Written Answers Nos. 175-191
175. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of substitute teachers for primary schools and the difficulties this is causing for school principals and managers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16877/17]
View answerIn overall terms my Department does not have evidence of a recent or current general shortage of primary teachers, including for substitute positions. However, I am aware that some schools are experiencing difficulty in recruiting substitute teachers, and I am committed to examining all possible means of addressing this issue.
The aim of my Department's policy is to achieve a balance between the supply of, and demand for, teachers. The Deputy will be aware of the report of the Technical Working Group (TWG) which was set up by the Teaching Council to formulate advice on teacher supply and which I intend to publish this week.
The TWG's report sets out an approach to planning which scopes out the work necessary to develop a model for teacher supply in the medium to long term. In the meantime, I am committed to advancing short term measures to address potential shortages of substitute teachers, including the employment by schools of retired teachers and those on career break and an increase in the number of days per school year that a post primary teacher on career break may work as a substitute.
176. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16889/17]
View answerThere are no schemes or provisions currently in operation along the lines set out in the details supplied with the Deputy's question.
Supporting school leadership is a major priority of mine, and I am conscious of the importance of developing and motivating school leadership at all levels. Budget 2017 allowed me to make a start at re-investing in school leadership in terms of Deputy Principal and middle management posts. Questions of school leadership improvement and development are the subject of ongoing consideration and review by my Department.
Suggestions and proposals to support school leadership improvement and development may be considered in that context. In considering suggestions which have cost implications, such as for example those set out in the details supplied with the Deputy's question, it is essential to have regard to the most effective use of financial resources, and value for money for taxpayers.
177. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to assist the 12,000 Irish students studying in Britain in the aftermath of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16897/17]
View answerUnder existing rules, all EU higher education students are treated the same as a national from the country in which they seek to study. Depending upon the negotiated terms of Brexit there may be future implications for Irish students studying in the UK. My Department is keeping this matter under constant review and it is my stated intention to seek to have the best outcome for our students.
A principal concern of mine is to protect to the greatest extent possible student mobility between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the UK and within the EU and to support our strategy to increase non-EU student flows. I am particularly concerned to facilitate the continued feasibility of the UK as an option for our further and higher education students.
With such issues in mind a key part of my approach has been to engage on Brexit-related matters at political and institutional level. I have met my counterparts Peter Weir and Simon Hamilton of the NI Executive, and most recently met with the UK’s Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening. I also met the Minister of State for Exiting the EU, David Jones, the UK’s Opposition Spokesperson on Brexit, Kier Starmer, as well as members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Irish in Britain. I have also had meetings with Ministers from other EU Member States and with representatives of the EU Commission at which our priorities and concerns were raised.
In relation to Irish students currently studying in Higher Education Institutions in the UK and those planning to do so in the coming years, the UK Government have outlined that the EU referendum outcome and the triggering of Article 50 will not lead to any immediate change to the immigration status of current EU students, including those that are on courses in this academic year (2016–17).
It has also been outlined in separate statements from across all UK nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) that current university students from the EU and those applying to courses starting in 2017–18 will not see any changes to their loan eligibility or tuition fee status. This position will apply for the full duration of the course, even if the course finishes after the UK has left the EU. For students looking to study in Scotland, this position has been extended to those enrolling for 2018–19.
Separate statements from across all UK nations confirm that current EU students, including 2016–17 entrants, will remain eligible to receive loans and grants to fund their studies for the duration of their courses.
EU students attending universities in England and Wales who are eligible under current rules to receive loans and grants from the Student Loans Company will continue to do so for the duration of courses they are currently enrolled on. This has been confirmed by the Student Loans Company for England, and by Universities Wales for Wales.
Under EU law, students from EU member states applying for undergraduate degrees at Scottish universities are currently eligible for free tuition. For EU students attending a university in Scotland, the Scottish government and Universities Scotland have confirmed that there has been no change in current funding arrangements. This means that eligible EU students already studying in Scotland, including those that commenced their studies the current academic year (2016–17) will continue to benefit from free tuition and, for those who meet the residency requirement, associated living cost support.
