Charlie McConalogue
Question:54. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the value for money report on small schools will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29686/14]
View answerSchools Review
Questions (54)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
My question concerns when the value for money review of small primary schools which has been with the Minister for Education and Skills for almost a year and a half will be published.
The report on the value for money review of small primary schools will be published as soon as my Government colleagues and I have finalised our consideration of it and its recommendations. I am not at this time in a position to give a precise publication date. The report contains much detailed technical data concerning small schools in the primary sector and also a suite of recommendations and options. The Government needs time to properly consider the report and its recommendations.
I take the opportunity to wish the outgoing Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, the very best. He is a man who has made an immense political contribution in what has been a long and distinguished career. Looking back over the past 30 or 40 years, he is one of the figures in Irish politics who have stood out. I know that he has some time left in this Parliament and have no doubt that once he retires at the end of this Dáil, he will continue to contribute to public life. On my own behalf and that of my party, I send him good wishes.
I do not believe the response given by the Minister of State is acceptable in any way. We have been listening to this for over a year and a half. Perhaps the Minister of State might tell me whether he believes it is acceptable that it should take this long to consider a report. While the Minister, his Department and the Government have been sitting on the report, small schools across the country have been subject to significant cuts in teacher numbers and the funding they receive. It is unacceptable that we continue to see this approach and such measures taken that many believe are contained in the value for money review without the Government being up-front and honest and publishing the report in order that we can have a proper debate on it and ensure assurances can be given to schools on what the future holds.
It is important in giving effect to proper public policy and proper educational policy that due consideration and time is given to all the inputs involved in the making of such a report. One must examine issues such as the diversity of provision in an area, the ethos of schools, parental choice, the language of instruction, distances pupils must travel and the provision and costs of school transport, the locations of small schools relative to each other and to other schools of a similar type and the costs of running small primary schools. It is not something one would rush into given the important nature of educational provision. The Government seeks to ensure proper and due diligence is done on public policy and educational policy.
The Minister of State's response does not add up or make sense. The Minister is sitting on a report commissioned to assess how small schools are working and what future policy should be in this area but he will not publish it in order that there can be a full debate. Instead, the Minister of State said the Minister is continuing to consider issues relating to the report long after it was put together and these considerations were made. This is unacceptable. This is happening at the same time as measures are being taken to put the same schools under massive pressure. The Minister is moving on and will be replaced but the report has still not been published.
Representatives of the Dublin archdiocese appeared before the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection last week and they indicated that 10% of their schools are unsure whether they will continue to operate over the next two to three years. That is the scenario facing them. It is not acceptable that the Minister of State should dillydally around considering reports while that scenario pertains in our primary schools.
It is the Government's intention to publish the report and due consideration is being given to its contents.
Education and Training Boards Places
Questions (55)
Jonathan O'Brien
Question:55. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria used by education training boards when moving VTOS positions to different parts of the county, with particular reference to a move of a number of positions from Tallaght to Balbriggan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29673/14]
View answerOral answers (5 contributions)
VTOS places are alocated to education and training boards, ETBs, and further distribution of these places to areas under their remit is a matter for each ETB.
The movement of VTOS places from Tallaght to Balbriggan was a decision taken by Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB. I understand that this followed the amalgamation of the former Dublin and Dún Laoghaire vocational educational committees and the merger of the former FÁS services, which led to a review of the provision of its adult education services.
I asked about the criteria and the process undertaken to enable the ETB to move the VTOS posts from Tallaght to Balbriggan. Nobody doubts Balbriggan is in dire need of additional training places and these VTOS places will be welcomed by the community. However, it does not make sense to take them from a community such as Tallaght. The Minister of State knows Tallaght as well as any other Member and he will be aware of the educational disadvantage in the community. Training places play a vital role in helping individuals. It is not good enough to transfer places from a community that badly needs them - if anything, it probably needs more - to another community that is also in need. We need clear criteria and a clear, accountable process, which can be examined openly and transparently in order that people can find out exactly on what basis this decision was made. Nobody knows why places were moved from an area in which they are badly needed to another area under the auspices of the ETB.
