I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, to the House. I call Senator Mooney to speak on his Commencement matter. He has four minutes.
Commencement Matters
Vaccination Programme
I thank the Cathaoirleach for taking this matter, which I raised on the Order of Business some weeks ago. I am also grateful that the Minister for Health has taken the time out from his busy schedule to be with us.
I want to put on the record straight away that, in the context of this motion, I am not calling for a suspension of the vaccination programme. What I am looking at, however, are those mothers and their daughters - specifically a growing number of daughters in this country - who, in my opinion, are not being treated in a holistic manner for the traumatic physical and mental side effects that have hit them, coincidentally or otherwise, within a couple of days of receiving this vaccination.
We are also here today in the shadow of High Court proceedings that are being taken by the mother of a girl who received the HPV vaccine. She is asking for an order restraining the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, which monitors health products in Ireland, from proceeding with the use of gardasil in any vaccine programme.
She is also saying that within 24 hours of receiving the vaccination in October 2011, her 11 year old daughter presented with severe flu-like symptoms. Her daughter became extremely fatigued and suffered severe nausea which led to weight loss and muscle wastage. Her daughter also missed days at school, was hospitalised with bilateral pneumonia the following year, and was on antibiotics for six weeks.
Her daughter is now disabled to the point that she needs to be cared for on a permanent basis. This was reported in yesterday's edition of The Irish Times. I cite that example as one of the many that can be read on the website of REGRET, a support group set up by a group of parents. There is growing concern internationally about the use of gardasil, which I hope the Minister will acknowledge. To date, Japan has suspended its vaccination programme. Denmark has asked the European Medicines Agency to review the vaccine and it has been decided that the Danish child vaccination programme will switch from using gardasil to cervarix. A presentation has been made to the Scottish petitions committee on the points that I have made and it has been asked to accede to a request for a round-table discussion to be held at Edinburgh between scientists and medical professionals from both sides of the HPV vaccine safety debate.
According to Merck's own statistics, some 183 million doses of gardasil have been distributed worldwide. Using its clinical trial percentage, this means there could be more than 6 million girls around the world suffering autoimmune conditions that could influence their health for the rest of their lives. According to the World Cancer Research Foundation, in 2012, 528,000 cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed worldwide. This presents the question of whether it is worth the risk.
There should be some acknowledgement by the Irish health authorities that there is something medically wrong with over 100 girls who have now been identified by REGRET as having developed similar symptoms within days of receiving the vaccination. The medical establishment and the Department of Health have decided against having any discussion or investigation of this. They say it will happen anyway and that every medication and vaccination has side effects and this is within the tolerable level. When one looks more deeply, there are parents spending huge sums of money on trying to get treatment for their daughters and there should be some recognition of the financial crisis that many of them face as a result of this. They genuinely believe that it is as a direct result of the vaccination.
Everything I have said so far on the record is factual. This is not about scaremongering. The Danish Government has given 7 million kroner for an independent investigation, the Japanese have suspended its use, and an evaluation of gardasil and cervarix by the EMA has been initiated by the French Government. These are not isolated cases. There is a growing body of international opinion that suggests that something is wrong somewhere. HPRA is engaged in the current EMA evaluation. I hope there will be some recognition by the Irish health authorities of the trauma being suffered by these children and that they get some financial benefit. They could be granted medical cards, which has happened in the case of other conditions in previous years. There should be some recognition that there is something wrong somewhere along the line. The parents genuinely believe that it is a direct result of the HPV vaccination.
I reiterate that this is not about a suspension of the programme but an acknowledgement that there is something going on. The Irish health authorities should not turn their face away from a growing body of international opinion that is beginning to acknowledge that there is something there. We should join that growing chorus. I do not believe it will go away.
I thank Senator Mooney for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this important matter. I acknowledge the concerns of families who believe their daughters have experienced adverse reactions and health issues after receiving the HPV vaccine. The vaccine protects against two high-risk types of HPV that cause 73% of all cervical cancers. It is estimated that the HPV vaccination will save 60 lives annually in this country.
