Vol. 816 No. 1
62. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of application for special needs support that were received prior to the 20 September deadline; the number that were received subsequent to that deadline; the comparison between the numbers of these applications with the previous year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42223/13]
77. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applications for new resource teaching hours received prior to the deadline of 20 September; the number of resource teaching posts available to meet this demand; if the cap on resource teacher number will be exceeded and by how much; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42224/13]
83. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of additional special needs assistants that have been approved since the deadline of 20 September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42177/13]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 62, 77 and 83 together.
This year, the NCSE has received some 14,600 new applications for resource teaching support up to 20 September 2013. Already the NCSE has allocated 5,284 posts and estimates that almost a further 500 posts will be required to meet applications, including 39 applications received after 20 September, which are still under consideration.
Last year, the NCSE processed 13,900 new applications for resource teaching support received up to 5 October 2012 deadline, resulting in an overall allocation of 5,259 resource teaching posts. Applications received by the NCSE after the deadline date, other than for a small number of emergency cases, were included in the allocation process for 2013-14, which commenced in January 2013.
This year, the NCSE received a total of 7,700 new applications for SNA support to date. Some 10,480 posts have been allocated to schools to date to meet these applications and existing allocations in schools, including special schools and classes. The NCSE will continue to process applications for the remainder of the school year.
The NCSE received 7,450 applications for SNA support for the 2012-13 school year. Some 10,397 SNA posts were allocated to schools by the end of the 2012-13 school year.
I thank the Minister for his reply although I am not sure I understood him correctly. Did the Minister say that the NCSE received 7,450 SNA applications last year and that more than 10,400 posts were allocated?
As I stated in my reply, the NCSE received 7,450 applications for SNA support in the 2012-013 school year and 10,397 SNA posts were allocated to schools by the end of 2012-13.
That would indicate that more than one SNA per application was sought. Those figures do not ring true. As I understand it, the number of SNA posts sought is much higher. For example, more than 22,000 applications for SNA supports will have been received and approved this year.
I also asked in my question for the number of new applications received as of the closing date of 20 September and how many SNA posts are available to meet that demand. This is similar to the question I asked of the Minister in regard to resource teachers.
Like Deputy McConalogue I, too, would like to know the number of applications received up to 20 September and how many posts sought in those applications have been allocated. The Minister might also comment on whether the closing date of 20 September was adequate given that in previous years the closing date was in October.
Last year, the number of SNAs, which was capped over the previous two years, was 10,575. The number of posts allocated at the end of the process was just below that ceiling. I do not yet have the final figures for this year because as 20 September is only a couple of weeks ago applications are still being processed. I understand that there is upward pressure demographically because of the growing population of school-going children and the higher rate increase in percentage growth terms than the demographic growth rate. I have yet to receive the final figures from the NCSE in regard to application numbers and decisions by SENOs in regard to the allocation of SNAs. The information I have provided is that which I currently have. I will try to get more up-to-date information which I will communicate to the Deputies.
The information provided today is not satisfactory. The figures provided do not add up. As rightly pointed out by the Minister, demand for special needs assistant supports has increased by more than 10%, which is similar to the increase in demand for resource teachers. The Minister initially proposed to cut the number of resource teaching hours but subsequently reversed that decision. He has consistently since then held the line that there have been no cuts or reductions in service to students who need SNA supports even though demand has increased.
Today I am seeking information specifically in regard to new applications for SNA support for 2013-14. Concern has been expressed that these may not be approved. I am disappointed we are not getting absolute clarity on this issue. I accept that the Minister has given a commitment to communicate the information when available. I acknowledge there are serious pressures on the education budget but it is critical we are told what will happen this autumn to students who qualify and have applied for SNA or resource teaching supports for the year 2013-14. It is crucial the Minister gives a commitment that these posts will be approved and that there will be no delay in appointing them so that these students will not be left for a number of months without supports.
It is important that decisions on applications in relation to SNA applications are made as quickly as possible. I ask that the Minister provide us with the relevant figures as soon as he can. Many families are in limbo and do not know what supports will be available to them. I have heard of children being told they have access to an SNA.
While this means there may be a special needs assistant in the school, it does not mean he or she has a specific role to play in respect of the children in question. This issue needs to be addressed to ensure all of the children in a school benefit educationally.
