Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Apr 2008

Vol. 651 No. 3

Adjournment Debate.

Hospitals Building Programme.

Deputy Michael McGrath

Mercy University Hospital, Cork, is an important acute general hospital that provides a range of health services to more than 100,000 patients each year. Last year the hospital celebrated its 150th anniversary and it has unveiled an ambitious amalgamation project with the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, which is also located in Cork city. The hospital, therefore, has a bright future.

The HSE completed a new state-of the-art accident and emergency unit at the hospital 12 months ago at a cost of almost €5 million, yet tonight the unit lies idle. Staff of the hospital are doing the best they can in the difficult environment of the present accident and emergency unit, which is not equipped to a modern standard. Deputy Coveney raised this issue on the Adjournment last October but, sadly, it remains unresolved. The reason I raise the issue tonight is to exert pressure on the HSE——

Deputy Bernard Allen

And the Minister.

Deputy Michael McGrath

——to treat it as a priority. In January 2007 hospital management submitted an application to the National Hospitals Office for an additional 24.5 full-time posts at a cost of almost €1.5 million. I understand the HSE originally approved €400,000 for additional staffing costs arising from the new unit but agreement has yet to be reached on the details and 16 months later no date has been set for its opening. The unit is needed not only in terms of its capacity to treat an additional 5,000 patients annually but also because of the quality facilities it will make available to patients and staff.

The HSE needs to adopt a proper project planning and management approach. When a major infrastructure project such as a new hospital unit is being planned, the focus cannot be solely on bricks and mortar. Equipping and staffing should also be addressed at the planning stage and agreed before projects commence construction. A similar issue arose previously in Cork in respect of the long-running dispute over the number of midwife posts needed in the new maternity hospital there.

Many positive developments are taking place in health services but stories such as this failure to open the new accident and emergency unit detract from the good work being done. I call on the HSE to ensure the new unit is opened without further delay and to engage with local management on the details of an acceptable agreement. I hope the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children will be able to shed light on this saga so that the facility can be opened in the coming weeks.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

Hear, hear.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher)

I will take this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who is unavoidably absent.

Deputy Bernard Allen

She is hiding as usual.

Deputy Deirdre Clune

She is always missing.

Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher

She is on business.

Deputy Bernard Allen

This is life and death business.

Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher

Is Deputy Allen going to answer or will I?

An Ceann Comhairle

Allow the Minister of State to proceed without interruption.

Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher

Deputy Michael McGrath will be aware that the Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive to have the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to have delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision of services at the Mercy University Hospital, Cork. Three accident and emergency departments are located in Cork city, at Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. These units are cross-covered by a team of consultants in emergency medicine.

Funding of €4.7 million for the provision of a new accident and emergency department at the Mercy University Hospital was included in the HSE's capital plan 2006-10. Building work on the new accident and emergency department was completed on schedule in January 2007 and the equipping and commissioning of the new facility was completed by the end of October 2007. The facility consists of a large patient waiting area with a separate paediatric waiting area, a triage area, a three-bay minor treatment area, a ten-bay major treatment area, a two-bay resuscitation room with adjacent X-ray suite and a treatment, therapies and procedures room. The new facility is almost four times larger than the existing unit.

Currently 46 staff are assigned to the existing accident and emergency department at an annual cost of approximately €2.5 million. The staff complement includes the equivalent of 18 full-time nurses, one full-time consultant in emergency medicine, two registrars and seven senior house officers. The functioning of the existing department is underpinned by close working relationships with physiotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, radiographers, pharmacists and psychiatry and other support services, including chaplains, and security and housekeeping staff.

The original approval for the project included an additional revenue allocation of €400,000. I understand that in January 2007, the Mercy University Hospital submitted an application to the HSE's National Hospitals Office for an additional 24.5 full time staff for the new unit at a cost of almost € 1.5 million. The HSE has indicated that it has been engaged in negotiations with the management at the hospital on the provision of these additional staff to run the new department. In December 2007, both sides agreed to an evaluation of the staffing requirement for the new facility in an effort to advance the issue. This process is under way. As quite a few Cork Deputies are present who are obviously very interested, I want them to know I am hopeful this process will advance matters and enable the opening of this new facility to proceed.

