Vol. 773 Thursday, No. 3 19 July 2012 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Déardaoin, 19 Iúil 2012. Leaders’ Questions ……………………………… 877 Order of Business ……………………………… 883 Child Sex Offenders (Information and Monitoring) Bill 2012: First Stage …………… 889 Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2012: First Stage …………………… 890 An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Cearta Geilleagracha, Comhdhaonnacha agus Cultúir) 2012: First Stage …………………………… 890 Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) Bill 2012: First Stage 890 Estimates for Public Services 2012 Vote 32 — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Supplementary)………… 891 Committee of Selection: Motions ………………………… 891 Advance Healthcare Decisions Bill 2012: Leave to Withdraw ……………… 892 Gaeltacht Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages ……………… 892 Business of Dáil ……………………………… 901 Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Order for Report Stage …………………………… 901 Report and Final Stages …………………………… 902 Government Response to Mahon Tribunal Recommendations: Statements…………… 933 Topical Issue Matters ……………………………… 945 Topical Issue Debate Data Protection ……………………………… 946 Public Procurement …………………………… 949 Ambulance Service …………………………… 951 School Transport ……………………………… 953 Ceisteanna — Questions Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Priority Questions …………………………… 956 Other Questions …………………………… 964 Questions: Written Answers …………………………… 973 DÁIL ÉIREANN ———— Déardaoin, 19 Iúil 2012. Thursday, 19 July 2012. ———— Chuaigh an Ceann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10.30 a.m. ———— Paidir. Prayer. ———— Leaders’ Questions Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: In last year’s budget the Government made great play of the fact that it did not cut—— Deputy Paul Kehoe: Welcome back. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: Thanks very much. I appreciate it. Deputy Alan Shatter: Siberia is a very cold place. (Interruptions). An Ceann Comhairle: Order, please. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: While it may not have cut the headline rate of social welfare pay- ments, the Government made sharp and deep cuts in a raft of schemes that are very important to people, including the fuel allowance, family income supplement, community employment, Tús, jobseeker’s benefit, child benefit, farm assist and, in particular, schemes that affect women. For some reason, the Minister for Social Protection always seems to target women for her cuts. Deputy Alan Shatter: No one takes that remark seriously. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: In the budget the Minister announced significant cutbacks of two thirds in the materials and training grants for the 22,000 people on community employment schemes, targeting a saving of €36 million. However, as a result of the backlash against this measure, she announced a review which we understand has been completed for some consider- able time. According to RTE, letters have been sent to some community employment providers informing them that their materials and training grants will be cut by between 30% and 40%. When will the review be published and why has it not yet been published? Deputy Eric Byrne: Does the Deputy not read the newspapers? Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: Why is it being hidden from the House? Will the Tánaiste outline the cuts that are being applied to the community employment and Tús schemes? How many places will be lost and how many will be laid off the schemes as a result of Government action? 877 Leaders’ 19 July 2012. Questions Deputy Pat Rabbitte: The Deputy was almost on jobseeker’s allowance himself. The Tánaiste: I welcome the Deputy back to active service. I have missed him. A Deputy: The Tánaiste was on active service for long enough. Deputy Brendan Howlin: Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív needed some reconditioning. Deputy Robert Troy: Judging by the actions of the Labour Party, the Tánaiste will not be on active service for long. The Tánaiste: Since this is the last day of this Dáil session, I look forward to seeing the Deputy here regularly when we return in September. The Government supports the community employment programme which plays an important role in the provision of crucial services for rural and urban communities. There are 1,143 community employment schemes in operation nationally. Of the 23,300 places available, approximately 22,000 are for participants, while approximately 1,400 are full-time supervisor posts. The overall estimated budget for the community employment scheme in 2012 will be approximately €340 million. As part of the requirement to fix the hole left in the public finances by Fianna Fáil, it is necessary to examine all aspects of expenditure across every Department. It was against this background that the financial review of community employment schemes got under way a couple of months ago. The main objective of the review was to identify areas where savings could be achieved through efficiencies in order that the best use could be made of available funds. As a result of the review, significant savings have been