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Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 May 2017

Vol. 251 No. 13

Commencement Matters

Road Projects Status

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I hope he will provide good news on the upgrade of the N5 between Ballaghaderreen and Scramoge. I wish to emphasise how important the provision of capital funding is for this project, and it is a matter of urgency. I am very concerned about the high volumes of traffic using the road, which is our main route to the west. The section of road in question traverses many towns and villages and I am very concerned about the high volumes of traffic going through Strokestown, Tulsk, Ballinagar and Frenchpark and onto the Ballaghaderreen bypass.

I am also concerned at the excessive speeds at which people drive on the road. As an important route to the west, it should be much safer. Last week, there was another very serious collision and the road between Tulsk and Ballinagar was closed for several hours. This is not unique and there have been many accidents on this section of the road over the years. Four sites have been identified as accident clusters by Transport Infrastructure Ireland and up to 30 accidents have occurred on a bend in one section of the road just outside Frenchpark. Real action is needed.

I received an update from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in February, stating that Roscommon County Council had completed the business case, the environmental impact statement and the compulsory purchase order documentation for the proposed N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road project. All the documentation has been submitted to Transport Infrastructure Ireland for approval to make an application to An Bord Pleanála. Where is the project at? My understanding is that the business case was submitted to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and a response is awaited before its submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It will cost in excess of €100 million but it is badly needed. Initiatives have been launched in the context of the action plan for rural Ireland and the need for more balanced regional development and it is important that areas such as north Roscommon, which have gone through a very difficult time economically, have an adequate road network that allows people to get to their destinations in a timely and safe manner.

Can the Minister give an update on his commitment to this project? Can he also say where the project stands, in respect of the business case and the submission to An Bord Pleanála? It is our responsibility to do everything possible to reduce the risks and the number of accidents on this section of road. The part between Strokestown and Ballaghaderreen is a high-risk area and numerous accidents have occurred. We need to take real action and to invest to make the route a safer way to access the west.

The most convincing arguments around issues of this nature are the ones that concern safety. Everybody knows that the amount of money available for roads is limited and we cannot just magic up money for every road that needs upgrading. The Senator's argument is compelling. Road safety is important and lives have to be saved so the TII is identifying accident black spots. Following the European court judgment that the TII could not charge VAT, an extra €17 million is now available for these black spots.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is being encouraged by my Department to use a portion of that money to deal with accident black spots and address death on the roads. The accidents to which the Senator referred on the road in question are a convincing argument why this should be considered by TII in its commitment to tackle black spots because of this rebate both this year and next year.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for TII under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network. The maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. Due to the national financial position, there have been large reductions in Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure over the past several years.

Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter, in the first instance, for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. The Government’s capital investment plan, Building on Recovery - Infrastructure and Capital Investment, provides the strategic and financial framework for TII’s national roads programme from 2016 to 2022. As Minister, I have to work within the capital budgets included in the plan. In turn, TII has to prioritise works on the basis of the funding available to it.

Roscommon County Council is proposing an N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road improvement scheme which extends from the eastern end of the Ballaghaderreen bypass to Scramoge, a distance of 33 km. Given the limited funding envelope available under the capital investment plan and the primary focus on maintenance and renewal of the network rather than new projects, this scheme is not included as part of the plan. TII has, however, provided an allocation of €700,000 to Roscommon County Council for the scheme this year to enable the planning process to progress. Roscommon County Council has completed the business case for the proposed N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road project.

All major capital projects are subject to the project appraisal requirements in the public spending code and my Department's common appraisal framework for transport projects, as well as An Bord Pleanála’s development consent process. In this context, a cost-benefit analysis, CBA, for all schemes costing over €20 million is required as part of the business case for the project. In line with the project appraisal requirements, each CBA needs to be assessed by the economic and financial evaluation unit in my Department and then reviewed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The CBA for the Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge scheme has been submitted to my Department for evaluation. If the CBA were to be found compliant with project appraisal guidance, a separate decision would be needed on the business case which takes account of the availability of funding for the project. It is not possible at this point to indicate what the outcome of the project assessment process will be.

