Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Dec 2009

Vol. 698 No. 3

Adjournment Debate.

Hospital Services.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

I raised this matter on the Adjournment on 24 November 2004. Back then, Dr. Sean O'Rourke was the consultant at the accident and emergency unit of Kerry General Hospital. He had major reservations about staffing in the hospital, and he eventually moved on. I refer to a letter from Dr. Pat Naidoo, a locum consultant in emergency medicine at Kerry General Hospital — who has also since moved on — to Pat Healy, regional director of operations at HSE South. He states:

There are some serious concerns regarding the staffing levels and the safety of emergency care provided at the Kerry General Hospital. In view of the Minister of Health's announcement in early 2004 to improve patients' experiences of emergency services and the more recent "Review of Emergency Departments and Pre-hospital Emergency Care in Cork and Kerry" published by the HSE South in which Prof. John Higgins (Director of Reconfiguration) said "these recommendations are totally focused on the needs of our patients in emergency situations, the Kerry General Hospital will retain its full Emergency Department and will be reorganised to best serve Kerry patients at their time of need and have access to better, safer emergency care", it is time that HSE South Board [reviewed] the staffing levels of the Emergency Department and the service provided.

The Emergency Department in Kerry General Hospital is experiencing an uncomfortable growth period of presentations and many of these presentations are becoming increasingly more complex. The population in this area is ageing, societal expectation of health care is rising and out of hours presentations are becoming more the "norm". These factors combined with staffing in Kerry General Hospital Emergency Department with only junior doctors poses a serious threat to the people of Kerry having access to better, safer emergency care.

The Emergency Department is the "front door" or point of entry of the Health Service and as such is open to all comers . . . that is its strength in terms of training junior doctors, but it is also its weakness in terms of staffing needs. Managed well, a strong Emergency Department serves the region well ... with unnecessary admissions, prospective inpatients are worked up to save inpatient time, [and] procedures can be performed to avoid after hours theatre use saving time and resources.

While acknowledging the extraordinary dedication of nurses and doctors who are making every effort to keep the Department working, this service is now unable to cope with the demands of the increasing throughput as patients' safety and quality of care is being compromised. This results in reduced patient satisfaction, poorer processing of patients for admission and discharge, missed injuries, high rate of re-presenting, deferring care therefore threatening patient safety, patients leaving the department without being seen, overcrowding and congestion and finally exposure, intimidation and verbal abuse by patients.

The Emergency Department in Kerry General Hospital is without doubt the most understaffed department in the country. . . . Comparatively Tullamore, Letterkenny and Mullingar who see fewer numbers of patients are better staffed (24,000 to 28,000 presentations compared to 34,000 at Kerry General Hospital).

The present staffing levels include a Locum Emergency Consultant [and] six Senior House Officers ... Five of these Senior House Officers work on a rota and there are no replacements by Locums when either of them are sick or on holidays. The result is that the department can be staffed by a single junior House [Officer] on various shifts during heightened activity translating to fatigue, stress and adverse outcomes for the patients. The patients are treated and discharged unchecked by a senior doctor. Junior doctors are being left unsupervised to deal with difficult and challenging patients and cannot reasonably be expected to deliver the same care that a highly trained and experienced doctor can deliver.

In conclusion, there is a major problem in Tralee. The problem is partly the present accommodation and accident and emergency department, but more especially staffing. I raised this matter five years ago, but the situation has not improved since. It is not fair on the people of Kerry that we should have to accept such conditions. I acknowledge the work of the nurses, the junior doctors and the locum consultant and their commitment and dedication to ensuring the service is maintained. However, these people are becoming frustrated. As I pointed out earlier, the original consultant, Dr. Sean O'Rourke, left, as did Dr. Pat Naidoo, who is now in a Dublin hospital. The current consultant is under considerable pressure due to staffing levels. It is just not acceptable.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Martin Mansergh)

I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

The HSE has accepted the key recommendations of the Horwath-Teamwork review of acute services in Cork and Kerry, which proposed a single health care system for the region. A key principle is that, while no hospital in the region will close, all hospitals will fundamentally change the services delivered to their communities and how those services are provided as part of the region-wide delivery of health care.