I will revert to the Deputies with greater detail and ensure the information is accurate. I reiterate that, since taking office, the Government has ring-fenced the total number of special needs assistants, as Deputy McConalogue correctly noted, and overall monetary allocations in real terms. Demand has continued to increase, however, and while the Government will argue it is not making cutbacks, the Deputies opposite may well argue that the force of nature is driving up demand and failure to meet this demand is tantamount to a cutback. Either way, we are all concerned to ensure that young people with special educational requirements receive the kind of resources we can provide to them. While the figures may not be complete, I have no difficulty sharing them with Members of the House.
63. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of implementing the unimplemented aspects of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. [42203/13]
A number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act have been commenced. However, in light of the very difficult economic position and significant costs involved, the previous Government deferred the full implementation of the Act.
The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, had suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235 million per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. My Department's opinion is that the level of investment required could be greater.
The NCSE recently provided comprehensive policy advice to my Department on how the education system can best support children with special needs. This advice will guide the preparation of a plan on how aspects of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act can be implemented, including prioritising access to an individual education plan, and developing a new resource allocation model for schools.
I welcome the Minister's reply. It is important that we do not allow this issue to fall off the agenda. All of us recognise the significant cost involved in fully implementing the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. Some people have suggested the cost could be double the figure of €235 million cited by the Minister. I understand the cost issue has not been the subject of a comprehensive study and that the additional costs would be incurred annually rather than on a once-off basis.
It would fall to the Departments of Education and Skills and Health to implement the Act in full. Has an analysis been done of whether the costs of implementing aspects of the legislation could be met from existing resources or with minimal additional resources? Are costs the only factor preventing full implementation at this stage?
Legal advice provided in my briefing note indicates that partial implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act could give rise to legal difficulties, for example, if the provisions were to be confined to an age cohort or broken up and phased in. I can make the conclusions, rather than the detailed legal advice, available to Deputy O'Brien.
The Deputy is correct that the cost of implementing the Act would be difficult to estimate or quantify. Given that we are struggling to meet current commitments, I would not like to give him or members of the public the impression that the Government will roll out the rest of the Act any time soon, as we do not propose to do so.
Would partial implementation of the Act give rise to legal issues? Is the legal advice that the remaining elements of the Act must be implemented together? I ask the Minister to clarify that matter.
The Department's legal advice is that the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, as currently constituted, may not be implemented on a phased or age cohort basis.
64. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if control procedures are in place to monitor and measure the quality and effectiveness of courses being provided by private educational organisations which were once provided in-house by FÁS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42176/13]
Contract training has been an integral part of FÁS's service provision to clients for many years. The processes for managing and monitoring contracts are comprehensive and were substantially improved in a review of contracted training in 2010. FETAC, now Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, prepared a comprehensive monitoring report of FÁS during 2011 and 2012. This report set out a number of recommendations to further develop and improve the arrangements for quality assurance and enhancement put in place by FÁS.
In August, FÁS provided QQI with an update on the action plan which set out how FÁS had addressed the recommendations contained in the report, and this will inform its ongoing discussions with QQI on quality assurance. QQI is now responsible for reviewing the overall effectiveness of the quality assurance arrangements established by FÁS. Before the establishment of QQI, this function was performed by FETAC.
I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I raised this question following anecdotal evidence from some constituents regarding certain courses they are attending which they believe are not properly organised. They do not feel they are getting proper value for the time they are putting in. As we are moving to having FÁS courses contracted out, we need to ensure quality is maintained. While I appreciate the reply the Minister of State has given, I am hearing this evidence. In some cases students, having been on a course for three ,weeks are given the criteria to be used in an assessment which has been scheduled for just three days later. Is such information about courses being relayed back to the Minister of State or to those monitoring the courses to ensure ongoing and continued improvements?
The director general and current board of FÁS have done extraordinary work in the past two to three years in greatly enhancing the quality assurance process for course provision within the courses provided by FÁS and those contracted out to the private sector. I can be reasonably assured that that process is working because I had a meeting about this time last year with some representatives of the private training sector arguing that the pendulum had swung too far in the opposite direction and that the quality assurance requirements set out by FÁS were too stringent and very difficult to meet. I made the point that if they wanted to be involved in training in this sector, work under the aegis of FÁS and receive public moneys to carry out such training, they needed to adhere to such stringent quality assurance.
