Billy Kelleher
Question:47. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills the assessment he has carried out of the indebtedness levels of primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25489/13]
Other Questions
School Funding
My Department has not carried out an assessment of the indebtedness or otherwise of primary schools. The finances of recognised primary schools are a matter for the boards of management of these schools. Boards should budget in such a way as to enable them to meet their commitments and their expenditure should not exceed their income. Overdrafts or other forms of debt or excesses of expenditure over income must be approved by the patron, in conjunction with trustees where required, and should be avoided except for limited periods and where the board is satisfied that the overdraft or debt can be cleared by the board. The running costs of recognised primary schools are not budgeted for individually by the Department. It would not be feasible to grant aid over 3,300 schools in this way. The running costs of these schools are met by my Departments schemes of capitation and ancillary services grants.
I take the Minister's point that his Department does not carry out surveys to investigate the funding position of primary schools but does he accept that a funding crisis exists for primary schools across the country? A survey carried out the end of last year by the Catholic Primary School Management Association, CPMSA, which represents more than 90% of primary schools, found that half of those surveyed ran a deficit during the previous year.
The funding crisis is the outcome of measures the Minister introduced since taking up office. We no longer have the summer works scheme on which many schools depended and the capitation fee and minor works grants have also had a particular impact. Last week, I visited a school with 70 students which depended on an annual minor works grant of €7,000.
The Minister's decision to withdraw the minor works grant means it must find an additional €100 per student each year. Families with two or three pupils in the school must find an extra €200 or €300 per annum. It is time the Minister recognised the impact of the measures he is taking. I call on him to reintroduce the minor works grant this year.
The funding crisis is not in confined to our schools. It affects every part of the country and its impact is a direct legacy of Governments which were dominated by Deputy McConalogue's party. The gap between what the country is spending and earning is €12 billion. No one is immune from the Government's efforts to close this gap and, sadly, these include a reduction of resources in a number of areas. Does the Deputy believe I like doing this or that I am doing it for fun or as some form of torture? Of course, that is not the case. If the sound economic position in which we left he country in 1997 when my party lost the general election had been decently managed, we would not be where we are today. The Deputy must accept not only the crisis but also the reality, namely, that we must find savings. He knows precisely what constraints I face in that regard.
I concur with the Minister that his party was missing from 1997 onwards. He is keen to portray everything that took place after 1997 as the fault of previous Governments but in doing so he ignores that his party advocated the same policies as those pursued by previous Governments. As a former Minister for Finance, he encouraged previous Governments to spend more, and during the most recent general election campaign, he promised there would be no cuts in education. Now that the impact of his decisions is being felt, especially in primary schools, he seeks to divert attention from his broken promises.
I ask him to stick to the undertakings he made during the election campaign. He must stop imposing cuts in education and asking families who cannot afford it to bear the costs of educating their children. Families are suffering as a result of the Minister's decision to cut by half the back-to-education allowance and reduce every other grant available to schools. They are now being asked to ensure schools can continue to operate. It is the Minister's responsibility to address this issue. He must stand up to the mark and keep the promises he made. I ask him to reinstate the minor works grant to avoid schools becoming further indebted before the end of the year.
I do not have any apology to make for my role in the previous election campaign or my conduct in this House, both as an Opposition spokesperson or as a Minister in previous Governments. None of the parties, including the Labour Party, secured a majority in the previous election. We had a national crisis two and a half years ago. In functioning democracies, at least those whose survival is not under threat and which have not lost their economic sovereignty, the largest party after an election usually enters government, with or without allies, and the second largest party usually leads the Opposition.
The legacy of the previous Government was the collapse that started with the Donegal by-election, which Deputy McConalogue will remember well, and continued until March 2009, during which time we experienced three months of paralysis, chaos and despair. Following the general election, Fine Gael and the Labour Party decided to form a Government and negotiated a programme for Government. The programme, which secured the overwhelming support of the House in a vote, is the mandate that I, as Minister for Education and Skills, am implementing to the best of my ability.
Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements
Brian Stanley
Question:48. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list, in tabular form, the accredited A level qualifications that have been obtained at post-primary level in the Six Counties in the past three years whose status has not been recognised by third level colleges when students have applied for a degree course here. [25405/13]
Joe McHugh
Question:59. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his objectives for increasing the number of Northern Ireland students attending third level here; the percentages of third level students here who are citizens of Northern Ireland per annum since 2005; if there is scope for increasing the compatibility of the CAO system and the UCAS system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25206/13]
Brian Stanley
Question:76. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which NUI Galway refuses to recognise the status of moving images arts as a suitable qualification for students from Northern Ireland who are applying to its drama degree course despite it being an accredited A level qualification that is studied at post-primary in Northern Ireland; if the NQAI has a similar position to NUI Galway; and if the status of this exam applies to all third level courses here. [25404/13]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 59 and 76 together.
Universities and institutes of technology are autonomous statutory bodies and the recruitment of students and the establishment of admissions criteria are matters for the individual institutions concerned. The institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications for admission to first year undergraduate courses, including from students in Northern Ireland. The Department has no role to play in relation to the operation of the CAO system. Quality and Qualifications Ireland, the new standards body, is responsible for assisting individuals generally in having their academic qualifications recognised by relevant organisations but does not, and cannot, become involved directly in the admissions policies of universities.
The following table indicates the percentage of third level students from Northern Ireland enrolled in publicly funded higher education institutions since the 2007-08 academic year. A full dataset is not available for the preceding years. Very small numbers of students from Northern Ireland enrol in higher education institutions in the South compared to the numbers of such students who apply through the CAO. While 882 applications from Northern Ireland students were received through the CAO in 2011, only 168 students subsequently enrolled in programmes. The proportion of Northern Ireland students enrolling each year since 2007-08 has remained at approximately 0.5%.
|
- |
Number of Full-Time Enrolments from NI Counties |
Proportion of all Full-Time Enrolments |
|
2011-12 |
733 |
0.50% |
|
2010-11 |
710 |
0.50% |
|
2009-10 |
801 |
0.60% |
|
2008-09 |
756 |
0.60% |
|
2007-08 |
769 |
0.60% |
Does the Minister not find it strange that while this State and its educational institutions expect colleges in Britain and the North to give due recognition to the leaving certificate, in some instances similar recognition is not given to A-level courses here? The question tabled by Deputy Stanley arose as a result of the experience of a student who applied for a drama degree course in NUI Galway and who is taking an A-level qualification entitled "Moving Images Arts". She had set her heart on pursuing a course at NUI Galway, only to be informed that one of the subjects she is currently studying is not recognised here and will not be considered when she applies for the drama degree course. Surely there must be a mechanism by means of which we can give due recognition to A levels in this State. If the Minister meets the heads of the colleges and representatives from the Quality and Qualifications Ireland, will he ask them to give some consideration to this matter? We give due recognition in other areas so perhaps it could also be given in this one.
The Minister is due to go before the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement on Thursday next. Perhaps he could ask it to address this matter in order that a level playing field might be created. If the latter were forthcoming, it might be of assistance in addressing the difference between the number of students who travel to the North to pursue courses and the number who travel in the opposite direction. Such a development would be good for all the educational institutions on the island.
As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Central Applications Office, CAO, is a private entity - a limited company - owned jointly by the seven universities, which set both the policy and the standards that apply. I understand that approaching 40 colleges and other third level institutions now avail of the CAO facility. A recently published strategy document indicates that it is hoped to increase this for non-college applicants as well. The CAO, which is an independent body, uses the leaving certificate results as the platform for assigning points. This matter has been raised previously by certain North-South institutions in the context of the value the CAO assigns to the higher level A points relating to the British system.
I will raise the matter again and consider it as the Deputy has suggested. I would prefer to see at least the same number of Northern Irish students studying in the Republic as there are students from the Republic studying in Northern Ireland.
I thank the Minister.
Special Educational Needs Service Provision
Seán Crowe
Question:49. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the possible implications arising from changes to the criteria for the 2013 July provision scheme that are referred to in a memo to parents which states that allocations to siblings are reflective of the school grouping principle; if this change will result in siblings having to share 40 hours tuition, rather than being allocated 40 hours as individuals in their own right; his views on whether this is discriminatory to children with autism; if he will clarify the current situation in this respect of revised criteria in view of the fact that it is now May and families are still unclear as to what this means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25394/13]
The July education programme provides funding for an extended school year for children with autism and children with a severe or profound general learning disability. The programme is available to all special and mainstream primary schools that have special classes catering for eligible pupils. Where school-based provision is not available, ten hours per week of home-based provision may be grant aided to eligible pupils. In cases where there are qualifying siblings, a combined allocation is made. This is consistent with the school grouping principle, whereby one teacher is allocated to a class of six pupils. Accordingly, it is considered appropriate that a tutor can provide collective tuition in the home to siblings. Under these arrangements, each child is receiving a full ten hours of tuition.