The vaccine used in the school immunisation programme is gardasil, a fully tested vaccine which was licensed by the European Medicines Agency in 2006. Following this, the national immunisation advisory committee recommended that the vaccine should be offered to all girls aged 12 years on an annual basis.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, is the regulatory authority for medicines in Ireland. While no medicine, including vaccines, is entirely without risk, the safety profile of gardasil has been continuously monitored since it was first authorised nationally, and at EU level. Decisions on the supply of vaccines are undertaken by specific expert agencies rather than being the responsibility of the Minister of the day. This is as it should be as it ensures that decisions are made solely on scientific information and expert advice, rather than being implemented by political pressure or lobbying.
As part of its monitoring of the safety of medicines, the HPRA operates an adverse reaction reporting system, where health care professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse reactions they consider may be associated with their treatment. All reports received are evaluated and considered for the safety profile of the product concerned, with reports followed up as necessary for further information that may assist in the assessment of the case. I have been informed by the HPRA that up to 9 October it had received 921 reports of suspected adverse reactions or events notified in association with the use of HPV vaccines. The vast majority have been consistent with the expected pattern of adverse effects for the vaccines, as described in the product information, such as gastrointestinal symptoms, malaise, headache, dizziness and soreness or a rash at the injection site. These are short lived.
As is the case for all licensed medicines, the safety of these vaccines is monitored by the pharmacovigilance and risk assessment committee, an EU-level drug safety committee, where the authority is represented and actively contributes. I am aware that the European Medicines Agency has commenced a review of the HPV vaccine "to further clarify aspects of their safety profile", although the agency points out that this review "does not question that the benefits of HPV vaccines outweigh their risks". The HPRA is participating in the review, which aims to clarify aspects of their safety profile and is specifically focusing on rare reports of two conditions, complex regional pain syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. In the meantime, the European Medicines Agency has advised health care professionals that available data does not warrant any change to the use of HPV vaccines. Health care professionals should therefore continue using them in accordance with the current product information. Any changes to this advice will be made following the outcome of the review.
I thank the Minister and I am glad that he has put on the record that there are 921 reports of suspected adverse reactions. He said the symptoms he outlined in the same paragraph are short lived. He should tell that to the parents of the over 100 people who have been experiencing much more serious medical, emotional and mental conditions for two, three and four years after getting the vaccination at 11 and 12 years of age, citing the current court case. All I have asked, and it has not been forthcoming, is for some acknowledgement, at least, that there is something going on regarding this.
In providing the pack to parents under the vaccination programme, why does the HSE not provide the patient information leaflet that is provided by Merck itself? It provides a different information package. I have read the information leaflet that accompanies the HPV gardasil vaccine and it makes for frightening reading. I also know anecdotally that there are GPs around the country who are not recommending this vaccination as a result of this growing concern about the efficacy of gardasil and its possible side-effects. They are issues the Minister cannot ignore. Is he happy that the information leaflet provided by Merck, which manufactures gardasil, is not given to parents before they sign the consent form?
I am advised that all the information provided to parents about the vaccination is prepared from the available licensed documentation for each vaccine. This is the summary of product characteristics, SPC, and the patient information leaflet. The information is presented in clear, simple language and approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency so that it can be understood by all adults, as the average reading age in Ireland is lower than the adult age. Prior to all school immunisations, parents receive an information pack in a sealed package with an information leaflet, consent form and cover letter. The information packs for all immunisations are standardised nationally and the information booklets include information on the most common adverse events that can occur after each vaccine.
For schools vaccines, parents are also given the contact details of their local immunisation office and advised to speak to a member of the school immunisation team if they have any further questions. Each information leaflet also refers patients to the national immunisation website, immunisation.ie, where additional information, including the licence documentation, the summary of product characteristic, SPC, and the patient information leaflet, PIL, for each vaccine are found. The national immunisation website has been accredited by the World Health Organization for credibility, content and good information practices. The website allows members of the public to contact the national information office to ask any question if they require further information. These questions, when possible, are answered by the staff of the immunisation office within one working day.