SOLAS, the new national further education and training authority, will have a role in ensuring this comprehensive monitoring of quality assurance continues. I will seek to establish a very comprehensive and easily accessed communication process between learners and SOLAS in order that learners can feed back the sort of information the Deputy is hearing in his constituency from participants on some courses. Before that happens, I stress that as far as I am aware, learners on all courses have an opportunity at the end of the course to complete a survey outlining their experiences of the course. Those surveys are used to determine future course quality.
If there are still issues and the Deputy's constituents are still concerned about particular provision, I would be more than happy to take their concerns on board and interact directly with FÁS to resolve problems, if they exist.
I welcome what the Minister of State said about participant feedback. It is important to have full and open feedback on an ongoing basis. While I know the Minister of State would not receive information on every course, does he or do his officials receive ongoing participant feedback showing whether concerns expressed are being or can be addressed?
There is significant and ongoing communication between a section in my Department and senior management in FÁS who meet regularly. In recent years, they have particularly discussed quality assurance issues. Having looked at the structures that exist for reporting back from course participants, I am not so sure it is as robust as it should be. That is one of the improvements that will be put in place under the new national further education and training authority, SOLAS.
65. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills to offer his assessment of Ireland's standing in university ratings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42252/13]
The performance of Irish higher education institutes, HEIs, varies widely in the different ranking systems. This variance clearly demonstrates that caution should be taken in the interpretation of individual placement of HEIs to determine overall quality. In the latest published Times Higher Education world university rankings, Ireland again has two of its seven universities featuring in the top 200, or top 1%, out of 15,000 universities worldwide. Analysis done by the Irish Universities Association shows that this places Ireland seventh in the world for the number of higher education institutes in the top 200 per head of population. Only 26 countries worldwide, out of a total of approximately 195, have universities within the top 200.
Some countries invest heavily in elite institutions. Our focus in this country with the policy of the Department of Education and Science is on advancing performance across an accessible and diverse system of institutions. As a result Ireland is ranked first in the European Union and fourth in the OECD for tertiary attainment rates among 25 to 34 year olds, which also pays dividends for Ireland's competitiveness.
As the Minister indicated in his reply, we need to be cautious about the different university rankings. Two have been published in recent weeks, the Times Higher Education survey and the QS world university rankings. One had some universities going up and the other had the same universities going down. Trinity College is a case in point.
The Minister pointed out the fact that we are in the top 200 and stated that for a country size our size this was positive by comparison with some of our European neighbours. Spain stands out in particular in the recent results because it has only one university in that bracket and the size of its population is very different from ours. The key point, however, is that we must watch out for is what is happening within our universities. We need to take measurements ourselves in terms of how the quality of our third level education is improving or otherwise.
Recent years have seen spending cut radically to universities at a time when the student intake in many universities has increased by 15% to 20%. If the Minister talks to anyone in the third level sector he will hear how that has been impacting on the quality of education and the service it is providing.
Will the Minister indicate overall where he is taking our third level sector, especially our universities and institutes of technology? There seems to be a sense of drift. Initially the Minister was going to reduce the student registration fee. He has increased that in terms of funding them and there is no bigger vision in terms of how he can ensure quality is not eroded. The fact that we have two in the top 200 is welcome but it will take serious effort to ensure that we keep the quality up.
Over the weekend we heard the view that Ireland has too many universities. This is something I have heard myself in the third level sector. Does the Minister have a view on that comment from the Global Irish Economic Forum?
It is fair to say to Deputy McConalogue that the rankings are a reality and they must be responded to. International business organisations involved in foreign direct investment take them into account, although the academics maintain they can be gamed and played and that they do not tell the full story. If it was true that funding alone and the reduction of funding was the dominant factor in falling rankings for universities, then all our universities would have fallen. One cannot rationalise that assertion with the fact that some universities have gone up and others have fallen. That is not to say that we have a financial problem with our universities and third level institutions. This is why, rather than what might appear to Deputy McConalogue to be the case, the sustainability study is being undertaken by the HEA. We are obliging all third level institutions to enter into a serious reconfiguration of their structure and landscape. Deputy McConalogue will be familiar with this. Letterkenny Institute of Technology in his constituency is now linked with the Institute of Technology, Sligo and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology to form the Connacht Ulster alliance. I would be happy to have a debate about this at some stage should Members wish it.
