the area health boards in the following locations: Clonskeagh Hospital, Newcastle Hospital, County Wicklow, and Tivoli Road, Dún Laoghaire, in the East Coast Area Health Board; St. Joseph's Hospital, Raheny, St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park, and Swords in the Northern Area Health Board; St. Brigid's Hospital, Crooksling, Brú Chaoimhín, Cork Street, and Cherry Orchard Hospital in the South Western Area Health Board. It is intended that 20 to 25 day care places will be provided in each location if the site is conducive to accommodating the service.
The Southern Health Board proposes to develop eight 50-bed CNUs in the following locations; St. Finbarr's Hospital, Farranlea Road, and Ballincollig in the Cork south Lee area; St. Stephen's Hospital, Glanmire, and St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranabraher, in the Cork north Lee area; Mount Alvernia Hospital, Mallow, in the north Cork area; Bantry in the west Cork area and Ballyard, Tralee, County Kerry.
These additional beds are currently not available because the process of providing services under a PPP arrangement requires the health board/authority to comply with the EU procurement legislation and national guidelines on PPPs.
A draft public sector benchmark, which is a comprehensive and detailed risk adjusted costing of the project elements using conventional procurement over the whole life of the project, have been prepared by the ERHA and the SHB. The draft public sector benchmarks have been submitted to my Department and are currently under consideration. The next step will be to seek Department of Finance approval for the projects and on approval contract notices will be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
195 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress which has been made by the working group on the development of a no-fault compensation system for birth damaged children; when he expects the group to report; if he will seek to expedite the introduction of proposals in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1902/04]
The advisory group examining the feasibility of introducing a "no fault" compensation scheme for infants who suffer cerebral damage at, or close to, the time of birth is engaged in the process of drafting its report. I expect that the report will be completed and submitted to me by the middle of this year.
196 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children when he intends to publish the report commissioned from Deloitte & Touche on the GMS, which he received on 6 February 2003; if the report has been brought to Government; if it is intended to implement the recommendations of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1899/04]
As I have stated previously in response to a similar question, a draft copy of the Deloitte & Touche consultancy review of governance and accountability mechanisms in the GMS schemes was received by my Department in February 2003. While the review was being considered by officials in my Department, both the Brennan and Prospectus reports were published. Since the contents and recommendations of both of these reports are relevant to the subject matter of the GMS review, my Department requested Deloitte and Touche to update the draft in this light, and also having regard to the latest financial data from the General Medical Services (Payments) Board. The final draft of this review has now been received by my Department. It is my intention to bring this review to Government as soon as possible, at which time its publication and implementation will be discussed.
197 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made in providing more beds in line with the Government's health strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2025/04]
771 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which he proposes to provide for patients requiring long stay accommodation with a view to maximising the availability of acute hospital beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2166/04]
772 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which he proposes to provide adequate medical and surgical beds to meet requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2167/04]
782 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the precise requirement as determined by experts in respect of acute hospital beds and long stay beds; if he intends to take initiatives to ensure adequacy in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2224/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 197, 771, 772 and 782 together.
On foot of the report, Acute Hospital Bed Capacity — A National Review, the Government decided, in the context of the health strategy, Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You, to provide an additional 3,000 beds in acute hospitals by 2011. Commissioning of the first phase of this development, an additional 709 acute hospital beds for public patients began in 2002. Some 568 of these beds have now been commissioned and funding has been provided to commission the remainder.
The national health strategy asserts the Department of Health and Children's commitment to using public private partnership's as a means of accelerating the provision of health infrastructure in accordance with general Government policy. PPP pilots are currently being piloted in the health sector in the area of community nursing units, CNUs, for older people. It is anticipated that 17 new CNUs will be created when the initial pilot programme is complete, providing up to a maximum of 850 new beds for older people. The services offered in these units will include: assessment/rehabilitation, respite, extended care and convalescence. Furthermore, day centres for the elderly will be combined with the CNUs in each site to help promote the dignity and independence of older people living in the community.
The Department is also involved with the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in an ongoing process of designing and developing CNUs for older people through the traditional procurement method rather than through the PPP process. A number of such projects are at an advanced stage of planning and consist in the main of 50-bed community nursing units with associated day care facilities. In some instances these new units will replace existing unsuitable accommodation while in other cases these developments will increase the number of public long-stay beds available for older people. These submissions are being considered in consultation with the Department of Finance.
198 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Health and Children if he accepts that the ageing population in Ireland and elsewhere will inevitably mean that health care costs will increase; the studies his Department has carried out on projected increases in costs because of demographic changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2030/04]
As the Deputy indicates, the figures from the Central Statistics Office collated from the results of the census suggest that the average age of the population is increasing. Projections based on the 1996 census indicate that in 1996, 402,000 or 11.5% of the Irish population were over 65. Forecasts suggest that by 2031 this figure will have more than doubled and that the percentage of the population aged over 65 will be between 18% and 21% at that stage. The Government is aware of this trend and addressed some of the issues arising from it in its health strategy publication, Quality and Fairness — A Health System for You, published in 2001.
In so far as the development of services to meet an increasing population of older people is concerned the health strategy outlined the need for certain developments. Regarding community services, the following was recommended: recruitment of a multidisciplinary range of staff to support the development of primary care services such as domicilliary care, and day and respite services; the provision of 7,000 day centre places. The following were recommended in respect of hospital services: 1,370 additional assessment and rehabilitation beds; associated development of acute geriatric medical services and appointment of additional geriatricians; and 600 additional day hospital beds with facilities encompassing specialist areas such as falls, osteoporosis treatment, fracture prevention, Parkinson's disease, stroke prevention, heart failure and continence promotion clinics. Residential care recommendations included: 5,600 additional extended care/community nursing unit places over a seven to ten year period, including provision for people with dementia; and improved staffing levels in extended care units. The provision of the above services is contingent on the necessary resources being made available. On performance, national standards for community and long-term residential care of older people will be prepared.
Since 1997 over €270 million in additional revenue funding has been provided for the development of services for older people. In addition, significant capital funding has been made available through the national development plan for the provision of additional extended care and associated facilities around the country.
Proposals are also being developed for the provision of an extra 850 long-stay beds in the Eastern Regional Health Authority and Southern Health Board areas under a public private partnership pilot scheme and the preparation of business cases is well advanced.
The Deputy will also be aware that in June 2003 my colleague the Minister for Social and Family Affairs published the Study to Examine the Future Financing of Long-Term Care in Ireland, undertaken by Mercer Limited. This study considers possible financing options, including private sector or combined public private sector approaches, use of the PRSI system to finance-fund long-term care or alternatively, whether the current system of long-term care financing, through taxation, should remain the status quo. I understand that the Minister intends to undertake a wide process of consultation to initiate a public debate on the matter before a decision is made on the best way forward.
199 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children when he intends to provide for the upgrading of facilities at St. Brendan's mental hospital, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1914/04]
The provision for the upgrading of health facilities at the Grangegorman site together with accommodation for the Dublin Institute of Technology will be addressed in the context of last year's Government decision relating to the overall development of the site. That decision provides for the establishment of a statutory body to be called the Grangegorman Development Agency. My colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, has been given responsibility for drafting the necessary legislation to establish the agency. I understand that the preparation of the Bill is at an advanced stage.
200 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he believes the smoking ban will go ahead as planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2032/04]
I will make a decision on the new date for commencement of the smoke-free workplaces regulations in the near future. I believe that the vast majority of employers, employees and the public will comply with the new measure. The primary purpose of making workplaces smoke-free is to protect people from exposure to toxic environmental tobacco smoke.
201 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children when the Mortell report will be published; his views on the future regulation of pharmacy services in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1997/04]
I established the pharmacy review group in November 2001 to examine the pharmacy issues raised in the OECD report on regulatory reform in Ireland. The group submitted its report on 31 January 2003. I have been examining the complex legal and other issues surrounding the group's recommendations. Deputies will appreciate that it would be not be appropriate for me to comment on the report's recommendations before completion of this examination. I intend to publish the report shortly.
202 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress made by the Commission On Assisted Human Reproduction which was established in March 2000; when he expects to receive the report of the commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1909/04]
The Commission On Assisted Human Reproduction was established in March 2000 with the following terms of reference: to prepare a report on the possible approaches to the regulation of all areas of assisted human reproduction and the social, ethical and legal factors to be taken into account in determining public policy in this area.
The commission has met on 21 occasions to date. The first meeting was held on 26 July 2000 and the most recent on 11 November 2003. I understand that the commission has adopted an interdisciplinary approach to its work. Initially, each discipline — medical, legal, scientific and social — prepared a report outlining the current position within that discipline in relation to assisted human reproduction. Working groups were then formed to examine specific topics and issues that needed to be addressed. The working groups meet on a regular basis to discuss their tasks and to progress the work of the commission.
I have been informed that the work group structure facilitates close attention to a relatively limited range of topics by a highly specialised group. It also facilitates the detailed exploration of a range of ethical and social implications that arise from assisted human reproduction.
The commission organised a one-day conference in Dublin Castle in September 2001. The conference dealt with the social, ethical and legal factors inherent in assisted human reproduction. It provided an opportunity for an exchange of views between experts in the various fields from Ireland, the UK, France and Germany.
When the commission was set up, I indicated that it would be required to seek submissions from the public and to consult appropriate interests. In order to inform itself on the current state of public opinion in Ireland on assisted human reproduction, the commission placed an advertisement in the newspapers inviting interested members of the public, professional or voluntary organisations and other parties who wished to do so to make written submissions before Wednesday, 31 October 2001. Over 1,600 of these were received and examined.
I understand that the commission has engaged in a number of information gathering exercises that include a survey of assisted human reproduction services provided in specialised clinics. A survey instrument was drafted by the commission with a view to establishing the extent of the provision of assisted human reproduction services in Ireland. The commission issued a survey instrument to a random sample to 50% of GPs in all health board areas. I understand that a high proportion of those surveyed responded. The commission also issued a survey instrument to obstetricians and gynaecologists to elicit information on their level of involvement in assisted human reproduction services. The commission has also surveyed public attitudes and opinions on a range of questions related to assisted human reproduction. I understand that the commission will complete its report shortly. Its recommendations will provide the basis for informed public debate before the finalisation of any policy proposals.
204 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Health and Children his policy with respect to GM foods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29248/03]
The EU now has one of the most rigorous regimes for the pre-marketing assessment of GMOs as well as food and feed derived from GMOs. Under current EU laws and new EU legislation to come into force in April 2004, only GM foods that satisfy the highest standards of safety will be allowed on the market. In the event of a problem being identified with a GM food provisions allow for its temporary or long-term removal from the marketplace.
Ireland applies EU legislation on genetically modified, GM, foods and, at present, has no additional national legislation. Under EU rules, only authorised GM foods or ingredients can be placed on the market and these foods must be labelled appropriately to allow consumers to choose. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, is the competent authority in Ireland for the enforcement of legislation governing GM food and carries out regular checks of the marketplace to ensure compliance with GM food legislation.
Under new legislation the safety assessment of all GM products will be carried out by the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA, a new independent agency set up specifically for this purpose. Once a GM food is authorised new legislation on traceability and labelling will ensure full traceability of GMOs throughout the chain from farm to table providing consumers with comprehensive information by labelling all food and feed consisting of, containing, or produced from, a GMO.
Consumer safety and consumer choice are paramount in the approach taken to GM foods as reflected in the extent of the legislation developed to deal with this sensitive area. No credible evidence has yet been provided to show that GM foods pose a risk to human health; in addition, measures to allow post-release monitoring of GM foods are provided for in the legislation.
I am satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of authorised GM foods, or foods containing GM ingredients placed on the market in Ireland.
205 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the aspects of the primary care strategy that will be put in place in 2004. [1537/04]
In 2004 my Department, working in partnership with a range of interests, will continue to drive the implementation of the primary care strategy and to develop policy in this regard. The implementation process is being overseen by the national primary care steering group, which is representative of a wide range of stakeholders.
The detailed planning for implementation of the health services reform programme will allow the development of service delivery and administrative structures which best facilitate the implementation of the interdisciplinary model of primary care as an integral part of a whole-system approach to service delivery. My Department will also work with the East Coast Area Health Board and the Mid-Western Health Board on the development of primary care services in their regions as an essential component of the hospitals reform programme being undertaken in accordance with the recommendations of the national task force on medical staffing.
Work will also be undertaken by the health boards to further develop the ten primary care implementation projects — one in each health board area — which I have approved. These projects are building on the services and resources already in place in the locations involved so as to develop a primary care team in line with the multidisciplinary model described in the strategy. The necessary revenue funding to enable the appointment of the required additional personnel has been provided in each case. These projects are currently at different stages of development, with a number already providing new or enhanced primary care services to their target populations.
The primary care strategy indicated that a significant component of the development of primary care teams, in the short to medium term, would involve the reorientation of existing staff and resources. My Department has therefore asked the health boards to develop initiatives to give effect to multidisciplinary team-working on a more widespread basis. This will include reorganisation of current resources within primary care and community services and the development of collaborative initiatives between the providers of primary care services and with providers and users within the wider health system. In addition, the health boards have also been asked to complete a mapping exercise to plan the locations for future primary care teams and networks within their respective regions.
My Department is at present developing a policy document which is intended to expand upon the key principles in the strategy to assist in informing the process of forming primary care teams and networks on a system-wide basis. This document will be published in the course of 2004.
Work has been undertaken by the individual health boards on a highlevel needs assessment and, once completed, this will be followed by the development of appropriate templates to enable more detailed assessments to be undertaken at a local level. The future human resource requirements for the overall implementation of primary care policy will be informed by this needs assessment process and by the mapping exercises being conducted by each health board.
206 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason his Department does not support the idea of a single waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2027/04]
I assume the Deputy is referring to a single waiting list for public and private patients who are waiting for treatment at a public hospital. Under the terms of the consultants' common contract, consultants are entitled to engage in private practice within the hospital or hospitals in which they are employed. Placement of patients on a waiting list for private treatment is essentially, in the first instance, a matter for the consultant concerned. Information on private waiting lists is not routinely collected by public hospitals. Issues concerning private practice will be pursued in the context of the negotiations on the new consultant's contract.
208 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he intends to take to address the seriously inadequate conditions in our mental hospitals highlighted in the recent report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1904/04]
The report of the Inspector of Mental Hospitals for the year ending 31 December 2002 was published on 10 September 2003. I welcome the publication of this report and acknowledge the important role that the Inspector plays in providing an accurate and detailed account of services in the mental health sector throughout the country.
In his 2002 report, the Inspector of Mental Hospitals notes the continuing decline in the number of patients in psychiatric in-patient facilities, from 4,256 at the end of 2001 to 3,966 at the end of 2002. Approximately 11%, 2,723, of all admissions to psychiatric hospitals and units in 2002 were involuntary admissions. Ireland has a significantly higher rate of involuntary admission than other European countries. However, it is anticipated that the full implementation of the Mental Health Act 2001 with its more stringent procedures for involuntary detention, will significantly reduce the number of involuntary admissions, bringing practice in this country more into line with the rest of Europe.
In his report, the inspector refers to the ongoing replacement of old institutional mental hospitals with acute psychiatric units attached to general hospitals. He expresses disappointment at the failure of the newly constructed psychiatric units at Portlaoise General Hospital and Castlebar Regional Hospital to open as planned in 2002. However, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the unit in Castlebar opened in December 2003 and that the Portlaoise unit is expected to open shortly. The opening of three more units is pending.
The inspector welcomed the considerable reinforcement of various sub-specialties within psychiatry, with the appointment of additional consultants in later-life psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, rehabilitation psychiatry and liaison psychiatry in general hospitals and he is complimentary of the developments in mental health care in all health boards and highlights the many improvements which have taken place in the care of the mentally ill over recent years.
The inspector has welcomed the establishment of the Mental Health Commission in April 2002. The commission will be the main vehicle for the implementation of the provisions of the new Mental Health Act 2001 and its independent status will be crucial in driving the agenda for change and modernisation in the mental health services in the coming years.
An expert group on mental health policy, which I established in 2003 is preparing a new national policy framework for the mental health services, updating the 1984 policy document, Planning for the Future. As part of the process the expert group is now examining written submissions on the matter.
I assure the Deputy that, while I am pleased with the scale of the progress being made in many of the services, I accept that much remains to be done in providing a service which will enhance the quality of life of those suffering from mental illness. It is my intention to facilitate the service providers in bringing about the improvements and developments identified by the inspector as quickly as possible and I am fully committed to ensuring that the recommendations made in the inspector's report for 2002 are followed up as soon as possible.
209 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the difference in performance between hospitals under the casemix scheme; if he accepts that accident and emergency admissions have a major bearing on results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2029/04]
The rationale for the use of casemix systems as part of the budgetary process is the wish to base funding on measured costs and activity, rather than on less objective systems of resource allocation, and to fund hospitals based on their "mix" of cases. In other words a hospital should be funded for the patients they actually treat.
The reason hospitals fare differently under the programme is that each hospital's cost per case is compared with that of its peers, for example, the cost of a tonsillectomy in one teaching hospital versus another. The peer group sets the mean for each type of case treated, not my Department. Those whose cost per case is higher than the mean have some of their funding redistributed to those whose cost per case is lower.
The programme is operated in an open and transparent fashion, and full details of the clinical and financial information on which casemix budget adjustments are based is provided to all participating hospitals.
Admissions through accident and emergency do not have a bearing on results as the complexity of cases admitted as emergencies is fully taken into account. Issues such as excessive length of stay and severe complexity are all considered. Hospitals are not given a profile of patients that they must treat but rather they are judged on their relative efficiency in treating their cases versus their peers.
Casemix is an internationally accepted management system for the monitoring and evaluation of health services which allows for the collection, categorisation and interpretation of hospital patient data related to the types of cases treated, in the hope that it would assist hospitals to define their products, measure their productivity, and assess quality.
The key benefit of casemix measurement is the extent to which it provides a common language for service planning, management and development that is meaningful to both clinicians and managers, and facilitates cost comparison, clinical audit, strategic services planning and the collection of meaningful epidemiological data. It is the only model capable of dealing with the complexities of resource allocation within the hospital service. I am committed to the expansion of the programme as a central pillar in the budgetary process.
A comprehensive review of the entire national casemix programme has been carried out by the casemix unit of my Department. This review has taken place in an open, inclusive manner and included consultation with all the stakeholders in the process, including hospital managers and clinicians.
The intention of the review was to ensure that the system is fair and accurate, and robust enough to incorporate all the strategic developments being proposed in the medium-term. A report on the matter is presently being prepared which will make recommendations for the enhancement of the model. This will result in Ireland having one of the most advanced casemix systems in the world, while still being an "Irish" system for Irish patients.
212 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Taoiseach if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2324/04]
228 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1971/04]
231 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2232/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 212, 228 and 231 together.
My Department is not included in the decentralisation proposals announced by the Minister for Finance in the budget, although I am conscious that some members of staff may wish to avail of the opportunity to decentralise. An implementation committee has been appointed by the Minister for Finance to drive the process forward and this committee has been asked to prepare and submit an overall implementation plan to the Minister by end-March. There are no plans to conduct a survey in advance of the preparation of this plan.
213 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the steps which have been made towards implementing the recommendations contained in a report by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel entitled Explanatory Memoranda: An OPC Perspective, which has been submitted to the Chief Whip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1054/04]
214 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the length of time it takes to fully train a draftsperson. [1055/04]
215 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the system of formal structured training which has been put in place for the recently recruited parliamentary counsel. [1056/04]
216 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the measures which have been put in place to ensure that members of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel take cognisance of the decisions of the superior courts involving statutory interpretation and the constitutionality of legislation. [1057/04]
217 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the reasons the drafting manual relating to the Acts and the drafting manual relating to secondary legislation has not been published. [1058/04]
218 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the reason the fully resourced and staffed Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has failed to discharge its functions in the transposition of secondary legislation to such an extent that a precedent has been set by engaging outside counsel. [1059/04]
219 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach the plans he has in conjunction with decentralisation to dissolve the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in order to allocate at least one parliamentary counsel to each Government Department. [1060/04]
220 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Taoiseach if, as a direct result of benchmarking, there is likely to be an increase in the number of Bills being produced by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. [1061/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 to 220, inclusive, together.
The document entitled Explanatory Memoranda: An OPC Perspective, was prepared in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government in response to the Law Reform Commission report, Statutory Drafting and Interpretation: Plain Language and the Law. The paper examined explanatory memoranda to Bills and contained a set of draft guidelines to assist Departments in the preparation of explanatory memoranda.
It has always been recognised that it takes a considerable period of time to train new parliamentary counsel but in recent years the period has been much reduced. To further aid the process, the office put in place in December 2002 a training plan which is being implemented in respect of the five drafters recruited since August 2002. The plan is comprehensive covering competencies, training topics, guidelines for on-the-job training, checklist for reviewing drafts, induction checklist, relationship between advisory counsel and parliamentary counsel on drafting files, training log and on-line legislative drafting resources.
The office, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, has put in place a knowledge management strategy, an element of which ensures that parliamentary counsel are informed on a range of issues, including European Union law, European Convention on Human Rights, international law and decisions of the Supreme Court in respect of statutory interpretation and the constitutionality of legislation.
Copies of Statutory Instruments: Drafting Checklist and Guidelines, prepared in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government, were issued to Government Departments and offices in March 2003. A copy of the drafting manual containing guidelines and precedents to assist drafters was placed in the Oireachtas Library in September 2003. These documents were not published as they were prepared for officials involved in drafting statutory instruments and for parliamentary counsel and are subject to review.
The primary function of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government is to draft Bills and Government orders. It is a matter for Departments and offices to submit statutory instruments to the office for settling or drafting. The engagement of outside counsel did not arise from any failure in the service provided by the office but rather by a desire to enable Departments to tackle within a short period of time a backlog of EU measures which awaited transposition. In that context, the initiative was very successful and the European Commission last week complimented Ireland when figures were released showing us as meeting the 1.5% target for implementation of the EU Internal Market laws. The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel produced 17 Bills during the period commencing the last parliamentary session and the commencement of this session.
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, which forms part of the Office of the Attorney General and is organised into three groups each servicing a number of Departments, is very effective. It would not be efficient to have it dispersed among Departments. Parliamentary counsel work in close co-operation with advisory counsel in the Office of the Attorney General in the preparation of legislation. The Attorney General advises the Government on the constitutionality of legislation and in relation to other legal issues that arise.
The number of Bills enacted in recent years has increased dramatically as is evidenced by the following table.
|
Year |
No. of Acts |
Pages |
|
1984 |
27 |
300 |
|
1989 |
23 |
588 |
|
1994 |
34 |
815 |
|
1999 |
35 |
1,166 |
|
2000 |
42 |
1,531 |
|
2001 |
57 |
2,269 |
|
2002 |
34 |
991 |
|
2003 |
46 |
1,824 |
This involves both advisory and drafting staff in relation to the preparation of Bills but also in the preparation of amendments which can be considerable, complex and time-consuming.
221 Mr. Kenny asked the Taoiseach the total number of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Acts received by his Department in 2003; the number of requests received per month for 2003; the number of requests received per month for 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1062/04]
The number of requests received in my Department in 2002 and 2003 are as follows:
|
2002 |
2003 |
|
|
January |
20 |
21 |
|
February |
12 |
29 |
|
March |
14 |
30 |
|
April |
10 |
10 |
|
May |
10 |
11 |
|
June |
9 |
7 |
|
July |
10 |
13 |
|
August |
8 |
6 |
|
September |
7 |
4 |
|
October |
13 |
2 |
|
November |
15 |
6 |
|
December |
18 |
3 |
|
Total |
146 |
142 |
I will elaborate further on the statistics when answering oral parliamentary questions on the matter in the next few weeks.
222 Mr. Crowe asked the Taoiseach the number of people who were signing for unemployment assistance at the Tallaght social welfare office for each of the past 12 months. [1499/04]
The live register series gives a monthly breakdown of the number of people claiming unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit and other claimants registered with the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Figures are published for each county and each local social welfare office. The most recent information available is for December 2003. It should be noted that the live register is not a definitive measure of unemployment as it includes part-time workers and seasonal and casual workers entitled to unemployment assistance or benefit. Statistics on unemployment are measured at regional level by the quarterly national household survey.
The number of persons registered for unemployment assistance over the last 12 months, as requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table:
|
Month |
Year |
Unemployment Benefit |
Unemployment Assistance |
Others |
Total |
|
December |
2003 |
1,715 |
1,571 |
115 |
3,401 |
|
November |
2003 |
1,612 |
1,528 |
104 |
3,244 |
|
October |
2003 |
1,681 |
1,503 |
112 |
3,296 |
|
September |
2003 |
1,869 |
1,559 |
106 |
3,534 |
|
August |
2003 |
2,082 |
1,609 |
124 |
3,815 |
|
July |
2003 |
2,110 |
1,584 |
110 |
3,804 |
|
June |
2003 |
1,933 |
1,575 |
91 |
3,599 |
|
May |
2003 |
1,754 |
1,443 |
78 |
3,275 |
|
April |
2003 |
1,845 |
1,457 |
84 |
3,386 |
|
March |
2003 |
1,798 |
1,457 |
77 |
3,332 |
|
February |
2003 |
1,852 |
1,459 |
84 |
3,395 |
|
January |
2003 |
1,809 |
1,465 |
73 |
3,347 |
223 Mr. Broughan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the targets and achievements under the new connection strategy for e-Government in 2003. [1684/04]
224 Mr. Broughan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the targets for development of e-Government during 2004; and the reason the 2005 EU e-Government target is not being achieved. [1685/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 224 together.
The second report of the Government's information society action plan, New Connections, will be published at the end of this month. The report demonstrates that considerable progress has been achieved in positioning Ireland as a leading location for knowledge-based economic activity and highlights the significance of the information society agenda in the overall context of the economy, both from an Irish and international perspective, and also its strong potential to promote a socially inclusive society.
At the end of 2003, the Cabinet Committee on the Information Society agreed the services to be prioritised for e-enablement, having regard to their potential user base and value in terms of efficiency and effectiveness or as flagship projects. The report lists those services that are prioritised for on-line delivery by 2005 and includes detailed information about services that are currently available on-line.
A more complex view of e-Government has evolved since the last progress report was published in February 2003. The Information Society Commission report on e-Government, published in November last year, warned of the danger of putting services on-line purely for the sake of putting them on-line and recommended that only services that had a tangible benefit and made economic sense in terms of return on investment should be made available on-line.
Against this background, the Government's objective in making services available on-line is to focus on common or more frequently used services where technology can have an impact in terms of convenience to the user and can demonstrate tangible efficiencies. Indeed, internationally, while there was an initial push for both Government and commercial organisations to establish a web presence, the emphasis is now increasingly towards getting maximum value by improving background business processes.
Also, the advances that are being made in mobile phone technologies and the high penetration rate that these devices have achieved mean that service providers have to look at this channel as a potentially viable means of delivery because it is a relatively low cost technology and it is ubiquitous. In other words, it may be more cost-efficient and more service effective to put government "on-the-line" rather than on-line. One aspect being examined, for example, is the use of contact centres where citizens can conduct enquiries and transactions over the telephone.
There is also an increasing realisation globally of the real benefits to be gained from the prudent exploitation of technologies in the internal mechanisms of government, particularly as a driver of public service modernisation. Taking a wider perspective on "service" means that public service organisations also consider the manner in which they use public resources on behalf of those who do not necessarily use "over the counter" services or are in receipt of State assistance, but who pay their taxes and have an expectation that they are being used to best effect. The challenge is to exploit technology where it can add value in a modernised public service.
The recent announcement on decentralisation has added a new dimension to the modernisation process and will require a new perspective on the deployment of information and communications technologies, ICTs, to support the work of a more geographically disparate organisation that must operate in a more connected or joined up way. This issue is currently being considered by my Department and the Department of Finance in consultation with other relevant Departments.
225 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Taoiseach if he will give a breakdown of the expenditure on the Barron report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. [1921/04]
226 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Taoiseach if, in the context of the establishment of the enquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, he will give details of commitments given to the victims or families of victims concerning the establishment of any compensation fund. [1922/04]
227 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Taoiseach the funds paid to cover the legal costs of the victims or families of victims groups of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; and if there are ongoing discussions on this matter. [1923/04]
229 Mr. B. Smith asked the Taoiseach when the Barron inquiry into the Belturbet bombing of December 1972 will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2037/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 225 to 227, inclusive, and 229 together.
I welcome the publication of the report by the former Supreme Court judge, Henry Barron, into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. The bombings were terrible outrages, which left 34 people dead and more than 240 injured. Many people never recovered and for many others, the legacy of pain and suffering remains and some still suffer from their injuries to this day. Like everyone else who watched the proceedings of the sub-committee considering the Barron report last week, I found the accounts of the victims and families about the events of that day and their terrible suffering profoundly moving.
I was very glad to have had the opportunity, together with Mr. Justice Barron, to meet with representatives of Justice for the Forgotten at their request on Wednesday, 10 December, before the publication of the report on what was a very important day, especially for the families.
At that meeting, I thanked Mr. Justice Barron and his team for their work in bringing that phase of their work to a conclusion and I paid tribute to Justice for the Forgotten for its assistance to the inquiry and for its dedication and tenacity in pursuing its campaign for the truth. I also paid tribute to the earlier work of the former Chief Justice, the late Liam Hamilton.
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights is now considering, including in public session, the report of the independent commission and it will report back to the Dáil and Seanad in March with its findings on whether the report addresses all of the issues covered in the terms of reference of the inquiry; the lessons to be drawn and any actions to be taken in the light of the report, its findings and conclusions; and, whether, having regard to the report's findings, and, following consultations with the inquiry, a further public inquiry into any aspect of the report would be required or fruitful. The committee may also accept, including in public session, submissions on the report from interested persons and bodies.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy, has said that the British Government will consider the report with great care and he has said that the British Government, from Prime Minister Blair down, has been committed to helping the inquiry as fully as possible. He also said after the meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Farmleigh last week that the British Government wanted to be as helpful as possible. I am aware that the Secretary of State, as well as some of his predecessors, have been invited by the sub-committee to assist it in its work and I would hope that the assistance already referred to also extends to the work of the sub-committee. At my most recent meeting with Prime Minister Blair on Monday, 19 January I asked for the fullest co-operation from the British Government with the Oireachtas sub-committee.
I understand that Mr. Justice Barron will report early in the coming months on the Dublin bombings of 1972 and 1973 and following that report, on the other cases referred to him, including the Séamus Ludlow case, the Dundalk bombing of 1975 and in the context of these reports he will report on the Belturbet bombing.
The total cost of the Barron inquiry to date is approximately €2,541,000. This includes an amount of approximately €693,000 for the legal expenses of the Justice for the Forgotten group and €167,000 for the administrative expenses of the group. Currently, the administrative costs of the group, as well as the services to victims provided by the group, are also being paid for by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In this regard, approximately €0.5 million has been paid to date. In addition, offers have been made to the legal representatives of the relatives in connection with the inquests of the those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
The members of the Remembrance Fund Commission were appointed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in December 2003. A sum of €9 million has been allocated to the commission for victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland for dispersal over the next three years.
The fund was established following on from the report of the former Tánaiste, John Wilson, the sole member of the Victims Commission. The report made a number of recommendations, including regarding acknowledgement payments to those who were bereaved as a result of the conflict and also relating to the ongoing medical expenses of victims who are still suffering as a result of their injuries. It is expected that the commission will be in a position to invite applications for funding shortly.
230 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach the amount his Department spent in the year 2003 on IT software licences and the amount of that budget which was spent on products from a company (details supplied); if his Department uses a product (details supplied) similar to open source software; and if it has a policy position with regard to the promotion and use of such open source software, in the interests of cost savings or the development of a more transparent software industry. [2038/04]
In 2003, my Department spent €75,800.84 on new software licences and €140,071.63 on software licence renewals, a total of €215,872.47. Of this figure, €68,688.21 was spent on renewals of existing software licences to the company in question under my Department's enterprise agreement.
My Department does not, at present, use products of the kind in question. Any software proposed as part of a solution is examined on its technical merits, as well as cost. My Department does not have a specific policy with regard to open source software. It is considered on a case by case basis and may well be used in the future.
The e-Cabinet application will be based on XML code, which is open source software. The above figures do not include a licence fee of €118,000, excluding VAT, paid by my Department on foot of an enterprise agreement which enables this software to be used throughout all Departments. No payment was made from this amount to the company the Deputy referred to in his question.
232 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to Irish arms deals that are fuelling the conflict in the Congo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1616/04]
In the context of the launch by Amnesty International of its report, Human Rights Begin at Home: Recommendations to Ireland's EU Presidency, on 13 January 2004, a representative of the organisation commented that arms brokering deals made on Irish soil are killing civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere. However, the specific basis for these allegations is unclear and I am not aware of any such activities taking place in Ireland. Indeed, one newspaper report of the allegations stated that, despite claims by Amnesty International that there was plenty of anecdotal evidence, a spokeswoman for the organisation could not name one such deal that had been brokered in Ireland or say what parties had been involved.
While Ireland, along with some other EU member states, does not currently have legislation on arms brokering, we are committed to introducing legislation in line with the EU common position on arms brokering that was adopted last June.
A review of Ireland's export control rules and procedures for dual-use and military goods is nearing completion. The review, which will cover a wide range of issue, including arms brokering, will recommend how best we can modernise and strengthen them to ensure full compliance with our international obligations.
233 Mr. Connaughton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will implement a promise given by her Government to mainstream the jobs of workers employed under the various FÁS schemes for the Irish Wheelchair Association and other service providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1942/04]
234 Mr. Connaughton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will implement a promise given by her Government to mainstream the jobs of workers employed under the various FÁS schemes for the Irish Wheelchair Association and other service providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1963/04]
242 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when the promises made to mainstream community employment positions, under the programme for Government, will be honoured; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1430/04]
244 Mr. Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of places on community employment schemes that have been cut since she was appointed. [1624/04]
245 Mr. Connaughton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reasons the commitment given in the programme for Government concerning the mainstreaming of community employment positions in 2003 has not been delivered in so far as the Irish Wheelchair Association are concerned, particularly in the Western Health Board area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1661/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 233, 234, 242, 244 and 245 together.
In accordance with the Government's decision in 1999 to restructure community employment, participation levels have gradually been reduced in line with a strategic shift in policy in favour of training and other more appropriate supports.
Year-end participation levels on community employment for the last seven years are as follows:
|
Year |
Year-end places |
|
1997 |
39,039 |
|
1998 |
39,520 |
|
1999 |
36,579 |
|
2000 |
33,549 |
|
2001 |
30,809 |
|
2002 |
24,991 |
|
2003 |
19,848 (provisional) |
As provided for in the PPF, consideration has been given to the mainstreaming of certain essential services provided through community employment. In this regard, approximately 4,500 community employment places in schools have been mainstreamed over the past number of years. This involved the appropriate degree of funding being transferred to the Department of Education and Science for the provision of relevant services in schools. In addition, in the region of 2,300 places have peen provided on the social economy programme.
Detailed discussions took place during 2002 involving the Department of Health and Children, health boards, FÁS and sponsor groups, including the Irish Wheelchair Association, with regard to the possible mainstreaming of health sector places. However, due to the amount of additional funding required by the Department of Health and Children to mainstream these positions, and having regard to other major demands on the health budget, it was not possible to proceed with mainstreaming.
The total funding allocation for employment schemes in 2004 has been fixed at €351 million, which will support up to 25,000 places across the three employment schemes, community employment, job initiative and social economy. FÁS is being given some flexibility in the management of this financial allocation to maximise progression to the labour market while at the same time facilitating the support of community services. This allocation, €351 million, is similar to the budgeted amount provided in 2003. Accordingly, there will be no reduction in the total level of provision for the three schemes or in the combined participation levels in 2004.
235 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will provide Roscommon Chamber of Commerce with the specification for the installation of closed circuit television cameras; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1107/04]
The National Standards Authority of Ireland, under the aegis of my Department, has responsibility for the development, publication and distribution of Irish and European standards. The authority adopted a standard, ISEN 50132-7: 1998 Alarm Systems — CCTV Surveillance Systems, for use in security appliances.
Copies of this standard are available from the NSAI through its Standards Sales Office, NSAI, Ballymun Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.
236 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of tests for radon conducted in the past year by the Health and Safety Authority; if the Health and Safety Authority has taken action to ensure that workers' health is not endangered by radon; the nature of such action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1130/04]
Conducting tests for radon is not a function of the Health and Safety Authority. This function the responsibility of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, which is the designated competent national authority for this purpose.
The relevant Irish legislation is the Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Order 2000 (S.I. No. 125 of 2000). Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, employers are required to identify hazards arising in the workplace, assess the risks arising from those hazards and put in place measures to eliminate or control the risk measures. The authority, through seminars, etc., has reminded employers located in areas likely to exceed the threshold limit value set out in the statutory instrument of their obligations under the 1989 Act if the limit value is exceeded.
237 Mr. Deenihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reasons the IDA failed to create any new jobs in Kerry in 2003; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1182/04]
IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland and its regions. The agency, through its project divisions and network of overseas offices, is actively marketing County Kerry to overseas investors as a potential location for foreign direct investment. However, the current economic slowdown has meant that fewer companies are actively seeking to invest overseas. Ultimately decisions regarding where to locate a project, including what areas to visit as potential locations are taken by overseas investors. In 2003 five overseas investors visited Kerry, including two who visited north Kerry.
In addition to targeting potential new projects, IDA Ireland is also working with the existing base of companies in the county with a view to supporting such companies with potential expansions and diversification of activities. There is a diverse range of companies located in Kerry, representing a number of industry sectors, including manufacturing, international services, engineering, pharmaceuticals and consumer products. IDA Ireland believes that a number of these have the potential to expand and or take on additional responsibilities or activities.
To continue to enhance the attractiveness of Kerry as a location for inward investment, IDA commenced site development works in 2002 on its business and technology park at Tiernaboul in Killarney. This site development work, which is now complete, involved significant landscaping, access development and site clearance work, all of which has resulted in the upgrading of the overall appeal of the location.
In addition, a local group of business people, have completed a new building of 14,716 square feet on a site acquired from IDA on the business and technology park and IDA Ireland is actively marketing this facility as an alternative property solution to present to potential investors.
IDA Ireland believes that these investments, together with other available facilities such as Kerry technology park in Tralee, will put Kerry in a position to compete more competitively for inward investment in the manufacturing, ICT, software and international services sectors. The designation of both Tralee and Killarney as hub towns under the Government's national spatial strategy will also add to the attractiveness of the county for overseas investment.
IDA Ireland believes that regions need magnets of attraction, some compelling business reason or unique selling proposition, that will attract investors. The challenge of achieving high value FDI into regional locations is considerable; nevertheless, progress is being made. Each region needs a hub of attraction around which, for approximately 40 or 50 kilometres in every direction, the region can grow through attracting a wide range of enterprises, both local and international, which emerge because of the integrated competitive strengths of that region.
I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by IDA in Kerry, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development will bear fruit in terms of overseas investment and jobs for the people of Kerry.
238 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans she has regarding the work permit regime that she will apply to new accession states that will join the EU from May, during the Irish Presidency. [1202/04]
The Employment Permits Act 2003, which came into force in April 2003, provides for the freedom of movement, for purposes of work, of nationals of the ten EU accession states after accession. This means that after EU enlargement on 1 May 2004, employers will no longer require work permits to employ nationals of these states. Accordingly, a very significant source of potential labour will become available to Irish employers outside the work permit system, which should be of considerable benefit to employers who have not been able to find appropriate staff within the existing Irish or wider EEA labour markets.
239 Mr. O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to report on her Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if she will outline her plans for the next few months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1209/04]
The Government and the European Commission met in Dublin Castle on 6 January for an in depth discussion of Ireland's EU Presidency priorities. On that occasion, I had very useful discussions with the Commissioners who have responsibility for Competitiveness Council dossiers.
I have published a priorities paper for the Competitiveness Council of Ministers, which I will chair during the Presidency. The programme for the Competitiveness Council is firmly rooted in the ten-year strategy for growth, economic reform and job creation agreed by the Lisbon European Council in 2000. The priorities paper is available in English, Irish and French and is also posted on the official Irish Presidency website at www.eu2004.ie.
On 21 January, I presented the Competitiveness Council work programme and priorities to two European Parliament Committees, the Industry, Trade, Research and Energy Committee, and the Legal Affairs and Internal Market Committee. The Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, presented the relevant aspects of the programme of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of Ministers, for which my Department takes the lead role, to the Employment and Social Policy Committee of the European Parliament on 22 January.
The Lisbon agenda of economic, social and environmental renewal of the EU is a key overarching priority for the Irish Presidency. Progress on the achievement of the agenda and measures to give renewed impetus to advancing economic reform, enhancing competitiveness and stimulating employment in Europe will be the focus of the spring European Council on 25-26 March 2004.
I will chair two formal meetings of the Competitiveness Council of Ministers, which are scheduled to take place in Brussels on 11 March and 17-18 May 2004. Particular stress will be laid by Ireland on the need for the Competitiveness Council to focus on and develop its horizontal remit in line with the Seville European Council in June 2002 and the Presidency conclusions of the 2003 spring summit. It is important that there is attention at the highest political level on issues affecting the competitiveness of enterprise and I see the role of the Competitiveness Council as central to achieving this. The Council will also discuss a range of issues in areas such as enterprise, research and innovation policies and the completion and effective operation of the internal market, particularly with regard to the services sector. Specific dossiers on issues relating to intellectual property, including the proposal for a community patent, company law and consumer policy will also feature on the Council's agenda. I will also chair an informal meeting of EU and accession Ministers responsible for competitiveness, which is scheduled to take place at Dromoland Castle, County Clare on 26-27 April. The meeting will focus on industrial strategy and innovation.
The Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, will chair the sessions of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, ESPHCA, Council dealing with items on which my Department takes the lead such as the European employment strategy and other relevant individual dossiers. The ESPHCA Council is scheduled to meet in formal session on 4-5 March and 1-2 June 2004. The March Council will be used to focus attention on the key issues arising from the employment task force report. The main employment issue at the June Council will be to finalise the employment package for the June European Council. The Irish Presidency will seek to promote closer co-operation with the two sides of industry in facilitating change and helping in the effective transformation of the European economy. To this end it will convene a tripartite social summit with the EU level social partners in advance of the 2004 spring European Council. The Irish Presidency is working with the Commission and the European social partners with a view to adopting "A European Partnership for Change" as an overall theme for this summit and identifying all of the actors involved with advancing the economic, social and environmental goals of the Lisbon agenda.
On 16 January, the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, co-chaired, along with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, an informal meeting of Ministers for employment and social policy in Galway. The meeting focused on the theme of "Making Work Pay", which is a key priority for the member states of the European Union and a core objective in the EU level process to support the modernisation of social protection systems. On the previous day the Irish Presidency convened a Council troika meeting with the social partners and the social platform of NGOs, at which a fruitful discussion was held on the issues of "Adaptability and Change" and "Making Work Pay".
Both the Competitiveness and ESPHCA Councils will make significant contributions towards the preparation of the spring European Council meeting next March.
My Department will also be responsible for EU Council work on European common commercial policy matters during the Irish Presidency. This will involve the organisation and chairing of Council meetings at ministerial and official level in Dublin, Brussels, Geneva, Paris and elsewhere. Among the substantive issues to be dealt with will be the World Trade Organisation negotiations and the European Union's trade relations with various countries and regions.
In addition to the formal Presidency agenda, my Department is organising a number of further Presidency-related meetings in Ireland. The calendar of such events, across all policy areas, has been deposited in the Oireachtas Library by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
240 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on the proposals for a European company (details supplied). [1298/04]
On 8 October 2001 Regulation EC No. 2157/2001 to establish a European company statute (Societas Europaea) and a related Directive 2001/86/EC concerning worker involvement in European companies was adopted by the European Council. The European company statute is a new legal instrument that gives companies with commercial interests in more than one member state the option of forming a European company, SE, the objective of which is to make it easier for such companies to operate across the EU.
The regulation, which has direct application in member states, and the directive, which will have to be transposed into law in all member states, will enter into force on 8 October 2004.
Under the European company statute, an SE can be set up by the creation of a holding company or a joint subsidiary or by the merger of companies located in at least two member states or by the conversion of an existing company set up under national law which has a subsidiary in another member state. The European company statute therefore provides existing companies with the option of restructuring on the basis of their being one legal entity European company, with branches throughout the EU rather than having subsidiaries under the national laws of each member state in which they operate.
The regulation contains other requirements relating, for example, to the manner of control and management, and where no specific requirements are stipulated, the national law relating to public limited companies will apply.
It is envisaged that the European company statute will be attractive for companies seeking an efficient structure to operate on a pan-European basis and that it will enable companies to expand and restructure their cross-border operations without the costly and time-consuming complex network of subsidiaries governed by different national laws. It is seen as a step forward in efforts to make the internal market a practical reality for business, and to encourage more companies to exploit cross-border opportunities.
My Department is currently engaged in consultations with interested parties regarding the necessary legislative arrangements to provide for the operation of the European company statute.
241 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the changes if any which have been made to the FÁS criteria for people over the age of 55 years. [1366/04]
As part of the Government's decision in 1999 to restructure community employment, future participation in community employment by an individual was capped at three years, effective from April 2000. This change was introduced to discourage repeated participation in community employment and to encourage unemployed persons to avail of training and education options, where possible, which are shown to have more successful progression outcomes for individuals.
The three-year cap was amended in August 2001 to allow particularly disadvantaged persons to remain on the programme for a further period. In the case of people aged over 50 years, the three-year cap on participation has been removed where people in this age group, having spent three years on the programme, continue to experience difficulties in getting employment. Participants are considered for an extension if, on reaching the end of their normal entitlements on community employment, they are likely to experience difficulty in getting employment due to their age, literacy or numeracy problems or a lack of suitable jobs available locally. FÁS currently has discretion to offer up to 20% of the total number of community employment participants a further period on the programme on a case-by-case basis.
The community employment programme is currently under review. A decision on the future eligibility criteria for participants on community employment will be taken when the current review process has been brought to a conclusion.
243 Mr. Morgan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of files in her Department released to the National Archives under the 30-year rule; the number withheld; the subject matter of the files withheld; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1582/04]
My Department's records show that 3,222 files were transferred to the National Archives for release under the 30-year rule. A further 40 files relating to policy, general administration and operation of both the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the redundancy payments section of the Department were retained under section 8(2) of the National Archives Act 1986 because they are in regular use in the Department and their transfer to the National Archives would seriously interfere with the administration of the Department.
Since the establishment of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in 1967, a large number of files relating to individual cases under various pieces of legislation have been withheld under section 8(4) of the National Archives Act 1986. Under the same section, files have also been retained by the redundancy payments section as they contained information in respect of redundancy lump sums and rebate information in respect of individuals and/or the recovery of money owed to the social insurance fund.
246 Ms Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the action she is taking to address professional indemnity costs to business in this particular sector of the insurance industry; the action she is taking to encourage other insurers to enter this market; and if she is taking other measures to encourage competition in this market. [1711/04]
I no longer have responsibility for insurance undertakings. From 1 May 2003, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, IFSRA, is responsible for practically all of the financial services industry, including the registration and supervision of insurance undertakings and the services by them. I do, however, retain responsibility for the insurance reform programme.
I am aware of serious difficulties being experienced by businesses due to the high cost of insurance. The insurance reform programme that I announced on the 25th of October 2002 is progressing well. This programme comprises a comprehensive set of interrelated measures designed to improve the functioning of the Irish insurance market. The key measures include the implementation of the recommendations in the Motor Insurance Advisory Board action plan within a target timeframe. To date, 32 of the recommendations have been fully implemented, three partially implemented and work is in progress on the implementation of the other recommendations. The measures provide for the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003 completed its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas on 19 December 2003 and was signed into law on 28 December 2003. The Act will be commenced in early 2004 providing for the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board on a statutory basis and allowing the board to deal with cases.
My Department and the Competition Authority are to conduct a joint study into the insurance market. The study will identify and analyse barriers to entry and limitations on rivalry in the insurance marketplace. A significant amount of the work was completed in 2003 and a report will be produced in the near future.
I chair a ministerial committee established to drive the co-ordinated implementation of the reform programme across the relevant Government Departments and other bodies concerned. Substantial progress is being made on a range of measures that will radically overhaul the functioning of the insurance market and help tackle the high cost of insurance. These include measures to reduce the number of accidents, to tackle fraudulent and exaggerated claims and streamline the law in relation to personal injury claims.
The pricing and underwriting of insurance is a matter for individual insurance companies and EU law prevents Governments from intervening in relation to the matter of premium levels or in respect of what risks they are prepared to underwrite. Insurers generally make decisions about whether they are prepared to quote for a particular risk, and if so, at what premium level, based on their underwriting experience or assessment of that risk in the market. Governments are free to take action, which affects the operation of the insurance market. The insurance reform programme has impacted favourably on the insurance market.
There is an onus on the insurance industry to ensure that the measures the Government is putting in place to reform the Irish insurance market will have the effect of significantly reducing the cost of premiums to consumers and businesses. It is heartening to report that a number of insurers have already announced reductions of 15% to 20% in motor and more recently public liability premiums. As implementation of the reform programme continues, I expect reductions to occur in all forms of insurance. I am confident that these measures will attract new players into the market and lead to further downward pressure on premiums.
I am keen to encourage other insurers to enter this market. Improvements in the functioning of the Irish insurance market make it more attractive to firms that do not have a presence in Ireland. Over the coming months, I intend to meet representatives of potential new entrants to the market.
Many of the measures contained in the MIAB recommendations will have the effect of encouraging competition, including those relating to transparency and the provision of information to consumers. Examples of recommendations that have been implemented which are promoting competition include the provision of 15 days notice at renewal time for motor insurance policies, which give consumers the opportunity to shop around; regulations that prescribe that no-claims bonus documentation be provided with renewal notices to assists consumers who wish to shop around; the provision of comparative tables of insurance quotes which IFSRA now publishes on its website on a three monthly basis; the incorporation of the principle of "acting against the public interest" in the Competition Act 2002; codes of practice in the insurance industry now require insurers who refuse to quote for any particular risk to state their reason in writing upon request; the Irish Insurance Federation in its code of practice has agreed a code of conduct with its member companies on anti-competitive behaviour, subject to more formalised measures, which may be adopted by IFSRA under competition law; and the Competition Authority has a duty to review all further insurance mergers in the interests of the Irish economy with appropriate reference to IFSRA, and the process of consultation seeks to protect the interests of specific policyholder groups since the effects of mergers may warrant consideration about issues of the market as a whole.
The joint study by the Competition Authority and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment into insurance will produce a report in the near future. Recommendations resulting from that report will be implemented.
247 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps she has taken to ensure the continuation of services provided by the Clare Local Employment Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1729/04]
The board of management of Clare LES advised FÁS on 15 December last that they were discontinuing operations effective from 30 January 2004. A decision of this nature is a matter solely for the board. A meeting was held in the Dáil on Wednesday, 21 January 2004, between myself and representatives of Clare Local Employment Service staff to discuss the imminent closure of the Clare LES. Also present were a number of other Clare public representatives including the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, a union representative, two departmental officials and two representatives of FÁS.
It was pointed out that while the board of Clare LES is made up of representatives from the statutory and voluntary sectors, and the operation of the service is funded by FÁS, it is nonetheless a separate legal entity and I have no function in relation to the internal workings of a body of this kind. I did, however, agree to ask FÁS to immediately commence an assessment of the labour market data and needs of the Clare region in the context of the closure of the LES. This assessment will include the type and level of a dedicated employment service necessary to address the needs of marginalised client groups in the region, including structures, management, staffing and other relevant requirements of any such service. I have asked FÁS to come back to me with proposals in relation to an enhanced dedicated service for Clare as soon as possible.
248 Mr. O'Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her plans for reducing the cost of car insurance for males under 24 years of age (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1749/04]
I am concerned about the difficulties that are being caused by high insurance premiums, especially in relation to young drivers. The insurance reform programme that I announced on 25 October 2002 comprises a comprehensive set of inter-related measures designed to improve the functioning of the Irish insurance market. The key measures include the implementation of the recommendations in the Motor Insurance Advisory Board action plan within a target timeframe. To date 32 of the recommendations have been fully implemented, three partially implemented and work is in progress on the implementation of the other recommendations.
The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003 completed its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas on 19 December 2003 and was signed into law on 28 December 2003. The Act will be commenced in early 2004 providing for the establishment of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board on a statutory basis and allowing the board to deal with cases.
My Department and the Competition Authority have undertaken a joint study into the insurance market. The study will identify and analyse barriers to entry and limitations on rivalry in the insurance marketplace. A significant amount of the work was completed in 2003 and a report will be produced in the near future.
I chair a ministerial committee established to drive the co-ordinated implementation of the reform programme across the relevant Government Departments and other bodies concerned. Substantial progress is being made on a range of measures that will radically overhaul the functioning of the insurance market and help tackle the high cost of insurance. These include measures to reduce the number of accidents, to tackle fraudulent and exaggerated claims and streamline the law in relation to personal injury claims.
The MIAB recommendations that the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, IFSRA, is charged with progressing, deal with issues relating to public information, promotion of competition, transparency and consumer protection. One such recommendation relates to gathering of statistics on motor insurance and claims costs by IFSRA. On 10 December 2003, IFSRA published its first set of comparative tables of motor insurance quotations on its website, www.ifsra.ie. The motor insurance cost survey is based on eight driver profiles and is designed to show the range of quotes available for specific drivers in Ireland. Regular surveys will be published on the IFSRA website at three monthly intervals. This may be of particular interest to young drivers and demonstrates the advantages of shopping around.
While EU law prohibits the imposition of price control on insurance there is an onus on the insurance industry to ensure that the reforms being undertaken will have the effect of significantly reducing the cost of premiums to consumers and businesses. A number of insurers have announced reductions in motor insurance premiums and the CSO has noted a significant contribution from insurance to the recent reduction in inflation. As implementation of the reform programme continues, I expect further reductions to occur.
249 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the landbanks in County Mayo held by the IDA; and the location, size and ownership of each landbank. [1750/04]
The management of IDA Ireland's industrial property portfolio, including decisions regarding location and size of land owned by IDA, are day-to-day operational matters for the agency and not matters in which I have a function.
The following table outlines IDA's land portfolio in the Mayo region:
|
Location |
Hectares |
Acres |
|
Ballina |
1.9595 |
4.84 |
|
Ballinrobe |
0.0891 |
0.22 |
|
Bangor Erris |
0.3237 |
0.80 |
|
Castlebar |
7.4283 |
18.36 |
|
Foxford |
0.6798 |
1.68 |
|
Killala |
1.0926 |
2.70 |
|
Westport |
15.19 |
37.54 |
|
Swinford |
.0081 |
0.02 |
|
TOTAL |
26.77 |
66.15 |
250 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the location in Galway at which the meeting of the EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers on 15-16 January 2004, took place; if meals and accommodation were provided for the people who attended this meeting; the hotel used for same and the cost; if a dinner function was held; if she will provide a list of all the invitees to the dinner function including name and title, and any other details; if she will provide details of the cost of the event in Galway for the two days; if accommodation was paid for by the State, giving details of the persons who occupied the accommodation including name and title; if she will provide details of entertainment costs and the persons who provided the entertainment; if she will provide details of any MC costs and the identity of the persons who performed these duties; the breakdown of all associated costs for the two day event; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1758/04]
An informal meeting of Ministers of Employment and Social Policy was held in Galway on 16 January. Ministers and their officials attended from the 15 EU member states, the 10 accession states, the three applicant states and Norway. In addition, representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council secretariat attended. The meeting focused on the theme, "Making Work Pay", which is a key priority for the member states of the European Union and a core objective in the EU level process to support the modernisation of social protection systems.
The meeting was preceded by a Council troika meeting on 15 January, attended by Ministers from the Netherlands and Luxembourg together with representatives of the EU Commission, the European Parliament, the Council secretariat, the social partners and the social platform of NGOs. There was a fruitful discussion on the issues of "Adaptability and Change" and "Making Work Pay."
The informal and troika meetings were held in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel and both were co-chaired by the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Coughlan, and me. The Presidency papers which provided the basis for the discussion at the meetings and the conclusions from the meetings are posted on the official Irish Presidency website at www.eu2004.ie.
The delegations and their supporting staff were accommodated in the following hotels: Great Southern, Eyre Square, Corrib Great Southern, Flannery's Hotel and the Westwood House Hotel. As joint presidents of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, and in line with established practice, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs and I co-hosted a dinner for the delegations and guests on 15 and 16 January in the Ardilaun House Hotel and the Radisson Hotel respectively. Lunch was provided in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel. Evening entertainment was provided by Con Tempo, the Inisbofin Ceilidh Band, Macnas, Kathleen Loughnane, Celtic Legends and Eleanor Shanley. Norita Ni Chartúir compered the entertainment programme on 16 January. Sponsorship for the bulk of the entertainment programme was provided by Galway Chamber of Commerce, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Tourism West and the Radisson Hotel.
The budget for the informal and troika meetings was €670,000 to be funded jointly by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and my own Department. As all invoices have not yet been received I am not in a position to give definitive costs for the event but I expect it to be within budget.
251 Mr. B. Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the proposals she has to eliminate restrictive practices in relation to the medical, legal and construction professions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1820/04]
Activities which restrict competition in trade in any goods or services in the State are in general subject to the provisions of the Competition Act 2002.
During the period since its establishment in 1991, the Competition Authority has carried out investigative and enforcement work as regards various professions. The main focus of the authority in this area at present is a comprehensive study under the Competition Act 2002 of eight individual professions, including medical practitioners, barristers, solicitors, engineers and architects. I look forward to receiving the final reports of the individual studies as they become available during this year and to considering what action by Government may be necessary or desirable on foot of the reports.
My Department is also currently consulting with representatives of the medical and dental professions on measures to promote greater price awareness by patients of these services.
252 Mr. Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department has provided FÁS with an additional budget in 2004 to cover the cost of the registration charge placed on apprentices attending institutes of technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1869/04]
I am aware that the Minister for Education and Science has approved the introduction of a registration charge for apprentices attending institutes of technology. The administration of the charge is a matter for the institutes of technology. No additional funds have been provided to FÁS arising from these new arrangements.
253 Mr. Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding the securing of a tenant for the IDA advance factory in Athy, in view of the fact that it was indicated in previous Dáil replies that they expected a decision on a possible tenant for the factory by mid 2003, and this week another factory in Athy (details supplied) has announced that it is to close in February 2004 with the loss of 24 jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1875/04]
IDA Ireland is the agency with statutory responsibility for the attraction of foreign direct investment to Ireland and its regions. The agency, through its project divisions and network of overseas offices, is actively marketing its factory in Athy to overseas investors as a potential location for foreign direct investment.
A profile of the facility has been circulated to IDA Ireland's overseas offices informing them of its competitive rental rate in comparison to locations like Dublin. Ultimately decisions regarding where to locate a project, including what areas to visit as potential locations are taken by overseas investors.
There have been four site visits to the factory over the past 12 months. Feedback from IDA clients suggests that the facility is attractive as a potential location for foreign direct investment. A possible tenant who expressed interest in the advance factory in 2003 has been in communication with IDA Ireland again in early January 2004 regarding plans to set up in Ireland. The project is slow to get to fruition as negotiations are still taking place between the company and a locally based multinational to secure a contractual supply agreement.
As regards the other named company, Shuttleworth, I am told it made a commercial decision that it was not sustainable to continue its business in Ireland. Over the past five years the overall challenges for IDA supported companies have been difficult and involve a period of transition from dependence on the more cost competitive sectors into the higher value added activities. Part of this transition has involved job reductions and losses in long established companies and reinforces the importance and urgency of attracting the more modern industrial and higher value added activities.
The success of our economy during the 1990s and into this decade means that Ireland is now much less competitive as a location for low wage manufacturing projects. As such Ireland, must now gear itself towards attracting a different type of investor. The focus for the future must be to attract investment requiring high skill levels, that is, as far as possible, innovation rather than production orientated, and that links in to an increasingly sophisticated business environment.
FÁS, the national training and placement authority, which also operates under the aegis of my Department, is making available its full range of support services including skills analysis, jobs placement, guidance and counselling interviews, identification of training needs and suitable training courses to assist those made redundant to find suitable alternative employment.
I am confident that the strategies and policies being pursued by IDA Ireland and FÁS, together with the ongoing commitment of Government to regional development, will yield results in terms of attracting additional sustainable overseas investment and jobs for Athy.
254 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the initiatives that her Department are undertaking to ensure that the price of mineral water sold in public houses is vetted in view of the fact that occasions have been noted where a glass of tap water has been sold in a public house for an exorbitant price, stating that it was still mineral water; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1970/04]
I understand that most establishments do not charge for serving tap water and this practice is to be encouraged. In the cases referred to by the Deputy, these would appear to raise issues relating to the making of false or misleading statements and may be amenable to enforcement action under the Consumer Information Act 1978.
The Deputy may wish to forward details of the cases concerned to the Director of Consumer Affairs for appropriate action.
255 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if assessments are under way in her Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to her at an early date for consideration. [1972/04]
Upon the announcement of the decentralisation programme in budget 2004, my Department's management board and I considered what options were available to put into effect the decision to relocate 250 staff to Carlow. I was anxious that every effort should be made to preserve the coherence of the Department's policy development and legislative role by retaining an effective policy advisory and legislative function in Dublin. I was, of course, also keen to ensure coherence in the activities being decentralised.
In this regard, I have decided that staff of the Companies Registration Office, the Office of the Registrar of Friendly Societies, the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, the work permits, labour inspectorate, redundancy and insolvency and employment rights sections of my Department should relocate to Carlow. This is a coherent and synergistic set of activities concentrating on services to business, consumers and employees. It will provide a grade structure that will allow for full career development for those officers electing to move, will minimise the potential loss of intellectual capital and corporate memory, and will ensure that my Department's abilities in these roles will not be diminished in any way.
The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works have established an implementation committee to prepare and submit an overall implementation plan to a new Cabinet sub-committee by the end of March 2004. My Department is represented on this implementation committee. I expect this committee and the new Cabinet sub-committee to agree a plan for decentralisation that will maximise the effectiveness of decentralisation, and minimise any disruptions and inefficiencies, which may occur within the programme.
My Department has also established a decentralisation committee to oversee the programme within the Department and those of its agencies selected for relocation. This committee will work to ensure that we continue to deliver a quality service to our customers and that the needs of those within the Department who may be affected by decentralisation continue to be addressed.
Officials of my Department are keeping me apprised of developments with regard to the implementation of the programme, which presents considerable challenges to us all.
256 Mr. Stagg asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if interest has been expressed in relation to the IDA's marketing of a plant (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2212/04
IDA Ireland, in conjunction with Schneider, has been actively marketing the Celbridge facility with a view to attracting a replacement project but without success to-date.
It is understood that some interest has been expressed in acquiring the facility for non-manufacturing purposes, but agreement has not yet been reached.
257 Mr. Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if a survey of staff in her Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if she will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2233/04]
Following the announcement of the Government's decentralisation programme, under which 250 staff of my Department will decentralise to Carlow, a survey was conducted within the Department with a view to establishing the numbers of staff interested in decentralising to locations outside Dublin. A total of 503 staff responded to the survey, 69 of whom indicated that they would be prepared to transfer to Carlow and 160 of whom indicated a willingness to decentralise to other locations outside Dublin.
258 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Defence to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1210/04]
The military aspects of crisis management which arise under the European security and defence policy, ESDP, are the areas of primary concern to my Department. In this regard, great progress has been achieved by successive EU Presidencies towards developing the EU's capabilities to carry out Petersberg Tasks operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian and peace support operations.
In 2003, the operational capability of the European Union was demonstrated through the launching of four ESDP operations. These were the EU police mission, EUPM, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Operation Concordia in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM, Operation Artemis in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the police mission, Proxima, in FYROM which followed the successful completion of Operation Concordia. These operations have made significant contributions to peace and stability in their respective areas of operations. A work programme to progress ESDP by the incoming Irish Presidency was endorsed by the European Council held in Brussels at the end of the Italian Presidency. The programme covers the full spectrum of ESDP issues including conflict prevention and the civilian and military aspects of crisis management.
My Department will progress this work programme at EU level using the established practice of formal and informal meetings up to and including ministerial level. An informal meeting of Defence Ministers of EU member states and accession countries is scheduled to take place in Brussels on 5 and 6 April 2004, while Defence Ministers will also meet in Brussels on 17 May in the framework of the General Affairs and External Relations Council. Meetings at official level will be held as and when required.
The Government intends that the same business-like professional approach, which characterised our previous EU Presidencies, will again be the hallmark of the conduct of the Presidency during the first half of 2004.
259 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Defence the number of Garda/Army escorts provided in each of the past five years to financial institutions for the transport of money throughout the State; the cost of each; the contribution made to the Department in each case; the terms of the agreement between the institutions and the State regarding the cost; the proposals if any by the Department to recoup the full costs from the institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1340/04]
The roles of the Defence Forces as assigned by Government are set out in the White Paper on Defence which was published in February 2000. To aid the civil power — meaning in practice to assist, when requested, the Garda Síochána which has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State — is among the assigned roles. The Defence Forces, pursuant to their role of rendering aid to the civil power, assist the Garda as required in duties which include the escorts of cash in transit. Each cash escort would include deliveries to banks, post offices and other institutions.
Statistical records compiled by my Department do not differentiate between banks, post offices and other institutions.
The number of requests for cash escorts received by the military authorities from the Garda Síochána for the years 1999 to 2003 was as follows: 1999, 2,161; 2000, 2,285; 2001, 2,488; 2002, 2,516; 2003, 2,298.
The total cost in respect of the provision by the Defence Forces of assistance to the Garda Síochána in protecting movements of cash for the years 1999 to 2002 — the 2003 costs have not yet been finalised — including pay, allowances, transport, aerial surveillance and administration charge, was as follows: 1999, €5.68m; 2000, €5.99m; 2001, €6.58; 2002, €6.87m.
Part of these costs is recouped from the banks through an annual contribution. A sum of €2.86 million has been refunded by the banks to my Department each year since 1995. The contribution from the banks is designed to part cover the total costs to the State of providing cash escorts. An annual contribution is also made to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in respect of the Garda Síochána. However, in the case of the Defence Forces, the contribution by the banks has generally covered the non-pay costs of providing such escorts. The matter is reviewed on an ongoing basis in my Department.
260 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider raising the age limit for qualified people to enter the cadet programme in view of the fact that persons may not complete their degree prior to this age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1346/04]
The upper age limit for candidates applying for cadetships in the Defence Forces who are serving members of the Permanent Defence Force, holders of a third level degree, or, in the case of Naval Service applicants who are holders of a diploma as specified in the cadetship information booklet, has been raised to under 27 years of age on 1 October in the competition year.
This revised upper age limit is applicable to the 2004 cadetship competition, the advertisement of which is due to take place between Thursday 22, January 2004 and Thursday 12, February 2004.
261 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Defence his plans to build a new unit to replace the old FCA building at Fair Street, Mallow in County Cork. [1770/04]
The question of replacing or refurbishing the building in question is under consideration. Pending the outcome of this examination essential maintenance work will continue to be carried out as required to keep the building functional.
262 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Defence if assessments are underway in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1973/04]
The Government decision on decentralisation announced by the Minister for Finance in his budget statement provides for the transfer of my Department's Dublin based Civil Service staff to Newbridge, County Kildare. The Deputy will be aware that the finance branch of my Department was decentralised to Galway in 1989 and that, in the context of the White Paper on Defence, the Government decided to decentralise the civil defence branch of my Department to Roscrea, County Tipperary. All other functions of my Department are comprehended by the decentralisation decision.
The Government decision on decentralisation also provides for the transfer of Defence Forces headquarters staff to the Curragh, County Kildare. The Deputy will be aware that the directorate of military police and the directorate of reserve forces have already decentralised to Clonmel, County Tipperary.
Civil/military working groups have been set up to consider the practical aspects of the transfer of staff to Newbridge and the Curragh. In that regard, appropriate measures will be put in place to ensure that there is no adverse impact on the operations of the Department and of Defence Forces headquarters.
263 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Defence his plans for the future of Gormanstown Military Camp having regard to a previous decision to allocate land at this camp for housing; the progress on this decision and on the sale or otherwise of this property; if military activity will continue in this camp or on the adjacent Mosney open range; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2053/04]
On 1 July 2003 the Government agreed that Gormanston Camp, County Meath, would be among the State lands released to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for inclusion in the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative.
The intention is that this initiative will be targeted at those who in the past would have expected to purchase a house from their own resources but find that they are unable to do so in the current market. The release of State lands under this initiative is a critical first step in ensuring early delivery of affordable housing units.
The modalities of the transfer of the property to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the quantity of land involved are under active consideration.
264 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself with the outcome of an inquiry in relation to an incident in the Glen of Imal on 27 November 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2067/04]
265 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself that every soldier and officer involved in an incident in the Glen of Imal on the night of 27 November 2001 were treated fairly in subsequent inquiries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2068/04]
266 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Defence if he established the person responsible for the failure to carry out proper procedures that led to an incident in the Glen of Imal on the night of 27 November 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2069/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 to 266, inclusive, together.
During the course of an exercise on the night of 27 November 2001, a number of live rounds of ammunition were accidentally discharged and a member of the Defence Forces received bullet wounds to his arm and chest. A military ambulance was on site and the injured party was immediately treated by a qualified emergency medical technician before being transferred to Tallaght General Hospital and, subsequently, to St. James's Hospital, where he underwent treatment. Military police were immediately called to the scene and carried out a full investigation.
Arising from the military police investigation, charges were preferred under section 168 of the Defence Act 1954, against four members of the Defence Forces, an officer, two NCOs and a private, who were involved in the planning and execution of the military exercise during which the incident occurred. I am advised by the military authorities that the matter was dealt with summarily in accordance with military law, which provides for due and fair process. All four were found guilty. Three were punished by way of a severe reprimand and one was given a warning.
Where an incident involves injury to a member of the Defence Forces, a formal court of inquiry is convened to take evidence and to make recommendations as regards the matters referred to it. In this case, the court of inquiry has not been convened as the incident is currently the subject of a civil action in the courts. I am advised that, once the matter has been disposed of by the courts, a court of inquiry will be convened.
267 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Defence if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2234/04]
No survey of the type described by the Deputy has been conducted in my Department.
268 Mr. Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Defence the details of all instances in which his Department has provided for local community gain, following the closure and sale of Army barracks, including the nature and extent of that gain. [2281/04]
The Government, on 15 July 1998, approved a programme of evacuation and sale of six barracks considered surplus to military requirements. The barracks in question are located at Ballincollig, Fermoy, Castleblayney, Naas, Kildare and Clancy Barracks, Dublin.
The sale of approximately 91 acres comprising Lot 1, Murphy Barracks, Ballincollig, to O'Flynn Construction for €41 million has been completed. In addition, the sale of Lot 2 to the sitting tenant for €1.05 million — my Department's reversionary interest in approximately 6.2 acres of the barrack lands — has also been completed. A further area comprising more than 27 acres at Murphy Barracks will be handed over to Cork County Council for community use.
Some 19.218 acres at the former Fitzgerald Camp, Fermoy, were sold to Cork County Council in 2001 for €973,889 for development in conjunction with the IDA. Castleblayney military post, Monaghan, comprising approximately ten acres, was sold to the North Eastern Health Board for €761,843.
Seven acres at Devoy Barracks, Naas, County Kildare, were ceded free of charge to Naas Urban District Council, while a further 14 acres were sold to that authority for €8,888,167. The balance of the barracks lands — one acre — was sold to Kildare County Council for €380,921.
Magee Barracks, Kildare, comprises an area of 65 acres. At present approximately 15 acres of the property are being used by the reception and integration agency of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to accommodate asylum seekers and a further site comprising one acre approximately is being used by Kildare County Council as a temporary halting site for twenty persons. The Government on 1 July, 2003 decided to release this property to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for inclusion in a new affordable housing initiative agreed under the national partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress.
My Department has accepted an offer from Florence Properties Limited, for the sale of Clancy Barracks, Dublin, comprising 13.65 acres approximately. A contract of sale has recently been completed.
269 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2327/04]
288 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2235/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 288 together.
The Deputy will be aware that it is proposed to decentralise the headquarters of my Department to Portlaoise and the local office located at present in Cork city to Macroom.
A preliminary survey conducted in my Department indicates that currently some 42 staff in Dublin would be interested in moving to Portlaoise. Another 57 staff located outside of Dublin indicated that they would move to Portlaoise. I should add that my Department already has 246 staff located in Portlaoise.
A survey of staff in respect of the Macroom office indicates that 42 staff would move from their present locations in Cork to Macroom. A further 22 staff located in other parts of the country would also decentralise to Macroom.
270 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he is supporting the calls from the farming organisations for a flock tag to be introduced for sheep; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1128/04]
In the wake of the FMD crisis of 2001, and against a backdrop of earlier unsuccessful efforts in this regard, I introduced a comprehensive individual sheep identification system — the national sheep identification system, NSIS, which provides full individual identification and traceability of sheep from farm of origin to carcass and which is designed to be multi-functional, facilitating aspects such as flock management, consumer assurance and disease monitoring and control. In the latter regard, the FMD crisis underscored the potential damage to which our economy and the agriculture sector is exposed in the event of serious disease outbreaks if shortcomings in animal identification and traceability were not addressed. Based on monitoring of NSIS and feedback to my Department from various quarters since 2001, I am satisfied that all elements of NSIS are now firmly bedded in across the sheep sector and working well. I have however made it clear consistently that I am always willing to enhance NSIS and to address any operational difficulties which might arise, while maintaining its key components.
A new harmonised system of identification for the whole of the European Union was agreed at the December Council of Ministers. The system provides that there will be electronic individual identification of sheep from January 2008, together with a central movement database recording movements on a batch basis. The implementation date is subject to review following a Commission report in 2006. For the interim period all sheep are to be double tagged and identified individually, but all recording would be on a flock basis.
The regime agreed by the December Council affords member states which already have systems in place offering a higher level of traceability than would be the case under the interim period system, the option of retaining their own systems until the advent of electronic identification in a few years from now.
I support the broad principle which underlies the agreed system. I have always been in favour of making use of new and efficient technologies to achieve this end, subject of course to practicalities and cost-effectiveness and I would be very anxious that Ireland and other member states would be in a position to move at the earliest possible date to an electronic system. In the interim, however, I believe that the system now in place and operating throughout the Irish sheep sector will continue to afford Ireland the level of protection and assurance in relation to both identification and traceability which I believe is strategically appropriate to this country.
The package agreed by the December Council envisages the retention of systems such as NSIS, albeit with some minor adjustment, over the period leading up to EU-wide introduction of electronic individual identification. I have no plans to dismantle NSIS and roll back the progress which has been made in this area since 2001, only to see Irish sheep farmers, marts, meat processors, etc., being asked a few short years from now to once again re-instate and accommodate individual identification and traceability. However, I am willing to examine and address aspects relating to the operation of NSIS in so far as these are addressed within the EU system now agreed.
271 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding an appeal in relation to the installation aid scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if his attention has been drawn to the special circumstances (details supplied). [1173/04]
The agriculture appeals office received this appeal on 15 December 2003. The case has been assigned to an appeals officer for examination and determination. The appeals office will contact the appellant shortly. It is not expected that there will be any undue delay in dealing with this case.
272 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1211/04]
To date, 18 meetings of EU committees and working groups relating to my Department's area of responsibility have been chaired by my officials. In addition, I am today meeting both the agriculture and rural development committee and the environment, public health and consumer policy committee of the European Parliament in Brussels to set out my programme of work for the Irish Presidency and to have an exchange of views. That programme is included in the published programme of the Irish Presidency of the European Union which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 December 2003. The specific objectives I have identified for our Presidency are: to facilitate the application of the CAP to the new member states; to continue the process of simplification of the CAP initiated by the mid-term review decisions of June 2003; and to enhance food safety standards
Progress in advancing the Presidency work programme has been satisfactory.
273 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of the suckler ten month and 22 month premia, along with any other payments due for 2003, will issue to a herdowner (details supplied) in County Tipperary. [1255/04]
The person named included a land parcel on his 2003 area aid application, which overlapped with a land parcel on another herdowner's application. Both parties were written to on this matter. It has now been determined that the person named was not entitled to claim area aid on this parcel. The person named claimed 62.04 hectares of forage but was only entitled to claim 57.09 hectares. Under the relevant EU regulation a penalty of double this difference was applied, as the difference was greater than 3%, which reduced the area determined for payment purposes to 47.19 hectares.
