Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Nov 2007

Vol. 641 No. 3

Adjournment Debate.

Child Care Services.

Deputy Denis Naughten

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter. The Mantua preschool child care facility in County Roscommon was established in September to carry out two functions. It was to provide a service for young children and their parents in the local communities, while also securing the long-term future of Mantua national school, which was originally built in 1872 and is one of Ireland's oldest primary schools. A few years ago the school was on a knife edge, as it was threatened with closure due to dwindling numbers. The local community looked at the issue and thought of providing child care facilities locally. The preschool would support those numbers at the school.

There was a spare room at the school that was not being used, so the community established a child care committee and, subsequently, the preschool facility in Mantua national school. The community raised funds for the projects, including over €2,000 at a function in the local pub. They have also held car boot sales, an auction and a church gate collection. They also submitted an application to Pobal for funding. The school in question is recognised as disadvantaged by the Department of Education and Science under the DEIS scheme.

The number of young families moving into the Mantua area is growing, which augurs well for the future of the child care facility and the school itself. The school applied for an interim staffing grant under the interim staffing measure of the NCIP, but it received a response from the Department that it had not demonstrated the ability to manage and sustain the service efficiently. The service is up and running since 3 September, with five children on board. A vacant classroom in an existing school is being used, and a modern child care service is being provided. It is being managed by an experienced child care leader who is being paid from the funds that have been raised by the local community. This small, rural community has raised over €2,000 to get this facility up and running. The parents and the committee have told me that their funds are almost exhausted and they will have to close this Christmas unless the Minister rescinds the decision that was made.

They also plan to expand the existing service to include an after-school service, but they cannot cater for that without the provision of funding from the Department. The future of the school itself is in doubt if this funding is not provided. There are several examples in my constituency of schools with small roll numbers, but they have managed to maintain and even increase numbers by putting child care facilities in vacant classrooms. In this way, they have supported local education provision.

In their response to the local community in Mantua, departmental officials stated that a new scheme would be coming into place from 1 January 2008 and that community representatives should contact the county child care committee to make an application. The difficulty is that this facility will close at Christmas if the school does not get an interim funding grant from the Department to keep it going until it can apply under the new scheme. We have been consistently told that the objective of the scheme is to support disadvantaged communities. I ask the Minister of State to provide the interim funding to keep the facility going.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy Brendan Smith)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The programme for Government and the progress of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 and the national child care investment programme are confirmation of the Government's commitment to developing child care services to support the child care needs of parents. The NCIP 2006-2010 has a funding allocation of €575 million and aims to create an additional 50,000 new child care places. It is expected that approximately 22,000 of these places will be in the private sector and 28,000 in the community and not-for-profit sector. Twenty per cent of the overall places will be for children in the three to four age group and will provide an early childhood care and education focus.

The NCIP programme incorporates a number of key objectives. It will increase the supply and quality of early childhood care and education services across the board. It will also support families in breaking the cycle of disadvantage and will provide a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of child care that is centred on the needs of the child. Both the EOCP and NCIP have a combined budget of almost €1.1 billion and are projected to create over 90,000 child care places, which are provided either through community-based and not-for-profit child care groups or by private providers.

When taken into account with other child care related measures, such as the increases in paid and unpaid maternity leave, the introduction of the early childhood supplement worth €1,000 per year per child under six, and tax relief for child minders, no one can doubt that the Government is giving this issue the priority it deserves. Many child care services throughout Roscommon have benefited from grant assistance under the EOCP and the NCIP. To date, funding of over €10 million has been approved for child care in Roscommon, supporting the creation of 766 new child care places and supporting over 714 existing places throughout the county.

The group in question applied for interim support funding under the NCIP and was declined in September 2007, as its application had not demonstrated sufficient ability to manage and sustain the service efficiently and, therefore, did not meet the requirements of the NCIP interim support scheme. The group was invited to contact its local county child care committee, should it wish to apply for funding under the new community child care subvention scheme, which will come into effect in January 2008. The group requested a review of this decision and its request, along with any details provided by the group, have been forwarded to Pobal, which oversees the day-to-day management of the programmes on behalf of my office, for an assessment which will be considered by the programme appraisal committee. That committee will make its recommendation to the Secretary General who in turn will make the final decision, and the group will be informed of the decision. It would be improper of me to prejudge the outcome of that process in advance of the final decision.

