Written Answers Nos. 241-250
241. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will issue a written decision to a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow regarding the building of an extra classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8857/16]
View answer242. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will issue a written decision to a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow regarding the upgrade of all the electrical systems across the school as part of the summer works scheme. [8858/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 242 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application to my Department for additional accommodation. The application is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been finalised.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced details of the successful applicants under the Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) on 28th April last, details of which are published on my Department's website, www.education.ie. €30 million of the €80 million announced for the multi-annual Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) is now being allocated for vital gas works and electrical upgrades in schools. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that funding has been allocated to the school, to which he refers, to undertake electrical improvements. The school can access a written decision on my Department's on-line Esinet Portal.
243. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills when she will accredit a course (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8876/16]
View answerQuality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the statutory body with responsibility for developing, promoting and maintaining the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).
QQI is currently unable to progress applications for the recognition of professional awards within the NFQ due to an issue arising concerning the extent of QQI's powers under the Quality Assurance and Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 2012.
Officials in my Department, in consultation with QQI, are currently considering the most appropriate means of addressing this issue.
244. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 999 of 3 November 2015, the reasons for the decisions each year; and the reason her Department or Bus Éireann did not have a European Union tender process for the private operator school transport bus services under the European Union public procurement law from 1 July 1993, when the law was changed here until the school year 2011-2012, given that she indicated that Bus Éireann is obliged to tender in line with the European directive. [8888/16]
View answer245. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 999 of 3 November 2015, if it is appropriate to withhold information from Dáil Éireann that her Department was not compliant with European Union public procurement laws in making direct awards to private bus contractors for school bus services from 1 July 1993 to May 2011. [8889/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together.
The Deputy will be aware that Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, is responsible for the procurement of contractors to provide transport services under the School Transport Scheme.
Bus Éireann has advised that the current utilities directive which applies to the Company in relation to this matter is Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and repealing Directive 2004/17/EC.
Bus Éireann has also advised that it has always had a competitive process in place for the award of school transport contracts, albeit not as developed as the process in place since 2011. Prior to 2011, Bus Éireann local school transport offices placed advertisements in local and national newspapers each year. When private bus operators made application they were considered for inclusion on a panel of suitable operators. As work became available service providers on these panels were invited to submit a quotation for those services. In these cases a request for a quotation was sought from a minimum of three suitable operators where possible.
246. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question Number 790 of 14 April 2016, the length of time each of the sites listed has been vacant. [8893/16]
View answerThe detail requested by the Deputy in relation to vacant State properties and land in my ownership is as follows.
Properties in the Ownership of the Minister for Education & Skills in respect of which there are no immediate plans for development
|
Location |
County |
Size (Acres) |
Local Authority |
Date of PURCHASE |
|
Aghina |
Cork |
1.57 |
Cork County Council |
2009 |
|
Ballincollig |
Cork |
0.15 |
Cork County Council |
2002 |
|
Garryvicleheen, Thurles |
Tipperary |
4 |
Tipperary County Council |
1995 |
|
Rathcoole |
Dublin |
4 |
South Dublin County Council |
1978 |
|
Rathcroghan |
Roscommon |
1.5 |
Roscommon County Council |
2007 |
|
St. John’s Well, Fairhill |
Cork |
1.07 |
Cork City Council |
1996 |
|
Carna |
Galway |
8.17 |
Galway County Council |
1975+2007 |
|
Ashbourne |
Meath |
22.41 |
Meath County Council |
2013 |
|
Colley St. |
Wicklow |
1.48 |
Wicklow County Council |
2002 |
247. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she or a Departmental official will meet with the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board to discuss proposals for the establishment of An Aonad, an Irish language unit at Ballinode Community College in County Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8902/16]
View answerMy Department has considered a proposal made by Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (ETB) to provide Irish-medium education at second level through establishing an Aonad in an existing school in County Sligo. My Department has advised that the proposal needs to be re-examined by the ETB to address a number of issues that could assist in facilitating delivery of Irish-medium education more successfully and sustainably in the ETB's area of responsibility.
Officials from my Department have recently been in telephone contact with representatives of the school start-up group in County Sligo and have advised them that the appropriate course in this instance is to re-engage with the ETB concerning the re-examination of its proposal on the basis of the advice and clarification already provided by the Department. I understand that a meeting is being arranged with the ETB. My Department will be happy to examine a proposal when submitted.
248. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) under the summer works scheme, including when she will make a decision on it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8903/16]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that I announced details of the successful applicants under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) (2016-2017) on 28th April last, details of which are published on my Department's website, www.education.ie. €30 million of the €80 million announced for the multi-annual Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) is now being allocated for vital gas works and electrical upgrades in schools. 197 primary and post primary schools were included in the first round of successful applicants.
Under SWS 2016 and 2017, valid applications from schools that were not reached for funding reasons from within the funding made available in 2016 will qualify to be assessed for purposes of the funding available in 2017, subject to the overall availability of funding. If this arises, the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015 which may be accessed on my Department's website, will continue to apply when allocating funding to such projects. An application from the school referred to by the Deputy is available to be considered in this context.
249. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) for a permanent structure to accommodate a fourth mainstream class teacher; when she will make a decision on it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8907/16]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently conveyed a decision in principle to the school in question for the approval of additional classroom accommodation.
250. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on correspondence concerning inequitable pay scales for teachers (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8928/16]
View answerAs a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. The previous Government decided to reduce the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale, which in the case of teachers had the effect of reducing their starting pay by a further 4-5%. Later in 2011, the Government placed a cap on the overall level of qualification allowances that could be earned by teachers.
Subsequently in 2012, following the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale. Overall, the removal of qualification allowances had the effect of further reducing the pay of new entrant teachers by between 5 and 7 percent.
The measures above – which applied to new entrants only and which were in addition to the pay reductions imposed on public servants generally - were implemented at a time of extraordinarily difficult financial and budgetary circumstances for the State. It is estimated that some 6,700 teachers who entered the profession since 2011 have been affected by the measures.
The Haddington Road Agreement re-aligned the pay scale for teachers who entered teaching between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012 with that of pre-2011 entrants. An improved pay scale for post-1 February 2012 entrants was also agreed and implemented under the terms of that Agreement. The Lansdowne Road Agreement will begin the process of restoring the reductions to public service pay which were implemented over recent years. The flat-rate increases contained in the Agreement are proportionately more favourable to new entrants to teaching (who are lower on the pay scale) than to longer serving teachers.
