Written Answers Nos 345 to 361
345. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the back to education grants available to stay-at-home mothers who do not have enough credits and are not in receipt of social welfare payments and wish to avail of the opportunity to do a full or part-time course to enhance their chances of returning to the workplace. [34641/13]
View answerThe main financial support available to students attending further or higher education is the Student Grant Scheme administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Under the terms of the scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. In order to be considered for a grant a student is required, under Section 8(1)(b) of the Student Support Act 2011, to be in attendance on a full-time basis. To determine eligibility for the 2013/14 academic year the student should submit an online grant application to SUSI via www.susi.ie. Eligibility for welfare support is determined and administered by the Department of Social Protection. Any change to its qualifying criteria for the back to education allowance is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.
346. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the non-EU student fee could be waived in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34662/13]
View answerAccess to Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses for non-Irish nationals in the following categories is available under the same conditions as apply to Irish nationals: EU nationals; persons who have refugee status in Ireland – be that convention or programme refugee status; persons in the State as the spouse of an EU national, where the EU national has moved from one country to another within the EU to work; persons (including their dependent spouse and children) who have been granted leave to remain in the State on humanitarian grounds; persons who have permission to remain in the State as the parents of a child born in Ireland - such a right is not extended to siblings of the Irish born child; and those asylum applicants covered by the terms of a Government decision of 26 July 1999. These participants may have to pay a registration charge to cover the cost of exam fees, student services, uniforms or course equipment. In addition a €200 PLC participant charge is also payable unless learners can claim an exemption. Full medical card holders, BTEA recipients and those eligible for maintenance grants are exempt from paying this participant charge. All other categories must pay the full economic fee currently €3,653 per annum. As the person referred to by the Deputy does not come under any of these categories she is required to pay the full economic fee. The administration and collection of the economic fee is a matter for the PLC College and Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board which has responsibility for the day to day management and running of the college.
347. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the commitments in the programme for Government within his remit; if the commitment has been met or is in the process of being met; the estimated time for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34678/13]
View answerInformation relevant to the Deputy's question is currently being compiled. A further reply will issue to the Deputy as soon as possible. Broadly speaking, I am satisfied with the amount of progress made to date and I believe that by the conclusion of the Government's full five year term, much of the ambitious reform agenda set out in that document will have been implemented.
348. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will detail, in tabular form, the names of all external public relations, communications consultants and organisations used by organisations or agencies within the remit of his Department since 9 March 2011; the details of the services supplied by each; the expenditure on each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34694/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of agencies is not held centrally by my Department. The awarding of contracts, the expenditure incurred, and the procurement arrangements by agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. If the Deputy has an interest in a particular agency then officials in my Department will request the agency concerned to provide the relevant information in so far as it is possible. All bodies under the aegis of my Department are aware of the need to achieve value for money while conducting procurement. The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies outlines the responsibilities of state bodies in this regard and my Department regularly updates the aegis bodies on developments in relation to public procurement policy and practices. For the Deputy's information details of agencies within the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's website - this information is updated when any relevant changes occur - at http://www.education.ie.
349. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which a proposed new model to improve the way resources for children with special educational needs are allocated to schools will be developed; the organisations and representative bodies involved in consultations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34729/13]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to the comprehensive policy advice recently published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools, which is available on its website www.ncse.ie. The NCSE consulted widely with parents of children with special educational needs, representative bodies and the education partners in preparing this policy advice. Inter alia, the report recommends that under the new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in the report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category. I have, as suggested by the Report, requested the NCSE to establish a Working Group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a new model for the allocation of teaching supports for children with Special Educational Needs based on the profiled educational needs of children in schools. Mr Eamonn Stack, who is the NCSE Chairperson and former Chief Inspector in my Department, will chair this working group and the group, which will include parents, will begin its work immediately. The work of the group will be a matter for the working group itself. The group will report to me in September on the progress of its work, to develop advice on how to reform the way the substantial additional teaching resources for pupils with special educational needs are allocated in the school system.
350. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a method of geographically prioritising or moving between panels for teachers who have children with special needs. [34745/13]
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 redeployment arrangements for the 2013/14 school year are set out in the Staffing Circular 0013/2013 and the FAQ document on Main Panels, both of which are available on the Department's website. Surplus permanent-CID holding teachers may opt to accept a post outside the 45 km radius of their former school within their existing panel area. 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's 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.
351. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the grants available to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [34785/13]
View answerThe main financial support available to students attending higher education is my Department's Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. Currently maintenance support is not available for students entering postgraduate courses. However, those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant will be eligible to have their postgraduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270. A postgraduate student may qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the costs of their fees. The income threshold for this payment is €31,500 for the 2013/14 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependants. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application, it would not be possible to say if the student would qualify for a student grant. To determine eligibility for the 2013/14 academic year the student should submit an online grant application to Student Universal Support Ireland via www.susi.ie. Eligibility for welfare support is determined and administered by the Department of Social Protection. Any change to its qualifying criteria for the back to education allowance is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.
352. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the cuts made regarding special needs assistants and that no further cuts be made to special education. [34787/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources being devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and nearly 10,000 Learning Support and Resource Teachers. These resources have been protected despite the ongoing severe financial position and a requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas. I wish to clarify also that there has been no reduction to the overall number of SNA posts being provided for schools for the coming school year. This provision remains at 10,575 posts, which will ensure that all children who qualify for access to SNA support for the coming school year will receive access to such support. It is important to note that the level of SNAs required to support children with special educational needs changes from year to year in line with the enrolment of different children with different care needs. The care needs of individual children can also change from year to year. The NCSE takes these factors into account when allocating SNAs to schools. Therefore, even if the number of students receiving SNA support rises, this does not necessarily mean that the required number of SNAs to support their care needs should rise by a similar percentage. The initial allocation of SNAs for the coming school year will support about 22,000 pupils. This is at about the same level supported in December 2012, despite the passing of 6 months. To date the NCSE has allocated over 10,490 SNA posts to schools which leaves over 80 posts available for allocation during the school year. The NCSE has advised that they have processed all applications for SNA support this year and have allocated the level of SNA support to schools that it considers will meet the care needs of all qualifying pupils. These allocations have been made in line with DES policy and there has been no change in the policy or its application this year. Details of the SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2013/2014 school year are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie, which provides details of the SNA allocations for each school on a school by school and per county basis.
353. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected annual savings to be made in increasing the pupil-teacher ratio in Gaeltacht schools from September 2013 onwards. [34831/13]
View answer355. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of gaelscoileanna affected by the changes to the pupil-teacher ratio from September 2013 onwards; and if he will provide details of those schools that will lose a teaching post as a result of the change in staffing schedules. [34833/13]
View answer356. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views that the favourable pupil-teacher ratio for gaelscoileanna reflected the greater challenges facing small and developing gaelscoileanna implementing a full curriculum through Irish and the inequalities relating to the lack of resources and supports at these schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34834/13]
View answer357. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the decision to increase the pupil-teacher ratio in gaelscoileanna impedes schools in Gaeltacht areas delivering the curriculum through Irish; and his views on the concerns that some schools will require an additional 20 plus pupils to maintain their current staffing levels. [34835/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 355 to 357, inclusive, together.
The Government has protected front-line services to schools to the greatest extent possible in Budget 2013 and there will be no reduction in teacher numbers in primary 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. Schools in Gaeltacht areas have historically operated the same staffing schedule as ordinary schools for the creation of a classroom teaching post at primary level. A slightly more favourable schedule operated for the Gaeltacht schools to retain a post between the bands of four and twelve classroom teachers. The standardisation of the staffing schedule for Gaelscoileanna so that it is the same as that which applies to primary schools generally was one of a number of measures introduced in Budget 2011 by the previous government to control and reduce teacher numbers. These changes came into effect from September 2011. Given the financial constraints in which this country now finds itself, it is not possible to reverse these changes.
The criteria used to allocate teachers to schools, including Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools, are published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2013/14 school year are set out in Circular 0013/2013 which is available on the website. The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for the allocation of classroom teachers to all primary schools. It operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.
The Staffing Schedule significantly advantages small primary schools. For example, a 2-classroom teacher school with 30 pupils has an average class size of 15 pupils. In contrast, a typical 10-classroom teacher school with 272 pupils has an average class size of 27.2 pupils. One of the savings measures in Budget 2012 was a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools, including Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools. The impact of the budget measure means that the staffing levels in small primary schools will no longer be as favourable as they were previously but they will still be better than the Staffing Schedule general average of 28:1 that operates in medium to larger schools. A new appeals process for small schools was introduced as part of the Budget 2012 measure. This enables small schools that are due to lose a classroom post as a result of the budget measure to retain the classroom post on the basis of their projected enrolments. The allocation process at individual school level is currently under way. The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and all appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.
354. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected annual savings that are to be made in cutting the Gaeltacht grant for teachers delivering the school curriculum through the medium of Irish; the teaching through Irish allowance and the island allowance. [34832/13]
View answerThe Government approved a number of measures relating to public service allowances following a public service wide review of allowances and premium payments conducted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. There was no specific figure attributed as a saving for the abolition of the Gaeltacht, Teaching through Irish and Island allowances for new beneficiaries to teaching. The total of such allowances paid to current beneficiaries is in the order of €5.3 million. Savings will therefore relate to levels of turnover among such teachers in future years.
358. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his plans to overhaul the school admissions policies and the way he intends to bring to an end the practice of Irish-medium schools prioritising the enrolment of pupils from Irish-speaking families at primary and second level. [34836/13]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, I have indicated 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, 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.
359. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has sought and received legal advice outside the Office of the Attorney General; the number of times advice was sought per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the costs of outside legal advice per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34980/13]
View answerInformation relevant to the Deputy's question is currently being compiled. A further reply will issue to the Deputy as soon as possible.
360. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a peson (details supplied) in County Kerry attending Queen's University, Belfast, was told that they were not entitled to assistance under the student grants scheme as they were attending a course outside the State, when the rules clearly state that Queen's is one of the qualifying colleges in the North of Ireland; and if he will ensure that this is not happening to other students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35019/13]
View answerThe Deputy is correct in stating that full-time postgraduate courses of not less than one year duration in Queen's University, Belfast are approved under the Student Grant Scheme. I understand that the grant application from the student in question was unsuccessful and that she appealed this decision to the appeals officer in Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) who upheld the original decision as the reckonable income was over the limit for a postgraduate grant. Where an appeal is turned down in writing by SUSI and the applicant remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his or her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
361. Deputy Ann Phelan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position on vocational training in the hospitality industry (details supplied) in which there has been training for the past two years; his plans to alter this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35124/13]
View answerFailte Ireland's remit includes that it "encourage, promote and support the recruitment, training, and education and development, of persons for the purposes of employment in connection with the tourism industry in the State". However, my Department has a broader concern that training and education offerings are aligned with the needs of industry. Officials of my Department met representatives of the hospitality industry to discuss the issue and we will continue to examine the availability of genuine job opportunities in this area and examine the training offerings in that light. It should be noted that FÁS has recently developed a small number of foundation level courses in catering and hospitality through its Local Training Initiatives, Community Training Centres and Specialist Training Providers. These awards-modules are offered in response to specific local requests where there is a recognised employment opportunity.
