Written Answers Nos. 290 - 312
291. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proportion of employees in his Department or in organisations under its remit that are registered disabled. [1862/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
|
Department / Body |
Percentage of employees with a disability under the definition in the Disability Act 2005 |
|
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform |
4.9% |
|
Office of Government Procurement |
5.1% |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
3.17% |
|
Institute of Public Administration |
0% |
|
State Laboratory |
5.43% (2016) |
|
Public Appointments Service |
3.21% (2017) |
|
Office of Public Works |
2.41% |
|
National Lottery Regulator |
0% |
|
Special EU Programme Body |
0% |
|
National Shared Service Office |
4.2% (2016) |
292. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when a response will issue to an interim reply (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1973/18]
View answerThe Minister for Defence is responsible for the coordination and oversight of emergency planning and chairs the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning.
The "Framework for Major Emergency Management" was adopted by Government in 2006 and sets out common arrangements and structures for front-line public sector emergency management in Ireland.
In line with this Framework, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is the Lead Government Department for co-ordinating the response to national severe weather events, including flooding.
Local Authorities are designated the Principal Response Agency for all local flooding events and have plans and protocols in place to quickly respond to potential severe weather events. Local Authorities work with other agencies as part of their assessment and response to severe weather events. When required local authorities liaise with the other Principal Response Agencies (HSE, An Garda Síochána) and these Principal Response Agencies, can also be assisted by the Defence Forces, Civil Defence, Red Cross, Coastguard and Mountain Rescue.
I have asked the Minister of Defence, to further consider the correspondence and provide a more substantial response to the proposals raised.
293. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Garda stations in County Cork that have been sold since 2013. [1990/18]
View answerI am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that the following former Garda Stations in County Cork have been sold since 2013:
- Inchigeela Garda Station,
- Mallow Road Garda Station,
- Meelin Garda Station.
294. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department uses anti-profanity software on its email systems and online contact forms; if so, the level of human oversight that is applied to the monitoring of this software and its effectiveness; his views on whether persons' legitimate right to petition Government may be blocked unintentionally by errors in the use of such software in determining that which qualifies as profanity being communicated in email and/or online contact forms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2091/18]
View answerMy Department has in place an industry leading email security appliance which filters emails based on industry standard security terminology which includes Profanities. All incoming emails are automatically scanned by the email security appliance for terminology, including profanities, and if positive the email is quarantined and the recipient is notified that their email has been quarantined. If the recipient believes the email to be business related or quarantined in error they will contact the Service Desk stating this and the email will be released to the recipient. The email filtering is reviewed and updated based on updated dictionaries and email statistics to keep the solution current. The Departments online contact forms are routed through its email appliance and is supported by the same functionality in relation to profanity. As emails are not blocked, but rather quarantined, a persons' legitimate right to petition government will not be blocked unintentionally by the email security appliance in determining that which qualifies as profanity.
295. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Government initiatives in his Department in 2017 that promoted State services or welfare payments, public awareness of regulatory changes and public consultations that involved advertising and promotion on television, radio, newspapers and online, in tabular form; and the level of expenditure for each such initiative. [2266/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
|
Initiative |
Purpose of the Initiative |
Method of Promotion |
Expenditure in 2017 |
|
Open Data Initiative |
Public Consultation (on draft Open Data Strategy 2017-2022) which aims to increase availability of public data and promote its usage |
Online via D/PER website and the national Open Data portal and via twitter |
Nil |
|
Open Data Engagement Fund |
Public Awareness and promotion of usage of public data for inter alia the creation of new products and services |
Online via D/PER website and the national Open Data portal and via twitter |
Nil |
|
Review of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 |
Public Consultation |
Newspapers |
€3,641.26 |
|
Appointment of Disclosures Recipient under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 |
State Services |
Newspapers |
€2,437.95 |
|
Our Public Service 2020 |
Public consultation |
Adverts in national press - Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Seachtain |
€3,762.04 |
|
EU Funding Website www.eufunds.gov.ie |
Public awareness on regulatory changes |
Online |
€15,141.30 |
|
Public Services Card and MyGovID Publicity Campaign |
Promote awareness of the Public Services Card, MyGovID, how they are to be used in the future, and how to find out more information. |
Radio, Digital Media, Print and Outdoor |
€205,440 |
|
Google Ads |
Promoting awareness for the site whereyourmoneygoes.gov.ie |
Digital Media |
€307.93 |
|
Twitter Ads |
Promoting awareness for the site whereyourmoneygoes.gov.ie |
Digital Media |
€144.81 |
The Office of Public Works will provide the relevant information directly to the Deputy.
296. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to making occupational first aid training compulsory for all physically able teachers and Special Need Assistants (details supplied); if it will be fully funded by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54326/17]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.
The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the students in their school and care and safety should be at the centre of all policy and practices.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) advise that, by law, employers and those who control workplaces to any extent, must identify hazards in the workplaces under their control and assess the risk presented by the hazards.
Employers must write down the risks and what to do about them. This is known as Risk Assessment. The aim of Risk Assessment is to reduce the risk of injury and illness associated with work. The Risk Assessment(s) will form part of the employer's Safety Statement.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 set out the First-Aid requirements for workplaces as follows: "Employers have a duty to provide first-aid equipment at all places at work where working conditions require it. Depending on the size or specific hazard (or both) of the place of work, trained occupational first-aiders must also be provided. Apart from some exceptions, first-aid rooms must be provided where appropriate. Information must also be provided to employees as regards the first-aid facilities and arrangements in place."
It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any student attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a medical condition suffered by one or more students, it may be possible for the management authorities, working in conjunction with parents, teachers and children to put preventative measures in place to lessen the possibility of any difficulties arising or to ensure that, if a student suffers from an illness requiring, for example, the administration of medication, that appropriate treatment is available.
Where a child requires adult assistance to assist in the administration of medicine and where the extent of assistance required would overly disrupt normal teaching time, SNA support may be allocated for this purpose.
It is a matter for the Board of Management to ensure that SNAs are in a position to effectively meet the care needs of students for whom SNA support has been allocated in the school when appointing an SNA.
Where specific training is required, the Board of Management should liaise with the Health Service Executive (HSE) in order to ensure that the HSE provides guidance and training that enables the SNA to meet the care needs of the pupil in an appropriate manner. It is a matter for individual school authorities to make such arrangements locally.
It is my Department's experience that once the matter has been discussed in detail with the Board of Management and staff of a school, and once all parties are clear as to the procedures to be followed, arrangements can normally be made to assist the administration of first aid or medicine.
The NCSE are currently undertaking a Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme. In response to a progress report from the NCSE on the comprehensive assessment, the NCSE were requested to establish a working group, comprising relevant stakeholders, to assist in proposing a better model for providing care supports so as to provide better outcomes for students with special educational needs who have additional care needs.
This Working Group, which is chaired by Mr. Eamon Stack, Chairperson of the NCSE Council, has commenced its work and the work will run in tandem with the completion of the overall Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme. It is intended that the reports of the Working Group and of the Review will be completed in Spring 2018.
In tandem with this, a cross Departmental Working Group has been established to develop proposals in relation to the need for nursing supports in certain special schools for children with complex medical needs.
In relation to insurance, the position is that the nature and terms of an individual school’s insurance arrangements are a matter between the individual school and its insurers.
297. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare can avail of assisted transport. [54478/17]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 115,000 children, including almost 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for school transport where they are attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) acts in an advisory role to my Department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs.
The School Transport Section of my Department has no record of an application for special education needs school transport for the pupil, referred to by the Deputy.
The family referred to by the Deputy should liaise with the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) should they wish to apply for school transport under the terms of the scheme.
298. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the provision of home tuition funding for early intervention can be provided in the case of a person (details supplied) to assist the person's parents in making the person's life easier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54961/17]
View answerMy Department's policy is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary network.
In terms of the education provision for children who have autism, my Department has always recognised the importance of early intervention. Children with autism can be enrolled in an early intervention class from the age of 3.