Accident and Emergency Departments
On 22 October last, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, called for Beaumont Hospital to go off-call as the accident and emergency department was dangerously overcrowded. By the early evening, there were 41 admitted patients in the accident and emergency department awaiting a hospital bed and numbers were set to rise as the night went on. As the Minister will be aware, the department is also short of nurses and doctors and staff are concerned that it is impossible to provide a safe level of care to patients in these conditions. Almost half of those awaiting a bed on the night to which I refer night were over the age of 75 and many of them had been forced to spend days on trolleys and chairs in frantic, bright and noisy conditions waiting for beds to become available. Waiting on a trolley in such degrading and inhumane conditions is unacceptable for people of any age but it is particularly cruel for frail older individuals in their 70s, 80s and 90s.
Accident and emergency overcrowding also creates an unacceptably stressful working environment for staff and is exacerbating the problem with emigration of nurses and doctors from Ireland to other countries where they can work in better conditions. I appreciate that the problems at Beaumont accident and emergency did not just appear on this Government's watch but they seem to be getting worse. According to the INMO, overcrowding at Beaumont increased by 40% in the first nine months of this year compared with 2014. There is a major concern that the position will deteriorate further and that Beaumont Hospital may well be facing its worst winter ever.
As the Minister will recall, the CEO of the hospital, Mr. Liam Duffy, described Beaumont as unsafe during last year's similar overcrowding crisis. The former clinical director of the hospital, Professor Shane O'Neill, resigned over patient safety concerns. I recently met the CEO, Mr. Duffy, and accident and emergency staff to discuss the accident and emergency crisis, and particularly what can be done to address it. A number of things need to happen. First, we need to reduce the number of people presenting at the accident and emergency department by improving primary care and out-of-hours services. D-Doc was a great service when it started but it is suffering from a lack of resources. I obtained figures from the HSE last year which show that some people classified by D-Doc as urgent had been waiting over 13 hours to see a doctor. The rational course of action in such a circumstance is to go to accident and emergency and yet the service is supposed to prevent those who use it from having to do so. Second, there is an urgent need for more convalescent and nursing home beds in the area. Often Beaumont has up to 100 patients awaiting discharge for whom it cannot secure nursing home or convalescent home beds. Some even have been there for over a year. As the CEO explained to me, the average time in Beaumont is three or four days and in those circumstances - where there are particularly difficult cases and a place cannot be found for someone - 100 others are denied places because 100 patients could go through that bed in the same amount of time. Third, even with these measures, improving out-of-hours services and reducing those presenting to accident and emergency, there will still be a crisis at Beaumont because of the older demographic relating to the area. Beaumont has one of the most elderly populations in the country. Given that the people who live in the area are going to continue to age, there will always be a need for acute accident and emergency medical services at Beaumont far more advanced than those currently provided there.
The accident and emergency department was built for only 35 patients and is often home to 100. Work is ongoing in respect of designs for a new accident and emergency department on the Beaumont campus and the authorities there are in discussions with the HSE about the matter. However, the Government has not yet committed to building that new facility. I raised this matter in order to urge the Minister to ring-fence the necessary funding and give a solid commitment that funding will be available as soon as those plans are finalised to build a new accident and emergency facility at Beaumont Hospital.
I thank Senator Power for raising this issue. I wish to assure the House that reducing emergency department, ED, overcrowding is an objective of the Government and the HSE. I convened the emergency department task force in December 2014 to provide focus and momentum in dealing with the challenges presented by ED overcrowding.
Significant progress has been made on the implementation of the ED task force plan. Delayed discharges nationally are reducing steadily from 830 in December 2014 to 570 last Tuesday, and this has freed up more than 200 beds every day for acutely ill patients. In October 2014, Beaumont Hospital had between 80 and 90 patients awaiting discharge home with supports or to a nursing home, and this number decreased to between 55 and 65 in October 2015, freeing up a whole ward for acutely ill patients every day. The waiting time for the fair deal nursing homes subvention scheme has decreased from 11 weeks at the beginning of 2015 to between two and four weeks now. By the end of 2015, more than 1,200 additional home care packages will have been provided as well as 149 additional public nursing home beds, 24 nursing home beds contracted for Moorehall in County Louth and 65 beds in Mount Carmel Community Hospital.
