Written Answers Nos. 544-559
544. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in identifying and securing a site for a planned new second level school (details supplied) in County Cork; when construction will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45824/15]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, my Department is working with Cork County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites, towards the acquisition of a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which he refers. A site acquisition process is underway at present. When the site acquisition has been completed, the project will be progressed to architectural planning. The school will open in 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.
545. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in identifying and securing a permanent site for a primary school (details supplied) in County Cork; when construction will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45825/15]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, my Department is working with Cork County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites, towards the acquisition of a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which he refers. A site acquisition process is underway at present. When the site acquisition has been completed, the project will be progressed to architectural planning.
546. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for capital funding for a sports hall by a post-primary school (details supplied) in Cork City; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45830/15]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for the provision of a sports hall for the school in question. Due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential school classroom accommodation, it is not possible at this point to provide an indicative timeframe for the provision of funding for the facility in question. In that regard, however, significant funding was devolved to the school concerned in 2011 for the provision of four additional general classrooms to meet the schools immediate accommodation needs.
547. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills in the context of the recently published schools building programme, if the identification of County Galway as an area where additional provision may be required relates to the provision of a non-denominational second level school, for example, an Educate Together school; if she is carrying out ongoing consultation concerning the provision of second level schools under different patrons in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45835/15]
View answerMy Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The outcome of the latest demographic exercises, based on the GIS, is that on 17th November last, I announced the establishment of 4 primary schools and 9 post-primary schools to open in 2017 and 2018. I also indicated that a number of areas experiencing increased demographic pressure would be kept under ongoing review, including Galway City and Environs.
The patronage determination process for new schools is a separate process, which is run after it is decided that, based on the demographic data, a new school is required. Parental preferences are central to this process and prospective patrons are required to provide evidence of demand for their particular type of school. It is open to all patrons, patron bodies and prospective patrons, including Educate Together, to apply for patronage of a new school under this process.
548. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has received a request from the board of management of a school (details supplied) for additional funding towards an approved extension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45845/15]
View answerThe school in question was approved funding in 2015 under the Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide two new classrooms and some conversion works to the existing building. The school authority submitted an application for additional funding in respect of an increased scope of works. While additional funding was made available for the original project at that time, an increase in the scope of works was not approved. The school authority was advised to reduce the scope of works to the original approval. The school authority has submitted an appeal which is currently being considered and the school will be advised without delay when a decision has been made.
549. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding she has allocated to education training boards to provide training and how much of this funding has been returned to her Department due to the boards being unable to provide training, by county, in 2014 and in 2015 to date. [45848/15]
View answerThe allocation of Further Education and Training (FET) funding to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) is an operational matter for SOLAS and I have forwarded your request to SOLAS for direct response.
SOLAS took over the allocation of funding for further education and training programmes in 2014. This includes funding from the National Training Fund (NTF) for Training Centres which transferred from SOLAS to ETBs in two phases in January and July 2014.
A total of €9.3 million unspent funding from the NTF in 2014 was returned by SOLAS to my Department this year. SOLAS is currently finalising the position for 2015.
550. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is still the owner of a building (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45865/15]
View answerI can confirm that the property referred to by the Deputy is not in the ownership of the Minister for Education and Skills. As the Deputy may be aware, the primary school referred to has ceased to exist since the 1960's.
551. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to previous parliamentary questions, if urgently needed classroom space will be provided for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45866/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation.
Further details relevant to the application were requested from the school. On receipt of that information the application can be considered further with a decision conveyed to the school authority in due course.
552. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to previous parliamentary questions, if an urgently needed new roof will be provided under the summer works scheme for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45867/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications including that from the school referred to by the Deputy will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants at the end of February/early March 2016.
553. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if urgently needed new electrical works will be provided for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45868/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications including that from the school referred to by the Deputy will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants at the end of February/early March 2016.
554. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the recent interview process carried out by the State Examinations Commission for the senior examiners panel; if the spouse of an interviewee was part of the interviewing panel; if this is acceptable; if she has confidence in the outcome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45869/15]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for this issue.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
555. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to previous parliamentary questions to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, if her Department will be in a position to assist with the provision of measures to enhance road safety at drop-off and collection time at a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45870/15]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that one school transport service currently operates to the school in question and that they have no issue with safety at the set down and pick up point.
Furthermore, they have advised that there is a crossing guard in attendance at the school.
In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care.
The issue of road safety measures outside the vested site areas of schools on public roads, such as road signage, traffic calming measures, parking etc., is a matter for the relevant Local Authority.
Local Authorities have the power to decide on road safety measures outside schools to ensure that measures are in place to protect the safety of local school children.
My Department has no function in this matter.
556. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an urgently needed car-parking space will be provided under the summer works scheme for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45871/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications including that from the school referred to by the Deputy will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants at the end of February/early March 2016.
557. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if retention thresholds for two, three and four-teacher primary schools for 2016-17 will be 18, 52 and 82, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45873/15]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools are published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the appeals criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements.
The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, an improvement to the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and additional resource posts to meet special education needs.
At primary level there will be a one point improvement to the primary staffing schedule to be implemented for the 2016/17 school year. This will see the primary staffing schedule operate on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 27 pupils. Lower thresholds apply for DEIS Band 1 schools. The improved staffing schedule, which include the retention thresholds referred to by the Deputy, is currently available on the Department website.
Preparation for the staffing and redeployment process for the 2016/17 school year is currently underway in my Department. The staffing and redeployment arrangements for all schools for the 2016/17 school year will be published shortly.
558. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will liaise with Bus Éireann with a view to implementing fairer tendering criteria for school bus routes so that companies in receipt of substantial funding for community transport provision will not be able to displace private operators who do not benefit from other public sources of funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45915/15]
View answerBus Éireann is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement. This includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme, which Bus Éireann operates on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.
Bus Éireann is satisfied that the tendering process is a competitive process which allows the Company achieve value for money, enables eligible parties to participate, provides transparency on how contracts are awarded, and facilitates equality of treatment. All of those elements reflect public procurement requirements at both a national and EU level. The rules of the process and conditions of tendering are clearly outlined in the tender documentation.
The experience of the driver assigned to perform the service is one of the award criteria, and while previous experience with the company is taken into account Bus Éireann is not permitted to conduct a process which provides an incumbent operator with an unfair advantage.
Bus Éireann has further confirmed that, on the basis of legal advice, the recipient of Government funding cannot be automatically excluded from participating in a public procurement tender competition.
Generally a five-year contract is awarded to the successful tenderer. This 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.
559. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if habitual residency criteria for qualification for free fees for third level courses will be eased for returning Irish emigrants, as many currently have to pay full fees if they have been out of Ireland for a certain period; if she recognises the irony and unfairness of this, given that those who are forced to emigrate are arguably the greatest victims of economic failure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45924/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in order to qualify for tuition fee funding, students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.
Where students do not qualify for free fees funding they must pay the appropriate fee - either EU or Non-EU, as determined by each higher education institution. These institutions are autonomous bodies and the level of fee payable by students who do not meet the requirements of the free fees scheme is a matter for the relevant institution.
Due to concerns in relation to the fact that in some cases the higher non-EU fee was being charged to students who held EU/EEA/Swiss nationality but did not meet the residency clause for free fees, the Department requested higher education institutions to charge the more moderate EU fee to such students who have completed at least five academic years of study (primary or post-primary level) in Ireland/EU/EEA/Switzerland and commence their first undergraduate course of study in an approved institution here. This position took effect from the previous academic year, 2014/15. There are no plans to further amend this provision.
