Written Answers Nos. 254-278
254. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the State is directly or indirectly funding legal costs, including senior counsel, in the recent past, or on an ongoing basis, associated with enforcing a religious ethos in a non-designated ETB school in Clonmel, County Tipperary, to the detriment of atheist, humanist, or secular members of the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4855/20]
View answer282. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if provision has been made for second-level education free from religious influence and iconography in south County Tipperary to cater for such facilities being desired for their children by parents of atheist, Humanist or a secular republican disposition. [5100/20]
View answer310. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if provision has been made by the State for second-level education free from religious influence and iconography in Clonmel, County Tipperary, such facilities being desired for their children by parents of atheist, humanist, or of a secular republican disposition. [5296/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 254, 282 and 310 together.
The Department does not comment on individual cases.
My Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. No new post-primary schools are currently planned for the South County Tipperary -Clonmel School Planning Area. The requirement for new schools will be kept under on-going review and in particular will have regard for the increased rollout of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040.
There are currently four post-primary schools in the Clonmel school planning area, three of which are classified as denominational and one as multi-denominational (under the patronage of Tipperary Education and Training Board).
ETB schools are multi-denominational schools and as such are required to serve their communities. This includes providing for religious instruction according to the profile of the students who attend the school.
Circulars 13/2018 and 62/2018 set out the arrangements for certain multi-denominational post primary schools, including ETB schools to consult with parents and in the case of pupils who have reached the age of 18, the pupil, to ascertain their wishes in relation to religious instruction and worship. Schools are required to incorporate parental choice regarding religious instruction as part of the normal processes for planning and timetabling generally.
Recently commenced sections of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 also contain a specific requirement that school enrolment policies must include details of the school’s arrangements for any students who do not wish to attend religious instruction. I believe this is an important measure which will help ensure transparency from the outset as to how a school will uphold the rights of parents in this regard.
255. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made on home tuition for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4858/20]
View answerMy Department does not provide funding to preschool services other than to early intervention for children with Autism.
Supports for childcare, including preschool education, are provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA).
The matter raised by the Deputy relates to preschool education and childcare. These matters fall within the remit of my colleagues, the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs.
256. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which appropriate and sufficient assistance of the request nature has been made available and continues to be made available in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4894/20]
View answerMy Department's practice has been to respond to the needs of long term or repeat child in-patients in hospitals and HSE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) facilities through the establishment of special schools or through the funding of part-time teaching hours.
The purpose of educational provision in HSE CAMHS Units is a short term intervention designed to provide for some continuity of education during the child/young person’s stay as an in-patient and to help support their re-integration based into their base school.
Continuation of a young person’s education is considered paramount to their ongoing development and this is facilitated by on-site schools, offering education programmes which run concurrent to the therapeutic engagement of the young person. Since almost all of the young people who attend CAMHS units are aged between twelve and eighteen years, the predominant educational need is for the post-primary curriculum. While the student cohort primarily have psychiatric or mental health difficulties they are capable, when medically fit to do so, of following the mainstream post-primary curriculum.
Not all children/young people attending CAMHS are medically fit to avail of education during all of their stay.
My Department’s policy is to provide teaching staff in CAMHS facilities at a pupil teacher ratio of 6:1 on the basis of the number of inpatient beds in each CAMHS unit. The facility referred to by the deputy has one such special school. Referrals to the school are a matter for each CAMHS unit.
Current policy does not provide for an additional teaching allocation for CAMHS facilities for children/young people attending as day or out-patients, as young people attending CAMHs as day patients can apply for Home Tuition support to provide for compensatory education in respect of time missed from school, due to medical reasons or attendance at a medical unit.
As not all inpatient beds in CAMHS Units may be filled at any given time, in such instances, subject to prior approval by my Department, CAMHS Units may utilise spare teaching capacity from their allocated 6:1 ratio to offer guidance or support for children/young people attending CAMHS facilities as day patients, and to assist in maintaining some continuity of education from their base school or liaison with their base school on days that they attend the CAMHS Unit.
