Wednesday, 20 Nov 2013

Written Answers Nos. 177-183

Child Abuse

Ceisteanna (177)

Sandra McLellan

Ceist:

177. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will transpose Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography, and replacing Council framework decision 2004/68/JHA ahead of the transposition due date on 18 December 2013; and the position regarding the Government's strategy to combat sexual abuse and exploitation. [49711/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I wish to advise the Deputy that the matter raised falls primarily within the remit of my colleague, Alan Shatter T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality. My Department and the HSE will continue to liaise with colleagues in the Department of Justice and Equality as necessary.

A Memorandum for Government has been prepared by the Department of Justice and Equality seeking approval for the drafting of legislation to implement the criminal law requirements of the Directive (and related provisions in UN and Council of Europe instruments), and the General Scheme of a Sexual Offences Bill was circulated on 12 November 2013. The legislative proposals of the Minister for Justice and Equality will be discussed by the Government in early December.

Insofar as enforcement is concerned An Garda Síochána puts a particular emphasis on tackling sexual crimes and crimes against children as well as pro-active cooperation with all relevant Departments, organisations and agencies to improve the safety of children. A comprehensive policy document on the investigation of sexual crimes against children and child welfare was developed by An Garda Síochána with Children First National Guidance 2011 adopted as Garda policy. Interaction with the HSE and Children and Family Services is an integral part of that policy in relation to all investigations of child abuse. I am advised that a strategic committee has been established within an An Garda Síochána, chaired at Assistant Commissioner level, to liaise with the HSE's National Director of Children and Family Services, to ensure that all matters of strategy and policy in the field of inter-agency working receive proper direction. A Sexual Crime Management Unit has also been established within the Garda Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigation Unit, which is part of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The Unit is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the number of investigations each year into child sexual abuse, child neglect and other sexual offences, to ensure that they are receiving appropriate attention, advising on the investigation of such crimes and promoting best investigative practice. The unit interacts, as appropriate, with contact points in relevant agencies in relation to complaints of sexual abuse made to An Garda Síochána. I am also assured that members of An Garda Síochána and HSE personnel have undergone joint and intensive training in the specialised skills necessary for interviewing children. The Garda College, in conjunction with HSE colleagues, is constantly reviewing the training provided to ensure it is in accordance with best international practice.

Youth Services Funding

Ceisteanna (178)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

178. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the 31 national youth organisations supported by the youth service grant scheme are the same organisations that administer funding on behalf of her Department; if not, if she will outline the 31 national youth organisations supported by the youth service grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49766/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

Funding is made available on an annual basis to 31 national and major regional voluntary organisations for the support of voluntary youth work through the Youth Service Grant Scheme. The continued funding of voluntary youth organisations through the scheme is intended to ensure the emergence, promotion, growth and development of youth organisations with distinctive philosophies and programmes aimed at the social education of young people.

Details of the organisations supported under the Youth Service Grant Scheme in 2013 are outlined hereunder.

Organisation	2013 Allocation
An Oige	178,703
Belong To - LGBT	150,000
Catholic Guides of Ireland	256,400
Crosscare Youth Services (formerly Catholic Youth Care)	909,662
Church of Ireland Youth Department	178,081
Confederation of Peace Corps	127,523
ECO - UNESCO Clubs	121,179
Experiment In International Living	28,539
Feachtas	88,262
Foróige	2,651,154
Girls Brigade	45,039
Involve	226,754
Irish Girl Guides	378,538
Junior Chamber Ireland	16,774
Macra na Feirme	438,457
National Association for Youth Drama	100,834
National Federation of Arch Clubs	51,751
National Youth Council of Ireland	573,455
No Name Club Ltd	193,215
Ogras	184,500
Order of Malta Cadets	47,935
Scouting Ireland Ltd	845,974
The Boys Brigade	56,891
Voluntary Services International	79,878
Young Christian Workers	94,541
Young Irish Film Makers	57,881
Young Men’s Christian Association	149,820
Youth Work Ireland	1,994,626
Girls Friendly Society	31,378
DYCW Methodist Church in Ireland	29,470
Presbyterian Youth	49,309

In addition, a number of these organisations hold or have held funding administration status from my Department. These are as follows; Foróige, Crosscare Youth Services (formerly Catholic Youth Care (CYC)), Youth Work Ireland and Involve.

