Dáil debates

Tuesday, 29 November 2005

Ceisteanna — Questions.

Information Technology Programme.

2:30 pm

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach the way in which he will give elderly persons more access to technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30848/05]

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The e-inclusion fund was established to support the participation of late adopters of technology in an inclusive information society. The Government allocated €1.025 million for the funding of e-inclusion initiatives in 2005, which includes particular focus on initiatives targeted primarily at older people and people with disabilities. Based on CSO statistics, these groups have been identified as two of the most vulnerable sectors in society.

A total of 117 applications were received following a national call for proposals under the e-inclusion fund. Some 49 projects were subsequently approved for funding by the e-inclusion sub-group of the assistant secretaries implementation group. The Deputy may be aware of the assistireland.ie website which was developed by Comhairle. This is an assistive technology website which provides details of products that are aimed at providing older people and people with disabilities with assistance in independent living.

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. How many older people and people with disabilities benefited from the 49 projects mentioned by the Minister of State? Does he agree that a lack of information and access to information through technology is a barrier to older people in accessing benefits and entitlements? What further plans does the Government have to expand the service for older people in particular, who may often be isolated in their own homes? Does the Minister of State agree that access to the Internet and e-mail would be a great advantage to older people in combating social exclusion? How does the Government plan to assist older people and people with disabilities to learn how to use computers, the Internet and e-mail?

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The number of projects involved is 117. They are good projects which were assessed independently by the e-inclusion sub-group. The funding provides assistance to the groups to ensure that people become more aware of the importance of technology. The Deputy is correct that this is vital.

As Minister of State, I have identified two groups needing attention, the elderly who would be greatly assisted in combating loneliness and isolation, and people with disabilities, for whom tremendous work has been done. Much good work is also being done by information technology companies. Enable Ireland and Assist Ireland are involved with projects focused on the elderly and people with disabilities. I assure the Deputy that we are considering the funding for next year — I understand it will be €1.5 million. We will continue to focus on those who do not have access to technology. A third group targeted for inclusion are people from disadvantaged areas. A project we announced recently related to disadvantaged areas, where good work is being done and where working with schools is important.

The Deputy asked what more we could do. In addition to the funding for inclusion, there is also the information society fund from which funding was provided for the "About the House" television programme to highlight the benefits of ICT in the home and to the lives of householders. One of the challenges for older people is overcoming the fear of technology. The programme aimed to demystify and encourage the use of technology by illustrating its benefits, ease of installation and accessibility. One of the programmes showed how putting technology in place can compensate for lack of mobility at home so that older people can maintain their quality of life, independence, social communication, security and peace of mind for themselves and their families. We have moved on from the technology itself and the key issue is what use the technology can be put to. It can have tremendous utility, particularly for older people.

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister of State satisfied that every older person in the State who wants access to technology has it? Is he satisfied that people know of the benefits of e-mail and computers? The Minister referred to 49 projects. How many people were involved in those projects, what did the projects involve and where were they located? What initiatives is the Government putting in place to install this technology in the homes of older people, especially in isolated rural areas where social interaction and contact can be at a minimum?

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The precise number of people involved is difficult to know but I will make every effort to obtain that information by having my officials check the list of successful applicants. To give an idea of the type of groups involved, the lengthy list includes Ability Enterprise, Claremorris; Active Virginian Club, Cavan; Age and Opportunity; UCD Equality Studies Centre; An Cosan, Tallaght; and the Ballyhaunis Family Resource Centre. Many people are involved in the 170 organisations, which include groups dealing with the elderly and people with disabilities. Apart from that, tremendous work is being done by Mo Bhaile, a pilot project conducted by seven local authorities. I was fortunate to visit South Dublin County Council, where various community groups can access the Mo Bhaile facility, to see at first hand the work the group is doing there. I have first-hand knowledge of many retirement groups accessing that facility. There is significant work to be done and my objective as Minister of State with responsibility for the information society is to ensure that those in danger of missing the opportunity to participate in the knowledge society are included.

It is recognised that this is a knowledge society. We are creating an island of ingenuity and want to involve those who have not had a chance to become familiar with, or are mystified by, technology.

The focus now is on how to make the ingenuity of people gel with the technology. Young people understand that kind of language and adapt to technology. I agree with the Deputy, however, that we need to focus on several areas. That is the objective of this e-inclusion fund. The fund is modest but will rise to €1.5 million next year and there are many other areas on which we can concentrate our efforts.

Photo of Paul GogartyPaul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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A total of 117 projects were announced under the e-inclusion fund but is the Minister of State aware that vocational education committees run many adult education courses? The cost of paying extra fees to these teachers has been passed directly to the people attending the courses, including senior citizens. The age limit for defining a senior citizen has been increased by ten years making it significantly more expensive for people over the age of 50 to do any course.