The person named submitted two applications under the 2003 special beef premium scheme in respect of 60 animals. Both applications have been processed by my Department and 80% advance payment will issue very shortly.
The person named had 58 animals slaughtered under the 2003 slaughter premium scheme, and has been paid advance payment on 33 animals. Advance payment in respect of the remaining 25 animals will issue shortly.
The person named applied for premium on 22 animals under the 2003 suckler cow premium scheme. According to the terms and conditions of the scheme a producer may be paid premium on up to 1.8 reckonable livestock units only per hectare of the forage area of his or her holding as established from the producer's 2003 area aid application and any cattle submitted for 2003 suckler cow premium and special beef premium over and above that 1.8 reckonable livestock units limit shall not be paid such premium. The livestock units are calculated taking into account male cattle on which the producer applies for special beef premium, ewes submitted for 2003 ewe premium, notional dairy cows needed to produce any milk quota held and suckler cows or heifers for which suckler cow premium has been requested. The area aid record for the person named shows 47.19 hectares of forage area, which would allow payment on a maximum of 84.94 livestock units. The herdowner holds a milk quota of 131,681 litres and divided by the average yield of 3,982 litres would require 33.06 notional dairy cows to produce this. Applications from the herdowner for ewe premium on 4.35 livestock units and beef premium for 36 livestock units have been processed leaving 11.53 livestock units due for payment under the suckler cow scheme. Payment of his 80% advance instalment for €2,282.74 was made in respect of 12.73 animals. that is three heifers less than two years old, 1.80 livestock units and 9.73 cows. This payment issued on 9 January 2004.
274 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when an extra quota will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick whose herd is locked up due to animal disease. [1326/04]
The milk quota appeals tribunal considered an application for additional quota from the person in question at its meeting on 17 December 2003 and an allocation was recommended. The person named has been notified of the outcome of his application.
275 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the funding provided from his Department towards the landslide in north Mayo. [1369/04]
Funding was provided by the Government through the Red Cross to alleviate hardship. This funding was provided by the Office of Public Works.
276 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when he will respond to a letter of 8 December 2003 from a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1400/04]
I assume the Deputy is referring to a letter addressed to Deputy Liam Aylward, Minister of State at my Department, I understand that a reply to that letter issued on 7 January 2004.
277 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a group (details supplied) in County Wexford was not successful under the grants made to animal welfare bodies; if there is further funding available for this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1435/04]
My Department does not operate any specific schemes of financial assistance for animal welfare bodies. In recent years however I have made ex gratia funding available to a number of appropriate bodies involved in the direct delivery of animal care and welfare services throughout the country having regard to moneys available to me from within the Department's vote at end-year. In December 2003 grants totalling €850,000 were awarded to 80 organisations to assist them in their activities in 2004. A copy of the press release which details the organisations that received funding is attached.
The organisations concerned had approached the Department during 2003 seeking financial assistance. My Department has no record of the North Wexford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals having made such an approach.
I note all requests received and at the appropriate time will consider any request received from the North Wexford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, having regard to the availability of funding and to any competing claims for grant assistance submitted by other animal welfare bodies.
278 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid slaughter premium 2002, the balance of a special beef premium 2001, and all of their entitlement to special beef premium for 2002. [1516/04]
The person named submitted four applications under the 2001 special beef premium scheme in respect of 56 animals, and three applications under the 2002 special beef premium scheme, in respect of 51 animals. One animal was found eligible under the 2001 slaughter premium scheme and two animals found eligible under the 2002 slaughter premium scheme.
The applications of the person named were under review by my Department. This review is now complete and appropriate payments will issue shortly.
279 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position with regard to the provision of a milk quota from the national reserve to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick on the grounds of hardship. [1568/04]
The milk quota appeals tribunal considered an application for additional quota from the person in question at its meeting on 29 October 2003 and an allocation was recommended. The person named has been notified of the outcome of his application.
280 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason consideration is being given to changing the availability of vaccines for cattle and sheep that have been available through licensed merchants for in excess of 30 years; the benefit he foresees by changing this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1587/04]
As licences in respect of animal vaccines, which had been granted under the Therapeutic Substances Act 1932, no longer meet current scientific or EU legislative requirements, not least because a mandatory supply route was not specified, it was necessary to review all such licences on an individual basis. Under the review, which has been ongoing since 1999, the Irish Medicines Board has been progressively carrying out the detailed examination of application dossiers submitted by sponsoring companies. On this basis, the board makes a recommendation to my Department, as competent authority, for a final decision on the grant or otherwise of a licence and on the conditions, including route of supply, accompanying such licence.
In terms of designating routes of supply for individual vaccines, my Department does not have a general approach which would as a matter of policy necessarily exclude any of the outlets provided for under the Animal Remedies Regulations 1996. Rather, the decision is taken on the basis of the characteristics of each individual product taking account of the relevant recommendation of the Irish Medicines Board and the objective criteria laid down in Regulation 13 of the Animal Remedies Regulations 1996.
In this context, I should point out that my Department has concluded a review of the existing legislation governing regulation of the Irish market in veterinary vaccines and other veterinary medicines taking account of experience of their operation for almost a decade, of various developments over that period and likely developments in the future. Arising from this, my Department is preparing to brief stakeholders within the next few weeks on the direction of the proposed changes to the existing regime, following which consultations with the animal remedies consultative committee will take place.
281 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position of a person who requires a significant area of land and wishes to commence farming, in particular where this land has not been farmed within the previous three years; and the position whereby a person who has acquired 110 acres in June 2002, and let same for six months, and in 2003 took silage off it and commenced reclamation and improvement works, would fare in the context of the decoupling proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1734/04]
Under the mid-term review of Agenda 2000, entitlements will be established for farmers who actively farmed during the three reference years, 2000, 2001 and 2002. In both instances outlined in the question, the farmers concerned were not actively farming during the reference period and consequently they will not have any entitlements established for them. They may, however, be able to apply for entitlements from the national reserve when it is established in autumn 2004. As the criteria under which national reserve entitlements are to be allocated has not yet been established, it is not possible to say at this stage what their positions would be.
282 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that the certification of forestry standards by the Soil Association is flawed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1946/04]
I understand that the Soil Association is an internationally recognised standard certification body which has been accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council, FSC, to carry out independent third party certification of forests to the FSC standard. The Deputy will be aware that the Forest Stewardship Council is an independent non-governmental organisation which operates a voluntary forest certification scheme for forest owners. Terms and conditions for compliance with the certification process are a matter for the FSC. I have no role in this voluntary process.
283 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a single farm payment will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1947/04]
Following my decision that all direct payments under the livestock premia and arable aid schemes will be decoupled from production with effect from 1 January 2005 and be replaced by the single payment scheme, I decided that farmers who feel that their farming enterprise was adversely affected by force majeure— exceptional circumstances could apply to my Department to have their case considered. Advertisements to this effect appeared in the national and farming press during the week ending 13 December 2003.
An application, received from the person named on 21 January 2004, is currently under consideration and the person named will be notified of my Department's decision in due course.
284 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1974/04]
The Government has established an implementation committee chaired by Mr. Philip Flynn to oversee the decentralisation programme announced by the Minister for Finance in the Budget Statement in December 2003.
My Department has set up an internal committee to implement the programme in so far as my Department is concerned to deal with the issues mentioned by the Deputy. This committee is chaired by a senior official in my Department and the heads of accommodation, personnel, management services and information systems divisions will also be members of the committee. The heads of the divisions which deal with Bord Bia, Bord Glas and Teagasc will also be members. The committee will liaise with the central implementation committee and other relevant bodies, for example, the Office of Public Works, on all aspects of the decentralisation programme. I will receive regular progress on all aspects of the decentralisation programme.
285 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount his Department spent in the year 2003 on IT software licences and the amount of that budget which was spent on products from a company (details supplied); if his Department uses a product (details supplied) similar to open source software; and if it has a policy position with regard to the promotion and use of such open source software, in the interests of cost savings or the development of a more transparent software industry. [2039/04]
The total amount spent on IT software licences by my Department in 2003 was €4,365,503.53, of which €468,410.00 was spent on products from the named company. This is the overall total for expenditure on new licences, software version upgrades and annual maintenance and support.
The product referred to is currently used in my Department to facilitate data transfer to and from an external partner. It is also used in a number of test areas. Other open-source products have been used where appropriate to enhance application functionality. Another open-source product is incorporated into the applications server software package that underpins the Department's new online business applications.
My Department's procurement approach facilitates open competition, best value for money and best fit to the requirements. Evaluation of tenders received by my Department takes account of these factors. If a tender is based partly or fully on open-source software, it is evaluated in the same way. However, the use of open-source software does not always lead to cost savings. My Department continues to monitor the emerging IT industry standards including opportunities arising from open-source arrangements.
286 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the amount of money farmers received as payment by his Department in each of the past ten years for the control of farmyard pollution, dairy hygiene grants and other farm building grants; if he has satisfied himself that sufficient funds will be available over the next number of years to support farmers in the provision of the extra slurry accommodation to meet this Government's proposed action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2076/04]
The details requested by the Deputy are as follows:
|
Year |
Farm Pollution |
Dairy Hygiene |
Other |
|
(€m) |
(€m) |
(€m) |
|
|
1995 |
28.790 |
1.919 |
31.537 |
|
1996 |
47.109 |
9.387 |
24.030 |
|
1997 |
59.708 |
14.422 |
16.289 |
|
1998 |
23.729 |
10.046 |
10.088 |
|
1999 |
12.949 |
5.857 |
7.251 |
|
2000 |
6.289 |
5.779 |
8.008 |
|
2001 |
14.073 |
0.328 |
0.058 |
|
2002 |
14.895 |
2.448 |
0.512 |
|
2003 |
22.266 |
2.499 |
0.815 |
|
2004 (to date) |
1.459 |
0.129 |
0.056 |
|
Total |
231.267 |
52.814 |
98.644 |
As part of the Sustaining Progress agreement, the farm waste management scheme was revised with effect from 1 January 2004 by increasing the income units, IUs, for eligibility under the scheme from 200 IUs to 450 IUs; increasing the investment ceiling from €50,790 to €75,000; and introducing a standard grant rate of 40% for most investments. I am satisfied that the significant increase in the financial allocation for 2004 will be sufficient to meet the likely increased uptake by farmers in 2004 under the scheme which may arise as a result of these changes.
287 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the REP scheme payment will be increased this year; the amount it will be increased by; the people who will qualify for it; from when it will be operative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2085/04]
Changes to payment rates and other aspects of the rural environment protection scheme will require an amendment to the CAP rural development plan and I have submitted the necessary proposals to the European Commission. These proposals provide for increased payment rates, in line with the Government commitment in Sustaining Progress, as follows: Up to 20ha: €200/ha; 20ha — 40ha: €175/ha; 40ha — 55ha: €70/ha.
Participation in REPS requires farmers to farm to a standard that goes beyond normal good farming practice. The scheme is open to all farmers who are prepared to assume such undertakings.
Discussions on the proposals have already taken place between the Commission and officials of my Department. While the formal procedures of the Commission will to some extent determine how long it takes to secure approval for the changes, I will do everything possible to expedite matters and I will introduce the new scheme without delay once I have secured the Commission's approval.
289 Mr. Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the success to date of the training that his Department has offered to meat plant operatives in carcase classification; the uptake of this training; and when his Department's officials will have fully withdrawn from the grading process. [2280/04]
The availability of suitably trained classifiers within the industry is an essential feature of the operation of mechanical grading of carcases. By way of preparation, my Department has been engaged in the training and licensing of classifiers for this purpose. Training has been extremely successful and a total of 33 meat plant employees based at 16 slaughter plants have successfully completed the programme. A limited extension of the training programme, where required, is under discussion with the industry as part of the final preparations being made for the commencement of mechanical grading.
The testing and approval of grading machines is now complete. Arrangements are being made for their installation in slaughter plants within the coming months and the withdrawal of Department classifiers from these duties.
290 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 153 and 162 of 18 November 2003, the situation with regard to a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2284/04]
The position of the person concerned remains unchanged from that outlined in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 153 and 162 of 18 November 2003.
291 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Finance the criteria a person must meet to be eligible for a primary medical; the criteria there are for persons with multiple sclerosis to be eligible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1437/04]
I assume the Deputy is referring to the primary medical certificate that is required for application to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme. The medical criteria for the purposes of the tax concession under this scheme are set out in the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994. Six different types of disablement are listed under the regulations and a qualifying person must satisfy one or more of them. The six types of disablement are as follows: persons who are wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs; persons who are wholly without the use of one of their legs and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that they are severely restricted as to movement of their lower limbs; persons without both hands or without both arms; persons without one or both legs; persons wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg; and persons having the medical condition of dwarfism and who have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
It is regrettable that the Revenue Commissioners are unable to consider an application for the relief without the issue of a valid primary medical certificate. The medical criteria listed above applies to all applicants wishing to gain access to the scheme, including those with multiple sclerosis.
292 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Finance the reason the grant for the disabled drivers scheme can only be applied to new forms of transport; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this excludes many people from this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2090/04]
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the repayment of VRT is made on second hand vehicles as well as new ones. An individual who qualifies for the reliefs available under the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' tax concessions scheme is issued with a primary medical certificate. Possession of a primary medical certificate provides for remission or repayment of vehicle registration tax, VRT, plus a repayment of value added tax, VAT, on the purchase of the vehicle, plus a repayment of VAT on the cost of adaptation of that vehicle. Repayment of the excise duty on fuel used in the motor vehicle and exemption from payment of annual road tax to local authorities are also provided for.
An interdepartmental group was established to review the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme. The group examined all aspects of the scheme. I have received the report of the review group and it is currently being considered. Any recommendations contained in this report will receive full consideration.
Any consideration of a change to the scheme will, among other factors, have to take account of any cost implications. The substantial tax benefits of the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' scheme make for considerable interest in, and desire to be admitted to, the scheme.
The cost of reliefs, excluding annual road tax costs, is estimated to be in the region of €34 million in 2002, as compared to €5.1 million in 1994.
293 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Finance if he has received the revised schedule of works needed to implement the development plan for Lucan Demesne; the total cost involved; if sanction has issued in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2218/04]
I understand that the three relevant local authorities have made considerable progress in agreeing a revised schedule of works and that it is hoped they will soon be in a position to submit the completed schedule to my Department.
As has already been stated in response to earlier questions, sanction has been received in principle for a rescheduling of the total funding of €4.7 million approved in respect of the implementation of the management plan. The precise annual allocations will be determined by the agreed schedule of works and obviously availability of funding each year.
294 Mr. Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Finance the reasons tax relief may not be availed of in instances where the lessee of land for farming is related to the landowner. [2279/04]
Section 664 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for an exemption from income tax in respect of the first €5,079 of annual leasing income where the leasing is for a period of not less than five years and in respect of €7,618 where the leasing is for a period of not less than seven years. The exemptions are available to lessors of agricultural land aged 55 years or over or to those who are permanently incapacitated by mental or physical infirmity from carrying on farming.
In budget 2004, I announced that this 55 age limit is to be lowered to 40 with effect from 1 January 2004 and the amount of exempt income for leases of between five and seven years is to be increased from €5,079 to €7,500 per annum and from €7,618 to €10,000 for leases of seven or more years.
These tax exemptions apply only in respect of leases to qualifying lessees. In this context, "qualifying lessee" specifically excludes from the scope of the relief any leases made between closely connected relatives. A person is connected with an individual if that person is the individual's husband or wife, or is a relative, or the husband or wife of a relative of the individual or of the individual's husband or wife. A relative in this context is defined as meaning brother, sister, ancestor or lineal descendant. This restriction covering leasing to closely connected relatives is a standard anti-avoidance measure without which the relief would be open to manipulation with spurious arrangements being set up, such as the passing back to the lessee of rent on which tax relief had been claimed by both.
I should also point out that there are already very generous stamp duty and capital acquisitions tax reliefs available in the case of permanent transfers of land between family members, such as by gift or sale. For these reasons, I do not propose to provide an exemption from income tax from a farm land lease entered into between related persons.
295 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2328/04]
349 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Finance if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2236/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 349 together.
As the Deputy is aware, I have appointed an implementation committee to prepare and submit an overall implementation plan by the end of March 2004. The implementation plan will address issues such as sequencing of various moves, acquisition/financing of new offices, associated rationalisation of Government property, scope for pooling common services between Departments and the major human resource issues that will need to be addressed. Pending completion of the plan, it has been decided not to conduct a survey of the staff of the Department in relation to decentralisation.
296 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the National Museum, Kildare Street; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1095/04]
Three ground rents, totalling €25 per annum, are payable in respect of the area formerly known as Shelbourne Place. This area now forms part of the National Museum. The amounts payable and expiry dates are as follows
|
LSE0649 |
Shelbourne Place |
€16.99 per annum |
Expiry date currently being researched. * |
|
LSE0650 |
Shelbourne Place |
€ 4.50 per annum. |
Payable forever. |
|
LSE0651 |
Shelbourne Place |
€3.52 per annum. |
Expires 25 March 2753. |
297 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the Museum of Natural History, Merrion Street; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1096/04]
298 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1097/04]
299 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on Kilmainham Gaol; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1098/04]
300 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the National Gallery, Merrion Street; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1099/04]
301 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on Collins Barracks; if so, the amount per year; andwhen that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1100/04]
302 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the Custom House; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1101/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 to 302, inclusive, together.
The National History Museum, Merrion Street, the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Kilmainham Gaol, the National Gallery, Merrion Street, Collins Barracks and the Custom House, Dublin, are State-owned and no ground rent is paid on these properties.
303 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance the buildings housing Departments on which the State pays ground rent; the amount per year paid on each; and when each ground rent lease is due to expire. [1102/04]
From our records it is not possible to distinguish between fee farm grants and ground rents without a disproportionate amount of time being spent on it. Following, therefore, is an inclusive list of ground rents and fee farm grants for offices occupied by Departments.
|
Name |
Rent per year (€) |
Expiry date |
|
Carlow Agriculture Office |
6.98 |
30/04/2072 |
|
Cork C & E Parnell Place |
66.03 |
31/10/2060 |
|
Cumberland St SWO |
6.98 |
24/03/2764 |
|
14-15 Upper O'Connell St, Dublin |
176.98 |
28/09/2738 |
|
Cumberland St SWO |
38.09 |
28/02/2086 |
|
Malborough Street Ed HQ |
63.55 |
24/03/2642 |
|
Malborough Street Ed HQ |
76.18 |
29/07/2647 |
|
Government Buildings |
3.52 |
25/03/2753 |
|
Government Buildings |
4.49 |
31/12/2999 |
|
Kildare Street 4-5 Library |
14.44 |
31/12/2999 |
|
St Stephens Gr 50-51 OPW HQ |
258.14 |
28/09/2829 |
|
St Stephens Gr 78-81 Iveagh House |
165.07 |
24/03/2879 |
|
St Stephens Gr 78-81 Iveagh House |
257.76 |
30/04/2112 |
|
Fitzwilliam Pl 31 Linguistic Institute |
19.68 |
31/12/2999 |
|
Pembroke Row OPW BMS |
88.88 |
28/09/2096 |
|
Merrion Sq 5 Inst/Advan St |
69.84 |
28/09/2059 |
|
Merrion Sq 16 Red Cross |
69.84 |
28/09/2039 |
|
Merrion Row 7-9 |
87.03 |
25/12/3000 |
|
St Stephen Gr 78/81 Iveagh House |
0.55 |
31/12/2999 |
|
Infirmary Rd Def HQ East |
29.29 |
29/09/3806 |
|
Galway OPW Office |
38.09 |
30/04/2897 |
|
Tralee SWO — Godfrey Place |
76.18 |
28/02/2945 |
|
Limerick Gov Off Sarsfield House |
140.64 |
31/12/2794 |
|
Drogheda Government Offices |
29.29 |
28/09/2755 |
|
Dundalk SWO- Barrack Street |
6.09 |
31/10/2895 |
|
Waterford Gov Off Catherine St |
13.97 |
24/03/2024 |
|
Waterford OPW Office |
12.70 |
09/08/2359 |
|
Glasnevin Meteorological Office |
31.74 |
31/12/2396 |
|
Cork Customs House |
574.32 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Cork Customs House |
468.83 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Dublin Castle |
1.00 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Dublin Castle |
21.33 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Dublin Castle |
1.00 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Dublin Castle |
28.38 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Dublin Castle |
7.33 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Four Courts |
220.27 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Galway Gov Off Custom House |
70.32 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Infirmary Rd Def HQ East |
61.84 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Kildare St 1-3 |
37.46 |
25/12/2954 |
|
Kildare St 23-28 |
7.29 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Kildare St 23-28 |
47.04 |
25/12/2020 |
|
Kildare St 23-28 |
18.2 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Kildare St 23-28 |
7.62 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Kildare St 4-5 Library |
13.42 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Limerick Henry/ Cecil/Glenworth |
68.77 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Limerick Henry/ Cecil/Glenworth |
64.12 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Limerick Henry/ Cecil/Glenworth |
64.52 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Limerick OPW Regional Office |
33.48 |
25/12/2923 |
|
7-9 Merrion Row |
63.49 |
25/09/3000 |
|
14-16 Merrion St Upper |
116.42 |
25/12/2999 |
|
11-13 O'Connell Street Upper |
63.69 |
25/12/2077 |
|
11-13 O'Connell Street Upper |
230.20 |
25/12/2999 |
|
44 O'Connell Street Upper |
76.18 |
25/12/2999 |
|
45 O'Connell Street Upper |
15.12 |
25/12/2999 |
|
22 Parnell Sq Municipal Art Gallery |
38.09 |
25/12/2999 |
|
24-28 Parnell Sq Colaiste Mhuire |
11.72 |
25/12/2999 |
|
24-28 Parnell Sq Colaiste Mhuire |
11.28 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Sligo C & E |
20.00 |
25/12/2999 |
|
St Stephens Gr 50-51 OPW |
161.42 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Waterford Gov Off — Customs House |
12.23 |
31/12/2050 |
|
Werburgh Street SWO |
23.44 |
25/12/2999 |
|
Wexford Gov Off — Anne St |
181.23 |
25/12/2999 |
304 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Finance if the State pays ground rent on the Dublin Castle; if so, the amount per year; and when that ground rent lease is due to expire. [1103/04]
Five fee farm rents, which are similar to ground rents, totalling €59.04 per year, are payable in perpetuity in respect of Dublin Castle.
305 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Finance if the regulations that apply to civil servants being prohibited from contesting local elections should apply to those working with agencies such as the Meteorological Service and the Central Statistics Office; and the plans he has to alter these regulations. [1104/04]
Department of Finance Circular 7/99: Civil Servants as Candidates for Local Authority Elections sets out the rules governing civil servants who wish to consider standing for election to local authorities. The Minister for Finance is responsible for the terms and conditions of employment of civil servants, including the rules on seeking election to local authorities and on involvement in politics generally by civil servants.
The Meteorological Office and the Central Statistics Office are an integral part of the Civil Service. The staff who work in these two Government offices are civil servants and as such, the rules regarding civil servants standing as candidates in local authority elections, as stated in Circular 7/99, apply to them as they do to civil servants in Departments-offices generally.
The Deputy will note that staff in some grades in the Civil Service can stand in local elections. Under the terms of Circular 7/99 the position as regards the candidature of civil servants for election to local authorities is as follows: State industrial employees and civil servants in manipulative, sub-clerical and manual grades may stand for election to local authorities; civil servants in clerical grades and in non-manipulative and sub-professional grades in similar salary ranges may stand as candidates at local elections, subject to the condition that the Minister for Finance may, on the recommendation of the Minister in charge of a particular Department, declare that officers engaged in a particular category of work may not so stand; and all other civil servants remain completely barred from standing for election. However, this rule does not apply to a civil servant who holds a position which, after 17 May 1974, has been upgraded through the general restructuring of his or her grade and as a result of which carries a salary maximum above that of clerical officer.
These rules do not apply to personal assistants and special advisers in Minister's offices. The Minister has no plans to amend Circular 7/99 regarding civil servants as candidates for local authority elections.
306 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance if the Office of Public Works has purchased a site (details supplied); and if not when the arrangements will be concluded. [1165/04]
Agreement has been reached with Dublin City Council for the acquisition of a site at The Coombe-St. Luke's Avenue for the further development of St. Brigid's national school.
308 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Finance if consideration will be given to Monaghan town as a centre for decentralisation in the event of other Government offices or agencies being decentralised; and if he will make a decision on the matter. [1293/04]
In advance of the announcement of details of the decentralisation programme in budget 2004, I received submissions on behalf of over 130 centres throughout the State. Some 53 locations, including Monaghan, have been designated for the relocation of approximately 9,000 posts.
Locations for a further 1,300 or so jobs will be identified at a later stage. As I said in my budget speech, I believe that the total number of posts to be relocated should be closer to 12,000 and I will examine further options in this regard once the programme is well under way.
The case for Monaghan receiving a second decentralised office can be given due consideration in the decision making process leading to the identification of locations for the remaining posts.
309 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Finance when he proposes to publish the results of a review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers, tax concessions scheme; and if his attention has been drawn to the annoyance of many disabled people and others who have been waiting for this report for a long time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1344/04]
As I have indicated in replies to previous questions on this issue, the interdepartmental report of the review group on the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers tax concessions scheme is under consideration in my Department. I am aware that there is an interest in the findings of this report but, as the report is a substantive one, it needs to be studied carefully. On completion of this process, I envisage that the report will be made available publicly.
310 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Finance the funding provided from his Department towards the landslide in north Mayo. [1370/04]
The Deputy will be aware that following a Government decision and approval by the Minister for Finance, a humanitarian aid scheme was initiated and has been implemented by the Irish Red Cross Society on behalf of the Office of Public Works, OPW. The scheme provided for aid to relieve hardship experienced by householders, and an amount of €300,000 was provided by OPW to fund the scheme.
The Deputy will also be aware that OPW provided assistance to Mayo County Council in the form of personnel and machinery in the immediate aftermath of the landslide and expects to continue providing this assistance until the end of March 2004. The cost of providing this assistance in 2003 was approximately €33,000 and the cost in 2004 is expected to be in the region of €40,000.
311 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if any public money is invested in the tobacco industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1384/04]
The National Pensions Reserve Fund was established under the National Pensions Reserve Fund Act 2000 to partially pre-fund the increased costs of social welfare and public service pensions from 2025 onwards, when those costs are projected to increase significantly due to the ageing of the population. A full list of the fund's holdings as of 31 December 2002 was published in the annual report 2002 of the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission, which manages the fund. The list included holdings in firms in the tobacco sector. A list of the fund's holdings as of 31 December 2003 will be published next July in the commission's annual report 2003.
The commission is independent of the Government. It operates the fund under a commercial investment mandate set out in section 19 of the National Pensions Reserve Fund Act 2000, which requires the commission to obtain the optimal financial return subject to prudent risk management.
312 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if separate income to spouses arising from maintenance payments or from pension splitting in a separation, attract more favourable tax treatment than if these incomes remained in the hands of a one-earner couple; and his views on whether this breaches the principle established in a case (details supplied). [1426/04]
The tax treatment of separated spouses relative to that which would apply in the case of a married one-earner couple who remain married depends on the circumstances which apply in each case and it is not possible to generalise in the abstract.
However, it may be useful to set out in broad terms the position with regard to the tax treatment of separated persons. While, in general, separated couples are treated for tax purposes as if unmarried, they may, where a legally binding maintenance arrangement is in place, elect to be treated for tax purposes as if the separation had not taken place. However, the election to be treated for tax purposes as if married is not a right of one spouse but rather is a joint election of both spouses.
The general position in the case of legally enforceable maintenance agreements is that where the couple are treated for tax purposes as if unmarried, a tax deduction for maintenance payments for the benefit of his or her spouse is granted to the paying spouse but the payments are taxed in the hands of the receiving spouse. However, if the couple jointly elect to be treated for tax purposes as if the separation had not taken place, then the payer does not receive a tax deduction for the maintenance payments and the receiving spouse is not taxable on them.
On the other hand, non-legally binding maintenance payments are not taxable in the hands of the receiving spouse but the paying spouse cannot claim a tax deduction for them. Maintenance payments in respect of children are not taxable in the hands of the children or the receiving spouse. The effect of this is that the payments are treated the same way as if the taxpayer was providing for the child out of his or her after-tax income. This is in line with the tax treatment of all other parents, where the cost of maintaining their children is not tax deductible.
As regards pension splitting, the facts and circumstances of any particular case would have to be examined to determine whether part of one spouse's pension payable to the other spouse is a legally binding or non-legally binding maintenance payment for the benefit of that other spouse.
In relation to the Murphy case to which the Deputy refers in the details supplied, the Supreme Court held that it was unconstitutional to treat a married two earner couple less favourably for tax purposes than two single persons living together and on identical incomes to the married couple. In my view, the tax arrangements relating to separated spouses do not breach the principle established in the Murphy case.
313 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance if tax relief is available to family members for the cost of providing both maintenance and treatment in a nursing home of elderly parents or relatives or family members; and at what rate this relief is available. [1444/04]
Tax relief, under the heading of health expenses, is available to family members in respect of the cost of providing maintenance and treatment in a nursing home of elderly parents or relatives or family members provided that the nursing home is an approved home for the purposes of the relief. A full list of nursing homes approved for these purposes is available on the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie, as is a full explanatory leaflet on the tax relief relating to health expenses.
The tax relief in respect of unreimbursed health expenses is granted at an individual's marginal, or highest, rate of tax. Tax relief cannot be claimed for the first €125 of the health expenses incurred in any tax year where the claim relates to an individual. If relief is claimed in respect of more than one person, relief cannot be claimed on the first €250 of the health expenses incurred.
I might point out to the Deputy that over the last several years I considerably widened the scope of medical expenses relief and I removed a number of the restrictions that applied. For example, in the Finance Act 2001, I simplified the relief by removing the requirement that the taxpayer must be in receipt of the dependent relative allowance, now a credit, to claim relief in respect of their dependent relative. In addition, in the Finance Act 2002, I extended the list of qualifying dependants beyond immediate family. The relief can now be claimed in respect of a range of other relatives, persons aged 65 or over whether relatives or not, and persons of any age who are permanently incapacitated.
314 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many senior citizens on the lower tax band are receiving a lesser tax rebate in respect of their waste charges than taxpayers on the higher rate and consequently paying higher waste charges; and if he will consider a different approach to correct this anomaly on behalf of senior citizens. [1466/04]
The current tax relief for waste service charges is provided by granting a relief to taxpayers based on the charges they have paid to local authorities and private operators in the previous year, provided of course that they have actually paid the relevant amount and on time. Where an annual charge applies, the full payment is subject to tax relief at the standard rate, regardless of the taxpayer's marginal tax rate. Where charges for refuse collection are based on a "tag" system, a flat rate charge of €195 per annum is assumed and tax relief is granted on that basis at the standard rate.
I understand that a local authority may, on the grounds of personal hardship, waive all or a portion of a charge made by it for the collection of household waste or, where the collection of such waste is undertaken by the private sector, may subsidise the fee payable. The collection of household waste, and the imposition of refuse charges and appropriate exercise of statutory waiver provision in this regard, are matters for each local authority.
I have no plans to amend the scheme at this stage.
315 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if workers in the postal service have been included within the framework of benchmarking awards, and if not, the reasons those in the postal service who retained their civil service status at the time of transfer to An Post, are not entitled to be included within the benchmarking framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1467/04]
The benchmarking body was established under the terms of the PPF to undertake a fundamental examination of public service pay and jobs vis-a-vis the private sector. The awards recommended by the body applied to the public service grades examined and to those agreed grades which had a corresponding link.
As a commercial State company, An Post is not comprehended within the terms of the benchmarking process and consequently its staff is not entitled to benefit from the awards recommended by the body. The Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 states that conditions applying to staff would be no less favourable than those which applied prior to their transfer. This was to ensure there was no worsening of conditions for existing staff due to the transfer. However, it did not confer Civil Service status in perpetuity to all An Post staff.
As a commercial State company pay and conditions are set by agreement between management and unions as happens in other commercial enterprises. There have been a number of collective agreements since 1983. The application of pay increases in commercial State companies is primarily a matter for the company itself and I have no function in this matter.
316 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons per year who have been found to be in breach of the terms of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993 tax amnesty. [1472/04]
317 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(1)(a) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1473/04]
318 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(1)(b) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1475/04]
319 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)(a) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1476/04]
320 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)(b) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1477/04]
321 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)(c) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1478/04]
322 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)(d) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1479/04]
323 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number of persons who were found to have been in breach of section 9(2)(e) of the Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993. [1480/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 316 to 323, inclusive, together.
There are two ways in which a taxpayer may have been in breach of the amnesty. First, by making a declaration in which he or she did not comply with the terms or, second, where a declaration was not made but was required to be made.
The amnesty legislation, Waiver of Certain Tax, Interest and Penalties Act 1993 prohibits access by revenue auditors or investigators to the declarations made by taxpayers, consequently it is not possible to examine the declarations to establish whether they are in breach of the terms of the amnesty. Persons who made an incorrect declaration to the chief special collector would normally only be discovered during the course of a revenue audit or investigation, if the amnesty declaration is produced to the auditor or investigator.
The amnesty legislation also provides that a revenue officer requires the consent of the appeal commissioners to make further inquiries into a case where it is suspected that the declaration is incorrect. Approximately 20 such applications have been made to the appeal commissioners and consent has been given in about one third of these cases to date. Some cases have been investigated with the agreement of the taxpayers.
No convictions have been secured in court in the categories set out in section 9(1)(b)(ii)(I) and (II). I understand, however, that in one case there is a prosecution before the courts under amnesty legislation on behalf of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
324 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Finance the number of files for 1973 in his Department released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; and the subject matter of the files withheld. [1585/04]
During 2003, my Department transferred, under the 30 year rule, some 1,500 files or part files to the National Archives for release to public inspection. Some 26 files deemed eligible for release were withheld from public inspection. The files withheld relate mainly to information of a personal nature which, if released, might cause distress to living persons, or to legal or security matters.
325 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Finance the progress in resolving the safety issues arising from the completion of the River Nore flood relief scheme; if a resolution has been found to the issues raised by the canoe club and the work to be undertaken; his views on the lead article of a newspaper (details supplied) of 16 January, 2004; the action he intends to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1657/04]
327 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Finance if he will carry out a safety audit in respect of the flood relief scheme in Kilkenny in view of recent accidents that could have resulted in a fatality; if he will give the necessary insurance to Kilkenny Water Safety Committee that additional measures will be put in place to ensure a proper level of water safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1719/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 327 together.
Discussions to determine the safety features to be included in the flood relief scheme have been taking place with the local authorities and representatives of the various local water safety and water based sporting groups. Arising out of these discussions a comprehensive report itemising the safety measures was produced by the OPW's engineering consultants in July 2003 and a copy was forwarded in the same month to the water safety — water-based group's representative. It is expected that the final observations of the water safety and water based interest groups on the safety report will be confirmed and clarified in the immediate future. A meeting of all relevant parties has been arranged for Tuesday, 27 January 2004 in Kilkenny. Instructions can then be given to the contractor to put in place a work programme to implement the necessary measures as quickly as possible. I wish to assure the Deputies that this work programme will include the appropriate safety provisions to counteract all the potential dangers to safety that have been identified.
One item which has presented some difficulty is the proposed location of a slipway at the Peace Park to meet the needs of the boating clubs and also the emergency services. Various complicating factors including the possible costly disruption of numerous public utilities, local authority proposals for a footbridge across the Nore at this point and various existing outfalls which empty into the river at this area have all combined to present difficulties. Various alternative sites for a slipway were identified by the OPW's consulting engineers but were not acceptable to the local groups. The OPW has, however, instructed the consultants to re-examine the proposal for the provision of a slipway at the Peace Park and the consultants' report is expected very shortly.
The unfortunate incident reported in the newspaper article was not brought to the OPW's attention prior to publication. The flood relief construction site in Kilkenny is a secure one but, nevertheless, it is virtually impossible to prevent someone gaining access to the river, if they are determined to do so, either from the bridges or by scaling the existing barriers. While the river levels have been artificially lowered during the construction works, the levels and current can still rise quickly in adverse conditions and will always constitute a potentially dangerous environment. The scheme is still under construction and the installation of safety features such as ladders, grab chains, rings etc. will be commenced in the near future as part of the programme of ongoing phased works.
When completed by the end of 2004, the Kilkenny flood relief scheme will have a significant positive impact on the city through reducing or eliminating adverse flooding impacts and this will result in very real benefits for Kilkenny. At the same time, the finished scheme will include all the appropriate provisions for safety deemed necessary. In accordance with the Safety Health and Welfare (Construction) Regulations, a health and safety file will also be completed for the works and copies passed to the OPW and Kilkenny County Council. The health and safety file will identify operational and maintenance requirements and limitations or restrictions that are imposed.
326 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for Finance the centres in County Galway that applied for decentralisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1671/04]
Since my announcement in December 1999 of the Government's intention to proceed with a new programme of decentralisation, I have received submissions and representations on behalf of eight centres in County Galway. They are: Ahascragh, Athenry, Ballinasloe, Cliften, Gort, Loughrea, Tuam and Portumna.
328 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Finance if he will meet a deputation from County Sligo regarding drainage of the Owenmore River, County Sligo; when it will be scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1736/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have arranged to meet a deputation from County Sligo on 28 January in regard to drainage of the Owenmore River.
329 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Finance the reason people employed to replace Oireachtas secretarial assistants for maternity leave periods are paid at a lower rate than the person they are replacing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1751/04]
Secretarial assistants in the Houses of the Oireachtas are employed on an incremental pay scale starting on an annual salary of €18,741 per annum and progressing to a maximum of €36,160 per annum. The rates quoted are with effect from 1 January 2004. Progression through the incremental scale is based on length of service and satisfactory performance in the grade. In line with normal Civil Service practice, temporary staff recruited to cover for secretarial assistants absent on maternity leave are employed at the minimum point of the scale.
330 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Finance his views on the way in which the Revenue Commissioners treat unemployability supplement, in relation to the taxation code, in particular the way in which they deal with the element of unemployability supplement which relates to child dependants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1752/04]
Unemployability supplement is an addition to disablement pension where a person is considered to be incapable of work as a result of an occupational accident or disease. The disablement pension is chargeable to tax, under schedule E of the income tax code, including any increases in respect of unemployability and child dependents.
Any increases of unemployability supplement payable in respect of child dependents are treated for tax purposes in accordance with the 1998 Supreme Court judgement in the case of Ó Síocháin v Neenan. In that case, the Supreme Court held that the widow's pension paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, including the additional amount for children, was the beneficial entitlement of the widow and that she was assessable to tax on the full amount.
331 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Finance if he has received offers of sites in the Mallow and Mitchelstown areas in respect of Fáilte Ireland and Bus Éireann in respect of the proposed decentralisation programme; if he will identify the areas in Mallow and Mitchelstown at which the proposed sites are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1769/04]
The Office of Public Works has received 19 proposals in respect of Mallow and nine proposals in respect of Mitchelstown in regard to the proposed decentralisation programme. These proposals, which include both offers of sites and buildings are currently being analysed. Full details of these proposals will not be available until this analysis has been completed.
332 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that pendant alarm systems provided for persons who are incapacitated or in ill-health, are charged to VAT at 21%; if he will consider changing the tax status of these systems which are solely used by elderly incapacitated people, or alternatively making arrangements for refunds to pensioners affected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1802/04]
The purchase of a pendant alarm system and its monitoring, are subject to the standard rate of 21%. The installation of such a system, where it includes the purchase of such an alarm, is generally subject to the reduced rate of 13.5%.
The VAT rating of goods and services is largely subject to the requirements of EU VAT law with which Irish VAT law must comply. While we can maintain the zero rating on those goods and services which were zero-rated before 1 January 1991, the purchase, installation or monitoring services for such alarms do not fall within this category. Since we cannot introduce any new zero rate of VAT, we cannot therefore relieve such services as referred to by the Deputy.
I would add that under the Value Added Tax (Refund of Tax)(No. 15) Order 1981, it is possible to obtain a VAT refund in respect of the purchase of a pendant alarm system, as it is considered a medical device for the purpose of this refund order. Applicants should contact the Revenue Commissioners, VAT repayments (unregistered section), Kilrush Road, Ennis, County Clare.
I understand that a scheme of community support for older people is operated by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding for initiatives to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people. Under the terms of the scheme, grant aid is available towards the once off cost of purchase and installation of small-scale physical security equipment such as strengthening of doors and windows, window locks, door chains and security lighting; and socially-monitored alarm systems, such as pendant alarms, which are operated via the telephone and are worn around the neck or wrist.
Annual monitoring fees or maintenance fees associated with socially-monitored alarm systems are not provided for under the scheme. As these fees are levied by private service providers, I understand that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has no role in setting, abolishing, waiving or reducing such fees.
333 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance if he accepts the case made by the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group in relation to the €18 million VAT bill payable by charities on their inputs, which cannot be reclaimed because of their exempted status; if he will consider a mechanism for refund; if he will reduce the minimum donation threshold for tax purposes to €100, and widen the definition of relevant donations to cover gifts of assets as well as cash. [1813/04]
I should firstly explain that charities and non-profit groups are exempt from VAT under the EU Sixth VAT Directive. This means that they do not charge VAT on their services and cannot recover VAT incurred on goods and services that they purchase. Essentially, only VAT registered businesses which charge VAT are able to recover VAT. I am aware of the recent report commissioned by the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group which indicates that charities incur a VAT bill of €18 million on their inputs.
I have no plans to provide a mechanism for a refund of such VAT. The cost of such a refund would be expensive, especially as there would be pressure to extend such a scheme to charities not represented by the ICTRG and to other non-profit organisations. Indeed, such a system could encourage registration as charities by other organisations to benefit from such funding. In addition, I would point out that Government subventions to affected organisations cover a significant element of the VAT incurred.
As the Deputy may be aware, in the Finance Act 2001, I introduced a new section and schedule into the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to provide for a uniform scheme of tax relief for donations which, as well as introducing new reliefs for donations to domestic charities and educational institutions, merged almost all of the existing reliefs under the umbrella of a single scheme. This initiative was widely welcomed by the charitable sector.
Given the very generous nature of the relief, which was only introduced in 2001, as well as the fact that donations can be cumulative, as little as approximately €5 per week over the course of a year, I consider that it would be premature to make any change to the minimum donation threshold of €250 now.
Under existing legislation, donations must be in the form of money in order to attract tax relief. However, where an asset is donated to an eligible charity, the donation for capital gains tax purposes is deemed to be such that neither a gain not a loss accrues to the donor on the disposal. Therefore, no tax charge arises in respect of such a donation and any gain on a subsequent disposal of the asset by the charity shall not be a chargeable gain provided it is for charitable purposes only. Thus, I believe there are already generous reliefs in this area for charities.
334 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the position in relation to the report of the group established in April 1998 to review the disabled drivers and passengers regulations. [1814/04]
As I have said in a reply to a previous parliamentary question, the interdepartmental report of the review group on the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme is under consideration in my Department. The report is a substantative one and needs to be studied carefully. On completion of this process, I envisage that the report will be made available publicly.
335 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance his plans to open negotiations with the representatives of employees in the public service who are affected by the new proposals for pension entitlements of new entrants; when these negotiations will commence; the procedures for arbitration which will be used in the event of issues being unresolved in the course of direct negotiation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1855/04]
I understand that the Deputy is referring to the announcement in budget 2004 of the Government decision that the minimum pension age should be increased to 65 years for most new entrants to the public service from 1 April 2004.
In announcing the Government's decision on pension age, and also on the intended abolition of compulsory retirement age for most new entrant public servants from 1 April 2004, I stated that the public service unions would be fully informed about the implementation of these particular changes in advance of their introduction with effect from 1 April 2004. I can confirm to the Deputy that this process of information provision has commenced.
Given that the Government has already taken its decision in relation to these changes affecting new entrants, the issues of negotiation and arbitration do not arise.
336 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the most recent price comparisons which he has carried out North and South breaking down the price differences into the part made up by tax difference and the part made up by difference in pre-tax margins; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1856/04]
The most recent price comparisons that have been carried out by the Revenue Commissioners are contained in the cross Border price survey of November 2003. This report provides a snapshot of the average retail prices of the main excisable commodities observed in the Dublin and Newry areas on 5th November 2003. The report provides a breakdown of the prices and tax on each product in the survey. I enclose a copy of the relevant table for your information.
337 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider introducing concessions to older persons who wish to move to smaller accommodation; if he will consider introducing a stamp duty concession to such persons; if he will consider an exemption from capital gains tax where a house has been used as a principle private residence for at least ten years prior to its sale by the person concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1857/04]
If tax concessions were introduced for older persons wishing to trade down, it would have the effect of increasing the supply of larger — and generally more expensive — houses relative to demand. This would be of benefit to people at the top end of the market. However, the demand for property relative to supply at the lower end of the market would increase and this would adversely affect first-time buyers, in particular, who would have to compete for such houses with a larger number of people consequently. Persons trading down normally have the cash upfront to pay for smaller houses and would have no stamp duty liability on a new house or a small liability on a second hand property.
It should also be noted that people trading down can already avail of the principal private residence relief which is a substantial exemption from capital gains tax. If the house has been occupied for the full period of ownership, full exemption applies. Otherwise, the relief granted is in proportion to the period of occupation over the entire period of ownership. This relief, combined with the capital sum received on the sale, means that most older people with large homes already have sufficient financial incentive to trade down.
I consider these reliefs to be sufficiently generous and appropriate and accordingly, I have no plans to introduce further concessions for any category of individual wishing to trade down.
338 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Finance the proposals he has to decentralise any Civil Service jobs to the Tallaght area. [1962/04]
I do not consider that the transfer of public service jobs to any County Dublin location could be regarded as decentralisation.
339 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the proportion of the Civil Service and of the wider public service who are aged under 30 and the proportion aged 55 to 59 and 60 and 65. [1964/04]
The most recent available information for non-industrial civil servants indicates that around 17% are under the age of 30, about 7% are between the ages of 55 and 59 and just under 3.5% are between the ages of 60 and 65. Excluded from these figures are certain numbers serving in the Irish Prison Service, Garda civilian staff and local recruits working abroad for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Similar information in regard to the wider public sector is not centrally maintained.
340 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the number of middle management posts in the Civil Service which have been filled by candidates from outside the Department with the vacancy, from outside the Civil Service, and the total number of such posts filled in the past five years. [1965/04]
The number of middle management posts covers the grades of administrative officer, higher executive officer, assistant principal and principal officer. The scheme in existence for filling vacancies in these grades within the civil service is an interdepartmental competition using a one in three ratio. Under this scheme, every third vacancy falling to be filled is referred to the Civil Service Commissioners to be filled from the Civil Service-wide interdepartmental competitions. The other two vacancies are filled from within the Department. A candidate who is successful in an interdepartmental competition may fill a vacancy in his or her own department.
In addition, all new principal officer posts are filled from the interdepartmental panel and also those posts that arise as a consequence of the former occupant of the post taking up appointment at assistant secretary level or higher in a department other than his/her parent department.
Table 1 sets out the position regarding the number of middle management posts in the civil service which have been filled by candidates in these interdepartmental competitions. No vacancies have been filled by candidates outside the civil service in the grades of higher executive officer, HEO, assistant principal, AP and principal officer, PO.
|
Year |
HEO |
AP |
PO |
|
1999 |
95 |
142 |
0 |
|
2000 |
200 |
85 |
41 |
|
2001 |
172 |
172 |
40 |
|
2002 |
194 |
135 |
7 |
|
2003 |
82 |
39 |
5 |
|
Total: |
743 |
573 |
93 |
In the case of administrative officer positions, all vacancies arising have been filled by means of open competition until 2003 when vacancies were filled by both open and interdepartmental means — see table 2.
|
Year |
Administrative Officer — Open |
Administrative Officer — Confined |
|
1999 |
52 |
|
|
2000 |
95 |
|
|
2001 |
125 |
|
|
2002 |
55 |
|
|
2003 |
15 |
9 |
|
Total: |
342 |
9 |
In keeping with the commitment to open recruitment as outlined in Sustaining Progress, open competitions at both higher executive officer and assistant principal level were advertised in 2003 and the selection process was completed at end of year. To date, no appointments have been made from either of these competitions.
341 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the number of posts which have been filled by TLAC in the past five years and the number of these which have been filled by candidates from inside and outside the Department with the vacancy; the number which have been filled by persons from outside the Civil Service; and the number filled by persons from outside the wider public service. [1966/04]
A total of 75 TLAC competitions were run over the last five years between 1999 and 2003. Some 62 of the successful candidates were from inside the department or office in which the vacancy occurred. Some 13 of the successful candidates were from outside the department or office in which the vacancy occurred. Just one post was filled by a person from outside the Civil Service, although the person was from within the wider public service. No post was filled by a person from outside the public service.
342 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which responsibility for the pay bill is delegated to line Departments within the Civil Service. [1967/04]
Spending allocations, including provision for pay, is set within the context of the annual estimates process and published in the Revised Estimates Volume each year. Spending on pay is allocated on the basis of the Estimate needs in each Department and office. Departments and offices have discretion on the configuration of their staffing and associated spending subject to compliance with numbers and expenditure policies and the respective terms of their administrative budget framework agreement with the Department of Finance.
343 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he has carried out a survey of civil servants in each of the grades represented by the CPSSA, the CPSEU, and the AHCPS, to ascertain the numbers in each grade who wish to decentralise to each of the proposed locations; if he will state the number in each grade who have confirmed their wish to do so; and if no such survey has yet been carried out if he will indicate the arrangements in place to do so and the date by which the survey will be complete. [1968/04]
I have not undertaken a survey of civil servants in the grades referred to by the Deputy to ascertain the numbers who wish to transfer to each of the locations included in the decentralisation programme. This is something which, no doubt, the implementation committee chaired by Mr. Flynn will be considering in drawing up its proposed implentation plan. My own view is that conducting such a survey in advance of clearer timelines for the sequencing of all the various moves would be of limited value.
More generally, I believe that the very scale of the programme, including as it does a wide mix of locations all around the country, should help to attract volunteers. There are thousands of public servants commuting daily to Dublin, some from the immediate neighbouring counties of Wicklow, Kildare and Meath but many others from even further away. The decentralisation programme offers these people the prospect of a significantly improved quality of life by providing work much closer to home. In these cases people can simply change their commuting habits by engaging in reverse commuting and reducing their time on the roads each morning and evening.
For many others, there is the opportunity to relocate away from Dublin altogether and to start a new life outside the capital. Those who doubt that there will be sufficient interest often refer to difficulties experienced in attracting sufficient numbers to particular locations previously. My view is that the single biggest impediment to encouraging sufficient numbers to relocate previously was the prospect of not being able to fulfil their career prospects. This impediment has now been removed. I believe that every individual who joins the civil service is entitled to aspire to becoming Secretary General one day. The new programme means this can become a real aspiration for staff serving outside Dublin
344 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the bank holiday entitlements of civil servants who have suffered an illness or who were off work due to an accident in the previous tax year; if his attention has been drawn to the changes in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1969/04]
The public holiday entitlement of all employees, including civil servants, is stated in section 21 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
Section 21(1) states that:
Subject to the provisions of this section, an employee shall, in respect of a public holiday, be entitled to whichever one of the following his or her employer determines, namely
(a) a paid day off on that day,
(b) a paid day off within a month of thatday,
(c) an additional day of annual leave,
(d) an additional day's pay.
Employees (including civil servants) absent from work immediately before the public holiday will not be entitled to benefit from the public holiday in the following circumstances:
(i) an absence in excess of 52 weeks by reason of an occupational injury,
(ii) an absence in excess of 26 weeks by reason of illness or injury,
(iii) an absence in excess of 13 weeks by reason not already mentioned in (i) and (ii) but being an absence authorised by the employer, including lay-off,
(iv) an absence by reason of a strike.
These public holiday provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act were communicated to all Civil Service Departments and offices by means of a letter from my Department, addressed to all personnel officers on 18 April 2001, entitled Sick Leave — entitlement in respect of public holidays.
345 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if assessments are underway in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1975/04]
A special Cabinet sub-committee has been put in place to oversee implementation of the decentralisation programme. I have also appointed an implementation committee, chaired by Mr. Phil Flynn. This committee has to prepare and submit an overall implementation plan by the end of March 2004. The implementation plan will address issues such as sequencing of various moves; acquisition/financing of new offices; associated rationalisation of government property; scope for pooling common services between Departments; and the major human resource issues that will need to be addressed.
346 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Finance if a revised sketch scheme has been prepared by the Office of Public Works in relation to the new Garda station for Leixlip, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2213/04]
A revised brief for Leixlip Garda station remains under consideration by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Office of Public Works is not in a position to finalise a sketch scheme until a revised brief has been received.
347 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will confirm that the report of the interdepartmental review group on the issue of primary medical certificates for persons with disabilities has been completed; and when he will publish this report. [2214/04]
I have received the report of the interdepartmental review group on the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme and it is under consideration in my Department. On completion of this process, I envisage that the report will be made available publicly.
348 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Finance his plans to ease the conditions of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers tax concessions; if a review has been carried out on this scheme; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties caused as a result of the severe restrictions required to obtain a primary medical certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2215/04]
An interdepartmental group was established to review the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme. The group examined all aspects of the scheme including the qualifying medical criteria.
I have received the report of the interdepartmental review group on the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme and it is currently being considered. Any recommendations contained in this report in relation to the medical criteria and other conditions of the scheme will receive full consideration.
The medical criteria for the purposes of the tax concession under this scheme are set out in the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994. Some six different types of disablement are listed under the regulations and a qualifying person must satisfy one or more of them. The six types of disablement are as follows:
a) persons who are wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs;
b) persons who are wholly without the use of one leg and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that the applicant is severely restricted as to movement of the lower limbs;
c) persons without both hands or without both arms;
d) persons without one or both legs;
e) persons wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg; and
f) persons having the medical condition of dwarfism and has serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
An individual who qualifies under the medical criteria as set out above is issued with a primary medical certificate. Possession of a primary medical certificate provides for remission or repayment of vehicle registration tax — VRT — plus a repayment of value added tax — VAT — on the purchase of the vehicle, plus a repayment of VAT on the cost of adaptation of that vehicle. Repayment of the excise duty on fuel used in the motor vehicle, and exemption from payment of annual road tax to local authorities are also provided for.
Any consideration of a change to the scheme, will among other factors, have to take account of any cost implications. I have been informed there are up to 360,000 persons in Ireland who could be regarded as disabled to some degree or other. These include both persons with medical conditions other than those covered by the scheme, and those with medical conditions covered by the scheme. The substantial tax benefits of the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' scheme make for considerable interest in and desire to be admitted to the scheme.
The cost of reliefs excluding annual road tax costs is estimated to be in the region of €34 million in 2002, as compared to €5.1 million in 1994.
350 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Finance if any union made recommendations or submitted a report to his Department concerning the decentralisation plans of the Government; if such recommendations were made or reports submitted, if he will detail the principal recommendations or findings made by the union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2285/04]
Following the initial announcement in budget 2000 that the Government intended to proceed with a new programme of decentralisation, one major public service union, the Civil and Public Services Union, provided advice on the development of criteria for the programme. The CPSU suggested that selection criteria should take account of factors such as the following: socio-economic considerations; known staff preferences; availability of education and hospital facilities; the need to build sustainable promotional structures at a regional level but also avoid a detrimental impact on promotion opportunities for staff remaining in Dublin; the inclusion of senior level posts; the advantages of including locations in the vicinity of Dublin; and the need to maintain service to the public. I was appreciative of the submission made by the CPSU at that time and I consider that the programme announced in budget 2004 takes full account of the points raised in the submission.
351 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure Irish is included in the official languages list in the EU as a priority. [1170/04]
353 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure Irish is included as an official EU language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1163/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 351 and 353 together.
The Irish language has the status of a "Treaty language" in the European Union. This derives from the fact that the treaties are in Irish and that Irish is listed as one of the languages in which the text is authentic. Each successive treaty is published in Irish as well as in the eleven other languages, with the texts in Irish being equally authentic and having equal status with those in all other languages. The draft constitutional treaty under consideration at the Intergovernmental Conference would fully maintain this position.
Irish is not one of the official and working languages of the institutions of the Union as provided for in Article 1 of Regulation 1/1958. However, the Government continues to monitor developments with a view to availing of any appropriate opportunity which may arise to enhance the status of Irish in relation to the EU. For instance, under revised staff regulations, which are due to be agreed shortly, and as a result of an initiative by Ireland, a new requirement for officials to demonstrate before their first promotion the ability to work in a third language extends not only to official and working languages but also to Irish. In this regard, Irish is the only language that is not an official and working language which will be taken into account.
The Government remains fully willing to build on the advances made and to take further practical steps as appropriate. To this end, there are ongoing discussions between my Department and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I very much hope these discussions will result in the identification of additional opportunities to enhance the status of Irish in the EU.
352 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department will co-ordinate a programme of support for Irish emigrants to Britain and the United States, particularly elderly emigrants, who are in difficult financial circumstances and living in totally inadequate housing accommodation; if the relevant supports will be provided for those who may wish to return home and live in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2253/04]
The Government has been providing assistance to Irish emigrants in Britain and the United States for many years. In response to concerns about the situation of Irish emigrants in Britain, the Government established the Díon committee in 1984. The Díon fund, which is administered by the embassy in London through the Díon committee, has almost trebled over the past four years — from €592,300 in 1999 to € 2,573,000 last year. A further €150,000 was allocated to the Federation of Irish Societies in London from savings in last year's budget. This brings the total allocation to emigrant services in the UK to €2,723,000 in 2003. The total amount allocated by the Díon committee since 1984 is almost €18 million.
The Government also gives grants, through the Vote for Foreign Affairs, to voluntary organisations in the US who provide advocacy and support to Irish immigrants. Priority is given to the provision of information, advice and outreach services for Irish immigrants. The grants are used for funding the administration of such services. My Department provided a total of €300,000 in 2003, which represents a substantial increase over previous years.
I am particularly conscious of the difficulties faced by elderly Irish emigrants and they are one of the priority groups for assistance from the funds provided by my Department. The Government also recognises that many emigrants would like to return to live in Ireland but that some of them, particularly elderly people, require special assistance to do so. For the past three years, the Díon committee has funded the salaries of workers in two organisations which provide advice and assistance to elderly Irish people in Britain who wish to return to live in Ireland —"Aisling" Return to Ireland project in Camden and the "Safe Home" programme in Mulranny, County Mayo.
In addition, the terms of the voluntary housing capital assistance scheme administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, provide that up to 25% of accommodation in new projects undertaken by voluntary bodies throughout the country, assisted under the scheme, may be allocated to elderly emigrants returning to this country.
Irish emigrants have made an enormous contribution to the development of this country and it was in recognition of this contribution that the Government agreed with the social partners, in the context of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, to establish the task force on policy regarding emigrants. The focus of the task force and of their report was directed towards protecting and supporting those Irish emigrants abroad who are particularly marginalised or at greatest risk of exclusion. I welcomed the task force's report, which sets the issue of emigration in a forward looking context and provides a template for addressing the needs of the Irish abroad in the future.
I was pleased to announce before Christmas that I secured an additional provision of €1 million in the Estimates for my Department for this year for services to emigrants. I intend that the additional funds will be concentrated on improving services for the more vulnerable among our emigrants in the UK, US and Australia who require special assistance and support. I also intend that priority will be given to services for elderly people, including those who wish to return to live in Ireland.
354 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise the case of a person (details supplied) with the Chinese authorities in Tibet; and if he will support a proposal for a special EU representative for Tibet. [1164/04]
The case referred to by the Deputy has been raised with the Chinese authorities. In a declaration issued in January 2003, the European Union expressed its concern regarding this case, urged the Chinese authorities to review it and expressed its expectation that the death sentence would not be upheld.
In addition, the case has been raised with the Chinese authorities in the context of the EU-China human rights dialogue and is subject to ongoing discussions with the Chinese authorities in the framework of this dialogue. The dialogue was established in 1996 in order to provide a platform for engagement with China on human rights issues, allowing the EU to channel human rights concerns, including individual cases, directly to the Chinese authorities. The next session of the dialogue will take place next month. The individual to whom the Deputy refers will remain on the EU's list of individual cases, which will be presented to the Chinese authorities for discussion at the February dialogue session.
Regarding the question of the appointment of an EU special representative for Tibet, I refer the Deputy to my previous replies of 6 November, 2 December and 6 December 2003 and to exchanges in the House on 11 December 2003. These replies stated that in March 2002, the Dalai Lama wrote to the Foreign Ministers of EU member states, including myself, asking that an EU special representative for Tibet be appointed. In a joint response at that time, EU Ministers were unanimously of the view that nominating an EU special representative would not contribute positively to the situation.
This position was reconsidered at the end of last year and it was decided the position had not changed. It remains the common view of EU partners therefore that, in present circumstances, the most effective means of influencing the Chinese Government's position on Tibet is through direct contact.
355 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1213/04]
The Department has been working closely with other Departments to develop, co-ordinate and carry out the programme for Ireland's EU Presidency. The Presidency programme was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas last December and was debated in the House on 20 January. The priorities for the Irish Presidency are to take forward work on the draft constitutional treaty; to ensure a smooth transition to a Union of 25 member states on 1 May and carry forward work on the wider enlargement process; to give renewed impetus to the Union's programme of economic, social and environmental reform; to advance the area of freedom, justice and security; and to carry out effectively the Union's international obligations, including in regard to development issues. The Department of Foreign Affairs is also actively involved in planning and logistical arrangements for the meetings that will take place in Ireland and elsewhere, as well as the organisation of sponsorship and management of the Presidency website.
During the Presidency Irish officials, including many from the Department of Foreign Affairs, will be called on to chair approximately 3,000 meetings in Brussels, Ireland and elsewhere. The majority of these meetings are working groups at official level which meet in order to progress the Union's agenda across the range of its activities. The calendar of Council meetings, which I and other Government colleagues will chair, has been deposited in the Oireachtas Library, as has the calendar of high level meetings which are being held in Ireland.
I will host an informal EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Tullamore on 16-17 April 2004. I will also host a meeting of the ASEM Foreign Ministers, which brings together EU Ministers and their Asian counterparts in April in Ireland and an informal euromed foreign ministerial, which provides an opportunity for dialogue between EU Foreign Ministers and their Mediterranean counterparts on 6-7 May 2004 in Dublin Castle. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Kitt, will host an international conference on HIV-AIDS in Europe in Dublin Castle on 23-25 February 2004 and a development co-operation ministerial meeting in Dublin on 1 June 2004. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Roche, will host a conference of Ministers for European Affairs on communicating Europe in Wicklow on 7-8 April 2004. The Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organisation and management of these meetings.
In addition, I will participate in ministerial troika meetings with, among others, the US, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Croatia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, New Zealand, the African Union and ECOWAS. I have had a successful meeting in Ireland with the Foreign Minister of Australia. I recently visited the Middle East and held discussions on the Middle East peace process in Israel and in Egypt. I attended the inauguration of the new President of Georgia, Mikhila Saakashvili, in Tbilisi last weekend.
Work on the Presidency programme is being advanced through these meetings as well as through a wide range of bilateral contacts between Ministers and officials with their counterparts in the member states and other countries and with the EU institutions.
In addition to the work at the Department's headquarters and the permanent representation in Brussels, our other missions abroad also have important Presidency responsibilities. Our missions in third countries, for example, will chair meetings of the EU member state representatives in their countries of accreditation and will act on behalf of the EU in relations with their host Governments.
356 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the significant increase in the number of passports being issued; and if he has satisfied himself that arrangements are in place to deal with this business. [1237/04]
There has been a very substantial increase in the number of passports issued in recent years. The passport offices in Dublin and Cork issued 467,653 passports last year which is more than double the number issued as recently as 1996. A number of factors have given rise to the increase in passport demand over recent years. These include an increase in the population in the State, a substantial rise in the number of people travelling abroad, due to higher disposable incomes and cheaper airfares, and a rise in the number of children being issued with individual passports.
Almost 90% of passports are issued within ten working days which compares very favourably with the level of service available internationally. I am satisfied with the level of staff resources available in my Department to meet the demand for passports. The Passport Office currently employs almost 200 permanent staff at its offices in Dublin and Cork. These are supplemented by temporary staff on a seasonal basis as required. Overall staffing numbers have been increased in recent years and are continually kept under review.
The technical systems for processing passport applications have, however, reached the limits of their capacity and are urgently in need of replacement. The passport office is currently engaged in a major project to modernise the passport issuing service. The project will streamline the process of issuing passports and enable a more efficient service to be provided to the public. A new, more secure passport booklet will be introduced when the new system is implemented later this year. When completed, Ireland will have one of the most advanced passport issuing systems in the world.
357 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a representative of the United Nations human rights committee recently requested a meeting with a representative of Ireland to discuss the Government's response to the findings by the human rights committee that Ireland had violated the rights of a person (details supplied) under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; if such a meeting took place in Geneva during the last session of the human rights committee in October-November 2003, what was discussed at the meeting and the outcome of the meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1240/04]
The human rights committee, composed of 18 independent experts of recognised competence in the field of human rights, monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The committee was established when the covenant entered into force in 1976. The first optional protocol, which entered into force together with the covenant, authorises the committee to consider also allegations from individuals concerning violations of their civil and political rights. Ireland ratified both the covenant and optional protocol on 8 December 1989 and it entered into force in Ireland shortly thereafter.
In response to a petition under the first optional protocol in April 2001, the committee found Ireland had violated the rights of the person concerned. Ireland responded to the views-findings of the committee in August 2001. Ireland informed the committee that, in acknowledgement of the views of the committee and its obligations under the covenant, it proposed to pay £1,000 to the author of the petition.
The special rapporteur of the human rights committee on views, Mr. Nisuke Ando, presented a report for information to the committee on follow up to cases where a violation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights has been found. In his report on this case he recommended to the committee that he arrange a meeting with Ireland as the state party.
In response to a request from Mr. Ando, an officer of the permanent mission of Ireland to the UN in Geneva met with Mr. Ando on 4 November 2003. At the meeting, Mr. Ando recalled the background to the case and asked the representative of Ireland if Ireland had any additional information on the case. In response the representative of Ireland stated that he had no additional information on the case. It was noted, inter alia, that the findings of the HRC in the case had been considered by the committee to review the operation of the Offences against the State Acts and related matters. Mr. Ando will report on his meeting with the representative of Ireland to the next meeting of the human rights committee at its 80th session, which is scheduled from 15 March to 2 April 2004 in New York.
358 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to introduce biometric passports, detailing the schedule being followed and arrangements being made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1402/04]
Ireland is one of the 27 countries that participate in the US visa waiver programme, which enables citizens of those countries to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa for business or tourist purposes. The US Enhanced Border Security Act, enacted after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, requires each country that participates in the visa waiver programme to introduce, or have in place a programme to introduce, biometric passports by 26 October 2004. Otherwise, citizens of these countries will have to obtain a visa from an American Embassy for travel to the US. This, however, will only apply to passports issued on or after 26 October 2004; holders of passports issued before that date will continue to be able to enter the US under the visa waiver programme without a visa, provided their passports are machine-readable, that is, the personal information is printed and not handwritten. All Irish passports issued in Dublin, Cork and London are machine-readable.
Given the numbers of Irish travellers to the US and the importance of our economic and wider relationship with that country, it is highly desirable that Ireland should remain a participant in the visa waiver programme. I am recommending to the Government, therefore, that Ireland should introduce passports containing biometric information subject to the conduct of a feasibility study of the detailed arrangements for implementing this.
My Department is developing a new Irish passport which will be introduced later this year. The new passport will contain a polycarbonate, plastic, datapage which will be capable of incorporating a microchip on which biometric data can be inserted. It will, accordingly, be possible to move relatively quickly to the stage of producing biometric passports if a final decision to this effect is taken by the Government.
359 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department have received information on the recent immigration reform announcement by President Bush; if the Government had discussions with the US Government regarding Irish illegal immigrants; the way in which the recent announcement will affect them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1414/04]
On 7 January 2004, the President of the United States announced a new immigration initiative, entitled fair and secure immigration reform. Under the initiative, the President is proposing the creation of a new form of temporary work permit which would be available to both undocumented foreign nationals currently in the US and those seeking to enter with a job arranged.
The temporary work permit would give such people legal status in the US for three years, with the possibility of renewal. Recipients of these permits would be able to apply for permanent residence in the US but would not get preference over other green card applicants. Workers who did not qualify for permanent residency status when their temporary work permits expired would have to return to their country of origin.
While the proposal does not ensure permanent legal status for the undocumented in the US, it does offer the possibility of a temporary status which will enable them to work, with the accompanying employment rights and social benefits. Importantly, it gives these workers the right to leave the US during the period of the temporary work permit, and return again.
The President's proposals will have to be approved by the US Congress and it is too early to say what amendments may be made in the course of their passage through the congress. Nevertheless, I welcome this initiative which represents an important first step in addressing the situation of undocumented foreign workers in a pragmatic and compassionate way.
I assure the Deputy that the embassy in Washington DC will follow closely the development of the President's initiative and the consideration given to it in the US Congress. It will, in particular, continuously assess the potential of the proposals to regulate the status of Irish citizens in the US who remain undocumented.
360 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the lengthy and unwarranted interference, including prejudicial statements, made in the run up to and during the trial process of the three Irishmen arrested in Colombia by senior military and political figures; if he has satisfied himself that the trial judge Senor Acosta should be given every assistance and sufficient space to allow him to make a just and considered decision, free from political and military interference; and if he will agree to inform the relevant Colombian authorities of his views on this important matter. [1519/04]
The judgment in the trial of the three Irishmen has not yet been delivered and it would be quite inappropriate for me, therefore, to make any comment on the case. I assure the Deputy, however, that both I and my Department have repeatedly emphasised to the Colombian authorities the importance of ensuring that the men receive a fair trial. We have also conveyed to them, while respecting the independence of the Colombian judiciary, our strong desire to see the case concluded as soon as possible.
361 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a major EU-US summit is planned for County Clare during Ireland's six-month Presidency of the European Union; if he can confirm that President George Bush will be visiting the country during the Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1521/04]
The consultative mechanisms of the EU-US relationship include the provision for an EU-US summit. The summit meeting is scheduled to take place during the first half of this year. We are working closely with the US authorities on the preparation of this important meeting, including the exact date and location. As a matter of course, summit meetings are held at Head of State or Government level. It is anticipated, therefore, that the Taoiseach and President Bush will attend any EU-US summit during the Irish Presidency.
362 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will challenge a new ruling by the Israeli Government regarding entry into the Palestinian Authority controlled areas where all foreign visitors must now apply for a permit from the Israeli army in advance of their trip; and if he will raise this issue at UN and EU meetings. [1647/04]
The matter has been raised with the Israeli authorities in our European Union Presidency capacity. We have asked for clarification of the legal basis for the new procedures and identification of the issuing and enforcing authority. The practical effects of the new ruling are being closely monitored and will, as necessary, be the subject of further contacts with the Israeli authorities.
363 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to parliamentary questions tabled on 11 March 1999, 3 October 2000, 5 December 2000, 22 March 2000 and 3 July 2001, his views on the recently issued report by the ombudsman in Northern Ireland in regard to a person (details supplied) in County Derry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1753/04]
The family of Seán Brown lodged its complaints with the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland in March 2001 about the police investigation into his murder. Her report was published on 19 January 2004 and it identified a number of serious faults about the manner in which the police handled the investigation and responded to her own inquiry. Mrs. O'Loan has upheld two complaints from Mr. Brown's family — that the investigation into his death had not been efficiently carried out and that no earnest effort was made to identify those who carried out his murder.
On the basis of her findings that the RUC investigation was incomplete and inadequate, she has recommended that a full independent review should be carried out into the murder. The PSNI has agreed to a re-investigation of the case and to keep the Brown family fully informed of all developments.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have taken a personal interest in the family's efforts and have raised this issue on several occasions with the British Government. In pursuit of this, I raised the disturbing findings of the Ombudsman's report and my support for her key recommendation of a full independent review into the murder with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Paul Murphy, and with the PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Farmleigh House last Thursday.
The re-investigation of the Brown murder will be closely watched not only by the family but also by the public and the ombudsman herself. Seán Brown was an upstanding member of his community and a victim of sectarian evil. I share the family's hope that the new investigation will provide evidence to convict those responsible for the murder of their father and husband.
364 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the continuing repression and denial of human rights in China of Falun Dafa practitioners; and if he will bring pressure to bear on the authorities in China on the human rights issue generally and two students (details supplied) in particular. [1816/04]
I set out the Government's position with regard to the Falun Gong organisation on a number of occasions last year. Falun Gong was banned by the Chinese authorities in July 1999 and the Chinese government continues to regard it as an "evil cult". However, the Government takes seriously concerns about human rights in China, including those of Falun Gong members.
This issue has been raised both bilaterally and through European Union channels, notably through the formal framework of the EU-China human rights dialogue, which was established in 1996. Through the dialogue, the EU continues to share with China its experience in the field of human rights protection and promotion, and to urge China to take clear steps to improve the human rights situation generally, and more specifically with respect to the freedoms of expression, religion and belief, which have a particular impact on individual practitioners of Falun Gong. The next session of the EU-China human rights dialogue will take place next month.
Human rights are a constant and important issue of dialogue and discussion with the Chinese authorities, at both national and European Union level. In this regard, I welcome the confirmation of continued commitment to the human rights dialogue in China's first ever policy paper on the EU, which was published in September 2003, and the reiteration by both sides, at the most recent EU-China Summit in Beijing on 30 October 2003, of their continued commitment to work towards achieving more meaningful and positive results on the ground.
The specific cases to which the Deputy refers involve Chinese citizens. They are subject to Chinese law while in that country. As they are not Irish citizens, Ireland has no consular function in this matter.
365 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the sponsorship from business interests or individuals supplied for the Irish EU Presidency; and if he will give an individual breakdown of the money involved in each sponsorship. [1861/04]
Conscious of the success of the sponsorship arrangements in recent Presidencies, and that this has very much become the usual practice, the Government took the view that the Presidency offers a valuable and important opportunity for Irish business to promote what is best about Ireland, in particular in the economic, trade and tourism areas.
The main role of the Presidency is to advance the agenda of the European Union but it is also accepted that each Presidency takes the opportunity to promote its own country widely. It would be remiss of the Government if it did not maximise the exposure that Ireland will gain from hosting the Presidency, which may well be the last of its kind. Sponsorship will help develop a wider ownership in, and involvement with, the Presidency.
We have, in particular, modelled our approach on that applied by the very successful Danish Presidency by inviting offers of sponsorship from companies. All sponsorship will be in the form of goods and services — no cash sponsorship will be considered.
A number of categories lend themselves to a sponsorship arrangement — transportation, catering and the provision of IT-telecommunications equipment. Similar categories have been sponsored during previous Presidencies. In this context, my Department contacted the various umbrella groups for business in Ireland, such as the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, the Irish Hotels Federation and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry to outline the sponsorship possibilities.
I am happy that the following companies have agreed to become sponsors of the Presidency: Eircom, Audi, Tipperary Natural Spring Water and Kerrygold. Eircom and Audi between them will supply goods and services worth approximately €5 million. Tipperary Natural Spring Water will supply its product free of charge at all ministerial level meetings in Ireland and for the two summits in Brussels, while Kerrygold will supply its products free of charge for every Presidency lunch and dinner in Ireland and in Brussels. It is difficult, at this stage, to give an indication of the precise value of these sponsorships.
Such is the interest in sponsoring the Presidency that negotiations are still ongoing with several similar high calibre companies. I am also encouraged by the inquiries from smaller regional companies and organisations who are interested in sponsoring events in their respective localities. This shows the Presidency touches many parts of the country.
I am confident that, when negotiations are complete, not only will the cost of hosting the Presidency be significantly reduced but there will be a framework in place which will maximise the exposure of Irish companies and products to a wider European and international audience. This can only be of benefit to the country. Prior to entering these sponsorship agreements, all offers of sponsorship were, and continue to be, presented to the interdepartmental Presidency planning group, under the chairmanship of my Department, for consideration.
