Thursday, 11 Nov 2021

Written Answers Nos. 296-306

Foreign Birth Registration

Ceisteanna (296)

Martin Kenny

Ceist:

296. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the processing of foreign birth registrations will resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55326/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. 

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as of Monday, 15th November, the processing of Foreign Birth Registration will resume on a phased basis. My Department is fully committed to allocating resources over the coming weeks to assist with the high volume of applications, with a focus on reducing turnaround times.

People may apply for Irish citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration if one of their grandparents was born in Ireland or if one of their parents was an Irish citizen at the time of their birth, even if their parent was not born in Ireland. Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register, they are an Irish citizen and are entitled to apply for an Irish passport.

In order to protect the integrity of the citizenship process, Foreign Birth Registration applications require very careful analysis in order to validate both the identity of the applicant and their entitlement to Irish citizenship. Accordingly, such applications undergo rigorous checking by experienced staff at the Passport Service.

Demand for Foreign Birth Registration services reached unprecedented levels following the Brexit referendum in 2016, resulting in a peak of 32,000 online applications received in 2019. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing time for Foreign Birth Registration applications stood at 18 months. This processing time is due to the unprecedented peak in applications as a result of Brexit and the aforementioned rigorous validation which citizenship applications undergo. 

Operations at the Passport Service were severely disrupted by public health restrictions brought about by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, unfortunately, it was necessary to pause Foreign Birth Registration processing in order to focus also on the provision of urgent passport services. When Passport services were scaled up in May 2021 to more normal operational levels, in line with the phased easing of restrictions, Foreign Birth Registration staff were redeployed to assist with the delivery of our expanded essential passport services operation. Throughout the pandemic, the Foreign Birth Registration Service continued to consider urgent requests to expedite an application on a case by case basis, in cases such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Over 5,000 emergency Foreign Birth Registration applications have been processed in 2021. 

In the context of the National Development Plan, the Government is making a major investment in the future of the Passport Service.  Over the next couple of years, the Department will replace the core technology underpinning the service, which will deliver efficiencies to the Foreign Birth Registration and passport services. Budget 2022 also included an investment of an additional €10m for the Passport Service in response to the increasing demand for passports and Foreign Birth Registration.

Question No. 297 answered with Question No. 295.

Passport Services

Ceisteanna (298)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

298. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide a schedule of the time backlog on all accepted foreign birth Irish passport applications by country (details supplied); and the additional resources he has and will provide to clear these backlogs. [55462/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that as of Monday, 15th November, the processing of Foreign Birth Registration will resume on a phased basis. My Department is fully committed to allocating resources over the coming weeks to assist with the current and anticipated high volume of applications, with a focus on reducing turnaround times.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing time for Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications stood at 18 months due to an unprecedented surge in applications as a result of the Brexit referendum in the UK, and the necessary rigorous processing that applies to citizenship applications.

Due to the pandemic, Foreign Birth Registration staff were reassigned to assist in the delivery of essential services. This resulted in a pause in overall Foreign Birth Registration processing.  Staff continued to provide an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Over 5,000 of such emergency Foreign Birth Registration applications have been processed to date in 2021. For other applications, the Department operates a transparent general policy of processing Foreign Birth Registration applications in order of receipt.

At present, there are just over 31,500 applications for which documentation has been received and are awaiting processing. A breakdown of these applications by country of residence of the applicant is set out below.

Country of Residence	Applications
ENGLAND	16,093
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA	7,815
SCOTLAND	1,512
AUSTRALIA	1,004
IRELAND	988
CANADA	884
SOUTH AFRICA	497
WALES	370
FRANCE	358
SPAIN	186
GERMANY	171
SWITZERLAND	144
CHINA	119
NETHERLANDS	115
PAKISTAN	74
NEW ZEALAND	69
UAE	68
NIGERIA	58
ITALY	49
BELGIUM	47
SINGAPORE	42
KENYA	37
ISLE OF MAN	36
THE CHANNEL ISLANDS	35
AUSTRIA	33
ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED TERRITORIES	31
DENMARK	29
ARGENTINA	27
SWEDEN	25
PHILIPPINES	24
THAILAND	24
INDIA	22
MALAYSIA	22
ALGERIA	21
EGYPT	19
BERMUDA	17
MALTA	17
PORTUGAL	17
GIBRALTAR	16
POLAND	16
BRAZIL	14
ZIMBABWE	13
COLOMBIA	11
CYPRUS	11
GREECE	11
JORDAN	11
CZECH REPUBLIC	10
FINLAND	10
JAPAN	10
LEBANON	10
LIBYA	10
NORWAY	10
LUXEMBOURG	9
MOROCCO	9
RUSSIAN FEDERATION	9
SUDAN	9
TURKEY	9
ZAMBIA	9
CAYMAN ISLANDS	8
IRAN	8
BANGLADESH	7
ETHIOPIA	7
KUWAIT	7
QATAR	6
SIERRA LEONE	6
SOUTH KOREA	6
CHILE	5
IRAQ	5
MONACO	5
PANAMA	5
SRI LANKA	5
SYRIA	5
TANZANIA	5
ECUADOR	4
HUNGARY	4
MEXICO	4
NAMIBIA	4
SERBIA	4
SOMALIA	4
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO	4
UGANDA	4
VIETNAM	4
AFGHANISTAN	3
BELARUS	3
CAMEROON	3
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA	3
ROMANIA	3
SAUDI ARABIA	3
SLOVENIA	3
TAIWAN	3
TUNISIA	3
ANGOLA	2
BOTSWANA	2
BULGARIA	2
CROATIA	2
EQUATORIAL GUINEA	2
GHANA	2
GUYANA	2
MAURITIUS	2
PARAGUAY	2
SLOVAK REPUBLIC	2
UKRAINE	2
ALBANIA	1
ANDORRA, PRINCIPALITY OF	1
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA	1
ARUBA	1
BAHAMAS	1
BAHRAIN	1
BARBADOS	1
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA	1
CAPE VERDE	1
COSTA RICA	1
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1
EL SALVADOR	1
ESTONIA	1
GABON	1
GEORGIA	1
GUAM	1
GUINEA	1
HONDURAS	1
IVORY COAST (COTE D'IVORIE)	1
LAOS	1
LIECHTENSTEIN	1
MACAU	1
MOZAMBIQUE	1
NEPAL	1
RWANDA	1
S. GEORGIA AND S. SANDWICH ISLS	1
ST. LUCIA	1
TOGO	1
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS	1
USA MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS	1
WESTERN SAHARA	1
Grand Total	31,522