As regards ongoing maintenance on the route, TII allocates funding specifically for safety works based on its analysis of the network. This year, TII has allocated about €17 million for such works. Under its HD15 programme, safety works are based on an analysis of accident density across the network and those sections of the network with considerably higher than average accident densities are selected for analysis. Sections of road which are amenable to engineering solutions are prioritised for treatment. The road in question should be a candidate for this. In addition, TII operates a HD17 programme based on road safety inspection reports. These reports indicate which issues, for example signing, lining or safety barriers, need to be addressed on different sections of road and programmes are drawn up to deal with the priority issues.

It should be noted good pavements also contribute to road safety and TII has allocated approximately €50 million for pavements in 2017.

I thank the Minister for his response. I must emphasise the importance of the progression of this project. He rightly stated we need to focus on projects which deal with improving road safety. The N5 road between Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge is an identified accident black spot and we need to ensure everything is done to ensure that capital funding is made available. I will continue to work with the Minister until we secure the funding because it is critical. Every accident that happens on a route that is not fit for purpose is one too many. We need to minimise the risk.

The Senator made a powerful case and I am sure the Minister will not let her down.

There is no pressure then.

Hospitals Car Park Charges

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil léi as teacht isteach chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt.

I want to raise the issue of hospital car parking charges for cancer patients across the hospital network. A cancer diagnosis is a traumatic and life-changing event. Among many things it can incur, it can perhaps mean someone has to give up their work, resulting in a lack of income for the individual and their family. To add to the hurt, they then have to fork out serious prices for hospital parking charges when they are getting treatment for their cancer.

I acknowledge some hospitals have, off their own bat, allowed free or subsidised parking for some of these patients in question. The Irish Cancer Society, however, has called for the HSE, Health Service Executive, and the Minister to take a lead on this and issue guidelines to all hospitals to ensure clarity on this particular issue across the hospital network. For example, when someone gets their first letter about their cancer treatment, it should identify where the free car parking spots in the hospital are located.

The Irish Cancer Society has had a campaign on this particular issue for some time, seeking a meeting with the Minister on it. Unfortunately, that meeting has not been forthcoming. Will the Minister of State take this issue on board and give us a commitment that this issue will be examined? As a first step along that road, will she make a commitment this morning to meet with the Irish Cancer Society so that a programme can be put in place to ensure our citizens who are going through the traumatic and life-changing experience of dealing with cancer do not have to worry about car parking charges, which in some cases can go up to €800 a month?

The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, apologises for his absence. I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue.

When an individual is given a diagnosis of cancer, they, along with their family, are going through a traumatic experience. It is incumbent on us to make that treatment as easy as possible. As the Senator said, it is important to recognise some hospitals have given a waiver for or put a cap on car parking charges.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to update the House on the matter. In the past decade, parking charges have been introduced in many of our hospitals. It is important to note that these parking charges form part of a series of measures that ensure that the operational costs of providing parking services do not impact negatively on a hospital's overall budget.

As demand for parking services at our hospitals increases, so do the associated costs of providing these services, such as the initial capital cost of purchasing or renting parking areas, the cost of developing extra parking spaces, the need to provide and upgrade security systems in hospital car parks, and staffing and general maintenance of parking services.

I am advised by the HSE and the Minister that the HSE does not provide guidelines on hospital car parking and that each hospital or hospital group implements its own guidelines. For example and as the Senator is aware, Temple Street Children's University Hospital, the National Maternity Hospital and Mercy University Hospital in Cork do not provide public car parks. Some hospitals, such as St. Luke's in Rathgar, Merlin Park University Hospital in Galway and Mallow General Hospital, do not charge a car parking fee.

