Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 23 Jun 2004

Vol. 587 No. 6

Adjournment Debate.

Special Educational Needs.

Mr. Gormley

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue. The school to which I refer is St. Matthew's national school in Sandymount. It is customary for Members to declare any potential conflict of interest at the commencement of a debate. Two of my children attend St. Matthew's national school and in that sense I have a vested interest. Nonetheless, even if this were not the case the unnecessary delays in replying to correspondence from the school and the unnecessary delays in the allocation of special educational resources to children in the school would be a matter of concern for any Deputy in this House.

Last November the school wrote to the Department about the possibility of resource teaching hours for a child in third class. Unfortunately, the school had not heard anything from the Department of Education and Science, until today, coincidentally when it received a letter. Since November another application has been made on behalf of a child in second class and again nothing has been heard. According to the school principal there was not even an acknowledgement of work in progress, until the circular was received today. It is a matter of concern when our schools can be treated in this fashion.

The source of real concern for the parents and staff at St Matthew's is the news that the Department of Education and Science is attempting to introduce a new way of allocating resource teachers to primary schools. If a support teacher is to be allocated for every 150 children on the roll, where does that leave St. Matthew's and other similar schools? Some 97 pupils attend the school in an area, which not only serves Sandymount, but the disadvantaged areas that form part of the Dublin Docklands area. Currently a resource teacher is based in St. Matthew's national school teaching 17.5 hours a week to children with specific learning difficulties. The remaining hours are used by Star of the Sea national school.

This evening I hope for some clarification on a number of issues. Is it not the case that given the current criteria the school is entitled to a full-time resource teacher based in the school? Is the Minister aware the school has submitted two more applications recently, which would allow for even more resource hours? Surely the Minister understands that if the needs of these children are not met the teacher is required for more one-to-one teaching and that this impacts on the rest of the class? When will the full-time resource teacher start? I would like to be able to give the principal a specific start time tomorrow.

While I may be biased in my view, St. Matthew's is an excellent school. My constituency colleague, Deputy Quinn, who also has a child in the school, and I have often talked about the wonderful atmosphere in the school, the dedication of the teachers and the huge effort put in by parents to make the school what it is. However, it is now clear that the newly appointed principal is deeply frustrated by the attitude of the Department of Education and Science. In a recent letter to me she refers to "the delaying, cost cutting and bureaucracy of the Department, which is denying children with special needs their right to an education suited to their needs".

Recently, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, speaking to a constituency meeting in Louth, said the Government could no longer shape policy around unbridled market forces. Surely this is a case in point. If this Minister and the Government believe in a just, caring and socially equitable society they ought to, at the very least, respond positively to reasonable requests from a school which is doing its best to create a better society for this and future generations. I hope the Minister will be in a position therefore, to confirm that this new full-time resource teacher will start work soon.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O’Malley)

I am pleased to be afforded the opportunity to clarify the position of the Department of Education and Science concerning the matter of special educational needs resources to children in St. Matthew's national school, Sandymount, Dublin.

The school in question currently has the services of one principal, three mainstream class teachers, a shared learning support teacher and a shared resource teacher. It also has the services of a full-time special needs assistant.

The school in question has a number of applications for special education resources with the Department for consideration. In Circular 24/03, the Department stated its intention to engage in discussions with representative interests with a view to developing a weighted system of teacher allocations for special needs teaching. The allocation of an additional 350 teaching posts for special needs and a new system for the allocation of resources for special needs in primary schools have now been approved.

The new system will involve a general weighted allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, such as those pupils with borderline mild and mild general learning disability, specific learning disability and those with learning support needs. It will also allow for individual allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence special educational needs.

The weighted allocation will be made as follows: in the most disadvantaged schools as per the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break, a teacher of pupils with special educational needs will be allocated for every 80 pupils to cater for the subset of pupils with higher incidence special needs; in all boys' schools, the ratio will be one teacher for every 140 pupils; in mixed schools or girls' schools with an enrolment of greater than 30% boys, one for every 150 pupils; and in all girls' schools, including schools with mixed junior classes but with 30% or fewer boys overall, one for every 200 pupils. In addition, all schools will be able to apply for separate specific allocations in respect of pupils with lower incidence disabilities. It is intended that the details of the new model will be set out in a comprehensive circular to issue to schools for the commencement of the new school year.

