Written Answers Nos. 325-347
325. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if an analysis of an area is conducted on medical services, public transport, potential isolation and the percentage change in the population prior to the introduction of refugees and asylum seekers into that area and if due consideration should be given to such an analysis. [44233/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their application for protection is being processed. RIA also procures suitable premises on behalf of the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration for the accommodation of refugees for approximately 8-10 weeks when they first arrive in the State and before they move to their permanent homes in locations throughout the State. Any potential centre is assessed from a number of perspectives including access to local amenities and the provision of services.
The numbers of persons making application for asylum has risen in recent years as shown in the following table:
|
Year |
Applications |
% increase on previous year |
|
2013 |
946 |
- 10.5% |
|
2014 |
1448 |
+ 53% |
The current projections for applications in 2015 are approximately 3,330. This figure represents an increase of 130% on 2014 applications and over 252% increase on 2013.
RIA monitors its accommodation requirements on an ongoing basis and, to ensure best value for money, operates a 'just in time' system of contracting-in accommodation as required.
This model and approach has been operated by RIA since its establishment and has proven to be extremely successful in the establishment of accommodation centres to date. No person seeking accommodation has ever been left without the provision of that service. Communities across the country have welcomed the establishment of these centres and have been engaged in the provision of local integration services to residents in those centres. I am confident that people in Ireland will continue to welcome into their communities those who are the most vulnerable and most in need of protection.
It is my understanding that the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), in establishing Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROCs) will also take account of a range of pertinent factors in determining the suitability or otherwise of a premises as a possible EROC. Under the relevant EU measures Ireland has agreed to relocate approximately 2,600 persons to Ireland over a two year period. The IRPP are cognisant of the fact that this particular cohort of persons are considered highly likely to obtain refugee status in a short period of time and will not be residing in EROCs for a lengthy period of time. Accordingly, some of the factors identified by the Deputy are not as relevant for this group of persons. The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, together with colleagues in the City and County Managers Association, are considering how best to address the accommodation needs of this cohort once they obtain refugee status and are dispersed across the community, again taking account of a range of relevant factors. Their report is not yet finalised but they are expected to make a report in due course to the Taskforce established by the Government to oversee the IRPP.
326. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of increasing the strength of An Garda Síochána to 15,000, 15,500 and 16,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44239/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Garda authorities that payroll costs for new Garda recruits include a basic allowance of €184 per week plus a living allowance of €77.92. After 32 weeks of training, Garda recruits are attested and move on to the first point of the Garda pay scale €23,171 rising to a maximum of €45,793 per annum after 19 years. They may also qualify for other allowances depending on their assignments.
The number of members in An Garda Síochána as of 31 October was 12,866. Based on this figure, the year one cost of increasing the strength of the force to 15,000, 15,500 and 16,000 (assuming a commencement date of 1 January) is approximately €40 million, €49.5 million and €59 million respectively. It should be noted that these costs reflect the pre and post attestation payroll costs for the first year. These figures include Employer's PRSI but exclude any allowances which the recruits may qualify for following attestation. Moreover the annual cost will obviously increase as the members’ move up the Garda pay scale each year.
I am further informed that the cost of training recruits is subsumed into the overall training costs of the Garda College and is not easily identifiable. The total cost of running the Garda College in 2014 was approximately €14m, which includes the salary costs of all College personnel.
327. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the cost of increasing the strength An Garda Síochána reserve to 2,500; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44240/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the annual allowance payable to Reserve Gardaí as a contribution towards their expenses is set at €1,000 per annum. In addition, the uniform cost per Reserve Garda is in the region of €1,300. As such the cost of increasing the strength of the Garda Reserve to 2,500 from the current figure of 978 attested Reserve Gardaí (plus a further 21 at various stages of training) is approximately €3.5 million.
328. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda Síochána stations closed and sold from 2011 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44241/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe formulation of proposals in relation to the opening and closing of Garda Stations is a matter, in the first instance, for the Garda Commissioner in the context of annual policing plans, as provided for in section 22 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.
