Written Answers Nos. 279-294
279. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a college of further education (details supplied) in Dublin 10 that provides higher education courses is eligible to apply to offer Springboard and momentum skills places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27409/13]
View answerProposals for courses to be run under the Springboard programme are accepted from all providers that submit proposals that meet the criteria specified in the call for proposals. The call for proposals for courses to be run under Springboard 2013 was issued by the Higher Education Authority in February with a deadline for receipt of proposals of 9 April. The call documentation is available on the HEA website (http://www.hea.ie/sites/default/files/springboard2013callforproposals_1.pdf). Details of the courses selected for funding will be available in the coming weeks. Under the call for proposals, eligible courses for the Springboard Programme must either:(a) Lead to a higher education and training award that is included in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) at Levels 6 to 9, which is made by one of the following Irish awarding bodies: Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), including approved combinations of modules from HETAC validated major awards Institutes of Technology with delegated authority to make awards Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Universities or (b) Lead to a higher education and training award that is aligned with the Irish National Framework of Qualifications at Levels 6-9. These awards must be aligned with the Irish National Framework of Qualifications at Levels 6-9. These awards must be aligned with the Irish NFQ as at 1st January 2013. If the college to which the Deputy refers to had submitted a proposal in line with these and the other criteria specificed in the call for proposal it would have been eligible to be considered by the selection panel for funding. Both public and private providers were also eligible to apply for funding from the Momentum fund, subject to a tender process. There were two stages in this process: (i) pre-qualification and (ii) project proposals assessment. Notification of the pre-qualification for the current round of funds was published on the e-tenders website last summer. Pre-qualified providers had the opportunity to submit proposals which were considered in line with the tender specification. No subsequent notification has been published.
280. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allocate a full-time special needs assistant to a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath to ensure a child with special needs can continue their education at their present school. [27411/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department. The NCSE allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school, and on the basis of the assessed care needs of the children. All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. The NCSE are currently processing these applications and schools will be notified by SENOs of their resource teaching and SNA allocation for 2013/14 in advance of the coming school year, based on the number of valid applications received. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
281. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a student grant appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27427/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy had his application reviewed and a revised award letter issued on 18th April 2013. I also understand that all payments are up to date in this case.
283. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been refused DEIS recognition when the number of students from disadvantaged background has increased dramatically in recent years. [27433/13]
View answerFollowing an independent identification process in 2005, 875 schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). The school to which the Deputy refers was among a number of schools that was judged as not having a sufficient level of disadvantage to qualify for inclusion in DEIS. A review mechanism was put in place in 2006 to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which was of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. No application for review was received from St. Bridget's Primary School. My Department responded to correspondence from this school, in 2012, regarding obtaining DEIS status detailing the current position.
A key priority for my Department is to continue to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionality, or inclusion of further schools, in the DEIS programme.
284. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a home tuition grant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27440/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the child in question was in receipt of Home Tuition for the period December 2011 to July 2012. There is no record of any subsequent application for Home Tuition being submitted to my Department. The Deputy will be aware that purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism. Home Tuition is provided as an interim provision only and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a place in school. Where an educational placement has been identified and the parent chooses not to avail of it, Home Tuition will not be sanctioned. The preferred approach is that children with autism are educated in school settings where children may have access to individualised education programmes, fully-qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants, the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) can assist parents to identify school placements which can then be resourced to support children with special educational needs. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
285. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Education and Skills if independently managed community education providers will continue to be recognised and resourced in supporting persons to develop personally, socially and economically; if the position of independently managed community education will be secured at this critical time of development for the new further education and training service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27441/13]
View answerI recognise that further education and training, as it is currently delivered, covers a broad spectrum of education that ranges from basic adult literacy courses to courses that are certified at level 6 and above on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Further Education and Training is accessed by all manner of learners, ranging 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 have been raised regarding the definition of further education and training. I am aware that many providers want greater recognition of this dimension to be reflected in the legislation.