Professor John Higgins was appointed earlier this year as clinical director for the reconfiguration of services in the south and is addressing this task on a consultative basis. As part of the reconfiguration process, the HSE reviewed the organisation of regional emergency services. The review, published in November, was carried out by clinical staff and chaired by the director of emergency medicine for Cork and Kerry. Its recommendations, by clearly defining a regional emergency service, will allow for development of an integrated system with better response times, improved medical outcomes and patient experiences, and a resource base focused on need.

Due to the specific demographic and geographic challenges in Kerry, the review recommends that the emergency department in Kerry General Hospital should continue to provide full-time emergency care as part of the Cork and Kerry network, connected by common procedures and practices, guided by the regional consultant team and with ICT links to the regional level 1 trauma centre at Cork University Hospital.

Kerry General Hospital is the second largest acute hospital in the southern hospitals group. The emergency department had 34,230 patient attendances in 2008 and has had approximately 30,650 attendances so far this year. Approximately 70% of inpatients are admitted through the emergency department. Attendances are second only to Cork University Hospital, and there are no significant trolley waits. The emergency department currently comprises a locum emergency medicine consultant, six non-consultant hospital doctors, five clinical nurse managers and 19.1 whole-time equivalent staff nurses, as well as 24-hour clerical support and other non-nursing supports.

A key policy objective of Government is to move from a consultant-led to a consultant-delivered service, with increased availability of senior clinical decision makers to treat and discharge patients. In this context the HSE is currently considering the filling of the vacant emergency consultant post in Kerry General Hospital on a permanent basis.

I assure the House that the Executive is addressing the issue raised by the Deputy. It is confident, pending completion of the wider regional reorganisation to which I have referred, that it will be in a position to put in place the clinical resources to ensure that the emergency department at the hospital continues to meet the needs of the population.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

Chairman, with all due respect, I received a nearly identical reply this time five years ago. It is quite ridiculous.

Acting Chairman

The Deputy will understand that the Chairman can only chair the proceedings. However, I thank him for his contribution.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

Absolutely.

Medical Cards.

Deputy Michael Ring

What is happening is disgraceful. People over 70 who are fully entitled to a medical card, when they submit their review forms with supporting information, find that they still have not received their cards months later. Several have received letters from their doctors to tell them their medical cards have been cancelled. A number of very upset people have contacted my office. These are people who were due for hospital admission or needed medical procedures but are refusing to leave home because they cannot afford the hospital bills and they cannot get their renewed cards. This is no way to treat the elderly in our society. It is an appalling situation that has been allowed to develop. The elderly are very frightened because the medical cards to which they are entitled are not being sent out to them. The Minister cannot blame the HSE. She has the responsibility for this. I demand that those cards be sent out immediately to alleviate the hardship and remove the fear from these people.

I shall cite three cases. There is a 93 year old woman in the district hospital whose medical card expired at the end of October. She was given a temporary card until the end of November. Her daughter spent more than an hour and a half on the telephone to the HSE one day trying to get this matter resolved. The HSE says it could be some weeks before the medical card issues. Her family had been told that they will have to pay for their mother's stay in the district hospital and they are not in a position to do so.

An 84 year old woman has waited three months for her medical card. She needs hospital treatment, yet is refusing to be admitted until such time as she has her card, as she is afraid she will have to cover the medical expenses. Her daughter telephoned the HSE nine times and on one occasion was left 18 minutes on hold. On another occasion she was left holding for a full ten minutes.

An 85 year old woman, who has spent most of the year in hospital and has several more operations to undergo, has told her family she will not attend for any further surgery until she receives her medical card.

Yesterday, I wrote to the Minister for Health and Children because I knew she would not be here tonight nor any of her Ministers of State, which is a disgrace in itself. I also wrote to Professor Brendan Drumm. I tell Dr. Drumm and the Minister that this is an outrageous situation where people over 70 are worried and frightened, because the HSE removed this service from every county and centralised it in Dublin. It is now on a go-slow and unable to cope with the workload.

I am calling on the Minister tonight to bring the services back into the regions and the counties where there was no problem before, and not have elderly people frightened. I call on the senior citizens to march as they did a year ago, to ensure that elderly people aged 70 and over get the medical card to which they are entitled. It is a disgrace, an attack on the elderly and I am disappointed there is not a Minister or Minister of State present from the Department of Health and Children. How can this be sorted when they are not here to listen to what is going on?

Deputy Martin Mansergh

I will take the adjournment on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children.

