Vol. 603 No. 6
49 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science when all students using the school transport service will have their own seats; her views on calls for the introduction of seat belts on all buses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19937/05]
50 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the review of safety standards on school buses which has been undertaken since the recent County Meath crash in which five persons died; if a decision has been made on the fitting of seat belts in school buses; if the Government will consider the provision of funds to allow for the replacement of old buses with custom built school buses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19804/05]
I propose to take questions Question Nos. 49 and 50 together.
The safety of the school transport service is constantly under review in my Department. In January 2005, I initiated a warning flashing light pilot scheme on school buses. These lights reduce the risk of accidents in the vicinity of the school bus as pupils descend where safety research has shown the majority of accidents occur. It is planned to roll out the scheme on a phased basis to other parts of the country following a successful evaluation of the pilot project. The question of introducing legislation to require motorists to stop on approaching a school bus showing flashing lights is being examined actively.
An older bus does not mean an unsafe bus. All vehicles operating under the school transport scheme are required to meet the statutory regulations as laid down by the Department of Transport. Where vehicles have over eight adult seats and are more than one year old, they are required to pass that Department's annual roadworthiness test. No bus which is unsafe or dangerous is allowed onto the road to carry children. About 20% of the vehicles used for school transport are owned by Bus Éireann and the remaining 80% are owned by private operators on contract to Bus Éireann. The average age of the Bus Éireann large capacity bus fleet is 16 years. The average age of all vehicles used is 11.5 years.
Since 1999, Bus Éireann has purchased a large number of vehicles as part of an ongoing school bus fleet replacement programme, in order to improve the age profile and condition of its school bus fleet. The Bus Éireann school bus fleet currently has around 400 large capacity buses that were transferred from the general service fleet into the dedicated school transport bus fleet. Over 250 of these buses were transferred in the period 1999-2003, and they represent another valuable source of replacement buses over this period. This investment has produced an improvement in the condition of the fleet generally and this fleet replacement programme, aimed at replacing older buses with more modern vehicles, is continuing.
The loading of all school buses is determined by the relevant sections of the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations laid down by the Department of Transport. In accordance with relevant legislation, the licensed carrying capacity of all vehicles engaged in school transport is based on a ratio of three pupils for every two adult seats. My Department has been in discussions with Bus Éireann with a view to phasing out the three for two arrangements. The discussions have been advanced to a stage at which I can confirm that the necessary steps are being taken to commence the general phasing out of three for two seating arrangements over two to three years from next September.
The wearing of seat belts and the three for two rule are intrinsically linked, in the context of which no legal requirement to wear seat belts in buses, including school buses, obtains. However, EU Directive 2003/20, which requires seat belts to be used where they are fitted, must be transposed into national law by 9 May 2006. Proposals to extend the requirement to fit seat belts in all new vehicles, except city buses used in stage-stop routes, have been developed separately at EU level. Once the directive has been adopted, all school buses being registered from a future date, which is yet to be determined, will be required to be fitted with seat belts. The directive is not expected to provide for the mandatory retrofitting of seat belts in existing buses.
Seat belts on school buses would have to be introduced on a phased basis having regard to the logistical difficulties of sourcing seat-belt equipped right-hand drive buses. The type or types of seat belt to be fitted must be determined with regard to the differing sizes of the student passengers being carried. My Department is working closely with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann on these matters and meetings with international safety experts will begin very soon to facilitate progress. A phased programme of retrofitting of seat belts on some buses to a high specification may also be possible depending on safety research. I will consider which proposals should be brought to Government having regard to the advice of safety experts when it becomes available.
I am not especially interested in whether the EU will ask us to retrofit school buses as it is a decision we should take ourselves. The Minister of State has overseen an ongoing review of school transport for over a year which is separate from the review initiated to consider the awful accident in Meath. When will the original review be published and has it taken into account the various issues which have been raised in recent weeks, including the three for two rule? While I welcome the Minister of State's progress on the rule, I would prefer to see it phased out in full from next September rather than over a longer timeframe. Is the failure to phase out current seating arrangements in the short term related to shortages in funding and resources?
What will be the timescale for the phased roll-out of the flashing light pilot scheme? The Minister of State will understand my questioning of pilot schemes given that Youthreach has existed on a pilot scheme footing for 17 years. I would like to know when the flashing light scheme will be rolled out across the country. The Minister of State failed to refer to supervision on school buses. Is supervision on school buses being considered as part of the review process and will the Minister of State consider making it mandatory?
