Written Answers Nos. 677-691
677. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the Education (Admissions to School) Bill 2015 and the difficulties parents face in enrolling their children at their local schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6435/16]
View answerIt is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. This enrolment policy must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary and this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
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 Educational 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 can be contacted at 01-7718500.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which was published in April of last year, contained a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. It was not possible to bring this complex piece of legislation through both Houses of the Oireachtas in the timeframe available. However, I have made it clear that a legislative framework for school admissions is required and that this needs to be a priority for the next government.
In 2011, the government introduced new arrangements for the recognition of new primary and second-level schools. The Department identifies the requirement to establish new schools in order to meet demographic need. The new arrangements place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. As part of the process, patrons must confirm willingness to enrol children in the area for whom the Department has identified the need for a school.
678. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding for new capital schools projects, the criteria used to allocate such funding and the number of applicants for this funding for 2016 and for 2017. [6439/16]
View answerThe Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 programme, which was announced on 29 September 2015, provides for an investment of €4 billion in the Education sector through direct exchequer provision and the PPP programme. In excess of €3 billion of this investment is in respect of the school sector with in the order of 75% of this amount will be spent on the provision of permanent school places.
The Six Year Construction Plan for the period 2016 to 2021, that I announced in November 2015, as part of this capital investment programme, priorities new building projects and major extensions, including special schools, in areas where significant demographic need has been established.
In addition, the Plan prioritises projects that in addition to meeting increases in enrolments, have a major deficit of mainstream accommodation capacity for current enrolments, require major refurbishment and replacement of poor accommodation.
The Plan includes over 300 major school building projects where construction is expected to commence over the duration of the Plan. The timeline for when work is expected to proceed is outlined in the announcement. Each project is listed in the year when the commencement of construction works is anticipated.
My Department also considers applications from individual schools for devolved funding to meet an immediate accommodation requirement because of increased enrolments and where an additional teacher is being appointed. Applications are received on an ongoing basis and my Department receives in the region of 400 such applications annually.
679. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a staffing appeal submitted by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6446/16]
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 Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Circular 0007/2016 provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal.
The Primary Staffing Appeals Board meets three times per year, in March, May and October. The school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an appeal to be considered at the May meeting. The school will be notified of the Appeals Board's decision by the end of May.
The Appeals Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.
680. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills to allocate additional capital funding for carrying out refurbishment works on a nearby vacant property to meet the accommodation needs of a school (details supplied) in County Donegal, following the upward revision of the cost of the project; when she will make a decision on the school's request for further funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6458/16]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, a very significant grant was approved in principle for the school in question, in October 2013, for refurbishment works subject to certain conditions being met. In August 2015 my Department was in a position to issue final approval as the school had confirmed the specified conditions were now satisfied.
However, a revised application containing various revised cost plans and refurbishment options that will involve significant additional funding has since been received by my Department. The documentation is being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authorities as soon as this process has been completed.
681. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an urgent update on the commencement of the permanent building works she approved at a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6476/16]
View answerLusk National School is at an advanced stage of the tender process. The tender report for the project has been submitted to the Department and is currently being assessed. When the assessment is complete the Department will be in contact with the school authorities in relation to the further progression of the project.
683. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 769 of 13 January 2016 and the changes to the primary school transport scheme for a school (details supplied) in County Cork, the number of children carried; the amount her Department paid to Bus Éireann; the average cost per child carried; the percentage increase or decrease per child carried, on a year by year basis; the applicable number of children, seven or ten, in the minimum number of eligible children required to establish or to retain a service; the relevant charges for eligible children; the number of current services for the year; the number of terminated services from the previous year; and the number of new services introduced, in each case for the entire school transport schemes, with columns for children carried, for each of the financial years 2010 to 2015, in tabular form. [6521/16]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is outlined below.
1. The total number of children carried from 2010 to 2015 was as follows:
|
School Year |
Total Pupils |
|
2010 |
123993 |
|
2011 |
113015 |
|
2012 |
112463 |
|
2013 |
114063 |
|
2014 |
112577 |
|
2015 |
113892 |
2. The amount paid by the Department on the annual Statement of Account from 2010 to 2014 was as follows:
|
Account 2014 |
Account 2013 |
Account 2012 |
Account 2011 |
Account 2010 |
|
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
|
150,467 |
149,825 |
149,477 |
151,804 |
154,025 |
3. The Statement of Account for 2015 will be available shortly. The average cost per Child Week from 2010 to 2014, from which the percentage increase may be calculated, was as follows:
|
PRIMARY |
- |
Post Primary |
|
Cost per pupil per week (€) |
Year |
Cost Per Pupil Per Week |
|
48.35 |
2010 |
29.15 |
|
52.25 |
2011 |
29.15 |
|
56.87 |
2012 |
30.27 |
|
58.86 |
2013 |
31.85 |
|
60.35 |
2014 |
35.97 |
4. The Minimum Number of Eligible Children required for service retention or establishment was seven eligible children until the introduction of the revised schemes in 2011/12 when the threshold was increased to ten eligible children.
