Written Answers Nos. 665-676
665. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount spent by each of the third level universities on legal cases involving staff for each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6368/16]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. Officials of my Department have requested the Higher Education Authority to collate this information and it will be forwarded to the Deputy when available.
666. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the optimum way for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare to access learning; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6375/16]
View answerCurrently there are a range of supports available to learners accessing educational opportunities in County Kildare. Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB), as the largest education and training provider in the area, supports learners across a range of life long learning programmes through ETB Community National Schools, Second Level Schools, Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs), Adult, Further Education and Training and Youth Support Service.
The learner referred to in your question may wish to contact KWETB directly at KWETB Administrative Offices, Church Street, Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Tel: 0404 60 500, Email: admin@kwetb.ie for further information and guidance on what is available and will meet his needs.
667. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will make a decision on an additional teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6378/16]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is 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 includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Circular 0007/2016, available on the Department website, provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal.
The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board will be held in May. Schools wishing to submit an appeal for an additional teacher for the 2016/17 school year must complete Appendix F of Circular 0007/2016 and submit to the Department by Wednesday 11th May.
668. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of pitch development proposals for a club (details supplied) in Dublin 24; if she will ensure this matter is concluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6380/16]
View answerI can confirm that my Department has received correspondence from the club referred to by the Deputy. This correspondence is under consideration and a response will issue shortly.
669. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has conducted a financial assessment to determine if a new build or refurbishment is the best option for relocating a school (details supplied) in County Laois; and if she will provide the findings of this assessment. [6383/16]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the school concerned submitted a proposal through its Patron to relocate the school within the Portlaoise area to meet its long term accommodation needs. In that regard, my Department has undertaken a technical site visit to examine the proposed alternative location. In addition, my Department has met with the NCSE (National Council for Special Education) to discuss the future demand for special school places in the Portlaoise area and discussions are ongoing between my Department and the school in question in respect of the school's long term requirements.
In that regard, my Department is currently formulating the Schedule of Accommodation and the Brief for the project, which will take into account the options referred to by the Deputy. When this work is finalised, my Department will be in further contact with the school authority.
670. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education and Skills to investigate the case of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6384/16]
View answerThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent and CID holding teachers to other schools that have vacancies.
The published redeployment arrangements, available on the Department website, sets out that where a school is due to have a teaching post suppressed, it is the most junior permanent/CID holding teacher in the school that is placed on the panel.
In exceptional circumstances, the most junior teacher may seek the approval of the Board of Management to be replaced on the Main Panel by an alternative permanent/CID holding teacher in the school. The redeployment arrangements set out that this application must be made to the Chairperson of the Board of Management within 5 working days of the publication of the staffing circular.
In the case of the teacher referred to by the Deputy, the school she is employed in is due to have a post suppressed for the 2016/17 school year. The most junior permanent teacher in the school was placed on the Main Redeployment Panel and has since deferred her panel rights to take up a temporary post in her own school. As the most junior permanent teacher has availed of her panel rights, it is not an option for the teacher referred to by the Deputy to be placed on the panel.
671. Deputy Michael D'Arcy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the rules and timeframe for bringing children back to school here so that they are not classified as overseas students when it comes to university; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6385/16]
View answer682. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills to support a matter on discrimination in education (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6511/16]
View answer706. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to change to cost structures for third level education for Irish citizens not resident here or elsewhere in the European Union; if children born outside of Ireland to Irish parents can avail of the same rules as children from Northern Ireland with regards to accessing education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6905/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 671, 682 and 706 together.
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 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. Students must 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 in the State in order to qualify for the EU rate of fee. There are no plans to further amend this provision.
672. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied by documentary evidence concerning the risk reserve she referred to in Parliamentary Question No. 445 of 22 March 2016 and that Bus Éireann has never used reserve funds for any other section of its businesses other than school transport services. [6401/16]
View answerBus Éireann has provided written confirmation that the funds referred to by the Deputy are used exclusively for the school transport scheme.In addition, the Bus Éireann School Transport Accounts which are audited each year by independent auditors are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie
673. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills to provide the same information for the years 1997 to date as that given in the table in her response to Parliamentary Question No. 445 of 22 March 2016. [6402/16]
View answerBus Éireann has advised that information requested is only available from 2006 and that it will be sent directly to the Deputy.
674. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the allocation of an additional stream for junior infants at a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if she has made a decision on the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6403/16]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received a request from the Patron body of the school in question to operate an additional junior infant stream. The request is currently being considered and my Department will convey a decision to the Patron when this process has been concluded.
675. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills to review a decision not to allocate a reader to a person (details supplied) in the upcoming leaving certificate examinations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6412/16]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate Examinations. Full details of the scheme are available from their website: www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodationsIn view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
676. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills to provide funding to a schoool (details supplied) for vital classroom equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6434/16]
View answerThe new Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 (Enhancing Teaching, Learning & Assessment), launched in October 2015, sets out a clear vision for the role of ICT in teaching, learning and assessment in primary and post primary schools. The Strategy is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students by helping them become engaged thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens who participate fully in society and the economy. The Strategy recognises that schools require public investment in their ICT equipment and infrastructure and accordingly a fund of €210m to support the implementation of this Strategy is available beginning with an investment of €30m in the next school year (2016/2017) rising to €50m a year towards the end of the Strategy. Oversight and consultative structures for the implementation of the strategy are currently being finalised and my Department will be in communication shortly with schools on its progress.
