Ruth Coppinger
Question:34. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on the provision of school buildings and facilities in the Pelletstown, Navan Road and Ashtown areas of west Dublin. [52016/17]
Other Questions
Schools Building Projects
The area north of the Royal Canal has seen a massive expansion in the number of homes. Building has been taking place for the last number of years and a lot more land is zoned for construction. The number of children in the area is phenomenal. At the last census, hundreds of children under six were recorded. Nevertheless, there has been no proper planning, once again, for Pelletstown Educate Together national school which has not even reached the prefab state and must bus children to a neighbouring school down the road. Can the Minister update the House on the latest position?
My Department's capital programme continues to address the challenge posed by a rapidly increasing school population. To meet this challenge, my Department's capital investment programme for 2016 to 2021 details the school projects that are being progressed to meet this need. The capital programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. Since 2015, three new primary schools, namely, Pelletstown Educate Together national school, Scoil Sinéad national school and Broombridge Educate Together national school, have been established in the areas referred to by the Deputy to meet demographic growth. The six-year construction programme also includes building projects at five further schools in the area, namely, Mary Help of Christians national school, St. John Bosco junior and senior boys' national schools, North Dublin Muslim school and Holy Family school for the deaf.
While there was no requirement for a new post-primary school in the area referred to by the Deputy, a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school opened in September 2017 in temporary accommodation in the adjoining school planning area of Carpenterstown-Castleknock. Nationwide demographic exercises for all school planning areas at primary and post-primary level, including the area referred to by the Deputy, are ongoing.
The outcome will determine where additional school accommodation will be needed in the future. It is anticipated that decisions based on this exercise will be announced shortly.
I am a little worried by that answer because when I asked a question in July a permanent site was meant to be worked on at conveyancing stage, and I expected to hear from the Minister today whether the site has been acquired and all of the documentation signed off. Once again, it seems many houses and apartments have been put in an area, without thinking that a school might be needed. Pelletstown Educate Together national school was established three years ago. I went to see the basement of the building those children were being educated in, and my view is that if it were my child I would have protested about a building with no windows and fresh air. The parents went ahead on the promise that buildings would be ready. Now, the prefabs are not even fully ready. A permanent school building was promised to local people by the Taoiseach when he was a Minister, on 17 November 2015, and the then Minister, Deputy Burton, and that construction would start on permanent buildings for Pelletstown Educate Together national school in Ashtown, which operates from temporary premises. Two years on, there is no sign of a permanent building, or a site never mind a building.
There are a number of schools involved in the area. The position, as I understand, with Pelletstown Educate Together is that it has three grades to date. The Department has reached agreement with the landowner of a preferred site and the acquisition is progressing through the conveyancing stage. Following completion of the acquisition, the architectural planning process for the provision of a new permanent building for the school will commence. Scoil Sinead has just one infant class at this stage. A potential site to facilitate this building project has been identified and is being progressed. Again, when this process has concluded the architectural planning will commence. The school in Broombridge is in a permanent site. These are the three immediate schools. There are five other schools and I outlined where extensions are being planned.
Five months ago it was progressing at conveyancing stage. The point is that more than two years ago two Ministers made pre-election promises and told the people of the area these schools were in the bag. Two years on, first class pupils have to be bussed up to Broombridge. Broombridge is not in this area. The other schools the Minister has spoken about are not in Ashtown either and many of them are Catholic schools. I am asking what is the plan to get Pelletstown Education Together national school out of the buildings it is in and not into temporary prefabs but the permanent school promised to it more than two years ago. In fact, people are now concerned about secondary schools, and that there is none in the area. Castleknock is being cited, which is now a Christian Brothers school thanks to the Department of Education and Skills not seeing fit to have a more non-denominational school. There is no school planned for the area. It is a bit disappointing. The principal, the parents and others would be very disappointed that here we are at the end of 2017 and there does not seem to have been any progress on acquiring the site and moving the school into a permanent building.
I hate to witness a situation where a Deputy is not allowing facts to confuse her determination to state nothing is happening on this. I just read out that a site is required for this purpose, the landowner of the preferred site has been identified, agreement has been reached and the acquisition is progressing through the conveyancing stage-----
That was also the case five months ago.