Defence Forces

Ceisteanna (299)

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

299. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Defence if he has reviewed the upper age limit for the recruitment of Defence Forces personnel at a time when recruiting suitable personnel is proving problematic; his views on whether the current age limits having regard to international comparisons are appropriate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55250/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The age limits for personnel wishing to enter the Permanent Defence Force are as set out in Regulations made pursuant to the Defence Act 1954, as amended.

The nature of military service requires that the age profile of personnel in the Defence Forces must be appropriately managed to ensure that capability requirements are met and, as with all such policies, age requirements are kept under review.  Such reviews include: 

- An independently chaired review, which has examined Defence Forces recruitment practices and procedures, including entry criteria, has concluded and the final report was recently submitted to me.  Recommendations that arise from this report will be considered and progressed as appropriate.

-The Commission on the Defence Forces is also examining a range of recruitment and retention matters relating to the Defence Forces and their recommendations will be given full consideration. 

Air Corps

Ceisteanna (300)

Gerald Nash

Ceist:

300. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence his Department’s plans to allow the Air Corps to carry out priority one ambulance flights on behalf of the HSE; if arrangements will be made and adequate resources provided to allow this to come into effect from the start of 2023 when the current contract for the service expires; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55303/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The Air Corps provides a broad range of services in accordance with its primary security role.  It also undertakes a diverse range of non-security-related tasks on an ‘as available’ basis.  This includes providing an inter-hospital service on an ‘as available’ basis to the HSE, providing for the transfer of patients, including priority 1 patients, primarily to the UK using Air Corps Aircraft. 

The inter-hospital service is overseen by the National Aero-medical Coordination Centre of the HSE and the Air Corps is only one element of the overall service delivery provision; the Irish Coast Guard and the private sector being the other elements of service provision.  

At a Government meeting in July the Government agreed that the Department of Defence, working in conjunction with the Irish Coast Guard, will examine whether the fixed wing element of the proposed next generation Serach and Rescue (SAR) service can be delivered by the Air Corps in line with the requirements and parameters set out in the business case and provide the Department of Transport with a costed proposal. At this meeting it was also agreed that the Department of Health was to be involved in the discussions given the potential for the SAR fixed wing service to provide UK Emergency Transfer flights. This work is ongoing.

There has been effective and worthwhile engagement between the Departments, the Irish Coast Guard, the HSE and the Air Corps as a result of the relevant Government Decision in July. It is important that a full and realistic consideration is made of all of the viable options available to the State. I am is satisfied that this is the approach that has been taken to date.  

Up to 30 September 2021, the Air Corps has carried out 36 off-island Inter-Hospital Air Ambulance transfers at the request of the HSE, five of which were priority one transfers relating to children requiring urgent organ transplants.

I can assure the Deputy, that the Air Corps continue to provide support for emergency inter-hospital transfers on an “as available” basis, having regard to available capabilities and its primary security responsibilities.

Defence Forces

Ceisteanna (301)

Gerald Nash

Ceist:

301. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence when backpay due to members of the Army Ranger Wing will be paid; the reason the money has not been paid to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55305/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Defence

The Conciliation and Arbitration (C&A) scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) provides a formal mechanism for the PDF representative associations, i.e. RACO and PDFORRA, to engage with the Official side. Having regard to commitments under national public service pay agreements, the representative associations can make representations in relation to the pay and conditions of their members.

The C&A Scheme, which is independently chaired, consists of members of Represenative Associations as well as the “Official Side”. The Official Side comprises of members of the Department of Defence (Civil and Military) and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This body is known as “Council”.