The HSE has advised that a number of hospitals use parking revenue solely for maintenance and re-investment in parking facilities, including repayment of loans obtained for upgrading such facilities and investment in security. The remainder of hospitals use parking revenue to cover the cost of parking services, with any additional income being used to contribute to the general hospital budget or to fund research or specific patient facilities.

Hospitals that charge parking fees are cognisant of the financial implications of parking costs for patients and their families, particularly those with long-term illnesses. Consequently, some hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge, thus capping this expense. Some hospitals provide reduced car parking fees for patients with cancer who are attending for long-term treatment. However, there are many conditions that can require long-term care and it is difficult to prioritise one over another. It is important to consider the clinical circumstances of all patients who require long-term care rather than those with one particular condition.

While there is no national HSE policy governing car park charges, the HSE has advised me that it keeps hospital parking charges under review. In terms of the future development of our hospital system, we must take account of public transport services. By supporting the expansion of public transport facilities, we continue to provide more transportation choices to the public when visiting their loved ones in our hospitals. This is one of the key reasons for the choosing of the site of the new children's hospital, in that it has access to various types of public transport and routes.

I cannot make a commitment on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, to meet the organisation, but I can take that request to him and ask him to reply to the organisation directly.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. She mentioned the good work that was being done by the Irish Cancer Society on this and many other issues. It has engaged with the public on this particular matter to a great extent.

Guidance from the HSE is required. With respect, it is not good enough to leave the decision to individual hospitals. It is incumbent on the HSE to give policy and direction to its hospital network in this regard. I plead for a meeting to be facilitated with the Irish Cancer Society. That is the least it deserves on behalf of the people whom it represents.

The Minister of State has given an assurance that she will speak to the line Minister about the issue. Hopefully, there will be a positive outcome.

Could the Minister of State keep me advised on that, please?

GLAS Payments

I welcome the Minister to the House. While he is drawing his breath, I will ask Senator Boyhan to outline his case.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Creed, to the House. He will have an opportunity to get water and draw his breath. I thank him for attending personally because this is an important issue. I spent last Saturday in Balmoral, Northern Ireland, at the agricultural show. It was amazing how many farmers from the South were there. One of the major topics of conversation besides Brexit was their GLAS 1 and 2 payments. It was interesting. The Irish Farmers' Journal had a large stand at the show. Many people, particularly farmers from the Republic, gravitated to this issue. This week, there was a headline in The Irish Times referring to how more than 2,000 farmers had been left in limbo over their GLAS 1 and 2 payments from the Department. This is becoming a bit of a joke.

On 21 February, I raised the fact that a number of farmers had still not been paid GLAS 1 and 2 payments under the terms and conditions of the 2015-20 farmers' charter of rights. Nearly three months on there has been little progress. More than 2,000 farmers are making a strong case for payments to which they believe they are entitled. As the Minister will be aware, many of them have absorbed the costs involved in joining GLAS 1 and 2. For example, they have paid upfront for GLAS 1 nutrition and management plans, commonage plans and soil sampling plans. Other costs include bird coverage and tree planting. The Minister knows the schemes involved. Farmers are spending on the strength of the grant payments that they are expecting from the Department. They have upheld their side of the conditions applying to the scheme and have incurred significant costs.

I took the time yesterday to examine GLAS payments and who co-funds them. They are co-funded by the Exchequer and the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD. There are obligations in that regard. I also took the time to read the farmers' charter of rights, which the Department and the Minister's predecessors signed up to.

Farmers want to know when the Minister will be in a position to process all outstanding payments. Will he confirm whether more than 2,000 farmers are still waiting to receive GLAS payments? This matter is critical and there can be no further delays. It needs to be addressed urgently.

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this matter on the Commencement and for giving me an opportunity to outline the up-to-date position regarding the 2016 GLAS payments.

