Written Answers Nos. 160-167
160. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown, in tabular form, of all expenses claimed by members of the governing body of Waterford Institute of Technology from 2005 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16105/15]
View answerThe details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following tabular statement.
Governing body members of Waterford Institute of Technology were paid a total of €255,739 for the period covering 1 January 2005 to date.
These payments include travel expenses associated governing body duties and fees associated with sitting on interview panels on behalf of the Institute.
|
Year |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Amount |
33,665 |
28,942 |
36,802 |
30,143 |
16,180 |
13,190 |
24,620 |
23,417 |
21,047 |
21,649 |
5,455 |
161. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details, in tabular form, of all moneys spent on the use of outside consultants by Waterford Institute of Technology from 2005 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16106/15]
View answerThe details requested by the Deputy are set out in the following tabular statement. It should be noted that 38% of all costs associated with outside consultants relate specifically to funded research/self-financing activities. The services associated with the amounts expended ranges from Audit, Student Supports to Architecture/Design Fees and so on.
|
Year |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Total |
821,268 |
991,202 |
1,050,490 |
1,104,742 |
737,358 |
740,493 |
831,074 |
960,642 |
852,069 |
537,208 |
216,098 |
|
Recurrent Spend |
522,096 |
844,476 |
686,192 |
706,175 |
439,205 |
474,079 |
534,203 |
542,090 |
415,488 |
225,029 |
56,168 |
|
Research/Self-Financing Activities |
299,173 |
146,726 |
364,297 |
398,566 |
298,152 |
266,415 |
296,871 |
418,553 |
436,581 |
312,179 |
159,930 |
162. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update regarding the provision of broadband in a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16127/15]
View answerUnder the Schools Broadband Access programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. A new framework was put in place in 2012 for the provision of this service, as a result of this the number of service providers has been expanded from 6 to 13 with the aim of ensuring that satisfactory solutions would be awarded to all schools.
Where schools were awarded slow DSL solutions or satellite solutions, the contracts were for one year only and my Department continues to seek a higher speed solution by offering these schools for re-tender.
A re-tendering process for approximately 2,900 schools is due to commence in the next two weeks, Rathdonnell National School will be included in these schools. All responses will be received by the end of June and the results of the tendering process will be known shortly thereafter.
163. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding is available for the development of necessary playground space at primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16138/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that in November 2014, I announced the allocation of more than €28 million to primary schools under the Minor Works Grant Scheme. This will allow schools to carry out improvement works to school buildings and grounds. It is open to schools to prioritise the works they wish to undertake within the terms of the scheme. The works to which the Deputy refers could be considered in this context.
It is also open to schools to apply for funding under any future Summer Works Schemes (SWS). The purpose of the SWS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to facilitate schools carrying out small and medium scale improvement works that will upgrade existing school facilities.
164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a higher education grant will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Laois in view of the person's total dependency on grants and the family's situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16157/15]
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 help desk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Inquiries 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.
165. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a student grant application, whereby the student, who has spent the majority of his life within the Irish education system and is a European Union citizen (details supplied), is being refused a maintenance grant despite his parents gaining citizenship; her plans to prevent this situation from being repeated in the future; if she can review the circumstances surrounding this particular case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16161/15]
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 help desk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Inquiries 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.
166. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to rectify the student grant scheme to allow students who are under 23 years of age and independent of their parents to be assessed in their own right (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16163/15]
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 asked 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, Article 21(3) (b) of the Scheme refers.
The assessment of a case of estrangement is carefully considered to ensure there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the exceptional circumstances pertaining in such cases genuinely exists. The type of evidence required is dependent on the applicant's individual circumstances.
I have no plans to change the current arrangements.
167. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11, if he will outline the general policy regarding applications for rent supplement by rental accommodation scheme tenants who are facing homelessness due to a notice to quit in circumstances where the local authority has been unable to source an alternative rental accommodation scheme property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16125/15]
View answerUnder the terms of the Rental Accommodation Scheme, where the dwelling that the household is living in becomes unavailable, through no fault of the household, the relevant local authority is responsible for sourcing alternative accommodation.
In such cases it is a matter for local authorities, in cooperation with tenants, to source alternative accommodation as quickly as possible. In seeking alternative accommodation a local authority should attempt to source a suitable alternative within or close to the area in which the tenant is residing. However, this is dependent on the availability of suitable properties in the areas affected. In all cases, not just where a tenancy is under threat, RAS households may aid the process by sourcing alternative accommodation themselves. Once identified to the local authority, any such accommodation must be assessed by the local authority as suitable to meet the household’s needs and be of an acceptable standard.
Where a person has had to vacate a RAS property, the person concerned will be eligible to an income support for their housing costs. Article 9(2)(e) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations 2007, provides that a person's entitlement would not be disqualified if they vacated accommodation provided by a housing authority where the Department of Social Protection is satisfied that the individual concerned had good cause for so doing.
Households affected by impending terminations are advised to contact the Department of Social Protection with a view to determining their entitlement to Rent Supplement should they be providing their own accommodation while awaiting appropriate RAS accommodation.