The Garda District and Station Rationalisation Programme implemented in An Garda Síochána during 2012 and 2013 resulted in the closure of 39 Garda stations in 2012 and 100 Garda stations in 2013. I am advised by An Garda Síochána that under the Policing Plan 2015, one station in Co. Clare was closed earlier this year, however, another local station was reopened. The Garda Station at Lisseycasey was closed due to the expiry of its lease and its policing functions were transferred to the reopened Garda Station at Kilmihil, approximately 12km away. I am advised that Kilmihil Station was a new build and originally constructed as a purpose built Garda Station. Its reopening and use facilitated the Office of Public Works in not having to enter into another lease with the associated financial implications.
The Rationalisation Programme was based on a review of the Garda Station Network by Garda management which concluded in relation to certain stations, many of which were only open part-time and manned by a single Garda, that resources could be better deployed and more effectively used on the front line if those stations no longer had to be staffed and maintained. In reaching these conclusions, Garda management reviewed all aspects of the Garda Síochána policing model, including the deployment of personnel, the utilisation of modern technologies and the overall operation of Garda stations. The Programme supports the provision of a modern 21st century policing service for both urban and rural areas and allows front line Gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility, greater flexibility, and in a more focused fashion, particularly with regard to various targeted police operations. As a result of the Programme, communities have benefitted from increased Garda visibility and increased patrolling hours which has enabled An Garda Síochána to deliver an improved policing service to the public.
The Garda Stations which have been closed were returned to, and are now under the control of, the Office of Public Works (OPW). The future use of such properties is a matter for the OPW as the owners of the properties.
329. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the average cost of the detention of a prisoner within the prison system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44242/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Prison Service calculates the average annual cost of an available staffed prison space for inclusion in the Annual Report. For 2014, the latest year for which a figure is available, the cost was €68,959.
330. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the average number of prisoners detained within the prison system in each year from 2010 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44243/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Figures are taken from the Annual Reports for the Irish Prison Service.
|
Year |
Daily average number of persons in custody |
|
2015 (Up to and including 30th November 2015) |
3,726 |
|
2014 |
3,916 |
|
2013 |
4,158 |
|
2012 |
4,318 |
|
2011 |
4,390 |
|
2010 |
4,290 |
As outlined in the Irish Prison Service Three Year Strategic Plan 2012 - 2015, it is intended to align the bed capacity of our prisons with the guidelines laid down by the Inspector of Prisons, in so far as this is compatible with public safety and the integrity of the criminal justice system. This has been completed for 9 out of the 14 prisons in the State. The number in custody on 7 December (3,777) represented 93% of the Inspector of Prisons recommended total of 3,977.
The Deputy will be aware that the average number of prisoners in custody in Ireland rose from 3,321 during 2007 to 4,318 during 2012, an increase of over 30%. Likewise the total number of committals to prison also rose sharply during the same period, from 11,934 in 2007 to 17,026 in 2012 – an increase of over 43%.
2013 saw the first significant decrease in prison numbers since 2007. There were 15,735 committals to prison in 2013 which was a decrease of 7.6% on the 2012 figure. The overall daily average number of prisoners in custody has also dropped in recent years. The average number in custody for 2014 was 3,916 a reduction of 10.8% on the 2011 average of 4,390.
The Deputy may wish to note that the number in custody reached a peak of 4,621 on 23rd February 2011. On 7 December 2015 there are 904 less prisoners in custody which represents a decrease of 19%.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service employs a wide range of approaches in addressing prisoners offending behaviours. While it is important to note that the best indication of future offending are the age, gender, offence type and the criminal history of the individual, there are also dynamic factors that the prisons and other agencies can address. These include employment status, education level, family situation and drug and addiction issues. In addition there are more complex psychological factors that are associated with offending that can also be addressed by the prison system.
To address these issues the Irish Prison Service has rolled out Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) across all Prisons. This is a prisoner-centred, multidisciplinary approach to working with prisoners with provision for initial assessment, goal setting and periodic review to measure progress.
Prisoner rehabilitation involves significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and in-reaching statutory and non-statutory services. Amongst these are healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, educational, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, missed educational and vocational opportunities, anger management, and self management in the interest of encouraging positive personal development in prisoners, and preparing them for re-integration and resettlement on release from custody.
