Written Answers Nos. 220-229
220. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the average class size in schools with delivering equality of opportunity in schools band 1 status to 16 for junior classes and 18 for senior classes and how many new teachers this would require, if imposed, in the 2015-16 school year. [1612/16]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware a process for the review of the DEIS Programme is currently underway in my Department. This process is being undertaken over the course of the current school year and will consider all issues pertaining to educational disadvantage in order to inform future policy direction in this important area. While this process is underway, I do not intend to make any changes to the current DEIS programme, including any changes to the current staffing arrangements.
221. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1613/16]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has confirmed that from a safety perspective turning buses at the school in question cannot be recommended. To serve this school some buses would have to use a junction which has been deemed unsafe for this purpose because buses would have to make a left-hand turn and in doing so the bus would be obliged to take up the opposite side of the road. Given the number of buses involved, it is not considered feasible by Bus Éireann to divert all of these buses to collect and drop off at the school. As previously advised while some children are dropped at the school in the morning, in the evening all children must travel to meet the services at a central point; this is a common feature of the school transport scheme nationally.
Bus Éireann has been requested to contact the school Principal to fully explain their safety concerns.
222. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills how a school (details supplied) in County Kerry can apply for funding for a safe drop-off and collection area; who it should contact in her Department, any other useful information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1636/16]
View answerI wish to advise that the works referred to by the Deputy are appropriate to the Summer Works Scheme, the purpose of which is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to facilitate carrying out small and medium scale capital works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings and the grounds within the school site area. Under the scheme, responsibility for identifying and prioritising the most urgently required project rests with the school authority. While the school has submitted an application under the 2016/17 summer works scheme, it did not prioritise the works referred to by the Deputy. It will be open to the school, if it so decides, to make an application under a future summer works scheme.
223. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will be grant aided to extend classroom sizes and to provide other facilities to ensure adequate and safe space; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1640/16]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted two applications to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation. The applications are currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority shortly.
224. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will facilitate an application from a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1684/16]
View answerI wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school, in question, under the Summer Works Scheme for the works referred to. Commensurate with the level of funding available for the Scheme, applications including that from the school concerned 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.
225. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the secondment of education centre directors following recent representations; the number of those affected by the proposed changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1714/16]
View answerMy Department, through the Education Centres and Support Services engages teachers on a full time basis annually for the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) through secondment from their schools. These secondments are subject to annual review. The arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the in-service needs of teachers and other support priorities of the school system can be met within the resources available. Having teachers with relevant and recent teaching experience and expertise is a key requirement for the role. It is a condition therefore that the maximum length of time that a teacher may be on secondment is five years, following which they return to their teaching roles in their schools. In this way, their expertise and knowledge is not lost to the system. Each Education Centre has a management committee and staff which ensures continuity at a local level. The teacher secondment arrangements have been disseminated extensively so the necessary planning can take place at all levels including education centres, support services, school boards of management and individual teacher. Accordingly, there are no plans to change this policy on teacher secondments. My Department has recognised that it may be necessary from time to time to allow some flexibility to the five year policy whereby a small number of Directors would remain on secondment for a limited additional period. This provides continuity in management, planning and leadership and retention of expertise. Following consultations between officials in my Department and the Directors some alleviation was agreed to allow a number of Directors to serve beyond the five years for a limited period. As a result of this alleviation the secondment tenure of a number of Directors will be ceasing over a phased basis for the next 3 years up to the end of the school year 2017/18. All the Directors concerned and their relevant Management Committees have been informed of the revised arrangements. My Department will provide support to any Management Committee in the recruitment process for a Director where required and appropriate continuous professional development support can be provided to facilitate Directors return to school should that be requested.
226. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if persons (details supplied) in County Kildare will be facilitated in a request; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1797/16]
View answerThe selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. As schools may not have a place for every applicant, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a pupil, except in the case of an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 being upheld. Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Education and Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency, Floors 2-5 Brunel Building, Heuston South Quarter, Dublin 8 phone 01 7718500.
227. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills her response to the findings and recommendations (details supplied) regarding the State's responsibility to provide inclusive multi-denominational and non-denominational education; the individual response she gave to each recommendation; the steps she took to implement the individual recommendations for each finding; the resources allocated to complete these tasks; and her intentions regarding this issue. [1816/16]
View answerThe government is committed to ensure greater diversity of choice in school provision. This is a stated aim of the programme for government. In this regard, progress continues to be made on a number of fronts. Firstly, the new school establishment procedures put in place since 2011 now provide parental input into the type of new school to be provided. Secondly, a patronage divesting process is ongoing in areas of stable population growth that do not have diversity of primary school provision but don't require a new school due to stable demographics. The aim of this process is to ensure diversity of provision through reconfiguration of existing school provision. To date, since 2013 eight schools have opened under the divesting process. Work is ongoing to ensure delivery of choice in other areas. Thirdly, a public consultation on inclusivity at primary level was conducted in 2013 and a report on the outcome of this was published on my Department's website.
228. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she accepts the urgent need for a new school (details supplied) in Dublin 6W; if she recognises the right of these parents to establish an Educate Together school to reflect their ethos; the steps she is taking to identify a location or premises for this school; if she will approve the opening of this new school in either temporary or permanent premises in September 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1817/16]
View answerMy Department completed demographic analyses at primary and post-primary level late last year, using the Department's Geographical Information System, to identify the areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The system uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and local authorities, in addition to information from the Department's own databases. The outcome of these demographic analyses was that on 17 November 2015 I announced the establishment of 4 new primary schools and 9 new post-primary schools to open in 2017 and 2018, including a new primary school which will open in September 2018 to serve the Dublin South City Centre areas of Dublin 2, 4 and 6. In addition, the new primary school to serve the Goatstown/Stillorgan area, which I announced in February 2015 and which will open in September 2016, will provide additional capacity.
Both of these areas are adjacent to the area referred to by the Deputy. I also stated as part of my November 2015 announcement, that my Department will keep the demographic data for a number of areas nationwide under ongoing review, including Terenure, taking into account updated enrolment data and the impact of ongoing and planned expansion of capacity in this, and adjacent, feeder areas. My Department is also engaged with existing school patrons regarding the possibility of school divestment, which may impact on the Dublin 6W area. 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.
229. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of the water conservation grant in 2016; when it will be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1723/16]
View answerThe Water Conservation Grant is a key element of the Government's drive to promote conservation and more sustainable use of water services in the home. Regulations will be made in due course under Section 5 of the Water Services Act 2014 to set down the particulars of the 2016 grant scheme including the application process and eligibility criteria. It is intended that payment of the grant to eligible applicants will be made in the first half of 2016.
On the basis of the administration of the 2015 grant scheme, a figure of €110 million has been provided for the 2016 grant scheme in the 2016 Revised Estimates for Public Services.