As my Department does not retain information on individual young people who attend or are in-patients in CAMHS Units under the remit of the HSE, my Department is not aware of the issues relating to the individual referred to by the Deputy.
257. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills the financial measures that will be taken to support bus sub-contractors that are contracted by Bus Éireann to provide school transport during the imposed closure of schools from 13 to 29 March 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4899/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department.
The purpose of my Department's 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 the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Following the initial announcement that schools would be closed from the 13th to the 29th March to support efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, and in light of the exceptional circumstances, it was agreed that school transport contractors would be paid at the normal rate for the period up to 29th March 2020.
It was further decided that a payment of 50% would be afforded for the week commencing Monday 30th March until Friday 3rd April 2020. Thereafter, the normal arrangements applied for the period of scheduled school closures associated with the Easter Holidays (6th April – 17th April inclusive). It was subsequently agreed that contractors should be paid for a further 5 days at 50% to cover the period Monday 20th April to Friday 24th .
In light of the most recent announcement that schools will remain closed until the end of current school year it has been decided that contractors will continue to be paid at 50% while schools are closed in the current school year.
258. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing funding for the DEIS scheme by 20%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4901/20]
View answerIn 2019 my Department spent in the region of €125 million on the 890 schools participating in the programme and serving in excess of 185,000 children. The full list of supports available to DEIS schools is available on my Department's website at the following link
https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEISdelivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/deis-supports-to-deis-schools-effective-from-2017-2018-school-year.pdf
A 20% increase in this current level of funding would cost in the order of €25million for a full school year.
Further expenditure on the DEIS programme is also incurred by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection on the School Meals Programme and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on the School Completion Programme.
259. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education and Skills the level of financial subsidies paid to private schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4907/20]
View answerGross expenditure on the order of €96 million is incurred by the Department of Education and Skills on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools.
If the parents of children in the fee-charging sector chose to send their children to the non-fee-charging sector, the State would have to fund those school places. In this respect, the figures quoted relate to the gross cost of fee-charging schools and not the net financial position. Since it is not possible to predict these patterns of behaviour it is not possible to calculate the net financial position.
260. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a brief formulation report and service level agreement will be completed in respect of a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4916/20]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included on the Department's Capital Programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP).
The project brief is being determined along with the preparation of the Brief Formulation Report with a view to advancing the project into the architectural planning process as soon as possible. My Department is in ongoing contact with the Patron in relation to the project.
261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing funding for the Gaeltacht costs for trainee teachers to allow for an additional week of training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4941/20]
View answerThe Teaching Council is responsible for setting the standards for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes through the review and accreditation of all ITE programmes.
The Gaeltacht placement is a mandatory component of primary initial teacher education programmes, in accordance with the Teaching Council’s Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers of Initial Teacher Education.
The duration of the placement is a four week period broken into two separate blocks of two weeks.
In Budget 2020, I announced the restoration of the Gaeltacht grant for students in State-funded primary initial teacher education (ITE) programmes, with effect from the academic year 2020/21, at an estimated full year annual cost of €1.8 million. Providing funding for an additional week of placement would give rise to a pro-rata increase in the cost.
262. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce the retention figures for two teacher schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4943/20]
View answerBudget 2020 has provided for improved teacher staffing levels for small schools. This measure will see a more favourable pupil teacher ratio in small schools from September 2020. This improved schedule will apply in two, three and four teacher schools and ensure one less pupil is required to retain/recruit a teacher. This has been implemented in the recently published Circular 0018/2020 which sets out the staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2020/21 school year.
This builds on measures in previous budgets which has seen improvements in the appointment and retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and more favourable enrolment thresholds for one teacher schools situated 8km or more from the nearest school of the same type of patronage and/or language of instruction.
Small schools have also benefitted from the 1 point improvement to the primary staffing schedule for all schools implemented in 2016 and again in 2018.
In addition, the staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria, including a specific appeal measure for small schools, to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.
263. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when school transport provisions in existence up to September 2019 will be restored to children in Rathcoffey and Donadea, County Kildare, in line with the requirements set out by the parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4945/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department.