Applications for resource teacher support that were received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including one for the school in question, for which a response is outstanding, have now been considered. These applications have been reviewed by a dedicated team of members of the Department's inspectorate and of the National Educational Psychological Service. The applications have been further considered in the context of the outcome of surveys of special education resource provision conducted over the past year and of the data submitted by schools as part of a nationwide census of such provision. It is intended that each applicant school will be notified of the outcome in their case in the coming weeks.

Applications received after 31 August 2003, including a number from the school in question, are also being considered by the National Educational Psychological Service. In those cases, it is intended that the applicant schools will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible in advance of the commencement of the next school year. Schools which have applied for special needs assistant support, including St. Matthew's national school, will be advised of the outcome of their applications as soon as possible in advance of the next school year.

Account is being taken of existing levels of special needs assistant allocation in schools. In cases where a reduction in the level of such support is proposed, there will be provision for schools to appeal, having regard to the care needs of the pupils concerned. Details of the appeals mechanism will also be set out in the comprehensive circular issuing to schools.

I thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity, on behalf of the Department of Education and Science, to clarify the position in regard to special needs resources provision at St. Matthew's national school.

School Accommodation.

Mr. Wall

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, and the Minister for taking this Adjournment matter.

Rathangan post-primary school is in urgent need of capital funding for the provision of proper facilities for the pupils and staff in the school. Currently, there are approximately 500 persons in the school between staff and students and this year there is an enrolment of 120 students, which is 35% higher than the previous highest year. Obviously, the results from the school in Rathangan are having an effect in that many parents want to send their children to the school.

There are 17 primary schools in the catchment area of the Rathangan post-primary school and of those, the two schools in the town itself are working beyond capacity. They are also looking for funding to build extensions to the school because of the problem of overcrowding.

The post-primary school had made an application to the Department some eight years ago and as of now, the school is in the band 2 category. There is grave disappointment among the teaching staff, the parents council and the board of management in regard to this matter. The many international companies in the area have given support to the school in respect of this application. They are doing that because they have benefited from the school in that many of its students have taken up employment in the multinationals in the area, including Intel, Hewlett Packard, Wyeth, and Modus Media International. We are lucky to have those companies in Kildare because they lend their support to this project to ensure that the students attending Rathangan school will be given the opportunity to work within the confines of a proper educational infrastructure.

The Department has offered the school a number of prefabricated buildings. They have not arrived on site yet but the problems in the school are obvious. I have visited the school on a number of occasions and the dangers in respect of safety, etc., are obvious. The passageways are jammed with children trying to get from the prefabricated building to the main building and vice versa. They are using the back and front doors to try to access the classrooms and, time being of the essence in terms of changing classes, this is prohibiting the proper workings of the school.

This is a school with a wonderful record in regard to academic achievement and I ask the Minister to consider its position now. The school attracts students from 17 primary schools in the catchment area and there has been a 35% increase in first year students this year compared to its best previous year. Obviously the teachers are doing the work on the ground and turning out the results. The only prohibitive aspect is the lack of proper facilities. The school secretary works in a corridor. I was in the principal's office the other day and that is no better. The locker rooms, which are being used for classroom facilities, are totally overcrowded. The general outlay of the school is such that it prohibits to a proper working environment.

I realise the Minister of State, Deputy O'Malley, is not responsible for capital funding in this area but I ask him to impress upon the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, the importance of dealing with this issue as a matter of urgency. The school has the full support of the local and business communities, the international community vis-à-vis the companies in the area, the board of management, the parents’ association etc. All they want is for this school to come to fruition. Eight years is a long wait and the teachers and pupils have suffered. It has been difficult for them to achieve their maximum potential in examinations due to the lack of proper facilities. Despite this, they have created an image of it being one of the best schools for results in the Kildare area.

Rathangan is the third largest vocational education committee school in County Kildare and is the first on the list for proposed development. This is a good project that would benefit from capital funding and making Rathangan and its catchment area of 17 primary schools its major benefactors.

Mr. T. O’Malley

I thank Deputy Wall for giving me the opportunity to outline the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding the proposed refurbishment and extension project at Rathangan post-primary school, County Kildare.

The proposed extension consists of 1,656 sq. m. for the long-term projected enrolment figure of 450 pupils. The Department received an application from the board of management of the school in December 1996 requesting the provision of additional accommodation. A large-scale building project for Rathangan post-primary school is listed in section 8 of the 2004 school building programme which is published on the Department's website at www.education.ie.

