Written Answers Nos. 139-146
139. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a bus for students to be accommodated in an area (details supplied) will be approved; the number of students which will be accommodated; if all students will be catered for as part of the additional service; when the service will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43011/18]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
In the 2017/18 school year over 117,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, were 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.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the current school year where such services are in operation.
A number of children from the area referred to by the Deputy who are eligible for school transport were late in submitting their payment details and services are now operating to capacity. My Department is examining the position in regard to otherwise eligible applicants who did not pay within the notified application process timelines and for whom a seat is not available for the 2018/19 school year.
The terms of the School Transport Schemes are applied equitably on a national basis.
140. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to provide temporary additional accommodation for a school (details supplied); if the school will be provided with all the extra accommodation needs that it requires; the timeline for the completion of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43082/18]
View answer141. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a major capital works application by a school (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the school urgently requires major infrastructural improvement and expansion of school accommodation needs on a permanent basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43083/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together.
I can confirm that my Department received an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for major capital works including the provision of an extension, in addition to refurbishment works.
The school in question was not included on my Department’s 6 year Capital Programme and it is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of a major project for the school in question at this time.
I wish to advise, however, that my Department liaised with the relevant Education and Training Board (ETB), as Patron for the school, in the context of the application received, in respect of any immediate accommodation requirements. In that regard the ETB submitted Additional School Accommodation applications. My Department subsequently approved the provision of six permanent general classrooms in addition to a two-class ASD unit. Responsibility for delivery of this accommodation was devolved to the ETB.
To address immediate accommodation needs my Department has approved in principle the provision of temporary accommodation for this school.
142. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) has not been granted DEIS status; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that all surrounding national schools in the overall region have been granted DEIS status but this school has not; the details of the different selection criteria applied to the school in view of the fact that the same socio-economic factors and statistics apply within the school's catchments area as in the other areas which have been awarded DEIS status for their respective schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43084/18]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage.
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 the 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. This data is applied uniformly to all schools in the country in a fair and objective way, to identify the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in each school.
The calculation of the level of disadvantage in each school is based on the socio-economic background of their pupil cohort using centrally held data as previously outlined. It is not based on the location of the school but on the geographical CSO Small Areas where the pupil cohort resides. Therefore it is important to understand that the demographic of neighbouring schools will not necessarily be the same and can indicate different levels of disadvantage based on the actual pupil cohort in each individual school.
A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf.
DEIS Plan 2017 states that the improved data on the socio-demographic of schools resulting from the new identification model will have an impact not only on the assessment of schools for inclusion in the programme but also on the scaling of resources to allow for more graduated levels of support. This in turn allows for the ultimate objective of allocating resources to best meet the identified need of individual schools.
In order to achieve this, the current identification model needs to be as accurate as possible and this will be facilitated by the use of Eircode to ensure correct inputting of addresses. Further analysis is also required to examine other variables known to be strong predictors of educational disadvantage in the context of resource allocation.
Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of the address data and conduct further analysis, it has been decided to conduct further quality assurance on the model before extending these envisaged uses of the model. Consequently, it is not intended to extend the DEIS programme to any further schools until this work is complete.
143. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason there is no replacement teacher in a school (details supplied); and if it is a departmental issue or a school level issue. [43148/18]
View answerTeacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities.
144. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the impact data protection is having on Eir customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43146/18]
View answerThe position is that under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Member States are required to designate an independent data protection authority with a broad range of tasks and enforcement powers. The Data Protection Commission has been designated under the Data Protection Act 2018 as the data protection authority in this jurisdiction for the purposes of the GDPR. Statutory responsibility for the application of data protection law is vested in the Data Protection Commission. As the Commission enjoys statutory independence in the performance of its tasks and exercise of its enforcement powers under the GDPR and the 2018 Act it would not be appropriate for me to intervene in relation to such matters in my capacity as Minister for Justice and Equality.
The general position is that businesses and other organisations that process the personal data of individuals are required to ensure that personal data are processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security and confidentiality of the data. Taking into account the nature, scope, context and purposes of the data processing operations and the risks for the rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned, such businesses and organisations are required to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to such risks.
145. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 242 of 12 July 2018, the number of incidents of domestic abuse recorded in each Garda division in each month to date in 2018. [42774/18]
View answerI understand that, further to the Deputy's previous Parliamentary Question, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) contacted the Deputy on 19 July 2018 which advised that "PULSE, the incident recording system of An Garda Siochana, is the only potential source of data for statistics of crime incidents with a domestic violence/abuse motive. The information is collected on PULSE since Q4 2015. Based on an examination of the quality of the data CSO took the decision not to release statistics as the quality of the collected data is not sufficiently robust enough to generate reliable statistics."
In this context, the Deputy will be aware that the most recent publication of the official recorded crime statistics remains 'Under Reservation'. It is important to note that the CSO, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána and the Policing Authority, continue to make good progress on returning the crime figures to the higher standard expected of our national crime statistics. I am determined that this body of work be completed as soon as possible.
146. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 240 of 12 July 2018, the Garda personnel in County Louth with responsibility for implementing the domestic abuse intervention policy 2017. [42775/18]
View answerI refer to your Parliamentary Question No. 240 for answer on 12 July 2018. At the time I responded that I would request the information sought by you from the Garda Commissioner and that I would write directly to you on receipt of same. This information has been received and is included in the substantive response below.
As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Units and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends, demographics, and security assessments relating to the area in question so as to ensure optimal use is made of Garda human resources.
An Garda Síochána’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Policy 2017 was developed in consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions and incorporates changes in legislation, developments arising from the Cosc National Strategies on the prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence and to comply with the Istanbul Convention and the EU Victims Directive. The theme running though the policy is the provision by An Garda Síochána of information, support and protection to victims. The policy document on domestic abuse identifies the nature of intervention that personnel within An Garda Síochána are required to make when responding to domestic abuse related incidents. The policy incorporates Garda Síochána standards, procedures, relevant legislation and victim support information relevant to domestic abuse related incidents.
I am advised that under the policy victims of domestic abuse are provided with the information, support and protection in accordance with the Garda Victim Service Policy and EU Victims Directive. The victim is provided with a copy of the relevant domestic abuse information literature and is made aware of the relevant services, both statutory and voluntary, in the area which may be of assistance to them. I am informed that each Garda Division has a nominated Inspector, who has responsibility for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the domestic abuse intervention policy when dealing with incidents of domestic abuse.
The Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 envisages a range of actions to be implemented by State, voluntary and community sector organisations aimed at preventing and responding to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. An Garda Síochána is committed to supporting this strategy, and in March 2015 a number of Garda units were brought together to leverage their experience and expertise in investigating serious crimes against the person including sexual offences to form the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) led by a Chief Superintendent.
The GNPSB is a specialist team dedicated to making sure each and every complaint relating to child protection, human trafficking, domestic and sexual violence is thoroughly investigated and handled correctly. In addition, the GNPSB is responsible for working with other agencies to manage sex offenders in the interest of community safety.
As part of the Garda Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 Protective Services Units (PSUs) are to be established in every Garda Division with specially trained staff on a phased basis. I am advised by the Commissioner that Phase 1 involved the establishment of Units in three Divisions, the Dublin Metropolitan Region West, Cork City and the Louth Division over a 12-month period on a pilot basis. These units mirror the responsibilities held by the GNPSB and ensure a consistent approach to domestic abuse and sexual crime. The PSUs work with the Garda Victim Service Offices in their area to ensure that the needs of victims are adequately catered for.
I understand that all Garda personnel receive training in the investigation of incidents considered domestic abuse, in all its forms, with additional training provided to Gardaí selected for duties as detectives. Similarly, additional and more specific training has been developed for the Divisional Protective Services Units, which has commenced in three Garda divisions, DMR West , Cork City and Louth.
I am informed by the Commissioner that there is one Sergeant and five Gardaí assigned to the Louth Divisional PSU which is based in Castlebellingham Garda Station. It is expected that additional resources will be allocated to this unit shortly.
