Written Answers Nos. 490-499
490. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will grant the application for additional funding to a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39276/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application for capital funding for additional accommodation. The application is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.
491. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her views on whether the current tendering process for school transport (details supplied) is equitable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39282/15]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement. The basic principle of public procurement is that there should be a competitive process and this approach applies to procurement by all public sector bodies, and includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme. The tendering process is a competitive process which allows Bus Éireann to achieve the procurement objectives in terms of value for money, access to the contracts for all interested parties, transparency on how the contracts are awarded, and equality of treatment. The rules of the competition and the selection and award criteria were clearly outlined as to how the contracts would be awarded and all interested parties were provided with the same opportunity and the same information. In this way the procurement process is carried out in an fair, open and transparent manner complying with all applicable EU Procurement Law, domestic legislation and government regulations.
The contractual obligations that contractors are obliged to satisfy provide assurance that school transport services provided under the School Transport Scheme continue to meet the highest safety standards, and are neither unfair nor unreasonable. This includes an obligation to keep and provide evidence that all statutory vehicle, driver and company certificates and licences are kept current and in order. Nominated drivers are obliged to satisfy medical examination, must be licensed to drive the size of vehicle used, and are subject to vetting procedures arranged by Bus Éireann and conducted by the Garda Central Vetting Unit. Vehicles and maintenance systems are subject to random inspection conducted by leading independent experts in this field on behalf of Bus Éireann in addition to satisfying statutory obligations outlined by the RSA, and service performance is monitored by School Bus Inspectors with support from the local Bus Éireann school transport office.
Bus Éireann is very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for pupils with special educational needs under the School Transport Scheme. This is reflected in the standard of service provided and by Bus Éireann factoring the individual requirements of the children concerned into the planning of these services which generally operate on a door-to-door basis. They remain very conscious of the disruption in service provision occasioned by a potential change of driver arising from the tendering process they are obliged to conduct but the award of a five-year contract to the successful tenderer provides security for the duration of the contract to the contractor as well as stability, in terms of familiarity with transport arrangements, for the families, schools, and children concerned. Bus Éireann does not tender for the work that it subcontracts to private operators.
492. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Donegal is classified as an all-Irish school when assessing the eligibility of applicants for the post-primary school transport scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39286/15]
View answerUnder the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The school referred to by the Deputy is not currently classified as an All-Irish school for the purposes of assessing school transport eligibility.
The status of the school is being clarified with Donegal Education and Training Board.
493. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills for a detailed update on the procurement of a permanent site for a planned new school (details supplied) in County Cork and on the provision of temporary accommodation to be in place for the planned opening of the school in autumn 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39314/15]
View answerThe Deputy may be aware that I signed a Memorandum of Understanding between my Department and the County and City Managers' Association (CCMA) in 2012. This Memorandum of Understanding fosters increased levels of co-operation and formalises the Local Authorities' part in identifying and securing sites for educational use.
In that context, my Department has worked closely with Cork County Council towards acquiring a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. The acquisition of the site in question is currently being progressed. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. I can, however, assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a new site for the school is a priority for my Department and the patron body Educate Together will be informed of the location for the school as soon as it is possible to do so.
The school will open in suitable temporary accommodation in September 2016, pending delivery of the permanent accommodation. Officials from my Department have informed the patron body, Educate Together, in relation to this.
494. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine and expedite an application for a non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39334/15]
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.
495. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills to explain the reason a school (details supplied) in County Kerry has lost its DEIS status following its amalgamation with another school, resulting in an increase of two pupils on its roll; if she is aware that the school is highlighted as a model of best practice as a rural disadvantaged school, that it is involved in all available programmes to enhance the educational potential of its pupils, and that the loss of its DEIS status will have a detrimental effect; and if she will meet a delegation of parents and teachers from the school to discuss the loss of DEIS status and the effect this will have on its pupils, or if she is willing to restore the DEIS status to the school. [39370/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the new school in question continues to receive the current level of supports in respect of the number of eligible pupils from the former DEIS school until that pupil cohort have left the school i.e. for 8 years from the date of the amalgamation. These supports will include the existing DEIS grant and any other supports that the school had access to under the DEIS programme.
The Deputy may be aware that a process for the review of the DEIS Programme is currently underway. The review process is being undertaken over the course of the current school year. While this process is underway, I do not intend to make any changes to the current programme, including the addition of any further schools.
496. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm whether only approximately €500,000 of the €2.49 million of the European Commission's contribution to the Lufthansa Technik European globalisation adjustment fund has been spent to date; and whether, given that the deadline for expenditure is 19 September 2016, this programme could end with a significant underspend, resulting in the return of a significant amount of funds to the European Commission. [39385/15]
View answer497. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the fact that, as of May 2015, only 127 of the 424 eligible redundant workers and only 54 of the 200 not in education, employment or training cohort had accessed programme measures under the Lufthansa Technik European globalisation adjustment fund programme; whether enough is being done to ensure that all eligible persons can access the supports that the programme offers, given that these numbers represent a participation rate of just 30% and 27%; and the action she will take to ensure a greater participation rate in the programme. [39386/15]
View answer498. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the south Dublin partnership and community-based training centres, such as Áras Rualach on the Neilstown Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, have been invited to assist in ensuring a greater participation rate among the not in employment, education or training cohort in the Lufthansa Technik European globalisation adjustment fund programme. [39387/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 496 to 498, inclusive, together.
The Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (LTAI) EGF Programme was approved in April 2015 and will run until 19 September 2016. With an overall programme value of €4.15 m, the EU contribution is €2.49 m, representing 60% of the total. As the programme will run until next September and most public beneficiary bodies are funding the cost of EGF measures from their own budgets and will subsequently submit declarations at programme end for the final report and statement of eligible expenditure due to be submitted to the European Commission by 19 March 2017, it is difficult to accurately forecast the final expenditure. No final expenditure declarations or payment claims have yet been received in my Department and I am not currently in a position to indicate the level of EGF programme expenditure.
However, I understand that take-up of EGF support measures offered to date is less than anticipated. The total number of redundant workers who were potentially eligible under the EGF Programme was 424, with a further 200 young persons under the age of 25 not in employment, education or training (NEET persons) also being targeted under a new option introduced under EU Regulation 1309/2013 governing the EGF Fund. Based on previous experience the targeted number of redundant workers under the Programme is set at 250 plus the 200 NEET persons. While the Deputy refers to May 2015 figures, the recently published 2nd Implementation Report sets out that at end August 2015, 193 former workers and 76 NEETs had participated in EGF related programme measures; this equates to 77% and 38% of those targeted cohorts respectively. Engagement with the NEET persons is proving more challenging in the time limited context of EGF programmes.
At end August, 256 of the 424 former workers were in employment (60.3%). While positive, this re-employment rate may be mitigating against a higher programme participation rate.
The local EGF Coordination Unit office established by SOLAS and located in Tallaght is coordinating EGF programme supports. All potential beneficiaries have been contacted by the Unit on a number of occasions. The Unit and my Department met with the South Dublin County Partnership) earlier this year in the context of the LTAI EGF Programme and Ms Anna Lee, former CEO of the Partnership subsequently took up the Chairperson of the LTAI EGF Consultative Forum set up to assist in the implementation of, and to maximise participation in the EGF programme.
An information and advocacy event, arranged by worker and NEET representatives on the consultative forum and supported by the EGF Coordination Unit, will take place this week to encourage those eligible to avail of EGF programme support measures. This includes a second tailored 10-week 'Dealing with Change and Opportunity, Mindfully' programme which will commence later this month. My Department continues to liaise with the EGF Coordination Unit and other partners to maximise engagement with the programme. The potential for wider engagement with the community sector in the Tallaght area to maximise participation, particularly of the NEET cohort, is being considered in that context.
Final uptake of an EGF support measure is dependent on the individual choice of each eligible beneficiary and may be influenced ultimately by a range of factors including reintegration into part-time or full-time employment or a focus on job searching.
499. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills for a breakdown of all moneys returned to the European Commission from previous European globalisation adjustment fund programmes, expressed in nominal terms and as a percentage of the total amount awarded for each programme by the European Commission. [39388/15]
View answerA table showing the initial allocation and actual expenditure and reimbursement figures for each of the seven completed programmes co-funded by the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in Ireland to date is as follows.
|
EGF Programme |
Programme Allocation |
EU Contribution |
% EU |
Actual Expenditure |
EU Contribution |
EGF Budget used % |
EGF Amount Returned |
EGF Amount Returned % |
|
DELL |
€22,817,000 |
€14,831,050 |
65% |
€13,619,598 |
€8,852,739 |
59.7% |
€5,978,311 |
40.3% |
|
Waterford Crystal |
€3,955,159 |
€2,570,853 |
65% |
€3,089,633 |
€2,008,261 |
78.1% |
€562,592 |
21.9% |
|
SR Technics |
€11,455,174 |
€7,445,863 |
65% |
€4,504,198 |
€2,927,729 |
39.3% |
€4,518,134 |
60.7% |
|
NACE 41 Construction |
€19,522,829 |
€12,689,838 |
65% |
€12,618,893 |
€8,202,280 |
64.6% |
€4,487,558 |
35.4% |
|
NACE 43 Construction |
€33,329,459 |
€21,664,148 |
65% |
€20,249,086 |
€13,161,906 |
60.8% |
€8,502,242 |
39.2% |
|
NACE 71 Construction |
€2,135,107 |
€1,387,819 |
65% |
€1,810,636 |
€1,176,913 |
84.8% |
€210,906 |
15.2% |
|
Talk Talk |
€5,392,765 |
€2,696,382 |
50% |
€3,793,765 |
€1,896,883 |
70.3% |
€799,499 |
29.7% |