This and previous agri-environmental schemes provide support to participants to deliver public goods and environmental benefits that enhance Ireland's agricultural sustainability credentials. The scheme delivers overarching benefits in terms of the rural environment while addressing the mitigation of impacts of climate change, the improvement of water quality and the enhancement of biodiversity. The scheme also allows participants to improve their agricultural productivity and practices in a sustainable manner.

GLAS has a maximum annual payment of €5,000 under the general scheme, with provision for a payment of up to €7,000 known as GLAS+, where the farmer is required to give exceptional environmental commitments, in a limited number of cases. Applications under the first two tranches of the GLAS scheme resulted in almost 38,000 farmers being approved into the scheme in its first year of implementation. This represented an unprecedented level of participation in the first year of an agri-environmental scheme in Ireland. Just under 14,000 further participants have been approved under GLAS 3. This brought overall participation levels to in excess of the participation level projected in Ireland's rural development programme of 50,000 farmers.

The 2016 payments represent the first full year of payment under GLAS. Only participants in GLAS tranches 1 and 2 are eligible for a payment in respect of 2016. At the end of December 2016, there were approximately 37,500 active participants in tranches 1 and 2, of which 27,400, or over 70%, received 85% of their 2016 payments in December. These payments were valued at more than €97 million. Payments can only issue where all required validation checks have been successfully passed. The up-to-date position is that payments have now issued in 93% of cases. These payments bring the total amount paid to more than €121 million.

GLAS has a range of more than 30 actions available for selection by applicants. Under EU regulations, compliance with each action must be verified. Therefore, there are validations associated with each of these actions. As a result, there are a number of different reasons for some cases not being finalised. Many of these issues, given their complexity, require review on a case-by-case basis. This work is ongoing in the remaining 2,700 cases.

My Department has been in direct contact with participants or their advisers in cases where issues remain to be resolved and is making every effort to resolve outstanding issues on a case-by-case basis. Additional information or outstanding documentation has been requested and is awaited in over 1,000 of these cases. In this regard, I would urge participating farmers to return any outstanding documentation, such as interim commonage management plans and annual low emission slurry spreading declaration forms, and to respond to queries as soon as possible to facilitate payment. In cases where these and other outstanding issues with individual applications are resolved, payments will continue to issue on an ongoing weekly basis, including further payments this week.

I am keenly aware of the need to process these cases without delay. I would like to assure the Senator that my Department officials and I are ensuring that the resources required both on the IT and administrative side are directed towards resolving the outstanding queries on these cases.

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive response. I wish to comment on two things he has said in his response. There are about 1,000 queries on validation and process. That is fair enough. He has to apply the scheme. The Minister has not confirmed this, but according to official figures this week there are more than 2,090 outstanding issues. If 1,000 is subtracted from 2,000 - we will round it off - there are still 1,000 people whom the Minister has not addressed in this response. He says there are 1,000 but we know that research published this week in the Irish Farmers' Journal, which I have shared with the Minister, confirmed that more than 2,000 people have been identified as in need of the money. I am clearly aware of GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 and I did not go into any other GLAS systems. I know exactly where the Minister is coming from and I fully understand the GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 schemes and that they are the only two schemes eligible for payment in respect of 2016.

I thank the Minister. The important thing is to keep the communication going and perhaps to promote the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine through the Irish Farmers' Journal and other agricultural methods of communication, including the agriculture websites. Clearly there is a lot of misunderstanding and frustration and many people are saying that they will not sign up to another scheme in the future. That is a remarkable pity because this is a really good scheme. I thank the Minister and I would appreciate if he could keep the communication with the farming community in general going, which I know he is committed to doing. There is concern and frustration and people are out of pocket. I thank the Minister for his time.

I am sure the Senator will keep the Minister on his toes.