The Deputies will recall that during the formation of the legislation underpinning the ETB structure, we all concluded it was an excellent idea to confer on ETBs complete autonomy in distributing and allocating resources within their respective regions. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB has sanction for 150 VTOS places to distribute as best it can across its region of responsibility.
Very early in its life, the new ETB carried out a review that found that while Tallaght had 120 places, Balbriggan, a rapidly growing area with almost equally high unemployment, had only 20. The ETB, taking account of the movement of the former FÁS training centre in Tallaght, decided to move those 20 places from Tallaght to Balbriggan, leaving Tallaght with 100 and Balbriggan with 40. This involved the closure of St. Dominic's VTOS centre, which had 40 places, and its remaining 20 places were transferred to Tallaght town centre. As I said earlier, the Department has no function or responsibility for the allocation of places within the ETBs, each of which is completely autonomous and independent. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB made the decision and we must and should respect it.
I understand that the ETBs have full control over where they allocate the places. The Minister has outlined to some degree the rationale behind the decision. Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB has 150 VTOS places because that is the number it can afford to fund. It is unacceptable that the Minister has taken 20 places from a community such as Tallaght, which has major disadvantage, high rates of school dropouts and unemployment, and transferred them to another community. Balbriggan's need is as great as that of Tallaght. Additional funding is needed to provide additional VTOS places. It is unfair and incorrect to rob Peter to pay Paul. We are taking from one community in need and giving to another. It is all down to funding and resources. While I have no issue with the fact that the ETB must work with the resources it has, we need additional resources to provide additional places.
While I agree that we need additional resources, we do not have them. As our country's economic recovery gets under way we will, hopefully, have those additional resources and be able to pass them on to our ETB structure across the country. For the moment, within the resources available to us and to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, we must trust the ETB and respect its autonomy and independence in making this decision. The ETB very carefully considered the need for VTOS places across its whole region of responsibility and determined that leaving Tallaght with 100 places and Balbriggan with 40 was the fairest and most effective outcome given the resources available.
Education Policy
Questions (56)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:56. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether the integrated model of education, so enthusiastically supported by teachers and parents, is in extreme danger due to the combination of large class sizes, a 15% cut in resource teaching hours, the withdrawal of resource teachers for Travellers and the reduction in language support teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29514/14]
View answerOral answers (8 contributions)
One of the groups that has suffered the most and has experienced the greatest level of anxiety is people with special needs and their families. While the National Council for Special Education has produced a review regarding the allocation of resources, the unions, particularly the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, have indicated grave concern and said that without reversing the previous cuts of 15% in resource posts and the moratorium on posts of responsibility, even the positive elements included in this may not be able adequately to provide for special needs and protect the integrated education model, which is important for all primary school children.
I fully recognise the importance of the integrated model of education to which the Deputy referred, and I do not accept the assertion that this model is under threat. The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to restore our finances to a sustainable basis. Although education has been better sheltered than other sectors, it cannot be completely exempt from the budgetary programme. The Government's approach has helped Ireland to return to a position in which we are seeing some economic growth. A continuing improvement in our economic growth will enable us to move to a point at which we can again consider providing for additional teacher resources in schools, which could bring about an improvement in pupil-teacher ratio, class size and support for classroom teachers.
The main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system. By 2017 we will have approximately 75,000 more young people in our system. We are also working hard to continue to preserve the integrated model of education, which we value very much and which has been at the heart of Irish education for a number of years.
I do not know if it is a circle which can be squared to say on the one hand that we had no choice but to make these cuts and on the other that we will protect the integrated model of education. Let us be clear that the integrated model of education is of critical importance for vulnerable students, including students with special needs, Travellers, and primary schoolchildren with language needs, as well as for the whole education system. The 15% cuts in resource teachers and the removal of language support teachers and support teachers for Traveller children have created serious pressure, added to which is the fact that 10,000 extra children are going into primary school every year. It poses very serious questions about whether that model can in fact be protected. Indeed, it would be useful if the Minister of State could provide a guarantee that there will be no further education cuts affecting the primary school sector and special needs supports in the coming budget. The Nevin Economic Research Institutue, NERI, said recently that these education cuts, particularly in primary education, were the most damaging socially and as regards the long-term economic future of our country. Can we get assurances in that regard?