Since 2011, the Irish Prison Service has introduced a number of new schemes to specifically aid prisoner reintegration and reduce re-offending. The Community Return Scheme is an initiative whereby carefully selected prisoners, serving sentences between 1 year and 8 years, can be granted reviewable temporary release coupled with a requirement to do community service work such as painting, gardening or graffiti removal in a supervised group setting. The type of work involved is intended to assist the community and the scheme is involved with a large number of charitable organisations and local community groups.
A recent report on the Community Return Scheme has showed that there were 232 persons released in the first year of the Scheme, from October 2011 to end September 2012. Of this group the report highlighted that as at the end of year 2013, 91% of those involved in the Scheme had not returned to custody.
In addition to Community Return, a Community Support Scheme has also been introduced to reduce recidivism rates of short term prisoners by arranging for additional support structures post release and by providing for a more structured form of temporary release.
The Central Statistics Office has published two recidivism studies, for 2007 and 2008, the latter of which shows an overall reduction in recidivism of 4.3% from the previous year. The latest recidivism study, for 2009, will be published on 14 December 2015. The publication of these recidivism studies and of future studies allows the Irish Prison Service access to a comprehensive bank of data in relation to the rate of recidivism among ex-prisoners. This will help to inform future policy on the management of offenders and will facilitate the formulation of new strategies aimed at reducing recidivism
The Deputy will also be aware that I have recently launched the Joint Agency Response to Crime initiative (JARC), which aims to implement a multi-agency approach to the management of crime, to prioritise certain prolific offenders and to develop specific initiatives which will address their behaviour and reduce crime thereby increasing community safety.
331. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the capacity of the Prison Service; how this has changed over the past four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44244/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Irish Prison Service that figures in relation to the prisoner population and capacity levels are published on their website www.irishprisons.ie on a daily basis. The Deputy should be aware that the overall bed capacity of the Irish Prison System is 4,116. On 4 December, 2015 there were 3,770 prisoners in custody. This represents a occupancy rate of 92 per cent.
On 4 December, 2011 the overall bed capacity of the Irish Prison Service was 4,480 and there were 4,252 prisoners in custody, representing a occupancy rate of 95 per cent.
Great strides have been made and continue to be made, to reduce the numbers in custody, to improve and modernise prison conditions, to increase the number of single cell accommodation and to eliminate slopping out.
I am advised by my officials that the modernisation project at Mountjoy prison is ongoing and nearing completion. Mountjoy Prison currently has a single cell policy and all prisoners have in cell sanitation facilities. In relation to Cork Prison, a new prison was constructed to replace the existing facility and this will become operational in early 2016. Planning is also advancing regarding the replacement of A & B Division in Limerick Prison.
It is intended as outlined in the Irish Prison Service Three Year Strategic Plan, to align the capacity of our prisons with the guidelines laid down by the Inspector of Prisons in 2014, in so far as this is compatible with public safety and the integrity of the criminal justice system.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Irish Prison Service employs a wide range of approaches in addressing prisoners offending behaviours. While it is important to note that the best indication of future offending are the age, gender, offence type and the criminal history of the individual, there are also dynamic factors that the prisons and other agencies can address. These include employment status, education level, family situation and drug and addiction issues. In addition there are more complex psychological factors that are associated with offending that can also be addressed by the prison system.
To address these issues the Irish Prison Service has rolled out Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) across all Prisons. This is a prisoner-centred, multidisciplinary approach to working with prisoners with provision for initial assessment, goal setting and periodic review to measure progress.
Prisoner rehabilitation involves significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and in-reaching statutory and non-statutory services. Amongst these are healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, educational, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, missed educational and vocational opportunities, anger management, and self management in the interest of encouraging positive personal development in prisoners, and preparing them for re-integration and resettlement on release from custody.
