Written Answers Nos 239-255
239. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 318 of 21 May 2017, if the summer works scheme will be reopened to new applications in view of the fact that his Department is advising that applications made for additional school accommodation in certain instances are more appropriate to the summer works scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12360/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that in respect of the Summer Works Scheme 2016 and 2017, the 2018 budgetary provision will allow my Department to meet the carry over costs of projects already approved for categories 1-6. The assessment of applications in the remaining categories 7-10 as well as proceeding with any future summer works scheme is reliant on the availability of funding.
However, the school may use its minor works grant, which all primary schools received late last year, to carry out the works in full or on a phased basis as that grant permits if the school considers them to be a priority.
240. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills whether a school is allowed to withdraw an offer of a school place to a child (details supplied) on learning that the child has a disability. [12369/18]
View answer241. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures his Department will take to ensure a child has secured a place at a school (details supplied). [12370/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 241 together.
In relation to school admissions, 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 Education Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) 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.
242. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there are changes planned to a bus route (details supplied); if this bus route will be retained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12384/18]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 116,000 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 at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.
The purpose of the School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
In general, children are eligible for school transport if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.
School transport services are reviewed each year to take account of children who no longer require school transport and new applications for the following school year. The closing date for receipt of applications for school transport for the 2018/19 school year is 27 April 2018. Decisions on the retention or establishment of new services cannot be finalised until this information is received and assessed by Bus Éireann.
The terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
243. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a tender will be approved for the construction of a new school (details supplied) in County Wexford [12399/18]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy has recently been authorized to proceed to tender for the appointment of a Building Contractor. When the tender report has been received and considered my Department will revert directly to the school regarding progression of the project to construction stage.
Subject to no issues arising it is expected that construction will commence in quarter 4 of 2018.
245. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills his contingency plans for students impacted by the collapse of a company (details supplied); if this contingency plan will be cognisant of parent's wishes to educate their children in Irish in circumstances in which it is applicable; the date on which this plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12417/18]
View answerThe Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF), representing the PPP Company responsible for delivery of Schools Bundle 5, is implementing a rectification plan to secure service commencement on the five school buildings and one further education college as soon as possible. DIF has indicated that a number of contractors/service providers have now been invited to quote for finishing the works outstanding on the relevant buildings and for the provision of facilities management services over the 25-year life of the project. It expects to receive final bids from tenderers, with whom it has already had extensive engagement, by 5 April next.
Based on this, and the expected timeframe for the evaluation of tenders, and appointment and mobilisation of the new contractor/service providers, DIF is targeting all six buildings to be operational for the beginning of the coming school year, with the most advanced schools to be delivered earlier in the summer.
DIF has confirmed that, in conjuction with its lenders, it will deploy all necessary resources towards achieving these target dates.
In parallel, my Department has been engaging with the relevant school authorities in relation to contingency plans to mitigate against any issues arising from delays in the delivery of the new school buildings. The specific contingency arrangements will depend on the enrolment projections and additional accommodation options available for each school.
246. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is advice or assistance for schools on clearing snow following extreme weather events such as storm Emma; if there are guidelines for schools to link in with local authorities to clear snow after extreme weather events; his plans to introduce such guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12420/18]
View answerThe Department of Education and Skills issued a reminder to all schools about the Department’s guidelines in the event of severe weather, contained on the Department’s web site and in the “Be Winter Ready” booklet.
As part of the Government’s “Be Winter Ready” campaign, the DES advise schools to conduct “a pre-event evaluation of what should be, or could be, in place to ensure the opening of the school in the event of severe weather. Areas for consideration are maintenance of school premises and utilities, salting and gritting and transport to and from school”. They also advise that “Schools should ensure to have the relevant contact details of the principal response agencies for their area, including An Garda Síochána, fire brigade and local authorities and other appropriate services. Schools should also have contact details for the transport services serving their school. These details should be checked regularly and kept up-to-date”.