In previous years, the application process may have failed to identify siblings, resulting in double allocations in some cases. This year's application process has corrected this historical deficit. Therefore, there has not been a change to the scheme's criteria.
Am I to take it that, if a number of siblings require home tuition, their total number of hours will be combined to match a one-to-one allocation scenario? I know of an instance of three children who require home tuition and have varying degrees of autism. Instead of an allocation to a household, therefore, they would be entitled to the full amount as if they were individual cases. There is some confusion about the memo issued by the Department regarding the July provision scheme. Will the Minister clarify the matter? He set out the situation in his answer, but will he confirm whether my belief is accurate?
I sought an additional briefing from one of my civil servants because, like the Deputy, I wanted to ensure that I understood accurately the reply I had read. In my own words, I was told that there was never an automatic one-to-one entitlement. In many cases, an application was made on behalf of one child. The euphemism in the documentation reads, "In previous years, the application process may have failed to identify siblings, resulting in double allocations in some cases". This situation has been identified.
As I stated in my formal reply, which I read into the record of the House, the ratio of one teacher to up to six pupils is considered acceptable. This may have resulted in the perception by some parents that there had been a reduction, but there was none. Rather, there was an application of what was always policy. However, there were instances in which the perception by parents of a double-up could have been legitimate.
If the Department is changing or clarifying its understanding of how allocations to siblings will be made, there will be instances of reduced hours. In the case of two siblings, their total allocation - the Minister called it a double-up - could be cut in half. In the case of three siblings, their total allocation would be further reduced. This could have major implications, particularly if a tutor must deal with various ends of the spectrum. It is not as simple as doubling up. Rather, there are implications for the level of tuition received.
The Department will do whatever it can to facilitate families where home tuition is necessary. As I indicated in reply to a previous question, in Blanchardstown resources are being pooled to get a school environment delivery. An appeals mechanism exists. Parents with three or more children, all of whom require special home tuition for whatever reason, who are not satisfied with the current allocation - the reply would suggest one tutor - can appeal and if there are extenuating circumstances they will be taken into account. Cases will not be determined on a political basis but on the professional advice of the educational specialists who will evaluate the situation.
It appears that the Minister said the policy has not changed but the practice is changing this year. This will be the first time when the practice will be different since the July provision was first introduced in 2002 or 2003. Difficulties might arise in particular cases. Deputy Ó Snodaigh referred to a case where there are three children in the one family. We must acknowledge the fact that the practice is changing and that the situation must be closely monitored by the Minister.
I would welcome a comment from the Minister on students who have the potential within their school to attend a summer day camp under the July provision system and whether they will be allowed to access it. One of the largest special needs and autism schools in the country is in Trim. Some children are in mainstream education and in previous years they were allowed to take part in the summer camp. However, their attendance this year is not automatic. I have concerns because of the new application of the policy. The parents must apply for an exemption in order for the children to participate in the summer camp rather than accessing it as part of home tuition. The children in question wish to participate in the summer camp. It has worked well in the past and their parents very much want them to participate. It will cost the Department less for them to do so. The children in question have applied for an exemption. I urge that the request in this case, and in other cases, be considered favourably by the Department.
Does the Minister share my concerns and those of many parents, in particular of young children with disabilities, not just those on the autistic spectrum but also those who require resource services? Many parents of young children with a disability aged between four and seven years are concerned that because of the current economic climate their progress and services will be affected in the future. There is a considerable fear factor among parents of young children in particular.
Of course I share the concern outlined by the Deputy. That is why every decision we make is carefully analysed as best we can given the wide diversity in circumstances. As I indicated before Deputy Finian McGrath entered the Chamber, reconciling the situation is a challenge we face on a continual basis.
It is clear Deputy McConalogue has detailed knowledge of an individual case, which I do not have. There is an appeals mechanism and if the Deputy brings the details of the case to my attention I will have it investigated.