A full design team has been appointed and architectural design of the project is progressing. It is at stage four and five, detailed design and bills of quantities of architectural planning. It has been assigned a band two rating by the Department in accordance with the published criteria for prioritising large-scale projects. Indicative timescales have been included for large-scale projects proceeding to tender in 2004.

The budget announcement regarding multi-annual capital envelopes will enable the Department of Education and Science to adopt a multi-annual framework for the school building programme. This in turn will give greater clarity regarding projects that are not progressing to tender in this year's programme, including Rathangan post-primary school. The Department of Education and Science will make a further announcement in that regard later this year. I thank Deputy Wall for raising the matter.

Hospital Services.

Mr. Hayes

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me the opportunity to raise this important issue on the Adjournment on behalf of the people of south County Tipperary. Recently, some 7,000 people marched on the streets of Clonmel demanding that the Government give additional funding of approximately €2 million to the South Eastern Health Board to resource the new unit at South Tipperary General Hospital. Public representatives, staff and the media were recently taken on tour of the hospital. It is one of the finest hospital buildings I have seen. However, this state-of-the-art unit is lying idle because no funding is available to the South Eastern Health Board to put it into operation.

In 1996 agreement was reached by the health board and action committees in the South Tipperary constituency. The then Minister for Health, Deputy Michael Noonan, committed funding for the unit building and its operation. With price rises, the project went over its anticipated budget. The building and facilities are now completed and funding is committed for the provision of equipment. However, funding for staffing the unit is now required.

In 1996, after an acrimonious debate, agreement was reached in the county to proceed with providing the service. However, people are amazed that this project has still not been brought to fruition. The main concern is that if another Hanly report is commissioned, this hospital, serving a catchment area of 150,000 people and comprising County Waterford, north County Tipperary and east County Limerick, could be shut down. Additional funding is all that is needed to open this unit. Obviously, there is an ongoing argument about funding between the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Finance. However, I want to highlight the urgency of the unit in South Tipperary General Hospital. I hope the Minister of State will have good news on the unit's future.

Mr. T. O’Malley

I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, DeputyMartin, for his absence. He is abroad on EU business.

The development of acute hospital services at South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, has been set out in the House on previous occasions. A major capital development programme to provide the infrastructure to facilitate the transfer of surgical services from Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, to South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, was undertaken to bring surgical and acute medical services together on a single site. The integration of acute services on one site will greatly enhance the services available to patients in the region.

After the transfer of the surgical services, Our Lady's Hospital in Cashel will be used to provide services for the elderly and those with mental and physical disabilities. The estimated capital investment for the first phase of the development of Our Lady's Hospital is approximately €12 million. The building work in Clonmel, costing approximately €30 million, is now complete. These investments indicate the Government's commitment to the provision of optimum health care facilities to the people of the region.

The newly constructed facilities in Clonmel include the provision of a new emergency medicine department, ward accommodation, operating theatres, an intensive care unit, a day care unit, a central sterile supplies department, a physical medicine department, an education centre and consulting rooms. With the completion of the construction phase, the next phase of the project is the equipping of the new building. In May 2004 the Minister for Health and Children approved funding of €7.9 million towards this. The procurement process has commenced and the South Eastern Health Board has a project plan in place to evaluate and finalise the equipment needed for the new departments.

The health board has sought the additional revenue funding to complete the transfer of surgical and emergency services to South Tipperary General Hospital. The additional resources identified by the board required to open these new facilities fully fall for consideration against the background of the prevailing budgetary policy. The priority is to ensure that these new facilities are opened and available to patients. The Minister for Health and Children has already stated that he is fully committed to achieving this objective in as timely a manner as possible.

We will continue to work with health agencies to bring on stream buildings, facilities and equipment provided under the national development plan. The Minister and his Department will continue to work with the South Eastern Health Board with a view to ensuring that the new facilities provided are available for use by the people of south County Tipperary.

Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

Ms Lynch

I am disappointed that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, is not in the Chamber. While I accept that he is away on EU business, this matter is of such importance that he should have been in the House to reply to it. That is in no way a reflection on the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Tim O'Malley.

This dispute began when the director of blood transfusion services in Cork, Dr. Joan Power, discovered a connection between blood products and hepatitis C. This connection should have been discovered earlier but Dr. Power was not part of the then circle. As she was to a great extent a whistleblower on this issue, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service in Dublin has never quite forgiven her.