We do not have too many universities, but we probably would not build the same number of universities today if we were starting from this point and given the position of those built more than 100 years ago or 30 or 40 years ago.
However, 20 or 30 or 40 years ago, we did not have the infrastructure or communications system. In this context, close to 69% of Irish students live at home and because they so do, they are able to attend third level institutions. Were one to centralise them or to spread them further apart, one would put enormous pressure on many young people and their families in trying to go to such institutions. Deputy Eoghan Murphy and I represent a Dublin constituency in which, on a short count, we have access to approximately seven or eight third level institutions that are within a bus ride away from our homes. This is not the Irish average.
I agree with the Minister in the sense that funding is not the only aspect that determines quality of education. As the Minister observed, some universities are rising in the surveys while others are falling. However, one cannot continue down the pathway the Minister has taken of reducing funding and increasing intake. This certainly has been having an impact on pupil-teacher ratios and on the breadth of service that can be provided to students. The Minister should elaborate, if he can, on the timeline to give parity to the sector in respect of what will be its future funding structures.
There is a considerable amount of duplication and overlapping within the system. There are 39 institutions, 14 of which are institutes of technology and seven of which are universities. Many of them offer similar courses at a time when different institutes or universities could specialise. My Department is trying to get them to quantify, through the Higher Education Authority, what will be the savings in this regard. That study has not been completed and when it is complete - when I use the word "complete", I am talking about the next six months - I will bring to the floor of this Chamber legislation that will enable me or any successor Minister for Education and Skills to incentivise universities to come together, collaborate and achieve economic savings they can retain for themselves. This is not a cost-cutting exercise as it is to be hoped a point has been reached in the budgetary process whereby we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel in that regard. However, there is significant overlap and there is the suggestion of waste and duplication. I want to get to the ground floor in that regard before beginning to consider the funding of those institutions. As to whether I will do it over the next 12 months, that is my intention.
66. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to encourage cross-border studying. [42205/13]
In late 2012 and early 2013, the Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland undertook a joint survey of current and future schooling capacity and need in Border regions, the level of demand from parents and young people for primary and secondary schools across the Border, and how obstacles may be removed. The findings of the survey and any policy implications arising will be considered when the education Ministers meet at the North-South Ministerial Council on 1 November next.
Undergraduate programmes in the universities and institutes of technology are open to students from Northern Ireland, who can apply for a place through the Central Applications Office, CAO, system. These students are entitled to access the free fees scheme on the same basis as Irish nationals. Lest I confuse anyone, the free fees scheme is the State scheme. It is the student charge that now stands at €2,500 at present. The three Border region institutes of technology, located in Letterkenny, Sligo and Dundalk, are co-operating to create greater awareness in the North of the programmes on offer. The Department is also encouraging them to collaborate with nearby Northern Ireland colleges and universities to explore how provision might be combined or rationalised to the benefit of the student population in their catchment areas.
I thank the Minister and I look forward to his discussions with the relevant Minister on 1 November. In respect of the postgraduate schemes, SUSI currently covers students studying in the Six Counties, but beyond the postgraduate system, I believe there is no undergraduate support. Is this a matter the Minister is considering or is it something that simply will be contained within the overall discussions he intends to hold with the Minister in the North?
I will give two brief replies. First, in respect of the primary and secondary sectors, both the Minister, Mr. John O'Dowd, and I are open to the idea that families on either side of the Border, for whatever reason, should be free to send their child or children not necessarily to a school closest to them but to the school to which they wish to send their child or children. In such a scenario, an account resolution process, so to speak, would be carried out at the end of the calendar year. While that has not yet been finalised, that is the process. Although we are unsure as to what will be the likely take-up, it is another part of the barrier on this island that should be reduced and then people are free to make a decision themselves as to what they want to do.
