Written Answers Nos. 63-77
63. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the application for new accommodation, including a timeframe for the delivery of a new educational campus, for an Educate Together primary school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43271/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in regular communication with the school to which he refers regarding the school's accommodation needs. I am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that my Department has approved additional temporary accommodation for September 2013 to accommodate the school's increasing enrolments. In respect of the school's longer term needs, I understand that the school authority is endeavouring to identify suitable alternative accommodation. My Department will continue to liaise with the school in this regard.
64. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the plans he has to establish a multidenominational post-primary school in County Galway in view of the increased population figures in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43272/13]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, two new post-primary schools (in Doughiska and Claregalway) opened in September 2013, both of which are multi-denominational in ethos. These new schools were established in order to provide sufficient places for the increased numbers of post-primary pupils within the general area. The Forward Planning Section of my Department will continue to analyse demographic data for all areas of the country, including Galway county, to identify where new schools will be required over the coming years. Should the need for any new post primary schools emerge in Galway county it will be open to Patron bodies to apply for patronage in line with the established process, which was announced in June 2011.
65. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students under 16 years who are attending out-of-school units instead of mainstream schools; the number of out-of-school facilities funded by his Department; and the total spend by his Department on these units nationwide. [43292/13]
View answerMy Department provides funding of some €4million across a number of projects and centres that engage with and retain children in ongoing education. Facilities supported by my Department include: Youth Encounter Projects, established in the 1970s as non-residential facilities for children at risk of coming into conflict with authority or are at serious risk of dropping out of mainstream school. There are five YEPS, three in Dublin and one each in Limerick and Cork, providing 120 places for children. The current overall enrolment is 107. YEPs receive a pay and non-pay allocation of €1.124 million to cover the employment of all ancillary staff and to cover school running costs. Permanent teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in the school are paid through the Primary and SNA Payroll system at an overall cost of €1.85million. City Motor Sports, Swift Alleys, Francis Street, Dublin 8, provides education and training for young people aged between 15 and 18 years. It was established in 1995 as City Motor Sports in the south west inner city as a response to widespread joyriding in the locality. The current enrolment is 14. My Department funds the cost of 51 teaching hours per week at a total cost of €90,375 in 2012 and provides a non-pay grant of €113,479 to City of Dublin ETB to meet running costs. The Carline Project is located in a purpose built centre, in Lucan, Co Dublin. It caters for young people aged 14 to 17 years. The current enrolment is 22. My Department funds the cost of 71 teaching hours per week at a total cost of €141,787 in 2012 and provides a non-pay grant of €170,000 to County Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB to meet running costs Life Centres are informal education centres established by the Christian Brothers in 1996, with the assistance of the Holy Faith Sisters, as a response to the needs of young people who have dropped out of mainstream education. There are two Life Centres in Dublin and Cork which receive a grant of €114,000 towards running costs and 2,768 teaching hours under the ETB co-operation hours scheme at an estimated cost of €233,000. Matt Talbot Adolescent Service Centre in Co Cork provides residential drug and alcohol treatment for 14-18 year old boys. It provides educational courses at Junior and Leaving Certificate Level, ECDL and FETAC Levels 3 and 4. My Department provides €190,000, through Cork ETB, towards the cost of instruction staff at the centre In addition my Department funds the Youthreach programme which provides two years integrated education, training and work experience for unemployed early school leavers with incomplete qualifications or vocational training who are between 15 and 20 years of age. There are almost 6,000 places available nationwide under the Youthreach. Almost 3,700 of these places are provided by ETBs in just over 100 Youthreach centres. Expenditure in the region of €68 million was provided for this service in 2012. The majority of the remainder of places are provided by FÁS in Community Training Centres which also provides two years integrated education, training and work experience incorporating basic skills training, practical work training and general education with the application of new technology integrated into all aspects of programme content. The overall cost for this service in 2012 amounted to some €43.3million. A small portion of the overall funding in Youthreach includes provision for under 16's. At the end of December 2012 the number of learners under 16 enrolled in Youthreach Centers and Community Training Centres were 192 and 43 respectively.
66. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 222, the reason all of the 17 students assignments met the criteria when checked by the tutor and internal authenticator but not the external authenticator; if the external authenticator writes a report on the marking of the assignments, whether this is this available to be seen by the class; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43315/13]
View answerI am informed that the course tutor marking the assessments referred to by the Deputy deemed that the candidates had met the required standard. However, when the assessments were reviewed externally this was found not to be the case. This was further verified when all assessment materials were reviewed and re-marked by the training contractor's Subject Matter Experts. I understand that the external authentication report was issued to the training contractor who undertook a full review of all assessments. This report is not issued to the learners, rather to the training contractor to action. In relation to the seventeen student assessments, fourteen students have engaged in the revision process. Seven have submitted all paperwork and are now completed; seven others are in the process of submitting revised course work. The expected final submission date is 18th October, 2013. Two learners have confirmed that they would engage but could not do so at this time due to other commitments; one will not engage and wants his provisional results to be used for certification processing. Should any student not resubmit any further revised coursework, their original submissions will be processed through for External Authenticator and review, which is planned to take place on 21st October, 2013. The associated certification request will be made based on the outcome of this and made known to the students shortly after this date. The incident referred to by the Deputy relates to Cork City only.
67. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an emergency grant in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43378/13]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding for these works has been approved by my Department.
68. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on primary school children (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43424/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that under the provisions of the Education Act 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any pupil attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a medical condition suffered by one or more pupils, it may be possible for the management authorities, working in conjunction with the parents, teachers and children to put preventative measures in place to lessen the possibility of any difficulties arising or to ensure that, if a pupil suffers from an illness requiring medication, that appropriate treatment is available. As the Deputy may be aware, the administration of medicines in primary schools is the subject of an agreement between the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the organisations representing school management at primary level. While this agreement specifies that no teacher can be required to administer medicine or drugs to pupils, it also sets out procedures that must be followed where a teacher or teachers agree to do so. The position is that either the parents of the child should make themselves available to administer medication as required or where they wish the staff in the school to administer it they should indemnify the school. It is my Department's experience that once the matter has been discussed in detail with the Board of Management and teachers of a school, and once all parties are clear as to the procedures to be followed, arrangements can normally be made to administer the type of medicine which may be required.I also 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 Special Needs Assistants SNAs) to schools, for children who have care needs to the extent that SNA support is required to assist them to attend school. 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 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.
69. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will publish the unredacted version of the FGS report on school transport administrative charges; if he will release all notes, documentation or correspondence his Department has retained on what should and should not be redacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43442/13]
View answer70. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide clarification on the statement from the FGS report regarding administration charges paid to Bus Éireann, whereby the new and lower charges to be levied would be done on a rolling incremental basis with zero basing exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43443/13]
View answerI propose to take questions 69 and 70 together.The Farrell Grants Sparks (FGS) report entitled "Review of the overhead costs and indirect costs for the administration of the school transport scheme" was completed in October 2009. In completing its work on this report, FGS entered into a signed confidentiality agreement with Bus Éireann having regard to the fact that certain of the information made available to FGS by Bus Éireann was deemed to be commercially sensitive. This report is being considered in the context of an FOI request.
71. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will publish the profit and loss accounts for the school transport scheme; if full accounts have been made publicly available; if they have been previously available online; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43444/13]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates school transport services on behalf of my Department, maintains a separate account for the School Transport Scheme. This account is audited each year by independent auditors and accounts in respect of the last number of years are available on my Department's website.
72. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will approve an application for additional services for a child at a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43466/13]
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 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 applications for additional SNA support, schools should contact the NCSE if they have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that the SNA allocations were made to schools, 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. Where the NCSE deem a new application for support to be vaild they will advise the school of any revised allocation. 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.
73. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines offered by his Department to assist schools in managing their finances, with particular regard to managing an ongoing deficit in view of the fact that following reductions to the capitation and ancillary grants together with the removal of the minor works grant has meant that many schools are in debt (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43478/13]
View answer74. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he considers it appropriate that the burden of meeting financial shortfalls in the running of a school is the responsibility of a school's board of management when the funding provided by his Department is insufficient in the first instance and, second, the board of management members operate in a voluntary capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43480/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together. Section 15 of the Education Act, 1998 requires the Board of Management, in carrying out its functions, to have regard to the efficient use of resources, and in particular, the efficient use of state funds. Boards of primary schools therefore have a statutory duty to ensure that appropriate systems and procedures are in place to ensure school resources, including grants, staffing and other resources, are managed properly and efficiently and in a manner that provide for accountability to the relevant parties. The "Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure 2011" which was issued by the Department in September 2001, set out the role and responsibility of Boards of Management of primary schools. That publication includes guidance for Boards in relation to finance, grants payments, insurance, accounting practice and budgeting.As the Deputy is aware Budget 2012 provided for a 2% reduction in the funding for capitation and related grants to primary schools in both 2012 and 2013 and a further 1% in 2014 and 2015. Due to my decision to retain posts from previous disadvantage schemes in DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 primary schools, it was necessary to generate alternative savings within the primary education budget. This was achieved in 2012 by bringing forward 1.5% of the 2% reduction in overall capitation funding originally scheduled for this year. Given the extremely difficult economic circumstances that this country is facing and the fact that every Department has had to find considerable cost-savings, all expenditure must be examined to see if cost-savings can be found. In that context, I cannot give the Deputy any measure of assurance in relation to primary capitation rates.
75. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the provision of broadband services at a primary school (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43483/13]
View answerUnder the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. All contracts under the Schools Broadband Access Programme were re-tendered last year under a public procurement competition. As a result of this the number of service providers has been expanded from 6 to 13 with the aim of ensuring that satisfactory solutions would be awarded to schools. Satellite is only awarded where no other solution is available and contracts are put in place for one year only. S N Seosamh Naomth was re-tendered for in a mini-competition in August this year to see if a better solution was available for the school. A new contract for this school has been awarded to RippleCom. The school will be contacted by the provider in the near future.
76. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Residential Institutions Redress Board's transfer of personal data to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board under section 24 of the 2012 Act, strictly to determine whether a person is eligible to make an application to the board and for no other purpose, is being disregarded by that board in so far as it has published, in the minutes of its 9 July 2013 meeting, information indicating that it intends to use the personal information received for informing its criteria and for other purposes, which amounts to misuse of the personal information referred to at section 24(2)(3) of the 2012 Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43493/13]
View answerSection 24 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act, 2012 provides that the Redress Board can furnish the RISF with the name, address and date of birth of recipients of awards. The Act stipulates that the information can only be used by the RISF to determine a person's eligibility to make an application to the Board. I understand that the RISF has been furnished with this information in relation to awards by the Redress Board. While I understand that the July RISF Board meeting was presented with a very preliminary analysis of the data, this analysis is being destroyed. Following discussions with my Department, the RISF has confirmed that the information received from the Redress Board will only be used for the purpose set out in the Act and that the information is held securely.
77. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was refused free school transport in view of the fact that they hold a medical card. [43522/13]
View answerFrom the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Pupils who were eligible for school transport prior to the 2012/13 school year, retain their transport eligibility for the duration of their post primary education cycle provided there is no change to their circumstances. Siblings of these pupils and other pupils who are not eligible for school transport, may apply for transport on a concessionary basis in accordance with the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme. Only children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge. Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Schemes on behalf of my Department, has advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is not attending her nearest education centre and is therefore not eligible for school transport. The child is however, availing of school transport on a concessionary basis.
