Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013

Written Answers Nos. 85-92

Third Level Fees

Questions (86, 87, 88)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

86. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will clarify the degree programmes and additional special requirements he was referring to when replying to parliamentary questions which related to changes in funding to Gaeltacht placements for first year B Ed students attending Mary Immaculate College when he stated: this move brings the primary ITE courses more into line with other degree programmes where students are required to bear the costs of additional special requirements themselves; and if he will confirm that students are always required to pay tuition fees in Ireland in these circumstances. [7748/13]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

87. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of changes in funding to Gaeltacht placements for first year B Ed students attending Mary Immaculate College, which will result in students having to pay an additional €1,400 biannual fee, if his Department has considered expanding the student assistance fund which in its current form can only be accessed by a limited number of students; and if he will further consider introducing a more robust system to support students who do not qualify for the grant. [7749/13]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

88. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of his recent decision to allocate an additional €3 million to the student assistance fund representatives, if he will consider allocating an additional €1 million to the fund in order to assist the estimated 1,000 additional students who will be directly affected by changes to the Gaeltacht placement scheme. [7750/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 to 88, inclusive, together.

As part of the Government's budgetary considerations and the Comprehensive Expenditure Review carried out in 2011, a decision was made to abolish the payments by this Department towards the cost of attendance at Gaeltacht courses by students commencing their programme of primary initial teacher education. The decision came into effect for the 2012/13 academic year. As the Deputy will be aware, priority is being given to protecting resources for front line services in the coming years.To assist with the costs of the Gaeltacht placement, primary initial teacher education students who are in receipt of a student grant which includes a 100% fee grant, or who would have qualified for a full fee grant but for the Free Fees Schemes, can apply for funding towards travel and accommodation costs under the field trip element of a fee grant, subject to the normal terms and conditions of the student grant scheme.

Other programmes where additional special requirements are funded by students themselves would include programmes in areas such as languages, architecture, art, geology, geography, history and science, where trips or placements are an integral part of the course. The nature and duration of these and the costs involved vary between programmes.

Apart from the student grant system, in circumstances of particular need students may apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund which assists students in third-level institutions in exceptional financial need. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended.

Student Grant Scheme Reform

Questions (89)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

89. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his intentions with regard to family farms; if it is true that he is proposing to take the value of lands into consideration when doing assessments for students seeking college grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7752/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The Deputy will be aware that a dedicated capital assets test implementation group was established to bring forward detailed implementation proposals on new means testing arrangements for student grants, to include the value of assets.

I have received a draft report from the implementation group. This is currently under consideration and I will be consulting further with my cabinet colleagues in the matter in due course.

Question No. 90 answered with Question No. 80.

Property Ownership

Questions (91)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Question:

91. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason a property was sold to the beneficial owner (details supplied) in County Cork as a sale absolute by use of a S31 application which allowed the Minister for Finance to waive any interest vesting, under the State Property Act 1954, in the state on the dissolution of a company. [7659/13]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

Section 28 (2) of the State Property Act 1954, provides that the Minister for Finance assumes responsibility for all personal property and land vested in or held in trust for a body corporate (other than personal property or land held by such body in trust for another person) immediately prior to its dissolution. Upon the dissolution of the body corporate, such property becomes State property. This function transferred in July 2011 to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform under the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 2011 and S.I. No. 418/2011 Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011. The effect of Section 28 is that the Minister does not hold the assets of dissolved companies as beneficial owner. He holds them in trust. The title which the Minister acquires under this Section has been described as a defeasible title since, if the dissolved company is restored to the Register of Companies within twenty years of the date of its dissolution, its property is automatically restored to it. The State Property Act also includes, in Section 31, a power for the Minister to waive the interest acquired under Section 28 of the Act.

It is understood that the property which is the subject of the current question was held within a company which was struck off the Register of Companies in September, 1972 for failure to file annual returns with the Companies Office. The beneficial owner of the property applied to the Department of Finance for a waiver of the interest acquired by the Minister for Finance under the provisions of the State Property Act and that waiver, in respect of which the consideration was £160, was completed in October, 1986, approximately 14 years after the dissolution of the company. The effect of the waiver, which was not a sale by the State, would have been to allow the beneficial owner to complete the process of assembling a satisfactory title. The waiver itself would have formed only a limited element in the establishment of that title and the transaction was a normal exercise of Departmental functions. The price which the beneficial owner may have secured in a subsequent sale was not a matter for consideration in the context of the waiver.

Public Sector Pensions Legislation

Questions (92)

Simon Harris

Question:

92. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the public pension options available to women who left the public service as a result of the marriage bar and returned to the public service in each of the years 2000 to 2005 inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7684/13]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

Prior to 1974 pensionable female Public Servants were generally required to resign on marriage and, depending on their service, received a marriage gratuity in lieu of any pension benefits.

Public Servants who received a marriage gratuity and returned to the Public Service have the option of (a) refunding the gratuity (plus interest where applicable) and having all reckonable prior service (i.e. before their resignation on marriage) aggregated with subsequent reckonable services for Superannuation purposes or (b) not refunding the gratuity and having their reckonable service for superannuation purposes commence from the date of their re-appointment only.

Public Servants who had to resign on marriage but where not eligible to receive the marriage gratuity may be able to have their entire service pensionable on payment of appropriate back contributions.