Written Answers Nos. 200-222
200. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance the restrictions that apply to the future employment of a person (details supplied) who resigned from his position at the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, and its board in January 2014. [26063/14]
View answerI note this morning's press coverage of IPUT CEO's indication that the individual (details supplied) has agreed to join IPUT as a non-executive director. I would note that the individual (details supplied) will have voluntarily remained out of the market for 6 months by the time he joins the board of IPUT. The individual (details supplied) has assured my officials that he is fully aware of and remains bound by the ethical obligations arising from his position with NAMA as well as his own high professional standards. There is no conflict of interest arising. I would again like to thank the individual (details supplied) for his work at NAMA and wish him well in his new role.
I do not propose to discuss the details of individual employment contracts between the NTMA and members of staff further. I am advised that the general position is as follows. In early 2013, the NTMA Chief Executive committed to a review of NTMA policy in respect of notice periods and post-termination restrictions on employment. Accordingly, the law firm Matheson was engaged by the NTMA to:
(i) advise on market norms in the private sector in terms of notice periods and post-termination restrictions;
(ii) assess the adequacy of the protections in the current NTMA employment contracts/codes of conduct where employees leave the NTMA to join a commercial entity in the private sector that might gain an unfair advantage by employing them; and
(iii) recommend changes that could be made in this area by the NTMA.
This review applied across all the NTMA's business areas, including NAMA. All NAMA staff are employees of the NTMA and under Section 42 of the National Asset Management Agency Act, 2009 the NTMA assigns staff to NAMA. Other than a small number of staff reassigned from other functions within the NTMA, NAMA staff are employed on the basis of specified purpose contracts their employment lasts for as long as NAMA requires their particular function. Matheson's principal recommendations were as follows:
- longer notice periods (3 to 6 months) to be introduced for middle and senior NTMA management employees;
- garden leave provisions to be included in all NTMA employment contracts; and
- post-termination employment restrictions (including cooling-off periods and non-solicitation of employees) to be considered on a case-by-case basis in respect of senior NTMA management employees in particular.
However, Matheson stressed that the imposition of such restrictions would need to be balanced against the NTMA's need to recruit good candidates for whom such restrictions may act as a significant disincentive to taking up employment with the NTMA. Furthermore, to maximise the prospects of enforceability, Matheson advised that any such restrictions would need to be drafted as narrowly as possible. It was proposed by Matheson that any required changes resulting from these recommendations would be introduced for new NTMA employees and for existing NTMA employees on promotion. The NTMA has accepted the Matheson proposals and is implementing them on this basis.
With regard to staff assigned to NAMA, it should be noted that the 3 month notice period and garden leave provision were already in operation since the first persons were assigned at start of 2010. A provision prohibiting certain activities in an employee's subsequent employment for a defined period of time has also been introduced on a case-by-case basis for new employees, in cases where employees have moved from fixed to specified purpose contracts, and on promotion.
The Deputy will also be aware of Section 202 provisions in NAMA Act which are lifelong provisions with respect to confidentiality for all current and former staff assigned to NAMA and to members of the NAMA Board. In addition, I would draw the Deputy's attention to the Board of NAMA's voluntary policy with respect to post-retirement / resignation employment, appointments or consultancy by former members of the Board, except those Board members who are NTMA employees. The policy sets out that appointed members of the NAMA Board should not, within six months of retiring / resigning from the Board of NAMA:
- accept an offer of employment or other appointment,
- accept an engagement in a particular consultancy project, or
- accept a directorship or other similar opportunity,
where the nature and terms of such employment, appointment or engagement could reasonably be considered to lead to a conflict of interest or the perception of such, without first obtaining the approval from the Board of NAMA.
201. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance further to the recent publication of statistics by the Council of Mortgage Lenders for Northern Ireland, which showed that 2,400 new mortgages for residential property purchase had been provided in Northern Ireland in the first three months of 2014, and the recent publication of figures by the Irish Banking Federation, which showed that 3,495 new mortgages, of which approximately 3,200 were for property purchases, had been provided in the Republic of Ireland in quarter one of 2014, if he is concerned at the very low level of mortgage provision in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26064/14]
View answerIn Ireland's recent abnormal housing market we have seen lending volumes decline dramatically. The banks are highlighting the lack of supply of houses in particular urban areas as a contributing factor in the lack of drawdown of approved mortgage facilities.
