February 25 2010

Parliamentary Questions

• Most recent policy specifically for people with an intellectual disability
• Ratification of UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities
• Number of applications for Disabled Persons Grant
• SNAs made redundant in recent weeks
• Cuts to SNAs in Donegal

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Most recent policy specifically for people with an intellectual disability

Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children if it is correct that the most recent national policy specifically for persons with intellectual disabilities was Needs and Abilities, published in 1990; if she is committed to developing a new national policy for persons with intellectual disabilities; if a working group, forum or consultation process will be established to assist in development of same; if she expects work on a new intellectual disability policy will be concluded and a policy document published in 2010; if not, when she expects this policy to be completed;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): The report ‘Needs and Ability’ was published in July 1990 and has been supplemented in the intervening years by strategic policy documents and expert reports such as ‘Services for People with Autism’, Department of Heath (1994), ‘A Strategy for Equality- Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities’ (1996) and ‘Employment Challenges for the Millennium- Report of the National Advisory Committee on Training and Employment’ (1997). Notwithstanding the above, the Office for Disability and Mental Health has recognised a need to review and update disability policy to reflect new thinking and international best practice in meeting the needs of all people with disabilities to allow them to live their lives to the full. The Office for Disability and Mental Health has commenced the process of devising a disability policy, which will focus on supporting people with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, to participate as fully as possible in the social and economic lives of their communities. This work is being advanced as part of the Value for Money and Policy Review on the Disability Services which I announced last September. The Review, under the independent chairmanship of Mr. Laurence Crowley, has adopted a two-pronged approach. Firstly, it is examining the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing services and whether they are meeting the Government’s stated objective that people with a disability are enabled, as far as possible, to live full and independent lives. Secondly, an advisory group of policy experts, under the chairmanship of my Office’s Disability Advisor, is putting together a new vision and policy framework for the disability services going forward. A first draft of this new policy framework was considered by the Steering Group at its last meeting on 2nd February. The key themes proposed will be further explored with focus groups of service users in a consultation process facilitated by the National Disability Authority. It is expected that the policy framework will be completed by the Summer, when it will be submitted to the Steering Group for consideration in the context of its overall report, due later this year. Members of the public were invited to submit their views on the disability services to the Steering Group in December last and almost 200 responses were received. While the closing date for this public consultation has passed, I would be happy to hear from any interested parties who did not get the opportunity to contribute on that occasion. 

• Ratification of UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities

Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position regarding the responsibility of his Department to oversee the progress in ratification of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the members of the interdepartmental committee established to do same; the details of their work programme; the number of times they have met since their establishment in 2007; the progress they have made regarding ratification; if they have sought reports from each Department regarding same; if he will outline the impediments that are preventing the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in this jurisdiction which was signed in March 2007 and also the impediments to signing the Optional Protocol;

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy John Moloney): I have already indicated in response to Questions that the Inter-Departmental Committeeon the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under the chairmanship ofmy Department comprises representatives of the Departments of Arts, Sport and Tourism;Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Defence; Health and Children; Enterprise,Trade and Employment; Education and Science; Transport; Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Social and Family Affairs; Foreign Affairs and the Office of Public Works. The full Committee has met on five occasions and its purpose is to monitor the legislative and administrative actions required to enable the State to ratify the Convention. It remains the case that a requirement of my Department in relation to the Convention is to bring forward the Mental Capacity Bill, and, as indicated in the Government Legislation Programme it is intended that the Bill will be published in this Session. The passage of the Bill will add substantially to the overall progress on implementation of the requirements under the Convention. Other various requirements under the Convention are the responsibility of a number of other Departments. The decision by the Government on whether or not to be a party to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention does not arise at present pending the making of arrangements for the ratification of the Convention. 

• Number of applications for Disabled Persons Grant

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan (FG): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of applications for disabled persons grants on hand in the various local authorities in County Kildare and throughout the country; the required funding for such projects; when such funding is likely to be provided;

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): On the basis of the most recent returns from local authorities, 13,012 applications have beensubmitted and are awaiting approval under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grant Schemesfor Older People and People with a Disability. In the case of Kildare County Council, whichadministers the scheme on a county at large basis, the number of applications on hand inJanuary 2010 was 635. 

• SNAs made redundant in recent weeks

Deputy Tom Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on figures (details supplied) regarding special needs assistants made redundant in recent weeks. Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): There has been no change to the scheme under which posts of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools to enable them to support the care needs of pupils with disabilities. I wish to assure the Deputy that schools which have enrolled pupils who qualify for support under this scheme will continue to be allocated SNA posts. However, where the pupils concerned have left the school or where the care needs of the pupils have diminished, the SNA posts will be suppressed. The SNA redundancy scheme was agreed at the Labour Relations Commission in 2005 and if a post is no longer warranted, the SNA in question may apply for redundancy in accordance with the terms of the scheme. The Deputy may wish to raise the matter of payments made through FÁS schemes with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. 

• Cuts to SNAs in Donegal

Deputy Joe McHugh (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science if special needs assistance services in County Donegal will be rationalised or cut in 2010; his views on the fact that these services are of vital social and economic benefit;

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is at present carrying out a review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in all schools. The purpose of this review is to ensure that all SNA posts meet the criteria governing the allocation of such posts, as outlined in my Department’s Circular 07/02. As part of this review, the NCSE will identify and suppress any surplus posts which do not meet the scheme’s criteria — for example, posts that have been retained when a pupil’s care needs have diminished or when the pupil has left. The allocation for any school, and any adjustments to that allocation, depends on a number of factors such as the number of pupils with care/medical needs leaving, the number of new pupils, the changing needs of the pupils and any surplus identified. Furthermore, schools can make applications at any time with the result that the individual situation of any school can change and allocations are not static for a school year in the same way as are, for example, classroom teaching posts. The NCSE is independent in the making and issuing of its decisions relating to SNA allocations. SENOs are communicating the outcome of the review directly to schools as the review progresses. I wish to assure the Deputy that SNA support will continue to be made available to schools which have enrolled pupils who qualify for such support.

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