In Northern Ireland, the Department for the Economy has issued a statement confirming that EU nationals who are currently receiving student loans from Student Finance Northern Ireland, including those that started courses last autumn (in the 2016–17 academic year) will continue to receive these loans and grants until they finish their course.
EU students applying for a course starting in 2017-18:
- In England: The Government has outlined that EU students applying to start a course in England in 2017-18 will continue to be eligible for tuition fee loans and for 'home' fee status for the duration of their study.
- In Wales: The Education Secretary has announced that EU nationals who intend to begin studying in the academic year 2017-18 will also continue to receive financial support.
- It has also been confirmed in a statement from the Scottish Government that students starting courses in 2017 at universities in Scotland will continue to receive free tuition and other support for the full duration of their course.
- Similar announcements have been made in respect of EU students applying to universities in Northern Ireland. Student Finance Northern Ireland has said that EU nationals currently in higher education and those who intend to begin studying from 2017 who are assessed as eligible to receive loans and/or grants, will continue to receive these until they finish their course.
EU students applying for a PhD starting in 2017-18:
It has been confirmed by the UK Government that EU nationals starting courses in the next academic year (2017-18) will continue to be eligible for Research Council PhD studentships to help fund their studies for the full duration of their course. This will be the case even if the course finishes after the UK has left the European Union.
The foregoing is the most up-to-date information available to my Department in relation to the implications of Brexit on EU Students (including Irish students) currently studying or wishing to study in Higher Education Institutions in the UK in the coming years.
However, to ensure the utmost clarity for each individual student, I would advise all prospective Irish and other EU students to contact the higher education institution they are planning to apply to, or which they are already attending, in order to absolutely confirm its policy with regard to fees and tuition support for 2017-2018 and into the future.
My Department, as with all Government Departments, is continuing to engage with these matters and to plan for scenarios that might arise out of the EU-UK Brexit discussions. We will continue to contribute to the EU preparations for negotiations and to assist with those negotiations to the greatest extent possible.
178. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will expand on plans to provide apprenticeships and skills training in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16898/17]
View answerFollowing the Review of Apprenticeship Training in Ireland, the Apprenticeship Council was established in November 2014 to oversee the expansion of the apprenticeship system into a range of new sectors of the economy. The Council immediately began work on a call for proposals for the development of new enterprise-led apprenticeships. The call issued in January 2015 and over 80 proposals were received from industry stakeholders working with education and training providers.
The Apprenticeship Council has been working with the proposers of these new programmes to develop them in sustainable apprenticeships that can be delivered on a nationwide basis. The first of these new apprenticeships commenced recently with the launch of the Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship in September 2016 and the new Industrial Electrical Engineer Apprenticeship in November 2016.
Three further apprenticeships in the manufacturing area have also recently completed validation and approval. Employers in those areas, including those in the Kildare region, will be able to recruit apprentices to these programmes shortly. Ten further new apprenticeships are due to launch later this year in various sectors including financial services, hospitality and ICT and a pipeline of new apprenticeships is in place for subsequent years. This pipeline will be refreshed through the launch of a new call for proposals later this month.
I have also launched an Action Plan to expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020, which sets out how state agencies, education and training providers and employers will work together to deliver on the Programme for Government commitments on the expansion of apprenticeship and traineeship in the period. The Plan sets out how we will manage the pipeline of new apprenticeships already established through the first call for proposals and also commits to a new call for apprenticeship proposals later this year. Over the lifetime of the Plan, 50,000 people will be registered on apprenticeship and traineeship programmes which represents a doubling of current activity.