This school will be built. The Deputy tries to spread confusion. This school will be built. The Deputy also raised a question on how the Department selects schools. It selects schools on the basis of parental preference. This system has been run independently of the Department. It is not run by me. It is run by selection based on parents' preferences within the catchment area. That is a fair way of dealing with the issue.
They are not fair ways, but that is another matter.
The Deputy may have one view, but parents have to be consulted. It is parents who, ultimately, are the primary educators and they have a role in deciding what school is selected. In Pelletstown, an Educate Together school was successfully selected. In another area, Scoil Sinead was selected. This is the people's choice in the area where the Deputy lives.
The Catholic schools do not tell parents-----
Standing Orders allow me to call on Deputy Burton for a very brief supplementary question.
Will the Minister send to each Deputy representing the area a detailed update? Like the previous speaker, I have submitted many questions to the Minister on this. I have to say, without going into the detail, some of the facts that have just been given are inaccurate and incorrect. The Minister needs to go back to the file and give us a detailed report on where it is at present. By the way, Pelletstown Educate Together is an absolutely first-class and an excellent school, which is well supported by the parents and I want to make this clear.
I am quite happy to provide the Deputies with a position. We recognise it will take longer and, as a result, planning permission was granted on 11 October for a single-storey prefab building comprising four classrooms with other ancillary facilities. The expected completion date for the installation of the prefab is early December 2017. Work is going on to ensure children are accommodated while, at the same time, a longer term project is being advanced.
Special Educational Needs Service Provision
Maureen O'Sullivan
Question:35. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and its future status and designation in order to allow it continue its long established work with students with a visual impairment and with students with learning difficulties. [51978/17]
My question concerns a school in Dublin 9, Rosmini community school, and it is to ask about its future status and designation to allow it to continue its long-established tradition of working with children with a visual impairment and children with learning difficulties.
I know this school well. The major project for Rosmini Community School is included in the six year construction programme, announced on 17 November 2015. The building project will provide a new 350 student post primary school with an multiple disability and visual impairment unit on the site of existing school building.
Planning permission for this new school was lodged with Dublin City Council at the end of January 2017. Notification of decision to grant planning permission was received on 18 Aug 2017 from Dublin City Council. There has been a third party planning appeal to An Bord Pleanála, which has significantly delayed this project from progressing to tender stage. The design team appointed by my Department has submitted a detailed rebuttal of this appeal and a decision from An Bord Pleanála is awaited.
This project is currently at stage 2B of architectural planning, which is detailed design. The design team is preparing the stage 2B submission, which will be submitted to my Department following the conclusion of the appeal to An Bord Pleanála. When the stage 2B submission has been received and reviewed, my Department will be in contact with the school authorities as regards the further progression of this project to tender and construction stages.
I take it from the Minister's reply that its status and designation will continue. I know the school very well, I know its current and former staff and I know the current and former staff in ChildVision. They share the same campus and there has been a long tradition of children moving from one to the other. This is reflected in the ethos of Rosmini. Traditionally, it was inclusive of those children with a visual impairment and with other needs. When St. Mary's school for blind girls in Merrion closed quite a number went over to Rosmini. The reality now is there seems to be an effort to undermine its status. For example, transport has been refused to certain students with special needs. There is also the loss of a number of special needs assistants in the school. The Minister knows the school is in the prefabs on the grounds of All Hallows. There is concern that its status may not be recognised because of various things happening with the Department regarding the students who attend there and who have special needs.
I know of no change in any policy on either transport or the provision of special needs assistants for children. Each case is examined on its merits. The status of Rosmini remains the same. It adjoins the campus managed by ChildVision in which St. Joseph's school for the visually impaired is located. Pupils graduate from St. Joseph's to Rosmini community school.
The new school will have a multiple disability and visual impairment unit. I do not know what is the implication of the Deputy's question. I do not believe that there is any attempt to change the status of the school, but if the Deputy wishes to send me something under separate cover I will have it checked out.
I will certainly get back to the principal. I encourage the Minister to do that. They were very happy with the design of the new school, which is taking the wider corridors, the two lifts and tactile surfaces into account. The reality is that the school was turned down for transport for children with an impairment of one sort or another. The Department only backtracked when it acknowledged that the parents had bought uniforms for those children and that they could get transport there. I will take the Minister up on his offer and ask the principal of the school to contact him directly because there are concerns that the Department was rowing back on the tradition of looking after children with a visual impairment and special needs and that the status the school has had up to now will not continue. As the Minister knows, that tradition has developed between ChildVision and the community school. We hope to see the community school back on its original campus beside ChildVision.
