Written Answers Nos. 83-90
83. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding made available to the Irish Research Council from 2007 to present; the funding made available during the same period to the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Science and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology which predated the IRC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21904/13]
View answerThe Irish Research Council (IRC) was officially established from 19th March 2012, through the merger of the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET). The IRC continues the various activities and funding programmes of the two previous Councils. Its broad remit is to support and enhance human capital development, in particular at postgraduate and early stage postdoctoral researcher levels, and encourage independent exploratory research. Its remit covers the full range of disciplines spanning the humanities, social sciences, business, law, sciences, engineering and technology. The funding provided to the IRC from 2012 and to the two previous Councils from 2007 to 2011 is outlined in the table.
A summary of the expenditure since 2007 is given in the table.
|
- |
€m Exp. |
€m Exp. |
€m Exp. |
€m Exp. |
€m Exp. |
€m Exp. |
€m allocation |
|
- |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
IRCHSS |
12.5 |
12.69 |
14.4 |
11.24 |
10.8 |
- |
- |
|
IRCSET |
22.9 |
25.56 |
26.097 |
21.8 |
19.89 |
- |
- |
|
IRC (HSS) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
10.05 |
10.5 |
|
IRC (SET) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
20.59 |
20.9 |
84. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made on a Student Universal Support Ireland grant application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21952/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 2nd May, 2013.
85. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on the numbers, if any, of retired teachers who have been successful in the recent recruitment process for appointment for superintending this year's certificate exams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21956/13]
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.
86. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review an application for supplementary redeployment panel by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [21958/13]
View answerThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The application process for the supplementary panels was introduced for the 2012/13 school year.
The arrangements for panel access for fixed term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers for the 2013/14 school year are set out in Department Circular 0038/2012 which was published on 9 November 2012 on the Department website.
The period for submitting applications was between 9 November 2012 and 14 December 2012. The circular made clear that late applications would not be considered. The Department has received a number of applications after the closing date which will not be processed.
87. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding education training. [21975/13]
View answer91. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will clarify a situation regarding a project (details supplied) in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21991/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 91 together.
I recognise that further education as it is currently delivered covers a broad spectrum of education that ranges from basic adult literacy and numeracy courses to courses that are certified at level 6 and above on the National Framework of Qualifications. It also spans the generations of learners from adult learners to early school leavers. It is delivered in formal classroom settings and in less formal settings based in the community. It is essentially a flexible form of education that can meet the diverse needs of learners in the most appropriate setting.
Since the publication of the Bill a number of concerns, similar to those of the Deputies, have been raised regarding the definition of further education and the matter is being dealt with in the context of the passage of the Bill.
88. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the findings of the International Review Panel on Initial Education and the recommendations it makes for reform of the current system which if implemented should enhance teacher professionalism by increasing the research capacity of providers of initial teacher education. [21976/13]
View answer89. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond to the criticism of the International Review Panel on Initial Teacher Education that there is an over-reliance on part-time ITE staff and that casualisation is not conducive to high-quality outcomes, particularly in the area of research and systematic quality improvement. [21977/13]
View answer90. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department will be implementing a recommendation of the International Review Panel on initial teacher education that has called on the State to monitor the quality of entrants to all Initial Teacher Education providers, including private ones; the reason the number of entrants to publicly funded institutions remains capped while private-sector numbers remain uncapped at a time when many graduate teachers are unemployed. [21978/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 88 to 90, inclusive, together.
I have accepted the recommendations set out in a report commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on the structures of initial teacher education (ITE). The purpose of the report was to identify possible new structures to improve initial teacher education in Ireland so that it is comparable with the best in the world.
I believe that the recommendations on structural changes will complement other reforms already in train and assist in positioning Ireland at the forefront of teacher education. The implementation of the panel's recommendations concerning research will contribute to this goal. I agree with the review panel that there should be a culture of research in teacher education where staff are familiar with current research and are engaged in research on critical areas of teaching and teacher education.
The panel made comments on the staffing situation in ITE institutes. I too am concerned that ITE providers have access to and can retain suitably qualified and experienced personnel. It is hoped that the move to larger institutions will provide more critical mass and certainty for staff planning and development purposes. In the meantime, however, we are required to comply with necessary restrictions on recruitment and employee numbers, given the difficult position with the public finances.
In terms of the quality of entrants to ITE programmes, as a State we endeavour to set high standards of literacy and numeracy for all school leavers and to produce well informed critical thinkers across various disciplines. The academic standard of entrants to ITE programmes is high. Nonetheless, the Teaching Council, as part of its ongoing and multifaceted work on improving the quality of teaching, is currently undertaking a review of entry requirements and I look forward to receiving its advice in due course.
My Department is also keen to ensure that forecasting mechanisms are developed to ensure an adequate supply of teachers with the required qualifications. However, even with the best possible systems in place, securing equilibrium between demand and supply is not an exact science, and is subject to quite a number of variables. Recent developments, such as the EU rules on mutual recognition of qualifications, have also meant that supply is more difficult to control and predict. I have asked the Teaching Council to advise on this issue. My Department will work with the Council and other relevant stakeholders, as required, towards developing such mechanisms.
In the meantime, the numbers approved for entry to State-funded primary ITE programmes will continue to be subject to limits, as I do not believe it is in the interest of graduates or the teaching profession that there be an unregulated increase in graduate teachers from the public sector in the short to medium term. The level of intake to these Colleges has decreased in recent years in light of available resources and factors impacting on demand.