366 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will indicate the view of the Government and of his Presidency of the European Council on the building of a dividing wall by the Israeli Government on the basis of prevention of Palestinian terrorism; his views on the fact that such construction will exasperate the situation; the action and initiative the proposes to take both as Minister for Foreign Affairs and as the President of the European Council on this matter; the initiatives that Ireland proposes to take in respect of the development of the peace road map; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1877/04]
Ireland's position on the building of the separation barrier by the Israelis was set out in Resolution A/RES/ES-10/13 of the UN General Assembly adopted on 21 October last. This resolution was sponsored by Ireland and our partners in the European Union and demands that Israel stop and reverse the construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian territories, including in and around east Jerusalem, which is in departure of the armistice line of 1949 and is in contradiction to relevant provisions of international law.
I visited Israel and Egypt for discussions on 14-18 January and intend visiting the region again later in the Presidency. As European Union representative in the international quartet, Ireland will attach a high priority to advancing the road map. During my talks in Israel, I suggested that small, concrete and visible steps should be taken by both sides to restore trust and revive the peace process. I also raised the question of the separation barrier. I reiterated our concern about the building of such a structure in the occupied Palestinian territories and made the point also to Israeli interlocutors that it did not serve Israel's long-term security interests.
367 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the repatriation of members of the People's Mojahedin of Iran from Iraq to Iran by order of the governing council; and if he has concerns for their safety. [1878/04]
I am aware that the Iraqi authorities have indicated that members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq are no longer welcome in their country. This organisation is on the EU list of designated terrorist organisations and, under the regime of Saddam Hussein, is alleged to have used Iraq as a base of operations from which to carry out its terrorist activities.
It is not yet clear if these individuals will be forcibly repatriated to Iran against their wishes. The US has vetoed a decision by the Iraqi Governing Council to hand over 3,800 members of the People's Mojahedin to Iran. It is likely that many may get asylum in third countries. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and seek to ensure the human rights of the individuals involved are protected.
368 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if assessments are underway in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1976/04]
373 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2237/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 373 together.
Under the Government's recently announced decentralisation programme, the development co-operation directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs is scheduled for decentralisation to Limerick. This will involve the relocation to Limerick of 130 posts.
A decentralisation committee has been set up within the Department to liaise with the Government decentralisation committee, to plan and implement the decentralisation programme and to assess the impact of the move on the work of the Department. A number of important questions relating to decentralisation remain to be clarified. The timing of the move will be a central issue, in particular. In this context we wish to give staff as much information as possible on these aspects prior to asking them to indicate whether they wish to decentralise to Limerick or to the other 52 centres. The content of the central implementation plan report, to be prepared by the implementation committee for the Cabinet sub-committee on decentralisation by the end of March, will be of particular relevance in this regard. I anticipate the Department of Foreign Affairs will conduct a decentralisation survey shortly after the presentation of this report. The results of the survey will, when available, be made known to the Department of Finance, unions and staff.
The Deputy will be aware that, in addition to a passport office in Cork and a new passport facility being established in Balbriggan, this Department also has 67 resident diplomatic and consular missions abroad, with which Dublin-based staff liaise on a daily basis, by e-mail, fax and telephone and video conference facility. The decision to relocate the development co-operation directorate to Limerick does not, therefore, pose an insurmountable problem for the efficient and effective operation of the Department in general or the directorate itself in particular. It will pose certain managerial and coherence challenges. I am confident that, with careful planning, these challenges will be met. Measures to minimise potential risks to efficiency and effectiveness in the period leading up to, during and following the decentralisation to Limerick will be planned and overseen by the departmental decentralisation committee.
369 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in Ciudad Juarez and the reports that more than 370 women have been murdered since 1993. [2045/04]
Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have long expressed serious concern about widespread human rights abuses in Mexico, including disappearances, killings, torture by police, arbitrary detentions, death threats and ill-treatment by prison and military authorities.
While the exact number of victims is not known, Amnesty International estimates 370 women have been murdered in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua over the past 11 years. The Mexican Government has estimated the figure to be 326 while the Mexican National Human Rights Commission's estimate is 263. In addition, there are reports of a large number of disappearances of young women in this region.
Ciudad Juarez is a city that experiences serious violence and criminality. Its proximity to the border with the United States and the availability of work in its assembly plants attract a highly transient population, complicating the compilation of accurate data. It has become a major centre for drug trafficking and organised crime. Motives have not been established for many of the murders in Ciudad Juarez, although some share common characteristics. The Mexican authorities estimate that approximately one third of the victims were sexually assaulted prior to their deaths, with the remaining having been victims of intrafamilial or other violence.
Mexican and international NGOs have expressed concern about the necessity to protect the women of Ciudad Juarez and to investigate the murders, stating that the authorities in Chihuahua and at a federal level have failed to recognise the extent of the pattern of violence against women and to implement effective policies for dealing with it. International observers such as representatives of the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have also visited Chihuahua and expressed serious concerns about the investigations to date.
The question of the respective competencies between the federal and the local level has complicated matters. While steps aimed at improving efficiency had been taken by the local authorities, concerned observers had argued for some time that there was a need for the federal authorities to take a greater direct role in the matter. Federal authorities have become more engaged in the past year, having established grounds for federal intervention on the basis that some of the crimes may be federal offences.
The Interior Ministry announced a 40 point plan in June 2003 to improve public security, criminal investigations, social advancement and women's rights in Ciudad Juarez. This approach involves various Government agencies. On 11 August 2003 the Government announced the creation of a joint investigating and prosecuting agency made up of the office of the attorney general and the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office.
The secretary general of Amnesty International, Ms Irene Khan, visited Mexico in August 2003 to present the Amnesty International report on the Ciudad Juarez killings, and she met President Fox. President Fox made a commitment to ensuring that the federal Government played its full role in endeavouring to put a stop to the murders and abductions. On 17 October 2003 he announced the appointment of Ms Guadalupe Morfin Otero as federal commissioner for the cases in Ciudad Juarez. Her role involves co-ordinating the activities of the interagency committee established to facilitate an integrated approach to the full range of the problems which impact negatively on women in the state of Chihuahua. Ms Morfin has a distinguished record as a defender and promoter of human rights.
Ireland and its EU partners hold regular dialogue with Mexico on matters of mutual interest, including human rights. In November 2003, the question of human rights and the specific situation of violence against women in Ciudad Juarez was raised at a meeting in Brussels of the EU-Mexico joint committee. The Mexican representative acknowledged that the rule of law had malfunctioned over a period of time in that frontier area and outlined the measures being adopted by the Mexican federal and state authorities to strengthen the institutions of law and order with a view to putting an end to what he described as this "cancerous phenomenon."
The Mexican National Human Rights Commission has welcomed not only the appointment of Ms Morfin as federal commissioner, but also the decision in January 2004 by the federal attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to deal with those Ciudad Juarez killings which have a federal dimension.
As part of the EU's ongoing human rights dialogue with the Mexican authorities, earlier this month the Irish ambassador in Mexico City arranged for Ms Morfin to meet with EU heads of mission. This dialogue will continue during the remainder of the Irish Presidency and beyond.
370 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received reports on the Israeli incursion into the city of Nablus from 26 December 2003 to 6 January 2004; if his attention has been drawn to allegations of human rights abuses during this incursion; if he has made or proposes to make representations on the matter to the Israeli authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2057/04]
I am familiar with the report to which the Deputy refers. Our diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah closely monitor incursions of this kind and our opposition to such actions is well known to the Israeli authorities. During my recent visit to Israel, I stressed to my Israeli interlocutors the need to ease the living conditions of the population of the occupied Palestinian territories by easing restrictions and closures and by avoiding incursions into Palestinian population centres.
371 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he considers that the Israeli authorities should not be held responsible for the destruction of Palestinian public infrastructure the provision of which was funded by the European Union; if he raised the matter during meetings with Israeli leaders in the course of his recent visit to Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2058/04]
Destruction of public or private infrastructure by Israeli occupation forces is to be deplored and has been the subject of statements and demarches by the European Union. The question of destruction of infrastructure funded by the European Union has been the subject of a letter from the Spanish Presidency to the then Israeli Foreign Minister and has been raised with Israel at the EU-Israel Association Council. The European Commission has reserved its position on the question of compensation for such destruction by the Israeli authorities. The matter did not arise during my recent visit to Israel.
372 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the formulation of an international arms trade treaty; and if he will take to opportunity of the Irish Presidency of the EU to pursue this issue. [2059/04]
I am aware of a process led by a number of non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, aimed at the development of an international arms trade treaty which is intended to be a legally binding agreement with core principles and mechanisms relating to international transfers of arms. While work on drafting the text is still ongoing, it is a promising initiative and I commend the NGOs concerned for their efforts. My Department will continue to be associated with the process and will closely monitor developments.
I support the principle of having legally binding international agreements on export controls with as wide a participation as possible. This is particularly important with respect to small arms and light weapons. Ireland is committed to working with others to ensure the illicit trafficking of such weapons is dealt with effectively by the international community.
A welcome aspect of the draft treaty is it has the objective of setting out states' existing international legal obligations in the area of international transfers of arms. In addition, once ratified, the draft framework treaty would enable the international community to move forward incrementally, by means of subsequent more specific instruments.
An official of my Department participated in a conference held last November at Cambridge University in England, the purpose of which was to examine from a legal perspective the text of the draft treaty. The NGOs involved in the promotion of the draft treaty will meet next month in Costa Rica to decide on how this process can be further advanced. The proposed international arms trade treaty is under discussion within the EU. Discussions have taken place at working group level, most recently earlier this month, and will continue during Ireland's Presidency of the EU.
374 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the 37% drop in the budget allocated to vocational education committees for the provision of child care for persons on vocational training opportunities schemes, Youthreach and senior Traveller schemes. [1201/04]
430 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will grant additional funding to Kerry Education Services to provide child care for students on the vocational training overseas scheme programme, at the Adult Education Centre, Moyderwell, Tralee, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1315/04]
469 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education and Science the amounts paid to VECs to cover child care costs for participants on Youthreach, VTOS and Traveller training in 2002 and 2003; the supplementary amounts paid in 2003 following the cuts of July 2003 and any shortfall involved; the individual child care costs of participants and the allowance paid towards the individual cost; and to state if he is committed to making proper provision for child care costs of these disadvantaged participants. [1642/04]
478 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals he has in regard to the concerns of County Waterford Vocational Education Committee (details supplied) on child care funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1700/04]
481 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extra money allocated to each VEC which has contacted his Department with regard to shortfalls in funding for child care for persons on the vocational training opportunities scheme, Youthreach and senior Traveller's schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1725/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 374, 430, 469, 478 and 481 together.
My Department provides funding to VECs to assist towards the child care expenses of participants in VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller centre programmes. The financial provision nationally in 2002 for child care assistance to participants on these programme was €3,019,000. The corresponding provision for 2003 was €2,984,204.
The estimate by VECs of their needs for child care funding in 2002 exceeded the amount available. Additional funds became available towards the end of 2002, which allowed the Department to allocate supplementary grants in respect of child care assistance. Payout to VECs for 2002 was €4,736,831. In 2003, 27 VECs, including those serving the City of Dublin, County Kerry and County Waterford, requested special assistance by way of additional funding for their child care services. These VECs were asked to indicate their minimal requirements to maintain the service. Following a review of budgetary provision across the range of further education programmes and supports, it was found possible to redesignate certain elements of funding to enable supplementary grants to be allocated for child care. Payout to VECs for 2003 was €4,821,759.00.
The administration of grants to participants in VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller programmes is a matter for individual VECs. A working group comprising representatives of my Department and the Irish Vocational Education Association has been established to review the criteria for the allocation of grants for child care for 2004 and into the future with a view to making more efficient use of the funds available in the light of increasing demand. Grants to VECs to assist towards child care expenses of participants in VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller programmes in 2004 will be considered in the light of the provision in the revised Estimates.
375 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will report on the progress of the national youth work advisory committee in finalising a proposal for North-South validation of youth work training; if the proposal has been submitted to his Department; if the proposal will be made available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1072/04]
The National Youth Work Advisory Committee, NYMAC, and the Youth Council for Northern Ireland are in the process of finalising a joint proposal for criteria for the professional endorsement of youth work training in Ireland. The NYWAC is seeking the views of the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Further Education and Training Awards Council on their draft proposals. When these views have been received, the proposal will be submitted for my consideration.
376 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science when he proposes to approve the application for two additional prefabricated classrooms for September 2004 as an interim measure in respect of St. Mologa's national school, Bremore, Balbriggan, County Dublin; and if a six classroom extension to meet the expanding population of Balbriggan will be processed. [1073/04]
Officials within my Department are assessing and prioritising all applications for temporary accommodation. I intend to shortly publish details of all temporary accommodation projects that will proceed in 2004. My Department has not received an application from the management authority of St. Mologa's national school for capital funding for a six classroom extension.
377 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 313 of 16 December 2003, when he expects the verification process he refers to will be completed. [1075/04]
Officials from my Department are in constant contact with other relevant Departments that may have provided a regulatory function in the operation of these facilities in order to ascertain whether these additional institutions are eligible for inclusion. It is my intention that a list of additional institutions will be brought before both Houses of the Oireachtas in the near future.
378 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if the report of the working group set up to examine all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cailíochta sa Ghaelige has been finalised and presented to his Department; and if not, when he expects to receive a copy. [1076/04]
379 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will make publicly available the report of the working group set up to examine all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cailíochta sa Ghaeilge. [1077/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 379 together.
I have received the report of the working group on the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cailíochta sa Ghaeilge. The report is being considered. I intend to publish the report shortly.
380 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will establish a forum on teacher supply, as promised by the previous Minister for Education and Science; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1078/04]
I have no proposals to establish a forum on teacher supply. The suggestion for such a forum was made by my predecessor in the context of issues which arose in relation to the supply of suitably qualified teachers in certain sectors of the second level system. A detailed study of supply and demand issues in the second level sector, which has been carried out by the Higher Education Authority in conjunction with my Department, has identified a range of subject areas where supply and demand issues arise. The outcome of this study is currently being considered by my Department with a view to determining the measures which need to be put in place to address these issues.
381 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science when a school (details supplied) in County Wexford will be supplied with a temporary classroom taking into account the school's contribution was made on 11 September 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1079/04]
Officials within my Department are currently assessing and prioritising all applications for temporary accommodation. I intend to shortly publish details of all temporary accommodation projects that will proceed in 2004.
382 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will approve funding to the Abbey Boys national school, Roscommon town; the total cost of the extension; if he will include the school on the contingency list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1106/04]
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy going forward will be grounded in capital investment based on multiannual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects that were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme with a view to including them as part of a multiannual school building programme from 2005 and I expect to make further announcements on this matter during the year. The Abbey Boys national school project will be considered in this regard.
383 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has received correspondence from the London Irish Women Survivors Group regarding the functioning of the redress board and the work of his Department in raising awareness of the functions and responsibilities of the redress board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1109/04]
The group has raised two issues regarding the redress scheme to which a reply has issued. The first of these issues is a request that additional institutions be added to the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002. A total of 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Act. Section 4 enables additional institutions that are identified as reformatory schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be added to the Schedule. It is my intention that a list of additional institutions will be brought before both Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as the verification process is completed.
The second issue relates to the groups who wish that full information on the operation of the redress board be made available to all former residents. Section 5 (b) of the Act provides that the board shall make all reasonable efforts, through public advertisement, direct correspondence with persons who were residents of an institution, and otherwise, to ensure persons who were residents of an institution are aware of the redress board and its remit. In this regard, the board commenced an advertising campaign in Ireland in December 2002 and the board has indicated that a targeted advertisement campaign in the United Kingdom will commence in early 2004.
In addition, the Government, in devising its policies in the redress area, was conscious that a significant number of former residents of institutions had emigrated to the United Kingdom particularly in the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Five outreach officers were appointed to existing Irish centres in the UK to apprise and advise former residents that reside in the UK of developments regarding the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and the Residential Institutions Redress Board as well as other relevant matters. The outreach services are funded by my Department and continue to operate and provide appropriate advice. Funding for a post of development worker to co-ordinate and develop the outreach service has also been provided.
384 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Science when work will commence on the extension at Riverstown national school, Glanmire, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1127/04]
The proposed large scale building project for Riverstown national school is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at stage 3 — developed sketch scheme — of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects. The proposed project will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004. Indicative timescales have been included for large scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004. The budget announcement regarding multiannual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multiannual framework for the school building programme, which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
385 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the building project for Bridgetown Vocational College, County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1131/04]
The proposed large-scale building project for Bridgetown Vocational School is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, i.e. bill of quantities. It has been assigned a 'band 2' rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
Indicative timescales have been included in the school building programme for large-scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme.
I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
386 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will examine the qualifications of a person (details supplied) with a view to establishing their eligibility to teach at second level as a PE teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1134/04]
The qualifications held by the person in question have already been assessed by my Department for the purposes of teaching physical education at second level and were found to be unsuitable. This decision was conveyed to the person's employer, City of Dublin VEC, in July 2002.
387 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the provision of a classroom assistant for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1135/04]
494 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason three autistic children (details supplied) in County Donegal were left without special needs assistants since September 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1748/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 494 together.
I can confirm that my Department has received applications for special educational needs supports, SEN, from the school, including the applications for the pupils referred to by the Deputy. The school currently has the services of 18 full-time special needs assistants, SNA, one part-time SNA and one job-sharing SNA post.
SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nationwide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time-consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to Circular 24/03, which issued in September, 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school.
388 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction an application to set up a CABAS school in south Dublin to cater for children with autism (details supplied). [1136/04]
416 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if a response to the request for funding for a CABAS school in Shankill to cater for south side children will be expedited. [1247/04]
422 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will provide the funding necessary to establish a CABAS school in south Dublin for children who are affected by autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1307/04]
447 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has received an application from a group of parents that wish to establish a CABAS school in Shankill, County Dublin, to cater for children with special educational needs; if the application is being examined, researched and worked on; if his Department regards the operation of similar schools in Cork, Dublin — Kilbarrack — and Drogheda as successful; if, on the basis of that experience and the details of the parents' submission, he will make the funds available for those children and their parents who wish to have such a school established in the south Dublin area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1416/04]
500 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will support the provision of a school in south Dublin for autistic children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1788/04]
525 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will immediately sanction the expansion of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare to provide an appropriate educational environment for autistic children on waiting lists. [1961/04]
532 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to an application from CABAS in south Dublin; when sanction will be given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2051/04]
577 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give an early and positive response to the request for funding for a CABAS school to cater for children in south County Dublin. [2247/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 388, 416, 422, 447, 500, 525, 532 and 577 together.
I am most anxious that all children, including children with autistic spectrum disorders, receive education appropriate to their needs. My Department is actively considering applications from CABAS, Dublin and Saplings, Kildare, for autistic provision in south County Dublin. My officials are liaising with my Department's inspectorate and the national educational psychological service in this regard. A response will issue to the applicants as quickly as possible.
389 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the SCG exam to ensure that it is of a realistic standard, is based on Irish which is actually required in the primary classroom and that a clear syllabus is provided for those who have to undertake the exam. [1137/04]
411 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding teachers who were trained outside the Republic of Ireland that apply for recognition from his Department and are then granted a five year temporary status, within which time they are required to successfully pass the SCG exams; if in this context his attention has been drawn to the difficulties and problems that such teachers encounter, in particular where no courses or classes are provided by his Department to cater for people who have no Irish language knowledge and no clear syllabus is set out for such teachers to follow when studying for exams and therefor if in view of same a clear syllabus would be developed which teachers could follow when studying for the exam and if courses could be provided which would cater for beginners learning the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1232/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 411 together.
I established a working group to review all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the scrúdú le haghaidh cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge in 2001. The report of the working group was recently submitted to me. Issues dealt with in the report include the content and format of the examination modules, the standard of the examinations and the period of provisional recognition granted to applicants within which they are expected to pass the SCG. The report is currently under consideration and decisions in relation to the recommendations contained in it will be taken in due course.
The review group has drafted an interim syllabus. The redrafted syllabus was circulated to all schools in December 2002 and the SCG examinations held on 29, 30 and 31 October 2003 were the first series of SCG examinations to be based on this syllabus.
The review group has also drafted a handbook for the examination. The handbook will contain detailed information on the SCG and will provide answers to a wide range of questions raised by candidates. It is also planned to produce a textbook of relevant prose and poetry for future examinations.
Courses of study aimed specifically at candidates for the SCG examination are run by a number of education centres throughout the country. The level at which courses are provided is dependent on the demand. Copies of past examination papers, including tapes of the aural examinations, are available on request from primary administration section 1 of my Department in Athlone. In addition, the interim syllabus for the SCG examinations which was circulated to all schools in December, 2002 included a reading list of prose and poetry to be studied for the examinations.
390 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science the time-scale for the building of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1138/04]
The large-scale building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects. It will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
391 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in regard to funding for building improvements at Howth Road national school, Clontarf Dublin 3 and the need to ensure that they get the maximum assistance in 2004 for further improvement. [1139/04]
A large-scale building project for Howth Road mixed national school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
My Department will be holding consultations with the education partners early in 2004 in relation to the prioritisation criteria to ensure that they have the optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
392 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Education and Science when a position for a visiting teacher for the visually impaired for schools in County Mayo will be advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1140/04]
444 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when the post of visiting teacher for the visually impaired for County Mayo will be advertised and filled. [1409/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 and 444 together.
The area referred to by the Deputy is currently served by two visiting teachers who cover the Galway-Mayo region, one of whom operates in a temporary capacity.
It is expected that this post will be vacated in the near future. The vacancy, when confirmed, will initially be offered to visiting teachers from other areas who may wish to transfer to the Galway-Mayo region. If no other visiting teacher expresses an interest in the position, it will then be advertised nationally.
393 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will work closely with the parents and school of a pupil (details supplied) to ensure that he gets a place in September 2004. [1141/04]
An official from my Department has been in contact with the parents of the child referred to by the Deputy and has advised them on their rights under section 29 of the Education Act 1998 to appeal a refusal to enrol.
Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department where a board of management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the board refuses to enrol a student in the school. The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national agency with responsibility for school attendance. The principal function of the board is to ensure that every child in the State attends a recognised school or otherwise receives an appropriate minimum education. The parents of the child in question have been advised to contact the board to obtain its advice and assistance in securing a place for their child.
394 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science, further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 176 of 10 December, if Irish students who wish to further their ballet studies will be entitled to grants or fees if they pursue their studies in colleges in the United Kingdom, due to the fact that no such facilities are on offer here. [1142/04]
398 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will approve the colleges and institutions (details supplied) for grant assistance to allow Irish students of dance to train abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1176/04]
401 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 176 of 10 December 2003, if Irish students who wish to further their ballet studies will be entitled to grants or fees if they pursue their studies in colleges in the United Kingdom. [1207/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 394, 398 and 401 together.
In relation to support available for students studying abroad, my Department's student maintenance grant schemes provide maintenance grants to undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses in other EU member states.
In general, an approved undergraduate course in this context is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration pursued in a university or third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds in another EU member state, with the exception of the following: courses in colleges of further and higher education, other than courses which are at higher national diploma level or higher; courses provided in a college which are offered in private commercial third level colleges in the state and which are validated by that college and; courses in colleges akin to private commercial colleges in Ireland.
Where a grant application is made in respect of a course being pursued in a third level institution abroad, such as a dance or ballet school, it is a matter for the awarding body, such as a local authority or VEC, to satisfy itself regarding the status of the institution and as to whether the course and institution meet the terms of the relevant scheme. There are no plans, at present, to expand the provisions in the grant schemes in relation to study abroad.
In relation to tuition fees, there is provision for tax relief at the standard rate in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education, including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in other EU member states. Further details and conditions in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
395 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding funding for a new school at Coralstown national school, Mullingar; the possible starting date for this important school project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1143/04]
The large-scale building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects. It will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
396 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has completed consideration of the issue of lands at Kingswood Heights which are in the Department's ownership and remain unused; will he confirm any plans for the use or disposal of these lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1145/04]
A number of proposals concerning the future use of lands at Kingswood Heights are being considered within my Department. However, no final decision has been taken in this matter.
397 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science when an application for a resource teacher by a school (details supplied) in County Cork will be approved. [1174/04]
The school referred to by the Deputy currently has the services of a full-time and part-time resource teacher together with a shared learning support teacher. My Department has received a further application for special educational resources, SER, from this school. SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the national educational psychological service. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nationwide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time-consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to Circular 24/03, which issued in September, 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for SEN within the school.
399 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science the timescale for the building of an extension to Curranes national school, Castleisland, County Kerry; and if work will commence on this in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1177/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the proposed large-scale building project at Curranes national school is listed in section 1 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Projects listed in section 1 will proceed to tender and construction in 2004. The indicative timescale to tender for Curranes national school is the second quarter of 2004.
400 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the Drogheda CABAS, applied behaviour analysis for autistic children, school, to ensure that it remains open as a valuable school, and to give it the maximum support and assistance in 2004 (details supplied). [1178/04]
I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department intends to take a measured approach to considering the future of the three CABAS facilities in Dublin, Cork and Drogheda. My approach will be to ensure continuity of provision for the pupils in question. My Department appreciates the concerns of parents for greater certainty and in this regard, I wish to confirm that my Department is prepared to continue to provide funding for three CABAS facilities for the next school year 2004-05.
My Department will in due course consider the reports of the inspectorate on autism specific provisions and any issues arising therefrom will be raised directly with the relevant managements.
402 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1214/04]
The Department of Education and Science will host a number of ministerial level and official level meetings in Ireland during the Presidency. The first of these, the European launch of the European Year of Education Through Sport 2004 will take place in Dublin on 29/30 January. A brochure containing information on the education and youth Presidency programme has been lodged with the Oireachtas Library for the information of all Members.
403 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at St. Kevin's girls' school, Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1223/04]
A proposed large-scale building project for St. Kevin's girls' school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
My Department will be holding consultations with the education partners early in 2004 in relation to the prioritisation criteria to ensure that they have the optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
404 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at St. Aongus school, Balrothery, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1224/04]
A large-scale building project for St. Aongus' national school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
My Department will be holding consultations with the education partners early in 2004 in relation to the prioritisation criteria to ensure that they have the optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
405 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at Knockmore national school, Killinarden Parish, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1225/04]
The proposed building project for Knockmore national school, Tallaght, is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at stage 3 of the architectural planning process. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
406 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science to give an update on the status of the school building project at Scoil Santáin, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1226/04]
The large-scale building project for the scoil Santáin is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. It is at early stages of architectural planning.
It has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects and will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004. Indicative timescales have been included for large-scale projects proceeding in 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small-scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of projects approved under this scheme.
407 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at St. Aidan's school, Brookfield, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1227/04]
A proposed large scale-building project for St. Aidan's national school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
My Department will be holding consultations with the education partners early in 2004 in relation to the prioritisation criteria to ensure that they have the optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of projects approved under the scheme.
408 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at Ballycragh national school, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1228/04]
The large-scale building project for Ballycragh national school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects. It will be authorised to progress to the next stage of architectural planning during 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of projects approved under this scheme.
409 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at Killinarden community school, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1229/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to provide ancillary accommodation for the sports hall at Killinarden community school will be proceeding to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme. This is one of a number of projects that are included in the programme as part of a joint initiative to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. My Department will be in contact with the school shortly regarding the commencement of the tendering process for the project.
410 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science the status of the school building project at St. Kevin's boys' school, Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin 24; if his attention has been drawn to the anxiety of the local community that this important project be progressed to construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1231/04]
A proposed large scale project for St. Kevin's boys' national school is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
My Department will be holding consultations with the education partners early in 2004 in relation to the prioritisation criteria to ensure that they have the optimum precision and are fully tuned to meeting the priority accommodation needs of the primary and post-primary sectors.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of projects approved under the scheme.
412 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give Scoil Mhuire primary school, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9, the maximum support and assistance in 2004. [1242/04]
Any application for special educational needs, SEN, supports received in my Department will be considered in the context of the criteria outlined in the relevant Department circulars and the existing level of SEN resources already available in the school.
413 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give maximum support and assistance to St. Malachi's primary school, Edenmore, Dublin 5, in 2004. [1243/04]
Any application for special educational needs, SEN, supports received in my Department will be considered in the context of the criteria outlined in the relevant Department circulars and the existing level of SEN resources already available in the school.
414 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the current position regarding back-up services for children with disabilities at St. Fiachra's junior school, Beaumont, Dublin 9; and if he will give the maximum support and assistance in 2004. [1244/04]
I understand that the Deputy's question relates to an application for special needs assistant support for a junior infant pupil attending St. Fiachra's junior school, Beaumont, Dublin 9. My officials will contact the school in question concerning the matter.
Any application for special educational needs, SEN, supports received in my Department will be considered in the context of the criteria outlined in the relevant Department circulars and the existing level of SEN resources available in the school.
415 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give the maximum support and assistance to Virgin Mary's boys' school, Ballymun, Dublin 9, in 2004. [1245/04]
Two large-scale projects have recently been completed at Virgin Mary's boys' and girls' schools, Ballymun. Grant aid in the amount of €1,019,561 was sanctioned in 2002 for the works, which included mechanical and electrical upgrades and refurbishment of both school buildings.
If additional works are required in the school, the Deputy will note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
417 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that parents of children attending CABAS schools must now begin to make plans for September if the decision on the pilot schemes is not favourable; if the uncertainty created by the reply in the current school year is causing huge stress; and if he would aim for an early decision and indicate when that might be. [1248/04]
My Department intends to take a measured approach to considering the future of the three CABAS facilities in Dublin, Cork and Drogheda. My approach will be to ensure continuity of provision for the pupils in question. My Department appreciates the concerns of parents for greater certainty and in this regard, I wish to confirm that my Department is prepared to continue to provide funding for three CABAS facilities for the next school year 2004/2005.
I hope this clarification will ease parents' concerns. My Department will in due course consider the reports of the Inspectorate on autism specific provisions and any issues arising therefrom will be raised directly with the relevant managements.
418 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science if additional learning support can be provided for Barntown and Glynn national schools, County Wexford, where overall enrolment has increased by 40% since 1993 when they were allocated the services of a learning support teacher on a shared basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1249/04]
The schools referred to by the Deputy currently have the services of a full-time shared learning support teacher. The number of learning support teachers now stands at 1,531, enabling a learning support service to be accessed by every primary school pupil in the country. While it is not my intention to allocate further such posts at this time, my Department will continue to review the allocation of resources for special needs.
419 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give a commitment that the evaluation of the CABAS facilities for teaching autistic children currently being carried out by his Department's inspectorate will be concluded at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1254/04]
I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department intends to take a measured approach to considering the future of the three CABAS facilities in Dublin, Cork and Drogheda. My approach will be to ensure continuity of provision for the pupils in question. My Department appreciates the concerns of parents for greater certainty and in this regard, I wish to confirm that my Department is prepared to continue to provide funding for three CABAS facilities for the next school year 2004/2005.
I hope this clarification will ease parents' concerns. My Department will in due course consider the reports of the Inspectorate on autism specific provisions and any issues arising therefrom will be raised directly with the relevant managements.
420 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 182 of 17 December 2003 the cost savings of the standardised school year; if this forms part of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1264/04]
The review relates to the school transport scheme. While the specific issue relating to the standardised school year is not part of that review, expenditure under the terms of the scheme is constantly monitored to ensure that the most efficient and cost effective service is provided including the co-ordination of school transport services as appropriate.
The main objective of the commitment to standardise the mid-term breaks and holiday periods at Christmas and Easter as provided by Sustaining Progress is to provide certainty to families on school closure times.
Prior to the introduction of the agreed arrangements for the school year 2003-04 schools were free to decide on holiday periods and mid-term breaks on an individual basis. This led to variation in the closure times of schools, which caused problems to parents with children attending different schools. I am satisfied that the new arrangements provide real benefits to parents.
421 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason his Department is now refusing to give the honours allowance to those teachers who have been teaching art for some considerable time and who completed a course in the National College of Art and Design organised by his Department in conjunction with the National University of Ireland and received a diploma in art teaching at honours level; the reason, despite saying in his response dated 29 January 2003, that the matter of the appropriate level of qualification allowance to be paid to teachers who successfully completed this course, was under consideration by his Department and that, when a decision would be reached, his Department would communicate with the teachers concerned and arrangements would be made for the payment to them of the appropriate allowance, this has not happened despite his answer 12 months ago. [1306/04]
While the matters in question took longer than originally anticipated to resolve, I can assure the Deputy that my Department's consideration of these matters is now nearing completion. I expect that a decision on the levels at which the qualification allowances in question are awarded will be made in the very near future. I will advise the Deputy of the outcome at that time.
423 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of an extension to Kilconley national school, Ballybunion, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1308/04]
My Department has received an application for improved accommodation at Kilconley national school, Ballybunion, County Kerry.
Progress on this application will depend on the development plan for the north Kerry area resulting from the new model for school planning, which I announced earlier this year. The new school planning model will be piloted in five areas, one of which includes Ballybunion, over the remainder of the school year, with development plans being drawn up for these areas. My main objective is to ensure that all relevant parties have a say and that the process is open and public.
The Commission on School Accommodation will conduct the public engagement and all submissions made to the commission by interested parties will be published. The commission will then draw up a draft development plan for the area, against which, following acceptance by the Minister, the planning and building unit will assess all applications for capital investment.
A decision on the application from Kilconley national school will be made in the context of the development plan for the north Kerry area.
The provision of essential mainstream classroom accommodation, over and above the current complement of mainstream permanent classrooms, takes priority in the publication of the 2004 school building programme. All projects that are not going to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme are being reviewed with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual building programme from 2005 onwards. I expect to be in a position to make a further announcement on this matter during 2004.
424 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of an extension to Nano Nagle Special School, Listowel, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1309/04]
The proposed large-scale building project for Nano Nagle national school is listed in Section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at stage 2-3, outline sketch scheme-developed sketch scheme of architectural planning. It has been assigned a "band 1" rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
The proposed project will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004. Indicative timescales have been included for large-scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
425 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of a new school at Blennerville, Tralee, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1310/04]
The board of management of Blennerville national school applied to my Department for a new school in 1999. Following examination of the application it was agreed that accommodation should be provided for a six-teacher school.
A subsequent technical inspection of the existing school and site was carried out and a recommendation was made that a new school on a green field site should be provided. The Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in the procurement of sites is actively engaged in this matter and I am sure that the Deputy will appreciate that due to commercial sensitivity I am unable to give further information on the site purchase at this time.
426 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of a new school, at Listellick, Tralee, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1311/04]
The board of management of Listellick national school has applied to my Department for additional accommodation. Following examination of the application it is agreed that accommodation should be provided for a principal plus 12 mainstream teachers with scope for the provision of four additional classrooms if, required as a result of planned housing developments. The site requirements to facilitate this development will shortly be finalised and my officials will be in contact with the board of management in this regard.
427 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of a new primary school at Ballybunion, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1312/04]
I take it that the Deputy is referring to a new school to accommodate the proposed amalgamation of St. Joseph's primary school and Ballybunion boys' national school.
Agreement has been reached to amalgamate St. Joseph's primary school and Ballybunion boys' national school. It is considered that the long-term accommodation needs of the amalgamated school will be for eight mainstream classes and ancillary accommodation. Under the 2004 school building programme, projects, which involve the provision of accommodation, which is absolutely necessary to facilitate agreed amalgamations, are accorded a band 1 rating.
Progress on this project will depend on the development plan for the north Kerry area resulting from the new model for school planning, which I announced earlier this year. The new school planning model will be piloted in five areas, one of which includes Ballybunion, over the remainder of the school year, with development plans being drawn up for these areas. My main objective is to ensure that all relevant parties have a say and that the process is open and public. The Commission on School Accommodation will conduct the public engagement and all submissions made to the commission by interested parties will be published. The commission will then draw up a draft development plan for the area, against which, following acceptance by the Minister, the planning and building unit will assess all applications for capital investment. A decision on the new school project for Ballybunion will be made in the context of the development plan for the north Kerry area.
428 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of an extension to Ballybunion Convent secondary school, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1313/04]
I take it that the Deputy is referring to St. Joseph's secondary school, Ballybunion. Progress on this project will depend on the development plan for the north Kerry area resulting from the new model for school planning, which I announced earlier this year. The new school planning model will be piloted in five areas, one of which includes Ballybunion, over the remainder of the school year, with development plans being drawn up for these areas. My main objective is to ensure that all relevant parties have a say and that the process is open and public. The Commission on School Accommodation will conduct the public engagement and all submissions made to the commission by interested parties will be published. The commission will then draw up a draft development plan for the area, against which, following acceptance by the Minister, the planning and building unit will assess all applications for capital investment. A decision on the application from St. Joseph's secondary school will be made in the context of the development plan for the north Kerry area.
429 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science his position regarding the provision of additional accommodation at Dromclough national school, Listowel, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1314/04]
An application for additional accommodation at Dromclough national school was received in my Department in January 2003.
Progress on this application will depend on the development plan for the north Kerry area resulting from the new model for school planning, which I announced earlier this year. The new school planning model will be piloted in five areas, one of which includes Listowel, over the remainder of the school year, with development plans being drawn up for these areas. My main objective is to ensure that all relevant parties have a say and that the process is open and public. The Commission on School Accommodation will conduct the public engagement and all submissions made to the commission by interested parties will be published. The commission will then draw up a draft development plan for the area, against which, following acceptance by the Minister, the planning and building unit will assess all applications for capital investment. A decision on the application from Dromclough national school will be made in the context of the development plan for the north Kerry area.
431 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science the position on the building project for Christian Brothers primary school, New Ross, County Wexford, in particular a timeframe for the various stages of this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1333/04]
An application for grant aid towards improvement works has been received from the management authority of the Christian Brothers primary school, New Ross. The application is currently being examined in the school planning section of my Department. As soon as this examination is completed, a decision on the matter will issue to the school authority together with an indicative timeframe for the delivery of any identified accommodation deficits.
432 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will expedite an appeal in the name of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny to have a child (details supplied) enrolled at Loreto School, Kilkenny. [1334/04]
433 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the timeframe for considering an appeal in the name of persons (details supplied) in County Kilkenny to have their child (details supplied) placed as a student at Loreto School, Kilkenny; and if he will expedite the application and issue a favourable response. [1335/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 433 together.
My Department recently admitted two appeals under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 regarding the children referred to by the Deputy. Under the Act, an appeal must be dealt with within 30 days of its receipt, except where, on the application of the appeals committee, the Secretary General of my Department consents to an extension of the period by not more than 14 days.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that during the course of the appeals the children were offered places in the school in question and both appeals were consequently withdrawn by the parents.
434 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will issue a comprehensive response to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny regarding the educational and medical care entitlements of their child who has autism. [1342/04]
I am aware of the case referred to by the Deputy. My Department is currently providing funding towards home tuition for the children in question. My officials are arranging to liaise with the appropriate professionals regarding the long-term educational needs of the children and further contact will be made with the parents in this regard.
The issue of the medical care entitlements of the children is a matter for the Department of Health and Children through the local health board.
435 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the position on the drafting of a circular pertaining to unqualified resource issues; and when the circular will be finalised and issued to schools. [1347/04]
Work on drafting the circular in question is at an advanced stage. It is hoped to have it finalised and issued to schools in the near future.
436 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if there is any age barrier to qualification for home tuition. [1348/04]
437 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will arrange a reassessment of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for home tuition purposes. [1349/04]
540 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo with special needs can receive financial assistance towards the cost of their special needs teaching at home; the reason they were refused this help; if they qualify for assistance from his Department in this regard. [2080/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 436, 437 and 540 together.
The home tuition scheme is intended to provide compensatory instruction for pupils of school-going age with a medical ailment that is likely to cause major disruption to their attendance at school on a continuing basis. The young adults referred to by the Deputy are over 18 years of age and do not fall within the remit of the home tuition scheme. I understand that the persons in question are currently accessing adult services in their local area.
438 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason that his Department is refusing to accept the registration of a pupil (details supplied) in County Mayo who is being privately tutored in view of the fact that she will be doing her leaving certificate in 2005 and the knock-on effect of this refusal resulting in the Department of Social and Family Affairs refusing to pay child benefit for this student. [1350/04]
Registration of candidates for the leaving certificate in 2005 will take place early in the 2004-05 school year. Applications from external candidates are accepted as a normal part of this process, and it is suggested that contact should be made with the State Examinations Commission for this purpose in early September 2004.
My Department has been in touch with the Department of Social and Family Affairs and I understand that that Department will be in contact very shortly with the family concerned regarding payment of child benefit.
439 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a special needs teacher will be appointed to a school in County Mayo so that a pupil (details supplied) can get the help that she has been assessed as needing. [1351/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has approved an additional allocation of five hours per week resource teaching support to County Mayo VEC in respect of the student in question.
440 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science the justification for the 183% rise in fees when students opt to repeat their leaving certificate exam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1382/04]
Examination entry fees are in existence in order to defray in part the costs of running the certificate examinations. Examination entry fees cover only part of the costs involved. A special entry fee of €225 is payable in respect of a candidate who remains in school with a view to repeating the leaving certificate examination. This represents an increase of approximately 13% on the 2003 figure of €199. A course fee of €126.97 is also payable to my Department in respect of such candidates.
Special fees for repeat candidates were introduced in 1987 on the basis that it is not unreasonable to expect those who have already benefitted from the normal course of post-primary education, and who wish to take an extra year, to make a contribution towards the cost of providing the necessary resources.
Candidates who hold a current medical card or are dependent on a parent or guardian who is the holder of a current medical card are not liable for either examination fees or for payment of the repeat course fee. Medical cards will be accepted only if valid on 1 February 2004, the due date for payment.
441 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the action he is taking to upgrade post-primary schools in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1387/04]
The published 2004 school building programme sets out the progress envisaged for individual projects in the current year on larger scale projects at post primary level.
The Deputy will note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme, which caters for necessary small-scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of schools with approved projects under this scheme. This programme is accessible on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
442 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will provide information on a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9; the reasons for this person's departure from a college (details supplied); if there were allegations against this person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1397/04]
The information requested by the Deputy relates to personal information and my Department does not release information of this nature.
443 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science when a reply will be issued to correspondence (details supplied); the reason for the delay in issuing same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1398/04]
My Department expects to be in a position to respond to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy shortly.
445 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if the proposed new vocational school for Newport, County Mayo, will go ahead; and the proposals his Department has on this matter. [1410/04]
446 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if a decision has been made on the catchment area for the proposed new vocational school in Newport, County Mayo. [1411/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 445 and 446 together.
As previously indicated to the Deputy no decisions have been taken on progressing the proposed new second level school for Newport. A final decision on this matter will be taken in the context of a development plan for the Newport and Westport areas resulting from the new model for school planning which I announced earlier this year. The new school planning model will be piloted in five areas, one of which covers the Newport and Westport areas, over the remainder of the school year with development plans being drawn up for these areas. My main objective is to ensure that all relevant parties have a say and that the process is open and public. The Commission on School Accommodation will conduct the public engagement and all submissions made to the commission by interested parties will be published. The commission will then draw up a draft development plan for the area, against which, following acceptance by the Minister, the planning and building unit will assess all applications for capital investment.
A decision on whether to progress with the school proposed for Newport will be made in the context of the development plan for the Newport and Westport area of County Mayo.
448 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath who has been in contact with his Department, has been refused for a higher education grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1417/04]
Under the terms of my Department's higher education grant schemes students who already hold an undergraduate degree are not generally eligible for grant assistance in respect of further study at undergraduate level. There is, however, provision under the terms of the schemes for students who already hold a pass or general degree and are progressing to complete an honours degree in one year. In such cases it must be established that successful completion of the year in question may only result in an honours degree and that there is no possibility of a second award at the same level, that is another pass or general degree.
My Department understands that the duration of the course, referred to by the Deputy, is 18 months and that successful completion of the course may lead to an award at either honours or pass degree level. As the student in question already holds a general degree and the course does not comply with the provisions of the schemes, she is ineligible for grant assistance in respect of the course. The terms of the schemes are of general application and accordingly it is not open to me or my Department to depart from the terms in individual cases.
449 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science when a classroom assistant will be offered to a person (details supplied) attending St. Wolstan's school, Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1418/04]
My Department allocates resource teaching support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and vocational educational committees to cater for students with special educational needs. Applications for such support are made to my Department by the relevant school authorities. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of the pupil(s) involved and the nature and level of support provided is determined on the advice of the psychological service.
St. Wolstan's community school has been allocated resource teacher and special needs assistant support to address the needs of the student in question and a number of other students with special educational needs attending the school.
450 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if the school building programme for 2004 includes site-acquisition for the construction of a school for Gaelscoil Cholmcille, to be acquired from Dublin City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1419/04]
My Department is considering options to address the long-term accommodation needs of Gaelscoil Cholmcille including the option to acquire a site for the school. In this regard, the property management section of the OPW is acting on behalf of my Department on site acquisitions generally and is currently exploring the possibility of acquiring a site for the school in question.
Due to commercial sensitivities of site acquisitions, it is not proposed at this stage to identify the specific sites to be acquired. However, this information will be placed on my Department's website when the relevant acquisitions have been completed.
451 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will investigate the potential for a third level college in order to facilitate people with disabilities, with a campus built in one of the existing colleges, for example, Maynooth, UCD, DCU or the Marino Institute of Education. [1436/04]
Current Government policy on the provision of services to people with disabilities places emphasis on the importance of mainstreaming. The provision of a third level campus to facilitate people with disabilities would not be consistent with the objective of ensuring services for people with disabilities are provided on an inclusive and integrated basis in line with services to the general public.
Among the measures my Department is taking to assist students with disabilities to access third level education is the fund for students with disabilities. This fund, which is ESF-aided, was introduced in 1994. It provides funding to students with disabilities attending courses in third level institutions and, since 1998, in post-leaving certificate centres.
The purpose of the fund is to provide students with serious physical and-or sensory disabilities with grant assistance towards the cost of special equipment, special materials and technological aids, targeted transport services, personal assistants and sign language interpreters.
Under the social inclusion measures in the Government's national development plan, there is provision for a third level access fund totalling almost €121 million, over the period 2000 to 2006, aimed at tackling under-representation by a number of target groups including students with a disability. The report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education, which was established to advise on the development of a co-ordinated strategy to increase participation by the target groups, was published in 2001.
Provision for the fund for students with disabilities has increased from €101,579 in 1994 to a gross level of €5.3 million in the 2003-04 academic year. In addition to the fund, between 1996 and 2003, as part of its targeted initiative funding programme, the Higher Education Authority has allocated more than €7 million towards activities focused on supporting increased access for students with a disability. Among the activities funded have been the employment of specialist staff; the training of academic and non-academic staff; the establishment of units for provision of assistive technology training and support for students and staff; careers support for students with a disability; pre-entry outreach and taster programmes; and post-entry orientation and support.
My Department is committed to supporting initiatives in the area of universal access and funding has been provided in recent years to address physical access problems in existing buildings in the third level sector. Furthermore, all new buildings are required to comply with building regulations governing access. New buildings must incorporate standard design features necessary to facilitate universal access in compliance with part M of the building regulations.
452 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the impact of the closure of St. Mary's School for the Blind on the availability of suitable education placements for such children; the services he has put in place to make up for this loss; and his plans to open the proposed national education centre for the visually impaired. [1460/04]
Arising from the report of a planning group, which was established to consider proposals for the development of a national centre for the visually impaired, my Department engaged a project team to consider an overall development strategy for the implementation of the planning group's report. The report of the project team was presented to my Department towards the end of 2002.
Having given careful consideration to the matter, I decided in April 2003 that the national centre as proposed should not proceed, having regard to the low and declining pupil numbers in the schools for the visually impaired and the development costs, estimated to be in excess of €30 million.
St. Joseph's Special School for Visually Impaired, Drumcondra, provides a co-educational service for pupils at primary level and includes some pupils who have transferred from St. Mary's School for the Blind. Parents may also chose to enrol their children in mainstream school settings with the support of the resource teacher, special needs assistant and visiting teacher service. Pobal Scoil Rosmini provides a co-educational service for pupils at second level.
My Department proposes to explore with the school authorities concerned how aspects of the proposed centre could be developed, in the context of available resources.
453 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the criteria on competence in Gaeilge for degree-holders who are taking up the conversion course to primary teaching; and if a person who has honours in leaving certificate Irish would automatically meet the entry criteria and be able to pick up the required teaching competence in Gaeilge during the course of the 18-month conversion course. [1471/04]
As part of the minimum academic entry requirements specified by my Department for the postgraduate diploma in primary teaching, all candidates must have a minimum of a grade C at higher level in Irish in the leaving certificate or an approved equivalent. This requirement embodies both the written and oral element of a student's proficiency in Irish. My Department considers it to be the minimum standard in Irish necessary for students entering a teacher training course which will equip them to teach Irish to pupils at all levels in primary schools.
454 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the discussions he has had with officials in the Higher Education Authority regarding decentralisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1511/04]
No formal discussions have taken place with the Higher Education Authority regarding decentralisation. However, mechanisms have been put in place by my Department to ensure that the Higher Education Authority and other relevant bodies under the aegis of my Department are kept fully informed as the process develops.
The HEA has also been asked to provide information to the Department relating to its accommodation requirements in the decentralised location.
455 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of people from counties Roscommon and Leitrim respectively attending institutes of technology, universities and PLC courses; the numbers in each category in receipt of higher education grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1513/04]
The 2002-03 academic year is the most recent year in respect of which comprehensive statistics are available to my Department. Details of the numbers of students from counties Roscommon and Leitrim attending full-time courses in universities and institutes of technology are outlined in the attached table. The number of students attending PLC courses in those counties is also included; data on the county of origin of these PLC students is not, however, available. The available data in respect of the numbers of students in receipt of grant assistance under all four maintenance grant schemes is also outlined, for the Deputy's information, in the following table.
My Department funds three student support schemes for students attending third level education: the higher education grants scheme, which generally applies to all university degree courses and is administered by local authorities; third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, which applies to most certificate and diploma courses in institutes of technology and is administered by the vocational education committees and the institutes of technology; and the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme, which generally applies to add-on courses where students have already pursued certificate or diploma level courses and to certain courses in Northern Ireland and which is administered by the vocational education committees. My Department funds one student support scheme in respect of post-leaving certificate courses, namely, the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses. This scheme is administered by the vocational education committees.
Under the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, the institutes of technology pay the maintenance grants to the students concerned and recoup the moneys directly from my Department. The total number of grant holders in 2002-03 was 13,401. County-specific information is not available at present in respect of the third level maintenance grant scheme for trainees.
Under the terms of the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses, grant applicants are assessed by the VEC in whose administrative area they reside. However, eligible students are subsequently paid their grants by the VEC in whose administrative area the PLC centre they are attending is situated. Accordingly, separate figures are available to my Department in respect of: the numbers of students attending PLC centres in counties Roscommon and Leitrim and the numbers of students from each county approved for grant assistance by their respective VECs under the PLC scheme. The Deputy should note that the higher number of students in receipt of assistance is accounted for by the attendance of students from Roscommon at centres outside of their county of origin.
|
Sector of Study |
Universities |
Institutes of Technology |
PLC Courses |
Total |
|
Roscommon |
1,060 |
1,097 |
73 |
2,230 |
|
Leitrim |
414 |
533 |
113 |
1,060 |
|
County Roscommon |
County Leitrim |
|
|
HEG Scheme |
477 |
233 |
|
VEC Scholarship Scheme |
186 |
82 |
|
TLT Scheme |
N/A |
N/A |
|
PLC Scheme (Nos. Approved for Grant Assistance) |
101 |
78 |
456 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will compare the scale of allowances paid to principal teachers in primary and post-primary schools given that both of those scales are based on the number of teachers in each type of school; and the reason that there are different allowances paid to the principals of similar size schools in different categories. [1517/04]
The scale of allowances payable to principals and deputy principals in primary and post-primary schools is based on agreements reached with the teacher unions representing both sectors in the context of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
457 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science if a matter has been resolved for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1518/04]
The matter referred to by the Deputy has been resolved and the payment due has recently been issued to the person in question.
458 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will make funds available to parents where there is a deficit in the psychological service available to children locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1525/04]
Pending the full roll-out of the national educational psychological service, NEPS, my Department established the scheme for the commissioning of psychological assessments, SCPA. Under this scheme, schools without a NEP service can commission psychological assessments from an approved panel of private practitioners. The scheme is continuing to operate in the current school year.
459 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will make a formal response in relation to the offer of convent buildings to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo. [1526/04]
Officials in the planning and building unit of my Department are in contact with the authorities of the school to which the Deputy refers and will correspond directly with them regarding development of the school.
460 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 108 of 6 March 2003 the progress that has been made; if the analysis of post-primary provision at this location is complete; and the action he plans to take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1557/04]
My Department's analysis of post-primary provision in the Callan area has not yet been concluded. The post-primary educational landscape in the area is less than straightforward with the result that a number of issues require to be comprehensively explored before final decisions are reached. This exploration cum analysis is ongoing.
461 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will provide school transport for two children (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who attend St. Lachtains national school, Freshford, County Kilkenny; and if he will expedite a decision in their case. [1558/04]
A report on this case has been requested from Bus Éireann. The family will be advised of the position as soon as the report has been received and assessed.
462 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding plans for extending and improving Grennan College, Thomastown, County Kilkenny; if the project can be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1566/04]
The refurbishment project at Grennan College is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 2 rating in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
463 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science when a review will be done of the school transport system regarding catchment areas. [1569/04]
For the purposes of the post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. These areas were drawn up in the late 1960s in the context of the free education scheme. The catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. A relatively small number of primary schools are shared between two of more centres. The revision of catchment areas is addressed by my Department as the need arises. It is the practice in my Department to consult local educational interests, where any such adjustments are being contemplated.
464 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of files in his Department for 1973 released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; and the subject matter of the files withheld. [1591/04]
During 2003 my Department met representatives of the National Archives and transferred the following files: 19th century building files; school administration files 1880-1921; and training college files 1883-1921. Inactive files are held in off-site storage and officials in my Department are in ongoing discussions with the National Archives office to determine what files are of national interest and should be transferred to the archives office.
465 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science to investigate definitions (details supplied) in the Education of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1596/04]
I moved an amendment to the definition of disability in the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003 on Committee Stage on 5 January. At that time, I stated why I felt that the definition now in the Bill is the most practical. I also said that, in light of our discussions on Committee Stage, I would reconsider the definition of disability to see if it could be improved upon. However, I am of the view that to accept the Deputy's suggestion would be to extend the definition of disability unduly and I believe that would be counter-productive.
The provision of education services for the majority of children in our primary and post-primary schools is governed by the Education Act 1998. This Bill is intended to benefit those who most need assistance in accessing education services and I have no wish to dilute the attention due to them by attempting to cater to needs beyond those caused by a disability. It is essential that the conditions which attract the benefits of the Bill are enduring so as to ensure that vital resources are used for those who really need them. The remainder of the definition in the Bill as it stands provides a sensible base from which to determine who has a disability for the purposes of the Bill and more importantly who will benefit from the very focused and specialised educational provision which will be made as a result of it.
466 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will investigate the application for school transport for a student (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1597/04]
As a rule primary school transport routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible pupil will have more than 1.5 miles to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of service are generally expected to make their own way or be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the school transport scheme as the cost involved on a countrywide level would be prohibitive.
The student in question resides 0.5 miles from the route of service. As this is well within range of the existing service, it would not be open to my Department to extend the service as requested. There is provision for parents to pay for extensions of bus services where feasible, having regard to time schedules and avoidance of major disruption to other pupils using the service. Bus Éireann has advised my Department that an extension of the bus service could be implemented under this provision in this case. If the family is interested in meeting the cost of extending the service, it should contact school transport section of my Department in Tullamore.
467 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the application of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare for a special needs assistant in view of the fact that the pupil has been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1598/04]
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved five hours resource teaching support together with special needs assistant support for the pupil in question. A letter to this effect issued to the pupil's school on 22 January 2004.
468 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science when a special needs assistant will be provided for a student enrolled at Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy, County Kildare, in view of the need for such assistance due to the child's medical background; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1600/04]
My Department has received a number of applications for special educational resources, SER, from the school referred to by the Deputy, including an application for the pupil in question. SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's Inspectorate and the national educational psychological service, NEPS. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted during past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nationwide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time-consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to Circular 24/03, which issued in September, 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school.
470 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress in approving plans for a new gym at a school (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; if a standard or common plan for such gyms has now been established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1659/04]
It has been agreed in principle to provide a PE hall of 806 sq. m. for CBS secondary school, James Street, Kilkenny. The planning and building unit of my Department has prepared PE hall templates that will standardise the construction of PE halls at second level schools and will be used to plan the provision of PE halls nationally. The PE hall templates are being piloted in a number of locations this year. The matter of providing a PE hall at the school to which the Deputy refers will be considered when the pilot programme has been completed and evaluated and in line with available resources and priorities arising.
471 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the allocation from the millennium fund to the Northside Partnership Company has been cut, despite the fact that the number of students in need of this support within the catchment has increased by over 15%; and if he will make arrangements to ensure that funding is restored. [1669/04]
The millennium partnership fund for disadvantage is one of a number of access measures recommended in the 2001 report of the action group on access to third level education. The fund provides assistance to partnership companies and community groups to develop their support schemes for students from disadvantaged families. Area Development Management — ADM Limited under the aegis of which the partnerships operate, administers the fund on behalf of my Department.
An allocation of €1.27 million per year was recommended for the millennium partnership fund for the duration of the national development programme to 2006. The recommendation was implemented when the fund was introduced with effect from the 2001-02 academic year. However, for the 2002-03 academic year, I significantly increased the allocation to €2 million. A provision of €2 million was also made in respect of the millennium partnership fund for 2003.
Northside Partnership received funding to the amount of €120,000 in the 2002-03 academic period from ADM under the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage, 2002-03. Previously the partnership had been in receipt of direct funding from my Department. I understand that in order to facilitate ten new applicant groups to the 2003-04 fund, ADM decided to make reductions in the budgets of partnerships and community groups across the board.
In the current academic year, 2003-04, Northside Partnership has a budget of €114,475, which includes a carryover from the previous round of the fund. Apart from the Cork Consortium; covering both Cork city and county, which received €145,000 for the current academic year, Northside Partnership received the highest allocation of funding under the fund, significantly more than other Dublin based partnerships. This was also the situation in 2002-03. There are currently 59 groups implementing the millennium partnership fund at a local level vis-à-vis 35 groups which were involved in managing the fund since its inception in 2001.
Two other key recommendations in the report of the action group on access to third level education were the introduction of special rates of maintenance or top-up grants and the establishment of a national office of equity of access to higher education. Following a review of the special rates of maintenance grant in 2002, it was expected that the number of students qualifying for the top-up grant in 2002-03 would double to 7,000. This target was exceeded with approximately 8,000 students receiving the top-up grant in 2002-03.
In addition, last May I announced a package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to address the problem of disadvantage in third level education. The main provisions are: an increase of 15% in the maintenance grant, to give a maximum grant of €2,885, this compares with €2,510 in 2002-03; significant increases in the reckonable income limits for purposes of the ordinary and special rates of grant; the introduction of a revised income limit scheme, to include the following threshold levels, namely. a new part maintenance, 75% and full fees, an upgrading of the full fees only income limit to become a part maintenance, 25%, and full fees entitlement; the top income limit has been increased from €36,897 to €40,000, ensuring that a significantly higher number of students from households with moderate incomes will not have to pay the student service charge; and the higher, non-adjacent rate of the special rate of maintenance grant has been increased to €4,495 an amount equal to the maximum personal rate of social welfare unemployment assistance and the adjacent rate has been increased to €1,800. These increases represent top-ups on the ordinary grant of €1,610 and €645, respectively.
Following my approval for the establishment of the national office for equity of access to higher education, within the Higher Education Authority, a number of senior staff have been recruited and the office is now operational. I anticipate that the national office will facilitate the aim of increasing third level access by the three target groups, in partnership with my Department, the third level institutions and other stakeholders and agencies.
472 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans for the provision of special access funds targeted at disadvantaged pupils in each of the Dublin colleges; if these access funds are proving incapable of meeting the demand being placed on them; and his views on reported cutbacks in a number of colleges in respect of support from these funds. [1670/04]
Since my appointment as Minister for Education and Science I have made it clear that addressing educational disadvantage is my top priority. It is my intention to ensure that available educational resources are targeted at the most disadvantaged people in the education system at all levels. My objective is to ensure that all young people leave the education system with a high quality education and related qualifications to support their full participation in society and in the economy.
My overall approach to tackling educational disadvantage is set in the context of the Government's national action plan against poverty and social exclusion, 2003-05, NAPSincl, and the latest partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress, which contains a special initiative focused on literacy, numeracy and early school leavers. In addition to the ordinary maintenance grant schemes and the free fees initiative, my Department has responsibility for promoting access and participation opportunities for students in higher education and on PLC courses. Under the social inclusion measures in the national development plan, there was provision for a third level access fund totalling €121 million, during the period 2000 to 2006, aimed at tackling under-representation by three target groups: students from disadvantaged backgrounds; mature students; and students with disabilities.
The report of the action group on access to third level education, published in 2001, set out a blueprint for the development of a co-ordinated framework to promote access. The third level access fund comprises the following funds/measures: special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students; the ESF-aided student assistance fund; the ESF-aided fund for students with disabilities; and the ESF-aided millennium partnership fund for disadvantage
Since 1997 spending on third level access measures funded directly by the Department of Education and Science has increased from €500,000 to €26 million in 2003. By any standards, this represents a quantum leap in the commitment of resources. The provision for 2003 is €27 million. This brings the total allocation on these access measures, including the 2004 provision, since the commencement of the national development plan in 2000, to €96.7 million.
The Deputy will also be aware that last May I announced a new package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to further address and ameliorate the problems facing students from low to moderate income households in accessing third level education. This package combines substantial improvements in the level and coverage of the maintenance grants for those on low to moderate incomes, with increases in the level of top-up grant for those who are most disadvantaged. I believe that this substantial package of measures will provide the opportunity, in an unprecedented manner, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their full potential in the education system.
The Higher Education Authority has for a number of years provided dedicated funding to the universities and other HEA designated institutions to support new developments in areas of strategic importance in higher education. One particular priority area is that of broadening access to the universities and HEA institutions for students from traditionally under-represented groups. These include students from disadvantaged backgrounds, mature students and travellers. In 2002, the HEA provided over €6 million to support institutions in initiatives aimed at providing for such broadened access. For 2003, this provision increased to €7.4 million. In addition, in the technological sector, there is provision, from within the charge for student services, registration and examinations, for access funding amounting to approximately €500,000.
473 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason Briarfield national school, Ballinasloe, County Galway, has not been given an opportunity to take part in the schools building scheme devolved fund in view of the fact that they have raised a considerable amount of local money and would now be in the position to fast-track the building of the school, if the Department gave them a reasonable injection of capital. [1687/04]
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy going forward will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005 and I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. Briarfield national school, Ballinasloe, County Galway, will be considered in this regard.
474 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason Ardeevin national school, Glenamaddy, County Galway, has not been given an opportunity to take part in the schools building scheme devolved fund, in view of the fact that they have raised a considerable amount of local money and will now be in the position to fast track the building of the school, if the Department gave them a reasonable injection of capital. [1688/04]
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy going forward will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005 and I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. Ardeevin national school, Glenamaddy, County Galway will be considered in this regard.
475 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has satisfied himself with the level of importance and priority given by all Departments and in particular the Department of Education and Science to projects identified locally in Athy, County Kildare, under the RAPID programme; and the steps he intends to take to ensure that the RAPID programme is taken seriously. [1690/04]
The RAPID programme is designed to harness the opportunities and resources of the national development plan, NDP, through the frontloading and prioritisation of investment to the 45 most deprived communities in the country — 25 urban areas and 20 provincial towns. This does not involve additional funding to that being provided under the NDP. The area implementation team in Athy has submitted five proposals under the RAPID programme. The current position on each proposal is outlined as follows.
Construction of new community college in Athy, Ke-Athy-001. The proposed large-scale building project for Athy community college is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme, which is now published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The new school project is at an early stage of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects.
Home-school liaison for Scoil Mhichil Naofa primary school — St. Patrick's CBS, Ke-Athy-002. The home-school-community liaison scheme was last expanded in September 1999. This expansion included any remaining schools designated as disadvantaged that did not have a home-school-community liaison service. There are no plans at present to expand this scheme but in the event of any future expansion of the home-school-community liaison scheme, I assure the Deputy that the needs of Scoil Mhichil Naofa and St. Patrick's CBS will be fully considered.
Early start programme for Scoil Mhichil Naofa primary school, Ke-Athy-003. This proposal relates to the early start pre-school pilot project. The early start project, which was launched in 1994, is currently in place in 40 selected schools in disadvantaged areas. It is aimed at children, aged between three and four years who are considered to be most at risk of not reaching their potential. It provides young children with an educational programme that will enhance their overall development and lay a foundation for successful educational attainment in future years
The question of developing and funding particular pre-school initiatives or the extension of the early start project to additional schools will be considered by the centre for early childhood development and education. This centre was established in 2001 to co-ordinate developments in the early education sector on behalf of my Department on foot of the White Paper on Early Childhood Education, Ready to Learn. The centre will also develop targeted interventions on a pilot basis for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children with disabilities, building on the experience of existing programmes. This RAPID proposal has been sent to the centre for their consideration in this context.
Expand Kildare youth service activity for Athy youth, Ke-Athy-012. The Athy youth project received an allocation of €70,174 in 2003 under the special projects for youth scheme. The level of support for the Athy youth project in 2004 will be considered in the context of available resources.
Application for the inclusion of Athy in the school completion programme, Ke-Athy-017. The school completion programme, SCP, which was launched in 2002, incorporates the learning experience and best practice derived from previous early school leaving initiatives and assimilates the existing eight to 15 early school leaver initiative, ESLI, and the stay-in-school retention initiative at second level, SSRI. Athy community college, which is one of the schools in Athy seeking admission to SCP, is already in the SSRI. The objective of the school completion programme is to provide a range of interventions in areas of disadvantage that support the retention of young people in education. Eligible schools were selected on the basis of their retention rates from the Department's post-primary pupil database. The inclusion of further schools in the project strand of the school completion programme is under consideration at present.
In accordance with the aims of the RAPID programme, my Department has endeavoured, where possible, to frontload resources to support proposals submitted from RAPID areas, including those from Athy. My Department is currently in the process of establishing ten regional offices throughout the country. These offices, including an office in Naas which will serve counties Kildare and Wicklow, will further strengthen my Department's commitment and contribution to local and regional developments such as the RAPID initiative.
476 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a child (details supplied) who was granted resource teaching hours in their previous school has not had the hours allocated granted in their new school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1692/04]
My Department has received a number of applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports from the school referred to by the Deputy, including the application for the pupil in question.
SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the national educational psychological service, NEPS. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nationwide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time-consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to circular 24/03, which issued in September, 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school.
477 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of pupils in national schools and secondary schools in County Kerry that are awaiting the services of an occupational therapist and a speech therapist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1693/04]
Responsibility for the delivery of the therapy services referred to by the Deputy rests with the relevant health authorities who are allocated funding for this purpose. My Department does not hold the statistical information requested by the Deputy and she may wish to pursue the matter with the health board concerned.
479 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of cut-back to funding for resource teaching support by his Department in the year to December 2003; the level of cut-back anticipated in 2004; if his attention has been drawn to the consequences of these cutbacks on schools such as Ardee community school, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1715/04]
The level of resource teacher support being made available to students with special educational needs in the second level system has been increased by approximately 300 whole-time equivalent teacher posts for the current school year.
The school to which the Deputy refers has been allocated 2.08 whole-time equivalent teacher posts and three whole-time special needs assistant posts for the current school year. This compares with an allocation to the school in question of 1.62 whole-time equivalent teacher posts and three special needs assistant posts in the 2002-03 school year. There are no proposals to reduce allocations in respect of special needs for the coming school year.
480 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the situation with regard to Aghina national school, County Cork, which has been scheduled to go ahead to construction in the 2003 building programme, but which has been transferred to the devolved list for 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1724/04]
Aghina national school was included in the 2003 school building programme to be authorised to proceed to construction subject to an assessment by my Department on the scope for achieving cost savings on the project and a review of enrolment levels at the school. As no cost savings could be achieved the proposed project did not proceed to construction in 2003.
As part of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie, Aghina national school was invited to participate in the small schools initiative, however, this was not acceptable to the school authorities. The proposed project is currently being re-examined in my Department with a view to progressing the matter.
482 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will implement the recommendations of the McIver report as soon as possible to address the unsatisfactory situation with regard to further education in PLC colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1726/04]
575 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps that are being taken by his Department to implement the recommendations of the McIver report on post-leaving certificate students; the reason these students are being provided for in the second level sector when they qualify for third level grants and the further steps the Minister is making to ensure that post-leaving certificate students have access to the same facilities as third level students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2227/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 482 and 575 together.
The post-leaving certificate review was commissioned by my Department to examine the sector and make recommendations as necessary regarding the organisational, support, development, technical and administrative structures and resources required in schools with large-scale post-leaving certificate, PLC, provision. The final report was completed in April 2003.
The recommendations in the report are wide-ranging and encompass proposals that extend beyond PLC provision, including issues which impact on the shaping of structures for the delivery of further and adult education into the future, and on other sectors of the education system. Exploratory meetings have taken place between officials in my Department and the management and staff representative interests in the sector to examine their respective priorities and to consider issues surrounding a number of the recommendations in the report. Further exploratory meetings with relevant stakeholders in the sector will be necessary in the period ahead in connection with this report.
Maintenance grants were introduced for students registered on post-leaving certificate courses, PLCs, in September 1998 following a commitment in the programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, to introduce equitable support for students attending PLC courses. Such courses play a key role in preparing people for employment and further education-training. However, PLC courses are offered over one or two years in VEC and other post-primary schools and lead to national awards at FETAC levels 1 and 2. PLC courses may lead, on progression, to specified higher education courses in the institutes of technology.
483 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science when his Department will address the serious conditions in which children at Gaelscoil na Camóige have to study; if they can be considered regarding the acquisition of sites for new schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1727/04]
My Department's strategy to address the long-term accommodation needs of Gaelscoil na Camóige is the delivery of purpose built facilities on a greenfield site. Due to the commercial sensitivity involved in acquiring sites generally, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on this specific issue at this time.
Gaelscoil na Camóige is currently located in temporary rented accommodation for which the school planning section of my Department provides 95% grant aid. The school authority has not brought any difficulties with the accommodation to the attention of the school planning section of my Department. Since the property in question is being rented, dissatisfaction with the condition of the accommodation can be brought to the attention of the lessor having regard to the terms of the lease.
484 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools awaiting permission to purchase sites on his Department's records; the way in which they are prioritised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1728/04]
The purchase of new school sites is underpinned by a thorough assessment of the need for new educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area. The process takes account of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the type and extent of existing school provision serving the area.
As part of the process, my Department monitors county development plans and area action plans and meets local authorities as required to establish the location, scale and pace of major housing developments. An assessment is carried out of the likely implications of such developments in respect of the capacity of any existing schools and, where appropriate, the local authority is requested to reserve a site for educational purposes. Such reservations may ultimately result in the acquisition of the site and the development of a school or schools.
Ultimate acquisition of sites is dependent on the availability of funding and the priority to be accorded to each individual project. The same criteria used to prioritise large-scale capital projects are also used to prioritise site acquisitions. These criteria were first published in the 2003 school building programme and are again set out in the 2004 programme which I published in December 2003.
With funding of €32 million available in 2004 for site acquisitions, my Department intends to purchase a significant number of sites during 2004. However, due to commercial sensitivities of site acquisition, it is not proposed at this stage to identify the specific sites to be acquired. However, this information will be placed on my Department's website when the relevant acquisitions have been completed.
485 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Science if an additional resource teacher will be appointed to Cong national school, Cong, County Mayo, in view of the fact that a number of children attending the school require special attention as they have learning difficulties and that the school has a teacher available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1739/04]
I understand that the Deputy's office has clarified that the question relates to a specific pupil in the school. I can confirm that my Department received a professional report for the pupil in October 2003. However, my Department has no record of having received an application from the school for special education needs, SEN, supports. My officials will contact the school to clarify the position shortly.
486 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that St. Killian's junior national school, Kingswood, Tallaght, Dublin 24, was obliged to close on 16 January because of the need to carry out repairs to the roof of the building which was damaged in bad weather over Christmas 2003 and cost the board of management an estimated €4,000 to repair; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the roof collapsed in late 2002 and continues to pose an ongoing health and safety risk; and the assistance he intends to provide to the school which has been on his Department's waiting list since 1999. [1740/04]
With regard to the roof damage, one of my Department's technical staff visited the school and reported that the damaged part of the roof has now been repaired. I understand that the cost of these repairs was dealt with by the school through their insurance. The school has also been advised to complete an application under the summer works scheme for roof replacement. This new scheme caters for works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
A consultant working for the health and safety unit of the Office of Public Works has also visited the school to prepare a report on the asbestos. The consultant has advised that the air tests carried out are clear and the Office of Public Works will continue to monitor this situation.
The large-scale project, which will involve works in both the junior and senior schools is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It is listed in section eight of the school building programme. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
487 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the fact that all schools should be wheelchair accessible; the support he intends to provide to make schools in the State accessible to students and members of the public who use wheelchairs. [1741/04]
It is policy of my Department to provide all new schools with access facilities and special toilets to cater for disabled students and teachers. In the architectural design of emergency evacuation routes, account is also taken of the requirements of students and teachers with disabilities. New schools with two stories or more are provided with lifts. The school authorities are advised of accessibility requirements by my Department and the relevant design teams during the architectural planning process. Priority is given to applications from existing schools which make application for grant-aid towards the provision of access and other facilities for the physically disabled.
488 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that St. Dominic's national school, Tallaght, Dublin 24, located in a disadvantaged part of Dublin, is without wheelchair access; and if he will consider providing the school's board of management with resources to undertake this work. [1742/04]
The management authority of St. Dominic's national school may apply for funding for the works identified as necessary through the summer works scheme. I announced details of this new scheme in December 2003. An advertisement regarding this scheme was posted in all national print and principal or chief local-provincial print media in December. Full details of the scheme are published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday next, 30 January 2004.
489 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans regarding the SCG requirement in the Irish language for primary teachers trained outside the State, to make the examination more realistic in view of the language level utilised in primary schools and the related teaching requirements; when a clear syllabus with contents of course, details of marking scheme and guidelines for candidates and SCG course providers will be available; if the review committee he established has reported to him and its views on the five-year time limit now applying to applicants seeking to secure the SCG; the assurances he will give to teachers who have not secured the full SCG that they will get reasonable time beyond the five years to achieve the SCG; the position in respect of teachers who are not required to teach Gaeilge, including certain special schools, resource, learning support and special class teachers; the reason such teachers are required to take SCG; if time will be counted against the five year limit only during school years when teachers referred to above are actually teaching Gaeilge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1743/04]
Teachers in national schools are generalists rather than subject specialists and must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged four to 12 years. Accordingly, applicants must satisfy the Department of Education and Science that they are competent to teach the Irish language and to teach the range of primary school curricular subjects through the medium of Irish before being granted full recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools.
Teachers trained outside the jurisdiction of the State, whose qualifications have been assessed and accepted by my Department, but who do not possess an appropriate Irish language qualification, are granted a five year period of provisional recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools. During this period these teachers are expected to obtain their Irish language qualification. To become fully recognised, they must pass the written, aural and oral parts of an examination in the Irish language an scrúdú le haghaidh cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge, SCG. These teachers are remunerated in the same manner as fully qualified teachers during the period of provisional recognition. The SCG examination is held twice each year in four centres, Athlone, Dublin, Cork and Sligo. Applications for the examination are processed by primary administration section 1 of my Department in Athlone. Applicants must be holders of provisional recognition.
The report of the working group, that was established in 2001 to review all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the SCG, was recently submitted to me. Issues dealt with in the report include the content and format of the examination modules, the standard of the examinations and the period of provisional recognition granted to applicants within which they are expected to pass the SCG. The report is currently under consideration and decisions in respect of the recommendations contained in it will be taken in due course.
The review group has drafted an interim syllabus. The redrafted syllabus was circulated to all schools in December 2002 and the SCG examinations held on 29, 30 and 31 October, 2003 were the first series of SCG examinations to be based on this syllabus. The groups has also drafted a handbook for the examination. The handbook will contain detailed information on the SCG and will provide answers to a wide range of questions raised by candidates. It is also planned to produce a textbook of relevant prose and poetry for future examinations.
My Department grants restricted recognition to certain categories of teachers, who are not fully qualified to teach mainstream classes in national schools, to render them eligible to teach in certain special schools and in the categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. These teachers are entitled to be placed on the trained teacher's common basic scale. Such teachers are also eligible for posts as resource teachers for children with special needs in mainstream schools, but are not eligible for learning support posts in mainstream schools. Teachers who hold restricted recognition are not required to take the SCG unless they wish to teach in mainstream classes in national schools.