Seat belts represent a fundamental issue for parents. I have spoken to many bus drivers who say that whether they are transporting school children or sports teams, parents are asking actively at the moment whether there are seat belts on their buses. A significant number of private vehicles under contract are equipped with seat belts and use them. It is the buses provided by the State's Bus Éireann fleet that are not so equipped. Will the Minister of State tell the House what exactly she intends to do and whether she has a process in train to consider retrofitting or whether it forms part of the review that is already taking place?
The Deputy is perfectly right that the directive will not come into force under the position I outlined in my initial answer. I wish to proceed ahead of transposition of the directive because our interest is to ensure every possible safety mechanism exists within the school transport system. The process has been ongoing which is why we have actively considered the phasing out of three for two seating arrangements. Many references have been made to the report of the Oireachtas committee which considered school transport and made two very interesting findings. The committee recommended the phasing out of three for two seating arrangements for primary school pupils whereas I wish to phase them out completely on all school buses. While the committee referred to the provision of seat belts in new buses only, we intend to ensure all buses in the school transport fleet are so equipped.
I did not refer to the Oireachtas committee.
We acknowledge up front that the introduction of seat belts will be phased due to difficulties of which we have been made aware through the research the Department has gathered over some time on the abolition of three for two seating arrangements and the provision of new equipment.
The Deputy referred in her question to the flashing light pilot scheme. The scheme was initiated on a pilot basis to allow us to evaluate it. While I await the official report, I am pleased that anecdotal evidence suggests the scheme has had positive effects and ensured a slowing down of buses. I wish to go further, however, as the issue is not simply one of having buses slow down. I want to roll out the flashing light scheme nationally and to ensure that motorists not only slow down but stop in the vicinity of school buses. Research has consistently demonstrated that the most significant safety concerns involve what occurs in the vicinity of school buses rather than on them.
In response to Deputy Enright's request for figures on the number of buses already fitted with seat belts, it is estimated that 80% of the 1,200 minibuses owned by private contractors are so equipped. Only 20% of the remaining 1,560 large and medium-sized buses, of which Bus Éireann owns 650, are fitted with seat belts. None of the Bus Éireann buses is fitted with seat belts. All cars and taxis, of which there are 255 in the scheme, are fitted with seat belts.
I did not ask for that information, I asked when the seat belts would be fitted.
What we need the Minister of State to say and what the public and parents of children travelling on school buses would like to hear is that there is an urgency, plan and timescale for implementation. I did not detect in her reply evidence that anything has changed in the Department since the school bus crash in Meath. Is there a plan and a timescale for its implementation? Has the Minister of State carried out costings to assess the level of funding required to replace the fleet with seat belt fitted buses? Has it been determined in the Department whether there are buses suitable for retrofitting and, if so, how many such buses are in the fleet and what will it cost to equip them with seat belts?
While we appreciate there are constraints, we need to see that there is a sense of determination and purpose to ensure action is taken as quickly as possible. In a reply from the Department to the Joint Committee on Education and Science on 4 April 2005 following a discussion on school transport, it was indicated that a discussion document, Safer School Buses, was circulated in April 2002 by the vehicle standards section of the then Department of the Environment and Local Government, which subsequently transferred to the Department of Transport. The discussion document addressed many of the issues being considered, including the retrofitting of seat belts to buses. Does the Minister of State need to wait for further information? Is there not enough information in the Department to allow work to commence on the oldest, least safe buses and speed up the phasing out of three for two seating arrangements? The answer was known before the Meath crash which indicates a need for greater urgency.
I assure the Deputy that there is a sense of urgency which does not relate simply to the very sad deaths of five students in Meath. The circumstances of the crash were very difficult for everybody, but the general safety of buses is and must be the subject of ongoing review in the Department. Deputy O'Sullivan admits rightly that three for two seating arrangements have been considered in the Department for some time, which is why we are able to say they will be completely abolished within two to three years. The Deputy can rest assured that if we can, we will do it sooner than that.
In terms of the retrofitting of seat belts, as I explained in the debate a couple of weeks ago in this House, I was informed by the experts that retrofitting must be done in a specialised way so as to ensure that any adaptation would be completely safe. I will meet again with the experts who will provide further information to me and the Department. I have been told there may be some buses already in the fleet that can be retrofitted with seat belts. The matter is a not simple one as we are talking about a number of different types of seat belts. It will be for the experts to advise us on the type of seat belts that would be most applicable in terms of safety on these buses.