In response to the Deputy's earlier question, policy was set by the Department. It appears that it failed to be introduced. As to whether that means practice on the ground is changing, it is in some cases. The Deputy is correct to say that, but even though the practice was not authorised it is now being implemented in line with policy. The ratio is 1:6 at a maximum but there is an appeals process in place for parents or guardians who believe there are extenuating circumstances.
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Micheál Martin
Question:50. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has received impact assessments in relation to the likely impact of the PTR change planned this September for the further education sector; his views on these assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25506/13]
Impact statements on the effect of the regression in the pupil-teacher ratio for the post leaving certificate, PLC, programme were received from 17 vocational education committees, VEC.
VECs reported in their impact statements that they would have difficulty reassigning surplus teachers and that their ability to provide new innovative courses would be limited. Some VECs who had been enrolling above their allocation reported that they would not be able to maintain this level of enrolment. A review of all impact statements received was conducted having regard to the need to operate within overall budgetary constraints and the employment control framework. Following the review, some alleviation, as I already outlined to Deputy Ó Snodaigh, of the reduction in teaching posts is being allowed as a transitional measure in those VECs losing six posts or more.
The Minister of State should clarify what alleviation has been provided. He mentioned ten posts previously, but I believe they were specific to County Dublin Vocational Education Committee, and he might outline what alleviation is being offered to other VECs. The provision of some alleviation is a sign of the impact this cut is having. At the time of its implementation, I tabled a Private Members' motion in this Chamber on behalf of my party to highlight the impact of the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio for further education from 17:1 to 19:1, namely, that more than 200 whole-time equivalent posts would be taken out of the further education sector, as well as the impact this would have on many colleges. It was the wrong way to go about it and this alleviation is unlikely to undo some of the damage that will be done by the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio. Has the Minister of State received feedback from those VECs to which the additional temporary posts have been assigned on how they think this will address the problems they have highlighted to him and the impact assessments they have drawn up?
I will quickly go through the detail for each individual VEC that submitted an application for alleviation. There are 25 posts nationwide, of which ten are for the City of Dublin VEC. Five posts are for the City of Cork VEC, three for Dún Laoghaire VEC and one post each for the VECs of County Cork, County Cavan, the city of Galway, County Louth, County Wicklow, County Dublin and the city of Limerick. At the outset of this process to reduce the number of posts available, no-one denied it would have an impact. No-one believed other than this would be the case. The Government did not suggest it would not be the case and the fact it allowed this alleviation process to commence and allowed the aforementioned window of time to commence this alleviation process was a strong indication the Government believed it would have an impact.
While Deputy McConalogue is not keen to revisit history, the previous Government signed up to a memorandum of understanding with the troika, included within which was a requirement - not an aspiration but an obligation - to find €350 million of savings in the Department of Education and Skills between the years 2010 and 2014. Each one of these has had a negative impact and no one is denying that for a moment. However, the Government has attempted to minimise the impact as best it can. One reason it considered this reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio for adults - most of those accessing these courses are adults - was to minimise the impact on the young people in the education system, that is, those in primary or post-primary, and to allocate the resources in the most fair and just way possible.
The troika is not an excuse for this kind of thing. The troika documents are littered with talk of structural reform and I simply cannot discern how either the Minister of State or the troika could possibly justify these cuts, which will have an adverse impact on the ability of the State to educate and retrain people, particularly those in the further education sector who are among those least well-served by the mainstream education system.
Moreover, alleviation is not enough because it was implied that changing the teacher-pupil ratio from 1:17 to 1:19 simply would mean two additional people in a class. However, as the Minister of State is aware and as those who are involved in the sector have made clear, that is not the impact. Potentially, up to 500 teaching posts will be lost because people work part-time on a rota basis and so on and this could mean whole swathes of courses will be wiped out. As the Minister of State has acknowledged, many schools already are enrolling student numbers well over the caps and were under-resourced even before these cuts came in. Consequently, the impact on the capacity of the sector to provide a service to those who need it most and to sectors of Irish society that need it most in the current economic climate will be extremely significant. This simply cannot be justified and alleviation is not enough. These cuts must be reversed because there is simply no justification or rationale for them.
The Minister of State announced 25 additional or alleviation posts. Can he indicate the full number of job losses, whether full time or part time?
