Written Answers Nos 148-173
148. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she will implement to bring a higher representation of women in senior positions in the universities and institutes of technology. [47387/14]
View answer149. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the Higher Education Authority's report Gender and Academic Staff (details supplied). [47388/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together.
I understand from data released by the HEA that women represent 43% of academic staff in the universities and institutes of technology. 21% of professors and associate professors in Irish universities are female, with the national average at 19%. This is not a problem that is unique to Ireland. The European Commission's 2012 report, Gender in Research and Innovation, showed that, across the EU Member States, women represented only 20% of professorial staff.
The HEA has a specific legislative role in relation to 'promoting the attainment of equality of opportunity in higher education'. The Universities Act 1997 and the Institutes of Technology Act 2006 require our higher education institutions to promote gender-balance and equality of opportunity among students and staff, and to prepare and implement statements of policy in respect of equality, including gender equality, across all of their activities. The HEA has a role in reviewing these policies.
The HEA also publishes profiles of individual higher education institutions and these provide the framework for the enhancement of data-collection by the HEA across all areas of the mission of higher education, and they will be complemented by the development of a database of staff employed in the sector, empowering us to ensure that gender-equality at all levels within the academic profession in Ireland becomes a reality.
150. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way teachers correcting their own students work will improve further the learning experience at second level and the educational rationale underpinning it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47429/14]
View answerIn my revised proposal for Junior Cycle, presented to the Teacher Unions on 10th November, I have set out a two pronged approach to assessment.
It includes a combination of 60% of marks to be allocated to a final exam at the end of third year which will be set and marked by the SEC, alongside 40% of marks to be allocated for school based work such as portfolios and projects to be assessed by teachers which will be accompanied by the SEC monitoring 10-15% of this marking.
What is assessed is valued; school based assessment promotes a learning culture in schools. It recognises and rewards skills which cannot readily be assessed through externally assessed written final examinations.
It is essential that students are marked by their own teachers to promote better student learning and improved student outcomes. School based assessment empowers teachers to support the unique talents and skills of the students in their classrooms. It allows for a much more rounded picture of student achievement to emerge.
This combined approach with its external checks and balances will lead to state certification on completion of junior cycle. It will have integrity and validity and teachers will be supported in this change.
This reform is not about protecting systems, it is about improving standards. The integrity of the existing junior certificate will be maintained and improved by my proposal.
The benefits of having teachers assess their own students work, was based on a range of research findings including, for example: Black and Wiliam, (1998). Inside the Black Box, Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. London: School of Education, Kings College.Crooks, T (1988). "The Impact of Classroom Evaluation Practices on Students," Review of Educational Research, 58 (4), pp. 438- 481.Easley and Zwoyer, (1975). In Crooks, T (1988). "The Impact of Classroom Evaluation Practices on Students," Review of Educational Research, 58 (4), p 469.Gipps, C (1994). Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of Educational Assessment. London. The Falmer Press.Green, J (1998). Constructing the Way Forward. Keynote address:"Innovations for effective schools". OECD Conference, Christchurch.Harlen, W (1998). Classroom Assessment: A Dimension of Purposes and Procedures. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the NZARE, Dunedin, December.Hattie, J (1999). Influences on Student Learning. Inaugural Lecture.Professor of Education, University of Auckland, August 2002.Keyconet.eun.org research findingsSadler, R (1989). "Formative Assessment in the Design of Instructional Systems," Instructional Science, 18, pp. 119-144.Sutton, R (2000). Year 8 and Year 9 Overcoming the Muddle in the Middle.Tunstall, P and Gipps, C (1996). "Teacher Feedback to Young Children in Formative Assessment: A Typology," British Educational Research Journal, 22 (4).Wiggins, G (1998). Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Some further references to some of the most important texts on classroom and school-based assessment. Note in particular the OECD's Synergies for Better Learning which is an extensive and authoritative source of many of the key ideas underscoring the junior cycle and other developments. Some relevant quotes from Synergies for Better Learning are also set out below. ReferencesAssessment Reform Group (2008) Changing assessment Practice-Process, Principles and Practice. ARGBlack, P. and Wiliam D, (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. London School of Education, King's College.Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and Wiliam D. (2002) Working inside the Black Box : Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. London School of Education, King's College.Black, P. Harrison, C., Hodgen. J., Marsall, M. and Serret, N. (2011) Can teachers' summative judgements produce dependable results and also enhance classroom learning? Assessment in Education (18)Fullan, M (1993) The Complexity of the change Process. In Change forces: Probing the depth of educational reform. Falmer Press.Harlen W. (2012) On the Relationship between Assessment for Formative and Summative purposes in Assessment for Learning edited by Gardner J. Sage PressHattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007) The Power of Feedback. rer.sagepub.comHattie, J (2011) Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximising Impact on Learning. RoutledgeHayward L., Priestley M., and Young M. (2004) Ruffling the calm of the ocean floor. Taylor and FrancisFrom OECD (2013) Synergies for Better Learning OECD.
151. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has costed the additional infrastructure needed for schools to store examination materials securely; if her Department has carried out a cost benefit analysis on the proposed changes to the junior certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47430/14]
View answer154. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the cost of the new junior certificate will be reduced from its current level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47433/14]
View answer155. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated financial saving from having teachers correct their own students work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47434/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 151, 154 and 155 together.
I put a revised proposal on the table on 10th November which is significantly different from that originally proposed. This has not been accepted by the teacher unions.
Reform will be introduced gradually over a period of time and will only be fully implemented in September 2019 (for terminal examination in June 2022). In 2015, €9.3 million has been ringfenced for Junior Cycle reform and there will be no reduction in current costs in 2015. Reductions, if any, would only begin to impact from 2017 (when English the first subject to be introduced is examined).
As you will be aware, my proposals involve continued external marking of all subjects for 60% of the examination by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). In addition, the SEC will be checking a proportion of these marks to ensure consistency, standards and fairness. This will entail additional costs which will need to be fully explored, in the context of the proposed reform.
I will be considering other costs in the context of implementation. This is not a cost saving exercise. It is about the quality of the overall learning experiences of our junior cycle students during these three very important years in their education.
152. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to have resources and training to support the proposed changes in each subject area and that these resources are available to all schools in each educational sector so all our students will have equal opportunity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47431/14]
View answerA new dedicated continuing professional development (CPD) service for schools - Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) was established by my Department in 2013. Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) has been established by my Department to provide effective support to schools in the context of their implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. Support is available from JCT to all post-primary schools, special schools and centres for education, offering the Junior Cycle.
A comprehensive and long-term national programme of CPD for school leaders and teachers commenced in October 2013. CPD will be provided on a rolling basis as each new subject specification is implemented, throughout the duration of the implementation phases of A Framework for Junior Cycle. A minimum of 4.5 days CPD will be available to all teachers of English and a minimum of 4 days CPD will be available to teachers of all other subjects. Additional supplementary CPD in particular areas of interest will also be made available e.g. workshops on teaching film and drama for teachers of English.
All schools will also have one day whole-school in-service per year for each year of the roll-out of the JCSA and approval is given for schools to close, subject to Board of Management approval, to facilitate this CPD for all staff. In total, every single teacher of two subjects will have access to a minimum of 16 days of CPD during the roll-out of the JCSA – a very significant investment in teacher education.
The Government is investing heavily in measures to support teachers and schools as they implement the Junior Cycle Framework with €9.3m allocated for 2015.
153. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals at junior certificate level in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014. [47432/14]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
156. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the extended executive powers of chief executives of education and training boards; her further views on having so much power vested in one person; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47435/14]
View answerSection 12 of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013, details the reserved functions of an Education and Training Board (ETB), to be performed by resolution of its members. Section 13 of the Education and Training Boards Act specifies that every function of an ETB that is not a reserved function shall be an executive function of the board and shall be performed by the Chief Executive of that board.