The position at third level is more complicated because access to institutions in the South is through the Cental Applications Office, CAO, system, based on the best points from six subjects, as the Deputy will be aware, whereas the new GCSE system in the North is different where there are two or perhaps three subjects that get A stars and the others are at a lower level. There is an ongoing debate between the chambers of commerce and enterprise co-operation, North and South, on the equivalent value of six subjects in the South to the A stars. We do not control that as it is is a matter for the Irish Universities Association. There are disputes over the approximate or relevant qualification and the discussions are ongoing. We believe that is a factor in reducing the number of Northern Ireland students coming south of the Border and studying in the Republic.
I welcome the Minister's comments on the primary and post-primary sector. I presume the new admissions Bill will reflect the willingness to allow parents who have children in Border areas to access education, whether it be across the Border in the Six Counties or in the South, and that such access will not be an issue for students who live in the North and who may wish to be schooled in the South.
I also welcome the Minister's comments. Does he accept that it is sensible and wise to develop the broader issue of cross-Border study, not only in the education area but in the economic area and in terms of developing the peace process on the island? The development of North-South co-operation seems to have gone off the boil and I have concerns about that because it is important. Education has a crucial role to play in that. Will the Minister and his counterpart, the Minister, Deputy O'Dowd, develop this further because education on the island is important in terms of human interaction and in terms of developing the economy of the island?
I welcome the Deputy's comments and I am broadly in agreement with the thrust of them. The peace process must be constantly nurtured, embedded and deepened. Cross-Border student exchange in terms of people from the South going to study and live in the North and vice versa is one of the ways of doing that. Sadly, while the number of applicants from the North to colleges in South has increased by more than 40%, as I am informed from my briefing note, although the numbers are still very low, Northern Ireland accounted for less than 2%, 1.7% to be specific, of all CAO applications.
There are issues, as I indicated in an earlier reply, about the equivalent value of a GCSE qualification as against our leaving certificate subject qualifications. I am happy to open a discussion on it. We could list it as a topic for discussion with the IUA, or the committee may well do that, but that is their system. While my predecessor, Mary Coughlan, persuaded the CAO to award an extra 25 bonus points for honours level mathematics, there is no indication that they are prepared to make an equivalent value for the Northern Irish leaving certificate system as against our own.
67. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board will have its terms of reference for allocation of funds to survivors finalised; the deadline for the fund to be in a position to start releasing funding for agreed purposes to survivors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42229/13]
The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, RISF, was established in March to oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by the religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse. Supports will be available across a range of services, including mental health services, health and personal social services, education and housing services.
The RISF has to determine and publish its approved services and the criteria by reference to which it will make decisions in respect of applications. I understand that the RISF is working on these issues while also progressing the practical arrangements of recruiting staff and establishing an office. While I am anxious that the fund would be operational as quickly as possible, the Deputy will appreciate that the fund must determine its services and criteria at the outset.
I thank the Minister for his reply. As he is aware, many of the people who will benefit from the fund and who will need to avail of it are among those the State failed badly in the past. Many of them are elderly and require the type of supports that the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board is expected to provide. I have met a number of the people in question and I am aware they are becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact that terms of reference have not yet been agreed in the context of how the board will operate the fund, the types of service it will provide or how individuals will be able to apply to it for assistance. In addition, there is no deadline in place in respect of when the fund will be in a position to accept applications. It is crucial that timelines are established. There must be some certainty for those who wish to avail of the fund with regard to when it will be open for applications. I ask the Minister to engage with the board to ensure it takes prompt action in the context of agreeing the terms of reference and accepting applications.
There is growing concern about this matter. I understand the board only meets for one hour each month. In the context of producing terms of reference, employing staff and procuring office space, there is a sense among many of those in the survivors' groups that the board is not meeting regularly enough to get matters up and running. Beyond setting the date of the first meeting, it is the responsibility of the board to establish the terms of reference. I encourage the Minister to meet Mary Higgins, the chairperson, and ask her whether the board is meeting regularly enough to draw up the terms of reference. There is a growing body of opinion to the effect that there is foot dragging in respect of this matter.
