Written Answers Nos. 491-511
491. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26433/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
492. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to commemorate the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina; if he will call for an official commemoration of the genocide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25789/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs we approach the 20th anniversary of the terrible atrocity that took place at Srebrenica, we remember the 8,000 victims who lost their lives there. The appalling events at Srebrenica in 1995 have been recognised as genocide by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This has been widely accepted by the international community. Ireland has, in the past, joined with our EU partners to condemn any attempts to minimise or deny the genocide which took place at Srebrenica. The victims will be commemorated at solemn ceremonies on 11 July, and, although it is not envisaged to hold an event in Ireland, we will be represented at the principal commemoration which will take place in Srebrenica.
Along with other members of the international community, including our EU partners, we will gather together in a spirit of remembrance and reconciliation.
The European Union was founded on the principles of peace and justice, and Ireland remains committed to supporting a peaceful, secure and prosperous future for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. We continue to encourage them on their European path, and to help them overcome the legacy of recent conflicts.
493. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 187 of 17 June 2015, the documentation that remains outstanding in the case of an application for citizenship through foreign birth registration in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25889/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration on behalf of the person (details supplied) was received by the Embassy of Ireland in Ottawa on 23 April 2015. I wish to reassure the Deputy that the Department, through the Embassy in Ottawa, has been in direct contact with the individual to clarify the documentation that remains outstanding and has provided them with details of where the required and outstanding original long form certificates may be attained.
494. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to organise an event in July 2015 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in view of the European Parliament's resolution passed in 2009 which called on European Union member states to commemorate the event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25916/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs we approach the 20th anniversary of the terrible atrocity that took place at Srebrenica, we remember the 8,000 victims who lost their lives there. The appalling events at Srebrenica in 1995 have been recognised as genocide by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This has been widely accepted by the international community. Ireland has, in the past, joined with our EU partners to condemn any attempts to minimise or deny the genocide which took place at Srebrenica. The victims will be commemorated at solemn ceremonies on 11 July, and, although it is not envisaged to hold an event in Ireland, we will be represented at the principal commemoration which will take place in Srebrenica.
Along with other members of the international community, including our EU partners, we will gather together in a spirit of remembrance and reconciliation.
The European Union was founded on the principles of peace and justice, and Ireland remains committed to supporting a peaceful, secure and prosperous future for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. We continue to encourage them on their European path, and to help them overcome the legacy of recent conflicts.
495. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if the passport express service delivered by his Department is meeting the agreed service level agreements; if the Passport Office is provided with additional resources during seasonal variations to maintain the ten-day agreed turnaround time; if penalties are due to be paid to consumers when Passport Office service level agreements are breached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26090/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website provides weekly performance reports on actual turnaround periods for Passport Express. Currently the turnaround time for Passport Express is on average ten working days for renewal application and 12 working days for first time applicants or for those who have lost or had their passports stolen. However the Department emphasises, including on passport application forms and on our website, that these turnaround times are a guideline rather than a stated guarantee. For this reason we recommend that citizens apply at least six weeks in advance of any planned travel.
Almost 50% of passport applications are received in the months April to July. To cope with the seasonal demand the passport service has recruited 160 additional temporary staff, most taken from the live register. This is in addition to the active pursuance of opportunities to improve customer service through a combination of internal and external service delivery initiatives. These measures have enabled the Passport Service to keep the average turnaround times for passport express at ten or 11 days for the entire peak period.
496. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an outline of any voluntary repatriation programmes in place; the budget allocation for same; if he will provide, in tabular form for each of the past ten years, the number of persons who have availed of such a scheme and the cumulative total for the years in question; the number of persons who have applied and the countries to which they wished to be repatriated, including the number in respect of each country and-or region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26094/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are no formal voluntary repatriation/return migration programmes to Ireland. However, through the Emigrant Support Programme, the Government provides funding to organisations that assist Irish people who are considering returning to Ireland e.g. Safehome and Crosscare.
The Government’s policy has been to create the economic conditions necessary to make returning to Ireland an option for those that have emigrated. The focus for the last number of years has been on job creation, over 52,000 of which have been created this year alone.
The Minister for Diaspora Affairs Mr Jimmy Deenihan has been in consultation with a range of organisations that are interested in bringing members of the diaspora home to take up opportunities in Ireland. In addition, Minister Deenihan chairs an Interdepartmental Committee dealing with all matters relating to the Irish Abroad and this provides a forum to discuss any barriers to those considering return and ways to address these challenges where possible.
497. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether the failure of the 2015 Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference to agree an outcome document increases the urgency for the negotiation of a new legal framework to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons in keeping with the spirit of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if Ireland will take a leading role in initiating such negotiations and so on. [26232/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland’s long track record in the area of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation dates back to the late 1950s when Ireland’s efforts at the United Nations General Assembly led to the negotiation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). I addressed the NPT Review Conference in New York at its opening on 27 April this year in order to highlight Ireland’s continuing strong commitment to nuclear disarmament. I also had the opportunity to meet with a number of delegations on that occasion.