The division of ETB functions into reserved and executive mirrors the approach previously set out in the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act 2001.
I believe that the provisions of the ETB Act 2013 strike a reasonable balance between those functions to be performed by the board and those to be performed by the Chief Executive.
The Deputy should note that section 15(1) of the ETB act specifies that the Chief Executive of an ETB shall perform the executive functions of the board and section 15(4) provides that a Chief Executive of an ETB shall be accountable to the board for the due performance of his or her functions.
157. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on circular letters and directives from her Department that may be interpreted differently by chief executives in the 16 education and training boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47436/14]
View answerMy Department issues circulars and directives on a wide range of issues. They may include matters which have a direct bearing on the operation of Education and Training Boards (ETB). At all times my Department seeks to provide clarity in respect of matters referred to in such circulars or directives and to avoid situations where differing interpretations can be taken, whether by a Chief Executive of an ETB or any by other interested party.
If the Deputy has a specific circular or directive in mind and provides me with the particulars, I will ask my officials to take the matter up with the relevant Chief Executive of the ETB, issue a clarification if necessary, and update you in due course.
158. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a student universal support Ireland grant in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47453/14]
View answerFor student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.
A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.
Only in exceptional cases, where compelling evidence of estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address.
There are no plans at present to change these eligibility arrangements.
159. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update regarding the new development programme for a national memorial to the victims of institutional abuse and the progress regarding same memorial since last November when An Bord Pleanála refused permission for the first planning application by Dublin City Council; if consideration will be provided to the idea of the late campaigner (details supplied) for the memorial to be located as near as possible to the GPO to reflect the wording of the Irish Proclamation regarding the cherishing of the nation's children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47477/14]
View answerAn Bord Pleanála refused planning permission for the proposed Memorial, which was to be integrated with the Garden of Remembrance, in November 2013. Subsequently, the Memorial Committee advised that the Journey of Light proposal was not transferable to another site as it is inextricably linked with the Garden of Remembrance. Neither did it consider that the Board's decision should be appealed. The Committee considered that any new competition should be open to conceptual and site specific proposals and that a central Dublin location be identified on a cost neutral basis with appropriate zoning.
My officials are consulting with the OPW and Dublin City Council in relation to the identification of a suitable central Dublin location as suggested by the Committee and how best to progress the project.
160. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funding for the rental of temporary accommodation in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47491/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the application from the school, in question, is currently being further assessed and my Department will be in direct contact with the school authorities concerned shortly.
161. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on recent recordings of air pollution levels by University College Cork centre of research into atmospheric chemistry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47366/14]
View answer165. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on recent recordings of air pollution levels (details supplied) by University College of Cork centre of research in atmosphere chemistry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47392/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 165 together.
Air quality monitoring in Ireland is carried out to meet the requirements of EU Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, also known as the CAFE Directive. The EPA has responsibility for the monitoring of air quality in Ireland, and monitors a range of atmospheric pollutants, based on data obtained from the 29 monitoring stations that form the national ambient air quality network.
The EPA publishes an annual report on air quality. The most recent report, Air Quality in Ireland 2013 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality, which is available on the EPA website at http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/quality/ , was published in October 2014 and provides an assessment of air quality in Ireland for 2013, compared to CAFE Directive standards as well as assessments in relation to more stringent World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines for the protection of human health.
Ireland currently meets all EU standards for air quality but exceeds WHO guidelines for particulate matter in some areas. Particulate matter levels are of concern, particularly during the winter heating season in areas where the use of solid fuel is prevalent and the sale of ‘smoky’ coal is permitted. As a result, levels of particulate matter in smaller towns are often higher than those in cities, where ‘smoky’ coal is banned.
The EPA also funds research monitoring and the air pollution levels recorded in Killarney by the Environmental Research Institute of University College Cork are part of this research and elaborate the findings of EPA air quality monitoring at local level. Elevated levels of particulate matter were found to occur in Killarney during the winter evenings and this has been attributed primarily to the burning of solid fuel. The research is endeavouring to attribute the level of air pollution to specific fuels, including coal, peat and wood.
