Written Answers Nos. 233-246
233. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of miles claimed for and the amount of travel expenses paid to him and each Minister of State in his Department in respect of their functions as a Minister in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36385/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table.
|
- |
Year |
KM Domestic Travel |
Domestic Travel Expenses |
KM Foreign Travel |
Foreign Travel Expenses |
|
Minister Ruairi Quinn T.D. |
2011 |
30,950.00 |
€9,669.79 |
Nil |
*€1,971.44 |
|
2012 |
41,071.00 |
€12,125.18 |
Nil |
€696.26 |
|
|
2013 |
9,392.00 |
€8,254.21 |
Nil |
€828.48 |
|
|
Minister Ciaran Cannon T.D. |
2011 |
54,352.00 |
€16,323.87 |
Nil |
*€1,012.21 |
|
2012 |
54,002.00 |
€18,208.78 |
Nil |
*€1,941.48 |
|
|
2013 |
29,947.00 |
€10,738.89 |
Nil |
€1,146.93 |
|
|
* These amounts include reimbursement of hotel costs |
|
|
Note: Payments listed refer to total amounts paid within the year specified but, in some cases, may refer to costs incurred in a previous year
234. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of amendments to legislation he proposed during Committee and Report Stages in Seanad Éireann in 2012; if he will provide in tabular form the number of his amendments accepted; and if he will indicate in tabular form the number of amendments accepted from members of the Seanad, broken down by Senator. [36434/13]
View answerInformation relevant to the Deputy's question is currently being compiled. A further reply will issue to the Deputy as soon as possible.
235. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills the staffing levels of the private offices and constituency offices of Ministers and Ministers of State in his Department; the salary of each; the same figures for this time in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36498/13]
View answerAt a Government meeting held on the 15th March, 2011, it was decided to reduce the number of staff permitted in Minister's Private Offices from 10 to 8 and Minister of State's Private Offices from 7 to 5. The number of staff permitted in the Minister's Constituency Offices was reduced from 6 to 4 and the Ministers of State's Constituency Offices from 5 to 3. The staffing of these offices at my Department is in accordance with these guidelines. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the attached table.
MINISTER – Private and Constituency Offices
|
July 2011 |
NUMBER OF STAFF (*FTE) |
+GROSS ANNUAL SALARY COST |
|
PRIVATE OFFICE |
8 |
€434,060 |
|
CONSTITUENCY OFFICE |
4 |
€193,881 |
|
July 2013 |
NUMBER OF STAFF |
GROSS ANNUAL SALARY COST |
|
PRIVATE OFFICE |
8 |
**€506,247 |
|
CONSTITUENCY OFFICE |
4 |
€197,147 |
Minister of State Ciarán Cannon, T.D. – Private and Constituency Offices
|
July 2011 |
NUMBER OF STAFF |
GROSS ANNUAL SALARY COST |
|
PRIVATE OFFICE |
5 |
€193,895 |
|
CONSTITUENCY OFFICE |
*2.8 |
€122,759 |
|
July 2013 |
NUMBER OF STAFF |
GROSS ANNUAL SALARY COST |
|
PRIVATE OFFICE |
4 |
€168,276 |
|
CONSTITUENCY OFFICE |
3 |
€116,181 |
Private Secretary appointed on 7 th June, 2011, to Mr Seán Sherlock, T.D.
Minister of State for Research & Innovation in the Department of Education & Skills
|
- |
Gross Annual Salary Cost |
|
July 2011 |
€56,662 |
|
July 2013 |
€59,851 |
* Full time equivalent
+ The salaries paid to the civil servants are in accordance with the Department of Finance salary scales for the relevant grades. The salaries paid to the non-civil servant staff are in accordance with the Department of Finance Instructions relating to the Appointment of Ministerial Private Office Staff.
** Includes maternity leave absence temporarily covered since 30th April 2013 who is currently being paid at the first point of the Principal Office grade (€75,647).
236. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the saving to the Exchequer if the pay of all his special advisers, and those of his Ministers of State, were capped at the first point on the principal officer pay scale. [36513/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my answer to her Parliamentary Question No. 344 of Tuesday 16th July 2013. The Ministers of State at my Department do not have Special Advisers.
237. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has received a request from a board of management of a school (details supplied) to change the seniority of two special needs assistants; if he has considered this request which is supported by both SNAs; if this is not possible the reasons seniority changed [36566/13]
View answerA request was submitted by the Principal of the school, referred to by the Deputy, to my Department and a reply issued on the 28th May. The Principal also spoke to officials in my Department last week. On both occasions the Principal was informed that the terms of the nationally agreed redundancy arrangements for SNAs, as outlined in Circular 58/2006, must apply to redundant posts. One of the conditions is that the most junior post is the post to be made redundant when the allocation to the school is reduced. It is not possible to amend the rules governing the redundancy scheme for this case. There have been other requests from SNAs and schools to vary the terms of the seniority arrangement for redundancy purposes and these have been refused.
238. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has only been approved for €255 of the non-adjacent maintenance grant, despite the fact that the joint income of their parents less universal social charge is €42,800 and if same can be reviewed [36573/13]
View answerThe decision on eligibility for a student grant or the rate of grant to be awarded is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to the Deputy is a renewal student for the 2013/14 academic year. SUSI have also confirmed that the student was issued with a grant award letter on the 2nd July 2013 advising him that he was eligible to receive a 25% Non-Adjacent Rate of grant. Budget 2013 provided for a 3% reduction in grant income thresholds in 2013 grant scheme 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. 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.
239. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath, if he will set out the number of students attending and the number of resource teachers and special needs assistances at the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36579/13]
View answerThe Deputy has not supplied details of the school in question but I can 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. Details of the resource teaching and 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 allocations for each school on a school by school and per county basis. Where schools have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that these allocations were made, or, in the case of SNA support, where schools are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them for the coming school year, they should contact the NCSE regarding this matter. 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. 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.
240. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath, who in 2011 completed a Level 8 Degree in Business Studies and in September 2012 commenced a FETAC Level 5 Pre-Nursing Course that finished in May 2013 and as a result has now applied for a Level 8 Mature applicant General Nursing in Athlone Institute of Technology, would be entitled to a higher education grant in the circumstances, plus they have worked part-time and hope the registration and tuition fees will be paid for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36580/13]
View answerUnder 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. 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. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study. Given the level of demand on the student grant budget from first time students and students that are progressing with their studies to a higher level, there are no plans at present to change the arrangements in place. 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 including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners.
241. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an appeal in relation to a Student Universal Support Ireland grant application for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be processed as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36596/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision letter on the 2nd May 2013 advising her that she was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. SUSI have confirmed that no appeal has been received from this applicant.
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.
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. The student should submit an online grant application to SUSI via www.susi.ie before the closing date of 1st August, 2013 regardless of the status of her application to determine her eligibility for the 2013/14 academic year.
242. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when special and resource teaching will be provided for a child (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36713/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that, in primary schools, teaching supports for pupils with special educational needs are provided in two ways. Under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, schools are resourced to cater for pupils whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high incidence disability category, including children with mild general learning difficulties. Separately, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. 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 and the NCSE has published details of Resource Teaching allocations for all schools on its website www.ncse.ie, based on the number of valid applications received. The NCSE has been authorised to restore the level of resource teaching allocations which can be provided for students with special educational needs to 2012/13 levels. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support, including support allocated under the GAM, to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance. 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.
243. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when the application for a higher education grant will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36714/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 24th April 2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. Following an appeal to the SUSI Appeals Officer the original decision of the awarding authority was upheld and a letter issued on 5th July, 2013.
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.
244. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when an appeal will be processed and determined in respect of a higher education grant in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare which has been pending since last year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36715/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a letter issued on 28th May 2013 stating that he was ineligible for a grant. The applicant appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on 18th June, 2013. On that basis, the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome. 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. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.
245. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when application for a higher education grant will be resolved in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36716/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, that following an appeal to the SUSI Appeals Officer the original decision of the awarding authority was upheld and a decision letter issued on 26th June 2013. 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. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.
246. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to date in delivering a second level school in the Dublin city area for Educate Together. [36734/13]
View answerIn June 2011, I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established up to 2017 to cater for increasing demographics across a number of locations. These consist of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish any new second level school in the Dublin city area. The Forward Planning Section of my Department will continue to monitor enrolments in this area to ensure that there is sufficient school accommodation to meet any projected future demands.
