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Dáil Debates & Questions
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April 22 2009 Dáil Debates Parliamentary Questions
DÁIL DEBATES Deputy Caoimhghín O’Caoláin (SF): … I note from the list of promised legislation as published earlier today that the mental health (amendment) Bill has been put back again from 2009 to 2010. In its absence, will the Government provide an opportunity in the Dáil to properly address the failure to move forward with sufficient alacrity towards the implementation in full of A Vision for Change? An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy should stick with legislation. Deputy Caoimhghín O’Caoláin: It is a critical policy document that has the support of all opinion in this House, particularly given that we were yesterday again advised that there are still 319 people with intellectual disabilities retained in psychiatric institutions across this State. An Ceann Comhairle: I call the Taoiseach to respond on the legislation. Deputy Caoimhghín O’Caoláin: This is entirely inappropriate. If the mental health Bill is not to proceed, what steps will be taken to address this scandal? An Ceann Comhairle: I call the Taoiseach on the legislation. The Taoiseach: Much progress has been made on the question of inappropriate placement of intellectually disabled people in mental hospitals. I welcome and support such progress. The Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, has shown admirable commitment and preparedness to work with the disability community in that respect and in every way he can. I commend him on the work he does and I have every confidence in his ability to continue with that work, having reappointed him to the position today. On the question of extending the guarantee period, that is in order to ensure that we can compete for funding for five-year money as well as two-year or one-year money, given that the guarantee was due to expire on that date. It is a question of ensuring that we have available to us the prospect of getting money at a cheaper rate by having it over a longer term. Deputy Caoimhghín O’Caoláin: Will legislation be required to facilitate the required intent which has just been confirmed by the Taoiseach? The Taoiseach: The Minister for Finance will bring forward whatever requirements there may be in that area. PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS Deputy Olwyn Enright (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children her views on bringing forward a cross-departmental action plan regarding the implementation of A Vision for Change; Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): In January 2008, the Government established the Office for Disability and Mental Health as a cross-cutting Government Office with a remit across four Government Departments: Health and Children, Education and Science, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Office was assigned four key priorities one of which is to bring a new impetus to the implementation of ‘A Vision for Change’ working in partnership with the HSE and other stakeholders including other Government Departments to achieve implementation of agreed targets. The Office aims to bring about improvements in the manner in which services respond to the needs of people with disabilities and mental health difficulties, by working to develop person-centred services, focusing on the holistic needs of clients and service users and actively involving them in their own care. Bilateral meetings with officials from other Government Departments to discuss progressing recommendations in ‘A Vision for Change’ and ‘Reach Out’ are taking place within this context. Deputy Catherine Byrne (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of vehicles owned by the Health Service Executive for transporting patients with disabilities; the cost of this service to the HSE, including the cost of paying drivers; the number of HSE staff members or care assistants that must be on board each vehicle to accompany each patient; Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): As the Deputy’s question relates to service matters I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Question No. 190 of 2 December 2008, the progress which has been made by the Health Service Executive in the national review of autism services; if the timed work plan was completed by February 2009; if the report has been completed and will be available by summer 2009 as promised; Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): As the Deputy is aware, the Health Service Executive previously stated in response to Parliamentary Question Reference No. 43461/08 that the review is to be finalised in 2009. I have arranged for the above question to be referred to the Health Service Executive to clarify the current position for the Deputy.
