Written Answers Nos. 91-94
91. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene in an application for a student grant for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo, who has been denied the special rate of grant; her views that the circumstances of this case are unusual, and that a special dispensation should be applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35817/15]
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 helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries 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.
92. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a new school building, as it is still operating on a split site following an amalgamation in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35821/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for major capital funding for a new school building to facilitate an amalgamation.
As the Deputy will appreciate, due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the funding available for the provision of essential school classroom accommodation, it is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of a major project for the school in question at this time.
93. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm that a new school (details supplied) in County Galway will be included in the capital expenditure programme 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35824/15]
View answerThe Major Building Project referred to by the Deputy, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Stage 2(b) Submission (Detailed Design) has been approved by the Department, however, as the project was not included in the Department's Five Year Building Programme, the project was not authorised to proceed to tender. The Design Team and Board of Management were informed of this by letter in July 2015.
School building projects, including the project in question, which have not been included in the current Five Year programme, will continue to be progressed to the final planning stages and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Plan that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.
94. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 644 and 645 of 6 October 2015, if she will explain the reference to removing the option from parents of selecting their preferred provider, when no such option existed for all parents for over four years because her Department never included details of such an option in its annually published circular, but instead her Department entered into an exclusive agreement with just one private commercial organisation while during that same period at least three other parent-led schools were forced to close, and those parents were never provided the same option afforded to the parents who attended the private commercial organisation. [35833/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, where parents of children who are eligible for home tuition have sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition, my Department responded and facilitated by putting arrangements in place with private providers, nominated by the parents, who provide group tuition to children in a class-type setting. In all cases parents had the option of having the tuition provided by a single tutor in the home or availing of the services of their nominated provider.
Payment of the home tuition grant in these cases is made directly to the service provider and is calculated on a group rate basis. In recent times there has been stronger demand from parents/guardians of children for whom home tuition has been approved to be accommodated in this regard. From this year my Department has advised parents of the option to enter into a group arrangement with other parents of children for whom home tuition has been approved.
However parents wishing to enter into such an arrangement must notify my Department in advance for approval and providers selected by these parents must comply with the general provision of the scheme.
The Deputy's question refers to three unnamed facilities and it is unclear to which facilities this question refers. Accordingly it is not possible to respond in respect of these three facilities. However, in general, if a facility is selected by parents and this facility is unwilling to comply with the general terms of the scheme, and in particular, with the requirement that where a school placement is identified for the eligible child, the home tuition provision will cease, my Department will not approve the arrangement with the provider.
