Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 9 Mar 2017

Vol. 942 No. 2

Topical Issue Debate

Services for People with Disabilities

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

At least seven young adults with disabilities who have been allocated day service places in St. Michael's House here in Dublin are unable to gain access to those places due to the absence of funding to cover transport. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that this is a shocking predicament for the service users and their families.

One of the people affected left school in June last year. After seven long months at home, his family received word that he had secured a day care place at St. Michael's House, Adare Green. I am told the building is not yet ready so the service will be situated in Baldoyle for the foreseeable future. Needless to say, the family was delighted to secure this place for their son, who has complex special needs. Their joy was soon taken away, however, when they learned there was no funding available to take him to and from the facility. To access the facility via public transport would require four bus journeys each way. Travelling by bus is not an option in any event due to the severity of the individual's needs. He is unable to travel unaccompanied and both his parents work so they are not in a position to bring him.

Another case of which I am aware concerns two brothers, one of whom is a day centre attendee at St. Michael's House, Baldoyle. He was recently accepted into St. Michael's in Bunratty Road, Coolock, but is yet to receive a start date. The other is in an adult day centre in Raheny. Both boys, who suffer from a global development delay, were provided with transport when they attended national school. Since the funding for transport has been axed, they have been struggling to come to terms with their changing routine. Their mother contacted me and said:

I cannot describe to you just how difficult it is for them to have changes made to their routine. One of my sons has been in day care since February 2015, with no transport, and has still not got used to this change.

I understand St. Michael's House has said it is unable to provide funding for transport as it is not within its funding allocation. I raised this matter with the Minister of State recently during Questions on Promised Legislation and he replied he had recently met senior management of St. Michael's House to discuss funding and the amount of funding that has gone into the social care disability service plan for 2017. He confirmed the budget for transport within St. Michael's is taken from its own budget. I understand that, in order to provide a bus, driver and escort for six to eight people - it would depend on the number of wheelchairs among their number - some €65,000 per annum would be required. It is not major money.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. It is wholly unfair on these young adults with disabilities and their parents that they are being denied transport. It should be a given that funding would be in place to allow them to gain access to services provided for their needs. They should not have to fight for something like this. I ask the Minister of State to intervene immediately to ensure that all people allocated places in St Michael's have access to transport to and from these essential services.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Finian McGrath)

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of transport for people with disabilities attending HSE funded day services, particularly St. Michael’s House. I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position in this regard. I will also deal with some of the individual questions the Deputy asked.

The provision of transport to adults with a disability attending HSE funded day services is not a core health service, but I am fully aware of how important transport is for people with disabilities who attend day services. As a general rule, public transport should be used in all circumstances where it is an option. I accept the Deputy’s point that some disabilities are complex so public transport is not an option. This is in keeping with the principle of mainstreaming with a clear focus on ensuring persons with a disability have access to the normal range of services and participate in community life as far as possible. It must be noted that, in general, day service users are in receipt of a disability allowance and are automatically entitled to the free travel pass so there should be no additional cost at an individual level. That relates particularly to those individuals with disabilities who are on their way to independent living or able to access public transport.

New developments to meet the needs of school leavers with disabilities who require continuing HSE funded supports each year are located as close as possible to where people reside so as to reduce the travel time for each person and enable them to be more connected with their local community.

Funding is not provided to service providers for the transportation of young people to and from day services. The HSE is aware of the difficulties being experienced by parents with regard to transport for school leavers. In this regard, one of the options is to arrange transport and cover the cost by reducing the quantum of service the clients would receive. However, it is my understanding that this option is not viable in the context of St. Michael's House as the clients in question are not attending day services in the same location.

The HSE has also committed to establishing a high level, cross divisional working group this year to rationalise the provision of transport and to maximise equitable access and efficiencies. The HSE also intends to liaise with the National Transport Authority, NTA, and disability service providers to explore ways in which the authority’s services could assist people with disabilities. I understand that the NTA has a total of 17 transport co-ordinating units, called Local Link, which provide safe, secure and reliable public transport services in local and rural areas of Ireland through a combination of scheduled public transport and door-to-door services. The HSE plans to explore the opportunities these units may provide to people with disabilities to access day services and participate in the social, educational and economic life of their local communities.

