Written Answers Nos. 198 - 206
198. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school extension project in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2972/15]
View answerThe major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been authorised to proceed to Stage 2B of Architectural Planning, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents.
It is not possible to progress all projects within the Department's building programme to construction concurrently due to competing demands on the Department's capital budget. However, school building projects, including this project, which have not been included in the five year construction programme or included in the most recent announced list of projects, but which were previously initiated, will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to the Department in the future.
199. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available in respect of a person (details supplied) who has secured a college placement in the UK; if discretion may be used when deciding to award grants to applicants who fall slightly outside of the financial guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2973/15]
View answerMy Department's student grant scheme provides maintenance grants to undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses in the State or in other E.U. Member States.
Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The purpose of the student grant is to contribute towards the maintenance costs associated with going to college where parental means are likely to be insufficient to meet those costs. Income thresholds are necessary to ensure that this support is properly targeted towards those who are most in need of this assistance. There is no discretion for an awarding authority to make awards outside the conditions of eligibility provided for in the Student Grant Scheme. The Deputy will be aware that tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education in EU Member States and in non-EU countries. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
200. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a Student Universal Support Ireland grant will be awarded in respect of a person (details supplied). [2975/15]
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.
201. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason special needs assistants have not received their increments; the reason it has taken six weeks to rectify the matter; and if she will confirm the problem will be rectified by the next pay cycle and increments will be backdated and not subject to taxation. [2977/15]
View answerThe details of the Haddington Road Agreement for special need assistants are outlined in my Department Circular 34/2013.
My Department operates the largest payroll in the State, with approximately 98,000 school employees and pensioners paid every fortnight. These payrolls have become increasingly complex over the past five years, due to the following:
- Introduction of two salary scales, by comparison to a single salary scale for special need assistants, prior to 2010;
- Introduction of the Universal Social Charge (USC), Pension related Deduction (PRD) and the single pension scheme;
- Implementation of new sick leave regulations for school employees etc. In addition, the school employee payrolls have a high volume of substitute and casual appointments for payment, which is not a feature of other comparable payrolls for Civil Servants, Army, Garda Siochána etc. Work is ongoing at present to incorporate payments to home tutors through the payroll, which will broaden the range of payees coming within the remit of the school employee payrolls. Accordingly, the development of the software to implement the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) in the context of the overall numbers being paid on the payroll (including substitute and casual appointees), the payroll complexities referenced above and the complexity of the agreement itself has been a very difficult and complex task. A further complication is the fact that the software programme in addition to dealing with the deferred increments has to calculate/re calculate the salary reduction provisions of the HRA for those reaching €65,000 taking account of the impact of increments and allowances. The development of the programmes together with the comprehensive testing necessary to ensure the correct application of the terms of the agreement has taken longer than projected to implement. The target dates for the payment of the deferred increments and arrears to special need assistants is the 12th February. The normal taxation arrangements will apply.
202. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to rectify the anomaly concerning dates of employment for students who find themselves in a situation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2978/15]
View answerIn 2012 a public service-wide review of allowances was carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As a result of the review, qualification allowances were abolished with effect from 1st February 2012. Department of Education and Skills Circular 0008/2013 outlines the effect of this decision on teachers. In Paragraph 12 of Circular 0008/2013 an exception is made in the case "where as at 5 December 2011, a teacher in employment on that date and eligible for receipt of a qualification allowance in respect of the post they held on that date, was actively undertaking a course of further study leading to an additional qualification, provided that the teacher does not cease to be a registered student on that course before its completion. Such individuals may apply to the Department/VEC (now ETB) as appropriate for a derogation from the general position within 3 months of the date of receipt of the award." Teachers who were not in employment in an Oireachtas funded post on 5 December 2011 and not eligible for receipt of a qualification allowance in respect of any teaching post on that date, do not qualify for payment of an allowance in respect of the qualification related to the course being undertaken at that time. The Teachers' Conciliation Council (TCC) is part of the scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a means of dealing with claims and proposals relating to the salaries and terms and conditions of teachers. The Council is composed of representatives of the teacher representative bodies, school management, the Department of Education and Skills, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is chaired by an official of the Labour Relations Commission. The issues raised by the Deputy have been brought to the TCC by representatives of the teachers concerned and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment further until the issues have been deliberated on by that forum.
203. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of prospective pupils whose parents have indicated a preference to attend three primary schools (details supplied) in County Kildare in September 2015, September 2016, September 2017, September 2018 and September 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2986/15]
View answer204. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide figures in respect of each year in the past five years on the total number of intake students at primary level in north Kildare who commenced in a Gaelscoil; the total numbers whose parents had indicated a preference for a Gaelscoil education but did not secure a place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2993/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the patron/managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not hold information on this matter. The Statistics Section of my Department's website at www.education.ie contains extensive data relating to schools at primary and post primary level including enrolments in individual schools for the past five years. The most recent published information relates to the 2013/2014 school year. Data in relation to the 2014/15 school year will be published later in the current school year.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in contact with the patron of the three schools in question in relation to enrolments for the forthcoming school year. My Department understands that the Patron is consulting directly with the schools concerned relating to the enrolment matters raised. My Department will continue to liaise with the Patron, who has ultimate responsibility for the governance and management of the schools concerned.
205. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way her Department has measured school diversity in Kildare North in terms of facilitating the major prevailing preferences of parents; the types of schools her Department has identified at this stage as being the likely ones to need more investment to meet this demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2994/15]
View answer206. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria used by her Department in measuring choice with regard to school models; the way diversity, co-education, cultural diversity and multilingualism are factored in; if she will provide an update on the reform of patronage models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2998/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 205 and 206 together. Nationwide, the Department expects that it will be required to provide some 152,000 extra primary and post-primary school places in the coming years. The Department's capital budget will be focused on providing those place to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. My Department uses a Geographical Information System to analyse demographic data to determine the areas where additional school accommodation may be required. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis, including census data, school enrolment data and child benefit data obtained from the Department of Social Protection. Where new primary schools are needed, the model of provision is decided by an open patronage determination process, which is overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group. The criteria for awarding patronage place an emphasis on parental choice and diversity of provision, including language medium of instruction. Where new schools are not needed but some level of additional accommodation is required in an area to meet demographic demand, a range of factors are considered as to which school or schools should be provided with this accommodation. These factors include the level of diversity of provision in the area and the ability or otherwise of existing school sites to facilitate the extra accommodation. The Deputy will be aware that a recent nationwide demographic exercise was carried out to determine where additional primary school accommodation will be needed from 2015 onwards at primary level. This exercise concluded that there is sufficient primary educational infrastructure in the north Kildare area for the foreseeable future. The schools in the area are, therefore, expected to cater between them for the level of demand presenting for pupil places. This may result in pupils not obtaining a place of first choice. With regard to an update on the reform of patronage models, I assume the Deputy is referring to the patronage divesting process. Five schools have so far been opened under this process. All of these schools are under the patronage of Educate Together. Four commenced operation in 2014 and one commenced operation in 2013. I expect to be in a position to announce the schools that will be opening in 2015 in the coming weeks.