At a time of severe economic challenge, the level of resources devoted to supporting children with special educational needs has been maintained with increases in certain areas for the next school year. This is in response to the demographic growth to which the Deputy referred and the increased demand despite the ongoing and severe financial position. There will be more than 11,000 resource teaching and learning support posts available to schools for the 2014-2015 school year which is the highest number of posts that has ever been made available. The number of resource teaching posts to the NCSE for allocation to schools has increased from 5,745 last year to 6,225 next year. I ask the Deputy to bear in mind also that the number of SNAs within our schools at the end of the year will be the highest ever. We spend just over €1.3 billion per annum on special needs education within the Department, which is greater than the whole budget for An Garda Síochána, our police force. We are working hard and as best we can within difficult economic circumstances to protect and nurture the integrated model of education to which the Deputy refers.
The thing about fiscal restraint is that one can cut off one's nose to spite one's face. There is no more important example of that than in the area of education, particularly primary education. Providing the necessary resources for primary school children, particularly those who are vulnerable is vital for them and for the long-term economic future of the country. If one cuts off one's nose now, one will spite one's face in the future. We have the second-largest class sizes in Europe and have had substantial cuts in this area. I have not heard from the Minister of State an assurance that there will not be further cuts that will affect the primary school sector and special needs in the future budget. If the Minister of State could even provide commitments on that level, it would assure teachers and parents who are anxious about the detrimental impact of these sorts of cuts.
I wonder sometimes if Deputy Boyd Barrett comes to the Chamber with a particular message to disseminate, chooses not to listen to the responses he receives and then repeats what he has said over and over again notwithstanding assurances given. By the end of this year, we will have the highest number of SNAs ever employed in place in our schools to support children with special needs.
There are 10,000 more kids coming and the largest class sizes in Europe.
We already have 480 extra resource teachers in place this year, with a further 480 resource teachers being put in place for next year. We are working exceptionally hard with the resources available to us to protect special needs children, nurture them and ensure they receive the best possible educational opportunities and achieve to the fullest of their potential. We have done that in light of the harsh winds of recession and will continue to do it. It has been a priority of the Government and, in particular, of the Minister, Deputy Quinn, since he first assumed office to protect that investment and to protect those children within our school system. We will continue to do that, which is the commitment the Deputy asked for and the commitment I am giving him.
School Funding
Questions (57)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:57. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his Department's budgetary situation; if he will undertake to reverse the reductions in capitation; if he will commit to properly funded summer works and minor works schemes in view of the financial pressure on schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29687/14]
View answerOral answers (6 contributions)
My question is to ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his Department's budgetary situation, if he will undertake to reverse reductions in school capitation that he implemented, and if he will commit to properly funded summer works and minor works schemes in view of the financial pressure on our schools.
Provisional net overall expenditure to the end of June 2014 by the Department is more or less on target. Expenditure of almost €3.88 billion is running just €24 million, or 0.6%, behind profile, with €7 million on current expenditure and €17 million on capital. The Department continues to closely monitor the financial position with a view to ensuring that expenditure remains within the allocation for the year. This Government has sought to protect education spending and maintain front-line education services as far as possible. However, levels of educational expenditure cannot be determined in a manner that ignores the economic reality. Consequently, there is no scope to reverse the decision taken in budget 2012 to reduce the level of capitation payable. Within the Department's overall multi-annual capital allocation, over €28 million was issued to primary schools last November for the school year 2013-14 under the minor works grant scheme, while more than €70 million in total has been allocated to the 2014 summer works scheme to allow more than 770 schools nationwide to undertake improvement works. Funding for future minor works and summer works schemes is subject to funding.