The interim support scheme under the NCIP was introduced as an interim measure, pending the introduction of the new community child care subvention scheme, to facilitate groups which were unable to meet the contractual deadline of December 2006 for funding under the EOCP staffing support scheme. Under the EOCP, targeted support was provided for community-based not-for-profit child care providers through the staffing support grant scheme. The community child care subvention scheme under the NCIP is the successor programme to the EOCP staffing grant and will be introduced on 1 January 2008.

This scheme has been allocated €153 million over the next three years, representing a 16% increase in funding over the EOCP staffing scheme. Under the new scheme, services will be grant aided according to the service they provide and the profile of the parents who benefit. In turn, the subvention received by the services will be reflected in the reduced fees for parents who qualify as disadvantaged under the scheme. It is hoped that the new scheme will provide an effective framework for the continued targeting of additional resources towards disadvantaged parents and their children, while continuing to support community child care services generally.

The more detailed and comprehensive data which has been generated by the new scheme will be analysed by officials in my office between now and the end of December. As outlined at the launch of the scheme last July and at regional seminars held by my officials since then, this data will allow any adjustments necessary to secure the best outcomes for child care services and for disadvantaged parents and their children, and will be considered by the Government in early 2008 and well in advance of the commencement of the new funding levels in July 2008. I asked the review committee to analyse further the data submitted by the group and to make a decision as soon as possible on the application.

Deputy Denis Naughten

I hope the Minister of State looks sympathetically on it.

Deputy Brendan Smith

I am sure the officials will analyse it in great detail.

Job Creation.

Deputy Michael Lowry

In the past week a shattering and demoralising blow has been inflicted on the diligent and committed workforce at Premier Foods, Thurles, County Tipperary. This company and the Erin brand, synonymous with Thurles, announced that it was to cease production, resulting in the loss of 95 jobs.

The workforce and their dependent families have endured prolonged uncertainty and fear of the unknown. Arising from this decision, they face the prospect of coping with the daily pressures of life without a job and financial security. We have an obligation and responsibility to provide alternative job opportunities.

Will the Minister ensure the UK management of Premier Foods, the parent company of Erin, offers the current staff facing lay-off the maximum terms and conditions for redundancy? Will he also ensure every support and resource is made available by the State to these 95 people to assist them in seeking new employment?

I question the role of the Competition Authority in the demise of the Thurles Erin plant. The authority's decision that Premier Foods had to divest from the Erin brand at the beginning of the year cast a long shadow over the future of the Thurles plant and its viability. It is outrageous that the Competition Authority, operating autonomously, could make a decision which sounded the death knell of the Thurles plant.

The plant's closure concludes the gradual obliteration of the manufacturing base in Thurles. In the not too distant past, north Tipperary was home to some of the world's largest industrial companies such as Aventis Pharma, Antiger, Procter and Gamble, Tubex, BSN Medical and Irish-owned companies such as Irish Sugar.

North Tipperary has not benefited from significant foreign direct investment for many years. Throughout north Tipperary there are four international industries compared with 11 six years ago. It is critical that a large scale positive action campaign is initiated to secure industry for the region. To achieve this, it is vital that all parties concerned, from Government to development bodies and local business groups, embark on a cohesive, focused and coordinated course of action that will result in sustainable high quality industry locating in north Tipperary. It is crucial that the full services of the investment promotion unit of Shannon Development, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland are brought to bear in an attempt to attract the type of investment that Thurles and its hinterland deserve.

The Government must address the urgent need to create and attract high-tech, high-end jobs to Thurles and north Tipperary. To this end, it is imperative the Minster initiates a concerted and effective positive action campaign for the town and region. North Tipperary and Thurles are ideal locations for new business enterprises. Thurles is an excellent town which is well located and connected. The town enjoys an educated, vibrant and skilled workforce. It has many attributes that give it an advantage. It is time these were harnessed to provide the industries that the town and its people require.