Children in early intervention classes benefit from a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1. Class teachers are fully qualified and have access, through the Special Education Support Service, to training in a range of autism-specific interventions. Each class will have a minimum of 2 Special Needs Assistants.
As each child with autism is unique they should have access to a range of different approaches to meet their individual needs. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes which can be supported by Special Needs Assistants and fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions, including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) as well as the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils.
The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents/guardians of the child and the Board of Management of a school.
However, parents/guardians who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement should contact their local National Council for Special Education Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) who can assist in identifying an appropriate educational placement for their child. Contact details are available on www.ncse.ie.
The SENO can also advise parents in relation to supports which may be available to support children with special educational needs, including special transport arrangements which may be made available.
The purpose of the Special Education Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement and provision is made for early educational intervention for children with autism.
Where there is no Early Intervention class placement available, my Department will consider applications under the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, where a student can receive up to 20 hours home tuition per week as an interim measure until a placement becomes available.
Where a parent/guardian does not enrol a child in a school placement as identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), a grant for Home Tuition will not be provided. Accordingly, Home Tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs also provides supports for childcare, including pre-school education.
The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.
Children with disabilities have access to pre-school services under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) programme of supports.
AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, depending on the needs of the child and the pre-school.
Details of the supports which are available under AIM can be found at www.preschoolaccess.ie which contains comprehensive information on the access and inclusion model and on how to apply for the new schemes and supports. For children attending a private pre-school through the ECCE programme, questions relating to the AIM supports should be addressed to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
299. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the national policy requirements for dealing with the reported sexual assault of a pupil by another pupil. [55179/17]
View answerThe Department of Justice and Equality is responsible for the national criminal justice framework and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is responsible for national policy in relation to the protection and welfare of children.
My Department’s role is to give guidance and direction to schools in relation to meeting their statutory and other obligations in respect of the protection of children, including in relation to the reporting of child abuse.
The statutory requirements of the Children First Act 2015 became fully operational on 11 December 2017 when the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs commenced the remaining provisions of the Children First Act 2015.
The Children First Act 2015 put in place a statutory obligation on certain professionals who work with children (referred to as mandated persons and including all registered teachers) to report child protection concerns at or above a defined threshold to Tusla. Under this Act, all concerns about sexual abuse must be reported by mandated persons to Tusla.
The Children First Act 2015 operates side-by-side with the Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017) which was published by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on 2 October and also became operational on 11 December 2017.
The full commencement of the Children First Act, 2015 and the publication of the new Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 necessitated changes to the existing Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.
My Department has recently published new Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary School 2017 which give direction and guidance to schools authorities and to school personnel in relation to meeting their new statutory obligations under the Children First Act, 2015 and in the continued implementation of the best practice (non-statutory) guidance set out in Children First National Guidance 2017 which requires all reasonable concerns about child abuse, including sexual abuse, to be reported to Tusla.
My Department’s procedures for schools also outline that under the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 it is a criminal offence to withhold information about a serious offence, including a sexual offence, against a person under 18 years or a vulnerable person. The offence arises where a person knows or believes that a specified offence has been committed against a child or vulnerable person and he or she has information which would help arrest, prosecute or convict another person for that offence, but fails, without reasonable excuse, to disclose that information as soon as it is practicable to do so to a member of An Garda Síochána.
The reporting obligations under the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 are in addition to the reporting obligations under Children First National Guidance 2017 and the Children First Act, 2015.
300. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average cost to the State of an apprenticeship; the amount of this cost that can be attributed to training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1113/18]
View answerIt is estimated that the cost of training an apprentice in one of the existing craft apprenticeships is approximately €6,700 per annum therefore, given that these apprenticeships are 4 years in duration, the average cost of a craft apprenticeship is approximately €26,800. The estimated cost of training an apprentice in one of the new consortia led apprenticeships is approximately €5,100 per annum. These new apprenticeships vary in duration from two to four years therefore, the average cost of each apprenticeship depends on its duration. The estimated cost of a new apprenticeship may be subject to further refinement as greater numbers of new apprenticeships come into operation.
