Written Answers Nos. 776-787
776. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the building programme for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; when the school building will be available for occupation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46875/15]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school building project in question is currently at construction stage and is due for completion in March 2016.
777. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills to examine urgently a submission by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry under the summer works programme given the emergency works required; if she will prioritise the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46885/15]
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.
778. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills to deal with a matter (details supplied) regarding cuts to primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46888/15]
View answerMy Department provides funding to all recognised primary schools. I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over the recent years. In Budget 2015 I was able to secure the first increase in education spending in recent years and a further increase in education spending was achieved in Budget 2016. I am determined to continue pressing the case for increased investment, including grant funding in education.
779. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a panel established for special needs assistants where there is no work available for them in a particular school; if they can be included on a panel for work in an adjoining school; if there is an arrangement in place where a person can job-share; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46895/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, a set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU and IMPACT, have signed up to the Haddington Road Agreement, my Department has implemented supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs.
The first part of the LRC proposals for supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs outlines that the supplementary assignment arrangements only apply to current SNAs who are notified that they are to be made redundant. Accordingly, the purpose of these arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school/ETB.
The detailed supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for the 2015/2016 school year are set out in Departmental Circular 0041/2015 which issued on 12 June 2015 and which is available on the Department's website at the following address: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/Recruitment-of-Special-Needs-Assistants-SNAs-Supplementary-Assignment-Arrangements-for-the-2015-16-school-year.pdf.
Once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service (Service in a substitute capacity i.e. covering for maternity leave, sick leave, career breaks, job-sharing etc. does not count) is notified by his/her employer that s/he is to be made redundant then s/he shall be deemed to be a member of a supplementary assignment panel for SNAs.
The operation of this panel is described and outlined in Circular 0041/2015 and it is designed to be as flexible as possible which enables all eligible SNAs, who have the requisite Panel Form 1 completed by their former employer, to apply for any SNA position that is advertised by a school or an ETB with no sectoral, diocesan or geographical limitations imposed. It does not work on a list basis. Every eligible SNA will remain on the panel for two years with a view to getting further employment. If they are not successful over that period of time in obtaining a further SNA position then they will be eligible for a Redundancy payment. Furthermore, an SNA may opt out of this supplementary assignment panel at any point in time triggering the processing of his/her redundancy payment in line with the terms set out in the SNA redundancy scheme (DES Circular 58/06) or any revision of same that is applicable at that time.
It is important to note that when an employer has a vacancy to fill, they must undertake the recruitment process in accordance with the provisions outlined in paragraphs 15-22 of Circular 41/2015. Finally, my Department has set up a dedicated e-mail address to deal with all queries in relation to the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel and any queries in respect of the operation of the Panel can be directed to this dedicated e-mail address: snasupplementpanel@education.gov.ie.
In regard to job-sharing arrangements, the position is that the provisions of the Job Sharing Scheme for Special Needs Assistants in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools are outlined in my Department's Circular Letter 41/2014 which is available on the Department's website at the following address: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0041_2014.pdf.
In accordance with the Circular, Special Needs Assistants may apply to share a whole-time post on a 50:50 basis i.e. 16 hours per week in both Primary and Post Primary Schools. The terms of the scheme were agreed with the School Management Bodies and the relevant Trade Unions and have general application to all Special Needs Assistants.
780. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of giving added years to a special needs assistant who is to retire on health grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46896/15]
View answerThe pension provisions for Special Needs Assistants, (other than those who are member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme), who are employed in recognised schools, include provision for the award of added years, for the calculation of pension benefits, where a SNA is successful in his/her application for retirement on pension on grounds of permanent ill health.
Where a person has competed at least five years of actual pensionable service the pension provisions include a framework for the award of added years. In accordance with this framework the amount of the added years that may be awarded in individual cases is determined taking into account the age and actual pensionable service of the individual at the date of retirement.
The amount of added years that may be awarded in accordance with the framework varies from individual to individual, however there are instances where an individual would not qualify for added years including, for example, a person who has reached mandatory retirement age or competed 40 years of pensionable service at retirement.
781. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person who has been employed as a special needs assistant with a qualification other than a Further Education and Training Awards Council qualification (details supplied) can be considered suitable for ongoing employment as a special needs assistant in a school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46897/15]
View answerMy Department's Circular 0044/2014 sets out the current minimum educational requirements for appointment as a Special Needs Assistant (SNA). People appointed to SNA posts are required to have;
1. A FETAC level 3 major qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications, OR
2. A minimum of three grade Ds in the Junior Certificate, OR
3. Equivalent
The above are the minimum qualifications required for appointment as a SNA. The actual requirements for a post will vary depending on the specific needs of the children and the school to which the SNA is to be appointed. When recruiting an SNA school authorities must list in the advertisement any specific competencies and/ or requirements to meet the special educational needs of the pupil(s).
782. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the Technological Universities Bill addresses the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46899/15]
View answer821. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the concerns of the Teachers Union of Ireland regarding the Technology Universities Bill 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1391/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 782 and 821 together.
The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, published in 2011, provides a framework for the development of the higher education sector to 2030. This Government has made considerable progress in implementing the recommendations set out in the Strategy, significantly advancing the goal of achieving a modernised, more flexible and responsive higher education system that is accountable for high quality performance across the full range of higher education activities.
With regard to the institute of technology sector, the Strategy recommended significant reforms to position the sector to meet national strategic objectives. In particular, the Strategy recommended consolidation within the sector and a pathway of evolution for those consolidated institutes of technology, to allow them to demonstrate significant progress against robust performance criteria and to apply to become technological universities.