I would add that I will be meeting representatives from St. Michael's House in the very near future.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

While I thank the Minister of State for his reply, I must say, with considerable regret, that there is no solace in his response for the families involved. The Minister of State said that the HSE "plans to explore" and so forth but all of this amounts to no early resolution of the difficulties with which these families are contending. This is critically important and I urge the Minister of State to personally intervene with the respective authorities, that is, the service providers, the HSE and transport providers of whatever hue in order to guarantee a continued service for this small cohort of young adults with serious disabilities. They are unable to access the services that have been allocated to them and which were determined as essential for their respective care plan needs. It is imperative that a solution is found.

The point was made that as a general rule, public transport should be used in all circumstances where it is an option and I welcome the fact that the Minister of State has acknowledged that is not an option for any of the young adults to whom I refer. These seven young people are severely challenged and could not possibly face the use of public transport and certainly not unaccompanied. The departmental reply made reference to covering the transport costs by reducing the quantum of service the clients would receive but that is penalising the young people. It is totally and wholly inappropriate and is not an answer in any circumstances. At the end of the day, scheduled public transport is not the answer in this case. Door-to-door service is required. Indeed, the two brothers to whom I referred are not going to the same centre as St. Michael's House has a presence in several locations across the city and beyond.

It is very important to recognise in this instance that we are talking about a special group of young adults who need our assistance now and I am making a special appeal on their behalf.

Deputy Finian McGrath

I have listened carefully to what Deputy Ó Caoláin has said about these particular seven young people. I accept his point that within the disability community there are young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities who have complex needs. I accept his argument in that regard. However, it must be noted that St. Michael's House received €72.7 million in funding in 2016. Deputy Ó Caoláin suggested that it would cost approximately €65,000 to provide transport for the seven students in question and I will be putting that point to the representatives from St. Michael's House.

I am very familiar with the services provided by St. Michael's House. There are children and adults with complex needs who avail of its services and who have been provided with the type of transport service to which the Deputy refers. Some of those children live in Marino and Deputy Ó Caoláin is talking about a group of families who live in Baldoyle and Bunratty Road in Coolock. The Deputy has asked me to personally intervene on their behalf and I will do so. I will raise the Deputy's concerns with St. Michael's House.

The issue of transport for children and adults with very complex needs must be addressed. While I acknowledge that a high percentage of people with disabilities are capable of independent living and can use public transport to attend their day services, no one should miss out on day services because of transport issues. I will do my best to intervene because it is imperative that young adults with physical and intellectual disabilities are able to attend the day services to which they are entitled. Their families also deserve support. I ask Deputy Ó Caoláin to afford me the opportunity to look at these seven particular cases.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

For the record, I am referring to services in Baldoyle, not where the young person is domiciled. That would be four bus stops away for the young person in that case.

Deputy Finian McGrath

The service is in Baldoyle, so they would need four routes to get them there. Is that right?

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Yes.

An Ceann Comhairle

I suggest the Deputies have a meeting to discuss the matter further.

Disabilities Assessments

Deputy Brendan Smith

I am very glad that this item was accepted and am pleased that the Minister of State is here to respond.

I wish to refer to services provided by Enable Ireland for children up to age six and by the HSE's child development team for children aged from six to eight in Cavan-Monaghan. My comments are informed by my constituency work and by ongoing contact with parents of children with a disability, particularly autism. I know from replies from the HSE to representations I have made on behalf of constituents that there has been an increasing volume of referrals to the Cavan-Monaghan child development team. The HSE has publicly acknowledged that referral rates for children in Cavan-Monaghan have increased significantly in recent years and, consequently, waiting times have also increased.

The HSE has identified additional staffing as a priority in Cavan-Monaghan and I sincerely hope that the Minister of State will be able to provide the necessary resources to ensure that an adequate complement of professional staff is based in Cavan-Monaghan. Families need to be able to access the required professional services for children at the appropriate time. Delayed assessment, intervention and service provision for children at the formative time in their lives are not acceptable.