I welcome the fact that a minor works grant was paid out this academic year and that there was a summer works scheme under which many schools across the country had essential work done, which had been delayed by cuts to the summer works scheme budget. Funding for schools is not just for election years; it must take place on a continuous basis. The Government has had three budgets and for the first two there was no summer works scheme, no minor works grant and cuts to capitation. In the run-up to the local elections, money was given out, which was welcome because of the pressure schools are under. However, there is no commitment to funding in future years. Despite the many times I pressed the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, there is no commitment to ensuring it is provided next year or the year after. Meanwhile, many of our schools are under massive pressure and we know the Government is under pressure in regard to finances. By withdrawing these funds from schools, the Department is transferring the pressure to fill the gap in school funding back to the hard-pressed families with young children. It is the sector of our society that is most pressed financially. We should look to protect them, not increase the burden on them and on our schools.
I agree with some of the sentiment of the Deputy. In a perfect world, we would have the perfect pot of money to allow us to do everything we could within the education sphere to ensure the amount of voluntary contributions made by parents through charitable donations and fundraising was lessened considerably. There is a macroeconomic picture, however, and we must reduce the deficit to 3% by a certain year. Fianna Fáil subscribes to that philosophy and that means the education silo has a finite pot of money. To govern is to choose, and we must make choices about where to allocate funding. With regard to the comment about electioneering, Deputy McConalogue's party is a dab hand at making announcements prior to elections. Let us take the cynicism out of it and say that we have tried to ensure we put money into schools through the minor works scheme and the summer works scheme where it is necessary. Some schools missed out because of the prioritisation process, but they are not being cut out of the pot. Hopefully, these schools will go in the pot for next year, and it is the intention, if we are €500 million ahead of profile in terms of overall taxation receipts, that it will reflect positively on the education budget. This will allow us to fund projects such as those outlined in the question.
Will the Minister of State clarify that if it looks like the economy and finances are ahead of profile in terms of the overall financial budget, the summer works scheme and minor works grant will be a priority for Government in the upcoming budget and that he will ensure there is money allocated for these next year? Because the Government made the choice not to pay these moneys in the past two years, we can triple the number of schools that need summer works scheme money this year and we can triple the amount primary schools need because of the money they lost out on for two years in regard to the minor works grant. Evidence from the Catholic Primary Schools Managers Association, CPSMA, shows that in the past year half of schools were spending more than they were taking in and that some of them are in severe debt.
I pointed out earlier that at an Oireachtas committee this week, the Archdiocese of Dublin indicated that its calculations and assessments of the schools under its remit show that up to 10% of them are in a situation where they will not be able to continue as a school two years from now. This is a serious situation, largely brought about by the policies the Government has introduced. I know there are difficulties, but the Government has made the choice to put the burden on schools, which are putting it back on parents who cannot afford it. The Government needs to change that direction. With a new Minister for Education and Skills, we need to see prioritisation given to ensuring these grants are paid next year. Will the Minister of State confirm that will be a top priority for the Government in the upcoming budget?
In March 2011, the macroeconomic picture in this country was abysmal and we were a programme country. However, we have been able to maintain the capital budget and we have a five-year programme where we are replacing prefabs and building new schools. Therefore, in spite of the economic circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have been able to build out and replace the prefabs that have been in existence since the height of the boom. Therefore, there is no doubting the Government's commitment to trying to ensure funding is put in place for necessary work.
We have not yet started the proper discussions around budget 2015. Therefore, it would be premature to give an absolute commitment at this stage. However, if we had committed funding for this year, 2014, and if the economic profile is getting better, one would be hopeful. That is all one can say. If the Deputy was standing where I am standing, this is what he would be saying. We would hope to be in a position to try to ensure that schools funding for the necessary repairs and minor works will be provided, but we cannot say that for certain until we have got through the negotiations on budget 2015.
Third Level Courses Availability
Questions (58)
Jonathan O'Brien
Question:58. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 83 of 26 June 2014, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his Department has in the past allocated funding to students undertaking the adult learning bachelor of arts course demonstrating at least limited departmental recognition of the value of such a course; the capacity for funding for a similar course in another non-private institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29674/14]
View answerOral answers (7 contributions)
The position is that Ireland received funding for a European globalisation adjustment fund, EGF, programme to support redundant workers from SR Technics. This consisted of a personalised package of guidance, training, educational and enterprise supports which were delivered to the eligible workers concerned during an implementation period from March 2009 to October 2011. Measures included tuition costs of the ALBA degree in All Hallows which, normally being a part-time programme, was delivered on a tailored full-time basis to accommodate the specific requirements of these workers given the finite timeframe for EGF co-funded support. When this funding ceased, the Department provided a grant as a once-off measure to this cohort of students to complete their studies.