I hear what the Deputies are saying and I share their concerns. I will certainly write to what is an independent statutory board. It is the responsibility of the relevant Oireachtas committee to decide whether it would like to invite representatives of the board to come before it. A great deal of work has been done in the context of establishing the RISF. On foot of what the Deputies have stated, I will make inquiries in respect of this issue. We are not dealing with an open-ended timetable here because time is marching on for the survivors. We should respond as quickly as possible.
What is the position with regard to €110 million which the board, by means of the fund, is going to disburse? When will the board, subject to the terms of reference being agreed, be in a position to accept applications and release moneys?
I understand a sum of money was left in the previous fund and this was transferred over. I do not know the figure in that regard but perhaps the Minister might indicate the amount of money that is ready for allocation.
I have some information for the Deputies. If additional information is required, I will see that it is supplied. The briefing note states that contributions amounting to €70.789 million have been received from congregations and have been deposited in a special investment account opened by the National Treasury Management Agency, NAMA, in accordance with the provisions of the 2012 Act. Additional deposits of just over €1 million and €250,000 were lodged, and these represent the interest earned by the congregations on contributions made prior to the transfer and the interest earned on their earlier temporary Central Bank deposit account, respectively. An overall total, therefore, of €72.169 million has been deposited in the RISF special investment account to date. I am continuing to press the congregations to complete their contributions and offers. It is quite obvious, however, that access to resources is not an impediment at this point in view of the existence of the considerable sum of money to which I refer. I will take action on the points we discussed earlier and keep the Deputies informed on progress in respect of them.
68. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the progress report from the National Council for Special Education-appointed working group, tasked with developing a new model for the allocation of resources to schools in line with the NCSE's main recommendations, has been received as expected by the end of September; if the report will be published; and if there will be an opportunity for interested parties to make comments and suggestions on the report which could ultimately aid the working group in its work. [42175/13]
The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has established a working group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a new model for the allocation of teaching supports for children with special educational needs, based on the educational profile of a school. Mr. Eamon Stack, the NCSE chairperson and former chief inspector in my Department, has been appointed to chair this working group. I received an oral briefing from the chairperson on the progress of the work of this group to date on 2 October 2013. The group expects to complete its work by the end of spring next year.
The NCSE consulted widely with interested parties in developing its policy advice and I understand that the working group has also consulted a range of interested parties as its work has progressed. The final proposals will be considered by my Department prior to any changes being made to the existing allocation system.
I thank the Minister. I understood the report was to be published in September. There are ongoing delays, so it will not be until the end of spring. I ask this question in the context of the concerns of parents of children with Down's syndrome and the campaign by Down's syndrome educational quality advocates to have Down's syndrome recognised as a low incidence disability by the Department and be awarded maximum hours under resource teaching.
Children with Down's syndrome may also have hearing and visual impairments as well as gross and fine motor delays, which causes difficulty with writing and drawing, and poor auditory memory, which causes difficulties processing, storing and retaining verbal information. The general allocation model does not meet such complex needs. The Minister received an oral progress report. Would he like to share anything with us?
I support Deputy Kyne's call for resource teaching hours for children with Down's syndrome and to have them added to the low incidence resource qualifying hours. Will the Minister clarify the deadline for the report to be completed? Following on from that, what timeline does he expect for any new system he may consider? As Deputy Kyne said, in the meantime, children with Down's syndrome will not qualify. They are a small category and the parents' groups supporting them have estimated that for €1 million per year, they could be added to the list to automatically receive resource hours. That is something the Minister should reconsider. He has taken the line that he will not include them but will he reconsider that position?
I agree with my colleagues, Deputies Kyne and McConalogue, on this issue. I also declare an interest in that I am the parent of a daughter with Down's syndrome, although she is well reared at this stage. Did the working group consult the parents in Down Syndrome Ireland who represent more than 2,000 families on these resource hours? Many parents feel that with a little discretion, a little development and a little support, we could do amazing things for young children with Down's syndrome because it has been proved that if one puts money into early education it will cost the State less at the end of the spectrum - when they grow up to be adults - because they will be more independent and assertive. There is an economic argument as well as educational and human rights arguments. Did the working group consult Down Syndrome Ireland and the parents directly involved in this issue?
