Dáil debates

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

3:30 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure we all agree that the appalling, heartbreaking and barbaric attack on more than100 children in Pakistan by the Taliban is something that demands a response from our Parliament possibly in the form of a common motion of condemnation. The enormity of that tragedy defies any rational thinking.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It was an outrage.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Taoiseach. Every night, some 20 people are treated on chairs on Beaumont Hospital. People are remaining for up to 70 hours on trolleys in an overcrowding crisis in that hospital. Nurse Moira Wynne said: "It's disgusting to watch. The noise level is humongous, there is no dignity or privacy and elderly patients are disoriented." There are 49 more patients than there are beds on an average night. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called for this to be declared a national emergency.

We know there were early warning signs to the Government relating to the crisis at Beaumont Hospital. The Taoiseach will remember that last June, Professor Shane O'Neill resigned from his clinical directorship because he could not stand over significant clinical risks at the hospital. He described the accident and emergency department as being "entirely unsafe and indefensible". That was last June. In September, the CEO of the hospital sent an e-mail to all hospital staff as 58 patients were on trolleys. He said that in the interest of the safety of all patients, the hospital should regain its stability as a matter of urgency. Last Friday, this national tertiary hospital, which has one of the two neuro-surgical centres in this State, was taken off call. Essentially, no patients could be taken in, no ambulances could be used and no 999 calls could be dealt with. It was completely off call.

The bottom line is that incredibly, the budget of Beaumont Hospital over the past 12 months was cut by €14 million on the outturn. That is when the seeds of this crisis were sown by the Government in the very dishonest Estimate for the health services we got last year. A total of €14 million was taken out. When one adds in the fact that the fair deal scheme was screwed altogether in terms of the lack of funding over the past 12 months, one begins to see how a crisis like this develops in the days leading up to Christmas.

Photo of Seán BarrettSeán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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A question please.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Taoiseach accept that there is a crisis and commit to providing the necessary funding to alleviate this situation? It is about time that the Minister for Health was told that the time for becoming a commentator on the sidelines about everything that takes place in the health service is over. The former Minister, Deputy Reilly, is long gone and it is time that the current Minister took responsibility because he is the Minister for Health right now, not some sort of detached observer or commentator. That is how it is coming across. It is not good enough to say it will take 18 months for this to be resolved.

Will the Taoiseach address the funding issue and the €14 million cut from Beaumont hospital's budget this year?

3:40 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is not a satisfactory position and it is not the first time it has happened. Beaumont hospital is a case in point. It has had these problems for many years. It was only when the Government took office that trolleys began to be counted on a daily basis in hospitals. That never happened previously. The hospital has been working with the special delivery unit on a winter planning initiative to address the seasonal surges that occur. The Government provided an additional €25 million to address the issue of delayed discharges and targeted hospital and community services which could assist in dealing with patients discharged from the hospital by meeting their care needs outside the acute hospital setting. This will free some bed capacity. The intention was to provide money in 2015, but €3 million was advanced in 2014 to allow for the delayed discharge initiative to commence this year. This has facilitated the allocation of fair deal and home care packages-----

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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There is a four month waiting list.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and the provision of transitional care beds for patients who do not yet have a long-term care place or an appropriate support package.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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They are waiting 20 weeks under the fair deal scheme.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A number of patients who had been waiting to be discharged from Beaumont hospital were able to leave as a result of these measures. The Minister for Health is also re-establishing the emergency department forum which will meet for the first time on 22 December and will meet monthly thereafter to examine the solutions being put in place to address the problems experienced by emergency departments.

Some of the important decisions have been taken by Beaumont hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in the country, including the use of a day ward to accommodate patients, particularly those waiting longer than 24 hours for admission, the cancellation of elective surgery, notification to GPs and the public that the hospital is experiencing severe challenges and associated advice on alternative sources of care, whether it be GP, D-Doc, pharmacy or private health care clinics, and access for frail and elderly patients who are medically stable but require a rapid geriatric assessment at the clinic led by Mater hospital consultants in Smithfield. Additional physicians have also been allocated to the emergency department to treat patients in a more timely manner.