Senator Power is correct in identifying services such as D-Doc and convalescent home places as vital parts of a comprehensive solution to the overcrowding which we see in Beaumont all too often. This integrated approach has led the Director General of the HSE to co-chair the ED task force implementation group until March 2016. This will ensure all parts of the health and social care services work together and optimise resources to deal with the particular challenges associated with the winter months.
The rate of increase in the population of older people living in Ireland is greater in north Dublin than in any other part of the country, including other parts of Dublin. In 1997, only 5% of people in Dublin aged over 65 lived in the areas served by Beaumont Hospital. By 2011, this had increased to 24%. With this older population in mind, additional short-stay convalescent beds have opened this year in St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview, Clontarf orthopaedic hospital and St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park. Hospitals on the north side of the city were also prioritised for access to the 65 additional beds opened in Mount Carmel Community Hospital. However, given that most people prefer to remain in their own locality, where it is easier for friends and family to visit, a tender inviting private providers to supply additional short-stay and long-term nursing home beds in the area is also in process. It is hoped that it can be agreed in the coming days or weeks. The HSE will continue to target additional short-stay beds as part of its winter planning process for dealing with pressures on acute hospitals.
The HSE is reviewing GP out-of-hours services throughout the country, including D-Doc, which provides an out-of-hours GP service to the population of north Dublin city and county. This review is expected to conclude shortly and will contain recommendations for changes and improvements to the delivery of service in each area. Funding has been provided to Beaumont to extend its day hospital from two days a week to five days a week as an alternative pathway for admission and assessment for elderly people referred to the hospital by their GPs, thus allowing them to avoid the emergency department.
On the question of a new emergency department at Beaumont Hospital, a design team has been appointed, incorporating architects and health care planners, to undertake a feasibility study on the location, size and cost of building a new emergency department at the hospital. This work is at the stakeholder consultation phase and the report is expected to be available in mid-December 2015. When the hospital board approves a design, the project will be submitted for consideration by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland hospital group, of which Beaumont Hospital is part, HSE Estates and the Department of Health.
I thank the Minister for his reply and acknowledge that there has been an increase in short-stay convalescent beds in the area, which is very positive. I also welcome the review of D-Doc and hope it leads to improvements in the service, given that it has great potential to deflect patients from Beaumont accident and emergency. However, as I pointed out, and the Minister acknowledged, the rapid increase in the number of older people in the area is causing particular pressures. While the design is open to discussion, everybody agrees there is a need for a new, far larger accident and emergency department. I am disappointed the Government has not committed to funding it and I will keep pushing for it.
A commitment would be premature given that the hospital's board has yet to approve it. The board must do a feasibility study, cost it and approve it before the Government can make such a commitment. A new emergency department alone will not solve overcrowding. Among the emergency departments throughout the country, new and old, some of the new ones are overcrowded. However, a new emergency department might provide a better service and patient experience, and it may be worth doing on this basis, separate from the overcrowding issue.
There is a ward currently closed in Beaumont Hospital. This is creating difficulties at the moment. I think it is St. Damien's kidney ward. It has partially reopened this week and will fully reopen by the end of the month. I hope this will ease the situation. Over many years, the authorities at Beaumont Hospital have consistently explained the hospital's problems by reference to the number of delayed discharges. For example, 90 beds were not available to acute patients because people could not get home care packages or nursing home spaces. There has been a considerable reduction, from 80 or 90 to 50 or 60, in the number of delayed discharges at Beaumont Hospital. That should have made a difference but it has not. In fairness to the hospital, it has acknowledged that and, as a result, is looking at its own practices. It is examining specialty wards and considering changes in the way things and people work to improve patient flow in the hospital. Such measures have been demonstrated to have real effects in other hospitals.
Wildlife Regulations
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Deenihan, to the House. Senator Coghlan has four minutes to introduce this all-Kerry motion.
I would not say it is all-Kerry, a Chathaoirligh. I welcome the Minister of State. As we know, deer are wild animals that cannot easily be fenced in and ideally should never be fenced in. The protection of red deer, as a native species, is very important. As Senators will be aware, the number of red and sika deer in Killarney National Park is roughly equal. I know it is impossible to find an exact number, but I would be interested to get an approximate number. I do not think there would be any objection to a cull of sika deer, which is an imported species. I think any cull should be confined to sika deer.