The Government recently launched Construction 2020: A strategy for a renewed construction sector. The purpose of the strategy is to underpin the future competitiveness of the country, ensuring we will continue to be well positioned to attract the inward investment that has been so important to our economic development. The strategy includes the Government's desire for a return to sustainable levels of mortgage lending as part of a healthy market. This involves the consideration of measures to stimulate the development of housing. In order for developers to be supported, they need confidence that customers will be capable of accessing finance to purchase new builds. This means mortgage products being available to potential purchasers with an ability to support repayments. To address this, my Department is committed under Construction 2020 to examine the concept of a mortgage insurance scheme and how it might benefit new housing completions in the Irish market. The objective of any scheme would be to ensure adequate availability of mortgage finance on affordable terms for new completions, particularly for first-time buyers, as the economy recovers. In doing so we would aim to provide the certainty needed to support greater levels of investment in new housing, with the associated benefits for the construction sector and ultimately for the consumer.
I look on the development of this initiative as being an aid to encouraging and facilitating the supply of new homes, particularly for young families. In other jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and Canada mortgage insurance markets have been developed to support bank mortgage lending, particularly to first-time buyers. Mortgage insurance allows banks to share the risk of mortgage lending, either with the public sector or private sector insurance companies, with the aim of increasing bank lending in general or to target groups.
As the construction strategy mentions, my Department is undertaking an economic impact analysis which will assess the impact such a scheme would have on the Irish housing market, taking into consideration time limits, targeting first-time buyers or owner-occupiers and focusing on new housing. The analysis will draw lessons from mortgage insurance initiatives undertaken in other countries and will include questions as to the appropriateness of a price cap as well as regional or geographical restrictions. Once this analysis has been completed and presented to me, I will consider the next steps.
202. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance the purpose of his recent instruction to the special liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation to produce a progress report; and the reason the progress report omits financial information on liquidation proceeds and the overall financial position of IBRC and any predicted additional costs for the State. [26065/14]
View answerIn the normal course of events the Special Liquidators would report on the second anniversary of their appointment i.e. in February 2015. The concept of a Progress Report was initially suggested by my officials in February and it was decided to publish such a report in conjunction with the completion of the loan sales processes in order to provide a transparent update on the status of the Special Liquidation. Rather than wait for the conclusion of the final elements of the Sand portfolio to be sold, I wrote to the Special Liquidators in May 2014 and asked them to finalise their report as soon as possible for publication. I have been advised by the Special Liquidators that they did not include financial information on liquidation proceeds and the overall financial position of IBRC in the report as such information was deemed commercially sensitive. The report was prepared in order to outline the position of the liquidation at a particular point in time rather than to forecast future costs associated with the liquidation. It provided details of costs and fees up to 31 March 2014. The Special Liquidators will be complying with their obligations and as such the liquidation accounts will be filed in the CRO after the first two years of the liquidation.
203. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he or anyone in his Department has received a pitch from KPMG to assist with an accelerated wind-down of the National Asset Management Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26066/14]
View answerMy officials meet with a number of different organisations from time to time to discuss matters of interest to my Department. One such area of interest would be the state of the European loan sales market. I am advised that my officials have met with KPMG and others active in the market to discuss the state of the European loan sales market in general. The meeting with KPMG did not involve a pitch as outlined in the Deputy's question.
204. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he is concerned at the disparity in treatment of mortgage arrears by Permanent TSB and Allied Irish Banks, on one hand, and Bank of Ireland, on the other, in view of recent announcements of debt deals, which involve restrictions on recourse, being offered and concluded with the former; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26067/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware under the Relationship Framework the State does not intervene in the day to day operations of the banks or their management decisions regarding commercial matters. The treatment of mortgage arrears and the products offered is a matter for the individual boards and management teams of the banks. In this context, however, the CCMA requires a lender to document its considerations of each option examined, including the reasons why the options(s) offered to the borrower is/are appropriate and sustainable for his/her individual circumstances and why the option(s) considered and not offered to the borrower is/are not appropriate and not sustainable for the borrower's individual circumstances.
205. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance when a decision on the restructuring of Permanent TSB is expected from the European Commission; the reason there have been delays to previously predicted dates for the issuance of a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26068/14]
View answerA way forward for Permanent TSB was agreed with the Troika in April 2012 which envisaged it playing an important role in the future of Irish retail banking, being a more focused retail bank bringing an element of competition to the marketplace which has consolidated significantly since 2008. In this regard Permanent TSB prepared a Restructuring Plan, which the Department of Finance submitted to the European Commission ("the Commission") in June 2012. As requested by the Commission an updated version of the plan was submitted in August 2013 which is broadly in line with the June 2012 plan. Discussions are ongoing at a technical level in relation to the plan, details of which are confidential between the parties and commercially sensitive. I do not intend to speculate on when that process might be concluded.
While no plan has been approved, Permanent TSB has made significant progress in delivering key elements of the Restructuring Plan submitted over the last year and the business is being managed structurally in the way envisaged in the plan. Permanent TSB continues to work to enhance the value of our investments through the continued delivery of the Restructuring Plan, which will, if delivered, provide the State with more optionality regarding the future structure of Permanent TSB.
During 2013 Permanent TSB grew its presence and activity in the retail market in general and in the current account and deposit markets in particular, as well as in mortgages and term lending; and it launched several new products during the year. Permanent TSB has also made progress in relation to managing its portfolio of mortgages in arrears and has created a dedicated team to deal with those customers and to roll out various solutions to them. I am advised by Permanent TSB that during 2013 it made approximately 18,000 offers of long term sustainable solutions to customers in arrears or having difficulty with their mortgage repayments. The current strategy is for Permanent TSB to be an independent bank, competing within targeted segments of the retail banking market, and I will continue to support the board and management in the delivery of that strategy.
206. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance in view of recent commercial real estate transactions in Dublin city centre, where per square foot capital prices of €900 have been achieved, if he is satisfied that the National Asset Management Agency correctly valued property linked to the loans it acquired in 2010 and 2011; if valuations correctly recognised development or redevelopment potential; or if valuations might have been impugned by an over-reliance on yield analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26069/14]
View answerThe values at which eligible bank assets were acquired by NAMA were determined in accordance with regulations made by the Minister for Finance in March 2010, using a methodology approved by the European Commission. The process valued loans by calculating the present value of the cash flows associated with the loans' underlying collateral. All property collateral was valued by professional valuers in accordance with international valuation standards. The rates used to discount the cash flows to present values (NAMA discount rates) were set down in the regulations. The Deputy will note that Section 79 of the Act and the associated valuation regulations set out detailed criteria to be taken into account in determining the long-term economic value of property and of bank assets.
The Deputy may wish to note that extensive information on the NAMA loan acquisition process, including the valuation of loans, is set out in NAMA's Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2010 and in the three special reports on NAMA published by the Comptroller and Auditor General: Special Report on NAMA Acquisition of Bank Assets, October 2010; Special Report on NAMA Management of Loans, February 2012; and Special Report on NAMA Progress 2010-2012, May 2014. These reports are available on the NAMA website, www.nama.ie.
207. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance the cost of the progress report recently produced by the special liquidators of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. [26070/14]
View answerAs per the Ministerial Instructions dated 7 February 2013, the Special Liquidators have a duty to provide the Minister with information "or reports with respect to the winding-up of IBRC and the sale of IBRC s assets as the Minister may from time to time require". I have been advised by the Special Liquidators that the costs of producing such reports are a cost of the liquidation. The Special Liquidators will be complying with their obligations and as such the liquidation accounts, which will detail the receipts and payments of the liquidation, will be filed in the CRO after the first two years of the liquidation.
209. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Finance his plans to improve the taxation arrangements regarding child care, such as exempting child care costs from tax liability when such a service is provided by an employer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26124/14]
View answerTax relief is not available to parents in respect of creche fees or child care costs. However, I can assure the Deputy that the Government acknowledges the continuing cost pressures on parents, particularly those with young children. In recognition of these cost pressures, a number of support measures are in place to ease the burden on working parents. These include the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, which funds community child care services to enable them to charge reduced child care fees to qualifying parents, the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme which provides free child care places to qualifying FÁS and VEC trainees and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides for a free preschool year for children in the year before commencing primary school. Generous entitlements to paid and unpaid maternity leave as well as child benefit payments are also provided.
The Department of Social Protection provides financial support to families on low pay by way of the Family Income Supplement (FIS) and to one-parent families through the one-parent family payment. In addition, a Single Person Child Carer tax credit of €1650 is provided as well as an additional standard rate band of €4,000. This credit and band is payable to any single person with a child under 18 years of age or over 18 years of age if in full time education or permanently incapacitated. The primary claimant may relinquish this credit and increase in the rate band to a secondary claimant with whom the child resides for not less than 100 days in the year. To claim the Single Person Child Carer Credit a claimant must not be married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting.
