Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Nov 2010

Vol. 723 No. 2

Adjournment Debate

Special Educational Needs

Deputy Terence Flanagan

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me an opportunity to raise this important issue.

The Government has a poor record in assisting children with special needs. In the most recent budget many special needs assistants lost their jobs and the forthcoming budget and four year plan include plans to axe further special needs assistants. This is a disgrace.

The Government has turned its back on sufferers of dyslexia. When the country was wealthy it did not carry out a study to discover how many children suffer from the condition. For the past ten years, the Department of Education and Skills has not once increased the small annual grant of €63,500 it provides to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. The Government clearly has the wrong priorities when it fails to adequately fund associations such as the DAI and chooses instead to pay lip service to their work. It has squandered billions of euro in the past ten years and it is the most vulnerable who are paying the price.

I propose to raise some questions on Government policy on educational provision for children with autism spectrum disorder. It is estimated that the Department of Education and Skills has spent in excess of €80 million on a pilot project for ABA schools in the past ten years. The project was terminated without undertaking a proper evaluation of the effectiveness of the ABA pilot schools.

During a recent meeting with parents of children in one of the pilot schools a departmental official referred to a 2006 report entitled, An Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, which features details of visits to some of the ABA pilot schools carried out in 2001-02. The decision to close the ABA schools was based on reviews which had taken place eight years previously in a sample of the pilot schools. This is an example of highly flawed decision making.

Having spent almost €80 million on a pilot project, the Government has failed to evaluate the project adequately. This failure and the absence of a proper cost benefit analysis of ABA schools is a wanton waste of taxpayers' money and a dereliction of duty on the part of the Government.

The Department decided to replace ABA schools with special schools and ASD units which employ what is described as an eclectic approach to educating children with autism. However, no research has been produced to support the use of the Department's preferred approach. Departmental officials admitted recently that this was the case and the Department does not have any plans to evaluate ASD units.

The Minister for Education and Skills is pumping millions of euro into a teaching model whose effectiveness has not been evaluated. She clearly does not have an interest in the children who are affected by this decision. ABA schools have produced terrific results for children with autism. The Government should listen to the views expressed by parents on the teaching methods they want to have provided for their children. The young children in question deserve better from the State. They are being let down by the decisions that have been taken on this matter. Consequently, I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, to ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills to re-examine this issue.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy John Moloney)

I apologise that the Tánaiste cannot be present this evening. I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan. I thank Deputy Terence Flanagan for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position regarding provision for children with special educational needs and to outline the enormous progress made in recent years on supports for these children. I wish to make clear that the education of children with special educational needs has, and remains, a key priority for the Government. The Government has put huge resources into schools to enable them to meet the demands of children with special educational needs. To this end, more than €1 billion has been allocated in the 2010 Department budget to support special education in schools.

Deputy Flanagan will be aware that the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 requires that all children with special educational needs shall be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs unless the nature or degree of the need is such that to do so would be inconsistent with the best interests of the child or the effective provision of education for children with whom the child is to be educated. The Department of Education and Skills provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools that enrol pupils with special educational needs to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, he or she will have access to an appropriate education. Children with special educational needs may be enrolled in a mainstream school and attend all mainstream classes. Children who are fully integrated may receive additional teaching support through the learning support teacher or the resource teacher or both. If the child has care needs, he or she may receive support from a special needs assistant, SNA. In other cases, a child with special needs may enrol in a mainstream school and attend a special class. This provides an option of partial inclusion in mainstream classes in line with the child's abilities. Alternatively, if appropriate, the child may enrol in a special school. The Department supports special classes and special schools through the provision of lower pupil teacher ratios for such classes, ranging from 6:1 to 11:1, the provision of SNAs and enhanced levels of capitation funding.

At present, the Department funds more than 9,000 whole-time equivalent learning support-resource teacher posts, more than 10,000 whole-time equivalent SNA posts and more than 1,000 teachers in special schools. In addition, enhanced capitation funding is paid to special schools and in respect of special classes in mainstream schools. The Department also provides more than €50 million annually for special school transport arrangements and €1.3 million on assistive technology. Extensive teacher training and continuing professional development in the area of special educational needs is provided through the special education support service, SESS. In 2009, the SESS funded more than 23,000 teacher places in courses on special education. A visiting teacher service also is in place for children who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing. To further support the inclusion of children with special needs, all new school buildings and extensions are designed to enable access for all and the Department provides funding to adapt existing school buildings where required. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, through its network of more than 80 local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, supports schools, parents, children and teachers and will continue to do so in line with the Department's policy.