The ban on the marketing, sale, distribution and burning of bituminous fuel (or ‘smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known) currently applies in 26 urban areas nationwide, including all towns with a population greater than 15,000 people bringing the ban areas broadly into line with national EPA air quality management zones. While the ban does not currently apply in Killarney as its population is below the threshold for compulsory inclusion, local authorities may at any time propose new towns for consideration for inclusion under the ban if it is considered necessary to protect local air quality.
While air quality monitoring by the EPA has shown that air quality is poorer in towns where the ‘smoky’ coal ban does not apply, there is also evidence that smaller ban areas tend to be less effective. The further extension of the ban to smaller towns on an individual basis may not be the most effective solution to addressing the problem of emissions from residential solid fuel use in these areas. Similarly, the border with Northern Ireland would present enforcement challenges if a national ban on smoky coal were unilaterally introduced. However, it is recognised that having different regulations between urban and rural locations is not ideal, as it results in different levels of environmental protection and clean air benefits for citizens in different locations.
Under the auspices of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), and in conjunction with the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, my Department has commissioned a study to inform a discussion on policy options to further address emissions from residential solid fuel use on an all-island basis. A final report is due to be presented to the NSMC in May 2015.
162. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the details of regulation and disposal of clinical nuclear waste in private hospitals here; the protocols surrounding disposal of radioactive waste after operations in private hospitals; the persons who monitor the disposal of such waste and the following of radioactive protocols; if these procedures are being followed for disposal of radioactive waste in all private hospitals here; the way this is monitored by his Department; if there have been failures to follow such procedures in private hospitals and if he will provide details of these; the level of radioactive procedures that are allowed for; the type of procedures that are included; if his attention has been drawn to private hospitals that have not registered certain operations; if hospitals have concealed that operations had taken place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47484/14]
View answerThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for licensing all radioactive material used in public and private hospitals throughout Ireland. Radioactive material is used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to provide clinical information on both the function and structure of tissues and organs in the body and in the treatment of cancer. Waste may be produced during these procedures where minute traces of radioactive material contaminates gloves, tissue paper, syringes, glass vials or tissue samples removed from patients. This material is then managed in accordance with procedures adopted by the hospital in line with the conditions of the hospital’s licence.
Such procedures for waste management are routinely inspected by the EPA. Where issues arise in relation to waste management, these are fully investigated. I understand that there are currently no outstanding investigations in relation to radioactive waste management.
163. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 344 of 1 April 2014, if he will provide an update on discussions between his Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding enhanced redundancy payments in the community and voluntary sector; and if there are proposals for legislation or new regulations to govern this area. [47369/14]
View answerMy Department has no role in the internal operations of any private organisations and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to staff or employment matters, which are for the Board of the company, as the employer, to manage.
However, the Government recognises that like all other sectors of our economy, the community and voluntary sector has had to deal with reduced funding in recent years. Issues have arisen around the capacity of the sector to pay enhanced redundancy payments.
The Government is considering a cash limited scheme to address this issue.
Discussions between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in that regard are on-going. There is also ongoing engagement with the Attorney General’s Office in relation to a number of legal issues arising. Consideration of the matter will be finalised in light of the outcome of these engagements.
164. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if Galway County Council has applied for funding to renovate a vacant unit (details provided) in County Galway; if any such funds have been drawn down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47385/14]
View answerUnder Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is the responsibility of the relevant housing authority.
My Department provides funding to local authorities for works the refurbishment of vacant properties and returning them to productive use. €30 million has been available in 2014 targeting the return of 1,960 vacant and boarded up units to productive use, in an energy efficient condition.
