Written Answers Nos. 108-116
108. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine a case in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Monaghan who cannot be assessed for dyslexia due to funding restraints; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8669/14]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution focused consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.
This system allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.
If the parents of the child, the subject of this question, have specific concerns about his educational progress I would advise in the first instance that they speak to the Principal of the school with a view to raising these concerns with the assigned NEPS psychologist
109. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made on the wider implications of a judgment (details supplied) of the European Court of Human Rights; the number of similar cases that are pending against the Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8727/14]
View answerWith the assistance of the Attorney General, I have sought further legal advice on the implications of the European Court of Human Rights judgment for outstanding school child abuse cases. The State Claims Agency has informed my Department that there are 45 current day school abuse claims on hands. I have asked my Department, with the Attorney General's Office and State Claims Agency, to review these cases and any other relevant cases. Following the completion of this review and receipt of the legal advice sought I will be reporting back to Government on this matter and any decisions to be taken will be made in that context.
110. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills of the 11 disabilities categorised as low incidence the percentage of the total numbers for each disability on the list. [8730/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools last year. This policy advice is available at www.ncse.ie.
Table 5 of Appendix 1 of this publication details the approximate number of students for whom resource teaching hours (RTHs) were allocated to schools by the NCSE for low incidence disabilities for the academic year 2012-2013.
This publication details that for the 2012/13 school year, there were approximately 31,202 pupils in mainstream education in receipt of resource teaching allocations. The percentage breakdown of this distribution by disability category is as follows: Assessed Syndrome - .9%; Autism - 21%; Emotional Behaviour Disorder - 21.8%; Hearing Impairment - 3.6%; Moderate General Learning Disability - 2.4%; Multiple Disabilities - 8.2%; Physical Disability - 17.7%; Severe Emotional Behaviour Disorder - 4%; Severe & Profound General Learning Disability -.1%; Specific Speech and Language Disorder - 18.7%; and Visual Impairment - 1.6%.
111. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has established an information officer, if this person is in charge of developing and implementing data protection in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8742/14]
View answerMy Department has a designated Data Protection/Freedom of Information Officer who is responsible for implementing data protection legislation in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. The DES has published a 'Data Protection Code of Practice' which outlines the steps taken when processing personal data and the manner in which my Department responds to requests for access to personal data. The Code of Practice is available on the Department's website.
112. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will favourably view an appeal from a school (details supplied) in County Offaly to retain eight teachers due to the increased numbers which bring the required level back up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8752/14]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. 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 process also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Circular 0007/2014 which is available on the Department website sets out the staffing and appeals process for the 2014/15 school year. The school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The Appeals Board will meet later this month and the school will be notified of the Board's decision in due course.
The Appeal Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.
113. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by schools, such as a school (details supplied) in Dublin 5, which worked hard to introduce a book rental scheme and as a result are not now entitled to the grant of €150 per pupil attending DEIS schools to set up book schemes; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that their current per capita grant of €21 is not nearly enough to keep their current book rental scheme running and that parents must contribute to help with the scheme; and if he will re-examine this scheme with a view to implementing it fairly so that schools who already set up book schemes are not effectively financially penalised for doing so. [8762/14]
View answerThe Department will continue to provide a book grant as usual to all primary schools. This grant, can be utilised for the purposes of updating or expanding a school's existing book rental scheme.
I want to commend all schools that have used it to help build up book rental schemes over the years and I am aware of the difficulties faced by schools in relation to these schemes. Their efforts mean that the high costs of school books is being significantly reduced for parents.
At my request, the National Parents' Council surveyed the views of their members in relation to currently operating book rental schemes.
Parents have reported that where book rental schemes operate, they are open to all parents in 95% of cases, and that the cost per child is under €40 per year in a considerable majority of schools. Perhaps most tellingly, the survey has found that 93% of parents believe that book rental schemes help with the costs of educating a child. Ensuring that book rental schemes are available to all parents must therefore clearly be our aim.
I understand that it feels unfair to those schools who have invested time and money to establish such schemes, that they now cannot benefit from the additional funding which was secured as part of the Budget. Of course it is unfair, but equally, the status quo was deeply unfair on many parents and I am not currently in a position to re-examine the scheme. The parents who had no access whatsoever to book rental schemes needed more support. With the limited funding available, I believe that targeting this funding - to make sure that every parent in Ireland has access to some level of a book rental scheme - was the greatest good that could be achieved. The Department is contacting primary schools that do not currently operate a book rental scheme to advise them of the application process.
The school referred to by the Deputy indicated in the Primary School Census 2013 that they currently operate a book rental/loan scheme and will not therefore qualify for funding.
114. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the deadline for funding for a school (details supplied) in County Leitrim will be extended to enable the board of management to deal with planning matters which the board of management only received at a very late stage from the local authority. [8850/14]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that an extension to the deadline for the drawdown of funding will be considered on receipt of a request from the school management authorities.
115. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action he is taking to deal with the shortage of school teachers at secondary level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8854/14]
View answerMy Department is aware of the rising enrolments in schools both at Primary and Post Primary level and is forecasting an increase of more than 45,000 primary pupils and 25,000 post primary pupils by the start of the 2017 school year. I have already announced that 20 new primary and 20 post primary schools are to be built to meet those rising enrolments. Alongside the building of infrastructure, we are also preparing for the need to have more teachers in the system. I have already asked the Teaching Council, the professional body for teachers, for advice on the matter of teacher supply and demand.
The Council is currently preparing that advice with the overall goal of ensuring that there is timely information to inform the system generally and planning in my Department. The model must be sustainable and be adaptable to cater for evolving needs into the future. I expect to receive an initial report from the Teaching Council later in the year.
116. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Education and Skills the parent's pension contributions in relation to a child's student grant application that can be disregarded; if the pension contributions have to appear on the parent's P21; and if so, the panels of the P21 on which the pension contributions must be found. [8877/14]
View answerContributions to pension schemes and pension or retirement products, within the limits allowed by the Revenue Commissioners, are deducted in determining the reckonable income of an applicant as set out in the Student Grant Scheme 2013. However, 'unrelieved' contributions carried forward from previous years are excluded for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme even though they may qualify for tax relief from Revenue in the relevant tax year.
Where pension contributions are made by way of deduction at source from wages or salary under a "net pay" arrangement with an employer, the income figure on the applicant's P60 (and consequently on the P21 or Notice of Assessment) is the amount after deduction of pension contributions. Therefore no further deduction is allowable for the purposes of calculating reckonable income for the Student Grant Scheme. A deduction for the public service pension levy is also allowed where it has not already been reflected in the pay figure shown on the P60.
Where an applicant (or where relevant his/her parents) makes pension contributions by means of a PRSA, a RAC or an AVC then a certificate stating the amount paid in that relevant tax year should be submitted to Revenue when requesting a P21 or a Notice of Assessment. The appropriate amount qualifying for tax relief (and thereby qualifying for deduction when calculating the reckonable income for Student Grant Scheme purposes) will appear on the P21 or Notice of Assessment on the panel showing "Tax Credits" on the relevant document.
