Written Answers Nos. 76-84
76. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the role of charity organisations (details supplied) in the distribution of services to survivors of residential abuse will be included in the forthcoming review of the workings of Caranua. [21737/16]
View answerIn line with the commitment given during the passage of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 through the Houses of the Oireachtas, it is intended that the review will look at the issue of eligibility for services and will have regard to the level of uptake of the funding available to Caranua.
77. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposals he is considering with respect to a change in the existing third level fee arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21760/16]
View answer88. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the report by the group chaired by Mr. Peter Cassells on the funding of third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21909/16]
View answer89. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is opposed to increasing fees for students and student loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21910/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 77, 88 and 89 together.I welcome the Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published last Monday. The report is comprehensive and clearly outlines the funding challenges in the sector and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I am referring the report to the Education Committee as part of the process for formulating a plan for the future of the sector. This will ensure that all views can be heard and considered.
It will be necessary to develop the wide consensus needed for increased resources and a more fundamental reform to the funding model – the more the goals of students, families, employers and the State are transparently being delivered, the more they will each see that their investment is worthwhile and the more compelling the case for investment. Funding must match national ambitions and the system should provide more comprehensive supports to a wider range of students.
We will require political and societal consensus to enable us to move forward with a realistic and achievable strategy for funding the system into the future. I do not want to in any way influence the Education Committee's work which must analyse all of the options put forward by the Expert Group and allow the voice of all stakeholders and all sides of the debate to be heard.
In addition, my Department will be working with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) over the summer on a revised System Performance Framework of strategic dialogue with higher education institutions which will establish clear goals for the system for the next 5 years across priority areas such as access, research and developing our pipeline of human capital. My Department, in co-operation with the HEA, will also undertake a review of current state funding mechanisms to ensure the right tools and incentives are in place to achieve these goals.
78. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 228 of 5 July 2016, the reason a school (details supplied) was not in a position to go to tender despite a gestation period of almost 17 years together with commitments advanced by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21772/16]
View answerThe building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. All statutory approvals have been obtained and the Stage 2b submission was recently approved by the Department.
However, on 1st January 2016 there were 66 major projects under construction. Since the start of this year 14 more major projects have been progressed to construction and there are currently 36 projects authorised to progress through the tender process with a view to starting on site in the coming months. That represents a total of 116 major projects either under construction or progressing to commence construction in 2016. These projects were authorised to proceed under previous Minister O'Sullivan, and this means that the existing contractual commitments for 2016 now fully account for the funding which was allocated for 2016 by the previous Minister.
While the project for the school in question was included on the 5 year Construction Programme 2012-2016 it was not at a sufficiently advanced stage to be considered for inclusion with those projects when they were authorised to proceed to tender earlier this year.
The capital allocation to the primary and post-primary schools sector for 2016 is a total of €527million. The construction costs of all major projects already on site and progressing through the tender process in 2016, the provision of classroom accommodation to schools under the Departments Additional Accommodation Scheme, the continued replacement of prefabs, an Emergency Works scheme, the purchase of sites and a Summer Works programme for 2016 more than account for the totality of this funding available.
Officials of the Department will continue to closely monitor expenditure on existing contractual commitments over the coming months and, as funding allows, other projects, including the project for this school will be considered for progression through the tender process with a view to starting on site as soon as possible.
79. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 213 of 21 June 2016, if he will address a number of issues raised (details supplied). [21773/16]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that under the Education Act 1998, legally, all schools are managed by school Boards of Management, on behalf of the school patrons or trustees, and it is the Board of Management that employ the teachers at the school. Accordingly, whereas I provide funding and policy direction for schools, neither I nor the Department have legal powers to instruct schools to follow a particular course of direction with regards to individual complaint cases, or to investigate individual complaints except where the complaint involves a refused enrolment, expulsion or suspension, in accordance with Section 29 of the 1998 Education Act.
In dealing with parental complaints, my Department's role is to clarify for parents how their grievances and complaints against schools can be progressed. If a parent wishes to make a complaint against a teacher or school they should contact the relevant school authorities. The complaint procedures adopted by most schools are those that have been agreed between the teacher unions and school management bodies. Where a parent feels that the school's board of management has failed to investigate or adequately investigate their complaint, they should contact the Ombudsman for Children.