The employment and job creation problems of north Tipperary are serious and require a specific coordinated response. I call on the Minister to act quickly with the aim of implementing proactive and positive measures to encourage and attract foreign investment to north Tipperary. It is imperative that sustainable, modern replacement industries be secured for Thurles as a matter of urgency.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Deputy Micheál Martin)

The company in question informed me last Thursday that redundancies would be taking place at its Thurles operation on a phased basis until June 2008. I am concerned about the consequences for the workers involved and their families. I wish to assure the people concerned that the Government, through the State development agencies, will provide every assistance it can. The priorities will be the workers in the company and to increase employment opportunities for Thurles and north Tipperary.

The role of FÁS, the State training agency, will be particularly important in offering assistance to the workers. The agency made contact with the company today and the full range of its services will be made available to the employees if they wish to avail of them. The company has decided to consolidate manufacturing in the parent company in the United Kingdom. This decision follows an operational review of the Thurles factory.

The development agencies will instigate a strong response. The IDA Ireland strategy for Thurles and north Tipperary involves developing the knowledge economy by winning new foreign direct investment in innovation-driven, high skills sectors. The agency is also working with its existing company base to expand their presence in Ireland by the addition of new functions of scale and by deepening their strategic functions.

Another of the agency's strategies is to influence the provision of property solutions and the supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements of inward investors. The agency recognises the need to achieve high value employment in Thurles and is committed to marketing the area as part of its national goal of achieving balanced regional development. It has five supported companies in north Tipperary, employing some 680 people, one of which, a pharmaceutical distributor, is in Thurles. In addition, investments by two companies in Roscrea and Templemore will result in significant additional employment for the whole area including the surrounding towns.

The agency also works closely with Shannon Development in the development, promotion and marketing of tailored property solutions to potential investors throughout the mid-west, including the development of Tipperary Technology Park in Thurles. Shannon Development has completed the first stage development of Tipperary Technology Park, which includes 25,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art accommodation, to facilitate the attraction and development of knowledge-based enterprises. The park is a component of IDA Ireland's international marketing programme.

Enterprise Ireland activity in Thurles and north Tipperary is focused on the creation of new jobs through supporting entrepreneurs setting up new high potential start-up companies and the retention and creation of jobs in existing companies. The agency also works with its clients to enhance the innovation capability of Irish companies at both national and regional levels. A significant number of Enterprise Ireland client companies in the county are actively developing their businesses.

During 2006, North Tipperary County Enterprise Board approved a total of €295,389 to 16 projects and paid out €238,850 in grant assistance to 18 projects, which resulted in the creation of 21 net jobs in CEB assisted companies throughout north Tipperary. North Tipperary CEB also organised 56 different types of training interventions during 2006, based on meeting the wide and varied needs of the small business owner-managers of north Tipperary. Some 629 participants attended training programmes run by the CEB during 2006.

The most recent data available, which is for October 2007, shows a figure of 963 on the live register, which is down from the September 2007 figure of 1,000 people. The strategies and policies pursued by the State development agencies, in partnership with other key players, are designed to ensure new employment opportunities in the Thurles and north Tipperary area. The aim is to replace the companies referred to by Deputy Lowry with the companies of tomorrow. There has been a significant churn in the economy which has been reflected in the north Tipperary area. I am conscious of the need to work with the agencies in tackling this situation. I will get back to the Deputy in the coming days to develop the coordinated and cohesive response he demanded.

Schools Building Projects.

Deputy Joan Burton

In spring during the run-up to the teacher unions' conferences and the general election, the Minister for Education and Science announced to a media fanfare that a primary school, under the patronage of the VEC, would be built for Diswellstown, Castleknock, Dublin 15. The Minister's decision was seen as an overdue response to the large number of children seeking primary school places, a consequence of the thousands of new homes built in the area and the failure of the Department of Education and Science to build a sufficient number of primary schools to meet demand. Despite her promises and the general welcome by Dublin county VEC to the proposal, it never happened. Why did the Minister run away from her promise, a belated response to a dreadful school places crisis facing parents and children? Instead, the community of Dublin 15 had an awful summer as parents jostled frantically to secure places for their children in the nearest primary school. Frantic parents and stressed children face the same situation this year.