Since 2011, the Irish Prison Service has introduced a number of new schemes to specifically aid prisoner reintegration and reduce re-offending. The Community Return Scheme is an initiative whereby carefully selected prisoners, serving sentences between 1 year and 8 years, can be granted reviewable temporary release coupled with a requirement to do community service work such as painting, gardening or graffiti removal in a supervised group setting. The type of work involved is intended to assist the community and the scheme is involved with a large number of charitable organisations and local community groups.
A recent report on the Community Return Scheme has showed that there were 232 persons released in the first year of the Scheme, from October 2011 to end September 2012. Of this group the report highlighted that as at the end of year 2013, 91% of those involved in the Scheme had not returned to custody.
In addition to Community Return, a Community Support Scheme has also been introduced to reduce recidivism rates of short term prisoners by arranging for additional support structures post release and by providing for a more structured form of temporary release.
The Central Statistics Office has published two recidivism studies, for 2007 and 2008, the latter of which shows an overall reduction in recidivism of 4.3% from the previous year. The latest recidivism study, for 2009, will be published on 14 December 2015. The publication of these recidivism studies and of future studies allows the Irish Prison Service access to a comprehensive bank of data in relation to the rate of recidivism among ex-prisoners. This will help to inform future policy on the management of offenders and will facilitate the formulation of new strategies aimed at reducing recidivism
The Deputy will also be aware that I have recently launched the Joint Agency Response to Crime initiative (JARC), which aims to implement a multi-agency approach to the management of crime, to prioritise certain prolific offenders and to develop specific initiatives which will address their behaviour and reduce crime thereby increasing community safety.
332. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the information technology budget allocated to An Garda Síochána in 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44245/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Garda Síochána Act 2005 the Garda Commissioner is responsible for controlling the general management and administration of the Service within the context of agreed annual policing plans. This includes the procurement and maintenance of various technologies utilised to manage the Service, and support front-line Gardaí and intelligence-led operations against organised crime.
In that context, the total amount allocated to ICT Subheads in the 2015 Garda Vote was €65.7m. A further €7m was allocated recently to allow work to commence on 3 new phases of the Major Investigations System this year and to meet other additional hardware requirements. Under the Government Capital Plan 2016-2021, an additional €205m has been provided towards a major investment programme in new technology and systems for An Garda Síochána. In addition, I secured additional capital funding of €4m for 2016 to allow Ireland to participate in the Schengen Information System (SIS II), a centralised secure database used by European countries for maintaining information (alerts) related to border security and law enforcement. In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, I am determined to press ahead with the necessary steps to allow Ireland to participate fully in the Schengen Information System (SIS II) as quickly as possible. This will bring the total capital expenditure on the Garda ICT over the lifetime of the Plan to in excess of €330m which will allow An Garda Síochána to deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in the fight against crime.
333. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total cost to her Department and those under her aegis for the procurement of legal services in the State from 2011 to 2015 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44577/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that the total cost to my Department, and bodies under my aegis, for legal services in the State from 2011 to 2015, is contained in the following table:
|
- |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 (end Nov) |
|
Total Costs |
€71.2m |
€61.4m |
€59.9m |
€60.4m |
€57.4m |
334. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of funding for a project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43540/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn recent years capital funding has been made available to my Department for the development of youth café facilities. In 2013 a capital allocation of €1.5m was made available by my Department for the provision of new youth cafes. Pobal assisted my Department with the administration of the scheme. Some 95 applications were received and 30 proposals for new youth cafes around the country were approved for funding.
I am advised that an application was received in respect of a youth café in Monasterevin from Kildare Youth Services. However, the application was unsuccessful on this occasion as it did not achieve a sufficiently high score for inclusion in the final list of projects approved for funding. An application from County Kildare Youth Hub in Kildare Town was successful and has received a capital grant of €50,000 towards the cost of developing a new youth café facility. The group is working with Pobal to complete the youth café project.
Youth Cafés offer young people a safe, alcohol and drug free space, for recreation, non-formal learning and youth activities and they make an important contribution to facilities for young people at local level. Recent research undertaken by my Department indicates that there are now more than 150 youth cafés throughout the country. In the main, these have been developed, over the years, by local communities with the support of different funding sources.
