asked the Minister for Education the basis on which the concessionary teachers were allocated to the vocational, community and comprehensive sector; and the number of such teachers who were allocated.
31.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Concessionary Teacher Teaching Posts.
57.
asked the Minister for Education the reason County Waterford Vocational Education Committee did not receive an allocation under the headings Concessionary posts for disadvantaged areas and Allocation for small schools — sole providers in catchment areas; if she will re-examine this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Following discussions between the relevant parties under the aegis of the Central Review Committee of the Programme for National Recovery the Government decided to allocate additional teaching posts for the 1988-89 school year.
The concessionary posts for disadvantaged areas were allocated by my Department to those VECs and community-comprehensive schools where the greatest need was perceived following consideration of the effects of the increased pupil-teacher ratio on teacher allocation. A total of 134 such posts was allocated to VECs and a total of 16 to community and comprehensive schools.
A number of concessionary posts were allocated to VECs in respect of the needs of smaller vocational schools which were the only post-primary schools in their catchment area. Those posts were allocated by my Department on the basis of appeals from the VECs and with particular reference to school size.
Can the Minister confirm that the draft proposal between the Government and the TUI that went to ballot provided 175 such posts? What has happened to the 25 posts that seem to have gone missing?
There are no such posts gone missing, I assure the Deputy.
If you substract 150 from 175 you are left with 25.
All the posts and twice as many again could have been allocated on the basis of appeals. The full allocation of the special arrangements under the Programme for National Recovery between ourselves and the schools in question has been given or is about to be given. I can categorically assure the Deputy and the Dáil that any arrangements entered into under that programme will be fully honoured.
I call Question No. 58.
A brief supplementary question.
I am sure the Deputy will facilitate the Chair in dealing with the remaining Priority Questions before the time expires.
Which index of disadvantage did the Minister consult which led to the situation that ten disadvantaged teachers were allocated to Roscommon, ten to Mayo, but only two to the city of Cork and only four to the city of Dublin? Which particular index of disadvantage would give rise to those statistics?
I accept that the intricacies of existing pupil-teacher ratios and the change in ratio is a minefield and one in which I hope the Deputy will have a long time to learn in his position as Opposition spokesperson. The two counties the Deputy singled out appeared to receive an extra allocation because of the existing over-quota in those two county committees. I do not have the relevant figures with me because I did not anticipate in the Priority Questions that two counties would be singled out which were not mentioned. I know from my own knowledge and perusal of the matter when it was raised in the media in the summer that those two county committees were greatly over-quoted and, therefore, the allocation to them had to take that into account. As has often been said here by many contributors to debates, disadvantage is not fully an urban matter. It embraces many criteria. One can be disadvantaged in a rural area in County Mayo or in County Roscommon just as one can be disadvantaged in the heart of any city.
May I ask the Minister——
I am sorry, Deputy. The Chair has an obligation to strive to ensure that all Priority Questions are dealt with. I am now proceeding to the next question, No. 58, in the name of Deputy Quill.