Improving the delivery of accident and emergency services continues to be a top priority for the Government and the Health Service Executive. At national level, significant additional resources have been provided to address the problems which manifest in emergency departments. Among the developments which have taken place are additional public and private long-stay beds, additional home care packages and home help hours, major capital developments in emergency departments, the provision of acute medical assessment units and community intervention teams in Cork, Limerick and Dublin.

Deputy Bernard Allen

As well as the closure of wards, including a 30-bed ward at the Mercy University Hospital.

Schools Building Projects.

Deputy Jim O’Keeffe

I appreciate the opportunity to raise the urgent question of the need for an extension to Kinsale community school. The school was originally built for 460 students. The need for the extension was recognised over five years ago. Enrolment has increased in every year in the meantime and this year it will be up to 700. The projected figure within a couple of years is 850 and the Department recognised that the extension must be adequate to cater for that number.

As of now, serious and dangerous overcrowding exists and this is projected to get worse. Some temporary classrooms have been provided for general classes but there has been no additional, even temporary, accommodation in the practical specialist areas of art and drawing, home economics, engineering and building construction. A limit has now to be placed on the uptake of these subjects. Kinsale community school is the only second level school in the area. By way of comparison, in my adjoining town of Bandon there are four second level schools so one can appreciate the pressures on the single second level school in Kinsale.

The Kinsale community school resulted from the amalgamation of the existing schools, including the vocational school. It seeks to provide a comprehensive system of post-primary education open to all the children of the community and combining instruction in academic and practical subjects.

Apart from the problems for the students, conditions for the staff are getting worse and have become extremely difficult. The original staff room was built to accommodate 34 staff. This year it will have to accommodate 58 staff overall, so there is hardly standing room. There is a culture of parental involvement in the school but now staff members find that they often have to conduct discussions with parents and others in conditions that are neither appropriate nor adequate.

I raised this issue by way of parliamentary questions on a number of occasions. I was told by the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, on 25 April 2006 in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 873 that the "next step in the process is the appointment of a design team to commence the architectural planning of the project". This is almost the second anniversary of that reply. In February 2007, I had a further positive response indicating that the long-term accommodation needs of the school had been determined in the light of the upward enrolment trends and projected pupil numbers and that a schedule of overall accommodation had been drawn up. The only issue outstanding was the need to have a technical examination of the existing buildings "in order to determine how best to provide for the school's accommodation needs into the future", and this was carried out a few months later.

The positive responses have lapsed into silence since the election last year. The only changes to have taken place since then, despite the positive vibrations from the Minister, are that school numbers have continued to rise, the demand for accommodation has become greater and the pressure on teachers has become greater. The Minister and the Government have done nothing in the meantime. It is time for them to step up to the mark and deliver on what was promised years ago. I want the immediate appointment of a design team to commence the architectural planning of the project without delay.

I want to refer to two issues which put this matter in its broader context. As pointed out in many recent articles, it is no coincidence that Ireland's prosperity and economic dynamism is related to the educational advances of 30 and 40 years ago. A book on Donogh O'Malley was published recently. Whatever the reason for the wild decision he made, it was a great decision to provide free secondary education. However, there is no point having free secondary education if we do not provide facilities for the pupils seeking it.

The other issue in recent times relates to the McKinsey report from the international business consultants who graded Finland, Korea and Canada as the top performers in education for three reasons. The report stated that they have the best teachers, they get the best out of teachers and they step in when pupils begin to lag behind. They respect teaching as a profession. The difference here, and specifically in Kinsale, is that this cannot be done. Nobody can step in because there is no room to step in.

I say to the Minister and the Government that now is the time. Let us have the design team and let us get on with the business without further delay.

Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher

I thank Deputy Jim O'Keeffe for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House on behalf the Minister for Education and Science how projects are selected for inclusion in a school building programme and what the position is for the proposed building project for Kinsale community school in his constituency.

First, by way of background, all applications for capital funding are assessed in the planning and building unit of the Department. The assessment process determines the extent and type of need presenting, based on the demographics of an area, proposed housing developments, condition of buildings and site capacity, leading ultimately to an appropriate accommodation solution. As part of this process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. These criteria were devised following consultation with the education partners.