The main purpose of the Technological Universities Bill, which was published in December 2015, is to give effect to the recommendations set out in the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 with regard to the IoT sector. In addition, the Bill provides for a number of important reforms to the governance and operation of the existing institutes of technology.
The Technological Universities Bill 2015 sets out the process for the establishment of technological universities. These technological universities will be distinctly different from traditional universities and institutes of technology by virtue of their mission. This differentiated mission includes a systematic focus on the preparation of graduates for complex professional roles in a changing technological world; the advancement of knowledge through research and scholarship and the dissemination of this knowledge to meet the needs of society and enterprise; and, the particular contribution the university will make to the needs of the region in which it is located. These institutions will be linked to industry, and will have an enormous impact on our capacity to create and retain jobs in regions such as the South-East and the North-West.
The Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection, and its Chair, Deputy Joanna Tuffy, undertook pre-legislative scrutiny on the General Scheme of the Bill in April of 2014. I am aware that the TUI participated in this process, and many of the Committee's recommendations have been taken into account during the drafting of the Technological Universities Bill.
As part of the implementation of the Strategy, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) published a four-stage process and criteria for applicant groups of institutes of technology wishing to apply to become technological universities. That document set out a process whereby individual institutions could make a strategic choice to align, merge and apply to become designated as technological universities. The procedure for application for designation as a technological university, as set out in the Technological Universities Bill 2015, is a reiteration of the fourth and final stage of the earlier published 'process and criteria for designation as a technological university'. The proposed consolidations now emerging within the institute of technology sector, and the development of technological universities as a result, will protect and enhance the distinctive career and enterprise focused missions of institutions in the traditional institute of technology sector while also enhancing their strength and scale. This improvement in scale will be particularly important in relation to the challenge that applicants for technological university status must address in improving their competitive position nationally and internationally.
Initially three consortiums of institutes of technology expressed an interest in merging and in applying to become technological universities as part of the Landscape Process undertaken by the HEA in 2012 and approved by the then Minister for Education and Skills.
Two of those consortiums have successfully passed stage 3 of the four-stage process which involved the assessment of their project plans by an international panel of experts. These are the TU4Dublin consortium, made up of Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology, Tallaght and the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, and the Munster Technological University consortium, made up of Cork Institute of Technology and the Institute of Technology Tralee.
Both of these consortiums are working towards full mergers in 2016.
With regard to the Technological University for the South-East, consisting of Institute of Technology, Carlow (ITC) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) a preliminary facilitation process has been underway since September 2015 and there has been strong engagement in the process by both parties. This facilitation process involves a series of meetings, and is an important building block in terms of building trust between the parties and in developing a strong working connection. Not all of the facilitative meetings have been scheduled yet so as to allow the participants time to reflect and to complete any tasks required to move the process on.
In early 2015, the Connacht-Ulster Alliance, made up of Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Sligo Institute of Technology, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology, also expressed an interest in merging and in applying to become a technological university. In October 2015 I approved this application to proceed to the next stage. In line with the process for designation as a TU, Stage 2 of this process involves the preparation of a plan by the Connacht-Ulster Alliance, to meet the criteria for designation as a Technological University.
As these proposals have progressed through the four stage process I have reiterated to the consortiums the importance of, and the need for, a process of consultation and engagement such as referred to in the correspondence the Deputy has received.
The mergers outlined above cannot proceed until the Technological Universities Bill has been enacted and the relevant provisions commenced. Therefore this Bill, in providing the legislative underpinning for those institutes of technology who have established partnerships and wish to merge, represents an essential milestone in the modernisation and reform agenda for higher education institutions.
I would also like to point out that institutes of technology which do not choose to follow the evolutionary path set out in the National Strategy for Higher Education, and in this Bill, will continue to make an important contribution to higher education and particularly to the development of their region.
The National Strategy recommended that the governance structures of all higher education institutions should be reformed to ensure that they are fit for purpose and have the expertise relevant to the governance of a modern higher education institution. This Bill therefore provides for new and modernised governance structures in the institutes of technology and for other reforms which will allow them to become more flexible and responsive to their environment.
783. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the pupil capacity for the 2015-16 school year of two special needs schools (details supplied) in County Cork; if she will provide additional resources to expand the capacity of the schools for the 2016-17 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46906/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that Cara Junior School currently has capacity for 60 students and Scoil Aislinn has capacity for 36 students for the current school year, 2015/16.
The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included where possible, and appropriate, in mainstream school placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) will be engaging with schools for 2016/17 school year in order to plan for, and to open, new special classes, in order to ensure there are sufficient placements available to meet demand in an area.
The NCSE will also allocate staffing resources to special schools to provide for the number of pupils enrolling to the school for 2016/17 and taking into account the disability categorisation of those pupils, and in accordance with the criteria set out in my Departments Circular 0042/2011.
784. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review a decision regarding school transport whereby families of a new amalgamated school (details supplied) in County Cork are not availing of free transport to the new school despite having availed of same to each of the respective old schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46911/15]
View answerChanges to my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme were announced in December 2010 by the then Government as part of measures contained in Budget 2011 and derived from recommendations contained in the Value for Money review of the scheme.
The changes announced covered the uniform application of the distance eligibility criterion, the cessation of the Closed/Central School Rule (CSR), an increase from seven to ten in the minimum number of eligible children required to establish or retain a service and the introduction of charges for eligible primary children.
Children who hold valid medical cards (GMS scheme) are exempt from paying a charge. The charge currently applied for primary school transport for both eligible and concessionary tickets is €100 per child per annum, or a family maximum of €220.
These changes to school transport provision are applied uniformly and equitably on a national basis.
785. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills to look favourably on an application from a school (details supplied) in County Donegal under the summer works application scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46912/15]
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.
