Is the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs taking this matter on the Adjournment, or is the Minister for Health and Children coming into the House to take it?
Adjournment Debate.
Health Services.
No, I am taking it.
He is taking it.
I hope I am good enough for the Deputy.
I do not know if the Minister really knows what is happening in Kerry regarding the provision of health facilities.
In Tralee we have a new 50-bed hospital for the elderly. It has been finished and ready for occupation for some time, but it has not been opened. The equipment for this hospital is being stored in the occupational therapy department of St. Finan's Hospital in Killarney. The occupational therapy unit in Killarney is defunct; on top of that, a CCTV system has had to be provided to safeguard the equipment for this hospital. The hospital was intended to be opened on a phased basis. I imagine this is due to the recruitment embargo in the public service; that is the only reason I can come up with. There is a new community hospital in Dingle that has been finished for some time and has yet to be opened. Again, we are advised that this is to be opened on a phased basis. There is a new building on the grounds of St. Finan's to cater for psychiatric patients, which also has been finished for some time and has yet to be opened. Again, we are led to believe the reason for this is the recruitment embargo.
To move to the psychiatric side, there was an agreement with the unions that St. Finan's would be closed in 2007, yet we are now going into 2010 and nothing has been done. The last time I raised this issue there were 52 patients in St. Finan's psychiatric hospital, with 65 staff to look after them. A new unit has been since built to house several of the patients, which has not yet been opened because of the recruitment embargo. It costs €1,000 per day just to heat St. Finan's.
The Sheppard report stated that if €50,000 was spent on upgrading Cherryfield House, another psychiatric facility in Killarney, it would accommodate the rest of the psychiatric patients from St. Finan's. Yet we maintain St. Finan's, which has 52 patients and 65 staff. In the budget, as the leader of my party stated earlier today when talking about alternative options, it was announced——
The Deputy has 20 seconds.
I am sorry, Chairman; you are throwing me off.
I am just providing a reminder.
Deputy Kenny spoke of the waste that is going on within the health service, which is an absolute joke. To ensure the budget was passed, the Government promised a new 42-bed hospital for Kenmare, which I hope does happen. However, there are already three facilities in the county that have not yet been opened because of the recruitment embargo. I ask the Minister not to pull the wool over people's eyes. He should give them the truth about what is actually happening in the health service in Kerry.
Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste seo a thógáil tráthnóna. I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children.
As the Deputy is aware, Government policy on older people is to support people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not possible, we support access to quality long-term residential care. The Health Act 2004 provides that the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management and delivery of health and personal social services. The provision of these services, including community hospitals at local level, is therefore an operational matter for the HSE, as a statutory body.
The current long-stay residential care needs for older people in the Kerry area are met by the provision of continuing care beds in community hospitals, public voluntary units and contracted beds in private registered nursing homes. On 27 October the new nursing homes support scheme, A Fair Deal, commenced. The scheme will equalise State support for public and private nursing home residents and ensure nursing home care is affordable for all who need it.
The construction of the Tralee community nursing unit was completed in December 2008 and it is currently at the equipping stage. This unit will provide 50 residential care places for older people in the Tralee catchment area when fully operational. An equipping——
Twelve months later.
An equipping——
Twelve months later.
Is the Deputy ready?
An equipping group has been determining the requirements of the unit and funding was made available earlier this year for this purpose. Despite the significant challenges imposed by the employment control framework and the associated moratorium on the recruitment of certain disciplines, the HSE is considering all options for opening the unit, including doing so on a phased basis, commencing in the first quarter of 2010.
The construction phase of Dingle Community Hospital was completed in late 2008 and the hospital is currently being equipped in the same way as the Tralee community nursing unit. The staffing requirements are currently being finalised. Despite the challenges faced in the provision of staffing, it is envisaged that the first phase of the opening of the new hospital will take place in the first quarter of 2010. This first phase will see the transfer of 43 residents from the current hospital to the new building. The total capacity will be 68 when fully operational.
When it was it was launched in 2006, A Vision for Change was universally welcomed as a progressive, evidence-based and realistic document which proposed a new model of service delivery that would be patient-centred, flexible and community-based. The report proposes a holistic view of mental illness and recommends an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to mental health problems. Extensive consultation with service users, families and service providers informed this policy. The most pressing priority voiced was the need for an accessible and user-friendly mental health service in which users can be respected as active partners in their own recovery and where they can avail of interventions to enable them remain meaningfully involved in their own communities. The Government accepted A Vision for Change as the basis for the development of our mental health services over a seven to ten year period. Much has happened and much has changed economically since the report was launched, but it remains a progressive document and remains our roadmap, charting the way forward for our mental health services.