Projects are selected for inclusion in the school building and modernisation programme on the basis of priority of need. This is reflected in the band rating assigned to a project which indicates the urgency, type and extent of work required at a school. There are four band ratings overall, of which band one is the highest and band four the lowest. Band one projects, for example, include the provision of buildings where none currently exists but where there is a high demand for pupil places, while a band four project makes provision of desirable but not necessarily urgent or essential facilities. Building projects move through the school building and modernisation programme consistent with the band rating assigned to them.

As the Deputy will probably be aware, €586 million in public funding is being provided for school buildings this year. This will ensure the completion of work on 67 large-scale primary school projects that will deliver 7,000 additional permanent school places in new schools and 2,300 additional permanent school places in existing schools; construction work on 150 devolved projects under the permanent accommodation scheme, which will provide 8,000 additional places in existing primary schools; in the post-primary sector construction work will be completed on 19 large scale-projects which will provide 2,400 permanent school places in four new schools and additional accommodation and refurbishment works in 15 schools that will benefit over 7,000 pupils; the purchase of sites to facilitate the smooth delivery of the school building programme, particularly in rapidly developing areas; and the progression of new projects through the architectural planning and design stages.

On 1 February last, the Minister announced the first tranche of projects that will be proceeding to construction this year. Further announcements will be made as the budgetary position for 2008 allows. Construction is also due to begin in 2008 on the first bundle of public private partnership schools, while further ones will be offered to the market next year with a view to building work commencing in later years.

This is an enormous programme of work by any standards. The emphasis, however, will be on new schools and extensions to provide additionality in rapidly developing areas where there is currently insufficient school accommodation available to meet the heavy demand for places.

This is the background. I fully appreciate that Deputy O'Keeffe is particularly interested in what will happen to Kinsale community school which is a co-educational facility with a current enrolment of just short of 650 pupils. As Deputy O'Keeffe indicated, the school has applied for an extension and the project has been assigned a band 2 rating. A schedule of overall accommodation has been agreed with the board of management to cater for the long-term enrolment of 850 pupils, given an expansion in that region. The next step is the appointment of a design team to commence architectural planning. This will be considered in the context of the band rating assigned to the project which I have already explained is band 2. There is a common approach to all applications for large-scale capital funding. Contact will be made directly with the school authority when the Department is in a position to approve this project.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter and point out that over the lifetime of the current national development plan, the Government is providing funding of €4.5 billion for school buildings. I refer to the overall plan over a longer period but I fully appreciate the Deputy and his colleagues in the constituency are concerned about this specific school and I will bring the strong views he expressed to the attention of the Minister at the first available opportunity.

Deputy Jim O’Keeffe

I appreciate that, but there is no joy for Kinsale in that response.

Crime Prevention.

Deputy Kieran O’Donnell

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this most important matter for Limerick city. I raised this issue earlier on the Order of Business with the Taoiseach and I am delighted it is now being debated in the Dáil. It has been the subject of much media comment and the Dáil is the one area in which it should be discussed because we can effect legislative changes that will deal with this issue that has affected Limerick for a number of years. There was a fatality in recent days, which is very difficult for Mark Maloney's family, and we pass on our sympathy to them.

I pay tribute to the tremendous work done by the Garda Síochána in Limerick in dealing with gangland crime in these very difficult circumstances. Limerick is a fantastic city but additional resources must be provided by the Government together with new legislative measures to ensure that gangland crime is tackled. We must ensure that innocent people living in Limerick are safe and the image of the city is not diminished. A small minority of people is responsible for the problem in Limerick and we must deal with it head on.

In this regard I propose the following additional measures be implemented to assist the Garda Síochána and the other State agencies to properly tackle gangland crime in Limerick. Legislation must be enacted as a matter of urgency to first make gang membership a specific criminal offence. Second, measures must be put in place to enable the Garda Síochána to go to court and obtain exclusion orders preventing gangland criminals from entering certain areas of the city. Powers of permanent surveillance must also be introduced. When I raised this matter earlier with the Taoiseach I demanded that the criminal justice miscellaneous provisions Bill be introduced to the Dáil as a matter of urgency to enable these measures to be put in place. The response I got is that the Bill will be dealt with in this session. The Bill should be introduced early in this session, as early as possible because it is most important that we put these measures in place.