The number of services withdrawn under the Minimum Number rule from 2010 to 2015 was as follows:
|
Year |
Number of Services Withdrawn Under Minimum Numbers |
|
2010 |
7 |
|
2011 |
85 |
|
2012 |
12 |
|
2013 |
20 |
|
2014 |
28 |
|
2015 |
43 |
5. The relevant charges for eligible children are as follows:
|
Year |
Post Primary Eligible |
Primary Eligible |
Primary Family Maximum Payment |
Post Primary Family Maximum Payment |
|
2010 |
€300.00 |
€0.00 |
€650.00 |
€650.00 |
|
2011 |
€300.00 |
€50.00 |
€110.00 |
€650.00 |
|
2012 |
€350.00 |
€100.00 |
€220.00 |
€650.00 |
|
2013 |
€350.00 |
€100.00 |
€220.00 |
€650.00 |
|
2014 |
€350.00 |
€100.00 |
€220.00 |
€650.00 |
|
2015 |
€350.00 |
€100.00 |
€220.00 |
€650.00 |
6. The current total for the number of services at the end of 2015 was 6,786 services. The number of new services introduced between 2010 and 2015 was as follows:
|
Year |
New Services |
|
2010 |
97 |
|
2011 |
152 |
|
2012 |
196 |
|
2013 |
218 |
|
2014 |
274 |
|
2015 |
318 |
684. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a value-for-money review on school transport found that Bus Éireann's costs are 21% higher than the equivalent costs of the private school bus contractors, per mile on large buses for school routes, when the inspection costs are excluded, and approximately 19% higher when the inspection costs are included; and the total miles travelled by Bus Éireann's large buses and by equivalent private bus operators' buses of the same size, in each of the years 2008 to 2015, in tabular form. [6522/16]
View answerThe specific figures referred to by the Deputy are contained in the Report of the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme. The full report is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie Bus Éireann has advised that the approximate mileage for the large bus cohort only, rounded to the nearest half million kilometres, is as follows:
|
Mileage |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2024 |
2015 |
|
Bus Éireann |
13.0 |
13.0 |
11.5 |
12.0 |
12.0 |
11.5 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
|
Contractor |
15.5 |
15.0 |
15.0 |
15.5 |
15.5 |
17.0 |
13.5 |
14.0 |
685. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills to escalate the progress of work due to take place at a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6528/16]
View answerThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning, Stage 2a - Developed Design Stage.
The Design Team have requested a date for the Stage 2a meeting and this date is currently being finalised. When this stage is complete, and subject to no issues arising, the project will progress to Stage 2b – Detailed Design Stage, which includes the applications for Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents.
This project was included in the six year programme announced on 17th November 2015.
686. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that a school (details supplied) in County Carlow is set to close; that the school was recently renovated two years ago; that it has an extremely important autism spectrum disorder unit; that parents and members of the community were not consulted on the closure; and if she will meet the parent's association to discuss this urgent issue. [6559/16]
View answerMy Department was advised by Kilkenny and Carlow ETB that in light of the number of students that have enrolled for the school year 2016/17 and due to the declining enrolments over a number of years, that the ETB will not be proceeding with the enrolment of new first year students in Muine Bheag Vocational School for the coming school year, 2016-17. The ETB has indicated that this position has been reached following detailed deliberations concerning the viability of the school.
Following contact with the ETB, my Department has since been advised that the ETB is proposing to set up a review group representative of local stakeholders, to look into all aspects of the situation in the school and to consider possible solutions for the future. The process of establishing this group will start immediately and the ETB has undertaken to advise my Department of any further proposals in relation to the future of the school. My Department can review the position following the outcome of the review group's work.
687. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will reopen the summer works scheme for new applications, given that applications closed for the 2016-2017 tranche on 2 December 2015, as referenced in Parliamentary Question No. 661 of 6 April 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6611/16]
View answerI wish to clarify for the Deputy that the Summer Works Scheme will be applied on a multi-annual basis for the years 2016 and 2017. Accordingly, a new call for proposals from schools will not be sought in respect of 2017. Under SWS 2016 and 2017, valid applications from schools that are not reached for funding reasons from within the funding made available in 2016 will qualify to be assessed for purposes of funding available in 2017, subject to the overall availability of funding.
688. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the build programme for a primary school (details supplied) in Dublin 16; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6638/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that in April 2015, my Department approved grant aid of over €97,000 to the school in question under the Summer Works Scheme for window replacement. This is in addition to grant aid of over €635,000 provided to the school in recent years for additional accommodation, prefab replacement and roof works.
My Department's current priority is focused on providing essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic demand and where an additional teacher is being appointed, to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place. In this regard, a new primary school was opened in Ballinteer in September 2012 to meet demographic need. When fully developed, this school will have capacity for 16 mainstream classrooms. The accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy can only be considered in the context of the competing priorities outlined above.
689. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of primary and post-primary schools in an area (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6639/16]
View answerIn identifying the requirement for additional school places, my Department uses a 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 information from my Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and at post-primary level. For school planning purposes, the area to which the Deputy refers falls within the Firhouse/Oldbawn school planning area.
In relation to provision at primary level, as the Deputy may be aware, two new primary schools opened in this school planning area in September 2013, namely Gaelscoil na Giúise and Firhouse Educate Together National School. These schools were opened to serve the needs of the pupils in the school planning area, which includes the area to which the Deputy refers. When fully developed, these two schools will provide 32 classes between them, supplementing provision from the existing schools in the area.
At post-primary level, the outcome of the latest demographic exercises was that, in November 2015, I announced that 13 new schools (4 primary and 9 post-primary) will open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for increased demographic needs. One of these new post-primary schools will open in 2018 to serve the Firhouse/Oldbawn school planning area.
690. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of her discussions with South Dublin County Council concerning a land ownership issue pertaining to a sports club (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6640/16]
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.
691. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will commence the school summer works scheme. [6649/16]
View answer719. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will announce the summer works scheme for 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7008/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 691 and 719 together.
The Deputy may be aware that applications for the 2016 and 2017 Summer Works Scheme (SWS) closed on 2nd December last.
Commensurate with the level of funding available for the Scheme, applications are being 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 in due course.
