Thursday, 16 Jul 2015

Written Answers Nos. 635-650

Humanitarian Aid

Questions (635)

Finian McGrath

Question:

635. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 502 of 23 June 2015, if any of his officials visited Tbilisi in Georgia to gather first-hand information on the damage caused, and to assess what practical assistance Ireland can provide; if he has been in contact with his counterpart in Georgia offering assistance, in particular Irish expertise in flood defence measures, to help prevent a recurrence of damage caused by flooding. [30391/15]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

The flooding in Tbilisi last month had terrible consequences, including a death toll of at least 20. I wrote at the time to my Georgian counterpart to express the deepest condolences of the Irish Government. More recently, President Higgins attended a memorial service in Dublin for the victims of the floods, at which the Georgian Chargé d’Affaires and members of the Georgian community in Ireland were present. My Department was represented at official level.

Ireland’s humanitarian funding is channelled through our UN and NGO partners, and no request has been made to date by UN humanitarian response operations to deploy members of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps to Georgia to assist with relief efforts and the clean-up, nor have we received any requests for humanitarian funding from our NGO partners.

The EU is providing €400,000 in humanitarian assistance for families affected by the floods. This funding is supporting the Georgian Red Cross and Non-Governmental Organisations to deliver relief, including food, household items, and water, sanitation and hygiene support. In addition, up to €3 million will be made available by the EU to help provide durable housing solutions. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will work through the EU in providing assistance to the people of Georgia at this difficult time.

Irish officials closely monitored the situation in the aftermath of the flooding. In particular Irish citizens resident in Georgia were contacted to establish if any had suffered as a result of the flooding. I can confirm to the House that no Irish citizen was among the victims of this tragedy.

Election Monitoring Missions

Questions (636)

Finian McGrath

Question:

636. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 504 of 23 June 2015, if any additional persons have been added to the election observation roster since it was established in May 2013; if so, on what basis; if he will detail the expertise the assessors had in assessing linguistic and computer skills; if he will specify the way the assessors evaluate the language skills of the various applicants; if this involved an oral testing of the applicants; his views on whether his Department's selection process meets the high standards expected by the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; his views on whether the current model of selection would stand up to review through the Irish courts system, such as from roster members who were not selected but who have significantly better qualifications and experience than those who were; if he will commission an independent review of the roster system, including selection processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30392/15]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

Further to my reply to Question No 713 of 14 July 2015 on this matter, I can confirm that the election observation roster maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was established in May 2013 for a period of five years, following a review of the previous roster and a public call for applicants. The aim is to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level in international election observation missions organised in the main by the OSCE and the EU.

An independent appraisal and ranking of all 263 eligible applicants was undertaken by two assessors external to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, against four criteria specifically related to election observation. These criteria were experience of election observation; knowledge of human rights and /or governance issues; language skills; and experience of challenging environments.

Arising from this, the 200 individuals who achieved the highest scores were selected to serve on the new election observation roster and a reserve panel of the next 10 highest scoring individuals was also established, from which replacements would be drawn should any members leave the roster during the five year period. Since its formation, four members have resigned from the roster. Three replacements drawn from the reserve list in order of ranking have been appointed to the roster and the process of appointing the fourth replacement is underway.

Ireland actively participates in the European Commission and European External Action Service - led European Observation network, which brings together election observation Focal Points from all EU Member States, together with Norway, Switzerland and Canada. The network facilities exchange of information and international best practice on all aspects of election monitoring and roster administration and helps to ensure that we are acting in accordance with that best practice.

I am satisfied that all applicants have been treated fairly and impartially and all unsuccessful applicants were invited to request feedback on their applications. Furthermore the independent review process which was established has facilitated two applicant reviews. In both cases, the reviewer was of the view that the scoring of both applications was fair and impartial across all four published criteria. I am confident that the current roster is well equipped to deal with the requisite requirements of the EU and OSCE. The Department will keep the process under review taking into account developments in the EU and OSCE context.