We have been looking at different types of buses on an ongoing basis. We have looked at three different types of new buses, a Turkish made bus, a bus made in Donegal and a bus made in Britain. All these new buses are fitted with seat belts. I emphasise that it is not a question of equating old buses with a lack of safety. There are strict road worthiness criteria for all school buses. Replacement and additional buses are to be equipped with seat belts. I made a statement to that effect on 25 May and the Taoiseach reiterated this statement on 27 May in an RTE television debate.
We will be phasing in seat belts for the entire transport fleet, but as I stated, there are logistical problems in trying to acquire right-hand buses. We are doing our utmost to ensure that will happen but it will take time. That is the overall position.
51 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason her Department is continuing in its failure to provide a site and to grant aid a new school (details supplied) in County Mayo; the further reason her Department is willing to jeopardise the future education of the children at this school by not providing them with a permanent site and building; when pupils, teachers and parents can expect an end to this ongoing saga; when the OPW will announce the location of the new site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19801/05]
The school referred to by the Deputy opened in September 1996 with provisional recognition. Having met the criteria for recognition and proven its viability, the school was granted permanent recognition in 2000. It is standard practice that the school authorities are responsible for the securing of interim accommodation which is grant aided by the Department, pending the securing of permanent recognition. On being granted permanent recognition, a school becomes eligible for capital funding. The rate of progress towards a permanent accommodation solution depends on a number of factors including availability of sites and the Department's budgetary capacity to meet the level of demand.
The school is currently accommodated in prefabricated classrooms on a 0.75 acre site in the town. The rental costs of the site and classroom accommodation are grant aided by my Department at the rate of 95%. My Department is advised that the lease on the site is due to expire in June 2006. I assure the Deputy that we are acutely aware of the urgent need for an accommodation solution for this school, particularly given the limitations on the existing arrangement.
My Department is doing its utmost to achieve a satisfactory outcome at the earliest possible date. To that end, the property management section of the Office of Public Works has been actively engaged in seeking a suitable site for a new school building. Soil sampling is being undertaken to verify the suitability of a particular site. The result of the tests and final assessment of site suitability is expected to be concluded and with my Department in a week or two.
I thank the Minister for her reply. The people of Westport took to the streets recently because they could not wait any longer. They have been waiting since 2001. A promise was made in February 2002 by the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, that the Department would provide a site and permanent accommodation for this school, but that has not happened.
As the Minister stated, the lease will expire next May and a new school must be built. I have consistently raised this matter and have been informed by the Minister that the OPW is dealing with the matter and that a site had been chosen from the seven which had been identified. The board of management has been told that the work of the OPW has been completed and the report has been handed to the Minister. We have heard nothing from the Minister. The people concerned are anxious to know what is happening.
It is two weeks from the end of the school term. A safe environment cannot be provided at the school. A damning health and safety report has shown that those five tarpaulin structures are dangerous as they are falling down around the children. The playground is also hazardous as cars must turn in the playground. Currently there are 185 pupils with a further 30 due to enrol next year. The parents want to know what is the future for the school and what type of building will be provided on the site. More tarpaulin structures would not be acceptable. The parents also wish to know if the school will be built once the site is acquired. Something must be done. There is a window of opportunity and unless something is done now the opportunity will be missed. This matter has been ongoing since 2001.
People have taken to the streets. A significant number of people attended the march in Westport and they are considering marching on the Dáil. Why should they have to do this? The Minister has the report. Can she not state when the matter will be dealt with, what kind of building will be constructed on the site and when the project will go ahead? The people concerned must be informed.
The building will be a school building and it will be available on a site in Mayo. People are very welcome to march on the Dáil but no site is available in Leinster House.
Will it be a prefab or a permanent building?
A particular site has been identified by the OPW and soil sampling is currently being carried out there. As soon as that is complete it will be able to conclude its assessment of the site and will then be able to provide me with the details in regard to that. The lease on the school does not expire for another 12 months which provides the school with extra time to deal with its new intake of pupils.
A new school must be built.
I recognise that as a developing school it is on a very tight site. A commitment was given that a site would be provided and a school built and that will happen.