At Committee Stage on 1st May, I undertook to examine the issue further. Accordingly I asked officials in the Department to give consideration to the matters raised, ahead of Report Stage in the Dáil.
286. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the work his Department is currently undertaking on various pieces of upcoming legislation, through a potential Bill to go through the Houses of the Oireachtas or through statutory instrument, to ensure Ireland is in compliance with the upcoming deadlines of directives from the European Union; the deadline in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27472/13]
View answerMy Department's current legislation programme, including the object of the legislation, was published at the beginning of the current Dáil session. My Department is not currently preparing any legislation related to compliance with Directives from the European Union.
288. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if is considering a contingency plan for Protestant parents who may no longer be able to afford to send their children to Protestant fee paying schools (details supplied). [27504/13]
View answer290. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he decides to proceed with the budgetary cuts and discriminate against protestant pupils, the backup plan for families when they will no longer be able to send children to a Protestant ethos school as the only other non-fee paying protestant ethos school (details supplied) in County Dublin in the vicinity is full. [27510/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 290 together. This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. With regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided by my Department to the Secondary Education Committee (SEC), an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools. The SEC then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.5 million annually. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice. There are no changes proposed in respect of the Protestant block grant. The Deputy will be aware that in the context of the Budget 2013, I made a further one point change to the staffing allocation of fee charging schools from September 2013. Given the extremely difficult economic circumstances that this country is facing and the fact that every Department has to find considerable cost-savings, all expenditure must be examined to see if cost-savings can be found. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot at this stage anticipate any specific decisions the Government may take in respect of the next budget.
291. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount that is being spent on renting prefab units in counties Longford and Westmeath; the rental cost per prefab unit; the names of the companies that have the contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27520/13]
View answerA list of the schools in counties Longford and Westmeath that have rented prefab units is attached for the Deputy's information. The rental companies providing the prefab accommodation are Accommodation & Building Systems Ltd, Addacabin, Allspace, Cabinpac, Extraspace, Instaspace, Maccom, Roadmaster Caravans Ltd and Ultrakabin. 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 and the further initiative that I announced yesterday over 216 schools have either already been approved or are currently being contacted to replace their rented prefab accommodation with a permanent build. In excess of €57m has been allocated for these two initiatives of which €24.8m has been paid to date. These initiatives will result in savings of approx €7m per annum on the rental of prefabs in these schools in the coming years. Information in relation to all schools included in the Prefab Replacement Initiatives is available on my Department's website.
Prefab rental in Longford and Westmeath - June 2013
|
Roll no |
Name of school |
County |
Description of rental |
Floor area |
Annual rent |
|
20124G** |
St Marys NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€14,391.00 |
|
20124G** |
St Marys NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€14,391.00 |
|
20124G** |
St Marys NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€15,830.10 |
|
20124G** |
St Marys NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
202m2 |
€34,480.83 |
|
20124G** |
St Marys NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
160m2 |
€33,210.00 |
|
201280** |
St Matthews NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€11,832.40 |
|
201280** |
St Matthews NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€10,533.40 |
|
201280** |
St Matthews NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€10,533.40 |
|
201280** |
St Matthews NS |
Longford |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€10,533.40 |
|
05916G* |
St. Annes NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
108m2 |
€18,708.26 |
|
17025K* |
The Downs NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€16,871.36 |
|
17102C* |
Cluain Buinne |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
76m2 |
€12,611.96 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€10,809.24 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€10,809.24 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€17,930.67 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,694.46 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,694.47 |
|
17327D** |
Curraghmore NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€16,377.73 |
|
18505G |
St Clares NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
54m2 |
€18,435.15 |
|
18505G |
St Clares NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
45m2 |
€0.00 |
|
18640M** |
St Josephs NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€16,981.38 |
|
18640M** |
St Josephs NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,095.81 |
|
18640M** |
St Josephs NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,095.81 |
|
18640M** |
St Josephs NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€11,320.92 |
|
19848S** |
St Etchens NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€25,171.29 |
|
19848S** |
St Etchens NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
56m2 |
€14,646.84 |
|
20063M* |
Scoil an Chlochair |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,239.63 |
|
20063M* |
Scoil an Chlochair |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€13,239.63 |
|
20073P |
St Marys NS |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
44m2 |
€7,355.40 |
|
20238V |
GS an Choillin |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€11,512.80 |
|
20238V |
GS an Choillin |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€14,966.64 |
|
20238V |
GS an Choillin |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€14,966.64 |