The Minister for Education and Science has refused point blank to provide any funding to compensate for the increased cost of these courses. Is the Minister of State amenable to providing some money from his fund to make up the teacher costs of any information technology related course run by the VECs?

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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These projects are independently assessed. The organisations involved are community-based, bottom-up groups, such as the South Tipperary Community and Voluntary Forum, the Summerhill Active Retirement Group, and the Tipperary Uplands IT Group. It is encouraging to see the Walkinstown Association. This came from an advertisement placed by my Department, making it a transparent process.

I will be glad to pursue the issues the Deputy raised regarding the VEC. I cannot make any commitment, however, because I want to ensure this work is community-based. Deputy Stanton pointed to the need to reach as many individuals as possible through various associations and organisations. I will be happy to pursue that with the Minister for Education and Science.

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister of State aware of some of the initiatives taken by the VECs to roll out access for senior citizens to IT introduction and training courses? Is he proactively pursuing new ideas and ways of delivering IT information and familiarisation to rural and remote regions where there is great difficulty with communications?

The Minister of State mentioned an area in County Cavan, but does he know that in west Cavan the VEC provides computer training designed to develop skills in a socially and economically deprived part of the country? Will the Department examine how this example is applied? Does the Minister of State view a direct engagement with senior citizens, clubs and groups as worthwhile? Such an engagement would allow an exploration of how outreach activities and the introduction to information technology could be brought to people, particularly our senior citizens and people with disabilities, in more rural and remote locations, rather than them having to attend centres of learning.

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, I am aware of the work of the VECs in this area. I agree with the Deputy's analysis on the importance of it and they must be encouraged in what they are doing. I will pursue the issues raised by Deputy Gogarty.

On the involvement of elderly people, we see examples time and again of what is happening. In the Dublin South constituency, I have seen many examples of such projects which are encouraging. It is obvious to me that when older people become familiar with and use information technology, it can be of huge benefit, not just to them, but to their colleagues and friends. It is a fantastic means of communication. I welcome any ideas Members may have to encourage this.

I will ask my officials to circulate the list of successful applicants to Members as it contains good examples of projects in communities. In particular, we must access those in rural areas because information technology connects people. While I accept some people will decline to use it, at least they should be given the opportunity of exploring it. The best way to do this is through community groups. In many rural areas, there are some active community groups. If we can get the older people in communities to access these organisations and bodies, there is every chance that it will have a positive impact on their lives. I agree with the Deputy on that point.

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach has pointed out that he is concerned by the lack of volunteers in communities. If the Minister of State is depending on active community groups to push this project, what happens in locations where there are no such groups? What plans has the Minister of State to introduce information technology in these areas? Has the Minister of State set any targets to be achieved in this area? If he has, will he share them with the House? Has the Minister of State any plans to make it easier for older people to purchase computers for their homes? As they can be quite expensive, it can act as a barrier to older people accessing information technology and the Internet. Are there any plans to extend the existing seven Mo Bhaile projects to other local authorities? If so, which ones and how soon will they be included?

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I am a strong supporter, along with the Taoiseach, of promoting voluntarism. In my time involved in overseas development when Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, I promoted the concept of voluntarism. We can do it at home and abroad. I am delighted the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, along with the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Conor Lenihan, has moved swiftly on this issue. We can do much to promote voluntarism at local and national level.

The Mo Bhaile project is involved in seven local authorities, South County Dublin, Mayo, Meath, Westmeath, north Tipperary and south Tipperary. The information society fund is involved in financially supporting these projects. It is a pilot project aimed at building the information and communications technology of the community and voluntary sector, targeted at working from the bottom up. Community champions have been employed to encourage engagement with information and communications technology and create a shared sense of purpose in information society development. There are more than 300 community groups on-line in the pilot areas. This is the best way to proceed. I have not set specific targets but we must keep going to achieve maximum reach and connectivity with communities.

The Mo Bhaile projects also focus on promoting awareness, that is, conveying to those who may not otherwise appreciate it the reason the Internet is relevant and how it can benefit them. Having spoken to older people who have started to use technology in recent times, I am convinced of the necessity of the Mo Bhaile initiative and will continue to promote it in any way I can. Government funding must be allocated to the most appropriate areas, one of which is the Mo Bhaile project.

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister of State have plans to extend the Mo Bhaile initiative to the rest of the country? When will the pilot project conclude? Does he agree that the cost of computers is prohibitive? Does he have plans to make it easier for older people to purchase computers?

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The best approach to facilitating the purchase of computers is to try to support local communities and identify how we can help them and representative organisations. I have spoken positively about the Mo Bhaile project and favour its extension. I will get back to the Deputy with information on the latest position.