Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 May 2014

Adjournment Matters

Job Creation

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá mé thar a bheith buíoch dó as teacht isteach ar an gceist seo. I am very grateful the Minister is present. The reason I raise the issue is that, anecdotally, we all sense that employment in rural areas has been particularly affected in recent years. There is a certain sense that the employment rate nationally and even in the regions is improving but figures in the quarterly national household survey, QNHS, recently revealed the real picture, namely, a decrease in the labour force in various regions, in particular more rural ones. For example, in the midlands region from quarter 1 of 2012 to the end of last year there was a decrease from 129,000 to 128,600. In the west the decrease was from 211,200 to 204,800. In the mid-east the decrease was from 262,000 to 254,000. That gives an indication that the labour force in rural areas is decreasing. One must also consider that the figures for the west include statistics for Galway city where there have been certain successes in terms of employment. However, as someone who speaks on rural issues regularly I am aware that rural areas find it difficult to maintain population levels.

My question for the Minister relates to the agencies under the remit of his Department and the specific targets they have to create employment in rural areas. We had an interesting debate about Forfás, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Certain successes are evident in the figures we discussed. IDA Ireland's target for creating more than 50% of jobs outside of Cork and Dublin was not met. It has been difficult to create jobs even in bigger towns around the country. How does the Government plan to rejuvenate rural areas, create employment there and keep people living in rural communities?

Údarás na Gaeltachta does not come specifically under the Minister’s remit but it is a Gaeltacht-based development agency. It is having particular difficulties because its funding has been reduced from €28 million in 2008 to €5.6 million. It is trying to create employment in Gaeltacht areas. Certain protocols are in place with the Department to the effect that if Údarás comes across a project or develops one which might be based in a Gaeltacht, capital funding will be provided. There have been a number of successes in that regard. The Mylan project was announced recently. Notwithstanding that, my understanding is that Údarás na Gaeltachta does have a number of shovel-ready projects where the groundwork has been done and employment could be created but the next step is required.

The Minister mentioned in the previous debate that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has allowed Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to take on extra staff at the coalface but the Údarás has not been given similar powers. Notwithstanding the difficulties experienced by Údarás na Gaeltachta, the most telling example I could give – Senator Cáit Keane could relate to it – of the success or otherwise of Údarás vis-à-vis other rural areas is Connemara. Even with its faults Údarás na Gaeltachta has done a very good job of creating employment in rural areas in south Connemara but as soon as one goes to north Connemara it is barren from the point of view of industrial development. If it were not for tourism there would be very little there.

We need a rethink in how we approach job creation in rural areas. I look forward to hearing exactly what targets each of the agencies within the Minister’s remit have and what the Government’s strategy is to ensure rural areas get the jobs they need.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Richard Bruton)

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. It is a continuing challenge to get regional spread. We are in a major transition. I was just looking at the figures for the west published by the Central Statistics Office from the census and there was a 60% reduction between 2006 and 2011 in the number of people employed in construction, amounting to a loss of 15,000 jobs. That is evidence of the significant downward suck that happened across the country. The sector had great regional spread. The challenge is to build new sectors that can get the same regional spread. It is challenging, especially when one looks at IDA Ireland, which tends to be focused on highly mobile sectors. The investments we are chasing tend to be focused on sectors with very deep labour pool needs connected to education and hubs. That has been a real challenge to try to get the spread.

We have done interesting things. For example, IDA Ireland has focused more on emerging companies and trying to get companies to make their first internationalisation into Ireland rather than trying to attract the big iconic names. That has been successful and has resulted in somewhat better regional spread. Connect Ireland is another initiative we took which seeks to use the contacts of people within the regions to act as a magnet. We have been taking a number of initiatives. This year is better in terms of regional spread than last year but it is still well short of the 50% target set for IDA Ireland.

If one takes the west as a whole, in the three years from 2008 to 2010, IDA Ireland lost 1,600 jobs while in 2011 to 2013 it added 3,500. That is a big turnaround. Enterprise Ireland similarly lost 2,000 jobs in the first period and added 500 in the second three-year period. We are getting traction in some sectors in particular. Food has been doing exceptionally well and has a very good regional spread. If one looks at the QNHS figures to which Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh referred one will see there has been solid growth in most regions and it has been spread through all the sectors. Some of it is on-farm and more is in the food sector. There is growth in the food sector and there is very strong growth in the tourism sector which again has given good regional spread.