I will arrange to have my officials contact the school on that matter. It is a school that was formerly within my constituency, but in the future it will be represented by Deputy O'Sullivan. We have a mutual interest in the excellent work that was done and continues to be done in that school. I will ensure that contact is made.
Teacher Recruitment
Kathleen Funchion
Question:36. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he is planning to address the current and potential teacher shortages in STEM subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51902/17]
My question concerns STEM subjects and the current and potential teacher shortages in those subjects. I know that the Minister has many ambitious plans around these subjects, but there is clearly an issue with the amount of teachers available to teach them. I would like to hear his thoughts on the matter.
In the last two years I have provided for the recruitment of in the region of 3,000 teachers at post-primary level. All of those posts for 2016-17 have been successfully filled and the process of filling the additional posts for the current year is almost complete. We are successfully filling the posts that we are making available.
As the Deputy knows, last week I launched a STEM policy statement and implementation plan which aims to make Ireland the best in Europe in STEM by 2026. This policy statement focusses on the many strengths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Ireland while providing a roadmap to address the areas for development.
Some schools have reported shortages in recruiting teachers in specific subjects at post-primary level, including in STEM. The reasons for this are complex. Part of the reason is due to an imbalance in the availability of teachers in certain subjects; for example, a large proportion of teachers training as geography teachers and a small proportion choosing to train in subjects such as physics.
As part of the implementation of the STEM strategy I am determined to deliver increased teacher supply in key priority areas. My officials are gathering and analysing baseline data. We are also assessing specific policy initiatives which can accelerate supply in critical areas. This would include measures to deliver a higher proportion of those entering initial teacher education at undergraduate or masters level in the priority areas, to upgrade the skills of existing teachers and to identify possible sources of qualified persons who are not now teaching.
I want to make a suggestion on the matter. I welcome some of the suggestions, especially of increasing the number of female students taking STEM for the leaving certificate by 40%. However, we need to start at post-primary level, because nobody is going to teach chemistry, physics or the other subjects if they have not studied those subjects at secondary school level. We need to incentivise those subjects so that people are studying at secondary school level and will progress into college and postgraduate level. That is an area where we need to go back to the drawing board and incentivise those subjects at that stage, because there is clearly a general issue of accessing teachers, particularly teachers who are qualified for the subject they end up teaching. It will become a crisis in the STEM subjects and while the plan is ambitious I fear that it will remain only a plan because it will be impossible to achieve if we do not increase the amount of teachers available to teach STEM subjects.
Another area we should look at is pay for new entrants to teaching. I am sure that many new entrants are discouraged at the moment, given the level of pay available. I encourage the Minister to look at it at post-primary level and see if we can start to encourage people to take on the subjects at that stage. If one has not had a grounding in particular subjects, by the time a person gets to college it is too late.
I do not disagree with anything the Deputy says. We have set an ambition to increase the uptake at leaving certificate level. I believe that the new way of teaching science at junior cycle will encourage more people into it. Our promotion of extra-curricular science, through supporting the expansion of SciFest, the BT Young Scientist exhibition awards and CoderDojo has had a proven impact, particularly on girls choosing science subjects.
There is clearly a need to have a very focused look at supply in areas such as physics and chemistry where we need people who graduate in these subjects to move into the teaching profession. I will be taking a hard look at how we can incentivise that move to make sure that our ambitions are not held up by needs of that nature. There is a tightness of supply in other subjects as well, as we have discussed at committee. A range of methods have been used in the past that have been successful. We will review the subjects in total to make sure that we have a suite of measures that will have an impact on this.
I welcome that response. I have another suggestion which applies to the entirety of our education system and that concerns the whole idea of continuous assessment. Perhaps we can encourage students into these subjects by seeking to introduce a continuous assessment model. The subjects are quite difficult and are perhaps a bit more intimidating than other subjects. The idea of taking on chemistry or physics is not always a student's first choice. We need to be more creative in general when it comes to our education system and if there is such a big shortage in these STEM subject areas we should look at continuous assessment as part of the grading process in those subjects. This might encourage more students to take on those subjects.