While additional capital funding of €2.25m has been provided to my Department in Budget 2016, this funding is allocated, in the main, for small scale capital works, such as re-fits and accessibility improvements in the voluntary youth services funded under schemes administered by my Department.
My Department does not have available to it in 2016 a capital fund for the development of new youth cafés. The development of youth café facilities is a priority for my Department should further capital funding become available for these purposes in future years.
335. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of meetings requested by private external lobby groups and the number of meetings held in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43594/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is contained in the following table.
|
Number of Meeting Requests |
Number of Meetings held with Minister |
Number of Meetings held with Officials of Department |
|
6 |
0 |
1 |
336. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his Department's photography costs since he came into office, inclusive of costs incurred from use of the ministerial allowance by year in tabular form; the occasions for which photographers were booked; the photographers used; the costs associated with each occasion; the policy in place regarding the booking of photographers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43626/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince coming to office, I have not used my Ministerial allowance for photography. The only photography costs incurred by my Department were the following:
The Comhairle na nÓg national showcase event at Croke Park on 20th November 2014. This biennial event included a celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and was attended by the Taoiseach. The photographer was booked by Foróige but the cost of €522.75 was paid by my Department. A photographer was engaged for a Dáil na nÓg event on 27th November 2015. The company used was Maxwell Photography Limited, the cost was €424.35
My Department paid €90.08 to Fennell Photography with regard to the Mother and Baby Homes Commission on 12 February 2015.
337. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his Department's use of external public relations firms since he came into office by year in tabular form; the uses of these firms and the policy regarding employing them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43642/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince my coming to office my Department has not engaged any Public Relations firms.
338. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reports he commissioned from external consultants since March 2011 by year, title, cost, date published and company in tabular form [43658/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to deliver key commitments in relation to children and young people and to put in place a unified framework of policy, legislation and provision across Government in respect of children and young people, it is at times necessary to commission reports and utilise expertise from a range of expert individuals and bodies. My Department ensures that all reports commissioned are of direct relevance to the operational and policy commitments of my Department.
I have set out below the full range of external consultant reports commissioned by my Department. Costs may include, where applicable, copy editing, design and other costs relating to publication. Separate material is provided in respect of the Growing Up in Ireland study.
|
Name of External Report |
Date of Commission |
Date/expected - date of Publication |
Name of External Consultant |
Cost of Report |
|
Audit of Children and Young people’s Participation in decision making in Ireland |
November 2009 |
November 2011 |
Cnag ar an Doras and Sandra Roe (joint contract) |
€19,890.42 |
|
National Consultation with Children Living in the Care of the State |
November 2010 |
July 2011 |
Cnag ar an Doras |
€25,610.00 |
|
Body Image Survey Report |
March 2011 |
October 2011 |
Anam Cara |
€6,800.00 |
|
Youth Work: A Systematic Map of the Research Literature |
September 2011 |
June 2013 |
Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of (EPPI-Centre) London. |
€67,000 |
|
Valuation report |
November 2011 |
Internal use only |
Elliott Fitzgerald Ltd. |
€1,230.00 |
|
Needs Assessment for the Redevelopment of www.childrensdatabase.ie |
December 2011 |
Internal use only |
Centre for Effective Services |
€18,400 |
|
Every Child a Home: A Review of the Implementation of the Youth Homelessness Strategy |
December 2011 |
July 2013 |
Centre for Effective Services Penhouse Design Intacta Print Carole Devaney for proofing of report and of briefing note |
€6,000 €5,522.70 €4,706.57 €1,360.00 Total: €17,589.27 |
|