It is a matter of great regret that, despite strenuous efforts, including by Ireland, the 2015 NPT Review Conference ended without an agreed outcome document. Both before and during the Conference, Ireland worked for concrete progress on creating an effective outcome document through our national efforts and also through the New Agenda Coalition (NAC), a cross-regional group of States, including Ireland, which are committed to promoting urgent progress on nuclear disarmament. Right from the inception of the NPT, Ireland has emphasised - primarily for humanitarian reasons - the urgent need to pursue the effective measures for nuclear disarmament mandated by Article VI of the Treaty. It is clear that, in order to be effective, these measures need to be legally binding, and it is my view that work on elaborating them needs to begin immediately.
The need for urgent progress on nuclear disarmament has been given even greater impetus by the facts and research presented at three major recent conferences on the risks and consequences associated with nuclear weapons and the devastating humanitarian consequences of any nuclear detonation whether by accident or design. A statement endorsed at the Review Conference by 159 States, including Ireland, asserts that nuclear weapons must never be used again under any circumstances and that the only way of ensuring this is through their total elimination.
Ireland’s final statement to the Review Conference recalled our commitment to nuclear disarmament and our belief that effective measures for the implementation of Article VI are required as a matter of urgency.
This has always been and remains Ireland’s position, as was shown last year when Ireland was Coordinator of the New Agenda Coalition and contributed significantly to the debate at the Final Preparatory Committee meeting for the NPT Review Conference by presenting on behalf of the NAC a Working Paper with detailed proposals on the effective measures required by Article VI. This work was taken forward by the current NAC Coordinator, New Zealand, at the Review Conference itself. I can assure the Deputy that we will continue to work towards achieving a world without nuclear weapons, including by consulting closely with like-minded partners and by supporting South Africa, when it assumes the role of Coordinator of the New Agenda Coalition from 1 July 2015.
498. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing funding for the school books grant scheme by 30% in 2016. [25885/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department will provide approximately €16 million in funding to first and second level schools to provide assistance for books in 2015. Increasing this funding by 30% in 2016 would cost approximately €4.8 million.
499. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a 40/02 declaration has not been made in relation to the services agreement for chaplaincy services at a college (details supplied) in County Louth. [26135/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra542. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any special provision has been made for the funding of Roman Catholic chaplaincy services in institutes of technology, whether under regulations, legislation or otherwise. [26196/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 542 together.
I understand that most third level institutions provide chaplaincy services for their student body and decisions on such provision is a matter for the individual institutions as an autonomous bodies. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution.
The recruitment of staff is also a matter for individual higher education institutions and should be in line with public sector appointment criteria and the provisions of the Employment Control Framework for the sector.
In the particular case of the Institute of Technology (IoT) referred to by the Deputy, I understand the Institute has a contract for service with the Archdiocese of Armagh since 2010 for the provision of Catholic chaplaincy services, and also has similar arrangements in place for part-time Church of Ireland and Presbyterian Chaplaincy services. I understand that the view of the Institute is that they are in a sole provider situation in terms of chaplaincy services, however, they are hoping to tender for general chaplaincy services in 2016.
500. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which chaplaincy services at a college (details supplied) in County Louth were not advertised or tendered for when a successor was sought for the person who up until 2010 had provided those services. [26136/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra501. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis - statutory, regulatory or otherwise - on which the Roman Catholic chaplaincy services in institutes of technology are funded in cases in which these roles have been neither tendered for nor advertised publicly. [26137/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra541. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis - statutory, regulatory or otherwise - on which chaplaincy appointments are made in institutes of technology. [26195/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 500, 501 and 541 together. Institutes of Technology, as autonomous institutions under the terms of the Institutes of Technology Acts are responsible for the day to day management of their own affairs, including matters relating to the recruitment of staff. Therefore the basis on which chaplaincy appointments are made are matters for the institutes themselves and, for that reason I have no function in relation to the issues raised by the Deputy.
502. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, in view of the much vaunted and often heralded economic recovery, she will restore the capitation grant for national schools to the level which pertained prior to the introduction of the Government's austerity programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25915/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60 million during 2015. That increase has provided funding for 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs to be recruited for our schools, as well as funding important reforms. However, it was not possible to secure the funding which would be required to also increase the rates of capitation paid to our schools. I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. In the last Budget, I was able to secure the first increase in education spending in recent years. I am determined to continue pressing the case for increased investment in education in the forthcoming budget.
503. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Education and Skills if education support workers who are hired and paid by their respective third level institutions to assist those with disabilities can be made permanent employees, paid from central funds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25690/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for each individual institution.