I know from speaking to parents that Enable Ireland provides an excellent service in Cavan-Monaghan. However, parents have made representations to me with regard to the delays they are experiencing in obtaining ASD diagnostic assessments. I understand from parents who have had interactions with Enable Ireland that it is providing services to approximately 430 children aged up to six in Cavan-Monaghan. This includes children with a named disability or a delay in their development, as well as children presenting with features of ASD.

Every child who is accepted onto the Enable Ireland programme goes through an initial assessment period to identify his or her needs before an individual intervention plan is put in place. Where there are concerns about a child presenting with possible features of ASD, Enable Ireland discusses the matter with the family and places that child on the waiting list for an ASD diagnostic assessment.

Last weekend, a parent told me that she understood that more than 70 children are awaiting the ASD diagnostic process in Cavan-Monaghan. As we know, the diagnostic process requires assessment by a psychologist, a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist because the gathering and integration of information from multiple sources strengthens the validity of a diagnosis and age-differential diagnosis in young children. This parent was extremely well informed through interaction with other parents of children with autism and through different support groups. She told me that Enable Ireland would only have one whole-time equivalent psychologist post to meet the needs of 420 children across Cavan-Monaghan. If that figure is accurate, the Minister of State will see a huge deficit in that professional service. I have to accept the word of that well-informed parent who gave me that information. With such a limited resource, it is extremely difficult to work through that ASD waiting list in a timely manner while also trying to provide some psychology supports to the other children in the service and to provide support to preschools and schools attended by the children. There are huge demands on that professional service provided so well by Enable Ireland.

Service providers also have to deal with the assessment-of-need process. The relevant legislation requires that referrals received through the assessment-of-need process must be responded to and children must be assessed within a specific timeframe. When the local service providers try to respond to the needs of the children who are presented by parents or by schools and also through the assessment-of-need process, the service providers then have a huge difficulty. Do they only respond to the referrals that come by way of assessments of need, meaning that the other children's assessments will be delayed? There is a conflict and a difficulty for the service provider in the context of meeting the needs of the children while adhering to the timeframes set down in legislation.

Deputy Finian McGrath

I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this matter. On a recent visit to Monaghan, I met him and Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. I thank the people of the area, including many of the parents we met at the intellectual disabilities facility in Monaghan. I also saw examples of good practice in the Monaghan area. I was delighted to find that Monaghan is the only area in Ireland that does not have a congregated setting. All the settings are located in smaller community houses. It was a very important and historic day as far as I was concerned.

I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to the provision and development of services for children with special needs, and to improving access by these children to assessments and therapy services, in so far as is possible, within available resources. In the Cavan and Monaghan area, the school age team provide autism services to children aged between six and 18 years and Enable Ireland provides services to children from zero to six years old under the early intervention team. The autism spectrum disorder service within each team is multidisciplinary in nature.

Unfortunately, there are staff shortages in a number of disciplines, despite much effort going into filling these posts. Currently, there is only one senior clinical psychologist in post in the school-age team covering both counties. I accept the Deputy's point. As a result, the psychologist's capacity to meet the demand for assessment and intervention for children with autism is limited. The demand for this service continues to outweigh current capacity.

Recruitment for a second psychologist continues to be actively addressed as recruitment campaigns to date have proven unsuccessful. There is the gap in the system. I accept it is not acceptable and we have to ensure we fill that post. There are similar recruitment issues in the areas of speech and language therapy services, and in occupational therapy services. I assure the Deputy that the HSE is committed to fill these posts and reduce waiting times for assessments and therapies.

In the meantime, the Cavan-Monaghan disability services school-age team continually reviews existing waiting lists and is in the process of reconfiguring services to provide greater access for children requiring a multidisciplinary team autism assessment.

The HSE has recognised that early intervention services and services for school-aged children with disabilities need to be improved and organised more effectively and this process is well under way nationwide. The HSE's national programme on progressing disability services for children and young people from zero to 18 years aims to bring about equity of access to disability services and consistency of service delivery, with a clear pathway to services for children with disabilities and their families, regardless of where a family lives, what school the child attends or the nature of the individual child's difficulties.