I again assure Deputy Flanagan that even in the current economic climate, the provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children with special educational needs will continue to be a key Government priority.

Deputy Terence Flanagan

What about autistic children?

Hospital Services

Deputy David Stanton

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. It has come to my attention that a positron emission tomography, PET, scanner located in Cork is not operational. In addition, I understand that only one such publicly-owned scanner, located in St. James's Hospital, Dublin, is in operation in the State. The cost of installing this scanner in Cork was €3.8 million and I am informed the overall cost of the centre there was €6.8 million. Although the machine was installed at a cost of millions of euro, it is not in operation and other issues arise in this regard. I am informed that nationally, a total of 5,551 PET scans were carried out in the eight months from January to August 2010, only 199 of which came from the southern region. It appears as though people may not be getting this service because they are obliged to travel to Dublin to avail of it. Last year, it cost €1 million for people from the south to travel to Dublin to undergo scans, even though the aforementioned machine is sitting idle in Cork. People are obliged to travel to Dublin at their own expense and I am sure the Minister of State realises that people who are obliged to do this may have cancer or may be quite ill and that this is stressful, time-consuming and expensive.

Why has this machine and its associated centre been sitting idle in Cork for so long at great expense to the State? Why are people being forced to travel to Dublin for scans? How many people are waiting for scans within the HSE at present and for how long? Why is the scanner located in St. James's Hospital in operation while the one located in Cork is not? What staff are needed to make the PET scanner operational and how much would it cost to employ them? One should bear in mind that €6.8 million already has been spent in an unused investment, which surely constitutes a waste. I understand that Cork University Hospital, CUH, applied for a radiologist post in May 2009. What is the position with regard to that post? Has it been funded or approved? As I stated, the cost to HSE south for scans in Dublin for 2008, 2009 and the first eight months of 2010 has been more than €1 million, even though a machine is available in Cork. Moreover, I presume that more money has been spent subsequently.

This is a serious issue. The CUH is the cancer centre of excellence for the south of Ireland and it would make sense — I am sure it is Government policy — to have this PET scanner up and running. I realise the Minister of State probably has to hand a pre-prepared script that he is about to read out and that he probably is unable to answer any of the questions I have asked. However, I ask him to revert to me privately with the answers at some point. This exemplifies the farce that is the Adjournment debate. One cannot have a proper debate even though Members have tried to effect changes and reform but nothing at all has happened. I am glad that a senior Minister is present in the Chamber to hear this point. However, this is a serious life and death issue to which people in the south seek answers, as do the medical staff, those who are suffering from cancer and the taxpayers who have spent €6.8 million to date for a facility that is lying idle. When will this centre become operational and when can the investment be put to work for the people? When will the patients in that region have the use of this important facility?

Deputy John Moloney

I again apologise that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, cannot be present to take this Adjournment matter, which I will take on her behalf. PET-CT scanning is one of a number of sophisticated diagnostic tools used in acute hospital settings in the diagnosis and management of disease. In 2006, the HSE decided to procure a PET-CT scanner for Cork University Hospital, CUH. As the Deputy is aware, construction of the new facility and installation of the scanner was completed in 2009. The Government has made clear that a critical part of its strategy to restore the public finances is to achieve sustainability in the cost of delivering public services relative to State revenues. To help achieve this goal, it will be necessary to restructure and reorganise the public service and to reduce public service numbers over the coming years. This requires that the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the health service will continue to apply until the numbers have fallen to the level set out in the employment control framework for the health sector. The framework gives effect to the Government decision on employment policy in the public sector and provides that there will be a net reduction in employment. This includes a target reduction in numbers of 1,520 in 2010 and consequential payroll savings. There is provision in the HSE's employment control framework for some exemptions and exceptions, such as medical consultants and certain diagnostic support staff. However, these are limited, because of the need to achieve the required payroll savings. Health employment levels are monitored by the joint employment control monitoring committee, comprising officials from Departments of Health and Children and Finance and the HSE.