Registrations in the 27 craft apprenticeship trades are rising strongly as the employment and economic situation improves and I welcome that employers throughout the country are engaging strongly with the apprenticeship system. In 2015 there were 3,153 registrations in existing apprenticeships which represented a 17% increase on the previous year. In 2016 there were 3,742 new registrations in craft apprenticeships, 182 of which were taken on in the Kildare region. This year the strong growth in new registrations continues with 893 apprentices registered at the end of February, 48 of which are in Kildare. Current forecasts are that annual registrations will increase to 4,147 in 2017 and 4,697 in 2018.
A campaign to promote apprenticeship is currently being developed by SOLAS in consultation with key partners, including the Apprenticeship Council. The campaign will raise awareness and promote the values of apprenticeship for individual apprentices and for employers and it will cover both existing apprenticeships and the new apprenticeships now coming on stream.
On a broader note a number of strategies have been developed by the education and training system at all levels to meet existing and future skills demands in the workplace. Last year my Department published the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 both of which contain over 100 actions designed to see the system become the best in Europe over the next decade. Some of these actions are specifically aimed at ensuring that the labour force has access to education and training provision that equips them with the skills that enterprise needs, now and in the future.
In 2016, as part of the National Skills Strategy 2025, nine Regional Skills Fora, including one in the Mid-East covering County Kildare, were established. The Mid-East Regional Skills Forum has identified a number of sectors including the agrifood film/audio visual, construction, hospitality, manufacturing and the equine sectors where there are skills needs. In order to address these skills needs the Forum has, and will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders.
179. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the summer works scheme application from a school (details supplied); when decisions on applications for the summer works scheme will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16932/17]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the current Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is being applied on a multi-annual basis for the years 2016 and 2017. An application for window replacement was received from the school in question and under the classification for the SWS, window replacement comes under Category 7.
Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced last April and are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie. Assessment of valid projects in further categories is now being undertaken by my Department, subject to the overall availability of funding, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015), which may be accessed on my Department's website. The application from the school referred to is available to be considered in this context. I expect to be in a position to announce a further round of the SWS in due course.
180. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of private investigation firms hired by statutory agencies and-or semi-State agencies under the aegis of his Department in the past five years to date in 2017; the names of the firms; the amount they were paid; if they supplied his Department with a report on completion of their work; if he will provide copies of reports submitted to him from these firms as a result of his engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16982/17]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is not routinely collated by my Department.
My officials are making inquiries with the State bodies under the remit of my Department and will supply the information sought by the Deputy as soon as possible.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
I am now in a position to confirm that during the period in question no private investigations firms were employed by my Department or by bodies under my aegis.
181. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the said Brexit unit; the cost to date; the anticipated cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17000/17]
View answer182. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of staff deployed full time in his Department in respect of Brexit; if there is a designated section or unit to deal with Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17016/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together.
Under the direction of my Department’s Management Board, the EU/International Unit under the leadership of a Deputy Secretary General is working with Departmental Divisions and Agencies on analysing and prioritising issues in preparation for the negotiation phase. Between December and January the Unit oversaw extensive engagement that I and Minister of State John Halligan TD had with the education sector in the form of four Brexit consultation fora for the higher, further education and training; and primary and post-primary education sectors.
The EU/International Unit has also supported my engagement at political and institutional level on our Brexit agenda. I have met counterparts Peter Weir and Simon Hamilton of the NI Executive, and most recently met with the UK’s Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening. Meetings were also held with the Minister of State for Exiting the EU, David Jones, the UK’s Opposition Spokesperson on Brexit, Kier Starmer, as well as members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Irish in Britain. Meetings have also taken place with Ministers from other EU Member States and with representatives of the EU Commission including Commissioner Navracsics.
While no dedicated Unit has been created, the EU/International Unit of my Department has been given overall responsibility for co-ordinating our response to Brexit. This Unit has been prioritising Brexit work to date and will keep staffing requirements under constant review.