The Minister's emergency last minute response of begging the Catholic Church to act as patron for two years or more of a new Catholic primary school, Scoil Colm, has had a predictable outcome. Scoil Colm is perceived as a school for "others", children of non-Irish parents, and is one of several primary schools in Dublin 15 where there are few or no children of Irish parents. When the children are bussed out in the morning one can see that this is a school for immigrant children. Has the Minister abandoned the VEC-patroned school for Diswellstown that she had promised? Does she have a site and has she discussed the proposal formally with the County Dublin VEC? Her inaction and cowardice in this area are leading to the development of segregated schools for non-Irish and Irish-born children of foreign immigrants. One set of parents is being pitted against another.

The Government states repeatedly that it wishes to avoid ghettoisation. Segregated schooling is the quickest route to building ghettoes. Is that the Minister's intention? Fingal County Council recently announced, as requested by the Minister, a programme of school building for Dublin 15 and Fingal. Has the Minister secured the funding for this from the Minister for Finance or is this more pie in the sky? Is the promised Diswellstown school included in this plan or has the project been dropped, as I suspect?

The Minister needs to come out of hiding and honestly address these difficult and complex issues. I have called for a new national convention on education to address the question of who will be the patrons of new schools in new areas with diverse communities, and how we provide for a different ethos, religion or other delicate issue. We want the Minister to face up to the management of primary schools in a changing Ireland. We want identified enrolment policies in primary schools that will make them inclusive rather than ghettoised. Does domestic and EU equality legislation apply in this environment and how will the Department address these issues?

School sites should be acquired when permission is granted for the building of thousands of houses and apartments. The Department should face up to its responsibilities from the day planning permission is granted, not ten years after the homes have been built and occupied. This has been the style of this Government, which puts the interests of its friends in the construction industry ahead of those of parents and children.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Deputy Seán Haughey)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter as it allows me to apprise the House of the background to, and progress in piloting, a new model of community primary school in Diswellstown.

Historically, the church authorities, mainly Catholic and Church of Ireland, acted as patrons or sponsors of primary schools by initiating the process of establishing a new school when one was needed to serve a specific geographic area. This model of school provision has evolved incrementally to reflect changes in demand and in the expectations of society, notably the demand for diversity. With these changes, there has been an increase in the number of patron bodies seeking recognition for new schools.

The present model of primary school provision has served the country well. When the Minister for Education and Science announced her intention earlier this year to pilot a new patron model for primary schools, she made it clear that this would provide an additional patronage option and was not intended to replace the existing patron models. Following her announcement, officials in the Department engaged in consultations with the education partners and the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee to explore the detailed implementation measures that must be put in place prior to the opening of the proposed new school.

The new model will be introduced on a pilot basis in the first instance at a school to be built in Diswellstown, County Dublin. It is intended that this school will be community-based and will operate within the administrative framework of the County Dublin VEC. Once the pilot phase has been evaluated and the various issues that may arise identified and resolved, consideration can be given to allowing other VECs to establish community primary schools. Meanwhile, my Department will continue to prepare for the establishment phase for the Diswellstown school. While the exact location of the new school in Diswellstown has yet to be finalised, two potential sites are being considered and my Department has asked Fingal County Council to expedite the process as a matter of urgency.

The Department has intervened at primary level in the Dublin 15 area in response to the acknowledged need for considerable extra school places. These interventions include measures to increase the capacity of existing schools, as well as the development of new schools to meet the growing demand. The provision of increased places is, and will continue to be, backed up by a significant construction programme which has already delivered three new primary schools in the recent past, with another on site. Together with radical changes in how projects are planned and delivered, adequate primary school places in west Dublin will be ensured well into the future.

My Department is advancing plans to make considerable extra post-primary provision available in the Dublin 15 area. Four such schools will be provided in the coming years, each catering for 1,000 pupils. These schools are being provided in Phibblestown, Tyrellstown, Hansfield and Castleknock. Last Friday the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, officially opened the new Educate Together national school in Castleknock, Dublin 15, catering for a student population of some 400, which cost over €5 million.

My Department will liaise with the local authority and use its other information sources to ensure that whatever other school accommodation needs emerge in the Dublin 15 area will be addressed as expeditiously as possible. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and allowing me to clarify the position on the pilot patron model and ongoing developments in the area.

Electricity Generation.

Deputy Rory O’Hanlon

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Killeen, for coming in to deal with it.