The question on how we achieve a better regional spread is not just one for IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland – the industrial agencies – it is also for those other sectors that are often major areas of competitive strength. We are seeking to develop a regional enterprise framework now that we have the local enterprise offices in place. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland have regional offices and it is timely to create a regional enterprise framework through which we can engage with stakeholders in whichever region to see how we can maximise effort. It will not all fall within our remit but it will play a part. Much of what we seek to do is aimed at small start-ups such as are funded by Microfinance Ireland and local enterprise offices. Those are initiatives through which we seek to give life to both rural and urban areas. This year one area of focus is to incentivise people to trade online in order to get customers, as that could be a lifeline for more remote areas where one has good skills or product capability.

There have been successes like the announcement last week by Green Isle Foods in Longford, which is very much rooted in the rural economy. We will seek to continue to build on those strengths.

Our targets are sectoral, in the sense of seeking to develop different sectors of the economy, and the regional spread comes with that. We have regional offices, each of which is charged with developing and maximising the impact it can make on companies. This year, as Members know, as part of our focus on manufacturing, we are asking our agencies to focus on 200 companies which have the capacity to step up. Every regional office will be looking at companies in its area to see if they have the capacity to step up, enter new markets and build their capabilities. We are seeking to deliver a regional spread through a number of initiatives. However, I will not say that I am expecting "X" number of jobs from this or that county. It is not really realistic to work that way. That said, if we can get a regional framework in place, we can monitor the progress and look at the opportunities in collaboration with other players in the region. I hope to develop a better framework to address the issues raised by the Senator.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

I thank the Minister and appreciate what he has just said. It does strike me, though, with respect, that if there is to be a regeneration of rural areas, then the Minister needs to drive it a little bit more from a rural perspective. If these regional enterprise frameworks are being developed in conjunction with the agencies, it would be useful to give them targets for rural areas. I do not think it will happen unless that is done. We know it is not easy but unless that happens, we will see a continual sucking of people from rural areas into the urban centres. That will have a snowball effect on rural shops, schools and so forth. Therefore, from an industrial development perspective, it would be very useful if the Minister considered the possibility of regional targets for rural areas. The Department must focus on what can be done to create employment in rural Ireland.

Deputy Richard Bruton

We have established our community enterprise centres, numbering 115 across the country. However, we respond to entrepreneurs coming forward with their ideas. We cannot grow entrepreneurs or enterprises in particular areas. We can try to provide facilities in different areas so that anyone who is emerging can get support. If Enterprise Ireland has a competitive start in a region but does not get applicants, it cannot create them. We try to develop the infrastructure and the opportunities but we depend on people coming forward. In that context, setting targets might be unrealistic. That said, I see no reason we should not be looking for a 25% increase in start-ups. I will be asking for that kind of target to be delivered right across the country. That is a realistic way to look at it. Start-ups are the drivers; therefore, if we can deliver that through the LEO and Enterprise Ireland network, we will make real progress. If we then see that certain regions are not achieving, we can look at the reasons and try to learn from this. I take the Senator's point but we cannot start from a high target and work down. We must build the base and support the enterprises that are coming forward and then try continually to do better on the back of that base.

Housing for People with Disabilities

Acting Chairman (Senator Michael Mullins)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. Before I call Senator Mary Moran, I would like to remind her that persons outside the House should not be referred to by name or in such a way as to make them identifiable.

Senator Mary Moran

I thank the Minister of State for dealing with this Adjournment matter. The case I wish to refer to concerns an individual who had an accident several years ago and who had to have a battery pack inserted into her back to stimulate her nerve endings. She suffers from severe and chronic pain and her condition is consistently deteriorating. She has now reached the stage where she cannot get up the stairs. She is a single mother of two. She cannot climb the stairs and is a prisoner in her own home. I fully support her application for a housing transfer, as does her medical team. It is imperative that something is done for her.