This is not a situation one could call ideal, but Beaumont hospital is one in which these problems have been arising for many years. I hope the additional moneys allocated and the reconstitution of the emergency department forum will have an impact both before the end of the year and throughout January, when traditionally there is a surge in delays in seeking entry to hospital.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Taoiseach accept any responsibility for this situation? When one cuts a hospital's budget by €14 million, this is what happens. The waiting list under the fair deal scheme increased to nearly 20 weeks in November, or an average of 15 weeks across those applying for a fair deal scheme bed. Clearly, there will be delayed discharges from hospitals when one screws the budget to that extent. All of this is due to the budget the Government decided to introduce last year. That is why discretionary medical cards became a major issue. It was not an accident on the part of bureaucrats in doing things in the wrong way; it was something called medical card probity, based on unrealistic and dishonest figures. What has happened in the health service in the past 12 months is a scandal. We are beginning to witness more of the repercussions in what happened in Beaumont hospital on Friday. The budget was cut to the bone; the health service was screwed and a mirage and spin were produced to suggest people could live within budgets that were never realistic. That is why we have appalling treatment of older people in hospitals and emergency departments. There is no dignity or privacy for them. The same happened in respect of medical cards. Ill children and adults lost their medical cards because of a dishonest budgetary strategy, designed more than 12 months ago, which is still having an appalling impact on day to day health services.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As I said, the situation is not ideal. Ministers recognised this and substantial moneys were made available to the Department of Health and the HSE in the budget both to meet the shortfall and to stabilise and improve the situation in 2015 and beyond.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Thirty five outpatient appointments were cancelled in Cork University Hospital last week.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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In the Estimates €25 million was allocated for 2015, of which €3 million is being brought forward to deal with patients being discharged. Funding has just been approved for 1,000 nursing home support - fair deal - scheme places; 700 routine approvals have been accelerated, while there have been 300 additional approvals in anticipation of €10 million in funding becoming available in January 2015 to deal with the issue of delayed discharges. This means that the waiting time for fair deal scheme approval will be reduced to between 12 and 15 weeks in quarter one of 2015.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It should never have reached that point.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A number of initiatives have been taken to mitigate the situation in Beaumont hospital.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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The Taoiseach is waffling like the Minister for Health.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Work is being done with the teams at the front door, where access is gained, and the clinical programmes to improve decision making and pathways to care. Work is also being done with the clinical teams and the director to improve throughput and the flow at the hospital. The emerging hospital groups are examining the available capacity to free up space to facilitate the emergency department. Work is also being done in the social care of patients classified as delayed discharges. The winter planning group has been established. The HSE, with the hospital's executive management, has taken a range of actions to deal with this emerging issue. It is not ideal, but the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, is working very hard with the extra allocation to find a more satisfactory solution in Beaumont hospital.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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He is out of touch.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Aontaím le ceannaire Fhianna Fáil agus leis an Taoiseach faoi na páistí a fuair bás faoi lámha an Taliban. Tá ár smaointe le teaghlaigh na páistí bochta. Gabhaim buíochas le Dia go bhfuil an próiseas síochána againn sa tír seo. Tá a fhios ag an Taoiseach go bhfuil a lán brú ar an bpróiseas polaitíochta ag an uair seo. He will know that power sharing in the all-Ireland institutions faces major economic and political challenges. The economic challenges arise from the Tory Party's austerity policies, the reduction made by that government in the Executive's block grant and the lack of financial powers needed to remodel the local economy in the North. The political challenges arise from the British Government's refusal to honour international agreements and political Unionism's resistance to power sharing and partnership. No party represented in the North's Executive has a mandate to implement policies which undermine international agreements or the rights and welfare of the most vulnerable in society. However, last week the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister tabled a paper which did just that and put it forward on a take it or leave it basis. It does not mention Acht na Gaeilge or a Bill of Rights. It acquiesces to the British Government's use of national security to deny information to victims and close down Article 2 compliant inquests. This is deeply disappointing.

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Government has responsibility as co-equal guarantor to uphold all aspects of this and subsequent agreements and ensure the British Government will do likewise. I know that this is a very difficult task, but can the Taoiseach explain why he has agreed to a paper which is so deficient that it runs against the spirit and the letter of the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements, including some with international status?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I can. I was happy to attend the discussions that took place in Belfast on Thursday and Friday. It was the tenth week of discussions that had begun some time ago. The discussions, led on this side by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and his colleagues, were productive and constructive and were added to by the discussions that took place both in plenary session and with the individual parties around the table. Let us be clear. The position is that the particular circumstances in Northern Ireland have to take into account the legacy of the conflict period.

