Written Answers Nos. 236-255
236. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 450 of 16 January 2018, the five bodies under the remit of his Department that did not report a 3% or higher proportion of employees with a disability, in tabular form; and the percentage of each of these organisations' staff registered with a disability. [4245/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is as follows:
|
Name of Public Body |
Percentage |
|
Institute of Technology Tallaght |
2.90% |
|
NCAD |
2.70% |
|
Waterford Institute of Technology |
2.44% |
|
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) |
1.32% |
|
Léargas |
0% |
Of the 18 bodies reporting, 13 reported 3% or higher of their staff as having a disability. While this is slightly lower than in 2015 when 15 bodies were reported as having complied with the 3% target decreases were attributed to resignations due to other employment opportunities. Despite the decrease in the number of bodies achieving the 3% target, overall compliance of 4.00% was achieved in respect of the 18 reporting bodies in 2016 which compares with an overall compliance of 3.8% in 2015.
237. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the site acquisition process in respect of a national school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4246/18]
View answerA site has been identified in Douglas and the school patron has been informed of the proposed location of the site.
The conveyancing process is currently progressing satisfactorily and we continue to liaise with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, acting on the Minister’s behalf, and with the vendor to ensure that progress continues to be made.
238. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that have been taken to meet the temporary accommodation requirements of a national school (details supplied) in County Cork for the 2018-19 school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4247/18]
View answerThe temporary accommodation project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the patron body, Educate Together, for delivery. The patron body has met with the local authority and is arranging for a planning application to be submitted for the consolidation of the school on a single site which will provide sufficient accommodation pending delivery of the school's permanent accommodation.
My Department will continue to work closely with the patron body and with the local authority to ensure a positive outcome.
239. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 328 of 16 January 2018, the number of students that reside in or attended a primary school in Dublin 8 that have been offered places in the new school in Sandymount; and the number of students taking up places that reside in or attended a primary school in Dublin 8, by area and specifically Inchicore. [4270/18]
View answerThe data requested by the Deputy are not held by my Department. The matter of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of the school.
240. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements being made to accommodate up to 20 pupils that have applied and have been refused places at a school (details supplied); if the shortfall was anticipated; if there are plans for additional capacity in the school for September 2018; if so, the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4273/18]
View answer244. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the consideration given to the impact on pupils that are not accommodated in the nearest school, such as a school (details supplied); if the time and expense involved for students and parents forms a part of the analysis when consideration is given to extra classrooms when the numbers merit this; if it is necessary to plan places at an earlier stage than is currently the case; the arrangements in place for school transport in such cases in which they cannot be accommodated in the nearest school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4335/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 244 together.
My Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed. As with other planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Prosperous-Clane school planning area are being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated data.
The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application to my Department for additional accommodation last week. The application will be assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available, the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary.
This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on the Department's website www.education.ie .
The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The Scheme caters for situations where the Department is satisfied that the nearest school is full and in such instances eligibility for school transport will be determined based on the distance a child resides from his/her next nearest school having regard to ethos and language.
241. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the works to provide a new school building for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin in addition to the associated refurbishment works will commence as a matter of priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4317/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that a project for St. Molaga’s National School is included in my Department's Capital Programme to primarily replace existing temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation. In that regard officials in my Department are currently preparing the project brief which will facilitate the progression of the project into Architectural Planning, which includes the appointment of a Design Team. In this context I can confirm that a meeting has been arranged with the school authorities for early February in relation to their project.
In the interim I am pleased to advise that my Department has approved additional temporary accommodation to meet the school’s immediate accommodation needs.
242. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans and the timeframe for pay restoration for primary and secondary teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4330/18]
View answer243. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe to end the pay inequality that teachers endure. [4331/18]
View answer248. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for ending the pay inequality experienced by teachers. [4376/18]
View answer249. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe to end the pay inequality for teachers; and his views on whether his position is contrary to the principle of equal pay for equal work. [4379/18]
View answer252. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe to end the pay inequality for teachers in view of the fact that we have now had over seven years of same. [4412/18]
View answer253. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which a position that is contrary to the principle of equal pay for equal work can be justified in view of the fact there is no plan to resolve the pay inequality issue. [4414/18]
View answer256. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe within which pay inequality for teachers will be ended; when the pay review is due to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4498/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 242, 243, 248, 249, 252, 253 and 256 together.
The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. Through this process a 15-22% pay increase was negotiated for new teachers. The agreements to date have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points in the scale.
