Written Answers Nos. 534-552
534. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will waive the request for a form to be signed by the applicant's parent when refusal to sign by either parent works against the interest of the applicant, with particular reference to the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24615/15]
View answerThe decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be possible for me to say whether a student should qualify for a grant or what supporting documentation is required. This is a matter for SUSI to determine. 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.
535. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a complete update, including funding allocation, identification of a location, and timeframes, in relation to the provision of permanent school buildings for primary and post-primary Educate Together schools in Stepaside in Dublin 18. [24624/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is working closely with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in relation to acquiring suitable sites for the schools in question. A suitable site has been identified for the primary school and I can confirm that the conveyancing process is at an advanced stage. The Deputy will be aware that this school was established in 2012 and is currently operating in temporary accommodation in Kiltiernan. A preferred site option for the post primary school has also been identified and officials in my Department and in the Local Authority continue to work closely to progress its acquisition. However, as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, there are commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally and I am not in a position to comment further on either site acquisition at this time. It is expected that the school will commence operation in temporary accommodation in September 2016. Once the acquisition of the sites is finalised, the projects will be progressed into the architectural planning process.
536. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the correct procedure to be followed in appealing a recent decision to refuse support for resource teaching hours and special needs assistance in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare. [24639/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support to schools to support children with special educational needs and additional care needs, respectively.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
All schools were asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
The NCSE has now published details of the resource teaching allocations which will be made to each school for September 2015 on its website www.ncse.ie.
Schools will be advised of their revised SNA allocations for the 2015/16 school year once the consideration of all applications has been completed by the NCSE.
Details of the manner in which a school or parent may appeal the level of SNA or resource teaching allocation which has been made to support a child in school, to the NCSE, is set out at www.ncse.ie.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
537. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has completed the purchase of the site for the new Educate Together national school in Letterkenny in County Donegal; the location of the site; when her Department plans to appoint a design team; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24642/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department is working closely with Donegal County Council in relation to acquiring a suitable site for the school to which he refers. I can confirm that a suitable site has been identified and the acquisition is at an advanced stage. This project has commenced architectural planning and officials from my Department met with the representatives of the school recently to review the plans and outline the process for delivery. Subject to no issues arising, the planning application is due to be lodged in the coming weeks.
538. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views regarding the shortage of accommodation for university students; the steps she is taking to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24652/15]
View answerI appreciate the concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students and for that reason I have asked the HEA to report on this issue. The HEA are currently working on a draft report on student accommodation which will be available shortly and will give us an up to date picture of the situation.
Some institutions provide a range of accommodation, and all colleges have an obligation to work with students' unions and other groups, to provide students with details on accommodation options.
Initiatives such as USI's 'Homes for Study' are of help to students and list suitable accommodation available to rent across Ireland. I will continue to work with stakeholders to explore ways to increase the availability of student accommodation.
In the longer term, the Government is committed to addressing the housing shortage through the Construction 2020 strategy. This will not resolve all of our problems immediately, but I am confident that the implementation of Construction 2020 will create the conditions necessary to ensure the delivery of social and economic infrastructure that will allow people, including students to live and work in a built environment that is user friendly, safe, secure and sustainable.
539. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will approve an application for an additional classroom in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24664/15]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation from the school to which he refers.
In order to fully consider the accommodation issues arising, my Department's technical staff visited the school earlier this month. Following this visit, the application is being considered further and my Department expects to be in a position to convey a decision to the school shortly.
540. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide figures on net change in the number of national schools between 1 October 2013 and 1 October 2014, in the form of table 2.25 of her Department's statistical report 2012 to 2013; and if she will provide figures on net changes in the number of secondary schools on a year by year basis from 1 October 2010 to 1 October 2014. [24700/15]
View answerThe information requested is provided in the tables. Table 2.25. Net Change in the Number of National Schools
|
Number of National Schools on 30 September 2012 |
3,152 |
|
Number of New Schools brought into operation in the period 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013 |
16 |
|
Number of schools discontinued or amalgamated with other schools in the period 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013 |
23 |
|
Number of National Schools on 30 September 2013 |
3,145 |
|
Number of New Schools brought into operation in the period 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014 |
14 |
|
Number of schools discontinued or amalgamated with other schools in the period 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014 |
22 |
|
Number of National Schools on 30 September 2014 |
3,137 |
|
Academic Year |
|
|
2010/2011 |
729 |
|
2011/2012 |
723 |
|
2012/2013 |
721 |
|
2013/2014 |
723 |
|
2014/2015 |
732 |
541. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will approve an application for funding in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24702/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department approved significant funding to the school in question earlier this year to provide an extension comprising 2 x 80m² Mainstream Classrooms and 2 x 16m² Resource Rooms to provide additional accommodation and to replace prefab units. This additional permanent accommodation will significantly enhance the school's accommodation. The school recently submitted a proposal to my Department outlining a number of design options in respect of the proposed extension project, all of which would require additional funding. The proposal is currently being considered and a decision will be communicated to the school authority shortly.
542. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a detailed list of businesses in Dublin that received funding from SOLAS; the amount of funding each business received in 2013 and 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24720/15]
View answerThis is an operational matter for SOLAS and I have asked them to contact the Deputy directly regarding his request.
543. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will carry out a study of the existing system of appointing new primary school teachers to vacant posts, and examine the implementation, on a number of trial basis appointments, by a system similar to the central application system devised and implemented in the State examination system for entry into higher level education. [24721/15]
View answerUnder the existing arrangements vacant posts are filled in the first instance through redeployment. The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The successful operation of the redeployment arrangements is key to the Department's ability to manage within its budget and the specific ceiling on teacher numbers in place to control payroll and pension costs.
After the redeployment process has transacted, each school is permitted to fill any remaining vacancies through open recruitment. This is managed and organised at individual school level. The suggestion from the Deputy is that this would be organised centrally in a manner similar to the current CAO process for students applying for entry to higher level education. While such a system may contain attractions for applicant teachers it would appear that it would require individual schools to cede control of their recruitment process to an external body. The redeployment process already limits the selection process for schools and it is highly unlikely that schools would agree to ceding control of their recruitment process for any remaining vacancies to an external body.
There would also be staffing and IT resource issues for this external body.
My Department does not therefore propose to carry out the study suggested by the Deputy.
544. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm that the Health Service Executive provides funding towards the provision of special needs assistants; that the executive plans to continue the provision of this funding on an ad hoc basis, or to introduce a fair, transparent, nationwide system, that is in keeping with the principles of the progressing disability services strategy. [24758/15]
View answerThe Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Scheme which is under the remit of my Department, provides schools with additional adult support staff to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending schools. The Health Service Executive (HSE) does not provide funding towards the provision of Special Needs Assistant support in Schools.
Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website www.education.ie, sets out my Department's policy in relation to the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating SNA support to schools to support children with special educational needs who have additional care needs.
Once allocated, the deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
The NCSE invited schools to make applications for SNA support for children who have assessed care needs for the coming 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015, for their consideration. The NCSE is currently considering all of the applications for support which have been received, including those which have been received after the 18th March, and will advise schools of the outcome of their applications ahead of the new school year.
The Progressing Disability Services Programme is under the remit of the HSE and any matters relating to this should be addressed directly to my colleague, the Minister for Health.
545. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress with the substitute list of primary school teachers, with regard to confining the vacancies that arise to jobless school teachers; the number of vacancies to which jobless teachers were appointed; the number of retired teachers appointed to these posts, in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24798/15]
View answerThe policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of Primary and Post Primary schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. However my Department has issued a number of Circulars addressing this issue in recent years.
Under these Circulars School Principals must maintain a list of unemployed registered teachers who are available for substitute work at short notice and report to the Board of Management on any exceptional occasion where they have had to engage a registered teacher who is retired. Circular 31/2011 details a cascade of measures for the recruitment of teachers, prioritising registered teachers over retired registered teachers and unregistered people.
A retired teacher who returns to teaching on or after 1 February 2012 will commence at the first point of the incremental salary scale (i.e. the lowest point or starting salary for teachers). Incremental credit for service prior to 1 February 2012, qualification allowances and certain job role allowances are also not payable. This measure represents a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary scale, often with a post of responsibility allowance, to return to teaching.
The most recent information available on retired teachers paid by my Department and employed by managerial authorities of schools relates to the 2013/14 school year. 37,012 were employed as Teachers in Primary schools of which 302 were retired Primary school teachers. This compares to 847 retired teachers employed in Primary schools for the 2011/12 school year. In Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools 20,352 were employed as Teachers of which 235 were retired Post Primary Teachers. This compares to 544 retired Teachers employed in Post Primary schools paid by my Department in the 2011/12 school year.
546. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills the academic or financial supports available for students who suffer with severe asthma, at primary, secondary and third level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24816/15]
View answerI wish to firstly advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school. Schools are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure pupil safety and should put appropriate provision in place to safeguard the safety and health of pupils.
The classroom teacher is responsible for educating all pupils in his/her class and has primary responsibility for the progress and care of all pupils in his/her classroom. The class teacher may be supported by a learning support teacher in instances where pupils have learning support needs. Schools are given guidance on how to identify pupils for learning support in my Department's Circulars 02/05 and 0070/2014.
The capitation grant is the main funding mechanism for schools to enable them meet their day to day running costs. Schools have flexibility and discretion on how to target funding to the school's own priorities, based on its knowledge and understanding of the needs of the students it serves.