In response to Deputy Kyne, an impression might have been given that a report was due in September. That was not the intention. A progress report to me was due but not a report. It was always understood that the report would be due next spring at the earliest. In response to Deputy McConalogue, it will probably take another full year to implement it - to change the existing allocation model. We are at least two and a half years away from a different model of allocation to the one we were discussing earlier. I am not sure if the group had a specific meeting with Down Syndrome Ireland but I can find out for the House.
The members of the working group are Eamon Stack; Áine Lynch, who is the chief executive officer of the National Parents Council; Mary Byrne, who is the secretary of special education; Katherine O'Leary, who is a parent and board director with Inclusion Ireland; Don Mahon, who is an assistant inspector in the Department; Anne English, who is the principal of a primary school; Maureen Costello, who is the director of the National Educational Psychological Service; Antoinette Nic Gearailt, who is the principal of a post-primary school; Peter Archer, who is the director of the Educational Research Centre in Drumcondra; Pat Kinsella, who is an NCSE member; Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig, who is an inspector in the Department; Eithne Fitzgerald, who is the head of policy and research in the National Disability Authority; James O'Grady, who is another NCSE member; and a member of staff from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I will find out whether Down Syndrome Ireland has been consulted. There is no reason representatives of that organisation cannot be met with if that has not already happened.
I think it is important that they would be.
Yes.
69. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will identify the schools that will be eligible to apply for a derogation pursuant to regulation 15 of the Education Acts 1998 and 2013, Admission Policies of Schools and Related Matters Regulations 2013 (Draft Regulations Content of Policy); if the regulations will be commenced in the current academic year; if he will provide any statistical or other analysis that his Department carried out when drafting the regulations; and if he will provide a geographical and socio-economic analysis of the potential effect of these regulations, in particular regarding the operation of regulation 15 as recommended by the Irish Traveller Movement. [42202/13]
As the Deputy will be aware, I recently published the draft general scheme of the education (admission to schools) Bill 2013, as well as draft regulations for discussion ahead of enacting legislation. As these proposals have been published in draft form, they will be subject to a great deal of detailed scrutiny before becoming law. I have referred the draft proposals to the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection to allow a full and comprehensive public discussion of the proposed legislative framework, including inputs from parents, education partners and other stakeholders. I hope the committee will give the draft proposals early consideration so we can proceed to the next stage of legislation as soon as possible. I will reflect carefully on the views expressed in the consultation process to ensure they strike the right balance between school autonomy and fairness in our education system.
I welcome the Minister's comments. A number of cases have been taken. A high-profile case taken by a member of the Traveller community was initially upheld by the Equality Tribunal before unfortunately being overturned by the High Court. There are some concerns about the operation in practice of the rule that gives one an automatic right to attend a school if one's father or mother attended that school. Under the regulations being considered, no more than 25% of places can be allocated in such a manner. The number of all-Irish post-primary schools in my constituency that can be accessed by students who wish to be educated through the medium of Irish is limited. If up to 25% of places in a school are reserved for students whose parents have previously attended that school, it could indirectly lead to discrimination against students who may wish to be educated through the medium of Irish. I look forward to discussing the heads of the Bill mentioned by the Minister. I hope he will take on board the concerns I have expressed, particularly as they relate to schools in built-up urban areas where access and choices could be very limited for students.
I welcome the Deputy's comments and I share some of his concerns. Our present system works very well for 80% of the 4,000 schools. In 20% of cases, parents simply cannot get their children into primary or post-primary schools unless they put their names down soon after birth. The Deputy is aware of this problem in his constituency and other urban areas. The proposals were drafted in the Department. That process was commenced in the Department in 2009 in response to the Department's experience of section 29 appeals to what was happening. I published the proposals in draft form for discussion in June 2011. They were the subject of lengthy consultation. We considered the responses of the many people who got involved in that process. We received legal advice on the type of primary legislation we would have to enact before we could specify the regulations. I would like the joint committee to have a full, frank and open debate on this matter. I look forward to the committee taking submissions from the various stakeholders and consequently making recommendations to the Department. The Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and I are open to change. We want to see whether we need to change some of the provisions of the draft legislation. We are open to the committee making a case for tweaking what we have published - it could be changed by adding to it or subtracting from it - and we will proceed with the legislation thereafter. We need to introduce legislation in this area. I urge the members of the joint committee to move as quickly as they can on this matter.