The fencing of Killarney National Park would be impossible. As we know, deer exist outside the park as well. There is no question of the road between Killarney and Kenmare, which passes through the national park, ever being fenced. However, in view of the number of accidents that have happened on the N72 road between Killarney and Killorglin, there is a case for some limited fencing where deer have tended to cross that road. I support that case and suggest that the fence might extend from the end of the Castlerosse Hotel wall to the car park on the perimeter of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. That is a limited area. As the Minister of State probably knows, many of the trees along that roadside have been damaged by cars crashing into them as they veer to avoid deer. The coroner has commented on that matter on a number of occasions. I support fully the installation of fencing to exclude deer along that stretch only. If there are too many red deer in lowland areas and they are wandering beyond the park - for example, into the reed beds on the edge of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club - perhaps they could be suitably darted at a particular time and transported to much higher ground on the edge of Mangerton or Torc. It think it could be a question of husbandry rather than of a cull.
Red deer have existed in Killarney for over 6,000 years and are widely regarded to be of international importance as a unique species of deer. Damien Hannigan of the Wild Deer Association has said he believes illegal poaching has reduced the number of red deer in Killarney to "a dangerously low level" in recent years. He fears that an indiscriminate cull could endanger the genetic diversity of the species. While I might not go quite that far, I would be supportive of what he is saying or hinting at. As a member of the Kerry Deer Society, I do not believe, on the basis of my sightings and my knowledge of the area, that red deer have been culled to a dangerously low level. I should mention that the society in question would not support a cull of the red deer. The Minister of State probably knows that illegal poaching is taking place. I do not think the people who are shooting deer are examining them to see whether they are red or sika.
Being a fellow Kerryman with an interest in these matters, I am sure the Minister shares my concerns and I look forward to hearing what he has to say on the issue.
I thank Senator Paul Coghlan for raising this matter. I appreciate the Senator has a very good knowledge of the national park in Killarney. As a trustee of Muckross House and having devoted a long number of years to the welfare and development of the park, including its wildlife, it is appropriate that he raise this matter.
Nationally, wild deer in the State are protected under the Wildlife Acts. There is an annual open season during which deer can be legally shot under licence. The open season for deer operates generally from 1 September to the last day of February, depending on the species and gender of deer.
On deer policy in general, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, together with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, recently published Deer Management in Ireland - A Framework for Action, which recommends a series of actions on deer management and conservation in a number of areas, including addressing the impact of deer in places where they are widespread. An Irish deer management forum has been established to implement the various actions listed in the report. The forum comprises representatives from the main stakeholder areas such as landowners, forestry, hunting and conservation organisations, and representatives from both Departments.
In Killarney National Park, park rangers during their normal daily duties often take spot counts of deer on the lowlands. Sika deer numbers are not out of control in the park and are at much lower densities than can be found in Wicklow, for example. However, the National Parks and Wildlife Service would like to further reduce the numbers of this non-native species.
Red deer numbers have not significantly increased in the uplands of Killarney National Park. However, lowland numbers have increased, and these deer are highly visible. It is intended to commence culling this population in November once the rut has finished. It should be noted that pressure was exerted on red deer in areas adjacent to the park when they were on the open season order. This may have resulted in red deer entering the park for sanctuary.
With respect to the ongoing management of the deer population, the intention of any cull would be to focus on the red deer populations in Muckross and Knockreer in the first instance. The National Parks and Wildlife Service believes fencing the national park would not be viable and would not achieve the desired results for a number of reasons. First, as the presence of deer is not confined to the national parks, fencing of these properties would not serve any practical purpose in terms of wild deer control or management. Second, the park is more than 10,000 ha. in size and includes some rugged terrain. Fencing this area would be an enormous task, which would be unlikely to result in the desired objective. Third, sika deer are capable of going under fencing that is eight inches off the ground, while red deer are capable of knocking fences that are preventing them from reaching traditional feeding and shelter grounds. Fourth, the erection of a fence of this size would also impact on the sensitive habitats within the park. Fifth, there are many deer outside the park boundaries which would still be capable of running into the path of motorists.
