Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Apr 2015

Vol. 239 No. 10

Commencement Matters

Wind Energy Generation

Senator John Whelan

I welcome the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, as the line Minister dealing with this matter. He has been very receptive at all times on the issues and concerns I have raised with him about the development of wind farms across the country. He has met groups directly and listened to them. More recently while in Edenderry and Mount Lucas, County Offaly he stopped and engaged with people who were protesting. I share their concerns. We are not altogether convinced that the submissions and representations they have made have managed to penetrate the policy perspective.

I do not wish to be presumptuous, but it is my understanding that the Department may not have been represented at the wind turbine noise conference this week in Glasgow. I await the Minister's reply in that regard. I had hoped a representative of the Department, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government which also has a role in the matter or the Department of Health would attend the conference to take on board the latest scientific research and data in this sector because they are constantly evolving. It is a relatively new phenomenon as we have never had industrial wind farms of this size. It is my view and that of communities throughout the country that we should take a cautious and precautionary approach.

It is important to indicate that it is unhelpful that the State does not use the LAeq system for measuring decibel and noise levels, as happens in Canada and Australia and recommended by the World Health Organization. There is an emerging body of scientific evidence - it is not hearsay - underpinning the view that increased noise levels for families living within a range of 2 km from industrial wind farms are at least a nuisance and can have a detrimental effect on their quality of life.

It is argued that the noise is not loud. However, just because we cannot hear it with the naked ear does not mean that there is no infrasound, a constant invasive and persistent vibration with which people have to live. There is no escape from it. It is not even wise to compare it to traffic and other background noises because there is no escape from a wind farm once it is established near one's home. The noise is most intrusive, invasive and potentially damaging at night time when all other background noises fall away.

We were told in the past that cigarettes and asbestos were not harmful and we did not always know about the harmful effects of exposure to X-rays and other forms of radiation. I want to ensure the concerns about decibel levels experienced by those who live in the proximity of wind farms are fully taken into account when the new regulations are introduced. It is more than two and a half years since Senator John Kelly and I introduced wind farm set-back legislation and we have been awaiting publication of the new guidelines for more than one year. I would like to hear the Minister's opinion on the extent to which noise pollution and the potential health impacts will be factored into the guidelines.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Alex White)

Neither I nor my Department was represented at the conference to which the Senator referred. I did not receive an invitation to the event. I examined the organisers' publicity materials after receiving notice of this matter and now understand the objective of the conference was to discuss problems and solutions associated with wind turbine noise. The House will be aware that the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, is reviewing the 2006 wind energy guidelines. These revisions will be finalised as soon as possible and brought forward by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. Wind farm developments are subject to the Planning Acts, including their requirements for public consultation. Consequently, a proposal to build a wind farm is a matter for the developer and the relevant planning authority.

It is also important to note that the 2009 EU renewable energy directive gave Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to producing 40% of electricity from renewable sources. The 2030 EU climate and energy framework will require significant further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and increases in renewable energy production. My Department is working with other Departments to develop a technically feasible, cost effective and fair contribution to the overall EU ambition. I intend at an early opportunity to publish a draft renewable electricity policy and development framework to facilitate opportunities for renewable electricity generation. My officials are also well advanced in the drafting of an energy White Paper for publication in September. The challenge of tackling global warming will be at the heart of our energy policy for the next generation, with the issues of affordability and security of supply.

Concerns about energy infrastructure development were raised during the extensive consultation that has informed the drafting of the White Paper. While the debate must always be properly informed, the Government, local authorities and industry have a responsibility to develop better ways of involving and listening to the communities affected by infrastructure development. With this in mind, ongoing citizen engagement will also be a central component of the White Paper.