Official Engagements

Questions (637)

Paul Murphy

Question:

637. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any meetings he or his officials had with the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mr. Ali Larijani, during his visit here in June 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30407/15]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

The visit of Speaker Larijani was an interparliamentary occasion, and so his main engagements were with the Oireachtas. I met him for a courtesy call on 16 June, and in the event the meeting provided a good opportunity to discuss some current issues.

My key message to Mr. Larijani was to encourage the Iranian authorities to go the extra distance in the nuclear negotiations in Vienna and ensure that an agreement was reached. I underlined Ireland’s attachment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the positive impact a successful outcome could have in a troubled region. I said that Ireland and the EU would fully support the implementation of any agreement by all parties.

Thankfully, we have all seen in recent days the successful conclusion of the nuclear negotiations, which is greatly to be welcomed.

I discussed with Dr. Larijani the prospects for expansion of our bilateral trade, while noting that of course the removal of sanctions following a nuclear agreement would be a key element in achieving such growth.

I discussed with him the numerous crises affecting the Middle East region, in particular the situation in Iraq and in Yemen. I also drew attention to the role being played by Irish peacekeepers in the region, and our concern for their safety.

In relation to human rights concerns in Iran, we discussed the treatment of some minorities in Iran including Baha’i and some Christian denominations, and the use of the death penalty.

Aistear Curriculum Framework

Questions (638)

Robert Troy

Question:

638. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the roll-out of education inspections in early years settings from September 2015, the supports she has put in place for a comprehensive roll-out of Aistear the early childhood curriculum framework. [29914/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department, in conjunction with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, launched a new Aistear/Síolta Practice Guide.

This Practice Guide distils the key principles of Aistear, the national early childhood curriculum framework, and Síolta, the national quality framework for early years services. It is intended to be a practical guide for early years practitioners on how to implement the two frameworks. It includes a number of podcasts and examples of children's learning and development that will illustrate how the key principles of Aistear and Siolta can be applied in any early years setting.

Phase 1 of the Practice Guide was made available on-line via the NCCA website, www.ncca.ie/en/Practice-Guide in March 2015. The second – and final phase – of the Practice Guide will be made available during the Autumn.

The Practice Guide will be a resource for all early years practitioners who wish to improve the quality of their practice across the early years sector. It will also serve to assist the new Better Start team, that have been established by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, in their work in strengthening quality in early years services.

Unlike the school sector, there is no funding stream for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for early years practitioners. My Department is participating in an inter-Departmental group on Future Investment in Childcare. The funding of CPD for the early years sector will be one of the options proposed.

Schools Establishment

Questions (639)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Question:

639. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the number of current primary school students living within 3 km of a site (details supplied) indicates that the site is viable as a location for a post primary school, as has been provided for in the draft local area plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30358/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The site reservation to which the Deputy refers is for a primary school and not a post-primary school as referred to in the Deputy's question. School planning is carried out on the basis of defined geographical areas known as school feeder areas. The demographics of an entire feeder area are taken into consideration when determining additional or new school accommodation needs. The basis for this is that, schools within a feeder area are expected, between them, to cater for the level of overall demand presenting for school places in their feeder areas. In this regard, parents resident within a feeder area may opt for particular schools for various reasons such as ethos and/or language medium of instruction. In February of this year, I announced the provision of a new primary school for the feeder area in question to commence operation in 2016. In accordance with school planning methodology, the provision of this school will be in addition to existing provision to meet the overall demographic needs of the school feeder area as opposed to making provision for a smaller localised area. The Local area plan referred to covers part of the feeder area for which a new school has been announced. The reservation in that LAP was made on foot of submissions made by this Department in anticipation of future need. My Department will, in due course, be working with the local authority to establish the location for the new school, which will include an evaluation of the current reservation and any reservations in the wider area to assess their suitability.