In the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's 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.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application and payment process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application process on time, are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
All school transport services are reviewed over the summer months. Arising from this review, routes may be altered, extended or withdrawn depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
Services operating for the 2020/21 school year will be determined by the number of children who apply and are deemed eligible for school transport.
264. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when free school transport facilities will be provided in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4946/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department.
The purpose of my Department's 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 the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that an application for transport was received from the family in question for the 2019/20 school year, however payment was not received. Bus Éireann has advised that the child in question is not attending their nearest post primary centre and is therefore not eligible for school transport.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only. Concessionary transport is subject to a number of terms and conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and payment of the annual charge.
The family is advised to liaise with their local Bus Éireann office should they wish to enquire about the availability of transport on a concessionary basis for the 2020/2021 school year.
The terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
265. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a primary school teacher who is on a fixed term contract for eight hours a week and is also is employed in a Gaeltacht school as a language support teacher under the OLCS system (details supplied) will continue to get paid during the closure of schools to 29 March 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4957/20]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that an official from my Department's payroll division has contacted the teacher concerned directly and answered her query.
For the Deputy's information, substitute teachers that are filling in for a scheduled leave absence will continue to be paid provided the leave absence and the substitution claim are entered on the OLCS system by their school.
266. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress for a school building project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4963/20]
View answerThe delivery of a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers has been devolved to Kildare and Wicklow Education & Training Board (KWETB).
The Stage 1 (preliminary design) process has recently been completed and the project has commenced Stage 2A (detailed design).
267. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress for a school building project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4964/20]
View answerThe project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects.
The NDFA is currently undertaking the second phase of the process of appointment of multi-disciplinary technical advisors (design teams) for these projects. This process will involve a number of call-off competitions for bundles of projects from a framework.
Thereafter, the NDFA will ensure that the project progresses to design stage, obtains the necessary statutory planning permission, and moves the project onward to tender and construction in due course. As the project is at an early stage in the delivery process, it is not possible at this time to give a date for its completion.
Please be assured that the NDFA will be engaging directly with the school authority to keep it informed of progress.
268. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress for a school building project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4965/20]
View answerThe project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects.
The NDFA is currently undertaking the second phase of the process of appointment of multi-disciplinary technical advisors (design teams) for these projects. This process will involve a number of call-off competitions for bundles of projects from a framework.
Thereafter, the NDFA will ensure that the project progresses to design stage, obtains the necessary statutory planning permission, and moves the project onward to tender and construction in due course. As the project is at an early stage in the delivery process, it is not possible at this time to give a date for its completion.
Please be assured that the NDFA will be engaging directly with the school authority to keep it informed of progress.
269. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress for a school building project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4966/20]
View answerThe major project for the construction of the new school building for the school referred to by the deputy is at an advanced stage of the tender process and my Department is currently awaiting the return of the supplementary tender report.
Subject to no issues arising and contingent upon the current restrictions being lifted, it is envisaged that construction should commence following the finalisation of the tender process with a contract duration of approximately 20 months.
The tender process for the provision of the second phase of the temporary accommodation on the existing school site has completed and the Letter of Acceptance has issued.
The Department is aware of the issues raised by the school Board of Management in relation to sports facilities and is engaging with school authorities in this regard.
270. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress for a school building projects (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4967/20]
View answerThe joint project for the schools referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of the tender process. My Department is currently awaiting the return of the supplementary tender report.
Subject to no issues arising, it is anticipated that construction will commence once the tender process has been finalised and the project is expected to take approximately 22 months to complete.
271. Deputy Peter Burke 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. [4997/20]
View answerA project under the Department’s Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018 has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This project provides for two general classrooms with ensuites, two special education needs classrooms and a WC for Assisted User to replace existing prefabricated accommodation.
The works referred to by the Deputy were not approved by the Department and correspondence was issued to the school requiring a reduction in the scope of the works in that context. Officials in my Department will write to the school in due course and once our consideration of the response that has been received is completed.