490 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the reasons he has reduced the numbers on the postgraduate primary teacher training programmes this year, in view of the large number of unqualified personnel employed as teachers and the Government's programme commitments on class size in primary schools. [1744/04]
The graduate diploma course is a full-time course run to enable third level graduates to train as primary teachers. The course was introduced as a response to a shortage in the supply of primary teachers. It was first provided in the 1995-96 academic year in four of the colleges of education and has been repeated on a number of occasions since then.
There are currently 3,500 students enrolled and pursuing various stages of primary teacher training programmes in the colleges of education. Based on the significant increase in the output of qualified teachers coming from the colleges of education and having considered the range of additional measures in place to address the supply of qualified teachers, my Department has requested the colleges of education to provide another postgraduate course to commence early in 2004 and to revert to 280 places as had previously been the case. The position with regard to future years will be considered in the context of teacher supply and available resources.
491 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of time reduction for teaching Gaeilge in primary schools arising from the revised curriculum, with regard to the teaching of Irish in schools; if there is evidence available to him regarding standards of pupil achievement and trends over the years; the number and percentage of candidates currently taking honours Gaeilge at leaving certificate and those achieving a grade C or better on the honours paper; and the third level courses in respect of which his Department has made Gaeilge and honours Gaeilge compulsory. [1745/04]
The primary school curriculum 1971 did not recommend a particular time allocation for the teaching of Irish. However, an allocation suggested at some inservice courses, which recommended five hours weekly for Irish in first to sixth classes, was widely accepted. No distinction was made between the pupil's first and second languages in this recommendation.
The introduction to the primary school curriculum, 1999, provides a suggested minimum weekly time framework. For the first time, a period of discretionary curriculum time, two hours per week for pupils in first to sixth classes, was included. This time can be allocated at the discretion of the teacher and the school to any of the subjects on the curriculum, including Irish, in response to children's needs in particular areas of learning. The inclusion of discretionary curriculum time meant that the recommended times for most of the other subjects was reduced.
In addition, the primary school curriculum distinguishes between the first language and the second language of teaching and learning. It suggests four hours for the formal teaching of Irish in the case of Gaeltacht and Irish-medium schools in first to sixth classes and three hours and thirty minutes for the formal teaching of the subject where Irish is taught as a second language. The curriculum also strongly recommends that Irish be used frequently in classroom interactions and communication and as a medium for teaching some aspects of the curriculum other than Irish in English-medium schools to reinforce the knowledge gained in formal Irish lessons and to provide opportunities to use the language in real situations.
No major scientific study of the standards of pupil achievement in Irish has been published since Dr. John Harris's work, "Spoken Irish in Primary Schools", appeared in 1984. However, a significant study of pupil achievement in Irish in sixth class, commissioned by my Department, was carried out by the Educational Research Centre in 2002 and its results are awaited. The number and percentage of candidates taking the higher or honours paper in the established leaving certificate for the past three years were as follows: 2001, 15,719 or 30.93%; 2002, 14,901 or 30.36%; and 2003,15,102 or 30.31%. The percentages of candidates receiving grade C or better were as follows: 2001, 79.20%; 2002, 83.80%; and 2003, 80.30%.
Entry requirements for admission to third level courses are generally set down by the relevant higher education institutions. However, my Department specifies the entry requirements for entry to colleges of education. The entry requirements specify that all candidates, including school leavers, mature students and university graduates must have a minimum of a grade C in higher level Irish in the leaving certificate or an approved equivalent. The relevant courses are the Bachelor of Education degree course and the Graduate Diploma in Education, Primary Teaching.
492 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the new programmes and additional funding to tackle educational disadvantage at primary and post-primary level which he has introduced since coming to office. [1746/04]
Since my appointment as Minister for Education and Science, I have made it clear at every opportunity that addressing educational disadvantage is my top priority. It is my intention to ensure that available educational resources are targeted at the most disadvantaged people in the education system at all levels.
My overall approach to tackling educational disadvantage is set in the context of the Government's national action plan against poverty and social exclusion 2003-05 and the latest social partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress, which contains a special initiative focused on tackling educational disadvantage: literacy, numeracy and early school leavers.
I provided €460 million in 2003 for measures designed to counter educational disadvantage by targeting resources at pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. This included provision for the following initiatives: pre-school programmes such as the early start pilot project which caters for pupils aged three to four years who are most at risk in areas of social disadvantage; disadvantaged programmes at primary level such as the disadvantaged areas scheme, the home-school liaison scheme and the giving children an even break programme; post-primary level disadvantaged schemes such as the disadvantaged areas scheme and the home school community liaison scheme; the school completion programme which operates at primary and post-primary level and is a key component of my Department's strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving; disadvantaged youth schemes; further education measures such as the back to education initiative, the youthreach programme and the adult literacy programme; measures specifically designed to broaden access to third level education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In addition, in May 2003 I announced a new package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to further address and ameliorate the problems facing students from low to moderate income households in accessing third level education. This package combines substantial improvements in the level and coverage of the maintenance grants for those on low to moderate incomes, with increases in the level of "top-up" grant for those who are most disadvantaged.
In all this work I am advised by the statutory Educational Disadvantage Committee set up under the Education Act 1998, to advise on the policies and strategies to be adopted to identify and correct educational disadvantage. This committee, chaired by Professor Áine Hyland, brings together experts from across the community of education interests and is an important resource for me in ensuring that real progress is made in this area. One of my key concerns is to improve the level of integration between the various educational disadvantage programmes operated by my Department. In this regard, I have requested the committee to undertake a "root and branch" review of all of the programmes to ensure optimum synergy and integration between them. The committee is currently engaged in this review.
493 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress being made on the provision of a local office of his Department in Tallaght, including progress on finding a location and deciding on an opening date. [1747/04]
The Office of Public Works has agreed a lease arrangement with South Dublin County Council for accommodation for the proposed regional office to serve the south County Dublin area. The offices will be located in part of the council's premises in County Hall, Belgard Square North, Town Centre, Tallaght. Work has commenced on the fitout of the accommodation. In the interim, South Dublin County Council is willing to provide some temporary accommodation.
The training of staff and the provision of telephone, IT and other facilities is currently in progress. I will arrange to have the Deputy informed when the offices are ready for public opening.
495 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science if a decision will be made on a higher education grant appeal for a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1771/04]
The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except in exceptional cases where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is desired. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy.
If an individual applicant considers that he or she has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, he or she may appeal to the relevant local authority or VEC. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by the relevant local authority or VEC and remains of the view that the body has not interpreted the schemes correctly in his or her case, a letter outlining the position may be sent to my Department. Alternatively, as already indicated, the local authority or VEC may, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on issues from my Department. However, it is not open to me or my Department to depart from the terms of the maintenance grants schemes in individual cases.
496 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that St. Kilian's junior national school in Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, Dublin 24, had to close on 16 January 2004 to facilitate essential repairs to its roof; if he will send his inspectors to the school and evaluate this most serious situation; if he will prioritise funding for this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1773/04]
With regard to the roof damage, one of my Department's technical staff visited the school and reported that the damaged part of the roof has now been repaired. The cost of these repairs was dealt with by the school through its insurance. The school has also been advised to complete an application under the summer works scheme for roof replacement. This new scheme caters for works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
A consultant working for the health and safety unit of the Office of Public Works has also visited the school to prepare a report on the asbestos. The consultant has advised that the air tests carried out are clear and the Office of Public Works will continue to monitor this situation.
The large scale project, which will involve works in both the junior and senior schools, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It is listed in section 8 of the school building programme. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
497 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo who was approved a special needs assistant in 2003 will receive this help. [1777/04]
My Department received an application from the school concerned for resource teaching support for the pupil in question during the period 15 February 2003 to 31 August 2003. My Department has no record of receiving an application from the school for special needs assistant support for this pupil during the same period. SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the national educational psychological service. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nationwide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to circular 24/03, which issued in September 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school.
498 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo, who is a mature student, has not received the top-up grant. [1778/04]
The report of the action group on access to third level education makes detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students, usually referred to as top-up grants. In order to qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant a candidate must meet a number of conditions, one of which is that he or she must already qualify for one of my Department's ordinary maintenance grants.
My Department funds three means tested maintenance grant schemes for third level education students in respect of attendance on approved courses in approved third level institutions and one grant scheme in respect of post-leaving certificate courses: the higher education grants scheme; the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme; the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees; maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate or PLC courses.
Where a student is already in receipt of a grant under one of these schemes, he or she may apply to the relevant local authority or VEC for the special rate of grant. Decisions on applications are taken by these bodies, based on the conditions and terms issued by my Department. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except in exceptional cases where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular condition is desired. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy. If an individual applicant considers that he or she has been unjustly refused the special rate of maintenance grant, he or she may appeal to the relevant local authority or VEC.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by the relevant local authority or VEC and remains of the view that the body has not interpreted the conditions correctly in his/her case, a letter outlining the position may be sent to my Department. No appeal has been received in the student support unit of my Department from the student referred to by the Deputy. Alternatively, as already indicated, the local authority or VEC may, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on issues from my Department.
It is not open to me or to my Department to depart from the terms of the schemes in individual cases.
499 Mr. English asked the Minister for Education and Science if St. Stephen's primary school, Johnstown, Navan, County Meath, will receive funding for the resurfacing of the playground in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1787/04]
My Department has recently received an application for funding towards the cost of resurfacing the playground at St. Stephen's primary school, Navan, County Meath. This application is currently under consideration within my Department.
501 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Education and Science when St. Joseph's national school, Riverstown, Glanmire, County Cork, will be allowed to go for planning permission and when it will receive approval of its revised stage 3 documents which have been with his Department since August 2002 to allow it to go for planning permission. [1792/04]
The proposed large scale building project for St. Joseph's national school, Riverstown, Glanmire, County Cork, is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at stage 3, developed sketch scheme, of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects. The proposed project will be authorised to progress to advanced architectural planning during 2004.
Indicative timescales have been included for large scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
502 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will qualify for a top-up grant 2003/2004. [1793/04]
The report of the action group on access to third level education makes detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students, usually referred to as top-up grants. In order to qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant a candidate must meet a number of conditions, one of which is that he or she must already qualify for one of my Department's ordinary maintenance grants.
My Department funds three means tested maintenance grant schemes for third level education students in respect of attendance on approved courses in approved third level institutions and one grant scheme in respect of post-leaving certificate courses: the higher education grants scheme; the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme; the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees; maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate or PLC courses.
Where a student is already in receipt of a grant under one of these schemes, he or she may apply to the relevant local authority or VEC for the special rate of grant. Decisions on applications are taken by these bodies, based on the conditions and terms issued by my Department. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except in exceptional cases where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular condition is desired. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy. If an individual applicant considers that s/he has been unjustly refused the special rate of maintenance grant, he or she may appeal to the relevant local authority or VEC.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by the relevant local authority or VEC and remains of the view that the body has not interpreted the conditions correctly in his/her case, a letter outlining the position may be sent to my Department. No appeal has been received in the student support unit of my Department from the student referred to by the Deputy. Alternatively, as already indicated, the local authority or VEC may itself, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on issues from my Department.
It is not open to me or to my Department to depart from the terms of the schemes in individual cases.
503 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding an extension to a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1808/04]
The proposed large scale building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at stage 1 of architectural planning, initial sketch. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects.
Indicative timescales have been included in the school building programme for large scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004. The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
504 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason primary school teachers who have Montessori degrees are classed as unqualified and therefore denied sick leave, holiday pay, normal salaries and pension entitlements; and when this anomaly will be removed. [1815/04]
My Department grants restricted recognition to certain categories of teachers, who are not fully qualified to teach in mainstream national schools, to render them eligible to teach in certain special schools and in the categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. Such teachers are also eligible for posts as resource teachers for children with special needs in mainstream schools but are not eligible for learning support posts in mainstream schools.
Teachers with restricted recognition, working in a post their recognition entitles them to hold, are entitled to be placed on the same salary scale and enjoy the same sick leave and pension entitlements as fully recognised teachers. They are not, however, recognised as qualified to teach in mainstream classes in national schools and would therefore be regarded as untrained in respect of any service in a temporary post in a mainstream class.
Teachers with the Montessori qualification which is awarded on completion of the three year full-time course in the Association Montessori Internationale — AMI — College, Mount St. Mary's, Milltown, Dublin 14, and teachers trained in St. Nicholas, Dún Laoghaire, Montessori school, who have successfully completed the full-time course of at least three years duration accredited by the National Council for Educational Awards may be granted restricted recognition. These conditions are set out in circular 25/00, recognition of teacher qualifications for the purpose of teaching in national schools. It is open to any other Montessori course provider to submit a course to the Higher Education and Training Awards Council or HETAC for accreditation. Without such accreditation, my Department will not approve the course for the purposes of employment as a primary teacher.
505 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans to carry out a study of the extent of the problem of bullying in Irish universities. [1847/04]
506 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the total cost in legal fees for each university arising from Irish universities contesting cases of bullying through the courts between 1998-2003. [1848/04]
507 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the total number of cases relating to bullying involving staff or ex-staff of Irish universities brought through the courts between 1998-2003. [1849/04]
508 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the amount of money expended in out of court settlements between 1998-2003 arising from Irish universities contesting cases of bullying through the courts. [1850/04]
509 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of out of court settlements between 1998-2003 arising from Irish universities contesting cases of bullying through the courts. [1851/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 to 509, inclusive, together.
The Universities Act 1997 confers autonomous statutory responsibilities on universities in the day-to-day management of their affairs. My Department does not collect information on the issues raised by the Deputy. I have no proposals to carry out a study on bullying in Irish universities.
510 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if, in the new provision for children with special needs, he is abandoning the existing classification of special needs with their designated numbers of hours of resource teaching requirement; the proposed new national waiting system for special needs which will ensure that individual children get the necessary back up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1852/04]
511 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the assessment he has carried out of the capacity of schools to undertake the proposed new duties in devising programmes for children with special needs, without creating difficulties for principals and other teachers in undertaking their existing duties; the technical support he will be providing to schools to assist them in undertaking the new planning duties. [1853/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 and 511 together.
I am most anxious that all children with special educational needs should receive an education appropriate to those needs. My Department is currently reviewing existing arrangements for the allocation of special educational supports to primary schools. In that context, my officials have initiated discussions on the matter with representative interests. At this stage, it would be premature to anticipate the outcome.
Staff in schools catering for pupils with special educational needs will continue to be supported by my Department through the provision of appropriate inservice training. In addition, I have established the national council for special education, which will, when operational, provide ongoing support and advice on special needs to individual schools. The council is, at present, arranging for the recruitment of special educational needs organisers, who will liaise directly with schools catering for special needs children.
512 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans to open negotiations with the representatives of employees in the public service who are affected by the new proposals for pension entitlements of new entrants; when these negotiations will commence; the procedures for arbitration which will be used in the event of issues being unresolved in the course of direct negotiation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1854/04]
The Deputy is referring to the announcement in budget 2004 of the Government decision that the minimum pension age should be increased to 65 years for most new entrants to the public service, including teachers, from 1 April 2004.
In announcing the Government's decision on pension age, and also on the intended abolition of compulsory retirement age for most new entrant public servants from 1 April 2004, the Minister for Finance stated that the public service unions would be fully informed about the implementation of the reforms in advance of their introduction with effect from 1 April 2004. I can confirm that the process of informing the public service unions has commenced. Since the Government has already taken its decision on these changes affecting new entrants, the issues of negotiation and arbitration do not arise.
The minimum pension age for existing public servants is not in any way affected by the Government decision.
513 D'fhiafraigh Mr. Kenny den Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta an bhfuil sé i gceist aige cead a thabhairt don Roinn suíomh a cheannach do Ghaelscoil i gContae Mhaigh Eo, (faisnéis curtha leis seo) agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina leith. [1867/04]
Tá sé beartaithe ag mo Roinn líon suntasach suíomh a cheannach le linn 2004. Is é an leibhéal maoinithe a bheidh ar fáil do cheannach na suíomh do scoileanna bunoideachais agus iarbhunoideachais ná €32 milliún. De bharr an íogaireacht tráchtála a bhaineann le ceannach suíomh níl sé beartaithe ag an bpointe seo aon eolas a thabhairt faoi aon suíomh atá le baint amach. Beidh an t-eolas seo, áfach, ar fáil ar láithreán gréasáin na Roinne www.education.ie nuair a bheidh na héadálacha cuí déanta.
514 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a new registration charge has been placed on apprentices attending institutes of technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1868/04]
In 2003 I received requests from a number of governing bodies of institutes of technology for approval to apply the student service charge to defray the costs of registration, examinations and student services, to students enrolled on FÁS apprenticeship courses. The institutes argued that a pro rata charge should be levied on apprentices on the basis that they avail of the full range of services provided to students. The institutes considered that it was inequitable to levy the charge on full-time students only and that the full-time students were effectively subsidising apprentices through their contributions toward the cost of providing student services.
Following consideration of the case made by the institutes of technology, I decided to approve the introduction of a pro rata student services charge for FÁS apprentices to commence in January 2004.
515 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education and Science the school projects placed on the yearly list based on transparent definite analysis by his Department; the reason scoil naisiúnta Tuairini, Moycullen, County Galway, and some other schools in County Galway were not chosen for the pilot scheme; if SN Tuairini was considered; if not, if it was deemed as not an urgent accommodation need; the position in regard to SN Tuairini's application; if it is being considered for a new school; and if funding will be forthcoming in 2004 for the construction of such a school. [1871/04]
The 2004 school building programme was published in December last and is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie. When publishing the programme, I outlined that my strategy will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations.
My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005. I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. Scoil naisiunta Tuairini, Moycullen, County Galway, will be considered in this regard.
516 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has received an application for funding for the provision of toilet facilities at a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; his views in regard to this application; if in view of the relatively small amount involved he will include this immediately in the scheme for small improvements for primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1872/04]
My Department has received an application for additional accommodation at the school referred to by the Deputy.
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined that my strategy will be grounded in capital investment based on multi-annual allocations. My officials are reviewing all projects which were not authorised to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 school building programme, with a view to including them as part of a multi-annual school building programme from 2005. I expect to be in a position to make further announcements on this matter in the course of the year. The project referred to by the Deputy will be considered in this regard.
517 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the situation with regard to St. Dominic's College, Ratoath Road, Dublin 7, which was promised funding in 2003 that has yet to materialise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1882/04]
The large scale building project at St. Dominic's College, Ratoath Road, Dublin 7 is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 2 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
518 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the expenditure ceiling for primary schools which have been selected for capital works under this scheme; the way he expects major proposed developments such as Dysart NS and Fore NS to be scaled down to fit within this budget. [1927/04]
The small and rural primary schools initiative operates on a devolved basis. It allows boards of management to address the accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives the boards control over the pace at which building works proceed. The amount of the grant ranges between €100,000 and €350,000, depending on the pupil enrolment and the size of the school. This initiative is aimed at schools with a maximum of four classrooms. Closing date for accepting invitations into the pilot initiative is Friday, 30 January 2004.
My Department does not intend increasing the amount of the grant offered to schools under this initiative. This provision is necessary because a central tenet of the devolved scheme is that a school authority, granted discretion and guaranteed funding to enable immediate progress on its accommodation needs, must equally accept responsibility for prioritisation, control of costs and ensuring value for money.
519 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason an appeal for a HEA grant was refused in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; if the circumstances of the case can be reviewed again; and if the regulations will be reviewed as they are unreasonable in view of the circumstances of this case. [1955/04]
Under the terms of my Department's higher education grants scheme, a student is not eligible for grant assistance in respect of a second period of study at the same level, irrespective of whether a grant was paid previously. The scheme also provides that grants may not be paid to candidates who already hold a postgraduate qualification and are pursuing a second postgraduate qualification.
Notwithstanding this condition, candidates who already hold a postgraduate qualification and are progressing to a further postgraduate course at a higher level, which represents progression from the level at which the previous postgraduate qualification was attained, may be deemed eligible for grant aid. My Department understands that, in the case cited by the Deputy, progression at postgraduate level is not involved and, accordingly, the student in question is not eligible for grant assistance under the terms of the maintenance grants scheme.
520 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will expedite a decision in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny whose parents have appealed to the Department for extra hours of home tuition; if the Department will issue a comprehensive response to these submissions. [1956/04]
My officials issued a reply to the mother of the child referred to by the Deputy on 23 January 2004. The response referred to a number of issues surrounding the special educational needs of the child.
My Department's inspectorate has been requested to examine the matter of appropriate long-term educational provision for the child. This process will be carried out in consultation with the family and other relevant professionals.
521 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science if the application in respect of a student (details supplied) for the provision of a special needs assistant and resource teacher will be considered as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1957/04]
My Department allocates resource teacher and special needs assistant support to second level schools to cater for pupils with special eduational needs. Applications for such support are made by the relevant school authorities. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of the pupil/s concerned and responses are determined on the advice of the National Educational Psychological Service.
An application for support in respect of the student in question has been forwarded to the National Educational Psychological Service for its recommendation as to the nature and level of support required. As soon as the report of the psychological service has been received and considered, my Department will notify the school authorities of the outcome of its application.
522 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will provide the names of all local authorities that have complied with the requirement that county council's when preparing county plans consult with the Department of Education and Science to establish the educational needs under the Planning and Development Act 2000, by 31 December 2003; the action his Department has taken to ensure that all local authorities comply with the requirement; the action his Department has taken to ensure that all county plans provide adequate space for school buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1958/04]
I am among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans. Since these plans tend to be routinely submitted to my Department from local authorities, detailed records of compliance in this matter are not maintained.
A formal structure exists whereby officials of my Department's school planning section regularly meet with officials of the Dublin local authorities to discuss development proposals and consequent site requirements for new schools. The formal structured approach to engaging with local authorities is being extended in the current year to include a number of key local authorities whose areas are experiencing substantial demographic change. This proposed structured approach will co-exist alongside the historic if more informal approach that has always existed, whereby officials of school planning section keep in regular contact, as necessary, with local authorities concerning development proposals and their implications for school provision.
523 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he intends to take to finalise the purchase of the site for the community college in Mohill, County Leitrim, in view of the fact that according to his Department's school building programme 2004 this school is listed to be authorised to proceed to construction this year and has a timescale to proceed to tender during the second quarter of 2004. [1959/04]
The proposed large scale building project for Mohill Community College, County Leitrim is listed in section 1 of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The proposed project will be authorised to proceed to construction during 2004.
Officials from my Department's school building unit are currently assessing the correspondence received from the vendor with regard to the purchase price for the proposed site. Upon completion of this examination, my Department will be in further contact with County Leitrim Vocational Education Committee.
524 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science if schools will need extra staff and resources to implement the provisions of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003; if school principals will be given an extra workload as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1960/04]
Many of the functions of school principals provided for in this legislation simply reflect the current work of principals. However, I am conscious that the Bill will effect a significant change in the management of special educational needs.
For this reason, I have included an amendment on Committee Stage which restates the principal's right to delegate any of his or her functions to members of the teaching staff or other employees of the school as he or she sees fit. The amendment also requires the special educational needs organiser to assist principals and teachers in carrying out their functions under the Bill. In addition, I have been careful to provide for an implementation period of up to five years for all provisions of the Bill. This will ensure that the national council for special education will have adequate time to consider the implications of the Bill on all the stakeholders, including boards of management, teachers and principals. The council also has power to make recommendations to me, including recommendations on the resources that will have to be made available so that duties under the Bill can be fulfilled.
Finally, section 12 of the Bill, for the first time, places a statutory duty on the Ministers for Education and Science, Health and Children and Finance to make resources available to schools for the provision of adequate and appropriate education to children with special educational needs. In making policy determinations regarding the resources to be made available to implement education plans, the Ministers must have regard to key principles, including the need for equitable treatment of all children, and that it is the objective of the Bill that it will lead to the creation of an education system which gives to children with disabilities the same opportunity for development through education as is given to children who do not have disabilities.
526 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if assessments are under-way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1977/04]
It is proposed to transfer 300 departmental staff to Mullingar and 100 to Athlone as part of the programme of decentralisation announced on 3 December 2003. In addition, the National Educational Welfare Board and the NCCA will be transferred to Portarlington in County Laois and the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC to Edenderry in County Offaly. All activities currently undertaken as part of the work of the headquarters of my Department in Dublin will be transferred.
As stated in the budget announcement, Ministers with headquarters outside Dublin will be provided with a centralised suite of offices for a small secretariat to enable them to conduct business while in Dublin and when the Dáil is in session. The Deputy will appreciate that the process of decentralisation is at an early stage of implementation. However, all measures necessary and consistent with the Government's announcement on decentralisation will be taken to minimise to the greatest extent possible any risks or disruption to the work of my Department or to the services being provided to the public.
The Deputy will be aware that a substantial part of my Department's operations are already located in Athlone and Tullamore. In accordance with the Government announcement, a decentralisation group has been established in my Department and this will report on a regular basis to the management advisory committee and myself.
527 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department has now approved the new transport route for persons (details supplied) who attend a school (details supplied) in County Leitrim. [1990/04]
This case is being re-examined by my Department. A further report has been requested from Bus Éireann. The family referred to in the details supplied will be informed of the outcome as soon as the report has been received and assessed.
528 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in regard to the provision of a new school (details supplied) following the recent meeting between the board of management and Department officials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2013/04]
At the recent meeting between the board of management and Department officials it was agreed that a new school is the long-term solution to the accommodation needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. There are a number of steps to be taken in progressing this agreement and these are being addressed in consultation with the board of management.
529 Mr. Curran asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of children from Travelling families who were enrolled in primary schools in Dublin city and county on 30 September 2003; the number that were enrolled in Gaelscoileanna, Educate Together schools and schools in areas designated as disadvantaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2041/04]
The annual primary census forms for the current school year are still being collected, checked, inputted and validated within my Department. Therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not yet available for the 2003-04 school year.
530 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be provided with a special needs assistant, following their assessment in 2003; and the reason they are not being helped. [2042/04]
I understand the child in question does not have a school placement at present. My officials are currently liaising with my Department's inspectorate concerning the child's long-term educational needs and contact will be made with the family in question as part of this process.
531 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to the application for a full-time resource teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if sanction can be given as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2050/04]
My Department received an application from the school concerned for resource teaching support during the period 15 February 2003 to 31 August 2003. SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year.
The balance of more than 4,000 applications has been reviewed by a dedicated team comprising members of my Department's inspectorate and the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. These applications are being further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of SER provision conducted over the past year or so. Account is also being taken of the data submitted by schools as part of the recent nation-wide census of SER provision.
The processing of the applications is a complex and time consuming operation. However, my Department is endeavouring to have this completed as quickly as possible and my officials will then respond to all applicant schools. Pending a response, schools are advised to refer to Circular 24/03, which issued in September 2003. This circular contains practical advice on how to achieve the most effective deployment of resources already allocated for special educational needs within the school.
533 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science when work will commence on an extension to Pallaskenry national school, Pallaskenry in County Limerick. [2054/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the extension to Pallaskenry national school, Pallaskenry in County Limerick is listed in section 1 of the 2004 school building programme, which is published on my Department's website —www.education.ie. Projects listed in section 1 will proceed to tender and construction in 2004. The indicative timescale to tender for the project in question is the first quarter of 2004.
534 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if it is Government policy to discontinue the provision of PE halls and general purpose rooms in primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2070/04]
535 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools which were sanctioned funding in the 2003 and 2004 school building programmes for the provision of PE halls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2071/04]
536 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools which were sanctioned funding in the 2003 and 2004 school building programmes for the provision of general purpose rooms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2072/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 534, 535 and 536 together.
My Department's planning guidelines for new schools include, where appropriate, for PE halls and general purpose rooms and these guidelines have not changed. Many of the large-scale projects that are proceeding at primary level as part of the 2004 school building programme include provision for general purpose rooms. The outline project brief on all these projects is set out on my Department's website at www.education.ie and includes references, where appropriate, to general purpose rooms.
I am particularly pleased that as 2004 is the European Year of Education through Sport, EYES, a number of PE halls have been included as part of this year's challenging programme of capital works. Some of these PE halls are approved on the basis that they are part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. Others are being approved on the basis that local agreements and management structures will be put in place to allow maximum community use outside school hours.
537 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans his Department has for investment at a location in County Cork (details supplied). [2073/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the plan for investment at the location referred to in County Cork is listed in section 1 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website —www.education.ie. Projects listed in section 1 are expected to proceed to tender and construction in 2004. The indicative timescale to tender for the project in question is the second quarter of 2004.
538 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Education and Science when his policy that no school will jump the queue on the school building list changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2078/04]
539 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Education and Science the criteria now used to jump the queue on the school building list; and the way in which the following ten schools (details supplied) moved to construction in 2004 before Ballybay Community College; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2079/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 539 together.
When publishing the 2004 school building programme, I outlined changes in format to make the presentation more user friendly and outlined that as 2004 is the European Year of Education through Sport, EYES, a number of PE halls have been included as part of the programme of capital works. This information and details of modifications to the banding in respect of rationalisation projects at post-primary level is available on my Department's website —http:/www.education.ie.
As outlined in the appendices to the school building programme, the initial assignment of a project to a particular band does not preclude its subsequent re-assignment to a different band as circumstances change and this was the case in a number of projects, which were included in this year's school building programme. As the Deputy will be aware, band 1 status is accorded to projects which provide new schools to cater for substantial increase in enrolments in rapidly developing areas.
I outlined in the 2003 school building programme that projects are selected on the basis of objective criteria and operated in an open and transparent manner. I assure the Deputy that this process has continued in the 2004 school building programme.
541 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason resource hours for a person (details supplied) in County Offaly were cut; if these resource hours will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2086/04]
My Department allocates resource teaching support and special needs assistants support to second level schools and vocational educational committees to cater for students with special educational needs. Applications for such support are made to my Department by the relevant school authorities. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of the pupil or pupils involved and the nature and level of support provided is determined on the advice of the psychological service.
The student in question had previously attended a special class at primary level. Such special classes are dedicated to pupils in particular disability categories and attract the special reduced pupil teacher ratios applicable to such facilities. The student in question is now attending a second level school on an integrated basis where support provided by the individual subject teachers is supplemented by the resource teacher service. An allocation of four hours resource teaching per week has been made available to support the student in question on a shared basis with two other special needs students attending the school.
542 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps taken to identify additional institutions which meet the criteria set down in the Residential Institutions Redress Bill 2002; when he proposes to exercise his power under section 4 of the Bill to place any such additional institutions by ministerial order on the Schedule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2087/04]
At present 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act. Section 4 of the Act enables additional institutions that are identified as reformatory schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be added to the Schedule.
My Department has received correspondence from both individuals and survivor groups identifying a number of additional institutions that may be eligible for inclusion in the Schedule. Discussions have taken place between my Department and other Departments that may have provided a regulatory function in the operation of these facilities in order to ascertain whether these institutions are eligible for inclusion. It is my intention that a list of additional institutions will be brought before both Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as the verification process is completed.
543 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science when funding for the cost of maintaining Pallaskenry national school will be paid. [2096/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the maintenance grant for all primary schools, including Pallaskenry National School, was paid by my Department on 19 December 2003 to cover the 2003-04 school year.
544 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he will take to provide funding for vocational education committees to help fund after-school homework clubs for children under 18 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2098/04]
My Department does not operate a specific national scheme for the provision of homework clubs. However, a range of schemes aimed at tackling educational disadvantage, under which resources are allocated for the provision of a range of holistic supports, enable pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to participate fully in school.
Some 82 projects, 109 post-primary schools and 296 primary schools, participate in the school completion programme, which aims to develop local strategies to ensure maximum participation levels in the education process. It entails targeting individual young people of school going age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes. Each project site must devise a collaborative programme of in-school and out-of-school actions, which provide after-school, holiday time, home, family and community supports to enhance the young person's readiness to benefit from education.
A total of 2,344 primary schools are participating in Giving Children an Even Break and are in receipt of additional supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. After-school support services, which include literacy and numeracy, personal development, leisure and sporting activities are among the supports provided under this initiative.
My Department has also provided funding for homework clubs in disadvantaged areas under the fund for the development of targeted responses to certain children at risk. This fund is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan. Its purpose is to develop preventative and supportive programmes that are targeted at children and young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage and social exclusion. In addition, many of the area partnership companies have provided homework support under their education measures.
545 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the person who has responsibility in respect of the care of school children who are deposited at their school ten or 15 minutes prior to the time of opening where such early deposition is necessary to comply with the school bus timetable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2099/04]
In the organisation of the school transport system, buses are normally required to operate a number of runs. This is to provide a basic level of service, while achieving optimum value from resources available. In order to facilitate the effective operation of these services, children may be required to be dropped off prior to school opening hours or picked up some time later than the end of the school day. This is a feature of the school transport scheme as operated throughout the country.
Essentially, it is a matter for the managerial authorities of primary schools to arrange adequate supervision and insurance cover for children while they are on the school premises. Subject to the authority of the board of management, it is the responsibility of the principal teacher to organise and participate in the effective supervision of pupils during breaks, lunch periods, assembly and dismissal.
546 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to the application for the reappointment of a learning support teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow which has not got a learning support teacher; if this appointment can be made as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2102/04]
I understand that my officials have been in contact with the school authorities concerning the matter referred to by the Deputy. My Department's inspectorate has been asked to investigate the matter further.
547 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he intends to keep the commitment made by the former Minister for Education and Science on 11 February 1999 that all national schools and secondary schools would have access to a psychological service within five years; if he will explain the reason national schools in Maynooth, Celbridge, Straffan, Ardclough, Rathmore, Sallins, Kilcock, Rathcoffey, Kill and Donadea in County Kildare remain without such a service; when they will receive the service promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2180/04]
There are 126 psychologists employed in the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, at present, in addition to psychologists employed elsewhere in the educational system. My Department has made offers of employment in NEPS to a further five psychologists, who are expected to take up their duties during 2004.
Due to the current general staffing constraints in the public service, it is unlikely that full roll-out of the psychological service to all schools will have been achieved by the target date of 1 September 2004. This means that there cannot be any major changes in the level of service in County Kildare during the current school year. However, I remain committed to the expansion, as resources permit, of NEPS until all schools in the country have access to an educational psychological service. Meanwhile, schools without access to the NEPS service may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, details of which may be found on my Department's website.
548 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will allow the completion of the architectural planning for the required extension to Maynooth post-primary school in County Kildare; if he will allow construction to start in 2004, with funding to be provided from the €30 million announcement on budget day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2181/04]
552 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction the completion of architectural planning for the permanent building project for Scoil Uí Riada, Kilcock in County Kildare and allow construction to commence in 2004 using the additional funding provided in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2185/04]
560 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will allow the architectural planning for the required extension at Naas CBS secondary school, Naas in County Kildare to be completed with a view to sanctioning the commencement of construction in 2004 from the additional €30 million allocated on budget day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2193/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 548, 552 and 560 together.
The large scale building projects at the schools referred to by the Deputy are listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. These three projects are at the early stages of architectural planning. The project at primary level, Scoil Uí Riada, Kilcock, will be authorised to progress to the next stage of architectural planning during 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
The Deputy will also note that I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary small scale works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of approved projects under the scheme.
549 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will increase the furniture and equipment grant to the North Kildare Educate Together school, Ballymakealy, Celbridge in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2182/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that grant aid in the amount of €15,638.19 issued to the board of management of North Kildare Educate Together school on 13 January 2004 for furniture and equipment.
550 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction funding for the provision of a covered walkway at Confey College, Leixlip in County Kildare from the 2004 secondary school building programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2183/04]
My Department prioritised projects for inclusion in the 2004 school building programme on the basis of the published criteria. It was not possible to include provision for a covered walkway at Confey College, Leixlip in County Kildare.
551 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason Scoil Choca Naofa, Kilcock in County Kildare was excluded completely from the 2004 school building programme; if his attention has been drawn to the urgent need for new accommodation at the school; if he will now allow architectural planning to proceed with a view to construction commencing on site in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2184/04]
An application for grant aid towards improvement works has been received from the management authority of Scoil Choca Naofa, Kilcock. The application is being assessed at present in the school planning section of my Department. When completed, the results of this assessment, together with an indicative timeframe for the delivery of any identified accommodation deficits, will be provided to the school's authority.
553 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction the provision of temporary accommodation at St. Joseph's national school, Kilcock in County Kildare to provide suitable accommodation for resource teachers in the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2186/04]
Officials in the school planning section of my Department are currently assessing and prioritising all applications for temporary accommodation. I intend to shortly publish details of all temporary accommodation projects that will proceed in 2004.
554 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when he expects the architectural planning for the extension to Maynooth Presentation Convent national school, Maynooth in County Kildare to conclude; when tenders will be invited for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2187/04]
The large scale building project for Presentation Convent national school is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. It has been assigned a “band 2” rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large scale projects and the project will be authorised to proceed to advanced architectural planning during 2004.
The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme which, in turn, will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing to construction in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement in that regard during the year.
555 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when architectural planning will commence in relation to the provision of a permanent school building for Gaelscoil Uí Fiach, Maynooth in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2188/04]
An application for grant aid for permanent accommodation has been received from the management authority of Gaelscoil Uí Fiach, Maynooth in County Kildare. The application is being assessed at present in the school planning section of my Department. When completed, the results of the assessment, together with an indicative timeframe for the delivery of any identified accommodation deficits at the school, will be provided to the school's authority.
556 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will allow architectural planning to commence in relation to the provision of additional classrooms and a school hall at Tiermohan national school, Donadea, Naas in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2189/04]
An application for grant aid towards improvement works has been received from the management authority of Tiermohan national school, Donadea, Naas in County Kildare. The application is being assessed at present in the school planning section of my Department. When completed, the results of the assessment, together with an indicative timeframe for the delivery of any identified accommodation deficits at the school, will be provided to the school's management authority.
557 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the national school crisis which is building up in Kill in County Kildare; if he will direct the OPW to find a suitable new site for the school as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2190/04]
My Department intends to purchase a significant number of sites during 2004. The level of funding available for the purchase of sites for primary and post-primary schools is €32 million. The needs of all schools, including those in Kill in County Kildare will be considered in this context. Due to commercial sensitivities of site acquisition, it is not proposed at this stage to identify the specific sites to be acquired. However, this information will be placed on my Department's website when the relevant acquisitions have been completed.
558 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if the CEO of County Kildare VEC has submitted a report in relation to the acquisition of a site for a new St. Patrick's post-primary school, Naas in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2191/04]
For some time County Kildare VEC has been exploring the possibility of relocating St. Patrick's post-primary school from its existing town centre location. While the VEC is exploring a number of possible alternative options, no final decisions have been taken in this matter.
559 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when architectural planning will commence in relation to the required extension to St. Mary's College, Naas in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2192/04]
An application for grant aid towards improvement works has been received from the management authority of St Mary's College, Naas in County Kildare. The application is being assessed at present in the school planning section of my Department. When completed, the results of the assessment, together with an indicative timeframe for the delivery of any identified accommodation deficits at the school, will be provided to the school's management authority.
561 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when tenders will be invited for the required extension to Sallins national school, Sallins, County Kildare; and if it his intention to provide further temporary accommodation in 2004 to deal with the net additional intakes of 140 pupils in September 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2194/04]
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the large-scale project proposed for Sallins national school is listed to proceed to construction as part of the 2004 schools building programme. The indicative timeframe for the project proceeding to tender is the second quarter of 2004. My Department has advised the school authorities to commence the tendering process for this project.
Officials in the planning section of my Department are assessing and prioritising all applications for temporary accommodation. I intend to publish details of all temporary accommodation projects which will proceed in 2004.
562 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when tenders will be invited for the new school for Rathmore national school, Rathmore, Naas, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2195/04]
563 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when tenders will be invited for the required extension to Scoil Na Mainistreach, Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2196/04]
564 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science when tenders will be invited for the required extension to Scoil Mochua, Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2197/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 562, 563 and 564 together.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the large-scale projects in question are listed for proceeding to construction as part of the 2004 schools building programme. The indicative time frame for these projects proceeding to tender is the first quarter of 2004. My Department has authorised the schools in question to commence the tendering process for these projects.
565 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction funding for the required improvement works to St. Brigid's Holy Faith Convent, Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2198/04]
The management authority of St. Brigid's Holy Faith Convent, Celbridge, County Kildare, may apply for funding for the works identified as necessary through the summer works scheme details of which I announced in December 2003. An advertisement for this scheme was posted in all national print and principal or chief local or provincial print media in December. Full details of the scheme are published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 30 January 2004.
566 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will sanction the funding required for the remedial works on the roof of Scoil Mhuire secondary school, Clane, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2199/04]
The management authority of Scoil Mhuire secondary school, Clane, County Kildare, may apply for funding for works identified as necessary through the summer works scheme details of which I announced in December 2003. An advertisement regarding this scheme was posted in all national print and principal or chief local or provincial print media in December. Full details of the scheme are published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, 30 January 2004.
567 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Education and Science how long it will take to complete the tender process for the new national school for Naas, County Kildare, following the closing date of 6 February 2004 for the restricted tender procedure; and when he envisages work commencing on site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2200/04]
The new 16-classroom primary school in Naas is included in the 2004 schools building programme for proceeding to construction in 2004. The indicative timescale to tender for this project is the first quarter of 2004. The tendering process has commenced for this project and it is envisaged to have this completed and the project on-site as early as possible in 2004.
568 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Education and Science what steps the Government has taken to ensure that the education system adequately educates pupils about the role of women in Irish history and in particular their role in the struggle for independence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2201/04]
At primary level, history is a subject within social, environmental and scientific education, one of seven curriculum areas. The curriculum provides a wide range of specific units that allow teachers flexibility to ensure that pupils have an understanding of the broad sweep of history. For fifth and sixth class, these units include "Changing roles of women in the 19th and 20th centuries" and "1916 and the foundation of the State". At post-primary level, junior cycle students focus on "the role of women" as a named element of their study of social change in 20th century Ireland. In addition, they are urged to study the events and movements of the period 1912-22, which should include key female participants. Junior certificate examination papers lend support to the position of women in Irish history through regular questions on, for example, the changing role of women and recently, questions on an account by Kathleen Clarke.
Within transition year there is substantial provision for the study of women's history. The transition year support service website contains modules on a number of early modern women's history topics. The gender equality unit of the Department of Education and Science has produced a superb resource for schools entitled "Discovering Women in Irish History". Apart from containing biographical material on modern Irish women such as Ann Devlin, Kate O'Callaghan and Jenny Wyse Power, this resource deals with women's movements such as the Ladies' Land League, Inghinidhe na hEireann, Unionist women and Cumann na mBan. The roles of women in the rise of Sinn Féin, the 1918 general election, Dáil Éireann, the Civil War and Northern Ireland are all charted. In addition, significant attention is given to women such as Hannah Sheehy Skeffington, Countess Markievicz, Maud Gonne and Lady Gregory. It is anticipated that this resource, on CD-ROM and in book form, will be in all second level schools before the start of the next academic year and will give renewed impetus to the study of Irish women's history in transition year and beyond.
At senior cycle, a revised leaving certificate syllabus for history will be implemented in schools in September 2004. The revised syllabus stipulates that, "attention should be given to the experiences of women." Each topic provides for the study of a number of key female personalities ranging from Grace O'Malley up to and including Mother Mary Aikenhead, Evie Hone, Bernadette Devlin and Mary Robinson. The prescribed roles of Hannah Sheehy Skeffington and Countess Markievicz are particularly relevant to the campaigns for social justice, gender equality and independence in the early 20th century context. A research topic is open to all students and this allows wide scope to those who wish to undertake research work on individual women, women's movements and related topics. In the light of this provision at primary and post-primary level, I am confident that the role of women in Irish history and in the Irish independence movement is well catered for in our schools.
569 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Science why resource teaching hours for special needs students were reduced by approximately one third for a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he has any plans to improve on this allocation. [2202/04]
My Department allocates resource teaching support and special needs assistants support to second level schools and vocational educational committees to cater for students with special educational needs. The relevant school authorities apply to my Department for such support. Each application is considered on the basis of the assessed needs of the pupils involved and the nature and level of support provided is determined on the advice of the psychological service.
For this school year my Department has allocated 2.08 whole-time equivalent teacher posts and three whole-time special needs assistant posts to the school in question to cater for students with special educational needs. This allocation was based on the assessed needs of students attending the school for whom support was sought. It also had regard to the overall level of resources already available to the school to address such needs. In the 2002-03 school year my Department allocated 1.62 whole-time equivalent teacher posts and three whole-time special needs assistant posts to the school to cater for students with special needs.
570 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will accede to the request of St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny, County Donegal to have a visit by Department personnel to discuss the accommodation of equipment for science teaching; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2203/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have arranged for an official from my Department to visit St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny, County Donegal, as soon as possible.
571 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the reasons for the closure of the Linguistics Institute of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2204/04]
572 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of funding allocated to the Linguistics Institute of Ireland for 2004; the level of funding allocated to the Linguistics Institute of Ireland for 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2205/04]
573 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will meet with staff members of the Linguistics Institute of Ireland before the closure of the institute; if there are arrangements in place for the continuation of research work undertaken by the institute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2206/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 571, 572 and 573 together.
Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann is a company limited by guarantee. In recent years a value for money study and an independent consultancy study have made recommendations for the reorganisation of the institute's activities. My Department had discussions with representatives of the executive committee of the company about its future intentions, having regard to several operational issues. The operation of the company is a matter for the members in accordance with their memorandum and articles of association.
At an extraordinary general meeting of ITE, held on 18 July 2003, the company agreed to initiate a process of voluntary liquidation. A meeting of the executive committee of ITE on 5 December agreed a timetable for the appointment of a liquidator, who was appointed on 9 January 2004, and agreed to issue redundancy notices to staff in advance of this. The period of notice of redundancy for the staff has been extended by four weeks from 9 January 2004 to 6 February 2004. Officials from my Department met with all members of staff of ITE in December 2003.
My Department has given a commitment to provide every assistance to the company in giving effect to its future intentions, in partnership with the staff of the institute. This will include arrangements for ensuring the continuation of the research functions previously carried out by the institute and, in the interests of assisting with an orderly wind-up, facilitating appropriate redeployment or other appropriate arrangements for permanent staff in line with general public service policy in these matters and subject to agreement with the Department of Finance. My Department is exploring options that may be available in this context. The entitlements of those employees for whom appropriate redeployment arrangements are not made will be determined in accordance with the terms of their contracts. I have asked to be kept informed of progress in these matters. The funding provided to the company since 2000 is as follows: 2000, €1.638 million; 2001, €1.657 million; 2002, €1.764 million; 2003, €1.985 million. The funding proposed for 2004 is likely to be of the order of €2.5 million in the context of the liquidation and this will be reflected in the revised estimates.
574 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress being made to provide new primary schools at Glencairn, Leopardstown, County Dublin, and at the Landsdowne and Old Wesley site, Kilgobbin, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2226/04]
The property management section of the OPW acts on behalf of my Department for site acquisitions generally and is exploring the possibility of acquiring sites to provide new primary schools at Glencairn, Leopardstown and at the Landsdowne and Old Wesley site, Kilgobbin, County Dublin. Due to the commercial sensitivities of a site acquisition process, it is not proposed at this stage to identify the specific sites to be acquired. However, this information will be placed on my Department's website when the relevant acquisitions have been completed.
576 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2238/04]
A survey on decentralisation is being conducted in my Department, the results of which will not be available until next month. I will arrange to forward details of the results to the Deputy when they are available.
578 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans to decentralise the Higher Education and Training Awards Council to Edenderry, County Offaly, given that up to 70% of the staff are opposed to the move; his plans to facilitate the public servants who do not wish to move; and if his attention has been drawn to a document from his predecessor to the effect that the HETAC would be located in Dublin. [2248/04]
It is proposed to transfer the Higher Education and Trainng Awards Council to Edenderry, County Offaly, as part of the programme of decentralisation announced on 3 December 2003. The programme will be implemented on a voluntary basis and there will be no redundancies. At this early stage, it is not possible to indicate how public servants who do not wish to move will be facilitated. However, the issues raised by the Deputy will be considered as part of the overall process of implementation.
579 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will undertake a survey of the cost of insurance for schools and a study of the cost and incidence of claims, to see whether better mechanisms can be put in place to prevent accidents or to negotiate keener rates of insurance through his Department using its considerable power in central negotiations; if he will evaluate the percentage of the capitation grant which is absorbed by insurance in schools in different parts of the country and introduce some form of equalisation measures so that insurance does not drain away resources that should be available for educational purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2249/04]
Responsibility for arranging insurance cover on school property and against public liability is a matter for the managerial authorities of voluntary secondary schools, which are privately owned. I understand that insurance costs take into account the value of the school premises, the number of staff and the number of pupils. Different ratings apply and have done so for many years in the Dublin area, other major cities and rural areas. Other factors taken into account when seeking insurance cover includes risk assessment advice and prompt settlement of claims. I also understand that insurance cover is obtained, on a block basis, by most voluntary secondary schools, operated by religious authorities. The benefit of a survey of school insurance costs, as suggested by the Deputy, is not clear. My Department, however, is prepared to consider applications for grant-aid towards the cost of any necessary improvements in risk avoidance measures required by schools such as boundary fencing, etc.
Funding is provided to secondary schools by way of per capita grants which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. This is in general, a preferable approach to putting in place grants for specific cost items such as insurance. Moving to a position where the Government covers the insurance costs of voluntary secondary schools may encourage the insurance sector to keep increasing premia on the basis that the State would meet the cost and reduce the incentive for school management to reduce risks. It would also reduce the incentive for school managements to actively review and tender for insurance cover on an ongoing basis.
I am committed to improving the funding position of voluntary secondary schools in the light of available resources. At a time of increased financial constraints, the recent announcement of further significant increases in the funding of voluntary secondary schools is a clear demonstration of my commitment to prioritising available resources to address the needs of schools. A measure of the increase in overall funding for secondary schools is that by comparison with 1997, a secondary school with 500 pupils now receives extra annual funding of up to €108,000.
580 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science the capital expenditure on primary schools in County Wexford for 2003; the estimated capital expenditure for primary schools in County Wexford in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2250/04]
My Department issued €1,890,299.48 to County Wexford schools during 2003 in respect of building projects at primary level. I was in a position to have payments under the grant scheme for minor works issued during 2003 in respect of both the academic year 2002-03 and the academic year 2003-04. Under that scheme, payments issued to all primary schools in County Wexford during 2003 at a rate of €3,809.21 per school and €12.70 per pupil enrolled in respect of each of the two academic years. The total capital allocation for the primary school buildings programme for 2004 is €200 million, covering projects in all counties. Only projects at construction stage have exact costings. It is inappropriate therefore to attempt to indicate the level of expenditure on a county basis as this could compromise the value for money benefit that my Department strives to achieve under the tender process for projects still in architectural planning. Furthermore, the deadline for applications from schools for inclusion under the recently introduced summer works scheme is not yet closed and it is not possible to estimate how many schools will be successful under this scheme on a national or county basis.
581 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the proposed devolved payment of €100,000 as grant aid to a school (details supplied) in County Galway which is inadequate to fund the school extension to the specifications required by his Department; if it is possible, through negotiations between officials of his Department and the school management, to agree to a project that would cost less than the €218,000 estimated cost and still maintain the standards needed for a modern day primary school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2251/04]
Brownsgrove national school is a two-classroom school that has been invited to participate in a devolved initiative to enable it provide additional permanent ancillary accommodation at the school within a maximum grant level of €100,000. This initiative devolves control to school authorities over the planning and construction phases of small-scale additional permanent accommodation works. The closing date for accepting invitations into this scheme is Friday, 30 January 2004. If there is a shortfall in funding, the options open to the board of management are to: reduce the scale of the works to stay within the limit of the grant; use funds allocated by the Department under the terms of the grant scheme for minor works to supplement the grant provided such funds are not required for more urgent and immediate works; fund the balance of the works from their own resources and decline the invitation to participate in the scheme. My Department does not intend increasing the amount of the grant offered to the school. This provision is necessary because a central tenet of the devolved scheme is that a school authority, granted discretion and guaranteed funding to enable immediate progress on its accommodation needs, must equally accept responsibility for prioritisation, control of costs and ensuring value for money.
582 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in County Galway has not been offered a devolved fund payment towards the cost of much needed extra classrooms, new toilets and a water supply system; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this school received a grant for remedial works last year yet it is still in a very poor state by way of gross overcrowding; if his Department will enter into negotiations with the board of management to agree specifications, under the devolved funding programme, that meet current national school standards, taking into account the limited capacity of a small rural community to raise money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2252/04]
The pilot small schools initiative was expanded as part of the 2004 school building programme and more than 50 additional schools were invited to participate in the initiative. Many other schools would like to be given the opportunity to participate but it is necessary to evaluate the initiative fully before broadening the scheme's scope to cover all schools. The band rating assigned by my Department to individual projects in architectural planning was used to determine which of these projects would be considered for inclusion in the 2004 school building programme as part of the small schools initiative. A large-scale building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is listed in section 9 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on my Department's website at www.education.ie. This proposed project is at the early stages of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band 3 rating by my Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects. Band 3 projects were not considered at this time for inclusion in the small schools initiative.
The budget announcement regarding multiannual capital envelopes will enable me to adopt a multiannual framework for the school building programme which in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects not progressing in this year's programme. I will make a further announcement on this during the year. I have put in place a new devolved summer works scheme. This caters for necessary works that can be planned and delivered during the summer holidays. The 2004 programme will be updated in early spring to provide details of projects approved under the scheme.
583 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources who carried out the independent study of the 1992 fiscal terms governing oil and gas exploration; and if he will release the report to Dáil Éireann. [1105/04]
In 2003 my Department engaged Mr. David Fox of David Fox Associates to undertake a study of fiscal terms for oil and gas exploration and production in Ireland and other countries. Mr. Fox reported his findings to my Department in October 2003. As the report contains data which is commercially sensitive no final decision as to publication has yet been taken.
584 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources how many people are employed in fish processing; and the most recent figures on the volume and value of that sector. [1116/04]
According to the most recent data, produced by Bord Iascaigh Mhara in 2002, there were 4,000 people employed in fish processing, on a full- or part-time basis. The most recent figures for the sector, produced by a Central Statistics Office industrial survey for 2001, gave a turnover of €436.6 million for the domestic and foreign markets.
585 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of fishing vessels registered in the State; and the total tonnage and kilowatts in this regard. [1117/04]
The independent licensing authority for sea-fishing boats established under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2003, the Registrar General of Fishing Boats, has advised that 1,501 fishing vessels are entered on the Irish fishing boat register, having a total capacity of 82,409 gross tonnes and 224,959 kilowatts. These figures are subject to revision in the context of the processing of a backlog of registration and de-registration applications arising from computer software problems with the register, the introduction of new EU and national fleet policies, and ongoing changes in the fishing fleet.
586 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the proportion of registered fishing vessels classified as inshore, that is, less than 15 feet in length and operating within the 12 mile limit. [1118/04]
There is no dedicated fleet segment for inshore vessels in the Irish fishing fleet and inshore vessels are not specifically classified as such on the fishing boat register. Most inshore boats are in the polyvalent fleet segment. Fishing boats less than 12 metres long are generally considered to be inshore vessels but sea-fishing boat licences issued in respect of such boats do not specify a distance within which they must operate. Some 72% of all registered fishing vessels are under 12 metres in length. Only 0.5% of vessels on the fishing boat register are less than 15 feet in length.
587 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the total number employed in marine fishing; and the current annual production in that sector in value and tonnage. [1119/04]
Surveys in relation to employment in the Irish seafood industry, comprising fishing, aquaculture, processing and ancillary sectors are carried out by Bord Iascaigh Mhara on a periodic basis. According to its most recent survey, carried out in 2000, total employment, including full and part-time jobs, amounted to approximately 9,000 in the marine fishing sector. The processing and ancillary sectors accounted for a further 6,200 jobs.
According to the latest figures produced by my Department for 2002, annual production amounted to 278,000 tonnes approximately (landed weight) with a value of €234.3 million. This figure includes aquaculture landings (mussels, oysters) of 30,000 tonnes with a value of €21 million.
588 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources why Kinnegad and its environs were not included in the broadband rollout; and if he will have this situation reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1167/04]
590 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will investigate an ongoing problem with an inadequate Internet service in Kilross, County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1257/04]
604 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is no broadband technology in Enniscrone, County Sligo; when facilities will be put in place to allow Enniscrone to compete in the future with other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1735/04]
613 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if broadband telecommunications infrastructure will be provided in Kingscourt, County Cavan, in view of the substantial employment in that town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2040/04]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 588, 590, 604 and 613 together.
The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, is a matter in the first instance for the private companies operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation. The Government recognises the importance of a balanced regional roll-out of broadband, and is taking a series of initiatives to support and complement investment by the private companies operating in the market.
An indicative €200 million has been set aside for the current programme of broadband infrastructure developments under the NDP 2000-2006. This includes funding for 19 metropolitan area networks in towns and cities across the country, the extension of digital subscriber lines by Eircom and Esat BT, the construction of a third national fibre trunk network by the ESB, and other regional broadband investment initiatives. In my recent announcement of the broadband action plan I outlined the proposals to stimulate broadband-capable infrastructural investment throughout Ireland. The key elements of the plan include the provision of broadband infrastructure in over 90 towns with a population of 1,500 people using community broadband exchanges and strategic fibre. A new group broadband scheme — similar to the group water schemes — is proposed for smaller communities to pool their demand and secure high speed connectivity from a range of service providers, with grant assistance from the Government under this scheme. A multiannual budget of €140 million has been committed to the broadband action plan in partnership with the local authorities and in co-operation with the telecoms industry here. Operational details for the broadband action plan are being finalised, and I expect to be able to make a full announcement shortly.
It is of course possible to obtain broadband services in most places in Ireland at the moment, using one of the satellite and wireless service providers such as Amocom Satellite, Digiweb, Media Sat, South West Regional Authority or appliedDot Solutions Ltd. A full list of approved providers can be obtained from www.comreg.ie or by telephoning 01-804 6900.
589 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1215/04]
As I have previously advised the House, I am responsible for a wide range of EU Presidency business across the sectoral policy areas of telecommunications, energy, broadcasting, fisheries, maritime transport and maritimesafety. I also hold commensurate chairing responsibilities for the agriculture and fisheries, transport, energy and telecommunications and education, youth and culture council formations.
There will be several ministerial and non-ministerial meetings in Ireland during the forthcoming Presidency. Among the conferences arranged for Ireland to date in my area of responsibility are: 1-3 March, informal ministerial meeting on broadcasting; 11 March, informal ministerial conference on sustainable fishing; 6 and 7 April, meeting of directors general (fisheries); 21, 22 and 23 April, informal meeting of Communications Ministers (dealing with broadband demand and stimulation); 25-26 April, conference for directors general, maritime transport; 26 April, international conference for the exploration of the seas; 11-14 May, EurOcean scientific conference.
I am working to deliver on policy priorities at EU level during the Presidency within the Government's overall strategic approach to the EU. These priorities are: the development and exploitation of broadband infrastructure and services; regulation of satellite television broadcasters; review of Television Without Frontiers Directive; ensuring a reliable and secure energy supply for the Union and that the principle of sustainable development is fully integrated into energy policies in order to ensure the protection of our environment; promotion of the use of renewable energy sources, coupled with increased efficiency and conservation of energy; advancing the proposed directive introducing criminal sanctions for pollution offences, designation of certain maritime areas as a particularly sensitive sea area, or PSSA, to strengthen its protection of particularly vulnerable areas against marine pollution incidents; advancement of safeguards for seafarers and their working conditions and adding of anti-pollution and ship security responsibilities to the remit of the European Maritime Safety Agency; establishment of regional advisory councils on fisheries; advance the development of environment-friendly fishing methods in EU fisheries, recovery plans for endangered fish stocks.
591 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the kind of surveys, reports and examinations carried out in areas where mobile telephone masts are located. [1302/04]
592 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if surveys, reports and examinations carried out in areas where mobile telephone masts are located include examinations of residents in the local area; and if so the form these examinations take. [1303/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 591 and 592 together.
The national survey of public exposure to radio frequency emissions from mobile telephone masts began last year and will be completed during 2004. This survey which encompasses 400 masts and represents 10% of all telephone masts in the country is one of the most comprehensive surveys of public exposure to telephone masts so far undertaken in Europe. It is being carried out by the consultants Manor Communications, on behalf of the Commission for Communications Regulation. The survey involves the measurement of non-ionising radiation levels in the vicinity of phone masts in every county and major town in Ireland. Where the site in question is used solely for mobile telephony, measurements are made over the 300MHz to 2GHz range. However, where the site is shared with others such as the emergency services, local radio and paging, exposures are measured across the wider frequency range of 30MHz to 40GHz.
COMREG published the first interim report of the national survey on 20 November 2003. It summarises the results of the first 100 base stations surveyed. These were located mainly in the south and west of the country. The results show that the highest public exposures measured at these sites are all well below the maximum public exposure levels set out by the EU Council of Health Ministers in their recommendation of 12 July 1999. In most cases the level of public exposure is less than one ten-thousandth of the recommended maximum permissible amount.
COMREG will issue further reports as the national survey progresses. The results of the first interim report are available on www.comreg.ie and on www.dcmnr.gov.ie.
593 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources why coast guards are only paid €1.80 per hour despite being at a financial loss on most occasions when called out because they must leave their places of work. [1403/04]
The Irish Coast Guard has 52 coastal units, manned by volunteers, at strategic locations around the coast. Some 850 volunteers are available to respond. Volunteers are paid a rate of €10.61 for the first hour of any call-out and €3.81 for each subsequent hour. Every unit is headed by an area officer and deputy area officer who receive quarterly retainers of €222.20 and €111.10 respectively. Any out of pocket expenses incurred for items such as meals purchased during an incident are also refunded.
It is considered that the voluntary nature of the service should be maintained and call-out payments are seen as a refund to offset expenses. The expenses are also comparable with those paid in other voluntary marine emergency services.
594 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the statutory basis of the objections to the proposed route change to the M9 at Ballyreddin, Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1406/04]
The Department has the same right as any other stakeholder or interested party to lodge objections under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963 and amending legislation. The specific statutory references are available from the local authority.
595 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when a foreshore licence will be granted for the construction of a sewerage scheme (details supplied) in County Mayo. [1431/04]
Consideration of the application in question is at an advanced stage and a decision on the matter will be conveyed to Mayo County Council shortly.
596 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in other EU countries viewers get public service television channels free on their local digital television service, but that in this country subscribers are being required by Sky Digital to pay for RTE; if he has satisfied himself that this is in accordance with EU law having regard to Directive 89/552/EC of October 3, 1989; if he intends to raise this matter with either the EU Commission or Sky Digital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1497/04]
The Irish public service television channels are currently available free-to-air through an analogue terrestrial television network. The public service channels are also a "must-carry" obligation under Irish legislation on all cable transmissions and on digital MMDS transmissions. Sky Digital is not subject to regulation in Ireland in this regard. I am not aware of any conflict between the contents of directive 89/552/EC and the requirement by Sky Digital that viewers in Ireland pay for access to its subscription packages which include RTÉ.
597 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of times the Atlantic Dawn has been inspected by Irish fishery inspectors. [1531/04]
The fishing vessel the Atlantic Dawn and its fishing activities are subject to fisheries control in line with all other Irish and non-Irish fishing vessels. As this fishing vessel conducts its landings in ports outside Ireland it has not been subject to inspection by Irish fishery officers. However, the fishing vessels' activities are subject to continuous monitoring via satellite monitoring systems, VMS, at the fisheries monitoring centre at Haulbowline. This VMS data is verified to ensure the fishing vessel's compliance with both national and European fishing regulations. In addition, the Irish authorities are kept informed of the outcome of controls carried out in other member states by the control authorities in those member states.
598 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of times former Minister Deputy Fahey, visited Chile in his official capacity as Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources. [1532/04]
The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Fahey, visited Chile on one occasion in his official capacity as Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources.
599 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the entitlement which the Atlantic Dawn currently has in Irish waters. [1533/04]
As part of the overall agreement which facilitated the introduction of the Atlantic Dawn, the Atlantic Dawn company permanently withdrew MFV Veronica from the Irish-EU fishing fleet and retained the annual quota and fishing effort entitlements in EU waters associated with the Veronica. The company is utilising the Atlantic Dawn to take up these entitlements. These entitlements represent the annually determined allocation of mackerel and herring, access to horse mackerel and blue whiting, and the annual fishing effort — days at sea — allocation — the Atlantic Dawn was last year permitted to fish for only 92 days in EU waters. In 2003, the Atlantic Dawn was allocated under a national quota management system 4.98 % of the Irish mackerel quota and 5.59 % of the north-west herring quotas. Individual catch limits were not applied to the horse mackerel or blue whiting quotas. These entitlements all relate to EU and contiguous waters rather than Irish waters and under the terms of its sea-fishing boat licence, the Atlantic Dawn is precluded from fishing within 12 miles of the Irish coast and from fishing in the Irish Sea.
600 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the tonnage and kilowatts allocated to the Veronica; and what happened to it. [1534/04]
By way of background, the European Commission's agreement to facilitate the introduction of the MFV Atlantic Dawn into the fleet was subject to resolution of an outstanding over-capacity engine power situation in the Irish pelagic fleet segment. To address this long-standing problem, which was not caused by the Atlantic Dawn company, the company removed the MFV Veronica from the Irish and EU registers and its engine power capacity was permanently deleted. The tonnage capacity of the pelagic segment was already within the EU capacity limit and, in the circumstances, the Atlantic Dawn company was allowed to retain the tonnage capacity of the Veronica. The use of this capacity is, however, subject to advance approval and must not conflict with legal or fleet policy obligations. Sea-fishing boat licensing policy permits the use of a maximum of 4,474 gross tonnes of the capacity formerly associated with the Veronica, subject to approval. I understand that the independent licensing authority has to date approved the assignment of a total of 2,703 gross tonnes from the Atlantic Dawn company to pelagic vessel owners, for use as additional replacement capacity required in the proposed licensing of larger replacement vessels.
601 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the register the Atlantic Dawn was placed in; and the percentage of the Irish pelagic quota the Atlantic Dawn has at present. [1535/04]
The MFV Atlantic Dawn is entered on the Irish fishing boat register, the EU Community fishing fleet register, and the general register of Irish ships, known as the mercantile marine register, as is legally required. In 2003, the Atlantic Dawn was allocated under a national quota management system 4.98 % of the Irish mackerel quota and 5.59 % of the north-west herring quotas. Individual catch limits were not applied to the horse mackerel or blue whiting quotas.
602 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his plans to make funding available in 2004 for a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1634/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department supported the South East Regional Authority in the formulation of an information society strategy for the region — SEISS project — over the period 2000-01. A key aspect of the published strategy was the development of open access broadband infrastructure in the region. My Department is working with the South East Regional Authority in the implementation of such infrastructure provision — SERPANT project. Departmental funding has been prioritised accordingly and as such I have no plans to make funding available in 2004 for the SEISS project.
603 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has considered reports of possible health dangers from mobile phones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1646/04]
My Department closely monitors all developments in the area of wireless telephony and non-ionising radiation, including their possible health effects. The report by the independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation published earlier this month in the UK appraised all technical, scientific and medical literature dealing with mobile telephony and health that had been published since the earlier report of the independent expert group on mobile phones — the Stewart report — in 2000. This latest advisory group report concluded:
In aggregate the research published since the Stewart report does not give cause for concern. The weight of evidence now available does not suggest that there are adverse health effects from exposures to RF fields below guideline levels, but the published research on RF exposures and health has limitations, and mobile phones have only been in widespread use for a relatively short time. The possibility therefore remains open that there could be health effects from exposure to RF fields below guideline levels; hence continued research is needed.
The earlier Stewart report also found no evidence of harm to human health from mobile phones. It recommended further research and a precautionary approach and that children's use of mobile phones should be kept as low as possible. Other recent statements from national and international health advisory authorities have been reassuring. The US National Cancer Institute found no association between use and certain brain tumours. The American Medical Association in its Journal reported that a four year study found no link between use and brain cancer, although it recommended further work. The Royal Society of Canada found no evidence of health risks, but accepted that small biological changes may be a cause for concern. The Danish Cancer Society in a study of 420,000 Danish users found no sign of increased risk of brain or nervous system cancers.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, has concluded:
Present scientific information does not indicate the need for any special precautions for use of mobile phones. If individuals are concerned they might choose to limit their own or their children's RF exposure by limiting the length of calls, or using hands-free devices to keep mobile phones away from the head and body.
At present major international research projects on the possible health effects of mobile phones are being co-ordinated by the WHO international EMF project and by the EU through its COST281 Action: Potential Health Implications from Mobile Communication Systems.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC, is the WHO agency co-ordinating the INTERPHONE study. This is an international epidemiological study that will compare the association between a number of head and brain cancers and the intensity of mobile phone use. INTERPHONE involves 13 countries in four continents. Some 10,000 cases of cancer will be investigated. The first results are expected from Scandinavia towards the end of this year.
The COST281 action was launched in 2001 and promotes collaboration among European research groups working on mobile communications and health. Research initiatives are underway or at an advanced planning stage on such topics as mobile phones and children, health effects of emerging wireless technologies, health effects of phone masts, mobile communications and the brain, and mobile phones and sleep disorders.
The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources participates fully in the WHO International EMF project and in the COST281 action. In May 2003, I hosted a major international meeting in Dublin of COST281 on the topic of phone masts and health. Members of my staff are currently assisting WHO on the development of exposure standards and the application of the precautionary approach to non-ionising radiation.
605 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his Department will assist Mayo County Council to provide a scheme of public lighting at the emergency facilities services in Ballycastle, County Mayo. [1797/04]
The provision of public lighting for Ballycastle, County Mayo, is solely a matter for Mayo County Council. There is no Irish Coastguard coastal unit or RNLI station at Ballycastle and sub-aqua clubs are not among the resources declared to the Irish Coastguard as available for marine emergency on a 24 hour, 365 day a year basis.
606 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the decision not to lift the ban on religious advertising. [1812/04]
I am of the view that the ban on religious advertising as provided for in section 20(4) of the Broadcasting Authority Act 1960, as qualified by section 65 of the Broadcasting Act 2001, and section 10(3) of the Radio and Television Act 1988 should remain. In arriving at my decision, I had regard to a diverse range of opinions expressed during a public consultation process I conducted last year. In arriving at the view that the ban should remain I was conscious of the potential intrusive nature of advertising on radio and television, which is different to other forms of advertising. I am of the view that it is not desirable that individual groups would be in a position to buy air-time to deliver an unchallenged message that is aimed at influencing and altering behaviour in society in circumstances where it is difficult for the public to test or verify positions advanced.
Section 65 of the Broadcasting Act 2001 provides that the ban on religious advertising does not preclude the broadcasting of a notice of the fact that a particular religious newspaper, magazine or periodical is available for sale or supply, or that any event or ceremony associated with any particular religion will take place. if the contents of the notice do not address the issue of the merits or otherwise of adhering to any religious faith or belief or of becoming a member of any religion or religious organisation.
Submissions received as part of the consultation process are available on my Department's website. I will also publish the report on the consultation process and the documents, which set out the basis for my decision.
607 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reasons for the sale of part of the north dock of Waterford harbour to private developers, which will mean that fishermen with berths there will have to move; and if this decision to privatise part of the harbour has the approval of his Department. [1866/04]
The Port of Waterford Company operates under the Harbours Acts 1996 and 2000. Under the Acts, the primary function of the company is the management, control, operation and development of its harbour ensuring that its revenues are sufficient to meet its expenditures. In the light of this statutory requirement the company informs me that it has been conducting a review of its non-core assets to determine the appropriateness of their retention in present circumstances.
The company now provides its core facilities for ships and goods at Belview, County Kilkenny. Accordingly, the property at the North Quays is one of the company's principal non-core assets and I am informed that the company is taking the preparatory steps necessary in order to be in a position to offer the property for sale.
Under the Harbours Acts, a decision to dispose of land shall only be made by the directors of the company and they are obliged to ensure that the consideration for which any land is sold shall, in so far as is practicable, not be less than its open market value. A decision by the directors to dispose of land does not require my approval under the legislation.
I am aware of the concerns of fishermen who have been using the North Quays regarding these developments. Discussions are in train regarding alternative accommodation, in the short and long term.
608 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the published results of research conducted by a US university into European farmed salmon indicating that the long-term effects on the health of consumers exposed to the dioxins, PCBs and other contaminants polluting farmed salmon and possibly other farmed seafood as well; if his Department has an independent monitoring body to evaluate farmed seafood; the steps he intends to take to ensure Irish farmed salmon is farmed in such a way as to ensure that standards of quality are maintained in order that the salmon can be sold for human consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1919/04]
Specific responsibility for food safety, including concerns in relation to the presence of PCBs and dioxins in food, is a matter for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The Marine Institute, acting in tandem with the Food Safety Authority, carries out a programme of consumer protection monitoring across the full range of seafood, including salmon, farmed in Ireland. We will ensure that this monitoring is continued to maintain the high standards of quality in Irish salmon which is placed on the market for human consumption. In this regard, the Food Safety Authority has recently confirmed that farmed salmon fully complies with the accepted consumer safety standards set by the World Health Organisation, WHO, the European Union, EU, and the United States Food and Drugs Administration, FDA. In addition the FSAI has also recently maintained its recommendation that consumers continue to eat farmed salmon as part of a balanced diet, given the overall beneficial effects of consuming oily fish.
609 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his proposals to introduce legislation to give effect to the employee share ownership trust for postal workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1920/04]
614 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has received a letter from the board of An Post in May 2003 confirming that the workers in An Post had complied with their side of the ESOP agreement; and if he will enact the long overdue legislation to give effect to the An Post ESOP. [2077/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 614 together.
The An Post ESOP, which was signed in 2000, provided for the transfer of up to 14.9% of the company to employees, on a phased basis, in return for specified costs savings and profits. 5% of the transfer was for transformation and 9.9% as a profit share. The purpose of the ESOP was to facilitate the transformation of An Post into a viable and profitable postal operator in order to successfully deal with challenges arising from liberalisation and electronic substitution. In return for 5% of the company, cost savings amounting to €34m were to be achieved between 2000 and 2003. However, instead of achieving savings the opposite has happened, i.e. staff costs rose by €24m between 1999 and 2000 which represents a 6% increase, by €52m between 2000 and 2001 a 13% increase and by €40m between 2001 and 2002, an increase of 9%.
In regard to profits, the table below sets out profits envisaged under the ESOP and the actual financial outturn for the company:
|
Year |
ESOP |
Annual Report |
|
€m |
€m |
|
|
2000 |
7.6 |
9.8 |
|
2001 |
8.9 |
(6.7) |
|
2002 |
20.3 |
(17.8) |
|
2003 |
34.3 |
(29.5) |
|
forecast |
In May 2003 the An Post board advised that cost savings for 2000 set out in the ESOP amounting to €7 million had been achieved. However, according to documentation supplied by An Post at that time, achievement of savings was substantially below target levels in the ESOP agreement, was delayed, and took place between 2001 and 2003 instead of in 2000. In September, 2003 An Post advised, following a review of company finances, that forecast profit of €1 million had turned into a loss of €29.5 million. Therefore, having regard to the substantial losses notified by An Post for 2003, the board has been asked to review the cost savings verification process and respond to the Department. We are still waiting for a response from the board of An Post on the verification of the cost savings issue. The Government is still committed to an ESOP in An Post, if and only if, it can be demonstrated that real transformation has occurred and that the cost savings envisaged in the ESOP have been achieved.
610 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if assessments are underway in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1978/04]
Practically all my Department which is not already decentralised out of Dublin is earmarked for relocation to Cavan, including my office and the Department HQ. A group has been established within my Department with the remit of assessing the risks to business continuity and minimising the impact of the relocation process on both business and the general operations of my Department. Whatever measures are necessary and practicable will be taken to identify and reduce any risks and disruptions that are likely to arise. I will be kept informed on an ongoing basis of progress being achieved.
611 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his Department will resume payments of grants towards the cost of currach building, purchase of outboard engines and fishing gear, to inshore fishermen in the Gaeltacht areas, the grant aid for which was suspended by Údarás na Gaeltachta some months ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2014/04]
The EU Common Fisheries Policy review, which was adopted by the Fisheries Council in the form of a framework regulation in December 2002, sets out new provisions in respect of State financial aid towards vessels which fish on a commercial basis. These rules apply to all fishing vessels engaged in commercial fishing, including small vessels such as currachs.