Galway County Council has been allocated €958,263 under this programme in 2014 and will return some 76 vacant units back into productive use. It is a matter for each local authority to identify the units it is targeting within the terms of the funding programme. While records indicate that no application for funding was submitted for the property referred to in the question, I understand that Galway County Council intends to include the property in their 2015 programme of works. Budget 2015 has given a further impetus to this area, and I envisage a further 1,000 vacant properties being returned to productive use through this additional funding.
166. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the sources of information Irish Water has used to compile name and address information for its customers. [47425/14]
View answerI refer to the reply to Question No. 413 of 9 December 2014 which sets out the position in this matter.
167. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the supports available to businesses to develop innovative websites to enable growth of online trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47362/14]
View answerDigital adoption by businesses is a priority for Government. It is estimated that Irish consumers spend more than €6bn online annually and this figure is set to almost double by 2020. With up to 70% of Ireland's annual online spend currently going overseas, targeting Irish businesses for online trading is a key jobs and economic imperative. In Ireland today, however, less than 1 in 4 small businesses are selling to customers online.
To address this challenge, my Department launched a national Trading Online Voucher Scheme in July last, following a pilot in the Dublin area. This is a key initiative under the Government’s National Digital Strategy and is included in the Action Plan for Jobs. Working in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office network, the Scheme offers financial assistance of up to €2,500 to small and micro businesses to develop their online trading capability. It aims to get 2,000 small businesses trading online by the end of 2015, as well as catalysing action from other small and medium sized enterprises . The Scheme has the capacity to bring new sustainable Irish jobs to all parts of Ireland.
Early indications from the Dublin pilot were positive, with companies saying they had experienced or envisaged more sales and were expecting to recruit as a result. More information on this scheme can be found on my Department’s website at www.dcenr.gov.ie/nds and on the websites of each Local Enterprise Office.
Other initiatives include the WebActivate programme which is operated by the Digital Skills Academy, based at the Digital Hub. It assists Irish businesses to develop their online presence and open themselves up to the advantages of the internet, such as business efficiencies, and access to global markets. The IE Domain Registry also operates the Optimise Fund to assist small businesses to optimise their websites using professional consultancy, experience and insight that might otherwise be beyond their budgets or resources.
168. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is his Department's intention to increase the tourism potential of the Liffey Valley amenity area; the deliberations he or his predecessor has had with interested parties regarding this; if his Department has had any contact with the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs with respect to the tourist potential of establishing a national park in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47370/14]
View answerWhile the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport provides funding for capital investment in tourism, the allocation of these funds are a matter for the board and management of Fáilte Ireland. My Department has no direct role in supporting individual tourism attractions.
Fáilte Ireland administers the Tourism Capital Investment Programme (TCIP) but funds are fully committed under the current TCIP and so Fáilte Ireland is unable to accept new applications for funding at the present.
I am aware that there are plans for the development of way-marked routes and the provision of new links such as footbridges at key locations in the Liffey Valley. These, however, are predominantly recreational infrastructure and are, therefore, primarily a matter for the relevant local authorities.
More generally, the Destination Dublin 2025 Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance, which I have set up under the aegis of Fáilte Ireland with Michael Carey as chairman, will look at a range of measures to support the growth of tourism in Dublin over the next decade.
The designation and establishment of National Parks is a matter for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Department of Transport Tourism and Sport has had no contact with that department in this regard.
169. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a national driving licence service centre for the Dublin 7 and Dublin 15 areas. [47428/14]
View answerThe operation of the National Driver Licensing Service, including the location of front offices, is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority.
I have therefore referred the question to the Authority for direct response.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a reply has not been received within ten days.
170. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the provisions in place to ensure a person who is awaiting a national car test, which was booked on 16 November 2014 but will not be taken until 30 January 2015 due to a backlog, is not issued penalty points considering the persons NCT certificate is due to expire on 1 January 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47451/14]
View answerChanges to the penalty points regime which came into effect on Monday last, 8December, were legislated for under the Road Traffic Act 2014. These changes relate to a range of measures, including the National Car Test (NCT) system.