All of these costs are attributed to training apprentices. In the craft apprenticeships, apprentices are paid a training allowance while attending their off-the-job phases and the employer pays their salary during their on-the-job phases. In the new consortia led apprenticeships the employer pays the apprentice’s salary for the duration of the apprenticeship.
301. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the lack of apprenticeships in areas such as health and social care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1114/18]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Apprenticeship Council is currently overseeing the expansion of the apprenticeship system in Ireland into a range of new sectors of the economy. Last year, a second call for apprenticeship proposals invited consortia of enterprise, professional bodies and education and training providers to submit proposals for apprenticeship programmes to be developed to meet identified skill needs in their sector. Arising from this call, last month I announced 26 new apprenticeship proposals to be further developed into national apprenticeship programmes, including a proposal for a Professional Healthcare Assistant Apprenticeship. This programme, which is two years in duration, will lead to a level 6 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications. It is estimated that the development process will take between 12 and 15 months.
302. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of places on the momentum programme; the full year cost of increasing the number of places on the programme by 20%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1242/18]
View answerThe Momentum programme was created in 2012 during the economic downturn to address the needs of long term unemployed and young unemployed individuals. It funded the provision of free education and training projects to support over 12,500 jobseekers (who had been unemployed for twelve months or more) to gain skills and access employment opportunities in growing sectors of the economy.
It was delivered through two programme iterations. The first (Momentum I) ran over the period 2012-2014, and the second (Momentum II) commenced in 2014 and concluded early last year. Momentum 1 cost in the order of €17m and Momentum II cost almost €19m. The cost of another round of Momentum with 20% greater numbers than Momentum II would be €22.8 million. It is likely that this total cost would be spread over more than a single year.
Given the overall improvement in the economic position, the welcome decline in the numbers who are unemployed and the consequent reduction in demand for training, there are no plans for a further round of the Momentum programme and participants are not currently being recruited.
Independent evaluations of both programmes have been carried out and published and are available on the SOLAS website at www.solas.ie.
303. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills when minor works grant funding will be received by a school (details supplied) in County Louth; the reason the funding for 2017 was delayed; and his plans for 2018 allocations to ensure schools are not put under undue financial strain. [54305/17]
View answerThe Minor Works Grant in respect of the school year 2017/2018 was paid to the school referred to by the Deputy on 12 December 2017.
The payment of the Minor Works Grant is not confined to any particular date and can in fact, if paid, be issued during any month of the school year.
As part of our longer term infrastructural planning, my Department will explore whether it will be possible to give greater certainty to primary schools in relation to the payment of the Minor Works Grant, taking account of the Government's 10 Year Public Capital Investment Plan, which is currently under development.
304. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Louth will be assisted in sourcing funding to replace tarmacadam in the schoolyard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54306/17]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers may apply for the works in question under any future Summer Works Scheme. In the meantime, the school authority can use its Minor Works Grant to address ongoing repairs and maintenance. If health and safety works are identified that require immediate attention, an Emergency Works Application for these works only can be submitted to my Department. Application forms are available on my Department’s website.
305. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills when special educational needs organisers, SENOs, will be allowed to instruct schools to set up special needs classes in cases in which a school refuses same; if this new authority will be exercised before the end of the 2017-18 academic year to ensure students have an appropriate place for September 2018; the way in which limits to SENOs' new authority will be legislated for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54325/17]
View answerThe Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 was published on 6 July 2016. The Bill passed Committee Stage on 28 June 2017 and will shortly proceed to Report Stage.
In relation to the issues raised by the Deputy, during the Committee Stage debate of the Admissions Bill, I outlined my intention to bring forward proposals at Report Stage to address this issue.
I can confirm that work is ongoing in this regard and my Department officials are currently engaging with the Office of the Attorney General on the development of legislative proposals on this matter which they hope to bring forward to Government for approval shortly.
306. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of departmental staff employed in Drogheda per departmental premises and within statutory bodies within his remit; and the grades of each. [54351/17]
View answer370. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is due to increase the number of staff based in Drogheda in addition to those currently employed; the grades that will be assigned to these positions; and the dates on which they will be recruited or allocated. [54955/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 370 together.
My Department has a regional office of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) based at Drogheda. At present, the staffing at the office consists of 1 Senior Educational Psychologists, 7 Educational Psychologists and I Clerical Officer. Currently there are no plans to make any additional appointments to the staffing cohort.
307. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the receipt of more than 1,000 signatures from parents regarding the proposed relocation of a school (details supplied) from both the school community in County Wicklow and the school community in Rathnew, County Wicklow, objecting to the proposed site at Merrymeeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54360/17]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the major building project to provide a permanent school building for the school in question is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b). All statutory approvals, which includes Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate have been secured. Following receipt and review by the Department of the Stage 2(b) submission, the Design Team was instructed to complete the pre-qualification process to select a shortlist of contractors to tender for this project. Once the pre-qualification process is complete, the Department will be in contact with the Design Team and school regarding the further progression of the project.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that the school Patron and Board of Management are fully supportive of the development of the new school building by my Department at Merrymeeting.
308. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) for two additional permanent classrooms in the interests of the health and safety of the school community. [54369/17]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy applied to my Department for funding to replace an existing prefab. The school was advised that it is my Department's intention to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established, over the lifetime of the Department's Capital Programme (2016-2021).
To enable this development, my Department will be carrying out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in schools to deliver the curriculum. This will also determine whether or not individual prefabs need to be replaced in the context of the long-term accommodation needs of each individual school. When completed, this assessment will quantify the number of prefabs to be replaced.
The school has also recently written to my Department seeking additional accommodation. The correspondence will be considered and a response will be furnished to the school authority subsequently.
309. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to asking schools to develop plans for traffic entering and egressing school grounds and surrounding areas to ease traffic congestion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54379/17]
View answerIn general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. In the case of traffic entering and leaving a school site, the school authority is expected to have a plan in place to manage this in accordance with its own particular circumstances. It is open to existing schools to apply for funding to address any on-site traffic management concerns where the school considers this a priority issue. The mechanism for applying for funding for works of this nature is my Department’s Summer Works Scheme
In the case of new school projects, my Department's Technical Guidance Document – TGD-020 - sets out the general principles of Universal Design in schools, which includes guidance on car parking, set-down/pick up areas. Traffic management requirements arising out of the project are identified and mitigation measures are submitted as part of the planning application.
310. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to a school (details supplied) being located outside its catchment area; his plans to make provision for a site within its catchment area or to request Dublin Bus to link Finglas with Broombridge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54380/17]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers opened in September 2017 to serve the Scribblestown/Finglas West school planning area.
The school is temporarily accommodated in the Broombridge Educate Together National School building at Bannow Road, Dublin 7 (which is in my ownership) as a short-term arrangement, pending delivery of the school’s permanent accommodation in the Scribblestown/Finglas West school planning area.
In the interim, my Department will continue to liaise with the school patron with regard to existing temporary accommodation arrangements.
A potential permanent site for the school has been identified and is being progressed.
The matter raised by the Deputy in relation to Dublin Bus is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.
311. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions needed to fully implement the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (details supplied); and the associated cost of each action, in tabular form. [54411/17]
View answerA number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children.
The Sections of the EPSEN Act which have not been implemented are those which would have conferred a statutory entitlement to – - an educational assessment for all children with special educational needs.
- consequent development of a statutory individual educational plan (IEP).
- the delivery of detailed educational services on foot of this plan.
- an independent appeals process.
Legal advice provided to my Department indicates that the EPSEN Act, as it is currently constituted, may not be implemented on a phased, or age cohort, basis.
The NCSE estimated, in an implementation Plan in 2006, that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement the EPSEN Act. My Department's opinion is that the level of investment required could be significantly greater than that envisaged in the NCSE report. However, a total estimate of this amount has not been quantified.