As a result of these changes and taking into account the new pay measures under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020, the current starting salary of a new teacher is €35,958 and from 1 October 2020 onwards it will be €37,692. If full equalisation was achieved the starting salary for a post-primary teacher from 1 October 2020 would be €43,879 and for a primary teacher would be €41,511, at a cost of over €200 million across the public service.
Differential pay scales for newly qualified public servants were introduced by the then Government in 2010. It must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants to the public service applied to all public servants and not just teachers, and that any restoration of these measures in respect of teachers would be expected to be applied elsewhere across the public service. While I am not in a position to provide an estimate of the total cost of restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants in all of the public service to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements, I can say that in the case of education and training sector employees, including teachers, the estimated current full year cost would be in the order of €130 million. Clearly, the cost across the entire public service would be substantially higher.
To have gone further than the pay increases that have been negotiated for 2018 would mean I would have had less money available to hire over 1,000 extra SNAs in 2018, and over 1,000 extra teachers in 2018.
Any further negotiation on new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector. The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
A commitment is included in the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 to consider the issue of newly qualified pay within 12 months of the commencement of the Agreement. That process has now commenced with a first meeting on 12 October 2017. The three teacher unions attended that first meeting.
In addition, the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that within 3 months of the passing of the Act, my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.
245. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the liquidation of a company (details supplied) will delay the opening of two new schools in County Wicklow; the action his Department is taking to ensure that there will be no delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4366/18]
View answerThe schools referred to by the Deputy form part of the current Schools Bundle 5 PPP programme. In respect of that programme, a contract exists between my Department and the Principal contractor, Inspired Spaces. Inspiredspaces is the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the programme.
The company referred to by the Deputy has been a 50% shareholder in Inspired Spaces. The other shareholder in the SPV is the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF).
Inspired Spaces remains in place as the SPV responsible for delivery of Schools Bundle 5. The PPP contract between my Department and the SPV equally remains in place. The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) manages that contract on behalf of my Department.
The Dutch Infrastructure Fund is now required to intervene to ensure that the schools in the PPP programme are completed to the satisfaction of the State. It is currently in the process of developing a rectification plan and remains in close contact with the NDFA in that regard. The outcome of this process will provide greater clarity in relation to likely school completion dates.
The Dutch Infrastructure Fund has confirmed that resolution of the situation is its top priority.
246. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the contacts and communications he has had with a company (details supplied) in the context of the collapse of a company. [4368/18]
View answerIn respect of the Schools Bundle 5 PPP programme, a contract exists between my Department and the Principal contractor, Inspired Spaces. Inspired Spaces is the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for the design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance of the programme.
Although one of the companies referred to by the Deputy, a 50% shareholder in this SPV, has entered into liquidation, Inspired Spaces remains in place as the SPV responsible for delivery of Schools Bundle 5. The PPP contract between my Department and the SPV equally remains in place. The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) manages that contract on behalf of my Department.
The other shareholder in the SPV is now required to intervene to ensure that the schools in the PPP programme are completed to the satisfaction of the State. It is currently in the process of developing a rectification plan and the outcome of this process will provide greater clarity in relation to likely school completion dates. It remains in close contact with the NDFA in that regard and has confirmed that resolution of the situation is its top priority.
247. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when full broadband service will be restored in a primary school (details supplied). [4375/18]
View answerUnder the Schools Broadband Access Programme, my Department provides for the supply of Internet connectivity for recognised primary and post primary schools. All post-primary schools and some special schools are now included in the 100Mbps programme.
Significant improvement has been made in recent years with the number of primary schools on broadband speeds of greater than 30mbs having increased from less than 100 in 2012 to over 1,000 by the end of 2017. In Meath in 2012, no primary school had access to broadband speeds of 30mbs or greater, now some 34 primary schools in Meath have access to broadband speeds of 30mbs or greater.
Under the current programme, my Department continually reviews the availability of services and upgrades schools where the opportunity arises, in line with contractual and budgetary requirements. A recent drawdown from the Framework of Providers of Broadband Services saw some 1,100 primary schools awarded download speeds of 30Mbps or greater (the baseline download speed required under the National Broadband Plan). Some 900 of those schools have now been connected with the balance to be in place by the end of 2017.
The policy of this Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and financial constraints. Broadband capacity can vary due to geographical location and local infrastructure, and thus impact on the service that can be provided.
The need to improve broadband connectivity to primary schools is recognised in the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, and as noted access to high speed broadband is one of the indicators identified in the Digital Strategy Action Plan. An interdepartmental working group has been established to determine how best to address broadband connectivity to primary schools in collaboration with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in the context of the National Broadband Plan and the Intervention Strategy, and proposed industry provision.