I have been making representations to the county council on her behalf for over seven months. The council has replied to the effect that it will look into the matter but that no funding is available. An occupational therapist has visited the woman and has agreed that she needs to go on the medical transfer list. The council has accepted this but has said that it does not have money or a suitable house to move her into. I have seen this lady's condition deteriorate rapidly in the past couple of months and she is now in hospital in Dublin. The battery pack is no longer working and she will undergo a six-to-seven hour surgical procedure to have it removed. When it is removed, she will not be able to move. She no longer has the power in her legs to move. When she goes back home, she will be even more debilitated. It is absolutely dreadful. She has two young sons - one in national school and the other half way through secondary school - who she relies on, along with other family members, to lift her to get to the bathroom. She spends an awful lot of her day lying on a couch. This is an urgent case.

This individual is suffering every single day because her current accommodation is wholly unsuited to her needs but there is a lack of suitable accommodation into which she can be transferred. She has said that she will go anywhere if she can have a home in which she can be as independent as possible. In a recent letter to Louth County Council a consultant wrote that she needs to be accommodated in a bungalow, that is, in single-storey accommodation, because she has "significant distress" from climbing stairs, mobilising or walking on anything other than the flat. He pointed out that she suffers severe, chronic pain on a daily basis and that without a change in her accommodation, she is likely to become more severely disabled. This is a recommendation from a consultant anaesthetist and pain specialist in a hospital in Dublin.

Not providing this individual with appropriate accommodation and not making her a priority case means that her physical condition will continue to deteriorate rapidly. Every week I receive phone calls from her during which she cries in pain. I feel so helpless and am at my wit's end telling her every week that I will phone the council again. I have phoned the council repeatedly and am sure that the staff are doing what they can but I cannot tell this lady to hold on any longer because I have been telling her that for the last eight months. This situation is taking a significant emotional toll on her family. Imagine being a prisoner in one's own home and dreading having to go near the stairs. This is an unhealthy situation, not only for the woman herself but for her two young children. These boys are under unnecessary strain.

For the past seven months I have been witness to the unnecessary stress and hardship that has been caused to this lady and her family. I believe I must raise this case at national level because I have exhausted all of the normal channels at a local level in seeking resolution to this matter. This person cannot wait any longer for a transfer and swift action is needed. I look forward to the Minister of State's response. I appreciate the work the Minister of State is doing in this area and welcome her recent announcements about bringing boarded-up houses back into use and so forth. In this particular case, it seems that there is no single-storey house available. There are many other cases of housing need I could bring to the attention of the Minister of State but this one is at crisis point. I would appreciate the advice of the Minister of State on the matter.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

I thank the Senator for raising a very difficult situation for a lady who is in great pain and difficulty. Unfortunately, as Minister of State, I am precluded under housing legislation from intervening in individual housing cases and therefore the issue must be dealt with by the local authority in according with its allocation scheme. While I take the point that there is a national responsibility in terms of my allocating funding generally, an individual allocation must be done by the local authority. Under section 63 of the Local Government Act 1991, a local authority is, subject to law, independent in the performance of its functions. The law on the allocation of local authority housing is section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated regulations, for which I, as Minister, have responsibility.

In accordance with the legislation, the elected council members set down council policy on the allocation of local authority housing in its allocation scheme. This policy-making power extends to determining the order of priority in accordance with which dwellings are allocated by the authority and reserving a proportion of dwellings for allocation, among other things, to different classes of household. It is the job of the manager of the local authority to make allocations, including decisions on transfers for existing local authority tenants, in accordance with the scheme. In this connection, the allocation scheme adopted by Dundalk Town Council provides that transfer applications will be considered in situations where a transfer would relieve a serious medical condition, such as in this case, including physical or mental disability.

Section 22 of the 2009 Act provides that the manager of a local authority may disregard the order of priority given to a household under an allocation scheme where the household is being provided with social housing support arising from specified exceptional circumstances, including exceptional medical or compassionate grounds. Section 22 of the 2009 Act empowers the Minister to direct a housing authority to change an allocation scheme and to issue directions to a housing authority regarding the operation of its allocation scheme. However, the enactment specifically provides that the latter power shall not be construed or operate to enable the Minister to direct the allocation of a dwelling to a specific household.