Mental health services are provided in many settings including acute inpatient facilities, day hospitals, day care centres, low support and high support community accommodation. A Vision for Change recognises that acute hospitalisation will be required to meet the needs of those who require care and treatment in an inpatient setting. However, service users, their families and carers want a range of mental health service options established in their local community so that comprehensive care can be provided.
The focal point of modern mental health services is the community and the community based service. A Vision for Change recommends a total of 50 acute beds per 300,000 population.
The HSE has for the past number of years been working towards the closure of the St. Finan's mental health hospital and the provision of alternative modern state-of-the-art mental health facilities and other general primary care facilities for the population of Killarney and east Kerry. A range of mental health facilities and community services are being proposed as a replacement of the hospital as follows: Replacement facilities for current services provided in St. Finan's Hospital — 25 place later life challenging behaviour services to accommodate the current patient complement — this unit will become a dementia specific unit for the local health office in the future when the current population declines; 15 place interim low secure facility to accommodate the current patient complement — initially this unit will operate as a rehabilitation unit for current patients located in two secure wards; ten place community residence to accommodate the remaining patient population in St. Finan's Hospital.
A redesign of the existing acute psychiatric unit in Kerry General Hospital is also proposed, to provide a four bed, close observation unit in order to appropriately manage patients within the acute unit.
The proposals as outlined will be funded from the proceeds of the sale of mental health lands. The 2010 budget provided for a multi-annual programme of capital investment in high priority mental health projects consistent with A Vision for Change. In 2010 the HSE will proceed to dispose of surplus assets and reinvest an initial sum of €43 million in the mental health capital programme. Provision for continued funding of the programme will be made in the 2011 Estimates and subsequent years, in the light of the previous year's programme of asset sales.
That was a sad answer.
Social and Affordable Housing.
I am thankful to the Acting Chairman for allowing me to raise this serious question in the House tonight and I am pleased that the Minister, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív will be replying. He had occasion to visit this housing estate with me a year ago, I believe, in Ballylynch, Carrick-on-Suir. It is a very old housing estate, more than 30 years in existence, with a large number of houses. The particular scheme as proposed by the Carrick-on-Suir Town Council has been actively supported by the town manager, town clerk and indeed all the local authority members. The present mayor of the town is pushing it as hard as she can.
There was much confusion and disappointment as regards this regeneration proposal. It is only at phase 2 of what will obviously be a long-running regeneration development in different stages. This is a wonderful community of hard working people. The actual phase I am talking about comprises 72 houses, more than 40 of which are in private ownership. I commend the occupants who had the vision and the courage to get their mortgages to buy those houses from the local authority, but herein lies the problem, I believe, although the Minister might say, otherwise.
Several reports were sent to the Department in February this year and there was a request for amendments to the proposal in April. A final report was made to the Department in June and nothing has been heard from it sense. I am in touch on a constant basis with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, lobbying the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Finneran and his officials on this issue. Obviously, we need to know what allocation we are going to get, so that we may proceed on that basis. A hard working committee is trying to oversee the regeneration programme on local authority houses, but it will be difficult to do if, for example, houses Nos. 2 and 3 are in private ownership, houses Nos. 4 and 5 are publicly owned and houses Nos. 6 and 7 are again private. Regardless of that, we need to get something moving because people are losing their patience and becoming very frustrated at the length of time it is taking to get this scheme off the ground.
It is a RAPID area, also, and as the Minister knows there is a new playground where he scored a goal on me during his visit. I was not able to do much against the ferocity of that ball. The light was fading, he took a drop kick at the goal and it was in the back of the net before I saw it. Hopefully, he can encourage the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran and his other colleagues to move this situation forward and try to have the funding allocated. As I have said, this will only be the first of a number of phases. As the old adage says, tosach maith leath na h-oibre, but the local officials need clarification as regards the status of their proposals. We are told by the Department that it is with the Minister of State, awaiting his signature. We need to have the project signed off, and it would be a wonderful Christmas present, in the event, to allow the people to have a good start in the new year and to sort out their issues as regards the private versus public question. I do not mean this in any adversarial way. It is a question of sorting out the regeneration scheme which is badly needed, so that those families can live in dignity, having put a vote of confidence in their estate. It would be a pity when people are so well motivated as regards buying their homes that anything might stymie such a badly needed and well-designed project, which deserves to go ahead.
I should like to thank the Deputy for raising the question. In fact I have visited Ballylynch twice and fully understand the desire of the Deputy that this issue of regeneration should be proceeded with. I hope I get to visit Ballylynch a third time, when perhaps I can get a second goal against him.
