Wednesday, 15 Jul 2015

Written Answers Nos. 277-288

Student Grant Scheme Administration

Questions (277)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

277. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the individuals who participate in reviews of the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme guidelines each year; the organisations, statutory bodies or Departments they represent; the number of meetings they had for the review of the scheme that was used for the 2014-15 academic year; the dates on which those meetings were held; the terms of reference they were given; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29350/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

SUSI do not have responsibility for the review of the student grant scheme, or the guidelines, this is the responsibility of my Department. As part of the annual review process, my Department engages with stakeholders including Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), USI and other relevant government Departments and statutory bodies where necessary.

The eligibility criteria for student grants, as set out in the student grant scheme and the student support regulations, is approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The student grant scheme requires the Minister for Education and Skills to provide guidelines to the awarding authorities in respect of certain conditions of the scheme, namely:

(a) funding for repeat period of study in exceptional circumstances, article 15(8);

(b) determining the rate of maintenance grant, i.e. adjacent or non-adjacent, article 27(3)(a);

(c) apportionment of payments, article 27(5).

The guidelines are published each year and are available on the SUSI website, www.susi.ie.

School Transport Expenditure

Questions (278)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

278. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the parental contribution to the school transport scheme to €75 and to €50 for primary schoolchildren; and to €300 and to €175 for secondary schoolchildren. [29351/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

Receipts from the annual charge were some €13m in 2014 of which €2.3m and €10.7m were in respect of primary and post primary children respectively.

It is important to note that children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge.

Notwithstanding that the numbers of children holding medical cards may change it is reasonable to estimate that a 50% reduction in the annual charge would halve the current overall contribution; other percentage reductions would impact proportionally on this figure also.

School Transport Provision

Questions (279)

Martin Ferris

Question:

279. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason school transport buses in County Kerry are not due back until 31 August 2015, given that the schools in the area will return on 27 August 2015. [29352/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The scale of the School Transport Scheme, transporting some 114,000 children every school day on some 6,000 school transport routes utilising some 4,000 vehicles every school day makes it the largest public transport operation in the State.

Transport services for both primary and post-primary children are co-ordinated and transport routes are planned and shared in such a way as to ensure that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in an efficient and cost effective manner.

The starting date for school transport services is an integral part of this objective and is arrived at by reference to the standard school year, the requirement that post primary schools be open for a minimum of 167 days and the commencement date of the State examinations in June 2016.

The additional cost of providing school transport services outside of the above considerations would be prohibitive on a national basis.

Third Level Charges

Questions (280)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

280. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding college fees for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29366/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The Student Contribution is due to increase to €3,000 for the upcoming 2015/16 academic year. The contribution is paid by the Exchequer for those students (some 50%) who qualify under my Department's Student Grant Scheme.

Tax relief provisions are available so that second and subsequent siblings do not have to bear the full cost. In addition, Higher Education Institutions have provisions in place to allow students to pay the contribution in two moieties.

In recognition of the financial pressures higher education institutions are under, an Expert Group chaired by Peter Cassells has been established to examine future funding options for higher education. The objective is to identify a range of approaches that, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting the quality of education. The Group is due to report at the end of this year and its report will help inform decisions on future funding for the sector.

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Questions (281)

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

281. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to review the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme for those persons over 23 years of age, who are living in their parents' home on 1 January of a particular year due to the current housing shortage and the high cost of rent, but who are not dependent on their parents' income, other than paying reduced rent to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29382/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

For 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.

An independent student must be a mature student, aged 23 or over on entry to college (or re-entry after a break in studies of at least 3 years) who has not lived with his or her parents for a period before entering college. Independent students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to their parents' incomes. The assessment as an independent mature student has to be carefully considered to ensure it is highly targeted at very specific circumstances where students can demonstrate that they have been genuinely self-supporting and living independently for a period of time before commencing their studies. Otherwise, he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.

I have no plans at present to change the arrangements in place.