In view of the legal position I have outlined, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the facts of any particular request for a transfer to another local authority dwelling in order to avoid any suggestion that the Minister is intervening in the case. The Senator has described a very difficult situation. She is probably aware that I allocated funding last week and one of the categories for it was people with a disability. Although the power to allocate is, unfortunately, with the local authority, I hope this issue will be resolved.

Senator Mary Moran

I was fully aware that the Minister of State cannot comment on individual cases. Given that I have been told the local authority does not have bungalow accommodation, can funding be made available to buy some? I have tried to get figures on the number of houses that are out. The money allocated last week for housing for people with disabilities was also for people with intellectual disabilities, comprising eight units. This lady is not the only one. I talk to the county council on a weekly basis and receive the same answer. In the long run it will cost more money because this lady's mental and physical health, as well as that of her family, will be affected. I have come to a dead end and I do not know where to take it from here.

Deputy Jan O'Sullivan

Whenever I can get my hands on money for housing I allocate it as quickly as possible.

Senator Mary Moran

I appreciate that.

Deputy Jan O'Sullivan

In all cases, whatever the heading is for the funding the local authorities send me their priorities and we allocate wherever we can, particularly where there are large demands. As soon as I have funding again I will allocate it in accordance with the requests that come from the various local authorities. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the particular case.

Child Care Services Provision

Senator Katherine Zappone

I welcome the Minister. I raise the very important matter of a decision by the management of Tallaght hospital to close the hospital's crèche. This decision, if not reversed, will cause undue hardship to the staff who work in the hospital and who have provided a first class service to the local community. I call on the Minister to meet the hospital management and find a solution to this unacceptable situation which is causing significant stress for the parents who work there.

The Small World crèche has been operating in the hospital for more than 11 years during which time it has provided a valuable service for hundreds of families of staff. It is an integral aspect of the hospital's necessary infrastructure because it allows working parents to access excellent quality child care and do their difficult jobs with the peace of mind that their children are being well provided and cared for. It is a model of best practice in that it provides an on-site crèche that allows hospital staff to work. We should encourage and promote this model of child care in other hospitals and workplaces rather than shut it down.

Out of the blue, without consultation, discussion or agreement the management of the hospital advised the crèche on Wednesday, 14 May 2014 of its intention to close the crèche on 29 August 2014. Although one reason given was the fact that new regulations are to come from Tusla for 2015, they have not even been published and will afford organisations at least six to 12 months to achieve compliance. A financial reason given was the fact that there was a short loss. Infrastructural reasons were also given, although the crèche occupies one of the best portacabins on the hospital site. A significant concern to parents is that ten children are due to commence their early childhood care and education, ECCE, year in the Small World crèche in 2014 and if it closes in August they will probably not find places in other settings in Tallaght. I urge the Minister to assist parents working in Tallaght Hospital to find a solution to the unacceptable situation.

Senator Cáit Keane

I welcome the Minister. I have spoken to him and the Minister for Health about this before. This is closing a crèche by e-mail. No parents have seen the report by Canavan and Byrne, only the board of management has seen it. Will the Minister ask for a copy of the report? What is in it? I visited the crèche and there is no reason it should close. The Child and Family Agency inspected it in August 2012 and there was no reason for it to close. As Senator Katherine Zappone said, it is due to close on 29 August. This must be halted and will not close without a fight.

Senator Katherine Zappone has outlined the benefits of child care, which I will not enumerate because time is limited. A parent has advised me she will have to quit her nursing job in the hospital. She starts at 8 a.m. and must be on the road by 6 a.m. Where would she find a crèche open at that time? Many feasibility studies have been done, but I am asking the Minister to ensure monetary and social issues are taken into consideration, for example the hospital may have to replace staff. The auditors charged the crèche €1,500 to audit its books, which it could have had audited for €1,000. Such things must be made easier.

Feasibility is about people, not just money. It is difficult enough for parents, particularly mothers as they mostly look after the children, to go out to work and leave their children anywhere. We should not make it more difficult to balance work and home care. Will the Minister meet them immediately? There will be a board meeting tomorrow. While the Minister will probably not be able to attend, the date of 29 August is urgent. The Child and Family Agency has examined the crèche.