See https://www.winterready.ie/en/guides/schools-and-severe-weather
247. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the agreed contracts to provide educational courses through ETBs that have been awarded to an organisation (details supplied) since its inception; the courses across each ETB area; the certification level of the courses provided; the duration of the contracts awarded; and when they are due to be re-tendered in tabular form. [12466/18]
View answerThe National Learning Network (NLN) is the largest of 17 providers of Specialist Vocational Training under the Specialist Training Provider programme. The NLN provides approximately 80% of places under this programme in 30 different centres. The balance of the total provision is delivered by 16 other providers. The provision of the service by the NLN had been a long standing contracted arrangement with FAS and, prior to 2000, the National Rehabilitation Board.
The new Education and Training Boards came into existence on 1 July, 2013 and have taken over operational responsibility for the former training activities of FÁS, including the provision of specialist training to persons with a disability.
An “Agreement to Collaborate” annual contract is entered into between the Education and Training Board on the one hand and, in the case of the National Learning Network, the specific training centre on the other.
Oversight of the agreement, including the funding provided for the provision of Specialist Training, is exerted through annual processes of monitoring, review, centre visits, checking of monthly claims and business planning and review. Every Specialist Training centre is required to implement an annual business plan.
Details of NLN courses in each ETB area, including the certification level provided can be found at www.fetchcourses.ie
248. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of late applications for a SUSI grant for the 2017/2018 academic year; the number that were accepted and not accepted, respectively; and the reason for non-acceptance of late applications. [12492/18]
View answerIn line with the provisions of the annual student grant scheme and in order to deliver an efficient service and timely outcomes for students, SUSI implements key dates relevant to the submission and processing of student grant applications.
The SUSI online student grant application system for the 2017-18 academic year opened on 3 April 2017. Students were encouraged through all SUSI communications channels including a national media advertising campaign and via the SUSI website, social media, publications, student/college outreach events, media and stakeholder information services to apply before the published priority application processing dates of 15 June (renewing applicants) and 13 July (new applicants) so that their applications could be received and processed with priority by SUSI in advance of the commencement of the academic year in September 2017.
Following these dates, the online system remained fully open for all application types until the closing of the system on 2 November 2017.
In advance of the closing of the system on 2 November, students who had commenced online applications for the 2017-18 academic year but who had not completed and submitted their applications were e-mailed encouraging them to complete and submit their applications before 2 November.
103,340 applications were received before the closing of the system on 2 November. Thereafter, 631 requests to make late applications were received from students. Of these, 210 requests were accepted and 414 were not accepted. 7 requests are currently pending decision. The decision regarding whether to accept or reject a late application is a matter for SUSI and my Department has no role in this matter.
The Student Grant Scheme 2017 provides that duly completed applications must be received not later than 13 July but that, thereafter, an application not received on time may be accepted, at the discretion of the awarding authority, until one month before the end of the academic year to which the application relates.
On this basis, and in line with its established practice, SUSI accepted applications until 2 November 2017. Late applications were accepted by SUSI after this date only where:
- a student’s course commenced after 2 November 2017;
- a student had a change in circumstances in respect of one or more specified criteria in the period from 2 November 2017 until the end of the 2017-18 academic year;
- students experienced extenuating circumstances that adversely affected them and their ability to make an application prior to 2 November 2017.
SUSI implements a formal process for the making and handling of requests by students to make late applications and gives careful consideration to all requests received. The late application process is published on the SUSI website at www.susi.ie/2017-18-late-applications-process.
249. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of lost applications for a SUSI grant for the 2017/2018 academic year; the process in place to ensure that applications are not lost; and the remedy available for those whose applications have been lost. [12493/18]
View answerI have been advised that no student grant applications have been lost by SUSI for the 2017-18 academic year.
Applications are recorded and can be tracked and accounted for, from the point they are commenced by students in the online application system, through to when they are completed and submitted to SUSI for processing and at all stages thereafter.
250. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the policies that govern the placements of secondary school students during transition year or other work experience placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12495/18]
View answerThere is no specific policy that governs placements of second level students for work experience in Transition Year or other programmes such as the Leaving Certificate Applied. The relationship between schools and employers in relation to work experience is managed at local school level. However, there are many established supports of good practice, by both employers and students in these cases, including:
- guidelines on work placement from my Department's Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and coordinators' organisations;extensions of school insurance policies to cover work placement contexts for students;
- contemporaneous monitoring of work placement by teacher visits and/or phone calls;
- evaluation reports by employers and students of the work placement experience immediately after completion;
- DES inspection recommendations regarding the operation of work experience placements.
The above are established aspects of custom and practice in the Irish education system, often supplemented by extra supports depending on circumstances of employment, such as additional safety training. Schools are encouraged to evaluate their work placement programmes annually, and this helps the development of reliable, quality employment opportunities, linked in most instances to the local community.
My Department recognises that access to work experience for second level students is an extremely valuable element of education and provides students with experience and knowledge that will help inform decisions regarding future studies and career options. The Action Plan for Education 2018 commits to a review of work experience at post-primary level, with a view to increasing access and quality of work experience for students, will commence in Quarter 2 of this year.
251. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will request the State Examinations Commission to revise the qualifying criteria for the RACE scheme to allow special arrangements for children with processing speed deficits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12567/18]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate Examinations. Full details of the scheme are available from their website:
www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodations
In view of this I have forwarded this query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to the Deputy.
252. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of discussions with a school (details supplied) regarding a move to another premises; and if sanction will be forthcoming for such a move. [12568/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in ongoing communication with the Patron of the school referred to in the context of the long term accommodation requirements for the school.
253. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cuts that have occurred to the capitation fund for primary schools since 2008; the cost in monetary terms of these cuts to the primary school sector in each of the school years 2009-10 to 2017-18; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12574/18]
View answerThe capitation grant at primary level is €170 per pupil which represents a reduction of €30 from pre-2010 levels.
The table below outlines the approximate value of reductions in the rate of the capitation grant in each of the years 2011 to 2015. There were no reductions in the years 2009 and 2010 or in the years since 2015. In Budget 2011 which was announced in October 2010 the then Minister for Finance announced the first reduction in the rate of capittion paid to schools.
|
Financial Year |
Capitation Rate |
Decrease in Capitation Rate |
Pupil Enrolments |
Estimated year on year value of reductions |
|
2010 |
€200.00 |
|||
|
2011 |
€190.00 |
€10.00 |
509,652 |
€5,096,520 |
|
2012 |
€178.00 |
€12.00 |
516,458 |
€6,197,496 |
|
2013 |
€176.00 |
€2.00 |
526,422 |
€1,052,844 |
|
2014 |
€173.00 |
€3.00 |
536,317 |
€1,608,951 |
|
2015 |
€170.00 |
€3.00 |
544,699 |
€1,634,097 |
I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. As the Deputy may be aware, restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
254. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether there is a direct relationship between the cuts to capitation grants in primary schools and the consequent shortfall in primary school funding to the need for primary schools to seek voluntary contributions from parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12575/18]
View answerI recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. The first cuts to capitation were announced in October 2010 by the then Minister for Finance.
Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and Training service the best in Europe within a decade. In 2018, the budget for the Department of Education increased by €554 million to over €10 billion.
The process is underway for restoring grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation.
Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to them that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition.
The manner in which voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their collection should be such as not to create a situation where either parents or pupils could reasonably infer that the contributions take on a compulsory character.
There is no information available to my Department that may be used to asses if there is a direct relationship between the reduction in the rate of capitation grants in primary schools and the need for these schools to seek voluntary contributions.
255. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a new school building project (details supplied) in County Cork; the next steps and timeframe for the completion of the project; if his attention has been drawn to the substandard nature of the existing accommodation on site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12576/18]
View answerThe building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. Officials from my Department have been in direct contact with the school authorities to outline the procurement process for the Design Team.
Upon completion of the appointment of the Design Team, my Department Officials will be in further contact with the Board of Management to commence Stage 1 of Architectural Planning, which is the initial sketch design stage.
The period of time it takes to progress major school building projects through the architectural planning process varies for each project depending on its size and complexity.