Will it go straight to the building programme once a site has been provided? We have been told that the OPW's work has concluded on the site but the Minister stated it is still ongoing. The OPW stated the matter is in the Minister's hands. The money has not been provided due to a fudging of the issue. The people need to know what is happening. The new school must be constructed and ready within a year because the lease will expire next May. The pupils must have somewhere to go. People also want an assurance that they will get more than just tarpaulin structures. Can the Minister assure me a permanent bricks and mortar school will be built instead of five more tarpaulin structures and that the building programme will commence as soon as a site becomes available?
There is absolutely no prospect of a school being built within 12 months.
They did it in Ballinasloe, County Galway.
I would not like the Deputy to leave with the impression that a commitment has been given that a school in bricks and mortar could be built on a site which has not yet even been acquired.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
In the first instance a site must be acquired.
It has been done in Ballinasloe.
My information is that soil sampling is being undertaken. Given the difficulties that have been experienced in Mayo in recent years regarding soil it might be very wise of the OPW to carry out soil sampling before we would even consider putting a building on a site. I recognise the needs of the school. The building programme for the next five years has a capital allocation of €3.5 billion. A number of school projects are ongoing. Once a site has been acquired in this case, it is my intention to add this school to the building programme.
52 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the details regarding the new allocation system for resources for children with special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19938/05]
As the Deputy is aware, a new scheme for allocating resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high incidence special needs and learning support needs was announced last month. The reason for the new scheme is simple. Children with special needs such as dyslexia or mild learning difficulties are found in almost every school. It makes sense then that every school should have a number of resource teaching hours based on the number of pupils in the school.
This is a major improvement on the previous system, under which children with high incidence special needs required a psychological assessment before they were given resource teaching hours by the Department. This was a time consuming process that often led to delays in children getting the support they needed. Resource teachers will now be in place in the school from the start of the school year, so children who need their assistance can get it straight away. Under the new arrangement, disadvantaged schools, boys' schools and mixed schools get extra resources as research shows that pupils in these schools are more likely to have learning difficulties. To ensure that every school has enough resource teaching hours to meet the needs of its pupils, an extra 660 resource teaching posts are being put in place for next September. Some 340 of these are permanent posts and 320 are temporary posts being provided to ensure that children who had been given an individual allocation of resource teaching hours by my Department will keep these in circumstances where the general allocation to the school would not be sufficient to allow the school to provide these hours from within its general allocation.
Provision of these temporary posts will ensure that no child for whom my Department has allocated a specific number of hours with a resource teacher will lose these under these new arrangements. The majority of schools are gaining resource teaching hours under the new scheme.
As the Deputy will be aware, the need to address the concerns of small and rural schools was the reason I initiated a review of the original general allocation model announced last year, to come into effect in the 2005-06 school year. Following this review, a special improved ratio for small schools has been introduced to ensure that they are given resource teaching hours on a more favourable basis.
I stress that despite misleading claims to the contrary, the new scheme does not prevent schools from giving one to one time with a resource teacher to any child who needs such support. Rather, it ensures that each school has enough resources to ensure that each child gets a level of support appropriate to his or her individual needs. The school can then use its professional judgment to decide how to divide these hours between different children in the school to ensure that all their needs are met.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
Research shows that some children with special needs will respond better with one to one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. Often it is best for resource teachers to work with children in the classroom rather than taking them away to a separate room, as the children then have to catch up on work done by the rest of the class in their absence. The point is that the type of response needed depends on the child. While the new scheme will not prevent schools from allowing one to one time with the resource teacher to children who need it, it is important to note that one to one teaching is not the best option for every child.
I am grateful to the Minister for Finance for providing me with the resources to ensure that the new system could be put in place. As of next September there will be more than 5,000 teachers in our primary schools working directly with children with special needs, including those requiring learning support. This compares to under 1,500 in 1998. One out of every five primary school teachers is now working specifically with children with special needs.
The Government is deeply committed to improving services for children with special needs. In addition to the massive increase in resource teachers in recent years, the introduction of this new general allocation scheme will ensure a faster and more flexible response for children with special needs.
Have the students or their parents been notified that they have lost resource teaching hours in recent months? Will these hours be reallocated from September in light of the fact that the Minister just stated no pupil will lose out under the new system? Many pupils have been contacted recently to tell them they will lose resource teaching hours.