There is no reason for it to close. I have looked at the crèche and at the inspection. With regard to the monetary element, when I visited the hospital I noticed a lot of new build. I want the question asked and answered whether it will be moved. It is in a portacabin to allow a new build ambulatory care unit to go in there. If it is, I ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Minister for Health to get in touch with someone to get an inbuilt, purpose-built crèche in any new build in the hospital. I had one incorporated in South Dublin County Council 20 years ago and it is still there. It works well for the staff there. Happy staff are good staff and they are more productive. All these issues must be taken into account, including those with long commutes. I ask the Minister to do his best.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Charles Flanagan)

I thank the Senators for raising the matter. I have been discussing the matter with Senator Cáit Keane and I am happy to respond to Senator Zappone, who raised the issue in the House. Almost all of the early years services in this country are provided by either private commercial or community not-for-profit providers. A small number of these services are provided in workplace locations.

In general, private and community child care facilities are developed in response to the needs of the local community. Child care services in workplace developments result from an agreement between employers and employees to put in place a child care facility that is conveniently located and which addresses the child care needs of the parents who are part of the workforce. The ongoing viability of such enterprises is a matter between the employer and the facility management. In this case, I understand a sub-committee of the hospital board of management is responsible for governance decisions about the service.

A number of representations have been made to my Department by parents who use the facility at Tallaght hospital about the proposed closure of the facility. I must inform the Senator that my Department has no responsibility for the sustainability of commercial or community crèches or those facilities established specifically to meet the child care needs of a particular workforce. Representations made to my Department have suggested the proposed changes to the child care regulations will impose additional costs on child care providers and that this is a factor in the proposed decision to close this facility. This was mentioned with Senator Katherine Zappone in respect of compliance with regulations. I am not sure if she makes a valid point.

There have been a number of amendments to the Child Care Act 1991 which were introduced to underpin a number of key reforms being implemented as part of the preschool quality agenda. The amended legislation aims to strengthen the current inspection regime, provides a statutory basis for the registration of early years services, and also provides for the setting of minimum qualification standards for staff working with children in early years services. To provide for the implementation of the changes to the Child Care Act, it will be necessary to amend or make additions to the child care regulations and these are currently being finalised. It is not intended to impose any additional costs on services as a result of the new regulations, other than an increase in the annual fee payable by services to the early years inspectorate. In the case of the facility in Tallaght hospital, the increase in the fee payable is expected to be in the region of €80 per annum.

Mandatory training qualifications for staff working with children in early years services are being introduced. Legislative provision for these mandatory qualifications has been made and it has been announced that, from September 2015, all staff caring for children in preschool services will be required to have a training qualification in early childhood care and education at level 5 on the national qualifications framework. This requirement will apply to staff in new services from September of this year. In order to enable existing child care staff to upskill to meet the increased qualification requirements, a new learner fund has been put in place. Funding of €3 million has been committed over the two years 2014-15. More than 2,200 child care staff have applied for funding and a range of accredited training providers have been identified to provide the required training courses.

Considerable capital funding was made available to develop child care infrastructure in this country in the period up until 2009, with approximately €425 million in capital grants approved. This investment has ensured that there are now sufficient child care places available to meet current child care needs. There are some 4,500 preschool services operating across the State and providing the free preschool year programme. The South Dublin County Childcare Committee, which is funded by my Department to provide support for parents and child care services, is well positioned to offer advice and support and I know that it has been engaging with the Tallaght facility since the proposed closure was announced. The committee has established that there are sufficient child care places in the local area to accommodate the children if the closure proceeds. I acknowledge the Senators' point about the quality of child care available on site at Tallaght hospital. I agree with Senator Katherine Zappone that it is a first-class crèche and I acknowledge, as she did, the valuable role of the staff and all involved with the unit. While I am sympathetic to the fact that the parents who have been using the service would like to be in a position to continue doing so, the service is privately operated and I am not in a position to intervene in the closure.

