Written Answers Nos. 198-215
198. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the powers of special educational needs organisers, SENOs, with regard to the allocation of special needs assistant, SNA, resources; if these powers include the ability to remove resources from a school if another school has been allocated additional hours; if his Department records these reductions in resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41797/18]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils, the SENOs take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource.
SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.
My Department’s policy is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support.
199. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to planned changes to University College Dublin's admission deadlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41831/18]
View answer206. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department was notified by UCD of its change in admissions policy whereby 30 September was announced as the final cut-off date for its courses. [41887/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 206 together.
The Department was not made aware of the change of policy by UCD, in imposing a deadline of 30 September for acceptance of new entrants.
200. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date for the build of the new replacement school building for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41833/18]
View answerThe major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design.
The outcome of the pre-qualification process for the main contract has been notified to contractors who expressed interest in tendering for this project. Feedback and issues arising from same is currently being dealt with by the Design Team. When this process has concluded the project will then be progressed to tender stage.
The project is currently profiled to commence construction in Q3 2019. However, the Department has advised the school that if the project is in a position to commence construction earlier in 2019, the Department can facilitate this.
201. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a lease has been signed for the site for the new build for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41834/18]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, my Department is in the process of acquiring the site for a new school building for the school referenced. The conveyancing process is well advanced and every effort is being made to expedite the process. The legal transaction when complete will transfer full ownership of the site in question to the Minister, and is not a lease agreement.
While conveyancing is being completed the architectural planning process for the new school is advancing. It is not anticipated that the completion of conveyancing will impact on the timelines for delivery of the building project.
202. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost in legal fees relating to a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41835/18]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
203. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of staff in his Department and bodies under his aegis appointed to principal officer arising from internal competitions since 7 July 2015, by year. [41843/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
Department of Education and Skills Internal Principal Officer Promotions
|
Year |
Number |
|
2015 |
0 |
|
2016 |
2 |
|
2017 |
0 |
|
2018 |
6 |
There was only one internal promotion within a DES aegis body: 2016 confined competition promotion within the Higher Education Authority.
204. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons appointed from the panels arising from the 2015 and 2017 open competitions for principal officer run by the Public Appointments Service, by year; if a table (details supplied) will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41856/18]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out as follows.
|
Department or Office Name: |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
|
No. of Principal Officer appointments arising from internal competitions since 7/7/15 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
|
No. of Principal Officer appointments arising from 2015 PO Open competition run by PAS (Campaign ID: 1512210) (Effective 7/7/15) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
n/a |
|
No. of Principal Officer appointments arising from 2017 PO Open Competition run by PAS(Campaign ID: 17101202) (Effective 23/11/17) |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
2 |
205. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding his Department contributes to medicines research and development annually; the budget holders, for example, the Irish Research Council, responsible to his Department; the extent of its funding allocations for medicines research and development; the principles which guide this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41884/18]
View answerCompetitive research funding available from my Department is managed by the Irish Research Council. It has a broad remit to support and enhance human capital development, in particular at postgraduate and early stage postdoctoral levels. The Council -
- funds excellent research within, and between, all disciplines, and in doing so to enhance Ireland’s international reputation as a centre for research and learning
- supports the education and skills development of excellent individual early-stage researchers and cultivates agile independent researchers and thinkers, while offering a range of opportunities which support diverse career paths
- enriches the pool of knowledge and expertise available for addressing Ireland’s current and future needs, whether societal, cultural or economic and deliver for citizens through collaboration and enabling knowledge exchange with government departments and agencies, enterprise and civic society
The Council does not operate quotas for individual disciplines. Funding is awarded based on excellence, which is determined on the basis of independent peer review in an open, objective and transparent manner. Therefore, funding for medicines research would vary each year depending on standard of proposals.
The Council also operates funding schemes under which non-academic bodies participate in research projects. Under some of these schemes, the partner organisations make financial contributions towards the award (Enterprise Partnerships Scheme and the Employment Based Programme). No disciplinary prioritisation applies under these schemes, and awards are based on excellence.