272. Deputy Norma Foley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the contingency planning for second-level schools and students specifically in relation to practical and oral examinations; when they are likely to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4998/20]
View answerAfter it was announced on 10th April that schools would remain closed until further notice, I announced that the June Junior Cycle State Examinations would be replaced with school-based examinations and assessments to be held early in the new school year. On 29th of April I announced details of the school-based assessment and reporting arrangements for students who are concluding Junior Cycle in May 2020, and also stated that these assessments should be completed and marked by schools before 29th May 2020, and not early in the new school year as originally advised. Under these arrangements, the scheduled oral and practical components of the state Junior Cycle examinations will not now take place.
These details were finalised following advice received from an advisory group of stakeholders for contingency planning for the 2020 state examinations which I convened. The group membership includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and Departmental officials, including the National Educational Psychological Service.
On last Friday, 8th May, I announced the postponement of the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations. Following a decision at Cabinet, students are to be offered the option of receiving Calculated Grades for the subjects they are studying and the alternative of sitting the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations at a date in the future when it is considered safe to hold the examinations. This decision was taken following an assessment of public health advice and other information and the implications for holding the exams from the previously rescheduled date of Wednesday 29 July 2020. Under the arrangements announced last Friday, the scheduled oral and practical components of the state Leaving Certificate examinations will not now take place.
I am acutely aware of the challenges faced by students, teachers and families at this difficult time. All decisions taken in relation to the examinations are based on public health advice. The welfare of students and that of their families is front and centre in all our decision making.
273. Deputy Norma Foley asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to set a new date for the commencement of the junior and leaving certificate examinations scheduled for June 2020; if exams will proceed as initially planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4999/20]
View answerAfter it was announced of 10th April that schools would remain closed until further notice, I announced that the June Junior Cycle State Examinations would be replaced with school-based examinations and assessments to be held early in the new school year. On the 29th of April I announced details of the school-based assessment and reporting arrangements for students who are concluding Junior Cycle in May 2020.
These details were finalised following advice received from an advisory group of stakeholders for contingency planning for the 2020 state examinations which I convened. The group membership includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and Departmental officials, including the National Educational Psychological Service.
On last Friday, 8th May, I announced the postponement of the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations. Following a decision at Cabinet, students are to be offered the option of receiving Calculated Grades for the subjects they are studying and the alternative of sitting the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations at a date in the future when it is considered safe to hold the examinations. This decision was taken following an assessment of public health advice and other information and the implications for holding the exams from the previously rescheduled date of Wednesday 29 July 2020.
I am acutely aware of the challenges faced by students, teachers and families at this difficult time. All decisions taken in relation to the examinations are based on public health advice. The welfare of students and that of their families is front and centre in all our decision making.
274. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the ongoing issues in relation to school secretaries in their actions to have their pay and conditions put on par with other public servants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5026/20]
View answerI recognise the very important work done by these staff, and the other support staff in the running of our schools. I have spoken to a number of secretaries about their employment conditions and understand the issues they have raised.
In Budget 2020 I increased the number of secretaries and caretakers in certain schools, allowing schools with enrolments of 500-625 to fill secretary vacancies provided they have fewer than 1.5 secretaries; schools with enrolments of 626-699 to fill vacancies provided they have fewer than two secretary posts filled, and schools of 700 or more to fill caretaker vacancies provided they have fewer than two caretakers. These measures will take effect from September 2020.
In Spring 2019 I relaxed the moratorium for those C&C and ETB schools with enrolments of 700 and more which allow them to employ additional school secretaries up to a maximum of two per school. There are 91 schools in the C&C and ETB Sector who meet this criteria, based on the information currently available to this Department. This was an initial step and took immediate effect.
Schemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of clerical officers and caretakers in schools. The schemes were withdrawn completely in 2008. These schemes have been superseded by the capi
The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools now receive assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services under these grant schemes. It is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs. Where a school uses the grant funding for caretaking or secretarial purposes, any staff taken on to support those functions are employees of individual schools. Specific responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.
