Written Answers Nos. 68-74
68. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an emergency works grant will be provided to a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11029/14]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has submitted an application for the works in question under the Summer Works Scheme.
I wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications are currently being assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (59/2013) is available on my Department's website www.education.ie. It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants in early 2014.
69. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will publish the review of local training initiatives that, according to the FÁS service plan for 2013, was to be completed by the end of 2013 [11041/14]
View answerThis is an operational matter for SOLAS. I understand that in 2013 a review process was put in place to enable Local Training Initiatives (LTIs) to be reviewed individually on the basis of an agreed national template.
The LTI review process provides a mechanism for SOLAS and the Education & Training Boards (ETBs) to engage with LTI Providers in a structured manner to review activity undertaken during the period of an Agreement to Collaborate. The objective of the review process is to ensure that each LTI remains relevant to the needs of target learners and the labour market, and optimises the deployment of LTI resources. This review process has been agreed nationally and is implemented on an individual basis for each LTI to inform decisions regarding the project.
All documentation in relation to reviews is held by the former FÁS Training Centres. A number of these have transferred to the relevant ETB while the remainder are with SOLAS prior to transfer in the middle of the year. The question of publication of individual reviews is a matter for SOLAS and the ETBs.
70. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of his Department's expenditure in translating and printing Irish language publications, documents, advertisements, notices and bilingual signage in each of the past three years. [11047/14]
View answerA breakdown of expenditure on Irish language translation, advertising and signage costs is set out in the following tables. This information has been extracted from my Department's Financial Management System and provides costs for the years in question wherever it is possible to disaggregate costs relating specifically to the Irish language from overall expenditure within these cost categories.
It is a requirement of the Official Languages Act that documents setting out public policy proposals, annual reports, statements of strategy, and matters considered to be of major public importance, are printed in both Irish and English. Given this Act, and the obligations under the Education Act to promote bilingualism, to promote Irish as a community language in Gaeltacht areas, and to provide support services through Irish to schools, it is the general policy of the Department to print many publications in both Irish and English. The Deputy should note that that the figures in the accompanying table for printing expenditure represent the total cost of printing for these years as it is not possible to identify the costs of Irish language printing separately.
|
- |
ADVERTISING |
|
|
YEAR |
ADVERTISING IN IRISH |
ALL ADVERTISING |
|
2011 |
* |
€95,000 |
|
2012 |
* |
€107,000 |
|
2013 |
€92,285 |
€294,507 |
|
* No break down available for Irish Advertising |
€496,507 |
|
YEAR |
- |
TRANSLATION |
|
2011 |
translation to or from Irish |
€147,267 |
|
2012 |
translation to or from Irish |
€89,560 |
|
2013 |
translation to or from Irish |
€107,521 |
|
€344,348 |
|
- |
- |
PRINTING |
|
YEAR |
PRINTING IN IRISH |
ALL PRINTING |
|
2011 |
* |
€401,480 |
|
2012 |
* |
€148,849 |
|
2013 |
* |
€157,320 |
|
- |
*No break down available for printing in Irish |
€707,648 |
|
YEAR |
SIGNAGE |
|
|
2011 |
NIL |
|
|
2012 |
NIL |
|
|
2013 |
Signage for the Department's Offices in Dublin, Athlone & Tullamore |
€8,377 |
71. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow will not be excluded from the administration of a new extra grant for the book rental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11077/14]
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.
72. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the situation regarding graduates of the higher diploma in education who have yet to secure their 100 consecutive days within the three year time-frame in order to complete the qualification in view of the fact that many are struggling to secure employment and in some cases even acknowledgments of their applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11088/14]
View answerI am aware that some newly qualified teachers may experience difficulty in accessing teaching hours to complete their probation for registration purposes because they do not yet hold a teaching position in a school. Measures have been taken by the Department and the Teaching Council to alleviate difficulties faced by teachers in this regard.
One measure relates to the minimum service requirement for probation purposes to secure registration with the Teaching Council as a primary teacher being decreased from 170 days to 100 days in the 2011-12 school year. In addition, if an applicant is unable to complete the requirements of a registration condition within the specified period, he or she may apply to the Council for an extension to that period.
In addition, under circular 46/2011 the Department allowed schools and ETBs to participate in the National Internship Scheme, JobBridge, administered by the Department of Social Protection. JobBridge can provide valuable teaching experience to teachers and assist them in securing employment subsequently. A JobBridge internship may allow a newly qualified teacher to undergo the probation process required to become fully registered.
If a teacher is unable to complete the probation requirements within the specified period, he or she may apply to the Council for an extension. Each application is considered on its merits taking account of the stage reached by the applicant in meeting the requirements. Teaching resources are allocated to schools on a school year basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies are being filled in accordance with published Department criteria. The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework. For example, schools are permitted to fill teaching vacancies that arise within their approved staffing allocations. The redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is the first mechanism to fill teaching posts in schools. This is key to the ability of my Department to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, teaching posts are filled in the normal manner through the recruitment process at individual school level.
73. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the long delay in securing a site for a school (details supplied) in County Galway; the timeframe in which the site acquisition stage will be completed; if he has been in touch with the school and the patron in relation to the delay in securing a site; the reason he has given to the school and the patron for the delay; if he will ensure that the site is secured as soon as possible in view of the long wait already endured by the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11116/14]
View answerAs I previously advised the Deputy, my officials have been working very closely with officials from Galway City Council in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for new school accommodation for the school to which he refers. I can confirm that a suitable site has been identified and the site acquisition process is at an advanced stage.
Given the sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further in relation to the site acquisition at this time. However, I can confirm that once the site has been acquired, officials from my Department will be in further contact with the school authority.
74. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the proposed phase one development of works for a school (details supplied) in County Galway will be done in a manner that will allow sufficient space on site so that any phase two works can include a necessary school hall/gym; the proposed timescale for phase two works; if a hall/gym will be included in such plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11117/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Phase 1 of this project is a devolved project. This allows individual school authorities the means to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives them day to day control of their building project. It is a central tenet of the devolved schemes that responsibility for the management of a project, including cost control, the timing of tendering and construction rests with the school authority.
The Schedules of Accommodation have issued to the school authorities and I can confirm that provision for a General Purpose Room is contained in Phase 2 of the school project. In relation to Phase 2, my Department intends to progress this Phase shortly into architectural planning.