As the Senator will appreciate, while my Department and the SEAI have an input into planning guidelines, they are, in the first instance, a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Senator John Whelan

I accept that and thank the Minister for his reply. However, he has not addressed the core issues raised in my questions. I am familiar with our responsibilities in regard to renewable energy. The wind energy industry has the leg, arm and ear of the Government, as it did with the previous Government. It is the favoured child, to the extent of neglecting the potential of the bio-energy sector. However, the question I raised this morning was whether policy is sufficiently informed by the latest scientific research from Australia, Canada and the World Health Organisation in regard to the intrusive and potentially damaging chronic nuisance and health impacts of noise from wind turbines for those who live in close proximity to large scale wind developments. The Minister made no reference to that issue. While I accept that it is primarily a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, it would be absurd to suggest the Department of Health or the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources should not also be involved in the preparation of these guidelines.

Deputy Alex White

I was asked who represented my Department or the Government at a certain conference in Glasgow which we first learned about when the Senator raised this issue. My answer to that question was that nobody represented the Department and, therefore, I was unable to answer the Senator's other question on the extent to which it would inform public policy. I answered the question I was asked.

I respectfully reject any suggestion the Government is in the grip of any particular industry or interest. Wind energy, whether onshore or, I hope, offshore, will continue to feature in our energy policy. I am in close consultation with people who have interests in biomass and bio-energy generally. We published a draft bio-energy policy paper last year.

International research will inform all of our decisions. The best technical research and scientific evidence will inform my decisions and, I am sure, those of my colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Garda Stations

Senator Kathryn Reilly

The matter of Bailieborough Garda station has been raised in this and the other House on several occasions, as well as in the council chambers in County Cavan. A new Garda station was needed in Bailieborough for quite some time because the current building on Barrack Street is in disrepair and not suitable for the workload of the Garda district headquarters. Gardaí require modern and appropriation accommodation and citizens of the area need confidence in the premises from which law and order is upheld. As the district headquarters, the station should have a modern, state of the art facility to accommodate gardaí and others who work there, as well as members of the public who have reason to visit it. The existing station has long been unsuitable for policing purposes, and a recent report referred to it in terms including "Third World", "hazardous" and "health risk". I am concerned that conditions appear to breach security requirements at the station.

Bailieborough is only one of two district headquarters in County Cavan. The district headquarters in Cavan town is experiencing pressure due to the closure of the Ballyconnell station. It is important that the OPW is cognisant of the necessity to provide new accommodation at the earliest opportunity. I understand it is evaluating a number of proposals for the new station in Bailieborough, having advertised for potential sites or buildings after being unable to identify suitable State owned sites. The application deadline was 26 February and the OPW has since reported that it received a significant number of proposals involving a variety of solutions. However, a date for conclusion of the evaluation process has not yet been set, although the OPW has indicated that it intends to advance the process as a priority. It is imperative that the public and those who work in the station are given some idea of when a decision will be made. I appreciate that significant work had to be done in assessing the applications and identifying the correct premises but more clarity should brought to the decision-making process.

There will still be a range of other factors to consider. All stakeholders in the community and county are anxious to see this much-needed facility progressed for the staff who have to work in the station, as well as for the general public who use it. It should be provided as a matter of urgency. I compliment other Senators and Deputies who have raised this issue in recent weeks. I add my voice to those seeking clarity as to when the consultation and evaluation process will be concluded. Will the Minister of State provide a timeline because there is nothing worse than being left in the dark?

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Tom Hayes)

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, wishes to thank the Senator for raising this matter and regrets that she is unable to be present as she is attending a passing-out parade at the Garda College in Templemore today. It is the first time in a while that a large number of new gardaí will enter the force.

The programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is based on requirements established by An Garda Síochána. The programme is advanced in close co-operation with the Office of Public Works, OPW, which has responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation. Provision for expenditure on capital projects, including the provision of Garda accommodation, is provided for in the Vote of the OPW. In that context, the Minister has been informed by the OPW that the acquisition of a site for development of a new district headquarters in Bailieborough has been identified by An Garda Síochána as a priority for 2015. She has also been informed that a review of State-owned sites in the area was conducted to identify any suitable site for the development of a new Garda station in Bailieborough. However, no suitable site was identified. The OPW has further advised her that a notice was recently published in local and national media seeking offers of suitable sites or properties for this development. She has been advised that a significant number of responses were received involving a variety of proposed solutions. All of these responses are being examined and will be fully evaluated by the OPW in consultation with the Garda authorities. It is not possible at this stage to indicate when that process will be complete. However, the Minister has been advised by the Garda authorities that the provision of a new Garda district headquarters in Bailieborough will continue to be pursued in the context of An Garda Síochána’s identified accommodation priorities, the successful acquisition of a suitable site or property and in the light of available resources in the Vote of the OPW.

With regard to the existing station at Bailieborough, the Garda authorities have advised that, while a long-term solution to the accommodation needs at Bailieborough is being progressed, Garda management is actively engaged with the OPW with a view to improving in the more immediate term the working conditions at the station. In that context, any proposal for refurbishment works at the existing station will be progressed in the context of An Garda Síochána's identified accommodation priorities and the availability of funding in the Vote of the OPW.

Senator Kathryn Reilly

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality. It is somewhat ironic that she is in Templemore when we are discussing working conditions for gardaí, particularly those now coming out of the college.

I am concerned that we cannot indicate when the process will be completed and that no site will be identified. This would mean that there would be a sticking plaster solution, with minor works being carried out in the existing station, meaning gardaí and other staff will be kept there for longer than is necessary. Will the Minister of State relate to the Minister for Justice and Equality the need to offer the public some indication as to when the process will be completed? As I said, it is only one part of a very long process which will involve acquiring a site and building works.

Deputy Tom Hayes

I will convey the Senator’s concerns to the Minister. There is a procedure in place for acquiring a site and to put timelines on it is not always possible. However, if a timeline does emerge, I will pass it on to the Senator.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Senator Thomas Byrne

With no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, I am grateful for his presence in the Chamber, but I am disappointed that not one of the substantial number of Ministers in the Department of Health is available to take this matter.

I am grateful to the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise the matter of the provision of special needs assistants, SNAs, for preschool children in County Meath. Each county appears to have a different system for the provision of SNAs for preschool children. In County Meath there has been some provision in the past 20 years, while other counties have had no provision and others have had some supports available. In County Meath an ad hoc approach was taken every year. However, this year there has been a battle to secure some funding to maintain existing services. This is despite the fact that the Minister for Health with responsibility for the area has boasted of an increase in the health budget and that the cuts are over. They are not over in the provision of preschool SNAs in County Meath. Up to €197,000 has been allocated for special needs assistants next year, but this will not be enough to maintain the current level of services, particularly with the number of children coming into the system who will require assistance. There is also the possibility of assessment being introduced. I do not know how this will impact on the provision of SNAs.

The most concerning aspect of this issue is that the funding of €197,000 will come from home care packages. This is becoming more of a feature of funding announcements by the Health Service Executive, HSE, and the Department of Health in recent months. It is just like the story of John Duggan and the provision of the drug Soliris. If he is to be given it, someone else will have to suffer. Special needs children and their parents in County Meath have been told that someone else will suffer for them. It used to be a case of suffer little children, but now it will probably be elderly people who will have to suffer. The HSE is making this very clear, which is very unfair.

What are the Government’s exact plans for the service? The parents need clarity on the issue. They are meeting tonight to come up with ideas on how the budget should be allocated. That is an awesome responsibility that the HSE seems to have passed on to them. That is now typical of it because it has lost control of its budget, meaning that it does not have responsibility for money anymore and washes its hands of the matter. If Fianna Fáil returns to power, we will give control back to the HSE because it needs to make the decisions while listening to people at the same time.