This Government's commitment to social housing takes a broad approach to supporting the development of sustainable communities. A crucial element of this approach is our commitment to supporting the development of sustainable communities in existing local authority estates through various improvement and regeneration initiatives. Regeneration, in particular, is focused on addressing the issues of social, educational and economic disadvantage experienced in some of the most challenging areas of the country.
The social housing improvement works programme spans a range of Exchequer funded and local authority funded programmes and initiatives designed to maintain and improve the local authority housing stock. Over the past number of years, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has significantly increased its investment in this area through support for estate-wide remedial works, programmes where specific deficits are to be addressed — for example, from a health and safety or energy efficiency perspective — and for an ambitious national programme of regeneration projects. For all projects, with the exception of large regeneration projects, the Department has required a contribution from the local authority's own resources.
The remedial works programme provides support for local authorities to significantly improve run-down estates by improving the layout, addressing issues of anti-social behaviour, improving the housing fabric, and where possible, addressing issues of social exclusion. This programme has been expanding since it commenced in the 1980s and is a critical element of the overall improvement works programme. It is well recognised that remedial works projects are significantly more labour intensive than new construction projects, and as such also offer opportunities to stimulate local employment in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country.
In 2009, the Department has continued to support some 55 remedial work projects around the country from an allocation of €53 million. A further €35 million of funding will be required in future years to complete these projects and will obviously have first call on the available funding. In addition, a further 22 projects were identified for inclusion in the programme for the period 2010-12, with a total estimated cost over the three years of €50 million. A number of these projects are now at funding approval stage and, in light of the resources available to the Minister for 2010, he is now considering the extent to which these can be supported next year.
This brings me to the project raised by Deputy Mattie McGrath — the Ballylynch estate in Carrick on Suir, County Tipperary, which is one of the projects mentioned as being considered in the context of available funding for 2010. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has already supported a pilot project of ten units in the Ballylynch estate. The next phase of the project involves both new build and remedial elements. In general, 75% of the funding for remedial schemes is available from the Department, with 25% being provided by the local authority from its own internal capital receipts.
Once again, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an Teachta as ucht an scéil seo a thógáil sa Dáil. Tá meas ar leith agam ar an bpobal áirithe i Ballylynch. Is ceantar RAPID é. Ba mhaith liom a dheimhniú uair amháin eile go bhfuil tacaíocht ginearálta ar fáil ón Rialtas le haghaidh aththógáil na n-eastát seo.
Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.
I understand that Deputy Deenihan wishes to share his time with Deputy Feighan. Is that agreed? Agreed.
The disadvantaged area payment scheme is worth approximately €18.2 million to 7,343 farmers in County Kerry in 2009. However, a number of farmers are still awaiting payment as no cheques have been issued since 13 November. To many farmers this is the only income they will get before Christmas. This year has been disastrous for the farming community. According to CSO figures, the value of milk output fell by almost 35% or €567 million, due mainly to a decrease in prices. For example, the price of a litre of milk in Kerry was 40 cent in 2007, but it has now fallen to about 24 cent, which is still better than other counties. The cattle output value was also down by 10.7%. Coming on top of the income drop of 11% in 2008, this represents the worst income crisis for the sector since Ireland joined the EEC in 1973.
The collapse is due to poor commodity prices, Government cuts, the continuing weakness of sterling and the dreadful weather conditions experienced during the year. Government cuts in vital schemes totalling €130 million have impacted severely on farm incomes. Also, the Government carbon tax will further increase farm production costs by almost €17.5 million per year, which represents a further 1% cut in farm incomes.
The Minister has signalled that €25 million per annum would be found by cutting the disadvantaged area payment scheme by an estimated 11.5% from 2010. This is in addition to a cut of €34 million in the October 2008 budget. This was done by reducing the maximum area limit to 34 hectares or 84 acres. Farmers in County Kerry were particularly affected by this cut.
Due to the disastrous year for Kerry farmers and Irish farmers in general, it is vital that all outstanding payments be sent out before Christmas to help farmers to get over this expensive period.
Why are disadvantaged area payments, which were approved last November, not being paid? The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is telling farmers that it does not have money to pay them. The Minister should order these payments to be made immediately, as these people are depending on them for Christmas. Will he make an urgent statement on the matter? Farming seems to have been forgotten in all the debates on the budget. Farming families have taken a 43% cut over the past two years. Either there is money in the kitty or the Minister's staff are telling these people lies. That word is not supposed to be used, but farmers are discouraged and upset. They are being told there is no money in the kitty and that the payments will not be made before Christmas. I urge the Minister to ensure that these hard pressed farm families receive what they deserve. The Minister promised they would be paid and I want to ensure that will happen immediately.
Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí as ucht deis a thabhairt dom freagraí a thabhairt ar na ceisteanna tábhachtacha seo.
Payments under the 2009 disadvantaged areas scheme commenced on 22 September 2009. To date, the Department has made payments worth in excess of €220 million to over 97,000 scheme beneficiaries, representing over 96% of eligible applicants. In addition, the necessary savings required to increase the level of total payments above the original allocation of €220 million have now been identified within the Department's budget. The necessary sanction has been obtained from the Department of Finance and I expect that additional payments in the region of €3 million will issue this week.
These additional payments, which will bring total payments above the original €220 million provision, reflect the fact that payments made in any given year include those in respect of a proportion of applications carried over from previous years.
In addition to payments under the disadvantaged areas scheme, payments under other schemes have continued in recent months at an unprecedented level. For example, payments under the single payment scheme, worth almost €1.25 billion, have issued to some 123,000 farmers since 16 October. The advance payments began a full six weeks earlier than provided for under the rules of the scheme and the level of advance payment, at 70%, is unprecedented. This reflects the pressure brought to bear on the European Commission by the Minister, Deputy Brendan Smith, in recognition of the difficulties being experienced by farmers with low commodity prices and poor weather during the summer months. The advance payments at the 70% rate provided a valuable cash flow benefit for Irish farmers.
The efficiency of the payment systems operated by the Department compares favourably with even the most efficient systems operated by other member states. It is well worth recording the fact that the Department's record in issuing payments under both the disadvantaged areas scheme and the single payment scheme are second to none in the EU.
We have achieved an unprecedented 99% level of payments so far and, this year in particular, the timing and level of payments have made a major contribution to farm family incomes at a difficult time.
In addition to these two major schemes, which between them will result in payments worth almost €1.5 billion this year to almost 120,000 Irish farmers, I am pleased to confirm to the House that payments under the new 2009 upland sheep payment commenced this week, with in excess of €4.7 million having already issued. In addition, payments under the emergency damaged fodder aid scheme, targeted specifically at those farmers most seriously affected by the widespread flooding, will also begin to issue this week.
The Department is also continuing to make REPS payments and, following the supplementary Estimate approved by the Dáil last week, I expect that we will pay up to €369 million under REPS this year, which is one of the largest amounts ever paid in any given year.
I want to assure the House that the Government and I acknowledge the value of these schemes to Irish farmers, as evidenced by the decisions taken in last week's budget to protect funding for them in 2010. I am entirely satisfied that the level and efficiency of payments made under the various schemes by the Department in recent months has played, and will continue to play, an important role in providing a vital boost to the economic activity of rural areas.
Is the Minister of State giving a commitment?
I am sorry Deputy.
We can ask a question.
No, you cannot. Not here. I am sorry.
Is the Minister of State giving a commitment that outstanding payments will be paid?
I am moving on to the next item.
Is money available for that?
I am sorry Deputy, but there is no facility for answering questions.
National Drugs Strategy.
In the past ten or 12 years, we have developed the national drugs strategy, which is a co-ordinated policy across five community pillars. It is co-ordinated by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, but there is also a major involvement by a number of other Departments. These include the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Science, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, among others. The work is done not just by the Departments themselves, but in many cases also by a number of agencies under the remit of Departments. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is the co-ordinating body. A few months ago it got the Taoiseach to launch the new strategy. That must be fairly embarrassing for them now that the Department of Education and Science seems to be withdrawing its commitment to the strategy. It is in that context that I am raising this matter this evening.
Since the local drugs task forces were established over ten years ago, the system has been that different types of projects are developed locally in accordance with the needs of communities and statutory bodies. These are run as pilot programmes for between one and three years and are then evaluated. If successful, they are mainstreamed into the relevant Departments or agencies, the financial resources go with them and they become part of the existing levels of services run by those Departments. That has been the policy over the years.
We all know there is pressure with regard to next year's budget. Many Departments, programmes and agencies will have their budgets cut by 5%, 7.5%, 10% or 12.5%. That is the way of the world these days and we have to live with that. People half expect this to happen. However, it is totally different when the Department of Education and Science announces it is withdrawing from a range of projects over a two-year period. It cannot do that. It signed up to the strategy, which is Government policy and was launched by the Taoiseach a few months ago. These programmes were part of the existing level of service to which money was transferred over the years. Now t hat it is under pressure the Department seems to be retreating to its core activities of looking after primary and secondary teachers and nothing else. It cannot be allowed do that. That is unacceptable and is contrary to the strategy launched only some weeks ago.