The rules provide that a member state wishing to provide grant aid towards vessel renewal or modernisation involving increases in capacity in terms of tonnage or power or increased effectiveness of fishing gear in the period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2004 would have to deliver a 3% reduction in the capacity limits for its overall national fleet. Such aid is completely precluded from 1 January 2005.
There is unlikely to be any relaxation of the EU fleet regime, which is regarded as the cornerstone of the Common Fisheries Policy. Údarás na Gaeltachta may therefore wish to consider, in conjunction with Bord Iascaigh Mhara, alternative aid schemes for fishermen which are in accord with EU legislation and national fisheries policy.
The 3% penalty imposed for the continuation of grant aid to 31 December 2004 would involve, for the Irish fleet, the permanent removal of 2,496 GT's and 6,478 KWs. This reduction would involve a substantial cost to the State and would reduce permanently the capacity limits of the fleet. In these circumstances, it was decided that the State would not enter into any grant aid in relation to fleet renewal and modernisation after 1 January 2003. This policy is regarded as a cornerstone of the reform of the CFP by the Commission and as such it cannot be expected that the Commission will bring forward any new proposal for an adjustment of the policy.
The position of small fishing vessels, which did not come within the legal framework of licensing and registration, has been recently addressed. In April 2003, following securing the agreement of the EU Commission, a scheme, with a closing date of 18 June 2003, was launched to bring within the regulatory framework unlicensed and unregistered inshore fishermen. It covered fishermen who have traditionally owned a small fishing boat and have a record of active commercial pot fishing. Currachs are covered by the scheme. Under the terms of the scheme, the owners of these boats are not required to provide replacement capacity for licensing and registration which in the normal course would have to be purchased. The Department and BIM are currently processing the applications. The licensing and registration of inshore vessels is seen as the first critical step in enabling effective management and conservation measures to be put in place for inshore stocks around the coast.
612 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when a foreshore licence will be sanctioned to allow a sewerage scheme (details supplied) in County Mayo to progress. [2022/04]
Following a detailed examination of the revised application for a foreshore licence for the development in question, Mayo County Council was requested to provide certain additional information. This information was furnished to the Department on 21 January, 2004 and is being examined. A decision on the application will be made as soon as possible.
615 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his policy regarding a proposed merger of the Dublin Port Company and the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company; the initiatives which have been taken by his Department concerning such a merger; the rationale for such a merger; the person or company who has been consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2209/04]
I have no proposals at present to merge Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dublin Port Company. In May 2003, I published the high level review of the State commercial ports operating under the Harbours Acts 1996 and 2000. The purpose of the review was to critically review the current model for the governance of the port companies.
Among its many findings and recommendations, the review noted that there is a conflict between the commercial and heritage obligations of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. The review recommended that responsibility for the cultural and heritage aspects should be transferred to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and that consideration be given, on commercial and economic grounds, to merging Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dublin Port Company to become Dublin Bay Company.
When I published the review, I also initiated a full public consultation process on its findings and recommendations. In response, my Department has received submissions from a number of parties, including the two port companies concerned, and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. All submissions are receiving careful consideration by my Department. It is my intention to publish a comprehensive policy statement over the coming months, drawing on the review and the subsequent consultation process.
616 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the requirements of home energy labels which will be applicable in Ireland by 2005 under EU directives; the way it is proposed that energy performance certificates will be made available in respect of all dwellings for sale or rent from the appropriate date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2210/04]
The EU directive on energy performance in buildings requires that Ireland put in place a system for producing energy performance certificates for its building stock. The directive obliges member states to ensure that an energy performance certificate is made available to the tenant or potential owner, when a building is constructed, sold or rented out.
The European Commission has mandated the European Committee for Standardisation to devise common standards for the calculation of the energy rating of buildings and it is expected that these standards will form the basis for each member state to draw up energy rating mechanisms suitable to their individual climates. In order to meet with this obligation as well as transposing the EU directive into national legislation, a working group has been set up to look at all aspects of the scope of the EU directive. This working group comprises representatives from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government as well as officials from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and representatives from Sustainable Energy Ireland.
The question of how to introduce the energy performance certificate for a building is being considered by the working group and will take into consideration the findings of the European Committee for Standardisation when they become available.
617 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2239/04]
A preliminary survey of staff preferences regarding decentralisation has been conducted to establish the initial levels of interest across the Department in relocating to Cavan or to any of the new locations under the decentralisation programme. This was very much an initial information gathering exercise. It was stressed to staff that this was a preliminary non-binding survey and that any preferences at this stage were non-binding. As of 26 January 2004, 424 staff responded with the results as follows:
|
Yes |
No |
Don't Know |
Uncompleted |
|
|
Cavan |
29 (6.84%) |
356 (83.96%) |
32 (7.55%) |
7 (1.65%) |
|
Other Location |
121 (28.54%) |
220 (51.9%) |
70 (16.5%) |
13 (3.06%) |
618 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has completed the audit of projects funded under the ACCESS programme; the level of funding drawn down to date under this programme; the number of approved projects that will not go ahead; and the way in which he intends to use the savings that will result. [1175/04]
My Department has reviewed the progress of all projects approved for ACCESS funding. Funding drawn down to date amounts to €10.49 million. At this point in time, apart from one relatively small project that will not proceed, and one which will be scaled back from what was originally projected, other variations from initial projections are more by way of slower than expected progress rates than decisions not to proceed at all, and it is not clear what savings, if any, might finally arise across the scheme as a whole.
619 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1216/04]
As I outlined in reply to a similar question on 18 December last, my main priority for the Presidency, in so far as arts, sport and tourism are concerned, is to ensure that normal EU business is conducted efficiently and effectively particularly given the additional workload and complexities associated which the accession of ten new member states. In this context, I had very useful meetings in Dublin Castle on 6 January with the two Commissioners with responsibilities in the field of culture, sport and tourism, Viviane Reding and Errki Liikanen, respectively. Just yesterday, I addressed the European Parliament Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport on our priorities for the Presidency.
In order to advance the work programme in the field of culture, my Department will host three major events during the Presidency: a seminar on cultural and linguistic diversity in Killarney on 11 March, a seminar on the music industry in Dublin on 19 and 20 April, and a meeting of a European group on digitisation of heritage and culture to be followed by a conference on digitisation to take place in Dublin on 28 and 29 June. We are also supporting an Arts Council seminar in Cork in May which is aimed at facilitating greater networking among NGOs in the arts field.
The main priority in the sports area will be the European year of education through sport. I, along with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Dempsey, will host the official European launch of the year in Croke Park on 29 January and this will be followed by a conference on the importance of sport in an educational context.
While tourism per se is not an area of competence for the EU, Ireland recognises the importance of the tourism sector in Europe and the opportunity which the Presidency presents to consider the key issues facing the industry in a European context. In that context, I have asked Fáilte Ireland to organise a business-focused conference on competitiveness and sustainability in tourism during our Presidency. The conference will take place on 5 April in Dublin Castle.
Earlier this month I formally launched the Presidency cultural programme. This extensive programme, which will see over 250 Irish artists and hundreds of European artists presenting work across the expanded EU, is one of the central features of the Irish Presidency. We have already had a very successful concert in Brussels to mark the start of the Presidency there.
The new member states will be officially welcomed into the EU by an Irish city or town in a special day of welcomes on Saturday, 1 May. This day will be at the heart of a national weekend of celebration that will involve each of the ten towns and cities hosting distinct and engaging European fairs, while a fireworks extravaganza in Dublin from a leading European pyrotechnics company will commence celebrations in the capital on Friday, 30 April.
Dublin will also see St. Stephen's Green transformed into a colourful bazaar with marquees, stands and stages making up the European fair on Saturday, 1 May. It is expected that over 100,000 visitors will pass through the fair over the weekend to enjoy the experience of unique and interesting produce from the new EU member states and participate in the fun cultural activity.
A major concert of Irish and international stars on O'Connell Street will be a highlight of the weekend and will be produced by RTÉ and the BBC. It will be broadcast live throughout Europe. The line-up for this concert will be announced in February. From a cultural, sports and tourism perspective, the Irish Presidency promises to be both exciting and rewarding for all those involved.
620 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the Government strategy in response to the declining overseas tourism numbers visiting the north west of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1246/04]
One of the key objectives of national tourism policy is to achieve as wide as possible a distribution of visitor numbers across the different regions. Achieving that goal has long been recognised as a major challenge and is something that is fully reflected in the programmes and initiatives operated by Fáilte Ireland — the National Tourism Development Authority — by Tourism Ireland, and in the action plan set out in the recent report by the tourism policy review group. Its report sets out a strategy for tourism that is comprehensive, coherent and challenging for both Government Departments and agencies and for the industry itself. It has put the emphasis on an agenda for action by highlighting 70 individual recommended actions that will support the development of the tourism sector over the next decade.
While many of the actions proposed by the review group will have an impact on the regional distribution of tourism, key actions in this regard include those relating to product development, tourism promotion, access transport and the appropriate infrastructure and arrangements for the delivery of tourism at regional level.
I have no direct responsibility in relation to individual actions or measures relating to tourism promotion or development insofar as specific areas of the country are concerned, as these are a day-to-day function of the tourism State agencies. However, the Deputy may wish to note that a number of programmes and initiatives particularly favour the regional distribution of tourists. These include the nature and focus of the tourism product development scheme, the differential levels of support offered to regional tourism authorities for marketing purposes, the use of predominantly rural imagery in the advertising and promotion of Ireland, both at home and abroad, the regional coverage with respect to visiting media and the specific focus on achieving a wide spread of visitors in relation to access transport policies.
621 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if the application for lottery funding on behalf of East Wall water sports will be reviewed sympathetically; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1498/04]
The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis. The 2004 sports capital programme was advertised in the national newspapers on 30 November and 1 December 2003. The closing date for receipt of applications was 16 January 2004. I can confirm that an application was received from the organisation in question. All applications will be evaluated against the programme's assessment criteria, which are outlined in the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme. I intend to announce the grant allocations for the programme as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed.
622 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will make finding available to have a hyperbaric recompression chamber located within Munster. [1800/04]
The Department of Health and Children, which has primary responsibility in relation to the provision of hyperbaric recompression chambers, has already accepted the need to replace the chamber at University College Galway. The Irish Underwater Council, Comhairle Fó-Thuinn (CFT), is the national governing body for underwater sport. CFT has also decided that, in terms of the provision of hyperbaric recompression chambers, its priority is for having such a facility at University College Hospital, Galway.
The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding towards the provision of sporting and recreational facilities to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis. The 2004 sports capital programme was advertised in the national newspapers on 30 November and 1 December 2003. The closing date for receipt of applications was 16 January 2004. I am aware that an application has been received from CFT in respect of the hyperbaric recompression chamber in Galway. No application has been submitted from CFT, or indeed any other organisation, in recent years in respect of such a facility in Munster.
The application from CFT, like all others under the programme, will be evaluated against the 2004 programme's assessment criteria, which are outlined in the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme. In this instance, my Department will also be consulting with the Department of Health and Children, which is currently in discussions with the Western Health Board regarding proposals for replacing the recompression chamber in Galway. I intend to announce the grant allocations for the sports capital programme as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed.
623 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when he expects to make his decision on the proposed new swimming pool for Drogheda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1943/04]
The contract documents which were submitted by Drogheda Borough Council for the provision of a replacement swimming pool in Drogheda are under consideration in my Department.
624 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding an application for funding by Kilkenny Borough Council for the provision of a new swimming pool in Kilkenny city; if he will expedite the matter. [1945/04]
Kilkenny Borough Council applied for funding under the programme in respect of a proposed replacement swimming pool for Kilkenny and the Department's technical advisors found the preliminary report to be satisfactory. However, it is understood that Kilkenny Borough Council has now decided on an alternative site to that originally proposed and a revised proposal relating to that site will be submitted in due course.
625 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if assessments are underway in his Department; the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1979/04]
The Government has decided that the core Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in its entirety will be transferred to Killarney. The cultural institutions which form part of my Department will remain in Dublin. Three State agencies under the aegis of my Department are also being decentralised. The Irish Sports Council will transfer to Killarney, the Arts Council to Kilkenny and Fáilte Ireland to Mallow.
The Government has set up a central implementation committee, chaired by Mr. Phil Flynn, which will prepare and submit an overall implementation plan by the end of March to the Cabinet sub-committee charged with overseeing the decentralisation programme. Until this implementation plan has been agreed it would be premature to out carry out a survey or an assessment pending the submission of the plan.
I am confident that the impact on the operations of my Department and any attendant risks will be minimal. Every effort will be made to ensure that the moves take place in a well-organised and structured manner so that there is a seamless transition between the operation of my Department in Dublin and in Killarney. To that end, a decentralisation committee has been established within my Department which will plan the programme in respect of this Department in liaison with the central committee. As Minister, I will be driving the implementation of the programme in the Department and reporting on a regular basis to the Cabinet sub-committee.
626 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will approve the contract documents in respect of the replacement of Naas swimming pool, Naas, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2207/04]
The contract documents which were submitted by Kildare County Council for the provision of a replacement swimming poolin Naas are under consideration in my Department.
627 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2240/04]
The Government has set up a central implementation committee, chaired by Mr. Phil Flynn, which will prepare and submit an overall implementation plan by the end of March to the Cabinet sub-committee charged with overseeing the decentralisation programme. Until this implementation plan has been agreed, it would be premature to carry out a survey of staff in the Department. I am confident that the impact on the operations of my Department and any attendant risks will be minimal. Every effort will be made to ensure that the moves take place in a well-organised and structured manner so that there is a seamless transition between the operation of my Department in Dublin and in Killarney. To that end, a decentralisation committee has been established within my Department which will plan the programme in respect of this Department in liaison with the central committee. As Minister, I will be driving the implementation of the programme in the Department and reporting on a regular basis to the Cabinet sub-committee.
628 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the portions of land from the sites of old mental asylums which have been sold; the locations at which this has happened; the total amount raised; the percentage of the returns for these sales which have been re-invested in mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1714/04]
Responsibility for the disposal of land sites located at old mental asylums and any application of related sales proceed, rests with the relevant health board or authority. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of each of the health boards, and of the Eastern Regional Health Authority, to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to her directly.
629 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a blind allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Galway has not been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1950/04]
The assessment of entitlement to and payment of the blind welfare allowance in any individual case is a matter for the relevant health board. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been forwarded to the chief executive officer, Western Health Board, with a request that she examine the case and reply to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.
630 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if counselling fees paid in respect of a victim of childhood abuse (details supplied) are to be covered by his Department; and if he will make immediate arrangements to have such fees paid. [2055/04]
The Department of Health and Children pays for counselling costs of those who, as children, were residents in institutions and who do not wish to avail of the State services already provided in this area. Applications for the payment of costs are submitted to a group made up of the Department of Health and Children, directors of counselling, National Counselling Service and the National Office for Victims of Abuse (NOVA).
In order for the costs to be paid certain criteria must be met which are:
The counsellor-therapist has completed an accredited qualification in counselling-therapy. The counselling-therapy training institute should be accredited to one of the following:
|
1. |
The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy |
|
2. |
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. |
|
3. |
Family Therapy Association of Ireland |
|
4. |
Irish Association of Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapy |
|
5. |
Irish Constructivist Psychotherapy Association |
|
6. |
Psychological Society of Ireland |
|
7. |
The British Psychological Society |
|
8. |
Other appropriate body |
The counsellor-therapist is engaged in external clinical supervision for a minimum of two hours per month with an accredited counsellor.
The counsellor-therapist has two years experience in counselling or psychotherapy. The counsellor-therapist provides proof of appropriate insurance for their practise. The counsellor-therapist provides a curriculum vitae accompanied by relevant certificates and proof of qualifications.
An application was received from the person concerned and was given full consideration. However, some of the above criteria were not met and the application was refused. An appeal has since been received and is under consideration by three directors of counselling, National Counselling Service, who were not involved in the original decision to refuse payment.
631 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2333/04]
760 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if assessments are underway in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1980/04]
785 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2241/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 631, 760 and 785 together.
With regard to the implications for the Department of Health and Children, of the public service decentralisation plan, my Department must await a decision by Government on the location of the headquarters of the Health Service Executive.
The Health Service Executive has been asked to make a recommendation on the location of the headquarters. I will bring this recommendation to Government and the Government will decide on the location of the headquarters. I have asked the Health Service Executive to give this priority.
I trust that the Deputies will appreciate that my Department is not in a position to furnish the information sought, at this point in time.
632 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of occupational therapists currently giving treatment to schoolchildren in the Dublin 24 area; if his Department will make funds available to parents where there is a deficit in the occupational therapist service available to children locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1525/04]
The provision of health related services, including occupational therapy, for people with physical and or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
Additional funding of €3 million has been made available in 2004 for services for people with physical or sensory disabilities, including speech and language therapy, to meet service pressures as identified by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in consultation with other relevant agencies.
633 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans for legislation to implement proposed changes in administration and medical staffing in the health services. [2287/04]
The health sector reform programme has implications for all organisations in the health sector both in terms of structures and in terms of governance, accountability, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Fundamental reform of the existing statutory provisions in relation to the roles, organisation structure and management of the health system will be required to give effect to the proposals contained in the reform programme.
The Government's legislation programme makes provision for the enactment of legislation to give statutory effect where required to implement the proposals in the reform programme. The first element of the programme is the preparation of an establishment order under the Health (Corporate Bodies) Act 1961 as amended, establishing the interim Health Services Executive on a statutory basis. The order is being finalised at present and I expect to be in a position to sign it by the end of this month. This will empower the interim executive to carry out the set up tasks and preparations necessary to enable an orderly transfer of functions to the HSE when permanently established by new legislation in January 2005.
It will be necessary to introduce new legislation to provide the main legislative basis for the implementation of the health sector reform programme. It will establish the new Health Service Executive to replace the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. It will also provide the legislative basis for other aspects of the reform programme such as improved governance and accountability, planning and monitoring and evaluation. The establishment of the health information and quality authority (HIQA) on a legislative basis will also be provided for. It is also my intention that the new legislation will include provision for a statutory framework for complaints procedures in the health services as proposed in the health strategy. My intention is to have this legislation introduced by December 2004 so as to have the Health Services Executive in place in January 2005.
The Government has also indicated its intention in the legislation programme for the spring session to introduce a health (amendment) Bill to cope with the situation which will arise following the local election in June 2004. Given the impending establishment of, and formal transfer of functions to the Health Service Executive, the Government has considered whether it would be appropriate to proceed in the normal way with the appointment of local representatives to the health boards. I intend discussing this matter further with the association of health boards at a meeting to be arranged in the near future. Following that meeting, I will be making a public announcement on the Governments intentions in this regard.
With respect to the specific issue of legislation in relation to medical staff, the National Task Force on Medical Staffing (the Hanly report) noted that Ireland is required to ensure that the provisions of the European Working Time Directive apply to doctors in training from 1 August 2004. The directive was transposed into Irish law by the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. At present doctors in training are excluded from these provisions. My Department is at present holding discussions with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in relation to the introduction of the necessary statutory instrument to apply these provisions to doctors in training.
634 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children when finance will be made available for the first phase of the community hospital at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1064/04]
As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for the provision of health services in the Kilkenny area rests with the South Eastern Health Board in the first instance.
The project team for St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, submitted a draft design brief to my Department setting out the broad scope of the future developments to be considered on the campus of the hospital including the first phase of the community hospital.
My Department is considering with the South Eastern Health Board the question of progressing this project in the light of capital priorities overall within the board's area and in line with funding resources available.
635 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children when finance will be made available for the health centre and mental health day centre at Tullow, County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1065/04]
The provision of health centres to meet the needs of local communities is a matter for the relevant health board.
My Department has already provided funding to the South Eastern Health Board for the purchase of a site for this development. A submission received from the board, in relation to tenders for the proposed centre at Tullow, is being examined by my Department in the context of consideration of the new capital developments that can be progressed nationally in 2004 in line with overall funding available. My Department will continue to liaise closely with the board on this matter.
636 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children when finance will be made available for the new ambulance centre at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1066/04]
Responsibility for the provision of ambulance services in County Kilkenny rests with the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
637 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children the position with regard to speech therapy for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; if confirmation as to when this person will be called is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1067/04]
The provision of health related services, including speech and language therapy, for people with physical and or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
638 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children the findings from the economic report with regards to the impact on job losses in connection with the smoking ban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1068/04]
639 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children the person who carried out the economic report with regard to the impact on job losses in connection with the smoking ban; when it was carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1069/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 638 and 639 together.
My Department has not commissioned a report of the kind referred to by the Deputy. I am advised that the Office of Tobacco Control commissioned a report regarding the economic impact of smoking bans but this has not yet been published.
640 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount the Director of the ERHA has been paid for 2002/2003; if this has gone for EU tender; if this service can be supplied at a fraction of the cost by another person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1070/04]
I understand that the Deputy is referring to the post of the regional chief executive of the ERHA. The approved remuneration level for the post — currently €141,412 with effect from 1 January 2004 — was recommended in report No. 38 of the review body on higher remuneration in the public sector which was published in September 2000. The Deputy may wish to note that under section 12(1) of the Health (Eastern Regional Health Authority) Act 1999, the regional chief executive is appointed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority pursuant to a recommendation of the Local Appointments Commissioners. Hence, the other issues raised by the Deputy in her question do not arise in this case.
641 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of children in the care of foster families in the State; and the amount of public finance granted to assist them in 2003. [1090/04]
Foster care is the main form of alternative care for children who cannot, for a number of reasons, be looked after in their own home. In August 2001, the foster care allowance was substantially increased, alleviating the need for foster parents to apply to health boards for every extra financial need of their foster child or children. The current rates of payment are €289.50 per week for a child under 12 years and €316.50 per week for a child of 12 years and over. The number of children in foster care at 31 December 2003 and funding provided to foster carers in 2003 is as follows:
|
Health Board/Authority |
No of Children in Foster Care 31/12/03 |
Funding Provided to Foster Carers |
|
€ |
||
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority |
1,538 |
22.43m |
|
Midland Health Board |
294 |
04.43m |
|
Mid Western Health Board |
428 |
06.21m* |
|
North Eastern Health Board |
310 |
06.54m |
|
North Western Health Board |
170 |
03.75m |
|
Southern Health Board |
635* |
10.35m* |
|
South Eastern Health Board |
400 |
08.31m |
|
Western Health Board |
261 |
04.81m |
|
Totals |
4,036 |
66.83m |
*Please note that figures from MWHB include figures relating to the provision of aftercare and children post adoption.
*Please note that figures from SHB include figures relating to the provision of aftercare.
642 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Health and Children when legislation will be introduced to deal with the regulation of alternative medical practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1120/04]
The Medical Practitioners Act 1978 established the Medical Council as the body responsible for the registration and regulation of the activities of medical practitioners. The activities of those engaged in alternative medicine are not regulated by the council, as the entitlement to registration requires a primary qualification in medicine from a specified body within the State, by a competent body or authority from another EU member state or by virtue of an agreement with a number of other states outside of the EU.
Draft legislative proposals providing for further, wide-ranging amendments to the 1978 Act are currently in the final stages of preparation in my Department, and draft heads of bill are due to be brought to Cabinet in the very near future. One of the primary concerns of the amending legislation will be to provide for increased public protection. A proposed new provision for an improved complaints mechanism will empower the Medical Council to investigate on its own initiative, or at the behest of the Minister or any member of the public, instances or reports of individuals claiming to be medical practitioners or providing services proper only to registered medical practitioners. This would permit the council to report its findings to the Minister and for the council to take appropriate action.
There are currently no proposals to introduce legislation to regulate practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine. However, in order to strengthen the regulatory environment for complementary therapists, my Department convened a forum in June 2001 to examine and explore practical issues involved, with particular regard to ensuring that the public is appropriately informed and guided.
Arising from the work of the forum my Department requested the Institute of Public Administration to prepare a report on proposals for the way forward taking into consideration the formal views of the representative groups that participated in the forum. The report, which was published in November 2002, delivers on action 106 of the Health Strategy — Quality and Fairness, and makes a number of recommendations on proposals for the way forward including the establishment of a working group to examine and consider regulatory issues; the continuation and development of a consultation process; and support for individual therapies in developing or strengthening their systems of self-regulation.
As recommended in the report, I established a national working group in May last year to progress the programme of work set out in the report and address its recommendations in order to advise me on future measures for the regulation of complementary therapists. The working group has met on five occasions and I understand it will be continuing its work in 2004.
643 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will have a replacement hip operation. [1124/04]
The provision of services for people living in County Kerry, is a matter for the Southern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him.
644 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children if arrangements will be made to find a hospital bed for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1125/04]
The provision of health related services for people with physical and or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
645 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons who have received home help services in the North Eastern Health Board area for 2002 and 2003, broken down by each county in the North Eastern Health Board. [1126/04]
I wish to obtain a clear picture of developments of the services for the Deputy and I am arranging collation of the information to be forwarded to the Deputy without delay.
646 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that elderly persons having their health board provided resources reduced, are being told that the reason for this measure is that the health board have inadequate funding to sustain the level of services originally deemed as necessary for their needs by the health board; if he has a strategy to assist the health boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1133/04]
I wish to inform the Deputy that the aim of the home help service is to enable people to remain living at home, where appropriate, who would otherwise need to be cared for in long-stay residential care and that this service is an essential support to families and informal carers. The home help service by its nature is a flexible service which is designed to respond to clients' needs. The service is targeted at high and medium dependency clients in accordance with their assessed need. As a result, therefore, the level of service required in individual cases will fluctuate from time to time. To ensure effective prioritisation of the service, assessments are undertaken at local sector level and are carried out by the public health nursing services.
There are a number of reasons why demand for home help service have been increasing, such as demographic factors. Approximately 6,000 additional people come into the over-65 bracket every year and that there has been a proportionately higher percentage increase in the more dependent over-80 category. These factors may necessitate some minor adjustments in the provision of the home help service. Basically, what this means is that, although a small percentage of clients may have had their hours reduced, this has been counter-balanced by others receiving the service for the first time. I have been assured by all health boards that the provision of the home help service is organised on the basis that the most vulnerable clients are given priority.
The following table illustrates funding allocated to the home help service by health board area in 2003 and the percentage increase in funding for this service as compared with 2000:
|
Authority/Health Board |
Expenditure in 2003 on Home Help Service |
Percentage Increase in Expenditure since 2000 |
|
€ |
% |
|
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority |
21,650,641 |
45.74 |
|
Midland Health Board |
8,671,000 |
147.81 |
|
Mid-Western Health Board |
9,574,315 |
136.62 |
|
North Eastern Health Board |
8,165,391 |
107.05 |
|
North Western Health Board |
8,347,268 |
131.62 |
|
South Eastern Health Board |
9,196,719 |
155.07 |
|
Southern Health Board |
31,300,000 |
154.47 |
|
Western Health Board |
13,513,791 |
122.98 |
|
Total |
110,419,125 |
The total increase in expenditure on the home help service across all health board areas since 2000 is 113.59%. The Deputy might also wish to note that an additional €3.748 million has been allocated by my Department to this service in 2004.
Since my appointment as Minister of State I have been encouraging the authority and the health boards to introduce home care packages including home based subvention for clients applying for nursing home subvention as an alternative to long-stay residential care. The criteria that applies for home based subvention is the same that applies for nursing home subvention. I am pleased to advise that a number of health boards are developing personal care packages that are more focussed on individual care needs, for example, public health nurse service, attendance at day care, day hospital and rehabilitation, and the provision of respite care, home help and care assistance.
In respect of the specific case referred to by the Deputy, the provision of health services in County Wexford rests with the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
647 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the over reliance on residential care for children at risk; and if he will move towards foster families and early intervention particularly at pre-school level. [1179/04]
The emphasis of the Child Care Act 1991 is on supporting children and families in their own communities having regard to the principle that it is generally in the best interests of the child to be brought up in his or her own family. However, children are taken into the care of the health boards or placed voluntarily in care due to a range of family circumstances and health boards have a statutory responsibility to provide appropriate services for these children.
Since 1997, additional revenue funding of approximately €185 million has been invested through the health boards in the development of child welfare and protection services.
The Department of Health and Children collects annual figures in relation to children in care through the interim minimum dataset. Figures for 2001 indicate that there were 3,656 children in foster care, some with extra supports as required, and 569 children in residential care including high support and special care.
As the figures show foster care is the main form of alternative care for children who cannot be looked after in their own home. The essential role of foster carers in providing a home for children and young people whose parents are unable to care for them is well recognised by Government. The working group report on foster care published in 2001 contains a wide range of recommendations designed to ensure that the structures and services necessary to meet the needs of children in foster care, their families and foster carers are strengthened and further developed. The Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the report on a phased basis. Among the recommendations implemented to date are a substantial increase in the foster care allowance and development and publication of national standards for foster care. Pilot inspections by the social services inspectorate of the implementation of the standards are due to commence shortly. These initiatives together with initiatives undertaken by health boards on an ongoing basis will improve the quality of foster care services and encourage new foster care applicants.
Residential care best meets the needs of some children at a particular time in their lives or is sometimes appropriate as a means of keeping a larger sibling group together. As the Deputy may be aware the number of high support and special care places has increased to over 120 to cater for a small group of children who cannot be catered for in mainstream residential care or in foster care. While this has been necessary, I am committed to developing alternative community based services for this group, for example, the youth advocacy pilot projects in the Northern Area Health Board and Western Health Board which commenced in 2002. In addition, extern, a voluntary organisation has agreements with a number of health boards to provide intensive community based services for at risk children. These programmes provide an added dimension to the health boards provision of community based services to meet the needs of at risk children.
All types of residential care are inspected either by the social services inspectorate or the registration and inspection units of the health boards, as appropriate, to ensure and promote a quality standard of care in line with legislation and national standards.
With the shift in policy in recent years to a more preventive approach to child welfare involving support for families and individual children, increased funding has been provided for a wide range of family support projects, preventative services and intensive community based services. These include the springboard initiative and teen parent support programme and a range of programmes developed or supported by health boards ranging from the community mothers scheme to lifestart and homestart and support for pre-school services for at risk children. These projects provide support and practical help to families in a non-stigmatising way. A review of family support services has also been established by my Department which will map out a national policy and plan for the future development of family support services by health boards. This review is expected to report at the end of 2004.
I want to assure the Deputy that I will continue to ensure that the supports are in place to allow children to be cared for by their own family where possible and that care services and in particular residential care services are for as short a period as possible and of a standard which best meets the needs of children in care.
648 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of special care units for children at risk; the number of children currently in special care units; and the number of children seeking a place in these units. [1180/04]
Special care units provide secure care intervention for a small group of non-offending children in need of special care or protection on foot of a court order of detention. The placing of a child in a special care unit should only be considered as a last resort and for as short a period of time as possible when other forms of residential or community care are deemed to be unsuitable.
There are three designated special care units with a total capacity of 30 special care places. These are the Ballydowd special care unit in the eastern region operated by the South Western Area Health Board which provides a national service caring for boys and girls; the Gleann Alainn special care unit in the Southern Health Board area which caters for girls only and Coovagh House special care unit in the Mid-Western Health Board area which opened recently on a phased basis and caters for boys only. The Coovagh House and Gleann Alainn units provide a regional service for the Southern, South Eastern and Mid-Western Health Boards.
I have been informed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards concerned that there are currently eight children in Ballydowd special care unit, one child in Coovagh House special care unit and four children in Gleann Alainn special care unit.
I have also been informed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority that in addition to the eight children currently placed in Ballydowd special care unit, places have been offered to three other children considered to be in need of special care or protection. There is no waiting list for places in Ballydowd special care unit at present. The Mid-Western Health Board has informed me that an application was received recently from the Southern Health Board for the placement of a child in Coovagh House special care unit and this will be considered at the next admission's meeting for the unit. In relation to Gleann Alainn special care unit the Southern Health Board has indicated that there is one girl due to be placed there by the end of January and an application for the placement of another girl is currently being processed.
Occasionally a health board may, because of the particular circumstances of the case and the individual needs of the child, provide an individual special care arrangement and the Western Health Board has informed me that it has one such arrangement in place at present.
The Deputy will be aware that approximately €185 million in additional revenue funding has been invested in the development of child welfare services since 1997. Part of this investment has allowed for significant progress to be made in putting in place services to cater for non-offending children with behavioural problems to obviate the need for special care placement and to facilitate children detained in special care units being stepped down to open residential and community based services as quickly as possible. These include the development of over 80 residential high support places and the putting in place of a number of intensive community based services such as the youth advocacy pilot programmes in the Northern Area Health Board and the Western Health Board and the provision of intensive community services to various health boards by the extern organisation.
649 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding a health care plan for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17 to ensure that this person gets the maximum advice and support. [1181/04]
): Responsibility for the provision of care and treatment of the named individual rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
650 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Health and Children to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1217/04]
The principal activities of my Department during the EU Presidency are set out in a document produced by my Department. A copy of this document will be forwarded directly to the Deputy for his information. In addition to those activities, there are a number of dossiers which I will work to progress during our Presidency.
The priorities for the Presidency in the health area can be summarised as follows: agreement on the EU Commission's proposal to create a European centre for disease prevention and control; promotion of cardiovascular health; progress on the consideration of patient mobility issues at EU level; ratification by Ireland, of the WHO framework convention on tobacco control; progress on the EU Commission's proposals in the area of food law including nutrition and health claims; progress on the development of the EU Commission's environment and health action plan for Europe; initiation of consideration of a new EU health strategy proposal which to be issued by the EU Commission; introduction of the European health insurance card; promotion of the potential of information and communications technology in health (i.e. e-health) focusing on the area of public health and the practical application of methodologies in that area; and retention of a strong focus on tobacco control.
The Presidency events planned, and the work programme in hand, has as an overall objective to enrich our shared knowledge and experience, at EU level, in the protection and improvement of public health. I am particularly determined that these events should have a forward looking perspective, with a view to improving the health and quality of life of EU citizens into the future.
651 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of stem cell lines imported into this country over the past five years; the procedures set down for the importation and use of stem cell lines; the number of such lines which were sourced from embryos and the applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1235/04]
My Department does not have information on the number of stem cells lines imported into the country as there is no system in place for monitoring their importation and use.
A directive of the European Council and Parliament, which will set standards of quality and safety for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage and distribution of human tissues and cells for human application, is reaching its final stage and is expected to be adopted in the coming months. This will have to be transposed into Irish law, in due course.
With regard to embryonic stem cell research, the need for legislation in this sensitive area is among a number of matters currently being examined by the commission on assisted human reproduction. The commission is preparing its report on possible approaches to the regulation of all aspects of assisted human reproduction and the social, ethical and legal factors to be taken into account in determining public policy in this area. It is anticipated that the report of the commission will be completed within the next few months and its recommendations will inform the development of public policy in this area.
652 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if the further information received in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will enable the Department to increase the subvention in this case. [1236/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the provision of health services for this case rests with the Southern Health Board in the first instance. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him, as a matter of urgency.
653 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the back-up support available to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if the Western Health Board will put a care plan in place for them for 2004. [1241/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Galway area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
654 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the child and adolescent psychiatry service provided by the South Eastern Health Board in Wexford is resourced to treat emergency cases only; that there is currently a waiting list of 212 patients who under current arrangements have no prospect of accessing this service in the foreseeable future; if he considers that the service currently provided in Wexford is adequate; if he will indicate how this service compares with that provided by other health boards; if he will provide additional resources to enable the South Eastern Health Board to extend the child and adolescent psychiatry service in Wexford to non-emergency patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1250/04]
: Responsibility for the provision of the services referred to by the Deputy rests with the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
655 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children further to his letter to a person (details supplied), when his Department will be in further contact with the individual involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1265/04]
My Department received an application for a grant from the health and children allocation of national lottery funds on 12 June 2003 from the organisation referred to.
I would like to inform the Deputy that I approved a grant of €20,000 from my Department's 2003 allocation of national lottery funds for this organisation and notified them of my decision on 18 December 2003. The procedures relating to the payment of any grant requires that the relevant tax reference number or charitable status (CHY) number be quoted on any application for a grant. This information was not provided by the organisation and accordingly the finance unit of my Department wrote to the organisation on 31 December 2003 requesting this information.
As soon as the finance unit receives this information, it will enable payment of the grant to be made to the organisation. As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Galway area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
656 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will take steps to have a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath immediately admitted for a hip operation at Tullamore General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1297/04]
Responsibility for the provision of hospital services to residents of County Westmeath rests with the Midland Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position in relation to this case and to reply to the Deputy directly.
657 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason it is proposed not to include regulation of members of the Counselling and Psychotherapy Association for regulation under the proposed Health and Social Care Professionals Bill. [1300/04]
I understand the Deputy is referring to members of the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, IACP. The 13 professions which it is proposed to regulate under the proposed Health and Social Care Professionals Bill have been regulated on a long-standing basis within the public health service — national grading and career structures exist and baseline qualifications have been declared under section 18 of the Health Act 1970 in the majority of cases. This does not pertain in the case of counsellors and psychotherapists in general.
The Deputy may wish to note that under the proposed health and social care professionals bill, the Minister for Health and Children will be empowered to include additional professions into the regulatory system.
658 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children the income guidelines for eligibility for medical cards in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1301/04]
The medical card income guidelines issued by the chief executive officers of the health boards for 2004 are: — effective from 1 January 2004
|
Single Person Living Alone |
|
|
€ |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
142.50 |
|
Aged between 66 — 69 years |
156.00 |
|
Single Person living with Family |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
127.00 |
|
Aged between 66 — 69 years |
134.00 |
|
Married Couple |
|
|
Aged up to 65 years |
206.50 |
|
Aged between 66 — 69 years |
231.00 |
|
Aged between 70 — 79 years |
462.00 |
|
Aged between 80 years and over |
486.00 |
|
Allowances |
|
|
For child under 16 years |
26.00 |
|
For dependant over 16 years with no income maintained by applicant |
27.00 |
|
For out-goings on house (rent etc.) in excess of |
26.00 |
|
Reasonable expenses necessarily incurred in travelling to work in excess of |
23.00 |
Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on residency and means. Under the Health Act, 1970, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board. Other than for persons aged 70 years and over who are automatically entitled to a medical card, medical cards are issued to persons who, in the opinion of the chief executive officer, are unable to provide general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves and their dependants without undue hardship.
Income guidelines are drawn up each year by the health board-authority chief executive officers to assist in the determination of a person's eligibility for a medical card and these are revised annually in line with the consumer price index, CPI. However, it should be noted that the guidelines are not statutorily binding and even though a person's income exceeds the guidelines, a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that his-her medical needs or other circumstances would justify this. It is open to all persons to apply to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board for health services if they are unable to provide these services for themselves or their dependants without hardship.
It should be remembered that health board chief executive officers have discretion in the issuing of medical cards and also that a range of income sources are excluded by the health boards when assessing medical card eligibility. Many allowances such as carer's allowance, child benefit, domiciliary care allowance, family income supplement and foster care allowance are all disregarded when determining a person's eligibility. Given these factors and the discretionary powers of the CEOs, having an income that exceeds the guidelines does not mean that a person will not be eligible for a medical card, and a medical card may still be awarded if the chief executive officer considers that a person's medical needs or other circumstances would justify this.
I am conscious that increases in social welfare rates in recent years have given rise to a situation where such rates may exceed the income guidelines for a medical card. Because of this situation, my Department has written to the chairman of the chief executive officers' group on a number of occasions, most recently on 5 November 2003, asking that he advise the CEOs of my concern that medical card holders should not be disadvantaged by virtue of increases in social welfare payments which may be announced in the forthcoming budget. They were asked to ensure that increases in social welfare payments do not lead to medical card holders losing their medical cards by reference to the income guidelines and to make every effort to ensure that both medical card holders and applicants are made fully aware that increases in social welfare payments will not disadvantage them when applying to hold or retain a medical card.
659 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will respond to issues raised in correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Galway with regard to the regional neurosurgery unit for the west of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1304/04]
663 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will outline the position in regard to the provision of a regional neurosurgery unit for the West of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1328/04]
667 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he has to set up a regional neurosurgery unit for the west of Ireland; the position in this regard; the progress that has been made; the reports that are being compiled on this matter; and when they will be completed. [1358/04]
679 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received the Comhairle na nOspidéal review of the new neurosurgical services here with emphasis on capacity and geographical location; and when the report will be made public. [1425/04]
687 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children when the report by Comhairle na nOspidéal, commissioned in 2000 to review neurosurgical services in Ireland with emphasis on capacity and geographical location, will be published and the recommendations acted upon. [1446/04]
697 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received documentation in respect of the provision of a Regional Neurosurgery Unit for the West of Ireland to be based at the UCHG complex; if his attention has been drawn to a commitment for the provision of a Gamma Knife radiotherapy machine, estimated value US$4 million and a further donation of US$1 million being made available to assist in this process; if he has examined the documentation in respect of this matter; if he has consulted with the Western Health Board in respect of the proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1488/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 659, 663, 667, 679, 687 and 697 together.
As the Deputies are aware, I have asked Comhairle na nOspidéal to carry out a review of neurosurgical services and to prepare a report for my consideration. Comhairle have been asked to focus, in particular, on the provision of adequate capacity and consideration of equity of access to neurosurgical services having regard to best practice in the provision of quality healthcare. I understand that the work of the comhairle committee on neurosurgical services is ongoing .
Decisions in relation to the future development of neurosurgical services will be informed by the comhairle report.
660 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Health and Children if stage III of the planning process for the 50-bed community nursing unit, Tralee, County Kerry, has now been completed; when work will commence on the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1318/04]
The provision of health services in the Kerry area is a matter for the Southern Health Board in the first instance. The board included a proposal to develop a 50 bed community nursing unit in Tralee as part of the National Development Plan 2000-2006 which was submitted to my Department.
A project team was established in May 2001 to progress this development. The project team has identified the preferred site for this development on land attached to Tralee general hospital. The selected site is a three acre site, accessible from the Killerisk road, which will allow for the community nursing unit to be developed independently from the general hospital campus.
The design team has completed the stage three report, which was submitted by the Southern Health Board on the 23 December 2003. My Department is currently examining the submission and will continue to work with the board in progressing this project in line with the board's priorities and funding resources available.
661 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children when orthodontic treatment will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [1319/04]
Responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons in County Limerick rests with the Mid-Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
662 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received a report on the death of a person (details supplied) in a Dublin hospital as a result of complications arising from IVF treatment; if an investigation has been carried out into the case and, if not, if he will recommend that one be initiated; and if his Department has examined this case and its implications for IVF treatment in this State. [1327/04]
First, I would like to convey my deepest sympathy to the family of the woman concerned.
My Department requested a report on this case from the Rotunda Hospital. However, my Department is advised that, as the circumstances surrounding the death of the person concerned are currently the subject of an inquest under the jurisdiction of the Dublin city coroner, the hospital is not in a position at this stage to provide my Department with a report. It would be inappropriate, therefore, for me to make any comment on the case at this stage.
664 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if any assistance is available towards the training of ambulance personnel, with particular reference to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who started their training on 12 January 2004 at St. Mary's Phoenix Park, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1329/04]
Responsibility for the training of ambulance personnel and any related matters rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
665 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if a bereavement room will be provided at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny; if the SEHB have sought funding for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1330/04]
The provision of services at St. Luke's Hospital, County Kilkenny, is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him.
666 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department will issue a comprehensive response to persons (details supplied) in County Kilkenny regarding the educational and medical care entitlements of their child who has autism. [1341/04]
Responsibility for the provision of health related support services to people with an intellectual disability and those with autism in the Kilkenny region rests with the South Eastern Health Board. Therefore, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
668 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide full details of the assessment of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo which led to the reduction of his home help hours in 2003, particularly in view of the incident which occurred over the Christmas period which has left this person injured and in hospital. [1359/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Mayo area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
669 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called to Merlin Park for a hip replacement operation. [1360/04]
The provision of medical services to residents of County Mayo is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position in relation to this case and reply to the Deputy directly.
670 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called to Galway for an MRI scan on their back. [1361/04]
The provision of medical services to residents of County Mayo is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its chief executive officer to investigate the position of the case and to reply to the Deputy directly.
671 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the funding provided from his Department towards the landslide in north Mayo. [1362/04]
The Western Health Board provides community services that are funded by my Department. An officer of the board, together with a senior psychologist, attended a public meeting concerning the landslide in Pollathomas on 3 October 2003. They made themselves available for consultation to any member of the community who wished to do so. The board have provided the local community with a contact number for counselling services if they wish to avail of them in the future.
672 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of meetings held by the Western Health Board in the year 2003, including associated meetings, sub-meetings, conferences and other events; where the meetings were held; who attended; the travel expenses paid; the overtime or subsistence if any that was paid for those in attendance; and the amount of money that was paid for hotels or premises used for the meetings or conferences. [1363/04]
Responsibility for the volume and cost of all meetings held by the Western Health Board rests with it. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him.
673 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Health and Children when a decision will be taken in respect of the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24 in light of the anxiety of staff and the community that action be taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1376/04]
The provision of health centres to meet the needs of local communities within its functional area, is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority. Recently the authority submitted proposals for the development of the centre. My Department will soon complete its consideration of the proposals in the context of its overall capital priorities for 2004. It will then be in a better position to communicate with the ERHA about progressing the project.
674 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will work closely with the Spina Bifida Association, St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, and the health board to see if the Spina Bifida Association could secure some land for a respite care centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1383/04]
The provision of health related services, including respite care centres, for people with physical and/or sensory disabilities is a matter for the ERHA and the health boards in the first instance. The Deputy's question has been referred to the authority's CEO with a request that he examine the matter and reply to him directly, as a matter of urgency.
675 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the filling of the post of consultant physician with a special interest in rheumatology in the Western Health Board area; the number of posts that will be filled; when the physicians will be appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1389/04]
678 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will approve the appointment of three rheumatologists to cater for patient needs in the WHB region and a paediatric rheumatologist; the additional rheumatology services that will be provided in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1394/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 675 and 678 together.
The expansion of existing rheumatology services is initially a matter for the health boards or the Eastern Regional Health Authority. It is based on the relative priority accorded to the service by the agencies and in light of available funding.
Comhairle na nOspidéal is the statutory body responsible for regulating the number and type of appointments of consultant medical staff in hospitals and services are provided under the Health Acts. In 1995 it carried out a review of rheumatology and rehabilitation services. At present it is examining the Irish Society of Rheumatology's report Rheumatology Manpower Report 2002. It examines the current state of rheumatology services and identifies the resources needed to develop the service.
My Department and I shall consider future planning requirements in the context of the Comhairle examination.
676 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people in the Western Health Board area waiting for treatment in the rheumatalogy department in University College Hospital, Galway, Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, County Galway and Roscommon Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1390/04]
My Department does not routinely collect this type of data. It has asked the CEO of the Western Health Board to collate the information and to reply directly to the Deputy.
677 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be called for a spinal fusion operation at Beaumont Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1393/04]
The provision of medical services to residents of County Roscommon is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the case and to reply directly to the Deputy.
680 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when adequate resources, as identified in the Harmon Review 2000, will be made available for people with physical and sensory disabilities; when funding will be made available for the 21 positions identified in the WHB area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1427/04]
725 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason €100,000, recommended in the Harmon review of 2002, has not been made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1660/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 680 and 725 together.
The development of health related support services to people with physical and sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Priorities for the allocation of funding available for the development of such services are decided by the health boards in consultation with boards regional co-ordinating committees for physical and sensory disabilities. Voluntary sector service providers and consumers are represented on the co-ordinating committees.
The Deputies questions have been referred to the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board with a request that she examine these matters and reply directly to the Deputies, as a matter of urgency.
681 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called to Merlin Park Hospital for a hip operation. [1428/04]
The provision of medical services to residents of County Mayo is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the case and to reply directly to the Deputy.
682 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of ambulances in Castlebar, County Mayo; the registration number of same to indicate their age; if an ambulance broke down during a recent emergency case in the west Mayo area; when funding will be made available to provide new ambulances for Castlebar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1429/04]
Responsibility for the provision of ambulance services in County Mayo rests with the WHB. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
683 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will appoint a consultant neurologist to Waterford Regional Hospital in view of a recommendation in the recent Comhairle na nOspidéal report on neurology services here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1438/04]
685 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children his proposals in regard to the provision of neurological services for Waterford Regional Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1441/04]
695 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the current ratio is one consultant neurologist per 280,000 of population in the health service; that the recommendation of the Irish Consultant Neurologists Association is one consultant neurologist per 100,000 of population; that catering for a population of 450,000 people in the South Eastern Health Board area, Waterford Regional Hospital would require the services of 4.5 consultant neurologists according to the ICNA recommendation; that Waterford Regional Hospital has no consultant neurologist on staff even though it has had a state of the art MRI scanner for the past two years; his plans to address the serious deficit in services for people residing in the SEHB area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1470/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 683, 685 and 695 together.
Recently Comhairle na nOspidéal published its report of the committee to review neurology and neurophysiology services. I am happy to endorse its recommendations for a significant enhancement of services, including increases in consultant manpower. The report also recognises that there are aspects of a number of other specialties and services such as rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine and old age psychiatry that are related to an overlap with neurology services. Comhairle has recommended that a national multidisciplinary review of rehabilitation services be undertaken to further inform the policy framework on the development of neurology services.
Consistent with this recommendation, and in line with commitments in the national health strategy, a national action plan for rehabilitation services is currently being prepared by my Department. It will set out a programme to meet existing shortfalls in services and to integrate specialised facilities with locally based follow-up services. The rehabilitation action plan, together with the Comhairle report and the work undertaken by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland through its own publications, will offer a comprehensive policy framework for the future development of neurology and neurophysiology services here.
My Department will continue to work closely with the alliance and with the Irish Consultant Neurologists Association on the future development of services. The implementation of the Comhairle recommendations will be progressed having regard to the evolving policy framework in the area, competing funding priorities and the report of the national task force on medical staffing.
684 Mr. Ardagh asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will examine why results of smear tests for women take over four months to process; and his proposals to expedite the matter, particularly because this is unacceptable for young women in a high risk category. [1439/04]
Waiting times associated with the cervical cytology service in the eastern region is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The details of the individual were supplied by the Deputy. They have been sent to the regional chief executive of the ERHA with a request that the matter be investigated and that he issue a response directly to her. The authority has stated that if a test is notified as clinically urgent, results will usually be returned within one to three weeks. Waiting times can vary between four and 16 weeks for routine screening.
Over recent years I have provided additional funding to support the ongoing development of cervical cytology laboratory and coloscopy services within the ERHA. This was done with a view to achieving improved services, in particular, waiting times for cervical smear test results. In 2004 additional funding of €0.440 million was allocated to the ERHA as part of a programme of continued investment in the area.
The authority's objective is to reduce the turnaround time for processing routine smears. The initiatives taken include overtime, faster screening technology in the region and the outsourcing of cervical cytology to external laboratories.
The authority allocated additional funding to its screening agencies to introduce liquid based technology. This involved investment in new equipment and at present all staff, from smear takers to laboratory staff, are being trained to use it. Liquid based cytology smears are easier and quicker to screen but the cost of consumables is more expensive than the traditional PAP method. It is expected that the additional expense will be balanced by a quicker screening time and a reduction in processing time.
686 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the average cost of treating patients in accident and emergency departments in each of the major Dublin teaching hospitals. [1445/04]
The following tabular statement outlines the average cost of treating such patients. The cost per attendance relates to 2002, the latest year for which data is available and is based on cost and activity information provided by each hospital.
|
Hospital |
€ |
|
Adelaide, Meath and National Children's |
205 |
|
Beaumont |
210 |
|
James Connolly Memorial |
343 |
|
Mater Misericordiae |
197 |
|
St. James's |
262 |
|
St. Vincent's |
256 |
The cost per attendance includes direct pay and non-pay costs together with allocations of various medical services, laboratories and overheads such as maintenance and administration.
There are a number of factors that influence the cost per attendance. For example, cost allocation methodology and physical layout of a department. A major factor is the number of patients attending. The number of attendances for the hospitals listed above ranges between 25,868 for the James Connolly Memorial Hospital to 72,678 for the Adelaide, Meath and National Children's Hospital.
Hospitals must always be able to treat complex emergency cases. It is a major fixed cost in the running of an accident and emergency department. This, together with the throughput issue, are the main reasons for the variation in cost per attendance outlined above.
688 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of straitjackets in the possession of the health boards and other agencies funded by the State and involved in the care and treatment of prisoners, persons with psychiatric illnesses and persons with intellectual disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1451/04]
689 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the legislation, rules and regulations covering the use of straitjacket in hospitals and other institutions; if he will supply a copy of the rules and regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1452/04]
691 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some psychiatric hospitals incarcerate patients in a silent room; his views on it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1454/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 688, 689 and 691 together.
The use of seclusion and mechanical constraint has been largely eliminated from mental health care. However, in a small number of instances such measures are utilised as a last resort. In The Guidelines on Good Practice and Quality Assurance in Mental Health Services, issued to service providers by the inspector of mental hospitals, the proper safeguards and precautions governing the use, as a last resort, of seclusion and mechanical constraint are outlined. Some recommendations are as follows: only a consultant psychiatrist may prescribe such treatments in writing; the decision should be reviewed every six hours; a patient should be visited by a nurse and observations recorded and documented every 15 minutes; and a separate care plan must be maintained for patients where such measures are required, recording information on events and the actual behaviour and interventions used prior to the episode.
Recently the Mental Health Commission appointed Dr. Teresa Carey to the new position of inspector of mental health services. It replaces the office of inspector of mental hospitals. The inspector is required to visit and inspect all approved centres at least once a year. She will monitor implementation of the guidelines during her annual inspection of each service.
In recent times many psychiatric hospitals and acute units provide multi-sensory rooms for patients where a calm and quiet atmosphere is created to help patients relax. Such facilities are most helpful to patients.
690 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people resident in psychiatric hospitals who have been diagnosed as suffering from a form of autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1453/04]
The following tabular statement outlines the number of autistic persons in psychiatric hospitals in April 2003.
|
Health Board |
Numbers |
|
ERHA |
2 |
|
Midland |
none |
|
Mid-Western |
2 |
|
North Eastern |
none |
|
North Western |
2 |
|
South Eastern |
8 |
|
Southern |
none |
|
Western |
2 |
|
Total |
16 |
Question No. 691 answered with QuestionNo. 688.
692 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the cost of the hospice unit attached to the Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar, County Mayo; its patient numbers for the past three years; when it will reopen; the progress that has been made to date in the recruitment of suitable medical officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1456/04]
693 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide a copy of the advertisement for the recruitment of medical officers for the Mayo and Roscommon hospice unit attached to the Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar, County Mayo; if he will provide details of the full remuneration package on offer for the position; and if he will confirm if the salary is the reason it is proving difficult to recruit suitable personnel. [1457/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 692 and 693 together.
Responsibility for the provision of health services in County Mayo rests with the Western Health Board. It has advised my Department that the hospice unit was officially opened on 23 January 1999. The cost of refurbishing it amounted to €222,204.16 and it consists of two inpatient beds. Its occupancy rates when it was open were in the region of 95%. Unfortunately, the inpatient beds have not been available for some time due to the absence of a medical officer.
The board has had difficulty in filling the post of medical director to service the hospice unit. It was advertised in the national newspapers on three previous occasions. The advertisements contained details of the remuneration package available. It is in line with national pay rates for the grade. The board is in the process of readvertising the post in conjunction with a post of general practitioner for the Foxford-Straide area. It hopes that the new advertisement will generate a positive response and the post will be filled.
694 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive orthodontic treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1461/04]
Responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons in County Mayo rests with the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matter and to reply to the Deputy.
696 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by pharmacists at the implications of EU Directive 85/433/EC that gives member states the option of not recognising the qualification of an EU or EEA qualified pharmacist in relation to ownership, management or supervision of a pharmacy that is less than three years old, while no such restriction applies to pharmacists from outside the EU or EEA area; if he intends to take steps to address this anomaly during the Irish Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1487/04]
Through the derogation available under Article 2.2 of Directive 85/433/EEC on the free movement of pharmacists, EU or EEA pharmacists who qualified in another EU or EEA state cannot own in their own right, operate or manage a pharmacy in Ireland that is less than three years old.
The derogation was implemented in Ireland through the European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications In Pharmacy) Regulations 1987 (S.I. No. 239 of 1987) and European Communities (Recognition of Qualifications In Pharmacy) Regulations 1991 (S.I . No. 330 of 1991). These regulations do not preclude such pharmacists from working in a pharmacy less than three years old, other than as a supervising pharmacist.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland is responsible for the registration of pharmacists and for the recognition of non-EU pharmacy qualifications. It currently has reciprocal arrangements with its counterparts in Australia and New Zealand that recognises the pharmacy qualifications of these countries. Therefore, the EU derogation does not apply to pharmacists from those countries.
The pharmacy review group considered the issue of the derogation and I am examining the complex legal and other issues surrounding its recommendations. Consideration will be given to Ireland's use of the derogation on completion of my examination.
698 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 will receive an urgently needed hand rail for which they have been waiting a considerable period. [1489/04]
The provision of health services in the Dublin 8 area is the responsibility of the South Western Area Health Board. It acts under the aegis of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has asked the authority's CEO to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
699 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a bed will be made available in St. Luke's Hospital, Dublin, for a person (details supplied) from County Mayo. [1490/04]
The provision of medical services to residents of County Mayo is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the case and to reply to the Deputy.
700 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will sanction the payment of a grant to Rehab Care for €15,000 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1491/04]
Responsibility for the provision of funding for services to persons with autism or intellectual disability in the Kildare region lies with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy.
701 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will prevent the large-scale recruitment of nurses from India which. It is a developing country and its need for nurses is greater than ours. [1492/04]
My Department's policy on the recruitment of overseas nurses is set out in Guidance for Best Practice on the Recruitment of Overseas Nurses and Midwives published in 2001. It covers all aspects of the recruitment process including planning, staff selection, visas and work permits, provision of advice before leaving home, the procedures for gaining registration in Ireland and induction, orientation and adaptation on arrival. It was developed by a committee of experts from Departments and the health service employers and represents current best practice. The guiding principles underlying the policies are quality, ethical recruitment, equity, inclusiveness and promotion of nursing as a career.
Supports provided to overseas nurses arriving to work in the health service include supervised clinical practice, orientation and assessment. A full-time clinical placement co-ordinator is employed to facilitate this. Nurses are paid at the minimum point of the staff nurse scale during this period and are given full incremental credit for relevant nursing experience following registration. Overseas nurses enjoy the same employment protection as Irish and EU nurses and have the same career development supports and opportunities.
Employers are required to assist overseas nurses in obtaining registration with An Bord Altranais and work permits, visas and work authorisations can also be provided. Employers should provide subsidised accommodation for six weeks following arrival and assist nurses in securing long-term private accommodation.
In 2000 the chairperson of the Dublin academic teaching hospitals recruitment and retention group met officials from the Ministry for Health in India. It positively supports recruitment of nurses from India by the Irish health service.
Overseas nurses are making an invaluable contribution to the health service and we are pleased to have them. Overseas nurses gain good professional experience while in Ireland and it will enhance their contribution to nursing when they return home.
702 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person over the age of 65 years is not entitled to a motorised transport grant; if the age limit complies with age discrimination legislation; the plans he has to review the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1512/04]
The guidelines for the motorised transport grant were revised in July 2002, in accordance with recommendations by the national health board working group on disability related allowances-grants that came under the aegis of my Department.
The revised circular states that all health boards may pay a grant towards the purchase of a car and-or to a car being purchased by a person with a severe disability who is 17 years or older and up to 65 years of age to be adapted, where such a car is essential for him or her to obtain or retain employment. Self-employed persons who satisfy the criteria of eligibility may also be considered subject to the above age limits. In cases where application is made on the basis of obtaining or retaining employment or self-employment, the board must be satisfied that the applicant is capable of holding down a job, has the physical capacity to drive the vehicle and is qualified to hold a full or provisional driver's licence. Qualified persons with a disability who are incapable of driving or who have been medically advised not to drive, and must be driven to and from his or her place of employment will only be considered eligible for a grant provided that he or she will be driven by another named person to and from his or her place of employment. The car must be purchased in the name of the person with a disability. The grant may also be considered in exceptional circumstances for a person with a severe disability, subject to the above age limits, who lives in a remote location and whose disability impedes him or her from using public transport.
The grant is primarily aimed at people with disabilities to enable them to obtain or retain employment. Therefore, it is felt the upper age limit of 65 years of age is appropriate. The working group has made various recommendations about age limits and eligibility criteria for the grant. At present my Department is examining the issue of age limits for mobility related allowances.
703 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department is planning to employ marketing consultants to sell the main recommendations of the recent Hanly report; the amount the Department intends to spend on the consultants' services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1522/04]
Recently my Department invited expressions of interest from relevant consultancies to participate in a tendering process for a public relations and information campaign for the report of the national task force on medical staffing. Last December the invitation was placed on the Government procurement website, in line with EU procurement guidelines.
A number of firms have been invited to submit tenders for the contract. The total amount to be spent on the contract will depend on the tenders submitted. The contract specification envisages that the contract will involve approximately 100 working days. My Department anticipates that it will be awarded within the next four weeks.
704 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if a special housing aid for the elderly scheme grant can be paid to persons (details supplied) in County Mayo considering that their child no longer lives with them. [1528/04]
The provision of health services in the Mayo area is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
705 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when persons (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved assistance from the WHB under the special housing aid for the elderly scheme, considering they applied for help last August. [1529/04]
The provision of health services in the Mayo area is the responsibility of the WHB. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
706 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will expedite an operation for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny to have cataracts removed at Ardkeen Hospital, Waterford; and if he will explain the reason that there is an eight month waiting list. [1559/04]
The provision of services for people living in County Kilkenny is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him.
707 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will expedite an operation for a person (details supplied) to remove cataracts at Ardkeen Hospital, Waterford; and if an appointment for a scan will be arranged at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny. [1560/04]
The provision of services for people living in County Carlow is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked its CEO to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy.
708 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the reasons for the delay in providing an occupational therapy report in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who is an applicant under the disabled person's grant scheme; and if he will expedite an assessment given the hardship of the case and the medical circumstances of those involved. [1562/04]
The provision of health related services, including occupational therapy, for people with physical and-or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. My Department has asked the CEO of the South Eastern Health Board to examine the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
709 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will expedite an application for a medical card for a person in County Kilkenny on medical grounds. [1563/04]
Responsibility for the provision of a medical card is, by legislation, a matter for the CEO of the relevant health board or authority. My Department has asked the CEO of the South Eastern Health Board to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy.
710 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to upgrade the health centre located in Thomastown, County Kilkenny, as part of the need to improve infrastructure on foot of the decentralisation programme announced by the Government for Thomastown; if he will examine other sites now available in Thomastown with a view to relocating the centre and improving the services offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1564/04]
The provision of health centres to meet the needs of local communities within its functional area, is a matter for the relevant health board or the Eastern Regional Health Authority in line with funding available under the national development plan. In the case of the centre at Thomastown, County Kilkenny, this responsibility rests with the South Eastern Health Board.
I have been advised that that health board is aware of the limitations of the present structure with regards to the provision of services and is actively pursuing the acquisition of an alternative site in Thomastown in order to relocate the health centre. The board has also indicated that it will take account of the potential implications of decentralisation when planning any new developments.
711 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the reasons a medical card was refused in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny ; and if he will arrange an appeal in this case. [1565/04]
Responsibility for the provision of a medical card is, by legislation, a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board or authority. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
712 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of files for 1973 in his Department released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; and the subject matter of the files withheld. [1586/04]
Before the Department can transfer its records to the National Archives, it must update its file tracking system and log all holdings, active and inactive onto a database. This work commenced in September 2003 and is ongoing at present. It is due to be completed by the end of 2004. However, the Department has been in contact with the National Archives since mid-2003 with a view to transferring all relevant outstanding records as soon as possible.
It is estimated that the Department would have in the region of 30,000 files covering a wide range of health and personal social services that may be suitable for release to the National Archives under the 30 year rule.
Files that would be withheld would be those files that are in current use, especially those files that are required for various tribunals, inquiries and commissions. Files would also be withheld in relation to personal records in respect of persons who have been in the care of the State as children, for which the Department has a large number of requests under the Freedom of Information Acts. The Department is also undertaking the microfilming of files, which will enable the Department to address its responsibility under the National Archives Act by retaining the microfilm and releasing the actual file.
713 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will approve €130,000 for the provision of an ambulance base in west Roscommon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1589/04]
Responsibility for the provision of ambulance services in County Roscommon rests with the Western Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
714 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide the Western Health Board with the funding for a 24 hour ambulance base at Ballinasloe, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1590/04]
Responsibility for the provision of ambulance services in County Galway rests with the Western Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
715 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the changes with regard to payment of mobility allowance on the application for a motorised transport grant. [1594/04]
The national health board review group on Department of Health and Children disability allowances and grant schemes was established to review certain Department of Health and Children disability allowances and grant schemes. The review group finalised draft circulars, which were issued by the Department of Health and Children to all health boards in July 2002, to standardise the procedures used at all health board levels for the operation of the various allowances and grants. The circular confirms the purpose of mobility allowance as an allowance that: "provides financial support to eligible people who are unable to walk or use public transport and is intended to enable them to benefit from a change in surroundings — for example, by financing the occasional taxi journey."
The circular on the motorised transport grant states:
a Health Board may pay a grant towards the purchase of a car and/or adaptions to a car being purchased by a person with a severe disability who is 17 years or older and up to 65 years of age, where such a car is essential for him/her to obtain or retain employment. Self-employed persons who satisfy the criteria of eligibility may also be considered (subject to the above age limits).
Therefore the two schemes are mutually exclusive.
Furthermore, the 1968 circular on motorised transport grant stated: "the making of grants should be on the condition that the health authority will not be called upon at any future date to contribute towards the running expenses."
The revised motorised grant circulars reiterate this position by confirming that:
The payment of a motorised transport grant is subject to the condition that the health board will not be called upon at any future date to contribute towards the running costs of the vehicle. In this context, a mobility allowance recipient cannot qualify for the motorised transport grant. Similarly, a person who has received the motorised transport grant in the previous three years cannot qualify for mobility allowance. Where a mobility allowance recipient wishes to avail of a motorised transport grant, mobility allowance should cease from the date of payment of the motorised transport grant."
716 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will receive an appointment for a hip operation in view of the fact that this person is in constant and serious pain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1611/04]
Responsibility for the provision of health services to persons residing in County Kildare rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
717 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children , further to parliamentary Question No. 225, the reason the person has not yet received repayments due from the Department for which this person applied in August 2003. [1612/04]
I have had inquiries made in the matter and I understand that payment has now issued to the person concerned.
718 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children if a domiciliary allowance has been allocated to a person (details supplied); if all arrears have been paid in regard to the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1613/04]
The assessment of entitlement to and payment of the domiciliary care allowance, including the payment of arrears, in any individual case is a matter for the relevant health board. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive, Eastern Regional Health Authority, to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply directly to him.
719 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children when will a person (details supplied) in County Kildare receive a date for a foot operation at Naas General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1614/04]
Responsibility for the provision of health services to persons residing in County Kildare rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
720 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the delay in reopening the dental clinic in Ballyforan, County Roscommon; if it is acceptable that parents and children have to wait nearly 12 months following the last clinic to find out the future of the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1629/04]
As the Deputy is aware, the provision of dental services to eligible persons in County Roscommon is the statutory responsibility of the Western Health Board in the first instance. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter.
721 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the mileage on each operational ambulance in the Western Health Board area, the location of each ambulance and its associated mileage; the plans he has to increase the funding provided to the health board to upgrade its fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1630/04]
The Western Health Board is responsible for the provision of ambulance services in its functional area. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
722 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the Western Health Board received the smallest percentage increase in its letter of determination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1631/04]
The 2004 determination for the Western Health Board is €780.059 million, which is an increase on 9.98% over the 2003 revised base determination. The method used for deciding on the determination for any health board relates to the base level of approved funding being carried over from the previous year, increased by overall adjustments for specific services, pay increases, demand led schemes, casemix and inflation factors and other service developments, together with once-off funding not repeated in the current year. The decisions on the determinations are informed by ongoing discussions during the previous year between health boards and my Department in the context of delivering services within the approved budget.
While adjustments for technical items — pay issues and inflation — are applied on a consistent basis across boards, specific service adjustments are determined by policy considerations and the needs of individual catchment areas. Such decisions can affect the base determination, the current year determination and the comparison as between those. As I understand from preliminary figures for 2003, the board, once again, performed very well against its service plan targets and financial budget. In particular, acute hospital output increased over 2002 levels (based on the latest available data) and, overall, it gained some €1.66 million in the casemix adjustments in 2004. The Western Health Board gained more than any other board for the casemix adjustment for 2004. The adjustments made to the Western Health Board determination for 2004 are entirely consistent with the approach taken with other boards and health agencies.
723 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the staffing complement in the accident and emergency unit at the County Hospital, Roscommon; the planned staffing complement following the opening of the new accident and emergency facility next month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1632/04]
The provision of medical services, including accident and emergency services at the County Hospital, Roscommon, is the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position in relation to this matter and reply to the Deputy directly.
724 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a file (details supplied) in the possession of the Western Health Board is not available to the family, even though the allegations were found to be untrue; the reason this family have been told on numerous occasions that this file is not available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1649/04]
Responsibility for the matter referred to by the Deputy rests with the Western Health Board. Accordingly, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to reply directly to the Deputy.
726 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide a 24 hour on-call CAT scan service at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny; the procedure in place at present for scans which are required outside of the hours of service; the location used and the costs involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1664/04]
The provision of services at St Luke's Hospital, County Kilkenny, is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him.
727 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to reports (details supplied) that treatments could be provided for Parkinson's disease in Beaumont Hospital, but the treatment is not being made available because his Department has not designated the treatment as a speciality to be developed and assigned the health board resources required; and if he will rethink his Departments attitude to this treatment. [1672/04]
Services at Beaumont Hospital are provided under an arrangement with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the authority to examine the issue raised and to reply to the Deputy directly.
728 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children to give the maximum support and assistance to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who is on a waiting list for dental surgery; and if he will make this a priority. [1673/04]
Responsibility for the provision of dental services to eligible persons in Dublin 5 rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
729 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the lack of services in the mid-west area for persons with diabetes, particularly for children; when a podiatrist will be appointed to the Mid-Western Health Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1676/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services for persons with diabetes and for recruitment issues arising rests, in this instance, with the Mid-Western Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer to examine the matters raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
730 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children when a reply will issue to Parliamentary Question No. 313 of 21 October 2003 with regard to the provision of an occupational therapist for County Kerry; and if the Minister's attention has been drawn to the fact that in one school alone, nine children are being deprived of this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1694/04]
The provision of health related services, including occupational therapy services, to people with physical and-or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. A reply to Parliamentary Question No. 313 of 21 October 2003 was issued by the Southern Health Board on 11 November last. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board to update the Deputy on this matter.
731 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called for physiotherapy. [1705/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Mayo area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Western Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
732 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received the report of the Men's Health Forum in Ireland; if he will act upon its recommendations for the establishment of an advisory group for men's health for all Ireland, research and data collection, policy development and increased training, awareness and resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1706/04]
The health strategy, Quality and Fairness — A Health System For You, calls for the development of a policy for men's health and health promotion. The national health promotion strategy 2000-2005 also identified the development of a national plan for men's health as an important initiative. In this regard, the health promotion unit of my Department has supported the appointment of a men's health research officer, in the South Eastern Health Board, to research the role of gender and masculinity on Irish men's concept of health, their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes to health and illness, health behaviours and risk behaviours, and the barriers that Irish men perceive in accessing the health services.
The health promotion unit has also commenced a consultation process with all relevant stakeholders, including the Men's Health Forum, for the development of the men's health policy. The outcome of this consultation process and the findings of the research will inform the development of the policy.
733 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24 who attended the accident and emergency department at Tallaght hospital on 30 December 2003 and was diagnosed with meningitis; if his attention was further drawn to the fact that they were kept waiting for five and a half hours in the accident and emergency department during which time other patients were vulnerable to catching the illness; if there are procedures in place for the treatment of persons with infectious illnesses in accident and emergency wards; if these procedures are being adhered to; his views on whether they need to be reviewed in view of this incident; if his attention has been drawn to similar cases; and if so, the nature of those cases. [1707/04]
Responsibility for the funding of services at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children's Hospital at Tallaght rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
734 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount spent by the Northern Area Health Board in each of the past five years in respect of compensation paid or legal costs arising from cases taken regarding bullying or anti-social behaviour in the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1754/04]
Responsibility for compensation and legal costs incurred rests in this instance with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore requested the regional chief executive to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
735 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason it took from 1 January 2004, when they were first notified, until 15 January 2004 to get a bed for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo into Beaumont Hospital; and if he will investigate this matter. [1755/04]
The provision of hospital services for persons resident in County Mayo is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position and to reply directly to the Deputy.
736 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called to Galway for an assessment for a cataract operation; and when their surgery will take place. [1756/04]
The provision of hospital services for persons resident in County Mayo is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position and to reply directly to the Deputy.
737 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Health and Children if approval and funding will be made available to the submission made by Carrigoran House and the Clare Alzheimer's dementia care services for a day Alzheimer's unit at Carrigoran House; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1762/04]
Responsibility for the provision of health services in County Clare is a matter for the Mid-Western Health Board in the first instance. The board has advised my Department that dementia services in Clare are currently under review and that a number of different groups, including Carrigoran House and the Clare Branch of the Alzheimer's Society, have made submissions in this regard. The board has further advised that these submissions are currently being examined in the context of the board's overall plan for the development of dementia services in County Clare and that a proposal for the development of dementia services in County Clare will be forwarded to my Department in due course.
738 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress in implementing the recommendations of the Bonner report on Monaghan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1763/04]
794 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress he has made in having the Bonner report implemented in Monaghan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2262/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 738 and 794 together.
On 25 July 2003 I published the report of Mr. Kevin Bonner on Monaghan General Hospital. I indicated, at that time, my acceptance of the main recommendation of the report that Monaghan General Hospital should continue to play a vital role in the delivery of acute hospital services to the local community within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. I have also accepted that additional services can be developed at the hospital to the benefit of the local community. In particular, I welcomed the proposals in the report aimed at strengthening the management capacity of the hospital within the Cavan-Monaghan group. The central involvement of consultant staff within this new structure is a very significant development which should enhance the ability of the group to deliver high quality services.
Mr. Bonner has recognised in his report that the pattern of acute hospital service delivery is changing worldwide and that Monaghan hospital's best guarantee for the future is to participate in and accept those changes which will ensure its future viability. In this context, the report's recommendations in relation to the range and configuration of acute services to be delivered within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group are appropriate for consideration by the North Eastern Health Board.
In this regard, my Department is informed that the North Eastern Health Board has set up a project group to implement the findings of the Bonner report and that a project manager has been appointed to support the group. The project group is due to meet tomorrow 28 January, 2004.
The recently published national task force on medical staffing — Hanly — report will further inform decisions in relation to the future configuration of acute hospital services. The task force was asked to make recommendations about how to best organise hospital medical staffing within the hospital system, having regard to the requirement of the European working time directive to reduce the average weekly working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors and the recommendations of the Forum on Medical Manpower.
In accordance with the recommendations in the Bonner report, I am making additional capital funding available to the North Eastern Health Board under the national development plan. In this context, my Department has recently received proposals from the board on capital needs at Monaghan General Hospital in areas such as refurbishment, fire precaution and other health and safety measures. My Department is currently examining these proposals.
739 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if the maximum advice, assistance and support will be given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 when they return home after being ill. [1764/04]
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that there are a range of community supports in place for patients when discharged from hospital. Since my appointment as Minister of State, I have encouraged the authority and the health boards to develop their services to more focused individual care need e.g. public health nurse service, attendance at day care, day hospital and rehabilitation, and the provision of respite care, home help and care assistance, which also provided for home based subvention as an alternative to long-stay residential care.
The level of support provided depends on the persons needs, age, family supports, etc. The normal procedure on discharge from hospital, an individual's needs are assessed by their own GP in consultation with the geriatrician and the public health nurse, where necessary.
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Dublin 5 area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Northern Area Health Board acting under the aegis of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
740 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon has had their appointment for a medical procedure cancelled on three separate occasions at the children's hospital, Crumlin; if the current appointment will be honoured; if he has satisfied himself with the level of cancellation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1779/04]
The provision of hospital services for persons resident in County Roscommon is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position and to reply directly to the Deputy.
