Written Answers Nos. 141-159
141. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposed commencement date for a school building project (details supplied) in County Louth; the timeframe for completion of this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29068/13]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school building project referred to was included in the €50 million investment in new school building projects recently announced as part of the Government's "Investing in Infrastructure & Jobs" Package. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Officials from the School Building Unit of my Department will shortly be in contact with the School Authorities in relation to progressing the project to tender and construction.
142. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to improve the practical skills of third level graduates in the information communications technology sector before they enter the workplace. [29152/13]
View answerWork placements have a key role to play in helping students to develop the practical work place skills required by employers. In recent years higher education institutions have expanded the work placement opportunities available to students in ICT and other disciplines and the National Strategy for Higher Education recommends further expanding work placement and service learning opportunities across higher education programmes. The joint Government-Industry Action Plan, which I launched in January 2012, contains a comprehensive, system wide response aimed at building the supply of high quality ICT graduates. As part of the Plan almost 1,500 places have been provided for graduate jobseekers on intensive honours degree level ICT conversion courses. The courses, which are designed and delivered in partnership with industry, all contain a structured work placement. The Action Plan also provided for the establishment of a high level Academic Industry Foresight Group chaired by the Chair of HEA and with strong high level industry membership. The Group, which was established in January 2012, has a work programme to review existing provision and ensure that third level ICT programme development is aligned to enterprise skills needs.
143. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the consideration being given by his Department to having the proposed amalgamated primary school for Ballyroan, County Laois, progressed to the next stage; and if his Department sees this as a priority. [29157/13]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that there is a major building project for the amalgamation, referred to by the Deputy, at an early stage of architectural planning. The design team is currently working on the preparation of the Stage 2(a) submission. Due to competing demands on my Department's capital budget, imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements, it was not possible to include this project in the five year construction programme. Schools which have not been included in the five year construction programme but which were previously initiated will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to my Department in future years. The project referred to by the Deputy will remain available to be considered for progression in that context when it has reached the completion of the design stages.
144. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons for his stated opinion that the exclusion as a rule of the public from the library of University College Dublin is not at variance with its statutory objective to promote learning in society generally. [29172/13]
View answerUniversities are autonomous statutory bodies and the management and operation of their facilities is therefore the responsibility of the college authorities. I, as Minister for Education and Skills, have no role in such matters. University libraries are provided primarily for use by students and staff and it is a function of the university alone to determine appropriate arrangements and regulations concerning public access where this is practical. I understand that UCD does facilitate access to its library by members of the public for genuine scholarly and research purposes.
145. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding school books; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29175/13]
View answerI am very conscious that the cost of textbooks is a considerable burden on families. Since becoming Minister for Education and Skills, I have attempted to take steps to reduce the burden on families. Shortly after coming into office I met with members of the Irish Educational Publishers' Association and impressed on them the need to limit the cost of textbooks. I have also stressed to them the real need to avoid placing schools and families in a position where textbooks are altered unnecessarily. The Association responded positively to my approaches and agreed a voluntary Code of Practice among their members. The Code commits the publishers to limit the publication of new editions and to maintaining editions of books in print unchanged for at least six years. The publishers have also given assurances to me that they will sell textbooks to schools at discounts so that schools can purchase textbooks in bulk to stock textbook rental schemes.All these developments are welcome, and I look forward to seeing the members of the Association implement these commitments. The Department provided approximately €15m in total to first and second level schools by way of book grants in 2012 and the same level of funding will be provided in 2013. As the Deputy may be aware I launched new "Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes in Schools" on the 28th January last. These Guidelines provide practical advice to primary and post-primary schools on how rental schemes can be established and operated. The aim of the Guidelines is to help as many schools as possible to start such book rental programmes. The publication of these Guidelines follows a survey of schools by the Department, and which I published in May 2012. This had a 99% response rate at primary level, and showed that 76% of primary schools operate a book rental scheme. At second level, the response rate was lower, at 44%. Of those which did respond, 88% of those in the VEC sector and 73% of those in the Community & Comprehensive sector operated a book rental scheme. I believe these results show that we have a good foundation to build on across the country. I hope that schools that are not yet operating book rental schemes will be encouraged to use the Guidelines to introduce them. If they do, it will result in substantial savings for parents. Schools which already have rental schemes can save parents up to 80% of the cost of buying new books. A special "Guide for Parents" was also published, to inform them of how the schemes operate and how parents can help schools to establish and run them. I have been very clear in my support for book rental schemes. All of us who are parents know how expensive textbooks can be and what a burden it places on already hard pressed families at the start of every school year. I am pleased to see the high level of book rental schemes in operation at primary level and I believe that these Guidelines will encourage this practice across all schools in our education landscape. I also published a Report on Textbook Rental Schemes in Schools and the Allocation of Textbook Grants by the Department of Education & Skills in May 2012. This report presented four policy options to encourage schools to establish textbook rental schemes. None of the options are ideal, each one involves a trade-off of advantages and disadvantages. I will continue to monitor the number of schools operating book rental schemes, and if it proves necessary consider further steps to encourage schools to do so. I have previously advised the Deputy that educational book publishers are independent private companies not under the direct control of my Department. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on textbooks are taken at school level. Individual schools need to adopt a more cost-conscious approach to the selection of books in their classes.
146. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason persons are still awaiting Student Universal Support Ireland grants; the reason SUSI has failed to deal with a case (details supplied); the date this application was received; the date this application went to appeal; the date the appeal decision was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29176/13]
View answerAn appeal from the student in question was considered by the independent Student Grants Appeals Board on the 16th April, 2013. I understand that Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) was requested to review this application by the Board.
Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome in the coming days.
147. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reinstate a person (details supplied) on the main redeployment panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29185/13]
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. Following a review of the operation of the subsidiary and supplementary panels in the 2012/13 school year and in order to enable the redeployment process to operate in a more efficient manner, with effect from the 2013/14 school year all eligible applicants who meet the relevant eligibility criteria will be placed on the supplementary panels and there will no longer be a separate subsidiary panel. 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 is available on the Department website. The supplementary panel set up in accordance with the arrangements set out in this circular will be used for appointments to full-time permanent posts in primary schools but only where those posts are not otherwise required to facilitate the redeployment of surplus permanent and CID holding teachers. The individual referred to by the Deputy applied for the Supplementary Panel 2013/14 and has been informed of her eligibility for that panel.
148. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal is still awaiting a decision on their student grant, given that their appeal was received by Student Universal Support Ireland on 25 April and a decision remains outstanding and, as a result of this delay, the student is prevented from accessing their fourth year exam results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29186/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, his student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on the 25th of April 2013.
The appeal is currently being examined and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome in the coming days.
149. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on concerns (details supplied) about the adverse effect of the increase in student teacher ratio on Protestant secondary schools around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29226/13]
View answerThe Government has protected frontline services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget and there will be no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools and in free second level schools for the 2013/14 school year as a result of the budget. The DEIS scheme for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a result of the budget. At post primary level and in order to promote fairness in funding second level schools, a two-point increase in the pupil teacher ratio in fee-charging second level schools will be introduced in September 2013. There are currently 55 schools out of 723 post-primary schools charging fees ranging from €2,550 to €10,065 for day pupils. At present, the State pays the salaries of one teacher for every 21 pupils in these schools compared with one teacher for every 19 pupils in schools in the free education scheme. A ratio of 18.25 pupils to one teacher applies in DEIS schools. This will rise to 23:1 in fee-charging schools from September 2013. However, these schools have the resources, through fees charged, to employ teachers privately, an option which is not available to schools in the free education scheme. A report on the analysis of the tuition income of fee-charging schools carried out by the Department was recently published and shows that the schools in question have €81m in discretionary income that schools in the free scheme do not have. It is important to note that the report does not contain any policy proposals at this stage. However, even after the Budget changes are implemented, the discretionary income available to these schools will still be quite considerable. There are some concerns within the Church of Ireland community on the recent budget measure affecting fee-charging schools. 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. How best to sustain education provision for widely dispersed and small local communities does present as a particular challenge, especially in any locality where enrolment is declining to single figures. The Government is intent in fostering pluralism in school provision. Supporting small communities including minorities in maintaining their schools is part of that policy. 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.
150. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form the total number of uncertified sick days taken by employees in his Department; the average uncertified sick days per employee taken; the total certified sick days taken by employees; the average certified sick days per employee; the total sick days taken by employees; the average total sick days and median overall sick days per employee in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. [29270/13]
View answerThe following tabular statement contains the data requested by the Deputy. My colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform issued a revised circular late last year in relation to sick leave for Civil Servants which places greater constraints on the operation of self certified sick leave.
|
- |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Uncertified Sick Days |
1589.10 |
1408.93 |
1292.79 |
987.19 |
|
Average per Employee |
1.17 |
1.03 |
0.97 |
0.76 |
|
Certified Sick Days |
14286.78 |
13244.29 |
14059.56 |
11631.29 |
|
Average per Employee |
10.51 |
9.70 |
10.50 |
8.96 |
|
Total Sick Days |
15875.88 |
14653.22 |
15352.35 |
12618.48 |
|
Average per Employee |
11.68 |
10.73 |
11.47 |
9.72 |
|
Median |
1.50 |
2.00 |
1.50 |
1.00 |
151. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give a comprehensive assurance that a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath which caters for students with a profound intellectual disability will continue to do so; if consideration is being given to providing additional accommodation for these students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29298/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is to ensure that a continuum of special educational provision is made available, as required, for children with special educational needs, including those attending special schools. This includes making provision for special school and special class placements where required. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the planning and provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for children with special educational needs. The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), co-ordinates special needs education provision, which includes the establishment of special needs units in various geographical areas as required. I understand that the school in question has applied to my Department for alternative accommodation. My Department will consider this request in liaison with the NCSE, as required, and my officials will revert to the school authorities on this matter as soon as possible.
152. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of the running costs of Student Universal Support Ireland from its inception to the end of May 2012; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures and the way they compare to the projected running costs of SUSI, as originally envisaged by his Department when awarding the tender to City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee. [29305/13]
View answerIn the period following the outcome of the selection process there was an implementation planning stage for SUSI up to May 2012 when CDVEC by way of order under the Student Support Act 2011 was designated as the appointed awarding authority for student grants on 22nd May 2012. Some staffing, project set up costs and operation costs were incurred by the CDVEC in that period which the Department reimbursed. The breakdown of the costs incurred by the City of Dublin VEC prior to the going live of Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) from its inception to the end of May 2012 is contained in the following table. The funding provided by the Department to the City of Dublin VEC for the administration of student grants by SUSI is provided on a financial year basis, and the year 1 projected costs were on the basis of the full financial year 2012. The projected running costs for SUSI were not broken down on the basis sought by the Deputy.
Breakdown of SUSI costs July 2011 to May 2012
|
Year |
Costs Breakdown |
Costs |
Total |
|
July -Dec 2011 |
Staffing Project Set Up Operational |
€1,551.58 €21,319.82 €399.55 |
€23,270.95 |
|
Jan-May 2012 |
Staffing Project Set Up Operational |
€94,184.08 €453,949.24 €64,280.00 |
€612,413.32 |
|
Total |
- |
- |
€635,684.27 |
153. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 has been denied access to the fund for survivors of institutional abuse in order to pay for their child's education despite having had access to this for older children. [29306/13]
View answerThe Education Finance Board (EFB) was financed by the €12.7 million contribution provided by the religious congregations under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement specifically earmarked for educational support for former residents and their families. In November 2011 the EFB indicated that it expected that the funds available to it would be fully allocated on applications already received and accordingly it publicised that it would not be in a position to process any applications received after 30th November, 2011. The EFB was dissolved with effect from 29th March 2013 and its remaining functions were taken over by the new Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISF).
The RISF has been established to oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by the religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse, across a range of services, including mental health services, health and personal social services, education and housing services. Eligibility to receive support from the Fund is restricted to those 15,000 former residents who have received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or equivalent Court awards.
Relatives of survivors of abuse are not eligible to receive support from the RISF. Having regard to the maximum funds available and the potential pool of applicants, I believe that this is the correct approach. However I have agreed that the question of reviewing the eligibility under the RISF could be considered following two years of the operation of the Fund in the event of applications not resulting in a significant expenditure of the Fund.
The Board held its inaugural meeting on 27th March and has commenced work on the arrangements to be put in place for the operation of the Fund. Further publicity will be undertaken as the work of the Board progresses and a website with detailed information on the Fund's services will be developed.
Due to confidentiality restrictions I am not in a position to comment on any individual application to the EFB. I have however arranged to have the Deputy's query regarding the specific individual forwarded to the RISF Board requesting that it respond directly to him in relation thereto.
154. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has had their higher education grant cancelled; if he will instruct Student Universal Support Ireland to re-asses his application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29332/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 10th May, 2013 advising her that she was deemed ineligible to receive a grant.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the appeals officer in SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.
155. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a decision has been made on a student grant appeal to Student Universal Support Ireland in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29333/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 22nd April 2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. SUSI has confirmed that they have no appeal on file in relation to this applicant.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has not interpreted the scheme correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the Student Grant Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.
156. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if emergency works funding will be granted to a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29388/13]
View answerThe management authorities of the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to carry out various improvement works at their school. As the scope of works for which funding is sought is outside the terms of the scheme they cannot be considered for funding. The management authority of the school has been informed of this decision. The school has been requested on a number of occasions to submit a scaled down application to address the immediate health & safety issues and to date a scaled back application has not been received from the school. As soon as this application is received it will be assessed and the school authorities notified of the outcome.
157. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures that he and his Department have recently put in place to ensure that the delays seen in the last academic year with the Student Universal Support Ireland are not repeated for the 2013/14 year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29391/13]
View answerI am informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that in preparation for the 2013/2014 academic year both the on-line application system and the application assessment process have been further developed to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency and respond to experiences from year one. For applicants applying through SUSI for the 2013/14 academic year, a number of new initiatives will make their application more efficient this year. The initiatives include direct information sharing between SUSI and Government bodies and agencies including the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social Protection, the General Register Office (GRO) and the Central Applications Office (CAO). These links should reduce significantly the number of documents required from applicants themselves. Also additional staff resources have already been sanctioned which include three additional management posts and some 23 (whole time equivalent) additional processing staff. This will help to ensure that qualifying students have their applications assessed as quickly as possible. SUSI has also significantly developed its training programme to meet the training needs of new and existing staff. The closing date will be a month earlier to facilitate earlier application and decision on a grant application. SUSI is also working closely with all third level institutions to improve the payment process for the 2013/14 academic year.
158. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list the regulators which are accountable to his Department; the administrative cost of operating each regulator in 2012; the accommodation costs and the number of staff employed; the total income and expenditure in 2012 for each regulator; his plans to amalgamate some regulatory offices and to amalgamate some regulatory processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29421/13]
View answerFollowing is a list of the seven bodies under the aegis of my Department that were classified as a "regulatory body" in the report entitled "Bodies in Ireland with Regulatory Powers" which was produced in 2007. A "regulatory body" is defined as one that has functions in at least two of the following three areas of activities:
- The formulation of goals; the making of rules and / or the setting of standards.
- Monitoring; gathering information; scrutiny; inspection; audit and evaluation.
- Enforcement; modifying behaviour; applying rewards and sanctions.1. Further Education and Training Awards Council2. Higher Education and Training Awards Council3. National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, [1,2,3 above have merged since November 2012, now known as the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI)]4. Higher Education Authority (HEA)5. National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB)[In June 2011, the functions of the National Educational Welfare Board transferred to the newly established office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs]6. State Examinations Commission (SEC)7. The Teaching Council
The regulatory function of the various bodies is one of many functions they discharge in accordance with their statutory obligations. In this regard the overall administrative costs of a body do not bear a relationship to its regulatory role, nor do the accommodation costs, staff employed or total income. The administrative cost of operating each regulator, the accommodation costs and the number of staff employed are included in the following table. The Deputy may wish to note that the Teaching Council has been self-financing since 2008.
Year 2012
|
Regulator |
Administrative cost of operating each regulator in 2012 |
Accommodation costs |
Number of staff employed |
Total income |
Total expenditure |
|
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) (Note 1) |
€10.703m |
€0.883m |
79.7 wholetime equivalents (WTEs) at 31/12/2012 |
€12.658m |
€11.586m |
|
Higher Education Authority (HEA) [Note 2] |
€6,984,091 |
€840,567 |
55.6 |
€7,541,975 |
€7,995,217 |
|
State Examinations Commission |
€9,686,745 |
OPW Supplied |
152 sanctioned wholetime equivalent (WTE). In addition the SEC availed of 1,864.5 Temporary Worker Weeks |
€9,021,092 |
€61,000,000 |
|
The Teaching Council (note: Self-funding) |
€4,285k (note: no cost to Exchequer) |
€289k (note: no cost to the Exchequer) |
30 |
€8,031k |
€4,574k (note: no cost to the Exchequer) |
Note 1: Amalgamation of Further Education and Training Awards Council, Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
Note 2: Administrative Cost figure is the administrative grant provided to the HEA.
159. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline in tabular form the number of semi-State organisations currently in operation under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29812/13]
View answerThe information the Deputy has requested is included in the table below. Details of all bodies under the aegis of the Department of Education & Skills are available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
List of State agencies under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills
|
Agency |
Website |
|
An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) |
http://www.cogg.ie |
|
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) |
http://www.childabusecommission.ie/ |
|
Education Finance Board (EFB) |
http://www.educationfinanceboard.com/ |
|
FÁS |
http://www.fas.ie |
|
Grangegorman Development Agency |
http://www.ggda.ie |
|
Higher Education Authority (HEA) |
http://www.hea.ie |
|
Irish Research Council |
http://www.ircset.ie/ |
|
Léargas - The Exchange Bureau |
http://www.leargas.ie |
|
National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) |
http://www.ncge.ie |
|
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) |
http://www.ncca.ie |
|
National Council for Special Education (NCSE) |
http://www.ncse.ie |
|
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) |
http://www.qqi.ie |
|
Residential Institution Redress Board (RIRB) |
http://www.rirb.ie |
|
Residential Institution Review Committee (RIRC) |
- |
|
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF) |
- |
|
Skillnets Ltd |
http://www.skillnets.ie |
|
State Examinations Commission (SEC) |
http://www.examinations.ie |
|
The Teaching Council |
http://www.teachingcouncil.ie |
