Written Answers Nos. 219-37
219. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of prefab accommodation provided in primary and second level schools in Tallaght, Dublin 24 in the years 2011, 2012, 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19795/13]
View answerA list of the primary and post primary schools in Dublin city and county that have rented temporary accommodation is attached for the Deputy's attention. My Department does not hold information in the sub-county format as requested. Please note that one prefab unit may consist of one or more classrooms and/or ancillary accommodation.
Under the Prefab Replacement Initiative announced in March 2012 over 170 schools have been approved to replace their rented prefab accommodation with a permanent build. In excess of €42 million has been allocated for this initiative of which €22.3 million has been paid to date. A total of 126 projects have gone to construction and 22 of these have been completed. The rental savings achieved by the 22 completed projects are in the region of €350,000.00. These figures will be subject to change as further projects are completed. This initiative which will result in savings of approx €5m per annum on the rental of prefabs in these schools in the coming years.
In relation to the Dublin area a total of 21 schools were included under the Prefab Replacement Initiative 2012 and in excess of 4.4million has been allocated to these projects. Full details of these schools are available on my Department's website.
The table is available as attachment Q219.xls at the top of the web page.
220. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm the schedule now being followed in respect of the establishment of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board; if he will provide details of the management of the new board and arrangements for headquarters accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19796/13]
View answerThe Education and Training Boards Bill concluded all stages in the Seanad on 23rd April last. As amendments were introduced in the Seanad it will be necessary to return to the Dail after conclusion in the Seanad. The Bill is scheduled to be taken in the Dáil to report back on the Seanad amendments on Thursday, 2 May. Following enactment of the Bill, I will determine a date for commencement of the Act and the establishment of all of the Education and Training Boards, including the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board.
In October 2011, my officials concluded an agreement with SIPTU, the trade union representing the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of VECs, on a redeployment scheme for CEOs in the context of the Croke Park agreement. Arising from the implementation of the redeployment scheme, Mr Paddy Lavelle has been assigned as CEO Designate to the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board. His appointment as CEO of that Education and Training Board will commence in accordance with Section 14(5) of the Bill on the day which is appointed by Order pursuant to Section 8 of the Bill, once enacted.
Also, in October 2011, I announced the headquarter locations where VECs are being merged as a result of the Government decision to reduce the number of VECs to 16. In relation to the specific merger of Co. Dublin VEC and Dun Laoghaire VEC, I have decided that the headquarters of the Education and Training Board will be in Tallaght. I expect that headquarters staff of Dun Laoghaire VEC will move to the designated headquarters location in Tallaght as soon as feasible. While the detail of the arrangements of the move will be a matter for the CEO of the new Education and Training Board to work through and judge what the best approach is to ensure the optimum approach to service delivery, I expect that the office in Dun Laoghaire will remain open for some time and that the approach to redeployment will be measured and considered. The establishment of SOLAS is also likely to have a bearing on the precise arrangements to be made.
221. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will re-examine the case of a person (details supplied) who appealed a decision for reasonable accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19798/13]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
222. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the concerns from a college (details supplied) in Dublin 10 regarding the impact the change to the student-teacher ratio will have on the college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19813/13]
View answerThe college referred to by the Deputy is operated as an approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre by City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee (CDVEC). Resources are allocated by my Department under the PLC programme to CDVEC and further distribution of these resources to colleges under its remit, is a matter for CDVEC. As you are aware all VECs will have until next September to plan for the reduced allocation across their schools/colleges so that they can continue to deliver programmes which closely meet the needs of both students and employers. My Department has received an impact statement from CDVEC on the effect of the regression in the PLC pupil teacher ratio on each of its PLC centres. This is currently being considered along with impact statements from a number of other VECs.
223. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason parents with children attending a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15 are being requested by the higher education officer to refund funds already spent on tuition which was not delivered through a 1:1 ratio under the special needs and tuition grants and the action he will take regarding same. [19883/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the Home Tuition Scheme operated by my Department is designed to support children who are not in a position to attend school and, because of this, it is generally the case that the tuition is provided at the child's place of residence. In the majority of cases therefore, there will be 1 child in receipt of an individualised educational programme on a 1:1 basis. Funding is provided by my Department on this basis.
There is one exception to this whereby the Department has an arrangement in place with a private commercial organisation which provides group tuition to children in a class type setting. However, payment in this case is made directly to the service provider and is calculated on a group rate basis. In relation to the school to which the Deputy is referring, there is no such arrangement or agreement in place. However, I can tell you that officials at my Department are currently liaising with the parents in question in an effort to resolve the matter.
224. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that no more cuts are made to staff numbers in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 14; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19923/13]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2013/2014 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0013/2013) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2012. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0013/2013. The allocation process at individual school level is currently underway. The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and all appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.
225. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the Secretary General of his Department, for the purpose of transparency and accountability, will publish his diary on the Department's website on a monthly basis. [19962/13]
View answerI am satisfied in the broadest sense that Civil Servants at my Department carry out their functions with honesty, impartiality and with respect for the citizens they serve. The Secretary General as the Accounting Officer is obliged to appear before the Public Accounts Committee on an annual basis and account for the expenditure of the Education budget as voted on by the Houses of the Oireachtas.
In addition to the above, the conduct of Civil Servants in carrying out their official functions is governed by the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour. The Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 imposes a statutory obligation on Civil Servants that hold designated positions to disclose any interest they may have that could influence them in carrying out their official duties. In ensuring that it works in a transparent manner, my Department recently launched a new website which regularly publishes developments in the education sector. It includes details of the School Building Works Programme, payments made to companies that are over €20,000 in value and a statement of prompt payments. In relation to the Deputy's specific suggestion that the Secretary General at my Department should publish his diary on the Department's website, I understand that the Secretary General is now considering this.
226. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 479 of 16 April 2013, if he has a timeline for when he will receive the report from the National Council for Special Education; if its recommendations will be implemented by the start of the academic year 2013-14; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19982/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has requested the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to provide policy advice to my Department, in accordance with its role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, on the appropriate nature and configuration of educational supports which should be provided to schools to support children with special educational needs. It is intended that the significant resources to support children with Special Educational Needs are deployed to ensure the best possible outcomes for students. The advice will be a key input into achieving this goal. The advice from the National Council for Special Education is expected in the coming months. The position in relation to the implementation of any recommendations which may contained in the report will be considered once the report has been received by my Department.
227. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a redundancy payment issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare in respect of employment as a special needs assistant at a school in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20010/13]
View answerAn application for compensation for loss of hours from the person referred to by the Deputy was received by my Department on 6th December 2012. Applications are processed in date order of receipt and every effort is being made to process these applications as quickly as possible. A large volume of applications were received during the period June - October 2012. Payments are currently issuing in respect of applications received in mid to late September 2012.
228. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide funding to schools who wish to install a rainwater harvesting system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20040/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that rainwater harvesting systems were first introduced for major school building projects in 2008. Since then all major school building projects, where site conditions and circumstances allow and where economically viable to do so, can incorporate a rainwater harvesting system into their accommodation brief. While fitting the systems in new schools during construction is relatively straightforward, retrofitting them in existing schools is much more difficult and expensive because of the various dedicated pipe work systems both within the building and externally underground and the amount of making good work that is required in each instance.
I also wish to inform the Deputy that for existing buildings it is more cost effective to minimise the demand for water firstly through installing measures to reduce water usage such as push type spray taps, low flushing toilets, urinal controls, repairing leaks etc. To this end schools were invited in 2010 to apply for Water Conservation measures and funding of almost €10m was made available to promote water conservation measures as part of this initiative.
229. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence regarding a renewable energy project in a school (details supplied) in County Galway. [20044/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the responsibility for the regulation of the electricity market rests with the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory body and my Department has no statutory function in the matter. I am aware, however, that in Ireland's deregulated open market, electrical suppliers can source their electricity from whatever sources they wish. I understand that presently there are two schemes in place for selling renewable energy back to the Grid, the first is a Microgeneration scheme for domestic users and the second is a REFIT Tariff scheme for commercial scaled installations. Presently, it appears that surplus electricity may be credited only to these two schemes.
I suggest that the Deputy may wish to contact the CER and or the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCE&NR) relating to any options that may be open to the school. I am aware that the school has had some engagement previously with the DCE&NR concerning the matter to which the Deputy refers.
230. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a redundancy payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare in respect of employment as a special needs assistant at a school in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20051/13]
View answerA redundancy payment will issue to the person referred to by the Deputy on the 9th May 2013.
231. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of career guidance counsellors in Dublin schools for the academic years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20109/13]
View answerThe day to day management of how teaching resources are used in schools is done at local school level. It is established policy that guidance is a whole school activity and under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. I have already acknowledged that bringing guidance within quota is challenging for schools. However the alternative was to adjust the PTR staffing allocations. The budget decision sheltered the impact for all DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations.
Initial findings of a recent comprehensive survey by the National Centre for Guidance in Education on schools provision for guidance would suggest that even though there has been a cut in the allocation schools continue to prioritise the guidance programme and within it have increased group-work and class-based activity at senior cycle. This approach maximises the amount of time available for those pupils that need one to one support.
232. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants in Dublin schools for the academic years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20110/13]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports including resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
Details of all of the SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2012/13 school year, on a per county basis, are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
The NCSE has advised my Department that they allocated 2,778.91 SNA posts to Dublin schools for the 2011/2012 school year. Prior to the 2011/12 school year the NCSE did not detail their allocation information on per county basis, and accordingly the number of SNAs approved for Dublin schools for the 2010/2011 school year is not readily available.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has requested the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to provide policy advice to my Department, in accordance with its role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, on the appropriate nature and configuration of educational supports which should be provided to schools to support children with special educational needs. It is intended that the significant resources to support children with Special Educational Needs are deployed to ensure the best possible outcomes for students. The advice will be a key input into achieving this goal. The advice from the National Council for Special Education is expected in the coming months.
233. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a project (details supplied) in County Waterford has gone to pre-qualification stage once again; if there are any sources of funding for temporarily relocating; the lead-in time required for moving assuming planning permission is in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20111/13]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department has responded to the correspondence appended in the details of the question. The Deputy will be aware, from the correspondence, that a number of issues have lead to delays in the progression of this project to tender and construction stage. Most recently, in March 2013, the previously pre-qualified Contractors were asked to confirm that nothing had changed since the previous pre-qualification of Contractors which would affect their ability to fulfil the requirements to tender. Some of the pre-qualified Contractors were unable to provide the necessary confirmation and therefore a new pre-qualification process was necessary. The new pre-qualification process is already underway with a closing date of 10/5/2013. Subject to no further issues arising, it is envisaged that the project will then proceed directly to tender and construction. I can confirm to the Deputy that planning permission remains in place. The school has been advised that should an issue arise with regard to a need for temporary relocation that it should contact my Department immediately.
234. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students (details supplied) who have sat the leaving certificate since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20126/13]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme is available for downloading from their website: www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
235. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students (details supplied) who sat the junior certificate since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20127/13]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme is available for downloading from their website: www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