741 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the residential services, community services and respite services available to people suffering from Alzheimer's disease in each of the three counties in the Western Health Board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1780/04]
As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for the provision of health services for people with Alzheimer's disease is, in the first instance a matter for the Western Health Board. The board has advised my Department that residential services for people with Alzheimer's disease are provided throughout the board's area in community nursing units and long stay hospitals. In addition, specialist residential facilities are available in St. Brigid's Hospital, Ballinasloe, St. Brendan's Hospital, Loughrea, and St. Anne's unit, Castlebar. The West of Ireland Alzheimer's Association, which is grant-aided by the board, also provides long-stay residential services at Maryfield House in Athenry.
The board has further advised that community based services are provided throughout its functional area through assessment and support by nursing staff and also through the provision of day care services. The West of Ireland Alzheimer's Association also provides home care and day care services.
Respite services are provided in the board's community nursing units and long stay units where approximately 47 beds are available for the provision of respite care. The West of Ireland Alzheimer's Association also provides respite care in Ballindine and Athenry.
742 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children if State enrolled nurses trained in the UK are eligible for recognition here; if not, the inadequacies of such training which might be required to bring them up to the category of State registered nurses, or equivalent trained qualifications from Irish teaching hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1791/04]
The state enrolled nurse, SEN, qualification is a United Kingdom qualification which is not recognised in this country. The qualification was awarded following successful completion of a two year training programme. This programme, which is no longer provided in the UK, did not meet the minimum theoretical and clinical instruction requirements as set out in the relevant EU directives on nurse education programmes.
Persons who have obtained the SEN qualification must undertake a nursing conversion programme in the United Kingdom in order to qualify for registration as a nurse in Ireland. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide such a programme here because the rules of the UK regulatory authority for nursing only allow for a maximum of 10% of the clinical component of the programme to take place outside the United Kingdom.
I introduced a special initiative in February 2001 to assist state enrolled nurses undertaking nursing conversion programmes in the United Kingdom. Under this initiative any SEN working in the Irish health service who wishes to undertake such a programme is entitled to receive a non means-tested grant of €7,618 towards the costs involved in attending the programme in the United Kingdom. Payment of the grant is subject to the person in question giving a written undertaking that s/he will work as a nurse in the Irish health service following registration with An Bord Altranais. Some 110 SENs have benefited from the initiative to date.
743 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the uptake with regard to the national treatment purchase fund; the action he is taking to promote the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1801/04]
The Deputy will be aware that the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, has engaged in an extensive media campaign at national and local level to raise awareness among the general public of the services being offered to those waiting longest for hospital admission. The NTPF has also undertaken an information campaign among general practitioners and hospital doctors to raise awareness of the NTPF. Liaison officers are also in place at individual hospital level to identify those patients who may qualify for treatment under the NTPF. Alternatively patients who feel they may qualify for treatment under the NTPF can ring the Locall number 1890 720 820.
My Department has requested the chief executive officer of the NTPF to contact the Deputy with further information in relation to this matter.
744 Mr. Ardagh asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will consider the dental requirements of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 and provide same. [1810/04]
Responsibility for the provision of dental services to eligible persons in Dublin 12 rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
745 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health and Children the waiting times for orthodontic treatment in the north-west and Donegal in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1817/04]
The provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services in the North Western Health Board (NWHB) area and on a national basis.
The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards — including one from the NWHB — for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. Thus, there is an aggregate of 19 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. The chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board has reported that the professor commenced duty on 1 December 2003.
In recognition of the importance of this post at Cork Dental School, my Department has given approval in principle to a proposal from the school to further substantially improve the training facilities there for orthodontics. This project should see the construction of a large orthodontic unit and support facilities; it will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.
Orthodontic initiative funding of €4.698 million was provided to the health boards/authority in 2001 and this has enabled health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities. The NWHB was allocated an additional €0.273 million in 2001 for orthodontic services of which €0.178 million was for the orthodontic initiative.
In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The NWHB was allocated an additional €0.285 million from this fund for the treatment of cases in this way.
The waiting times for orthodontic treatment by county is not routinely collected by my Department. Therefore, the chief executive officer of the NWHB has been requested to provide the information requested directly to the Deputy.
Finally, the chief executive officer of the NWHB has informed my Department that at the end of the September 2003 quarter, the average waiting time for category A and category B orthodontic treatment was six months and 2.6 years respectively. The chief executive officer of the NWHB also informed my Department that at the end of the September 2003 quarter, there were 2,952 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the board's area. This is an increase of 853 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients receiving treatment at the end of December 2001.
746 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called for a cataract removal operation in Galway; if this person is placed on a waiting list to be seen either for assessment or for surgery in Galway; and if so, when they were placed on the list and when they will be called. [1821/04]
The provision of hospital services for persons resident in County Mayo is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position and to reply directly to the Deputy.
747 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if decisions have been made about the geographic areas to be covered by the area offices of the proposed Health Service Executive; and the criteria which have been, or will be, used in making these decisions. [1858/04]
The Government has not made a decision on this matter to date. One of the specific issues referred to the interim Health Service Executive is to recommend regional boundaries and location of regional headquarters for primary, community and continuing care services and appropriate management structures.
A discussion paper on possible regional administrative boundaries has been prepared as part of Phase 1 of the implementation of the health reform programme. It is being made available to the board of the interim Health Services Executive shortly for their consideration. I am asking the board to give this particular aspect of its work some priority and to let me have its recommendations as early as possible for consideration by the Government.
It is clear that any evaluation of appropriate geographic boundaries for the four administrative regions should be based on evidence. The Deputy should note that the regional split refers to the primary, community and continuing care directorate of the Health Service Executive only. The initial discussions have considered possible criteria such as, for example, integration with the rest of the system with particular regard to acute hospital services, respect for existing community care structures and the national spatial strategy among others. I anticipate that the board of the interim Health Service Executive will give these, and possibly additional criteria, consideration as part of their examination of the issue.
748 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the provision being made to guarantee transparent accountability in the health service following the abolition of the health boards. [1859/04]
Organisation reform is one of six frameworks for change identified in the national health strategy with the aim of providing a responsive, adaptable health system which meets the needs of the population effectively and at affordable cost. Both the prospectus report on audit of structures and functions in the health system and the report of the Commission on Financial Management and Control set out a series of measures to strengthen governance and accountability at every level in the system. The reform programme, based on the Government decision of 17 June 2003, incorporates the main conclusions from both reports.
As the Deputy is aware the reform programme includes: the establishment of a single national body for managing and delivering health services — the Health Service Executive; a new legislative framework which will clearly define the role, functions and accountability of all key actors; the establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority; improved information and management systems; and a statutory framework for complaint procedures in the health services among other measures.
In regard to public accountability, the respective roles of the chief executive officer of the board of the Health Service Executive will be made explicit in the legislation to be introduced. I will also continue to be accountable to the Oireachtas in respect of my role and responsibilities and the relevant Oireachtas committees, for example, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children and the Committee of Public Accounts will continue to exercise their respective roles.
In regard to the involvement of public representatives at local level, I have indicated that I will be bringing forward proposals in this regard, building on the ideas already outlined for consultation at regional level. Proposals are being prepared in my Department and I have indicated my intention to discuss this matter with the Association of Health Boards at a meeting in the near future.
749 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children if a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be called for a knee operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1860/04]
The provision of hospital services for persons resident in County Roscommon is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the position and to reply directly to the Deputy.
750 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health and Children the difficulty with finalising the nursing home inspection report for a nursing home (details supplied) in County Louth. [1932/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Louth area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the North Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
751 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of social workers employed in each health board; and the number of unfilled vacancies for social workers in each of the health boards. [1933/04]
The number of social workers employed in each of the health boards for the period ending September 2003 is contained in the followingtable. The figures are in whole-time equivalentterms.
|
Eastern Regional Health Authority |
650 |
|
Midland Health Board |
80 |
|
Mid-Western Health Board |
140 |
|
North Eastern Health Board |
109 |
|
North Western Health Board |
120 |
|
South Eastern Health Board |
122 |
|
Southern Health Board |
234 |
|
Western Health Board |
130 |
|
Total |
1,585 |
Responsibility for human resource planning, including the filling of vacant social worker posts in each health board region, rests with the chief executive officer of each board. Each CEO, in managing the workforce in his or her region, is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff to be employed in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the approved regional employment ceiling. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the ERHA and the chief executive officers of the health boards to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
752 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who have been diagnosed with meningitis in each health board area for each of the past three years. [1934/04]
There are two forms of meningitis, namely, bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis. Viral meningitis tends to be a milder disease than bacterial meningitis. The number of cases of bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis notified to the National Disease Surveillance Centre by health board area over the past three years is presented in tables 1 and 2, respectively.
|
Health Board |
2001 |
2002 |
2003* |
|
ERHA |
139 |
108 |
91 |
|
MHB |
26 |
24 |
20 |
|
MWHB |
31 |
32 |
28 |
|
NEHB |
28 |
27 |
25 |
|
NWHB |
20 |
16 |
9 |
|
SEHB |
49 |
26 |
37 |
|
SHB |
69 |
47 |
52 |
|
WHB |
34 |
17 |
13 |
|
Total |
396 |
297 |
275 |
*2003 figures still provisional
|
Health Board |
2001 |
2002 |
2003* |
|
ERHA |
93 |
23 |
21 |
|
MHB |
13 |
0 |
1 |
|
MWHB |
9 |
1 |
0 |
|
NEHB |
11 |
4 |
0 |
|
NWHB |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
SEHB |
12 |
1 |
4 |
|
SHB |
13 |
2 |
3 |
|
WHB |
5 |
3 |
1 |
|
Total |
161 |
36 |
31 |
*2003 figures still provisional
There has been a steady decline in the number of bacterial meningitis, including meningococcal septicaemia, cases notified each year since 2000, when 586 cases were reported nationally. This decline can largely be attributed to the success of the meningococcal group C — men C — vaccination campaign which commenced in 2000. In 2000, 139 cases of group C meningococcal disease were notified in Ireland. This declined to 35 in 2001, 14 in 2002 and just five group C cases in 2003. This represents an overall reduction of 96% in the number of group C cases notified in 2003, compared to 2000.
Following the increase in viral meningitis activity in 2000 and 2001, activity returned to baseline levels, namely, the level of activity normally expected, in 2002 and 2003. I understand from the National Disease Surveillance Centre that the higher than usual level of activity for viral meningitis in 2000-01 was also reported by the United Kingdom at the time. The increase in viral meningitis activity was attributed to certain strains of enteroviruses in circulation at that time.
753 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who are on the waiting list to see a social worker for each health board; and the number of those cases that are high priority cases. [1935/04]
The information sought by the Deputy is not routinely collected by my Department. My Department has, therefore, asked the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the other health boards to compile the information requested and to forward it directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
754 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children if an evaluation has been done to examine if the Department and the health boards are living up to their responsibilities under the Child Care Act 1991. [1936/04]
The Child Care Act 1991 is kept under review by my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, the Child Care Act 1991 is comprehensive legislation, which obliges the health boards to provide a wide range of services, from the promotion of the welfare of children to the protection of children at risk, the taking of children into care, the provision of child care and family support services and the supervision and inspection of pre-school services and residential care services. The Act also places responsibilities on the Minister for Health and Children in respect of the making of regulations, the inspection of health board provided services and the provision of funding.
In meeting their statutory obligations, health boards develop and deliver, either directly or through arrangements with other agencies, a wide range of services designed to respond to the needs of children and families in their areas. Health boards commission or carry out a significant number of reviews and evaluations to assess how well these services are meeting the identified needs and boards respond to the outcome of these evaluations by reconfiguring existing services or developing new services. In addition, health boards, as part of their strategic planning, prioritise available resources taking into account allocation of funding versus service outcomes and the creation of a balance between prevention, child protection and through care.
Section 8 of the Act requires health boards to provide an annual report on the adequacy of child care and family support services in its area to the Minister for Health and Children. This assists the Department of Health and Children in reviewing services provided by, or on behalf of, the health boards under the Child Care Act 1991. As regards care proceedings, the Act provides for an appeal to the court to vary or discharge any court order made under the Act.
There are a number of initiatives at national level which are designed to ensure that health boards are supported, guided and monitored in meeting their statutory obligations under the Child Care Act 1991, and which, inter alia, fulfil the Minister's obligations under the Act. These include: regulations and standards developed under the Act in the area of residential care, foster care and pre-school services; the establishment of the social services inspectorate and the monitoring and inspection by the inspectorate of health board operated residential care services based on the legislation and standards, with the inspection of the implementation of foster care standards due to commence shortly; the review of regulations made under the Act with regard to pre-school services which is currently at an advanced stage; the allocation of funding; independent evaluation of the pilot phase of Department of Health and Children initiated projects such as the Springboard project and teen parents support programme in advance of mainstreaming; a review of family support services which has been established by the Department and is under way; the monitoring by the social services inspectorate of the implementation of Children First — National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, which provides guidance on the identification and reporting of child abuse; the recent appointment of the Ombudsman for Children whose remit includes dealing with complaints and promoting the needs and interests of children; the national children's strategy which provides the means for listening to and acting more effectively for children; statistics on child care activity returned to the Department of Health and Children annually through the interim data set; performance indicators returned quarterly to the Department of Health and Children; and the monitoring of the health boards' child care service plans by the Department of Health and Children.
I am satisfied that the health boards and the Department of Health and Children, in supporting the Minister, are discharging their statutory responsibilities under the Act. I assure the Deputy that in conjunction with the health boards I will continue to ensure that the implementation of the range of services provided under the Child Care Act 1991 are appropriately monitored and evaluated.
755 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will expedite an appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [1937/04]
The provision of hospital services for people living in County Kilkenny is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate this matter and to reply directly to the Deputy.
756 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if an angiogram will be arranged as a matter of urgency at St. James's Hospital, Dublin, for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and the reason for the delay to date. [1938/04]
The provision of hospital services for people living in County Kilkenny is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate this matter and to reply directly to the Deputy.
757 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will expedite the provision of an electric wheelchair for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [1939/04]
The provision of aids and appliances, including wheelchairs, is a matter for the relevant health board. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.
758 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the telephone facilities that are available to patients in the new psychiatric hospital located at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny; if a public or patient telephone facility will be available in the future. [1940/04]
Responsibility for the provision of the services referred to by the Deputy rests with the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
759 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if a medical card will be issued immediately to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [1941/04]
Responsibility for the provision of a medical card is, by legislation, a matter for the chief executive officer of the relevant health board or authority. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
762 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan will receive payment and arrears for mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2060/04]
The assessment of entitlement to and payment of the mobility allowance, including the payment of arrears, in any individual case is a matter for the relevant health board. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the North Eastern Health Board with a request that he examine the matter and reply directly to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.
763 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the ruling on 15 December 2003 of the criminal division of the Court of Justice (details supplied), to the fact that the person was recruited under a programme called Operation Whitecoat, and that a deceased associate professor in Trinity College, Dublin, was also recruited under that programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2063/04]
I am aware of the case referred to by the Deputy. National tobacco control measures and, in particular, measures to protect the public from exposure to toxic environmental tobacco smoke were not influenced by the research work of the person referred to or his Operation Whitecoat colleagues, living or dead.
764 Dr. Twomey asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the report by the Northern Area Health Board on the review of general practice manpower, training, recruitment and retention; and if so, his views on the report. [1052/04]
This report undertaken by the Northern Area Health Board has been recently received in the Department. It gives the views and perspectives of the general practitioners in the board area, the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners. The contents of the report will be considered in my Department in the light of ongoing discussions with the relevant stakeholders in the whole area of manpower and service provision requirements.
765 D'fhiafraigh Mr. Sargent den Aire Sláinte agus Leanaí an mbeidh seirbhís ar fáil sa dá theanga ó Ombudsman na Leanaí. [28515/03]
Faoi Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003, tá sé de dhualgas ar comhlachtaí poiblí caighdeán ard seirbhíse Ghaeilge a chur ar fáil. Chuirfidh Oifig Ombudsman na Leanaí seirbhis sa dá theanga ar fáil.
766 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the percentage allocation to the mental health service of the total budget for the health services in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2004. [2081/04]
The percentage allocation to the mental health services of the total non-capital budget for the health services in 1990, 1995 and 2000 is as follows: 1990 — 10.7%; 1995 — 9.3%; and 2000 — 7.7%. When evaluating these figures, it must be borne in mind that in-patient care has always been the costliest element of the mental health service and, with the consistent reduction in psychiatric hospital bed numbers, and the ongoing transfer of intellectually disabled and elderly patients to other settings, it is to be expected that expenditure proportionate to medical and surgical services would fall.
In recent years, significant additional resources have been committed to developing a comprehensive, community based mental health service. This has resulted in a continuing decline in the number of in-patients, from 5,192 in 1997 to 3,966 in 2002, with a corresponding increase in the provision of a range of care facilities based in the community to complement in-patient services. There are now 411 community psychiatric residences providing 3,146 places, compared to 391 residences providing 2,878 places in 1997.
Since 1997, approximately €90 million additional revenue funding has been invested in the mental health services. In the main, this funding is being used to provide additional medical and health professional staff for expanding community mental health services, increase child and adolescent services, expand the old age psychiatry services, provide liaison psychiatry services in general hospitals and enhance the support provided to voluntary agencies.
Since 1997, five new acute psychiatric units have opened at the Mercy Hospital, Cork, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, Ennis General Hospital, Clare, St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny and Mayo General Hospital. There are now 21 acute psychiatric units attached to general hospitals and several further units are pending.
The Revised Estimates Volume for 2004, including the estimated health expenditure by programme, is being compiled and will be published shortly by my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
767 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department has received the development control plan with regard to the phase 2B of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital at Mullingar; when will approval be given to proceed to the final planning stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2089/04]
The development control plan for phase 2B of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital has recently been lodged with my Department. It is being examined and will be considered for progression to tender stage in the context of the Midland Health Board's capital development priorities in line with overall funding resources available for 2004 and beyond.
768 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will consider allowing people who are over 70 years and qualify for medical cards to have tests such as the eye test and driving licence test covered under the medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2091/04]
Medical card holders are eligible for a range of treatments and services without charge under the GMS scheme. However, the issue of certificates for these tests to any medical card holder, regardless of age, may incur charges. I do not have any plans to change the current system.
769 Mr. J. Breen asked the Minister for Health and Children when Ennis General Hospital will be upgraded and the €18 million committed by him be made available to the Mid-Western Health Board to allow this project to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2097/04]
The project team for Ennis General Hospital has prepared a briefing document for the proposed development of Ennis General Hospital. This sets out the broad scope of the proposed future development of the hospital. This briefing document will be considered in the preparation of an outline development control plan, ODCP, for the hospital. The Mid-Western Health Board has endorsed the briefing document and identified a number of areas, including ward upgrade, radiology, out-patients and a general infrastructure upgrade as priorities for development. This project is being considered by my Department.
770 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children the aims and objectives of the mobility allowance; the aims and objectives of the transport grant; if both can be paid by a health board to the same claimant; if a claimant in receipt of a mobility allowance can apply for the transport grant in order to replace their broken motorised wheelchair (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2100/04]
The mobility allowance was introduced in 1979 by Circular 15/79 and is payable under section 61 of the Health Act 1970. Mobility allowance is payable by the health boards, subject to a means test, to persons with a severe disability. Applicants must be 16 years or older and under 66 years. The allowance provides financial support to eligible people who are unable to walk or use public transport and is intended to enable them to benefit from a change in surroundings, for example, by financing the occasional taxi journey.
Eligible persons must reside at home or in any long-stay facility. Such eligible persons can continue to receive payment after they reach the age of 66 years, provided they were receiving the allowance prior to their 66th birthday. Persons aged 66 years or over who apply are not eligible. The allowance is paid on a monthly basis.
A motorised transport grant, MTG, of up to 75% of the actual cost of purchasing-adapting a car, which takes into account the trade in value of a car being replaced, may be provided up to a limit of €4,575. Where a person qualifies for both the MTG and the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme, the MTG grant payable should not exceed the net outlay incurred, taking into account the benefit of the disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme.
The payment of a motorised transport grant is subject to the condition that the health board will not be called upon at any future date to contribute towards the running cost of the vehicle. In this context, a mobility allowance recipient cannot qualify for the motorised transport grant. Similarly, a person who has received the motorised transport grant in the previous three years cannot qualify for the mobility allowance.
773 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he has to modernise orthodontic services having particular regard to the experiences of the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2168/04]
As the Deputy is aware, the provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. Thus, there is an aggregate of 19 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. The chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board has reported that the professor commenced duty on 1 December 2003. In recognition of the importance of this post at Cork Dental School, my Department has given approval in principle to a proposal from the school to further substantially improve the training facilities there for orthodontics. This project should see the construction of a large orthodontic unit and support facilities and will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.
Orthodontic initiative funding of €4.698 million was provided to the health boards-authority in 2001. This has enabled health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities. In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners.
The chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed me that at the end of the September quarter 2003, there were 20,784 children receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This means that more than twice as many children are receiving orthodontic treatment as there are children waiting to be treated, and nearly 3,500 extra children have been receiving treatment from health boards since the end of 2001.
774 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he has for the recruitment of sufficient staff in various disciplines of the health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2169/04]
The chief executive officer of each individual health board has responsibility for the management of the workforce, including the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff employed within that board, in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the authorised ceiling. Hence, the recruitment of health service staff in 2004 will take place in the context of the implementation of each health board's service plan.
The Deputy may wish to note the increase in the approved employment level from 1997 to end 2003 was 27,985 — 41% — bringing the approved employment ceiling to 95,800 in whole-time equivalent terms, excluding home helps.
The Deputy will be aware of developments such as pay increases, improvements in career structure and enhanced opportunities for professional and career development, which have all played a part in increasing staffing levels. The implementation of the pay recommendations of the Public Service Benchmarking Body will make a further contribution to recruitment and improved retention. Overseas recruitment by health agencies has, over recent years, also contributed significantly to meeting the workforce needs of the health services, particularly in professions where qualified staff are scarce, to meet the human resource needs of the health services.
The implementation of these and similar developments will make an important contribution to strengthening the capacity of the health services to recruit and retain the high calibre professionals required in all disciplines to fill challenging and demanding roles central to the delivery of quality health and social care services to the public. It is, however, important to emphasise that staffing requirements overall must be viewed in the context of the substantial increases in employment levels achieved in the health services in recent years.
Comparing the latest available employment levels — September 2003 — to those in 1997, there are 22.2%, or 6,063, more nurses, 36.8%, or 1,832, more medical-dental personnel, and more than double — 112% — the number of health and social care professionals, an increase of 6,971, employed in the health services. This is a considerable achievement which reflects the success of the steps taken to increase the attractiveness of employment in the health services and also the ongoing measures being taken in areas experiencing shortages of fully trained and qualified staff.
I am also conscious that, in view of the large numbers of staff employed and the unique nature of the services being delivered, it is imperative that a coherent, strategic approach to workforce and human resource planning be developed further and aligned closely with strategic objectives and the service planning process. Planning for the development of new and existing services in the future must be soundly based on a robust and realistic assessment of the skill and human resource needs to deliver these services. The issue of skill mix is also of paramount importance in meeting human resource needs. Enhanced skills mix by matching skills to service needs benefits patients and empowers health personnel to reach their full potential and optimise their contribution to quality care.
I am, however, well aware that in addition to effective planning to ensure the continued availability of a qualified, competent workforce, it is also necessary for the health service to become an employer of choice to further improve potential for recruitment and retention. While the record number of staff recruited into the health service in recent years shows the progress made in this regard, even more can be achieved.
Having recruited and developed such a large number of staff in recent years, it is a priority to retain them by offering a challenging and rewarding career path. In the human capital and skills intensive health sector, retention has been identified as a key issue in better people management. The continuing implementation of the Action Plan for People Management is playing a crucial role in improving retention and reducing turnover of skilled staff, while providing the opportunity for each member of the workforce in the health sector to maximise his or her contribution to the creation of a quality, patient centred health service in line with the objectives of the health strategy.
775 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of consultant neurologists employed in each health board area; the plans there are to appoint additional consultant neurologists, particularly in the South Eastern Health Board area in view of the fact that an MRI scanner which has been in place at Waterford Regional Hospital for the past two years is being underutilised due to the lack of a neurology team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2170/04]
Comhairle na nOspideal has advised my Department that the current number of consultant neurologist posts is 19. The location of these posts is shown on the following table.
|
Board/Authority |
Number of Posts |
|
Eastern Region Health Authority |
13 |
|
Southern Health Board |
4 |
|
Western Health Board |
2 |
Comhairle recently published the report of the committee to review neurology and neurophysiology services and I am happy to endorse its recommendations for a significant enhancement of services, including increases in consultant manpower. The report also recognises that there are aspects of a number of other specialties and services, such as rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine and old age psychiatry, which are related to and overlap with neurology services. Comhairle has recommended that a national multidisciplinary review of rehabilitation services be undertaken to further inform the policy framework in relation to the development of neurology services.
Consistent with this recommendation, and in line with commitments in the national health strategy, a national action plan for rehabilitation services is being prepared by my Department. The action plan will set out a programme to meet existing shortfalls in services and to integrate specialised facilities with locally based follow up services. The rehabilitation action plan, together with the Comhairle report and the work undertaken by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland through its own publications, will offer a comprehensive policy framework for the future development of neurology and neurophysiology services.
My Department will continue to work closely with the alliance and the Irish Consultant Neurologists Association with regard to the future development of services. The implementation of the Comhairle recommendations will be progressed having regard to the evolving policy framework in this area, competing funding priorities and the report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing.
The use of the MRI scanner at Waterford Regional Hospital is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to examine the issues raised and to reply directly to the Deputy.
776 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of funding which is being provided in 2004 to the South Eastern Health Board for the continued expansion of the Caredoc co-op; and if the expansion into Waterford will commence this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2171/04]
Between 2000 and 2003, €7.124 million was allocated to the South Eastern Health Board for the expansion of its out of hours co-operative, Caredoc. In 2004, €3.492 million has been included in the health board's base allocation for the continued provision of services under this heading. This dedicated funding is exclusive of the fees paid to participating general practitioners. All decisions on the geographical areas to be covered by co-operatives and the order of their commencement are matters for the relevant health board to make, having regard to the range of financial and other issues involved in any such expansion.
777 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children when the new community care unit at Maynooth, County Kildare, will operate at its full complement of 45 beds; the reason for the reduction in the original full complement of 50 beds to 45 beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2219/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the provision of health services in County Kildare rests with the South Western Area Health Board acting under the aegis of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has been informed by the authority that the Maynooth community unit has a bed complement of 44 beds, of which 35 are occupied at present. The board has indicated that the remaining beds will be occupied in April 2004. The reduction in bed complement from 50 beds to 44 beds was due to lack of space, with some bedrooms being converted for use as a living room and storage space.
778 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the extent to which he expects the hospital services to be able to meet demands in respect of heart operations and hip replacements in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2220/04]
There has been a significant increase in the consultant manpower needed to deliver cardiac surgery and orthopaedic services in the past ten years. Based on figures provided by Comhairle na nOspideal the number of cardiothoracic surgeons increased from six to 11 between 1993 and 2003 and the number of orthopaedic surgeons increased from 52 to 76 in the same period.
Plans and developments are in place which will increase the capacity for cardiac surgery. For example, the theatre and critical care complex, completed as part of the phase two development at University College Hospital, Galway, includes provision for cardiac surgery facilities. Approval has also been given to the Southern Health Board to proceed with the planning and construction of a new €82 million cardiac and renal dialysis building at Cork University Hospital.
With regard to orthopaedic services, the North Eastern Health Board has re-organised its orthopaedic services in moving trauma services to Drogheda and creating additional capacity for elective services in Navan. A new orthopaedic service will be provided at Mayo General Hospital. This new service will serve the people of the western region and increase orthopaedic capacity for the region. Building and equipping the new facility has been completed.
As the single most limiting factor for admission to hospital is bed availability, increasing the bed capacity of the acute hospital system is of particular priority for my Department. The extent of the shortfall in acute capacity has been identified by the report, Acute Hospital Bed Capacity — A National Review, as a requirement of an additional 3,000 acute beds in acute hospital by 2001. The first phase of this process commenced in January 2002 when capital and revenue funding was provided for an additional 709 beds. This represents an increase of 6% on existing capacity. Some 568 of these beds have been commissioned to date.
779 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he regards as good practice the policy of sending patients outside the jurisdiction under the treatment purchase scheme while the facilities for providing similar services are either understaffed or closed down throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2221/04]
The national treatment purchase fund purchases procedures from private and public hospitals in Ireland. Where it is not possible to treat patients within a reasonable period here, either in public or private hospitals, arrangements are made to refer the public patients for treatment abroad, having regard to quality, availability and cost. I have been informed by the national treatment purchase fund that up to the end of December 2003, more than 9,700 patients have received treatment, of whom 225 patients have been sent outside the jurisdiction for treatment.
The fund has identified capacity to treat up to 800 patients per month predominantly in Ireland and in four hospitals in the United Kingdom. The NTPF will continue to identify capacity to treat those public patients who have been waiting longest for treatment in order to reduce the waiting time for patients.
780 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the role he has in mind for Naas Hospital in the future; when he expects the next stage of the development plan to be implemented; when he expects the hospital to be fully operational in accordance with his original projections as set out in replies to various parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2222/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services at Naas General Hospital rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive of the authority to respond directly to the Deputy on the future role of the hospital.
A major development programme in two phases, phases 2 and 3A, at Naas General Hospital commenced on site in November 1999. Phase 3A, which includes additional accommodation and enabling works for future phases, phases 3B and 3C, commenced on site as a variation to the phase 2 contract in April 2002. Phase 2 and 3A were completed in September 2003 and have been equipped and commissioned.
It is anticipated that the remainder of the development, phases 3B and 3C, will be procured on a phased basis with construction planned for commencement in late 2004 and completion in 2005-07. Equipping and commissioning of phases 3B and 3C is planned for 2008.
781 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he has to expand, extend or improve school medical examinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2223/04]
The best health for children programme provides for a new core surveillance programme for all children in the 0-12 age group and covers both pre-school developmental examinations as well as the school health service. Underpinning the recommendations in the report is a model which embraces a more holistic child health promotion approach and emphasises the role of parents in achieving best health for their children. Additional funding in excess of €2 million was allocated to the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority in 2001 and 2002 to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations set out in the best health for children report. This funding has been used to appoint key individuals at regional level to drive the implementation process at board level as well as to establish pilot projects aimed at demonstrating best practice.
One of the key recommendations in the best health for children report is the need to provide appropriate training for public health doctors and public health nurses involved in delivering the child health surveillance programme, including the school health service. Additional funding of €700,000, allocated to health boards and the ERHA in 2003 for this purpose, has been used to appoint relevant training personnel and to develop, in conjunction with TCD, a training programme for those involved in the delivery of the core surveillance programme. The training programme was launched on 13 January 2004. It is intended that all those involved in child health surveillance will have received the necessary training by the end of 2005.
Furthermore, with a view to facilitating a co-ordinated and integrated approach to the delivery of a range of child health and child care projects, the health boards executive has established a programme of action for children and appointed an interim steering group to oversee its work. This new initiative will encompass a number of child related measures, including projects associated with best health for children.
783 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has considered expanding or enhancing the services at health centres with a view to relieving the pressure on hospitals and hospital services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2225/04]
The need to develop community based health and personal social services so as to better meet the needs of local communities and ensure that services are provided in the most appropriate settings is a matter which is being addressed in the context of the implementation of the primary care strategy. The strategy document, Primary Care: A New Direction, recognises that primary care is the first point of contact for the majority of people who use health services. Furthermore, with appropriate development and enhancement of capacity, primary care can meet 90%-95% of all health and personal social service needs.
Primary care, planned and organised on the basis of delivery of a comprehensive range of services by interdisciplinary teams, will lessen the current reliance on specialist services and the hospital system, particularly accident and emergency and out-patient services. Based on available evidence, it will have the potential to reduce the requirement for specialist services, reduce hospitalisation rates, reduce lengths of stay for those who are hospitalised, promote more rational prescribing and improve efficiency.
The provision of a wide range of services in this way will allow a higher percentage of patients to be cared for in the community, thus reducing hospital admissions. Furthermore, as the strategy is implemented on a national basis, many services will be provided on an extended hours basis and out-of-hours cover for defined services will be greatly enhanced. The strategy also recognises the need to provide improved and expanded facilities from which primary care teams can deliver services in an integrated way.
Primary care reform is central to the overall process of health service reform, which is progressing with a view to the development of structures which best facilitate the implementation of the interdisciplinary model of primary care as an integral part of a whole system approach to service delivery. As part of the reform plans, therefore, the system for the planning and delivery of primary care services, at national, regional and local level, will be reorganised in order to facilitate implementation of the model described in the primary care strategy.
784 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children his response to the proposal from the Mid-Western Health Board, the Mid-Western Hospital Development Trust and the Mater Private Hospital Dublin to establish a radiation oncology service at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick. [2228/04]
The report on the development of radiation oncology services in Ireland was published in October 2003. Its recommendations have been accepted by Government. The Government agrees that a major programme is now required to rapidly develop clinical radiation oncology treatment services to modern standards. Furthermore, the Government has agreed that the first phase of such a new programme should be the development of a clinical network of large centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway. These centres will collectively have the staff and treatment infrastructure to permit a rapid increase in patient access to appropriate radiation therapy and will form the backbone of the future service expansion. The Government has also agreed that in the further development of services, consideration should be given to the efficacy of developing satellite centres in the south-east, mid-west and north-west.
I will be meeting the Mid-Western Hospital Development Trust this evening to discuss its proposal for radiation oncology services at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick. The implementation of the recommendations of the expert report will result in significant improvements as regards access by patients from the Mid-Western Health Board to radiation oncology services. Specifically, the immediate developments in Cork and Galway will result in the provision of an additional five linear accelerators. This represents an increase of approximately 50% in linear accelerator capacity. Provision is also being made for the appointment of an additional five consultant radiation oncologists. We currently have ten consultant radiation oncologists nationally.
786 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures being taken to have Monaghan General Hospital put back on call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2254/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services at Monaghan General Hospital rests with the North Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
787 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a cut is being made to the budget of Sligo General Hospital; if he has taken into consideration the delays in the service caused by broken down equipment; if he will consider making a refund to the hospital for his Department's failure in this area; if he will reverse the proposed cut in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2255/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services at Sligo General Hospital rests with the North Western Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to examine the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
788 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the long overdue report on the feasibility of an all-Ireland helicopter emergency medical service has not been published; the stage the report has reached; when the report will be published. [2256/04]
My Department and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Belfast, commissioned a feasibility study and report on the costs and benefits associated with the introduction of a dedicated helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS, for the island of Ireland. The final report of the consultants appointed to undertake the study has recently been received by both Departments and will be published shortly.
789 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) can expect to recommence their laser treatment last received in June 2003 in Crumlin Children's Hospital. [2257/04]
790 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of children in receipt of and awaiting laser treatment at Crumlin Children's Hospital; and the steps he intends to take to enable the consultant in this field secure theatre time so that the children can secure the necessary treatment. [2258/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 789 and 790 together.
Responsibility for the provision of health services to persons residing in counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority, and services at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, are provided under an arrangement with the authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matters raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
791 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people in County Louth on the orthodontic waiting list; and the average waiting time for each category. [2259/04]
The provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services in the North Eastern Health Board area and on a national basis.
The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards, including three from the NEHB, for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. Thus, there is an aggregate of 19 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork Dental School. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. The chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board has reported that the professor commenced duty on 1 December 2003. In recognition of the importance of this post at Cork Dental School, my Department has given approval in principle to a proposal from the school to further substantially improve the training facilities there for orthodontics. This project should see the construction of a large orthodontic unit and support facilities. It will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.
Orthodontic initiative funding of €4.698 million was provided to the health boards-authority in 2001 and this has enabled health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities. The NEHB was allocated an additional €0.559 million in 2001 for orthodontic services of which €0.114 million was for the orthodontic initiative.
In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The NEHB was allocated an additional €0.421 million from this fund for the treatment of cases in this way.
The waiting times and figures for orthodontic treatment by county is not routinely collected by my Department. Therefore, the chief executive officer of the NEHB has been requested to provide the information requested directly to the Deputy. The chief executive officer of the NEHB has informed my Department that at the end of the September 2003 quarter, the average waiting time for category A and category B orthodontic treatment was 1.7 months and 15 months, respectively. There were 266 patients awaiting treatment and there were no patients awaiting assessment for orthodontic treatment. The chief executive officer of the NEHB also informed my Department that at the end of the September 2003 quarter, there were 2,675 patients getting orthodontic treatment from the board.
792 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 423 of 7 October 2003, the progress to date with the survivors of symphysiotomy. [2260/04]
As the Deputy is aware, I met the Survivors of Symphysiotomy group in October 2003. Arising from this meeting, it was agreed that a range of measures put forward by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards and designed to support the group would be put in place. The present position with regard to the implementation of these measures is as follows. Each health board-ERHA has appointed a liaison officer within the organisation to liaise with patients who have undergone symphysiotomy. The ERHA and the health boards have initiated steps to ascertain the number of symphysiotomies carried out in hospitals in their region. It may take some time to complete this process as procedures may have been carried out in maternity units or in hospitals that no longer exist.
An exercise is underway to profile patients to assist in formulating a needs assessment for each individual. The SOS group has agreed to contact its members in this regard. Arrangements are being finalised with regard to the provision of independent counselling services. An information leaflet has been prepared in consultation with SOS and this leaflet will issue to general practitioners and patients shortly. Arrangements are being made to provide independent clinical advice to patients who have undergone symphysiotomy. This has already been availed of by a number of members of SOS. Discussions have taken place with SOS regarding the setting up of an information line which will be staffed by appropriate health care personnel.
In addition, my Department is in discussion with the ERHA-health boards and the Department of Social and Family Affairs in relation to a range of eligibility issues in respect of the provision of services and assistance to the patients. The ERHA and the health boards will continue to liaise with the group on the implementation of the above measures.
793 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will investigate the reason home help was reduced for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; if his Department will investigate an incident which happened to this person; if an independent investigation can be carried out in this case; and the amount saved by the Western Health Board by reducing this person's home help. [2261/04]
The provision of health related services, including home help services, to people with physical and/or sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. Accordingly, the Deputy's question has been referred to the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board with a request that she examine the matter and provide a report to me as a matter of urgency.
795 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has satisfied himself that an elderly person should be kept one and a half hours in an ambulance on the street beside her own home while the ambulance crew do their best to find a hospital in the North Eastern Health Board area that would take this person in, while Monaghan General Hospital, that could have taken this person in by car, remains off call from July 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2263/04]
Responsibility for the provision of services at Monaghan General Hospital rests with the North Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
796 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the entitlements of a medical card holder in respect of all health board services; and if these are different for those holding a medical card and are over 70 years. [2264/04]
Arrangements for the provision of services for medical card holders are a matter for the CEO of the relevant health board to decide. A medical card holder is entitled to services from his or her general practitioner and community pharmacist, for the dispensing of approved prescribed drugs and medicines free of charge. He or she is also entitled to public out-patient and in-patient services in public hospitals and to a range of services in the community. There may be an age factor for some services — for example, 65 years for those requiring chiropody treatment.
797 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if subvention will be awarded and backdated in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; if he will expedite a decision in the case; if he will determine if a place is available for this person at the Alzheimer's unit in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2265/04]
As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Carlow area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the board to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
798 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people treated annually under the waiting list initiative since its inception in 1993; the reduction in waiting lists that occurred in speciality areas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2266/04]
The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. Waiting list information compiled by my Department from health boards has concentrated on the numbers of persons on waiting lists and the length of time patients are waiting for treatment. The Deputy will be aware that the recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the waiting list initiative, WLI, has drawn attention to the difficulty of separating out waiting list elective activity from core-funded elective activity.
My Department is pursuing waiting list data collection and reporting procedures in the light of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report with the health boards, the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the national treatment purchase fund.
With regard to the specialties indicated by the Deputy, significant reductions have been achieved in these target specialties based on the most recent published data which is in respect of the position as at 30 September 2003. There were reductions of 49%, 45%, 42%, 38% and 16% in the number of adults waiting more than 12 months for in-patient treatment in the specialties of general surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT and ophthalmology, respectively.
799 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of cancellations for each month in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and to date in 2004, in each of the North Eastern Health Board's acute hospitals (details supplied) for all surgical and other procedures in in-house, day care, and other procedures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2267/04]
The information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collected by my Department. However, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the North Eastern Health Board to have the information requested supplied to the Deputy.
800 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the numbers of patients from each health board area who were treated under the national treatment purchase scheme in each year since its inception; the number treated in each location abroad; the effect on waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2268/04]
Significant progress has been made in many health boards areas to achieve the target of no adult waiting longer than 12 months and no child waiting longer than six months. This has been achieved through active management of long waiting lists at a local level and the involvement of the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. Up to the end of December 2003, more than 9,700 patients have already received treatment through the NTPF predominantly in private hospitals in Ireland. All boards outside of the eastern region are reporting that, in general, those adults currently reported to be waiting more than 12 months and those children reported to be waiting more than six months have either been offered treatment under the NTPF or have conditions that are complicated and need to be treated locally.
With regard to the specific numbers treated in each health board and abroad, my Department has asked the chief executive of the national treatment purchase fund to reply directly to the Deputy.
801 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason appeals to the disabled drivers medical board of appeal against refusals of applications for primary medical certificates under the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme 1994, are deferred for an inordinately long time; and the reason a disabled person (details supplied) in County Monaghan has been informed that because of a very long waiting list, his appointment will be delayed for some considerable time; his plans to eliminate this waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2269/04]
The medical assessment for, and granting of, a primary medical certificate for the purpose of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme is carried out by the senior area medical officer in the relevant health board. This function is to assist the Department of Finance who have statutory responsibility for the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme.
Under section 6(1) of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme 1994, on the nomination of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, the Minister for Finance appoints medical practitioners to the disabled drivers medical board of appeal. The names of two medical practitioners were forwarded in early October. Accordingly, the Deputy may wish to contact the Department of Finance regarding the current position of the medical board of appeal.
802 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Health and Children the opening hours of the accident and emergency at Loughlinstown Hospital, County Dublin; the cases dealt with at the accident and emergency; if the opening hours will change under the Hanly reforms; if so, the new opening hours; the resulting changes to the cases being dealt with there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2283/04]
Responsibility for the provision of accident and emergency services at St. Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the authority to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested.
The report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing, the Hanly report, envisages St. Columcille's Hospital being developed as a local hospital. The report recommends investment in local hospitals such as St. Columcille's so that they are in a position to provide most of the local population's needs for hospital care. Improvements proposed include: a greatly expanded proportion of elective day surgery and elective medical procedures for the region in a range of specialties. This will involve: an increasing volume of elective procedures that are often currently performed in the larger hospitals; a strong focus for locally accessible multi-specialist day and out-patient, OPD, care; pre and post-natal maternity services; a point of access for general practitioners to services and diagnostic facilities; and rehabilitation and long-stay care.
I will shortly be announcing an implementation group for the East Coast Area Health Board which will be tasked with planning and overseeing the detailed implementation of the recommendations of the report regarding provision of acute hospital services in that area. It should be noted that the implementation of the report in the East Coast Area Health Board will ultimately involve the appointment of an additional 129 consultants to the region.
803 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport when he now expects the different stages of the Luas project on both lines to be completed; the month in which he expects the first passengers to travel on line A and line B; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1084/04]
I understand from the Railway Procurement Agency that construction will be completed by May 2004 for the Tallaght to Connolly Station line, line A/C, and March 2004 for the Sandyford to St. Stephen's Green line, line B. Following a period of testing and commissioning, I am informed by the RPA that passenger services will begin end August 2004 for the Tallaght to Connolly line and end June 2004 for the Sandyford to St. Stephen's Green line.
804 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport his views on the merits of creating an all-Ireland penalty points system; the talks he has had with his Northern counterpart on the matter; when he may be able to bring concrete proposals forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1085/04]
805 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport if the issue of mutual recognition of the penalty points systems operating in the Twenty-six Counties and the Six Counties was discussed at the British-Irish Council meeting held in Wales on the 28 November 2003. [1086/04]
806 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport the progress made by the British-Irish Council on the issue of mutual recognition of the penalty points system operating in the Twenty-six Counties and the Six Counties. [1087/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 804 to 806, inclusive, together.
Penalty point systems are now operating in this country, Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The authorities in all three jurisdictions are actively considering the issue of the introduction of a scheme to provide for the mutual recognition of penalty points between the United Kingdom and Ireland. This consideration is being pursued under the auspices of the British-Irish Council. One of the first matters that will need to be addressed before full mutual recognition can be realised will be the introduction of bilateral recognition of the separate penalty points systems operating in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The summit meeting of the British-Irish Council which took place in Cardiff on 28 November 2003 focused on the subject of indigenous, minority and lesser used languages. In addition, the council was updated on work being undertaken in other areas of the British-Irish Council work programme, including transport. The transport work programme, on which the Northern Ireland administration takes the lead, includes a proposal for developing mutual recognition of driving offences between British-Irish Council member administrations.
807 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport when the next transport sectoral meeting will be taking place under the auspices of the British-Irish Council. [1088/04]
The lead in the transport sector is the Northern Ireland administration and there is at present no date for the next meeting in the sector. The most recent summit meeting of the British-Irish Council took place in Cardiff on 28 November last, focusing on indigenous, minority and lesser used languages and a number of British-Irish Council meetings are scheduled in the months ahead.
808 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has plans to impose penalty points on those drivers who persist to park in disabled drivers allocated parking spaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1154/04]
The Government road safety strategy 1998-2002 recommended that a system of penalty points should be introduced with the specific focus of tracking a range of motoring offences that have a direct impact on road safety. The Road Traffic Act 2002, which provides the legislative basis for the penalty points system, reflects that focus, and the 69 offences identified as penalty point offences are directly related to road safety. The only offence relating to parking included in the list is the offence of dangerous parking as such activity has a direct influence on road safety. While I have no plans to extend the penalty points system to other offences at this time, I will keep the system under review.
809 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the Government or Aer Rianta commissioned report that supports or proposes the break up of the existing company; and if he will reconsider this plan. [1166/04]
815 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport his plans to publish a separate strategy statement for each of the three constituent airports within Aer Rianta which will identify a credible path to commercial success for each of the airports and demonstrate that his proposals in relation to the share out of existing debt will leave each company in a position to meet competition on a level playing field. [1468/04]
817 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Transport the way in which Shannon Airport, based on statistics available, which show that if the current bilateral agreement was changed from a one to one to a two to one, Shannon Airport's bottom line would be reduced by approximately €4 million; his plans to ensure Shannon's viability going forward if there is a change to the current bilateral air agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1495/04]
826 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the details of the letters of comfort which he is issuing to the workers in Aer Rianta; if he will clarify the legal status of these letters, in the event that the commercial climate for the company does not prove as successful as anticipated by the Minister; if he will outline how the letter of comfort compares with a former agreement made between Aer Rianta and the ITGWU representing catering staff in Aer Rianta which is now a matter of dispute between workers and the company after some workers have been made redundant from the airport restaurant company established under the agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1864/04]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 809, 815, 817 and 826 together.
There has been a number of consultancy or expert reports in recent years on Aer Rianta and the State airports, including the Warburg Dillon Read report of 1999 which reviewed the strategic options for the future of Aer Rianta, the Doganis report of January 2002 on aviation-tourism issues and the Mullarkey report of February 2003 on the independent terminal concept for Dublin Airport. In addition, in May of last year, Aer Rianta submitted to me a copy of a report, which the company commissioned from NERA Economic Consulting on competition in the context of Irish airports.
The Warburg Dillon Read report of 1999, while offering some general observations on the issue of separating the three State airports, did not analyse this issue, draw any conclusions nor make any recommendations in respect of it. The decision by the Government in July last to restructure the State airports was a strategic decision taken on foot of the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government to continue to transform Aer Rianta and, as part of that process, to ensure that Shannon and Cork Airports have greater autonomy and independence.
The new arrangements are designed to strengthen the contribution that the State airports make to economic development and to give both Shannon and Cork a fresh start under international and regional leadership. I believe all three airports can perform better than they have to date and, through more focused commercial operation, each can play a greater role in stimulating and supporting regional economic activity to the benefit of their customers, both airlines and passengers, and of Irish tourism, trade and industry. I will shortly be announcing the remaining members of the boards-designate for Dublin and Cork Airports. As in the case of the Shannon board which I announced in October, the new boards for Dublin and Cork will bring together people of the highest calibre combining international, national and regional expertise.
It is proposed that the two new independent airport authorities for Shannon and Cork will both commence business free of debt and that the debts associated with these airports, including the debt associated with the major new investment programme currently under way at Cork Airport, will remain with Dublin Airport. The desirability of these debt arrangements emerged from my Department's consideration of the financial position of the three State airports within the current Aer Rianta structure, which was provided to my Department by Aer Rianta. My Department was assisted in its analysis of the Aer Rianta data by PricewaterhouseCoopers which completed its work in the early part of last year.
As part of the ongoing work on the implementation of the Government decision which is led by a project steering group in my Department on which Aer Rianta is represented, broad financial projections for the three airports will be updated over the coming weeks. These projections will be particularly important in establishing the opening balance sheets for the new airport authorities. This will not in any way inhibit the commercial freedom and indeed responsibility of the new airport authorities, when formally appointed, to develop strategic and business plans, including marketing strategies, for the three airports.
As the current talks on an open aviation area agreement progress, it is apparent that changes in the relationship between the EU and US, in the context of transatlantic air services, are inevitable. Such changes will have consequences for the Ireland-US bilateral air services agreement. I am carefully monitoring the position and the compilation of the financial projections for the three airports will have regard to the emerging situation.
In correspondence with ICTU and the Aer Rianta unions over the past fortnight, I have conveyed repeated assurances and clarifications in regard to the protection of the tenure and terms and conditions of employment of Aer Rianta workers in the context of the three new independent airport authorities when established. I have also reaffirmed my willingness to underpin this undertaking by including a provision in the amending legislation currently being drafted which will ensure that the existing workers in the company will not be brought to lesser terms and conditions of employment than they currently enjoy. I am pleased that SIPTU decided to call off its threatened industrial action at the airports on Thursday last and I look forward to a resumption of the discussions between the unions and my Department, under the chairmanship of an LRC official, at which these and other issues of concern to the Aer Rianta unions can be further debated. However, contrary to some media reports in recent weeks, I have no proposals to issue letters of comfort to workers in Aer Rianta and such letters are neither appropriate nor necessary in this case. My position on this has been misrepresented as "jobs for life", a term I have not used nor do I believe it is a term any trade union has used either. It is normal when State companies are in transition to provide for the same terms and conditions for existing workers afterwards as before. Therefore, the phrase is misleading and does not apply here.
I have stated in recent correspondence with trade union representatives that the appropriate way to reflect my commitment to maintain the security and quality of employment of Aer Rianta workers post restructuring remains to be finalised between my Department and the trade unions. I have suggested that the talks being chaired by an official of the Labour Relations Commission provide the appropriate forum for this.
Issues relating to any former agreements between Aer Rianta and the ITGWU — now known as SIPTU — are a matter for the parties concerned in accordance with the terms of those agreements.
810 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the statutory instruments signed by him since 17 May 2002; and if he will provide the title, number and principal effects of each such instrument; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1198/04]
The reply to the Deputy's question is in the following table. Each statutory instrument is published in Iris Oifigiúil, of which current and back issues are available in the Oireachtas Library.
|
Title |
No. |
Signed |
Principal Effects |
|
Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 |
S.I. 411 of 2002 |
07.08.2002 |
These Regulations provide for amendments to existing regulatory provisions in relation to a taximeter printer. |
|
Road Traffic Act 2002 (Commencement) Order 2002 |
S.I. 491 of 2002 |
22.10.02 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 31 October 2002, certain provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2002 (No. 12 of 2002) |
|
Road Traffic Act 1961 (Section 103) (Offences Regulations 2002) |
S.I. 492 of 2002 |
23.10.02 |
These regulations deal with the fixed charge system for speeding offences and also introduce penalty points for certain offences. |
|
European Communities (Vehicle Testing) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 2002. |
S.I. 499 of 2002 |
01.11.2002 |
These Regulations transpose Directive 2001/9/EC regarding roadworthiness testing of certain vehicles. |
|
Road Traffic (National Car Test) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 2002 |
S.I. 500 of 2002 |
01.11.2002 |
These Regulations transpose Commission Directive 2001/9/EC regarding the use of on-board diagnostic systems to determine certain emissions in the conduct of roadworthiness testing of certain vehicles. |
|
Dublin Transportation Office (Amendment) Order 2002 |
S.I. 519 of 2002 |
15.11.2002 |
This Order provides for an expansion in the membership of the Dublin Transportation Office Steering Committee and to reflect the new local authority titles introduced in the Local Government Act 2001 |
|
Road Traffic Act 1994 (Section 25) (Commencement) Order 2002 |
S.I. 597 of 2002 |
18.12.02 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 1 January, 2003, section 25 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 (No. 7 of 1994). |
|
Road Traffic Act 2002 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2002 |
S.I. 598 of 2002 |
18.12.02 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 1 January, 2003 and 1st February, 2003 certain provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2002 (No. 12 of 2002). |
|
Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 2003 |
S.I. 5 of 2003 |
16.01.2003 |
These Regulations increase the maximum permissible drive axle weight of a vehicle to 11.5 tonnes and the maximum weight laden of certain vehicles and combinations. |
|
Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) (Kilcock Kinnegad Route) Order 2003. |
S.I. 26 of 2003 |
27.01.2003 |
These Regulations classify the public road between Kilcock and Kinnegad in the counties of Kildare, Meath and Westmeath as a national road |
|
European Communities (Driving Theoretical Tests) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 52 of 2003 |
17.02.2003 |
These Regulations provide for the operation of a driver theory test. |
|
European Communities (cableway installations designed to carry persons) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 470 of 2003 |
03.03.2003 |
This regulation transposed Directive 2000/9/EC into Irish law and introduces a regulatory framework for cableway installations and their subsystems and safety components. |
|
Road Traffic (Signs) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 97 of 2003 |
13.03.03 |
These regulations amend the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 1997 and 1998 to provide for new regulatory traffic signs in connection with the on-street running of light rail vehicles. |
|
Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 98 of 2003 |
13.03.03 |
These regulations amend the Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations 1997 and 1998 to provide for new regulatory traffic signs in connection with the on-street running of light rail vehicles. |
|
Iarnród Éireann (Athlone — Galway) (Woodlawn level crossing) Order 2003. |
S.I. 162 of 2003 |
14.04.2003 |
The Order enables Iarnród Éireann to replace an existing manually operated level crossing gates with new automatic barriers. |
|
Iarnród Éireann (Athlone — Galway) (Ballinasloe level crossing) Order 2003 |
S.I. 163 of 2003 |
14.04.2003 |
The Order enables Iarnród Éireann replace an existing manually operated level crossing gates with new automatic barriers. |
|
Iarnród Éireann (Athlone — Galway) (Athenry level crossing) Order 2003. |
S.I. 164 of 2003 |
14.04.2003 |
The Order enables Iarnród Éireann replace an existing manually operated level crossing gates with new automatic barriers. |
|
European Communities (Restriction of Civil Subsonic Jet Aeroplane Operations) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 195 of 2003 |
14.05.2003 |
The purpose of these Regulations is to give effect to the provision of Council Directive 98/20/EC of 30 March 1998 and Commission Directive 1999/28/EC of 21 April 1999 affecting the operation of certain categories of subsonic jet aeroplanes within the territories of Member States of the EC after certain specific dates. |
|
Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Act 1998 (Aggregate Borrowings Limit Variation) Order 2003. |
S.I. 246 of 2003 |
26.05.2003 |
This S.I. provided for an increase of €100 million to €671 million of the aggregate amount of moneys borrowed at any one time by Aer Rianta cpt. as specified in section 13(5) of the Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 24 of 1998). |
|
Road Traffic Act 2002 (Commencement) Order 2003 |
S.I. 214 of 2003 |
29.05.03 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 1st June, 2003 certain provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2002 No. 12 of 2002). |
|
European Communities (Civil Aviation Security) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 226 of 2003 |
03.06.2003 |
The Regulations facilitate the implementation and enforcement of EU Regulation No. 2320/2002 establishing common rules in the field of civil aviation security. |
|
Córas Iompair Éireann Spouses' & Children's Pension Scheme for Regular Wages Staff (Confirmation) Order 2003 |
S.I. 230 of 2003 |
04.06.2003 |
The purpose of this Order is to provide pensions for spouses' and children of deceased members of the CIE Pension Scheme. |
|
European Communities (Random Roadside Vehicle Inspection) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 227 of 2003 |
06.06.2003 |
These Regulations transpose Directive 2000/30/EC of 6 June 2000 on random roadside inspections of certain commercial vehicles. |
|
Road Traffic Act 2002 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2003 |
S.I. 321 of 2003 |
22.07.03 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 25th August, 2003 certain provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2002 (No. 12 of 2002). |
|
Road Traffic Act 1961 (Section 103) (Offences Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 322 of 2003 |
22.07.03 |
These regulations, which will come into effect on 25 August 2003, declare that the fixed charge system be applied to the driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle in respect of specified safety belt offences. |
|
Transport Act 1963 (Railway Works — Drogheda) Order 2003 |
S.I. 370 of 2003 |
28.07.2003 |
The Order confers on CIE the necessary power to construct and maintain a new diesel rail depot at McBride Station, Drogheda, Co. Louth |
|
Córas Iompair Éireann Superannuation Scheme 1951 (Amendment) Scheme (Confirmation) Order 2003 |
S.I. 390 of 2003 |
27.08.2003 |
The Order amends the 1951 CIE Superannuation Scheme insofar as it refers to the conditions governing the award of ill-health pensions (retirement on medical grounds by reason of infirmity). |
|
Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 405 of 2003 |
08.09.2003 |
These Regulations consolidate the statutory provisions concerned with the National Car Test, the suitability testing and periodic roadworthiness testing of small public service vehicles in one Statutory Instrument. |
|
European Communities (European Aviation Safety Agency) Regulations 2003. |
S.I. 469 of 2003 |
26.09.2003 |
These Regulations extend the powers of the Irish Aviation Authority for the purpose of giving effect to Regulation (EC) 1592/2002 and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) |
|
Taxi Regulation (Act) 2003 (Part 4) (Appointed Day) Order 2003 |
S.I. 517 of 2003 |
31.10.2003 |
The Order provides that 4.11.2003 is the appointed day for the establishment of the Advisory Council to the Commission for Taxi Regulation. |
|
European Communities (Access to Railway Infrastructure) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 536 of 2003 |
03.11.2003 |
These Regulations give effect to Directive 2001/12/EC of 26 February, 2001 on the development of the Community's railways |
|
European Communities (Licensing of Railway Undertakings) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 537 of 2003 |
03.11.2003 |
Regulations to give effect to Directive 2001/13/EC of 26 February, 2001 on the licensing of railway undertakings |
|
European Communities (Mechanically Propelled Vehicle Entry into Service) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 551 of 2003 |
11.11.2003 |
These Regulations require that applications to the Revenue Commissioners for the registration of new commercial vehicles and buses must include a short form of a certificate of conformity to specified EU Directives. The Regulations revoke the European Communities (Mechanically Propelled Vehicle Entry into Service) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 374 of 2001). |
|
European Communities (Passenger Car Entry into Service) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 552 of 2003 |
11.11.2003 |
These Regulations require that applications to the Revenue Commissioners for the registration of new cars must include a short form of a certificate of conformity to Directive 2001/116/EC. The Regulations revoke the European Communities (Passenger Car Entry into Service) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 373 of 2001). |
|
European Communities (European Aviation Safety Agency) Regulations 2003. |
S.I. 645 of 2003 |
25.11.2003 |
These Regulations give effect to the provisions of Council Directive No. 2002/30/EC of 26 March 2002 on the establishment of rules and procedures with regard to the introduction of noise-related restrictions at Community airports. |
|
European Communities (Fourth Motor Insurance Directive) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 651 of 2003 |
27.11.2003 |
These regulations give legal effect to the provisions of Directive 2000/26/EEC of 16 May 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles and amending Council Directives 73/239/EEC and 88/357/EEC (Fourth Motor Insurance Directive) |
|
Road Traffic Act 2003 (Commencement) Order 2003 |
S.I. 647 of 2003 |
28.11.2003 |
This Order brings into operation with effect from 1st December, 2003 all provisions of the Road Traffic Act 2003 (No. 37 of 2003). |
|
European Communities (Transport of Dangerous Goods by Rail) Regulations 2003 |
S.I. 701 of 2003 |
18.12.2003 |
Regulations to give effect to Directive 2001/6/EC of 29 January 2001 and Directive 2003/29/EC of 7 April 2003 adapting for the third and fourth time Directive 96/49/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by rail. |
|
Córas Iompair Éireann Superannuation Scheme 1951 (Amendment) Scheme (Confirmation) Order 2004 |
S.I. 11 of 2004 |
08.01.2004 |
The Order co-ordinates CIE superannuation contributions and benefits with social insurance benefits with effect from 6th April, 1995. |
|
Córas Iompair Éireann Spouses' & Children's Superannuation Scheme (Amendment) Scheme (Confirmation) Order 2004 |
S.I. 12 of 2004 |
08.01.2004 |
The Order makes the necessary change to the definition of “deceased's pension” following the making of the Order S.I. No. 11 of 2004. |
|
Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) (Gormanston to Dundalk and Dundalk Western Bypass) Order 2004. |
S.I. 18 of 2004 |
20.01.2004 |
These Regulations classify the public road between Gormanston and Dundalk and the proposed Dundalk Western Bypass as a national road. |
|
Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) (Redcow to N52 Link Road) Order 2004. |
S.I. 19 of 2004 |
20.01.2004 |
These Regulations classify the Redcow to N52 Link Road north of Dundalk, as a regional road. |
811 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Transport to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1218/04]
The Department of Transport's objective is to ensure a focused and pragmatic Presidency which delivers realistic goals. Last week I presented Ireland's Presidency programme for the transport sector to the regional policy, transport and tourism committee of the European Parliament in Brussels. The full text of that address is available on my Department's website at www.transport.ie. In addition, I have held meetings with delegations of different member states, trade associations and other representative bodies in pursuance of that programme.
Over the next few months the Department will chair approximately 22 working group meetings dealing with transport issues, leading up to two Transport Councils on 8 March 2004 in Brussels and 10 June 2004 in Luxembourg. The immediate focus of our work is on progressing the trans-European networks, TENS, guidelines on transport to meet the needs of the enlarged Europe, and completing the second rail package of rail freight liberalisation measures.
812 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Transport when a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will be called for their driving test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1380/04]
A driving test has been arranged for the person concerned.
813 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the value of the marketing budget for 2004 for each regional airport; when these funds will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1386/04]
My Department administers a grant scheme to assist the regional airports with marketing, safety and security related current expenditure. The total amount provisionally allocated in the Estimates for 2004 is €2.24 million and the individual amounts for each airport will be determined shortly. The grants are paid to the airports on foot of certified claims of eligible expenditure incurred during the year so drawdown of grants by the regional airports would not arise until later in the year.
814 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the plans he has to amend the legislation prohibiting the use of motorbikes on public property and footpaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1401/04]
The Road Traffic Acts establish the legislative basis for the application of a range of restrictions, prohibitions and controls on traffic, including motorcycles, and pedestrians using public roads and public places. The Acts define a public place as including any public road and any street, road or other place to which the public have access with vehicles as of right or by permission and whether subject to or free of charge. While I have no immediate plans to amend those provisions, I am keeping the scope and application of the legislation applying to the controls on traffic generally under review.
816 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Transport the measures he has taken to advance the decentralisation to the west of Ireland of sections of his Department or agencies or bodies for which he has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1493/04]
827 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1981/04]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 816 and 827 together.
I have established a decentralisation implementation group in my Department to manage the decentralisation process. It is chaired by an assistant secretary and includes representatives from the areas-agencies scheduled for decentralisation. This group is considering the specific issues raised in the context of this Department and its agencies, is conscious of the need to minimise disruption and is preparing plans to implement the programme in so far as it impacts on my Department. Information regarding the number and grade of staff decentralising and their associated accommodation needs has been furnished to the Department of Finance implementation committee. My Department will continue to co-operate with the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works in advancing the decentralisation programme. I also refer the Deputy to my answer to Questions Nos. 231, 232 and 233 on Wednesday, 10 December 2003.
818 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport if he has received the final report into the Cahir rail accident; the recommendation included in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1588/04]
The chief railway inspecting officer has informed me that he has completed his on-site investigation work into the Cahir derailment and that his consultation with relevant persons should be concluded by mid-February 2004. He expects to have the final report completed and submitted to me for consideration by the end of March 2004. The interim report is available on my Department's website, www.transport.ie.
819 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport the number of files in his Department for 1973 released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; and the subject matter of the files withheld. [1592/04]
The Department of Transport is committed to transferring all appropriate records of 30 years or over to the National Archives. However, it has not been possible to review records since the Department was established in June 2002. I assure the Deputy that the Department will shortly undertake a review of these records and I will inform the Deputy of the outcome.
820 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the availability for sale to the public of devices which are marketed as countering the effect of scanners and laser devices used to detect vehicles driven at speeds which breach the statutory limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1636/04]
821 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the availability for sale to the public of devices which are marketed as countering the effect of scanners and laser devices used to detect vehicles driven at speeds which breach the statutory limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1644/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 820 and 821 together.
The Road Traffic (Speed Meter Detectors) Regulations 1991 prohibit the importation, supply, offering to supply, fitting, offering to fit and use of speed meter detector devices in vehicles. The regulations define a speed meter detector as any device which is capable of being used to indicate the existence of, or to frustrate the operation of, electronic or other apparatus being used to give indications from which the speed at which a person was driving can be inferred. It is an offence under the Road Traffic Acts to contravene any of the prohibitions specified in the Road Traffic (Speed Meter Detectors) Regulations 1991. Enforcement of the regulations is a matter for the Garda Síochána.
822 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport the procedure and timeframe involved in approving the railway works order which is required for the extension of the Kilkenny ring road; if he will expedite the process and the funding required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1668/04]
I received the application for a railway order for the necessary alteration of track resulting from the construction of the Kilkenny city ring road from CIE on 9 January 2004. The procedure that must now be followed is set out in the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001. Under the Act, I am required to appoint an independent inspector to carry out a public inquiry into the application. I am currently in the process of making this appointment. Matters related to the public inquiry are then a matter for the inspector and, therefore, it is not possible to say, with any degree of accuracy, how long the entire application process will take. Following the public inquiry, the inspector will submit a report to me and I will take into account the findings and any other submissions made to me in the matter when deciding on the application. Funding for the work is a matter for Kilkenny County Council, the National Roads Authority and Iarnród Éireann.
823 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the number of traffic accident fatalities in 2003 on minor roads and motorways or other new roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1691/04]
Statistics relating to road accidents, based on information provided by the Garda Síochána, are published by the National Roads Authority in its annual road accident facts reports. The most recent report is in respect of 2002 and that report, with reports relating to previous years, are available in the Oireachtas Library. Provisional figures for 2003 indicate that 341 road deaths occurred during that year. A breakdown of the number of traffic accident fatalities in 2003 on minor roads and motorways or other new roads are not yet fully analysed and authenticated. They will be set out in the road accident facts 2003 which will be published by the National Roads Authority.
824 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport the details of the training regime and standards which are applied in the training of driving testers; if driving testers in training sit any examination; if so, the nature thereof; and if not, the way in which aptitude, ability and competence for their work is otherwise assessed. [1716/04]
Arrangements for the recruitment of driver testers are principally the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission. As part of the recruitment process, candidates for the position of driver testers are obliged to undertake a psychometric test which assesses their suitability for the position. Candidates are also interviewed and undergo a test of their driving ability.
The driving test in Ireland is designed in accordance with the requirements of the European Directive 91/439/EEC on driving licenses, which sets out the skills that a driver must demonstrate during a driving test.
Following recruitment each driver tester undergoes a six week training course which covers all aspects of the driving test. The work of driver testers is monitored on an ongoing basis by supervisory driver testers to ensure that a uniform standard of test is maintained. There are procedures in place to ensure that further training is provided if difficulties in applying this standard are identified.
All driver testers underwent a comprehensive two week refresher training programme in 2002 which covered procedures for carrying out driving tests, guidelines for assessing driving faults and training to enhance customer service in the delivery of the driving test.
825 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the use of air marshalls in air traffic using Irish airspace by US or otherwise owned aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1717/04]
My Department, in consultation with the National Civil Aviation Security Committee, NCASC, is, as part of an ongoing review of in-flight security since 11 September, examining the US emergency regulations requiring the deployment of armed trained Government law enforcement officers on specific US flights which may be subject to a particular security alert. The NCASC which is chaired by a senior official from my Department comprises representatives of Departments, the Garda Síochána, airlines, Aer Rianta, the Defence Forces, An Post, Customs and Excise, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Irish Airline Pilots Association and the regional airports.
As soon as all the security, safety, legal, cost and other relevant issues have been assessed and account taken of the views of all parties, including the Garda Síochána, pilots, the Irish Aviation Authority, airlines etc., I will bring forward specific proposals for consideration by Government. I expect to be in a position to do this in the near future.
828 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Transport the number of over 70s who applied for a driving test each year; if his attention has been drawn to the cost of approximately €35 which they have to pay for their eye test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2093/04]
The information requested by the Deputy is not available. There is no obligation on any person to undergo an eye test on taking a driving test. An eye test report must accompany an application for a provisional licence where such report or a medical report has not previously been submitted. A person over 70 years of age applying for either a provisional or a driving licence must submit a medical report. Details of licensing requirements are available on my Department's website at www.transport.ie. The cost of an eye test is a matter between the person concerned and their doctor or ophthalmic optician.
829 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Transport the amount of finance made available to CIE to carry out the railway order phase of the Kildare route project; when the public inquiry will be held in relation to the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2178/04]
My Department has provided over €600,000 to CIE to assist with the preparation of the railway order phase of the Kildare route project. Iarnród Éireann is in the process of completing the draft order and I understand that the application will be submitted to me by the company in the middle of this year. The procedure to be followed on receipt of the application is set out in the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001. I am required, under the Act, to direct a public inquiry to be held into the application and to appoint an independent inspector. All aspects related to the public inquiry are a matter for the inspector and, therefore, it is not possible to say, with any degree of accuracy, how long the entire application process will take. I will take into account the findings of the inquiry and any other submissions made to me in the matter when deciding on the application.
830 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Transport when funding will be made available for the proposed shuttle bus service within Balbriggan. [2230/04]
I have no proposals for funding for shuttle bus services within Balbriggan at present, and I am not aware of any plans for such a service.
831 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport the amount his Department paid out in 2003 for car mileage expenses; and the separate amount paid to cover rail or bus ticket expenses within his Department. [2231/04]
The Department of Transport paid out approximately €676,500 in car mileage expenses in 2003, of which approximately €484,885 relates to driver testing costs. A further sum of approximately €4,400 was paid to cover rail or bus ticket expenses within the Department in 2003.
832 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Transport if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2242/04]
To date, staff members in my Department have not been surveyed to ascertain the number wishing to move to a location scheduled for decentralisation. I have established a decentralisation implementation group in my Department to manage the decentralisation process. It is chaired by an assistant secretary and includes representatives from the areas and agencies scheduled for decentralisation. The question of conducting a survey of the nature referred to above is among the issues being considered by that group.
833 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport the progress on the proposal to reopen Dunleer railway station. [2270/04]
Iarnród Éireann has informed me that it has examined the case for reopening Dunleer Station on a number of occasions in the past. A review of the Dublin suburban rail strategy, conducted on behalf of the company, concluded that the station would have only very modest daily boardings given the population of the area. I understand that, since the review was conducted, a new development plan has been approved for Dunleer which involves significant population growth. While I understand that Iarnród Éireann has not yet seen the revised development plan, the company has indicated that it is prepared to re- examine its position regarding the reopening of the station if the plan is adopted and funding can be provided from developers.
834 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport the progress on the proposal to build a new railway station on the north side of Drogheda. [2271/04]
Iarnród Éireann informs me that it had some representations regarding a second station at Drogheda on the north side of the town. The company has some concerns about the close proximity of the two stations but, in any event, a new station would have to be supported by high density development within its immediate area.
835 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Transport if he has received more specific proposals from Iarnród Éireann regarding the proposed rail development in Cork following his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 39 on 20 November 2003. [2229/04]
Iarnród Éireann's medium-term investment programme is currently a matter of discussion between my Department and the company. The development of services in the Cork area is part of those discussions. I expect to receive specific proposals from Iarnród Éireann on the development of those services shortly. The Deputy will, however, be aware that Iarnród Éireann has already commenced the operation of a commuter rail system in the Cork area, since December last, with the provision of a commuter service between Mallow and Cork, upgraded services to Cobh and improved services between Tralee-Killarney and Cork.
837 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding the imprisonment of a person (details supplied) in Limerick jail. [1092/04]
The person referred to was released from prison custody on 9 January 2004.
838 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason a capital grant for the community-based not-for-profit group in Tuam Resource Centre is not being approved under the EOCP programme for 2000 to 2006; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this voluntary committee is now in a very difficult situation, as it has a considerable amount of capital invested in the project, and that, without the allocation of funding from the Department, the whole process could be seriously jeopardised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1093/04]
A grant application for capital grant assistance from the equal opportunities child care programme for 2000 to 2006 was received from that community-based group in December 2002. All applications for grant assistance undergo a thorough assessment and appraisal process by Area Development Management Limited. On completion of the assessment process, applications are considered by the programme appraisal committee, chaired by my Department, for a recommendation before I make a final decision.
There has been considerable demand from community-based groups for capital grant assistance under the programme, and every county has benefited from significant grant commitments to provide new and enhanced community-based child care facilities. My Department is currently carrying out an extensive review of the programme's capital commitments to date to ensure that those grant commitments previously entered into will in fact be realised by the groups on the ground. At the same time, it is also reviewing the different budget lines under the capital programme to ensure that the most effective use is made of all remaining capital funding in accordance with the objectives of the programme.
All applications for capital grant assistance are appraised in accordance with the programme criteria to ensure that those projects which best meet the aims and objectives of the programme receive the capital grant assistance which will enable them to provide quality child care in areas where there are service deficits. It would be premature of me to comment further on specific applications for capital grant assistance at present.