A mandatory minimum sentence of ten years for illegal possession of firearms should be imposed in the majority of cases by judges. That is not happening. Life sentence for murder must be a genuine deterrent. The minimum sentence to be served should be 25 years. I feel very strongly about this. If a person is caught in possession of an illegal firearm, he should not be granted bail. Many of the atrocities that happen in Limerick have occurred when people have been out on bail. This matter should be examined.

The 30 remaining gardaí who were promised under the John Fitzgerald report should be provided as a matter of urgency. We have 70 new gardaí and they are very welcome in Limerick, but the situation is such that the Garda needs the extra resources on the ground. When the John Fitzgerald report was originally published it proposed 100 gardaí for a smaller area than the regeneration area, but that has been overlooked. Seventy extra gardaí have come to the city of Limerick but it was suggested that 100 gardaí should specifically be allocated for the regeneration areas. The Government should honour that commitment and put at least those extra 30 gardaí in place.

The Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, must be established in Limerick to tackle the criminals head on, especially in the area of drug dealing. The Government must immediately put extra measures in place to block the drugs coming in through ports and airports. When the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, was Minister with responsibility for children he promised that extra judges would be put in place for the Children's Court. They need to be provided. Currently, in many cases children must commit four offences before they reach the Children's Court. They then have to wait six months for their case to be heard. Parental supervision orders must be used increasingly through the Children's Court as a means of holding parents accountable. A study carried out in 2007 revealed that out of a sample of 400 children attending the Children's Court, 86% of them were not attending school and 30% were involved in alcohol-related crimes.

I want the Minister to give a commitment tonight to the deployment of 30 extra gardaí in Limerick as a matter of urgency and, second, that the legislative measures that I proposed will be put in place as a matter of urgency and that the criminal justice miscellaneous provisions Bill will be brought before the Dáil in the coming weeks.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Brian Lenihan)

I thank Deputy O'Donnell for raising this matter. I assure him that I share his concern and the concern of all right-thinking citizens about gangland crime in general and particularly in Limerick.

I strongly condemn the killing of Mark Maloney and James Cronin in such callous circumstances and extend my sympathy to their families. The House will be aware that a person has been charged in connection with one of the killings. I am informed that the Garda is making progress in the investigation of the second killing. The House will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on these cases at this time. The rapidity of the Garda response in these instances is an illustration of the enormous concentration of Garda personnel that is already deployed in the Limerick area.

It is well known that there has been for some time a vicious feud between factions in Limerick and a series of tit-for-tat killings. The people involved, through their activities, are ruining their own lives and the lives of others and future generations. This vicious spiral has to stop. As chief superintendent Keane in Limerick stated, there are no winners on any side in this feud. Instead it is resulting in death, serious injuries, disabilities and long terms of imprisonment.

The Garda will continue to take resolute action to meet the challenges posed by the gangs. The Commissioner has adopted a hard-policing approach and has deployed a unit from the emergency response unit, ERU, on a 24-hour basis. The ERU team is under the supervision of local Garda management and is operating through a series of patrolling and checkpoints. The ERU deployment provides support for regular policing activities and at the same time provides reassurance to the law-abiding communities of Limerick. The ERU assignment is additional to the number already delivered on foot of the Fitzgerald commitment of 70 gardaí which Deputy O'Donnell fairly acknowledged.

The areas most affected are intensively policed, with additional resources, both armed and uniform, being deployed at short notice depending on intelligence received or in response to incidents involving feuding factions. Currently two armed patrols exclusively cover two of the most affected areas of the city on a 24-hour basis. The operation of the gangs in these areas is kept under constant surveillance.

Reference has been made in the House and elsewhere in recent days to the issue of covert surveillance operations. The Garda undertakes this activity on a regular basis. Deputies should appreciate, however, that it is not normal practice for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to divulge the character and nature of these operations in the House. The Garda uses covert operations and methods of surveillance on a daily basis and in a targeted manner, including against suspected gang members. Gardaí also have recourse to telephone intercepts and call related information. Deputies will appreciate that for obvious reasons it would not be appropriate for me to detail the nature and extent of this monitoring.

