November 04 2009

Dáil Debates

• Ratification of UN convention

Parliamentary Questions

• Alternatives for site of Central Mental Hospital following rejection of Thornton Hall
• Research into, and data collated on, autism, Asperger’s and ADHD
• Review of situation where persons in receipt of the carer’s allowance who are providing care to a child are eligible for the free travel pass, but the child is not

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Ratification of UN convention

Deputy Michael D. Higgins (L): When will Ireland be in a position to ratify the United Nations convention on the rights of the disabled?

The Taoiseach: I will have to come back to the Deputy on that. I do not have detailed information on these convention issues, but I will try to rectify that in the future.

Deputy Charles Flanagan (FG): Notwithstanding the large volume of work in the justice area, what is the current situation on legislation to reform the system of wards of court? The intention is to replace the current Office of the Wards of Court with a body that will safeguard in a transparent way the rights of persons who are not in a position to make decisions for themselves and whose capacity is in doubt.

The Taoiseach: I am not sure if that aspect of policy will be included in the mental capacity Bill. I will have to come back to the Deputy on it.

WRITTEN ANSWERS

• Alternatives for site of Central Mental Hospital following rejection of Thornton Hall

Deputy Ciarán Lynch (L): asked the Minister for Health and Children the alternative plans which are being considered to upgrade or replace the Central Mental Hospital following the rejection of the Thornton Hall site; if consideration is being given to keeping the facility in Dundrum;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): In May 2006 the Government confirmed the decision to develop a new Central Mental Hospital (CMH) at Thornton Hall, County Dublin. Since then, a draft project brief has been prepared and a Cost Benefit Analysis has been completed but none of the work undertaken to date has been site specific. A number of difficulties have now emerged with the Thornton Hall site; the HSE has identified a need for an Intellectual Disability Forensic Mental Health Unit and a Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health Unit but the twenty acre site at Thornton Hall is not large enough to allow for these additional developments. Neither of the units would be viable as a stand alone facility and they should be co-located with the CMH. Moreover, the construction of these additional units at a location separate to the CMH would incur increased capital and revenue costs. In these circumstances and in the context of the commitment in the Revised Programme for Government, the question of the relocation of the CMH to an alternative site is currently under consideration.

• Research into, and data collated on, autism, Asperger’s and ADHD

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children if the World Health Organisation has undertaken research into autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or Asperger’s syndrome; if trends have been identified in any regions worldwide; the reason she does not collect and-or collate information on children identified with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with particular reference to making comparisons with other jurisdictions and perhaps making helpful information available to parents;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): The Department of Health and Children does not collect information on children identified with Autism and Aspergers on a national or international basis. Information pertaining to diagnosis is specifically excluded from the National Intellectual Disability Database as the database is not designed as a medical epidemiological tool. Accordingly the database does not record the incidence of Autism or any other disability. In 2004, the Department of Health and Children, through the Health Research Board, approved expenditure of €5 million on autism research to help improve international understanding of the genetic causes of autism. This €5 million is the Irish contribution to a new major international research initiative called the Autism Genome Project which will receive a total investment of €12 million from a variety of international organisations over three years. The other co-funders in the international consortium include Autism Speaks (US), the British Medical Research Council (MRC), Southwest Autism Research and Resource Centre (SARRC), and the Hilibrand Foundation. This unique combination of international, public and private partners funding a consortium of clinicians and scientists is a new and welcome departure in the field of autism research.

The Health Research Board has informed my Department that this funding was awarded as follows:

— €2.8 million: Professor Michael Gill, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College, Dublin;

— €2.2 million: Professor Andrew Green, Director National Centre for Medical Genetics,

Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin (affiliated to UCD). This figure represents the largest tranche of funding to be awarded by any of the four funders within the international consortium. The Irish researchers are at the forefront in unraveling the genetic determinants of autism and related disorders. They are using novel state of the art genetic sequencing technology to analyse DNA samples taken from autistic patients to identify candidate genetic markers for autism. They will collaborate with their international colleagues to then link these genetic markers with clinical outcomes. This unique international research effort will greatly improve not only our understanding of the causes of autism, but its diagnosis and treatment. With regard to the remaining matters raised by the Deputy, these relate to the management and delivery of health and personal services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act, 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have these matters investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

• Review of situation where persons in receipt of the carer’s allowance who are providing care to a child are eligible for the free travel pass, but the child is not

Deputy Denis Naughten (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will review the situation whereby persons in receipt of the carer’s allowance who are providing care to a child are eligible for the free travel pass, but the child is not; if she has evaluated the cost of extending this entitlement to such children;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): Carer’s allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain older people or people with a disability with full time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. Persons who are in receipt of carer’s allowance also receive the annual respite care grant, the household benefits package and the free travel pass. In the majority of cases, persons who are being cared for will be in receipt of a payment in their own right (for example a state pension or disability allowance) and will be entitled to have a free travel pass. This includes anyone aged over 16 who qualifies for disability allowance. For a child requiring full-time care who is under age 16, a domiciliary care allowance of €309.50 per month may be paid to the parent or guardian. This payment is not means tested and is to provide for the additional costs involved in providing care and supervision that is substantially more than that normally needed by a child of the same age. This may include additional travel costs. A child who is attending school may be eligible for assistance under the Department of

Education and Science’s school transport scheme. I have no plans at present to review the qualifying criteria for the free travel scheme or to provide free travel passes for children other than those who are in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department.

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