The Deputy has another question later on. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is looking at this matter. I agree that it is hard to teach science on the basis of a memory retention exam at the end. It is very much suited to continuous assessment. There are issues around continuous assessment, with teachers' unions and teachers themselves concerned with judging their own students. That has resulted in the framework that we now have in the junior cycle where there is separate portfolio of achievement and SEC supervised exams. I hope that model will have a very good impact on the junior cycle.
Science in particular does lend itself to a different approach. Hopefully some consensus will emerge which will lead to different formats of assessment in the future. We will await the NCCA's report.
Schools Facilities
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:37. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts he has made to ensure that the playing pitches at a school (details supplied) will be available for the children of that school into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52012/17]
To continue on the question of Clonkeen College, I find the Minister's hands-off approach on this matter somewhat difficult to understand. I remind him that the Christian Brothers is selling Clonkeen's lands to pay redress for child abuse. I ask the Minister if he thinks that it is acceptable that the Christian Brothers discharges its debt for historic child abuse by taking pitches from current and future generations of children, compounding the crimes against young people. If the Minister believes it is wrong, is he seriously suggesting that there is nothing he can do?
The position is, as I said in the previous reply, that a decision has been taken by the Congregation of Christian Brothers to dispose of land. That is a matter for the Christian Brothers. It has entered into an agreement to sell that land and that is a legally binding contract. I am not in a position to alter that. Separately the Christian Brothers has indicated that the proceeds of that sale will supplement the €21.2 million it has already paid to Caranua to date by the tune of some €8.8 million. Caranua, as Deputy Connolly said, is providing for a very vulnerable group of people. This means that we will have the full €110 million that was committed.
However, that is an entirely separate process from the decision of the Christian Brothers to do what they have done in this case. As Deputy Boyd Barrett knows, they have made an arrangement with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, ERST, which will continue to run the school, and they have made a decision to dispose of lands to which the school previously had access. That is the position, there is a legal challenge to that position and I, like the Deputy, will await the outcome of that legal challenge.
The first point is that it is not about waiting, but doing. The Christian Brothers claim the contract is legally binding; the school disputes that. Second, whether it is legally binding or not, there are things the Minister could do. Has he told the Christian Brothers that what they are doing is wrong? Of course they should pay their debts, but this sale will raise €18 million, while their debt is only €8 million. How is that fair? They will make money out of the sale. Has the Minister told them it is wrong to steal the pitches of a school and the 500 pupils in that school? Furthermore, the Minister has not answered the question. Why can he not put a compulsory purchase order on the land or tell the Christian Brothers to bestow the land in lieu of the money and tell the Christian Brothers the sale is not acceptable? One could only get this in Ireland: the Minister for Education and Skills says the fate of a school and its pitches is nothing to do with him and that it is up to the Christian Brothers. That is bizarre. That this could be the case just shows what a dysfunctional education system we have. For the Minister to just stand by and say there is nothing he can do about the matter, that the Christian Brothers own the land and are going to sell it, is really shocking.
The Deputy will have another minute.
We have developed our schools, as the Deputy knows, according to a patronage model whereby patrons provide the land and the Department builds the school, often with some support from the patron, often without. The Department has a lien on the property in which we invest and the patron has an obligation to ensure that the school continues to operate and to meet needs. However, the owner of the land, in this case the Christian Brothers, has a right under the Constitution to dispose of the land. The Christian Brothers have done so and have entered a binding contract-----
So they say.
-----and that has been conveyed to us. The question the Deputy raises, whether this issue can be challenged in the courts, will be adjudicated on in the courts. In meeting their responsibilities to Caranua, the position is that the Christian Brothers have an obligation and they are meeting that obligation. That is a separate responsibility. We expect more from the Christian Brothers, as from other religious institutions. The State has said repeatedly that we believe a fair share of the €1.5 billion paid to date would be 50:50. We are a long way short of that and the State continues to pursue that but we do not have a legal lever over the Christian Brothers or any other congregation. As the Deputy knows, when the Ryan report was published, the Christian Brothers entered a voluntary agreement to pay sums, not all of which has yet been fulfilled. Unfortunately, in 2002 an agreement was made that indemnified the religious orders and limited the amount they were to pay. That is the legal position and we are working within its parameters. However, like I think most Members of the House, I believe the religious congregations should be paying more in this situation to meet the legacy issues that are so real for so many people.
