Written Answers Nos 126-134
126. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Finance the amount of extra revenue per annum that would be generated if a new third rate of income tax of 45% was introduced on incomes over €80,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23328/13]
View answer127. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Finance the amount of extra revenue per annum that would be generated if a new third rate of income tax of 50% was introduced on incomes over €125,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23329/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 127 together.
As the Deputy is aware the Programme for Government contained a very specific commitment to examine a proposal to increase mortgage interest relief to 30% for first time buyers who bought between 2004 and 2008. In Budget 2012, this commitment was fulfilled. It is not my intention to widen the parameters of the commitment contained in the Programme for Government. As you will appreciate, I receive numerous requests for the introduction of new tax reliefs and the extension of existing ones, but I must be mindful of the public finances and the many demands on the Exchequer, given the significant budgetary constraints. Tax reliefs, no matter how worthwhile in themselves, reduce the tax base and make general reform of the tax system that much more difficult.
129. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Finance if there is a set time for processing flat rate addition refunds from the Revenue Commissioners; if he will investigate the reason refunds due to Irish breeders (details supplied) are taking longer than normal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23361/13]
View answerI am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the procedure for the company in question to receive a flat-rate addition refund under the European VAT Refund (EVR) system requires it to firstly apply to the UK HMRC. HMRC review the refund application, approve it and forward it electronically to Revenue. The allowed time under EU Directive 2008/9/EC for processing such claims is up to four months from the date of receipt of a claim. However, if it is necessary for Revenue to request additional information in respect of a claim, the maximum time limit can be extended up to eight months.
Revenue has confirmed that it received the claims in question via electronic transmission in January 2013 and April 2013. The claims required certain clarifications from the company and discussions in this regard are ongoing. I am assured by Revenue that the claims are receiving immediate attention and payment will issue as soon as the required clarifications are received.
130. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will deal with the major imbalance in Ireland's contribution to the current Europe wide financial crisis. [23364/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will recall the EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support provided funding for essential public services at a time when the State could not access financial markets at reasonable rates. The Government’s commitment to the Programme does not, and has not stopped us from seeking and agreeing changes to aspects of the programme. A series of burden reducing measures were negotiated by the Government and have been put in place since early 2011. First we have achieved a reduction in interest on EFSF and EFSM funds and on bilateral loans. The interest rates on EU funding mechanisms (the EFSF and EFSM) were reduced in 2011 and are now provided at rates close to the cost of funding. The maturities of these loans were extended at the same time. The interest rate reductions for the EFSF and the EFSM have also been reflected in the rates charged on Ireland’s bilateral loans from the UK, Sweden and Denmark. It is estimated that the interest rate reductions on the EU funding mechanisms and the bilateral loans are worth of the order of €9 billion over the initially envisaged 7½ year term of these loans. The positive impact of these changes has been significant as demonstrated by the fact that the average interest rate charged on our programme borrowing at the outset of the programme in 2010 was 5.82 per cent, whereas by end-March 2013, the National Treasury Management Agency has estimated that the all-in fixed euro equivalent cost of loans received under the EU/IMF programme was 3.32 per cent.
Second we have achieved an extension of the maturities of the loans. At the Ecofin and Eurogroup meetings in Dublin in April, EU and Euro-area Finance Ministers agreed in principle, to lengthen the maturities of the EFSF and EFSM loans to Ireland and Portugal by increasing the weighted average maturity of the loans by a further 7 years. The extension will smooth our debt redemption profile and lower our refinancing needs in the post-programme period, improving our long term debt sustainability.
Furthermore in February 2013 the Government successfully replaced the IBRC Promissory notes which had a weighted average life of c.7-8 years with Government Bonds with a weighted average life of c. 34-35 years at a lower funding cost for the State, resulting in significant annual interest savings. The Government have also removed Exceptional Liquidity Assistance and the inherent risk associated with short term borrowings which have to be rolled over on a fortnightly basis and have removed IBRC from the financial landscape.
In addition, there are quarterly reviews of the programme implementation and the Government have used these quarterly reviews to renegotiate various aspects of the programme, these include:
- a reversal in the reduction in the minimum wage;
- an agreement to reinvest proceeds from state asset sales in projects which are of a commercial nature, enhance employment and preserve long term fiscal sustainability;
- the acceptance by the Troika of the measures contained in the Government’s Jobs Initiative;
- the securing of the Troika’s agreement to the replacement of the fiscal adjustment measures incorporated in the original agreement for the 2012-14 period by measures that the Government considers to be more growth- and employment-friendly.