With regard to Cork, I am pleased to confirm to Deputy Stanton that funding has been provided for a consultant radiologist with a special interest in PET-CT and this post will be considered by the HSE's consultant appointments advisory committee at its November meeting. As the recruitment and appointment of a permanent consultant can take several months, it is intended to fill the post in a temporary capacity until a permanent appointment can bemade.

In addition, the recruitment process for a number of critical support staff will commence in January 2011.

Accordingly, it is intended to proceed with the PET/CT service at Cork University Hospital early in the new year. In the transitional period before the PET/CT in the hospital becomes operational, patients will continue to travel to St. James's Hospital or the Mater Hospital in Dublin, with which the HSE has service level agreements for provision of PET/CT services. In 2009, a total of 108 patients from the Cork and Kerry region were referred to St. James's and the Mater, in line with service level agreements in place.

The HSE is working to bring this project into operation as soon as possible, to ensure that the people of Cork and Kerry have easy access to the most advanced diagnostics available and that better outcomes are achieved for patients. I am very pleased that this important and worthwhile development can go ahead. I hope this is a change from what he expected.

East West Interconnector

Deputy James Reilly

I raise this matter on the Adjournment because it is of grave concern to the people of Rush, where 3,000 people, from a population of 9,000 marched to show their concern. I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address this important issue.

I am fully supportive of the interconnector. It is a hugely important part of the future infrastructure of the country and an integral part of our strategy to encourage renewable energy and eventually to make Ireland an exporter of electricity. In the interim it will be important in securing electricity supply, should we not be in a position to create it ourselves. However, I raise a number of issues with regard to the project.

Only 43 people attended the original planning meeting because the people of Rush were not then aware of the project. Let us compare that figure with the 3,000 who marched. Meetings were held between EirGrid and the community group and an independent expert, who would be agreed by the community and EirGrid, was promised. Instead of this, EirGrid appointed a man who, while of some international repute, was not agreed by the community. Besides, within his report there is no mention of what is called the rubbish electricity which causes problems and is associated with a DC cable. Furthermore, a KEMA report was to be agreed, and that is ongoing. No work was to start until the KEMA report was complete but EirGrid have gone ahead with work, opening the road yesterday morning.

This morning, there were scuffles with gardaí. These peaceful people are the solid citizens of Rush. Many of them are rate payers. Business people and families are concerned about the disruption and the effect of this project on their town. There may be questions about the safety of the cable itself. There are health and safety issues. I am not an expert and do not profess to say if it is safe or not, but I know the people have grave concerns. While one cannot say anything is fully affected, if it is rerouted out of the town it will be fully safe because it will no longer be going up the street.

The manner in which the people of Rush have been treated is scandalous. Women were approached late last night in their own gardens by men pointing torches in their eyes to serve injunctions on them. Why did EirGrid not give notice that injunctions were to be served instead of behaving in this heavy-handed intimidatory fashion? It is unacceptable.

The Meath county manager refused to allow EirGrid to lay a cable through the main street of Ratoath and it was rerouted around the town. Fingal County Council was to have voted on the matter but it was taken off the agenda and permission was got by some other means. Some councillors had promised to vote against it.

There are alternative routes. The lack of good faith shown by EirGrid in not appointing an agreed health expert, in failing to wait for the KEMA safety report and, now, in serving injunctions late at night is abhorrent to me. I ask the Minister to reroute this cable partially out of Rush. This would not be a huge job. There are existing alternatives, and I do not refer to the estuary. There are alternatives north of Rush which can be used.

The people of Rush are extremely upset. An unsafe stand-off is being created there. I appealed to everyone to keep calm but I appeal to the Minister, within whose gift this is, to order this to be rerouted.

I know the Minister will tell us this project is funded from Europe. That is fine. Can he tell us when that funding must be drawn down? When I asked him on a previous occasion he could not tell me if it would be in January or December 2012, or if it would be 2012 at all. The cost of the cable, which is difficult to ascertain, is not an issue. The cable will be required, whatever route is taken.

I appeal, on behalf of the people of Rush, to have their voice heard. I never thought I would see the day, as a private citizen or as a public representative, when the will of one third of a population, who are so concerned they take to the streets about an issue, is completely ignored by their local authority and the Minister in charge. Deputies on the Government side have appealed to the Minister to take action. I fail to understand why he cannot. Ultimately, rerouting will be the cheaper solution.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Eamon Ryan)

I am pleased to be here to respond to this matter and to give a perspective on a critical project and one that is sensitive to the local community. The Government, in turn, is sensitive to that, as are all public representatives, who have held discussions, and with the members of the community council, who have had discussions with me regarding the project.