God almighty, if ever there were an argument for separation of church and State, we really have it here. That the Christian Brothers can do this to school students to pay a debt for the crimes they committed against previous generations of school students and the Minister says there is nothing he can do is pathetic. The Minister has not answered the question why he could not put a compulsory purchase order on the land. He should request the local authority to do so in order to secure the land. As I said to the Minister, of course the Christian Brothers should pay their debts for historic child abuse, and the school understands that, but they do not need to sell €18 million worth of land in order to pay an €8 million debt they owe in their "voluntary pledge" over historic child abuse. They have vast amounts of land and assets all over the country, so why is it acceptable for them to flog off this land for €18 million to a private developer and rob this school of all its pitches and why do we just stand by while they do so and say there is nothing we can do? They do not need to sell that much land to pay their debt to the redress scheme.
The position is that the Christian Brothers have the same constitutional rights and are protected in the same way as any other group. They have a right to dispose of their land in the way in which they have done so and there is not an opportunity to alter that. The route of compulsory purchase order, CPO, as the Deputy knows, can only be taken in certain circumstances and still involves 100% compensation of those involved for any loss they would incur, so that is not a case of "with one leap our hero is free". The reality is that the Christian Brothers have made a decision to dispose of this land for the enormous sum the Deputy mentioned and it is their legal right to do so. They have a binding legal contract and that is being challenged in the courts and we await the outcome of that challenge.
School Completion Programme
Kathleen Funchion
Question:38. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reallocate the school completion programme back to the remit of his Department from the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, specifically Tusla, due to its relevance to the education portfolio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51804/17]
This question concerns the school completion programme, which used to fall within the remit of the Department of Education and Skills but now falls within the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I would like to see the scheme back in the education portfolio, and I think many people would agree because it is much more suited to that area. Can this be examined?
The school completion programme is an integral part of Tusla's educational welfare service. While it is a key support for schools under the DEIS programme, my Department does not have responsibility for the programme.
As the Deputy will appreciate, proposals for the reassignment of ministerial and administrative policy areas are a collective function of the Government. There is no current proposal to reassign ministerial responsibility for this brief.
In 2011, following a decision of the Government, a suite of educational welfare functions, including the school completion programme, transferred to the remit of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and later, in 2014, on the enactment of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, transferred to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
Because of the key role played by the school completion programme in DEIS, my Department has maintained a close working relationship with both the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla regarding the latter's work programme to support schools. Both the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, DCYA, and Tusla were closely involved in the review of DEIS and the DEIS plan of 2017, published earlier this year, which contains a number of key actions for delivery on an inter-agency basis by Tusla's educational welfare service in collaboration with my Department, including specific actions relating to the school completion programme.
In 2015 the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs commissioned the ESRI to conduct a review of the school completion programme and it is my understanding that Tusla is in the process of implementing the recommendations of that review. I should add that Tusla sits with us on an implementation group on DEIS, so it is represented and there is close collaboration between the two Departments and agencies.
I raise this matter because, as I said earlier, I am a huge advocate for the school completion programme. It is excellent. The general public probably does not know enough about it and all the good work it does because it is under the radar. That is what makes it so successful. While it is predominantly in DEIS schools, one does not have to be in a DEIS school to qualify for the school completion programme. A number of schools a number of years ago applied for the school completion programme and were successful and they take in children who would otherwise fall through the cracks and who would not necessarily qualify for other services, for example Tusla services. That is what is so vital about the programme falling back within the remit of the Department of Education and Skills. I understand it is not a decision for the Minister to make alone and perhaps this is a little unfair, but I would like to know his own opinion on this. Tusla is not the appropriate body for the programme because, while Tusla does good work in other areas, the key for school completion is to be tied in with the education system. The programme is focused on education, keeping kids in school and identifying why children might not complete school. While Tusla might have a role in that, many children will not get to the stage at which they come to the attention of Tusla but they might come to the attention of the school completion programme. They might have very minor difficulties or what we would see as minor difficulties for our children but what are major difficulties in their lives. The school completion programme can often intervene in many different scenarios and be very helpful. Since the move has been made, the co-ordinators have been falling through the cracks and they do not necessarily have a forum or a body to feed into through the Department any more.