The recruitment of staff is a matter for individual higher education institutions as autonomous bodies, and should be carried out in line with public sector appointment criteria and the provisions of the Employment Control Framework for the sector.
504. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will issue a reply to correspondence regarding a school (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason she granted a request by the patron for this school's board of management to be dissolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25770/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that a response has issued to the person in relation to this matter.
In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998 the appointment of a Board of Management of a school is a matter for the relevant school patron.
Section 16 of the Education Act provides that where a patron is satisfied that the functions of a Board are not being effectively discharged, the patron may, subject to the consent of the Minister and following issuing a notice of the proposed dissolution to board members and consideration of any representations received, dissolve the board of management and, subject to the approval of the Minister, appoint any person or body of persons as the patron thinks fit to perform the functions of the board.
In the case of the school in question, the patron has, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Education Act 1998, appointed a single manager to manage the school.
505. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the expert group on fixed-term and part-time employment in lecturing, as per the terms of the Haddington Road agreement, will be appointed and allocated its terms of reference; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25834/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Expert Group, which is chaired by a Senior Counsel, has been established. The Group comprises representatives from the Department, employer management bodies and trade unions. The Group has received submissions and is consulting with stakeholders. The Chairman will present his report to my Department when the Group's work is fully completed.
506. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application for major capital works or relocation to a greenfield site by a school (details supplied) in County Cork has been received within her Department recently; the way this matter will be progressed in the context of the awaited publication of the five-year building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25857/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has recently applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for the replacement of the school building in addition to substantial special needs provision, on a greenfield site to be provided by the Patron. The application is being assessed and input is being sought from the National Council for Special Education in respect of the special needs element.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the school's request must be considered in the context of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in my Department's Five Year Capital investment programme, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential school classroom accommodation to meet demographic demand. In this context, it is not possible to indicate at this point when a building project for the school in question will be progressed.
My Department approved funding to the school in March 2014 to provide a special needs unit. The school has not drawn down any of this funding to date.
507. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will consider an appointment of an EAL teacher at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25858/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe staffing appeal process at primary level includes the provision whereby schools with a high concentration of pupils requiring English as an additional language (EAL) can apply for further additional temporary language support posts. The appeal criteria are set out in Circular 0005/2015.
The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal under the EAL criterion to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal was refused by the Appeals Board on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not warrant the allocation of an EAL post under Circular 0005/2015. The school has been notified accordingly.
The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
508. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has received an appeal in respect of a higher education decision from a person (details supplied) in County Cork; when a decision will be expected on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25859/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn appeal from the student referred to by the Deputy has not been received by the administrative support team to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
509. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding school trips in respect of a family (details supplied) in Dublin 3; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25875/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, under Section 15 of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. Responsibility for the appropriate supervision of students is therefore a matter for the individual Board of Management.
Decisions in relation to educational tours by schools are a matter for each individual school. In accordance with my Department's circulars, the objective of an educational tour should be to provide a significant benefit in the educational, intellectual, cultural and social development of pupils taking part. It is a matter for each individual school to decide on the suitability of any proposed tour having regard to these requirements.
While the Department does not issue specific guidelines on requirements for supervision in the specific situations outlined by the Deputy, it acknowledges that the degree of supervision required of school authorities varies with the individual circumstances, including the age of the pupil.
The question of the degree of supervision required in situations where pupils are attending school tours and other events outside of the school grounds, is a matter for determination by the Board of Management having regard to all the relevant circumstances concerned.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July.
510. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures taken to ensure that circulars from her Department uphold the best interests of the child and Ireland's international legal obligations, particularly in view of the reservations stressed in this regard in the 2013 annual report of the Ombudsman for Children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25879/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware the regulation of the schools system was not historically governed by legislation but rather by circular. The use of primary and secondary legislation is a relatively recent innovation since, in particular, the enactment of the Education Act 1998. The use of circulars enables the Department to deal with sometimes urgent or emergency-type issues promptly. They also build flexibility into administration by allowing changes to be made to reflect policy shifts or in reaction to changed circumstances. They are not intended to be of general application to citizens at large but rather to a defined group within the education sphere and as a general rule, the Department strives to ensure that the best interests of the child and Ireland's international legal obligations permeate its work.
511. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number and the percentage of schools in County Wexford that have a full-time guidance counsellor broken down by fee-paying schools and non-fee-paying schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25880/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUp until September 2012, an ex-quota allocation was provided for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation to post primary schools. This resource was allocated in accordance with pupil enrolment. Some 42% of second-level schools at the time were allocated at least 22 hours per week in respect of guidance (22 hours being the equivalent of one teaching post) while the remainder of the schools were allocated between 8 and 17 hours of guidance per week.
Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. This operates at local school level and therefore the information requested by the Deputy on the current position is not available centrally within my Department. The Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations.
