Skip to main content
Normal View

Wednesday, 19 Feb 2014

Written Answers Nos 107-113

School Staffing

Questions (107)

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

107. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review his decision to suppress a legacy post at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8486/14]

View answer

Written answers

The 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 2014/15 school year (Circular 0007/2014) were published recently.As the teaching allocation to schools, including legacy posts, is enrolment based, it is this which determines whether schools gain or lose teaching posts from year to year. The school referred to by the Deputy will have its legacy post subsumed into its mainstream staffing from September 2014 as it saw an increase in enrolment sufficient to warrant an additional mainstream classroom teaching post for the 2014/15 school year. In addition, the school satisfies the criteria for the appointment of an Administrative Principal post, as laid out in Appendix B of Circular 0007/2014.

School Enrolments

Questions (108)

Sandra McLellan

Question:

108. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures that will be in place by September to ensure that local children will enrolled into local schools in Dublin 4 and Dublin 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8488/14]

View answer

Written answers

It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are a matter for the schools themselves. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to publish its enrolment policy.

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 cert, 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.

Student Grant Scheme Appeals

Questions (109)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

109. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in respect of an appeal for higher education grant in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8520/14]

View answer

Written answers

Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the grant application of the student referred to by the Deputy was refused. The student appealed to the Appeals Officer in SUSI and a letter issued dated 17th February 2014, upholding the original decision.

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 is available to download from http://www.studentfinance.ie/downloads/1375344221/2013_SGAB_appeal_form.pdf. The Student Assistance Fund is managed on behalf of my Department by the Higher Education Authority and is administered on a local basis by participating higher education institutions and targets those students most in need.

Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. The fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.

Education and Training Provision

Questions (110)

Martin Heydon

Question:

110. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the options open to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is awaiting a place on a Youthreach programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8596/14]

View answer

Written answers

The Youthreach programme funded by my Department through SOLAS provides an integrated programme of education, training and work experience to young people who have left school early without any qualifications or vocational training. The Youthreach programme operates in Youthreach Centres and Community Training Centres (CTCs).

Officials in my Department have been in contact with SOLAS and have informed me that that the person referred to by the Deputy is on a waiting list for a Community Training Centre (CTC) place. Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (ETB) operate Youthreach and other programmes which may be suitable for this person. He should contact the ETB with a view to seeking a placement in one of their Youthreach or other programmes.

Public Sector Staff Recruitment

Questions (111)

Derek Nolan

Question:

111. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the public sector recruitment embargo might be lifted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8395/14]

View answer

Written answers

There is no embargo on recruitment to the public service.  There are restrictions under the Moratorium and we have sought to reduce, in overall terms, the numbers employed in the public service, but there has also been and will continue to be recruitment into key positions across the system - in health, in education, in some areas of the Civil Service and most recently in An Garda.    

Budget 2014 sets out a revised ECF for public service numbers of 287,000 by the end of this year.  The appropriate path beyond 2014 will be considered as part of this year's Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, which will examine public spending and resource issues in the context of the fiscal parameters, service demands and the reform and efficiency opportunities arising from the new Public Service Reform Plan, which I launched last month.    

Security Checks

Questions (112)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

112. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has carried out security sweeps of its own offices to ensure that no bugging or covert surveillance has or is taking place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8535/14]

View answer

Written answers

In response to the Deputy s question I can confirm that no office in my Department has been swept for electronic or any other type of surveillance or bugging equipment since the formation of this Government.

Trade Agreements

Questions (113)

Dominic Hannigan

Question:

113. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide a full account of Ireland’s input into the EU position in the EU-US trade talks and desired outcomes for Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8433/14]

View answer

Written answers

Negotiations between the EU and the US on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) began formally in July 2013, with the first round of negotiations held in Washington in the week beginning 8 July 2013. Two further rounds of negotiations took place in November and December 2013 while the fourth round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in Brussels during week commencing 10 March 2014. Because of the huge potential importance of the Partnership to the transatlantic economy and the extent of preparatory work undertaken before launching the process, negotiations are taking place at a relatively fast pace. A political stocktaking meeting between the principal negotiators, Commissioner Karel de Gucht and United States Trade Representative Mr. Michael Froman, took place on 17 and 18 February. This meeting looked at all issues across the negotiating agenda and discussed the best means to keep the negotiations moving forward with the pace and energy that both sides have demonstrated to date.

The negotiations with the United States are aimed at eliminating tariffs, improving market access to the EU and U.S. markets for both parties by agreements on trade in services and investment, improving opportunities for businesses to win contracts in the extensive public procurement markets on both sides and enhancing regulatory co-operation, coherence and development to ensure existing high quality regulations are maintained but the regulatory burden on business is eased where possible.

Impact assessment studies undertaken by the EU Commission suggest that as much as 80% of the long term gains from the TTIP will be achieved by changes to regulatory practices, such as the range of technical standards that apply to products sold in both the EU and the US. As most of the potential gains from TTIP will arise from regulatory convergence and mutual recognition of each parties regulatory regimes, companies and especially SME’s will benefit from lower regulatory compliance costs. All of this will provide significant opportunities for Irish businesses to increase their access to the US market and at lower costs, as well as reducing the costs of goods that companies here buy from the US as part of their global supply chains / manufacturing activity or as goods for consumer use.

The EU and the US already have very strong trading and investment ties. The conclusion of a Trade and Investment Agreement with the US would have a significant and positive impact on trade, resulting in new markets for Irish exporters and bringing positive effects on job creation and competitiveness. A comprehensive deal on areas such as common regulatory standards and investment rules holds massive potential for economic growth and jobs which it is estimated could over time boost EU GDP by 0.5% per annum and help create approximately 400,000 jobs in the EU. The scale of benefits can be judged from estimates that the agreement could boost the EU economy by €120 billion, that of the US by €90billion and that of the rest of the world by €100 billion.

From the outset my Department has encouraged the Commission to seek the most ambitious programme of tariff reductions possible. This is because of the impact on both the costs of doing business in Ireland and the wider competitiveness and consumer benefits. While current tariffs are already low on trade, even low tariffs can act as a tax on trade that in reality serves little or no purpose.

At the same time we are seeking progress on deeper and more intense co-operation among regulators so that the onerous costs business face in duplicative regulatory compliance work on both sides of the Atlantic can be minimised or removed. The agreement will not bring about regulatory change which would lower the high quality standards our citizens and consumers have come to expect from the EU. I am committed to having a regulatory regime that ensures the most effective application and protection for EU citizens. Both I and other EU Ministers made this clear during negotiations last June on the Council’s negotiating mandate to the Commission on TTIP.

It also has to be acknowledged that because of the scale and importance of this agreement, a number of confidence building measures on both sides were linked to getting the talks underway last year. One of these was the lifting of the US ban on imports of Irish beef, again an area that I spoke to the Commissioner about on a number of occasions. I am pleased that the US has published proposals to open its market to Irish beef exports and that work is advancing on the essential veterinarian procedures to be agreed to enable trade to start. However, I would not be supportive of radical changes that would disproportionately affect the sensitive agriculture sectors of the EU economy and I have made these points directly and personally to the Commissioner.

In addition to coordinating the interests of other Departments, enterprise development agencies and business associations, to promote our strategic interests as the TTIP negotiations develop, my Department recently engaged international expertise to examine the economic and other impacts TTIP and related potential opportunities. The focus of this study will be to identify key areas and sectors of the economy that will be impacted by the TTIP. This work will help to inform our input to the Commission’s negotiating position and to identify appropriate policy responses to be deployed to maximise the potential of this historic agreement and provide an assessment of the longer term implications for enterprise policy.

Top
Share