The programme has entailed targeted investment of €14 million and the provision of 275 additional therapy staff, in order to increase services for children with all disabilities. In 2016, €4 million was provided under the HSE's national service plan to focus specifically on speech and language therapy waiting lists in primary care and social care for children up to 18 years old. This investment represents a long-term increase in speech and language capacity that is being maintained in 2017. It is acknowledged that waiting times to access required assessments are high in some areas, including Cavan-Monaghan. There has been continual additional investment in this area in order to support the HSE as it faces significant challenges in respect of meeting the statutory timeframes which apply to the assessment-of-need process.

Deputy Brendan Smith

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As he said, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and I had the pleasure of accompanying the Minister of State that evening in Clones when we met families and the support groups. Excellent work is being done by community groups throughout Cavan-Monaghan. The Minister of State would be very welcome to visit the area again. I know of his personal commitment to this area.

Whenever there is a shortage of resources there is a risk of creating a two-tier system whereby the children coming through the assessment-of-need option will be seen and the children being referred otherwise will not be seen. The danger with the lack of resources in Cavan-Monaghan is that Enable Ireland, as the service provider for children up to the age of six, could become an assessment service only and would not be in a position to provide the interventions and the services we all want to see provided for the children. We do not want Enable Ireland, for example, just to become an assessment service because it does its job so well and professionally in delivering services where it has the necessary resources.

I understand that in the Cavan-Monaghan area the number of children aged up to six years of age presenting to Enable Ireland has more than doubled since 2008, which indicates the demand for the services and the need for the additional resources for that area. All of us through our ongoing constituency work meet parents who are utterly frustrated. Neither the family development team with the HSE nor Enable Ireland is able to advise parents of when assessments will be carried out and this is adding to the difficulties and concerns of parents.

I welcome that the Minister of State will encourage the HSE to ramp up its efforts to recruit additional professional staff to try to ensure this is prioritised. It is much needed as he recognised in his contribution and as he will have heard from parents and support groups that evening in Clones.

Deputy Finian McGrath

I will not accept a two-tier system. However, I accept that we cannot have an assessment service only. We have to move on that. There are huge demands on existing services. As the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, it is my job to ensure we develop these services. As I explained earlier, we have a problem recruiting people. Unfortunately, the disability services have been drained over the past seven or eight years. We are now trying to catch up and reinvest.

Sadly, many of our speech and language therapists and educational psychologists have gone to other countries. We have an issue trying to fill posts, in this case in Cavan-Monaghan. My job is to get the HSE moving to fill the posts. I also accept the Deputy's point about the frustration of parents. Failure to intervene early will damage the children and will also cost more in terms of services.

The social care disability service plan for 2017 has a budget of €1.688 billion, an increase of 6% from last year. I accept that there are major problems, but we are trying to reinvest. I want to reform and focus on the person with the disability. That is my vision and strategy. Let us see if we can go ahead and do it.

Disabled Drivers Permits

Deputy John Lahart

I am grateful my topic was selected. I am not carrying a battering ram but actually ringing the doorbell to see if we can open a proper conversation on it. I want to see if there is any movement that can genuinely make a difference to the lives of some people, particularly older people, affected by this issue.

All Members will have occasional experience of this issue. I will not say there are queues outside constituency offices, but that makes it all the more important that we do not overlook it. I was dealing with the case of a constituent who was appealing a decision not to give her a disabled driver and passenger tax concession. Two years ago she appealed and did so again recently. She does not meet the strict criteria in place for the scheme from the medical board, which is acceptable. However, she has limited use of her limbs in being able to access her car. She does have some use of her, as she puts it, good right leg. Her left leg is only a balance, while her left hip to the knee is stiff at all times. The bottom line is that she is 83 years of age and her car is her lifeline to many activities in the community in which she is engaged. She cannot use public transport because of her inability to mount steps and high footpaths without the use of a stick. She cannot be the back seat passenger in a car because of the lowness and depth of the seats. She also has difficulties in negotiating the front passenger seat. At home, she has an electric stair lift, electronic bed and other aids. Maintaining her mobility and independence for as long as she can was her prime reason for her appeal which has been turned down on two occasions.