I presume the 17 vocational education committees that supplied the Minister of State with documentation would have explained the full extent of the cuts. The information I have is that hundreds of teaching posts would be affected. I am not sure whether they are full-time or part-time but I know that Ballyfermot College of Further Education indicated that ten whole-time posts would be affected by the change.
The Minister mentioned also that these 25 posts would be allowed as a transitional measure. What is intended will happen at the end of the next year, that is, June of 2014? Will those 25 positions remain or will they be withdrawn at that stage?
I am interested to hear from the Minister of State if the VECs that provided him with the impact assessments indicated that the 25 posts he is now allocating on a transitional basis will ensure they would not have to discontinue any courses. From my engagement with them I would be very surprised if that was the case. The education committee visited Ballyfermot College of Further Education recently and its staff were very concerned about the impact of this measure. In terms of the cap, they have been enrolling numbers well over the cap, but as a result of this increase, they may not be able to do that any more. That means students will not now be able to engage in the further education sector as a result of this particular cut. It is those students who need our help because in many cases they would have been failed by the system in the past. It also affects students who are looking to make themselves ready for the work sector and for whom colleges like Ballyfermot College of Further Education has a strong track record in finding employment.
To answer Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question about the number of posts, we do not have that information to hand. I do not know if that was secured or sought from the VECs but we can determine if it was, and if the information is to hand, we can get it to the Deputy.
The reason these alleviation posts were agreed to was to minimise the reduction in courses available, particularly to those who were on the unemployment register. We also asked the VECs and the colleges of further education to ensure that if reductions in course provision were necessary, they would do a forensic analysis of all their course provision to ensure the courses that were most topical, timely and responding in the best possible manner to labour market skills shortages would be retained. I would be confident that the VECs have the capacity to be able to do that.
Deputy Ó Snodaigh asked what might arise next year. Once we arrive at this point next year, our 33 VECs will have been subsumed into 16 education and training boards, ETBs. We are confident that the significant economies of scale and efficiencies that will be achieved through that process will not give rise to a similar situation arising next year.
The posts being allowed as a transitional measure are permanent posts.
That is my understanding.
Government-Church Dialogue
Willie O'Dea
Question:51. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools that he visited in person in 2013; the number of secondary schools that he has visited in person in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25501/13]
To date in 2013, I have visited 21 schools throughout the country, 13 primary schools and eight post-primary schools.
I thank the Minister for the reply. I tabled this question because it is important the Minister is at the coalface in engaging with both primary and secondary schools as well as the third level sector. At the outset of his tenure, the Minister stated it was not his intention to visit many schools and that he wanted to be in his office in the Department. That would be a very wrong approach because many of the policies he has introduced are having a very serious impact and it is important, therefore, that the Minister would engage with schools. I highlighted earlier for the Minister a school with 70 students which has lost a minor works grant to the value of €7,000 at the end of last year, and it will not come to them again at the end of this year. That is €100 per student which that school will now have to fund-raise as a result. It is not good enough for the Minister to blame the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and his colleagues for the fact that he cannot keep the promises he made in the election in terms of not cutting education. I call on the Minister to reinstate the minor works grant.
The tradition introduced by previous Fianna Fáil Ministers of spending up to two days per week visiting schools and reporting back to look for special exemptions and favours created a sort of 18th century acceptance of patronage that did nothing for the welfare of this republic. The reforms I and the Ministers of State are introducing are better for everyone. I accept that visiting schools on a reduced basis is a necessary component of my job, but it is not the main mission, as it was for a couple of Fianna Fáil Ministers. Changing the 33 VECs into 16 education and training boards is one major reform, as is the change in the junior cycle, and I welcome the support of all Deputies and Senators for those reforms.
The balance must be right and the balance I inherited in Marlborough Street was not right. Effectively, the Minister had been spending less than a day and a half behind the ministerial desk doing the work that needed to be done.
I am not looking for the Minister to go round the country dispensing largesse to different schools. I want the Minister to realise the impact of the measures he has taken and to ensure that impact is minimised by the way he runs the Department. Schools are finding it difficult. A policy of not visiting those schools the Minister is responsible for managing is the wrong approach. I encourage him to do that and to listen to the impact his policies have had. We face a funding crisis at primary school level at the end of the year unless the Minister changes his approach to the minor works grant. He is putting unbearable pressure on families who want to educate their children is a system that is supposed to be free.