The Office of the Ombudsman for Children may independently investigate complaints about schools recognised with the Department of Education and Skills, provided the parent has firstly and fully followed the school's complaints procedures. The key criterion for any intervention by the Ombudsman for Children is that the action of the school has had a negative affect on a child. The office can be contacted at Ombudsman for Children's Office, Millennium House, 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin1, (Ph) 1800 20 20 40 or (01) 8656800, E-mail oco@oco.ie"
80. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he agrees with the South Kildare Educate Together campaign in south County Kildare that a new secondary school is needed in that district; and if he will meet the committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21782/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the Government's objective of strengthening parental choice and further expanding diversity in our school system. The desire of parents for diversity in education is primarily being pursued by increasing the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools with a view to reaching 400 by 2030. The Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to facilitate this process and I am progressing these matters as a priority.
In relation to the demographic analyses, my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.
The 2015 demographic analysis indicated that, while the school planning areas in South Kildare are experiencing some demographic growth, the level of growth and the rate of year-on-year increase are not to such an extent that would currently warrant the provision of an additional new post-primary school at this point. However, these areas are continuing to be kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated child benefit data and updated enrolment data and the impact of existing and planned capacity increases in this area.
81. Deputy Josepha Madigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 will be debated in Dáil Éireann; when he will introduce regulations on school admissions; the percentage of school places he intends to reserve for children of past pupils; the way in which the Bill will effect parents who have placed their children on waiting lists several years ago; the phasing in period he is considering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21790/16]
View answerThe Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 was approved by Government last Tuesday, 5th July 2016, and was subsequently published and circulated to Deputies.
Publication of the Bill reflects the commitment in the Programme for Government to publish new School Admissions legislation taking account of current draft proposals and addressing issues including publication of school enrolment policies, an end to waiting lists, introduction of annual enrolment structures, and transparency and fairness in admissions for pupils and their parents. The Programme for Government targets enactment of this legislation before September 2017.
The Admissions Bill will provide that where a school has places available it must admit all applicants. The Bill will also require all schools to publish their admissions policies, which will include details of the school's arrangements for students who do not wish to attend religious instruction.
At present the Admissions Bill is silent in relation to any power to determine a limitation on priority for children of past pupils where a school is oversubscribed either by setting a percentage or otherwise. I consider that in bringing the Bill through the Oireachtas, there will be opportunities for members to raise and fully debate this matter, which I plan to deal with in primary legislation by way of an amendment to the Bill.
The Bill provides the enabling power for the Minister to prescribe regulations, following consultation with the relevant education stakeholders, for the purpose of the preparation and publication by schools of admission policies and the admission of students to schools.
The Bill provides that the Minister may make regulations in relation to the selection criteria which schools shall be permitted to apply and/or selection criteria that schools shall be prohibited from applying (such as the date on which an application for admission was received by the school) in cases where the number of students seeking admission to the school is greater than the number of places available at the school.
Any determination in relation to an acceptable phasing out period for waiting lists will be made following stakeholder engagement. The draft regulations, which were published in September 2013, suggested five years as an appropriate phasing out period.
Following enactment of the Admissions Bill, the draft regulations will be updated and circulated for consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
82. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a person (details supplied) under the emergency works scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21804/16]
View answerMy Department received the Emergency Works Scheme funding application from the school to which the Deputy refers on the 8th of July last. The application is currently being considered and a decision will issue to the school as soon as possible.
83. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the pupil-teacher ratio for mainland schools for different types of school (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21874/16]
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 schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The staffing arrangements for schools for the 2016/17 school year are set out in Department Circular 0007/2016 which is available on the website.
My Department publishes annual statistics on class size data for each school. The most recent statistics are for the 2015/16 school year. These statistics are available on the Department website. The national average class size is 24.9 pupils. However, with over 21,700 classes in over 3,100 primary schools throughout the country there will always be variations in class sizes at individual school level. My Department's guidance to local school management is that such variations should be kept to the minimum.
84. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills why students attending a college (details supplied) are not entitled to higher education grants from Student Universal Support Ireland; when this college last applied for recognition under this scheme; the result of the application and the reason for it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21875/16]
View answerUnder my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme.
The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2016.
There is no record of an application having been received by my Department from the Irish Musical Theatre Company for recognition under the Student Grant Scheme.
Tax relief on tuition fees may be available for students attending courses in institutions which are not approved for the purposes of grant support, such as private colleges. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