The fact that the Department of Health is involved in this area is an anomaly. It is responsible for preschool SNAs, while the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is responsible for children and the Department of Education and Skills the curriculum in preschools. Tusla and Pobal are also involved, resulting in a multitude of agencies engaged in the provision of preschool education. This is wrong as we need a joined-up approach. Parents need certainty and information on the provision of SNAs as a substantial number of children will need help next year. We must ensure the Government maximises resources and allocates them fairly to enable those children to have the best possible start.

Deputy Tom Hayes

I thank the Senator for raising this matter to which I am replying on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for primary and social care, Deputy Kathleen Lynch.

The participation of children with a disability in preschools is a cross-cutting issue involving several stakeholders, including the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Health, and Education and Skills, as well as the HSE.

The free preschool year is provided through the early childhood care and education programme, ECCE, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The objective of this scheme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school.

While the HSE has no statutory obligation to provide supports for children with special needs wishing to avail of the free preschool year, it works at local level and in partnership with the relevant disability service providers to address individual needs as they arise. This is done in a number of ways such as funding special preschools that cater specifically for children with disabilities.

In some limited cases at local level, HSE disability services have also facilitated children with disabilities to attend mainstream preschools by providing funding for preschool assistant supports, where possible. In this context, I understand the HSE's Meath disability services provide a preschool assistance subsidy in co-operation with Enable Ireland's Meath early services. This subsidy assists towards the cost of obtaining a preschool assistant for a child with a disability. I am advised by the HSE that current demand for this subsidy exceeds available resources.

As the Senator will appreciate, the HSE is obliged to continually review all its existing funding arrangements to ensure that services are provided within available resources. The HSE Meath disability services has confirmed that it will provide finding for the preschool support service for the academic year 2015-16 from within its approved budget. With the growing number of children availing of this service in recent years, the HSE has been examining how these supports are allocated in order to ensure the approved level of funding is used to best effect and on the basis of need.

The executive has indicated that a revised process, involving the payment of a subsidy, will be put in place in respect of 2015-16. The objective of this will be to prioritise children based on their identified needs and to maximise the number who can be supported. This may, for example, involve a preschool assistant supporting two children attending the same preschool where this is feasible and in line with their assessed need.

The HSE is involved in a major re-configuration of its therapy resources for children and young people with disabilities as part of its national programme on progressing disability services for children and young people up to eight years of age. When fully implemented, this programme should mean greater equity in accessing therapy services based on need, clearer referral pathways, and improved collaboration between the sectors.

An additional €4 million, equating to approximately 80 additional therapy posts, was specifically allocated in 2014 to drive the implementation of the programme. A further additional investment of €4 million will be made into the programme in 2015. This equates to €6 million in a full year. This programming is already well advanced in County Meath.

At national level, the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, and Health are actively looking at the issue of the integration of children with disabilities into mainstream preschool settings, informed by work undertaken by the cross-sectoral team on children's disability issues.

Sports Facilities Provision

Senator Darragh O'Brien

I wish to raise the need for the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the provision of sports, recreational and physical education facilities at Balbriggan community college, Balbriggan, County Dublin.

Earlier this week I visited Balbriggan community college with a number of parents, students and staff. It is a well regarded secondary school, with over 500 students, but there are no PE facilities. In 2012 permission was granted for a new PE hall and everything was going fine. That year, however, demolition experts moved in and demolished the PE hall and the recreational area. As they have still not been replaced, there is a large vacant site in the middle of the school.

Students have not had PE or recreational facilities for the past three years, which is a matter of real concern to them, their parents and the staff. The staff are very committed to this forward-thinking school. I have raised this Commencement matter in order to get some firm answers from the Department of Education and Skills. The school has been endeavouring to ascertain what is happening and when it will get a PE hall. Is the funding available for it and, if so, what is the timeline of the project? We keep being told it will arrive next week or shortly thereafter, but it is unacceptable that over 500 students in Balbriggan do not have access to PE and recreational facilities in their school.