The Irish Government, time and again both now and in the past, has shown its interest in this through the PEACE and INTERREG funds and the reconciliation fund operated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Executive and the Assembly in Northern Ireland requested responsibility to take on devolved government, and that was assigned to them. However, they have not been able to agree on how that should be done. The reason I had the privilege of attending with all of the members, including the British Prime Minister, was to continue to offer our support and assistance where that is possible. The Deputy knows this. He is the president of his party and according to political commentary everything must pass through him. Social security, child supports and pensions are devolved to Northern Ireland. Section 87 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires the Secretary of State with responsibility for social security and the equivalent Northern Ireland Minister to consult each other to secure a single system of social security, child support and pensions within the United Kingdom. The statement of funding principle makes it clear that the funding for the social security system is demand led and comes from the Treasury. It is a matter for the parties in Northern Ireland, who have had this responsibility devolved to them, to make that political decision, but they have not been able to make it.

The Deputy knows that if the Assembly and the Executive do not make that decision, the shortfall will come from the block grant. The case being made last week was for further moneys from the taxpayer to deal with this matter. However, that is a denial of the responsibility which the Executive and the Assembly demanded and were given. It appears that the majority of parties in Northern Ireland wish to get on with the business, but it is also clear that the Deputy has made a particular case as to why this should not be so. From a political point of view, responsibility was sought and was devolved, but it is not being accepted.

The Government will continue to be supportive in the way it has been, and that is a substantial amount over the next number of years. However, the British Government, in putting its cards on the table, has left aside almost £1 billion in extra spending power to the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly for dispersal throughout the North, provided that the political agreement in put in place on the papers that were there.

I made a specific issue of the Irish language. As the Deputy knows, the paper presented in Belfast included a paragraph on that.

3:50 pm

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What did the paragraph say? It stated that the Minister can bring forward a paper to the Executive. It does not mention Acht na Gaeilge, which is a commitment that was made in the St. Andrews Agreement by both governments. I asked the Taoiseach a straightforward question. Why did he sign up to a paper which does not mention Acht na Gaeilge or a bill of rights and which acquiesces to the British Government on the use of British national security interests and also seeks to close down Article 2-compliant inquests? The British Government made no offer of £1 billion.

The Taoiseach is not a passive spectator here. He is the Taoiseach and a player, not a junior partner. There are outstanding commitments, and this is on the Taoiseach's watch. A civic forum in the North does not exist, nor does an all-Ireland civic forum. There is no bill of rights, no all-Ireland charter of rights, no joint North-South committee of the two human rights commissions, no compliance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and no Irish language Act. It is my view that the current talks can succeed and a deal can be done. The Sinn Féin team is there to do that, but it cannot be on a purely British or Unionist agenda. Irish national interests must be upheld. That is the Taoiseach's responsibility. These propositions were hard won over many years and the Government cannot be allowed to dilute them.

The Taoiseach was present when the British Prime Minister told me that he would not be establishing an inquiry into the killing of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, as he is obliged to do under the Weston Park Agreement. The Taoiseach sat silently and did not utter a word on the issue. It is clear that this Government and London still try to obstruct efforts to get to the justice and truth that victims of the conflict are seeking. Why did the Taoiseach sign up to this agenda? A deal can be done and will have to be done. Will the Taoiseach explain how he intends to be part of this, as opposed to a spectator to, or a commentator on, what happened?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As usual, the Deputy is very economical with the truth. The fact is that the Deputy, as the leader of his party, has put his foot down and said there will not be welfare reform in Northern Ireland.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Welfare cuts.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is welfare reform.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach wants to nationalise austerity.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Social security arrangements are a devolved power. The Deputy's party sought that and got it.

