Written Answers Nos. 76-84
77. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education and Skills when Student Universal Support Ireland will issue a decision in relation to a student grant application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53628/13]
View answerOfficials in my Department have been informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the application of the student referred to by the Deputy, is under review and the student will be notified shortly of the outcome.
78. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role of his Department in the Government's preschool quality agenda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53629/13]
View answerMy Department is working closely with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to deliver on the Government's pre-school quality agenda. This agenda includes the establishment of a national support service for the early years sector. At the moment, the supports in place for the early years sector include D/CYA funded organisations (whether wholly or partly) such as the Voluntary Childcare Organisations and the City and County Childcare Committee structures. My Department has had the experience of working across multiple organisations (funded through the D/CYA) to implement a quality improvement programme in early years service. We will be publishing the final report on this before the end of the year. The report will identify the issues that need to be addressed if a national support service is to be successful.
Through the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, my Department will also start the process of developing a practice guide which will distil the core elements of Síolta and Aistear for use, not just by early years practitioners but also, by tutors delivering further/higher education programmes.
79. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role of his Department in the development of the national early years strategy; the number of staff from the early years education policy unit in his Department who are involved in same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53630/13]
View answerThe Early Years Education Policy Unit is co-located with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to ensure that policies relating to early years care and education are aligned.
My Department has agreed with the D/CYA that the Early Years Education Policy Unit will contribute as appropriate on all aspects of the Early Years Strategy relating to the Education remit.
My Department will nominate the most appropriate person from the Early Years Education Policy Unit to represent the DES on the different groups established by the D/CYA to work on Strategy and will also act as a conduit for input by other sections or agencies of the DES.
80. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the policy programmes in his Department that cover the early years and preschool sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53631/13]
View answerIn developing policies, my Department looks at the continuum of education from a child's earliest years through to pre-school, the formal education system and further/higher education/self directed learning as part of a life-long learning agenda.
Policies relating to early years and pre-school are interwoven into policies and not developed in isolation. This can be seen in the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the Inter-Cultural Education Strategy and the Traveller Education Strategy.
My Department is currently developing a National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development which includes the early years sector as a matter of course.
81. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding reinstating a third teacher in a school (details supplied) in County Kerry. [53638/13]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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 (Circular 0013/2013) were published in February. The staffing schedule 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.
As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools with four teachers or less. The first phase of the budget measure took effect from September 2012. The final phase of the budget measure takes effect from September 2014.
An appeals process is available to small schools which have had their staff number reduced as a result of the budget measure. A school with four classroom teachers or less which is losing a teacher or failed to gain an additional teacher as a result of the Budget 2012 measure can submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.
The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal under the Small Schools criteria to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board which was considered at the March meeting of the Appeals Board. The appeal was refused as it did not meet the criteria set out in the staffing schedule. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. In these extremely challenging times, all public servants are being asked to deliver our public services on a reduced level of resources and teachers in small schools cannot be immune from this requirement.
82. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number, location and cost of premises in County Donegal that his Department rents. [53413/13]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection currently occupies six premises in County Donegal that are leased by the Commissioners of Public Works. The total annual rental cost of the six premises is €91,950. The location of each premises is shown in the following table.
|
Town |
Address |
|
Ballybofey |
Unit 14 & 15, The Shopping Centre, Ballybofey |
|
Ballybofey |
Unit 4& 5 Dunfril House, Chestnut Road, Ballybofey |
|
Dunfanaghy |
Main Street, Dunfanaghy |
|
Dungloe |
Public Services Office, Gweedore Road, Dungloe |
|
Falcarragh |
Main Street, Falcarragh |
|
Killybegs |
Government Offices, Donegal Road, Killybegs |
83. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a full report on all works carried out in Glanmire, County Cork since the flooding in June of 2012; the preventative measures that have been undertaken and the works that still remain outstanding, and if he will provide a timeframe for said works to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53423/13]
View answerFollowing flooding in Glanmire in June 2012, Cork County Council applied for funding under the Office of Public Works' (OPW) Minor Works Scheme for river cleaning works in order to provide some hydraulic improvement on the Glashaboy River. The application was approved and Cork County Council subsequently availed of funding in the amount of €32,871. The implementation of these works is a matter for Cork County Council, but it is the understanding of the OPW that the works have been completed.
The OPW and Cork County Council also agreed in 2012 that a detailed study should be undertaken with the aim of devising a comprehensive solution to the flooding problem in Glanmire. It was decided that the Council would take the lead in commissioning this study, with funding being provided by the OPW. The Council has now appointed consultants to undertake the study and to develop outline flood mitigation proposals, with a view to bringing forward a viable scheme, if such emerges, through planning, detailed design and construction.
It is expected that the study will be completed about mid-2014 which would allow a preferred scheme, subject to one emerging, to be brought forward for public consultation in late 2014. If any emerging preferred scheme is well received at public consultation stage then the detailed design could commence in the first half of 2015, with construction commencing before the end of that year, subject to the continued availability of the necessary funding. It is not possible to give a more definitive timescale at this point.
84. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the likely allocations for Ireland from the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the 2014-2020 period. [53637/13]
View answerIreland has been allocated approximately €1bn from Structural Funds, i.e. the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF), for the 2014-2020 period. The split between the two Funds will be determined in the context of the programme planning that is currently underway.
I understand that the allocation for the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF), for which the Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine has lead responsibility, has not yet been finalised.
Preparations for the new programming period have been underway in Ireland over the past year. This has involved public consultations as well as the preparation of needs analyses and ex-ante evaluations. The outcome of these processes will inform the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and related Operational Programmes through which EU funding will be drawn down. As regards the ERDF and ESF Programmes, the issues likely to be addressed include combatting long-term and youth unemployment and social exclusion; promoting R&D investment and the competitiveness of the business sector; and promoting an environmentally-friendly and resource efficient economy.