School Transport Applications

Questions (282)

Tom Fleming

Question:

282. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the application for free secondary school transport to a school in County Kerry, in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Kerry; if she will arrange to have a ticket issued to the child, the same as has been issued to the child's sibling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29422/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The Deputy will be aware that from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for post primary children is being determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post-primary education centre having regard to ethos and language.

Children who were eligible for school transport prior to the introduction of the above change will retain their transport eligibility for the duration of their post primary education cycle provided there is no change to their current circumstances. These children are exempt from paying the annual charge if they hold a valid medical card (GMS Scheme).

All new applicants including siblings of these children will have their eligibility determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post primary education centre or school.

In this regard, distance eligibility for school transport is determined by measuring the shortest traversable route from a child's home to the nearest education centre or school.

The child in question is not attending her nearest school and is therefore not eligible for school transport. Children who are not eligible for school transport, may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only which is subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and payment of the annual charge.

The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.

School Accommodation

Questions (283)

Niall Collins

Question:

283. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular form, by county, the number of temporary accommodation and prefabricated-type classroom structures purchased and leased by her Department for post primary schools, in each year from 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29423/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The total number of prefab units that have been rented/purchased by county each year since 2011, is set out for the Deputy's attention. It should be noted that a prefab unit may consist of one or more classrooms and/or ancillary accommodation.

As the Deputy may be aware since July 2008, it is policy to offer schools being approved for devolved grant aid for additional accommodation the option to use their capital grant aid to build a permanent classroom(s) rather than purchase a prefab.

Post-Primary prefabricated accommodation rentals by county 2011-2015

-	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
-	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units
Carlow	6	7	2	0	0
Cavan	4	4	4	6	6
Clare	0	2	2	2	3
Cork	8	19	24	29	29
Donegal	12	12	7	4	4
Dublin	26	25	12	13	13
Galway	14	14	13	16	17
Kerry	1	1	2	2	0
Kildare	0	0	1	4	5
Kilkenny	0	0	1	2	2
Laois	0	0	1	2	2
Leitrim	0	0	0	0	0
Limerick	0	1	1	3	3
Longford	0	0	0	0	0
Louth	10	6	6	7	7
Mayo	5	5	5	5	5
Meath	1	1	1	7	7
Monaghan	4	4	0	0	0
Offaly	6	7	13	17	17
Roscommon	2	0	0	0	0
Sligo	0	0	0	0	0
Tipperary	0	0	0	1	1
Waterford	15	11	11	1	1
Westmeath	0	0	0	1	1
Wexford	1	2	2	2	2
Wicklow	7	7	7	7	7

Purchased prefabricated accommodation by county 2011-2015

-	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
-	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units	No. of units
Carlow	0	0	0	0	0
Cavan	0	0	0	0	0
Clare	0	0	0	0	1
Cork	0	0	0	0	0
Donegal	0	0	2	0	0
Dublin	6	7	4	3	0
Galway	0	0	0	0	0
Kerry	0	0	0	0	0
Kildare	0	0	0	0	2
Kilkenny	0	0	0	0	0
Laois	0	0	0	0	0
Leitrim	0	0	0	0	0
Limerick	0	0	0	0	2
Longford	2	0	0	0	0
Louth	0	0	0	0	0
Mayo	0	0	0	0	1
Meath	0	0	0	0	0
Monaghan	0	0	0	0	0
Offaly	0	0	0	0	0
Roscommon	0	0	0	0	0
Sligo	0	0	0	1	0
Tipperary	0	0	0	0	0
Waterford	0	0	4	0	0
Westmeath	6	0	0	0	0
Wexford	4	0	0	0	0
Wicklow	3	0	0	0	0

School Transport Applications

Questions (284)

Martin Heydon

Question:

284. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the position of school transport in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29444/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that the child in question was incorrectly categorised as ineligible for school transport.