The Garda has had significant successes in recent years in meeting the evolving challenge of policing Limerick as a result of active monitoring on a daily basis and proactive and preventive policing measures based on intelligence received. The intensity of the Garda operation is reflected in the fact that 70 firearms of all types and calibres were recovered in Limerick division in 2007 and 80 in 2006. There are no grounds for complacency and the challenge will remain for some time.

Considerable resources will continue to be put into containing and pursuing this gang activity. Whatever resources are necessary will be provided by the Commissioner. There is no question of reducing Garda overtime for tackling gangland crime. There has been a significant increase in the number of personnel deployed. An additional 70 officers have been deployed to Limerick in the past 12 months, bringing the total strength there to 602, the highest number ever deployed in the Limerick division. By comparison, at the end of 1997 there were 423 personnel, 42% fewer than at present. I confirm in reply to the Deputy's demand for further increases that the Commissioner intends to increase personnel strength further in the course of this year.

At the same time as confronting gang related crime, the Garda is committed to the community policing ethos. Almost 80 officers are dedicated exclusively to community policing patrols, particularly in the areas of highest concern. I welcome the very active joint policing committee functioning in Limerick city, a useful forum for the Garda.

The law against gangland activity is exceptionally robust. The Deputy seeks that gangland membership be made a specific criminal offence. I remind the House that the Criminal Justice Act 2006 already criminalises the involvement of a person with a criminal gang, punishable by up to five years' imprisonment. The offence is one of contributing to or participation in an activity of a criminal organisation where the intention is to enhance the ability of or facilitate the organisation to commit a serious offence.

Deputy Kieran O’Donnell

How many convictions have been secured under the legislation?

An Ceann Comhairle

The time for the debate has expired.

Traveller Accommodation.

Deputy Kathleen Lynch

Most Deputies met today with families who have children suffering from muscular dystrophy. We listened to details of hard, sad cases. Cystic fibrosis services and gangland crime in Limerick are two other topical issues. All the issues one might choose are probably more dramatic and will have more serious consequences than the issue I raise tonight, namely, the provision of mobile homes on halting sites in County Cork. This an ongoing problem about which I feel strongly, although I do not doubt that all Deputies feel strongly about it.

I will only discuss halting sites in County Cork because they are the only sites I know, although I have seen others elsewhere. If we saw similar conditions in South Africa or any other developing country, we would be appalled, put our hands in our pockets and send out groups of workmen to put the problem right. A child could drown in some of the holes on these sites when they are filled with rain water. Little effort is being made to collect rubbish and the Travellers are living in the most appalling conditions. The bays have what one might describe as a little shed with a stainless steel bath. As we all know, if one puts hot water in a such a bath, one will burn oneself when one touches the metal, yet the residents of these sites are expected to wash their children in them. The toilets which are 20 years old are also made of stainless steel. Hot water is not available, roofs leak, the electricity supply is faulty and the only positive feature for some residents is that they have a decent mobile home.

Second-hand mobile homes can be draughty, wet, infested with rats and have holes in the floor. The newer mobile homes had showers and a bathroom but Cork City Council removed them to provide a third bedroom. This additional room which families are expected to use as a child's bedroom is not wider than the chairs in the House. One could not possibly make a bedroom of such a small space. Conditions on these sites are appalling and we should be ashamed that we allow them — Ireland's townships — to remain.

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, is a decent and honourable man. It is, however, deeply offensive that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, who has responsibility for this issue is not present for this debate. I do not normally ask that the senior Minister be present in the House for an Adjournment debate. Tonight, however, is an exception.

Cork City Council had a policy of replacing mobile homes when their condition deteriorated to the point that the problem was deemed to be an emergency. A supplier would provide a second-hand mobile home which was usually not in great condition and this would provide relief for a family for another winter. This year, however, the Department issued a diktat in February that it would no longer provide Cork City Council with resources to fund the replacement of mobile homes, the main reason being that the council had recouped more than any other local authority in recent years. If we expect people to live in appalling conditions, the least we can do is be on top of our game and replace mobile homes when necessary.

