Thursday, 25 Sep 2014

Written Answers Nos. 232-243

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (232)

Dan Neville

Question:

232. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the needs of a school, details supplied, in County Limerick. [36325/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I can inform the Deputy that my Department is aware of the situation and circumstances pertaining in the school detailed in his question and can inform him that a NEPS psychologist is this week completing assessment work on the pupils concerned for submission to the school and onwards to the NCSE where they will be given the appropriate consideration.

FÁS Training Programmes Data

Questions (233)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

233. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the completion and progression figures for FÁS courses over the past ten years. [36340/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

This information requested by the Deputy is held by SOLAS and I have asked them to contact the Deputy directly with this information.

FÁS Training Programmes Data

Questions (234)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

234. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the completion and progression figures for individual FÁS centres over the past ten years. [36342/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The information requested by the Deputy is held by SOLAS and I have asked them to contact the Deputy directly with this information.

Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Numbers

Questions (235, 247)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

235. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the completion and progression figures for VTOS courses over the past ten years. [36343/14]

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

247. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the completion and progression figures for individual VTOS centres. [36815/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 247 together. My Department does not collect information on individual VTOS centres. The following table sets out the completion and progression data on VTOS courses for the years 2004-2012, data for 2013 is not yet available.

Progression Destinations for those completing VTOS programmes 2004-2012

Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Employment				726	622	358	393	517	480
Self Employment	840	879	853	81	53	45	44	63	56
PLC				526	575	676	691	755	580
Higher Education				338	387	461	480	550	577
Training Course				180	212	184	184	68	127
CE / Rural Social Scheme				62	68	79	53	75	152
BTWA / Enterprise Allowance	1122	1293	1028	14	12	9	12	6	75
Live Register / Original Status	733	686	613	618	715	957	1013	846	838
Other	200	169	165	170	203	179	261	196	279
Total completing VTOS programmes	2895	3027	2659	2715	2847	2948	3131	3076	3164

State Examinations Statistics

Questions (236, 237)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

236. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school leavers who completed the leaving certificate in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014. [36344/14]

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

237. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school leavers completing the leaving certificate in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014, broken down into areas of Dublin. [36345/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 237 together.

The information in the following table is taken from the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Retention reports by the Department of Education and Skills, on school retention in Ireland. It is based on a detailed analysis of the records held in the Department's Post-Primary Pupils Database (PPPDB) for the cohort of entrants to the first year of the junior cycle in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007, who sat the Leaving Certificate Examinations in the years from 2010 to 2013. The Department will produce a report on the 2008 cohort for those who sat the Leaving Certificate in 2014 by the end of the year.

National Leaving Certificate Retention Rate for 2005-2007 cohorts

Year	Retention Rate (%)
2005	89.5
2006	90.2
2007	90.1

Retention Rates to the Leaving Certificate by Administrative County, 2005 -2007 cohort, Leaving Cert Retention (%)

County	2005	2006	2007
Dublin City	85.15	85.72	87.20
Dublin Fingal	90.89	91.19	91.64
Dublin South	87.19	88.31	88.87
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown	90.83	91.50	90.95

For more detailed information on these cohorts please visit the DES website for the full report: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Retention-Rates-of-Pupils-in-Second-Level-Schools-2005-and-2006-Entry-Cohorts.pdf

http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Statistical-Reports/stats_retention_report_2007_cohort.pdf

Third Level Participation

Questions (238, 239)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

238. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school leavers progressing to third level; and if she will distinguish between institutes of technology, universities and other colleges. [36346/14]