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this matter. It is unfortunate that we are in this situation. I believe the Senator has indicated that he very much values the scheme, and we in the Department certainly do as well. It is innovative and it is part of our climate mitigation effort. We have been in contact with all farmers by text message. We have written to 1,270 - I believe that is the figure - on specific issues on which we require documentation. We will be in contact with all of these farmers as quickly as possible to resolve all of the outstanding issues. It is my ambition to finalise these matters as quickly as possible but we need some documentation from this remaining cohort. As I have said, more than 93% has been paid and we intend to make the balancing payment, the 15%, by the end of June. We would like to resolve these outstanding cases as quickly as possible and I assure the Senator that all of the resources that are required of my Department, both from an IT and administrative side, are being applied to that purpose.

I thank the Minister.

School Closures

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I will give him a rough guide to the school and the service it gives to the students, particularly to those in the area of Bagenalstown. The proposed closure of the Muine Bheag vocational school, which was announced in March 2016, was a devastating blow to the community of Bagenalstown. Parents, students and staff alike were shocked by the unexpected announcement from the Carlow-Kilkenny Education and Training Board, ETB. After that, an action group was formed with the aim of overturning this decision. There was a sense of betrayal and loss at the prospect of the closure of the school, which had provided quality education to the people of Bagenalstown and surrounding areas for 54 years.

Students of Muine Bheag vocational school enjoy a rich educational environment and access to a broad spectrum of subjects including modern languages, business information, Irish, English and the STEM subjects - science, mathematics and engineering. Students have enjoyed enormous success in a wide variety of extra-curricular areas such as promoting mental health. The school was awarded the amber flag in 2015. The students have mini-enterprises. They provide such a service to the community. The school has a state-of-the-art sports hall which was only opened in 2015. I believe more than €1 million was spent on that building.

Muine Bheag vocational school prides itself on extending the educational experience beyond the school walls and into the greater community surrounding Bagenalstown. In keeping with the school's DEIS status, equality of opportunity and access to education are of the highest priority in initiatives such at the "One book, One community" scheme, which promotes literacy in the community but also acts as a catalyst for community involvement. All the primary schools, secondary schools and community groups in the area were given a sense of ownership with this particular project, which was a great success.

At the heart of the ethos of Muine Bheag vocational school is the breaking down of barriers to education at all levels. The school has been active in providing numerous literacy programmes for parents, supporting their educational development. This has been crucial for the school itself. The importance of lifelong learning and access to education are at the core of the beliefs of Muine Bheag vocational school. This is also evident in the provision of the adult junior certificate and leaving certificate programmes.

Muine Bheag vocational school is an integral part of the local community and, as such, it strives to maintain links with businesses in the community. It has a great system wherein students go to businesses and work with them. It is also important to note the school has a great system in respect of apprenticeships. That is crucial going forward. The issue of apprenticeships in every school needs to be addressed. In keeping with its values, the school has also set up an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit in the Carlow-Kilkenny region, which supports students on the autism spectrum with additional educational needs. Continuity of care and predictable routines are essential for students with autism spectrum disorders. The lack of planning for their future care is really irresponsible when dealing with an ASD unit. At the moment, we do not know what is happening. The school also provides the applied leaving certificate. These are all crucial programmes which this school provides.

These are the real questions. This all happened on 10 March. The CEO informed the school that there would be no more enrolment for first-year students. This was a shock to the community. On 14 March, there was a meeting with the parents at which the junior and senior cycles were spoken about. There was a big public meeting in the McGrath hall on 29 March and from that a task force was set up. When it had finished its few months and carried out a study, the task force said it would give the school an extra 12 months, which it did. This school currently has 120 students. There are 40 students on post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses. On the leaving certificate applied programme, there are six students in fifth year and six in sixth year. A total of 172 students attend Muine Bheag vocational school. I cannot explain to the Minister the service this school provides and how important it is to the parents and students.