The interconnector is of critical national infrastructural importance. It will give us greater security of electricity and lower prices. It is a critical project and it is in the national interest that it be developed.

EirGrid, the State owned independent transmission system company is building the interconnector. It went through the planning process in September 2009, getting full permission from An Bord Pleanála under the Strategic Infrastructure Act. My Department has no direct role in the planning process. Formal approval followed a comprehensive assessment process, including an oral hearing at which stakeholders, including Rush Community Council, were present. I believe EirGrid has engaged extensively with communities along the route, including the local community and public representatives.

The work starting currently is to put in the piping but not the cable. I understand that will not start until mid-2011. The ducting must go in now because other infrastructural works are planned by Fingal County Council for 2011. The ducting is being combined with other local council works.

During the planning process, including the oral hearing, the matter of health and safety, and the further concerns of the community council, were covered. We commissioned Dr. van Rongen, who is recognised as an international expert. He is a member of the Netherlands Government health council and of the advisory committee of the World Health Organisation international EMF project. I was pleased to be able to commission him to undertake a review. That report is available on my Department's website, which I know the Deputy has seen.

Further to that, work is ongoing between Rush Community Council and EirGrid on the separate issue of the operational safety of the project. KEMA consultants are undertaking a report on that, by mutual agreement.

The planning process has been gone through and time is tight on this very significant €600 million project. Funding is provided by a very competitive arrangement entered into by EirGrid — with Government approval — with the European Investment Bank and a number of major commercial banks. Funding of €110 million is also being provided by the European Energy Programme for Recovery to assist the project. The key determinants for the award of funding by the EU Commission were the demonstrable state of readiness of the project and the strategic importance of the interconnector in its own right.

Having got planning permission, EirGrid was able to place contracts with ABB, the manufacturers of the cable. As Deputy Reilly intimated, getting the cable is a very difficult process. There is huge demand, huge back orders and huge timeline constraints. The securing of planning permission was a condition precedent to the agreement and drawdown of commercial bank and EIB funding. If we were to re-route, an entirely new planning application would be required, which would take approximately two years to process without any guarantee of success. This would seriously jeopardise the funding arrangements in place, with real cost implications for Irish electricity consumers. I understand the European Investment Bank and the European Commission are monitoring the progress of the project. The prospect of a delay would be received very negatively by those two institutions. A delay would risk funding and damage the reputation of the country in terms of winning planning permission, given that one organises contract arrangements on the back of such permission. If the project were not completed, it would call into question Ireland's ability to proceed with similar projects.

I understand that if the proposed works were delayed beyond November, the cost of the delay would amount to €12 million immediately, with knock-on costs accruing thereafter. I am told EirGrid estimates that every day's delay would add approximately €100,000 to the cost of the project. This would be added directly to electricity consumers' bills. Any delay in getting under way with the works would affect other scheduled project works and other infrastructure projects. It would have a real effect on the ability of the State to deliver a project of considerable importance and with considerable budget implications.

Deputy James Reilly

I note the phrase "I am told". Does the Minister share my cynicism?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

The companies operating are publicly owned companies acting in the public interest and delivering a project that we all regard as beneficial. I understand the concerns of the local community and its desire for an alternative approach. In this instance, however, bearing in mind that planning permission has been granted, some of the fundamental concerns over health effects can be answered by the analysis contained in Dr. van Rongen's report. We could arrange for Dr. van Rongen to answer people's questions in this regard. I said this to the Deputies previously.

If we were to delay the project at this stage, it would have considerable knock-on consequences. I encourage all sides, including EirGrid and the community, to allow for the completion of the safety project. We can raise further questions on safety in light of Dr. van Rongen's analysis. He seems to be a man of real international repute. It is a matter of trying to minimise understandable concern in the community, which is not in anyone's interest. I ask the local Deputies and Senators to do whatever they can in this regard but I cannot re-route an infrastructure project that is urgent for the State. It would have considerable financial implications——

Deputy James Reilly

Would that be the case even if the KEMA report indicated the Minister should do so?

Deputy Eamon Ryan

Construction must proceed now for fear of our losing serious money immediately.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.15 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 30 November 2010.