Comhairle na nÓg and Garda Siochana survey on the Attitudes of Gardaí to Young People. Questionnaire for Gardaí and Young People |
July 2012 |
Publication date to be finalised |
Anam Cara |
€7,650 |
|
Public Knowledge and Attitudes Relating to Children’s Rights, Welfare, Protection and Services |
July 2012 |
Publication date to be finalised |
Behaviour and Attitudes Qualitative Research – Group Facilitation Quantitative Research – Interviews Barometer Research |
€42,864.98 €59,040.00 €1,107.00 Total: €103,011.98 |
|
Ireland’s Consolidated 3rd and 4th Report to the United Nations Committee in the Rights of the Child |
July 2012 |
July 2013 |
Ms. Carmel Corrigan – Drafting of Report Ms. Carol Devaney – Editing, Formatting and Indexing |
€12,600 €4,760 Total: €17,360 |
|
Strategic Human Resources |
December 2012 |
April 2013 |
Mazars |
€20,602.50 |
|
Internal Audit Report: Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme Internal Audit Report: ICT Shared Services Arrangements |
December 2012 December 2012 |
Internal Use Only Internal Use Only |
Capita Business Services Ltd Capita Business Services Ltd |
Combined for both reports €23,803.00 |
|
Summary Report for Young Voices Have Your Say- Structured Dialogue |
January 2013 |
March 2013 |
Cnag ar an Doras |
€4,918.00 |
|
Care Issues Review |
March 2013 |
Internal use only |
Victor McElfatrick |
€3,556.56 |
|
Report on Structural Damage |
March 2013 |
Internal use only |
Frontier Engineering Group Ltd. |
€7,668.74 |
|
Staff Roster Review |
April 2013 |
Internal use only |
McGuinness Killen Partnership |
€6,715.80 |
|
Role Review for Child & Family Agency |
May 2013 |
November 2013 |
Mazars |
€16,512.75 |
|
Care Issues Review |
September 2013 |
Internal use only |
Conal Devine & Associates |
€13,636.21 |
|
Internal Audit Report: Community Childcare Subvention/Childcare Education and Training Supports Programmes |
January 2014 |
Internal Use Only |
Capita Business Services Ltd |
€8,200.00 |
|
Care Issues Review |
February 2014 |
Internal use only |
Kieran McGrath |
€13,500 |
|
Policy Analysis and Development on Remission of Sentence |
March 2014 |
Internal use only |
Bramell Lane Ltd |
€29,151 |
|
Land Valuation Report |
August 2014 |
Internal use only |
Lisney Chartered Surveyors |
€2,152.50 |
|
Internal Audit Report: National Children’s Detention Facility |
October 2014 |
Internal use only |
Capita Business Services |
€12,623 |
|
Internal Audit Report: Programme Integration Platform (January 2015) |
January 2015 |
Internal use only |
Capita Business Services |
€16,858 |
|
Internal Audit Report: Programme Integration Platform (June 2015) |
November 2014 |
Internal Use Only |
Capita Business Services |
€15,675 |
|
Report on Ireland’s Implementation of EU Youth Strategy |
November 2014 |
Late 2015 |
Carmel Corrigan |
€6,300 |
|
Report of the involvement of children and young people in the recruitment of the Ombudsman for Children |
March 2015 |
December 2015 |
Sandra Roe |
€6,000 |
|
"Becoming an Active Player" - Report on meeting of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures Advisory Council |
December 2014 |
Internal use only |
The Change Exploratory Ltd. |
€1,600 |
|
A report of consultations with children and young people for Ireland 2016 |
May 2015 |
March 2016 |
Ursula Kelly - UCC |
€9,827.70 |
|
Report of the process of consulting children and young people living in Direct Provision |
July 2015 |
January 2016 |
Ursula Kelly - UCC |
€9,948 |
|
Audit of education and training on children’s rights and children’s and young people’s participation in decision-making in all third level and further education programmes and continuing professional development programmes in Ireland |
September 2015 |
March 2016 |
Ursula Kelly - UCC |
€19,978 |
|
Report of the workshop discussions at Dáil na nÓg 2015 |
October 2015 |
January 2016 |
Sandra Roe |
€4,000 |
|
Updating the Comhairle na nÓg Toolkit |
November 2015 |
June 2016 |
Cnag ar an Doras |
Per diem rate –number of days to be determined |
Growing Up in Ireland
In 2006 a Contract to carry out the first phase the National Longitudinal Study of Children in Ireland was awarded by the Department of Health and Children (through the Office of the Minister For Children & Youth Affairs) to a consortium comprising of the ESRI and the Children’s Research Centre at TCD. Since then the Study has adopted the working title of 'Growing Up in Ireland'. Following another public procurement competition a contract was awarded to the ESRI/TCD consortium to carry out the second phase of the study over the period 2015-2019. As part of the overall contracts the ESRI/TCD are required to prepare and publish reports from time to time. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs meets the costs of printing these reports and since this Department was established in June 2011 the total cost of printing is €31,967.14.
339. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of special advisers on his staff and their yearly salary, from 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43674/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. It should be noted that, since its establishment in June 2011, there have been three Ministers appointed to this Department, each with their own personal staff. In accordance with the Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Guidelines on Staffing of Ministerial Offices, a total of two whole time equivalent Special Advisers were appointed to each serving Minister.
The information provided in the following table reflects worksharing arrangements, staff changes and the changes of Ministers and their Special Advisers in 2014.
|
Year |
Number of Special Advisers |
Total Salary (including Employers PRSI) |
|
2011 |
3 |
€109,955 |
|
2012 |
3 |
€179,916 |
|
2013 |
4 |
€160,010 |
|
2014 |
7 |
€155,407 |
|
2015 |
2 |
€193,138 |
340. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will request Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to meet with representatives of the Target project in Donaghmede in Dublin 13 to discuss the restoration of funding for their counselling services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43811/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTarget Ltd. is based in St. Kevin’s National School, Donaghmede, Dublin 13 and receives funding from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency for the following activities:
- Marriage/Couple Counselling
- Child Counselling
- Bereavement Counselling
- Bereavement Support
Tusla values the work of counselling organisations and recognises the positive contribution that Target Ltd. makes in supporting families and local communities.
Target Ltd. received funding of €49,600 from Tusla in 2015.
Tusla has advised that a meeting with the Centre will be arranged in the New Year.
341. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason for the delay in progressing the adoption (information and tracing) Bill, if he is aware of the effect this delay is having on tens of thousands of persons awaiting personal information and connection with natural family members, if he will ensure that this Bill is enacted during the term of this Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43894/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government approved the publication of the Heads and General Scheme of the adoption (information and tracing) Bill 2015 last July. The Bill is intended to facilitate access to adoption information and operates on the basis of a presumption in favour of disclosing information in so far as is legally and constitutionally possible. The Bill will, for the first time, provide a statutory basis for the provision of information related to both past and future adoptions. It will provide clarity around the information that can be provided and the circumstances in which it can be provided.
I referred the Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Health and Children for pre legislative scrutiny. The Committee published their Report recently and my Department is currently examining the recommendations of the Committee with a view to incorporating the views of the Committee where appropriate and subject to legal advice.
342. Deputy Gabrielle McFadden asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will assure the Westmeath Support Services against Domestic Abuse that it can continue to operate its services on a long-term basis, that the month-by-month funding of the services will be replaced by long-term funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43994/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla, the Child and Family Agency provided €47,000 in funding to Westmeath Support Services against Domestic Violence in 2015.
I recently announced a significant increase in the funding allocation to Tusla for next year. Tusla will have available to it some €676 million in funding, representing an increase of €38 million over 2015.
The precise level of funding to be provided to Domestic Violence Services for next year will now be considered by Tusla in developing its Business Plan for 2016, which will be sent to me for consideration.
Tusla will communicate with individual funded organisations about funding arrangements for 2016 at the earliest opportunity and will continue to engage with stakeholders in Co. Westmeath as to how best to provide domestic violence support services as part of integrated community-based services.
343. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children who have died in care during the years 2011 to date, including their ages and cause of death; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44063/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe death of any child or young person is a tragedy, and a profound loss for their families and carers. To all those affected, I wish to express my sincere sympathies. In order to identify learning about how to better address the needs of vulnerable children and families, the National Review Panel (NRP) was established in 2010 to review serious incidences and deaths of children in care. It is an independent body chaired by Dr Helen Buckley of Trinity College and its reports are published on the Tusla website.