The Minister is missing the point. Of course he must focus on his day job, with reform and change being part of his brief. It is important, however, to remember that when the Minister visits a school, particularly a disadvantaged school, it creates a great lift in the community and shows interest on the part of the Government. The Minister can also see examples of good practice under way in many of those schools. There is an empowerment aspect to the job that is important. When I was a principal, when a Minister visited the school, the word would go around the flats for weeks before and after. It was a positive message and the Minister should not remove himself from that.
I thank the Deputies for their comments. Getting the balance right is necessary. I can now visit more schools than was the case a year or two ago. I accept Deputy Finian McGrath's remarks but the practice in the past had given rise to unrealisable and unfair expectations. I wanted to break that practice and change it. I accept that teachers and school communities, as I mentioned in a comprehensive speech in CBS Naas two weeks, make an extraordinary input through the public private partnership that makes up the Irish education system, with contributions from parents and teachers who go the extra mile every day. It is not taken for granted by me or the Department. We would not be able to deliver in these straitened times without that commitment, and anything I can do to maintain and sustain that morale, I will do.
Student Grant Scheme Payments
Michael McGrath
Question:52. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of Student Universal Support Ireland grants that were paid to students in advance of the Christmas break; the number that have been paid since the 1 January 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25505/13]
The policy basis which informs my Department's education and training provision includes the ##national skills strategy, the strategy for science, technology and innovation, the report of the task force on innovation, the national strategy for higher education to 2030, the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work.
In addition to the wide range of cross-cutting policy structures and forums for engagement on enterprise skills needs-----
We are on Question No. 52.
We might be on the wrong question. It is Question No. 52.
I beg the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's pardon. My apologies to the House.
I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, that, as at close of business on 30 December 2012, some 26,419 applications had been awarded or provisionally awarded. Of these, some 19,779 students were paid maintenance or had their entitlement to fees confirmed - where they were awarded a fees-only grant.
As at close of business on 26 May 2013, some 39,273 applications have been awarded or provisionally awarded. Of these, 38,627 students have been paid maintenance or had their entitlement to fees confirmed.
I thank the Minister for the reply. My party put down this question to ascertain the exact position in terms of how many students had to wait until after Christmas to receive their grant. What we see from the reply is that over half of students were paid their grant after 1 January this year. This is something we dealt with in a previous question as well but it highlights the hardship many of those students had to endure while they were waiting on it.
The recent SUSI review indicated that there were severe strains on SUSI management in terms of getting the staff it needed to be able to deal with applications as they came in. It is crucial. The Minister indicated that he will do whatever he can to ensure that does not happen this year.
We will have a much better experience this year in the operation of the SUSI organisation. We all have learnt from the challenges that were posed during the course of last year. We have now got the assent from the Data Protection Commissioner and others to share information between different Government agencies which will speed up the process more effectively. I will keep a close monitoring eye on this to ensure that any problems that arise will be dealt with. Three extra senior management staff have been made available and up to, effectively, an additional 23 whole-time equivalent posts have been made available to deal with peak times when applications require an increase in human resources.
I welcome the changes which, hopefully, will be brought about in the SUSI system. I would suggest the following issue that could be addressed at an early stage. During this debacle, there was much criticism made of students not completing forms or supplying the correct documentation. It was an excuse in many cases. I suggest that during late August and early September there be a campaign aimed directly at the students, for example, through the students' union, to try to ensure that all of the documentation is in place at an early stage so that there is not any delay or it cannot be used as a delaying factor if they have provided the proper documentation.
I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh. SUSI is bringing forward its timetable of operations. It is intended that SUSI will open for business sooner. In fact, I understand, subject to confirmation, a website is going live tomorrow and that SUSI would hope that 1 August, rather than 31 August, will be the closing date for applications so that students will have applied and submitted their application before the end of July. That, plus the streamlining of the sharing of information between Government agencies will, we hope, have the desired effect.
This has never been done previously in this country. We have learnt many lessons from last year. We have been up-front in accepting that it did not work to our, let alone the students', satisfaction. I believe we have a formula that will significantly improve the experience of students. I will inform all of the student union bodies and the relevant authorities so that we will maximise public awareness of the system.