Written Answers Nos. 132-151
132. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to fully restore middle management posts in primary schools; the estimated cost of a full restoration of posts in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28457/18]
View answerBudget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts at primary and post-primary levels. This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable.
€2.75m was allocated in Budget 2017 to restore middle management positions i.e. the equivalent of approximately 1,300 middle management posts (Assistant Principal I and Assistant Principal II) at both Primary and Post-Primary (2,600 in total).
The lifting of the moratorium is an initial phase in the restoration of middle management posts and any future improvements to the number of posts allocated will be dependent on budgetary demands.
The estimated cost of lifting the moratorium on posts of responsibility and restoring them to pre-moratorium levels would be in the order of €29m.
133. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department has failed to restore supply panels for primary schools in view of the importance of such panels in the past in ensuring the smooth running of primary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28458/18]
View answerIn the last two years we have hired 5,000 additional new teachers. It is the case that many teachers who would have been available to carry out substitution work are now gaining permanent and long term contracts.
I am aware of reports that some schools are experiencing difficulties in finding substitute teachers. In order to ease the situation, in the last school year I suspended the limits that teachers on career break can work as substitutes. Schools were also reminded that, in considering career break applications, the needs of pupils should take precedence and they must take account of the availability of appropriate qualified replacement teachers.
As the Deputy is aware, I recently established the Teacher Supply Steering Group, which is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department. The Group is considering the issues that impact on teacher supply, including: initial teacher education policy, provision, funding and support; data/research requirements; policies and arrangements for schools and teachers that impact on teacher mobility/supply; and promotion of the teaching profession. The Steering Group will oversee a programme of actions according to strict timelines and clear deliverables. In undertaking its task, the Group is cognisant of the requirement that all persons wishing to teach in recognised schools must meet the professional registration standards and criteria set by the Teaching Council, which is the professional regulatory body for the teaching profession.
At this point the Steering Group and, the working groups reporting to it, have met on a number of occasions. The Group will meet again on 29 June and I hope to be in a position to announce further measures in this area over coming months.
A value for money review of the Supply Teacher Scheme was published in July 2006. Following that review, it was considered more cost effective to use the normal substitution arrangements that apply to all other schools to cover sick leave absences rather than retaining the supply panel as then constituted.
134. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to increase primary and secondary capitation grants in 2019 in view of the negative legacy of cuts in capitation since 2010 and the continuing additional financial burden placed on parents, staff and school communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28459/18]
View answerI recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.
Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
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. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.
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.
The commitments in the Action Plan including to increase capitation funding, will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.
135. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the issue of pay inequality for post-2010 entrants to the teaching profession will be resolved; if pay parity for primary school principals awarded in 2007 will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28460/18]
View answerThe public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, negotiated a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. The agreements to date have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver convergence of the pay scales at later points in the scale.
As a result of these changes, the current starting salary of a new teacher is €35,958 and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692.
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 and over 1,000 extra teachers.
Differential pay scales were introduced by the then Government in 2010. It must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants 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.
In accordance with the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform recently laid before the Oireachtas a report on the matter of the pay of new entrants to the public service. The report assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for €83 million. The report also acknowledges that during the financial crisis there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education). Addressing any issues arising from changes which are not specifically detailed in the report would give rise to additional costs over and above the foregoing figures.
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.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform’s report will inform discussion on remaining salary scale issues with the parties to the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 in accordance with the commitment in the Agreement to consider the issue of newly qualified pay. That process commenced with a first meeting on 12 October 2017. The three teacher unions attended that first meeting. Further talks began on the 27th of April with all public service unions in relation to new entrant pay. Further engagement is being arranged as the parties continue to work through the various aspects of this issue.
In the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body (issued in December 2007), the Body evaluated the pay and jobs of 109 grades across the public service, including school Principals. The Body recommended pay increases for 15 grades, including changes to the allowance payable to Principals of primary schools and of small post-primary schools.