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

239. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of school leavers progressing to third level, broken down into areas of Dublin. [36347/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 239 together. My Department's data indicate that, on average, 50% of students who finish second level education progress directly on to higher education in the year they complete school. In addition, a further 28% of school leavers progress directly on to a PLC or other further/second level course. Generally speaking, over 64% of any final year second level cohort will ultimately transfer to a third level institution before reaching the mature student age. If mature students are factored in, the Higher Education Authority estimates that the figure rises to around 69%. Annual statistical data provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) indicate that 49% of new entrants to higher education in 2012-13 went to the universities, 46% to the Institutes of Technology and 5% to other colleges. HEA figures include entrants who progress on to higher education directly from school, as well as those who progress at a later stage or as mature students. The vast majority (81%) of higher education entrants are age 17-20 years. In August, the HEA published a consultation paper on the development of the next national access plan for higher education. This paper included estimates of participation rates in higher education in 2011 among the 18-20 year old age cohort of young people from each Dublin postal district. It should be noted that as well as young people completing the leaving certificate, this population would include a number who left school before that point, who may be in the labour force (employed or unemployed) or in further education or training. The following table shows the estimated participation rates by Dublin postal code for (i) entrants to higher education of all ages and (ii) entrants to higher education from the 18-20 year old age cohort.

Postcode	2011 Admission Rate (All ages)	2011 Admission Rate (Age 18-20)
Dublin1	51%	23%
Dublin2	47%	26%
Dublin3	76%	60%
Dublin4	105%	84%
Dublin5	63%	47%
Dublin6	127%	99%
Dublin6w	102%	82%
Dublin7	63%	41%
Dublin8	63%	28%
Dublin9	76%	55%
Dublin10	26%	16%
Dublin11	42%	28%
Dublin12	52%	37%
Dublin13	45%	36%
Dublin14	88%	76%
Dublin15	69%	47%
Dublin16	95%	79%
Dublin17	21%	15%
Dublin18	66%	58%
Dublin20	38%	32%
Dublin22	38%	26%
Dublin24	39%	29%
Dublin County	67%	53%
Dublin Total	62%	47%

Education and Training Boards Administration

Questions (240)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

240. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide the minutes from the meetings of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board over the past year. [36348/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The minutes of the meetings of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board requested by the Deputy are not provided to my Department. Consequently, I am not in a position to provide them to the Deputy. Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are required in accordance with paragraph 9 of Schedule 3 of the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013, to ensure that minutes of each meeting of the Board are prepared; submitted for confirmation at the next meeting of the Board; signed by the person chairing the meeting at which they were submitted for confirmation; retained and open to inspection at all reasonable times by a person authorised by the Minister for that purpose. There is no statutory requirement that a copy of the ETB minutes be routinely provided to the Department. Accordingly, the Department advised ETBs in February 2014 that they were not required to submit the minutes of each Board meeting to the Department and to discontinue the practice with immediate effect. However, ETBs were advised that minutes of Board meetings must be made available to the Minister if requested.

Education and Training Boards Administration

Questions (241)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

241. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide the most recent annual service plan and five-year strategy statement for the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board. [36349/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Section 47 of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (the Act) requires that, following the receipt of provisional expenditure limits from the Minister, the chief executive of an ETB will prepare and submit to the board a service plan setting out the services that the board proposes to provide, and an estimate of income and expenditure of the board during the financial year commencing on 1 January of the relevant year. 2014 was the first year in which this process could have taken place and expenditure limits were issued to ETBs. However, Boards were only constituted in accordance with the requirements of Section 30 of the Act in August and September of 2014 and my Department took the view that it would be more appropriate to wait until the newly constituted Boards were operational before commencing the service plan process. Accordingly, it is intended that service plans will be in place in 2015. Section 27 of the Act requires the preparation and adoption of s strategy statement by each ETB. However, this has not commenced to date in view of the significant work the ETBS have undertaken in 2014 relation to the amalgamation of the VECs and incorporation of the training function formerly undertaken by FÁS. I anticipate that the process of preparing strategy statements will commence later this year.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Questions (242, 243)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

242. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a one point reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level. [36350/14]

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

243. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a one point reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio for the first four years at primary level. [36351/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together.

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils. More favourable ratios operate in DEIS schools. Each one point adjustment to the current 28.1 schedule at primary level is estimated to cost of the order of 250 posts (€15m). An adjustment relating to the first four years at primary level is estimated to account for circa 50% of this cost (€7.5m). Given the current budgetary environment there is no scope in the short term to consider improvements to pupil teacher allocation ratios. My Department's focus for the foreseeable future is on targeting any additional resources to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system.