Written Answers Nos. 969-983
969. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she will take to ensure that the building of the new Holy Family school in Cootehill in County Cavan receives priority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37891/15]
View answerThe project to provide additional permanent accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at Stage 2(a) (Developed Design) of the architectural planning process. Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certification and Disability Access Certification have already been obtained on the basis of the original accommodation brief.
Arising from the school's request for further additional accommodation, my Department requested the school and its design team to explore options for providing this and to submit a proposal to my Department. This proposal is awaited.
As the Deputy may be aware, 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 stages of architectural planning and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Programme that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.
970. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants allocated to a special school (details supplied) in Cork city for the 2014-15 and the 2015-16 school years; if she will confirm if the National Council for Special Education is currently reviewing the allocation of special needs assistants to the school based on the needs of the pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37901/15]
View answerI 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 18 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 published details of SNA allocations for schools for September 2015 on its website www.ncse.ie. Details of SNA allocations for 2014/15 are also available on the NCSE website.
The website indicates that the school in question had an allocation of 24 whole time equivalent (WTE) SNA posts in the 2014/15 school year, increasing to 28 WTE posts for the 2015/16 school year.
I understand that the NCSE has recently visited the school on foot of correspondence received from the school in relation to its SNA allocation. I have been advised that the NCSE will be in further contact with the school in this regard shortly.
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.
971. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for capital funding for a building project submitted by a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; if she is aware of the inappropriate and deteriorating conditions of existing accommodation at the school; the timeframe within which this project will be delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37916/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has made an application for major capital funding.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Government's €27billion capital programme provides for a significant capital funding investment in the education system over the next six years with some €3.8 billion in direct funding to be invested in education projects. The six-year plan will prioritise new building projects as well as major extensions to provide significant additional capacity to meet demographic growth in areas where such need has been identified. It also prioritises projects that have a major deficit of mainstream accommodation capacity in respect of current enrolments, require major refurbishment and replacement of poor accommodation and which will also provide additional accommodation to meet increases in enrolments.
School building projects, including the project in question, which have not been included in the current Five Year programme, will be progressed within my Department's architectural planning process 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.
972. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will respond positively to the request for a third junior infants class for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 16, due to the serious under-provision of places for children of the parish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37921/15]
View answerMy Department has no record of receiving a request from the Patron of the school in question to expand to a third junior infant stream.
In the context of meeting demographic demand in the area, my Department provided a new replacement 16 classroom school in 2012, at a cost of approximately €3.5 million. Since 2014, further additional classroom accommodation has also been provided in a number of other schools in the area to meet demographic demand.
The Deputy will be aware that on 5th February last, I announced that seven new primary schools are to be established nationally in the next two years. Four are scheduled to open in 2015 and three will open in 2016. One of the schools to be established in 2016 will cater for demographic demand in the area referred to by the Deputy.
The Department continues to review the most up to date demographic information to ensure that any emerging school accommodation shortfalls are identified and met in a timely manner.
973. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the patronage selection for the new national school in Stillorgan and Clonskeagh in County Dublin will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37922/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in February of this year I announced areas where new primary schools would be opening in September 2016 - these being Goatstown/Stillorgan, Drumcondra/Marino (Dublin 1), and Cabra/Phibsborough (Dublin 7).
It is hoped to run the patronage determination process for these new schools shortly.
974. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding will be provided for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 3 to undertake extension and upgrading works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37954/15]
View answer979. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 3 in her Department's projects in architectural planning; if its status as number three will be reached in 2016; its prospects for funding in the 2016 capital programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38008/15]
View answer983. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will support Howth Road mixed national school in Dublin 3 on an urgent matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38071/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 974, 979 and 983 together.
The major building project for the school in question is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. All statutory approvals, including Planning Permission, Fire Safety and Disability Access Certificates have been secured and tender documents have been finalised.
Due to competing demands on the 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 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.
975. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the current status of a permanent school (details supplied) in Dublin 13; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37955/15]
View answerThe major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2b (Detailed Design) which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert, Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. The application for planning permission has been lodged with the Local Authority and a decision is now awaited.
The project is included in my Department's five year building programme to proceed to Tender and Construction. However, until such time as planning permission has been secured and the project has progressed to and completed tender stage and the appointment of a building contractor, it will not be possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the completion of the construction stage of the project.
976. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive a student grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37960/15]
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.
977. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will approve funding under the minor works grants scheme for the necessary structural improvements to a school (details supplied) in County Kerry, as the current condition of the roof and slates is highly hazardous for pupils and staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37990/15]
View answerI indicated on 13 October 2015 that a Minor Works Grant for 2015/2016 will be paid to primary schools in November 2015.
978. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if financial assistance will be provided towards the resurfacing of a playground in a school (details supplied) in County Kildare, the surface of which has been steadily deteriorating and is progressively becoming a health and safety issue for the pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37992/15]
View answerI recently announced that the minor works grant will issue to primary schools later this year. The school may use its minor works grant to resurface its playground if it considers this a priority. I also announced that there will be a summer works scheme in 2016. It will, alternatively, be open to the school to apply for funding for the works under this scheme.
980. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the rationale behind the requirement for participants in vocational training opportunities scheme to be in receipt of a payment from the Department of Social Protection for six months before taking up a course; her views that this effectively incentivises persons staying on social welfare for some months after they would otherwise have done so to access the course; that persons who require re-skilling after becoming unemployed benefit from starting retraining as soon as possible, in order that they can re-enter the workforce; her plans to remove the requirement that participants be on social welfare for six months or more; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38014/15]
View answerThe Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), introduced in 1989, was designed specifically for long-term unemployed people who have minimal or no qualifications to facilitate their return to education and training.
There are a range of other options available to unemployed people for upskilling in the Further Education and Training sector. Information on these options is available from local Education and Training Boards (ETBs) throughout the country.
981. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will analyse the numbers attending primary and secondary schools in Kilkenny city; the projections for each school over the next five to ten years; if she will consider the purchase by her Department of a site at Newpark adjacent to St. John's junior school, or at the old mart site on the Castlecomer Road in Kilkenny, for the development of a second level facility; if her Department has had any discussions with interested parties regarding such a proposal; and if her Department will now take the initiative and open such discussions. [38067/15]
View answerMy Department is in the process of finalising an exercise to establish the level of provision required at primary and post-primary level, based on the most up to date demographic data available.
In this regard, the Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for additional school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection in addition to information from the Department's own databases. It also uses data from the local authorities. With all of this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. My Department is currently reviewing the latest nationwide demographic data to assess where additional provision may be required at primary level post-2016. This exercise encompasses all areas of the country, including Kilkenny City and environs.
Any requirements identified as a result of this exercise in Kilkenny City and environs will be progressed in the usual manner through my Department's capital investment programme and local stakeholders will be involved as needed.
982. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available to a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is in receipt of an invalidity pension and who wishes to pursue a third level education course in a private college; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38069/15]
View answerUnder my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the Student Grant scheme.
Private colleges such as Griffith College, operated on a for-profit basis are not listed as approved institutions for student grant purposes. However, tax relief on tuition fees may be available for students attending courses in private colleges. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