I am not a direct party to it but a lot of work has been done on the school completion programme. The ESRI carried out a review, as did another body. They came up with recommendations to improve it. They in no way diluted the objective or tried to roll back on what the role and purpose of the school completion programme was. We have to acknowledge that we have had a huge surge in school completion with much improved school completion numbers. They have halved over the past decade and there are fewer people dropping out so this is working. The Deputy is right. When they are in separate Departments, we must make sure there is co-ordination but I am satisfied that this is there. Noel Kelly has taken over the school completion programme. He is now working to implement improved governance, an improved standard of delivery and all those good things that will ensure that children get an excellent service.
I understand that governance was an issue but I also understood that the ETBs had made a proposal to the Department to manage the school completion programme because some school completion programmes are currently managed by ETBs and work very well. That would have been a better model to look at rather than moving it to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. What are the Minister's views on that? Is he aware of that proposal? What does he think of it?
Ultimately, the Department responsible will have to look at what is the best governance structure. It might be better if the Deputy put a question to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. It will want to put in place the best structure to ensure the best delivery of service. We will support it in its choice but it will make a choice based on a matrix of criteria which I have not seen so I am not in a position to say who would be best placed.
University Governance
Catherine Connolly
Question:39. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of moneys due to NUIG in view of the confirmation given by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the Committee of Public Accounts on 6 April 2017 that the financial statements of NUIG recognised an amount of €17.5 million due from a foundation to the university at 30 September 2014 regarding capital projects in 2011, if that sum has been paid in full or in part and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52019/17]
To clarify an earlier question, the report was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas but was buried under those reports. It was not available on the website. The Minister is correct with regard to that.
Question No. 39 is a specific question about Galway University Foundation. The matter arose earlier this year at the Committee of Public Accounts. An outstanding sum of €17.5 million was due about which I would like clarity. Has this money been paid over? It was due from the foundation to the university since 2011.
My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority, HEA, for direct disbursement to the HEA-designated higher education institutions, including the universities. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions. The internal disbursement of that funding is then a matter for the individual institution. Universities are autonomous bodies as set out in the Universities Act 1997 and are responsible for their own day-to-day affairs, including the allocation of all of its income, both public and private, and with regard to their own financial affairs.
Officials of my Department have sought details regarding the issue referred to by the Deputy. Based on information provided by NUIG, I can confirm the figure of €17.48 million related to funding due from the foundation to the university at 30 September 2014 regarding capital projects in 2011. This represents philanthropic donations as contributions to the development of the engineering building and extensions to the arts-science building at NUIG. To date, €15.56 million of this has been repaid to NUIG by the foundation. The current balance outstanding is €1.92 million, which is scheduled for payment on 31 December 2017.
I thank the Minister of State for that clarification. I welcome the fact that €15.56 million has been paid over and that there is a date for the payment of the remaining €1.92 million. This has been outstanding since 2011. I am fully aware that the universities are independent. I am a very proud Galwegian and went to college in Galway. However, in respect of the foundation, the reason I raised this issue is because it was highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General in his report in April 2017. He pointed out that it went back to 2011. That foundation has a board composed of members in Galway and the US. If one looks at the board and foundation members, one can see that one will take an interest because of the nature of members of that board, including Goldman Sachs, Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley. One can see where the foundation is pushing education, which is the bigger issue. The specific issue for today is that most of the money has been paid over. My supplementary question concerns the reason for this delay. Why did it take from 2011 to 2017 - six years - for this money to be paid over?
I have confirmed that the sum of €15.56 million has been repaid and the outstanding sum of €1.92 million will be paid on 31 December 2017. Philanthropic funding is an important resource in helping to widen the funding base for third-level education. The accounts of Galway University Foundation Limited for the end of June 2016 were attached to the 2016 accounts of NUIG. These accounts were received in the Department on 19 October last.
The money has been paid over. That is the specific issue. When was it paid over? Does the Minister of State have the date when the €15.56 million was paid over? While I welcome philanthropic aid, there must be openness and accountability with regard to it. I have always had serious concerns about openness and accountability, and not just with this foundation. The matter has come up repeatedly with other third-level institutions. The accounts generally of foundations and third-level institutions have never been consolidated. The reason for this in Galway is because it says it does not have control over it. However, the president of the university sits on the foundation, as do other serious members. There are issues here for us later on. When was the money paid over?