I fully support the North-South electricity interconnector. There has been a great change since the last one was put in place, which lay idle for 30 years because of the violence in Northern Ireland. We are pleased with the present level of co-operation North and South because it will ensure the supply of electricity in a growing market and will hopefully reduce the cost. Nobody at the meetings I attended opposed this connector.

I am aware that this is primarily a matter for EirGrid, not directly for the Government. My colleague, Deputy Margaret Conlon, and I attended many meetings in County Monaghan where concern was expressed about the visual impact of the interconnector. EirGrid will consider this in the planning process under the strict guidelines of the Strategic Infrastructure Act. The issue of prime concern is health, and people were unanimous that the cable should be underground. I ask EirGrid to consider whether this is possible.

The health concerns expressed are similar to those expressed when telephone masts were erected. However, I am satisfied that there is no serious health risk regarding low frequency power lines. I believe the State bodies involved will adhere to the strict guidelines laid down by the International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection, the World Health Organisation and the European Union. This does not, however, solve the problem of those who fear they are at risk.

The most important point I will make tonight relates to communication. EirGrid must communicate with all stakeholders, including those who live along the proposed routes from which one will be selected. EirGrid must contact each household and ensure people's health fears are alleviated because, while this matter poses no direct risk to one's health, lying awake at night worrying about a perceived risk could damage a person's health. I ask that EirGrid examine the possibility of running cabling underground as this would alleviate the fears of all concerned. The company must also ensure that factual information on this issue is made available to the public because there was a great deal of misinformation at the meetings we attended and many people are frightened by what is happening. It is important that these fears are dealt with and this can be done if EirGrid contacts all householders and invites them to attend explanatory meetings where the relevant information is available and people can make up their own minds.

We support this project and hope to see it proceed but would like to see it supported by local stakeholders, which can be achieved if their anxiety is alleviated.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Tony Killeen)

I thank Deputy Rory O'Hanlon for the opportunity to comment on the issue of electromagnetic radiation associated with 400kv power lines.

The Government published earlier this year the report of the expert group on the health effects of electromagnetic fields. The expert group was established by an inter-departmental committee that examined Government policy regarding the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, EMF, with reference to the recommendations of the 2005 report of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, titled "Non-ionising radiation from mobile phone handsets and masts".

The report examined a wide range of issues relating to the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, including those produced by mobile telecommunications. It answers many questions commonly raised by the public regarding the health effects of electromagnetic fields and can be downloaded from the Department's website, www.environ.ie.

With regard to extremely low frequency, ELF, fields emitted by electricity power lines, including 400kv power lines, the report concluded that there is limited scientific evidence of adverse health effects. The expert group has recommended that precautionary measures be used where appropriate and that Ireland continue to adopt and enforce the international guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection and endorsed by the World Health Organisation and the European Union. For example, where possible new power lines should be sited away from heavily populated areas and where major new power lines are to be constructed there should be stakeholder input on the routing.

The Government also decided that the responsibilities of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources regarding the health effects of EMF would become the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 1 May 2007. Furthermore, it was decided that a single State agency should be established to deal both with ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation. This will be achieved by extending the statutory powers of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to include responsibility for matters relating to non-ionising radiation. The details of implementation of the new mandate for the RPII will be presented to Government for approval in due course by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, following detailed consultation with other relevant Government Departments and agencies.

The Government has also agreed to establish a national research programme to undertake further scientific research in Ireland on the health effects of exposure to EMF. This research programme will build expertise in Ireland and contribute to global knowledge.

With regard to the planning aspect of power lines, section 34 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides planning authorities with the discretionary power to grant planning permission, subject to conditions as appropriate, to the individual project. Under the Strategic Infrastructure Act 2006 An Bord Pleanála has powers to attach conditions in respect of applications made to it under the new strategic consent process. With regard to electricity transmission lines specifically, this means that planning authorities and the board already have powers to require that power lines be placed underground if, for example, they are in close proximity to inhabited dwellings or exceed a particular voltage.

The interpretation and implementation of planning legislation is a matter for the planning authority concerned in each case and ultimately for the courts. However, the legislation sets out that in making decisions on planning applications planning authorities must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the provisions of the development plan, any submissions or observations received and relevant ministerial or Government policies.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 14 November 2007.