Written Answers Nos. 478-495
478. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans towards honouring the commitment to spending 0.7% of national income on overseas development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36588/14]
View answer480. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will set out a revised plan to achieve Ireland's international target of allocating 0.7% of GNP for overseas aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36924/14]
View answer485. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his position on meeting Ireland's overseas aid target of allocating 0.7% of GNP. [37176/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 478, 480 and 485 together.
The Government is strongly committed to Ireland’s overseas aid programme, which is at the heart of our foreign policy. Our policy on International Development, “One World, One Future”, which was launched last year, clearly states our commitment to the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA), and to making further progress towards it when economic circumstances permit.
Despite the extremely difficult economic circumstances, we have successfully managed to stabilise the budget for development assistance over the past three years. Since 2011 we have allocated a total of over €2.5 billion for ODA. We provided €657 million in 2011, €629 million in 2012, and €637 million in 2013. For 2014 we will spend some €600 million on ODA. These are substantial allocations of public funds and represent a genuine investment on behalf of the Irish people in assisting those less fortunate than ourselves. They are also clear evidence of the Government’s strong commitment to the aid programme.
The estimates process for Budget 2015 is now in its finals stages. As with allocations to all Government Departments, Budget 2015 allocations for ODA will be framed in the context of our policy commitments and the overall budgetary circumstances we face. The final 2015 Budget allocation, which is ultimately a decision for Government, will be announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on 14 October. As I have stated publicly, and in response to earlier Questions, I and the Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade have made, and will continue to make, the strongest case possible for the allocation to the development assistance programme.
479. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is satisfied with the level of input by his Department to the proposed Irish ratification of the EU free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru; the degree to which his Department has been consulted in formulating the Government position; the extent to which he believes the ratification complies with the One World, One Future document signed off by the Cabinet in May last year which commits the Government to greater coherence across Government policy in support of development objectives; if he will support further debate in Dáil Éireann on the issue before deciding to ratify the agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36830/14]
View answerThe Free Trade agreement between the European Union and its member states on the one part and the Republic of Colombia and the Republic of Peru on the other is an agreement within the meaning of Article 29.5.2° of the Constitution. Ratification by Ireland is therefore subject to prior approval of the Dáil. My colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton T.D. has previously informed the House that it is his intention to seek the necessary approval of Dáil Éireann during the course of this year in respect of the EU-Colombia and Peru Free Trade Agreement.
As with all trade and investment agreements between the EU and third countries, my Department has worked closely with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation from the beginning of the process of negotiations between the EU and Colombia and Peru on this agreement right through to the ratification phase. This work has included close coordination between the officials of the two Departments to promote and support the inclusion of provisions in the agreements to reflect the importance of human rights, in particular labour and environmental rights and sustainable development.
Since the signing of the agreement and the entry into force of the EU-Colombia element in August 2013, officials from both Departments and from Ireland’s Embassy in Mexico, which is accredited to Colombia, have maintained an ongoing dialogue regarding progress made in implementing the Agreement, including in relation to the provisions on labour and environmental rights and on mechanisms for dialogue with civil society.
As Deputy Nolan notes, policy coherence in support of global development objectives is a cornerstone of Ireland’s foreign policy and one to which this government is strongly committed. I am satisfied that the close cooperation between both Departments on the EU-Colombia and Peru Free Trade Agreement is a good example of whole-of-government coherence in supporting Ireland’s development and foreign policy objectives and my officials will continue to work together with their counterparts in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation as the ratification process is progressed. The organisation of Dáil business is a matter for the whips.
481. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has discussed with the Italian Presidency of the European Union the need to have a rapid and co-ordinated approach by the European Union to assist in dealing with the crisis arising from the ebola outbreak in west Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37153/14]
View answer482. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will put forward at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council the need for the establishment of a Europe-based rapid reaction force to help with the humanitarian crisis in west Africa following the ebola outbreak; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37154/14]
View answer483. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider urgently the proposals put forward by GOAL and Doctors Without Borders at the recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs on the need to provide an adequate and urgent response to assist in dealing with the ebola outbreak in west Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37155/14]
View answer484. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the proposals to provide additional humanitarian aid to assist in the response to the ebola outbreak in west Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37157/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 481 to 484, inclusive, together.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa and is now recognised as an international public health emergency. On 21 September the World Health Organisation estimated the total number of cases in the region at over 6,200, with more than 2,900 deaths so far. The epidemic shows no signs of abating and the UN has stated that, in addition to the devastating affect it has already had on economic development in the most-affected countries, it is also a threat to security, governance and political stability in the region.