Deputy Thomas P. Broughan (L): asked the Minister for Transport his plans to ensure that people with a disability have equal access to public transport and taxis in view of the decision in the supplementary budget on 7 April 2009 to cut a programme to improve accessibility for disabled persons to public transport by €5 million; his position on the commitment in the programme for Government 2007 to have 100% wheelchair accessible taxis in all cities by 2010 in view of the fact that wheelchair accessible taxis as a percentage of the overall taxi fleet have dropped from 21% in 2000 to 5% in 2008; his views on whether a commitment to an accessible taxi fleet is imperative to ensure people with a disability can fully participate in society; if he will grant priority to this matter in view of the fact that 26% of accessible taxis are ten years or older; Minister for Transport (Deputy Noel Dempsey): Policy regarding public transport accessibility is set out in ‘Transport Access for All’, my Department’s Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act, 2005. Measures to implement the Plan are already well advanced. Since the year 2000, all major refurbishment projects at bus and rail stations, together with the construction of new stations and the purchase of trains or buses take account of the needs of people with mobility and sensory impairments. Significant resources for accessibility are being provided under Transport 21 to facilitate further progress. Accessibility is being built into new public transport infrastructure projects and funding is also being provided to continue the phased retrofit of existing infrastructure. While the 2009 allocation for public transport accessibility improvement projects has been reduced from €25m to €20m, the revised allocation represents a 43% increase on the 2008 allocation and provides ample scope for accessibility improvement projects planned for 2009. In addition, funding of €11 million, an increase of 10% on the 2008 provision, is being provided by my Department in 2009 for the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) which also provides services to people with disabilities. In relation to wheelchair accessible taxis, the percentage of the whole taxi fleet that was wheelchair accessible in 2008 was 7.5%. While this is a reduction from the percentage of the fleet that was wheelchair accessible pre-liberalisation, the number of wheelchair accessible taxis has actually increased, though not at the same rate as the overall expansion of the fleet. There were 1,600 licensed wheelchair accessible taxis in 2008 — up from 1,246 in 2005. The Commission for Taxi Regulation has submitted proposals for a subsidy scheme to assist in the purchase of wheelchair accessible taxis and the issue is under consideration in my Department having regard to the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the context of the overall budgetary situation. In the context of the public consultation which the Commission has launched on the basis of the economic review of the taxi sector, it has sought submissions from the public and the taxi industry on the key recommendations of the review, including in relation to measures to secure greater provision of taxi services for people with disabilities and it is undertaking further analysis in this regard. My Department is currently reviewing the policy in relation to religious and volunteer workers and when that process is completed the terms and conditions governing this category of temporary migration will be set out clearly for the benefit of all parties. Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he expects to publish the Mental Capacity Bill which is essential to progress Ireland’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the feedback his Department has received on the Bill since the publication of the scheme in September 2008; Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern): The Government Legislation Programme announced on 22 April 2009 indicates that the Mental Capacity Bill is expected to be published later this year. On publication of the scheme of the Bill in September 2008, I invited written submissions to be made to my Department. On 5 February 2009 my Department and the National Disability Authority cohosted a conference on mental capacity to better inform interested parties on the detail of the scheme and to invite comment on the proposals it contains. These consultations indicate that there is a broad level of support for reform of the law in this area. Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of meetings the senior officials group and the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group have had in 2009 to overview the progress in the implementation of the National Disability Strategy; Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern): The Senior Officials Group on Disability has to date met on two occasions in 2009 and the National DisabilityStrategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group has met on one occasion. Further meetings of the groups are scheduled to take place in 2009.
Deputy Ciarán Lynch (L): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the recent changes to social welfare will make provision for persons who have been in the care of social services from a young age whether in foster care, residential care or in receipt of some other form of State assistance; if, on reaching the age of 18, such persons will be left to fend for themselves on the newly reduced allowances; Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): The changes that are being made to the Jobseekers Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance schemes are to incentivise 18 and 19 year old jobseekers to avail of education and training opportunities and prevent them becoming welfare dependent from a young age. The rates of the schemes that will be paid to new claimants under the age of 20 are being reduced to €100 per week, with effect from the first week of May 2009. The Qualified Adult rate (e.g. for a spouse/partner) payable in these cases will also be reduced to €100 per week. It is important to note that the following people will not be affected: Existing claimants; People with dependent children; Those who qualify for the Jobseeker’s Benefit; and People transferring to Jobseeker’s Allowance immediately after exhausting their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit or those transferring from the Disability Allowance directly to Jobseeker’s Allowance. Also, where an existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant under age 20 (being paid the full adult rate) gets a job and leaves Jobseeker’s Allowance but loses that job and ends up back on the scheme within 12 months, he or she will get the full adult rate rather than €100 a week. The importance of providing aftercare services to young people leaving State care is widely recognised. It is acknowledged that the implementation of an effective leaving and aftercare policy strengthens the position of such young people, supports their transition to independence, reduces the possibility of homelessness and social exclusion and represents a key element in achieving positive outcomes for them. The Department is aware that 18 and 19 year olds leaving the care of the Health Service Executive might be particularly vulnerable to these reductions in the rates. This issue is currently being examined further in co-operation with the Department of Health and Children.