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is of the view that improving sight lines for motorists and improved signage are likely to be the most effective measures to assist motorists when driving through areas where populations of deer can be expected. These populations roam freely throughout the countryside and are present in many parts of the country.
I am aware that there have been calls in some quarters for the Department to carry out a national deer census. The Department does not have the resources to carry out or co-ordinate a national deer count. A large part of the deer population lives in forestry or woodland and it is particularly difficult to achieve reliable counts in such dense cover. There is no evidence to suggest there is any threat to Ireland's deer population.
While I agree with some of the comments made by the Minister of State, I strongly urge that the cull be confined to sika deer. This is a question of husbandry.
If there are too many red deer on the lowlands, they could be moved.
I accept the Minister of State's remarks on a census. While it might not be possible, I would rely on the rangers. Their approximations would be good enough for us. I do not accept that the red deer population in Muckross and Knockreer should be culled in the first instance. The fencing that I am calling for would affect only red deer and stretch 100 yd, 200 yd or, at most, 300 yd from the end of the wall of the Castlerosse car park on the western side. This would address the coroner's concerns by reducing the number of accidents on that busy stretch of road. There is no question of fencing on the Kenmare Road. As the Minister of State suggested, though, perhaps there could be improved signage to warn of the presence of deer.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The Minister recognises that the red deer of Killarney National Park and the surrounding area are of national conservational significance and that the subject of culling is emotive. There is a considerable challenge in attempting to balance the demands of agriculture, forestry and conservation with the need to ensure that the deer populations occupying the same land resources are managed at sustainable levels and in a responsible and ethical manner. The Department conducts localised annual deer counts on State lands, such as the Wicklow and Killarney national parks. Deer species are increasing in range and number. Where appropriate and depending on the annual count and instances of damage caused by deer to habitats, especially woodland, culls need to be carried out to ensure that deer populations do not reach levels that would have negative ecological consequences.
Regarding road accidents, I remain of the view that improved sight lines and signage for motorists are likely to be the most effective measures to assist them when driving through areas where deer populations can be expected.
Crime Prevention
The heinous murder of Garda Tony Golden has diminished us all. Following the equally foul murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, this vile act has stunned the communities of Omeath, Blackrock and the wider Border area. There is a major problem with criminals masquerading as republicans and indulging in criminal acts such as large-scale smuggling, including of tobacco, diesel laundering, racketeering and extortion. They are out of control.
The Garda is undoubtedly doing a great job. In recent weeks, there has been evidence of an increased Garda presence in Cooley and my area of Haggardstown. I am told that a great deal of valuable information has been gathered, not just on cross-Border criminality but also on motorway criminals. The Garda is building a large bank of information.
What measures have been taken to increase security in the area following the heinous murder of Garda Golden? I wish to raise the suggestion of a cross-Border task force involving the Garda, the PSNI, the Revenue Commissioners, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, HMRC, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, the UK National Crime Agency, the relevant justice Ministers and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA.
This task force concept has been advocated previously by a committee of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly chaired by Senator Paul Coghlan in its comprehensive report on cross-Border crime. I was very pleased to see yesterday that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, has called for the establishment of this task force. In the context of the talks going on around the Stormont House agreement and the danger to the institutions in the North, he has said that he sees that such a task force would be a vital component of the successful conclusion of those talks. The Minister is right on the money in his suggestion to establish a task force. I hope he gets the full support of all involved for his proposal. It is time to put a stop to the gallop of these criminals who think they are beyond the law.
I thank Senator Jim D'Arcy for tabling this Commencement matter. I apologise to him on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, who cannot be here to answer his question.
The murder of Garda Tony Golden in the line of duty was a loss for the nation. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in their grief. He displayed a courage and commitment to duty which is in the best traditions of An Garda Síochána. His killing is a stark reminder of the considerable risk that the women and men of An Garda Síochána face on our behalf in their daily work. My sister served in the Garda Síochána for almost 30 years.
The allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The Minister for Justice and Equality has been informed by the Commissioner that the allocation of personnel is monitored continually to ensure optimum deployment. This process is reviewed periodically in the light of particular incidents of concern. In this context, the Garda Commissioner has directed the allocation of an additional 27 gardaí, including two sergeants, to the Louth division as an interim measure. These gardaí are being transferred on a temporary basis to support the work of the 283 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Louth division.