She appealed the decision to the Ombudsman, as she was advised to do when her first appeal was refused. I am raising the issue because her appeal was refused again in March 2015 and also because the Ombudsman’s advice is two years old. The Ombudsman effectively told her that there were criteria in place and that he could not help her. However, he is concerned that the scheme, as framed, is overly rigid and inflexible and may well be causing inequality. He has raised his concerns with the Department of Finance. While it has indicated that it does not propose to make further changes to the scheme in the immediate term, it has undertaken to consider the points raised by the Ombudsman. According to it, any possible change to the current eligibility criteria can only be made after careful consideration. That was two years ago. Where does it lie now? We were promised a review. The Ombudsman is concerned that the existing system is too rigid, not flexible and should be examined. The Department gave a commitment that it would be. Although it does not involve the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, will the Minister tell me what point we are at and what message on policy I can bring back to my elderly constituent who very much relies on her car for independence in life?

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Shane Ross)

I acknowledge the issue raised by the Deputy. While I obviously cannot comment on a specific case as I do not know the full details, I recognise the bona fides of what the Deputy has said and that there is a difficulty in the case. I am quite prepared to look at it in a different forum, in other words, not in a public forum, to see if anything can be done. What the Deputy is really saying is the criteria under the scheme are too strict such that it is impossible for some people who lack the necessary mobility to qualify to use disabled parking spaces.

The provisions on the use of the disabled parking permit scheme are set out in section 35 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 and the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (Sl 182 of 1997), as amended. The scheme is administered by the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association. The disabled parking permit is available to people living in Ireland whose mobility is severely and permanently restricted, whether they are drivers or passengers, and to people who are registered as being blind. The permit has been designed in accordance with EU legislation and is recognised in all EU member states. It is valid for two years from the date of issue.

In 2010 the Department conducted a review of the disabled parking scheme, in consultation with various stakeholders. One of the issues looked at was eligibility for the scheme. Disability groups, in particular, were unhappy at the fact that some people were being issued with disabled parking permits because they had a particular condition rather than a mobility impairment. For example, cardiac conditions which can severely limit mobility entitled people to a permit at the time but not all sufferers of the condition have a mobility impairment. As a result of the review, the scheme was revised in order that permits would be given based on the level of mobility impairment rather than diagnosis of a particular condition. It seems to be a fairly discretionary and subjective judgment. The medical criteria for issue of the permit are strict and only persons whose mobility is severely and permanently restricted qualify. The primary legislation for the purpose of issuing EU parking permits defines a disabled person as, “A person with a permanent condition or disability that severely restricts their ability to walk”. This definition was introduced into the Irish regulations by the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (Sl 239 of 2011).

Primary medical certificate holders are considered to qualify having already met the criteria and are only required to submit a copy of their certificate with their application form. Similarly, those who are visually impaired are only required to submit confirmation that they are registered as being blind with their application form. For all other applicants, a medical practitioner must complete the medical section of the application, describing the applicant’s level of mobility and certifying the accuracy of same. If the discs are to be provided for a wider group of people without further action, I fear there would be increased demand placed on the already limited number of parking spaces available. To that end, I have been actively involved in raising awareness of the unfairness of using such spaces where it is not justified. I also strongly support a recent Garda campaign to crack down on the fraudulent use of these spaces and permits.

In response to the case raised by the Deputy, I will write to my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, to consider directing local authorities to make provision for more parking spaces for disabled people. If we receive a positive response, I hope we will be able to give serious consideration to having more serious criteria which might embrace people in the category which the Deputy addressed.

My Department remains in ongoing contact with the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association. I remain open to considering any improvement to the scheme which may be needed in the future.

Deputy John Lahart

I thank the Minister for his reply. I initially said I was not coming with a battering ram precisely for the reasons the Minister has laid out, namely, that it is important to keep such schemes reasonably strict and confined so as not to have all and sundry seeking a disc or the scheme abused. While it was relatively liberal, there seems to have been a complete clawback.

