Written Answers Nos. 169-76
169. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide information on the planning schedule, start dates and layout of the new building at a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15. [45623/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school in question is included on my Department's Five Year Construction Plan to proceed to construction in 2014/2015. I can advise the Deputy that my Department, working in conjunction with the local authority, is in the process of identifying possible suitable sites to facilitate this building project. However, whilst negotiations towards the acquisition of such sites are ongoing, I am not in a position, due to the commercially sensitive nature of these negotiations, to give further details at this time.
170. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an appeal in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [45647/14]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department website. 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 schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are published in Circular 0007/2014.
The school referred to by the Deputy is currently a two teacher school, on the basis of an enrolment of 22 pupils on 30 September 2013. My Department did not receive a staffing appeal in respect of this school for the current school year.
The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year will be published early in 2015 and this will enable schools to determine their staffing levels for that school year.
171. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45652/14]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers is to be delivered as part of the Schools Bundle 5 PPP project. This bundle comprises one primary school, four post primary schools and one Institute of Further Education. The site acquisition process for the school in question is underway, however, due to commercial sensitivities associated with property acquisitions generally, I am unable to provide further information at this time. The planning documentation is almost complete and this will be lodged as soon as my Department is in a position to do so. The school is currently on schedule for delivery by the end of 2016.
172. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to reopen the minor works scheme in 2015. [45657/14]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that I announced earlier this week the payment of the Minor Works Grant 2014/2015. The grant will issue to all primary schools with permanent recognition next week.
173. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills when assessing a student for eligibility of a school bus ticket, if it is the shortest distance between the home and the school that is calculated when determining eligibility or if it is the total distance travelled by the bus, having picked up all students on that route, inevitably making the journey longer, that is measured. [45665/14]
View answer174. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of the methodology applied to measure the distance from home to school to determine school bus eligibility. [45666/14]
View answer175. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she accepts that the nature and ethos of a school must be taken into account by her Department when deciding the school closest and therefore deemed by her Department to be most suitable for a student to attend in order to apply for school bus travel. [45667/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 173 to 175, inclusive, together. The purpose of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest education centre. Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
In relation to school transport provision, ethos relates to religious ethos and is in the context of provision for minority religions. Distance eligibility is determined by Bus Éireann by measuring the shortest traversable route from a child's home to the relevant education centre and a variety of methods may be used to calculate this measurement including a specially designed GIS mapping system. The shortest traversable route between a child's home and the relevant education centre may be either a pedestrian or vehicular route, and it is not necessarily the route that the school bus takes. In cases where distance eligibility is marginal or in dispute, vehicles fitted with calibrated measuring devices which measure the distance down to the nearest metre may be used to establish the exact distance and/or the nearest appropriate education centre to the child's home.
176. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ascertain from Student Universal Support Ireland the way grant applications for siblings were assessed and the guidelines used for determining eligibility in view of the number of dependent children in the household; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45672/14]
View answerAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications. This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter. Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
