Written Answers Nos. 168-173
168. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills when construction will commence on the replacement building for a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if the contract has been awarded to a builder; the reason for the delay with the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3335/16]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of the tender process. The letter of intent issued to the preferred tenderer in late November 2015. My Department is currently awaiting the return of the completed supplementary tender report and when this is received and considered my Department will revert directly to the school regarding progression of the project to construction stage.
169. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna cén fáth nach bhfuil tuarastal á íoc le múinteoir (sonraí tugtha) don tréimhse 27/8/15 go 17/11/15; céard a chaithfear a dhéanamh chun go n-íocfar an tuarastal don tréimhse sin; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [3336/16]
View answerDéanfar an tuarastal atá gan íoc don duine dá dtagraíonn an Teachta ó thús na scoilbhliana 01/09/2015 go dtí 16/11/2015 a eisiúint chuig an múinteoir ar 11/02/2016.
170. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she received and if she will look favourably upon an application from a school (details supplied) in County Mayo under the summer works scheme given the health and safety grounds; when she will make a decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3361/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the school to which he refers under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) 2016 and 2017. While the school did not apply for any works under the recent SWS, it will be open to the school, if it so decides, to make an application under a future scheme. The Circular Letter (0055/2015) relating to the terms and conditions of the scheme, is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
171. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funds that may be available to a school (details supplied ) in County Cork to carry out remedial work to the driveway of a special needs unit within the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3403/16]
View answerMy Department's Planning and Building Unit has no record of receiving an application for funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. The appropriate funding mechanism for the type of works concerned is the Summer Works Scheme. It is a condition of that Scheme that schools apply for the most urgent works needed at their school. Under the Summer Scheme for 2016/17, the school applied for works to its ceilings.
It is otherwise open to the school to use its Minor Works Grant, which was paid to the school last November, to carry out the works in full or in part as that grant permits.
172. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter regarding support for pupils with autism (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3406/16]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy, a special school, 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.
173. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills why Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools status has still not been reinstated for a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; if she will process this application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3421/16]
View answerI would like to point out that an extensive identification process to select schools for inclusion in DEIS was conducted in 2005. In spite of a number of reminders issued by my Department, a completed survey form was not received at that time from the school in question. Furthermore, the school did not participate in a follow-up appeal process to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for DEIS status. As the Deputy is aware, a process for the review of the DEIS Programme which I announced in 2015, is currently underway in my Department. While this process is underway, I do not intend to make any changes to the current programme, including the addition of any further schools.