Under the Towards 2016 Review and Transitional Agreement 2008-2009, it was agreed that the increases recommended in the second report of the PSBB would be paid as follows:
(a) 5% from 1 September 2008, or where the total increase is less than 5%, the full increase from that date;
(b) The issue of the payment of any balances will be discussed between the parties in the context of any successor to this Transitional Agreement which might be agreed between the Social Partners, or whatever other arrangements may be in place on the expiry of this Transitional Agreement.
The pay terms contained in the Towards 2016 Review and Transitional Agreement 2008-2009 were not implemented due to the State’s worsening financial circumstances. In line with current Government policy, there are no plans to implement the recommendations set out in the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body as they apply to any public servant.
136. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for additional accommodation by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28469/18]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question submitted an application for additional accommodation.
The application is being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
137. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28473/18]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving a recent application from the school in question.
The latest interaction that my Department had with the school was in 2017 and this related to the school’s application to replace a number of prefabricated units. My Department advised the school that due to the Department’s need to prioritise funding for the provision of essential mainstream classroom accommodation to meet demographic need, that it was not possible to consider the school's application at that time.
The school authority was also advised that it is my Department’s intention to replace temporary accommodation, including purchased accommodation, with permanent buildings, over the lifetime of my Department’s 6 Year Capital Programme.
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. It is intended that this assessment, when finalised, will enable the replacement of such prefabs to commence in 2019. A funding provision of €180 million is being made available from 2019 for this initiative in the programme.
138. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for the construction of the new boys and girls primary school in Monasterevin. [28481/18]
View answerThe major building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2b (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured.
The Design Team has confirmed that it is working on finalising the Stage 2b report which will be submitted through the Board of Management to my Department.
Upon completion and review of the Stage 2(b) submission, the project will then be authorised to complete pre-qualification of Contractors. Pre-qualification normally takes between 8 and 12 weeks to complete.
When pre-qualification is complete the project will then be progressed to tender stage. A tender stage normally takes between 7 and 8 months to complete. In this context, the school building project has been profiled to commence construction in Quarter 4 2019.
A letter issued from my Department to the Board of Management on 9th March 2018 outlining the projected timeframe for the progression of this project to tender and construction stage and the steps involved.
139. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce a fair appeals system for schools not admitted to the DEIS programme. [28482/18]
View answerThe identification of schools for receipt of additional resources under the DEIS programme is informed by a scientific data based model which assesses levels of disadvantage in individual schools based on the pupil cohort of the school.
The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include not only single parent rate, but those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.
A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf.
DEIS Plan 2017 provides for the verification of the information used to access the level of disadvantage of a school. This process involves a check of the school data used and a check of the application of the data by my Department to ensure that no administrative errors have occurred. Therefore, there is no appeals system as such for schools but they can contact the Department to ensure their data is up to date or check the online database (POD and PPOD).
140. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the level of females undertaking apprenticeships here. [28483/18]
View answer141. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the uptake in the number of apprenticeships by females; and his plans to address the issue. [28484/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together.
At the end of May, 2018 there was a total of 156 female apprentices registered across the 36 apprenticeship schemes currently on offer, which represents an increase of 160% on the 2016 figure of 60 and 500% on 2015 of 26.
The 2014 Review of Apprenticeship in Ireland acknowledged that the number of women employed in craft apprenticeships is low as they operate in sectors that have traditionally low levels of female employment. SOLAS offers a bursary to employers to encourage them to employ female apprentices in these areas. Despite this the number of female apprentices in the craft apprenticeships remains low.
Currently the Apprenticeship Council is overseeing the expansion of the apprenticeship system in Ireland into a range of new sectors of the economy, following two calls for new apprenticeship proposals from employers and education and training providers. To date eleven apprenticeship programmes are operational and we are now seeing a strong increase in female participation in many of these new programmes, particularly in the financial and hospitality sectors. With further new apprenticeships to get underway this year, many of which that are in sectors where there is a different gender balance in the workplace, it is expected, as these new apprenticeships are rolled out, that this will lead to a continued increase in female participation. While this is welcome, it is also important to address issues influencing the low level of recruitment of women in the craft sectors.
As set out in our Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland, my Department, in conjunction with SOLAS, is currently reviewing the pathways to participation in apprenticeship in a range of diverse groups, including female participation. The review is due to be completed shortly.