Under the Health Act 2008, the income thresholds for entitlement to a medical card for persons aged 70 or over is €700 gross per week for a single person and €1,400 gross per week for a couple, effective from 1 January 2009. All existing medical card holders aged 70 or over are now required to undergo a means assessment. Under this assessment they are required to complete a simplified review form, and provide up-to-date evidence of their income. To date this year, 26,713 reviews in respect of persons aged 70 years or over and their dependants have been received in the HSE's central office. Some 22,726 — 85% — of these have been completed with eligibility confirmed to the client.

Additional information has been requested from 3,194 persons — 12% — who did not provide the required information or evidence. Some 735 persons — 2.8% — are currently going through the assessment process, 58 people — 0.2% — lost eligibility as their current income is above the income thresholds and 85% of the completed reviews, where all the relevant information was supplied, were completed within 20 days, with 95% completed within 30 days.

The HSE has indicated that it has no control over delays where relevant information is not provided but it has confirmed that when the required information is received the review is processed without further delay. The Deputy will also be aware that under its 2009 service plan, the processing of all medical card and GP visit card applications will transfer to the HSE's primary care reimbursement service, PCRS in Dublin. The initial phase of the centralisation process commenced in January 2009 with the PCRS processing all medical card applications for persons aged 70 or over.

The second phase commenced in September 2009 with the transfer of the case load from two local health offices in Dublin city to the PCRS. The phased implementation will allow the situation to be continuously monitored and, if required, modified to address any issues arising. The PCRS has processed more than 63,000 medical card applications since the start of 2009.

Centralising of the medical card application and review process is facilitating a number of enhancements to the level of customer service associated with these applications. The HSE has recently put in place a national on-line system to allow local health offices track the current status of applications in the PCRS.

The HSE has also advised that it is in the final stage of the development of an on-line facility where clients or persons acting on their behalf can apply for a medical card on-line if they wish. It will be able to view the status of their medical card application on-line and if a mobile phone number is supplied with an application, updates by text message will be delivered to the applicant's phone. The Department of Health and Children is in discussion with the HSE about putting in place a dedicated telephone number for Oireachtas members for inquiries about applications being processed by the PCRS.

The Minister fully supports the HSE's decision to centralise the medical card and GP visit card application and review process to one location. The HSE has advised that when fully implemented, this measure will ensure: improved turnaround time for the processing of applications — under the new arrangements, the Executive will aim for a turnaround time of 15 days or less for all medical card applications and emergency applications will be dealt with immediately with a card issuing within 24 hours; equitable application of eligibility across the country; consistency of service provision to customers; clearer lines of governance and accountability; and improved unified data.

The Minister is satisfied that the reviewing of medical card eligibility on expiry or change of circumstances is a necessary process to allow the HSE maintain accurate database information and the best use of public resources. I have been asked to highlight that the number of persons with a medical card has increased by more than 316,000 since the start of 2005. More than 1.46 million people are now covered by the medical card. In addition, more than 95,900 people have a GP visit card.

Deputy Michael Ring

No disrespect to the Minister of State, but it has been a waste of time for me coming in tonight. He did not dealt with the query I raised, namely, what was happening as regards the go-slow in the Department and what it was doing about it. I got the answer — nothing. I am calling on the elderly to march on the Minister for Health and Children's office, to try and get this resolved. It is an attack on the elderly, and is outrageous.

Private Rented Accommodation.

Deputy Michael Noonan

I thank the Minister of State for being here to reply. I am raising an issue in my constituency that I know has resonance in other constituencies as well, particularly in the cities and urban areas.

A minority of tenants in private rented accommodation are causing havoc. Some of them are involved in criminal activity, others in anti-social behaviour and some are involved in unauthorised businesses such as car repair on the front driveway. Again, others will not even empty their rubbish and it is stacking up in back gardens. This is about a minority of tenants, who live in private rented accommodation. Many of my constituents believe it arises from the recent practice of the two local authorities in the city acquiring houses and renting them to people on the housing list, but this is not so. The local authorities vet their tenants well and have tenant officers who go around. Most importantly, they have a code of conduct.

On the other hand, the HSE, which administers the rent allowance scheme, simply carries out a means test and decides who is eligible for serious amounts of money and as soon as the rent allowance commences, that is the end of the matter. It washes its hands of all responsibility for the behaviour of its tenants and yet the amounts of public money being spent are very significant.

