Written Answers Nos. 420 - 436
420. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a request for an extension by a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2830/16]
View answerI can confirm that in February 2015 the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation. This application was refused as the school were considered to have sufficient accommodation available to them. My Department has recently received further correspondence from the school, in respect of the application, which is being considered. A decision will issue to the school authorities in due course.
421. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2841/16]
View answerMy Department is not in receipt of any application for funding from the school for the specific works referred to by the Deputy.
422. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2842/16]
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. The application is currently being considered and my Department will be in contact with the school in question in the matter shortly.
423. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for additional funding for a building project by a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2851/16]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy were approved funding by my Department in July 2014 for the provision of a Resource Room to meet their accommodation requirements. In addition, the school were also approved additional funding in December 2014 to address Health and Safety issues at the school. The school have now contacted my Department for further additional funding in relation to the project. This application is being considered and my Department will be in contact with the school in the matter shortly.
424. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will issue the commencement notice to allow long overdue works to commence at a school (details supplied) in County Dublin given that the tender process has been completed and a builder identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2857/16]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, in the management of a capital programme, periodically it is necessary to review the scheduling of construction projects within the overall programme. In this context, my Department is currently conducting an expenditure profiling exercise, which will determine when projects, including the project referred to by the Deputy, can advance to site. When the expenditure profiling is complete, the Department will be in contact with the school in relation to the further progression of the project.
425. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the planned extension and refurbishment of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2858/16]
View answerThe building project referred to by the Deputy is included on the six year programme I announced on 17 November 2015 and is listed to proceed to construction in 2016. The original design team appointed to the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by my Department that extensive additional refurbishment works to the existing school will also be required.
My Department approved a significant increase in the scope of works for the project to incorporate those refurbishment works. Arising from this expansion in the scope of works it was necessary to commence a tender exercise for the appointment of a new design team to take the project forward from this point. This process, which was conducted by the Education and Training Board (ETB), was completed and the new Design Team was authorised to proceed to Stage 2A of Architectural Planning, which is the developed Design Stage.
Upon successful completion of Stage 2A the project will progress to complete Stage 2B, Detailed Design, which includes the application for Statutory approvals and the preparation of Tender Documents for Contractors. Following completion of stage 2B and subject to no issues arising the project will then be progressed to tender and construction.
426. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills when persons (details supplied) will be paid for tutoring during the July provision programme 2015. [2873/16]
View answerJuly Provision is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides July Provision for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based provision is not feasible, home based provision may be grant aided. With regard to the individuals referred to by the Deputy I wish to confirm that following receipt of revised payment claim forms in respect in respect of four approved students, payment under the July Provision Programme 2015 has now been approved.
Payment will issue shortly through the payroll operated by my Department.
427. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills if escorts who bring pupils to and from special education classes are entitled to redundancy or retirement gratuities; if so, who is liable for these payments; and if her Department finances them. [2874/16]
View answerThe employment of escorts to accompany children who are eligible for school transport and whose care and safety needs are such as to require the support of an escort is a matter for the relevant school authority. My Department allocates funding to schools for the employment of these escorts.
The payment of redundancy or retirement gratuities is a matter for the school authority in the first instance.
428. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Skills how an applicant for third level primary teaching is determined as being a Gaeltacht applicant; and if she will provide details of the procedure involved. [2886/16]
View answerIn accordance with Government policy in support of the Gaeltacht and the Irish Language, there is a long-standing provision whereby up to 10% of the teacher training places in the colleges of education may be reserved for Gaeltacht applicants. To qualify as a Gaeltacht applicant a person must be resident in an officially designated Gaeltacht area and it must be confirmed that the normal language of the home is Irish. Prospective candidates apply through the CAO. The arrangements to verify applicants' eligibility for the September 2016 scheme under the criteria set out above are currently being finalised.
The Deputy may be aware that it has been proposed in the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language that up to 20% of places in colleges of education would be retained for students educated through Irish in Gaeltacht schools and Gaelscoileanna, with students in English medium schools also being eligible, subject to a high performance threshold in Irish in the Leaving Certificate. My Department is currently considering advice from the Teaching Council on entry requirements to courses of initial teacher education, including the Gaeltacht entry scheme to the Bachelor of Education.
429. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of increasing the per capita recurrent grant to all universities and institutes of technology by 10% in 2016-17; and the cost of restoring the pre-2011 level of recurrent grant per capita to all higher education institutes. [2896/16]
View answerFunding of over €928 million has been allocated by my Department in 2016 to the higher education institutions under the designation of the Higher Education Authority, including the Universities and Institutes of Technology. This amounts to c. €4,737 per full time equivalent student (where part-time students are calculated at 0.5 FTE). A 10% increase in per capita funding would require €103 million additional funding in 2017. Restoring per capita funding to pre-2011 levels, i.e. 2010 levels, would require €439 million in additional funding in 2017. It should be noted that part of the decreases in the recurrent grant since 2010 were offset by required pay reductions and increases to the student contribution over this period.
430. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will provide a communications support as an aid to a profoundly deaf person (details supplied) in County Cork who has no access to sound via technology; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2906/16]
View answerMy Department has approved payment of a grant to provide communication supports to the child referred to by the Deputy. A letter of sanction of this grant has issued to the school concerned.
431. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Carlow will be included in the building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2938/16]
View answer432. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills when full-time recognition will be provided to a school (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2939/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 432 together.
My Department is currently considering an application for permanent recognition from the school referred to by the Deputy. When this process has been completed, my Department will convey a decision to the school authorities.
During the period of provisional recognition, it is the responsibility of the school patron to provide interim accommodation. This accommodation must be capable of meeting the needs of the school until permanent recognition has been secured and my Department is in a position to provide improved accommodation.
It is therefore not possible to advance with a building project for the school at this time.
433. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has discussed the impact of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the O'Keeffe v. Ireland case recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2958/16]
View answerI would like to assure the Deputy that I have discussed this matter with my Cabinet colleagues. The Deputy may be aware that under the European Convention on Human Rights system, states' implementation of judgments are supervised by the Committee of Ministers. Supervision of Ireland's implementation of the O'Keeffe judgment is being done under the enhanced method of supervision which requires the State to file Action Plans with the Council of Europe. To date Ireland has filed 3 Action Plans with the Council of Europe outlining the steps being taken to implement the ECHR judgment; the next (4th) Action Plan is due to be submitted on 28 January 2016.
In terms of an ongoing dialogue, my most recent discussion with my Cabinet colleagues was earlier this month when the 4th draft action plan was discussed.
434. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has sought legal advice on the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the O'Keeffe v. Ireland case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2959/16]
View answerMy Department has obtained legal advice in association with the Attorney General on the implications of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement for cases current at the time of the judgement and new school child abuse cases. The Government subsequently agreed, in December 2014, that out of court settlements be offered in those extant cases of school child sexual abuse being brought against the State where the cases come within the terms of the ECHR judgment and satisfy the Statute of Limitations.
In July of 2015, the Government approved proposals to offer ex gratia payments up to a maximum of €84,000 to those who initiated legal proceedings in cases of school child sexual abuse against the State but who subsequently discontinued their claims against the State where, similarly, the circumstances of the claims come within the terms of the ECHR judgment and where the claims were not statute barred prior to the proceedings being discontinued.
435. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding by a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2964/16]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for capital funding for classroom reconfiguration, an additional classroom and an ASD Unit. The application concerned has been assessed and my Department has advised the school that as it considers that there is sufficient accommodation at the school to meet the school needs, it is not in a position to agree to the school's request.
In relation to the ASD Unit, I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for approving special classes/units. In that regard, I understand that the school in question was not approved such a class in this instance.
436. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason fees for the correction of mock junior certificate examinations differ from school to school, as evidenced by a differential in County Kerry from €20 to €120 per examination; and if her Department has criteria regarding the cost of correction of these examinations. [2970/16]
View answerMy Department does not issue guidelines to schools on examination fees with regard to the mock exams, or whether they should be internally or externally corrected, nor does it request any data from schools in this regard. Mock exams are administered by schools, without any input from the Department or the State Examinations Commission.