Ireland is strongly supporting the efforts of the international community to provide a speedy, comprehensive and effective response to this crisis. Ireland was one of the co-sponsors of a UN Security Council resolution on Ebola adopted on 18 September, which led to the establishment of a new UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response - UNMEER. Under the auspices of UNMEER, the UN Secretary General has now launched the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund in order to unite the efforts of the international community and UN organisations and to act as a platform for the global control of the Ebola outbreak. The Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro, issued a call on 24 September for funding of €1 billion. On 25 September, a High Level Meeting was held at the UN in New York to focus world attention on the crisis.
The European Council considered the crisis at its special meeting on 30 August and called for increased response co-ordination across the Member States. A comprehensive EU response framework is now in place and the EU has so far pledged €180 million for the fight against Ebola, in addition to individual Member State contributions. EU mobile laboratories are already deployed in the region to help with the diagnosis and confirmation of cases and to train laboratory technicians. EU funding will also be used to strengthen local healthcare systems and improve food security, water and sanitation.
During the UN High Level Event on the 25 September it was stressed that medical evacuation and transport are two major bottlenecks in the Ebola response effort. The EU is also actively considering the coordination of Member State military and civilian assets to support the evacuation of patients from the region.
The two countries most seriously affected by the Ebola crisis, Liberia and Sierra Leone, are partner countries for Ireland’s development aid programme. We have already provided humanitarian funding of €350,000 direct to NGOs working on the Ebola response. Last week I announced additional funding of €660,000 for UNICEF to enable it to provide life-saving nutritional supplies to children who have been affected by the crisis.
My Department has also been working through the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra, Ghana, to mobilise 42 tonnes of pre-positioned Irish humanitarian supplies for distribution to those most affected, including survivors and vulnerable children. A member of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps has also been deployed to Dakar, Senegal, and is working with the World Food Programme in setting up an air transit centre for use by the UN Humanitarian Air Service.
This funding and support is in addition to our ongoing development programmes in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where we are providing a total of some €10 million, a considerable proportion of which will be re-directed to fighting the spread of the virus and establishing further treatment facilities. We are also providing very significant funding for the long term development work of our NGO partners in the countries, last year amounting to over €6 million.
I fully share the serious concerns about this crisis and I am satisfied that the international community is now fully seized of the need to act quickly, decisively and generously in bringing the outbreak under control and eventually eliminating the disease. I am planning to visit Freetown this week to gain a personal understanding of the local and regional impact of the Ebola crisis. I will also be reviewing the Irish Aid programmes in Sierra Leone and Liberia and considering what more Ireland can do to help these countries and people that are so badly affected.
486. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide in tabular form all the State agencies, bodies, organisations and working groups under his Department's remit; the core duties and functions of each; the number of staff in each; the budget of each for 2013 and the proposed budget for 2014; the date of establishment of the agencies or organisations; and the legislation, primary or otherwise, from which they derive their powers. [37206/14]
View answerThere are no State agencies, bodies or organisations under the aegis of my Department. There are seven ad hoc advisory groups/committees to which I make appointments. These are: the Emigrant Services Advisory Committee; the Advisory Group of the Global Irish Network; the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group; the NGO Standing Committee on Human Rights; the Standing Committee on Holocaust Education, Research and Remembrance; the Monitoring Group on Ireland’s National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and the Consultative Group on Ireland’s Second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Officers from my Department provide secretariat and other supports to the aforementioned groups; they have no staff of their own.