What is the number of appeals in the new system? Is the Minister aware that her Department, based in Athlone, has been giving advice to principals not to bother appealing because the system will not be changed? I am disappointed the allocations were made at such short notice and so close to the end of the school year.
Does the Minister intend to make any changes to the system? Can she explain to me the position on a boys' school and girls' school in the same town, both of which are classified as disadvantaged and taking students from the same catchment area?
The boys' school was originally told a ratio of 1:80 would apply to it but it has now been told the ratio will be 1:135. It has lost out severely under the new system, yet the girls' school has gained and has a greater allocation than the boys' school. This seems to contradict the original intention behind the weighted system. Will these individual cases be considered?
Can the Minister change the system concerning circumstances where a school has a general allocation model with associated figures of 0.7 or 0.71 and 14 low-incidence hours, for example? If one combines these figures, one is dealing with more than one full teaching post, yet many schools have lost a teaching post and are receiving a temporary teaching post instead. It would be far more beneficial for such schools to have a permanent teacher.
I am also concerned that children with special needs under this system, especially those in the low-incidence category, are more likely to be taught by temporary teachers than permanent teachers. How long will temporary teachers be in the system? Is there a definite timeframe?
I will start with the final question. The temporary teachers will be in the system as long as the individual child who has the individual allocation is in the primary school. Only when the child leaves will the hours be lost to the school.
The children in the low-incidence category, that is, those with a more severe disability, are dealt with through a process that is entirely separate to this scheme. They will continue to be assessed separately and will continue to be allocated their hours separately. Since those allocations are given to individual children, it would not be appropriate to link them to the high-incidence children for the purpose of creating permanent posts. The advantage of the high-incidence allocation is that the posts in question will exist irrespective of who the individual children are. Even when the low-incidence children, that is, those with a more severe disability, move to secondary school, the high-incidence allocation will remain on a permanent basis. This is why it is not possible to link the two categories.
Boys and girls are being treated differently. I do not know of individual circumstances but there is a different allocation for boys in recognition of the fact that, for some reason, the incidence of learning difficulties is much higher among boys than girls. We have also made a different allocation to the disadvantaged schools.
I appreciate that short notice was given coming up to the end of the school year. However, it was important to make the correct decision. An allocation of 660 teachers was worth waiting for in respect of both the transitional and permanent posts. I am conscious that the allocation was made at the same time as the allocation of the mainstream teachers. Many of the phone calls received from schools throughout the country have related to all of these factors. The mainstream allocation, the resource teacher allocation and the clustering arrangements all came together. The Department has been very flexible regarding the clustering arrangements.
Some schools came up with their own solutions and ideas. These are being worked through in conjunction with the INTO. There were a number of difficulties at the outset but, from all our information, they are being sorted out. The process is settling down. The Department is working very closely with those concerned.
There is not an appeals system per se because the allocations are based on school numbers. However, we are seeking to ensure that the allocations of developing schools, for example, will be considered from September. Where schools might be redesignated under the new DEIS programme or where they fall under the disadvantaged category, we will ensure their needs are met immediately under that scheme.
The only reason children would lose resource teaching hours would be if the special educational needs organiser determined over the preceding months that they no longer needed them. However, it is still open to schools to make a one to one allocation or an allocation to small groups. Research shows that where some children do better on a one to one basis, others do better in groups. It is up to the individual school to use its resources. Knowing that the resources are available on a permanent basis is a great reassurance for a school because it knows it will be able to identify the children with special educational needs very quickly and allocate resources to them according to need.
53 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science her views on the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its judgment of 10 March 2005 on the obligation of the Irish State to promote the establishment of multi-denominational schools; if she will provide adequate funding, estimated at €500,000 per annum, to Educate Together to carry out that function on behalf of the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19805/05]
On 10 March last, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination did not issue a judgment imposing an obligation on the Irish State to promote the establishment of multi-denominational schools. Rather, the committee encouraged Ireland to promote the establishment of non-denominational or multi-denominational schools.
The committee recommended that this matter be addressed along with all other observations made when Ireland submits its third and fourth periodic reports by January 2008. The Department will furnish its response on this specific observation as part of that wider reporting by Ireland requested by the committee.
On the establishment of new multi-denominational schools in recent years, it should be noted that of the 24 new schools granted provisional recognition in the past three years, 12 are under Educate Together patronage. Of the other 12 schools granted provisional recognition, six are Gaelscoileanna, five are under Catholic patronage and one is under the patronage of the Church of Ireland.
