asked the Minister for Education the arrangements she is making to ensure that schools have adequate fuel to provide heating levels not less than those specified by law for offices and factories; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Heating Levels.
2.
The cost of heating national schools is one of the expenses which the capitation grant is intended to cover. Boards of management are required to supplement the State grant as necessary with funds from local sources, equal to at least 25 per cent of the State grant.
The level of heating is dealt with in departmental Circular 21/79, which was issued in 1979 following discussions with management and teacher representatives. The minimum heating level specified is similar to that applicable to offices and comparable factory invironments.
The position regarding community and comprehensive schools is that provision for heating, lighting, etc. is made in the budgets allocated to these schools. I am satisfied that, within these financial allocations, the management authorities will be able to ensure an adequate level of heating in their schools.
The Minister must be aware that national and second level schools have indicated that the capitation grant is not — and has not been — sufficient to cover heating of classrooms, insurance and a whole range of other services which have to be provided. What steps will the Minister take to ensure that there is adequate heating in all schools this year?
We are taking the steps which we have always taken. We are now practically at the end of the year and no schools have officially notified my Department that they cannot continue to function because of the heating level.
Does the Minister intend to make special provision for schools in disavantaged areas where there is high unemployment and parents are unable to make contributions towards the needs which are not covered by the capitation grant?
Special funding for disadvantaged areas under a particular subhead will continue in 1987 and it has been allocated during the last number of weeks to various designated schools. The allocation for 1988 will be issued in due course to those schools.
Ní miste dúinn dul ar aghaidh go dtí ceist eile mar tá Teachtaí anseo go bhfuil ceisteanna curtha síos acu ag fanacht go foighdeach.
I do not want to exhaust my right to participate in Question Time. I am the spokesperson on Education for the Labour Party.
The Deputy appreciates that there are Deputies present who have tabled questions to the Minister. Irrespective of the Deputy's illustrious position they are entitled to express themselves and address this question.
I will not delay. The only position I seek to invoke is that of elected representative. In relation to the Minister's statement that no school has indicated to her that there are difficulties as to the level of heating, is it not a fact that representative organisations in the vocational sector have asked her to specify the minimum levels of heat and that she said that it was a matter for the individual boards? Are there minimum standards in terms of the Factories Acts or other legislation that we can take as a base line which will apply?
In my initial answer I said that the minimum heating level specified is similar to that applicable to offices and comparable factory environments.
Would the Minister indicate what proportion of the capitation grant to schools is designated for heating?
I do not have that information but I think that that matter will be left to individual boards of management to decide. It would be difficult to say to each of the 3,400 primary schools what portion of their capitation grant should be devoted to heating, because it would depend on the size of the school, the type of heating in the school and the size of the classrooms and so on. The boards of management would have freedom in that respect.
In deciding the capitation grant do the Department not know what proportion they are setting aside for schools, to insure them, to heat them, to clean them and so on? There must be some basis on which the capitation grant is made up. What proportion is given to heating?
In my Department we have had no complaint from the primary schools sections or from the boards of management with regard to their heating. The cost of heating national schools is one of the expenses which the capitation grant is intended to cover.