Written Answers Nos. 84 - 94
84. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which publishing companies may publish the Junior and Leaving Certificate mathematics papers; when will they be given the appropriate guidelines by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53410/12]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of the above, I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
85. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the process whereby the contract for running the Student Universal Support Ireland was awarded; the criteria used to judge the submissions of applicants submission; the system used to award points or to adjudicate on each application and the bodies or person's who sat on the independent selection panel including its Chairperson. [53413/12]
View answer86. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role he or his Department had in the selection of the successful application to administer Student Universal Support Ireland; when was the successful applicant chosen; when were they notified of their success and when were the unsuccessful applicants notified of their failure. [53414/12]
View answer87. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills prior to the awarding of the contract to administer Student Universal Support Ireland to City of Dublin VEC, if any legislative changes were enacted by Dáil Éireann to allow CDVEC to access personal data and if so when and what were they. [53415/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 85 to 87, inclusive, together.
In January 2011, my Department issued an Expressions of Interest invitation to local authorities, VECs and other public bodies interested in taking on administrative responsibility for the centralised student grants awarding and payments function. The criteria used to evaluate the proposals were set out in the Expressions of Interest invitation and were as follows:
- Organisational capacity to perform the function-
- Experience in dealing with comparable schemes/services
- Existing core management, expertise and resources available to be deployed to the function
- Capacity to deliver strong cost and efficiency benefits
- Overall quality of the proposal for delivery of a central student grants function.
A total of 10 proposals were received. An independent selection panel met to evaluate and short-list the proposals for oral presentation on 4th March 2011. Those who did not make the short list were informed of the selection panel's decision on 4th March 2011 and an invitation issued on the same date to those who were short-listed to make an oral presentation.
Oral presentations were made to the selection panel by the four short-listed bodies on 31st March and 1st April 2011. Each proposal was ranked based on marks assigned under each of the evaluation criteria leading to the preferred proposal. Each of the bodies who made oral presentations on their proposals were informed of the selection panel's decision by letter on 11th April 2011. The selection panel recommended that CDVEC be designated as the single grant awarding authority on this basis. My Department acted as secretariat to the independent selection panel.
The composition of the independent selection panel was as follows:
1. Mr. Pat McLoughlin (Chair) - Chief Executive of the Irish Payment Services Organisation (former Chief Executive of the Eastern Health Board, chair of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group and a member of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes) 2. Mr. Jim Duffy - Former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Centre for Management and Organisation Development (CMOD) 3. Mr. Gerry Kearney - Former Secretary General of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
The Student Support Act 2011 was signed into law in February 2011. Section 28 of the Act provides for the processing of personal data for relevant purposes related to student grant applications and covers all grant awarding authorities, including City of Dublin VEC.
88. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an updated list, in tabular form, from Monday 26 November 2012 of the numbers of students on a county basis who have received from Student Universal Support Ireland payment of their third level grant or notification of when it is to be paid. [53418/12]
View answerThe following table provides a breakdown on a county basis of the number of students who have been awarded a student grant and the numbers who received payment of their student maintenance grants as at the 23rd November, 2012 from Student Universal Support Ireland. The data has been supplied to my Department by SUSI.
SUSI is continuing to make payments on a weekly basis to ensure students can get paid their grant as expeditiously as possible, once they have been awarded a grant. All new student grants approved for this academic year will be paid by electronic funds transfer on a monthly basis directly to students' banks accounts, rather than by cheque to the relevant college. Those awarded a grant must supply bank account details and confirmation of registration must be received from the institution in order for the first instalment to be paid.
Breakdown by County of student maintenance grants awarded/paid as at 26.11.12
|
County |
Awarded * |
Paid |
|
Carlow |
233 |
92 |
|
Cavan |
300 |
141 |
|
Clare |
420 |
180 |
|
Cork |
1343 |
591 |
|
Donegal |
785 |
319 |
|
Dublin |
2601 |
932 |
|
Galway |
947 |
353 |
|
Kerry |
552 |
235 |
|
Kildare |
555 |
225 |
|
Kilkenny |
299 |
115 |
|
Laois |
245 |
105 |
|
Leitrim |
143 |
55 |
|
Limerick |
628 |
242 |
|
Longford |
170 |
64 |
|
Louth |
495 |
205 |
|
Mayo |
556 |
205 |
|
Meath |
555 |
247 |
|
Monaghan |
267 |
105 |
|
Offaly |
320 |
133 |
|
Roscommon |
275 |
119 |
|
Sligo |
220 |
81 |
|
Tipperary |
598 |
265 |
|
Waterford |
463 |
157 |
|
Westmeath |
414 |
179 |
|
Wexford |
621 |
273 |
|
Wicklow |
438 |
193 |
|
Outside of Ireland |
69 |
15 |
|
Total |
14512 ** |
5826 |
* Includes some 2,658 provisionally awarded awaiting final course acceptance forms.
** Does not include grants awarded but currently under appeal.
89. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if here were guidelines issues under Section 15 subsection 8 of SI No 189 of 2012 and if there were, the details of these guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53444/12]
View answerArticle 15(8) of the Student Grant Scheme 2012, SI No. 189 of 2012, provides the awarding authorities with discretion to consider funding for repeat periods of study in exceptional circumstances, in line with guidelines drawn up by the Minister.
The guidelines issued to the awarding authorities on 15 August 2012.
The guidelines outline the matters that may be taken into account by an awarding authority in determining whether to exercise its discretion in respect of the provisions of Article 16(6) and (7) of the Student Grant Scheme 2012.
90. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of primary schools throughout the country and fully operational in the current academic year; the number, if any, in the DEIS category and the extent to which the remainder are fee-paying schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53445/12]
View answerThere were 3,297 Department Aided Primary Schools operational in the 2012/2013 academic year (including Special Schools). Of these 665 were DEIS schools. It should be noted that data coverage of private, fee-paying primary schools that are not financially aided by the Department is not complete, as there is no requirement for such schools to make detailed statistical returns to the Department. Data on the number of private, fee-paying primary schools for the 2012/2013 academic year is currently being compiled and will be available in 2013.
91. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of DEIS schools, non-DEIS schools, non-fee-paying schools and fee-paying schools currently offering a transition year programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53446/12]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy on schools offering a transition year programme is as follows:
|
Type of Schools |
Number of Schools |
|
DEIS schools |
120 |
|
Non-DEIS schools |
462 |
|
Fee paying schools |
54 |
|
Non-fee paying |
528 |
92. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which financial assistance has been offered by his Department to INTO, ASTI, TUI, ACS, IVEA, JMB, NAPD, National Parents Council Primary and Post-Primary in each of the past three years to date, by way of grant directly or indirectly and/or by payment of salary or other method; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53447/12]
View answer93. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will indicate, with particular reference to ACS, IVEA, JMB, NAPD and National Parents Council Primary and Post-Primary, the level of their income which came indirectly from his Department by way of affiliation fees paid by post-primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53448/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together.
Data in relation to the funding of the bodies referred to by the Deputy is currently being compiled by my officials. A response will be issued to the Deputy shortly.
94. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a Gaelscoil (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53452/12]
View answerI can confirm that the Department is currently considering an application from the school referred to by the Deputy to re-locate to a vacated school building in the area. A number of legal issues pertaining to this application have been identified and are under examination. My Department has been in contact with the Chairperson of the Board of Management of the school concerned and will continue to update him on progress in the matter.