I do not have that specific date with me. The Department supports the proposals that emerged during the discussions at meetings of the Committee of Public Accounts earlier this year, which are that the latest available audited accounts for trusts and foundations should be made available with the main financial statements laid before the Oireachtas. The HEA wrote to all institutions in June and July 2017 requiring this approach. I can confirm that NUIG has complied with this request in the 2016 accounts, which have been received in the Department. The HEA will continue to work with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the universities to ensure best practice in this regard is maintained with a view of ensuring transparency and accountability in respect of foundation activities.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Order 42A.
Question No. 40 replied to with Written Answers.
Technological Universities
Mick Wallace
Question:41. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has satisfied himself with the progress on the creation of a university for the south east, if he has satisfied himself with the progress of the proposed acquisition of land for a new Institute of Technology Carlow campus in County Wexford, if either will address the third-level educational deficit faced by persons in County Wexford and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52009/17]
The planned amalgamation of Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow into a technological university of the south east has been slowly plodding and going nowhere for two or three decades. I am sure the Minister of State might want to tell me about the progression of the Technological Universities Bill but the truth is that even a technological university will do little to address educational deficits faced by people in Wexford. Earlier this week, we learned that the proposed acquisition of land for a new Institute of Technology Carlow campus in Wexford has fallen through. Can the Minister explain what happened to this land deal given that the HEA paid a deposit 12 months ago?
The Technological University of the South East, TUSE, consortium has received total funding of some €0.57 million to date.
Last month a further €0.15 million was allocated to the consortium. Specific activities being progressed currently include a review of human resources processes, etc.
The Deputy is aware that the Institute of Technology Carlow has a campus based in Wexford town, which offers an extensive range of award qualifications from level 6 through to postgraduate level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. It is important to note that the number of students enrolled at the Wexford campus in 2016 was 766. This figure should not be dismissed in any way. In addition to programmes run by Waterford IT and Carlow IT, learners can access online programmes provided by other institutions.
The Department has been very supportive of the proposed acquisition by IT Carlow of a particular site in Wexford for the development of a new purpose-built campus. Funding has been allocated to enable IT Carlow to acquire this site. The Department has now been informed, however, of a decision by the vendor to withdraw from the sale of that site. The Department is assessing the situation and will work with IT Carlow on how best to progress its development needs in Wexford.
I believe this land was with my good friends in NAMA. A price was agreed and a deposit was paid. A deal was done but somewhere along the route the loans got shifted to a vulture fund. NAMA literally sold the land to a vulture fund, despite a deal having been done with the Higher Education Authority, HEA. How can the Government allow this to happen? It is madness.
Carlow IT has gone on the record to say that since the official confirmation of the cancellation of the sale, it has been formally approached through intermediaries for almost double the agreed price for the site. A deal was done with NAMA but then NAMA said it would sell to a vulture fund and ignored the HEA. The new buyers now want double the price for the land. The Minister of State spoke about the campus in Wexford with 766 students in 2016. It is better than nothing. This is why we were eager for an extension to the campus. How can the Government allow NAMA to sell this land to a vulture fund, which is now looking for double the price? It is only recently-----
The Deputy will have another minute to speak. If we all stick to our time then I will try to get to one more question.
I thank Deputy Wallace. I acknowledge the frustration but, as the Deputy is aware from his background, if the deal was not signed then there was no deal. The vendor, unfortunately, has pulled out. That is where it is currently at. There is a commitment of an investment of €47.9 million, which would have 19,206 planned beneficiaries, for the Waterford and Wexford education and training boards. It is disappointing. We have put that money into further education and into the ETBs.
We are committed to a campus in Wexford. We know how important it is for the area and we know how important it is to attract companies and foreign direct investment and for our own indigenous companies to have confidence to ensure they have the staff and skills available. It is disappointing, but as I have said, the Department is assessing the situation and we will work with IT Carlow on how best to progress from now.