Finally, the Fund for Students with Disabilities, which is available to students attending both higher and further education, provides financial support for students with disabilities, including significant ongoing illness, to ensure that they can participate fully in their academic programmes and are not disadvantaged by reason of a disability. Applications for support from the Fund for Students with Disabilities are made by the college on the behalf of the students attending who need such support.
547. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding capitation grants and the minor works grant scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24830/15]
View answerIt is extremely difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post primary levels. However it is self evident that the maintenance and running costs for second level schools are much greater on a unit cost basis than those in primary schools. In general, second level schools are larger than primary schools and have a lower pupil teacher ratio resulting in more classrooms and specialist rooms such as laboratories, workshops and kitchens. This leads to higher unit costs in second level schools for heat, light, power, maintenance and cleaning.
I do recognise however the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. In the last Budget, I was able to secure the first increase in education spending in recent years. I am determined to continue pressing the case for increased investment in education in the forthcoming budget.
The Minor Works Grant issued to all primary schools last December for the 2014/2015 school year. This was the first occasion that schools with provisional recognition were paid the Minor Works Grant. The rate of payment was €5,500 to each school plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil attending a special school or a special class attached to a mainstream school. These payment rates have been protected since 2006 at this level.
548. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 1000 of 9 June 2015, the reason why certain teachers had to pass the CL47/00 in order to keep their jobs, but other tutors, who failed to pass the CL47/00 requirements, were kept in teaching positions and not bound by productivity measures contained in the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements. [24831/15]
View answerUpon the commencement of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 which was commenced on 28 January 2014, those staff who were in teaching posts and were classed as Teachers when the Haddington Road Agreement came into force on 1 July 2013 were therefore liable to deliver additional hours in the form of Supervision & Substitution (S&S). For those staff who converted to Tutor posts, on the commencement of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, the individuals in question retained their pay and terms of employment. Therefore, they also retained the full liability to perform S&S.
Any new recruits to these types of post will be recruited as Tutors. All other Tutors and any new recruits to these positions are covered by DES Circular 36/2013 and have the additional liability to pay and productivity measures as outlined in that Circular. They are not liable to perform S&S as they are not Teachers.
549. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 1001 of 9 June 2015, the reason it would be necessary for a person who is over 80 years of age to be employed in order to carry out one hour of work per day, particularly in the context of significantly high levels of youth unemployment. [24832/15]
View answerAs advised previously the employment of staff in an ETB is a matter for the individual ETB and I have asked the ETB in question to contact the Deputy directly to clarify the position.
550. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding principals of schools' release days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24852/15]
View answerPrincipal duties in medium to large sized schools are carried out by administrative principals. Principal duties in small to medium sized schools are carried out by teaching principals.
Circular 25/02 which is available on the Department website outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. The number of days that principal teachers may take as release time in each school year ranges between 14 and 22 days depending on the size of the school. The cost of doubling this release time would be of the order of €10m per annum.
The NCSE sanctions resource hours twice per year, in May for the following September, and again in October. Resource hours are allocated to schools through a network of permanent posts. Schools with permanent posts with surplus capacity in the post make this surplus available to neighbouring schools.The GAM/EAL allocation to each school is based on the number of classroom posts in the school in the previous year. Schools with a GAM/EAL allocation which is less than a full-time post enter into clustering arrangements with neighbouring schools to achieve a full-time post, shared between the schools.
Due to the later timeline for the allocation of resource hours by the NCSE, it is not possible to combine part-time resource hours with other staffing allocations to create full-time posts.
551. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the current pupil-teacher ratio; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24854/15]
View answerTeacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils, with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.Each one point adjustment to the current 28:1 schedule at primary level is estimated to cost of the order of 250 posts (€15m).
My focus in Budget 2015 was on obtaining the additional funding that was necessary to provide for demographic growth. The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015. This funding will be used to provide 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs for our schools, as well as to fund prioritised reforms, such as implementation of the literacy and numeracy strategy, reform of junior cycle, and the introduction of education focussed pre-school inspections. The improvements in the Primary Staffing Schedule for small schools which I announced in February last are the only changes that I will be making to the staffing arrangements for schools for the 2015/16 school year.
The Government's approach to restoring the economy has helped Ireland to return to a position where we are seeing economic growth. It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth over a sustained period that will enable us to move to a point where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about an improvement in PTR, class size and support for classroom teachers.
552. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the landscaping plan and general layout of the green area in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry, as the high-mound-state that this playing area was left in is unsuitable for an amenity and playing facility; if she will ensure that this is rectified before this building project is completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24856/15]
View answerThe new school building referred to by the Deputy was devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery and has been completed in accordance with the planning permission granted by Kerry County Council. The site has been landscaped to compliment the topography of the site and surrounding green area. The completed building has two external 585m² ball courts, a 300m² junior play area as well as a 195m² General Purpose Room which is the norm for a new 12-classroom primary school.