Special Educational Needs Data

Questions (640, 641, 642)

Jerry Buttimer

Question:

640. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students in primary, secondary and third level education who have dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29568/15]

Jerry Buttimer

Question:

641. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that her Department provides to students with dyslexia at primary and secondary levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29569/15]

Jerry Buttimer

Question:

642. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual amount spent by her Department in supporting students with dyslexia in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29570/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 640 to 642, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including Specific Learning Disability (SLD), of which dyslexia is one such Specific Learning Disability. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services. All Post Primary schools have also been allocated additional teaching resources for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including SLDs. As the allocation of support for pupils with SLDs is managed locally by schools, my Department does not hold details of the number of students with dyslexia receiving support locally, as schools are not required to apply directly to my Department for learning support for Specific Learning Disabilities such as dyslexia. Similarly, it is not possible to provide information sought regarding expenditure in this area. I can advise, however, that the recently published National Council for Special Education (NCSE) report on Supporting Students Special Educational Needs in Schools sets out that 0.5% of the student population in Ireland is estimated to have a SLD. I can also advise that my Department provides guidelines for schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with high incidence special educational needs. These include Circular SpEd 02/05, Inclusion of Pupils with Special Educational Needs Post Primary Guidelines and the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) Continuum of Support Guidelines. My Department provides funding for a number of special schools and special classes attached to mainstream primary schools which have been sanctioned to meet the needs of children with SLDs. There are 4 Special Schools and 12 Special Classes attached to mainstream Primary schools catering for pupils with SLD. An information resource pack on dyslexia in CD-ROM, DVD and video format, has been developed by my Department in association with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. This product has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. The DVD and video provides support for parents of pupils with dyslexia while the CD-ROM assists teachers who are teaching children with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom. Further resources provided to schools to support pupils with dyslexia include special arrangements at state exams, funding towards the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers and/or software as well as additional training for teachers who support children with Dyslexia, through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) provides additional funding to both further and higher education institutions for the provision of services and supports for full-time students with disabilities. The National Access Office has advised my Department that 4,606 students with SLDs were supported by the FSD in 2013/14.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (643)

Brendan Smith

Question:

643. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the proposed project for a school (details supplied) in County Cavan; when this project is likely to go to tender; the likely timescale for construction and provision of new permanent accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29572/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The project to provide permanent accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at Stage 2a (Developed Design) of the architectural planning process. A tender exercise for a replacement Consultant Mechanical & Electrical Engineer has just been completed. The newly appointed Replacement Engineer will engage with the other members of the design team to complete Stage 2(a) to be followed by the conclusion of Stage 2(b). Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certification and Disability Access Certification have been secured. The conclusion of Stage 2(b) will include the preparation of tender documents. Due to competing demands on my Department's capital budget, imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements, it was not possible to include this project in the 5 year construction programme announced in March 2012. School building projects, including the project referred to by the Deputy, which have been initiated but not included in the current five year construction programme will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to my Department in the future.

Departmental Strategies

Questions (644)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

644. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's priorities for the remainder of this Dáil; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29583/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department's priority for the remainder of this Dáil is the implementation of the relevant commitments in the Programme for Government, published in 2011, and in the Statement of Government Priorities 2014-2016, issued by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in July 2014.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (645)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

645. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reinstate the current level of special needs assistance support in a school (details supplied) in County Kildare, given her recent announcement allocating over 600 new special needs assistant posts to schools for the upcoming year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29593/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014. It is important to note that each school's allocation of SNA support can change from year to year and may be increased or decreased as students who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. New students with care needs may, or may not, enrol to replace students who have left, for example, or SNA allocations may be decreased where a child's care needs have diminished over time. 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. All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE has now published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website. 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.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (646)

Michael McGrath

Question:

646. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the proposed cut to the provision of special needs assistants at a primary school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29595/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014. It is important to note that each school's allocation of SNA support can change from year to year and may be increased or decreased as students who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. New students with care needs may, or may not, enrol to replace students who have left, for example, or SNA allocations may be decreased where a child's care needs have diminished over time. 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. All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE has now published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website. 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.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (647)

Michael McGrath

Question:

647. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the allocation of special needs assistants to two new classes at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29617/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs.

