Written Answers Nos. 207 - 212
207. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to concerns within the special education sector regarding recent changes (details supplied) to the qualification regime; and if she will address these issues. [38808/14]
View answerAs part of the junior cycle reform, there has been a move away from multi-level specification of subjects. English, Irish and Mathematics are the only subjects offered at two levels. All other subjects will be offered at a single common level. This move is consistent with good practice in curriculum specification internationally, and contributes to the development of more inclusive curricula designed for and taken by ALL students, including those with special needs. The brief for the development of subject specifications stresses the importance of learning outcomes, including those learning outcomes previously associated with Foundation Level, so students with special needs who may previously have taken Foundation Level will be able to choose from the Ordinary Level or Higher Level in these subjects. In addition, the broader range of assessment approaches and methods to be used in these subjects will also facilitate students with special needs in accessing and achieving well in these subjects. It is important to note that there is a new initiative in the reformed Junior Cycle. There will be assessment of Level 2 Learning Programmes. The Level 2 Learning Programme will target the learning and accreditation needs of certain students with general learning disabilities. These students are small in number and will have Individual Education Plans. They will be accredited for their work. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is responsible for quality assurance across higher and further education and training and also makes awards at all levels of the National Framework of Qualifications. In order to have access to QQI's awards, providers of education and training must first agree their overall procedures for quality assurance with QQI, so that QQI can be assured that they meet their rigorous quality standards. The purpose of those standards is to ensure that providers have the capacity to provide quality programmes of education and training to their learners. Since its establishment, QQI has been rolling out its own policies and criteria across its range of functions and, in the final quarter of 2013, it published the policies required to allow new providers to gain access to its awards. In addition, QQI determined the fees associated with those policies, and those fees were consented to by the then Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In the further education and training sector, those fees amounted to €5,000 for approval of quality assurance procedures, and €2,000 or €1,000 for validation of a programme of education and training, depending on the size of the award. The fees which will apply to providers which currently have access to QQI's awards, and which will be required to re-engage with QQI, are yet to be determined. There is a significant amount of work involved in assessing applications from providers seeking access to QQI's awards and these fees underpin QQI's ability to ensure and monitor compliance with its standards.
208. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will continue to provide free transport to children attending units or schools catering for children with special needs; if her attention has been drawn to difficulties arising for some students whereby the nearest such school to them is full and they are required to travel some distance to get a school place; and if she will provide an assurance that her Department will continue to fund transport in such cases. [38809/14]
View answerUnder the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for transport, where they are attending the nearest recognised school that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs. All children with special educational needs who are currently categorised as eligible for free school transport retain this eligibility provided their circumstances have not changed. The National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) acts in an advisory role to my Department on the suitability and availability of placements for children with special educational needs. Where the Department is satisfied that the child is attending his/her nearest school which is resourced to meet their special educational needs, this child is considered eligible for free school transport regardless of the distance from home to school.
209. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the increasing demand for places in a special school (details supplied) if she will provide a schedule for the provision of additional classroom space in order to meet this demand. [38811/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is currently finalising a schedule of accommodation for the school in question in the context of the growing demand for additional school places. My Department will be in contact with the school when this process has been completed.
210. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of temporary contracts in place for the public sector as a whole including State agencies and other public bodies under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38827/14]
View answerFor the Deputy's information, there are 90 temporary contracts in place in non commercial bodies under the remit of my Department. In relation to teaching and non-teaching staff, schools receive an allocation of posts each year and the majority of positions are filled on a permanent basis. The criteria for the allocation of posts is published annually on the Department website. Where staff are on career breaks, carer's leave, job sharing, extended sick leave, maternity and extended maternity leave the posts are filled by staff on fixed term contracts, until the post holder returns to his / her position. In the post primary sector it may transpire that schools are forced to employ more than one teacher on fixed term contracts to cover the subject combination of a teacher on a particular leave of absence. There are also arrangements in place whereby schools can apply for temporary full and part-time resource posts to cover their NCSE approved allocation if such schools are unable to access resource hours through a network full time permanent resource posts in place. Where a fixed term contract is awarded to a teacher and the allocation continues to support the need for the teacher, after three years and subject to the terms of Department circulars, that person teacher will be offered a contract of indefinite duration in the school. Special Needs Assistants are employed in schools to assist with the care needs of children. Due to the nature of the work the allocation for SNAs will increase or decrease depending on the numbers of children requiring assistance in any school year. SNAs are employed on the basis that they will continue to work in the school as long as the resource is required. If there is no requirement for an SNA and the post becomes redundant, the SNA may opt to take a redundancy payment or remain on a panel for up to two years while seeking a further post as an SNA. At the end of the 2013/14 school year there were 935 primary teachers and 2,618 post primary teachers on fixed term contracts. The Department does not have a direct role in the recruitment and employment of staff in the education and training board sector and, accordingly, information regarding the number of temporary contracts in place in the sector is not readily available. The recruitment and employment of staff is a matter for each of the sixteen education and training boards and to compile such information would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time. Accordingly the Department is not in a position to provide the information requested for the Education and Training Boards.
211. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of contracts of indefinite duration that have been sought and the number that have been granted in the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 in the public sector under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38838/14]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded directly to him.
212. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the inequality in the motor tax rates which means that those who can only tax their car for a short period are heavily penalised vis-à-vis those who can pay the amount for a longer period in a lump sum; if this is not an attack on those of limited means; his plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38619/14]
View answerMotor tax is payable on an annual, half-yearly or quarterly basis. The rates of duty applicable for half yearly and quarterly options are 55.5% and 28.25% of the annual charge respectively. This additional cost element takes account of the extra workload for staff in motor tax offices and the National Vehicle and Driver File unit, and the resultant administrative costs and printing costs that arise, including the issuing of renewal notices. The estimated annual income from the increased charges for half-yearly and quarterly vehicle licences is in the region of €50m. A loss in income from this source would have a negative impact on revenue and would have to be borne elsewhere in the motor tax system, or through the taxation system generally.
I have no plans to adjust the basis for paying motor tax on a half-yearly or quarterly basis currently.