 At present, there is a claim before Council in respect of the ARW Allowance. Therefore, as per the agreed Terms of Reference of the C&A Scheme, matters in this space are confidential to parties involved. As such, no futher inforamtion can be given at this time.

Special Educational Needs

Ceisteanna (302)

Alan Dillon

Ceist:

302. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to amend or update the current Report of the Special Education Review Committee 1993 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55273/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in special schools, including the allocation of SNAs, in accordance with the policies of my Department. 

Special school staffing allocations are reviewed and updated each year by the NCSE and special schools are staffed on the basis of each year’s current school enrolments.   Staffing arrangements for special schools are in line with policy advice provided by the NCSE in 2013, which did not recommend alteration to staffing ratios established under the Special Education Review Committee (SERC) Report in 1993. 

Enhanced pupil teacher and SNA ratios are provided to special schools to support them in dealing with pupils' educational and care needs. These schools are staffed on the basis of individual pupil profile and the disability categorisations of those pupils, as opposed to being based primarily on school designation.

The NCSE has been requested to develop Policy Advice on Education Provision in Special Classes and Special Schools.

This Policy Advice is expected to be completed shortly.

School Facilities

Ceisteanna (303)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

303. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education if swimming lessons for school children can return within schools. [55334/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education

The Physical Education (PE) curriculum at primary level contributes to children’s overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives. It provides a balanced range of activities for children including swimming lessons.  Swimming lessons have resumed, and schools partaking in this activity must consider and assess the appropriate risks in line with the School COVID-19 Response plan to keep students and staff safe. 

Schools availing of swimming lessons should also be satisfied that swimming pool facilities are adhering to public health measures and Covid-19 precautions. Schools participating in sporting events and activities are also advised to consult with the relevant sporting governing bodies for further advice.

Defibrillators Provision

Ceisteanna (304)

Richard O'Donoghue

Ceist:

304. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the number of schools in the country that do not have defibrillators near or in the school; if there are trained personnel in the schools who can use these defibrillators; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55238/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education

Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.

The decision to install a defibrillator is made at local school level and is a matter for the board of management of each individual school.  

The need for defibrillators to be made available is primarily a public health matter and would therefore be a matter for the Department of Health.

The information requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department.

School Equipment

Ceisteanna (305)

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

305. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education her plans for the provision of air purifiers with high efficiency particular air filters in each classroom in Ireland to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19; the analysis her Department has carried out into the cost of providing air purifiers with such filters in each classroom; the analysis her Department has carried out into the benefits of air purification in classrooms alongside the opening of windows and doors for ventilation in combating the spread of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55241/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education

The Department’s ventilation guidance for schools is very clear and practical on the steps to be taken by all schools to manage ventilation levels.

Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website. In keeping with the guidance

The over-arching approach is ventilation first with the guidance for schools to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use and partially open when classrooms are in use. The Department has not undertaken a cost analysis regarding the installation of air filtration systems. The focus of the Department has been providing support to schools in applying public health advice with respect to the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19.

 Schools that identify inadequate ventilation in a room can utilise their minor work grant (for minor improvements) or apply for emergency works grant assistance to address ventilation enhancements on a permanent basis. 

Where the above measures have been undertaken, and poor ventilation continues to exist in a particular room/area, air cleaners may be considered as an additional measure in conjunction with other methods of ventilation that are available. There is no one solution that fits all scenarios, each application requires bespoke analysis and selection of the appropriate unit(s) matched to the specific room size and volume. If, following consultation with a supplier a school feels that its individual space may require specific technical specialist advice then the assistance of a Chartered Engineer or Registered Architect can be sought.

School Equipment

Ceisteanna (306, 307)

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

306. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools in Ireland that have been provided with CO2 monitors funded by her Department; the number of primary schools that have not received any CO2 monitors to date; the number of CO2 monitors provided per primary school; the total number of CO2 monitors provided to date to primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55242/21]

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

307. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the number of secondary schools in Ireland that have been provided with CO2 monitors funded by her Department; the number of secondary schools who have not received any CO2 monitors to date; the number of CO2 monitors provided per secondary school; the total number of CO2 monitors provided to date to secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55243/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education

I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 307 together.

The Department’s ventilation guidance for schools is very clear and practical on the steps to be taken by all schools to manage ventilation levels.

Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website.

The guidance outlines that Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated. They can enable occupants to become familiar with the impacts of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation. The provision of portable CO2 monitors provides schools with the flexibility to focus their use to those rooms where most beneficial to inform strategies for optimising ventilation in the school.

All schools in the free scheme have received their allocation of monitors.

In excess of 35,400 monitors were delivered to 3239 primary schools (18,262 monitors) and 725 post-primary (17,215 monitors) schools.

Monitors were allocated on the following basis:

Primary Schools (Classrooms)	Monitors per school
1 classroom	2
2 to 4 Classrooms	3
5 to 8	5
9 to 12	7
13 to 16	9
17 to 20	11
21 to 24	13
25 to 30	17
31+	20
Special Schools	Monitors per school
Special Schools	10
Secondary Schools (Free Scheme) enrolment bands	Monitors per school
<500	20
501 to 750	25
751 to 1000	30
1001+	35