The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014. 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. All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE has now published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website. The NCSE has confirmed to my Department that the SNA allocation for the school in question for the 2015/16 school year provides a sufficient level of support to cater for the care needs of all qualifying children in the context of the applications received for 2015/16. 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.

EU Funding

Questions (648)

Brendan Smith

Question:

648. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason an application was not made to the EU Globalisation Adjustment Fund in respect of the former workers of a company (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29628/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

I refer the Deputy to the answer to PQ No. 450 of 6th May 2015 on this matter wherein I highlighted that under Regulation (EU) No. 1309/2013 governing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) a derogation is permitted from the standard minimum number of at least 500 redundancies caused as a result of the adverse impacts of globalisation which is normally required before an EGF application can be made. However, this derogation which is provided for under Article 4(2) of the Regulation requires that a Member State must demonstrate that exceptional circumstances pertain including in terms of the serious impact on employment and the local, regional or national economy. The Department has to date made two successful applications under Article 4(2) in the case of workers made redundant at Andersen Ireland in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick and Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. In both cases the Department was able to produce robust and demonstrable data proving serious economic and local, regional or sectoral labour market impacts that were accepted by the EU authorities. A third such application, linked to the LTAI case, was made recently by the Department on 19th June 2015. The Department carefully examined the relevant factors and criteria in the case of the 140 workers made redundant at Bose, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan based on the current information available in terms of justifying exceptional circumstances. However, the relevant data did not suggest on balance that the redundancies in question could be presented as an exceptional circumstance within the terms of the EGF Regulation. Following recent representations the Department has reviewed the situation and again taken into account, inter alia, the most recent unemployment data. However, this exercise, too, has failed to demonstrate the availability of sufficient data proving serious economic and labour market impacts to enable the Department to make an application to the EU for EGF co-funding support. Outside of the EGF context I understand that considerable assistance continues to be made available locally and regionally to the Bose workers through key service providers such as the Department of Social Protection, the Education and Training Boards and the Local Enterprise Offices.

Teacher Data

Questions (649)

Robert Troy

Question:

649. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers employed in counties Westmeath and Longford and nationally at the primary, secondary, and third level. [29642/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The information that is available in relation to the number of teachers in primary schools on a county basis as provided by the managerial authorities of the schools are published in the Statistics Section of my Department's website. The link to access the information is contained at www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/. Statistics on a county basis are not compiled for the number of teachers in the second level sector but the information available in relation to the overall numbers is available on the website. The total number of Core Academic Staff in the third level sector at 30th June 2015 was 9265.

School Staff

Questions (650)

Robert Troy

Question:

650. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants and school secretaries employed in counties Westmeath and Longford. [29643/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that I recently announced that I had secured Government approval for an additional 610 Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts which may be made available for allocation to schools to support children with special educational needs with assessed care needs. From the beginning of September, there will be 11,820 whole time equivalent SNA posts available in schools to support children with special educational needs with assessed care needs. This is the highest level of SNA allocation that we have ever had and builds on the increases of 365 additional SNA posts provided for in last year's budget announcement and the 390 additional SNA posts announced in December 2013. In total there has been an increase of 11.7% in SNA posts available for allocation to schools since this Government came to office. These extra posts will ensure that the Government's policy of ensuring that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support. I wish to advise the Deputy also that the National Council for Special Education(NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support which are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014. All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE has now published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website, which are available to view on a per county basis. The listing indicates that a total of 304 SNAs have been allocated to schools in Counties Longford and Westmeath for the coming school year. Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not gather information in relation to the number of secretaries employed by schools. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial (and/or caretaking) services. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs and the Department does not stipulate how secretarial services are to be obtained. Where a school uses the grant funding to employ a secretary, such staff are employees of individual schools.