Children in Care

Ceisteanna (179)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

179. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 567 and 568 of 12 March 2013, in respect of private child care services, if the information which she undertook to supply is now to hand. [49816/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

The information sought by the Deputy will be provided to him this week.

Children in Care

Ceisteanna (180)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

180. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 257 of 30 May 2013, in respect of children placed in special care units outside the jurisdiction, if the information which she undertook to supply is now to hand. [49817/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

The HSE has advised that since January 2013, children have been detained under a special care order outside the State in St. Andrews, Northampton; Oakview Hospital, Kent; St Mary's Scotland and Boystown, Nebraska.

Health Services Provision

Ceisteanna (181)

Thomas P. Broughan

Ceist:

181. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Questions No. 200 of 12 June 2013 regarding the national assessment consultation and therapy service, if the information which she undertook to supply is now to hand. [49818/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

The Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (ACTS) is a national specialised clinical service which has been developed in order to provide multidisciplinary consultation, assessment and focused interventions to young people who have high risk behaviours associated with complex clinical needs.

Progress to Date:

ACTS began operating as a service on the appointment of the national manager in September 2012. The service is led by a management team consisting of the national manager and two heads of discipline and includes psychologists, social workers, speech and language therapists and addiction counsellors. There are psychiatrists working with some of the children and the ACTS team work collaboratively with these professionals. There are now twenty one clinicians in post. Further recruitment is necessary to fill the principal social work position, two speech and language therapists, and an addiction counsellor. The service operates in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

ACTS clinicians are now working in the three special care units. ACTS clinicians work with individual young people and their families and care staff; they also participate in clinical planning and review meetings involving various professionals including social workers from local areas, GALs etc. In addition clinically informed individual therapeutic plans and individual plans have been developed for young people and clinical reports have been prepared which have informed High Court proceedings. Through the development of the ACTS community service, clinicians stay involved with young people to support their transition out of special care units.

ACTS is in the process of rolling out clinical services in the children detention schools in partnership with the national forensic service. In order to make the best use of a limited clinical resource and in line with best practice, all children remanded or committed to the children detention schools will be screened using an evidenced based assessment tool to see if they need to be seen by clinical services. Referrals deemed appropriate will then be made to the clinical team who will meet weekly on campus to review referrals and plan clinical interventions. This new procedure will mean that reports for the courts will focus on the young person's risk of offending as assessed using an evidence based assessment tool rather than reporting on specific mental health issues. In addition the clinicians will focus on providing interventions rather than assessment only services. Training in the use of this assessment has begun and the clinical team now meet on campus every week.

ACTS continue to support people when they transition out of secure settings. In addition some support is provided to young people before they are placed in secure settings. The current criteria for the acceptance of referrals to the community component of ACTS is that the service will work with young people who require multidisciplinary assessment, consultation and therapy services who have been referred to National Special Care Services and have been deemed by the admissions committee to meet the criteria for special care intervention; previously been placed in special care where current clinical needs exceed the threshold of community resources and previously been placed in the children detention schools where current clinical needs exceed the threshold of community resources.

Departmental Bodies Data

Ceisteanna (182)

Shane Ross

Ceist:

182. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of quangos operating under the aegis of her Department; the total number of directors sitting on their boards; the aggregate fees incurred by the State in paying the remuneration of directors of these quangos; the number of quangos that have been created since the formation of the Government; the number that have been disbanded over the period; the projected cost to the taxpayer of the establishment and operation of these new quangos; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49949/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I would like to inform the Deputy there are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI); the Family Support Agency (FSA); the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO). With effect from 1 January 2012, I have taken responsibility for the Children Detention Schools as provided in Part 10 of the Children Act 2001. Apart from the Ombudsman for Children's Office which does not have a board, I am responsible for all board of management appointments. I can confirm that no new agencies under my remit have been created or disbanded since the formation of the Government.