The Universal Social Charge (USC) was introduced in Budget 2011 to replace the Income Levy and Health Levy. It was a necessary measure to widen the tax base, remove poverty traps and raise revenue to reduce the budget deficit. It is a more sustainable charge than those it replaced and is applied at a low rate on a wide base with very few exemptions. In Budget 2012 I announced that those earning less than €10,036 would no longer be subject to the Universal Social Charge. This in itself has removed almost 330,000 individuals from the charge and is of particular benefit to the low paid.
In relation to exempting child care costs from tax when the service is provided by an employer, a similar relief existed where a benefit-in-kind exemption was provided for child care costs where the facilities were provided by the employer. This was abolished in Finance Act 2011. The Commission on Taxation recommended the abolition of this exemption, citing equity issues in relation to those parents whose employment does not provide such facilities.
I have no plans to introduce a tax relief for parents to assist with child care costs. To provide such a tax relief could be seen to unfairly discriminate against those individuals who stay at home and look after their children. This could result in married one-earner couples effectively subsidising a two-earner family. While wanting to encourage female participation in the workforce, equally we cannot say to individuals who stay at home that they are making a less valuable contribution to society. In addition, tax relief is only of benefit to those in the tax net and it is estimated that in 2014, 39% of income earners will be exempt from income tax. it could also be argued that any tax relief would most likely be absorbed by child care providers in the form of higher prices.
As the Deputy will appreciate, I receive numerous requests for the introduction of new tax reliefs and the extension of existing ones. As the Deputy will also appreciate, I must be mindful of the public finances and the many demands on the Exchequer given the current budgetary constraints. Tax reliefs, no matter how worthwhile in themselves, reduce the tax base and make general reform of the tax system that much more difficult.
210. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a judgment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare by the redress board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25375/14]
View answerThe Residential Institutions Redress Board operates pursuant to the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002 to provide fair and reasonable financial awards to victims of institutional childhood abuse. The Board is independent and the application process is confidential in accordance with the terms of the 2002 Act. Therefore, I am not in a position to comment on any individual application to the Board. Section 13(8)(b) of the Act provides that "the Board, having heard submissions by or on behalf of an applicant and from such other person as the Board considers appropriate, is of the opinion that the applicant is incapable of managing any moneys received under the award it shall direct that the award shall be paid to the applicant in instalments or in any other manner that is appropriate having regard to the circumstances of the applicant." Such directions can be submitted by an applicant to the Review Committee for review. The Board applies to the High Court to lodge the remaining amounts of instalment awards with the Court where they are dealt with for the benefit of the applicant in accordance with the direction of the Board, or if appropriate the Review Committee and rules of Court.
An applicant can apply to the High Court for a variation in the terms upon which the funds are held. I would also draw the Deputy's attention to section 28 of the Act which prohibits the publication of any information concerning an application or an award made under the Act that refers to any other person (including an applicant), relevant person or institution by name or which could reasonably lead to the identification of any other person (including an applicant), a relevant person or an institution referred to in an application made under the Act. A breach of this provision is a criminal offence.
211. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the post office in Drogheda, County Louth, is being used as a general reference point for all schools in the town when, under the school transport scheme, Bus Éireann measures the distance persons in the Drogheda and east Meath area live from their local schools; if so, the reasoning behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25628/14]
View answerUnder the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Where there is more than one school in a Post Primary Education Centre, eligibility is determined by measuring the distance from a child's home address to a central measuring point (CMP). Bus Éireann has confirmed that the Post Office in Drogheda is a designated CMP. CMPs are a feature of the school transport scheme and have assisted in the smooth operation of services for many years. The use of CMPs benefits families by ensuring that children of the same family, who are attending different schools in the same education centre, are eligible for school transport provided they satisfy the distance criterion to the CMP rather than the individual school. In general, where queries arise regarding distance, recourse is had to the fundamental principle of the scheme – eligibility for school transport is determined by the distance children reside from their nearest school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann.
212. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on aspects of the FGS report in 2009 on Bus Éireann charges for school transport in the context of the Freedom of Information Act, which states that Bus Éireann cost allocations are estimates based on its experience and do not reflect the actual cost set out in the 1975 agreement; if he will confirm that estimate records in respect of costs for compensation levels for the service are not recognised accountancy treatments under state aid rules and amount to illegal state aid; if he will further confirm that Ireland could be fined if there is a deliberate delay in the recovery of illegal aid; his views on the reason for not ordering the Department responsible for recovery to claw back the payments to Bus Éireann; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the EU can impose fines on Ireland for deliberate delay in recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25863/14]
View answerThe State's consistent position is that the school transport arrangements comply with EU State Aid requirements and it is not accepted that "illegal state aid" arises. The FGS report, which was published on the Department's website on 16th April 2014, does not alter this position. Accordingly, the hypothetical matters raised in the Deputy's question do not arise.
213. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, as Minister with responsibility for overall public procurement, his attention has been drawn to the fact that since 1 July 1993 and also since the EU procurement directive became law to 2011, in the region of €2 billion has been spent on subcontractors for school transport without compliance with the directive; that Bus Éireann has been paid 13% on top of that amount; his views on the supervisory function his Department has in respect of non-compliance with procurement laws; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25873/14]
View answerMy Department is in contact with Bus Éireann in relation to the detail of the Deputy’s question. The information requested will be provided directly to the Deputy when received.
214. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants on the VTOS programme aged 18 to 25 years who are in receipt of the €160 per week rate introduced from January 2013; the number of participants aged 18 to 25 years on the rate prior to January 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26034/14]
View answer267. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants aged 18 to 25 on a VTOS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26026/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 267 together.
The VTOS programme is for unemployed adults aged 21 and over therefore there are no learners under 21 enrolled on the programme. My Department does not collect data on the age cohorts in VTOS in the format requested by the Deputy. However, statistics at the end of December 2012, which is the latest available data on learners in VTOS, show that 1,018 learners were aged 21 to 24 and 1,792 were aged 25 to 34.
Learners in VTOS who were in receipt of a Job Seekers Assistance or Job Seekers Benefit payment from the Department of Social Protection receive a training allowance equal to this amount in lieu of their Department of Social Protection payment for the duration of their VTOS course. This includes dependents allowances and any other secondary payments they are in receipt of. Those learners who were in receipt of a One Parent Family payment or a Disability Allowance continue to receive that payment from the Department of Social Protection. Training allowances are paid by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and my Department does not collect data on payments made to individual learners.
The new training allowance rate of €160 for learners up to age 26 came into effect for new learners in VTOS from 1 January 2013. As VTOS is operated on an academic year basis the new rate only applied to new learners who enrolled on a VTOS course in September 2013, the start of the academic year. Data is currently being collated by SOLAS on the 2013 enrolments in VTOS.
215. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants on the local training initiative aged 18 to 25 years who are in receipt of the €160 per week rate introduced from January 2014; the number of participants aged 18 to 25 years on the rate prior to January 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26035/14]
View answerThe information on the programme in question is held by SOLAS and I have asked them to provide the data requested directly to the Deputy.
216. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for emergency funding in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25294/14]
View answerI can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide improved accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.
217. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a pay dispute (details supplied); if he will provide an update on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25298/14]
View answerMy officials have examined their records but could not identify any representation on behalf of the individual referred to by the Deputy. I understand that the individual is an employee of Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (ETB). If the individual has a payment issue, they should in the first instance refer this to the ETB as their employer.
218. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the Seán Lemass Awards for Enterprise for the years 2013 and 2014 will be presented; if the Taoiseach will be presenting these awards as in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25301/14]
View answerIt is intended that the "Awards" will be presented to the recipients by the Taoiseach in September 2014 for both 2013 and 2014. The last awards ceremony was in 2012 and it was for the recipients of the Seán Lemass Awards for 2011 and 2012.
219. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that agencies in the UK that are helping survivors of the Irish industrial school system have not yet been recognised by Caranua; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Caranua is appointing case workers who are based in Ireland to survivors who are based in the UK; when an agency (details supplied) will be approved by Caranua; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25303/14]
View answerCaranua is an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. Caranua's application advisors (previously known as caseworkers) are based in Caranua's office in Dublin and work with applicants regardless of where the applicant is living. I understand from inquiries made by my officials that Caranua has not entered into a formal contract with any survivor organisations, either in Ireland or in the UK. However, it has worked hard at developing relationships with survivor organisations in both jurisdictions since its inception, and has ongoing contact and meetings with survivor organisations. I also understand that the possibility of a contractual relationship with an organisation in the UK to improve responsiveness to applicants living in the UK was recently considered by the Board of Caranua and that work on exploring this possibility is ongoing.