The family were notified of this error and a ticket for the 2015/16 school year will issue in due course.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (285, 286)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

285. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the NCSE policy on the provision of special needs assistants at preschool level; the number of assistants provided to children at this level funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29462/15]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

286. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's policy on the provision of special needs assistants for children in early-years education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29463/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 286 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the vast majority of supports for childcare, including preschool education, is provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for the delivery of preschool education is the free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) currently provides for care support for pupils with special needs attending a range of HSE funded re-schools.

Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to Special Schools and to mainstream Primary and Post Primary schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

This may, in some instances, include provision for children who are enrolled to early intervention classes in recognised primary schools, or special schools, where support is provided for as part of the schools total quantum of SNA support. There were 95 such classes in operation in the 2014/15 school year.

However, as set out in my Departments Circular 0030/2014 in relation to the SNA scheme, SNA support is not provided to preschool services which operate outside of the primary or special school provision.

National Educational Psychological Service Staff

Questions (287, 288)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

287. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average salary of a National Educational Psychological Service psychologist; the number of such psychologists currently employed; their rates of pay; and the salary scales applicable to their positions. [29563/15]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

288. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of National Educational Psychological Service psychologists currently employed, by county; and the number of these currently on maternity leave or sick leave and who have not been replaced. [29564/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 288 together.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

The staffing structure of NEPS for professional grades comprises posts at Director, Regional Director, Senior Educational Psychologist and Educational Psychologist level. NEPS is organised on an 8 region structure with each region headed by a Regional Director. Currently there are 23 regional and local offices providing service to schools within their catchment areas. The allocation of schools to NEPS psychologists is therefore done on the basis of regional rather than county distribution with individual staff providing service to schools in one or a number of counties. It is not therefore feasible to disaggregate employment numbers by county.

As of 31st June last NEPS established numbers amounted to 178 psychologists (equating with 167.9 whole-time-equivalents when work-sharing arrangement are factored in). A regional breakdown of these number is provided in a table.

In the same period there were some 7 staff (7 w.t.e.) staff on statutory or extended maternity leave and 2 (2 w.t.e.) on sick leave. These staff, as is the normal practice in the system, are not replaced but schools affected by the absence of their assigned psychologist are afforded assessment services through the above mentioned SCPA scheme and emergency consultation cover by psychologist staff in the local or regional office.

I can inform the Deputy that the average salary paid to a NEPS psychologist is currently €78,853 and for his information the pay-scales currently applicable to the grades of psychologist within NEPS is set out in a table.

Established Numbers of Educational Psychologists Employed in NEPS

By Region

NEPS Region	Count	W.T.E.
Dublin	25	23.40
Dublin/Mid Leinster	28	25.60
Mid-Munster	26	23.53
North-East	17	16.40
North-West/Midlands	19	17.80
South-East/midlands	22	21.33
South-West	21	20.40
West	18	17.40
No Region	2	2.00
Grand Total	178	167.86

Note: Numbers at 21/6/15

By Grade

Grade	Count	W.T.E.
Director	1	1.00
Regional Director	7	7.00
Senior Psychologist	39	37.53
Psychologist	131	122.33
Grand Total	178	167.86

Current Pay-scales for NEPS Psychologists by Grade

NEPS Grades
Regional Director	€84,233	€86,144	€88,065	€89,972	€91,405	€94,184	€96,963
Regional Director (PPC)	€88,440	€90,452	€92,470	€94,479	€95,990	€98,917	€101,839
Senior Psychologist	€74,035	€75,733	€77,406	€79,068	€80,721	€81,353
	€83,834	€86,318
Senior Psychologist (PPC)	€77,751	€79,495	€81,251	€83,003	€84,745	€85,409
	€88,018	€90,631
Educational Psychologist	€53,984	€56,326	€58,654	€60,963	€63,867	€65,000
	€68,132	€71,854	€74,880	€77,182	€79,459
Educational Psychologist (PPC)	€56,789	€59,246	€61,701	€64,128	€65,000	€67,729
	€71,593	€75,517	€78,619	€81,013	€83,414