The building in Cork is situated in the grounds of St. Finbarr's Hospital. Anyone who knows Cork will know where that is. It has achieved certificates for being a centre of excellence and every operation it has carried out has been given a certificate of excellence. That is how careful this woman is about the operation of the centre.

It was then decided that all blood testing would be carried out at a central location in Dublin, which horrified Munster people in particular. The notion that the people who did not recognise the signs or denied the evidence of their eyes regarding contaminated blood products would now be charged with testing in its entirety without any fallback position is beyond belief.

There was a by-election in Cork in 1994 which, no doubt, everyone recalls. At that stage the building in which the blood transfusion service in Cork was situated was in such bad repair that the then Minister for Energy, Deputy Cowen, made a commitment to a new building. Everyone was happy with that but nothing happened. They are still collecting rainwater in buckets from leaking ceilings in the building.

We were then informed that the best practice, an issue on which there was a discussion today in the House, was that blood testing should be centralised in Dublin. After a long and difficult debate, the current Minister for Health and Children, in whose constituency this unit is located, agreed that an international panel of experts would examine the Irish case in the context of the history of contaminated blood products and consider the best way forward going forward, to use a phrase the Minister keeps repeating.

The panel's recommendation was that, for safety reasons, there should be two test centres in Ireland. It was not always possible to get samples to Dublin and back as quickly as was necessary. One could not ensure that the chain was always complete. Things could happen about which people might not be notified. Everyone agreed to be bound by the international panel which found that the best and safest process would involve two centres, yet we have not got them.

We now hear the rumour that it is possible that the director of services in the Cork centre, the woman whom we should reward for her service to the women of this country, will be moved to one side. It appears that her replacement is someone who does not agree with the finding of the international panel and feels that centralised testing is best. This is very much a political issue but, if it were not, it should be an issue of the health, safety and welfare of our citizens. I do not trust the people in Dublin to do all the testing. We must surely have learned something from the contamination of blood products and the havoc that it wreaked in this country on women in terms of hepatitis C and on haemophiliacs.

Mr. T. O’Malley

I repeat that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, sends his apologies for not being present as he is in Budapest on European Union business. He would like to be here to respond in person.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister is aware of the difficulties with the current building and is working with the board of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service to develop a suitable alternative. The development brief for the new Cork centre project was submitted to the Department by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service in March 2003. The capital cost of the project, inclusive of special testing facilities, is estimated at €28 million.

While planning for the new centre is in progress, the IBTS board approved an interim development for the Cork centre in November 2003. This interim solution for the ongoing delivery of services will be required for the next three to five years. The development will be on the St. Finbarr's Hospital site and will cost an estimated €2 million, which will be met from the IBTS's resources. The Southern Health Board has given its approval for the development of these interim facilities on the St. Finbarr's campus, and planning permission for the development was recently granted by Cork City Council.

The Minister, Deputy Martin, has previously informed the House that the design of the interim facility, the seeking of planning permission and the procurement of interim construction works would be fast-tracked to ensure the earliest possible completion date. I am pleased to confirm that this has happened and, as a result, good progress is being made on the provision of the new facility. The main building contract for the enabling works has commenced on site and delivery of the prefabricated buildings will commence on 5 July next. The transfer of IBTS facilities to the prefabricated buildings is scheduled to commence in early September which will allow a construction start on the upgrading works to the existing accommodation to take place. The scheduled completion date for the project is December 2004.

While there is no argument that this development is an interim solution and that permanent new premises are required for the Cork centre, there has nonetheless been considerable additional investment at the centre over the years. A new components laboratory was provided at a cost of more than €600,000. A second consultant post was approved. New posts in quality assurance and information technology were also approved in recent years. The Progesa integrated computer system went live in Cork in March 2003, before Dublin, which went live in May of that year. The posts of laboratory manager and quality assurance officer have been filled recently on a permanent basis. The centre has also recently taken delivery of Galileo, a sophisticated new automated processing machine.

The Minister is being kept fully briefed about the position regarding developments at the Cork centre. He discussed capital facilities at the centre with the chair of the board and the chief executive officer at a meeting on 10 November last. At this meeting the Minister confirmed his commitment to the provision of a new centre in Cork at the earliest possible date. He is also committed to ensuring that the IBTS continues to have sufficient resources to maintain the highest possible standards in blood transfusion practice at all locations throughout the service.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.20 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 24 June 2004.