I am seeking direct answers from the Minister of State, on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, to the following questions. What is happening with this project and when will the school have a new PE hall? When will construction work start on it and what timeline is envisaged? In addition, what is the overall plan for the school? Many of us are concerned that there may be another reason for this delay, but I hope there is no ulterior motive.

I would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide an update on when work will commence on building the PE facilities that are badly needed in Balbriggan community college and when the project be finished.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Damien English)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the Seanad the progress in providing sports facilities at Balbriggan community college.

The sports hall proposal submitted is a joint undertaking between Fingal County Council and Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, with the site to be provided by the ETB and funding to be provided by both Fingal County Council and the Department of Education and Skills. My Department approved co-funding for the proposed sports facility in April 2011 and responsibility for delivery of the project was devolved to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, which at the time was County Dublin VEC.

The sports facility concerned will be developed on the existing site of Balbriggan community college. That might put to bed some concerns that are out there. In addition to the sports facility project, the Senator will be aware that a major capital project for Balbriggan community college was announced in March 2012 as part of the five-year building programme. Responsibility for the delivery of the major community college project has also been devolved to the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB.

Following a site visit in 2013, it was agreed that in view of the condition of the existing community college building coupled with other site issues, the most economical solution was to demolish the existing single-storey school building and build a multi-storey building on the footprint of the existing building. In addition to providing a new school building, this major project will also incorporate and retain the existing Drogheda Street building. When completed, it is envisaged that Balbriggan community college will cater for 1,000 pupils and will include a two-classroom special needs unit.

In view of the co-location of the major project for the school and the sports facility on the Balbriggan community college site, I understand it has been necessary, as part of the architectural planning process, to master-plan the development of the site in question. In tandem, arising from ongoing discussions between Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB and Fingal County Council, variations to the brief for the sports facility have also been the subject of proposals submitted to the Department. In respect of the most recent variations, the Department sought clarifications in respect of the revised proposal, which was recently provided by the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB.

A meeting to discuss both projects - the major project and the sports facility project - has been scheduled between officials from my Department and Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB this coming Friday, 23 April in the Department's offices in Tullamore. Officials in my Department are progressing matters with a view to advancing both projects to tender and construction stage as soon as possible. I cannot give a date for the building work to start, but it is intended to drive it on as quickly as possible.

We hope to move forward at the meeting on Friday.

The Department fully recognises the key role played by physical exercise within the school environment and continues to respond to the need to improve physical education facilities for all pupils within the constraints of the available funding. I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position on the provision of sports, recreational and PE facilities at Balbriggan community college, Balbriggan, County Dublin.

Senator Darragh O'Brien

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response which I am hopeful will allay many of our fears. At least we have something in writing that indicates what is happening and I am pleased that a meeting is due to take place on Friday. The Minister of State is in a neighbouring constituency and I ask him to keep an eye on the issue. I certainly will because I do not want it to drag on further. I very much appreciate the Minister of State taking the time to come to the House. I will be liaising with the principal and the parents' bodies and will give them a copy of the Minister of State's response. I will table another Commencement matter in approximately four weeks to follow up with the Minister of State on the progress made at the meeting. He has outlined what we all agree on, namely, the importance of sports facilities, but a master plan for the site is needed. We will assess the answer given and revert to the Minister of State whom I again thank for the update.

Deputy Damien English

As a colleague in the neighbouring constituency, I am aware of the need for these facilities in the Balbriggan area and the property required. It is a shame that the previous facility was demolished and that there that has been such a long gap in the provision of new facilities. I do not know the history, but I will stress again the urgency of the matter to the officials who are prepared to do what has to be done. The money has been allocated. It has been ring-fenced for this site and there is no danger of it being allocated elsewhere. It was probably delayed as a result of the changes made during the years. While the allocation of additional money in the five year plan was good news, it might also have delayed matters. However, there is an onus on us to move forward as quickly as we can and also to allay fears.

Sitting suspended at 11.15 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.