In discharging its Brexit-related functions, the EU/International Unit participates in the Inter-Departmental Senior Officials Group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, which coordinates the whole-of-Government response to the outcome of the UK referendum, and supports the Cabinet Committee on Brexit. This is further underpinned by the Unit's active engagement with other Departments in Brexit Workgroups on the Economy and Trade; the Common Travel Area; and European Union Programmes - three of the six sectorial workgroups established to provide key sectorial or thematic advices to the Cabinet Committee and Government. The Unit also chairs the Education and Research Subgroup under the Economy and Trade strand of co-ordination. The Subgroup includes relevant areas within the Department and relevant Agencies of the Department and other Departments/Agencies.
As specific issues on the negotiations agenda emerge, the Department will ensure timely, focused inputs from the relevant policy areas and external stakeholders, through appropriate consultative mechanisms.
Significant additional resource requirements are not envisaged for the negotiation phase, but for those that will arise, it is anticipated that costs arising can be provided for from within existing Departmental budgets.
183. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he will take to ensure that a Labour Court recommendation (details supplied) hearing on 29 May 2013 relating to the pay of four workers is fully implemented; if he will provide an update on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17055/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, in the context of measures necessary to restore order to the public finances, Government pay policy has been consistent in its approach to the processing of cost-increasing pay claims. Accordingly, non-binding Labour Court recommendations which will result in a pay increase, such as those referred to by the Deputy, are precluded from implementation. This was provided for in the Haddington Road Agreement and continues to be provided for in the Public Service Stability Agreement (Lansdowne Road) 2013-2018.
Following lengthy discussions facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in August 2013 and February 2014, terms of reference were agreed for an internal job evaluation exercise to establish the correct rate of pay for the employees of all grades within the Tyndall National Institute. The terms of reference covered all staff in the Institute comprehended by the unions' parity claim, including those staff who were the subject of a previous Labour Court recommendation (LCR 20577). The terms of reference provided for an Oversight Committee comprised of management and union representatives to monitor progress and prevent delays. An appeals process was also agreed between the parties which could be invoked following the conclusion of the evaluation exercise.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) were appointed to conduct the exercise following a tender process. The selection was made by a joint panel made up of representatives of the employer and both unions.
It was also agreed that, following completion of the internal job evaluation exercise, the parties would engage in discussions to seek agreement on the implementation of PwC's recommendations and the outcome of the appeals process. In the event that agreement could not be reached the matter would be referred to the Labour Court and the parties would be bound by the outcome.
The PwC job evaluation report was presented to the parties in December 2014 and as part of the appeals process, an independent appeal officer heard and reported on appeals by Tyndall staff. The parties met under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission in relation to the effective implementation date of the recommendations of the Job Evaluation Exercise. Agreement could not be reached on the implementation date and that matter was referred to the Labour Court for a binding decision. I understand that the Labour Court has very recently recommended that the outcome of the Job Evaluation Exercise be implemented in full with effect from 12 September 2016.
184. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of spin-out companies co-located in higher education institutes, broken down by institute in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17068/17]
View answer185. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of spin-out companies co-located in higher education institutes, broken down by institute in tabular form; the details of the percentage shareholding in each company held by the higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17069/17]
View answer186. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the higher education institutions have a role to play in the governance of intellectual property policy; if they have carried out a review into intellectual property policy in recent years; if they have plans to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17070/17]
View answer187. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the revenue accrued by higher education institutions in respect of the sale of spin-out companies from 2008 to date in 2017, by institute, by amount and by year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17071/17]
View answer188. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is satisfied that all staff and management of higher education institutes, who are directors or have been directors since 2008, and those who had or have a shareholding in spin-out companies co-located in the institutions where they have worked have complied fully with their statutory and ethical obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17072/17]
View answer189. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of vice presidents of institutes of technology or heads of research in institutes of technology who were directors or shareholders in spin-out companies co-located in the institute in which they are employed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17073/17]
View answer190. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of current presidents of institutes of technology who are or were directors or shareholders in spin-out companies by institute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17074/17]
View answer191. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the office that is the policyholder of intellectual property policy in higher education institutes; if it varies from institution to institution; the name of the office in each institute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17075/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 184 to 191, inclusive, together.
The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled and I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