839 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of money spent by his Department on consultancy services since he became Minister; the name of each consultancy firm awarded a contract; the cost to his Department of each contract; the criteria for awarding each contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1094/04]
The amount expended on consultancy services by my Department since I took office is €29,375,399.97. Regarding the criteria for awarding contracts, I can inform the Deputy that the contracts would have been awarded in line with Government procurement procedures. I can also inform the Deputy that in some cases limited tendering would have been applicable and that the following criteria for awarding contracts would have been used: understanding the awareness of the requirements of the project; feasibility and credibility of the proposed approach and quality of deliverables; relevant knowledge, skills, expertise and experience of personnel; and cost effectiveness and value for money. The name of the consultancy firms involved and the amounts paid are set out in the following tabular statement.
|
Name of consultancy firm |
Amount paid |
|
€ |
|
|
Centre for Social and Educational Research. Dublin Institute of Technology |
25,497.50 |
|
Cawley Nea, Advertising Agency |
149,109 |
|
Bearing Point (formerly KPMG Consulting) |
398,391.68 |
|
PriceWaterhouse Cooper Consortiums |
2,092,893.78 |
|
Terry Lawlor |
7,535.93 |
|
Gartner Group |
44,189.30 |
|
IT Network Security Consultants (name of firm withheld for security reasons) |
34,318.63 |
|
Irish International |
38,115 |
|
Edelmans PR |
76,861 |
|
Millward Brown IMS |
48,170 |
|
National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) |
73,466 |
|
Pearn Kandola |
57,668.32 |
|
Goodbody Economic Consultants Limited |
26,468.76 |
|
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) |
70,116 |
|
Transition Management |
18,150 |
|
The Institute of Public Administration |
14,000 |
|
Strata 3 |
4,392.30 |
|
Conference Partners |
9,500 |
|
ESRI |
142,381.86 |
|
Marie Crawley |
19,206.30 |
|
Louise O'Meara |
19,073.45 |
|
Capita Services |
58,975.69 |
|
University of Strathclyde |
109,342.01 |
|
KW Research |
7,013 |
|
DTZ Pieda |
39,000 |
|
Dory Reeves |
12,259.80 |
|
E-Training International |
82,904.59 |
|
Fitzpatrick Associates |
62,254.50 |
|
Siobhan Phillips |
3,200 |
|
Wendy Davis |
1,333.09 |
|
Carmel McNamee and Mary Quinlan |
14,404 |
|
Montague |
9,345 |
|
Jane Pillinger & Associates |
72,600 |
|
Hibernian Consulting |
59,955 |
|
UCC Law Department |
26,216.79 |
|
Farrell Grant Sparks Consulting (FGS Consulting) |
54,208 |
|
Landsdowne Market Research |
20,000 |
|
PriceWaterhouse Coopers |
61,660.30 |
|
Goodbody Economic Consultants |
11,911 |
|
Economic and Social Research Institute |
145,200 |
|
Landsdowne Market Research Limited |
6,620 |
|
PA Consulting Group |
65,136.57 |
|
Ralaheen Limited |
52,903.62 |
|
Accenture |
127,000 |
|
PriceWaterhouse Cooper |
78,741 |
|
Open Minds Consultants |
6,050 |
|
Institute of Public Administration |
12,750 |
|
Mr. Vincent Steadman |
15,080 |
|
Ms Eileen Finn |
29,300 |
|
Terminal Four Solutions Limited |
6,594.50 |
|
Renaissance Contingency Service Limited |
6,655 |
|
Blue Wave Technology |
13,258 |
|
3G identification Limited |
19,975.34 |
|
AKJ Associates Limited London |
40,714.80 |
|
Johnny Connolly Research Consultant |
4,317.11 |
|
Accenture |
7,471,511 |
|
Helm Corporation |
520,963 |
|
Fujitsu (formerly ICL) |
17,920 |
|
Farrell Grant Sparks |
75,467 |
|
Bill Wood Associates |
2,945 |
|
Butler Group |
9,764 |
|
Compuserve |
1,265 |
|
Fujitsu Consulting |
10,452,952 |
|
Gartner Group |
168,512 |
|
Mobius Technologies |
1,502 |
|
Open Applications Consultants |
6,655 |
|
Vantage Consultants |
3,124,559 |
|
Verity |
22,167 |
|
RCC Consultants Limited |
107,986 |
|
Accenture |
649,217 |
|
KPMG Bearing Point |
332,591 |
|
Eunit AB |
11,185 |
|
Fujitsu Technology Solutions |
1,464,542 |
|
JDC Telecom Strategies |
1,454 |
|
Compliance Engineering |
13,794 |
|
Michael McGrath |
25,591.50 |
|
Michael McGrath |
57,354 |
|
Byrne and Cleirigh |
23,731.04 |
|
Hay Management Consultants |
40,452 |
|
Dr. Marian Hanrahan |
19,905 |
840 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his future plans for Loughan House, Blacklion, County Cavan; his views on whether this facility is an integral part of the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1108/04]
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to the matters raised on the Adjournment on 12 and 19 November 2003 regarding measures to contain prison costs, including possible new management arrangements for Loughan House which would not involve the Irish Prison Service.
On 11 November 2003, the Government decided to implement, from 1 January 2004, a number of measures in the event of failure to reach agreement with the Prison Officers' Association in ongoing talks on the proposed change agenda aimed at eliminating overtime payments and reducing prison costs. Those measures include transformation of the open centre at Loughan House into a post-release centre for the reintegration into society of prisoners on conditional temporary release. The precise arrangements for the running of such a facility are being finalised in my Department. As I have already indicated, serving staff will be transferred to other prisons to perform duties which must currently be done on overtime. Similar arrangements will be implemented regarding the other open centre at Shelton Abbey, Arklow, County Wicklow.
I have already made it clear on several occasions, both inside and outside this House, that I want the Prison Officers' Association to agree to a reasonable and sustainable cost structure for the continued involvement of prison officers in operating our prisons and open centres. However, if consensus is not possible, I will have no option but to proceed with implementation of the measures decided by Government, including alternative arrangements for the operation of Shelton Abbey and Loughan House.
841 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the category of persons who will be disqualified from holding a licence to operate a private security firm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1129/04]
The Private Security Services Bill 2001, which is currently awaiting Report Stage in the House, provides for the establishment of a body, to be known as the Private Security Authority, to control and supervise individuals and firms providing security services. The principal function of the authority will be to operate a licensing system for providers of security services to maintain and improve standards within the sector.
Provisions relating to the grant of licences are set out in section 21 of the Bill. Applications for licences must be accompanied by such references as to the applicant's character and competence as the authority may require. Section 35 requires an applicant for a licence, or a licensee who has been convicted of an offence, other than a prescribed offence, or against whom proceedings for such an offence are pending, to notify the authority of the conviction or proceedings in a prescribed manner.
For the purposes of assessing an application, the authority may require an applicant to furnish additional information and may require verification by affidavit of any information provided by the applicant. A certificate by a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of superintendent may also be required. Section 33 of the Bill enables the authority to request the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána to provide any information requisite for the due performance of its functions regarding any applicant for a licence or any licensee, and the Commissioner shall comply with any such request.
Section 22 of the Bill provides that the authority shall refuse to grant a licence where, on the basis of the information provided to it, the applicant is not a fit and proper person to provide a security service. In the case of companies and partnerships, the conditions apply to directors and partners respectively as well as to any manager, secretary or other similar officer of the entity concerned. The authority shall also refuse to issue a licence where an applicant does not comply with a requirement under the Bill or regulations made by the authority, e.g. regarding training, where an applicant is under 18 years of age or where the applicant has not paid the prescribed fee. To ensure tax compliance by applicants and licensees, section 24 of the Bill provides that the authority shall refuse to grant or renew a licence to or regarding a person regarding whom a tax clearance certificate is not in force.
842 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a decision in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will be expedited; and the time frame for the decision to be made. [1132/04]
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that leave to remain in the State for a period of one year was renewed for the person concerned following further consideration of his case. The matter will be further reviewed in December 2004.
843 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps that have or will be taken to reform the in camera rule regarding family law in court cases. [1159/04]
It is my intention to provide for the amendment of the in camera rule in the civil liability and courts Bill due to be published shortly.
844 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will investigate allegations of serious corruption regarding a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1161/04]
I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the complainant, despite being afforded every reasonable opportunity, has declined to make a formal statement of complaint to the Garda Síochána and, in the absence thereof, the investigation of his allegations, which are directed at many organs of the State, cannot be advanced.
845 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Question No. 242 of 19 November 2003, if he has satisfied himself that an ongoing Garda inquiry is based on legitimate grounds and initiated by the gardaí and not by another party (details supplied). [1162/04]
As I have previously informed the Deputy, it has been the practice of successive Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform not to comment on individual Garda investigations except in the most exceptional circumstances.
846 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the progress that has been made by the review group on the vetting of child carers in the State. [1168/04]
The working group on Garda vetting has met on seven occasions to date, the most recent being on 13 January 2004. The report of the working group is currently being finalised, and it is hoped that it will be submitted to the Garda Commissioner and myself in the coming weeks.
847 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners released on parole for Christmas; and the number that breached their rules and regulations during their release. [1184/04]
There were a total of 307 prisoners granted varying periods of temporary release at Christmas under the Criminal Justice Act 1960. That is roughly 9% of the prisoner population. That figure corresponds almost exactly to the number released in the previous two years. The periods of release varied from a few hours, in some cases accompanied by another responsible person, up to nine nights. All releases were subject to stringent conditions, which in the vast majority of cases included a requirement to report on a regular basis to his or her local Garda station. As of today's date, ten of those persons had failed to return to custody. In each case the Prison Service has made contact with the Garda Síochána to inform it. Each of those persons can be arrested immediately and returned to prison custody.
848 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has evidence that political parties or individual members of the Houses of the Oireachtas are involved in illegal activities or organised crime. [1185/04]
The Deputy will appreciate that the collection of evidence regarding criminal activity in particular cases is a matter for the Garda Síochána. However, in so far as the Deputy's question may arise in the context of public comments which I have made relating to the funding of a particular party in this House, I can tell him on the basis of the briefings available to me that I stand by those comments, and that will remain my position until such time as it is clear that all criminal activity carried out by or to the benefit of a particular paramilitary organisation, with links to that party, has ceased completely.
849 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the measures he is taking to curb the phenomenon of illegal migration into Ireland. [1203/04]
Measures designed to enforce compliance with our immigration laws are but one aspect of the regulatory arrangements which apply to non-nationals seeking to enter or to remain on our territory. While those measures, which are the focus of the Deputy's question, are by no means the only policy response required to deal with the immigration phenomenon, they are nonetheless an important element.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau's computerised information system is now available at 24 sites throughout the country on a 24-hour basis, including at all major ports and airports. The essence of that system is the provision of up-to-date information immediately to immigration personnel throughout the State to support informed, effective and speedy decision making. For example, it contains data, with photographs, on all persons who have been refused leave to land at any port in the State and information on all persons who are the subject of deportation orders. It also contains data on virtually all legally resident non-EEA nationals, which obviates difficulties which may arise for such persons on arrival at a busy port or airport.
Over 9,000 persons were refused entry to the State and returned to their countries of departure in the years 2002 and 2003. In addition, in those years, over 1,000 persons were deported and a further 1,200 approximately who no longer had permission to reside in the State returned voluntarily with the assistance of the immigration authorities. Thus, through those efforts alone, over 11,000 illegal immigrants or potential illegal immigrants have been detected and removed in the past two years. It is important to recognise the deterrent effect that this rigorous regime has on persons who might wish to exploit our immigration procedures.
Both my Department and the Garda National Immigration Bureau have established international liaison arrangements with immigration authorities in both the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, and France, which are major transit points for illegal immigration into the State, with a particular focus on trafficking activity. Those arrangements include the placement of permanent liaison officers in the Irish embassies in both London and Paris. On another related front, we will of course during our Presidency of the European Union continue to promote and participate in a range of initiatives in co-operation with our European partners to address the complex web of issues surrounding illegal immigration.
On the legislative front, the Immigration Act, which was enacted on 14 July 2003, constituted a major addition to our corpus of immigration law. It contains a range of amendments designed to strengthen the effectiveness of our immigration and asylum procedures. The Act makes provision for the introduction of carrier liability, which obliges carriers bringing non-nationals into Ireland to satisfy themselves that the passengers whom they take on board at the point of departure have the correct documentation to allow them to disembark here. That provision, which operates regarding traffic coming from outside the common travel area, is having a major deterrent effect on illegal migration.
Unfortunately, there is clear evidence to show that our asylum determination system is being abused by criminal elements whose activities have clear implications for the security and authority of the State itself and the general economic welfare of citizens. Those activities also have implications for the preservation of the integrity and effectiveness of the asylum system as it operates in Ireland for those who are genuinely in fear of persecution. The Act of 2003 contained significant changes to the Refugee Act 1996 to reduce the extent of that abuse. Those include provisions requiring applicants to play a more active role in the asylum process. Failure to co-operate now results in rejection of applications. It also contains provisions for more accelerated processing of applications, including: prioritisation of certain claims; reduced time limits for appeals; greater use of appeals on papers alone; designating of States as safe countries of origin for the purpose of refugee determinations; and streamlined operation of the Dublin Convention and safe third countries processes. The total number of asylum applications for the year 2003 was 32% down on the number for 2002, the number for the last six months of 2003 being 52% down on the comparable period for the previous year.
It is well recognised that increased efforts to combat illegal immigration are accompanied by greater attempted exploitation of legal migratory routes. That results in increased efforts to support visa applications with false documentation or information, greater use of falsified passports and work permits, etc. There is a very rigorous regime employed to determine visa applications, and personnel from my Department are now employed in the embassies in Moscow and Beijing. Fourteen thousand visa applications were rejected in 2002, while 105,000 were granted. In addition, immigration officers with the assistance of the Garda National Immigration Bureau's computerised information system and other specialised equipment now have the capacity to check the authenticity of passports, visas, work permits and Garda registration cards.
The foregoing is but a brief synopsis of all that has been achieved in recent years in response to the issue outlined by the Deputy. Other initiatives include the conclusion of re-admission agreements with a number of source countries, the enactment of legislation criminalising employers who employ non-EEA nationals without a work permit, the enactment of legislation restricting the payment of rent supplements to asylum seekers and other persons not lawfully in the State, the engagement of the International Organisation for Migration to encourage voluntary return, and of course the deployment of additional resources in both my own Department and the Garda National Immigration Bureau to deal with the problem.
850 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to report on his Department's activities regarding Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1219/04]
The Irish Presidency programme was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 18 December and debated in the Dáil on 20 January. The programme sets out in detail my priorities for the Justice and Home Affairs Council in the context of the objective of developing the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice. Those priorities are consistent with the requirements of the Treaty of Amsterdam and the work programme agreed by the European Council in Tampere for that purpose. The programme also sets out our priorities in the area of equality, where the focus will be on promoting equality and combating discrimination.
January has already been a very busy month for my Department. The informal Justice and Home Affairs Council, which I chaired, took place in Dublin Castle on 22 and 23 January. Issues dealt with at that meeting included the Council directive on minimum standards on procedures for granting and withdrawing refugee status, the question of a common return policy, organised crime, the proposal for a Council framework decision on a European evidence warrant and, in the context of civil law co-operation, the possibility of an EU instrument to deal with small claims. In addition, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Ruud Lubbers, presented his views on the development of a common EU asylum policy at my invitation.
Both I and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, who has special responsibility for equality matters, have also appeared before the European Parliament. I appeared before the European Parliament Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, on 21 January to brief the committee on the Irish Presidency priorities in the Justice and Home Affairs area. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, briefed the European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities on our priorities in the area of equality on 19 January.
I will chair four further meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, and Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform officials will be called upon to chair approximately 140 meetings at working group level in Brussels and Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, will chair two meetings of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council regarding the equality issues before those Council meetings. There will also be further engagements with the European Parliament. A number of conferences and seminars relating to the Justice and Home Affairs area will also be held in Ireland. The calendar of Council meetings which I and other Government colleagues will chair has been deposited in the Oireachtas Library, as has the calendar of high-level meetings which are being held in Ireland.
My officials and I have also advanced the Presidency programme through a considerable number of bilateral contacts with Ministers and officials in member states and other countries, and with officials in the European institutions. I will continue to hold such meetings as necessary. This is a general outline of my Department's activities regarding Ireland's EU Presidency and my own plans for that Presidency. However, it is likely that many other commitments will arise between now and the end of the Presidency regarding my Department.
851 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the figures available to his Department regarding the deportation orders served against illegal migrants resident in Ireland and the number of orders which were not served due to the disappearance of the people involved. [1238/04]
Section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended, allows the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to make deportation orders regarding nine categories of persons. Between the commencement of that Act in November 1999 and 31 December 2003, 7,892 such deportation orders were served. A breakdown of that number into the nine categories is not available: the vast majority of the orders were made regarding failed asylum seekers.
All deportation orders are served on the individuals concerned at their last given address with a requirement on them to present themselves to the Garda National Immigration Bureau, so that arrangements can be made for their removal from the State. Of the 7,892 persons who were notified of their deportation orders, 4608 failed to present themselves to the Garda National Immigration Bureau as required. Those persons are classified as evaders and, although it is not known how many actually remain in the State, they are subject to arrest and detention for the purposes of deportation.
852 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reduction in the number of asylum seekers in 2003 and the reasons for this reduction in applications. [1239/04]
The number of asylum applications received in 2003 was 7,900 which represented a fall of some 32% compared to 2002 when 11,634 asylum applications were received. Excluding reapplications, the total number of applications for asylum received in 2003 was 7,483, a decrease of some 36% on 2002. While it is not possible to be absolutely certain in relation to all of the factors involved in the reduction in asylum numbers in 2003, it is possible to say that the fall in applications was influenced by a combination of factors and strategies.
The Government now has in place a comprehensive strategy for dealing with asylum claims comprising, for example, a strengthened infrastructural and statutory framework for processing applications fairly and within shorter timescales to ensure that those in need of refugee protection receive that protection more speedily. The infrastructural framework, as the Deputy will be aware, is made up to two independent agencies, namely, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, ORAC, and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, RAT, which have been highly resourceful over recent years a situation that has resulted in the speedier processing of asylum applications by both offices. It is a well-known fact that slow decision/making in a refugee determination process often gives rise to high numbers of unfounded applications being received. Enhancing the processing capacity of our refugee determination process so as to speed up decision/making without compromising fairness has certainly, in my opinion, had an important impact on numbers.
The strengthening of processing and the shortening of timescales for decisions has been supported by the enhancement of our legislative base for dealing with asylum applications in the form, for example, of amendments to the Refugee Act 1996 by the Immigration Act 2003 which came into effect on 15 September 2003. These amendments were, inter alia, aimed at ensuring that asylum applicants participate more actively in the determination process and failure, for example, to co-operate with the asylum process can result in the rejection of an application. The Immigration Act 2003 also contains provisions for the accelerated processing of asylum applications, including prioritisation of certain claims; strengthened credibility provisions; greater use of appeals on the papers alone; designation of States as safe countries of origin and streamlined operation of the Dublin Convention and safe third country processes. All of the relevant amendments in the 2003 Act were based on the experience of operating the Refugee Act 1996 over the past few years.
Central to the integrity of any asylum process is the ability to return persons found not be in need of refugee protection, and who have no other protection needs, to their countries of origin. In this regard, we are continuing to maintain the number of deportations being effected, with some 590 persons deported in 2003 and some 762 voluntary returns also taking place during this period. As the Deputy will be aware, in the region of 90% of asylum applications received in the State are rejected on the basis that they do not meet the criteria for the award of refugee status as contained in section 2 of the Refugee Act 1996 and in the 1951 Geneva Convention.
I am also of the view that the Supreme Court judgment in January 2003 in the case of Lobe and Osayande has also had an impact on the number of unfounded asylum applications being received in the State. The Deputy will be aware that this case dealt with the residency status of parents of an Irish-born child.
There is clear evidence to show that our asylum determination process is being abused by criminal elements whose activities have clear implications for the security and authority of the State itself and the general economic welfare of its citizens. These activities also have implications for the preservation of the integrity and effectiveness of the asylum system as it operates in Ireland for those that are genuinely in need of protection. For the purpose of dealing with illegal immigration, the Government has provided increased resources to the Garda National Immigration Bureau. The bureau itself has also strengthened its international liaison arrangements with immigration authorities in both the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland and France, which are major transit points for illegal immigration into the State, with a particular focus on trafficking activity.
Amendments contained in the Immigration Act 2003 designed to strengthen our immigration procedures have also provided an enhanced legislative framework for the Garda to carry out more effective immigration controls. The 2003 Act makes provision for the introduction of carrier liability which obliges carriers bringing non-nationals into Ireland to satisfy themselves that the passengers whom they take on board at the point of departure have the correct documentation to allow them to disembark here. The provision, which operates in respect of traffic coming from outside the common travel area, is having a major deterrent effect on illegal immigration.
While the Government will continue to meet its obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees, I am sure that the Deputy will agree that with over €340 million spent on the asylum and related immigration process, including on the provision of support services to asylum seekers in 2002 — a final figure is not yet available for 2003 — it is incumbent on the Government to ensure that we have a fair and efficient asylum process in place which will tackle abusive applications as well as ensuring that those in genuine need of protection receive that protection as quickly as possible.
I recognise that the issue of asylum is complex and presents many challengers for all the agencies involved in the asylum and immigration process. However, I am convinced that the policies being pursued are the right ones, as evidenced in particular by the results I have highlighted in reply to the Deputy.
853 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans regarding the Shelton Abbey facility and whether he has visited the centre to hear at first hand the views of staff on their future and the effectiveness of the facility. [1258/04]
856 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans regarding handing over the Shelton Abbey facility to another agency; and what, if any, savings are envisaged by his Department if that were done. [1261/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 853 and 856 together.
My preference would be for Shelton Abbey to continue to be operated by the Irish Prison Service within a prison system that functions on a sensible, reasonable and cost-effective basis. Achieving such a system will require significant cost restructuring in all prisons and places of detention on foot of proposals put to the Prison Officers' Association for new staff attendance arrangements and the elimination of overtime working.
The Government decision of 11 November last involves the progressive implementation, from 1 January 2004, of several measures in the event of failure to reach agreement with the Prison Officers' Association, or POA, on the proposed change agenda aimed at eliminating overtime payments and reducing other costs in the Prison Service. Those measures include the making of arrangements for the transformation of the open centres at Loughan House, Blacklion, County Cavan, and Shelton Abbey, Arklow, County Wicklow, into post-release centres for the reintegration into society of prisoners on conditional temporary release. My Department and the Irish Prison Service are finalising the arrangements which need to be put in place to give effect to that aspect of the Government decision.
The conversion of Shelton Abbey to a new post-release facility will result in significant savings, mainly arising from reductions in the pay bill. For the year ending 31 December 2002, the most recent year for which financial information is available, Shelton Abbey incurred €600,000 in overtime payments to prison officers.
Under the new proposed arrangement, that overtime will be eliminated. In addition, the current Prison Service complement of 41 staff will be replaced with fewer non-prison staff at significantly reduced rates of pay owing to the fact that the work to be carried out at the centre will be based on more comparable and realistic national work models. That will break the link to the types of security and staff resources required in a prison situation.
As outlined previously, I have no desire to take away the running of Shelton Abbey from the Irish Prison Service. I want the POA to agree to a reasonable and sustainable cost structure for the continued operation by its members of our prisons and the open centres. I met with representatives of the POA on 20 November last, and discussed my position on the negotiations. Agreement was subsequently reached with the Prison Officers' Association to employ the services of the Labour Relations Commission. Discussions are still ongoing, and I very much hope that a mutually acceptable way forward can be found at that forum.
However, if a consensus is not possible, I will have no option but to proceed with the closure of Shelton Abbey place of detention, and to make arrangements for the alternative operation of the centre. The Prison Service will arrange for the transfer of prison officers from those locations to other prison institutions.
854 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the overall situation in the prison service regarding over-staffing; and if the facility at Shelton Abbey has been deemed by either his Department or the prison service to be over-staffed regarding the ratio of staff to prisoners kept there. [1259/04]
Shelton Abbey is an open facility designed to accommodate up to 56 prisoners who are categorised as a low security risk. Currently 41 members of staff are serving at Shelton Abbey. Recently, the prisoner numbers have been reduced in preparation for implementation of the proposed transformation of the open centre at Shelton Abbey into a post-release centre for the reintegration into society of prisoners on conditional temporary release. That measure is one of several steps which the Government approved in the event of failure to reach agreement with the Prison Officers' Association on a change agenda aimed at eliminating overtime payments and reducing other costs in the Irish Prison Service. Any anomaly in staffing to prisoner ratios at Shelton Abbey in that context is purely temporary.
Negotiations with the POA on moving that agenda forward are currently under way at the Labour Relations Commission, and it is my clear preference that a mutually advantageous agreement is reached with the Prison Officers' Association which would ensure an efficient and cost-effective Prison Service, including the open centre at Shelton Abbey.
855 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he can give a breakdown of the overtime payments to prison officers in the different prison facilities; and his views on the level of overtime payments made to staff at Shelton Abbey in comparison with the rest of the Prison Service. [1260/04]
The following table shows a breakdown of overtime payments made to prison officers in each prison for the year 2002, the latest full year for which figures are available.
|
Institution |
Number of staff |
Average number in custody |
Overtime costs ( € ) |
Average overtime payment per officer ( € ) |
|
Arbour Hill Prison |
123 |
137 |
1,582,671 |
12,867 |
|
Castlerea Prison |
160 |
191 |
2,925,500 |
18,284 |
|
Cork Prison |
233 |
267 |
3,540,768 |
15,196 |
|
Cloverhill Prison |
388 |
388 |
6,321,002 |
16,291 |
|
Curragh Place of Detention |
74 |
92 |
1,386,868 |
18,741 |
|
Fort Mitchel Place of Detention |
97 |
85 |
1,098,212 |
11,321 |
|
Limerick Prison |
204 |
187 |
3,201,404 |
15,693 |
|
Loughan House Place of Detention |
50 |
71 |
598,060 |
11,961 |
|
Midlands Prison |
337 |
375 |
5,210,358 |
15,461 |
|
Mountjoy Prison |
603 |
530 |
12,702,676 |
21,065 |
|
Portlaoise Prison |
334 |
137 |
8,461,632 |
25,334 |
|
Shanganagh Castle Place of Detention |
45 |
23 |
646,397 |
14,364 |
|
Shelton Abbey Place of Detention |
44 |
46 |
607,423 |
13,805 |
|
St. Patrick's Institution |
190 |
180 |
4,096,140 |
21,558 |
|
Training Unit Place of Detention |
78 |
91 |
880,744 |
11,291 |
|
Wheatfield Prison |
320 |
367 |
5,736,808 |
17,927 |
|
TOTAL |
3,269 |
3,167 |
58,996,663 |
18,047 |
Shelton Abbey place of detention incurred overtime costs of €607,423 in 2002. Based on an average of 44 staff, that equates to average overtime earnings of €13,805 per staff member. Shelton Abbey is an open centre and as such has a negligible security requirement when compared with the larger medium-security prisons such as Mountjoy and Wheatfield and the high-security prison at Portlaoise. However, it still generated more average overtime expenditure per staff member than that of the closed institutions of Fort Mitchel and Arbour Hill as well as the training unit, which is a semi-open place of detention.
857 Mr. C. Lenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of serving prison officers now entitled to leave their positions and take retirement because they have served their contractual period of employment; and the contingency plans he has made should that become a reality against the background of a future industrial dispute. [1262/04]
The maximum retirement age for a prison officer is 60 years, and the normal minimum retirement age is 55. However, at present a member of the service may also retire once he or she has completed 30 years' actual service in the Prison Service, provided he or she is at least 50 years of age. At the moment there are only 125 out of almost 3,200 officers who fall into any of those categories.
Any vacancies arising as a result of staff retiring will be filled, having regard to Government policy on Civil Service numbers, by way of open competition conducted by the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners. A competition for the position of prison officer was last held in November 2001. The Government has approved the holding of a competition for the recruitment of a new entry-level grade of prison officer. The Irish Prison Service is carefully examining the detailed arrangements which need to be put in place to give effect to that decision.
858 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress regarding a submission made by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare regarding Irish citizenship; if he will expedite a response given the unusual circumstances of the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1331/04]
An application for a certificate of naturalisation by the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department in September 2003. The average processing time for applications for naturalisation is approximately 15 to 18 months at present. Consequently, the application of the person concerned will be finalised in early 2005. As soon as I have reached a decision on the matter I will inform both the applicant and the Deputy of the outcome.
859 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of arrests on foot of arrest warrants in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1332/04]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the information sought is not readily available and could only be obtained by the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources which could not be justified in the circumstances.
However, I can inform the Deputy that the following numbers of bench warrants were issued by the courts in 2002: District Court, 22,149; Circuit Court, 436. Figures for the year 2003 are not yet to hand.
860 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Garda or Army escorts provided in each of the past five years to financial institutions for the transport of money throughout the State; the cost of each; the contribution made to the Department in each case; the terms of the agreement between the institutions and the State regarding the cost; the proposals, if any, by the Department to recoup the full costs from the institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1339/04]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that, for operational reasons, it is not the practice of the Garda Síochána to provide details of the number of cash escorts carried out within the State.
The costs to the Garda Síochána regarding cash escorts for the banks are as follows:
|
Year |
Amount |
|
€ |
|
|
2002 |
3,953,886 |
|
2001 |
4,341,491 |
|
2000 |
2,971,817 |
|
1999 |
3,112,538 |
Figures regarding 2003 have not yet been finalised. It is not possible to provide a disaggregation of costs by individual escort duty. The contributions of the banks regarding the above-mentioned costs are as follows:
|
Year |
Contribution |
|
€ |
|
|
2002 |
952,000 |
|
2001 |
952,000 |
|
2000 |
952,000 |
|
1999 |
952,000 |
Following negotiations between the banks and my Department last year, the banks agreed to increase their contributions to €3,000,000 for 2003. It was also agreed that further discussions would occur about the level of contributions to be made by the banks in future years, and my Department is currently pursuing that matter.
861 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider a holiday visa application for a person (details supplied) which is under appeal. [1372/04]
I can inform the Deputy that the application was approved on appeal on 7 January 2004.
862 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views regarding appointing an ombudsman for the Garda Síochána, particularly following a programme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1374/04]
The Government is already committed to the establishment of a new body, which will have comprehensive powers of investigation, to deal with complaints against members of an Garda Síochána. The drafting of the Bill, which will also provide a statutory basis for management, performance and accountability in the Garda Síochána, is at an advanced stage, and I intend to publish it shortly.
863 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a change will be considered to the Juries Act 1976, which describes deaf people as unsuitable for jury duty. [1375/04]
I am of the view that the wording used to in the Juries Act 1976 describing deaf people and others as "incapable persons" in the context of serving on a jury is dated. I have asked that the matter be borne in mind in the context of any future review of the legislation in question.
864 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the strong demand for approval by his Department for funding under the crime prevention youth projects scheme for the St. Aengus youth project in Tallaght; if his attention has further been drawn to the potential of this special project which has the full backing of the Garda Síochána; when decisions regarding same will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1399/04]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 139 of 26 November 2003. The position remains as set out in that reply.
865 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding the application for citizenship for a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [1407/04]
An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department on 28 August 2002. The average processing time for applications for naturalisation is approximately 15 to 18 months at present. It is likely that the application of the person concerned will be finalised in the next few months. As soon as I have reached a decision on the matter I will inform both the applicant and the Deputy of the outcome.
866 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action it is proposed to take to provide an effective remedy to a person (details supplied) following the finding by the UN Human Rights Committee that their rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights had been infringed by Ireland; and the steps it is proposed to take to prevent further similar violations of the covenant. [1408/04]
In April 2001, the United Nations Human Rights Committee held that there had been a violation of the rights of the person in question under Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to equality before the law and to the equal protection of the law.
The basis for that conclusion was that, in the view of the committee, the State had failed to demonstrate that the decision to refer the person in question to the Special Criminal Court, as provided for in the Offences against the State Acts, was based upon reasonable and objective grounds. In acknowledgement of the view of the committee and having regard to its obligations under Article 2, paragraph 3(a) of the covenant, the State made a payment to the person in question of IR£1,000.
The person in question submitted a communication to the Human Rights Committee in July 2001 complaining about the remedy provided by the State. In its decision adopted in October 2002, the committee decided that the communication was inadmissible under Articles 1 and 2 of the optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The provisions of the Offences against the State Acts were the subject of a detailed review by a committee established under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court judge Mr. Justice Anthony Hederman. The Committee's report was published in August 2002. It is an extensive report, dealing with complex issues of law and policy — including matters relating to the Special Criminal Court — and involves important considerations concerning the balance to be struck between national and international security on the one hand and civil liberties and individual rights on the other.
Those recommendations in the report of immediate relevance to the purpose and scope of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002 were considered in the context of the preparation of that legislation. The Bill, accordingly, will give effect to a limited number of recommendations to that end. A fuller consideration of the other recommendations of the committee will be finalised once that Bill has been enacted, and I will then bring further proposals to the Government.
867 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Land Registry Office will urgently expedite the issue of a map to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [1415/04]
I am informed by the Registrar of Titles that this is an application for a special features map which was lodged on 17 October 2003. Application No. C2003SM004890J refers. I am further informed that applications for ordinary copy maps take between six and nine weeks and, in the case of applications for special features maps, the time frame is longer, owing to the extra detail to be put on the maps and the volume of applications received. However, I can assure the Deputy that the application is receiving attention in the Land Registry and will be completed within the next week.
868 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the immigration and citizen division of his Department at Burgh Quay, Dublin 1, is only contactable on three mornings per week for a total of six hours by members of the public; if the period will be extended, as it frequently takes a considerable period of time to access the telephone lines; if he has established or intends to establish an Oireachtas Members' inquiry line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1433/04]
I assume, from the hours specified, that the Deputy is referring to the visa helpline, which is one of four helplines operated in the immigration and citizenship division of my Department. I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 396 of 18 November 2003, in which I addressed that issue comprehensively. I am considering with officials in my Department ways to underpin the quality and efficiency of services provided in light of the resources available.
869 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the maximum advice and support will be given to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who is a victim of the justice system; and if the commissioner will investigate the case. [1434/04]
I have had inquiries made regarding this matter, and I am informed that a person pleaded guilty in court to assault on the person referred to by the Deputy and was accordingly convicted and given a suspended sentence of 18 months and bound to keep the peace for two years. The court also ordered that compensation to the amount of €3,809.21 be paid to the injured party, which I am informed was paid on 2 May 2002.
I understand that the victim was provided with information about the services of Victim Support and had a member of the Victim Support court services section present when attending court. In addition, the victim may wish to make an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, 13 Lower Hatch Street, Dublin 2, if that has not already been done.
870 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will arrange to have copy of land certificate issued to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny to enable them to complete sale of property. [1443/04]
I am informed by the Registrar of Titles that this is an application for the issue of a duplicate land certificate which was lodged on 25 November 2003. Application No. S2003TJ003065R refers.
The Deputy will be aware that applications for duplicate land certificates take time to process due to the fact that notices have to issue to a number of institutions, an advertisement needs to be placed in the Law Gazette and certain time limits have to elapse before the application can receive further consideration.
I am further informed that notices in relation to this application were sent to relevant institutions who may be able to assist the Land Registry with this application on 15 January 2003. I am also informed that a letter was issued to the lodging solicitor on the 16 January 2003 in relation to the placing of an advertisement in the Law Gazette.
I can assure the Deputy that once the notice period expires and the stipulated time limits elapse, the application will receive further consideration.
871 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the situations, where a person under 18 years of age is permitted to stay in a public house/licensed premises after 9.00 p.m.; the definition of a full meal; and if this has to take place at a function or does this section include licensed restaurants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1462/04]
Section 14 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003, which substitutes a new section for section 34 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988, generally prohibits persons under the age of 18 years from being in the bar of licensed premises. A licensee may, however, permit a child (a person under the age of 15 years) to be in the bar if accompanied by a parent or guardian, but not after 9 p.m. That discretion does not apply where it appears to the licensee that the child's presence in the bar could reasonably be regarded as injurious to the child's health, safety or welfare. A licensee may also permit a person aged between 15 and 17 to be in the bar unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, but not after 9 p.m.
A licensee may allow a child accompanied by a parent or guardian, or a person aged between 15 and 17, to be in the bar after 9 p.m. on the occasion of a private function at which a substantial meal is served to persons attending the function.
"Bar" is defined as any open bar or any part of licensed premises exclusively or mainly used for the sale and consumption of intoxicating liquor and includes any counter or barrier across which drink is or can be served to the public. The restrictions already mentioned do not apply to other parts of the licensed premises. "Substantial meal" is defined in section 9(1) of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1962 which provides that a meal served in any premises shall not be deemed to be a substantial meal unless the meal is such as might be expected to be served as a main midday or main evening meal or as a main course at either such meal, and the meal is of a kind for which (i) having regard to the prices charged for meals in the premises at times other than prohibited hours, or (ii) if meals are not normally served in the premises, having regard to all the circumstances, it would be reasonable to charge a sum that is not less than that fixed by order of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The Intoxicating Liquor Act 1962 (section 9) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 442 of 2003) fixed this sum at €9.00 with effect from 29 September 2003. The restrictions in section 14 of the 2003 Act do not apply to a son or daughter of the licensee, a person who resides in the licensed premises, a person who is passing through the bar solely for the purpose of entering or leaving another part of the premises, or a person who is employed in the licensed premises in accordance with section 38 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988.
Where a part of licensed premises contains a bar counter which is physically closed and is not used for the supply of intoxicating liquor, such a part of the premises does not constitute a "bar" within the meaning of the 2003 Act. I would, however, recommend that any person organising an alcohol-free event in such premises for persons under the age of 18 notify the superintendent of the Garda Síochána for the Garda district in which the premises are situated in advance of the proposed event.
A restaurant in respect of which a special restaurant licence has been granted under Part II of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988 is prohibited under section 16 of that Act from containing a bar. Section 14 of the 2003 Act does not, therefore, apply to a restaurant with a special restaurant licence.
872 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 413 of 18 November 2003, if a decision has been made in this case or if he will expedite a decision given the circumstances of the family. [1474/04]
As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 413 of 18 November 2003, the application for family reunification has been referred to the Refugee Applications Commissioner for investigation as required under section 18 of the Refugee Act 1996. The commissioner is currently examining the application and will submit a report to me on completion of this investigation. On receipt of the commissioner's report a decision on the application will be made as soon as possible thereafter.
873 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of cars stolen in the Dublin South-West area in each of the past 12 months; and how this compares with figures over the past five years. [1482/04]
I have had inquiries made with the Garda authorities and the information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following tables. The Deputy will note that, although the figure remains high, the 2003 total is the lowest recorded in the past five years.
|
Month |
Number |
|
January |
202 |
|
February |
182 |
|
March |
248 |
|
April |
232 |
|
May |
270 |
|
June |
213 |
|
July |
198 |
|
August |
185 |
|
September |
217 |
|
October |
233 |
|
November |
223 |
|
December |
209 |
|
Total |
2,612 |
|
Year |
Number |
|
2003 |
2,612 |
|
2002 |
2,917 |
|
2001 |
3,190 |
|
2000 |
3,226 |
|
1999 |
2,743 |
874 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to provide a Garda station in Donaghmede; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1483/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that there are no plans to open a Garda station in Donaghmede.
875 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Garda Síochána members and their ranks, who have been granted the full 18 month lodging allowance as allowed for in transfer regulations applicable when members of the Garda Síochána are promoted and transferred from 1985 to date. [1484/04]
My Department's financial management system contains certain accounting information on the payment of lodging allowances in connection with the transfer of members of the Garda Síochána. However, there are no records in my Department, either manual or computer, that can be readily accessed in order to indicate the number of members and their ranks, who have been granted the full 18 month lodging allowance from 1985 to date. An extensive trawl through manual records would be necessary but it is not certain that the result would be conclusive due to procedures in the accounts area for destroying accounting records after the record has been retained for seven years.
876 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reasons persons (details supplied) have been refused visas for entry into Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1485/04]
The visa applications referred to by the Deputy were refused because the visa section of my Department could not ascertain the immigration status of the reference in Ireland. It is open to the applicants to appeal against the refusal of the visa applications by writing to the visa appeals officer in my Department, enclosing additional supporting documentation.
877 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the manpower, squad cars and motor cycle resources available to five Garda stations (details supplied); and how they have increased over the past five years. [1486/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources including personnel that, the personnel strength of Coolock, Santry, Raheny, Clontarf and Whitehall Garda stations as at 31 December each year for the past five years and currently is as set out in the following table.
|
Station |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
21/1/04 |
|
Coolock |
93 |
89 |
85 |
84 |
87 |
86 |
|
Santry |
78 |
77 |
83 |
91 |
105 |
104 |
|
Raheny |
61 |
63 |
61 |
64 |
60 |
59 |
|
Clontarf |
56 |
56 |
60 |
64 |
62 |
62 |
|
Whitehall |
38 |
43 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
40 |
Details of official vehicles attached to these stations, over the past five years, are as set out in the following table. Official vehicles attached to the Garda water unit based at Santry are not included in this list as these vehicles are a national resource rather than a divisional resource.
|
Station |
Year End |
Cars |
Vans |
Bikes |
4x4 |
Total |
|
Coolock |
31/12/03 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
|
31/12/02 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
|
|
31/12/01 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
|
|
31/12/00 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
|
|
31/12/99 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
14 |
|
|
Santry |
31/12/03 |
17 |
9 |
8 |
1 |
35 |
|
31/12/02 |
18 |
8 |
8 |
1 |
35 |
|
|
31/12/01 |
16 |
8 |
8 |
1 |
33 |
|
|
31/12/00 |
14 |
8 |
9 |
2 |
33 |
|
|
31/12/99 |
15 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
28 |
|
|
Raheny |
31/12/03 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
31/12/02 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
|
31/12/01 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
31/12/00 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
31/12/99 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
|
|
Clontarf |
31/12/03 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
31/12/02 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
|
31/12/01 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
31/12/00 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
|
31/12/99 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
Whitehall |
31/12/03 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
31/12/02 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
31/12/01 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
31/12/00 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
31/12/99 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
I have been further informed by the Garda authorities that all official motorcycles for the Dublin metropolitan region, northern division are now based at the divisional headquarters station in Santry. These motorcycles patrol all districts in this division.
878 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when a decision will be made on an application for residency status by a person (details supplied) in County Cork under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999; and the reason for the delay in this decision. [1520/04]
The person concerned applied for residency on 26 November 2002 on the basis of parentage of an Irish born child.
Following the decision of the Supreme Court in the cases of L & O, the separate procedure which then existed to enable persons to apply to reside in the State on the sole basis of parentage of an Irish born child ended on 19 February 2003. The Government decided that the separate procedure would not apply to cases which were outstanding on that date. There are a large number of such cases outstanding at present, including the case to which the Deputy refers.
Where such a person does not have an alternative legal basis for remaining in this jurisdiction the issue of permission to remain will be considered — but only in the context of a Ministerial proposal to deport him or her. In that context the person will be notified of the proposal and given an opportunity to make representations in relation to it. If, in the light of those representations and the range of factors set out in section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999, a decision is made not to make a deportation order the person will be given leave to remain on a humanitarian basis. Because of the large number of such cases on hand I am unable to say at this stage when the case referred to by the Deputy will be examined.
879 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the case of persons (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if it will be possible for the mother of the family to return home for a week to Egypt. [1574/04]
The person in question does not have current permission to reside in the State. She may return to Egypt but having done so will be in the same position as any other Egyptian national who wishes to enter the State. She will have to apply for a visa. The fact that a person has made an application to reside in the State does not confer on him or her a right to re enter the State at any time until that application is determined.
880 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position of an appeal made by a person (details supplied) against a decision to refuse their application for a visa for their daughter to visit Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1601/04]
The visa application in this case was refused due to insufficient supporting documentation. In particular, there was no evidence that the child's father had consented to the child travelling to Ireland to reside with her mother. In addition, the child's mother had not indicated her status in the State.
An appeal against the refusal was received in November 2003. The visa appeals officer, having re-considered the application, upheld the original decision. In this regard, it was noted that the mother's permission to reside was due to expire in the coming weeks. It is, of course, open to the applicant to make a fresh application with up to date supporting documentation and the matter will be considered anew.
881 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí in Carbury, County Kildare; the proposals for a new station in that area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1602/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength of Carbury Garda station, County Kildare as at 20 January 2004 was two (all ranks).
In December 2002, I approved the proposed relocation of the Garda station at Carbury to Derrinturn, which is just two miles away. This process is ongoing. Derrinturn is the main residential area in the sub-district and in addition has the main centre of activities such as schools and shops in the area. I have been advised that local Garda management are satisfied that the current personnel strength of Carbury Garda station is adequate to meet the present policing needs of the area. The situation will be kept under review and when additional personnel next becomes available, the needs of the Carbury area will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda stations throughout the country.
882 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the growing problem of the availability of hard drugs in the Dublin south-west area; and if the Garda authorities have plans to increase in numbers the drugs unit in the area. [1633/04]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the DMR west division has four dedicated drug units which are supplemented by gardaí from the divisional crime task force, the divisional traffic unit, detective units and regular units when carrying out operations in the division as required. I am further informed that specific operations and plans are put in place by the Garda Síochána to target any drug dealing. The strength of the drug units is regularly reviewed and adjusted as required.
883 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he intends to take following revelations broadcast on 8 January 2004, about the Garda Síochána concerning allegations of assault and perjury; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1635/04]
Any allegations of serious wrongdoing by members of the Garda Síochána, such as those broadcast on the "Prime Time" programme, are of course of serious concern to me. Some of these cases were previously reported and in the public domain, and either have been or may be dealt with in the courts or by the existing complaints and disciplinary mechanisms, and I will not comment on the specific details of each case.
I regard it as essential that there should be in place a mechanism for dealing with such cases which commands public confidence. In this regard I will shortly be publishing a Garda Síochána Bill, the draft scheme of which was approved by Government and published in July 2003, one of the principal aims of which will be the establishment of such a mechanism which will address the acknowledged shortcomings of the existing law and procedures in this area.
884 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress in providing CCTV in Kilkenny City; if the details of the contract have been agreed and if a contractor has been selected; if he will expedite installation of the equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1658/04]
Further to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 490 of 7 October 2003, I have been informed by the Garda authorities that planning for the installation of Kilkenny CCTV system is scheduled to commence later this year. No contract has been agreed and no contractor has been selected.
885 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a holiday visa will be issued to a person (details supplied); and if the application made at the Irish Embassy in Ankara on 10 December, 2003, can be expedited. [1667/04]
The person in question made a visa application in December 2003. The application was refused because it had not been established, on the basis of the documentation supplied to my Department, that the applicant would observe the conditions of the visa. In particular it was considered that the applicant had not displayed sufficient evidence of his obligations to return home following his proposed visit. It is open to the applicant to appeal against the refusal of the visa by writing to the visa appeals officer in my Department.
886 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when persons who were called for written and oral examinations for entry to the Garda Síochána in July 2003 will hear further from the Civil Service Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1675/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that recruitment to the Garda Síochána is administered by the Civil Service Commission. The Civil Service Commission is currently interviewing candidates from the 2003 competition for Garda trainees.
887 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the precise definition of scoping being used with regard to the Government commitment to a national strategy for women and the scoping exercise currently being conducted. [1677/04]
888 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the analytic framework of gender inequality being used with regard to the Government commitment to a national strategy for women and the scoping exercise currently being conducted. [1678/04]
889 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the timescale for progressing the strategy with regard to the Government commitment to a national strategy for women and the scoping exercise currently being conducted. [1679/04]
890 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the rationale for indicators and their coherence across Departments with regard to the Government commitment to a national strategy for women and the scoping exercise currently being conducted. [1680/04]
891 Ms Harkin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the groups which are involved in advising the process of producing the national strategy for women with regard to the Government commitment to a national strategy for women and the scoping exercise currently being conducted. [1681/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 887 to 891, inclusive, together.
A key recommendation in the report to the United Nations on the national plan for women on the implementation of the Beijing platform for action was the development of a national women's strategy as the framework for Ireland's gender equality agenda for the coming years. Under Sustaining Progress, the Government has undertaken to develop a five-year national women's strategy.
It is envisaged that the strategy will encompass policies and programmes across a number of Departments and will go beyond current Government commitments to develop new strategies for advancing women's issues and concerns. The strategy will encompass a broad range of issues affecting women and will draw on the Beijing platform for action, and the recommendations of the national plan for women 2002.
My Department engaged in an intensive consultation process in the preparation of the national plan for women 2002. One of the results of this consultation process was the publication of the report, Aspirations of Women Collected in the Course of the Consultation Process on the National Plan for Women 2003: Towards a National Women's Strategy, which will be a key input into the development of the strategy.
The scoping work for the development of the strategy is currently being finalised by my Department and I hope to present proposals to Government shortly. The scoping exercise is concerned with defining the process by which the strategy is developed and in broad terms, the framework of the strategy. Cross-cutting issues, such as indicators, will be discussed and agreed, as appropriate, during the development of the strategy. In preparation for the development of the strategy, my Department has commissioned a study on the currently available indicators in this area.
892 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of vehicles, stolen or otherwise recovered, from joyriding crime in the operational areas of Coolock, Raheny and Santry Garda stations on Dublin's northside during the years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. [1682/04]
I have had inquires made with the Garda authorities and the information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following table:
|
Year |
District |
No. of Unauthorised taking of Vehicles |
Vehicles located in the area concerned |
|
2000 |
Santry |
199 |
84 |
|
Raheny |
686 |
179 |
|
|
Coolock |
405 |
164 |
|
|
Total |
1290 |
427 |
|
|
2001 |
Santry |
205 |
102 |
|
Raheny |
600 |
338 |
|
|
Coolock |
466 |
536 |
|
|
Total |
1,271 |
976 |
|
|
2002 |
Santry |
534 |
447 |
|
Raheny |
469 |
309 |
|
|
Coolock |
315 |
680 |
|
|
Total |
1,318 |
1,436 |
|
|
2003 |
Santry |
429 |
294 |
|
Raheny |
517 |
226 |
|
|
Coolock |
330 |
650 |
|
|
Total |
1,276 |
1,170 |
893 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when it is expected that construction will start on the new Garda station at Ballymun, Dublin 11; the status it will have within the structure of Garda administration in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1686/04]
It is proposed to build a Garda divisional headquarters station in Ballymun.
Planning for the new station is well advanced through consultation with the Garda authorities and the Office of Public Works. A suitable site has been secured and necessary legal formalities in that regard are being finalised by the Office of Public Works. It is expected that a brief of requirements for the new station will be agreed and signed off in the near future.
While it is not possible to say at this point when the project will commence, I can assure the Deputy that the matter will be progressed as quickly as overall priorities within the Garda building programme and the availability of financial and other resources allow.
894 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his Department will assist the application for a child care facility at Pearse Park, Crumlin (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1701/04]
I understand that this group recently withdrew their original application under the capital measure of the equal opportunities child care programme 2000 — 2006 as they are drawing up plans for a development on a new site.
The day-to-day administration of the programme is carried out by Area Development Management Limited on my behalf and I understand that the group has been in contact with ADM in relation to its planned application for funding.
The group may also contact Dublin city child care committee for advice and information on the development of their project. As the Deputy may be aware, city and county child care committees were established to develop and deliver a child care strategy to meet the child care needs of their respective areas.
All applications for grant assistance undergo a thorough assessment and appraisal process by Area Development Management Limited. On completion of the assessment process, applications are considered by the programme appraisal committee, chaired by my Department, for a recommendation before I make a final decision.
There has been considerable demand from community based groups for capital grant assistance under the programme and every county has benefited from significant grant commitments to provide new and enhanced community based child care facilities.
My Department is currently carrying out an extensive review of the programme's capital commitments to date to ensure that those grant commitments previously entered into will in fact be realised by the groups on the ground. At the same time, it is also reviewing the different budget lines under the capital programme to ensure that the most effective use is made of all remaining capital funding in accordance with the objectives of the programme.
All applications for capital grant assistance are appraised in accordance with the programme criteria in order to ensure that those projects which best meet the aims and objectives of the programme receive the capital grant assistance which will enable them to provide quality child care in areas where there are service deficits.
895 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received correspondence from the family of a person (details supplied) killed on 13 April 2002 following a fight in the car park of Naomh Mearnog's GAA Club, Portmarnock in relation to the dissatisfaction of the family with the legal proceedings; and the measures he proposes to take to address their concerns. [1713/04]
I can confirm that correspondence has been received from the mother of the deceased person to whom the Deputy referred and that a reply has issued directly to her. The substantive issue raised in the correspondence relates to court proceedings arising from the tragic death of the person named. As the Deputy will be aware, the position is that the courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions and it is not open to me to comment on or intervene in any way in the conduct or decision in any individual court case.
896 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when a reply will be issued to an applicant (details supplied) for naturalisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1718/04]
An application for naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was received in the citizenship section of my Department on 11 July 2003. An initial examination disclosed that the application was not fully completed and consequently it was returned to the applicant. A correctly completed application was received on 23 September 2003.
The average processing time for applications for naturalisation is approximately 15 to 18 months at this point in time. Consequently, it is likely that the application of the person concerned will be finalised in the early part of 2005. As soon as I have reached a decision on the matter I will inform both the applicant and the Deputy of the outcome.
897 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a visa will be granted to a person (details supplied) in London to visit his pregnant wife; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1774/04]
The visa application in question was refused because the applicant provided insufficient information and supporting documentation with the application. In particular, he failed to disclose the details of the purpose or duration of his intended visit or show any evidence of how he intended to maintain himself during his proposed visit. It is open to the applicant to appeal against the refusal of the visa application by writing to the visa appeals officer in my Department, together with additional supporting documentation.
898 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24 who died in Garda custody on 17 June 2003; if his attention has further been drawn to an investigation carried out into their death; if his attention has further been drawn to any contact between the Garda and the deceased's family since this incident; if it is normal procedure for the Garda to keep families up to date on the process of investigations like this; if his attention has further been drawn to any toxicology examination carried out on this person; when the results are expected to be released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1799/04]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the person referred to in the Deputy's question was found dead in Garda custody at Tallaght Garda station on 17 June, 2003, and that following the person's death a senior Garda officer from a different Garda division was appointed to investigate the death. The investigation team recently made further contact with the deceased's widow and brother and apprised them of the status of the investigation. I am also informed that the deceased's brother undertook to inform other family members of the status of the investigation.
I am further informed that the investigation team are currently awaiting a post-mortem examination report from the State pathologist in respect of her examination. It is understood that the State pathologist is currently awaiting a toxicology report from the State laboratory.
899 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of squad cars dedicated to the Dublin Metropolitan Region and the number in actual use; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of squad cars dedicated to each individual station in the west and northern divisions of the DMR; the number of these in actual use in each case; the amount of funding he has made available this year for the purchase of new squad cars for the DMR area; the number of squad cars that will be purchased for the DMR this year; the number that he estimates will be decommissioned this year and his estimate for the net rise or fall in the number of squad cars dedicated to the DMR by the end of this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1865/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the total transport resources, including traffic in the Dublin metropolitan region (DMR) is as set out hereunder:
|
4x4's |
Bikes |
Cars |
Mini Buses |
Trucks |
Vans |
Total |
|
|
Total |
20 |
109 |
278 |
10 |
4 |
81 |
502 |
|
District |
Station |
4x4's |
Bikes |
Cars |
Mini Buses |
Vans |
Total |
|
Coolock |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
|
|
Malahide |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
Swords |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
|
|
DMR N-Coolock |
Total |
0 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
4 |
19 |
|
Clontarf |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
Howth |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
Raheny |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
DMR N-Raheny |
Total |
0 |
1 |
14 |
0 |
2 |
17 |
|
Airport |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
Ballymun |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
Santry |
1 |
8 |
16 |
1 |
9 |
35 |
|
|
Whitehall |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
|
DMR N-Santry |
Total |
2 |
8 |
26 |
1 |
9 |
46 |
|
Ballyfermot |
0 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
|
|
Clondalkin |
0 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
|
|
Rathcoole |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
DMR W- Ballyfermot |
Total |
0 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
3 |
19 |
|
Blanchardstown |
2 |
8 |
18 |
1 |
6 |
35 |
|
|
Cabra |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
Finglas |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
|
|
DMR W- Blanchardstown |
Total |
3 |
8 |
25 |
1 |
9 |
46 |
|
Leixlip |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
Lucan |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
|
|
Ronanstown |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
|
|
DMR W-Lucan |
Total |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
900 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1982/04]
914 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2243/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 900 and 914 together.
The areas under my Department's aegis that were selected in the Government's decentralisation programme announced on 3 December 2003 are as follows: Data Protection Commissioner's Office; the Equality Authority; Office of the Director of Equality Investigations (The Equality Tribunal); staff from the Garda Headquarters area; Garda Síochána Complaints Board; Land Registry; the Irish Prison Service; Probation and Welfare Service; and Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform staff.
While large scale decentralisation of this nature undoubtedly presents challenges, I am confident that it will not impact adversely on service delivery or efficiency in the offices being decentralised. A high-level implementation group has been established in my Department, with representatives from the areas concerned, to deal with all issues arising from the decentralisation proposals approved by Government. The group will have regard to any decision of the central implementation committee that has been established by the Department of Finance. The Department has no plans to conduct a survey of staff.
901 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when residency status will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1988/04]
The person concerned is the 17 year old daughter of a non-national who has residency based on his parentage of an Irish born child. It appears she arrived in the State on 31 December 2002, having left her country of origin where she was residing with her mother and brothers. An application for permission to remain in the State was made on her behalf on 6 February 2003. The processing of applications for residency based on an Irish born child was suspended pending a determination by Government on the general policy to be adopted in light of the Supreme Court decision of 23rd January 2003. Consideration of such applications recommenced on 18th July 2003 following the announcement of that policy. The application in question is now being processed and further documentation is being requested.
902 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when a dealing will be completed for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if the matter can be expedited. [2023/04]
I am informed by the Registrar of Titles that this is an application for a copy folio file plan which was lodged on 2 December 2003. Application Number C2003SM005497H refers. I am further informed that this application was completed on 23 January 2004 and was issued on the same date.
903 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on retaining the right to set aside or ignore parole board decisions in view of the European Convention on Human Rights and recent case law in the UK. [2046/04]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 506 of 16 December 2003.
904 Mr. Curran asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to the CCTV system to be installed in Clondalkin; the number and locations of the cameras; and when he expects the system to be operational. [2047/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the pre-tender process for the CCTV system in Clondalkin is at an advanced stage. Request for tender and detailed technical specification documents are currently being drafted by the telecommunications section at Garda headquarters, having regard to experience gained during the installation of other Garda CCTV systems and technological developments in this field.
It is intended that this system will go out to tender during the first quarter of 2004. Installation of CCTV systems is of necessity a detailed, complex and lengthy process and consequently there are a number of stages in the planning of new Garda CCTV systems. It can be expected that the installation of cameras will commence following the tender process, evaluation and award of contracts, wayleave and planning processes, which in total will amount to not less than five months. The general timetable associated with the installation of a Garda CCTV system is set out below: EU tender process: 52 days minimum; evaluation and award of contract: 30 days minimum; planning process: 42 days minimum; administration: 30 days minimum.
The scheme will consist of 11 CCTV cameras to be sited at the following locations in Clondalkin; junction of Tower Road/Convent Road/Main St.; Tower Road; Junction of Tower Road/Ninth Lock Road/Nangor Road; Junction of Watery Lane/Orchard Road; Monastery Road at Shopping Centre; Junction of Main Street/New Road; Monastery Road/Public Library; Junction of Newlands Road/New Road at Newlands Retail Centre; Green Park; Junction of Newlands Road/Naas Road/Belgard Road; Junction of Ninth Lock Road/Nangor Road.
905 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when an application for residency based on the parentage of an Irish born child will be dealt with for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [2048/04]
The person concerned applied for refugee status on 2 October 2000. He was refused asylum on 20 March 2002. He applied for residency on 9 August 2002 on the basis of parentage of an Irish child born in January 2002.
Following the decision of the Supreme Court in the cases of L & O, the separate procedure which then existed to enable persons to apply to reside in the State on the sole basis of parentage of an Irish born child ended on 19 February 2003. The Government decided that the separate procedure would not apply to cases which were outstanding on that date. There are a large number of such cases outstanding at present, including the case to which the Deputy refers.
Since the person in question does not have an alternative legal basis for remaining in this jurisdiction the issue of permission to remain will be considered — but only in the context of a ministerial proposal to deport him. In that context, he will be notified of the proposal and given an opportunity to make representations in relation to it. If, in the light of those representations and the range of factors set out in section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1999, a decision is made not to make a deportation order he will be given leave to remain on a humanitarian basis. Because of the large number of such cases on hand I am unable to say at this stage when the file will be examined.
906 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will respond to documentation sent to him by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [2061/04]
I am aware of the documentation referred to by the Deputy, which was acknowledged by my office. A further letter will be sent to the person concerned when the matters raised in the documentation have been fully considered.
907 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will accept the terms of the title by adverse position Bill 2003 drafted by the Law Reform Commission in March 2003; if he has submitted it to the Government for consideration; and when it will be published for consideration by Dáil Éireann [2092/04]
The proposals for legislation in my Department are as set out in the Government legislation programme announced by the Government Chief Whip on 25 January 2004. While the programme does not currently contain proposals to reform the law relating to adverse possession, reform of this area of law will be considered by my Department in the context of proposals in due course to codify our land law and conveyancing laws.
908 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the precise time period available to persons who wish to make a complaint to the Director of Equality Investigation under the Equality Acts, and in particular how the particular time period operates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2101/04]
In employment equality cases, other than those involving dismissal, a complainant must refer a complaint to the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations (ODEI — the equality tribunal) within six months of the alleged incident or within six months of the most recent of a series of such incidents. An extension of this period to twelve months may be granted where exceptional circumstances prevented referral within the normal period.
In equal status cases, the complainant must notify the respondent (discriminating party) of his or her intention to refer a complaint to the ODEI, within two months of the alleged act of discrimination for the complaint to be valid. If the complainant can show that there was an exceptional reason for failing to notify the respondent on time, the timeframe may be extended to four months. The claim for redress must then be lodged with the ODEI within a period of six months of the occurrence of the prohibited conduct, however, this period may be extended to twelve months in exceptional circumstances.
909 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of expenditure involved in dealing with security operations and the Provisional IRA over the past 20 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2172/04]
I am advised by the Garda authorities that it is not possible in the time allowed to compile the requested information. I will be in contact with the Deputy shortly on the matter.
910 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the accommodation requirements for the proposed new Garda station at Leixlip, County Kildare have been finalised; if not the reason for the delay and if the Office of Public Works has been requested to prepare a revised sketch scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2173/04]
As I have stated previously, the Garda authorities are considering their accommodation requirements for Leixlip. When they have notified my Department of their requirements, the Office of Public Works will be asked to prepare a revised sketch scheme for further consideration.
911 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the towns of Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge in County Kildare with a combined population of 40,324 people per the 2002 census, have no 24-hour Garda station or district headquarters; if he considers this satisfactory from a policing point of view; if he has received a request for the provision of a 24-hour station in the area from the Garda authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2174/04]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that Maynooth and Celbridge Garda stations form part of Naas district in the division of Carlow/Kildare. Naas Garda station is open to the public on a 24-hour basis. The Maynooth and Celbridge area is patrolled on a 24-hour basis by a patrol car. This is increased to two patrol cars at weekends. Leixlip Garda station forms part of Lucan district in the Dublin metropolitan region, western division. Lucan Garda station is open to the public on a 24-hour basis. The Leixlip area is patrolled by a patrol car on a 24-hour basis.
I have been further advised that local Garda management are satisfied that the arrangements currently in place at Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge are adequate to meet the present policing needs of the area. There are currently no plans to establish a district headquarters for the area of Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge.
912 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of civil servants by division and station at 31/12/03, serving as civilians in Garda stations; if he expects to increase this number in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2175/04]
The information requested in respect of civil servants by division and station serving as civilians in Garda stations as at 31 December 2003 is set out in the following table.
In October, 2001 the Government approved the report on civilianisation in the Garda Síochána which recommended a programme of civilianisation to allow for the release of Garda members to operational policing. In this context, my Department is currently reviewing these figures in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Garda management. The civilianisation report also provides for the transfer of finance functions from the Garda district clerks to civilians, and the subsequent upgrading of the new civilian role to staff officer. A competition is currently under way to fill these posts.
|
Division |
Garda Station |
Number serving at 31/12/03 |
|
DMR South Central |
Kevin Street |
9.2 |
|
Kilmainham |
2 |
|
|
Pearse Street |
9.6 |
|
|
Harcourt Terrace |
2 |
|
|
Donnybrook |
6 |
|
|
Irishtown |
1 |
|
|
DMR North Central |
Store Street |
10.5 |
|
Parking Fines Office |
29.2 |
|
|
Fitzgibbon Street |
7 |
|
|
Mountjoy |
2 |
|
|
Bridewell |
11.8 |
|
|
DMR Eastern |
Dún Laoghaire |
8 |
|
Cabinteely |
1.5 |
|
|
Bray |
5 |
|
|
Shankill |
3 |
|
|
Blackrock |
4.9 |
|
|
Dundrum |
1.8 |
|
|
Stepaside |
0.5 |
|
|
DMR Western |
Blanchardstown |
9.2 |
|
Cabra |
1.5 |
|
|
Finglas |
2 |
|
|
Ballyfermot |
10 |
|
|
Rathcoole |
0.5 |
|
|
Clondalkin |
3 |
|
|
Lucan |
6.8 |
|
|
Ronanstown |
2 |
|
|
DMR Northern |
Santry |
8.5 |
|
Whitehall |
1 |
|
|
Ballymun |
1 |
|
|
Coolock |
8 |
|
|
Malahide |
1 |
|
|
Swords |
1.5 |
|
|
Raheny |
5.8 |
|
|
Howth |
1 |
|
|
Clontarf |
1.5 |
|
|
DMR Southern |
Crumlin |
9.5 |
|
Sundrive Road |
2 |
|
|
Tallaght |
8 |
|
|
Rathfarnham |
2 |
|
|
Terenure |
5.5 |
|
|
Rathmines |
1.6 |
|
|
Longford/Westmeath |
Mullingar |
8 |
|
Athlone |
4 |
|
|
Granard |
2 |
|
|
Longford |
2.5 |
|
|
Lanesboro |
1 |
|
|
DMR Traffic Division Dublin Castle |
11.6 |
|
|
Clare |
Ennis |
10 |
|
Shannon |
1 |
|
|
Ennistymon |
2 |
|
|
Killaloe |
2 |
|
|
Scariff |
1 |
|
|
Kilrush |
3 |
|
|
Donegal |
Letterkenny |
8 |
|
Buncrana |
1 |
|
|
Ballyshannon |
1 |
|
|
Milford |
1 |
|
|
Glenties |
1 |
|
|
Galway West |
Galway (Millstreet) |
13.8 |
|
Salthill |
2 |
|
|
Clifden |
1 |
|
|
Gort |
2 |
|
|
Loughrea |
2 |
|
|
Portumna |
1 |
|
|
Roscommon/Galway East |
Roscommon |
3.5 |
|
Ballinasloe |
2 |
|
|
Mountbellew |
1 |
|
|
Boyle |
2 |
|
|
Castlerea |
3 |
|
|
Tuam |
2 |
|
|
Kerry |
Tralee |
8.8 |
|
Dingle |
1 |
|
|
Caherciveen |
2 |
|
|
Killarney |
4.5 |
|
|
Listowel |
3 |
|
|
Laois/Offaly |
Portlaoise |
3 |
|
Abbeyleix |
2 |
|
|
Birr |
3 |
|
|
Banagher |
1 |
|
|
Tullamore |
3 |
|
|
Louth/Meath |
Dundalk |
4 |
|
Drogheda |
9.5 |
|
|
Navan |
4 |
|
|
Trim |
2.8 |
|
|
Kells |
3 |
|
|
Balbriggan |
3 |
|
|
Ashbourne |
2 |
|
|
Skerries |
1 |
|
|
Dunboyne |
0.5 |
|
|
Mayo |
Castlebar |
7.6 |
|
Ballina |
3 |
|
|
Belmullet |
2 |
|
|
Claremorris |
2 |
|
|
Ballyhaunis |
1 |
|
|
Ballinrobe |
1 |
|
|
Swinford |
2 |
|
|
Westport |
4 |
|
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
Sligo |
8 |
|
Ballymote |
1 |
|
|
Carrick-on-Shannon |
2 |
|
|
Manorhamilton |
2 |
|
|
Tipperary |
Thurles |
7.3 |
|
Cahir |
2 |
|
|
Clonmel |
4 |
|
|
Carrick-on-Suir |
0.5 |
|
|
Nenagh |
2 |
|
|
Borrisokane |
1 |
|
|
Templemore |
1 |
|
|
Roscrea |
1 |
|
|
Tipperary |
2 |
|
|
Wexford |
Wexford |
5 |
|
Enniscorthy |
2 |
|
|
Blackwater |
1 |
|
|
Gorey |
5 |
|
|
Arklow |
1 |
|
|
New Ross |
2 |
|
|
Wicklow |
3.6 |
|
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
Monaghan |
6 |
|
Clones |
1 |
|
|
Bailieboro |
3 |
|
|
Ballyconnell |
2 |
|
|
Carrickmacross |
3 |
|
|
Castleblaney |
1 |
|
|
Cavan |
3 |
|
|
Carlow/Kildare |
Naas |
8.1 |
|
Rathcoole |
0.5 |
|
|
Maynooth |
1 |
|
|
Kildare |
3 |
|
|
Newbridge |
1 |
|
|
Carlow |
3 |
|
|
Athy |
1 |
|
|
Baltinglass |
2 |
|
|
Blessington |
1 |
|
|
Tullow |
1 |
|
|
Waterford/Kilkenny |
Waterford |
8.5 |
|
Dungarvan |
2.8 |
|
|
Tramore |
2 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
7 |
|
|
Thomastown |
2 |
|
|
Graiguenamanagh |
1 |
|
|
Cork West |
Bandon |
4 |
|
Bantry |
2 |
|
|
Clonakilty |
2 |
|
|
Kanturk |
2 |
|
|
Millstreet |
1 |
|
|
Macroom |
1 |
|
|
Kinsale |
0.5 |
|
|
Cork North |
Cobh |
2 |
|
Glanmire |
1 |
|
|
Fermoy |
4.6 |
|
|
Mitchelstown |
1 |
|
|
Midleton |
2 |
|
|
Youghal |
1 |
|
|
Mallow |
3 |
|
|
Charleville |
1 |
|
|
Cork City |
Anglesea Street |
19.8 |
|
Barrack Street |
2 |
|
|
Bridewell |
1 |
|
|
Blackrock |
1 |
|
|
Gurranabraher |
3.5 |
|
|
Blarney |
1 |
|
|
Ballincollig |
1 |
|
|
Mayfield |
4 |
|
|
MacCurtain Street |
1 |
|
|
Watercourse Road |
2 |
|
|
Mallow Road |
1 |
|
|
Togher |
6 |
|
|
Douglas |
1 |
|
|
Bishopstown |
1 |
|
|
Carrigaline |
1 |
|
|
Limerick |
Henry Street |
22.5 |
|
Mayorstone |
2 |
|
|
Roxboro Road |
7.5 |
|
|
Askeaton |
2 |
|
|
Rathkeale |
1 |
|
|
Newcastlewest |
2.3 |
|
|
Abbeyfeale |
1 |
|
|
Bruff |
2 |
913 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of on-the-spot fines issued by the Garda Síochána for breaches of the control of consumption and possession of alcohol by-laws in Maynooth, Celbridge and Leixlip, County Kildare, in 2001, 2002 and 2003. [2176/04]
I have had inquiries made with the Garda authorities and the information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following table:
|
Area |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
|
Maynooth |
Nil* |
9 |
26 |
|
Celbridge |
54 |
112 |
92 |
|
Leixlip |
96 |
301 |
232 |
*By-laws not in force in Maynooth in 2001
Question No. 914 answered Question No. 900.
915 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason there is no passport control at our ferry ports; his plans to introduce such a measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2278/04]
916 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the quantity and street value of illegal drugs seized in Bray, Wicklow Town and Arklow for the years 2002 and 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2282/04]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following is a breakdown of the number of drug seizures and their value in Bray, Wicklow Town and Arklow for 2002 and 2003:
|
2002 |
2003 |
|||
|
Drug |
Quantity |
Value € |
Quantity |
Value € |
|
Heroin |
17 g |
3,237 |
25 g |
4,761 |
|
Cannabis |
242 g |
3,073 |
4.156 kg |
52,781 |
|
Ecstasy |
141 g |
2,149 |
52 g |
792 |
|
Cocaine |
80 g |
8,126 |
114 g |
14,627 |
|
Amphetamine |
1 g |
13 |
2.36 g |
30 |
|
Total |
16,598 |
72,991 |
|
2002 |
2003 |
|||
|
Drug |
Quantity |
Value € |
Quantity |
Value € |
|
Cannabis H |
— |
— |
4 g |
10 |
|
Cannabis R |
37 g |
470 |
50 g |
635 |
|
Ecstasy |
2 tablets |
30 |
— |
— |
|
Methadone |
2.5 mg |
5 |
— |
— |
|
Amphetamine |
0.66 g |
8 |
— |
— |
|
Total |
513 |
645 |
|
2002 |
2003 |
|||
|
Drug |
Quantity |
Value € |
Quantity |
Value € |
|
Heroin |
70 g |
13,332 |
22 g |
4,190 |
|
Cannabis R |
1.777 kg |
22,562 |
6.38 kg |
81,026 |
|
Cannabis H |
30 g |
76 |
2.5 g |
6 |
|
Ecstasy |
20 tablets |
305 |
39 tablets |
594 |
|
Cocaine |
1 g |
102 |
— |
— |
|
Amphetamines |
1 g |
12 |
0.3 g |
4 |
|
Methadone |
150 mg |
300 |
20 mg |
40 |
|
Valium |
850 tablets |
850 |
— |
— |
|
Rohypnol |
20 tablets |
254 |
— |
— |
|
Physeptone |
— |
— |
50 mg |
100 |
|
Total |
37,793 |
85,960 |
917 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will examine a case (details supplied) with a view to reviewing procedures for the residency rules for persons holding work permits; if a standard minimum period can be introduced between the loss of a sponsor and the expiry of residency rights; if he will consider altering the present regime to reflect family circumstances as in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2286/04]
It has never been the case that the renewal of permission to remain in respect of a person who entered the State on foot of an employment permit was solely contingent on the continuance of that employment. Each case has always been considered on its individual merits having regard to the great variety of circumstances that arise.
918 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the person responsible for appointing the Constituency Commission on Dáil constituencies and giving it its terms of reference. [1442/04]
The membership and terms of reference of the Constituency Commission are prescribed in sections 6 and 7 of the Electoral Act 1997. Section 6 also provides that the commission and its members shall be independent in the performance of their functions.
Upon publication by the CSO of the Census of Population Report, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is obliged to make an order establishing a Constituency Commission to perform the functions assigned to it by the 1997 Act. Upon the presentation by the Constituency Commission of the reports required of it, the commission then stands dissolved.
919 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to amend the retail warehouse cap or the general retail planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2353/04]
999 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the decision made with regard to retail planning guidelines and any changes which may be forthcoming. [2074/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 919 and 999 together.
In August 2003 I announced a review of the retail planning guidelines in relation to the floor space cap on retail warehouses contained in the guidelines. The guidelines currently prescribe a maximum floor area of 6,000 square metres gross retail floor space for large-scale single retail warehouse development. This cap is now being reviewed, taking account of the need to ensure effective competition in this sector of retailing and ongoing developments in retail formats, while also having regard to issues of proper planning and sustainable development. Central to this review will be the potential impact of the national spatial strategy on the guidelines and the need to ensure that cities and towns have the range of retail facilities that supports their attractiveness and competitiveness for investment and population growth.
To assist in carrying out the review, I invited interested parties to make submissions to my Department. Some 71 submissions were received by my Department and are now being assessed. They will be fully taken into account in considering further whether any changes are needed in the guidelines. I intend that the process will be completed as quickly as possible.
920 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2336/04]
996 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1983/04]
1003 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2244/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 920, 996 and 1003 together.
My Department is co-operating actively with the implementation committee and the Department of Finance in relation to the decentralisation programme announced in budget 2004. This envisages the decentralisation of all Dublin based functions of my Department, with the exception of Met Éireann and some local based services, to Wexford, which will serve as headquarters, Waterford, New Ross and Kilkenny. Some 660 Dublin based staff are currently involved in discharging these functions. My Department considers that a survey of its staff, and that of other Departments, to determine interest in transferring to these south eastern locations will most valuably be undertaken when greater clarification on detailed arrangements is available following, inter alia, the report of the Implementation Committee.
My Department has set up an internal implementation team for decentralisation which will report regularly to me and my Department's management advisory committee. I intend that there will be full and timely communication with staff of the Department on the progress of the decentralisation programme, through the Department's partnership committee and otherwise. My Department is also committed to developing innovative approaches to information management, communications and logistics so as to maintain and improve the quality of service to be delivered under decentralised arrangements and to minimise disruption.
921 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress on promoting phosphate-free detergents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1080/04]
The phasing-out of phosphate-based detergents has been progressed principally in the context of a voluntary agreement made in 1999 between my predecessor and the Irish Cosmetics and Detergents Association, ICDA, which represents some 90% of the domestic laundry detergents market in Ireland, and by ongoing liaison between my Department and the non-ICDA sector. The agreement provided that, by end-2002, 95% of all domestic laundry detergents marketed in Ireland should be zero-phosphate. While final audited figures for 2002 are awaited from ICDA, it is understood that this target has been substantially achieved provisional figures show a market share of between 93% and 94% for phosphate free products. My Department will continue to pursue the implementation of this target and the ultimate replacement of all phosphate based detergents by environmentally friendly alternatives.
922 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that private lenders to the affordable housing sector under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended in 2002, are restricted in transacting business due to a failure to agree terms with his Department and the local authorities regarding securing a first charge on the affordable home; and the measures he intends taking to remedy this situation. [1081/04]
923 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to make private lending more attractive in the affordable housing sector rather than to impose barriers on lenders which ultimately defeat the good intentions suggested by Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended in 2002; his views on the fact that low output would appear to contradict the spirit of the new legislation and increase reliance on the State sector to provide home loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1082/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 922 and 923 together.
Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, is currently being implemented by all planning authorities and I understand that many authorities are actively engaged with developers in Part V pre-planning discussions-negotiations. There is a considerable lead-in time to the completion of houses under Part V. The latest figures available, published in my Department's Housing Statistics Bulletin — September Quarter 2003, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas Library, indicate that 82 houses have been acquired under Part V, a further 449 are in progress and 1,895 are proposed. This is a substantial increase in activity over 2002 and I expect this to continue with a further significant increase in output during the current year.
Mortgage finance for affordable housing provided under the Act, may be advanced by local authorities or the lending institutions. My Department is engaged in discussions with the representatives of the Irish Mortgage Council and the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority regarding the provision of finance by the lending institutions for affordable housing, for purpose of Part V and other initiatives. Affordable housing provided under Part V or other initiatives provides a home at considerable discount on the market price for the eligible purchaser. Therefore, to ensure that the schemes benefit, as intended, genuine first time buyers, each scheme embodies a mechanism to prevent inappropriate profits arising for the sellers of an affordable home. While my Department is not seeking to have this reflected as a first charge on the affordable house, we wish to see it having appropriate ranking to reflect the State's interest. My Department attaches a high priority to resolving the outstanding issues with the lending institutions and is awaiting the response from the most recent consultations with the Irish Mortgage Council before deciding on the appropriate next steps.
924 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans in regard to the implementation of EU directive 2000/53/EC, to provide that end-of-life vehicles will have to be drained of oils and other hazardous wastes such as batteries, brake fluid and antifreeze when they are being recycled; and if not the reason therefor. [1083/04]
959 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will confirm that Ireland is to be prosecuted by the EU for not implementing the European ELV directive; if he will give details of initiatives by the EU in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1503/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 924 and 959 together.
My Department has been actively engaged with the Society for the Irish Motor Industry, SIMI, the Irish Motor Vehicle Recyclers Association, IMVRA, the Metal Recyclers Association of Ireland, MRAI, and other stakeholders with a view to developing a producer responsibility initiative, PRI, to implement the European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, ELVs. I have also had meetings with the three main stake-holder groups.
Necessary enabling provisions to facilitate implementation of the Directive have been incorporated in the Protection of the Environment Act 2003. Part VA of the Waste Management Act 1996, as inserted by section 44 of the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, explicitly provides for producer responsibility for the free deposit of ELVs at authorised treatment facilities by their last owners; the appropriate treatment and recovery of ELVs deposited at authorised treatment facilities in line with the directive requirements, that is, depollution and removal of specified components and substances to facilitate increased reuse and recycling; the mandatory deposit of ELVs by their registered owners at authorised treatment facilities for appropriate treatment and recovery, and the issue of certificates of destruction in respect of ELVs deposited at authorised treatment facilities for scrapping.
Agreement in principle was reached in December 2001 that the relevant stakeholder groups would establish a not for profit company to operate an ELV recovery scheme to be subsidised by a fund generated by a levy on imported new and used vehicles.
However, it has not been possible to reach agreement on the detailed mechanisms to apply the levy and introduce the scheme as originally envisaged. My Department is continuing to engage with the relevant stake-holder groups on the detailed mechanisms for the operation of the free ELV take-back arrangements required by the directive, including how such arrangements will be funded. Such detailed mechanisms will be provided for in regulations.
The EU Commission has recently — November 2003 — initiated formal legal proceedings against Ireland and five other Member States in the European Court of Justice, ECJ, in relation to the implementation of the directive. In light of this action, it is my objective that the discussions with the stake-holder groups will be concluded as soon as possible. When these discussions are concluded I will announce details of the arrangements for the implementation of the directive. I am anxious to ensure that by the time the directive becomes fully operational in 2007 Ireland has a system in place for the recovery and recycling of ELVs capable of meeting the targets and standards set out in the Directive.
925 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if assistance is available to South Dublin County Council to provide wheelchair access to all polling stations in Dublin South-West; and if he will seek details of what is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1156/04]
As the European and local elections will be held on the same day next June, the local European returning officer will be responsible for holding the polls and the provision of polling stations. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 1996 provides that local authorities in making polling schemes, as a reserved function, shall endeavour to appoint as polling places only areas which will allow a returning officer to provide at each polling place at least one polling station accessible to wheelchair users.
The local European returning officer is required, as far as possible, to provide polling stations which are accessible to wheelchair users; and where this is not possible, to give public notice of all polling stations in buildings which are inaccessible to wheelchair users not later than eight days before polling day. If an elector has difficulty gaining access to the assigned polling station he or she may apply, in writing, for authorisation to vote at another station in an accessible building in the same constituency. A person with a physical disability or illness which prevents them from going to the polling station may apply to vote by post.
926 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the date on which Shanballymore Housing Association was registered as a voluntary housing association; and the date on which they applied for recognition. [1157/04]
927 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funding that has been made available to the Shanballymore Housing Association through either Cork City Council or Cork County Council for the development of affordable or social housing. [1158/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 926 and 927 together.
The Shanbally Housing Association sought and obtained approved status under the Housing Acts from my Department on 18 September 2003. To date no funding has been sought from my Department through either Cork City Council or Cork County Council in relation to the development of affordable or social housing by this association.
928 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will evaluate the effect of the grant to carry out remedial works on buildings to prevent damage to health from radon gas; if he will reinstate the grant in view of the estimated 200 deaths per year due to the breathing in of this gas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1205/04]
As the proposed radon remediation grant scheme in respect of domestic dwellings was never introduced, the question of evaluating its effect, or reinstating it, does not arise. Due to budgetary constraints, my Department is not in a position to introduce such a grant scheme. In relation to remediation options, I refer to the reply to Question No. 5 of 16 October 2003.
929 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1220/04]
As indicated in the reply to Question No. 119 of 9 October 2003, my priorities for the Irish Presidency are focused around three key areas.
First, advancement of the EU's internal environment policy and legislation agenda. The Environment Council has a wide-ranging policy and legislative agenda and I am giving priority to key proposals on air quality, waste management, climate change, chemicals and nature conservation. Negotiations on a number of proposals is ongoing or planned with a view to maximising progress at the Council of Environment Ministers' meetings on 2 March and 28/29 June.
The second is preparation of the environmental contribution to the annual review of the Lisbon Agenda by the European Council at its spring meeting. Informed by a number of inputs from the European Commission, such as the recently published annual environment policy review 2003 and spring report, I will emphasise the need to decouple economic growth and social progress from environmental degradation. In particular, I will be promoting innovation and investment in clean technologies with a view to boosting competitiveness and growth, increasing employment and strengthening environmental protection. Finalisation of the environmental contribution to the annual review of the Lisbon Agenda will be a priority for the Environment Council meeting on 2 March.
The third is effective participation by the EU in wilder international fora. I intend to maintain the EU's leadership in promoting sustainable development at international level, including through pursuit of the Plan of Implementation arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002. My main priority is to lead EU participation in a number of significant international meetings in the first half of 2004, including the seventh conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, incorporating the first meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, to be held in Malaysia in February and the 12th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development to be held in the United States in April 2004.
In addition to the above, my Department is organising or involved in a number of conferences and seminars which will be held in Ireland during the Presidency. An informal meeting of the Environment Council will be held in Waterford on 14 to 16 May 2004, and focus on Communications from the European Commission on the sustainable use of natural resources, and the recovery and recycling of waste. The discussions will inform further consideration of these issues by the Council at its June meeting.
930 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the hares netted for use by the Cavan coursing club at their meets of 21 and 22 November 2003 were also used by the Dungannon and Ballymena Coursing Clubs on 23 November 2003 in Cavan; and the action he intends to take arising from this apparent breach of their licence. [1263/04]
I understand that the event in question, which had been notified to my Department as taking place on 21, 22 and 23 November, was organised and managed by the Cavan Coursing Club which is covered by the hare netting licence issued to the Irish Coursing Club for the season 2003-2004. The subsidiary association of other interests with the Cavan Coursing Club in this event would not appear to be inconsistent with the licence provisions.
My Department's priority, in the context of this and other hare coursing activities, is to ensure that the conservation requirements of the licence are appropriately observed.
931 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a UK report, Corporate Governance, Improvement and Trust in Local Public Services; if its findings are of relevance to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1299/04]
The report referred to in the question is currently being examined in my Department and any good practice which may be appropriate to local authorities here will be considered in the overall context of the ongoing local government modernisation programme.
932 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will introduce regulations governing the labelling of bottles, containers etc. to ensure that all labels are easily removable to facilitate the collection and recycling of the products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1320/04]
Article 9 of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste provides that packaging may not be placed on the market within the European Union unless it satisfies the provisions of the directive, that is, it complies with the essential requirements on the composition and the reusable and recoverable nature of packaging as provided for in annex II of the directive. In this regard, annex II of the directive explicitly provides that packaging shall be designed, produced and placed on the market in such a way as to permit its reuse or recovery, including recycling. The essential requirements are transposed into national law under the combined provisions of article 24 of, and the Third Schedule to the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2003. In effect, there is already a general obligation on producers to use easily removable labels on bottles, jars and other containers to facilitate the recycling of the relevant packaging materials after use. It is not proposed to make further regulations in this regard.
933 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a back-up system will be available at each polling place, such as printed ballot papers, so that voters will have an alternative method of casting their votes in the event that technical difficulties arise and the electronic voting system is unavailable. [1321/04]
In the event of a malfunction of a voting machine at a polling station, back-up arrangements will be in place for voters to vote on another voting machine in polling stations with more than one machine or for the provision of a replacement machine.
It is not intended, other than for postal and special voters, to complement the electronic voting system with a system based on printed ballot papers.
934 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when his Department expects to receive a fully functioning version of the electronic voting and counting software from the vendor; and when he anticipates that the software will undergo an end to end test. [1322/04]
935 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when his Department expects to receive the source code for the electronic voting and counting software from the vendor. [1323/04]
936 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the latest date for receipt of a properly functioning and properly tested system for electronic voting and counting, given that development of the software is not yet complete; and if he has a contingency plan for the conduct of the elections in the event that the software developers are unable to resolve the outstanding problems in time for the system to be tested thoroughly. [1324/04]
937 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the vendors of the electronic voting and counting software expect to be in a position to supply a working version of the machine which is capable of dealing with multiple elections. [1325/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 934 to 937, inclusive, together.
The voting machines are currently being delivered to returning officers and I expect all voting machines to be received by the end of March. Each of the machines is capable of dealing with multiple elections. My Department will be arranging final testing of the software this week by third parties, who will have access to the source code, as well as by the Department. The question of licensing or purchasing the source code is under consideration.
938 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the background checks which have been conducted on the beneficial owners and staff of the companies providing the electronic voting equipment and counting software; and also if there are procedures for any new staff or new owners of the companies to be checked. [1345/04]
940 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the name of the company that has received the contract for the electronic voting; the safety precautions which have been put in place; the person who is going to set up the programme for the equipment and who will be witnessing the actual programme; and the safety checks that are put in place in relation to the electronic voting. [1353/04]
983 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the details of the company contracted to introduce electronic voting; and the identity of the company which will operate the system at local election time in June 2004. [1807/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 938, 940 and 983 together.
Following an open tender competition which fully complied with EU's public procurement procedures, my Department in June 2001, appointed the consortium, Nedap BV, Bureau Groenendaal BV and Powervote, to provide the voting machines and supporting software for the holding of elections in this country. The consortium has extensive experience in providing equipment for elections in two other EU member states and in the development and maintenance of election software. The equipment and software for the voting machines has been tested by two international institutes for compliance with internationally accepted standards.
As regards the conduct of elections in this country, returning officers appointed under the various electoral legislative codes are responsible for conducting elections. Advice and support, as required, will be made available by my Department to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. However, at all times, the returning officer is the person statutorily responsible for conducting the election. Detailed security protocols and procedures will be in place to ensure that access to the voting machines and stand-alone dedicated election computers is restricted and controlled by the returning officer responsible for the election or to authorised staff under the supervision of the returning officer.
Candidates and their agents can, of course, monitor the various stages of the election.
939 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funding given to the Western Health Board for the special housing aid for the elderly scheme in 2003; the number of people who applied for funding in that year; the number of applications granted and the amount of funding which was paid out. [1352/04]
A total of €2,590,000 for the operation of the scheme was allocated to the Western Health Board for 2003. On the basis of returns furnished by the board for the period 1 January to 30 June 2003, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 970 applications were on hand, 553 jobs were completed and €1,363,711 was expended.
Information in relation to activity for the remainder of 2003 is currently awaited from the Board and will be sent to the Deputy when it is available.
941 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way in which people who have a postal or special vote cast their vote on the introduction of electronic voting for the local elections in June 2004. [1354/04]
There is no change in the method of voting for postal and special voters, who will continue to receive a paper ballot for each poll. The procedures for including such votes are set out in section 43 of the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2001.
942 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding a sewerage scheme in County Mayo; and when work on the scheme will commence. [1355/04]
Achill Sound sewerage scheme is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003 — 2005 to commence construction this year. Further consideration will be given to the contract documents submitted by Mayo County Council on receipt of the additional information requested by my Department from the council in June 2003.
943 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason that a person [details supplied] in County Mayo only received a cull ewe payment 2003 for 43 sheep in view of the fact that they incurred losses of the premium on 103 ewes; and when he will be paid the remainder of his entitlements. [1356/04]
Compensation payments made by my Department from the years 1999 to 2002 were based on the 30% de/stocking of commonages under the interim framework plan. According to my Department's records, the person named was paid compensation for losses incurred on 103 ewes for those years.
For the sheep production year 2003 onwards, payments are based on the stock reductions required in the detailed commonage framework plans drawn up for commonage land and effective from 1 January 2003. The farmer was required under his commonage framework plan to de-stock by 43 ewes, for which he received payment of €60 per ewe.
944 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of funding that was allocated from his Department towards the landslide effects in north Mayo; and the amount that was allocated specifically to north Mayo roads from the allocations announced recently.
945 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funding provided from his Department towards the landslide in north Mayo. [1367/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 944 and 945 together.
The local government fund general purpose grant allocated to Mayo County Council for 2004 amounted to €29,752,341. This grant represents an increase of 17.5% over the corresponding grant for 2003. In determining this grant I was conscious of the demands on the council arising, inter alia, from the landslide in the north Mayo area.
I have notified the council that the significantly increased 2004 grant may be used to contribute to the carrying out of such works as it considers necessary to prevent a recurrence of the landslide.
The total non-national road grant allocation, announced yesterday, for Mayo County Council in 2004 is €20,945,500, representing an increase of 13% over the 2003 allocation. Included in this allocation is a special grant of €1.46 million for the improvement, repair and protection of roads and bridges in the area affected by the landslide. In addition, a grant of €571,000 was provided in 2003 by my Department to Mayo County Council for immediate remedial works to non-national roads and bridges as a result of the damage caused by the landslide.
My Department is also continuing to recoup Mayo County Council 90% of the cost of providing emergency accommodation to households affected by the landslide.
946 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress being made during his EU Presidency to reach agreement on a proposed Council directive setting out basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations and on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
These two proposed directives, which together comprise proposals for a nuclear safety package, are currently under discussion in the European Council's Atomic Questions Working Group. The Irish Presidency will continue, through dialogue, to seek and develop consensus on the directives. While there will be a need for flexibility to accommodate the different views of member states, the Presidency will be guided by the need to ensure that nuclear safety is not compromised.
947 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if it will be necessary for Ireland to establish a storage facility for disused high activity sealed radioactive sources; the date by which such a facility must be established; the consideration if any which has been given to possible locations for such a facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1379/04]
Council Directive 2003/122/EURATOM of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources came into force on 31 December 2003.
The purpose of the directive is to prevent exposure of workers and the public to ionising radiation arising from inadequate control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources, and to harmonise controls in place in member states by defining specific requirements ensuring that each such source is kept under control.
The directive obliges member states, before issuing any authorisation for any practice involving a source to ensure that adequate arrangements have been made for the safe management of the source, including when disused. These arrangements may provide for the transfer of such sources to the supplier, or their placement in a recognised installation, or an obligation for the manufacturer or the supplier to receive the sources.
Where there are no arrangements for the return of disused sources to the supplier or manufacturer, the directive effectively places an onus on states to have a secure radioactive waste storage facility by 31 December 2005.
Ireland's radioactive waste is mainly low level and low volume and arises from hospital, educational and industrial applications. All users of radioactive materials in Ireland do so under licence from the RPII. Radioactive waste is currently stored in hospitals, third level educational establishments and on industrial premises also under licence from the RPII. While the RPII does not consider that radioactive waste is stored unsafely at present, storage in diverse locations is not an acceptable long-term solution and is inconsistent with the Directive in the case of high activity and orphan sources. The RPII inspects storage premises regularly to ensure that licence conditions are being upheld. Both the RPII and my Department have been exploring possible locations for a storage facility, and a suitable location has yet to be identified.
948 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of ballot boxes in each county at the last local and general elections; the proposed number for the 2004 elections on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1395/04]
I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 544 and 545 of 16 December 2003. The position is unchanged.
949 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the assistance which is available to South Dublin County Council to deal with the illegal encampment at Killinarden estate in Tallaght which has caused huge concern to the local community for several weeks; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties created in respect of traffic, litter and the loss of street lighting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1396/04]
My responsibility in relation to Traveller accommodation is to ensure that there is an adequate legislative and financial framework in place within which local authorities, voluntary bodies and Travellers may provide or be assisted in the provision of accommodation for Travellers. My Department provides funding to local authorities for the provision of standard local authority accommodation in which Traveller families are accommodated as well as funding for the provision of new Traveller specific accommodation and the refurbishment, where necessary, of existing accommodation.
In relation to recent incidents of unauthorised encampments in the Killinarden area of Tallaght, I understand that the Traveller families concerned, who in some cases had left accommodation in the south Dublin area, have now been moved on and that most of the families have again been provided with accommodation.
I understand that a number of sections of South Dublin County Council were involved in dealing with the issues that arose in relation to these encampments which included litter, waste, stray dogs, traffic matters and the illegal use of electricity from the public lighting supply.
Local authorities have a range of powers available to them specifically to deal with unauthorised temporary encampments. These include powers under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 and the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948 in relation to the prohibition of temporary dwellings in certain areas. In addition, local authorities have powers to address issues resulting from such encampments such as controls under environmental, litter and waste management legislation.
It is a matter for South Dublin County Council to ensure that the area affected by the unauthorised encampment is restored to an acceptable condition. There is no specific provision in my Department's Vote for the assistance of local authorities in carrying out works arising from unauthorised temporary encampments.
950 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will examine a situation (details supplied) in relation to the voluntary fire service. [1404/04]
A retirement gratuity scheme for the retained fire service has been in place since 1985. Following a recent review an improved scheme has been introduced with effect from 26 April 2001. Under this scheme, a member of the retained fire service will on retirement be paid a gratuity of 1/8th of his inclusive annual retainer for each year of service subject to a maximum gratuity of four times the inclusive annual retainer. This means that a firefighter with 32 years service will receive almost €30,000 while a station officer will receive over €55,000.
951 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the level of detail that will be released from the electronic voting system after the forthcoming local government and EU elections; if the first preferences from each polling station will be given to each candidate, which would be equivalent to the old tally system perfected over many years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1448/04]
The electronic voting system will provide detailed information for each count and at the end of all counts the following will be made available a list of mixed votes with preferences for each constituency and tables showing the number and percentages of different preferences received by each candidate. Provision of this information has no impact on the secrecy of the ballot.
The provision of information analogous to that provided informally, in the past, by tallypersons is under consideration having regard to the need to preserve the secrecy of the ballot.
952 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the results of the forthcoming local government and EU elections will be announced; if all results will be announced on the evening of voting or as soon thereafter as they are available; and if some constituencies will be held over until Saturday; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1449/04]
The counting of votes at the local elections will take place after polling stations close on Friday 11 June 2004. As there are a number of polls, the ballot modules with the vote data will be first loaded into the computer system by the local European returning officer for the taking of the poll at city and county level. The vote data for each poll will then be distributed in a secure manner to the returning officers for the local elections and to the European constituency officers for the purposes of vote counting.
The counting of votes at the local elections will commence on receipt of the vote data, probably around 12 midnight, and counting will continue throughout Saturday morning until the results are available. The time for completion of the local election counts will vary between areas.
EU legal requirements prohibit the official announcement of results in a member state until voting has concluded in all member states. In order to respect this requirement, the counting of the European Parliament votes will be carried out on Sunday 13 June at 9 p.m. The results should be available between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
953 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the major independent review of local Government funding committed to in the agreed programme for Government will be completed; and when he expects the findings of this review to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1455/04]
I anticipate that this review should be completed within approximately one year. On completion, the review will be published.
954 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the nature and extent of Ireland's participation in the EU Civil Protection Agency; the commitments which have been entered into to date to provide personnel, equipment or management expertise to the agency or to any of its operations; the arrangements which have been made with the fire authorities in this country for such participation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1464/04]
955 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he received any requests for the provision of personnel or equipment from Irish fire and emergency services to assist in rescue work at the recent earthquake in Bam, Iran; the response he gave to such requests; if any assistance was provided from the Irish fire services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1465/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 954 and 955 together.
My Department represents Ireland at EU level on various civil protection — emergency planning — working groups and committees in relation to improving co-operation strategies between member states in the event of major emergencies, or the imminent threat thereof, which may require urgent response action outside the capabilities of the affected country.
One of the main developments in this area in recent years was the adoption on the 23 October 2001 of a Council decision, 2001/792/EC, establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced co-operation in civil protection assistance interventions. The mechanism provides for interventions inside and outside the European Union and is intended to help ensure better protection primarily of people but also of the environment and property. It improves intervention responses through means of better co-ordination facilities and strengthening of communications and training capacities. Participation in the mechanism is open to all EU member states, accession countries and the European Economic Area countries. An EU civil protection agency was not established under the Council decision. The European Commission DG Environment and Civil Protection is charged with implementing the mechanism and co-ordinating its activities on behalf of the Community.
Among other things, the mechanism provided for the setting up of an improved EU civil protection monitoring and information centre, MIC, accessible and able to react immediately 24 hours a day; and a procedure for the provision of up to date information on the resources available in countries participating in the mechanism for different types of interventions.
Following an initial trawl of the relevant Departments, agencies and bodies, including all local authorities, my Department on 25 February 2003 informed the EU that Ireland could make available, within the framework of the mechanism, 15 experts and six intervention teams — 42 personnel. A handbook for the conduct of operations by all teams and experts, prepared by the Commission civil protection unit, has recently been circulated to all Irish teams and experts. A number of Irish team leaders and experts will participate in mechanism training courses commencing shortly.
Notwithstanding the declaration of resources/experts/teams that could be available within the framework of the mechanism, participation, when requested, is voluntary. It is a matter for the national authorities in the first instance and the organisation/body or individual involved. Ireland can also call on the resources and expertise of the EU mechanism in the event of a national emergency situation requiring international assistance.
In the case of the recent earthquake in Bam, Iran, the European Commission, through the MIC, first contacted Iranian authorities on 26 December 2003 to offer assistance following media reports of the disaster. The MIC subsequently notified the formal request for assistance to all participating countries, including Ireland, through the designated 24 hour contact points.
Following consideration of the request and having regard to the resources available for dispatch under the mechanism, it was confirmed to the MIC that Ireland was not in a position immediately to send search and rescue teams to Bam. However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a sum of €1 million would be provided for humanitarian aid in the area. A large number of search and rescue teams from 12 of the 28 participating countries assisted the Iranian authorities in Bam and a ‘lessons learned' exercise is currently under way on the operation of the mechanism in Bam. My Department, as chair of the Council civil protection working party during the EU Presidency, will support co-ordination and continuous development of the civil protection capabilities of the European Union.
956 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the projected lifespan of the electronic machines the Government is purchasing; the cost of replacing them on an ongoing basis; the cost of ongoing software and hardware support; and if the software licences have to be renewed periodically. [1500/04]
957 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if bug fixes and security updates to the electronic voting software have to be paid for by the Exchequer; the cost of configuring the software for each election or referendum; and the cost of training returning officers and election staff, initially and on an ongoing basis. [1501/04]
958 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way in which electronic voting compares to the paper method in terms of long-term cost. [1502/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 956 to 958, inclusive, together.
The projected lifespan of the electronic voting machines is 20 years and there will be little or no ongoing replacement or annual maintenance costs. The warranty on the voting machines expires at the end of 2007 and after this time a service agreement will be entered into with the suppliers. As regards the integrated election system, IES, the Department will continue with software testing up to the June polls. There will be no additional cost for software updates within this period. The question of software licensing and ongoing software support thereafter will be considered following the 2004 polls. Further significant changes in the software for future elections or referendums should not arise, other than those that may be required by changes in electoral legislation.
Definitive cost comparisons of a national poll carried out under the manual system and the electronic system will not be available until after the first countrywide use of the new system in June of this year, however, significant savings in staff costs at counting stage are anticipated. Training of returning officers and election staff is ongoing and firm costs will not be available until later this year. Training requirements in the future will be determined by the frequency of polls and the availability of trained staff for such polls.
960 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the percentage of glass collected through recycling facilities in this State that are sent to the glass recycling facility in Fermanagh for recycling; what is done with the remainder of the glass not sent to Fermanagh for recycling; the percentage of glass sent to landfill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1504/04]
The latest official data on packaging waste arisings and recovery are contained in the national waste database report for 2001, published by the EPA in July 2003. The EPA estimates that 105,273 tonnes of glass packaging waste arose in the household and commercial waste streams in 2001, of which 41,156 tonnes, 39.1%, was recycled and the remainder, 64,118 tonnes, 60.9%, was landfilled. The vast majority of the glass collected for recycling in 2001 was recycled at the Irish Glass plant in Ringsend, which has since ceased operations.
On foot of the continued expansion of the bring bank network under the local and regional waste management plans, and the commencement of the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2003, which impose a mandatory obligation on commercial premises to segregate specified packaging waste materials, including glass, arising on their own premises for recycling, there has been a significant increase in the glass recycling rate in the interim. Based on data supplied by Repak, the voluntary compliance scheme established by Irish industry to meet Ireland's EU packaging waste recovery targets, an estimated 75,000 tonnes of glass was collected for recycling in 2003. It is further estimated that approximately 87% of this glass, approximately 65,000 tonnes — was transported to a facility in Northern Ireland for recycling. Of the estimated remaining 13% of this glass, it is estimated that approximately 9,000 tonnes was exported to glass recycling plants in England and Scotland and that approximately 1,000 tonnes was recycled as sub-base material in road construction projects in 2003. While there is no data available yet in relation to overall glass waste arisings in 2003 and allowing for some increase in glass waste arisings since 2001, it is reasonable to assume that the glass recycling rate is now in the region of 60%, with the remaining glass waste being landfilled. Thus, significant progress is being made in improving the rate of recycling for this waste stream.
961 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position at present in relation to a scheme (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1505/04]
Donegal County Council's water pricing report in respect of the Malin sewerage scheme was recently received in my Department and is being examined in conjunction with the preliminary report for the scheme.
962 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position in relation to an application from a group (details supplied) in County Wicklow to Dúchas for a prevention order of similar status to that given to the Rathnagree and Rathcoran sites in west Wicklow; the steps he is taking to ensure the preservation of this site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1506/04]
In December 2003 my Department became aware of unauthorised works at the site referred to. Since then archaeologists from my Department have attended on-site meetings with the gardaí and the landowner. Recent inspections have indicated that no further interference with the site has occurred. My Department will consider further whether other steps are necessary to ensure the continued protection of the site.
963 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will respond to correspondence forwarded to his Department (details supplied) on 10 November 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1523/04]
Correspondence has been received in relation to the operation by Clare County Council of the Ballydufbeg landfill facility and my Department has requested the local authority to submit a report on the matter. In addition, a copy of the correspondence has also been forwarded to the recently established Office of Environmental Enforcement which has a mandate to deliver enhanced environmental compliance through enforcement of EPA licences and through the exercise of a supervisory role in respect of the environmental protection activities of local authorities.
964 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo did not receive a full cull ewe scheme entitlement for the de-stocking of 13 ewes; and when the remainder of their money will issue. [1530/04]
According to the information available to my Department, the person named was required under his commonage framework plan to reduce his stock by 13 ewes. Ten of these ewes were de-stocked to bring the farmer down to the approved good farming practice level of five ewe equivalents per hectare. Under the polluter pays principle, no compensation is payable for de-stocking of sheep down to this level. Compensation is only available for reductions of stock below this level. In this case, reductions below this level involved a further three ewes, for which he received payment of €60 per ewe.
965 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding provision of a Croom/Patrickswell water supply scheme. [1580/04]
The Limerick county trunk water mains, Patrickswell/Adare, and Limerick county trunk water mains, Croom link, schemes are included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003 — 2005 to commence construction in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The contract documents for the Patrickswell/Adare element are being examined in my Department and will be dealt with as quickly as possible. I approved Limerick County Council's revised brief for the appointment of consultants to prepare detailed design and contract documents for the Croom link in August 2003.
966 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of files in his Department released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; the subject matter of the files withheld; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1581/04]
In accordance with the requirements of the National Archives Act 1986 a total of approximately 90,071 of my Department's files dated up the end of 1969 have, in compliance with the 30-year requirement, been transferred to the National Archives.
A small number of files dealing with exhumation licences and certain local authority personnel files — those dealing with disciplinary matters — have been retained.
In an arrangement with the National Archives, further files are being transferred in three year tranches and to this end a further 11,000 files to cover the years 1970, 1971 and 1972 are currently being examined and prepared for transfer to the National Archives later this year.
967 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position of an application for funding by Athy Town Council in regard to refurbishment works for Townspark, Carbury Park estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1615/04]
My Department wrote to Athy town council in December 2003 requesting the Town Council to respond to a number of issues raised by the Department and to submit a detailed statement of the scope of the work along with a cost estimate. The town council's response is awaited.
968 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will ensure that An Taisce receives adequate and independent financial support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1637/04]
An Taisce is an independent voluntary body whose financing, through membership subscriptions and otherwise, is properly a matter for itself. In 2001 my Department agreed to pay An Taisce an annual grant of €69,836 for the three year period 2001 — 2003 to assist it in its role as a prescribed body under planning legislation. There was no commitment to a continuation of this funding and there is no provision in my Department's Vote to provide similar funding in 2004.
My Department provides grant aid to An Taisce as a contribution towards the administration expenses of the blue flag scheme in Ireland, €75,156 in 2003, and co-finances the An Taisce-led anti-litter initiative national spring clean, €250,500 in 2003.
In addition, An Taisce operating at local level would have received some grants from the environmental partnership fund, €6,875 in 2003, and indirectly through core funding, €1,000 in 2003, to support the environmental NGO movement; both these financial mechanisms are supported by my Department.
969 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has satisfied himself that Dúchas can carry out its functions properly now that it is under the control of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; if a balance can be maintained in his Department between environmental issues and development issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1638/04]
Dúchas was the title and brand name of the organisational division of my Department which had responsibility for built and natural heritage functions. Following the change of Government in mid-2002 my Department now has responsibility for policy in respect of the built heritage and for both policy and operational matters relating to the natural heritage. The operational and management functions in relation to the built heritage in State care have transferred to the Office of Public Works.
These organisational arrangements are designed to achieve the optimum use of the organisational resources available to the Government. They build on my Department's strengths in terms of regulation and policy development, particularly in the environmental area, and on the expertise and experience of the Office of Public Works in the areas of conservation and management of the State's property portfolio.
Under the new organisational arrangements, responsibility for built heritage issues has been integrated into a heritage and planning division. Responsibility for nature conservation and biodiversity protection has been assigned to an environmental infrastructure division, which also deals with waste and water policy and infrastructure. The earlier configuration of Dúchas functions has therefore been substantially rearranged and the title of Dúchas as been discontinued.
My Department's objectives under this rearranged structure have been set out in its recently published revised statement of strategy 2003-2005, which is available in the Oireachtas Library.
I am satisfied that, in pursuit of its fundamental mandate for sustainable development, my Department will continue to promote an appropriate balance between development issues and environmental issues both in its own operations and more widely across the public and private sectors.
970 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will list the wild animals for which licences to hunt are issued by his Department. [1639/04]
The Wildlife Acts 1976 and 2000 provide for my Department to make orders relating to the provision of open seasons for the hunting of protected fauna. These orders are reviewed annually by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department, taking account of the conservation needs of the individual species.
Under section 29(1) of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended, my Department issues licences to hunt deer during the open season and some 2,050 such licences were issued for the 2002-2003 season. My Department also issues an annual licence to the Ward Union Hunt Club, under section 26(1)(ii) of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended), to hunt deer with a pack of stag hounds.
The ordinary hunting of hares during the open season does not require a hunting licence. However, the hunting of hares with a pack of beagles requires a licence and, under section 26(2) of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended, my Department has granted licences on an annual basis to the Irish Masters of Beagles Association.
Although the hunting of birds is covered in general by the orders providing for open seasons, individual licences are required under section 30 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended, for hunting on foreshore, lakes and inland waters belonging to the State. There are currently some 3,000 such licences. While such licences are applicable to the hunting of fauna generally, they are in practice obtained for the hunting of wildfowl, and are subject to the provisions of the open season orders.
These are the only licences that my Department issues for the hunting of wild animals. However, under separate provisions of the Wildlife Act, licences are also granted for the control of protected wild animals causing damage to crops or property, and for the capture of protected wild animals for specified purposes under specified conditions.
971 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has at any time considered the conclusions of their counterparts in the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, that the deer used by the County Down staghounds were tamed by their semi-intensive rearing system and may be regarded as domestic animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1640/04]
972 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has examined the Ward Union Deerpark in Dunshaughlin County Meath; the purpose of any such visit and the conclusions reached. [1641/04]
973 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if the issues raised by the Heritage Council in 1998, that it should be established definitively whether the deer used by the Ward Union are wild or domestic and if they constitute private property, have been clarified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1653/04]
974 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a copy of the advice of the Attorney General to his Department in 1998-1999 regarding the status of the Ward Union deer will be placed in the Oireachtas Library. [1654/04]
975 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department has considered the question of the status of the deer in the Ward Union Deerpark; and if he will state the view of the veterinary division on this issue. [1655/04]
976 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will arrange for an inspection of the Ward Union Deerpark by his Department to establish whether the deer there are domestic or wild, in view of the use to which these deer are put; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1656/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 971 to 976, inclusive, together.
In light, inter alia, of the submission made by the Heritage Council, as referred to in Question No. 973, the Attorney General's advice was sought by the then Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands regarding the application of section 26 of the Wildlife Act 1976 to the hunting of deer by stags. This advice was furnished in February 1999 and confirmed the long-standing interpretation of the above section, i.e. that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may grant to the master or other person in charge of a pack of stag hounds a licence authorising the hunting of deer by that pack during such period or periods as is or are specified in the licence.
Licence applications from the Ward Union Hunt Club continue to be determined on their merits in accordance with this legal advice. Public disclosure is not normally made of legal advice by the Attorney General to the Government. It is not therefore proposed to make the present advice available to the Oireachtas Library.
Conservation rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department and a veterinary inspector from the Department of Agriculture and Food monitor the operations of the Ward Union Hunt Club. The veterinary inspector monitors the welfare of deer hunted by the club, on a spot check basis, at the request of and in an advisory capacity to my Department, by checking on the veterinary aspects of compliance with the hunting code of practice.
Prior to the issue by my Department of the annual licence, written reports from conservation rangers and the veterinary inspector are examined to establish that the club has satisfactorily complied with the hunting code of practice, which was adopted in 1999 following extensive consultations with the relevant Departments, and that the hunt has been conducted in accordance with the conditions of the previous annual licence.
An annual inspection of the deer at the park is carried out at the end of the hunting season to ensure that the deer are healthy and sound and that the hunt records are complete. The last inspection was at the end of the 2002-3 season and showed no grounds for concern.
977 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will examine the concerns (details supplied) on electronic voting; and if he will ensure that our democratic process is protected from potential errors or abuse. [1695/04]
I refer to the reply to Question No. 523 of 1 July 2003 and to Questions Nos. 49, 59 and 68 of 26 November 2003, regarding the security and integrity of the electronic voting and counting system.
I have considered carefully the many reports and views expressed by various individuals regarding the electronic voting and counting system. In order to ensure the security and integrity of the system I have arranged for extensive testing undertaken by internationally accredited independent test institutes in addition to functional testing by officials of my Department and returning officers. I am satisfied that the new system is secure, that it counts the votes accurately and quickly and that the measures and protocols put in place in advance of the forthcoming European and local elections will safeguard the integrity of the system.
978 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has made funds available for the construction of stage 3 of the Galway main drainage scheme to cater for the expanding area adjacent to Galway city, Oranmore, Barna, Claregalway and Moycullen; the stage the plans for this scheme are at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1708/04]
Stage 3 of the Galway main drainage scheme is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003-2005 to commence construction in 2005. I approved Galway City Council's brief for the appointment of consultants to prepare a preliminary report for the scheme earlier this month.
979 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the plans he has to run an awareness programme to enhance voters knowledge of the proportional representation system; when such a programme will commence; the duration and cost of such a programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1710/04]
A nationwide voter education and awareness campaign in relation to the use of electronic voting and counting at the 2004 European and local elections will be launched shortly. The campaign, which will run from early February to polling day on 11 June, will include voting instructions and will also seek to encourage people to exercise their vote at the 2004 polls. Information on the PR/STV system will also be available. The cost of the campaign is €5 million including VAT.
980 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if there is a grant available for replacing an asbestos roof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1766/04]
No such grant assistance is available from my Department.
981 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, having regard to the judgment of the Supreme Court in a case given on 29 November 2002, consequential amendments to the legislation governing presidential elections is envisaged; and when it is proposed to introduce that legislation. [1767/04]
The legislation concerned is under review having regard to the court judgment referred to.
982 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of revenue taken through the tax on plastic bags in 2003. [1806/04]
Total receipts for the plastic bag levy for 2003 amounted to €12,656,937.
984 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his Department will now pay a new house grant to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim. [1818/04]
An inspection, with a view to payment of the grant if in order, will be carried out as soon as possible.
985 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the costs of the television advertisement currently being shown as part of the race against waste advertising programme; and if he will break down the costs into production costs, cost of TV airing to the present time and projected cost of further airings in 2004. [1863/04]
The cost of the production and airing of the series of race against waste TV advertisements is as follows:
|
Production |
Airtime 2003 |
Airtime 2004 |
|
725,355.80 |
582,744.74 |
231,249 |
986 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has considered exempting social housing providers from development charges which would allow housing to be provided at the cost of the land at existing use values; the cost of construction which would have an impact on reducing the overall cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1873/04]
987 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he considers that the imposition of development charges at local authority level will add to the cost of new housing; the estimated average percentage increase in new house prices as a consequence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1874/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 986 and 987 together.
While the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may comment on a draft development contribution scheme during the consultation period, it is ultimately for the elected members of the planning authorities to determine the level of contribution for their own functional areas and the classes of development to which the contributions will apply, having regard to the actual cost of providing infrastructure in that area. Circular letter PD 4/2003 of 27 June 2003, which issued to each planning authority, advised that the basis for determining the contribution levels in the scheme should be justified and supported. That circular also recommended that, in accordance with accepted practice, development contributions should not be charged in respect of social housing units, including those which are provided in accordance with an agreement made under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2002, or which are provided by a voluntary or co-operative housing body, whether or not under Part V.
I do not anticipate that the contributions levied will unduly affect the price of houses and the level of inflation. The major driver of house price increases in recent years has been the demand for housing, fuelled by rapid economic growth and demographic changes. The Government has responded to this unprecedented demand by focusing on measures to boost supply as the most appropriate way to bring moderation to the rate of house price increases. The key component of this strategy is ensuring a supply of serviced land for housing which the development contribution system helps fund.
Provisions governing the acquisition of land at existing use value for the provision of social and affordable housing are set out in Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
988 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he can confirm that local authorities will not be allowed to take over any group water schemes where there is a DBO contract in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1881/04]
992 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the percentage funding available to group water schemes to allow them to bring their treatment facilities up to standards required by the European Union drinking water directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1928/04]
993 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns which exist regarding DBO's and the fact that due to the severe problems with leakage group water schemes will find themselves in precarious financial situations because they will be paying a private company for treated water which is leaking into the ground; the steps he intends to take to address these concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1929/04]
994 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the options which are available to group water schemes wishing to upgrade their water treatment facilities to comply with the EU directive on drinking water; if they are obliged to enter a design build operate contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1930/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 988 and 992 to 994, inclusive, together.
Privately sourced group water schemes that are not in compliance with the required standards for drinking water may, where available, connect to a local authority main or, alternatively, provide essential stand alone water treatment and disinfection facilities. Grants of up to 100% of cost are available for the provision of such facilities under design build operate contracts, coupled with bundling of individual schemes, in accordance with standard procurement procedures. Related civil works such as buildings, reservoirs and pipelines, and works associated with connecting to a local authority main, are grant aided at up to 85% of cost, subject to a maximum grant of €6,475 per house.
Bundled DBO procurement of treatment and disinfection facilities accords with the recommendations of the national rural water monitoring committee and is being implemented in partnership with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes. Facilities provided under these arrangements remain in the ownership of the group water scheme. The powers of a local authority to take in charge a group scheme are not affected by the existence of a DBO contract.
Reducing the level of unaccounted for water is a priority in the case of group schemes participating in DBO projects. Grants are available for a range of remedial actions and water conservation measures to reduce water losses, including the provision of bulk meters and telemetry and the upgrading and renewal of inadequate water storage and distribution systems. My Department, in conjunction with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and the Water Services National Training Group, also provides a range of training courses for group scheme managers, caretakers and operatives in the areas of leak detection, network management and maintenance, and water conservation.
989 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that postal vote only elections are being tested in Britain in recent local elections; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that these elections are recording increased turnout of as much as 25%; and if he has examined the possibility of testing such a method here. [1924/04]
I am aware of the pilot schemes that have taken place in the UK including the use of postal voting. Regard will be had to developments there and elsewhere as part of the process of maintaining and improving an efficient and secure electoral system in this country.
990 Mr. English asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a regional road (details supplied) in County Meath will be included in the EU co-financed programme for reconstruction in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1925/04]
The total non-national road grant allocation, which I announced yesterday for Meath County Council, in 2004 is €23,205,562, representing an increase of 10% over the 2003 allocation.
I am pleased to say that included in this allocation is a grant of €300,000, under the EU co-financed specific improvement grants scheme, for the R153 Navan to Balrath — Kentstown scheme.
991 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding an application for funding by Westmeath County Council (details supplied). [1926/04]
Westmeath County Council submitted comprehensive proposals to my Department in December 2003 for the redevelopment of Ennell Court in Mullingar. These proposals are currently under consideration in my Department and a decision will be conveyed to the council as soon as possible.
995 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in regard to water services, local authorities, city and county managers or elected representatives have expressed concerns to him regarding DBO's (design build operate); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1931/04]
Design build operate, DBO, has in recent years become the standard form of procurement for water services schemes involving treatment facilities. As in any case where new procedures are introduced, there were a number of issues of concern to interested parties but I am satisfied that these have been addressed. I am also satisfied that DBO provides a range of distinct management and value for money advantages over traditional procurement in such cases and that the process is being successfully implemented by local authorities.
997 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position with a water scheme (details supplied) in County Mayo. [2017/04]
The extension of the Lough Mask regional water supply scheme from Shrah to Westport is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003 — 2005 to commence construction in 2005. The design report for the scheme submitted by Mayo Council is under consideration in my Department and will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
998 Mr. Curran asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will issue a progress report on the community warden pilot scheme under way; the plans he has to expand this scheme; and if so, in what areas. [2043/04]
The pilot community warden service is a three year pilot programme operating in Galway, Leitrim and Wexford County Councils, Galway City Council and Naas Town Council. The pilots are now entering their third and final year. Proposals for the evaluation of the pilot service are being prepared.
1000 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, further to Parliamentary Question No. 293 of 5 November 2003 in relation to the approval of the sewerage scheme in Enniscrone, County Sligo, if he will state the progress made on the water pricing report and other information received in his Department from Sligo County Council in September 2003; if his attention has been drawn to the urgency of this scheme in view of the serious problems encountered; if he will sanction approval immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2084/04]
The Enniscrone sewerage scheme is included in my Department's water services investment programme 2003 — 2005 as a scheme to commence construction in 2004.
My Department is awaiting receipt of additional information requested from Sligo County Council in November 2003 on the water pricing report, the public private partnership applicability report and the preliminary report for the scheme. On receipt of this information further consideration will given to approval of the preliminary report with a view to authorising the council to proceed with the preparation of contract documents for the scheme.
1001 Ms Enright asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if any exemptions were given in relation to applications for the first-time buyer’s grant for those who had built their houses in the time but failed to apply in time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2088/04]
In terminating the new house grant, the Government has sought to ensure fair treatment by ensuring that people who had already made commitments in the form of signed contracts or by the pouring of foundations or had occupied their houses on or before 14 November 2002 were given an opportunity to apply for the grant. In providing a grace period up to 4 December 2002 for cases such as these, first-time buyers who were at the most advanced stage of purchase or building are being facilitated as far as possible.
Regulations setting out the circumstances on which new house grants would be paid after 14 November 2002 came into force on the day of the announcement. My Department published an advertisement in the national press on 15 November 2002 setting out the conditions for new house grant payment as stipulated in the regulations. A further reminder was published in the press on Friday, 29 November 2002. Both press advertisements clearly stated that the closing date for receipt of applications was 4 December 2002.
A total of 13,827 new house grant applications were received in the housing grants section of my Department in the three week period between 15 November 2002 and 4 December 2002. However, because of the difficulties that have been faced by some housing grant applicants in meeting the deadline of completing and occupying their new houses, I concluded that the fairest approach was to extend the deadline for completion, occupation and receipt of a request for payment of the grant in my Department to Friday, 2 April 2004. In returning their request for payment by the new deadline, applicants will have to produce evidence of occupation. It should be emphasised that this extension applies only to those who submitted valid applications received prior to the application deadline of 4 December 2002. Where all other conditions of the scheme are met, these applicants now have until Friday, 2 April 2004 to complete and occupy their house and return a request for payment to the Department. No exemptions were or will be provided for applications which do not respect these well publicised deadlines.
1002 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason phase 2 of the restoration works to Maynooth Castle, Maynooth County Kildare was excluded from consideration as a project under the mid-term review of capital projects in the built heritage area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2217/04]
I refer to the reply to Question No. 201 of 11 December 2003. The position in relation to the prioritisation of further facilities at Maynooth Castle remains the same.
The recent mid-term review of the national development plan did not address the prioritisation of individual projects in the built heritage area and adjustments in this regard will continue to be considered in light of evolving circumstances.
1004 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he intends to take to redress the organised attempt by a group of people to manipulate the registration of voters by having addresses of convenience provided for people who are not in fact resident in an electoral area (details supplied). [2276/04]
The compilation of the register of electors is a matter for the appropriate local registration authority working in conjunction with the county registrar and in accordance with electoral law.
A person is entitled to be registered at the address where he or she ordinarily resides. Offences and penalties in relation to the registration of electors, including knowingly furnishing false information in an application for entry on the register, and the prohibition on voting by a person registered as an elector when not entitled to be so registered are also set out in electoral law.
My Department has issued a memorandum for guidance to registration authorities for the preparation of the register of electors including such matters as consideration of applications from persons with more than one address and consultations, where appropriate, with other registration authorities. Section 11 of the Electoral Act 1992 specifically prohibits the registration of a person as an elector more than once in any registration area and in more than one registration area.
In addition, the returning officer or the presiding officer may of his or her own volition, or if so requested by a personation agent present in the polling station, request any person at the time of applying for a ballot paper to produce a specified document as proof of identity and if the person fails to produce such a document, or if the returning officer or presiding officer is not satisfied that the person is the person to whom the document relates, such person shall not be permitted to vote.
In prospect of the European and local elections in June 2004, I intend to review further the effectiveness of provisions designed to combat voter personation and to bring forward improvements if necessary.
1005 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 is entitled to a pendant alarm. [1703/04]
The purpose of the scheme of community support for older people is to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people. This funding is provided by way of grant aid to voluntary groups and organisations that have undertaken to identify those elderly people in need of assistance under the scheme.
Under the terms of the scheme, grant aid is available towards the once-off costs of purchase and/or installation of small-scale physical security equipment and socially monitored alarm systems. Where socially monitored alarms previously installed under this scheme are broken, a limited amount of funding is available towards the cost of replacement.
Older people, that is, people aged 65 and over, who are living alone or living in households made up exclusively of older people, or of older and other people who are dependent and vulnerable, are eligible for assistance under the scheme.
My officials are currently making arrangements in relation to the administration of the scheme for 2004 and the criteria pertaining. It is expected that the scheme will be advertised in the local and national papers in the second quarter of the year.
I attach for the Deputy's information a list of organisations funded under the scheme in the Dublin South region in 2003, any of which will be happy to apply for assistance on behalf of individuals in that area.
1006 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will ensure that Meelick Weir is fully opened to alleviate the flooding south of Athlone; when debris was last removed from the vicinity of the weir; if he will ensure that such maintenance takes place on a regular basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2056/04]
The issue raised by the Deputy in relation to Meelick Weir is the day to day responsibility of Waterways Ireland, a North/South Implementation Body for inland waterways, set up under the British-Irish Agreement.
Waterways Ireland informs me that all sluices at Meelick Weir and the Marlborough Cut have been fully open since 23 November 2003. All weir boards were removed by 13 November 2003. When all the weir boards have been removed and all the sluices have been opened, Waterways Ireland has no further control on water levels.
Debris was last removed from the vicinity of the weir on 8 July 2003 and no debris has accumulated since. Waterways Ireland monitors this weir regularly.
1007 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in his Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2337/04]
1010 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the measures he has taken to advance the decentralisation to the west of Ireland of sections of his Department or agencies or bodies for which he has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1494/04]
1013 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if assessments are under way in his Department on the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to him at an early date for consideration. [1984/04]
1017 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a survey of staff in his Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if he will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2245/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1007, 1010, 1013 and 1017 together.
Deputies will be aware that my Department will decentralise to two locations — the Irish language functions to Na Forbacha, Galway, where my Department already has an office, and the remaining functions to Knock Airport, County Mayo.
It is also intended to decentralise a section of ADM to Clifden, County Galway and subject to the approval of the North/South Ministerial Council, 30 staff of Foras na Gaeilge will move to Gweedore in County Donegal.
To advance the decentralisation process in my Department, a decentralisation unit has been established comprising a higher executive officer and a clerical officer, reporting to the personnel officer. A departmental committee comprising members of senior management and staff has also been established. The first meeting of this committee was held on Wednesday, 14 January and a liaison officer has been appointed to maintain direct contact with the central implementation committee and the Department of Finance.
Two special meetings of the partnership committee have taken place to date to brief staff on issues arising relating to decentralisation. Appropriate contacts with union interests are also being maintained and a full briefing of information available to date has been given to the union representatives through our departmental council. Arrangements have also been put in place whereby I will meet with the decentralisation committee on a regular basis.
All staff have access to a special decentralisation corner on our computer network in which relevant information regarding decentralisation is being posted. A regular bulletin will be circulated where answers to questions raised by staff are answered — the first of these issued on 16 January 2004.
A survey has not taken place in my Department to determine the interest of staff in participating in the decentralising programme. However, officials working in the decentralisation unit are at present engaged in compiling information packs relating to the regions in question. It is intended that this information will assist staff in making informed decisions about their future work locations. The Department's training unit will also have a key role in supporting effective communications throughout this challenging change process. Information seminars on the decentralised locations will be held in due course.
The assessment of the impact of risks to the organisation arising from decentralisation is clearly important. Drawing on the resources of the departmental committee and the experience of Departments which have decentralised functions in the past, this issue will be carefully considered and addressed over the coming period. My Department's membership of the central liaison committee will also assist in this regard.
Timely intake of new staff and an appropriate training schedule can help ensure there will be no undue loss of expertise and knowledge in the Department arising from decentralisation.
1008 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to report on his Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if he will outline his plans for the next few months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1221/04]
Since the commencement of Ireland's EU Presidency, I have already had bilateral meetings in Dublin Castle with the EU Commissioners with responsibility for rural affairs and regional policy. I am also addressing the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Parliament today.
As regards my Department's plans, as I informed the House in 2003 in response to similar questions from Deputies, my Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency are as follows: conference on territorial cohesion, formerly islands, Galway, 25 to 27 May 2004; conference on rural development, Westport, 30 and 31 May and 1 June 2004; and meeting of national drugs strategy co-ordinators, Clontarf, 15 June 2004.
1009 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the umbrella organisation Coiste na n-Iarchimí was formed; the breakdown on a yearly basis of the money which has been provided to it; the number of staff it employs; the offices which have been opened; and the amount it is costing on a yearly basis since it was formed. [1440/04]
Coiste na n-larchimí was established in 1998. Under the Peace II Programme, €658,564 has been allocated to Coiste na n-Iarchimí for the ‘Process of Nation Building' programme for the period June 2002 to May 2004. This funding is towards the employment of two research staff, three outreach workers, a project co-ordinator and a financial administrator.
Under the community development programme and the national programme for the re-integration of ex-prisoners, Coiste na n-Iarchimí has been funded to operate a Dublin office since 1999. Since June 2002, my Department has contributed as follows: 2002 —€68,000 core-funding and €25,000 capital grant towards premises renovation; 2003 —€136,000 core-funding; and 2004 —€34,000 interim funding pending negotiation of contract.
Core funding covers the employment of three staff members in addition to administration and overheads costs.
1011 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason applications for funding from a group (details supplied) in County Louth, were not granted; and the support or assistance which can be given to them. [1768/04]
The group referred to by the Deputy has, since 1998, been in receipt of core funding under the community development programme operated by my Department. The core funding provided to projects included in the programme allows for the employment of two full-time staff equivalent, together with the overheads and administration costs of running a resource centre. My Department does not generally provide funding above what is appropriate to meet this staffing norm. Accordingly, projects are expected to draw down additional funding for activities undertaken or services provided from the relevant Department or agency.
The core funding to the group in 2003 amounted to €87,000. The allocation to the group for 2004 is currently being determined.
A limited amount of funding is also set aside each year to enable projects funded under the programme to apply for additional grants towards equipment, refurbishment, premises, education, training, networking and research. Given the limited amount of funding available, it is not always possible to fund every application submitted by projects. In this context, applications for funding in 2003 were asked to prioritise their application(s). The group in question has been successful in securing funding through this once-off grant scheme in previous years and in 2003 I approved a grant of €3,050 towards the cost of running courses in confidence building through creative role play and drama, which the group identified as a priority over all other applications.
1012 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the details of the guidelines for the rural social scheme for farmers; the qualifying criteria; and if participants will be able to retain their farm assist payments in conjunction with being on the rural social scheme. [1798/04]
The aim of the scheme, as outlined in the Budget Statement, is to provide directly improved rural services and at the same time to ensure an income for small farmers on long-term social welfare benefits with a working week compatible with farming. Based on the funding being made available it is planned to offer up to 2,500 places on the scheme.
It is planned that to be eligible to participate on the scheme a person must be on farm assist or possess a herd number and be in receipt of unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit, if previously on community employment schemes, or disability allowance.
Guidelines for the scheme, including detailed criteria for participation, are currently being developed by my Department.
1014 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the Royal Canal will be fully navigable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1986/04]
The issue raised by the Deputy about the works on the Royal Canal aimed at re-opening the waterway from Dublin to the River Shannon is the day to day responsibility of Waterways Ireland, a North-South Implementation Body for inland waterways, set up under the British-Irish Agreement.
The Royal Canal is open to navigation between Dublin and Abbeyshrule, County Longford, a distance of 70 miles. Works to complete the restoration of the remaining 20 miles are in progress; the construction of five road bridges to replace existing culverts, lockgate installation, reconstruction of bog embankments, the provision of additional water supplies, as well as minor bank repairs.
Under the National Development Plan 2000 — 2006, €15 million, in 1999 terms, has been allocated to the Royal Canal restoration project. Waterways Ireland also informs me that it hopes to complete this project on time, subject to ongoing review in the light of other capital investment priorities and value-for-money trends in overall construction costs affecting the civil engineering industry.
1015 D'fhiafraigh Mr. Gilmore den Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé in ann deontas a chur ar fáil i mbliana faoi chlár na mbóithre straitéise le feabhsúchán a dhéanamh ar an bhóthar go hAerphort Idirnáisiúnta Dhún na nGall ag Carraig Fhinn, Cionn Caslach, Co. Dhún na nGall. [2015/04]
Tá príomhfreagracht maidir le uasgrádú bóithrí Gaeltachta ar Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Tá clár oibre 2004 faoi scéim na mbóithre stráitéiseacha sa Ghaeltacht á mheas ag mo Roinnse agus Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall faoi láthair.
1016 D'fhiafraigh Mr. Gilmore den Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé i gceist obair feabhsúcháin a dhéanamh ar an ché ag Rannaigh, Oileán Árainn Mhór, Co. Dhún na nGall. [2016/04]
I láthair na huaire, tá ollchlár infheistíochta ar chéanna oileánda á chur i bhfeidhm ag mo Roinn faoin bPlean Forbartha Náisiúnta 2000 — 2006, a bhfuil sé mar phríomh-chuspóir aige an caighdeán rochtana chuig na hoileán a fheabhsú.
Tá suim de €1.203 million curtha ar fáil ag mo Roinn chun oibreacha feabhsúcháin ar an gcé fharantóireachta ag An Léab Gharbh, Oileán Árainn Mhór, a chur i gcrích sa tréimhse 1999 — 2003.
I 2001, ar iarratas ó mo Roinn, chuir Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall réamh-thuarascáil ar fáil maidir le forbairt na saoráidí calaíochta ag Rannach, Oileán Árainn Mhór. Moladh dhá rogha sa tuarascáil sin, i.e., síneadh 30 m a chur leis an gcé atá ann faoi láthair ar chostas €1.5 milliún nó síneadh 65m a chur léi ar chostas €3 milliún. Dheimhnigh an tuarascáil chomh maith gur chun sochair thionscal na hiascaireachta áitiúil a rachadh aon áis nua ag an láthair seo. Fuarthas meastachán ón gcomhairle chontae anuraidh maidir le costais deartha agus ullmhú doiciméad conartha don togra seo.
I bhfianaise an tsoláthair atá ar fáil dom le caitheamh ar fhorbairt chéanna ar na hoileáin sa chéad chúpla bliain eile amach romhainn agus na n-éileamh éagsúil ar an soláthar sin, agus ag cur san áireamh an infheistíocht atá déanta ar an gcé ag An Léab Gharbh cheana, níl sé ar chumas mo Roinne tosaíocht a thabhairt don togra áirithe seo faoi láthair.
É sin ráite, áfach, déantar monatóireacht rialta ar chur i bhfeidhm an chláir infheistíochta agus is féidir athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar iarratais atá ar láimh, i gcás go dtiocfadh athrú substaintiúil ar an gclár seo.
1018 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress being made on the creation of the public service broker; and the situation with regard to the Reach programme. [1683/04]
The public service broker is a key element in the Government's plans to streamline and modernise public service delivery. It will offer agencies a reliable way to share data electronically and provide a single point of access to public services for citizens and businesses. Initially these services will be available to those with domestic and business access to the Internet. However, the intention is to make the services available as soon as possible thereafter to the widest possible number of customers by means of the telephone and the network of public service local offices.
The range of services is expected to grow quickly with the objective of having as many transactions as possible across the public service on-line i.e. without having to complete paper-based application forms. This will facilitate quicker transaction times, more timely delivery of services and the review of procedures to the benefit of both the public service customer and provider.
Reach, the agency established to develop integrated public service delivery in an electronic environment, is in the process of finalising a contract for building the public service broker. This will allow Reach to move ahead with firm plans for the development and delivery of the broker, with an initial live delivery of services planned for June 2004.
1019 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a survey of staff to determine interest in participating in the decentralisation programme has been undertaken in her Department; when it will be completed; and if the results will be published or otherwise made available to Deputies. [2338/04]
1036 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a survey of staff in her Department has been conducted to ascertain the number willing to take part in the Government decentralisation plans; if she will detail the results of any such survey and the number of staff who wish to decentralise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2246/04]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1019 and 1036 together.
My Department has established a formal project management structure to manage the decentralisation programme within the organisation. The structure will support the two phases of the decentralisation programme i.e. the development of an overall departmental strategy and the development and implementation of plans for decentralising individual sections.
As an input to the planning process, a survey is being conducted to establish initial indicators of interest in the various decentralisation locations. It is expected that the results of this survey will be available in the next few weeks.
1020 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was asked to return their disability book. [1111/04]
Persons in receipt of disability allowance may receive an increase in respect of a qualified child dependant. This payment ceases when the child reaches 18 except in certain circumstances where a child is in full time education.
The person concerned is in receipt of a child dependant allowance at half rate for each of three children. This amounts to €25.20 per week. The rate is scheduled to be reduced from 28 January 2004 as her son has reached 18 and is not in full time education. The new child dependant allowance book at €16.80 per week in respect of her two remaining qualified children will be issued to her post office from that date.
1021 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to report on her Department's activities in respect of Ireland's EU Presidency; if she will outline her plans for the next few months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1222/04]
My overall focus for the Irish Presidency will be to advance the EU social policy agenda generally and in particular, make progress in delivering on the ten year goals set by the Lisbon European Council in 2000.
One of the ambitious goals of the Lisbon agenda is to achieve greater social cohesion. Following the submission of the second round national action programmes on social inclusion 2003 — 2005 the Commission adopted its second report on social inclusion in December 2003. A joint Council-Commission inclusion report will be considered by the Council of Ministers in time for presentation to the spring European Council.
The Irish Presidency will further develop an initiative taken by previous Presidencies by hosting a third meeting of people experiencing poverty. Our aim is to further develop ways of promoting participation by, and consultation with, people experiencing poverty in the context of developing policies in this area.
A key policy area is "Making Work Pay", which explores how the interaction between social protection and employment policies affects peoples decisions to seek, take up, and remain in work. As part of our contribution to modernising social protection systems, this issue was chosen as the main theme for discussion at the Informal Council of Ministers for Employment and Social Policy, which was held in Galway earlier this month. The meeting considered three specific aspects, namely, prevention and activation measures; reconciling work and family life and prolonging working life.
Ministers and the Commissioner agreed that social protection systems need to strengthen the incentives and supports offered to people moving from benefits to work but that this should not call into question their primary role in providing adequate benefits to people who need them. Ministers also agreed to strengthen actions to improve incentives to work for older people and to minimise incentives for early retirement. The importance of striking a proper balance between employment and social protection policies in this area was also emphasised when my colleague, the Minister of State for labour, and I, in company with the Commissioner and our Dutch and Luxembourg colleagues, met with EU-level social partners and social platform at our Troika meeting.
The Irish Presidency will work to secure, for the first time, an agreed high level key messages paper for the spring European Council which will reflect in an integrated way the Council's work on social inclusion, pensions, demographic developments, making work pay, gender equality and the employment-related policy challenges addressed in the report of the European employment task force and elsewhere.
The issue of migration is another of our priorities for my Department during the Irish Presidency. We will be hosting a conference in April, the theme of which will be "Reconciling Mobility and Social Inclusion". Its main focus will be on the role of social and employment policies in achieving social inclusion for people moving within the EU.
A major priority in this context for the Irish Presidency will be to work for adoption by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament of the proposals to simplify and modernise the EU regulations on social security of migrant workers. This will provide workers and their families moving within the EU with a more streamlined set of rules aimed at protecting their social security and health care rights.
Following the accession of the ten new member states in May next, we will host a special conference, in co-operation with the Hungarian Government and the Commission. The conference will address both the implications of the current reform of the regulations for all 25 states and the particular implementation challenges facing new member states in this field.
In the area of family policy and to mark the tenth anniversary of the UN International Year of the Family, the Irish Presidency will host a major international conference the title of which will be "Families, Change and Social Policy in Europe".
I am happy that these events represent a substantial Irish Presidency programme of work which will make a significant contribution to moving forward the EU social policy agenda.
1022 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a back to education allowance is payable in respect of persons undertaking an ambulance attendant training course, with particular reference to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who started their training on 12 January 2004 at St. Mary's, Phoenix Park, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1337/04]
At present, to qualify for participation in the back to education allowance scheme an applicant must, inter alia, be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for at least six months, 156 days, immediately prior to commencing an approved course of study.
The person concerned was not in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment prior to undertaking a course of training and, furthermore, the course being undertaken is not recognised for the back to education allowance scheme. This person is not, therefore, eligible for the allowance.
1023 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the regulations she signed in relation to the recent announcement of the 16 cutbacks. [1365/04]
The following regulations were made in connection with my recent announcement regarding adjustments to the social welfare code: Statutory Instruments: S.I. 696 of 2003 — effective from 19 January 2004, discontinuing the transitional half-rate payment for lone parents where a recipient of one-parent family payment takes up employment and his or her earnings are in excess of €293 per week; S.I. 725 of 2003 — effective from first week January 2004, increasing the weekly earnings threshold for the purposes of payment of reduced rates of disability benefit and unemployment benefit from €88.88 to €150; S.I. 727 of 2003 — effective from 5 January 2004, increasing the minimum weekly contribution recipients of supplementary welfare allowance rent supplement are required to make towards their accommodation by €1; S.I. 727 of 2003 — effective from 1 January, 2004, increasing the amount of diet supplement paid to €44 and, in relation to certain diets, to €57; S.I. 728 of 2003 — effective from 31 January 2004, enabling health boards to refuse rent supplement in cases where the applicant has not already been renting for six months, with provisions for exceptions in relation to homeless people and other vulnerable groups, and providing for referral of claimants for rent supplement to the local authority for an assessment of housing need and providing that rent supplement will no longer be paid to people who have not accepted a second offer of local authority accommodation within a continuous 12 month period or who leave local authority accommodation without good cause; and S.I. 17 of 2004 — effective from 19 January 2004, discontinuing, for new claimants, entitlement to half-rate disability benefit and other benefits where the recipient is in receipt of widow's/widower's pension or one-parent family payment.
The remaining adjustments to the social welfare code were either made by amending legislation in the Social Welfare Act 2003 or do not require legislative amendments.
1024 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the funding provided from her Department towards the landslide in north Mayo. [1368/04]
As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 305, which I answered on 17 December 2003, the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered by the health boards on behalf of my Department, allows a health board to make a single payment, known as an exceptional needs payment, to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income.
The Western Health Board has advised that some 35 exceptional needs payments were issued to families affected by the landslide. The board has confirmed also that every family in the affected area was visited and that all applications for assistance were approved.
1025 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will increase the limit of the allowance governing the payment of benefits to qualified adults. [1405/04]
Social welfare legislation currently provides for the gradual reduction of the qualified adult allowance, QAA, for claimants of certain welfare payments, where the qualified adult is earning €88.88 or more up to €210 per week, at which point the QAA is fully withdrawn. The initial threshold of €88.88 together with the gradual withdrawal ensure that a spouse is not unduly penalised for taking up employment.
A number of changes to these tapered arrangements have been introduced in recent years to ensure that the impact of increases in earnings are not negated for families where the spouse is the sole earner and is in low paid employment. For example, the range of income over which the QAA is withdrawn has been progressively extended. For instance, in 1999 the QAA was withdrawn over an income range of €76.18 to €114.28. The current range is €88.88 to €210.00. Furthermore, whereas prior to March 2000 the child dependant allowance, CDA, was halved where a tapered rate of QAA was payable, full CDA is now payable in such cases.
The question of further extending the QAA income range would be a matter for consideration in a budgetary context and in the context of priorities generally.
1026 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications received by the health boards for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance in 2003; the number of applications granted; the number refused; and the number of children involved. [1413/04]
The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is designed to provide assistance towards the cost of school clothing and footwear for children attending primary and post-primary schools. The scheme operates from the beginning of June to the end of September each year and is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards.
A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he/she is in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education and training course and has household income at or below certain set levels.
Under the scheme an allowance of €80 is payable in respect of qualified children aged from two to 11 years and an allowance of €150 is payable in respect of qualified children aged from 12 to 22 years.
A total of 81,851 applications for the allowance were received in 2003. Allowances were awarded in 75,202 cases covering 172,123 children. A total of 6,649 applications were refused.
1027 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her Department publishes figures for the cost of supporting the living expenses of asylum seekers; if she monitors newspaper reports on this issue to ensure that misleading reports do not get into circulation; and her views on the veracity of a newspaper article (details supplied). [1420/04]
The income maintenance needs of asylum seekers are met for the most part through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards.
In the case of asylum seekers who are catered for within the direct provision system which is operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform a reduced rate of supplementary welfare allowance is paid to take account of the fact that they are provided with full board and other services within that system.
My Department does not publish details of expenditure relating specifically to asylum seekers. Details of social welfare recipients' immigration status are not held on my Department's computer systems. It is not possible, therefore, to identify expenditure relating specifically to asylum seekers. However, the Department's records show that expenditure in 2003 under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in cases where the head of household was a non-national was in the region of €132.5 million. The expenditure includes payments to people who are asylum seekers, former asylum seekers who have been granted leave to remain in the State by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, refugees and other non-nationals with no present or former connection to the asylum system.
A small number of asylum seekers are in receipt of other social welfare payments such as unemployment payments, one-parent family payments, pensions, disability allowance and child benefit. Details of the numbers and costs involved in these categories are not available.
Most of the costs quoted in the article mentioned by the Deputy relate to accommodation and other costs of the asylum process incurred by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
All the other statistics in the article relate to the asylum process which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In the circumstances, it would be a matter for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to confirm whether or not the information is accurate.
1028 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the decision of the oral hearing in respect of pension payments for a person (details supplied) will be implemented as promised. [1422/04]
The retirement pension appeal of the person concerned was considered by an appeals officer and was disallowed following an oral hearing. The person has been informed. Under social welfare legislation decisions on claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
A question as to information which was previously supplied to the person concerned in connection with his insurance record is being dealt with separately and my Department will be in further contact with him in relation to this matter.
1029 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of files in his Department for 1973 released to the National Archives under the 30 year rule; the number withheld; and the subject matter of the files withheld. [1593/04]
My Department released 27 files from 1973 to the National Archives this year under the 30 year archive rule. There were no files from 1973 withheld by my Department.
1030 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the modification or alteration to any of the changes subsequently agreed in respect of her announcement of 13 November 2003 of changes to a range of social welfare schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1720/04]
Expenditure on various social welfare payments is reviewed on an ongoing basis by my Department to ensure that the schemes continue to meet their objectives.
The measures as announced in November 2003 are being implemented. They are reflected in the Abridged Estimates Volume for 2004 and are designed to ensure that social welfare spending is better focused and that the available resources are used to benefit those most in need. For the most part the measures will not affect existing claimants but will apply to new claimants from various dates in 2004.
1031 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 is entitled to a free travel pass. [1776/04]
To qualify for a free travel pass, a person under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare or similar payment. The person concerned is under age 66 and is receiving deserted wife's benefit and disability benefit from the Department. As neither of these benefits are qualifying payments for free travel scheme purposes, she is not entitled to a travel pass under the scheme.
1032 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason she has introduced new arrangements during 2003 regarding the deduction of accrued holiday pay from persons who are on temporary lay-off from their job; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1803/04]
Social welfare legislation provides for the payment of unemployment benefit in respect of days of unemployment. Any day on which a person either receives or has an entitlement to holiday pay is not regarded as a day of unemployment and a person has no entitlement to unemployment benefit in respect of that day.
With the exception of people in school-related employment, people in seasonal, term or limited contract employment who claimed unemployment benefit up to 2003 had to supply details of all holiday pay entitlements due during each temporary lay-off period. Negotiations between the Department of Education and Science and the teacher unions on the implementation of the provisions of the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 were concluded last year. This Act provides for additional holiday pay in certain cases. Following the conclusion of these negotiations, the provisions in relation to the treatment of accrued holiday pay for unemployment benefit purposes generally were extended to people in school-related employment. These provisions are that unemployment benefit is not paid in respect of any day for which there is an entitlement to holiday pay. The new procedures are designed to ensure that all persons on temporary lay-off from their employment were treated in a similar manner.
1033 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if participants in community employment schemes are entitled to retain their secondary benefits when they go back on unemployment assistance. [1809/04]
Following the extension of class A PRSI to community employment, CE, workers in 1996, the position is that they are treated in the same way as other class A workers insofar as social insurance entitlements are concerned.
CE workers who are unemployed following completion of a CE scheme may qualify or re-qualify for unemployment benefit instead of long-term unemployment assistance by virtue of having paid class A PRSI contributions. Secondary benefits are not payable with unemployment benefit.
If a person is entitled to unemployment benefit she or he may opt to claim unemployment assistance, including secondary benefits, if it is more advantageous to do so and provided she/he satisfies a means test.
1034 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs what constitutes full-time care and attention in the course of a seven day week regarding an application for the carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1952/04]
One of the principal conditions for receipt of the allowance is that full-time care and attention is required and being provided by the carer. Under the legislative provisions full-time care and attention means that the care recipient must be so disabled as to require continuous supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with their normal personal needs. In addition, the care recipient must be so disabled as to be likely to require this care for at least 12 months.
My Department takes the view that full-time care and attention does not necessarily mean 24 hours in each day. Full-time care and attention can be considered to apply where there is an ongoing and daily commitment by the carer, and which also generally results in the carer not being able to support himself or herself through normal full-time employment.
Carer's allowance applications are assessed on an individual basis having regard to the medical and other related evidence supplied by the applicant. However, as the objectives of the carer's allowance scheme are designed for full-time carers, part-time carers and carers of persons in residential care do not fall within the scheme objectives.
Under social welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
1035 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if assessments are under way in her Department; the activities proposed for decentralisation; the impact on the operations of the Department; the risks to the organisation attendant on this move; the measures that will be put in place to minimise disruption; and if these reports will be presented to her at an early date for consideration. [1985/04]
As part of the major decentralisation programme for the Civil Service announced on budget day, 3 December 2003, it is proposed that 1,300 posts in the headquarters of my Department and two of its agencies, Comhairle and the Combat Poverty Agency, which are currently based in Dublin, will move to various provincial locations.
My Department has established a formal project management structure to manage the decentralisation programme within the organisation.
My Department has previous experience of the issues associated with decentralisation, having relocated functions and staff out of Dublin to Sligo, Letterkenny, Longford, Waterford and Dundalk.
The new programme of decentralisation will involve major change for my Department and a key objective will be to ensure that it is implemented in a planned way and with due regard to the effects on staff and the maintenance of high standards of service delivery.
A detailed project plan covering all aspects of the decentralisation process for my Department and the two agencies involved is being prepared. The plan will set out the business areas to be located to each location; the timing of each relocation; staff placement and training plans; the estimated resources required to complete the project; the risks associated with the project; and the contingency plans to deal with those risks.
Plans for all of the Departments involved will be considered by the decentralisation implementation committee established by the Government which is due to submit an initial report by end March 2004 on the implementation of the overall programme.
My Department will report progress on the implementation of the plan on a regular basis to the implementation committee, which will report in turn to the special Cabinet sub-committee which is overseeing the programme as a whole.
1037 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a claim for unemployment benefit made by a person (details supplied) on 10 November 2003, and awarded at the maximum rate for 390 days, has not been made to that person; the reason her Department reduced this benefit with effect from 8 January 2004, treating this as a new claim, rather that continuing payment of the rate previously approved for the full duration of 390 days; and if the rate can be restored to the amount awarded last November. [2275/04]
The maximum period for which unemployment benefit can be paid is 390 days. If, at the end of a period of unemployment, a person has not exhausted his/her full 390 days entitlement, the remaining days of entitlement are carried forward to the next linked period of unemployment.
The person concerned had a number of linked unemployment benefit claims in the period from October 2000 to January 2004. On 7 January 2004, the total number of days of unemployment over the period reached 390. The person concerned, however, requalified for a further 390 days' benefit from the 8 January 2004, based on his contribution record.
The rate of unemployment benefit payable is determined by reference to the person's weekly earnings in the governing contribution year, currently 2002. At present, to receive the maximum rate of unemployment benefit, a claimant must have had average weekly earnings of at least €150 in the governing contribution year. The person concerned was awarded benefit at the weekly rate of €105.60, based on his average weekly earnings of €143.19 in the governing contribution year.
Under social welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims and the insurability of employment must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