The success of our overall approach to date is illustrated by the NTMA’s highly successful sale of €5 billion in ten year bonds in March. We are now in the final year of our programme of support, and the Government will continue to seek improvements in our programme conditions as appropriate to support a durable and successful exit.
131. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a health care assistant course run by a private company (details supplied) under the auspices of his Department does not provide jobseekers with supports equivalent to those provided on similar courses run directly by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23123/13]
View answerIn the design of the Momentum scheme, consideration was given to the question of additional payments/supports but in the current difficult economic circumstances, it was decided that no additional payments, other than the retention of social welfare benefits, was warranted. This approach was discussed between the relevant Government Departments when the Programme was being designed last year.
132. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a teacher (details supplied) in County Galway will have their salary corrected and backdated in line with scale set out under Circular 0008/2013. [23073/13]
View answerAn official from the Primary Teachers Payroll Section of my Department has been in contact with the person concerned regarding the issues raised by the Deputy and outlined the current position to her.
133. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the catchment areas for school enrolment in two particular areas (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23078/13]
View answerThe question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a board of management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or, occasionally, on the basis of some other criterion. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a board of management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board refuses enrolment to a student. Where a school refuses to enrol a pupil, the school is obliged to inform parents of their right under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 to appeal that decision to either the relevant Vocational Educational Committee or to the Secretary General of my Department.
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The Board can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.
As the Deputy may be aware, I announced at this year's Teacher Union Conferences that I will shortly bring to Government draft heads of a bill – the Education (Admission to School) Bill 2013. I will seek to publish the Bill in draft form to allow a full public discussion, including inputs from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection and the education partners. I also intend to publish draft regulations that I plan to make when the Bill is enacted. In bringing forward these proposals, it is not my intention to unnecessarily intrude into how schools do their business. My policy objective is to ensure that every child is treated fairly and that the way in which schools decide on applications is structured, fair and transparent. As the Bill and the Regulations will be published in draft form, they will also be subject to a lot of detailed scrutiny before becoming law. I will be reflecting carefully on the views expressed in the consultation process to ensure they strike the right balance between school autonomy and fairness in our education system.
134. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the considerable concern among parents of children with Down's syndrome regarding access for their children to resource hours under the terms of the Special Education Circular 02/05; if in particular he will address the issue whereby children with Down's syndrome who have a mild learning disability currently have no access to resource hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23112/13]
View answer136. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that are available in mainstream schools for children with Down's syndrome; the number of persons with the disorder that are attending mainstream schools in 2013, and the comparative number for 2010, 2011 and 2012; and the cost of special needs assistant support for the same years. [23126/13]
View answer137. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason children with Down's syndrome removed from the disability category post 2005; and if he has any plans to reverse this decision. [23127/13]
View answer150. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if we will reclassify Down's syndrome as a disability in all cases so as to ensure that all children with this condition are provided with resource teaching hours which was the pre-2005 position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23327/13]
View answer151. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will revisit the lack of resource teaching hours for children with Down's syndrome in national schools. [23365/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 136, 137, 150 and 151 together.
The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down's syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, or where a special school or special class placement may be required to ensure such placements are provided for.
Pupils with Down's syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05.
It should be noted that the introduction of the GAM in 2005 did not change the position in relation to the allocation of supports for children with Down's syndrome who had mild general learning difficulty. Prior to the GAM introduction, Circular 08/02 set out that the level of additional support to be provided for children who present with a particular syndrome e.g. Down's Syndrome, will be determined following consideration of psychological or other specialist reports which details the nature and degree of the child's special educational needs. The allocations made were differentiated on the basis of the extent of general learning difficulty of the child.
Pupils with Down's syndrome may be allocated resources under the category of mild general learning disability, or under the categories of moderate general learning difficulty or Assessed Syndrome, in conjunction with another Low Incidence disability. There is not presently a distinct disability category of Down's syndrome for resource allocation purposes. As such, it is not possible to advise of the number of children with Down's syndrome who are attending mainstream primary education.
I have asked the National Council for Special Education to provide me with policy advice on the issue of whether Down's syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability. This advice will be included in the NCSE's comprehensive policy advice on how the education system can best support children with special educational needs which is currently in preparation and which is expected shortly.