|
20238V |
GS an Choillin |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
240m2 |
€42,596.63 |
|
20238V |
GS an Choillin |
Westmeath |
Pre-fab |
80m2 |
€20,787.00 |
* Included in Prefab Replacement Programme
** Included in 5 Year Programme.
292. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in responding to representations regarding transport for children (details supplied) in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27527/13]
View answerAs previously advised, changes to the Post Primary School Transport Scheme which were introduced at the commencement of the 2012/13 school year generated an increase in the number of queries and representations to my Department. When combined with the routine administrative work undertaken within my Department in relation to school transport provision generally, regrettably, it was not feasible to deal with the increased volume of representations in a more timely manner. Bus Éireann has advised that the family in question, who are not eligible for school transport, submitted a part payment for school transport on a concessionary basis in September 2012. This payment was refunded in October 2012 as the service was operating to capacity.
293. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in responding to representations with regard to transport for children (details supplied) in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27528/13]
View answerAs previously advised, changes to the Post Primary School Transport Scheme which were introduced at the commencement of the 2012/13 school year generated an increase in the number of queries and representations to my Department. When combined with the routine administrative work undertaken within my Department in relation to school transport provision generally, regrettably, it was not feasible to deal with the increased volume of representations in a more timely manner. Bus Éireann has advised that the family in question, who are not eligible for school transport, submitted a payment for school transport on a concessionary basis in August 2012. This payment was refunded in September 2012 as the service was operating to capacity.
294. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a date for the issuance of his policy on autism and the reason the DFS are operating the home tuition scheme in an inequitable manner. [27532/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that, mindful that greater clarity on my Department's policy on the education of children with autism would be useful for schools and parents, my Department is currently in the process of preparing a comprehensive statement of existing policy within the boundaries of one document. This process is ongoing. My Department's policy on the education of children with Autism resides within the overall policies on the education of children with special educational needs. In the main these policies are non condition specific. In this context, the Autism policy, whether expressed in a multiple of documents or in a single document, should not be viewed as a separate 'stand alone' policy. The new policy statement will not be exclusive. Policies are subject of necessity to change from time to time. Also, the new statement will neither alter nor add to existing policy. It will reflect the current policy in a coherent and articulate manner for the benefit of schools and parents. My Department is conscious of the need to adapt existing policies and to develop new policies as new research or learning becomes available. The National Council for Special Education has a formal role under Section 20.1(j) of EPSEN to advise the Minister 'in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities'. I have now requested the NCSE to prepare Policy Advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The NCSE have commissioned research which will not be finalised until mid to late 2014 and I expect that this research will inform much of the work in preparing the policy advice. Accordingly it is not expected that the report will be finalised until early 2015. The Deputy will be aware that the Home Tuition Scheme provides funding to parents to provide for education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children with Special Educational Needs including autism awaiting a suitable educational placement. The scheme is not operated in an inequitable manner. Home Tuition is not an acceptable long term alternative to the placement of a child in school. It is, in general, a short term measure available to parents who are unable to identify a placement in school for their child.
The case referred to in the correspondence supplied by the Deputy is one where the parents in question had been advised by the NCSE that a number of placements were available for the children. On this basis, the Home tuition provision was no longer payable. My officials extended the payment period to facilitate the transition of the children into their new school placements.