Senator Katherine Zappone

I thank the Minister for his response. With regard to sustainability, strictly speaking, the Minister is not responsible for sustainability, but the issue is rampant throughout the provision of child care places throughout the country. It may require more closures than in this instance. The Department must keep its eye on the issue. My comments emphasise that it is a good model because it is onsite in the workplace and I encourage the Minister to think about that in terms of the development of child care facilities in the future, including in the context of his policies.

One of the Minister's final points was that the South Dublin County Childcare Committee has established that there are sufficient places to accommodate the children if the closure proceeds. While that may be the case in principle and strictly speaking, the parents have lined up their children for early year places next year and, given that the closure will happen prior to that, if children are not the list they will not receive the early years care. In fact, that point may not be true in the case of these particular children.

I take the point that the Minister cannot intervene. The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, said that she cannot intervene because it is against legislation and I do not know whether there is legislation in this case but some form of effort from the Minister to offer support could be useful in order that management engages with parents.

Senator Cáit Keane

I ask the Minister to ask his Department about one of the reasons I was given by the parents. The crèche is using the new child care regulations to close and that must be contradicted. I am trained in inspecting crèches and I know what is needed. I visited the crèche and I contacted the agency. It is passing and it will pass the new regulations. It is up to the Minister to ensure it does not use that as an excuse to close it if is viable in monetary terms. It sends the wrong message.

Deputy Charles Flanagan

I will certainly take on board the point about the evidence in the matter of the regulations. The matter was mentioned by both Senators. I am not satisfied it is the case but if the Senators have evidence in that regard I will be glad to receive it.

My Department funds the South Dublin County Childcare Committee and I will make contact with the committee in order to see whether matters can be advanced. I take on board the point that management should be invited to engage directly with those involved and I would like to see it happening. I take on board the point made in general terms, which specifically applies in the matter of the new build, that there should be purpose-built crèche facilities in any new build. I am not in a position to give the House information on plans and specifications in developments for Tallaght hospital, but I am happy to make inquiries in that regard. I agree with the principle that there should be onsite child care facilities available in the form of a crèche in centres of employment such as Tallaght hospital. I will assist in any way, notwithstanding the fact that it is not appropriate for me to intervene in a matter that is not directly funded by, or related to, my Department.

It would not be appropriate for me to intervene in a matter that is not directly related to my Department. In the context of private or not-for-profit crèche facilities, I do not have a positive role to play in terms of interventions or mandatory decisions. Having said that, I take on board what the Senators have said and I know from representations I have received that this is a very important issue, not only in the hospital but in the community at large. I will address the points raised and communicate directly with both Senators.

Visa Applications

Senator Colm Burke

I welcome the Minister to deal with this matter. I wish to raise the issuing of visas to persons who wish to enter the country and in particular, the issuing of three-month visas. The specific case I raise concerns a married couple who are both registrars in hospitals in Cork. They have senior positions as registrars and are crucial to the provision of health care services in the hospitals in which they work. As the Minister is aware, the HSE is finding it extremely difficult to recruit staff at the moment, with over 250 consultant posts vacant, as well as a large number of NCHD posts vacant. Many of those posts are being filled by agency doctors. These doctors are not agency doctors and are committed to this country, having lived here for a considerable period of time. They are providing a very valuable service to the health care sector. They have two young children and the woman wants her father to be able to come to Ireland to stay with the family and give them support but all he can get is a three-month visa. He received a letter recently from the embassy in New Delhi declining his application for a visa.

The family would have no difficulty if a six-month visa was issued - that is manageable. However, in the context of travelling from India to Ireland, a three-month visa is not cost-effective. It is not that the couple want him to come here to provide child care - they already have an au pair doing that. They just want extra support for the family unit but the system as it currently exists is not accommodating them. I ask that the system be reviewed. At a time when we cannot get medical practitioners to come here to work, we should not be putting obstacles in peoples' way which will discourage them from staying here and prevent them from getting family support when they need it. In this case, the children are both under five. The woman wants her father to be allowed to stay for a decent period of time and I ask that the matter be examined.