I am arranging for information on such research to be collated by the Council and I will forward this to the Deputy.
207. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has met the schools secretaries division of a union (details supplied) recently; and his plans to meet with it. [41888/18]
View answerTo answer the Deputy's question, my officials formally meet with FÓRSA Trade Union officials on an on-going basis as parties to a number of industrial relations fora. This includes a long-standing dedicated forum established under a Labour Relations Commission recommendation (now comprehended by the Workplace Relations Commission) whereby my officials meet bilaterally with FÓRSA officials four times a year on specific issues that affect their members, including issues related to school secretaries. Outside of the aforementioned formal industrial relations channels, my officials also have regular informal engagements with FÓRSA officials on various matters as they arise in Education Sector workplaces where their members are employed.
208. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason charges of over €3,000 have recently been imposed on asylum seekers residing in direct provision centres by the Cork Education and Training Board in respect of PLC courses; the basis for applying such charges in view of the fact that no charges were previously applied; if other further education institutes have applied the charges; the details of those that have; the number of students from whom the charges have been sought; and if the decision will be reviewed in view of the exceptionally limited income profile of this cohort of students. [41920/18]
View answerAccess for eligible international protection applicants to the majority of further education and training programmes is free of charge, but international fees continue to apply for Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) programmes and higher education courses.
Arrangements in relation to payment of international fees for international protection applicants have not changed since 2001. PLC colleges are responsible for collecting the fee.
More broadly, the Government decision to opt in to the EU (recast) Receptions Conditions Directive (2013/22/EU) has given international protection applicants, who have been waiting 9 months or more for a first instance recommendation, access to all aspects of further education and training. While this modifies some of the earlier arrangements regarding access, it does not change the situation regarding the payment of the international fee for PLC programmes.
My Department announced last month the continuation of the Pilot Student Support Scheme for those in the international protection system for the 2018/19 academic year. This pilot scheme was first introduced in 2015/16, and provides supports, including meeting any fee costs, in line with the current Student Grant Scheme. The scheme applies to eligible students pursuing PLC programmes and undergraduate courses. To qualify for the scheme, applicants need to have spent 5 years in the Irish school system and have completed the leaving certificate.
Enrolment numbers in relation to academic year 2018/19 are not yet available. However, The number of learners who indicated that they were international protection applicants on commencement of PLC programmes in September 2017 for the academic year 2017/2018 was 19, as reported by the PLC providers.
209. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a tender (details supplied) was withdrawn and a project did not proceed as planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41943/18]
View answer210. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a tender (details supplied) was challenged; if so, the grounds on which it was challenged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41944/18]
View answer211. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there are legal proceedings pending with regard to the tender in respect of the implementation of an electronic marking system; if so, the basis for these proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41945/18]
View answer212. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a tender document; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41946/18]
View answer213. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action that will be taken against public officials regarding the cancellation of a public procurement competition (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41947/18]
View answer214. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reissue a tender for the implementation of an electronic marking system; when this is likely to happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41948/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 209 to 214, inclusive, together.
The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
215. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a site for a school (details supplied) will be purchased and publicly announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41964/18]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the school to which she refers is included in my Department’s 6 year construction programme. The acquisition of a suitable site is required to facilitate this project.
With the assistance of officials in Fingal County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites a number of site options were identified. These were comprehensively assessed and a preferred site option has been identified. Negotiations with the landowner in respect of the proposed acquisition of this site are currently ongoing. The Deputy will appreciate that negotiations on school site acquisitions can be complex and price is only one of multiple aspects which need to be agreed. Nonetheless, officials are working to bring matters to a conclusion at the earliest possible date.
Due to commercial sensitivities relating to site acquisitions generally, the Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to provide further details at this time but I can confirm that the school patron is being kept appraised of developments in respect of the site acquisition process.
In the interim the school is based since September 2018 at the former Institute of Horology property, Mill Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 on a temporary basis.