This is unacceptable. In Limerick in 2008, rent allowance, taxpayers' money, cost €20 million and more than 3,000 tenants were assisted. It is a minority of tenants who are causing trouble but it is not good enough for the State to give such sums of money for which there is no recourse when people come into neighbourhoods and cause havoc. It is not fair to the residents. All they want is for people to behave as neighbours should do — living normal lives, sending their children to school, and not being involved in anti-social behaviour or criminal activity. That is all that is required.

There is now an opportunity to act because the Government has decided to transfer responsibility for rent allowances from the HSE to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I am glad it has done so and I fully support that decision. However, there is an industrial relations problem of which the Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin, has informed me. She says she hopes it will be resolved early in the new year. When the Minister takes over responsibility for administering the rent allowance scheme, she should put in place a code of conduct for tenants. It would be very simple as there are such models in every local authority in the country in respect of their own tenants. A similar code of conduct should be applied to persons in receipt of rent allowance. If they do not comply with the code of conduct, the rent allowance should be taken from them by discontinuing payment. That kind of sanction would ensure good behaviour in neighbourhoods. It would do more than community gardaí are currently doing to ensure that anti-social behaviour, minor and major criminal activity was stopped in rented houses.

The private rental sector is vital to the economic and social life of the country, and particularly in cities. Private landlords provide an essential service and I am not criticising them in any way. However, it is not enough for the HSE to say that this is a matter for the landlord and tenant, as it is providing the money and cannot interfere. This must be changed. It is essential that, when the Minister takes it over, a condition will apply involving a code of conduct similar to that which pertains to local authority tenants who apply for eligibility for rent allowances from the HSE. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Charlie O'Connor, is nodding in agreement with me. I know well that in parts of his constituency what I am saying is ringing a bell with him. I am referring to exactly the same situation, which is unfair to neighbourhoods and everyone concerned.

I believe in mixed housing and have no problem with it. Many of my neighbours originated in corporation estates in the city. They are the finest people I ever met. My children played with theirs and they were great friends, but that is not the issue. The issue is that if people come into a neighbourhood under a subsidised State scheme, the least one could expect is that there would be a normal code of behaviour. The Government will be negligent if it does not take this opportunity to put in place such a code of behaviour now that the Department of Social and Family Affairs is taking it over. Deputy Mary Hanafin is a progressive Minister, but she missed the point when I tabled a question about this recently. Her reply explained all about the industrial relations problems, although the issue concerns a code of conduct attached to the eligibility for a rent allowance. If people do not comply with the code, the rent allowance should be discontinued. It is a less onerous code than that which applies in local authorities. In the local authority system one must comply under pain of eviction. I am simply saying that one should no longer get the allowance for private rented accommodation.

Deputy Martin Mansergh

I also recognise the problems described by Deputy Noonan. I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. The community welfare service, CWS, administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, SWA, which includes rent supplement on behalf of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. In February 2006, the Government decided, inter alia, that the CWS should be transferred to the latter Department. Provision has been made in the Social Welfare and Pensions Acts 2007 and 2008 for the transfer of the administration of the SWA scheme from the HSE to the Department. These provisions are subject to a commencement order.

There are significant benefits to be achieved in transferring the administration of the SWA from the HSE to the Department. The Government's priority is to ensure that the transfer is managed in a well-planned and efficient manner, and that a high standard of service to the public is maintained during the transition. The transfer will alleviate pressure on the HSE and facilitate it in concentrating on its core health and personal social service functions. The transfer will not lead to any changes in the exercise of discretion by community welfare officers when dealing with applications for the supplementary welfare allowance. The flexibility and responsiveness which is inherent in the scheme will remain. This flexibility and responsiveness have been very much in evidence in the role community welfare officers have played in providing financial assistance to persons who have been affected by the recent flooding crisis. In Clonmel, the system certainly worked outstandingly well.

The current transfer proposals involve the community welfare service transferring to the Department initially as a separate branch with its own management structure. The staff involved will change status from public to civil servant. Full integration with the Department's regional and headquarters structure would take place within a defined period. A transition phase of no more than two years is envisaged.

The integration of the community welfare service into the Department will mean that all income maintenance schemes will be managed and delivered within one entity. This will provide opportunities in the medium to longer term for enhanced customer service, achievement of efficiencies, co-ordinated control mechanisms and elimination of duplication of effort, with consequential savings to the Exchequer and better outcomes for users of social welfare services.