Does the Minister support the Kilkenny and Carlow ETB? Will he support the retention of this school? Can he clearly set out the roles and responsibility of the CEO of the ETB in respect of communication with parents at a time when the school is at risk of closure? What are the roles and responsibilities of the ETB board of management of Muine Bheag vocational school in identifying that the school has a low intake of first years that is impacting on retaining sufficient staff levels to deliver the full curriculum? What is the criterion for recommending closure? My final question is crucial. What effect will the introduction of the new special education model in March have on the closure of the school, the students and the number of teachers the school would lose based on the new calculations? I thank the Minister for coming to the House.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter of Muine Bheag vocational school. It is important to clarify the position.

The Education Act sets out the framework within which any school considering closure has to operate. The Act provides for the right of schools to manage their own affairs in accordance with its provisions and any charters, deeds, articles of management or other such instruments relating to their establishment or operation. That is set out in sections 8 to 11, inclusive, of the Act. That statutory provision allows the Minister to designate a school on request and also provides for a request for a school closure submitted by the patron. The initiative for a closure may come from a variety of sources such as parents, staff, boards of management or patrons. Any proposal to close a school must first involve consultation with the relevant stakeholders. A decision taken at local level follows the consultation process. In that regard, any proposed changes must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents, teachers, local communities and contributes to an inclusive education system. Where a patron of a school advises the Department that it is no longer in a position to continue to operate a recognised school, the decision to close the school concerned is ultimately a matter for the patron. Any discussion to close a school requires consultation between the various stakeholders, including parents, members of staff and their representative organisations and the board of management.

Muine Bheag vocational school is a co-educational DEIS school under the patronage of the Kilkenny and Carlow ETB. There were 119 pupils enrolled as of September 2016. The figure in 2012 was 134. Following meetings on the issues concerning the school, the ETB, the patron of the school, set up a task force to consider options for the future viability of the school in view of declining pupil enrolments. The task force report was adopted by the patron and work is ongoing on the recommendations to increase enrolments at the school. The task force was constituted as a committee of the ETB and comprised ETB nominees, parent nominees, teacher nominees and an independent chairperson. A primary recommendation of the task force is to have a targeted enrolment level of 20 students into first year for the school year 2017 to 2018 and that the school would subsequently establish and grow the targeted intake each year to reach a figure of between 15% and 17% of the transfer population within a three-year period, which has now been extended. Considerable work has been done in the past year to grow the enrolments and all stakeholders are working together to keep the school viable.

Details of the roles and functions of ETB boards of management and chief executives are set out in the Education Act 1998 and in the Education and Training Boards Act 2013. The Education Act and the board of management handbook for education and training boards outline that the function of the board of management is to manage the school or college on behalf of and in co-operation with the ETB and for the benefit of the students and their parents and to provide or cause to be provided an appropriate education for each student at the school for which that board has responsibility.

The special needs model is a way of allocating resource teaching having regard to the profile of the school's needs. The profile is based on the number of children in the school who have complex needs or learning difficulties. Under the provision, I have provided an assurance that no school will lose resource teaching in this allocation. The arrangement provides that no school will lose out and, indeed, the allocation will be made to the school in respect of each child and, therefore, no child will lose out under the new model.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply.

I also thank the Minister for his reply. The situation was handled very badly. Damage was done. If one is a parent and believes that a school could close, one looks at one's options as a mother or father and whether to leave one's child in the school even though it is unclear whether it will be open in five years' time. It is important that the Muine Bheag school is kept open. It is a DEIS school and provides great service to the surrounding areas such Bagenalstown and Carlow. It is crucial because it has an autistic spectrum disorder, ASD, unit and all the services a school needs. It has provided a service to Bagenalstown for the past 54 years. I ask the Minister to keep it open.

The Minister was fulsome in his initial response. Perhaps he would like to briefly reply.

The task force is now in place under the ETB. It will engage with parents, teachers and everyone else. The key to the school's long term success is its capacity to attract students. That is vital. It has set targets in terms of the student numbers it needs to attract. That matter is being vigorously pursued. I am very optimistic because there is a pathway to deal with this and everyone is involved in trying to deliver on that.

Sitting suspended at 11.15 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.
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