Written Answers Nos. 227-242
228. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide assurances that pupils with special needs, assessed late in the academic year as requiring resource hours or a special needs assistant, will have the necessary allocations granted at the commencement of the new academic year; if these allocations cannot be granted, the reason for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33392/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (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 resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) 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. All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. The NCSE has now published details of all of their allocations for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/2014 school year. These details are now available on the NCSE website, www.ncse.ie, and detail the allocations made for each school on a per county basis.
In relation to SNA support, schools should contact the NCSE if they have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that these allocations were made, or where they are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them for the coming school year. In general a revision to SNA allocations will only be made in circumstances where schools have enrolled new pupils, or where schools can demonstrate that they do not have sufficient SNA posts to cater for the care needs of all of the qualifying children in their school. In relation to resource teaching support, I am committed to ensuring that the resources which will be required to ensure that the allocations can be made to schools at existing levels will be provided, including resources required to meet any late demand expected to arise between now and the start of the school year. I have requested the NCSE to advise me by the end of September on the level of additional demand arising from late or emergency applications for the remainder of the school year. 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.
229. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider extending membership of the supplementary assignment panel for special needs assistants, SNAs, to those who were made redundant prior to 1 May 2013 and SNAs involved in service in 2012-2013 in a suitable capacity as the panel militates unfairly against such SNAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33403/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, a new set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU and IMPACT, have signed up to the Haddington Road Agreement, the Department has now implemented supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs for the 2013/2014 school year. The detailed arrangements are set out in Departmental Circular 0037/2013 which issued on 1 July 2013.
The first part of the LRC proposals for supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs outlines that the supplementary assignment arrangements only apply to current SNAs who are notified that they are to be made redundant. Accordingly, with effect from 1 May 2013 once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service is notified by his/her employer that he/she is to be made redundant then he/she shall be deemed to be a member of a Supplementary Assignment Panel for SNAs. I can inform the Deputy that the 1st of May date was set in Circular 0037/2013 in order to ensure that the overwhelming majority of SNAs who worked in schools during the past year would be eligible for the supplementary assignment arrangements, as agreed to in the LRC proposals. As the LRC proposals are part of a wider public-sector pay agreement that represent compromises by both employers and unions, I do not have the ability to alter the terms of that agreement.
230. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills when construction of the extension to Castleknock community college, Dublin 15, will commence. [33404/13]
View answerThe major building project for Castleknock Community College is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2b. Further clarification on the stage 2(b) submission was recently received by the Department from the school authority and this is currently under review. Authorisation has been given to commence the pre-qualification process for contractors. On satisfactory completion of stage 2 (b) and assuming no issues arise, authorisation will be given to commence the tender process.
232. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding July provision application in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33436/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based provision is not feasible, home based provision may be grant aided. The person referred to by the Deputy by virtue of his young age has not yet commenced his primary education and therefore by definition under the terms of the scheme is ineligible to partake in it. However, I can confirm that the person named has been sanctioned for tuition under the Home Tuition programme to an amount equivalent to the maximum available under the Home Based July Provision scheme.
233. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way a student who is living independently of his or her parents and earning his or her own income can be classed as a dependant when applying for Student Universal Support Ireland; the way a student who has no relationship with his or her parents can be refused a SUSI grant because he or she is unable to provide information on his or her parents' income due to the breakdown in or lack of a relationship; if such students can be considered for a higher education grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33438/13]
View answerFor student grants purposes, a student may be assessed as an independent student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved post leaving certificate course or an approved higher education course or of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise he/she would continue to be assessed on the basis of his/her parents' income. In recognition of the fact that a student under 23 years of age can be estranged from his/her parents, it is possible under the student grant scheme, as an exceptional measure, for such a student to be assessed without reference to his/her parents/guardians income. However, compelling independent evidence of estrangement must be provided to the grant awarding authority to enable this. The type of independent evidence includes a letter from a social worker or other appropriate officer of the Health Service Executive explaining the circumstances of the estrangement. Confirmation that a student is living separately from his/her parents/guardians is not sufficient. I have no plans at present to change the eligibility arrangements in respect of students under the age of 23 who apply for a student grant.
234. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a Student Universal Support Ireland grant in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33444/13]
View answerAn appeal from the student referred to by the Deputy was considered by the independent Student Grants Appeals Board and the Appeals Board advised SUSI to reassess the application. Officials in my Department have been advised by SUSI that the application is currently awaiting review. Unfortunately, it is regretted that there has been a further delay in finalising the reassessment of this application. SUSI have confirmed that they will expedite the matter shortly and notification will issue directly to the student.
235. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way a person who was born here, has Irish parents and studied here until the age of 15 is now not permitted to attend university here; this person had to travel to America for two years with their parents for work purposes, the family is now back here and would like their child to attend university here but are being charged non-EU citizen prices to study here, the rule that a student must have been resident in the State three out of the past five years is extremely unfair in certain circumstances and is prohibiting families and persons who were forced to leave here for a period of time for work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33447/13]
View answerUnder the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved higher education institution. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.
Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and the criteria governing the level of tuition fees to be charged (EU or Non EU rate), in cases where undergraduate students do not qualify for free fees is a matter for the institutions to determine in accordance with their own criteria. Tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
236. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will explain the reason there is an ongoing dispute in relation to Health Service Executive specific speech and language services in Tallaght which have been provided to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 to cater for children with special educational needs; if he will indicate the steps being taken to resolve this dispute between his Department and the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33448/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD), which includes provision for the establishment of special classes for pupils with SSLD in primary schools. Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school's assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) and those meeting the criteria for establishment are approved by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). A full-time teacher is assigned to each class, and classes operate with a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 7:1. In addition, an enhanced capitation grant is provided to schools operating special classes for pupils with SSLD. Speech and Language Therapy services are provided to these classes by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
I can confirm that my Department has been in contact with the school in question in relation to matters raised regarding the provision of Speech and Language Therapy in the school. A meeting which has been scheduled to take place shortly between the parties concerned will be attended by an official from my Department's Inspectorate Division, with a view to resolving any outstanding matters.
237. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the reasons his Department has decided not to re-evaluate the base school status of schools this year; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this decision is negatively affecting certain schools (details supplied) in County Galway. [33485/13]
View answerSome 85% of all NCSE approved resource teaching hours in the 2012/13 school year were allocated to schools that had resource base posts. There are some slight changes to the location of these base posts for the 2013/14 school year to further improve the efficiency of these arrangements. The schools that were affected by these changes were those where the posts were not fully utilised for NCSE approved resource hours or where the teacher in the post was predominantly based in a neighbouring school. The full criteria used is set out in the Department's Staffing Circular 0013/2013 and is available on the Department website. Base schools are required to co-operate with their neighbouring schools to ensure that any surplus capacity in the (25 hour) resource posts is made available to neighbouring schools to meet their NCSE approved resource hour requirements. If the surplus capacity is fully utilised there are standard arrangements in place for the relevant schools to contact the Department for part-time resource teaching posts.
238. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, in the context of the move to bring plurality to educational patronage, parents seeking a school in the Steiner model will be accommodated in County Galway and elsewhere in the west. [33486/13]
View answerIn June 2011, I announced that 20 new primary schools are to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations. I also put in place revised procedures and criteria for the establishment of new schools which provide a balanced approach to allow for applications to be made by all prospective patrons. Full details are available on my Department's website. Applications for patronage of the new primary schools to be established in 2014 were recently sought by my Department. The closing date for receipt of applications was Friday 14 June 2013. An application has been received from the patron referred to by the Deputy for the Galway Knocknacarra area. The application assessment process is underway. As part of this process, my Department will prepare a report for consideration by the New Schools Establishment Group who will submit a report to me for final consideration and decision in due course.
240. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to concerns regarding a teacher being reinstated in a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33546/13]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The Board of Management is the employer of teaching and other staff and has similar powers to any other employer. While my Department operates a payroll service in respect of teachers on behalf of Boards of Management and has statutory functions in the setting of terms and conditions for teachers, my Department is not their employer. Accordingly, my Department does not have any employer/employee relationship with the teachers or other staff in a school and it cannot perform functions which are proper to the Board in relation to the management of the teaching staff of the school. In that context, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the case in question.
241. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will outline and compare the levels of pension benefit and the rates of pension benefit accrual of Irish Government Ministers with those of government ministers in other EU countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32967/13]
View answerIn Ireland the pensions of Ministers and Ministers of State are made up of two elements, (i) an Oireachtas pension for service as a TD and/or Senator and (ii) an office-holder's pension for service as Minister and/or Minister of State. Details of the schemes will be forwarded directly to the Deputy. I have no information on the pension terms or entitlements of Ministers in other EU states.
242. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with five Government-owned buildings in County Monaghan recently identified as being long-term vacant, if details will be provided as to the location of each of these buildings; the plans being considered for their future use; if the opinion of Monaghan County Council has been sought as to the way these potentially valuable resources may be used in providing business stimulus and-or job creation opportunities for this country and the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32979/13]
View answerThe five vacant State owned properties identified in County Monaghan are the following former Garda stations: Clontibret, Corrinshigach, Newbliss, Shantonagh and Smithborough. The OPW is currently assessing the property options arising in respect of all closed Garda Stations including those in County Monaghan. The stated policy is to identify if other State Bodies, including government departments and the wider public sector has a use for the property. If there is no other State use for a property the OPW will then consider disposing of the property on the open market, if and when conditions prevail, in order to generate much needed revenue for the Exchequer. If no State requirement is identified or if a decision is taken not to dispose of a particular property the OPW would consider, community involvement subject to the receipt of an appropriate business case which would indicate that the community/voluntary group has the means to insure, maintain and manage the property. The Office Of Public Works will engage with Monaghan County Council with regard to any interest the Local Authority may have in the above properties.