The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, has secured an increased allocation in budget 2016 that will allow for the recruitment of an additional 600 new gardaí next year on top of the 550 that will be recruited before the end of this year. The work of local gardaí in the legislation is augmented by a number of Garda national units, such as the drugs and organised crime unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau, in accordance with operational demands. Tackling organised crime is a priority for the Government, the Garda and other law enforcement authorities. Of course it is a shared priority with the authorities in Northern Ireland, and extensive cross-Border co-operation is in place to tackle smuggling and other Border-focused criminal activities. This work involves police, customs and other law enforcement agencies from both jurisdictions. The inter-agency cross-Border enforcement groups on fuel and tobacco fraud are examples of this joint work in action. The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, recently the Minister of Justice in the North, David Ford, to discuss what more can be done to tackle cross-Border crime. The Ministers jointly hosted the annual cross-Border organised crime seminar in Sligo on 30 September and 1 October, which was attended by more than 100 delegates from North and South. It was one demonstration of the close and ongoing co-operation between the two jurisdictions in this regard. The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, is examining, in co-operation with her counterparts in the North, ways to build on the excellent co-operation that already takes place in this area.
We want an enhanced overarching structure put in place to support it. Of course, the comments of the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, reflected that.
The Irish Government wants agreement to be forged in respect of proposals to establish enhanced cross-Border structures to tackle organised crime within the current talks process. It is the joint working of all the law enforcement agencies involved on both sides of the Border that will be crucial to tackling these issues. As a Government, we will support them in any way we can.
I thank the Minister for his reply and welcome the allocation of an additional 27 gardaí, including two sergeants, to the Louth division. As I said previously, their work in the area is bearing much fruit. It is to be hoped that can make a big difference.
I refer to the cross-Border task force. I note the comments of the Minister that she would welcome increased co-operation with her counterparts in the North to build on the excellent co-operation that already takes place in this area, which should be noted. We want to see that enhanced and there is a need to put in place an overarching structure to support it. The comments of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade reflected that. It is my earnest wish that progress be made in this matter and that the task force be established in short order.
Before I conclude, I wish to congratulate Chief Superintendent Pat McGee of the Louth-Meath division on an excellent and amazing career in An Garda Síochána. He is retiring this weekend. He has been to the forefront in the Louth-Meath division for many years. In my village, Blackrock, County Louth, we formed a hurling team together when he first came to the area, believe it or not. He had played in an all-Ireland minor final for Wexford. I wish him very well. He is a very popular and hard-working chief superintendent.
I join the Senator in recognising the work carried out by Pat McGee and his contribution to the very successful enforcement of law and order in the Louth area for a number of years.
As the Senator recognised, the Government is committed to the ongoing renewal of An Garda Síochána and this is reflected in the strong programme of investment in front-line resources. Since 2012, the Government has invested almost €29 million in renewing the Garda fleet to support front-line Garda responses. In this regard, the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, recently announced the allocation of a further €5.3 million for the purchase of a further 260 vehicles between now and the end of the year. This new investment will provide additional high-powered vehicles, marked and unmarked patrol cars, cars for surveillance and covert operations, motorcycles for high visibility road policing and vehicles for public order policing. The Government's capital plan 2016-2021 provides an additional €46 million for new Garda vehicles. It also provides major additional investment of €205 million over the lifetime of the plan for Garda ICT systems and technology. This will bring the overall Garda ICT funding to €330 million over the lifetime of the capital plan. The increased budget allocation that the Minister secured for 2016 will also facilitate additional funding for Garda surveillance, special operations and targeted intelligence-led policing.
The Government and relevant law enforcement agencies will maintain and intensify their focus on combating organised crime, whatever its aims and origins. In respect of Border-focused crime, we will continue to work in close co-operation with our counterparts in Northern Ireland and develop measures to enhance and support this joint approach to crack down on those who exploit Border communities for their criminal ends.
Sitting suspended at 3.25 p.m. and resumed at 3.30 p.m.