Wednesday, 22 Apr 2015

Written Answers Nos. 132-137

Schools Health and Safety

Questions (132)

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

132. Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who have been absent from work as a result of an assault, for each of the past four years; the number, each year, who have availed of assault leave; the records that are maintained by her Department regarding assaults and assault leave; if she will confirm that teachers who are obliged to take leave following an assault do not have to take this as illness leave under the illness leave provisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15895/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The current sick leave scheme provides for sick leave to be granted to a teacher who is unable to perform his/her duties because of illness or injury. The terms of the sick leave scheme are contained in Department Circular 0059/2014 Sick Leave Scheme for Registered Teachers in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

Department Circular 40/97, Assaults on Teachers/School Employees, outlines the policy to be adopted in primary schools where incidents of assault arise. This includes compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act as regards identifying hazards, assessing risks and putting in place appropriate safeguards and preventative measures.

The Circular also provides for an application for assault leave to be made to my Department. Where Assault Leave is granted, such leave is paid in full and does not form part of the teacher's sick leave record. As responsibility for dealing with cases of assaults against teachers rests with the Board of Management, such cases may not come to the attention of my Department, except where an application is received for assault leave. Figures relating to the number of primary teachers who have availed of assault leave each year for the past four years are being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy separately.

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Questions (133)

Sean Conlan

Question:

133. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of the amount spent, by category, on new school buildings in voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools and education and training boards schools which were formerly under the vocational education committees, since 1 January 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15897/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Expenditure incurred on new school buildings over the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 in the post-primary sector amounted to almost €229m. This expenditure was incurred in the post-primary sector as follows: Education and Training Board Schools - €154.236 million

Secondary Schools - €44.982 million

Community and Comprehensive Schools - €29.771 million.

Schools Refurbishment

Questions (134)

Sean Conlan

Question:

134. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details on money spent on capital grants for refurbishment and improvement of existing school buildings, by category, in voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools and education and training boards schools that were formerly under the vocational education committees, since 1 January 2010; if the details will include the average amount spent per school in the three categories of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15898/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Expenditure incurred on large scale extension and refurbishment projects over the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2014 in the post-primary sector amounted to just over €214.4m broken down as follows: Education and Training Board Schools - €69.278 million

Secondary Schools - €131.810 million

Community and Comprehensive Schools - €13.302 million.The number of large scale extension and refurbishments projects completed is: Education and Training Board Schools - 8

Secondary Schools - 14

Community and Comprehensive Schools - 3

Total 25The 25 completions does not take account of projects completed prior to 1 January 2010 that incurred expenditure post 2010 or projects that are underway but not yet completed.

Summer Works Scheme Expenditure

Questions (135)

Sean Conlan

Question:

135. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details on money spent on summer works projects in voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools and education and training board schools that were formerly under the vocational education committees, since 1 January 2010; if details will include the average amount spent per school in the three categories of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15899/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

A Summer Works Scheme operated in 2010, 2011 (includes projects announced under the Jobs Initiative) and 2014. Approvals under these schemes issued to 851 post-primary schools with a total of €118m spent at 31st December 2014. The distribution of this funding per sector is as follows:

Education and Training Board Schools - €40.630 million

Secondary Schools - €60.288 million

Community and Comprehensive Schools - €17.083 million.Funding is assigned based on validated prioritised need using prioritisation criteria detailed in the call for applications. Since factors such as scope of works and school size determine the level of funding required on an individual school basis, average data allocations are not representative of sectoral distributions.

Departmental Properties

Questions (136)

John McGuinness

Question:

136. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is responsible for the property that once housed a school (details supplied); if so, her plans for this property following the recent fire; if consideration will be given to use of the site by a community group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15913/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I can confirm that the property referred to by the Deputy is in the ownership of the Minister for Education and Skills. It is intended that the property will be used for educational purposes and it is therefore not available for alternative use.

School Staff

Questions (137)

Paul Connaughton

Question:

137. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 681 of 15 April 2015, if a more comprehensive reply will issue as the question in relation to the particular school (details supplied) in County Galway was never addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15933/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that, in primary schools, additional teaching supports for pupils with special education needs are provided through two channels.

Under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, schools are resourced to cater for pupils whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high incidence, or less complex, disability category. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the GAM to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs.

Details of the GAM allocation which has been made schools for coming 2015/16 school year, including the school referred to by the Deputy, are set out in DEC Circular 05/2015.

Separately, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department. All schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.

The allocation of resource teaching support for pupils with low incidence special educational need which will be made to the school referred to by the Deputy for the 2015/16 school year will be dependent on the number of qualifying applications for support received by the NCSE. The NCSE will consider all applications which have been made by schools, following which allocations will be made to qualifying schools. The NCSE expects to notify schools of their resource teaching allocations for September 2015 before the end of the current school year.