made in the overheads of com- munity employment projects in terms of annual insurance costs and audit fees. The savings will increase next year as some projects had incurred these costs prior to the introduction of the new arrangements. Under the revised arrangements, schemes will no longer be given universal amounts of financial support. Instead, they will be provided with a specific level of support aimed at meeting the particular costs necessarily incurred by the individual scheme, having regard to the overall level of funding available to the community employment programme nationally. The materials and training budget for the community employment programme has been increased by €9.5 million from the original budget of approximately €11 million, following savings identified elsewhere in the budget of the Department of Social Protection. The new materials and training budget is thus €20.5 million. Each community employment scheme has been notified of its revised materials and training allocation based on the amounts recom- mended by the Department’s divisional staff, following consultations with schemes. The majority of schemes have indicated satisfaction with their revised allocation in these difficult economic times. In addition to the training allocation for schemes, community employment scheme participants may also access a number of Springboard, vocational educational commit- tee and FÁS courses free of charge. As a result of the community employment scheme review process, the Minister for Social Protection has also introduced an appeals mechanism for schemes which believe they are unable to survive on the new allocations for training and materials. It is also worth noting that a separate policy review of labour activation schemes is under way. This review which is nearing completion will also help to inform the Department’s stra- tegic approach to these schemes, including community employment schemes. 878 Leaders’ 19 July 2012. Questions Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: When responsibility for community employment schemes was trans- ferred to the Department of Social Protection, it was intended to spend some of the €5 billion we paid people to do nothing, which was bad for their health and well-being, on providing people who were out of work with opportunities to make a useful contribution to society. In other words, we viewed people not as a burden but as a resource. The Government appears to think otherwise. An Ceann Comhairle: Can we have a question, please? Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív: Will the Tánaiste confirm that the ESRI has made it clear in its review that the 2012 budget imposed a higher percentage of losses on those with low incomes? When will the review be published? Will the Tánaiste provide details of the average cut per scheme across the country in order that we know exactly what has been done to community employment schemes? The Tánaiste: The Deputy has a hard neck to lecture the Government on community employ- ment schemes, the budget or the economy. Deputy Barry Cowen: What about the ESRI? Deputy Brendan Howlin: He left behind a wilderness. Deputy Barry Cowen: Where is the Minister of State, Deputy Róisín Shortall? The Tánaiste: When he exited government in February 2011, he left behind the biggest financial and economic mess the country had ever faced. Deputy Robert Troy: You are a sham and a fake. Deputy Mattie McGrath: The Labour Party wrote to SIPTU. The Tánaiste: In the 16 months since the Government has made strides to restore the coun- try’s economic fortunes. Deputy Robert Troy: Wrong. You are a fraud. Deputy Mattie McGrath: The Labour Party wrote to SIPTU. An Ceann Comhairle: Keep quiet, please. The Tánaiste: We have successfully separated bank debt from sovereign debt, a problem with which the party opposite left us, and we have reduced the interest rate on our borrowings. Deputy Willie O’Dea: Nobody believes that nonsense. The Tánaiste: We are working our way towards recovery. In regard to those on the lowest incomes, we reversed the cut in the minimum wage that Fianna Fáil had made. Deputy Robert Troy: The Labour Party is looking after the wealthy. It is Fine Gael’s way. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan: Is that Donie’s way? The Tánaiste: We removed 300,000 people from the universal social charge which Fianna Fáil had introduced. We are making reforms in the area of social protection. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, is the man who introduced the social employment 879 Leaders’ 19 July 2012. Questions [The Tánaiste.] schemes which the Government is committed to maintaining. We are supporting them. The amount of money available for labour activation—— Deputy Mattie McGrath: The Tánaiste means labour promotion. The Tánaiste: ——social protection and other such schemes has increased. We have more than 22,000 people participating in social employment schemes and the Minister for Social Protection has made changes to the way moneys for training grants and materials are provided for social employment schemes. Deputy Dara Calleary: Where is she today? The Tánaiste: The vast majority of schemes have indicated their satisfaction with this.