It has, for some years, been an offence to use a vehicle on public roads without a valid NCT certificate. Prior to the recent change, this offence involved a direct summons to court and the assignment of 5 penalty points on conviction. The provisions in the 2014 Act bring this offence within the fixed charge notice system. An alleged offender will now be issued with a fixed charge notice and, on payment of the €60 charge, will have 3 penalty points assigned to their licence. The driver will, of course, continue to have the option of going to court where 5 points will still apply on conviction.
Enforcement of the relevant legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána. If a person’s NCT test date is imminent, it will be a matter for the Gardai to use their discretion. However, responsibility rests with owners and users of vehicles to ensure their vehicles are in compliance with the law.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) informs me that the NCTS is in a favourable position to deal with current demand and the Authority has also run a campaign over the past few months, to get people to book early, as the test may be undertaken up to 90 days in advance of the due date without affecting the expiry date of the new certificate. This system, is to ensure that owners have ample time to have their vehicle tested before their current NCT certificate expires.
The National Car Testing Service (NCTS) is currently experiencing a strong demand as car owners respond to the changes in the application of fixed charges to NCT certificates. This was anticipated and NCTS has recruited in excess of 60 more staff to deal with the additional demand and will have 565 Vehicle Inspectors in place in January, the highest in the history of NCT.
The RSA also advised me that the majority of car owners, including those who require an early test, will receive an NCT appointment within 28 days and additional resources have been put in place to help deal with such requests. I understand from the RSA that the availability of appointments on the NCT website is not a reflection of the total number of slots available to customers. If the person referred to by the Deputy has relied solely on the website booking system, I would suggest that they follow the advice on the NCTS website which clearly advises customers that if they cannot obtain a suitable slot online to contact the NCTS call centre directly on (01) 413 5992.
171. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on a driving test exemption for farmers who hold a full car or jeep and trailer licence for more than ten years but did not hold it prior to the 1989 regulations coming into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47461/14]
View answerI presume that the Deputy is referring to a previous situation involving people - not only farmers - who had held a full licence before November 1989. The situation was that, before that time, there was no separate category of licence for drawing a trailer. Anyone who had a car licence was automatically licenced to drive with a trailer. In November of 1989 there was a change to categories which meant that people now needed a separate licence category to draw a trailer. Holders of a full licence before that date were entitled to apply for both new categories on renewal of the licence.
It appears that some people did not realise this and applied only for the car category when renewing after 1989, and so, perhaps unintentionally, gave up their trailer entitlement. People in this position were able to reclaim the lost entitlement for up to ten years after it had lapsed. The last people in this position were those who received a full licence just before the change in late 1989. They would have lost their entitlement on renewal in late 1999 and lost the option to reclaim it in late 2009.
In 2013, my predecessor responded to this situation by requesting the Road Safety Authority to allow those who had held a full licence before the change of 1989, and who had inadvertently surrendered it on renewal, to regain the trailer entitlement without a test. It was made clear at the time that this was a once-off arrangement for people who had already been legally entitled to draw a trailer in the past, and it will not be repeated.
172. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the recent measure by the UK Government to provide mountain rescue teams with a rebate on VAT which is a way of alleviating the burden of VAT on the teams while still complying with the EU laws pertaining to VAT. [47471/14]
View answerI am aware of the measure the Deputy is referring to which was announced in the UK Autumn Statement 2014. However, as the Deputy will be aware and as Minister Varadkar has advised the House previously on this subject, exemption from VAT is entirely a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and my colleague the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan. In exchanges with representatives from mountain rescue organisations my officials have advised that it would be more appropriate for them to contact the Department of Finance in relation to this.
173. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht regarding the Government's commitment to Ireland hosting the European Capital of Culture in 2020; if she will issue a national call for submissions before the 31 December 2014 deadline specified in legislation passed by the European Parliament in April 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47480/14]
View answerI intend to bring a proposal to Government very shortly in regard to the European Capital of Culture and will be in a position to advise the Deputy further when it has been discussed.