The procedures for establishing new schools are extremely fair and transparent. All potential sponsors of schools, whether the patron be one of Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Jewish faith or one such as Educate Together or the Gaelscoileanna movement, are treated on an equal basis. The criteria and procedures for the recognition of new primary schools were revised in 2002, based on the recommendations of a report of the Commission on School Accommodation, on which Educate Together was represented.
Applications for the recognition of new schools are assessed by an independent advisory board on the basis of the facts provided by the patron body in support of the case for the new school and the likely demand for places. Schools are granted provisional recognition and permanent recognition follows when long-term viability has been established on actual enrolments over a period.
The Department has made a number of changes in recent years which have made the provision of accommodation for new schools much easier. One of these changes, which was strongly welcomed by Educate Together, was the abolition of the local contribution to the building costs for State-owned school buildings, which had cost up to €63,500 per school. Other innovations include the development of the design-and-build model to provide permanent accommodation much faster, as in the case of the new Educate Together school in Griffeen Valley, Lucan, which was designed and built in under 13 months.
The position on annual funding is that my Department is engaged in discussions with Educate Together. The provision of some additional funding in 2005, to meet the immediate issues of concern to Educate Together, is under discussion along with its longer-term needs. The level of funding my Department provides to Educate Together as a school management body is on a par with that provided to Foras Patrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Islamic Board of Education and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education.
I thank the Minister and welcome the fact that she is engaged in talks with Educate Together. The organisation is genuinely in crisis in terms of its being able to run the service it offers to multi-denominational schools. It receives only €39,800 per annum. It is estimated it will spend €500,000 alone this year. The point the Minister makes that many of the new schools are Educate Together emphasises the growing costs on that sector and the fact that parents are choosing this option more and more. The second biggest religious grouping in the 2002 census is people of no religion. Obviously, Educate Together schools cater not just for this category but for people of particular religious denominations as well. Will the Minister address the crisis in their funding at this time? Will she acknowledge that it suited the State and the churches as well that until relatively recent times the vast majority of schools were denominational? However, we live in a changing society. There is a demand from parents for this type of education. Will the Minister accept that there is an obligation, if not under the UN's decision, at least under Article 42.3.1° of the Constitution, that the State needs to provide for parental choice in this area? Will she treat this as a matter of urgency in terms of addressing the genuine needs of people who choose this type of education for their children?
Of course I recognise the changing face of Ireland and the trends as indicated in the census in terms of multi-denominational and multi-ethnic considerations. Obviously there is a demand for diversity in education. Despite the fact that we have had multi-denominational education in this country for a number of years, there is no evidence that any of these children are being excluded from the schools. It is important to state that, as well. In any school one may visit, particularly around the city areas in Dublin, there are children of all creeds and backgrounds being welcomed everywhere. There is no evidence to the contrary. Obviously there is a demand for a particular type of diversity in education as well-——
This is guaranteed under the Education Act as well.
I accept that. I suppose that is why multi-denominational education is one of the fastest growing sectors and why all of the applications from Educate Together have been accepted and promoted. The reality, however, is that Educate Together as a body, was funded by philanthropists for a number of years to the tune of €500.000. There is absolutely no prospect that the Department will be able to pick up that bill, when it is looked at in the context of the other management bodies. I mentioned, for example, that Educate Together gets the same amount as the gaelscoileanna, which is also a fast growing sector.
Gaelscoileanna get funding from a different source.
Perhaps Educate Together might be able to get it from a different source as well. From the viewpoint of my Department they are all being treated on an equitable basis. The only sector to get a greater amount of money is the Catholic management area, which accounts for move than 2,900 schools, while Educate Together will have 35 in the coming months. While I naturally acknowledge the demand and see that diversity is a growth area in schools, there is no prospect of being able to match that type of funding, as regards the other bodies as well. However, I am examining the position to see what extra support may be given.
As regards religious and ethical education etc., they have devised their own programme whereas in the training colleges for the denominational schools, that is State funded. I would like to highlight this area of inequality for the Minister.
In brief informal discussions which I had with the presidents of the training colleges, they both advised me that they are cognisant of the fact that a number of their graduates will go on to work in Educate Together schools, in multi-denominational situations. They are taking that on board in the training of their students as well as preparing others for the gaelscoileanna. They are particularly conscious of the fact, however, that they will be dealing with multi-denominational situations in the training of students.