What it does is exclude people like my 83 year old constituent who wrote to me in the most beautiful handwriting about how she manoeuvres herself on to the driver’s seat using the car door, steering wheel and inside roof grip. She uses her left hand and arm and her right leg and foot to lift her body into her driving position supported by a cushion for height and back support.

That is pretty challenging but rather than labour the issue here I wanted to raise it and to get an update from the Minister on the current position. He has given me an update and indicated he will take up the matter with his colleague, the Minister with responsibility for the environment. That would be a practical solution to examine but I might provide the details to the Minister separately. I would welcome some examination of this issue, particularly but not exclusively with respect to older people. It is about the people's quality of life when we consider this 83 year old, independent, single, widowed woman who depends on her car for her independence and to engage in her activities. Any slight flexibility in this scheme could provide a better quality of life for her and for other people in her position. I am grateful for the Minister's openness to address the issue and I will communicate with him further on the matter.

Deputy Shane Ross

I have very little to add except to say it might be more appropriate to give this specific case to the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, than to me but I would be quite happy to pass it to whoever is the right person and have it looked at. The Minister of State has just passed me a note stating he is working on a new motor transport Bill for 4,700 people with disabilities and it might be appropriate to be included in that as well. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, is not one who is shy of taking on issues of this sort and applying new criteria to the sort of issues the Deputy has raised.

I do not know if this is indiscreet but I will say it anyway. The case the Deputy has made seems to be a case of lack of mobility and in several instances a lack of mobility has been found not to be the case. Let us try to reconcile those but make sure that people who come into the category the Deputy mentioned, without being specific, are included in the future because if they are immobile, they should be entitled to park in these spaces. The idea of increasing the number of spaces will allow us to broaden the criteria.

Gaelscoil Issues

Deputy Noel Rock

This is an issue the Minister of State may not be fully aware of and I appreciate her taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. In effect, it concerns a school based on the edge of the Minister, Deputy Bruton's constituency of Dublin Bay North and my constituency of Dublin North-West. Gaelscoil Cholmcille on Oscar Traynor Road has applied for a developing school status, which would allow for an extra class in the school. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, had met representatives from the school who outlined the demand for an extra class this year and forthcoming school years. As the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, might be aware, there is a strong demand for Gaelscoileanna both across Dublin and throughout the State and the demand has increased in recent years.

According to a letter - which I have seen - from the Gaelscoil to a parent who is a constituent of mine, the Department has stated there are sufficient school places in the local area to cater for the demand. However, the school claims that these are not places in a Gaelscoil, which they are not, as there are no other local Gaelscoileanna. While there are places available for a child to enrol in a school, they are not available for the particular type of school in which the child wishes to enrol. While I fully appreciate that an assessment is ongoing in terms of the status of the school and the possibility of it opening a second stream of classes, however, schools such as Gaelscoil Cholmcille encourage the school experience through the Irish language, a love of learning, tradition and culture of this country. The option to send their child to such a school should be straightforward for parents, yet they face rejection letters consistently or are added to long waiting lists.

Allied to this, another aspect was brought to my attention when I met one parent whose child was rejected for class enrolment. The parent had paid for basic Irish lessons in order that their child could be up to speed in the language going into the school. A great many parents may not be proficient in the Irish language and Irish may not be spoken in the home but they have the aspiration for their children to speak the language and a great grá for it. Even if they do not speak it, they want their children to speak it. That is admirable and it means that parents who want their children to go to a Gaelscoil incur an expense perhaps in advance of applying for enrolment to a Gaelscoil and this should also be acknowledged.

The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is trying to confront the issue of more diverse education choices being available to parents and he must be commended on that work to date. Since my election in Dublin North-West, I have witnessed an Educate Together secondary school opening, which is great. We have not had that choice before. Plurality of choice is a very good thing in education. We also have had a commitment of a primary school to accommodate prospective pupils in the Finglas west and south areas with the patronage currently open for tender, for which there are a number of different bidders from different school backgrounds. While these schools are most welcome in these areas, I still believe there is more to be done, which is something with which I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton, would agree.