Photo of Noel HarringtonNoel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Now it does not want it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Nonetheless, the costs are borne by the Treasury in London and are separate from the other funding stream of the block grant.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach should talk about his Government, not the government there.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Northern Ireland has no power to act autonomously here. If there is a shortfall, it comes out of the block grant.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The Fine Gael and Tory alliance is alive and well. It is back to John Bruton's time.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That will be £13 million between January and March of this year, £87 million next year and £114 million between 2015 and 2016. There was a separate legislative measure dealing with the introduction of welfare reform in Northern Ireland. It got as far as the Second Reading and Committee Stage, but it has not progressed beyond that since 2013.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We are talking about the Taoiseach's Government, not Mr. Cameron's government.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy put a stop to that. He asked for devolved responsibility, but he will not accept it.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We would not accept cuts.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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He is afraid to make decisions about welfare reform.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We are not afraid. We are making decisions.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy asked why we signed up to this. The paper presented, in which I had a central part to play from the Irish Government's point of view, included a direct and specific passage about the Irish language, Scots Gaelic and so forth.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It does not refer to Acht na Gaeilge.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We made that point very clearly.

There is significant movement in respect of the historical investigative unit-----

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Backwards.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----which will allow for the chairperson, when appointed by both governments, to receive even the most sensitive documentation from the British Government and from its agencies. That includes issues such as Ballymurphy and would include, in my view, other elements of what might not have been produced in the de Silva report in respect of Pat Finucane.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Finucane family rejected the de Silva report.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We could still be in Northern Ireland going around in circles and not making a decision. The fundamental issue is that the Executive and the Assembly sought responsibility for devolved authority and got it in respect of welfare reform-----

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach has responsibility to honour the agreements.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----pensions and child support, but the Deputy is afraid to face the music and make a choice on welfare reform.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach is afraid to face the British Government.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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He is like a poodle, Cameron's poodle.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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He is putting off the long day. The Irish Government will continue to support Northern Ireland, as it has done. That will amount to approximately €0.5 billion over the next number of years. The British Prime Minister, in the discussions he conducted with both the First Minister and deputy First Minister, because this is a matter of devolved responsibility, said he was giving them extra capacity to have access to spending power of almost €1 billion.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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No, he did not.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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However, Deputy Adams said this was ham-fisted and amateurish and that they were the worst discussions he was involved with in all his years.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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They were the first in which the Taoiseach was involved.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If we put together a political paper upon which agreement can be reached, if Deputy Adams has the courage to face it, and if both governments are in Belfast for the purpose of signing off on an agreement which will give extra spending power to the Executive and Assembly in Northern Ireland, that is neither amateurish nor ham-fisted.

The Deputy should have the courage to face up to his political responsibility-----

(Interruptions).

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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So should the Taoiseach.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----and do what he must do, or else tell his Deputy First Minister, "Martin, you have responsibility for this". He wants to do a deal, but the Deputy will not let him. It is a major sign of what might happen down here if the people were ever to give the Deputy that type of responsibility in this country.

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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The Technical Group wishes to express how appalled it is at the atrocity in Pakistan, which is particularly horrendous in the way it targeted young people in education.

My question also relates to Northern Ireland. We are familiar with the unresolved issues of flags, parades and legacy issues, as well as the recent issues of finances and economics. However, one issue is conspicuous by its absence, although a number of Senators and Deputies have been pursuing it for a number of years through meetings with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, Mr. David Ford, MLA; the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Ms Theresa VIlliers, MP, and other authorities in Northern Ireland. That issue is prisoners in Maghaberry Prison which we have visited a number of times. We are all totally opposed to violence and our interest in and engagement with the prisoners is because of our commitment to protect the human rights of all prisoners in every jurisdiction. One of the issues is strip searching which continues, despite all of the technological advances made. There are some particularly horrendous examples; for example, a prisoner in Maghaberry Prison was handcuffed to a warder in order to attend a hospital appointment. Although the appointment was cancelled before he left the prison, he was strip searched before being returned to his cell. We have other examples of prisoners who when appearing in court are handcuffed the whole time, but who nonetheless are strip searched when they return to prison. It is one of the most degrading and humiliating experiences for a prisoner. There are other issues regarding controlled movement, the isolation of prisoners, health care and education. It all led to an 18 month dirty protest by republican prisoners. We have also met loyalist prisoners with similar issues regarding health care and controlled movement.

In the past eight years there have been investigations and reports with recommendations that have not been implemented, leading to the most recent stock take. When we visited in August, there were expectations among the prisoners we met that the stock take would lead to real change. Approximately three weeks ago, we returned and there was disappointment at the lack of real progress on the issues raised. Have the issues relating to prisoners and their rights ever been addressed at any of the meetings? If not, will the Taoiseach ensure they are addressed in the interests of a conflict-free environment in prison and society?