Deputy Charles Flanagan

I speak on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, and thank the Senator for raising this issue. As the Senator will be aware, the Minister's predecessor published a detailed policy document on the matter of family reunification as it applies to non-EEA nationals at the end of last year. The document set out the various factors that arise in considering applications to come to Ireland from people whose families are already resident here, either as Irish nationals or lawfully present non-EEA nationals. The document emphasised the importance of striking a balance between the interests of the applicant family on the one hand and public policy on the other. Economic considerations are a key element of this and will inform immigration policy generally and also individual decisions made in respect of specific cases. This sort of consideration is common to all jurisdictions.

There are essentially two categories of family-related immigration. One is where the person wishes to come to Ireland and live with a family member. The other relates to visitors who wish to spend some time here with family and then return home. The policy document sets out in detail the conditions applicable to residence applications from family members, including dealing with the level of income the sponsor must have to support family. In effect, a green card holder or a full-time non-locum hospital doctor can be joined immediately by his or her spouse or partner and children. There are more restrictive conditions applicable to cases where the residence application is in respect of elderly dependent relatives, in particular parents. The onus must be on the family to show that there is no viable alternative to the parents coming to Ireland to live. In reality, such alternatives are very often available, for example, where the parent has the financial resources to meet their needs and is physically capable of independent living; where other family members are in the country and capable of providing support or where home care can be funded by the Irish resident through remittances.

Visitors are limited to 90-day stays in Ireland. If they wish to stay longer than this and are permitted to do so, they are required to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau, GNIB. This becomes a form of temporary residence. This scenario may arise in family cases where a parent wishes to spend a number of months here, following the birth of a grandchild, for example. It is also recognised that family members embarking on a long journey may not be able to do so very often and may wish to spend an extended period in Ireland.

The policy document indicated that consideration will be given to establishing a form of immigration status that would make it easier for visitors to obtain an extension of their stay - for example to 180 days - without conferring either residency rights or any expectation thereof. The status would be that of extended visitor and the holder would have no entitlements to State services, irrespective of the duration of the stay. While the policy document indicated that legislative change might be required to cater for this form of status and that work still needs to be done in this regard, there is scope within the current system for allowing stays of more than 90 days but with a requirement to register with the GNIB.

If the Senator has a case in mind - his contribution indicates that he does - it would be advisable for the person seeking to come to Ireland on an extended but finite visit to indicate this clearly when applying for a visa and also to communicate this at the point of entry to the immigration officer on duty. A key factor in any decision is that the visa or immigration officer is satisfied that the applicant will return home at the end of the period indicated. In that respect, the authorities also have to be satisfied that the person will not be a burden on the State in terms of health, welfare or both.

I am informed that the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is happy to discuss specific cases with the Senator and to advise him as to the available options. Where cases have special humanitarian aspects, these will always be considered in an appropriate manner and in that respect the Senator is invited to make such details known to the Immigration Service in order that matters may be advanced.

I again thank the Senator for raising this issue.

Senator Colm Burke

I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive reply. As I said, this person is not looking for residency status and has no intention of staying here long term. His grandchildren are in their early years and need his support. The possibility of extending the visa beyond 90 days has not been suggested to the family. In fact, the application for a visa of any description was turned down. I am bewildered as to why we are not accommodating two people who are making a major contribution to the health service here. I intend to take the case up directly with the Department. I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive reply. I believe we must consider this issue carefully. A three-month visa for someone travelling from a country as far away as India is not adequate, especially in the context of our current difficulties with recruiting doctors. These two doctors have suggested to me that they are considering moving to the United Kingdom, which will result in another two vacancies in the health service. Government Departments need to co-operate in matters such as this rather than applying black and white rules. This issue must be examined further. I again thank the Minister for his response.

Deputy Charles Flanagan

I am sure the Senator was not expecting that I would have the details of the case to which he referred, but I thank him for raising the matter. As I stated, anybody wishing to stay in this jurisdiction for a period longer than the standard 90-day period can make such an application which requires registration with the GNIB. This, in effect, is a temporary form of residence. The specific case adverted to by the Senator mentions grandchildren. I assume on the basis of the reply before me that the case mentioned by the Senator would receive consideration under the new application regulations.

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. I advise him to make direct contact with the appropriate authorities in the hope matters may be advanced. If he has further difficulty in that regard, I trust he may make direct contact with the Minister for Justice and Equality.

The Seanad adjourned at 2.10 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 4 June 2014.