Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 November 2014
162. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements in place to recoup any improper disbursements made by the secondary education committee; the arrangements in place to recoup such improper disbursements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42315/14]
View answer163. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will indicate whence permission was given to the secondary education committee to make any disbursement from the education grant or block grant to the benefit of a Roman Catholic child even if that child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42316/14]
View answer164. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any agreement or arrangement ever existed prior to 26/27 January 2011, of any type or description, which permitted the secondary education committee to make any disbursement from the education grants, block grant paid to it to the benefit of a Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; if she will supply a copy of any such agreement or arrangement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42318/14]
View answer169. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if between the inauguration of the education grants, block grant paid to secondary education committee scheme or grant on 1 January 2011, she authorised any disbursement from this grant to benefit any Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42375/14]
View answer170. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any official in her Department or its successors at any time, between the inauguration of the secondary education committee scheme or grant and 1 January 2011, properly authorised any disbursement from this grant to benefit any Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42376/14]
View answer171. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the secondary education committee assumed permission of its own accord to make any disbursement from the education grants, block grant paid to the secondary education committee scheme to the benefit of a Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42377/14]
View answer172. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the secondary education committee at any time, between the inauguration of this education grants, block grant paid to secondary education committee scheme or grant and 1 January 2011, authorised any disbursement from this grant to benefit any Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; the legal basis for doing so; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42378/14]
View answer173. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the secondary education committee was permitted by her Department to make any disbursement from the education grants, block grants paid to the secondary education committee scheme to the benefit of a Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is member of a Protestant denomination; if parents signed the application form in all cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42379/14]
View answer174. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the dates or periods of time which the secondary education committee was knowingly permitted by her Department to make any disbursement from the education grants, block grant paid to secondary education committee scheme or grant to the benefit a Roman Catholic child, even if the child had one parent who is a member of a Protestant denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42382/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 162 to 164, inclusive, and 169 to 174, inclusive, together. The Protestant Block Grant is a fund provided by my Department to the Secondary Education Committee (SEC), an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools. The SEC administers the fund provided by my Department. The SEC disburses funds to the Protestant second level schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.75 million annually. Prior to 2011 there was no detailed written agreement between my Department and the SEC, however the general understanding was that the Block Grant represented a student support to enable children of the Protestant community to attend faith based schools. In 2011 a formal agreement between the Department of Education and Skills and the SEC in relation to the Protestant Block Grant was put in place. Paragraph 2 of this agreement states that "The purpose of the scheme will continue to be the provision of funding to assist necessitous children of the Protestant community in accessing second level education in a school that accords with their faith tradition." The agreement further states that "In order to determine a pupil's eligibility for support under the Scheme, the Secondary Education Committee will confine support to pupils comprehended by the objective set in paragraph 2 and will operate a financial means test."