The transfer programme is fully consistent with the broader proposals for public service reform being considered following the 2008 OECD study. The transfer of the CWS, in particular, will demonstrate the dismantling of existing barriers to allow movement between the public and civil service. A considerable amount of preparatory work to allow for the transfer has been completed, but progress has been stalled due to industrial relations issues.

Following consultation between the Department and health sector management, the Labour Relations Commission was asked to intervene. The first meeting of the parties took place in the LRC on 22 September 2009 and a number of meetings have taken place since then. Further meetings are planned for January 2010. The management side's intention is to reach a collective agreement with the unions as soon as is practical, so that the transfer can be implemented as early as possible in 2010. Discussions have also taken place with the unions representing staff in the Department concerning the transfer proposal.

There are no plans for a specific review of the rent supplement scheme when the administration of the SWA scheme transfers to the Department. However, the operation of the rent supplement scheme will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis.

Rent supplement is payable to people who are unable to meet the cost of renting private accommodation, and is intended as a short-term support. There are currently over 92,400 people in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of almost 25% since the end of December 2008. Over half of rent supplement recipients have been in payment for more than one year, while over 32,000 or 35% have been in payment for 18 months or more.

The rental accommodation scheme, RAS, which was introduced in 2004, gives local authorities specific responsibility for meeting the longer term housing needs of people receiving rent supplement for 18 months or more. Over 23,400 households have been transferred from rent supplement to RAS units or social housing since 2005.

The Department is committed to working closely with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in ensuring that the rental accommodation scheme meets its objective of catering for those on long-term rent supplementation, while enabling rent supplement to return to its original role of a short-term income support.

With regard to anti-social behaviour, tenancy arrangements involve a contract between the landlord and tenant. Tenant behaviour in private rented accommodation is a matter for the landlord in the first instance. There are a number of avenues open to landlords in such cases, including the mediation service for landlords and tenants operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board and-or recourse to the Garda Síochána and-or the courts concerning enforcement of the law on anti-social behaviour. If necessary, the landlord may seek termination of the tenancy which, if effected, would result in the termination of rent supplement. There are no plans to make changes to the social welfare legislation in this regard.

Deputy Michael Noonan

That does not answer the issue. The officials who drafted that reply are still missing my point. There is a code of conduct for local authority tenants, but there is no such code for people in receipt of large amounts of rent allowance. A code of conduct should be attached, but the reply as drafted totally misses the point. One can get bad landlords and bad tenants, but as long as landlords keep getting the money from the HSE, they are happy and there is no intervention.

Deputy Martin Mansergh

I understand the point the Deputy is making and I realise that my reply only partially addresses the issue he has raised.

Deputy Michael Noonan

Will the Minister of State pass the matter on to the Minister?

Acting Chairman

I apologise to both the Minister of State and Deputy Noonan that there is no provision for me to allow a continuing debate on this matter.

Relocation of VEC Centre.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

I hope the Acting Chairman will have more latitude towards the discourse between the Minister of State and myself. We are both constituency colleagues, so we can continue the discussion afterwards.

Acting Chairman

Outside.

Deputy Mattie McGrath

Yes. I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to raise this matter. I am pleased that my constituency colleague the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Martin Mansergh, is taking this Adjournment matter.

In May 2009, the OPW announced in a press release that the old labour exchange building, located in Dillon Street, Clonmel, was being transferred to the VEC for use as the adult literacy headquarters. We are still waiting for the final go-ahead to begin this move, however.

I know it has not been a long wait and that the Minister of State is doing what he can to help the move proceed. However, I am bringing it to his attention today because of a small tragedy in our current offices last weekend. We had several issues with flooding previously and I thank Deputy Mansergh for his efforts in that regard and thank the OPW and the contractors involved in improving flood defences in Clonmel. However, this time the water came from on high. The VEC office is in a rented building and as a result of some accident in the floor above the building was flooded. This resulted in significant damage and devastation. The old labour exchange building is available as it has been idle for some time. It is a good solid building. The Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, visited it some time ago and saw that for himself. We are anxious to move into that building, even though it has not yet been renovated, but Rome was not built in a day. Moving into the building in Dillon Street would bring about a cost saving for the VEC as it currently pays €20,000 a year to rent the building it is in. This building now needs repair, but this is a difficult time of the year for repairs. We would pay back the estimated €200,000 cost of upgrading the building over a number of years. It is a fine solid structure and could be improved little by little over time. The savings of €20,000 per annum would go a long way towards the work.