With regard to the counselling agency referred to by the Deputy, Caranua recently published updated versions of its information and guidelines for making an application, and in these guidelines Caranua outlines that "counselling will normally be provided by the National Counselling Service, Connect and Towards Healing". However, I am advised that applicants are not in any way limited to using the mentioned services, and this is only provided as a guide. The revised guidelines are available on the Board's website www.caranua.ie. Caranua works with survivors based on their individual needs and service providers are approved on a case by case basis during the processing of individual applications.
220. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his Department's goal to improve the oral language competence of young children in early childhood care and education settings and its readiness to develop early mathematical language and ideas; and the mechanism used to measure same. [25314/14]
View answerThe majority of support for preschool provision is funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. My Department has funded the development of two practice frameworks - Síolta which is a quality framework for early childhood education and Aistear, the curriculum framework for early childhood education. The learning goals in Aistear for early literacy and numeracy focus on:
- Developing non-verbal communication skills, i.e., body movement, facial expression, rules;
- Using language in a symbolic form, i.e., pictures, signs, shapes, numbers, letters;
- Developing higher-order-skills, i.e., predicting, analysing, justifying, negotiating, reasoning; and
- Nurturing positive dispositions, i.e., showing an interest, acting on curiosity, persevering.
Working with agencies funded through the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment have produced an Aistear-in-Action toolkit for early years practitioners. Additional supports include a literacy through play network and an Aistear Tutor Network.
There are a number of other initiatives to foster the development of early literacy and numeracy skills. Some of these initiatives use the Hanen Learning Language and Loving it programme; others work closely with the Speech and Language Therapy service of the HSE. A recent initiative includes the Chatter Matters campaign which was launched earlier this year by Dublin's Lord Mayor and which aims to highlight the importance of parents/caregivers talking to and playing with their babies if they are to acquire language. The next phase in the provision of supports to early years practitioners includes the establishment of a National Early Years Support Service which will work with early years services on quality improvement including the development of a rich environment fostering early literacy and numeracy.
221. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of primary school children performing at level 3 or higher in the national assessment of mathematics and English reading in second class and sixth class during each of the past seven years. [25315/14]
View answerThe 2009 National Assessments of Mathematics and English Reading, which are the most recent in this series of national assessments, provide baseline data for future national assessments in Mathematics and English reading at second and sixth class but are not directly comparable with previous assessments. In 2009, test scores were grouped into four proficiency levels (clusters of skill-sets and competencies describing what pupils are likely to be able to do). Those proficiency levels are described in the report of the 2009 National Assessments, which is available on the website of the Educational Research Centre (www.erc.ie).
To facilitate comparability across classes and subjects, the cutpoints used to create each proficiency scale were based on predefined percentages of pupils. Thus, 10% of pupils were classified as at Level 4; 25% at Level 3; 30% at Level 2; and 25% at Level 1, with 10% of pupils described as failing to reach Level 1. Thus to respond directly to your question, 35% of pupils performed at level 3 or higher. The next round of national assessments was carried out earlier this year and will be published in 2015. It will facilitate direct comparison with the 2009 results.
222. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of children performing at level 1 or lower in the national assessment of mathematics and English reading in second class and sixth class during each of the past seven years. [25316/14]
View answerThe 2009 National Assessments of Mathematics and English Reading, which are the most recent in this series of national assessments, provide baseline data for future national assessments in Mathematics and English reading at second and sixth class but are not directly comparable with previous assessments. In 2009, test scores were grouped into four proficiency levels (clusters of skill-sets and competencies describing what pupils are likely to be able to do). Those proficiency levels are described in the report of the 2009 National Assessments, which is available on the website of the Educational Research Centre (www.erc.ie).
To facilitate comparability across classes and subjects, the cutpoints used to create each proficiency scale were based on predefined percentages of pupils. Thus, 10% of pupils were classified as at Level 4; 25% at Level 3; 30% at Level 2; and 25% at Level 1, with 10% of pupils described as failing to reach Level 1. Thus to directly answer your question, 35% of pupils performed at Level 1 or below. The next round of national assessments was carried out earlier this year and the results will be published in 2015. It will facilitate direct comparison with the 2009 results.
