Thursday, 30 Jan 2014

Written Answers Nos. 61-67

Departmental Reports

Questions (62)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

62. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which he received the value for money report on small schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4737/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I received the final report of the value for money review of small primary schools on 25 April 2013. The report contains much detailed and technical data. I have been consulting with Government colleagues on the issues raised in the report and the recommendations. These consultations are now well advanced.

School Enrolments

Questions (63)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

63. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans with regard to allowing extra staff for schools with large infant intakes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4744/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I am conscious that there are some schools that have a significant increase in their junior infant enrolments but are not growing rapidly enough to benefit from posts under the developing schools criteria. I want to alleviate some of the pressure on these schools by adding a bit of flexibility to the developing schools criteria. In this regard the staffing appeals process has been extended to include a new appeals criterion for those schools that make a significant contribution to the provision of school places which assists the response to demographic growth within their area and as a result are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level. Each application to the Appeals Board will be considered on its merits. The Appeals Board will assess whether, in its opinion, the school is deploying all its mainstream classroom teachers in an appropriate manner. The Appeals Board will prioritise those schools that, in its opinion, are under greatest pressure on their class sizes at infants level as a result of their increasing enrolments of junior infants. Any posts granted by the Appeals Board will be allocated on a provisional basis pending confirmation of actual enrolments on 30 September 2014. The operation of this new appeals criteria will be reviewed in Autumn 2014 as part of the Department's regular consultations with the relevant education partners.The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2014/15 school year, including the details on the aforementioned new appeals criterion, are set out in Department Circular 0007/2014 that was published on Friday 24 January.

Childcare Education and Training Scheme Places

Questions (64)

Heather Humphreys

Question:

64. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan who is unable to avail of the CETS scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4757/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

Childcare assistance was introduced in the late 1990s as a way of providing assistance to people participating on specific Further Education programmes who faced barriers returning to education. In 2010, this programme was restructured into the Childcare Education and Training Scheme (CETS) administered by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The programmes targeted by the original programme were Youthreach, the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), Senior Traveller Training Centres (STTCs) and later, the Back To Education Initiative. These programmes, with the exception of STTCs which have now closed, remain the focus of the CETS programme. It is not intended to extend the scheme further at this point.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (65)

David Stanton

Question:

65. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made in acquiring a site for a new school (details supplied) in Midleton, County Cork which is due to go to construction in 2014-15; when he expects the sale to be finalised and construction to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4762/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The acquisition of a site for permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being progressed by my Department. However, due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions, I am not in a position to give further details at this time. However, once the acquisition of a site is finalised, a design team for the project will be appointed with a view to its progression to tender and construction.

School Enrolments

Questions (66)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

66. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the shortage of school places in Haddington Road, Dublin 4 and surrounding schools. [4775/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy will be aware, in June 2011, I announced the need for the establishment of 20 new primary schools to cater for increased demographics across a number of locations up to 2017, including the Sandymount/ Ringsend area in Dublin 2/4. In this regard, a new primary school will open in the area in September 2014. In addition, a building project to facilitate the amalgamation and expansion of two existing primary schools in the area is included in the 5 Year Construction Programme that I announced in March 2012. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2(b), which includes securing all of the required statutory approvals (planning permission, fire certificate, DAC) and the preparation of tender documents. The design team will then complete its stage 2(b) report which will be submitted to the Department for review. Assuming no issues arise, the project will then be authorised to proceed to tender and construction. My Department is currently liaising with schools in the area in the context of addressing any short term accommodation needs.

Public Sector Staff Sick Leave

Questions (67)

Heather Humphreys

Question:

67. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when he expects the changes to sick pay arrangements for the public service to take effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4682/14]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

The new sick leave scheme for the public service is being introduced by Regulations made under the recently enacted Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013. This legislation provides me, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, with the basis to regulate for sick leave across the public service.

During the passage of the Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas in December 2013 I tabled an amendment to the legislation that requires the Ministerial Regulations to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas with the scope for either House to annul the Regulations within 21 sitting days.

The Regulations are currently at an advanced stage of drafting. The new sick leave scheme for the public service will be introduced once the Regulations are made and legally come into force.  

The development of the Regulations is a matter of priority for my Department and matters are being progressed in order to ensure that the sick leave scheme can be introduced as quickly as possible.