Written Answers Nos. 165-176
165. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on resource hours for children with Down's syndrome and the Down's Syndrome (Equality of Access) Bill (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6333/15]
View answer167. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if children with Down's syndrome will be allocated resource teaching hours in the new academic year as a matter of right; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6335/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 167 together.
The Deputy will be aware that the Equality of Access (Down's syndrome) Bill has been referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced yesterday that I intend to retain the current model for allocating resource and learning support teachers to schools for the coming school year, in order to ensure that sufficient time should be allowed for further consultation to take place with education stakeholders and in order to address a number of outstanding issues before the new model is implemented in schools.
I am aware that some parents, and organisations representing children with Down's syndrome, continue to have concerns that the existing system does not give them certainty as to the number of resource teaching hours that may be allocated to their child under the General Allocation Model, as these hours are distributed locally by schools.
I intend to meet with Down's Syndrome Ireland in the coming weeks in order to discuss the concerns that they may have regarding this issue.
166. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a diploma in special education (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6334/15]
View answerMy Department currently funds a number of Post-Graduate Programmes of Continuing Professional Development for teachers involved in Learning Support and Special Education. These programmes are specifically designed to assist all schools and educational services in meeting the needs of students requiring learning support and the teaching of students with special educational needs. The 2015/2016 programmes are governed by the following Department Circular Letters 0001/2015, 0002/2015 and 0003/2015 which are available at http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/.
Boards of Management are obliged to recruit and employ fully recognised and probated primary teachers for Learning Support and Resource Teaching positions in primary schools. The deployment of teaching staff in the school is, in the first instance, a matter for the school management authorities.
168. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a maintenance grant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6340/15]
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 compliments 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.
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which it will be permissible for local authorities to meet the ever increasing responsibility of the housing needs of families who find themselves homeless due to increased rent levels or re-possession/sale of the property; if he is satisfied that adequate provision will be made to meet this requirement, in view of the likelihood of a dramatically increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6216/15]
View answerSocial housing is a key priority for the Government, evidenced by the significant funding announced in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November, 2014. The Strategy builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. The strategy targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme. This level of ambition will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand. In committing to provide these 35,000 new social housing units, at a projected cost of €3.8 billion, the strategy marks a fresh start for social housing in Ireland.
Over the 6 years of the strategy, I anticipate that the 35,000 units will be delivered as follows: some 22,300 units to be built and acquired utilising both current and capital monies; 11,000 units to be leased; and 2,300 units to be supplied through the refurbishment and bringing back into use vacant local authority stock.
The process of setting delivery targets on a local authority by local authority basis has commenced and the allocation of funding to local authorities, in the context of the increased funding now available, will be based on the targets that are set and the plans of individual authorities to deliver on those targets.
In relation to homeless households, on 27 January, I issued a Ministerial Direction to each of the four Dublin local authorities and to each of the housing authorities in Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, on prioritising homeless households and other vulnerable groups for housing in their respective areas. In the case of the Dublin authorities, this action will see at least 50% of the dwellings available for allocation, over the six-month period from 27 January to 26 July 2015, to such households that had qualified for social housing support on or before 1 December 2014. In the case of the other authorities, at least 30% of available dwellings must be so allocated. I expect that this intervention will deliver at least 500 homes for homeless households in the Dublin region and a similar amount for the other authorities combined.
170. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the names of the persons, in relation to the 24 orders for reduced costs for persons on foot of findings of non-cooperation, made as part of a separate process, subsequent to the publication of the Final Report of The Mahon Tribunal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6174/15]
View answerThe Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments (the Mahon Tribunal) was established in October 1997 and published its Final Report in March 2012. The work of the Tribunal at present is largely focused on the settlement of the remainder of third-party and court costs incurred during the work of the Tribunal. It is anticipated that the day-to-day operations of the Tribunal will be completed during 2015. In relation to costs applications arising from the publication of the Tribunal's Final Report in March 2012, the Tribunal has to date reduced the cost orders of twenty one parties on the basis that they have not fully co-operated with the Tribunal in its inquiries. I am advised by the Tribunal that the following are the twenty one parties concerned:
1. Paddy Reilly
2. Bertie Ahern
3. David McKenna
4. John Kennedy
5. Colm McGrath
6. Michael Wall
7. Padraig Flynn
8. Desmond Maguire
9. Joe Burke
10. Sean Gilbride (deceased)
11. John O’Halloran
12. Liam Cosgrave
13. Don Lydon
14. Richard Lynn
15. G.V.Wright
16. Riga Limited
17. Owen O’Callaghan
18. Edward Sweeney
19. Dorothy Flynn
20. Tim Collins
21. Frank Dunlop
Three further parties are still involved in this legal costs submission making process and a final decision on whether reduced cost orders will apply in these cases has not yet been made by the Tribunal.
171. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government regarding the proposed changes of the senior alert scheme, if consultation with any community groups and stakeholder has taken place; if there are plans to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6198/15]
View answerMy Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. My Department undertook to consider new approaches to the Seniors Alert Scheme in 2014 and arising from this, it was decided that the scheme be managed by Pobal, given that organisation’s significant experience delivering programmes on behalf of Government.
Pobal’s management and administrative services for the Scheme includes an invitation to tender for the supply and installation of personal monitored alarms, which was publicly advertised on eTenders on 20 October 2014. The tender process, which is being led by Pobal, is almost complete. Following on from this, a panel of regional suppliers will be contracted to provide the equipment within specific regional areas. As the market for the equipment is well established, it was neither necessary nor appropriate to engage in consultations with the market on the matter prior to the tender process.
This new approach will reduce the administrative burden for the many hundreds of community and voluntary groups registered under the Scheme, who provide an excellent service for the elderly. It will enable the groups to concentrate on the main purpose of the Scheme, namely to support and interact with the elderly in the local community.
172. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities can include a clause in employee contracts forbidding them contacting local elected representatives regarding grievances connected to their employment or work. [6203/15]
View answerUnder section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, local authority employee contracts are a matter for the Chief Executives.
173. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his or his Department's attention has been drawn to a new connection fee for water set down by Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6208/15]
View answer174. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the connection fee for water, by county, prior to 1 January 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6209/15]
View answer175. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the connection fee for water in 2015, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6210/15]
View answer176. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if or when his or his Department's attention was drawn to changes to the connection fee for water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6211/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 173 to 176, inclusive, together.
With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the CER has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers.
In its decision on Irish Water’s Water Charges Plan, published in October 2014, the CER stated that, until it made a decision on Irish Water’s new connection charges, Irish Water should continue to apply rates equivalent to the water and wastewater related development levies which were applied by the local authorities at 31 December 2013. The CER intends to hold a public consultation on a new connection charging policy for customers of Irish Water. The relevant charges are available from Irish Water.
If the Deputy has individual queries about the levy charged in relation to a particular county, Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