The Department allocates funding to the HEA for direct disbursement to approved higher education institutes and the internal disbursement is a matter for the governing bodies. The provision of courses is a matter for individual institutions as autonomous bodies.
As the Department already provided some funding to the students when the EU globalisation fund ran out, the Minister is well aware of the success and merits of the particular programme. All but one of the students who took part in the programme has gone on to employment or further education. He is also aware that All Hallows is involved in a consultation period currently, mostly concerned with restructuring of the college and possibly its closure. I understand the college has guaranteed at least one more academic year and hopes to wind down by 2017.
In view of the success of the ALBA programme, which is now being wound up, is any dialogue involving the Department, All Hallows and DCU going to take place in order to save it? As the Minister of State outlined, the programme is geared towards people who have in some cases been out of formal education for up to 30 years. The success of the programme is evident. I wonder if it is planned to enter dialogue in the interests of replicating the programme or allowing it to continue, either in DCU or in some other institution.
It is important to state that All Hallows is a private college and is not in receipt of core grant funding. However, the Department provides grants in lieu of tuition fee funding to the college in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. This funding amounted to over €430,000 for the 2013-2014 academic year in respect of the 119 eligible students who attended courses for the full year. The ALBA programme referred to by the Deputy is a part-time course and is, therefore, not an approved course for free fees funding. A decision was made to provide specific funding - initially under the EGF and subsequently by means of the grant scheme - to certain students, namely, former employees of SR Technics who undertook the course on a full-time basis. When the EGF funding was withdrawn, the Department agreed to support the full-time qualifying students to complete their studies. These were ex-SR Technics employees who were undertaking the ALBA degree on a full-time basis. As already stated, the institutions are autonomous bodies in their own right. I hope this answers the Deputy's question.
I understand that they are autonomous. However, in light of the success of the ALBA programme, I wonder if dialogue is going to take place with DCU, which is the accrediting college in this instance. Have discussions taken place with All Hallows in the context of the course being provided under, for example, a social enterprise model? We are talking about people who were out of formal education for up to 30 years and who, with the help of the Government, returned to it. In that context, when the EGF funding ceased, the Department stepped in and provided moneys for the final two years. The merits of the programme are there to be seen. All but one of the students involved have returned to employment or have gone on to further education. In some cases, these people had been out of education for decades. It would be a mistake to bring this successful programme to an end, particularly as I am of the view that it could be facilitated in some other form or even expanded. Is the Department going to investigate the possibility of opening up dialogue with somebody in the context of the course continuing elsewhere, or will it consider the possibility of facilitating it under a social enterprise model?
I am not unsympathetic to the case the Deputy is making, particularly in view of the impact the course has had on those individuals who, as he states, were out of formal education for such a long period. I contend that it is not necessarily for the Department to intervene. In circumstances in which a course of this nature could be provided by another institution, I would make the argument that it would be a matter for that institution to subsume it into its own programme of courses.
There is an issue around funding. The programme does not come under SUSI, so funding would have to be found elsewhere.
An exception was made. It must be remembered that it was a part-time course and that funding would not normally be provided in such circumstances. The Deputy referred to a particular institution, but there are any number of institutions throughout the State which could, subject to their internal criteria, subsume the course on a full-time basis. I do not know how the Department could intervene in that matter. In fact, I do not believe there is a mechanism to allow it to do so. It was a result of the EGF and the specific circumstances relating to SR Technics that an intervention was made in this instance, and there is no doubting the positive impact of that intervention. If that were the case, one could set a precedent in respect of any number of other courses which could be brought through the Department to be delivered out into specific institutions.
However, we must recognise the autonomy of individual institutions.