Furthermore, a digital campaign to promote apprenticeship is now underway with a dedicated Twitter feed #Generation Apprenticeship, a new apprenticeship website www.apprenticeship.ie , an Apprenticeship Ireland Facebook page and a LinkedIn page. In all aspects of the digital campaign women feature prominently and there will be a specific focus on encouraging women and girls to consider apprenticeship as a means of launching or developing their careers.
142. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of ASD units at both primary and post primary level in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28485/18]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for organising and planning provision for children with Special Educational Needs, including the establishment of special classes in mainstream primary and post primary schools.
Special classes offer a supportive learning environment to students with ASD who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with support, for most or all of their school day. Special classes are for students who have a recommendation for a special class placement in their professional reports.
Should the NCSE identify the requirement for additional special class placements in the area it will contact schools in the area in relation to establishing an ASD special class. Schools may also apply to the NCSE to open a special class where a need has been identified in their area i.e. a number of students have professional reports indicating they require the support of a special class.
The NCSE, in looking to open special classes, must take into account the present and future potential need for such classes, taking particular account of the educational needs of the children concerned. The NCSE will also take account of location and sustainability in looking to establish special classes in certain areas.
In addition, the NCSE will consider:
- the school’s accommodation and accessibility
- the number of special classes, if any, already in the school.
With regard to Co. Kildare in particular, there are 4 special schools and 70 special classes attached to mainstream schools. Of these, 6 are ASD early intervention classes, 42 are primary ASD classes and 14 are post primary ASD classes. The number of ASD special classes in Co. Kildare have increased from 32 in 2011/2012 to 62 in 2017/2018.
The NCSE has informed my Department that they intend to establish approx. 5 new ASD Special Classes in Co. Kildare for 2018/19 school year to meet currently identified need.
In the case of all new schools, it is general practice to include a Special Needs Unit (SNU) in the accommodation brief for new school buildings, unless local circumstances indicate that it will not be required. A two classroom Special Needs Unit is being provided in each of the two post-primary schools currently under construction in the area referred to by the Deputy. Both of these schools are due to be completed by May 2019.
Parents/Guardians who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement, including special class placement, should contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) who can assist in identifying an appropriate educational placement for their child. Contact details are available at http://ncse.ie/seno-contact-list.
My Department continues to work with the NCSE to ensure that there is appropriate planning in place to ensure that all children who require special class placements can access such placements in schools within their communities
143. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an SLE application by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28504/18]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the patron of the school in question. It is my Department's intention to liaise with the patron in the context of the application.
144. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for conducting an assessment of need following an application being received; if there are variations between different parts of the country; if so, the locations in which they are different; the reason that is the case; if cases such as the case of the person (details supplied) are commonplace; if not, the changes occurring; the reason they are occurring; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28515/18]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that the Assessment of Need process to which she refers in her question falls under the Disability Act 2005 and within the responsibilities of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and therefore the matter should be addressed to my colleague the Minister for Health.
145. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28520/18]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I have announced new plans aimed at accelerating the provision of multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of parents, families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment to reach 400 such schools by 2030.
I would point out that the previous model of divestment yielded only a very limited number of schools for transfer to multi-denominational patrons (10 since 2013). I believe that the new schools reconfiguration for diversity process has the potential to significantly increase patron diversity in our school system.
While these new structures are being introduced, my Department will continue to work with the main stakeholders to progress delivery of diversity in areas already identified, of which the area referred to by the Deputy is one.
146. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills if DEIS status will be awarded to a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28525/18]
View answerThe identification of schools for receipt of additional resources under the DEIS programme is informed by a scientific data based model which assesses levels of disadvantage in individual schools based on the pupil cohort of the school.
The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include not only single parent rate, but those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.
A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf.
An update of the DEIS Identification process is in the process of being finalised. This is taking account of updated school data as provided by schools for the current school year combined with the Pobal HP Index of Deprivation, based on CSO Small Area Population statistics derived from the 2016 National Census. A detailed quality assurance process in respect of this is currently being carried out.