The Department cited a number of reasons it would no longer fund replacement mobile homes, including the mobility of caravans and the question of ownership should Travellers decide to leave the site. The Minister of State should try to imagine attempting to tow these caravans a distance of 20 feet. One would not reach the gate of the site before it would fall apart. The Department also cited the difficulty in ensuring caravans were constructed to a high standard from a health and safety viewpoint and the fear that accidents or mishaps could become the liability of local departments. In other words, it refuses to provide a mobile home in reasonably good condition because it fears the residents will claim from the Department. Instead, it will allow Travellers to live in draughty, rat-infested mobile homes that are about to fall apart. It also cited the short lifespan of caravans in use all year round and the likely need for frequent replacements. The lunacy of this thinking is beyond me. The Department is not providing standard accommodation and will not replace mobile homes which it recognises are faulty and dangerous from a health and safety point of view.

The life expectancy of Travellers and the diseases from which Traveller children suffer should be examined. These problems can all be traced to poverty and poor housing. It is appalling that the Department, under the Green Party Minister, Deputy Gormley — the Mother Theresa who would save us all — has stopped funding the provision of mobile homes for Travellers in County Cork.

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

I thank Deputy Kathleen Lynch for raising this matter which I am taking on behalf of my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.

In dealing with the specific issue concerning the replacement of mobile homes for Traveller families in Cork city, it is worthwhile briefly to examine the accommodation position of Traveller families across all local authorities.

The most recent annual count of Traveller families in November 2007 showed a total of 8,099 families nationally, an increase of 408 families on the previous year. There has been a steady increase in numbers over recent years, with a 42% increase recorded since the first Traveller accommodation programmes began in 2000.

Of the 8,099 Traveller families, a significant proportion, 5,537, 68%, have opted for standard, non-Traveller specific accommodation. For the most part, these houses are provided by local authorities and financed out of the Department's capital allocations for social housing. The figures for Cork city show there are 291 Traveller families living there, 67 of whom are accommodated on halting site bays.

Under the Traveller accommodation programmes prepared in accordance with the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, the provision, management and maintenance of Traveller accommodation is the responsibility of local authorities. The Department's role is to provide the necessary funding to meet the cost of the provision and refurbishment of Traveller-specific accommodation. The full cost of these works is provided to local authorities by way of capital grant.

Since the enactment of the 1998 legislation, each local authority has adopted two successive Traveller accommodation programmes. In the course of the first programmes, covering 2000 to 2004, some 1,371 additional Traveller families were provided with permanent, secure accommodation at a cost of €130 million. Over the same period there was a 50% reduction in the number of families living on unauthorised sites, down from 1,207 at the start of the programmes to 601 families at their completion.

Significant progress is being made nationally under the second Traveller accommodation programmes 2005 to 2008, with some 477 units of new and refurbished Traveller-specific accommodation having been provided so far. Expenditure to date on the second programmes exceeds €107 million.

During the first Traveller accommodation programme, Cork City Council built a new group housing scheme in Mahon and carried out significant refurbishment works to halting sites at Hollyhill and Carrigrohane Road. Over the course of the second programme, Cork City Council spent a total of €883,700, of which some €466,000, almost 53% of the total, related to emergency replacement of caravans on halting sites. Expenditure on emergency replacement of caravans nationally over the same period amounted to €1.4 million, with Cork City Council accounting for around one third of the total spend.

In framing Traveller accommodation policy, the Department is mindful of the need to facilitate those families who wish to pursue a nomadic lifestyle. To this end, it provides financial assistance through a scheme of loans and grants for the purchase of caravans for Travellers. Loans up to a maximum of €6,350, to be repaid over five years, are made available by local authorities. There is also a one-off grant of up to 10% of cost, up to a maximum of €635, for Travellers purchasing their first caravan.

The Department also provides funding towards the cost of emergency replacement of caravans resulting from events such as storm or fire damage. Usually 50% of the replacement cost is provided. In certain exceptional circumstances, the full cost may be met.

There are recurring requests for funding for emergency caravan replacement by Cork City Council with around 40 of the 98 caravans replaced since 2004 located in Cork city. In some instances, caravans were replaced more than once for individual Traveller families in that period. The Department raised this issue at a recent meeting with officials of Cork City Council to ensure future Traveller accommodation programmes deliver quality accommodation at optimum cost, while having regard to the needs and preferences of Traveller families.

Capital allocations for Traveller-specific accommodation for 2008 will be announced presently. I am confident the allocation to Cork City Council will enable it to implement a substantial and appropriate programme of work for 2008.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.35 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 10 April 2008.