Our adult literacy service in south Tipperary is highly rated nationally. We have won adults continuing education, ACE, awards and have been short-listed for this year's Aontas star awards for the Munster region. We believe more permanent premises would help us maintain and improve the quality of service we offer. The adult literacy service assists more than 600 learners in south Tipperary. Approximately 350 of these attend classes in Clonmel. Space is a major issue and we need larger premises to accommodate adults who need help in basic reading, writing and numeracy. The new premises we expect to acquire with the help of the Minister of State are only 150 yards away from the current headquarters on the Mall in Clonmel. The premises is in a good, central location in the town. Who wants to rent a building when a building of one's own is available? The labour exchange building would help us further develop services and provide a welcoming venue for students. I look forward to hearing a favourable reply from the Minister of State and to his co-operation in the matter. I am sure he and I will have many more discussions with colleagues in order to progress this venture. It would be a lovely Christmas present if we could have access to the premises for the new year.

Deputy Martin Mansergh

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy Seán Haughey. I have some responsibility in the area, but mine is separate from that of Deputy Haughey's. The Deputy might be amused to know that some civil servants thought I might be nervous about responding to him, but I have no hesitation in dealing with the issue, even if it is not 100% good news.

Adult literacy continues to be a priority within adult and further education. Between 1997 and 2008, annual funding for adult literacy increased from €1 million to €30 million. The increase in annual funding has enabled the annual number of participants to increase from 5,000 in 1997 to almost 50,000 in 2008. This is a clear demonstration of the importance the Government places on adult literacy. The challenge we face now is to consolidate this significant investment to ensure long-term sustainability. In this regard, it should be noted that the 2009 allocation has been maintained at a similar level to that of 2008 and despite the difficult economic situation, the adult literacy provision for 2010 will be maintained at a similar level to 2009.

Adult literacy encompasses skills like reading and writing, spelling and numeracy. However, it has expanded to include other key competencies like personal development, learning to learn and IT skills. These basic skills are of fundamental importance to our country as we seek to upskill and reskill. We need to prepare ourselves for the future by equipping ourselves with the skills of tomorrow. By promoting good literacy, numeracy and basic ICT skills, we will help our people engage with these challenges and face the future with resolve and confidence. Having given awards at some FETAC ceremonies, I have seen the satisfaction of people who have completed a course that has helped not only their personal progression but also the contribution they will be able to make to the community.

Our efforts to encourage and support all means of increasing literacy levels and basic education throughout the country help to promote equality of opportunity, which is a foundation stone of education philosophy. It is of utmost importance that those who may not have been lucky enough to be in a position to avail of the educational opportunities earlier in life, particularly our older population, are provided with a means to take advantage of a second chance. Despite our difficult economic situation, there has never been a better opportunity to return to education, be it in a part-time or full-time capacity. Across the country, learners are embracing and engaging in adult and further education in ever increasing numbers. The VECs are a key player in this regard through their nationwide network of services providing a broad range of literacy opportunities to learners everywhere.

The need to address adult literacy was highlighted in 1997 through the results of an international survey. In that regard, the Deputy will be aware that Ireland will participate in a new international survey, the programme for the international assessment of adult competencies, PIAAC. The PIAAC is an international survey of adult literacy, numeracy and skills which is being organised by the OECD. Ireland's participation will be funded jointly by both the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The survey will be conducted in Ireland by the Central Statistics Office. The PIAAC will be an important source of information for informing future policy in this area and results should be available in 2013.

With regard to the specific issue raised by the Deputy, the Department of Education and Science is aware of the development proposed by south Tipperary VEC for its adult literacy service in Clonmel. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the dynamism and competence of the south Tipperary VEC and its leadership. The VEC received approval from the OPW to take a lease on the old social welfare building in the town, but there are still some issues. I am actively pursuing those issues so that possession of the building can be taken with security for the future. The VEC applied to the Department of Education and Science for funding to refurbish the building. Unfortunately, due to resource constraints, the Department was unable to respond favourably to the request.

In 2008, the Department provided funding of over €450,000 to south Tipperary VEC, which enabled 560 learners to access adult literacy tuition. In 2009, that funding was maintained at similar levels. I would like to thank the Deputy again for raising this issue and providing me with an opportunity to outline the Government's commitment to adult literacy nationwide. Naturally, we will work together as colleagues to try to get around any difficulties or obstacles that present.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 16 December 2009.