It is important to note that any adjustment to the DEIS status of a school, including the school referred to by the Deputy, will be based on the DEIS Identification process.
147. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills when plans for a new school (details supplied) will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28526/18]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a current application from the school referred to for major capital works comprising of a new school building.
The application is currently being considered and my Department expects to be in further contact with the school authority on the matter.
148. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the capitation funding will be restored for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28529/18]
View answerI recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.
Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
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. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.
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.
149. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the Partnering for Change programme developed in Canada in 2013 and the benefits it has had for young persons affected by dyspraxia; if the pilot programme announced by him for certain pilot schools in September 2018 has included learning from the Canadian model; the details of the particular schools to be included in the pilot programme; if the programme will be extended to include all schools in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28553/18]
View answerI recently announced that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services will be introduced for the 2018/19 school year.
The project will be managed and co-ordinated by the National Council for Special Education.
The demonstration project is being developed by a Working Group which includes representatives from the Departments of Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Health, and the Health Service Executive.
I can confirm that the Working Group has received a copy of the report on the Partnering for Change Programme, which was developed in Canada in 2013, and that the findings of this report will be taken into account in developing the project.
The purpose of the project is to test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within ‘educational settings’. This innovative pilot will complement existing HSE funded provision of essential therapy services.
The project is taking place in Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 7 Region of South West Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow.
This region has been selected to ensure that the pre-school and in-school therapy model can be tested in both urban and rural locations and with a suitable mix of various types of schools and pre-schools.
The schools selected will therefore be from this region, which means that, unfortunately, schools from the Donegal region cannot be included at this time.
Decisions in relation to the extension of the service to other Counties, including County Donegal, or to extend the service nationally, will be taken following an evaluation of the existing informed pilot phase.
76 schools, including a representative sample of primary, post primary, and special schools will take part in the project.
This will include:
- Schools with significant levels of educational disadvantage.
- A mixture of urban, large, and small schools.
- Schools with high levels of support needs as identified under the new special education teaching allocation model.
- Mainstream schools which have special classes
- Special schools with significant levels of therapy support needs.
- Schools of various types including Irish medium schools.
Pre-school settings associated with primary schools participating in the project are being included in order to provide for therapy interventions to be made at the earliest possible time and to create linkages between pre-school and primary school provision.
The list of the participating schools and pre schools is currently being finalised and will be available shortly.
The project aims to develop a more cohesive, collaborative approach to delivering supports to children by allowing therapists and educational professionals to work together in schools.
150. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a determination will be made in respect of an application for additional school accommodation made by a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; if his attention has been drawn to the lack of facilities available at the school and the negative impact this is having on pupils and teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28599/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department received an application in recent weeks for the provision of additional accommodation at the school referred to.
The application is currently being assessed by my Department and a decision will issue to the school directly as soon as this process is completed.
151. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to considerable delays processing visa applications at the New Delhi visa office; the reason for these delays; the number of personnel employed in the office in each of the past five years; the number currently employed; the measures underway to tackle the backlog of visa applications and to bring down waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28468/18]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the New Delhi Visa Office is currently experiencing high volumes of visa applications due to seasonal demands at this time of year. This is in line with similar trends from previous years and, more generally, an increase in visa applications from people wishing to come to Ireland for a whole variety of reasons.
That said, I am informed that business and conference visas are currently being processed within two to eight days. Study visas at this time are being processed within three weeks. Employment and visit visas are currently within the time-frame of four to seven weeks. Processing times for long stay visas invariably take longer and are generally determined by the volume of applications received, the particular merits of individual applications, their complexity, whether the need to investigate or enquire further, and the time taken to receive applicant responses.
The Deputy can be assured that every effort is made to keep processing times to a minimum, and a number of measures have been put in place to deal with the expected demand this summer. This includes the assignment of additional staff to help process these applications, and more generally the streamlining of visa processing where possible.
The total number of staff currently assigned to the Visa Office is fifteen, and includes five Department of Justice and Equality staff who have been seconded to the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT). Certain staff are recruited locally by DFAT and this number has doubled since 2013. The position in this regard continues to be kept under review.