I am speaking specifically from the point of view of my constituency, which has two local drugs task forces — in Finglas and in Ballymun. The one in Ballymun, in particular, had a large share of educational-type projects that will be affected by the cuts. The overall funding for the 12 local drugs task forces is only approximately €3.5 million, 25% of which seems to be for a number of projects in Ballymun. These are good projects. Health projects that treat drug users are important, but from a long-term sustainable point of view it is very important to get at young kids, many of whom are being reared in houses where there is a drug user or in dysfunctional families. The investment in these families at the level of provision of education programmes for young children is worthwhile.
However, now the message is coming from the Department of Education and Science that the cut for 2010 only affects non-staff level. These are all staff matters. Some of the moneys are grants to different agencies, but they are all being used to provide staff, some of whom are contract staff and some of whom are established. There is very little fat in the projects.
I say to the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, who is standing in for the Minister for Education and Science, that the Department must accept its policy is to be involved in the Government drugs strategy. It cannot run away from that because it has signed up to the policy. It used to be the case that this issue was dealt with at the Cabinet sub-committee on social inclusion. I do not know if there has been any co-ordination between that sub-committee and the Department with regard to the cuts or whether the Department has gone off on its own bat. If I receive no news on the matter tonight, I ask that the Department and its officials examine the issue over the Christmas period. Hopefully, when we come back early in the new year the Department will see to it that the work continues. If there must be a 10% cut, that is to be expected, but the Department cannot welsh on its commitments. If it is not going to do the business, it should hand back the money to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and let that Department provide the allocation directly.
This is a cheap, shoddy and scandalous move by the Department of Education and Science. I ask the Minister of State to raise the matter directly with the Minister and try and see the issue is addressed within the next few weeks.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a chur os comhair na Dála. I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe.
I thank Deputy Noel Ahern for raising this matter as it gives me an opportunity to outline to the House the involvement of the Department of Education and Science with these projects and its ongoing contribution to the implementation of the national drugs strategy. Some 22 of the projects are administered by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board under the aegis of the City of Dublin VEC. Ten of the projects are administered by County Dublin VEC and three projects are administered by Dún Laoghaire VEC. The remaining three projects are administered directly by the Department.
In the current financial year, the Department has provided a total of €3.643 million for these projects. Of this amount, the allocation for the six projects in Ballymun amounted to €712,000 and the allocation for the two projects in the Finglas-Cabra area amounted to €312,000. Overall, in the four years 2005 to 2008, the Department provided a total allocation of over €14 million for all the projects. The allocation for 2010 for the projects in local drugs task force areas has been reduced by €1.182 million to €2.641 million. The Minister has also indicated that funding for the projects will cease with effect from 2011.
The Minister wants to reassure the House that he remains fully committed to implementing the national drugs strategy. In that regard, he wants to place on record the significant contribution the Department has made, and continues to make, in support of the prevention pillar of the strategy, through the following initiatives: the introduction of a social, personal and health education, or SPHE, curriculum at primary level and at junior cycle, second-level; the initiatives under delivering equality of opportunity in schools, or DEIS action plan and the school support programme to prevent early school leaving and achieve better educational outcomes for students; and the guidelines on substance use policies issued to all schools.
The SPHE programme is the foundation for developing awareness of drugs and alcohol issues in schools. It is a mandatory part of the curriculum at primary and junior cycle in second level. The substance use modules of SPHE are augmented by two support programmes, the Walk Tall programme at primary level and On My Own Two Feet at post-primary. The implementation of these programmes in schools is supported by full-time support services at primary and second level, which provide professional development for teachers and advice and support to schools. The DEIS action plan for educational inclusion is aimed at identifying and tackling levels of disadvantage and it provides the basis for school supports to, among others, schools located in local drugs task force areas. Supports targeting children most at risk of leaving school early are currently being enhanced through the integration of the relevant services, that is, the school completion programme, the home-school community liaison and the visiting teacher service for Travellers, under the National Educational Welfare Board. Through the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Government is continuing to support initiatives for youth, such as the young people's facilities and services fund, which aims to divert young people away from the dangers of substance abuse and the special projects for youth scheme, which supports out-of-school projects for disadvantaged young people.
The Minister acknowledges the difficulties which the budget announcement will entail for the projects the Department has been supporting over the years, but he wants to assure the House that his commitment to the implementation of the national drugs strategy through the measures outlined is undiminished.
The Dáil adjourned at 11.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 17 December 2009.