I am also responsible for making appointments to the Ireland–United States Commission for Educational Exchange (The Fulbright Commission). The Commission is jointly financed by the Irish and US Governments and enjoys autonomy of management and administration, in accordance with the Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991. The Commission has a staff of four.
|
Group/Committee |
Core duties |
Budget 2013 |
Budget 2014 |
Year Established |
Legislative basis |
|
Emigrant Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) |
Provides advice on the allocation of grants to Irish community organisations in Britain under the Emigrant Support Programme. |
N/A |
N/A |
1984 |
N/A |
|
Advisory Group of the Global Irish Network |
Charged with overseeing the implementation, where appropriate, of the initiatives which emerge from the Global Irish Economic Forum and coordinating the overall work programme for the Global Irish Network |
N/A |
N/A |
2012 |
N/A |
|
Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group |
Offers independent expert advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister for Development, Trade Promotion, and North South Co-operation on the strategic direction of the Ireland’s overseas development aid programme |
N/A |
N/A |
2010 |
N/A |
|
NGO Standing Committee |
Provides a framework for a regular exchange of views between my Department and representatives of the NGO community on human rights issues. |
N/A |
N/A |
1995 |
N/A |
|
Standing Committee on Holocaust Education |
Provides a mechanism to help coordinate Ireland’s engagement with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) which Ireland joined in 2011. |
N/A |
N/A |
2012 |
N/A |
|
Monitoring Group on Ireland’s National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, 2011 - 2014 |
Oversees the regular and systematic review of progress on the National Action Plan. |
N/A |
N/A |
October 2012 (Expires end 2014) |
N/A |
|
Consultative Group on Ireland’s Second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security |
Inputs into the development of Ireland’s Second National Action Plan which details the actions to be undertaken in implementing the Women, Peace and Security Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. |
N/A |
N/A |
June 2013 |
N/A |
|
Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange (Fulbright Commission) |
Administration of cultural and educational exchanges between Ireland and the United States of America |
€1,088,091 total budget, of which €254,000 provided from my Department |
€1,176,542 total budget, of which €254,000 provided from my Department |
1991 |
Educational Exchange (Ireland and the United States of America) Act, 1991 |
487. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the student-teacher ratio at a school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36447/14]
View answerDepartment of Education and Skills Circular 0007/2014 sets out the criteria for the allocation of teaching posts to primary schools for the 2014/2015 school year. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The Staffing arrangements for primary schools includes the provision where schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional classroom posts on developing grounds. Donaghpatrick National Schools has been provisionally approved for 1 developing classroom post based on the projected enrolment of 125 pupils provided by the school. This post will be substantiated if the school reaches a minimum of 123 pupils enrolled on the 30 September, 2014. If substantiated, this will bring the total classroom teaching posts in the school to five. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria, including developing grounds, to an independent Appeals Board.
In addition, the staffing appeals process at primary level has been extended to allow schools that are not gaining an additional teaching post under the developing schools criterion to submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. This appeal criterion is targeted at those schools that make a significant contribution to the provision of school places and so assist the response to demographic growth within their area and, as a result, are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level. Circular 0007/2014 provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal. Donaghpatrick National School submitted an appeal to the February, 2014 meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board under this new criterion – alleviating some of the pressures on class sizes. The Appeal Board considered the application on 26 February 2014 and determined that the application did not satisfy all of the published criteria as set out in circular 0007/2014.The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board will be held in October, 2014. The closing date for schools to submit an appeal application to the Department's Primary Allocations Section is Friday 3 October, 2014.
488. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the financial support options available to an Irish citizen who has just completed the leaving certificate and is studying in a university in England; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36590/14]
View answerUnder the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means.
Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution, an approved course is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years duration or a full-time postgraduate course of not less than one year duration pursued in an approved institution.Students who are attending undergraduate courses in an EU Member State, can apply for a maintenance grant in respect of an approved course which is being pursued in an approved institution. The student grant scheme does not extend to postgraduate courses pursued outside of Ireland.
To determine eligibility, a student may submit a fully completed online grant application to SUSI, via studentfinance.ie. The application process for the 2014/15 academic year currently remains open.
489. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary that has applied for major capital funding; the timeframe for completion of works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36613/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, this school has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including the school in question, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie. In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential additional school places to meet demographic demand, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to indicate at this point when a major project for the school in question will be progressed. However, it is open to the school, should additional teaching posts be allocated, to apply to my Department for additional accommodation to meet its immediate accommodation needs.
490. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the development of a new technological university for the south east; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36669/14]
View answer508. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a progress report on the proposed merger of IT Carlow and Waterford IT to form the new technological university of the south east. [36833/14]
View answerI propose to take questions 490 and 508 together.
A formal expression of interest was received by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) from Waterford Institute of Technology and Carlow Institute of Technology in applying for designation as a Technological University. The group has now passed the first stage of a four stage process and criteria for designation and can proceed to the second stage where detailed plans for merger and meeting the robust performance criteria have to be developed. In the third stage, evaluation of these plans by an international expert panel will take place followed by a legal merger and eventual designation. The General Scheme of a Technological Universities Bill was published by my predecessor in early 2014. It is envisaged that the Bill will be enacted in 2015 to ensure that there is a legislative framework in place to allow for mergers and for the establishment of Technological Universities where merged institutes pass the quality and performance bar that has been clearly set out.
The timeframe for a complete merger and designation as a Technological University will depend on the capacity of the proposed institutions to meet the criteria for designation. It is a matter for the institutes involved as to when they are ready to submit their detailed plans towards merger to the HEA for consideration.
491. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if amenity grants are available to a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36686/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department approved a significant devolved grant for the school in question to provide an extension which I understand was completed earlier this year. However in view of the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential mainstream classroom accommodation, my Department is currently not in a position to consider applications from schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, for the development of playspace at this time.
492. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the proposed politics and society course will be available for the leaving certificate cycle; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36691/14]
View answerThe Politics and Society subject will be made available to schools once the NCCA has advised my Department on a number of outstanding issues. No date has been set for its implementation in schools, pending the receipt of advice from the NCCA.
493. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to change the implementation of the policy in the professional development service for teachers with regard to the need for staff within the service to retire or return to the classroom within five years, whereby they lose experience built up in the service throughout the years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36692/14]
View answerMy Department, through the teacher support services, engages teachers on a full time basis annually for the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) through secondment from their schools. These secondments are subject to annual review. The arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the in-service needs of teachers and other support priorities of the school system can be met within the resources available. Having teachers with relevant and recent teaching experience and expertise is a key requirement for the role. It is a condition therefore that the maximum length of time that a teacher may be on secondment is five years, following which they return to their teaching roles within their schools. In this way, their expertise and knowledge is not lost to the system. The support services, including the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) must engage in succession planning as a key strategy in ensuring continued support for teachers and school leaders in implementing national education policy priorities and CPD and which allows for continuity, quality planning and management. Therefore I have no plans to change the policy of the five year limit.
494. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the review carried out into the visiting teacher service; when the review will be concluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36694/14]
View answer497. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the review carried out into the visiting teacher service; when the review will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36736/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 497 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the review of the Visiting Teacher Service was carried out in response to policy advice from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in May 2013, which recommended that the service should be reviewed. Accordingly, my Department commissioned an independent review of the service in line with the NCSE recommendations.
The review has now been concluded and a report has been submitted to my Department. The report is currently being considered by my officials. When this process has been concluded the question of publication of the report and implementation of the Report's recommendations will be considered. I can confirm however that my Department is committed to continuing to provide appropriate high quality resources to schools for the education of children with special educational needs, including children with hearing and visual impairment.
495. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to implement the review of apprenticeship training here; the recommendations made in the said review; if in particular she will establish an apprenticeship council and new apprenticeships across the multiple trades; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36723/14]
View answerAn implementation plan for the recommendations of the Review of Apprenticeship Training in Ireland was published on the 30th June 2014. The Plan sets out how a new Apprenticeship Council will make a call for proposals from consortia of employers and education and training providers for the development of new apprenticeships. I have sought nominations from the relevant stakeholders to participate in this Apprenticeship Council. I expect to announce the membership of the Council shortly and this will facilitate the progression of a call for proposals for new apprenticeships.
