Vol. 247 Wednesday, No. 13 19 October 2016 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 19/10/2016A00100Business of Seanad 750 19/10/2016A00300Commencement Matters 751 19/10/2016A00400Hospital Charges ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������751 19/10/2016B00650Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme 754 19/10/2016C00350Educational Disadvantage 757 19/10/2016E00250Ireland Strategic Investment Fund Investments 759 19/10/2016G00100Order of Business 763 19/10/2016O00100Fire Safety in Traveller Accommodation: Statements 775 19/10/2016X00100Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Second Stage 793 19/10/2016LL00100Judicial Council: Motion 820 SEANAD ÉIREANN Dé Céadaoin, 19 Deireadh Fómhair 2016 Wednesday, 19 October 2016 Chuaigh an Leas-Chathaoirleach i gceannas ar 1030 am Machnamh agus Paidir. Reflection and Prayer. 19/10/2016A00100Business of Seanad 19/10/2016A00200An Leas-Chathaoirleach: I have received notice from Senator Terry Leyden that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, he proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to investigate and resolve the situation where a two- year-old child is being pursued personally for €100 by Intrum Justitia for attendance at the emergency department in Portiuncula Hospital in November 2015 having failed to get as- sistance from Westdoc which necessitated the emergency department visit in the first place. I have also received notice from Senator Frank Feighan of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to establish the number of applicants who have received compensation under the turf cutting compensation scheme, the number of applicants who have yet to receive compensation, the county by county breakdown of compensation payments made to date, the number of applicants who have been relocated to other bogs and the number who have applied to be relocated I have also received notice from Senator Michelle Mulherin of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Education and Skills to end immediately the discrimina- tion against Inver national school, the pupils of which meet the criteria of disadvantage for the supports provided by delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, status but who have been denied these supports for the past ten years, which is the only primary school in the Barony of Erris to be missing out I have also received notice from Senator Keith Swanick of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Finance to engage directly with the National Treasury Management Agency on the ongoing investment of taxpayers’ money in tobacco and al- cohol companies as part of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, and the need for a timely disposal of such assets in line with the responsible investment policy as operated by the ISIF 750 19 October 2016 I have also received notice from Neale Richmond of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to amend the vetting system in order that those individuals who are Garda-vetted for one activity can be deemed to have been automatically vetted or fast-tracked for another activity I have also received notice from Senator Maura Hopkins of the following matter: The need for the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health services to pro- vide an update on when the external review of mental health services in County Roscom- mon will be completed and the findings made available. I have also received notice from Senator Victor Boyhan of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to state when he intends to transfer responsibility for the control and operation of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council I have also received notice from Senator Paul Gavan of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to comment on reports that mu- nitions being used by Saudi Arabia in the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Yemen may have been transported by US military aircraft through Shannon Airport and that US military mid-air refuelling planes that passed through Shannon Airport in June 2016 may have been used to refuel the Saudi Arabian aircraft involved I have also received notice from Senator Robbie Gallagher of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to recognise the value of angling in Ireland and make the relevant funding available to the hatcheries at Mullingar and Roscrea I regard the matters raised by the Senators as suitable for discussion I have selected the matters raised by Senators Terry Leyden, Frank Feighan, Michelle Mulherin and Keith Swanick and they will be taken now Senators Neale Richmond, Maura Hopkins, Victor Boyhan, Paul Gavan and Robbie Gallagher may give notice on another day of the matters they wish to raise 19/10/2016A00300Commencement Matters 19/10/2016A00400Hospital Charges 19/10/2016A00450An Leas-Chathaoirleach: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee 19/10/2016A00500Senator Terry Leyden: I thank the Minister of State for attending Senators from County Roscommon have drawn three of the Commencement matters today which shows how active Senators from County Roscommon are There is also one from County Mayo I ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to resolve the outrageous circumstance 751 Seanad Éireann in which a two-year old child is being pursued for €100 by Intrum Justitia for attending the ac- cident and emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital in November 2015 Like all children under six years of age, this child from Roscommon town has a GP visiting card Her parents’ income is just €400 per week She was rushed to the emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital last November Unfortunately, as the Minister of State knows, we have no emer- gency department in Roscommon thanks to a decision taken by Senator James Reilly when he was Minister for Health in the Fine Gael-led Government in 2011 Her distressed mother telephoned Westdoc when her daughter took ill in the middle of the night last November The Westdoc personnel told her to give the child Calpol, which the child then vomited up Her temperature continued to rise It was the middle of the night and Westdoc told her to go and get Nurofen No shops were open locally which sold Nurofen and the Westdoc personnel said there was nothing else they could do The family then drove to Portiuncula Hospital to seek immediate medical attention for their very ill child The Westdoc doctor should have seen a child whose temperature was rising out of control and who was vomiting Had a Westdoc doctor seen her and been unable to address her symp- toms, he or she would have signed a letter for the accident and emergency department exempt- ing her from any charge. As a former chairman of the Western Health Board, I find it morally wrong that a two-year old child, who is covered under the GP visit card and was not provided with a service by Westdoc, is now receiving threatening letters from Intrum Justitia in respect of legal action on a bill of €100 It is an international company and I have named already the directors from Sweden and elsewhere This issue must be resolved immediately for the family concerned and an assurance given that all children under six years attending emergency depart- ments will not be billed and their families pursued by a legal debt collection agency It should be noted that the child in question had to be brought to Portiuncula Hospital as the emergency department for Roscommon town which was located in Roscommon hospital was closed by the last Fine Gael-led Government weeks after taking office in the summer of 2011, despite promises delivered in the square of the town to keep the department open The current situation is totally inadequate and unacceptable to the people of Roscommon and surround- ing areas who have had no emergency services at Roscommon County Hospital, now known as Roscommon University Hospital The name was changed but the hospital did not have its status improved The HSE has failed to deliver a rapid response ambulance service in County Roscommon which was promised since the wrongful closure of the emergency department five years ago The family to which I refer then received a letter from Saolta requesting the money When I was chairman of the former Western Health Board and such issues came before me, I would have dealt with them more pragmatically, especially given the fact that the family made the ef- fort to contact WestDoc but that service would not see the child and would not give the family a referral letter Indeed, WestDoc could have supplied such a letter retrospectively, pointing out that the family had contacted the service The family made an effort to contact a GP before attending the emergency department at Portiuncula