This is ten years in the making. Is there a back-up plan? The HSE recently sold a huge tract of land in Enniscorthy at the old St. Senan's Hospital. I believe it is more than 40 acres. They sold it to a private developer for peanuts. Why did the State not look at that? Will the Minister of State find out for me if the HSE deal was done with NAMA or was it done with the vulture fund? Who gazumped them? Was it NAMA or was it a vulture fund? They paid a deposit. The second contract was not signed, but a deal was done. Were they gazumped by NAMA or a vulture fund?
I remind the Minister of State that the numbers of students from Wexford who go to third level education is falling and is getting worse. The area is the second worst county in Ireland in educational performance. It is a black spot. Some weeks ago the Central Statistics Office released figures that show Wexford and Longford - areas of huge disadvantage - at the bottom of the table. Just 32% of second level students go on to third level, which is a long way behind the national average of 42%. The Minister of State is aware that in her own constituency the figure is about 61%. Something has to be done.
The Deputy has asked about the HSE and I will certainly talk to the Minister for Health about that issue.
With regard to the Wexford campus I am disappointed also, but I know the importance of making sure that we have higher education institutions in the regions. This is why I am pushing the Technological Universities Bill. We are supporting IT Carlow to assess the situation in Wexford. I am aware that there are 766 students currently enrolled at the Wexford campus. We value education. Deputy Wallace does not need to convince me about the importance of education - I know exactly how important it is. We want all students right across the State, in every region and every county, to get the very best from education.
School Curriculum
Kathleen Funchion
Question:42. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider a continuous assessment element of all leaving certificate exam subjects as part of the leaving certificate reform; and his plans to consider introducing a life-skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51803/17]
My question relates to the current reform of the leaving certificate syllabus and if the Minister will consider a continuous assessment element for all leaving certificate exam subjects, and look at the possibility of introducing a life skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects.
A review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways is a key action in my Department’s Action Plan for Education 2016-19. This review has been commenced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA with a view to recommending areas for development. The senior cycle review will consider all assessment approaches. Specifically, it will consider if the range of assessment approaches is most appropriate to meet the purposes of senior cycle education and the wide range of needs of students at senior cycle. In this context, assessment approaches adopted must be diverse and fit-for-purpose.
All specifications for leaving certificate subjects and courses developed in recent years identify the development of students who are confident, engaged, resourceful and active learners as a priority. All specifications identify five key skills: information processing; communicating; being personally effective; working with others; and critical and creative thinking. These key skills are embedded in the learning outcomes of each subject and in the learning activity that are used to realise those outcomes. In recent years there has been a strong convergence in the views of business and educationalists as to the skills that are most important for young people at this time, with both sectors agreeing that generic skills of the kind above should be prioritised.
I am committed to student well-being and life skills, and my Department will shortly publish a policy statement on well-being. This policy statement will set out key elements and actions considered necessary to achieve an improved well-being experience in schools.
I have raised this issue because I believe that the current system is very unfair and inequitable. It is designed to be one size fits all. This is not the reality in the context of learning and education. Many Deputies will remember with dread the leaving certificate exam and the whole process around it. If we are considering reform of the leaving certificate programme we have an opportunity to make it real and meaningful. Continuous assessment is a common sense and practical aspect that could be introduced, alongside a life skills class with lessons in basic nutrition and mental health. These are basic skills that many people leave school not knowing how to do. It would be invaluable for students.
I wish to emphasise the whole area of continuous assessment. It is so unfair at the moment. A person studies for six years in second level school and then everything is based on a two week exam. If a student is having some difficulty or panics during exams, or if a student is sick for those two weeks, it can affect everything and there is no opportunity to repeat the leaving certificate later that summer. The student must wait a whole year and then go back though the whole system again. It is currently not fit for purpose and if we are talking about reform then we should make it real and meaningful.
I believe the Deputy will agree that the roll-out of the junior cycle has been significant nick in the post in that we now ask students to put together a portfolio of achievement and do their exam. This process is not yet embedded at junior cycle. We are only two thirds of the way through and there are still subjects to come on board next year.
The NCCA is looking at the senior cycle in the context and its clear assessment is a core issue. Of course, one must balance, and they will have to consult. A lot of people have faith in the objectivity and fairness of the leaving certificate but as the Deputy correctly states, it does not suit everyone. We must value a wider range of experiences in school. Hopefully, we are on a journey that will see the sort of vision that the Deputy has develop over time.