Written Answers Nos. 452-469
452. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; the reason the person is still awaiting a reply despite communication in July 2014; and her plans to ensure that all such correspondence is responded to promptly. [35597/14]
View answerThe Pension Unit of my Department is obliged to ensure that priority is given to processing retirement pension benefits for pension scheme members and, as the Deputy will appreciate, the end of the school year is the peak period for such retirements. The next priority is accorded to applications for pension benefit statements from members who express an intention to retire in the current school year and so on. The communication from the person to whom the Deputy refers is not within the higher priority range and will be dealt with as soon as possible when resources permit. The person was informed of the availability of detailed information on the web in the acknowledgement which issued on receipt of the communication.
453. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a site has been identified for the Educate Together school in Stepaside, County Dublin; and when construction will begin. [35600/14]
View answerA major project to provide permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy, is included in my Department's 5 year School Building Programme to proceed to construction in the years 2015/2016. In line with the arrangements in place under the Memorandum of Understanding on acquisition of school sites for school planning purposes, my Department is working closely with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council towards acquiring a permanent site for the school referred to by the Deputy. Due to the sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to provide further information at this time.
454. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason primary teachers who qualified in 2012 and entered the payscale in that year are on a significantly higher salary than primary teachers who qualified in 2012 but had been undertaking substitution work in 2011 and therefore entered the pay scale in 2011 (details supplied). [35610/14]
View answerMy Department is aware of the issue raised by the Deputy. My officials are considering the issue in consultation with the trade union who represent the teachers concerned, with a view to resolving the matter in an appropriate manner. As this matter is being dealt with under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.
455. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the continuing delay in providing a P45 and making a redundancy payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if it will be expedited due to the protracted delay since January 2014 and ongoing financial difficulties. [35617/14]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that a redundancy payment will issue to the person referred to on the 9th October. An official of my Department is contacting her with regard to the P45.
456. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an updated report on the application for structural funding for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, as this college has been waiting for an extension which is now many years overdue and in the next few months it is scheduled to go to planning permission stage. [35649/14]
View answerThe building project for an extension to the school referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction. The design team on the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work it was agreed by my Department that extensive additional refurbishment works to the existing school will also be required. My Department approved a significant increase in the scope of works for the project to incorporate those refurbishment works. Arising from this expansion in the scope of works it was necessary to commence a tender exercise for the appointment of a new design team to take the project forward from this point. This process, which was conducted by the ETB, is currently being finalised.
457. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding school extensions at a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, as both schools are expecting to go to planning permission stage in the very near future; if additional structured funds will be provided as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35656/14]
View answerThe project referred to by the Deputy is currently progressing through the stages of Architectural Planning. Following the Stage 2(a) Stakeholders meeting, a Stage 2(a) addendum report was received from the Board of Management and a review was completed by my Department with comments issuing to the school in late August. In early September one of the schools contacted my Department to advise that they wish to request a brief change and were advised to submit a supplementary report for consideration. On receipt of this report and subject to no issues arising, the project will then be authorised to proceed to commence the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert as part of Stage 2(b) of the architectural planning process. School building projects, including the project referred to by the Deputy, which have been initiated but not included in the current five year construction programme will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to the Department in the future.
460. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application made for a subsidised bus service for approximately 14 children from the Omeath and Carlingford area to attend Dundalk Grammar School; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35692/14]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that a new service to the school in question commenced on 8th September 2014 in accordance with the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme.
461. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a place at a school (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will be approved for a person, as he is out of school due to the numbers applying for this school; and her plans for the future to accommodate the growing number of students who find it difficult to get places in Kilkenny city. [35702/14]
View answerThe Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency, Block 3 South Dublin County Council, Tallaght, Dublin 24, phone number 01-4635513.The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place for every applicant, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act, 1998, each school is legally obliged to disclose its enrolment policy and to ensure that as regards that policy that principles of equality and the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parents' choice are respected. Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld. Application forms for taking a section 29 appeal are available on my Departments website at the following link http://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/Appeal-against-Permanent-Exclusion-Suspension-or-Refusal-to-Enrol/Section-29-Appeals-Application-Form.doc, or by contacting Section 29 Administration Unit, Friars Mill Road, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, phone 0761 108584. My Department is currently analysing the latest demographic data on a nationwide basis to determine where further school accommodation might be needed from 2015 onwards. This process includes Kilkenny city. When this exercise has been completed, I will announce details of where additional school accommodation, including new schools, might be required.
463. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the provision of a new school in Naas, County Kildare; if her attention has been drawn to the fact a brand new school is lying empty in Craddockstown; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that the Education and Training Board has a primary school with 220 children in prefabs, of which 30 are located in the adjacent Gaelscoil as there is no room for them at the moment; if her attention has also been drawn to the fact that the prefabs are nine years old and have many leaks and problems with the lighting and electrics, and also have black mould problems and rats; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that there are only two toilets to serve 100 children; the reason children have not been moved to the new school; the amount of money that was spent on these prefabs in the past nine years and the company from which they were leased; and her plans to rectify this. [35804/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. This can necessitate the use of temporary accommodation, as in the case of this school, until my Department is in a position to provide a permanent building. My Department will continue to liaise with the school authorities regarding their long term accommodation needs. The school opened in 2010 and is currently accommodated in temporary accommodation which is relatively new. It would be expected that with standard maintenance, the accommodation would remain in good condition for a considerable period of time. This accommodation was installed in 2008/2009 at a cost of €1.68 million and was used for a short period by another school. These prefabs are not leased. Following an application from the school management, my Department recently approved funding for repairs to the temporary accommodation which was damaged during the storms earlier this year under the Emergency Works Scheme. It is expected that this funding will address the matters raised by the school. The School Authority was also sanctioned funding for two additional prefabricated units to cater for increased enrolments. The pupils temporarily located in the gaelscoil will move to this accommodation when installed in the coming weeks. As a contract to provide for the improved/additional accommodation has not been awarded, the amount of funding provided is commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed at this point. It is intended that the new school building in Craddockstown will accommodate the planned new post-primary school for Naas in its start-up years. This school is due to commence operation in 2015 under the Patronage of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). KWETB will be using the building in the intervening period for other educational services.
464. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the excessive delays in the operations of Caranua; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that citizens have lost places on education courses due to the inability of Caranua to process their appeals in a timely manner; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) lost a place on a course due to Caranua's failure to process an appeal and the person has now lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman regarding same; her plans to put guidelines in place to ensure that appeals and cases are processed in a timely manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35806/14]
View answerCaranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. The processing of individual applications is a matter for Caranua itself and I have no role in the process. Decisions of Caranua may be appealed to an independent Appeals Officer. I understand that an appeal has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy in relation to a decision of Caranua and that the appeal is being considered by the Appeals Officer. On the general question of the operations of Caranua, the Deputy will be aware there that there has been a delay in processing applications received by Caranua, which arose due to the number of applications and calls received being higher than expected and the time taken to recruit staff. With the appointment of Caranua's four Application Advisors in late May the organisation has reached its full staffing complement. In addition my Department approved Caranua's request to engage an Agency to provide temporary additional resources to address the backlog.
465. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding available towards the establishment of community after-school services; the application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35836/14]
View answerMy Department does not have a remit in relation to the establishment of community after-school services. The School Completion Programme which is part of the DEIS School Support Programme, and provides school based after-school supports is administered by TUSLA on behalf of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The After School Child Care Programme (ASCC) is administered by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on behalf of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and provides after-school care for primary school children for certain categories of working parents and parents on DSP employment programmes (not including Community Employment). The Community Employment Childcare programme (CEC) is administered by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on behalf of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and provides child-care for children of parents who are participating on Community Employment schemes.
466. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding class sizes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35853/14]
View answerThe primary staffing schedule currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils, with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. Schools have autonomy in relation to the deployment of classroom teachers to individual classes. My Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.). School authorities are also requested, where possible, to use their autonomy under the staffing schedule to implement smaller class sizes for junior classes. The Staffing Schedule includes the provision where schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds. In addition, a staffing appeals process is available to schools, including a new criterion for the 2014/15 school year which is aimed at schools which make a significant contribution to absorbing demographic growth.
The context for any discussion about class sizes is that my Department, like all other Government Departments, is operating within a budgetary programme that is designed to return the Government finances to a sustainable basis. This budgetary programme has helped Ireland to return to a position where we are seeing some economic growth. It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth that will enable us to move to a point in future budgets where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about an improvement in PTR and class size. In the meantime, my Department's focus is on targeting any available resources to cater for the continued increase in student numbers across primary, post-primary and third level.
468. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her policy on twins in primary schools remaining in the same class or being separated. [35866/14]
View answerIt is the responsibility of the Principal teacher in consultation with the teaching staff to decide on the organisation of the pupils for teaching purposes. My Department does not have a policy in relation to twins being placed in the same class or being placed in separate classes. This is a matter for the school Principal having regard to the particular needs of the children concerned, the available staffing resources and any other relevant circumstances.
469. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the recourse open to a parent who paid a fee for books to a non-fee-paying primary school at the beginning of September and then subsequently removed the children from that school and put them in another but received no refund for the fees paid and no books; if the school is obliged to refund this money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35867/14]
View answerApart from the recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised primary or post-primary schools are not permitted to charge school fees. Recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme have teaching resources and other funding allocated to them on a different basis from those schools that charge fees. The continued eligibility for such funding arrangements is contingent on a school not requiring mandatory fees or payments from existing pupils or from those seeking admission to the school. Certain charges may however be legitimately requested from pupils such as payment for school books or photocopied material provided by the school where the charge is reasonable and simply reflects the true costs concerned. The arrangements for the payment or refunding, where applicable, of any such legitimate charges are a matter between the school and the parents concerned.