The National Review Panel recently published its 2014 Annual Report of reviews of the cases of 29 children and young people, 26 of these children died, and a further 3 were involved in serious incidents:
- Nearly one third of these deaths were a result of natural causes, including congenital conditions;
- Very sadly, a further 8 children and young people died by suicide, 3 of whom were in care;
- Five children died in road traffic accidents and 2 died by homicide.
The Review Panel found that there was no case where either action or inaction on the part of the HSE or Tusla was a direct contributory factor in the deaths. However, as is the explicit purpose of this work, the Review Panel also found areas of historical deficits in practice and inconsistencies in service provision. These include providing timely access to a social worker; more clear evidence of parental capacity to change in social work assessments and earlier decisions to take a child into care. This Government’s establishment of a dedicated Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has already addressed some of these historical deficits. Government has provided additional funding to Tusla this year to significantly increase the number of social workers dedicated to working with these vulnerable children and families.
As a learning organisation, Tusla is committed to embedding the lessons of such reviews, and a number of relevant actions are currently underway to further enhance the response to vulnerable children and families such as:
- Meitheal is an initiative to make best use of all early interventions to support families in a coordinated way and to best address childrens' needs;
- Tusla is developing an assessment model for social workers, to support evidence- informed assessment, greater consistency and enhanced practice in engaging families;
- New Threshold Guidance has been introduced to ensure social work interventions are made in a proportionate and timely manner.
The information requested by the Deputy is represented in the following tables. All information included can be found in the National Review Panel Annual reports, published on the Tusla website.
Table 1: Care Status at Time of Death
|
Care Status |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Total |
|
In care |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
11 |
|
Known to services |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
|
In aftercare at the time of death/in care immediately prior to their 18th birthday or in aftercare and under 21 |
11 |
18 |
13 |
19 |
61 |
|
Total |
15 |
23 |
17 |
26 |
81 |
Table 2: Age at Time of Death
|
Age Band |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Total |
|
Infant < 12 months |
4 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
21 |
|
1 -5 years old |
2 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
11 |
|
6 - 10 years old |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
11 -16 years old |
3 |
5 |
5 |
10 |
23 |
|
17 - 20 years old |
5 |
8 |
2 |
4 |
19 |
|
> 20 years old |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Total |
15 |
23 |
17 |
26 |
81 |
Table 3: Cause of Death
|
Cause of Death |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Total |
|
Natural Causes |
8 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
30 |
|
Suicide |
3 |
9 |
4 |
8 |
24 |
|
Road traffic accident |
1 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
8 |
|
Other - Accidental |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
|
Drug Overdose |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
Homicide |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
Cause of death to be verified |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
|
Total |
15 |
23 |
17 |
26 |
81 |
344. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total cost to his Department, and those under his aegis, for the procurement of legal services in the State from 2011 to 2015 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44633/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded once it is available.
345. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health when a nurse will be appointed to a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43796/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra346. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will provide nursing support for a special needs school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43816/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra348. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding for nursing support for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry. [44154/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 345 to 348, inclusive, together.
The particular issue raised by the Deputies is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputies. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
347. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of rapid alerts for food and feed notifications from 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44016/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) is a notification system introduced under the General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002). It is operated by the European Commission to exchange information on identified hazards between Member States. It covers food, food contact materials and animal feed. This information helps Member States to act more rapidly and in a coordinated manner in response to a health threat. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland assesses these notifications for relevance to Ireland.
Those that relate to animal feed are followed up by the relevant unit in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Those relating to food or food contact materials are assessed and risk managed by the FSAI. When necessary, food business operators are requested to take action through the relevant official agencies. The Department of Health is kept fully informed by FSAI of any developments in this area. The FSAI food incident team reports back on all the findings and measures taken through RASFF.
The following table presents figures in relation to the number of RASFF notifications in Ireland for the relevant period:
|
Year |
Total |
Food |
Food Contact Materials |
|
2011 |
3717 |
3050 |
308 |
|
2012 |
3441 |
2827 |
289 |
|
2013 |
3168 |
2677 |
218 |
|
2014 |
3128 |
2636 |
184 |
|
2015 (to 4.12.15) |
2776 |
2444 |
139 |