Census 2011 showed that 14,000 of the population of Dublin city identified as a daily Irish speaker. This shows there is still a clear appetite for our national language in the capital. I imagine we will see an increase in that number when we receive the full final published results of census 2016.

While I fully understand why a parent would wish to have their child immersed in our national language from such an early age, I fully believe that in recent years we have perhaps lost touch with our national language, something which many young parents, in particular, are trying to rectify. The Government should commit to assist this wave of education in the Irish language. I hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and his Department will continue their fine work in opening up the education system.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Catherine Byrne)

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. I thank Deputy Rock for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the current position relating to Gaelscoil Cholmcille. For the Deputy's information, I will outline the background to the establishment of Gaelscoil Cholmcille. It is recognised by the Department as a co-educational single-stream primary school catering for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The current staffing at the school is a principal plus nine mainstream teachers and two permanent resource teachers. Due to the number of pupils enrolled, the school currently has a staffing complement of nine mainstream teachers. However, it continues to be recognised as a single-stream school by the Department.

In 2007, the Department agreed to buy a 2.7 acre site from Dublin City Council to provide accommodation for the school. Planning permission was granted in 2007 to construct a two-storey building containing 12 classrooms and ancillary accommodation. The Department constructed the new school on this site at a cost of almost €1.4 million and the building was occupied in April 2008. All statutory approvals, including planning permission, were secured for the development. The planning permission granted does not limit the period that the structure is allowed to stay in place. The expected lifespan of the school building is in excess of 25 to 30 years. More recently, the school has written to the Department seeking permission to develop the school to a two-stream 16-classroom school. This would require the construction of an additional eight classrooms. The school is making the case that it wishes to accommodate all applicants, as well as those children who may potentially emerge from the proposed residential development on the Dublin City Council lands at Oscar Traynor Road.

I wish to inform the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, recently met representatives of the school relating to the matter. Following this meeting, the Minister requested his Department to re-examine the demographic pressures in the catchment area. This work is now under way. This will involve examining future trends in enrolments in the school planning area, which includes Gaelscoil Cholmcille, and assessing the availability of capacity in all of the existing schools in the area.

Deputy Noel Rock

I thank the Minister of State for the response and for taking the time to come into the House to address this important issue. She referred to demographic pressures.

This school in effect straddles two constituencies: Dublin North-West and Dublin Bay North. In its back garden, in effect, is a large brownfield site ripe for development. It is quite clear that this will see development most likely through 2018 and 2019 and therefore the demographic pressures in this area and on this school will continue to increase. Both constituencies at large are subject to huge population growth. My own is one of the fastest growing in the country, so I can clearly see the case and can clearly see that this is now in process. The Minister has met with representatives of the school and parents whose children attend it and I can see that he is listening to them. I therefore appreciate the contribution of the Minister of State on behalf of the Department on this occasion. I will continue to do my work on behalf of the parents and those concerned in the area in respect of the school. I thank the Minister of State for her contribution. Perhaps I will raise the matter again in the future.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

Again, I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the position regarding Gaelscoil Cholmcille. I understand perfectly well where the Deputy is coming from and the real need to give parents choices in the education of their children. Because Gaelscoileanna all across the country have become very popular in the past number of years, particularly in the Dublin region, there is probably a need to develop further from the current position. Regarding the Minister's commitment on the demographic demands, as he outlined, he has met the school principal and they are looking to re-examine the demographic pressures in the catchment area. As Deputy Rock said, this is now on the way. I hope there will be a greater response to his question in the future and that the Minister will be able to fill him in on time as the weeks go on.

Deputy Noel Rock

There is a clear acknowledgement of the future pressures that might build up here. The work the Minister, Deputy Bruton, is doing in general is encouraging, but it is great to see in this specific case that he and the Department are planning for the future and considering this in a holistic, cohesive manner. The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, would be familiar with the great groundswell of enthusiasm for the Irish language which is building right across the State, certainly within Dublin. Dublin South-Central and Dublin North-West have become areas of great groundswell for the language. I appreciate the Minister of State's honest response to the question and thank her for it.