As the Deputy may be aware, work is well underway on the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency (CFA). The CFA Bill has been published and this important piece of legislation provides for the subsuming of functions from three separate agencies; namely the HSE, and also the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board which both currently come under the remit of my Department.

It is my intention that the CFA will assume statutory responsibility for services for children and families in early 2014. Once legislation has been enacted, the agency will formally come under the remit of my Department. Pending the legal establishment of the CFA, the newly appointed board of the FSA will, in addition to its existing functions, provide oversight and direction to the organisational preparations which are underway for the CFA.

The CFA will involve bringing together 4,000 staff and a budget of over €500 million from three existing bodies. As the Deputy may appreciate, it is not possible to say at this stage what the establishment costs for the new agency will be.

There are currently 39 members (chairperson and ordinary board members) sitting on the boards of management. I have set out in tabular format details of the current membership of the boards of management under the aegis of my Department and their respective annual remuneration.

National Educational Welfare Board

Board Member	Annual remuneration
Nuala Doherty (Chair)	Does not receive fee
Sally Maguire	Does not receive fee
Catherine Connery	Does not receive fee
Marian Jennings	Does not receive fee
Eamonn Flynn	Does not receive fee
Bob Dowling	Does not receive fee
Ruairí Gogan	Does not receive fee
Anne McDonnell	Does not receive fee
Marie-Claire McAleer	Does not receive fee
Don Myers	Does not receive fee
Pat McSitric (interim CEO)	Does not receive fee
Mary Donnelly	Does not receive fee

Children Detention Schools

Board Member	Annual remuneration
Joe Horan (Chair)	Does not receive fee
Gerard McKiernan	Does not receive fee
Ursula Kilkelly	Does not receive fee
Diego Gallagher	Does not receive fee
Sylda Langford	Does not receive fee
Pat Rooney	Does not receive fee
Elizabeth Howard	Does not receive fee
Colin Fetherston	Does not receive fee
Barry Rooney	Does not receive fee
Deirdre Keyes	Does not receive fee
Dan Kelleher	Does not receive fee
Niall Kelly	Does not receive fee
Rachel Grimes	Does not receive fee

Family Support Agency

Board Member	Annual remuneration
Norah Gibbons (Chair)	€8,978
Sylda Langford	€5,985
PJ Fitzpatrick	€5,985
Noelle Spring	€5,985
Rory O’Farrell	€5,985
Gary Joyce	€5,985
Ita Managan	€5,985
Noel Kelly	€5,985

Adoption Authority of Ireland

Board Member	Annual Remuneration
Dr. Geoffrey Shannon (Chair)	€63,120
Siobhan Keogh	€7,965
Anne McWilliams	€7,965
Corina Carrick	€7,965
Helen Collins	€7,965
Dr. Imelda Ryan	Does not receive fee

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Ceisteanna (183)

John Browne

Ceist:

183. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Health if he has or will be introducing regulations in order that defibrillators will be available on the buses of Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and private bus operators. [49811/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

While it is accepted that defibrillators should be placed in facilities where the incidence of cardiac arrest is likely to be high, this requires further assessment from a cost/health benefit perspective and also that the first responder programme can be delivered in a safe and appropriate manner. For this reason, a Health Technology Assessment is underway and this will guide how best to implement our first responder capacity including the requirement to provide defibrillators across many community settings including transport facilities. The Health Information and Quality Authority has agreed to undertake such an assessment. This will inform my subsequent decisions on the design and implementation of a national programme and the necessary legislation which my Department will draft.

The Second Stage of the Public Access to Defibrillators Bill, which sets out the requirement to provide defibrillators in a range of settings and for events which have a regular attendance in excess of 100 persons per day, was passed in the Seanad in June 2013. I have requested the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to undertake a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the practical elements of the introduction of a public access defibrillation programme and Department of Health officials have met with HIQA to discuss the procedures around a HTA. The Health Technology Assessment has now commenced and will be concluded in 2014.