Revised estimates of the amount of additional expenditure required to fully implement the remaining sections of the EPSEN Act have not recently been conducted. The level of additional expenditure required would have to take into account annual demographic growth and service developments in the area of special educational needs, pricing adjustments and salary cost differentials on an ongoing basis. Estimates would also have to be made as to the number of pupils who might currently qualify for the statutory service provisions envisaged by the EPSEN Act.Under the Programme for a Partnership Government I have committed to consulting with stakeholders on how best to progress aspects of the Act on a non-statutory basis.
At present, all schools are encouraged to use Education Plans. My Department's Inspectorate's advice is that the majority of schools are now using some form of individual education planning for children with special needs. In line with Circular 30/2014, schools are also required to put in place Personal Pupil Plan including a care plan for all pupils availing of SNA support.
Guidelines for schools on educational planning and monitoring of outcomes and the manner in which they should conduct educational planning, through the Student Support File, are contained in the Guidelines for Schools: Supporting Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools, available at www.education.ie/en/The-Education-System/Special-Education/Guidelines-for-Primary-Schools-Supporting-Pupils-with-Special-Educational-Needs-in-Mainstream-Schools.pdf.
Educational planning is an essential element of a whole-school approach to meeting pupils’ needs. Educational plans should be differentiated in line with a pupil's needs. A pupil's support plan should include clear, measurable learning targets, and specify the resources and interventions that will be used to address student needs in line with the Continuum of Support process. Individualised support plans for pupils should be developed through a collaborative process involving relevant teachers, parents/guardians, the pupils themselves and outside professionals, as necessary. The individualised planning process should include regular reviews of learning targets as part of an ongoing cycle of assessment, target setting, intervention and review.
Providing power to the National Council for Special Education, as envisaged under Section 10 of the EPSEN Act, to designate a school place for a person with special educational needs, is currently being considered in the context of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016.
While awaiting the full implementation of the EPSEN Act, the NCSE has published a number of policy advice papers which make recommendations aimed at developing a better or more effective alternative to the current resource allocation model, and which aims to move the system towards ultimate implementation of the EPSEN Act.
These reports include the NCSE policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools, published in 2013, and the Report of the Working Group on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teaching Resources for pupils with Special Educational Needs, published in 2014.
This new model for allocating support to pupils with special educational needs has been implemented from September 2017. Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and Circular 0014/2017 for post primary schools which were published on 7th March 2017 sets out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools. The revised allocation model replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning support and high incidence special educational needs, and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocation process which provided additional resource teaching supports to schools, to support pupils assessed as having Low Incidence disabilities. The Guidelines for Schools: Supporting Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools also provides guidance on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers. One of the benefits of this new approach is that schools will have greater flexibility as to how they will deploy their resources.
The NCSE is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the SNA scheme, in consultation with other relevant Departments and State Agencies, including the National Disability Authority (NDA), to identify the most appropriate form of support options to provide better outcomes for students with Special Educational Needs, having regard to the significant amount of State investment in this area.
In response to a progress report from the NCSE on the comprehensive assessment, the NCSE were requested to establish a working group, comprising relevant stakeholders, to assist in proposing a better model for providing care supports so as to provide better outcomes for students with special educational needs who have additional care needs. This Working Group has commenced its work and the work will run in tandem with the completion of the overall Comprehensive Assessment of the SNA Scheme.
It is intended that the reports of the Working Group and of the Review will be completed in Spring 2018.
It is therefore intended to bring into effect many of the good ideas contained in the EPSEN Act, on a non-statutory basis initially, through policy developments across a range of areas, in conjunction with NCSE policy advice.
312. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of rebuilding works for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54422/17]
View answerThe Major School Building Project to which the Deputy refers, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b).
All statutory approvals have been secured.
Following the necessary appointment of a replacement Mechanical & Electrical Engineer, the Design Team in conjunction with the new Engineer are working on a revised M and E Report, which will be submitted to my Department upon completion.
When the revised stage 2b submission has been received and reviewed, my Department will revert to the school at that time with a timeframe for the further progression of the project.