In the case of the school referred to be the Deputy, the Schools Broadband Service Desk of the PDST and the current Service Provider have worked to resolve the recent ongoing issue with this schools broadband service and I understand that these issues are now resolved and the service has been fully restored. The service will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it is the best available under the scheme.
250. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has made a submission on the national planning framework; and if so, if he will provide a copy of same. [4408/18]
View answerMy Department has had significant ongoing input into the national planning framework process. This has been principally through its participation in the cross-departmental steering group on the national planning framework, which is led by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
251. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is in discussions with Meath County Council regarding school provision in the county particularly in areas in which house building has begun again. [4409/18]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. 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.
Where demographic data indicate that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As with other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Meath school planning areas is being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated data. My Department is currently engaging with the local authority in relation to additional residential development in Meath as part of this review and it is anticipated that this exercise will be concluded shortly.
In addition, my Department is included among the prescribed bodies to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development and local area plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment and observations. This enables local authorities to reserve future school sites in areas designated for proposed housing development.
In February 2017, my Department contributed to the Meath County Council County Development Plan 2019 – 2025 and has been in further consultation with the local authority regarding the review of the plan.
254. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the public private partnerships his Department is currently engaged in; the name, cost and timeframe of each; the names of all private parties involved; the nature of each project in terms of design, build, maintain and so on, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4433/18]
View answerTo date, 25 post primary schools, two primary schools and two higher education projects, (National Maritime College of Ireland and the Cork School of Music) have been delivered by Public Private Partnership. The school PPP projects involve the delivery of a combination of new schools in rapidly developing areas, replacements for existing schools and new accommodation for schools formed by the amalgamation of existing schools.
PPP projects across the various school bundles have delivered an additional 19,525 school places and 1,150 full-time and 2,500 part-time third level places. Schools Bundle 5 will deliver an additional 4,800 school places.
The following summary table of PPP projects reflects all Unitary Charge payments made up to the end of 2017, as well as construction related VAT payments.
The Grangegorman PPP project, which will deliver core academic infrastructure for DIT, is scheduled to achieve financial close in the coming weeks. The Higher Education PPP Programme, announced on 16 October 2017, is currently in the pre-procurement phase and will provide for some 8,000 new student places in Institutes of Technology.
Contracts (called project agreements) exist between my Department and the relevant Principal contractor, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for the design, construction and finance of that particular PPP programme, as well as operation of the building in question for the 25 years post construction.
The following summary table also identifies the relevant SPV in each case.
Summary PPP Projects
|
PPP Project |
PPP Company (SPV) |
Project Classification |
PPP Unitary Payments to End 2017 (VAT Excl) |
Service Commencement Date |
Contract End Date |
|
Pilots PPP Bundle |
Schools Public/Private Partnership (Ireland) Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€172.1m |
2002 |
2027 |
|
National Maritime College |
Focus Education (NMC) Ltd. |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€119.7 m |
2004 |
2029 |
|
Cork School of Music |
CSM PPP Services Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€93.7 m |
2007 |
2032 |
|
Schools Bundle 1 |
MPFI Schools 1 Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€72.8 m |
2011 |
2036 |
|
Schools Bundle 2 |
Pymble Schools Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€88.0 m |
2011 |
2036 |
|
Schools Bundle 3 |
BAM Schools Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€70.2 m |
2014 |
2039 |
|
Schools Bundle 4 |
BAM Schools Ltd |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
€21.5 m |
2016 |
2041 |
|
Schools Bundle 5 |
Inspired Spaces Consortium |
Design/Build/Finance/Operate and Manage (DBFOM) |
Expected 2018 |
Expected 2043 |
255. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the examination of additional supports to groups working with early school leavers that has taken place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4477/18]
View answerI take it that the Deputy is referring to Action 88 of DEIS Plan 2017 - 'Review of current out of school and second-chance provision to inform future supports in this area, including those provided through TUSLA". Work on the implementation of this action has commenced with the establishment of a Working Group chaired by my Department and including representatives from Tusla and the Education and Training Board Sector. It is intended to conduct a stakeholder consultation over the coming months with a view to publishing a report of the outcome of these deliberations later this year.
The Deputy may also be interested to know that an evaluation of the Youthreach programme is currently under way. This evaluation is being undertaken by the ESRI on behalf of SOLAS and it is anticipated that the findings of this work will be published in the last quarter of the year.