Deputy Michael Creed (FG): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and LocalGovernment if he will make funding available to local authorities for disability grants in 2009; Deputy Jack Wall (L): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when local authorities will be informed of the funding allocated to each local authority by his Department for disability and mobility grants that are allocated by each authority; if there will be, as stated in replies to previous parliamentary questions by him in 2009, an 8% increase in funding as compared to the 2008 figures; Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy John Gormley): Allocations to individual local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability will be announced following the publication of the Revised Estimates of Public Expenditure 2009. Deputy Michael D. Higgins (L): asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding suppression of special classes for children with mild general learning disabilities due to temporary and unpredictable drops in enrolment levels in DEIS band one urban schools with transient student populations, in view of the benefits such a programme provides for at-risk students that might otherwise go unserved; Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): I would like to reassure the Deputy that there will be no pupil with a special educational need who will be without access to a special needs teacher as a result of the decision to apply the normal rules which govern the appointment and retention of teachers of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability. These special classes which are to close predate the 2005 General Allocation Model of allocating additional teacher support to schools to enable them to meet the needs of pupils with mild general learning disabilities as well as a number of other high incidence disabilities. All primary schools now have additional teaching support in place for this purpose. All primary schools were allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs including mild general learning disability (MGLD). Schools can decide how best to use this allocation based on the needs of the pupils. Most pupils with a MGLD are included in ordinary classes with their peers and are supported by their class teacher. The curriculum is flexible so that teachers can cater for the needs of children of different abilities. Teacher allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In the case of classes for MGLD the normal pupil teacher ratio that applies is 11:1. My Department however permits schools to retain a teaching post where it has a minimum of 9 pupils in the class. When the General Allocation Model was introduced, schools with additional teachers in classes for MGLD were allowed to retain the teachers for these classes. Effectively, these schools received a double allocation. The number of these special classes has decreased since 2005 in line with falling numbers as pupils are supported through the additional teaching allocation provided and schools have integrated the children into age-appropriate mainstream classes. All of the other primary schools in the country who do not have classes for children with MGLD cater for these pupils from within the General Allocation Model. Pupils with a mild general learning disability have, and will continue to have access to additional teaching resources to support their education. Specifically in the case of schools with DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) status, the Deputy will be aware of the additional resources available to these schools under the DEIS scheme. Schools in DEIS Urban Band 1 may also benefit from a reduced pupil teacher ratio as well as a range of additional supports including: • The services of a Home School Community Liaison co-ordinator; • Access to a range of supports under the School Completion Programme; • Additional capitation based on level of disadvantage and grant aid for school books; • Access to a range of supports to address literacy and numeracy difficulties. In line with my focus on retaining resources in the most disadvantaged areas, it is important to note that DEIS schools which benefit from reduced class sizes will not be affected by the general increase in the pupil teacher ratio. I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that priority will continue to be given to provision for children with special educational needs. Significant progress has been achieved in recent years which has seen a huge increase in resources for special needs. However, there is a requirement to make appropriate use of the resources available and along with all other areas of expenditure, provision is dependent on the resources available to the Government.
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Inclusion
Ireland, Unit C2, The Steelworks, Foley Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Tel: 01 8559891 Fax: 01 8559904 Email: info@inclusionireland.ie |