On foot of a Chairman’s Note to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, my Department engaged with the Unions representing school secretaries and caretakers, including through an independent arbitration process in 2015. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for staff and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 be phased in over that period. This arbitration agreement covered the period up to 31 December 2019.
The arbitration agreement was designed to be of greatest benefit to lower-paid secretaries and caretakers. For example, a secretary or caretaker who was paid the then minimum wage of €8.65 per hour in 2015 prior to the arbitration has from 1 January 2019, been paid €13 per hour which is a 50% increase in that individual’s hourly pay.
The increases recommended by the Arbitrator are binding and must be applied by all schools who employ staff to whom the Arbitrator’s recommendation applies.
The survey of Secretaries and Caretakers identified some schools that are non-compliant with the provisions of the 2015 Arbitration Agreement, and my Department has contacted these schools to remind them of their obligations under the agreement, as implemented through various circulars. The links below will bring you to the most recent circulars in respect of the pay increases under the 2015 Arbitration Agreement.
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0076_2018.pdf
https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0077_2018.pdf
Officials from my Department attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills on the 9th of April 2019 to discuss the status of non-teaching staff.
In May last year officials from my Department had discussions with FÓRSA trade union representatives as part of a planned meeting. FÓRSA took the opportunity to formally table a pay claim.
This was tabled as a follow-on claim from the pay agreement for this cohort of staff which lasted until December 2019. The Department issued surveys on the 10th of July 2019 to establish the full current cost of the trade union’s claim. This is standard practice.
Officials from the Department met with FÓRSA representatives last September. Management Bodies representing the employers of schools impacted by the action were also in attendance at the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to further explore the details of the pay claim as presented by FÓRSA and the nature of the industrial action.
On 30 September 2019 FÓRSA requested the Department to agree to use the services of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to resolve the dispute. As is normal practice the Department agreed to use the industrial relations machinery of the state in an effort to resolve this matter.
In order to address the various issues within the claim and to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution, the Department and Management Bodies are in discussions with FÓRSA under the auspices of the WRC. These talks are subject to the normal procedures including confidentiality. The talks began in the WRC in October.
Following industrial action, which commenced on the 10th January, both parties have agreed to return to talks at the WRC. FÓRSA agreed to the WRC request to suspend their ongoing work-to-rule to allow the talks to progress. This suspension was effective from 21st January 2020.
275. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status and proposals to address the lack of primary school places in the greater Rosslare area in view of the announcement of a direct provision centre to open in March 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5029/20]
View answerMy Department engages on an ongoing basis with officials in the Department of Justice & Equality and TUSLA Education Support Service (TESS) in relation to education issues arising from the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees. For the past number of years, the Department has seconded an official to the Department of Justice and Equality to support the arrangement of education provision for children residing in accommodation centres. This arrangement facilitates close liaison with relevant areas of my Department in relation to education provision and with TESS, which is responsible for assisting with school enrolment and attendance. In general as new accommodation centres under contract to the Department of Justice and Equality are opened, children are enrolled in the nearest schools where places are available, with transport provided where necessary.
276. Deputy Peter Burke 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. [5031/20]
View answerI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department, for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation scheme.
The application is currently under consideration and a decision will be conveyed directly to the school authority as soon as the assessment process is completed.
277. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding has been made available to put in additional new prefabs to accommodate students for September 2020 in a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5032/20]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, a major project to provide an extension to the existing school building is included in my Department's building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP).
In this regard, the procurement of the Design Team to deliver the project has commenced.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved grant to the school's patron in 2019 for the provision of interim accommodation and the patron has advised that the accommodation was installed in January 2020.
278. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position in relation to the cost involved for students that have been allocated a concessionary school transport place and that hold a medical card due to a particular medical condition they have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5060/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department.
The purpose of my Department's 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 the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Under the terms of the scheme, children are eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria (3.2km at primary and 4.8km at post-primary) and are attending their nearest school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Only children who are eligible for school transport and who hold a valid medical card (GMS scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge.