4:00 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It is a good question, in which the Deputy has had an interest for some time. The matter of prisoners' rights was not discussed, either in the plenary sessions or the discussions with the individual parties on Thursday and Friday. This is not to say it has not been discussed in the past ten weeks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan; the Minister of State, Deputy Sean Sherlock, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Ms Theresa Villiers, MP, although I cannot confirm this. Thursday and Friday's discussions were about the broader political issues. This is an important issue in its own right and I will have it pursued for the Deputy. I will ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to confirm whether discussions about it took place in the past ten weeks and, if not, I will ask him to take it up directly with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Another issue which previously affected republican prisoners and is now affecting loyalist prisoners is the revocation of licences which can be revoked based on closed information, which makes it very difficult for prisoners to try to defend themselves. There may eventually be a Parole Commissioners of Northern Ireland hearing which could be cancelled at the last moment. If release is eventually granted, it is with very stringent conditions. Our group is also concerned with miscarriages of justice similar to those suffered by the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four. The late Gerry Conlon took up the issue of the Craigavon Two. The two men concerned have been in prison for a number of years, despite the fact that the case was not proved against them; it was reliant on the word of a very dubious witness and the forensic evidence was contradictory and discredited. However, the men will be in prison for another two years while they wait for their case to go before the UK Supreme Court.

These issues cannot be left unaddressed because they undermine peace and stability. Regardless of one's view of the Good Friday Agreement, nobody wants Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to return to violence. We need real engagement, discussion and dialogue with those who disagree with the Good Friday Agreement, both republicans and loyalists, because they feel abandoned and let down. We also require real engagement on prisoner issues and implementation of recommendations reached in agreements. In the interests of fair peace and justice, I ask that these matters be part of talks that take place with the authorities, particularly with the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade answered the Deputy's question in November confirming that justice and policing powers had been devolved to the Northern Ireland institutions following the Hillsborough Castle Agreement in 2010. Mr. David Ford, MLA, has since been Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, while an executive agency of his Department, the Northern Ireland Prison Service, is responsible for implementing prison policy there, as the Deputy is aware. A comprehensive review was chaired by Ms Anne Owers, from which flowed the Hillsborough Castle Agreement which was published in October 2011. The review set out a path for the prison system in the North. Implementation of the 40 recommendations made in the agreement is due for completion next year. Progress is being overseen by an independent group which reports on progress every six months. Ms Owers recognised that Maghaberry Prison was unable, as the Deputy said, to meet the challenge of providing appropriate security and for sufficient and relevant activities for its long-term and short-term prisoners, including those in prison for paramilitary offences.

In the summer of 2010 republican prisoners in Maghaberry Prison’s Roe wing protested about conditions. An agreement between prisoners and prison management, known as the Roe House agreement, was concluded in August that year and four independent assessors were appointed to assist in its oversight and delivery. On the recommendation of the Prisoner Ombudsman, Mr. Tom McGonigle, the independent assessors carried out a stock take of the implementation of the Roe House agreement in August and September. The Northern Ireland Minister for Justice published the results of the stock take on 12 November, highlighting the areas in which progress had been made since 2010 and issues of concern to prisoners and management. The report was based on free access to Maghaberry Prison and its prisoners, as well as contact with the prison authorities, the Prisoner Ombudsman and prison officer representatives. Any documentation requested was made available.

The independent assessors highlighted the murder of a prison officer, Mr. David Black, in November 2012 by so-called dissident republicans as a significant challenge and a breach of the principles underpinning the agreement. Ongoing threats against members of the Northern Ireland Prison Service and officials dealing with prison welfare have further complicated relations and damaged trust between the prison service and prisoners. All threats against those working in prisons and with prisoners in Northern Ireland are unacceptable. The recent stock take was accepted by the prison service and the relevant prisoners and opens an opportunity to resolve outstanding matters in order that the unimplemented elements of the Roe House agreement may be put in place. The independent assessors recommend a time limit of six months for the resolution of the outstanding issues involved. I will follow through with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and advise the Deputy of the outcome. I thank her for the question.